Using Cult of the Moth for Wargaming | Trench Crusade

Hell hath opened… again.

Welcome back, Necreator here, ready to dive once more into the grim and glorious world of Trench Crusade.

For those new to the series, I write about Trench Crusade and how you can proxy Bestiarum’s incredible miniature collections into different factions within the game. If you haven’t seen my previous articles on the subject, check them out here and here.

So, why am I back this time? Well, Bestiarum have kicked open the sealed gates of the demon world once more and unleashed some truly monstrous creations this month, and I’m here to show you exactly how to use them in your next warband.

Usually, I go through a faction’s entire roster and show how to fill it out with Bestiarum models. But for this article, we’re doing things a little differently: I’ll be using this month’s full release (November ‘25) to build a complete warband layout from scratch - no mix-and-match required.

Essentially, you get the collection, I give you the warband build, and you can jump straight into your next game. It’s a win–win.

So… let’s jump in.

This month is all about the Cult of the Moth, a deep dive into the demonic and grotesque. From a towering Matriarch Queen to wretched, winged slaves, this release has everything you need to form a fully-fledged warband that looks terrifying and hits hard.

To sweeten the deal, this month’s drop also includes a terrain piece that makes the perfect centrepiece for any Trench Crusade table.

And, as the cherry on top, you also get three objective markers with it - twisted undead idols perfect for “stand your ground” scenarios.

Alright, into the nitty-gritty. If you’ve stuck around this long, let’s see which faction these demonic moths best fit into.

A demonic moth cult? Easy choice: the Court of the Seven, Trench Crusade’s resident feral demon faction from the burning depths.

This warband is complex but immensely fun once you get the hang of it. For this article, we’re focusing on the Greed variant of the Court. Why Greed? Because moths and fabric go hand in hand- greedy little creatures obsessed with what shines and shimmers. Aesthetically, it’s a perfect fit.

Now that we’ve chosen our faction and monsters, we can weave them together. Let’s look at how this monstrous release can be proxied into Trench Crusade.

Before diving into specific models, here are the guiding principles I use:

• Aesthetic Fit: Does the model look right for the role?
  
  
• Size/Base Compatibility: Are the scales and bases a good match? (Resin printing gives you flexibility here.)
  
  
• Weapon Loadout: We’ll use a bit of imagination- it’s all part of the fun.

Got it? Great. Let’s see what we’re working with.

Moth Queen Exuvia, the Idolator. 

I mean, come on, would you want to get close to this thing? The Exuvia screams “Leader.” A commanding, terrifying centrepiece model that fits perfectly as your Praetor.

The Praetor is your elite leader, capable of both protecting your soldiers and tearing through enemies. Without question, Exuvia takes this role.

Moth Knight Oleander

A once-noble knight, now twisted and corrupted by the cult. A perfect Hunter of the Left-Hand Path.
Hunters are nimble killers, elite units great for taking and holding objectives.

Ascended Moth Guardian

Pure bred moth demon of the group. This thing is terrifying. I have no doubt that this model will stand out on any board once deployed and a perfect proxy for the Pit Locust.

Moth Acolyte Metamorphs

This set gives you three hideous, winged horrors; bulging eyes, blighted wings, and needle-like proboscises. They make excellent Yoke Fiends, the foot soldiers of the Court.

Acolytes of the Moth

Think of these as the cultists who deeply regret signing up. Midway through a painful metamorphosis into full moth-demons, they’re the perfect choice for your Wretched units.

That’s your full line-up, all you need for a Court of the Seven: Greed warband. Now, let’s kit it out.

Court warbands thrive on Blood Markers, created through carnage on the battlefield. This build is designed to maximize their generation and use, fueling your spells, sustaining your economy of destruction, and keeping you in control of the board.

I’ve based this warband entirely on the Cult of the Moth pack, so you don’t need to buy or print anything extra.
We’re working with a 750-ducat limit, but feel free to scale it as you like.

Praetor (Moth Queen Exuvia, The Idolator)

Spells

• Slave Master
  
  
• BlackHeart

Weapons

• Pistol
  
  
• Hellblade

Armour

• Reinforced Armour

Equipment

• Gas Grenade
  
  
• Crown of Hellfire

Your Praetor is built for melee dominance with enough ranged punch to close the gap. The Hellblade keeps your blood marker engine running and deals devastating damage. The Black Heart spell adds +1 dice to any actions, great for those clutch moments. The Crown of Hellfire provides a passive blood marker boost every activation. Meanwhile, Slave Master doubles up your Yoke Fiend activations, giving you extra attacks and even more blood markers.

Hunter of the left-hand path (Moth Knight Oleander)

Weapons

• Bow of Lethe
  
  
• Headtaker

Armour

• Reinforced Armour

Equipment

• Crown of Hellfire

Your second elite and your objective master. The hunters come already equipped with some game changing items but I've added a Headtaker and Crown of Hellfire for the same reasons above. The Bow of Lethe does give you a solid ranged option as well but that can be used to close the gap between your Hunter and any ranged opponents.

Pit Locust (Ascended Moth Guardian)

Equipment

• Crown of Hellfire

Your “good boy”, if “good” means horned, winged, and hungry for souls. Fast, durable, and vicious in melee. Its +2 melee and multi-attack combo means blood markers will flow freely. Reinforced armour keeps it on the board longer than most.

Yoke Fiend 1 (Moth Acolyte Metamorphs)

Weapons

• Shotgun
  
  
• Axe

Armour

• Standard Armour

Equipment

• Restraining Muzzle

This one’s your “steady shooter.” The Restraining Muzzle negates the Hateful ability (I won't go into detail about it here but it essentially forces you to charge any human-aligned enemy to keep the pressure up) that comes automatically to Yokefiends, letting it hold position and keep up ranged fire. Combine with Slave Master for double activation - and double the bullets.

Yoke Fiend 2 (Moth Acolyte Metamorphs)

Weapons

• Shotgun
  
  
• Axe

Armour

• Standard Armour

No muzzle here, this one fully embraces Hateful. Expect it to charge at anything human. The Shotgun lets it soften up targets before charging in with the Axe.

Yoke Fiend 3 (Moth Acolyte Metamorphs)

Weapons

• Hellblade

Armour

• Standard Armour

Finally, your full melee build Yoke Fiend with a solid melee weapon choice. Now, you want this one to charge any chance it gets. The Hellblade is a killer of a weapon with a +1 to injuries and fire! The chance for non-elites to survive a run-in with this one is slim, and equally it can deal solid damage to Elites as well.

Wretched x2 (Acolytes of the Moth)

Weapons

• Axe

Your cannon fodder, don’t expect much from these guys. Their main purpose is to be your units punching bags if you start to run out of blood markers. Just take aim and hope you don’t kill them in a single shot!

And there you have it. A full release, proxy breakdown, and complete warband build made of nightmares.

If monstrous, otherworldly creatures are your jam, and Trench Crusade is your game, then this release has your name written all over it!

As always, tailor and tinker as you please. The Court of the Seven has multiple variants to match your style. Greed just happens to be my favourite this month. If you’re feeling extra bold, check out the Black Grail faction too, these models fit there beautifully with a bit of imagination.

That’s all from me for now. Check out my other Trench Crusade articles for more faction builds, proxy ideas, and warband build suggestions.

Until next time.

Stay safe, stay demonic.

Necreator

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This post was written by one of the lovely members of our community. If there's an article, guide or other feature you'd like to share, reach out to us at contact@bestiarumgames.com!

Editing by Sam Franquet