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A Host With The Ghost
Emerging from the ghastly remains of previous battles come the Spirit Hosts. These spindly remnants float through the air, choking the oxygen from anyone who still lives. More haunting though is the sound of screams that emerge from these spirits, an endless mourn for the life they have lost.
With a twist from my usual reviews, I'd like to start this one with a warning. You'll need a lot of patience, and quick setting glue for this kit. It is one of the most fiddly and infuriating models I have ever built. However, the finished figures are well worth the effort and struggle.
Now that the newest nighthaunt update is in, the spirit hosts are looking better than ever. New keywords, improved abilities and deadly weapons, are just some of the surprises in store. But enough speculation, in this review I’ll go in depth with everything you can expect from this unit. All the way from cracking open the box, to fighting on the battlefield.
One Of A Kind Spirits
To begin your adventure with this kit, you'll need some ghastly components. Here's what you get in the box:
- Enough pieces to build three models
- 3 x 5mm Round bases
- 1 instruction booklet
As with all nighthaunt models, you'll need to be careful when removing the pieces from the sprues. As all of the parts are spindly and fragile and are difficult to repair if snapped
It's worth noting that the instructions provided do not make the building process any easier. The locations where the parts join are often difficult to find and tend to move if you don't apply pressure on the joint until the glue dries. Even after building a few boxes of these models, the finished unit always takes on a different shape to the original design.
Once the glue has dried, it's time to paint! I've gone with the generic paint scheme for this unit, purely because I feel it matches the theme of the night haunt faction perfectly. The nihilakh
oxide and white glow from a distance and the white dry brushing gives a wispy dissipating look to the ends of the spirits. Alternatively, you could swap the oxide with a layer of hexwraith for a demonic twist on the paint scheme.
Ghostly Appiritions
Taking on the form of a ghastly sponge, this newly improved unit can soak damage if your rolls are on point. Making spirit hosts your generals best friends. You'll want to keep at least one nearby at all times.
This unit is entirely lacking magic and ranged attacks, making it a melee specialized unit. But as you'll see, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Melee is where the spirit hosts start to get interesting. They come equipped with spectral claws and daggers that offer 6 attacks per model that hit and wound on a 4+. Each success deals one damage a piece which may not seem like much, but if you have a full unit attacking that's a potential total of 18 damage you can deal.
Then comes the really interesting part, with the abilities. Drawn to War turns out spirit hosts into a kind of bodyguard for nearby leaders. Before you allocate a wound to a leader, if there is a spirit host unit within 3", you can allocate the wound to a spirit host instead. However, to do so, you need to roll a 3+ which actually isn't too bad.
Of course this ability now means you can reenact your favourite scenes from The Bodyguard while the theme song blares over the battlefield.
Final Thoughts
Personally, with the newest update for Nighthaunt, these models have become one of my favourite roster additions. They can dish out some nice damage, negate the squishiness of your leaders, and look absolutely wicked on the battlefield.
I just wish that this model wasn’t such a nightmare to build. The parts are so spindly, the points of contact aren’t clear and you need at least 6 pairs of hands to hold the pieces in place. That being said, this model really is worth all the effort that you spend putting it together.
It goes without saying that you should pair this unit with a hard hitting leader, so that you can utilize their bodyguard ability. And while you’re at it, I’d really recommend buying a few boxes of these, if not just for practice at building, they only cost 130 points and should be a pivotal part of any player's roster.
So that concludes this review, and I’d love to know if you had the same frustration with building this model as I did. Be sure to tag us in your pictures and thoughts using the @zatugames tag on all social media.
That concludes our thoughts on Spirit Hosts. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy Spirit Hosts today click here!