Following the reboot of Warhammer Underworlds with the current second edition, the first expansion now arrives after the Embergard starter set and the individual warband boxes. Warhammer Underworlds: Spitewood shifts the setting to the Realm of Life, Ghyran, into the eponymous Spitewood forests. It includes two new warbands and Rivals decks, as well as a new Ghyran-themed board featuring a fresh hex mechanic. Let’s take a closer look at the contents – and, most importantly, the models.
The Warhammer Underworlds: Spitewood box will be available for pre-order starting Saturday, 4 October 2025. The pre-order period lasts two weeks, with the official release date set for 18 October 2025. The RRP is £52 / 67 € / $85.
Included in the box are:
- Kurnoth’s Heralds (a 3 model Kurnothi warband) inc. warband cards
- The Blood of the Bull (a 5 model Helsmiths of Hashut warband) inc. warband cards
- 2 new Rivals decks, Hunting Grounds and Deadly Synergy
- a new double-sided gaming board
- a token sheet
- a 16-page booklet with new lore and rules for the new board
Spitewood review & unboxing
With the Spitewood box, Games Workshop is experimenting with the format of expansion sets in the current edition of Warhammer Underworlds. Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard is still the starter set for this edition and, unlike Spitewood, includes the core rules (and dice). Although both boxes are identical in size, Spitewood contains “only” two new warbands and Rivals decks, plus a new board with complementary rules. This means that, unlike the expansion boxes of previous editions – which always came with updated core rules – Spitewood isn’t necessarily mandatory for all Underworlds players.
Kurnoth’s Heralds review
Kurnoth’s Heralds are the second Kurnothi warband to appear in Warhammer Underworlds, following The Wild Hunt. The Kurnothi, followers of the slain Kurnoth, hunter god and consort of Alarielle the Everqueen, are described as a coalition of several species. Their ranks are primarily made up of the tree-folk of the Sylvaneth, but also include mortal aelf souls fused with animal-shaped lower bodies. In the Spitewood booklet, we learn that the continent of Kurnotheal has freed itself from Nurgle’s grasp within the Realm of Life, suggesting that the Kurnothi may soon take on a greater role in Age of Sigmar’s ongoing narrative – and perhaps even be united with the Sylvaneth in a future combined battletome.
Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.
The three cavalry-sized centauroids come on two small half-sprues. The plastic is a murky green shade, similar to what we’ve seen with some of the Nurgle warbands. As is standard for Warhammer Underworlds, all models are monopose and come with scenic bases. The base size is 60 mm oval. In my view, the dynamic poses and muscular anatomy of the horse-like lower bodies are superbly realised, while the design of the armour and weapons takes clear inspiration from the Wild Riders of Warhammer Fantasy / The Old World. However, expect to fill some gaps, as the lower bodies come in two halves each with a visible seam at the middle.
Kurnoth’s Heralds are a Strike type warband. Their Inspire condition triggers when a fighter begins an action in friendly territory and lands a successful attack, rewarding aggression within their own half. While in their territory, their fighters benefit from the Swift Sentinels rule, making them harder to flank and granting the Flying runemark.
The Blood of the Bull unboxed
Like most Warhammer Underworlds warbands, The Blood of the Bull comes on two small half-sprues, cast in dark grey plastic. The set’s five monopose models provide a good cross-section of the Helsmiths of Hashut range (of which I reviewed the models from the army set here).
The leader, Zuldrakka, is a characterful female War Despot sculpt mounted on a 32 mm base. She’s joined by Imnidrin, the standard bearer, and Morudok, wielding a morning star – both drawn from the Infernal Cohort and each on a 28 mm base. Tokkor represents the Infernal Razers (28 mm base), and rounding out the group is Grisk, a Hobgrot assassin.
Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.
The Blood of the Bull are a flexible Mastery warband with a good amount of fighters and quite formidable stats. Their resource are Daemonforge dice, they start with one Daemonforge die, and can generate more by delving treasure tokens (provided the fighter is not staggered). These dice can be spent to add +1 to an attack or defence roll, letting you swing the odds when needed.
The accessories
The new double-sided gaming board, in the same format as the one from Embergard, introduces two new mechanics: Waystone hexes and Aqua Ghyranis feature tokens. You’ll find the corresponding tokens on the included punchboard made from sturdy card. The rules for these, along with a reference, are covered on a single page in the 16-page Spitewood booklet, and also come on a separate card. There are also four pages going covering the contents of the box, including helpful guides to each of the decks and warbands. The remaining pages are devoted to new lore, about the awakening of Kurnotheal and the brooding conflict in the Spitewood forests of Hunter’s Paradise in Ghyran, plus background for both new warbands.
Alongside the warband cards, there are two new Rivals decks. Hunting Grounds is a Strike deck – the fourth in the current season – that rewards warbands for staying within their own territory, making it a natural fit for Kurnoth’s Heralds. The second deck, Deadly Synergy, is a new Mastery deck built around the United mechanic, rewarding positional play and coordination between fighters. This deck plays best for warbands of five or more models, perfect for The Blood of the Bull.
Where to get
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I hope you found this review helpful, feel free to leave a reaction or comment below, or post your questions here or discuss on our Discord channel.
9.0 Score
Pros
- Two beautifully designed new warbands
- Two new Rivals decks and a new board
- Cheaper than Embergard, and a good saving over purchasing two warbands and decks seperately
Cons
- Kurnoth’s Heralds’ models require some cleanup and gap filling during assembly
- No dice or core rules included, limiting its usefulness for new players
Final Verdict
Spitewood is the first major expansion for the current edition of Warhammer Underworlds. It includes two fewer decks than the Embergard starter set, and you’ll also have to do without dice and the core rules (although the latter can be downloaded for free). However, this is fairly reflected in the price, and compared with buying two warbands and decks separately, you’ll still save a fair bit. More importantly, Spitewood avoids the mistake of the previous edition, where each new expansion bloated the core rules further. The mechanics of the new Ghyran-themed board are streamlined and entirely optional, meaning casual players aren’t obliged to pick up this box just to stay up to date.
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