Warhammer 8th edition Vampire Counts Vargheists Overview

In terms of game fluff Varghiests are Vampires that have been imprisioned usually by other Vampires deep in hidden tombs and vaults underneath the castles and halls that fill the grim land that is Sylvania. Here warpstone tainted water and a lack of fresh blood mutates these Vampires into the Vargheists, vile mutated vampires with leathery wings driven by many centuries of insatiable blood lust. Though stronger in body the ordeal and centuries of imprisionment leave the Vargheists weaker in mind allowing them to be controlled by other more rational (if such dark and evil creatures as Vampires can be said to be) Vampires.

In the game Vargheists are monstrous infantry and formidable fighters. Having both the Vampiric and Fly special rules means they are the faster unit the Vampire Counts have to offer as they can still march fly away from the general. With a decent weapon skill and initiative of 4 combined with strength 5 and a total of 4 attacks with the Frenzy special rule plus the potential Stomp attacks Vargheists are a fast, manoeuvrable unit able to dish out some serious pain to the enemy. The downside is toughness 4 and 3 wounds combined with the Invocation of Nehek spell only restoring 1 wound per casting (and the Vargheists speed likely to see them out of range anyway) means they will not be as resilient as other parts of the army.

Basically now in 8th edition you are given a choice of 2 monstrous infantry units for Vampire Counts, this means you must make the choice between the tougher Crypt Horrors or the more aggressive, faster but easier to kill Vargheists. Of course you could spend the points and have a unit of each. Vargheists also synergise less well with the other units available to the Vampire Counts but are potentially maneuverable and deadly enough to cause serious damage at a selected weak point in a enemies battle line.

With 4 strength 5 attacks and the ability to march fly enable them to pick their fight Vargheists are a powerful aggressive unit though lack the toughness and wounds for more prolonged fights. They can also be vulnerable to shooting (and as a dangerous enemy are more likely to attract enemy fire), though clever movement and use of cover can minimise this to some extent. Also remember the effects of Frenzy this means that a failed leadership test can see them charging both earlier then you want and not at the ideal target, it also means should you wipe an opponent out in the turn you charge you must overrun. Whilst this can often be to your advantage a clever opponent could use an expendable unit to try draw you into a bad position where a counter charge could see the Vargheists destroyed.