Entrenched Crews: sticky Arkanaut Company objective-holders (AoS 4th Ed)
Makes your cheap battleline infantry far harder to shift while they hold still on objectives.
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.
Entrenched Crews rewards a static defensive game: you nominate up to three Arkanaut Company units, and while they stay put they reduce the Rend of attacks against them, making them stubborn objective-holders. It suits lists that want to plant infantry on points and dare the enemy to dig them out. (Paraphrased - verify exact conditions and wording in your current battletome or Wahapedia.)
What the formation does
Pick up to three friendly Arkanaut Company units. While a chosen unit hasn't moved (and wasn't just set up), it subtracts 1 from the Rend of attacks targeting it, effectively improving its saves against incoming fire and blows. Check the exact 'stationary' and timing conditions in current rules.
Who it suits
Players who lean on Arkanaut Company as a defensive backbone and want their ships free to shoot rather than babysit objectives. Ideal for grindy, objective-control missions where holding ground wins the game.
Key units
- Arkanaut Company - the direct beneficiary; your cheap, expendable objective-holders become notably tougher.
- Arkanaut Frigate / Ironclad - stack Skyvessel Cover on top for even harder-to-shift infantry blocks.
When to pick it
Pick it when you expect to sit on objectives under fire and want your battleline to survive being shot and charged. Weaker if your gameplan is highly mobile, since the benefit relies on staying still.
Common questions
Does the bonus apply if the unit moves?
No - the Rend reduction depends on the unit staying still (and not being freshly deployed) that turn. Move it and you lose the protection until it holds again. Confirm the precise timing wording in your battletome.
Does it stack with Skyvessel Cover?
They address different things - Skyvessel Cover subtracts from enemy hit rolls near a ship, while this reduces incoming Rend - so infantry under a Frigate can benefit from both. Always verify current wording and any stacking limits.
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Written by SprueSentry with SprueSentry editorial (hand-authored, research-grounded), grounded in the cited sources — original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.