In a surprise move, Games Workshop have released a bonus Grotmas balance dataslate and updated Munitorum Field Manual. After a relatively quiet update back in October, this dataslate brings much more significant changes all across the game, with multiple factions getting major revisions. It’s an exciting time for Warhammer 40,000 – in this article we’ll look at the impact of the combined dataslate and MFM changes to the forces of the Xenos. You can find our coverage of the other factions on the links below:
Thanks to Games Workshop for providing us with a review copy of these updates.
Edit: We did not receive review copies of the errata/FAQ changes that were published alongside the Balance Dataslate and Munitorum Field Manual. We will update these articles as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience.
Aeldari
The Aeldari are still largely paying for their sins of early tenth edition, but have settled into an acceptable niche since the October balance updates, with a solid count of podium appearances and a respectable number of event wins. Some fools even tried taking them to the World Championships this year, though I have it on good authority that those players likely lost to more handsome players running triple Rogals Dorn in their Astra Militarum lists.
Points Changes
None.
Rules Changes
None.
Impact
Status: Mild Loser
Thoughts
Aeldari stood still while lots of other things got better. They may benefit a bit from nerfs to some of their bad match-ups like Genestealer Cults and Astra Militarum, but then their best opponents (Space Marines) just got a big buff, which will work against them.
Wings: I’m a bit more optimistic here – Aeldari are slightly underwhelming right now, but removing 3” Deep Strikes is very good news for them, as they don’t have any, and really suffered against them, especially against Aquilons. I think you will see the win rate go up a little. Mostly moot point though, given we’re presumably not that far out from the Codex.
Drukhari
If you hadn’t been paying close attention, you might have been shocked to see Drukhari were hit with a host of nerfs in the most recent Balance update. They’d quietly managed to turn into one of the game’s most effective factions and ate a host of nerfs as a result. Since then, those have had the desired effect, knocking Drukhari back down to the middle of the pack, with just below a 50% win rate (though it’s worth noting that most factions sit between 48% and 52%). That’s a mission accomplished, so we’d expect them to be left alone this time around.
Points Changes
- Grotesques: +10 points for 6 models
- Scourges: +10 points for 5 models
- Voidraven Bomber: +20 points
- Wracks: -5 points/-10 points for 5/10 models
Rules Changes
- No Changes
Impact
Status: Loser
Thoughts
TheChirurgeon: It really feels like someone on the rules team lost to Drukhari for this to happen. Like, if I had to guess, this was written with the express intent of nerfing Daniel Whitaker’s fourth-place list from the Coventry three-day event in late October, which packed two units of six Grotesques, three units of five Scourges, and is one of only two instances I can find of a list with a Voidraven Bomber making the top four since the last update, with neither notching an event win. Dan’s list specifically eats a 70-point loss from this update in a hit that comes close to the 90-point hit Derek Apsche’s Chaos Cults lists ate back in October.
Beyond that, Scourges have continued to be a must-take in lists, with a squad of five just providing so much maneuverable, long-range shooting for their cost (and they still will). We’ve also started to see more armies bring units of six Grotesques, often with a pair of units. So there’s at least some basis for this, though I’d argue Drukhari weren’t really pulling down the numbers to merit another nerf. You get a 5-point consolation prize here for Wracks, and Marines lose full phase Armour of Contempt, but on the whole it’s hard to argue Drukhari walk away from this as anything but losers.
Genestealer Cults
After toiling in the shadows for months, over the last six months Genestealer Cults have slowly emerged as one of the game’s most powerful factions, capable of incredible results in the hands of top players. Stat Check has them as the only faction in the game with a win rate over 60% at Gt-sized events, and only the Astra Militarum have more event wins since the last update – 12 vs. GSC’s 11 – despite having more than double the number of players. And if you aren’t a top player? Well, GSC can still be a problem, but often can be highly variable – sometimes you just spike your Cult Ambush rolls and other times you get nothing.
Points Changes
- Abominant +20pts
- Ridgerunners +10pts/model
Rules Changes
- Cult Ambush was completely re-worked. Rather than rolling for putting stuff into Cult Ambush, you now start the game with a pool of Resurgence Points, which you can spend to trigger Cult Ambush when a unit is destroyed. There’s a table of prices for different units of different sizes. To benchmark how much you get, in Strike Force games you have 10pts, and the prices range from 2RP for an Acolyte MSU through to 8RP for 10 Aberrants. They’ve also cleaned up the wording on Cult Ambush – you can still set the units up in your Movement phase or using blips in your opponent’s Movement phase, but you cannot use Rapid Ingress on any units in Cult Ambush.
- Tunnel Crawlers in Host of Ascension get the global 3” Deep Strike change.
- Outlander Claw gets a nerf to its Detachment Rule, which now only adds +1 to the OC of Vehicle and Mounted models rather than doubling it (which weakens the effect on Vehicles). Note that it only works when the unit isn’t battleshocked, as is becoming increasingly common to stop modifier-stacking from obviating battleshock.
- Deeds That Speak to the Masses in Xenocreed Congregation now adds +2RP to your pool instead of its previous re-roll effect.
- All Demolition Charges and the like have increased to 8” range, bringing them in-line with Grenades, and ensuring that in Host of Ascension you can still use Tunnel Crawlers to set them up.
- The Kelermorph’s Hypersensory Abilities were changed to trigger at 9” instead of 12”, making them easier to pin down.
Impact
Status: Nuanced. Losers in some ways, but it doesn’t feel like enough has been done to shut down the overwhelming Broodsurge builds, and the new reliability of Cult Ambush will exacerbate that so they are likely to continue to thrive. Fortunately the tools are now in place to tweak things in the future, so this is a big step forward for the game.
Thoughts
Wings: We are now three for three in the modern 40K era for the Genestealer Cults army rule ending up as more errata by volume than original text by the end of the edition. Tradition is important. The OG Index Cult Ambush was too good when it always worked for Battleline, the Codex version’s inconsistency wasn’t hugely enjoyable for either side of a game involving it, so we’ve finally ended up on a new version that takes out the randomness, and crucially makes it much easier for the studio to make future balance tweaks to either the starting points pool or the cost of units.
So what does it mean for Cult Players? We suspect a first read is going to be quite startling, because the “ceiling” of what you can do with this is much lower than if you roll hot with the current version. However, after time to absorb it, we think this is going to play out as a win for them at current prices. The hottest GSC build of the moment is Biosanctic Broodsurge, which applies overwhelming initial pressure, and in that context either of:
- Guaranteeing that the first two Aberrant units that go down come back.
- Using the reliable option to respawn Acolytes on the cheap to cut down the spend on them in lists.
- Splitting the difference and respawning the alpha 10-model Genestealer unit for 6pts then two Acolyte MSUs with the remaining four.
…feels like it actively helps the army. It is not, in any way, an army that needed help. If your opponent manages to land a hammerblow counterpunch and sweep the field then yeah, this isn’t getting you back onto the field in numbers, but in any other situation it’s likely better for you. Where it hits harder is on the recently returning Host of Ascension horde builds running lots of large Neophyte units, because you are now capped at returning one of those a game. Even there though, if you guarantee one big unit and two Acolyte squads return, that’s a huge boost to your ability to measure out resources, and the Codex version of Return to the Shadows already helps double dip on utility from big squads. We think the rework here is good, overall, but at the current points prices for the army it’s too powerful, and needed wider-ranging point hikes to accompany it.
The point cuts that do arrive are somewhat meaningful, but nowhere near enough, and are also things the army can flex around a bit. The only blows that definitively land here are the ones on Outlander Claw (because reduced OC definitely hurts) and the Kelermorph, who becomes far more manageable now that there’s a 9”-12” window you can actually engage with them in.
There’s a clear attempt to address the army here, and it all pulls in the right direction, but we think Broodsurge skating by so lightly will end up being a major mistake that shapes the upcoming metagame. The only possible caveat on that is that melee-tilted Marines and Custodes have done better than most at fighting back against Cults, and the new Custodes Bike bolter profile is bananas good into GSC, so if Blood Angels and Custodes emerge from this as top contenders, that could hold the cults in check.
Leagues of Votann
The Leagues of Votann have been quietly putting up solid win rates since the Q4 balance update, relying on some solid army abilities and good datasheets to achieve results. They saw some minor nerfs in that update, but nothing they couldn’t work around. They’re an army which can mostly improve by standing still this update.
Points Changes
- Brôkhyr Thunderkyn -5/-10pts for 3/6 models
Rules Changes
- Void Armour hit by the global AP Stratagem change.
Impact
Status: Minor Winner
Thoughts
Wings: Votann just keep on trucking here, picking up a minor but welcome buff to a unit, and probably being the happiest of any Armour of Contempt faction to trade-off their Stratagem being weaker for their guns being better into Marines. Expect to see a minor tuning away from multi-Land Fortress lists and towards additional bikes to account for this, but it’ll mostly be business as usual.
Curie: With Votann being my most-played army this edition, I’m quite happy to see them go relatively unchanged. They are a bit stale, but that’s more of a problem of a shallow roster rather than bad rules. Cheaper Thunderkyn is definitely welcomed, especially with the nerf to Armour of Contempt.
Orks
Orks were dominant in the period following the release of their Codex but pretty quickly received a series of nerfs from which they’ve been struggling to recover. They’ve swung back around to the “needing help” side of things and while they ate a couple of point increases this time around they received some major buffs, most notably to their Waaagh! Army rule.
Points Changes
- Warboss +10pts
- Warboss in Mega Armour +10pts
Rules Changes
- Waaagh! Is now called in your Command Phase, lasting till your next Command Phase. The wording on some related effects is tidied up.
- Da Big Hunt gets a couple of buffs:
- The Detachment Rule now refers to CHARACTER units instead of WARLORD, significantly broadening the utility.
- Dat One’s Even Bigga now lets you Advance/Fall Back/Charge against anything, and gives a bonus Charge Re-roll against your Prey.
In addition to the timing change on Waaagh!, a number of rules which are active during or have additional effects while a Waaagh! Is active have been edited to account for the new timing, which can now extend across two different battle rounds.
Impact
Status: Winner
Thoughts
Wings: Ork players finally get the Waaagh! change they’ve been begging for all edition, massively increasing the effect’s usability in a game where they don’t go first, as opponents can no longer use the first turn with impunity, knowing that a Waaagh hasn’t been called. Happy days if you’re an Ork. Da Big Hunt also gets a huge improvement, sufficient that it’s worth a serious look now. The tiny points tweaks are a price you’re very happy to pay for this, and Orks also win out from the 3” Deep Strike and Armour of Contempt changes, neither of which they used, and both of which could be annoying for them. Good times for da Boyz.
Necrons
Necrons have been one of the game’s most powerful forces for most of tenth edition, with various flavors showing up in competitive play depending on the era. Hypercrypt Legion have been the most omnipresent of those bogeymen, though with the Starshatter Arsenal Detachment recently released we’re likely to see a new level of ascendance from the faction on those grounds. These changes seem largely aimed at Hypercrypt Legion, and with the change to 3” deep strikes, that army is going to be on the way out.
Points Changes
- Nightbringer +10pts
- Void Dragon +10pts
- Transcendent C’tan +10pts
- Hexmark Destroyer +5pts
- Royal Warden +10pts
- Canoptek Wraiths -10/20pts
- Necron Warriors -10pts (small unit only)
- Immortals -5pts (small unit only)
- Ghost Ark -10pts
- Plasmancer -5pts
- Ophydian Destroyers -10/20pts
Rules Changes
- Hypercrypt Legion gets (another) nerf, reducing the number of units you can pick up by one at each game size.
- Cosmic Precision gets hit by the 3” Deep Strike change.
- Annihilation Legion gets a buff, giving DESTROYER CULT units +1AP when shooting the nearest visible target.
The Hypercrypt nerfs here are significant, and will almost certainly push competitive players toward the new Detachment, where they’ll find plenty of tools and options for winning games.
Impact
Status: Losers if you ignore their bonkers new Detachment, Winners if you don’t.
Thoughts
Wings: Obviously having to do this in the middle of Grotmas means that different armies are getting graded either with or without knowledge of their Detachment, which can create some uneven impressions. For Necrons, the studio is never going to actually push Hypercrypt into Legends (I was joking. Really), but they clearly wish they could, taking the Detachment Rule down in power quite a bit, and hitting some commonly used units with minor points increases.
That would be a big problem if Hypercrypt was still the best Detachment, but you may be aware that there’s this fresh new sound called Starshatter Arsenal that all the cool kids are talking about, and nothing here hits that in any real way (other than maybe the 10pt tax on C’tan).
Non-Hypercrypt stuff wins in other ways too – it looks like the double tap on Wraiths/Technomancers last time was a bit too much, so Wraiths drop down to a more sensible price point, and that might give Canoptek Court a little bit of a resurgence depending on how the metagame goes, or just put one unit as a tarpit into Starshatter or Awakened Dynasty builds. Ophydian Destroyers and small Immortal units both get nice drops as utility pieces, and the Ghost Ark/Warrior package continues its inexorable march down in points, and maybe they’ll even get tried now (probably in Starshatter).
In the absence of Starshatter, this would probably feel about right, maybe not boosting non-Hypercrypt lists quite enough. With Starshatter, Necrons are poised to be one of the dominant armies of the new metagame. OVERLORD WINGS is ready.
T’au Empire
T’au received a number of small buffs in the Q4 balance update just a couple of months ago, with point drops to Kroot and Commander Farsight and small increases on Piranhas and Riptides. They’ve been middle of the pack since, hovering around a 50% win rate (or just below).
Points Changes
- Tiger Shark +50pts
Rules Changes
- The Shortened Blade in Retaliation Cadre gets hit by the general 3” Deep Strike changes.
The Retaliation Cadre’s 3” Deep Strike was very important for triggering the faction’s Bonded Heroes rule, which requires being within 6” to get the +1 AP bonus on attacks.
Impact
Status: Loser
Thoughts
Wings: Speaking of “things GW probably wish they could just Legends at this point”, they would like you to stop using the Tiger Shark now, please. Pretty please? Realistically, it will probably still pop up occasionally – it’s one of those units that there’s functionally no correct price for because of how it impacts games it is used in. Such is life.
Elsewhere, the only change is that The Shortened Blade is hit by the general change to 3” Deep Strikes, but it is worth highlighting that it’s even more impactful here than for other factions, as it now means you can’t drop within range for the boosted AP of this Detachment (and means the fairly chunky footprint of a Crisis + Commander unit matters more). It shouldn’t stop Crisis toolbox Cadre builds thriving in the new metagame, but it is just enough to call Tau mild losers rather than things being a wash for them.
TheChirurgeon: I think you’re under-selling it – this is a pretty large blow to the Retaliation Cadre and its ability to deliver crippling alpha strikes. While they aren’t the only option, Retaliation Cadre lists have been responsible for the most T’au top four showings since October and I’m not sure it’s worth running Starscythe Crisis suits without the AP boost. I’d have really liked to see some kind of adjustment to the Detachment rule to go along with this.
Tyranids
Tyranids have been a solid presence for the better part of the year, and gained ground following the Q4 Balance Update. There are multiple ways to run the faction successfully, and we believe the new Warrior Bioform Onslaught Detachment adds one more potentially viable option. If there’s an option which wasn’t seeing much play, it’s the Assimilation Swarm Detachment, and this update addresses that pretty effectively.
Points Changes
- Norn Assimilator -15pts
- Norn Emissary -15pts
- Trygon -20pts
- Tyrant Guard -5/10pts
Rules Changes
- Assimilation Swarm’s Detachment Rule gets a major boost, now restoring d3+1 Wounds, and being usable by every HARVESTER unit in your army, regardless of whether they’re in range of an objective.
- Norn Assimilators gain the HARVESTER keyword.
- Trygons go to a 6” Deep Strike in line with the global change, and the 6” Deep Strike is your turn only.
Assimilator Swarms tended to suffer from a lack of actual HARVESTER units, and this change both gives them a fifth option and also makes the one big unit with the word “Assimilator” in it a major part of the Assimilation Swarm strategy.
Impact
Status: Winner
Thoughts
Wings: Tyranids have been performing respectably recently, and this update boosts Norns, which were already seeing occasional play as a one-of, and cranks up the power on Assimilation Swarm considerably. We’ve actually seen some recent successful builds using it, creating walls of regenerating Tyrant Guard that are well-suited to the current metagame, and adding the option of taking Norn Assimilators as all-round bruiser there may legitimately push them over the top, especially as it gives you a way of getting a Feel No Pain onto them before they reach their designated objective. Even the Trygon actually gets a points cut to pay off the weakening of its abilities, though you probably still see fewer of them out and about. Still, the overall impact here are some small improvements that everyone can use and a big push to open up a new archetype, which is great for the bugs.
Final Thoughts
That wraps up our take on the game’s Xenos factions this update. If you’re keeping score that’s a win for Tyranids, Orks, and Votann, a loss for Drukhari and T’au, and a big “who the hell knows?” for most of the rest of these factions. Aeldari seem like mild losers, while so much has changed for Genestealer Cults and Necrons, it’ll be hard to get a grip on how those factions will shake out over the next couple of months (though for Necrons that’ll largely be due to their bonkers new Detachment).
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