Sound the Charge: the Knight (elite ghoul) charge formation (AoS 4th Ed)
Adds Rend to charging Knight units fighting near your Heroes, turning Crypt Horrors and Flayers into a sharper hammer.
SprueSentry strategy commentary for Age of Sigmar 4th edition, not official rules. Games Workshop updates points and rules regularly — always confirm against the current official rules and your latest dataslate before a game.
This is the Knight-focused formation, rewarding elite ghoul units that charge near a Hero with improved Rend. Note the naming caveat: launch-era sources call this 'Knightly Echelon' while 2025 battletome coverage lists it as 'Sound the Charge' - same core effect. Confirm the exact name and wording in your current battletome.
What the formation does
It adds 1 to the Rend characteristic of melee weapons for friendly Knight units that charged, while they are wholly within 12" of a friendly Flesh-eater Courts Hero. That extra Rend meaningfully improves your elite ghouls' output against saves, turning a good charge into a punishing one.
Who it suits
Players building around Crypt Horrors and Crypt Flayers as the primary damage dealers, using serfs to screen and Heroes to escort the Knights into the right charges.
Key units
- Crypt Horrors and Crypt Flayers (the Knights)
- Abhorrant Heroes to stay within the 12" bubble and buff/recur
- Crypt Ghouls to screen and open lanes for the charge
- Courtiers for support
When to pick it
Pick it when your list centres on elite Knight units and you can reliably charge them while keeping a Hero close, especially into targets whose saves make the extra Rend decisive.
Common questions
Why do some sources call this Knightly Echelon?
The 2024 launch faction pack used the name 'Knightly Echelon' (replacing the older Cannibal Court), while 2025 battletome coverage lists a Knight charge formation as 'Sound the Charge'. They describe the same benefit; verify the current name in your own battletome.
How do I keep my Knights inside the Hero bubble?
Advance your Abhorrant Hero alongside the Knight unit so it stays wholly within 12" when the charge lands. Screen with serfs so the Hero isn't exposed, and plan charges that keep both pieces together.
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- Flesh-Eater Courts Battletome Review (2025) - Warhammer Age of Sigmar 4th Edition (Sprues & Brews) · 2025-08-16
- Flesh-eater Courts (Wahapedia, AoS 4th edition) · 2025
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- Battle Profiles August 2025 - Flesh-Eater Courts (Warhammer Community PDF) · 2025-08
Written by SprueSentry with SprueSentry editorial (hand-authored, research-grounded), grounded in the cited sources — original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.