The Wraithguard are Eldar warriors who’ve died and come back, their souls pulled from the Infinity Circuit and sealed inside wraithbone bodies. They’re slow, fearless, and armed with weapons that tear reality apart. For a dying race, they’re one of the few ways to field the dead.
What the wraithguard actually are
A Wraithguard isn’t a robot and isn’t a zombie. It’s a fallen Eldar’s spirit stone, removed from the craftworld’s Infinity Circuit by a Spiritseer and placed inside a psychoplastic shell of wraithbone. The construct is taller than typical infantry and moves with a living intellect guiding an artificial body.
The Eldar find this deeply unsettling. Raising the dead this way is seen as close to necromancy, so it’s only done in emergencies or when a craftworld is short on living warriors. Nobody argues with the results, though.
Wraithsight and why Spiritseers lead them
Wraithguard don’t see the world the way the living do. A phenomenon called Wraithsight pulls their senses toward the immaterial, which makes them react slowly to things happening around them on the battlefield.
That’s why Spiritseers accompany them. These psykers specialise in guiding and summoning the dead, keeping the constructs focused and pointed at the right target. The upside of a dead soul in a wraithbone shell is that fear simply isn’t part of the equation.
Wraithblades: the angry ones
Some Wraithguard come back consumed by rage and a thirst for vengeance. These are Wraithblades, and they’re kept apart from their calmer kin. Where a standard Wraithguard brings heavy firepower, a Wraithblade wants to get close and take something apart with its hands.
- Wraithguard: ranged support, towering over the Warlocks who guide them.
- Wraithblades: close-quarters specialists, the most feared and wrathful of the constructs.
- Both are fearless, because there’s nothing left in them that can be frightened.
Wargear: Wraithcannons and D-Scythes
Wraithguard carry weapons that don’t just kill, they erase. The Wraithcannon shatters reality around its target, while the D-Scythe strips the soul itself. Either way, whatever’s on the receiving end tends not to leave anything behind.
They’re big enough to loom over the Warlocks and Spiritseers leading them, which says something about how they’re built.
Why craftworld Iyanden relies on them
Craftworld Iyanden is the best-known home of the ‘ghost warriors’. A Tyranid attack devastated their population, and the craftworld has leaned on Wraithguard ever since to fill ranks it can no longer fill with the living.
That’s the uncomfortable truth of the Wraithguard. They exist because the Eldar are a dwindling race, and sometimes the only warriors left to send are the ones who already died once.
Key facts
- A Wraithguard is a dead Eldar’s spirit stone placed into a wraithbone construct by a Spiritseer.
- The practice is considered abhorrent, close to necromancy, and only used in emergencies.
- Wraithsight makes them slow to react, so Spiritseers lead them into battle.
- They’re fearless, and they tower over the Warlocks guiding them.
- Standard weapons are the reality-shattering Wraithcannon and the soul-stripping D-Scythe.
- Wraithblades are the wrathful close-combat variants, kept apart from other wraith constructs.
- Craftworld Iyanden fields many of them after a devastating Tyranid attack.
FAQ
Are Wraithguard the same as Wraithlords?
No. They’re related wraith constructs, but a Wraithlord is a much larger, heavier war machine. Wraithguard are the infantry-sized version, and Wraithseers are another offshoot entirely.
Why do Wraithguard need Spiritseers?
Because of Wraithsight, their perception drifts toward the immaterial and they react slowly to battlefield changes. Spiritseers guide them and keep them effective.
What’s the difference between a Wraithguard and a Wraithblade?
A Wraithblade is a Wraithguard driven by uncontrollable anger and a need for revenge. They’re kept separate and fight up close, while standard Wraithguard usually bring heavy ranged weapons.