Is Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard a good place to start?
Yes, if you want a self-contained game for two people. Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard holds two warbands, four Rivals decks, a rulebook, a quick start guide, tokens, dice and a double-sided game board. Nothing else is needed for a first game.
Embergard was revealed as a new edition in October 2024, so it is the safe starting box.
What is in the Embergard box
- Two warbands: the Emberwatch, a Stormcast Eternals warband led by Ardorn Flamerunner, and Zikkit's Tunnelpack, a gang of Skaven from the Clans Skryre.
- Four Rivals decks, one for each of the new playstyles.
- A rulebook and a quick start guide.
- A double-sided game board, tokens and dice.
The box costs £57.28 here (RRP £72.50) and is in stock. The game is set beneath the ruined streets of Embergard, a city reduced to rubble. You need no terrain, because the board and tokens are in the box.
What changed with Embergard
Games Workshop calls Embergard a major rules update that streamlines the game. It was revealed as a new edition in October 2024. The Rivals decks in the box work with any warband, and each faction has distinctive rules of its own.
One player in a r/ageofsigmar thread said the old decks were incompatible with the new edition. Our listings for the other Underworlds boxes do not say which edition they belong to, so Embergard is the one box we can place in the new edition.
The game is still being added to. Games Workshop has previewed a new Lumineth Realm-lords warband, Thyrielle's Zephyrites, for Embergard.
What kind of game it is
Underworlds mixes miniatures with card-game mechanics, and Games Workshop calls it fast-paced and competitive. In one r/Warhammer thread, players described it as close to a board game, with short games, few models and everything in one box, and said the cards bring extra rules to learn.
Underworlds suits two people who like board games and want a few miniatures to paint, rather than a large army that grows as you collect.
Common questions
Is Warhammer Underworlds good for beginners?
Embergard is built to be a starting point: it holds a quick start guide, a rulebook and everything else for two players. Expect a few games before the rules feel easy, because the cards add rules to learn.
Do I need to buy anything else to play Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard?
Everything for two players is in the box. Paint is optional.
Can I use old Warhammer Underworlds decks with Embergard?
One player in a r/ageofsigmar thread said older decks were incompatible with the new edition, so treat them as belonging to the previous edition. Our listings for the other Underworlds boxes do not give the edition, so ask us before you buy one.
How many people can play Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard?
Two. The box holds two warbands and is built as a game for two people.
Embergard edition, contents and decks: Warhammer Community (Games Workshop's news site), 11, 27 and 29 October 2024. New warband: Warhammer Community, 26 March 2026. Older decks: one r/ageofsigmar thread, 2026. What the game is like: one r/Warhammer thread, 2026. Prices and stock: this shop, read live.