Review: Maggotkin of Nurgle Putrid Blightkings, Sloven Knights & Rotswords

After a decade of patient rot, the Putrid Blightkings return with a fresh model update, bringing with them the brand-new Sloven Knights and Rotswords. Grandfather Nurgle’s garden is blooming with grotesque new life, and we’re here to unbox and review three of the most anticipated Maggotkin of Nurgle releases with HQ sprue images and a list of all build options.

The new Maggotkin of Nurgle releases will be available for pre-order starting Saturday, 3 January 2026. The pre-order period lasts two weeks, with the official release date set for 17 January 2026.

The Maggotkin of Nurgle review part 1

Here on Tale of Painters we’re unboxing and reviewing all the new Maggotkin of Nurgle releases. In this first part we’re looking at the new Putrid Blightkings, the Sloven Knights, and the Rotswords. Next Tuesday, part 2 will follow with Festus the Leechlord, the new Pestigors, and the Pox-Wretches.

Additionally, The Court of Gelgus Pust and the Cankerborn from Warhammer Quest: Darkwater will also be available individually. These kits are identical to the sprues from Darkwater, so check out our in-depth Warhammer Quest: Darkwater review for those.

The new 2026 Putrid Blightkings unboxed

The Putrid Blightkings are one of, if not the most iconic units of the Maggotkin of Nurgle. In fact, it’s been 10 years since the previous kit was released; back in 2015, initially for Warhammer Fantasy with square bases, as part of the End Times campaign. They were conceived as a sort of extrapolation of the popular Lord of Plagues model by Brian Nelson, probably one of the most frequently entered Golden Demon models. Accordingly, expectations for a new kit are high.

The new Putrid Blightkings kit has an RRP of £40 / 51.50€ / $65. The slim box builds five models and contains one sprue with two medium-sized segments, five 40mm bases, and an instruction booklet.

Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.

The build options:

• Model 1 can be built as a Champion or regular Blightking. There are two head variants for this: a regular one (part 9), and one for the Champion with somewhat more expansive antlers (parts 6 to 8).
• Model 2 can be built as a Standard Bearer or regular Blightking. There’s a right hand with standard (17 to 20), or a right hand with axe (21).
• Models 3 to 5 are regular Blightkings and have no build options.

As you can see from the list, the new Blightkings are pretty monopose and offer little scope for personalisation. This also fits with their new look, which is significantly more cohesive. All models wear a sort of sash over their massive bodies, as well as helmets with large antlers. The old models had more individual character, and offered multiple heads, weapon options and slightly different poses per model.

Which you prefer is a matter of taste. The new Blightkings work better as a unit, have a higher level of detail, and somehow “breathe” more Age of Sigmar flair in my opinion.

Assembly is relatively straightforward, though not all seam lines will be hidden. Particularly with the sashes you’ll need to prepare for filling (my tip for optimally filling seam lines can be found here).

Rotswords unboxing & review

The Rotswords are a new infantry unit for the Maggotkin of Nurgle. Heavily armoured foot knights, practically the Nurgle equivalent of a Chaos Warrior, but smaller and less bloated than the Putrid Blightkings or Blight Templars.

The box contains 10 models on 32mm bases, spread across a sprue with three medium-sized segments. There’s also the assembly instructions. The RRP is £40 / 51.50€ / $65.

Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.

The build options:

• Model 1 can be built as a Champion or regular Rotsword. For the Champion there’s a particularly imposing helmet (part 12) and reinforced shoulder pad (10). Additionally, you can choose between a right hand with shield (26) or sword (25).
• Model 2 can be built as a Standard Bearer or regular Rotsword. The Standard Bearer has a right arm with standard (parts 21, 27, and 28) and can choose between two icons (29 and 30). The regular Rotsword has instead a right arm (22) with weapon of choice.
• Model 3 can optionally be built as a Musician. For this you glue a sort of xylophone (41) to the chest. Additionally, you can choose between a right hand with shield or blade (40).
• Models 7 to 10 can each choose between a right hand with shield or hand weapon.
• In addition to the Champion’s head, 12 freely interchangeable heads are included (10 helmeted, 2 bare heads).
• Also freely interchangeable are the right hands. There are 10 different variants with various hand weapons like swords, axes, hammers, and morning stars.
• Additionally, there are 10 different shields, also freely interchangeable (8 pill-shaped and 2 round).

Whereas the new Putrid Blightkings and Sloven Knights kits are very limited, things look much more customizable with the Rotswords. Here, thanks to interchangeable heads, hand weapons and shields, quite a bit of variety is possible. Additionally, you can choose whether to equip the whole unit with shields or prefer dual hand weapons (however, the battlescroll doesn’t make a difference between both loadouts).

I really like the design and it fills the gap for a regular-sized armoured infantry unit. Together with the Pox-wretches from Darkwater, which will also be released individually, the new Pestigors, and the Rotmire Creed warband from Warcry, which have been incorporated into the battletome, Nurgle collectors now have plenty of infantry choices when building armies.

Maggotkin of Nurgle Sloven Knights model review

The Sloven Knights are a brand-new mounted unit for the Maggotkin of Nurgle. The box contains 3 models that come on a sprue with two medium-sized segments, plus three 75mm oval bases and an instruction booklet. The RRP is £42.50 / 55€ / $69.

Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.

The build options:

• All 3 Knights are (apart from the heads) monopose with no further build options.
• However, there are 4 freely interchangeable heads (two helmeted, two bare heads), plus 1 special helmet for the Champion (part 46), which is intended for the Knight with the large flail.

As with the new Putrid Blightkings, there’s no variance with the Sloven Knights apart from the interchangeable heads. So anyone wanting to field more than one unit gets to re-enact Attack of the Clones. Assembly is quite similar to the Blightkings. Here too, some seam lines remain visible on the sashes and cloaks that require filling.

Yet, the Sloven Knights look absolutely brilliant. I noticed they’re not a direct evolution of the popular Harbinger of Decay model. Whilst the mounts are a similar design, the Harbinger rider appears almost slender compared to the massive bodies of the Sloven Knights. These Knights correspond more to the size and scale (and armour design) of the new Rotswords.

Where to get

You can find the latest GW releases at our 🇬🇧/🇪🇺 partner stores Wayland Games, Element Games, and Firestorm Games, at 🇩🇪 Taschengelddieb and PK-Pro, and at 🇺🇸 Noble Knight Games with a welcome discount of up to 20% over RRP. Using our links helps to support Tale of Painters at no additional cost to you, so thank you very much for using them!

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.