Vampires in fantasy are usually a trope. You know the drill: pale skin, capes, a weird obsession with wine glasses filled with blood, and a castle on a hill. But the Age of Sigmar vampires—the Soulblight Gravelords—are a whole different beast. Honestly, if you’re coming from Warhammer Fantasy Battles or even general pop culture, the sheer variety of bloodsuckers in the Mortal Realms might give you whiplash. It isn't just one vibe. It's a sprawling, messy, aristocratic nightmare.
Nagash, the God of Undead, didn't just make monsters. He made a curse. The Soulblight curse is a fragment of his own power, a spark of divinity that turns a mortal into a predator. But because it’s Nagash we’re talking about, there’s always a catch. You get eternal life, sure. You get super-strength. But you also get a hunger that never, ever stops. It’s a parasitic relationship with reality itself.
The Dynasties You Actually Care About
When you look at Age of Sigmar vampires, you have to talk about the bloodlines. They aren't just "factions." They are family trees with serious baggage.
Legion of Blood
This is the "classic" vibe, mostly because Neferata is running the show. She’s the Mortarch of Blood and the original vampire. Her whole thing is intrigue. Think of it as a spy network where the agents happen to drink their targets. Neferata’s court in Nulahmia is basically a mirror of the most decadent human courts, just with more dust and fewer heartbeats. If you like the idea of winning a battle before it starts because you’ve already poisoned the enemy’s logistics, this is your corner of the lore.
Legion of Night
Then you have Mannfred von Carstein. Mannfred is... well, Mannfred. If Neferata is a scalpel, Mannfred is a jagged dagger in the dark. His Legion of Night is all about misdirection and ambush. They’re the "hit and run" masters. Lore-wise, Mannfred is a bit of a pariah because he’s a habitual backstaber. Even other Age of Sigmar vampires don't really trust him. He represents the survivalist instinct of the undead—doing whatever it takes to stay on top, even if it means letting the world burn.
The Vyrkos Dynasty
This is where things get weird. And cool.
The Vyrkos aren't your typical Transylvanian lords. They’re animalistic. They have this Shamanic, Slavic-folklore energy. Belladamma Volga is the matriarch here, and she doesn't turn people with a bite. She uses a god-beast’s curse. This results in vampires that look like wolves, or have lupine features, or just hang out with giant dire wolves. It’s a departure from the "refined noble" trope and leans heavily into the "predator of the woods" aesthetic. Radukar the Wolf, the guy who basically took over the city of Ulfenkarn, is the poster boy for this. He’s a mountain of muscle and fur, and he’s terrifying.
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Biology and the "Hunger"
Let’s get technical. Being a vampire in the Mortal Realms isn’t a choice. It’s a metaphysical transformation.
When a human (usually a noble, because vampires are snobs) receives the "Blood Kiss," their soul is essentially overwritten. They don't just die and come back. They become a vessel for the Soulblight curse. This gives them an instinctive mastery over the dead. A newly turned vampire can literally "will" a skeleton to walk. It’s not magic in the way a wizard uses it; it’s more like moving a limb.
But the Hunger is the real story.
It’s not just "I’m thirsty." It’s a gnawing, psychic void. If a Soulblight vampire goes too long without blood, they don't just get thin. They degenerate. This is where the Vengorian Lords come from. They are vampires who have completely lost their grip on their humanity. They’ve physically mutated into these centaur-like bat monsters. They hate their own forms. They often wear masks or surround themselves with illusions to hide what they’ve become. It’s tragic, in a "I will eat your family" kind of way.
Why the Soulblight Gravelords Actually Win Games
If you’re looking at this from a tabletop perspective, Age of Sigmar vampires are the kings of the "grind."
They don't necessarily wipe you out in one turn. They just refuse to stay dead. You kill ten zombies? They’re coming back. You wound a Vampire Lord? He’s going to heal himself by eating your infantry. It is incredibly demoralizing to play against.
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- Deadly Heroes: Your vampires are your lynchpins. A Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon is one of the most iconic (and scary) units in the game.
- The Chaff: You need "chaff." Zombies and Deathrattle Skeletons. They don't do much damage, but they take up space and hold objectives while your vampires do the heavy lifting.
- Graveyards: The mechanic of "unquiet dead" allows you to set up ambush points. It forces the opponent to play a guessing game.
One thing people get wrong: they think Soulblight is a "horde" army. It can be. But it’s actually a "hero" army. Without your vampires, your skeletons are just a pile of calcium. The synergy is everything. If you lose your lynchpin character, the whole house of cards usually falls apart.
Kastelai and the Martial Code
We can't talk about Age of Sigmar vampires without mentioning Prince Vhordrai and the Kastelai Dynasty.
These guys live in a moving castle called the Crimson Keep. It teleports around the Realm of Fire (Aqshy). Unlike the Vyrkos who are wild, or the Legion of Blood who are political, the Kastelai are knights. They have a strict, albeit twisted, code of honor. They want a fair fight—or at least, a fight where they can prove their martial superiority.
They represent the "vampire knight" archetype. Heavy armor, lances, barded nightmare horses. On the table, they get buffs for killing stuff. It’s a very aggressive, "in your face" way to play the army. It’s also probably the most expensive way to play, as Blood Knights are premium models, but man, they look good on a shelf.
The Avengorii: The Weirdest Ones
If the Kastelai are the prettiest, the Avengorii are the stuff of nightmares. Based in the Realm of Beasts (Ghur), they have fully leaned into the mutation. They don't try to look human. They are the ones who field the giant monsters—Lauka Vai, the Mother of Nightmares, is their leader.
She’s a great example of the nuance in the lore. She wants to be a noble queen. She tries to maintain a court. But she’s also a giant bat-dragon-thing that can rip a tank in half. The internal conflict between the "sophisticated noble" and the "mindless beast" is the core theme of the entire Soulblight Gravelords range, and the Avengorii are that theme turned up to eleven.
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How to Start With Age of Sigmar Vampires
If you're looking to actually get into this, don't just buy a box of everything. It’s a trap.
- Pick a Dynasty first. The way you paint and build your army depends heavily on whether you want "wolf people," "knights," or "traditionalists."
- Get the Vanguard (or Spearhead) box. It’s the most cost-effective way to get a core of skeletons and a lead vampire.
- Learn the "Deathly Invocation" rules. This is the bread and butter. If you aren't bringing models back from the dead every turn, you're playing them wrong.
- Paint in batches. Skeletons and zombies will kill your soul if you try to paint them one by one. Use Contrast paints or "Slapchop" methods. Get them done so you can spend time on the cool vampires.
The real appeal of Age of Sigmar vampires is the sheer hobby variety. You can go full horror, full high-fantasy, or even something weirdly prehistoric with the Ghur-based bloodlines. They are the most versatile "villains" in the setting because their motivations are so human: ego, family, and the fear of dying.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Vampire Lord
If you're ready to dive into the hobby or just want to brush up on the lore, here’s how to move forward without wasting time.
First, go read the novel Dynasty of Monsters by David Guymer. It perfectly captures the tension between the Avengorii vampires and the humans they "protect." It’ll give you a much better feel for the world than a rulebook ever could.
Next, if you're building an army, prioritize a Vampire Lord on foot. It’s a cheap point-cost model that is essential for buffing your skeletons. Don't go straight for the big Zombie Dragon; it's a lot of points and a lot of money when you're just starting out.
Lastly, check out the "Warhammer Community" downloads for the latest "Battlescroll" updates. The rules for Soulblight change fairly often because balancing "respawning units" is a nightmare for developers. Make sure your points are up to date before you show up to a game.
The Mortal Realms are vast, and the Soulblight Gravelords own more of it than most people realize. Whether you’re into the politics of Neferata or the brute force of Radukar, there’s a place for you in the grave. Just remember: the blood is the life. And Nagash is all.