Warhammer Community Blog

Titans are among the mightiest terrestrial weapons in the Imperium’s arsenal – gargantuan walking weapon platforms with enough firepower to level cities. Generally only used when you wanted to destroy a world rather than conquer it, there were few threats to Mankind’s galactic ambition that truly warranted Titans until the Horus Heresy. Suddenly, god-engine fought god-engine in apocalyptic duels that dwarfed the battles beneath them, unleashing weapons of city-shattering proportions to desperately overwhelm their equally deadly foe – regardless of the collateral damage.

Accordingly, Titans can be a terrifying prospect in games of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, especially if a player hadn’t expected to face one or prepared their army appropriately, but fear not noble Princeps – their rules in the Liber Questoris book come with a whole new mission type designed especially for them: Engine Kill Missions.

Felling a Titan

Before seeing what the new missions are like, though, we should dig deeper into Titan gameplay and what makes them extra special in the Age of Darkness. We touched briefly on the new rules back when we looked at how vehicles work in the new edition, and how a Titan has four separate armour locations that can be hit and damaged independently.

Before attacks reach that armour, however, they have to break through the Void Shield Array. These defensive barriers can stand up to some of the most powerful weapons in the game, and until an attack scores a Glancing or Penetrating Hit against their Armour Value of 13, they’ll keep any incoming fire away.

Even then, void shields may regenerate at the end of the Princeps’ turn depending on how skilled their crew are. With up to eight shields protecting the Warlord Titans, even getting through to the armour underneath is a monumental task for most armies.

You may have noticed the profile above has a relatively low BS characteristic. This is for a Titan with the Minoris Crew Trait. Titans can now upgrade their Crew Trait by paying additional points when adding the model to your army, though Ultima crews can only be granted by Mission special rules or famous Titans.

Should attacks start to land, you first have to deplete the Hull Points for the location by scoring Glancing and Penetrating Hits. Once the Hull Points have been reduced to 0, that location is Crippled. Any further attacks on this location roll against the lower Exposed Armour Value, and if you inflict damage the Titan rolls against the Critical Damage table, adding the Damage of the attack to the result.

Secondary Explosions are a variety of serious effects that depend on the location. You might blow an arm clean off or cause the Titan to topple over and crush those beneath it. A clean hit to the Carapace can even detonate the reactor in spectacular fashion, evaporating anyone nearby and doing damage to everything on the battlefield!

Engine Kill

Engine Kill missions are designed to provide a fun and cinematic game whether one or both sides are bringing Titans to the table. These missions use the same Primary and Secondary Objectives as a regular game, but add additional ways for players to score by bringing down their opponent’s Titans and attacking special Strategic Objectives located beyond the bounds of the battlefield.

At the start of a Titan player’s first turn, they randomly determine which of three Strategic Objectives they have in their sights, representing long-range defensive emplacements, communications hubs, or the enemy Command Post. Instead of shooting their main Strategic Weapons* at something on the battlefield, they can instead target one of these Strategic Objectives and score Victory Points based on the damage they do.

From the second turn onwards, the active player can randomly determine a new Strategic Objective to target, so they always have something to work towards during the mission. 

In the first of the two Engine Kill missions, War of Gods, both players can deploy Titans and work towards their own Strategic Objectives, but the second – Giant Killer – is a pure David-and-Goliath scenario where the attacker must throw their regular army against the defender’s Titan and bring it down while capturing Primary Objectives around its feet. Meanwhile, the defender must eradicate as many Strategic Objectives as possible, carefully choosing when to rack up Victory Points and when to destroy the most pressing threats.

These missions make a battle between Titans a memorable event that fits alongside your regular games of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, while remaining fun for those who have to brave an encounter with these behemoths with mere mortals on their side. 

There’s still more we’d love to cover – such as Swarm Assaults with infantry climbing all over the Titan and using the Titan War Horn to blow out the enemy’s eardrums – but you’ll just have to see the rest for yourself when Liber Questoris releases alongside the awesome Saturnine boxed set in just a few weeks.

* Usually the big ones on their arms.

Enforcing the law on Necromunda is no mean feat. Beyond gangs armed to the teeth,  wielding archaeotech lost to the wider galaxy, there are dangerous psykers floating around melting brains and taking names. Lord Helmawr’s Enforcers would therefore be absolutely daft not to include some kind of defence from the empyrean in their entourage, which is exactly what the Palanite Enforcer Haunts are for.

Enforcer Haunts are forced to endure unprecedented levels of indoctrination and hypnotic programming even among the brainwashed ranks of the Palanites, rendered utterly incapable of so much as questioning orders. When not locked away in chambers covered with protective wards deep within precinct-fortresses, they are locked in suits of psycho-reactive armour designed to help control and focus their abilities.

These Sanctioned Psykers are picked by Lord Helmawr and his lackeys for their unshakeable discipline when using their psychic abilities, and their relative stability when using their powers. Should they succumb to the Perils of the Warp, their custom-made suits are lined with Hexagrammatic Dampers that prevent them from becoming a danger to themselves or their allies, or opening the door of reality to something nastier.

Haunts come in two varieties: Psyrenders are proficient telepaths, mind-reading officers who can rummage around in the brains of their foes, forcing them to turn on their allies, become distracted by hallucinations, or break down into gibbering wrecks.

Bonecrushers are less subtle, creating forcefields around nearby allies, hurling enemies off high platforms – a Necromundan tradition – and crushing their bodies with a thought. 

This pair of Forge World resin miniatures come with rules in the box, which you can also find in the upcoming Bastions of Law expansion book.

In our third and final round table for the new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, we’re talking to the team behind the rules.

Andy (Product manager): We wanted to start a new journey with the Journals Tactica, but we knew the latest edition of Age of Darkness had to feel familiar for existing players. It’s not a completely new set of principles and ideas, but there are cool new elements: Gambits, Tactical Statuses, and so on.

Neil (Lead writer): There won’t be much here that changes how your current army works; you might need another Centurion for the new Force Organisation, but that’s about it. Instead, we’ve added more opportunity to exploit weapons and tactics that were not used in previous editions, with tweaked Reactions, Challenges and Gambits, and new Statuses and rules for charging. These also help differentiate the game from other things that we create in the Warhammer studio. This is a longer, more complex, narrative-themed wargame.

Profile changes and Advanced Characteristics

James (Games developer): The changes to the unit profiles may seem like a lot on the surface but they flow into the new system very well. We reorganised them to feed into the new Tactical Statuses, which have a lot of downstream effects, including making old weapons viable again.

Neil: The Advanced Characteristics have their roots way back in Rogue Trader. While the legacy of those rules is important to the Horus Heresy and Warhammer as a whole, nostalgia is not the only reason we've brought them back. The true purpose is to give the various leaders, captains and warlords of the Age of Darkness more of a role. 

In previous editions of the game, Leadership covered almost everything outside of pure physical ability, meaning that Praetors were the best at leading troops, resisting psychic powers, engaging with scenery and all the other tasks. This left very little space for other, more specialised, leaders to shine, which often left things like Apothecaries oddly capable as military leaders. 

We can now allow Techmarines to excel at fixing vehicles (Intelligence) without needing an inflated Leadership, while Librarians can be masters of the esoteric (Willpower), and Centurions can steady the line (Cool). It’s about giving breadth to all the characters that populate the stories of the Horus Heresy, a chance for each to be unique, giving them cool specialisations that actually impact gameplay.

Also it means we can define, once and for all, which Primarch has the most Cool…* 

Andy: As players get to grips with the new system we expect to see more use of the niche Consuls and characters, as opposed to a single Praetor who could do everything on his own. As with other changes, like the Tactical Statuses, it gives players ways to engage with the battle and their opponent outside of simple slaughter (though World Eaters players can still stick to slaughter if they'd prefer – it’s still one of the main ways to claim victory). Charging across the battlefield to heroically restore a pinned-down Kratos can sometimes be as important as winning a key Challenge.

Tactical Statuses

James: There were lots of overlapping small rules – such as Pinning, Blind and Concussive – that articulated the same concept. We boiled them down to three statuses: Stunned, Suppressed and Pinned, and brought Routed into the system too. It now allows you to express all the sorts of things that can happen to troops in a much simpler way, with broader applications. Some troops may be easy to panic but hard to suppress, for instance, which informs what kind of weapons you might deploy against them.

Neil: It factors into the narrative: of course flamers should make people run away from combat in sheer panic!

Andy: Weapon families weren’t always differentiated well in the previous rules, so that’s something we’ve tried to focus on here. Damage did exist, but was hidden away in the Brutal special rule, so we’ve looked at how to present this information more intuitively. 

Dreadnoughts and Damage

Neil: Dreadnoughts are a prime example, as the only reliable way to damage them was to chip away at their Wounds. The new Damage, Critical Hits, and Heavy special rule means that a unit of Devastators with autocannons or lascannons can chew them up. 

James: It makes them more vulnerable to the correct weapons, but still relatively impervious to those weapons that aren't designed to destroy them.

Neil: They have their own advantages – they’re terrifying on the charge, but they also have a uniquely high Cool statistic, so the psychological effects of an artillery bombardment can just be shrugged off. They now have a tactical role, rather than just being versatile and incredibly tough to kill.

James: With weapons having their own niches now, I don’t think we’ll see the predicted domination of things like multi-meltas. While they’re excellent at destroying vehicles from close range, the game is won and lost on objectives, and Tactical Squads are a huge part of that. A 10-man multi-melta squad will probably kill half a dozen Space Marines a turn, which means they’re still scoring. If you take anti-infantry weapons which suppress or rout them they won’t score, and that’s a far more efficient use of points.

Objectives

Tactical Squads were always compulsory for Force Organisation, but they didn’t do much beforehand. Now they’re a key part of your army due to the objectives – as they should be, given the narrative. They now have better damage output with the changes to bolters and Fury of the Legion, but with Line they become one of the best ways of scoring. I would expect to see three squads in most armies.

Neil: They don’t do the most damage compared with some other choices, but they’re primarily there to score VPs and add additional damage here and there.

James: They’ll be behind your Terminators and other units with the Vanguard special rule, who score points from clearing objectives which the Tactical Marines then capture and provide fire support from. There’s a whole game of paper-scissors-stone, choosing the right units to hold objectives and the right ones to flush them off!

Hit rolls

Neil: The change to Hit rolls is fun. While the maths remains the same, there have been changes to Snap Shots and really high Ballistic Skills. Previously, BS was relevant between two and five, by which point you’re generally already hitting on a 2+. 

We’ve done a lot to give more use to the span of numbers, to bolster Assassins and characters like Exodus. Snap shots now rely on BS; Space Marines used to hit them on a six, but now it’s a five because they’re BS4, whereas Solar Auxilia hit on sixes.

Models with a BS above six are even better marksmen, hitting on a 2+ and causing a Critical Hit on a 6+ – this offers an extra point of Damage and an automatic Wound. Your marksman characters are now more valuable with that possibility for extra hurt. 

Charges

James: We really like the new Charge sub-phase: charges tell a much stronger story, and they’re mechanically more reliable. There are fewer long-bomb 12” charges, but 4-5” inch charges should be more certain, and you don’t get hung out to dry so often.

Charges are now broken into chunks. You have a set up move, after which you fire your pistols. This has tactical nuance – do you fire and risk killing the closer models? I love that Terminators are bulky enough to use their combi-bolters as pistols on the charge, using the Assault special rule. 

Neil: With the previous rules you could describe all that – but now we’ve got steps that involve the initial rush forward, the flamers and other appropriate weapons returning fire, without anything as odd as a pistol giving you an extra power fist attack. 

James: The weapons in the Contemptor’s power fists now count as assault weapons, so you can fire as the Dreadnought charges in, before it starts swinging. 

Challenges

Andy: The Challenge sub-phase is there to provide framing for all these heroic engagements. It’s much more cinematic.

James: That was a hook of a lot of the new rules, we wanted to evoke the animations, the lore and the novels. The most memorable parts of the Black Library series are when the Primarchs and other big names fight, like when Sigismund takes on Khârn at the Siege of Terra.

Neil: Because Damage didn’t exist in the previous edition, two Primarchs could fight for the entire game. Challenges are now a bit more lethal, and often become the main event of a game. 

James: When you’ve had a bit of practice, you’ll find they’re quick to resolve as you learn the core principles and the Gambits. Without warlord traits, they became a key way of telling the story of a character in the game. Sevatar’s underhanded fighting style, where he’ll kick up dirt and stab you before you can even react, adds a lot to the experience.

Neil: We didn’t design these characters to be equals, and so they all have pros and cons. Sigismund is meant to be unparalleled, and if he’s fighting anyone other than a Primarch, they’re already in trouble and you’ll need to start stacking benefits in your favour. Erebus has a Gambit that might not win many fights, but will always feel correct for the character…

James: Perturabo can just step aside and let his people shoot you.

Neil: More than almost anything in the game, Gambits have been designed to propel that narrative forward before we worry about win conditions. Some of the core Gambits are fairly situational: one reduces your efficacy in the challenge, but ensures you get more Victory Points for success. It’s useful in place of performing gratuitous overkill on a Consul!

We want people to keep evolving their armies, so if one particular tactic becomes pervasive in your friend’s army, there should be something you can change in your list in order to have a different approach and perhaps a better chance of winning a battle.

The Rulebook 

Andy: Better formatting for the rules was a key point from very early on. They’re now all (roughly) broken into three points. The italic text is the ‘theatre of the mind’, designed to get you into the narrative. The bold text is the shorthand version of the rule, and the full body text goes into every single piece of detail you could need.

Neil: It lets you scan through really quickly. They’re all laid out step by step, with clear timings when things happen.

James: Once you’ve read and learned the rules you’re rarely going to need those extra steps, but they’re there for when you need to get into the details.

Thanks guys! We can’t wait to crack into the box when it’s out at the end of July. There’ll be plenty more to come from Warhammer: The Horus Heresy before then – and afterwards…

* It’s Horus, who’s so cool they named a whole game after him, followed by Lorgar. 

The new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy is mere weeks away from stores, and in celebration, Warhammer+ is running a super-sized competition alongside our pals at JOYTOY.

But first, let's take a look at the shows that appear on Warhammer TV this week.

Ed has summoned Paul from the ’Eavy Metal team for this episode of Painting Desk, where they discuss his immaculate, award-winning Iron Ravens, featuring whole units painted to competition level. He talks about how he achieved this titanic feat, finding inspirations in real life, and what led him to develop this high-impact Iron Ravens colour scheme. 

Questing Knights is also back with a second episode. Whether you’re old enough to remember cracking open an original Warhammer Quest box yourself, or you’ve only seen older fans go misty-eyed at the mere mention of this legendary game, you won’t want to miss this classic playthrough. This week our four intrepid adventurers are tasked with preventing a Waaagh! in a game conducted by Dungeon Master Nick, who you may remember painted a whole original set for the show. 

And we have a brand new show too. Weapons and Wargear takes an in-depth look at some of the arms and armaments of the Warhammer universes. This could be a specific vehicle, or a horrific monster, a piece of armour, or, like this first episode, a weapon. 

In our opening episode on Bolt weapons we bring in the experts from the Warhammer Studio to delve into these devastating pieces of technology, discussing their history, how they function and who uses them.

To watch these shows, you must be subscribed to Warhammer+, which leads us nicely onto our new competition. Simply be signed up before 31st July and you could be the lucky winner of six JOYTOY Primarchs! The Warmaster Horus, Leman Russ, Rogal Dorn, Sanguinius, Alpharius, and Magnus the Red are up for grabs, and terms and conditions apply. 

All subscribers will receive a code that can be redeemed in the Horus Heresy Legions digital card game, which gets you a random Legendary-rarity Primarch Warlord from five of the six listed above – Sanguinius isn’t yet available. If you draw a Primarch you already own, you’ll have your pick converted into in-game currency instead. Terms and Conditions apply.

We return with another slice of our wide-ranging round table interview with some of the guys behind the new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy. Today we’re discussing disintegration weapons and MkII helmet fittings, as well as everything else you might find in the awesome new Saturnine boxed set.

Andy (Product manager): When we started this project, we knew we wanted to go right back to the source on our design work. Take the MkII Crusade armour, which now actually cleaves much more closely to the original designs from the 80s. That might surprise some people – the resin miniatures people have been familiar with in recent years were an evolution of the original, not the other way around. So here, we've gone back to how it was – and yes, they can turn their heads.

Dave (Content lead): The leg plates are a conscious decision. We tried a few different iterations of the design, and this one read the best. I feel that the old flared armour had given the impression that it articulated midway down the leg. 

Returning to solid shapes with panel lines keeps it looking more rigid, with standard Space Marine design. It’s not one sophisticated piece of ceramite, it’s fabricated out of parts rather than the contiguous plates of later designs. That design language starts in the MkIII armour, and gets more sophisticated with the MkIV armour.

Mark (Concept artist): Ultimately we’re all longtime fans of this stuff ourselves, and some of us remember it from the very beginning, so it’s not surprising we’re looking back into Warhammer history for our new designs.

Dave: The Horus Heresy fanbase enjoys the history, and not just the history of the lore – they love the history of the miniatures as well. The origins of a lot of key designs are quite old, and we keep going back to them because people remember them fondly.

Andy: It's the same thing with the Rapier crew. We thought it would be a fruitless exercise to do MkII, MkIII, MkIV, MkV and MkVI crew packs, so we decided to make a unique pattern that a specialist artillery crew would use. To give it a pedigree in that setting, and within the company’s history, we drew off the original Imperial Space Marine, the LE02, which was remade in 2016 to celebrate 30 years of Space Marines.

This means we’re not springing something completely new on people, and when they don’t recognise something, older fans can explain how it’s really been there since the beginning. You just need to know where to look!

Neil (Lead writer): Disintegrator tech is again tied into what’s happening in the Sol system. The nearest equivalent we have at the moment is volkite, which is much older weaponry that’s in use primarily by the Martians prior to the Great Crusade. It was in use elsewhere before, but has fallen out of favour by the time of the Great Crusade, replaced by tech that’s easier to replicate and maintain. 

Disintegrator weapons go back further still. These are old weapons from before the Wars of Unity, from the Golden Age of Humanity. They were phased out because they’re strange tech which is hard to make, because those who use them eventually meet a horrible end, and because they’re a terrifying piece of wargear – too much even for the Emperor and His Thunder Warriors, which says a lot. The knowledge to manufacture it does still exist in this time period, but it is something the Emperor intentionally steps away from… while certain Legions continue to make use of it. 

Much like Saturnine armour, the Mechanicum doesn’t like any of this tech, but Mars is pointedly not paying attention to it, so they don’t have to raise official sanctions. They don’t build it or even recognise it as proper technology, and the Emperor is quite happy with that. He has a specific collection of weaponry that He keeps out of wider use, in case an element of the Imperium – perhaps like the Mechanicum – goes rogue. They don’t understand how it works, so they don’t have countermeasures in place. 

Andy: Adrathic weapons are basically the same.

Neil: Exactly, the adrathic weapons of the Custodes are safer versions of the disintegration weapons. The technology is unknown anywhere outside of Terra, and the only people who know how it works are the Emperor, and a few very old people whom Malcador likely has locked up somewhere, who are probably building the guns. Perhaps it’s linked to when the Emperor took over the tech-enclave on Luna… we may never know.

Disintegrators are in heavy use throughout the Unification Wars, often by those factions fighting the Space Marines (who do also use them before they are sidelined). The Space Wolves likely retained some, while the Dark Angels almost certainly kept a big stockpile, and Horus probably put some aside in case he ever had to wage a war against an unexpected foe. Ultimately it’s only really used during the Great Crusade under extraordinary circumstances.

Andy: In terms of Warhammer history, LE02 came out in 1986, a year before Rogue Trader. It was the first Space Marine miniature, and he was carrying an unidentified gun. By the time the next Space Marines were released, their weapons were already bolters, and LE02’s weapon disappeared for three decades. We recreated him in plastic for the 30th anniversary of that first Space Marine, which I believe is the first time his weapon was named a disintegrator gun and had a profile.

Neil: You get quite a few in the Saturnine box, and they can be equipped by Veteran Squads. The research done on these weapons during the Age of Unity has allowed for a slightly less dangerous version to be put in use – we didn’t want to put something too overpowering into the game!

So the basic weapon becomes the disintegrator rifle, a weapon that’s not as all-consumingly destructive as the originals. There’s a limiter that prevents it being used to its full catastrophic potential.

James: We had included a profile for a disintegrator in previous editions of the game and it was an incredibly powerful weapon, but that’s now tempered by seven variants. These include the older ones, which are super rare and especially powerful, all the way through to more common issue. They’re still powerful – they’ll kill a Space Marine – but they’re not unchecked.

Neil: The older weapons still exist. Veteran Squads can take a few, while Praetors and Consuls can carry the original disintegrator pistols.

James: We wanted them to fit into their own niche, with a weapon family much like plasma or volkite. Each version has a distinct profile, with a utility that gives you a reason to take them.

Mark: There is a unique silhouette to the disintegrator. Every weapon family has one, which makes them feel recognisable on the tabletop, and that’s just as important as background and rules really. You don’t want to be trying to figure out what someone has their unit equipped with, and equally you want it to look cool.

Chris W (Concept artist): The pipes and the strange spinning wheel are the design language that makes them instantly recognisable here.

Andy: How we painted them was another consideration. For instance, plasma either glows blue or is a coppery colour when inactive. Volkite glows orange and grav weapons glow green, but here we decided not to attach a colour.

Chris D (miniatures designer): There’s a lot of fun and strange technology on the guns that marks them out very clearly as early weaponry, and that’s a lot of fun to work on. 

Andy: The Araknae Quad Pattern Platform is the final large piece in the box. It shares the same pedigree as the Tarantula, which is the biggest kind of spider there is in our world, so for a name there aren’t many places to go when naming it beyond the god of spiders!

From a practical point of view, it's the Legion answer to the need for heavy-duty anti-aircraft coverage, and redeployable gun emplacements – and besides, multi-gun platforms are never not cool. To make sure it had an interesting niche in the army, and wasn't just a stationary tank,  it has double the guns, and the atomantic pavise – a long-lost piece of wargear that we’ve resurrected here.

Neil: An important distinction between the Tarantula and the Araknae is that the former is automated, but the latter actually has a Space Marine in it.

Thanks again guys – we only wish we’d had twice the amount of time to talk about the Heresy! Tomorrow we’re moving onto a long, lavish discussion between James and Neil on the rules.

Continuing our trend of ‘things that you can put other things in’ – look, we’re trying, OK – we have a vitreographical Rumour Engine image to peer at today. Whoever it is, they really like ampules – so either it’s the Mortal Realms’ latest snake oil salesman or a perfectly average Necromundan coming home from the firewater hole.

That zig-zag design on one of the bottles is probably a clue, right? Who is it who likes triangles again? If you think you know, tell us on Facebook and Instagram.

The new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness is close at hand. Ahead of pre-orders this weekend, Warhammer Community carried out a series of interviews with the development team in the Warhammer Studio, which we’ll be publishing this week. We kick off with one of the hot topics of the new release – the Saturnine project. 

Andy (Product manager): We chose the Dropsite Massacre as the setting for the new edition because it’s the most significant event of the early Heresy. It’s incredibly important to the rest of the story, and it’s an event that we trusted everyone in the fanbase would recognise and enjoy exploring.

We made the first mockup of the Saturnine Terminators even before the 2022 Age of Darkness Boxed Set hit the shelves. We knew we would need something big and impressive in the new box, and as this is a quasi-historical game we didn’t want to pluck something out of thin air – just like the fans, we want to make sure everything feels rooted in the lore.. Saturnine Terminators had been mentioned in a black book* and in a Black Library novel, so they were the perfect choice.

The armour design is much older than that, however. We released what is now the classic pattern of Terminator armour – which we refer to as Indomitus – back in the 80s for Space Hulk.** During that project, three further miniature prototypes were made. One would be what became Saturnine, another has a strange hood and is sometimes referred to by fans as Cobra pattern, while the third looks like an Indomitus Terminator with a MkVII helmet. These were released as curios for fans who might enjoy them, but were never intended to be different types or a range. 

Chris W (concept artist): The casting technique used for the original metal Saturnine miniature created that distinctive curved shape more than I think the intent had been, but it did get stuck in the collective memory. 

There are other Terminators from this era, too. The plastic miniatures for the original Space Hulk were of the Indomitus pattern, but had a notable Saturnine-style curve to their pauldrons. We then released a box of metal Terminators which had the familiar modern silhouette, accompanied by a Librarian with a distinctive force hood and even an Inquisitor with a bionic leg and a ponytail.

Andy: We were conscious early on that we had the opportunity to show something big and impressive -- Saturnine pattern is Terminator armour plus.

James G (games developer): We looked at the weapon loadouts first of all to define a battlefield role. They have a melee weapon – the fists – but they are slower than other Terminators. So we focused on that ponderousness, and with dual ranged weapons they become a fire support option, who tend to be following behind your line, rather than at the forefront. 

We wanted to play up esoteric technology like the thermal diffraction field which is part of their construction. They’re not Martian tech, they’re from Phoebe – a different tech canon. 

Neil (lead writer): You can read some of this in the upcoming Journals Tactica, where information is scattered throughout about their origins and designs. They may be new to readers, but they’re not new to the universe, and there will be more written about their place in the setting in future books. 

The tech split goes back a long way though, to Old Night when the Emperor was trapped in the Sol system. Prior to this point humanity had spread across the galaxy and seeded many planets, but it pulled back. Sol is now relatively busy in that we have the Emperor and his forces on Terra, who are incapable of anything other than short-range flights during the wars of Unity. 

Mars is capable of limited extra-system flight, but it keeps to itself. There are also enclaves on Venus, Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter and in a couple of other places, most using the technological base that pre-existed the Imperium. Terra is unusual in that it has fallen back on older, more dangerous technology such as disintegrators. Mars meanwhile continued to develop on its own tech, and Phoebe (a moon of Saturn) is essentially a strange offshoot from Mars.

Andy: It’s a little like the story of the scholars being cast out of Oxford in the Middle Ages, then disappearing off into the fens and building Cambridge. 

Neil: Further lore will expand on all of it (Mars, not Cambridge). 

Saturnine armour is unlike regular Terminator armour, where you only need training on using the specific piece of wargear, or Dreadnoughts which require a specific surgical procedure.

Saturnine armour requires both technological skill and a small degree of psychic attunement – above the average of a Space Marine, but nowhere near the level of a Librarian. 

One of the things you’ll see later is how different Legions adapted the technology to themselves. The Thousand Sons have the psychic discipline to get more out of it, while the Word Bearers have done their usual and stuffed Daemons into them. We’ll also see how legions like the Space Wolves use them, or the White Scars – given they have a different tactical doctrine.

Andy: You can expect a lot of calls to kitbash in the Journals. There’s so much cross-compatibility and modularity in The Horus Heresy range, which makes sense from both gaming and narrative points of view – many Legions had to scavenge and cobble together. We want to open up options for dedicated fans without forcing converted units into the Libers. 

Neil: You can see this with the Saturnine Command Squad that was shown in a recent article, which is a kitbash brought together to make something unique, but not something we’d want people to feel required to make. Rules are coming in the second Journal Tactica.

Andy: As Saturnine Terminators date back to the Dark Age of Technology, they are all equipped with types of energy weapons. There are no ammo belts here, nor magazines to be changed, which fits with the esoteric technology they’re created from. 

Neil: From a rules perspective all of their weapons have equivalents to the Gets Hot rule, but Saturnine armour is designed to resist some of these negative effects.

Andy: They also teleport, which is fairly unique even for Terminators in the Horus Heresy.

Dave (content lead): From a sculpting perspective, you can see – and even leave exposed – the underlying structure of both the Saturnine Terminators and the Dreadnought, which has complete Leviathan-style plate shoulders covered by the larger pads. This also helps out a great deal with sub-assemblies for painting. 

Andy: We also wanted to exceed the Spartan and Contemptor from the previous Age of Darkness box, so we went big, extrapolating from the Saturnine Terminator design.

Chris W: After the idea came in, I responded with a bunch of sketches and concepts, ending up at something that could easily be described as a Knight’s baby brother. 

Andy: The Saturnine Dreadnought is part of the same tech canon as the Terminators, but is a relatively new introduction. 

James: This is something that Vulkan develops from data within the original Saturnine designs, a Dreadnought version that the artificers of Phoebe could never quite get to work. The Terminators existed early on in the Great Crusade but it proved impossible to manufacture them in the quantities needed, so they were abandoned in favour of Tartaros and Cataphractii patterns, while the Dreadnought remained unworkable with the technology of the time. Later, Vulkan goes “I reckon I can nail it…” The design is quite old, but with new technologies discovered during the Great Crusade and the genius of the Master of Nocturne, Vulkan brings it to life in time to fight at Isstvan V.

Chris D (miniatures designer): There was some work done to bring in design language from the existing Leviathan Dreadnought and marry it with the Saturnine Terminator design. The idea is to bring them together to show a common lineage between the designs, but to make them look a little more prototypical on the Saturnine Dreadnought, rather than the refined visuals of the Contemptor.

Neil: By Isstvan V there are barely any of these suits left, and it’s only Vulkan’s involvement that brings them back into service. After years of brutal warfare, Saturnine suits are unlikely to have survived much past the end of the Horus Heresy.

Just as with the Kratos, which were old, mothballed tanks dragged back into use for the Heresy, Saturnine suits are a relic which don’t chime with Guilliman’s desire for rapid warfare. They are a throwback the Emperor was using to defeat the horrors of Old Night, and they have no place in the new Codex Astartes.

James: It’s essentially a mid-range brawler, designed to destroy whatever it can get within range of – which it will do with enthusiasm. It’s not specialised; a Deredeo will probably win out at longer range, while a Levitathan will take it in a pitched close combat fight.

We got Chris W to concept all sorts of esoteric energy weapons for us, ones that didn’t necessarily map onto existing weapons – and then picked the ones we liked the most and worked to map them into familiar visual language. Some are completely new to Warhammer.

Chris W: It was a lot of fun to go completely off the wall with my designs, trying to imagine what the Emperor might have looked at and said “nah, that’s too dangerous, we’re going to park that one for now…” 

Thanks very much guys. We’ll return later in the week, with another interview discussing all the things that aren’t Saturnine.

* A commonly used term for the books from the first edition of The Horus Heresy game, which were leather-bound, and black.

** A classic Warhammer board game in which squads of Terminators would get systematically ripped to shreds by Genestealers.

Necromunda is a lawless place where gangs vie for control through endless violent skirmishes, and opportunistic criminals eke out a living in labyrinthine innards of the great hive cities. 

Despite the chaos innate to this brutal environment, Lord Helmawr still expects his subjects to practice obedience, diligence, and devotion. 

This is where the Palanite Enforcers come in. Uncompromising in the face of crime and willing to punish all disobedience, they impress the law upon the Underhive with a butt of a gun. They also act as House Helmawr’s personal army. 

Fractious times on Necromunda require sterner measures, and so grizzled veterans and new weapons have been authorised for use in the field. 

Palanite Enforcer Captains wear snazzy coats and impressive hats to denote their rank, unmistakable as they stride through the Underhive. They have absolute authority on how they conduct their operations, as long as gang violence is kept in check and production quotas are met. Reporting directly to them are similarly hardened Enforcer Sergeants and Subjugator Sergeants, the latter of which are equipped with heavy armour and have much experience in dispersing unruly crowds – which is every crowd on Necromunda…

This set of eight miniatures is completed by a pair of Hardcase Cyber-Mastiffs. Even in the grim darkness of the far future, mutts remain man’s best friend. These ones are so heavily augmented with bionics and armour that they’re hardly comforting to be around, but they are very efficient at mauling unlucky recidivists.

With gangs bringing powerful specialists, nastier guns and bigger brutes to their street brawls, the Palanite Enforcers are unlocking their armouries and tooling up with specialised gear. 

The Weapons and Upgrade packs contain two matching sprues which pack in five heads, 10 sets of right and left arms, and a range of weapons. There are shock batons, assault shields, magnacles, web guns and concussion carbines to give your patrolmen plenty of crowd control options, and a selection of more lethal weapons are included for when full force is authorised. Nothing says justice on Necromunda like a high-calibre round delivered right to the forehead from a sniper rifle. 

Rules for everything above will be available in Necromunda: Bastion of Law, a fully fleshed out House of… style book for the Palanite Enforcers. There is a gang list featuring the Captain and Sergeant above, two new scenarios, gang tactics, a Badzone Enforcer gang list for those who want to attempt to tame the desolate wilds of Necromunda, new weapon profiles, and plenty of other new ways to run Palanite Enforcer precincts.

Our scanner is still tuned in to Enforcer frequencies, and the calls for reinforcements in the underhive and the ash wastes just keep coming in. We’ll be putting in a dispatch notice for the rest of the patrolmen just after we’ve washed down this snack with a lovely mug of warm recaf. Check back in with Warhammer Community later for an ETA on backup. It’ll be there any minute now.

Excitement has reached fever pitch, and great ships laden with loyal(ish) Space Marines hover above the black sands of Isstvan V. It’s almost time for planetfall, and in just one week, you’ll be able to pre-order the phenomenal Saturnine boxed set and get ready to join the fight. Let’s see what’s happening until then.

Age of Darkness: Saturnine

The new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy is almost upon us, and what an incredible way to start it off. The Saturnine boxed set is packed full of beautiful new miniatures, gaming aids, and rules. Saturnine sets the stage for a new era of the Horus Heresy by focusing on the apocalyptic betrayal known as the Dropsite Massacre, where brother turned on brother and the Warmaster’s plans were laid bare.

This box contains a whopping 50 brand new miniatures:

• A Praetor clad in Saturnine Terminator armour

• A Centurion wearing MkII Crusade-pattern power armour

• 40 Legionaries in MkII Crusade-pattern power armour

• Six hulking Saturnine Terminators

• A massive Saturnine Dreadnought

• An Araknae Quad-Accelerator Platform

• Two sets of Disintegrator weapons, that can be used to turn the Legionaries into Veterans

You also get the full 352-page Age of Darkness Rulebook, which contains all the core rules for the game as well as over 100 pages of background information on the conflict and its factions. A 48-page Introductory Rules and Miniatures Construction Guide takes you through constructing your miniatures and gives beginners a taste of the game, and two 4-page folding reference sheets ensure that everyone has quick access to key rules.

20 six-sided dice, a six-sided Scatter dice, templates for 3” blasts, 5” blasts, and Flame weapons, a plastic range ruler, and 40 Tactical Status and Objective tokens provide you with tools for use on the tabletop. Also included is a transfer sheet containing 1172 decals focused on the iconography of the Salamanders and Iron Warriors. It’s a comprehensive package, and the perfect way to jump right into Warhammer: The Horus Heresy with almost everything you need to play from the get-go. This product will also be available as a range item, replacing the existing Age of Darkness box set.

Age of Darkness Rulebook

If you already have more miniatures than you can reasonably fit in your house, or just want an extra copy of the rules to carry with you, the Age of Darkness Rulebook will also be available separately. This comprehensive guide to the game’s rules will teach you everything you need to know to play games set in the Age of Darkness, as well as present reams of background lore and some incredible artwork to illustrate this most pivotal of time periods. You will be able to pre-order it in hardback next week.

Age of Darkness Liber Army Books

In addition to the core rules, you’ll need an army list to draw your force from – and that’s where the Liber books come in. Each contains a wealth of game rules and unit profiles to help you construct your perfect army, from wargear options and unique Detachments to points costs and Advanced Reactions. Each major faction has their own book, with the Legiones Astartes split into Loyalist and Traitor halves, as follows:

• Liber Astartes – Loyalist Legiones Astartes Army Book

• Liber Hereticus – Traitor Legiones Astartes Army Book

• Liber Mechanicum – Forces of the Taghmata Army Book

• Liber Auxilia – Solar Auxilia Army Book

• Liber Questoris – Knights and Titans Army Book

Each of these essential books will be available to pre-order in hardback.

Journal Tactica: The Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre – Part One

The first expansion for the new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy takes us back to Isstvan V for a closer look at the infamous Dropsite Massacre, introducing new perspectives on this dynamic battle and three new units for Legiones Astartes armies to try out on the battlefield. This 48-page softback book also includes a new Legendary Mission evoking the struggles of the first wave to attack Horus’ stronghold, so you can see how your own forces would have fared in the Urgall Depression.

MkII Tactical Squad

You’ll never hold the line without dependable hosts of Space Marines holding down the fort, and as luck would have it, new reinforcements are on the way. The MkII Tactical Squad contains 20 multi-part plastic miniatures clad in vintage Great Crusade-era power armour, with several weapon options for the sergeant and full compatibility with existing Special, Heavy, and Melee Weapons packs.

Carta Galactica: The Imperium of Man

Would you like to know exactly where in the galaxy are the hot spots that everyone is fighting over? Perhaps you don’t know your Isstvan from your Inwit, and need to brush up on your geography before sending your warriors out to die in far-flung battlefields. The new Carta Galactica map is here to help, this time focusing on the domains of Humanity during the Age of Darkness,

The map is mounted on heavyweight poster paper and includes loads of information on the goings-on of Humanity’s struggle. It’s a great way to brush up on your knowledge of The Horus Heresy, and looks excellent spread out on your wall too.

The End and The Death Volume II

The Warmaster’s shields are down and Sanguinius prepares to plunge a blade into Horus’ chest in the second instalment of The End and The Death, available to pre-order next week in paperback format. Many challenges await the Great Angel as he makes his way towards the inner sanctum of the Vengeful Spirit, not least a Warmaster hopped up on the energies of the Warp – and one of the greatest duels in the Horus Heresy canon is about to go down.

The Vengeful Spirit Map

First seen printed in The End and The Death Volume II, this awesome map details the inner workings of the Vengeful Spirit – Horus’ personal flagship – and is a must-have for dedicated Horus Heresy collectors. It is printed on cotton and wrapped in a faux-leather cover that includes its own metallic pendant, so it looks just as good from the outside as it does unfurled.

This week on Warhammer+, the Questing Nights team get together for the second episode of their Warhammer Quest campaign, playing the original version of the game from back in 1995. This time, they crack out the full Lair of the Orc Lord expansion and attempt to stop a growing Waaagh! before it overwhelms the civilised world.

Ed shares the Painting Desk with ’Eavy Metal painter Paul to discuss his process for painting entire armies to a competition-level finish, while shining a spotlight on his incredible Iron Ravens Space Marines. And finally, on Weapons & Wargear, we delve into the history of the iconic boltgun.*

Here at Warhammer Community, we’re rounding out our coverage of the new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy with a few more peeks behind the curtain. 

* This episode was previously announced as being released last month, but was slightly delayed.

Just off the starboard bow of the good ship WarCom the Idoneth Deepkin breach the waves, ready to defend their spirit-reefs from encroaching corruption and stock up their stores of soul-stuff via bloodthirsty raids on unfortunate victims. With new heroes and a monstrous new Manifestation, everyone’s favourite underwater aelves are the focus of this week’s Saturday pre-order. 

Battletome: Idoneth Deepkin

Command the fury of sea and storm, noble Idoneth warriors, shoals of ferocious fish, and aquatic horrors with Battletome: Idoneth Deepkin. This 98-page book contains the rules you need to field them in battle, combined with background lore and gorgeous art and miniatures photography that immerses you in the history of the Cythai, and their struggles against the corruption spreading across the Mortal Realms. 

This book contains all of the Idoneth Deepkin warscrolls, battle traits, artefacts, spells, and a new Manifestation, plus a new Spearhead, two Regiments of Renown, two Armies of Renown, and Path to Glory rules.

Battletome: Idoneth Deepkin (Gamer’s Edition)

Those truly dedicated to the ways of the Akhelian and the Isharann can choose to opt for the gamer’s edition of the battletome – which contains everything the full-size version does, but shrunk down into a convenient little package. Better still, it also comes with a set of handy reference cards for your army. It’s only available while stocks last.

Ikon of the Sea

Advancing forth with uncanny agility thanks to their affinity with the ocean, the Ikon of the Sea charges into combat to cut down their foes, empowering their allies to join them in an unstoppable surge. This miniature can instead be built as an Ikon of the Storm, a ferocious combatant who pulls his enemies into a lacerating maelstrom of blows. 

Mathaela, Oracle of the Abyss

In this time of Chaos, Mathaela, Oracle of the Abyss has foreseen great disaster and has risen from their home in the deepest depths of the Ghyranic seas to prevent catastrophe from unfolding. They crush foes with abyssal magic, and use their affinity with the creatures of the ocean to encourage the beasts and companions of the Idoneth to fight ferociously.

Idoneth Deepkin: Manifestations

By performing dangerous elemental rituals, Idoneth sorcerers willing to undertake the risk can give the ocean a bestial shape, creating a living tempest known as the Incarnate of the Deep. This wild oceanic Manifestation summons Abyssal Tendrils to ensnare foes so that the Idonethy may more easily crush them during their tidal advance. 

Isharann Soulscryer

Using their cyfar compass to single out the strongest souls to harvest, and using their vast knowledge of hidden oceanic pathways to help their allies navigate the deep and ambush their foes, the Isharann Soulscryer is a key figure in a successful Idoneth raid. This miniature was previously only available in the current Idoneth Deepkin Spearhead, and is now available to purchase separately. 

Spearhead: Akhelian Tide Guard

When Akhelian monarchs ride out to vanquish their foes, they are joined by an escort known as the Tide Guard. As fast and unpredictable as the raging sea, this Spearhead comprises a unit of 10 Namarti Reavers, three Akhelian Ishlaen Guard, and three Akhelian Morrsarr Guard, who all work together to protect their Akhelian King and race down his foes.

Idoneth Deepkin Warscroll Cards

It’s always sink or swim in games of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, but you can help keep your head above water with a set of Idoneth Deepkin Warscroll Cards. It contains 27 quick reference cards covering both your warscrolls and rules for the Akhelian Tide Guard in Spearhead. 

Idoneth Deepkin Dice

Whether you’re sending your Akhelian and their Namarti warriors into battle, or casting aqueous spells to confound and crush your foes, the Idoneth Deepkin Dice lend a suitably watery vibe to proceedings. This set of 16 translucent dice are frosted blue, with dark blue pips and the Idoneth Deepkin faction icon on the six face.

White Dwarf 514

Magnus the Red graces the cover of issue 514 of White Dwarf, which is focused on the mutative followers of Tzeentch. Expect to find a wealth of information on the Changer of the Ways within this maddening tome, with more discoveries by the Knights of Titan and insight into the grand rivalry between Tzeentch and Nurgle. A new Combat Patrol with daemonic elements and an Army of Renown with Legends rules give you new ways to use your own Tzeentchian forces in battle.

There is also a report on the Grand Narrative that took place at Warhammer World last year, and an in-depth article covering the miniatures design for Grand Cathay. On top of that, there’s loads of great Warhammer content, including more from the Bunker and the next instalment of the Trials of Albarak by James Brogden.*

Skaven Deathmaster Plush

Enlist the help of a supremely skilled but oh-so cute Skaven Deathmaster Plush from our licensed partners at TOMY. Armed with a deadly weeping blade and heightened senses, he’s sure to keep any intruders at bay, though we’re not sure of his policy on cuddles. 

* This product is delayed in Australia and New Zealand.

Ten years ago today, Warhammer Age of Sigmar landed to the crash of thunder and the roar of battle.

Over the last decade we’ve seen incredible miniatures, fantastical new armies and explored realms of endless war, and it’s only just getting started.

To celebrate this decade of battle, later this month we’ll be bringing you a huge Warhammer Preview show, packed with loads of reveals. We’ve even heard rumblings of a brand new army in the Mortal Realms…

But wait, guys, Age of Sigmar is great and all, but do you also have some cool new stuff for other games to show in the preview? You bet your bolter we do! 

This is set to be a stacked Warhammer Preview, with upcoming new releases on show from half a dozen games, including plenty from the grim darkness of the far future.

Your hosts for the show will be Adam and Eddie, who have even prepared this video invitation for you. If you watch very, very closely, you might even spot some subtle hints as to what reveals the show might have in store.

The show will be going out live on Twitch and Youtube. Broadcast times for the show are listed below.

We’ll have full live coverage of all the reveals right here on the Warhammer Community site too.

Tune in on Friday 18th July at 7pm BST for the Big Summer Warhammer Preview.

Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most on the official Warhammer Facebook and Instagram.

The Knights of the Questoris Familia are making a triumphant return to the battlefields of the Horus Heresy in the new edition. Here’s Baron Al of House Playtestoris* to explain more.

The Knights of the Questoris Familia are a small, aggressive army that likes to push towards enemy-held objectives. Both the Questoris and Cerastus chassis of Knight have the Vanguard (X) special rule, allowing them to score victory points for destroying or routing enemy units holding objectives. 

This can of course put them in hazardous positions, but as most Knights have good frontal armour, it means you are immune to small-arms fire when well positioned. Knights are not invincible however, and they can be brought crashing down if you’re not aware of their surroundings.

Household Paradigms

The way you build a Questoris Familia army has changed. No longer do you have to take Armigers to unlock the larger Knights, so players have more freedom to include all their favourite patterns. 

When building a list you pick a Household type: Imperialis, Mechanicum or Mendicant. Each has a unique set of bonuses, including a Tactica, a Vow and an Advanced Reaction.

Household hierarchy

The second thing to note is that Knights have a unique Primary Detachment which is used instead of the Crusade Primary Detachment. It doesn’t allow Allies, but it does permit more Lords of War choices, while each slot is a Prime slot, allowing every Knight to choose a Unique Prime Advantage. 

There are plenty of these to choose from, representing the various ranks within the households. For example, Lord Scion allows a Knight to make two repair rolls at the end of their turn. You must be wary of Tactical Statuses, which can hinder your Knights significantly, so additional ways to recover from them are very useful. 

Some of the ranks can unlock unique Detachments for the army. The Lord Scion can access the Yeomanry Mesnie which allows you to take Solar Auxilia units. This is a brilliant way to add flexibility and uniqueness to your lists.

The Preceptor rank is another decent choice, which gives the Knight the Battlesmith (2) special rule and counts as Intelligence 8 when making Repair tests for this special rule. This allows your Knight to repair or remove Tactical Status from itself and other nearby Knights. This rank also unlocks the Automata Talon, which allows you to include bonded Mechanicum units including Castellax Automata.

Take a vow

When selecting a Knight in a Knight army, you can also select a Vow for each one. These will reward you with additional Victory Points when you fulfill their specific requirements. There are four base vows, each corresponding to a different secondary objective in the Core Mission Pack, and each of the different households has an additional Vow to reward you with Victory Points in new ways. Be wary though, because if you accidentally fulfil the conditions with a different Knight, those bonus Victory Points can be lost.

Standout units

There are quite a few exciting units in the Knights army list. First and foremost is the Cerastus Knight Atrapos. It's expensive at 600 points, but it’s tough, quick and can deal a large amount of damage with both shooting attacks and in melee with its Atrapos phasecutter which has a Damage characteristic of six (which can increase to 12 if it remains stationary before shooting!)

Another good choice is the standard Knight Questoris. This is the cheapest of the larger Knights and the most versatile. It has a wide choice of weapons and allows you to specialise the Knight to your playstyle. In particular I like the thermal cannon, reaper chainsword and twin Icarus autocannon, creating a great all-rounder that can deal with a multitude of targets.

My third choice is the Acastus Knight Asterius. The fearsome conversion beam desolator array can dominate the battlefield and help direct enemy units into killing zones as they move to avoid its massive arc of fire or face obliteration.

Thanks Al! The Knights might seem large enough, but they’re still dwarfed by the Titans that they share a Liber with. We’ll have more on these epic god-engines and their special Engine Kill mission soon.

* This is not a real house.

The Idoneth Deepkin are being forced from their watery hideaways by the increasing tumult across the Mortal Realms… and into increasingly risky raids, as today’s installment of the Chronicles of Ruin series demonstrates.

‘I grow weary of this argument,’ said King Ainhurr.

‘But you are firm enough of conscience to indulge me,’ said Odhem. ‘So few of you Akhelians care to confront existential matters.’

‘It is best to leave such things to your Isharann. Since you love the sound of your own voices so dearly, you can debate philosophy until the oceans dry.’

Odhem frowned, but there was the hint of a smile on his face. Ainhurr had always liked the Soulscryer, despite his companion’s tendency towards introspection. Theirs was a comradeship uncommon amongst the Deepkin. Martial-minded Akhelians seldom regarded those of the Isharann order as anything other than rivals, for the balance of power between the two social classes was a tenuous thing. But King Ainhurr had always appreciated Odhem’s quick wit and respected his willingness to give voice to ideas others would gladly have consigned to the deepest trenches of the abyss.

‘What would you have me do?’ the Akhelian said. ‘Call back my warriors? Send them back to the enclave with naught but honourable intentions as comfort? Every year more of our children are born to the withering. If we do not hunt for souls, we diminish.’

‘Do not mistake my words for a land-dweller’s weakness,’ said Odhem. ‘My own hands are stained with blood. For centuries, I have sifted the tides for potent spirits and led you to them. And here we are once more, trapped together in a moment of necessity.’

‘So we agree.’

‘We do not. I speak of our people’s future, not one raid.’

Ainhurr spread his palms wide in a gesture of invitation.

‘You know another way, Soulscryer? Speak now and I will listen.’

‘I do not. But neither have I been given the remit to search. Neither have any of my order truly dedicated themselves to the pursuit of another path. A better path. And in all that time, look at what others have accomplished. Morathi-Khaine has seized the mantle of godhood. True ascension! The lord of the humans has wrought immortal warriors from the tapestry of the heavens, and his armies hold the Ruinous Ones at bay. Even Teclis the Creator has reinvigorated his fallen empire. But we remain content to exist in stasis. As cursed things, feeding on stolen souls.’

Ainhurr said nothing, contemplating Odhem’s speech – implicit condemnation of a way of life that was all the Idoneth had known for centuries. The only reason it was not blasphemy to speak in such a way is that so few Idoneth would think to do so. Yet for all his instinctive aversion to the Soulscryer’s words, he could not deny that they troubled him.

‘I ask this,’ Odhem said softly. ‘Every time we kill to prolong our own lives, do we not prove the Creator right? Do we not reveal ourselves as the very monsters he sought to destroy? I would sooner embrace oblivion than do that.’

‘And I would not,’ King Ainhurr said firmly. ‘I will gladly sacrifice my own honour if it means a future for our people, however harsh and violent it must be.’

In silence, they watched the Namarti advance, climbing hand over hand to scale the rain-lashed cliffs, letting the rising currents of the ethersea ease their ascent. In the silvery light of twin Ghyranite moons, they looked like pale wraiths. Above the cliffs lay the enemy’s warcamp, and from their concealed position in a shadowy cleft in the rock face, Odhem and Ainhurr could see the outlines of sentries silhouetted against the sky. None of them had more than a few moments to live.

‘Tonight’s raid will be a bountiful one,’ said King Ainhurr.

‘Yes,’ said Odhem. ‘Yes, I think it will.’

At first, it seemed that Odhem was right.

The enemy appeared reckless, perhaps glutted by one too many easy victories. Their sentries were lax, some of them hopelessly drunk. The wretches died one by one without even knowing they were attacked, as the sea-mists rolled in and Namarti arrows whipped silently into eyes and throats. None made a sound as they fell.

The great bank of opaque clouds curled over the lip of the cliffs and swept silently down on the foe’s tents. Not all of the warlike humans were caught off guard. Indeed, the shouts of alarm now came swiftly, echoed throughout the encampment. Yet no warriors – no matter how formidable – could outrun the ethersea. Enervating magic from the ocean depths rolled over cooking fires, extinguishing them.

It swept up bands of bleary-eyed killers, who stumbled in a daze, hypnotised by the billowing mass. It sapped the wits, filled mortal minds with half-glimpsed images to incite horror and helplessness. Most of all, it masked King Ainhurr’s Phalanx until they were on their prey.

The Akhelian King led atop his Deepmare steed Maloth, plunging into the heart of the enemy with his sabre lashing out to cut down enemies left and right. His Ishlaen Guard swept in at his side, and their Fangmora Eels hissed in delight as the ethersea was stained with freshly spilled blood. Even as the first stunned victims of the raid collapsed, souls already leaving their torn bodies as they were drawn towards the lurelights held by Soulrenders, the Namarti formations came sweeping in, Reavers loosing arrows on the charge as their frontline brethren lashed out with curved lanmari blades.

‘Sea-aelves!’ a bearded warrior cried, before Ainhurr’s sword sliced through his throat and silenced him forever.

These were hard creatures, these scarred and tattooed killers. They raided as the Idoneth did, although their own rewards were base plunder and carnage. Their souls would be damaged things, and the Dark Gods would not part with their tribute easily. But at least they were still human. Still clinging to their fragile mortality, even as they dangled on the precipice of self-immolation. They were not yet so tainted by malignance as to be valueless, and so their souls were reaped without mercy.

‘Encircle them,’ ordered Ainhurr. ‘Let none escape.’

His Ishlaen moved to obey, corralling the enemy within a ring of crackling energy that danced around the flanks of their aquatic mounts. Ainhurr fought and slew until his arm throbbed with agony from blow after killing blow. But even as the enemy perished, something unpleasant struck him. Was this all that the enemy could muster? Even the most vague reports from his Namarti scouts had suggested their numbers would be greater. Where were the rest?

It was then that the harsh boom of war-horns split the air. They seemed to echo from all around, and now the obscuring mists of the ethersea impeded the Idoneth’s vision where before they had aided their advance. King Ainhurr could hear the tramping of boots and the demented, baying howls of the things that dwelt in the realms’ benighted corners.

‘My King?’ asked Lagainne, his Ishlaen captain, the normally impassive aelf’s words shot through with unease.

‘They knew we were coming,’ muttered Ainhurr. ‘Somehow they knew. They were waiting for us.’

Lagainne opened his mouth to speak, but something fell from the sky and slammed through his coralline armour, pinning him to the saddle of his fangmora. The enraged beast bucked and writhed, and Lagainne’s limp body sagged, held in place by the black haft of a javelin. Shapes emerged from the fog on all sides: no addled and drunken warriors these, but dark champions clad from head to toe in ensorcelled plate and holding aloft icons of the thrice-damned gods.

‘To me, Morrsarr!’ Ainhurr cried, and his eel-riders gathered into a spearhead, armour crackling as it channelled the bio-electricity of their eager mounts. Ainhurr’s heels struck Maloth’s flank, ordering the Deepmare into a headlong charge, and the Fangmora Eels followed at pace, darting towards the approaching block of swords, shields and hate-filled faces. They struck in a strobing eruption of lightning that sent ruin-worshippers reeling, half-blinded as their flesh smoked and burned. Ainhurr drove his helsabre into one horned fiend’s face, and Maloth reared to disembowel another with his raking claws.

Then the enemy recovered their senses and closed their ranks, and the true slaughter began.

By the time that the enemy was driven from the field, it was clear that Dhom-hain would not profit from this soul-raid. Too many Namarti had fallen, their bodies heaped atop the corpses of those they had come here to harvest. Though the Chaos counter-ambush had been thrown back, many of the souls reaped in the brutal, close-quarters fighting were too soiled by corruption to be of use to the Isharann.

Their own losses were a bitter wound that would not easily heal.

‘How did they know?’ said Odhem. The words were hard to pick out, masked as they were by the blood bubbling in his throat.

Ainhurr sighed. ‘Impossible to say. But we are not the only raiding Phalanx to be ambushed in these bitter times. Our ways are known to the land-dwellers now. Even your Isharann magic cannot conceal our every secret.’

‘They lured us,’ Odhem rasped, then made a sound that might have been a sharp, bitter laugh. It ended in a wracking cough that scattered droplets of blood across his robes.

King Ainhurr knelt by his dying comrade. A splinter from a ruin-knight’s lance had pierced the Soulscryer through the ribcage, and the wound was beyond the efforts of any healer to mend. In truth, Ainhurr had no idea how his friend was still capable of speech at all. The aelf’s ruined torso had been dressed with kelp-woven bandages and salves made from the egg sacs of diamondhead sharks, but all that could do was make the Soulscryer’s last moments somewhat more bearable.

‘Do you see why we must change?’ Odhem asked. ‘Do you see why this existence can only lead to our doom? The realms are closing in upon us, my friend. Our deeds can no longer be kept hidden, even by our most powerful magic. We are known. We are seen. We evolved once, to survive annihilation. We must do so again.’

‘Be still,’ said Ainhurr.

Odhem snarled in pain, a crude sound coming from the soft-spoken Isharann.

‘I am dying,’ he said. ‘But I pass my doubts, my fears to you.’

‘I am no philosopher. I am a warrior. What am I to do with doubt?’

The Soulscryer seized Ainhurr by the neck, his nails digging painfully into exposed skin. His eyes narrowed, and with his teeth bloodstained and gritted tight, he had a feral, unsettling look. It was taboo for any Idoneth to lay their hands upon a comrade so, and Ainhurr was so shocked he knew not how to react.

‘Think,’ snarled Odhem. ‘Feel. Ask yourself what is the right course, and what is merely convenient. The time is coming when the Idoneth will face a choice, perhaps the most important one in our long and tragic history. Your duty as an Akhelian King – as a leader – is to ensure we walk the right path.’

Then, with a shudder, the Isharann was gone. His hand fell limply from Ainhurr’s throat. The Akhelian King looked to the sky, where the first slivers of Hysh’s radiance were spearing through the clouds, casting the battlefield in golden light. Grief was an indulgence that the Idoneth could seldom afford to partake in, but still, Odhem’s passing left an ache at his core. He felt as though there was some sane reaction he must now perform, some ritual of remembrance or other symbolic gesture. But he could not imagine what that might be, and so he simply stared at the dead Isharann.

‘Sire?’ said one of Odhem’s retinue, a gaunt woman dressed in silver kelpweave robes. Had she overhead them? It was no crime to speak as Odhem had, but most Akhelians or Isharann would consider his words lunacy.

‘Be about your work,’ said Ainhurr, closing Odhem’s eyes. ‘The Soulrenders have many souls to claim if we are to balance the day’s losses.’

He was not yet ready to face the harshest truths. Nor, he knew, were his people. There would come a time for philosophising, perhaps, but not while the enclaves teetered on the brink of ruin. For now, King Ainhurr would live with his sins.

And yet even as he made his heart cold and focused on the task at hand, the Akhelian heard his friend’s final words ringing in the back of his mind. He suspected he always would.

The Idoneth Deepkin hit pre-orders tomorrow, with a new battletome, a new Spearhead box, a new special character, new Manifestations, and two new Heroes. They’ll be live at the normal time.

The forces of Grand Cathay are available to order, meaning armies should be popping up all over the place soon, ready to test their mettle on the battlefields of the Old World. Painters from the wider community shared some of their work with us last week, and now it’s the turn of the Warhammer Community staff. 

Laura – Jade Sentinel and Warriors

From a colour perspective, jade is a surprisingly varied material. One can find very vibrant luminous greens, sea blue-greens, all the way through to very pale grey-greens. I imagined this Sentinel standing watch over a forbidden place – perhaps a tomb to a Shugengan Lord, or even a particularly influential former Magistrate.

Pale Grey seemed the appropriate colour for a more spectral appearance. I basecoated the model with Wraithbone, then added several extremely watered-down layers of Agrax Earthshade, Coelia Greenshade, and Biel-Tan Green, along with some Wraithbone dry brushing throughout to keep the details sharp. I repeated this in uneven patches across the model to create a subtle gradient, and allow the different shades to dominate specific areas. 

I also tried out a test scheme on some Jade Warriors – I wanted something similarly monochromatic, but contrasting heavily with the ghostly giant. I swapped out their plumes for the peacock-esque feathers from the Imperial Nobility Blood Bowl team to make more of a statement piece of the singular colour. I’m very excited to keep playing with this scheme on more Cathayan warriors! 

Joel – Shugengan Lord, Jade Warriors, and Jade Lancers

Knowing I was going to have to paint a lot of models for an army (which isn’t my strong suit), I decided to develop a colour scheme that was going to be simple to batch out. I took inspiration from old Chinese paintings for my units.

To first make the models look like paper, I used Wraithbone spray with a diluted Seraphim Sepia wash all over them. After that I used various thinned down shade colours across different materials. The last thing I did was “outline” them, essentially edge highlighting them with a very dark brown to give the illusion that they were drawn. I think the style is pretty unique and it doesn’t take long to paint up whole units.

Luke – Gate Masters of the Celestial Cities

Whatever I paint takes ages, and that’s without even factoring in the heat, so I went modest with my project and picked up the Gate Masters of the Celestial Cities. I researched a lot of art depicting soldiers through the history of China and discovered that they have basically outfitted themselves in every colour under the sun, so I was able to go weapons free on my schemes.

I chose a royal blue and a regal purple for my miniatures – the latter inspired by the colour scheme of Miao Ying. Varying the use of a single colour across each miniature was a fun exercise, especially with all the layers to the Grand Cathay armour. I had an unfortunate accident with the banner on the mounted Gate Master, so excuse the wonky repair. The transfer was also a challenge, as I've never worked with one so large, and I got a fair amount of silvering under it. If I did it again I’d take more care – don’t rush it, and maybe not try and do it in a tiny, overly warm office in the middle of summer. 

Chris – Granite Sentinel and Jade Warrior Champion

Hailing from Aberdeen, which is known as the Granite City, as soon as I saw a Granite Sentinel listed in the Arcane Journal, I knew immediately that was what I would challenge myself to achieve.

The paint scheme was pretty simple: an undercoat of Chaos Black spray hit with smaller, top-down sprays of Grey Seer and White Scar, then lots of drybrushing and stippling.

For the base, I used some air-dry clay to create a lava-like texture and Aethermatic Blue Contrast paint was used to fill in the recesses and paint the gems, which I covered with a layer of Ardcoat to give a glassy finish.

For the Jade Warrior Champion, I wanted to keep it simple – Contrast paints, metallics, and Nuln Oil – but the base had to be pure nostalgia, with artificial grass made from torn-up Verdia Veldt Tufts and a Warboss Green rim.

James – Warpstone Sentinel

As a Skaven enthusiast, my whiskers immediately started twitching when I saw the Warpstone Sentinel in the Arcane Journal.

I wanted a simple way to paint it that gave a very varied look to the stone, so I used multiple Contrast paints, layered over each other to exaggerate their effect. First I undercoated with Wraithbone, then I added an all-over coat of Apothecary White, followed by an all-over coat of Warp Lightning. The base is just a salt flat made of Mordant Earth and some grey, to give a contrast to the model. I’ll probably make a new base once I expand my Grand Cathay army and decide where in the Old World they’re campaigning!

Michael – Cathayan Sentinel

I imagined this Sentinel as a guardian of a long-forgotten glade or forest path, a hidden route to a fortress or temple. I undercoated with Death Guard Green and applied a less thorough coat of Wraithbone. An all-over wash of thinned Skeleton Horde aged and coloured the stone, and I applied thinned Gutrippa Flesh to recesses to suggest small amounts of moss. I drybrushed with Wraithbone to hide my sins, then applied Warp Lightning to the gems for some nice contrast.

The summer heat might have put a slight dampener on productivity, but the team are still chipping away at their Grand Cathay projects – Laura and Joel especially are looking to expand their forces in the coming months, so be sure to check back for more inspiring painting later in the year.

With the Idoneth Deepkin riding the wave into pre-order territory on Saturday, we’ve primed you for their arrival with coverage of their new army rule and the two Armies of Renown in the battletome. But what about those of you who want to bring your Idoneth Deepkin into battle with your other armies? 

Two new Regiments of Renown ensure you can dip your toe into the foreboding ocean where the Cythai lurk, and wouldn’t you know it, they’re even willing to share a battlefield with the Lumineth Realm-lords – a big deal if you know their… fractious history.

No matter how cool your army of striding Treelords, soaring endrin-powered duardin, or ferocious Seraphon is, it can always be cooler with the addition of two sharks. You will certainly not regret fielding a pair of Akhelian Allopexes – also known as a Bloodthirsty Shiver – as these fast and deadly creatures can chase down the toughest of foes. 

Akhelian crew provide some reliable shooting with their Razorshell Harpoon or Retarius Net Launcher. When the Hunt of the Bloodthirsty Shiver is called, this pair make use of their ability to hunt in tandem to evade incoming attacks, or to savage their prey with maws filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Despite their relatively isolationist nature, it is not uncommon for the Idoneth to lend their allies a hand in times of need, though this task usually falls to a Namarti Shore Raid. A unit of Namarti Thralls, with their mighty two-handed lanmari weapons, and a unit of Namarti Reavers are led into battle by an exacting Akhelian Thrallmaster. 

The whole regiment deploys in reserve at the start of the battle, biding their time and watching the flow of combat. When the time is right the Thrallmaster will Launch the Attack and all three units deploy into battle, before immediately moving D3” – helping you close the distance to charge with your Thralls and Thrallmaster, the latter giving the former a chance to fight twice.

Both of these regiments can be taken by any Order faction that isn’t the Idoneth Deepkin, including the aforementioned Lumineth Realm-lords. Surprising to us, given the fraught history between Teclis and his creations,* but in the Hour of Ruin the Cythai cannot afford to stand on principle. 

Whether you’re fielding a full force of Idoneth Deepkin, or just using them to reinforce your existing army – before inevitably getting swept into a full collection – you will be able to pre-order Battletome: Idoneth Deepkin tomorrow.

* Can you blame them for being a little testy that their creator tried to exterminate them?

They might not be gene-bulked super-soliders, but the Solar Auxilia are still the best of humanity. Here’s playtester Al to explain more about how they work in the new edition.

Al: The Solar Auxilia are the elite of the Imperial Army, and they work best when combining infantry, artillery and armour. They have some of the toughest armoured vehicles in the game, including the Leman Russ and its fearsome frontal armour, which can be included in large numbers. 

They also have widespread access to some very powerful artillery, with Basilisk and Medusas’ main guns clocking in at Ranged Strength 10 when they remain stationary. The Earthshaker cannon on the Basilisk has the ability to crack any armour with Breaching (6+), and it can also stop enemy units in their tracks with Pinning (1). 

But the Solar Auxilia isn’t just about vehicles. Whilst each individual Auxiliary isn’t a match for a Space Marine, they are half the points cost and outrange the bolter with their trusty lasrifles.

Cohort Doctrines

Most of the Solar Auxilia list will feel familiar to veteran commanders. However there are big changes in the Command Sections, Detachments and Cohort rules. 

Solar Auxilia have a number of different Command Sections, each of which provide buffs to corresponding units. As an example, the Line Command Section increases the value of the Line (X) special rule for friendly units within line of sight of the Troop Master. This is an important lynchpin in your Solar Auxilia army. However, you have to make sure to protect them as they can be vulnerable to attack. 

The old Tercios are now Auxiliary Detachments unlocked by the corresponding Command Section. For example, a Line Command Section allows you to take the Infantry Tercio, which allows you to build around Lasrifle Sections and Dracosans. Combining the different Tercios is the most effective way to build a combined arms force. 

Each type of Cohort also has additional rules now in the form of Cohort Doctrines. Each of these is built around a different style of play and corresponds to the main Solar Auxilia units, giving them bonuses and making them easier to take en masse. My current favourite is the Reconnaissance Pattern Cohort, which allows Hermes Sentinel units to hold and contest objectives.

This Liber contains rules to make your Solar Auxilia one of the Legiones Auxilia, a Cohort associated with one of the Legions. For example, the Therion Velites are the Legiones Auxilia of the Raven Guard Legion. In this case, this replaces the Form Ranks! Advanced Reaction with Displacement, allowing for new and interesting playstyles that evoke the character of the parent Legions themselves.

Standout units

While there are many great units to pick from, my favourite is still the humble Lasrifle Section, the cornerstone of every Solar Auxilia list. They pack a lot of firepower, especially when their lasrifles are upgraded with blast chargers and become a threat to a number of units. 

Next up is the Charonite Ogryn Section. This is a remarkably resilient unit with four Wounds per model and five Toughness, so they take a lot of firepower to put down! With high Leadership and Cool it is difficult to put any Tactical Statuses on them, making a great anvil at the centre of your force which hit hard in melee with the Charonite claws. 

We also have a great hammer, the Leman Russ Strike Tank. It’s not the quickest, but it has sheer ruggedness. With Front Armour 14 and six Hull Points it can take a lot of firepower. Then you have the range of weapon options, such as the humble Battlecannon – which can improve to AP 3 via the Heavy (AP) special rule – and with Pinning (1), it is a great all round weapon. You can also opt for a Vanquisher Cannon if you want to specialise into an Anti-tank/dreadnought role…