How to Play Kharadron Overlords in Warhammer Age of Sigmar (4th Edition)

Kharadron Overlords army rules are built entirely around their skyvessels - the ships are the engine of the whole faction. Verified battle traits include:

• The Flagship - You nominate one of your skyvessels as the flagship, letting it carry a Great Endrinwork (a ship-specific enhancement). Great Endrinworks are a key part of the army's identity, offering upgrades such as extra movement, wards against shooting, bonus bombing attacks, or ignoring negative hit modifiers - so picking the right one for your plan matters.
• Skyvessel Cover - Friendly infantry that stay close (wholly within a short range, verify the exact distance) to an Arkanaut Ironclad or Frigate become harder to hit, subtracting 1 from enemy hit rolls against them. This rewards clustering your foot troops under the guns of a bigger ship.
• Flying High / Descend from the Clouds - Lets a skyvessel (and units riding inside it) start in reserve 'in the clouds' and drop onto the battlefield later, deploying at a distance from the enemy. This is the army's signature redeploy/alpha-strike tool.
• Transport Skyfarers - Skyvessels can pick up nearby friendly units, carry them during their move, and set them back down, letting infantry cover huge distances. Units transported this way generally cannot charge in the same turn - so use it to reposition and shoot, not to assault.

Together these traits define the playstyle: your ships are mobile gun platforms and transports, and much of the skill is in timing when to hold units in reserve versus committing them.

(This is a general summary - always check the exact wording, ranges and restrictions in your current battletome, faction pack, or Wahapedia.)

In AoS 4th edition you pick one battle formation for your army, which grants a special ability. The Kharadron Overlords have four confirmed formations (paraphrased below - check exact wording and any updates):

• Extra Rappel Anchors - Lets your Grundstok Gunhaulers act as bigger taxis, transporting up to two friendly infantry units (up to a combined model count of six) instead of one. Great if you want cheaper, more numerous transports moving your troops around.
• Entrenched Crews - Pick up to three Arkanaut Company units; while they hold still (not moving and not freshly deployed) they reduce the Rend of attacks against them, making your battleline grinders far stickier on objectives.
• Gritty Fortune-Hunters - Gives Vongrim Harpoon Crew and Vongrim Salvagers units a 6+ ward while they contest an objective, leaning into the newer Vongrim melee/anti-monster infantry.
• Special Procurement - Hands a non-unique hero an extra artefact of power, adding flexibility and letting you tailor a leader to your gameplan.

For most gunline-style lists, the transport- and durability-focused formations (Extra Rappel Anchors, Entrenched Crews) suit the classic 'ships and objective-holders' plan, while Gritty Fortune-Hunters rewards a more melee-forward, Vongrim-heavy build.

• Arkanaut Ironclad - The big flagship gunboat: heavy firepower, high transport capacity, and a natural home for a Great Endrinwork. Often the centrepiece of the list.
• Arkanaut Frigate - A mid-sized gunship and troop transport; the workhorse skyvessel that provides Skyvessel Cover and ferries infantry.
• Grundstok Gunhauler - A cheaper light escort ship; fast, disruptive, and (with the right formation) a compact troop taxi.
• Arkanaut Company - The staple battleline infantry: cheap, expendable objective-holders with pistols/guns and a defensive shooting reaction when charged. The glue that holds ground while the ships do the work.
• Grundstok Thunderers - Elite ranged infantry with flexible weapon options; your reliable damage-dealing foot unit.
• Endrinriggers / Skywardens - Jetpack-equipped duardin for mobile harassment, board control, and repairing ships.
• Vongrim Harpoon Crew & Vongrim Salvagers - Newer infantry: the Harpoon Crew specialises in anti-monster shooting and mobility, while Salvagers hit hard in melee and buff nearby Skyfarers.
• Heroes (Endrinmaster, Aether-Khemist, Aetheric Navigator, Null-Khemist, Codewright, Brokk Grungsson and others) - Provide ship repair, shooting buffs, movement tricks, and anti-magic support (the Null-Khemist notably shores up the army's weak magical defence). Specific roles vary; confirm current warscrolls.

Kharadron Overlords are a mobile gunline. Your ships are the offence; your infantry are the board presence. A typical gameplan:

1. Deploy for the shots you want. Decide which units start on the table and which go into reserve 'in the clouds' via Flying High. Reserves let you threaten late-game repositioning and objective grabs. 2. Screen and hold with Arkanaut Company. These cheap units sit on objectives, soak charges, and benefit from Skyvessel Cover when they huddle under a Frigate or Ironclad. 3. Use the ships as mobile firebases. Move, then unload concentrated shooting into priority targets. Great Endrinworks and hero buffs make this firepower more reliable. 4. Taxi and redeploy. Transport Skyfarers and the transport formations let you shuttle infantry across the board to contest far objectives - remember transported units usually can't charge that turn, so this is a repositioning tool, not an assault one. 5. Win on objectives, not on tabling. As an elite, low-model-count army you rarely out-grind an opponent; you out-position and out-shoot them, trading efficiently and controlling scoring.

Think of every turn as a firing solution plus a positioning puzzle: where do the ships need to be to shoot what matters, and where does the cheap infantry need to stand to score?

• Over-committing the ships into melee. Skyvessels are gun platforms, not brawlers. Getting an Ironclad or Frigate tied up in combat shuts down its shooting and its Transport/Cover roles.
• Forgetting the charge restriction on transports. Units dropped off by Transport Skyfarers (or Flying High) generally can't charge that turn - plan for a shooting or scoring play, not an assault.
• Low model count and high cost. This is an elite army; you will usually be outnumbered. Losing key ships or heroes early hurts badly, so protect them and don't trade them carelessly.
• Weak magic and melee. Kharadron are light on casting and don't want prolonged combats. Dedicated melee armies and magic-heavy lists can pressure you - lean on the Null-Khemist for anti-magic, and use movement/screens to avoid grinding fights.
• Neglecting objectives while hunting kills. The faction wins by scoring and efficient shooting, not by wiping the board. Keep Arkanaut Company where the points are.
• Ignoring seasonal changes. Movement, points and specific abilities shift with General's Handbook and Battlescroll updates. A list that was strong last season may need retuning - always check the current rules.