Highland Miniatures Vampire Counts - Guide
Highland Miniatures Vampire Counts: Vampire Counts Proxy Guide
Highland Miniatures Vampire Counts, known in the catalog as Transilvanya (Transylvania), are one of the darkest, most narrative, and thematically impeccable armies in the catalog. Inspired by classic Transylvanian vampiric folklore (Dracula, Carmilla, the Voivodes of the Carpathians), they are the best Vampire Counts proxy alternative for Warhammer The Old World available today. In this guide, we review all 35 miniatures in the army, from Vlad Valăcari the Defiler to the Vampire Lord mounted on a Zombie Dragon.
Who are Highland Miniatures' Vampire Counts?
Highland Miniatures, founded by a Spanish couple based in Edinburgh, has developed the Vampire Counts as an Eastern European undead army with a strong Transylvanian identity. The aesthetic captures the classic Vampire Counts feel: necromancers with obsidian staves, aristocratic vampires in dark courts, boyar warrior skeletons, zombie villagers infected by curses, werewolves under a full moon, ghosts trapped between life and death, and zombie dragons carrying vampiric riders.
The catalog is exceptionally narratively coherent: it includes legendary unique characters such as Vlad Valăcari, the Defiler (vampire voivode of the eastern lands, slayer of princes and defiler of churches) and Lady Violet, the Spectral Widow (an aristocrat who died on her wedding night and wanders seeking revenge).
Equivalencies with wargame systems
- Warhammer The Old World – Vampire Counts: direct total equivalency. Vampire Lord = Vampire Lord. Necromancer = Necromancer. Skeleton Warriors = Skeleton Warriors. Zombies = Zombies. Hexwraiths = Hexwraiths. Blood Knights = Blood Knights. Crypt Ghouls = Crypt Ghouls. Corpse Cart = Corpse Cart.
- Age of Sigmar – Soulblight Gravelords: perfect equivalency. Highland covers all main units of the vampire's AoS book.
- Kings of War – Undead: official KoW army that fits perfectly.
- OPR – Vampire Tribes: 100% compatible standard list.
- Mordheim – Vampires of the Cursed Houses: canonical warband.
The 35 Vampire Counts Army Miniatures
Aristocratic Vampires (5 minis)
The Vampire Lord is the high-born vampire with millennia of existence: selective thirst, carefully chosen enemies, absolute power among their own. Vlad Valăcari, the Defiler is the legendary vampire, ancient voivode of the east, conqueror of the night. His name is a curse in a hundred languages.
The Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon and the Vampire Lady on Zombie Dragon are the two star pieces: aristocratic vampires mounted on reanimated dragons. The dragon spews cadaverous poisons while the rider wields a sword or magic. An aerial nightmare for any enemy army.
Dark Sorcerers (3 minis)
The Necromancer Lord is the supreme sorcerer: a voice that awakens entire cemeteries, an obsidian staff that pierces living souls. The Necromancer is the lesser version with a book of shadows. Lady Violet, the Spectral Widow is the vengeful spirit: a lament that freezes the hearts of men, a gaze that kills young women.
Undead Cavalry (4 minis)
The Vampire Knights are the vampiric cavalry of the dark courts: armored vampires on equally vampirized horses. The Undead Dark Knights are the reanimated version with armor fused to their bones. The Hexwraiths are ghosts on spectral mounts that pass through formations without suffering damage. The Mounted Skeletons are the basic skeletal cavalry.
Skeletal Troops (5 minis)
The Skeleton Warrior Unit is the standard regiment in close formation. The Skeleton Warriors with Swords are the combat line. The Skeleton Guard is the elite in full armor. The Skeletal Boyar Guard is the personal guard of the ancient boyar, now reanimated. The Skeleton Lord is the commander in ornamental armor.
Zombies and Reanimated Flesh (5 minis)
The Zombies, the Zombie Unit, and the Zombie Villagers are the basic numerous troops: reanimated corpses, slow but numerous, infection by bite. The Ghouls and the Ghoul Unit are the equivalent Crypt Ghouls: mutated corpse-eaters with an eternal hunger for fresh meat.
Beasts and Plagues (8 minis)
The Bat Swarm are hundreds of hungry bats acting as a single creature. The Crypt Bats are giant monstrous infantry bats. The Giant Bats are the size of horses. The Pit Bat is the colossal abyssal beast.
The Giant Ghouls are the size of ogres. The Crypt Ghosts are the basic spirits. The Ghost Swarm are dozens of spirits moving in a group. The Wraith Unit are the Wraiths with spectral scythes.
Werewolves and Carts (3 minis)
The Werewolf Unit is the pack under the full moon: man-beast hybrids with the strength of a bear, the speed of a wolf, the intelligence of a killer. The Corpse Cart is the Corpse Cart: pulled by zombies, laden with decaying bodies, it revives fallen members in its ranks. The Undead Boyar Cart is the ceremonial cart of the dead boyar, now pulled by skeletal horses.
Unique Characters (2 minis)
The Spectral Reaper is death personified: tattered cloak, sharp scythe, empty eyes. Whoever hears its whisper dies before the next full moon. The Vampire Neophyte Unit are newly created vampires, thirsty and undisciplined, attacking in furious waves.
Why Drakholm for your Highland Miniatures Vampire Counts
- Official Highland Miniatures licensee.
- Saturn 4 Ultra 16K + Drakholm's own resin: every fang, every bone, every spectral effect perfectly printed.
- Impact resistance: bat wings, spectral cloaks, and other fine elements withstand transport and play without breaking, thanks to our own resin blend with a balance between detail and flexibility.
- Variants with CG in infantry.
Comparison with Games Workshop Vampire Counts
- Catalog: Highland 35 products. GW Vampire Counts in TOW and Soulblight Gravelords in AoS are comparable. Highland has unique units (Vlad Valăcari, Lady Violet, Pit Bat) that GW does not.
- Price: official GW Skeleton Warriors box costs around €30. Equivalent Highland unit at Drakholm costs less than half.
- Quality: superior in fine details. Bat wings, spectral cloaks, and ornamental armor print better in 16K resin than in injection-molded plastic.
- Thematic variety: Highland has a consistent Transylvanian touch (boyars, voivode, Slavic folklore) that differentiates the army from the more Germanic feel of classic Vampire Counts.
Initial Vampire Counts List (1500 points)
- 1× Vlad Valăcari, the Defiler (general)
- 1× Necromancer (mage)
- 1× Skeleton Lord (hero)
- 2× 20 Zombie Unit (main line)
- 1× 20 Skeleton Warrior Unit
- 1× 10 Ghoul Unit
- 1× 5 Vampire Knights (elite)
- 1× 5 Hexwraiths
- 1× Corpse Cart
- 1× Pit Bat
View the complete Vampire Counts collection at Drakholm →
Legal notice: Drakholm is an official Highland Miniatures licensee. Mentions of Warhammer, Warhammer The Old World, Vampire Counts, Soulblight Gravelords, and Games Workshop are descriptive editorial references. Drakholm is not affiliated with Games Workshop.