With the official Games Workshop previews that came out over the past weekend 40k players also were gifted with some unofficial World Eaters Codex leaks. While these leaks should always be taken with a grain of salt, they do provide some interesting insight into what is coming for the future of 40k. There are some rumors floating around out on the internet about the overall rules, Warlord Traits, and Relics for the World Eaters, but what is the most interesting leak shown so far is the points values.
Looking at the HQ section nothing seems too out of the ordinary. Kharn coming in at 140pts, a Daemon Prince for 130pts, and the new Lord on Juggernaught coming in at 125pts. All of these seem like points values 40k players would expect to see for these types of units. However, when we get to the Troops section things get interesting. 7pts for the new Jakhals seems slightly above average from what is expected of cannon fodder type troops. Guardsmen and GSC Neophytes come in at 6pts per model. Chaos Cultists are just 5 points per model, and it does not look like they are an option in the World Eaters book if this leak can be believed. Paying an extra 10-20pts per unit for cannon fodder type Troops may mean these Jakhals are rarely seen outside of one unit to hold a backfield Objective.
Even the World Eater Bezerker points look high compared to other units across the game right now. 22pts per model is what most Codexes are paying for their Elite units not their main Troop option. Well, there is one army paying that for their Troops in Space Marines, and the competitive 40k scene has shown us Space Marine players take the least amount of their over costed Troop options as possible.
So why does it matter if these new Troops are slightly more expensive than their counterparts? Unless Bezerkers are incredibly durable it will not matter how effective they are in close combat with a 22pts price tag. The leaks do not cover the stat lines, or special rules, of the Bezerkers, but if the past is anything to go by their durability will not be the units focus. Of course players have been using high cost, low durability, models since 40k was created, so there are some tried and true methods of keeping these units alive long enough where their fragility on the battlefield can be mitigated. Unfortunately, some of these methods, like putting the Bezerkers in Rhinos for protection, cost extra points that the World Eaters do not want to spend with their high costed Troops and Elites.
It isn’t all bad for the Khorne Bezerkers though. If they retain the ability to fight twice on their datasheet they could be excellent close combat blending machines. This will require World Eaters players to charge multiple targets, and depending on their opponent’s close combat ability, could open them up to some unfortunate close combat interrupts. While the World Eater leaks do not mention Bezerkers fighting twice, it has to be the reason for the high points costs of an otherwise unremarkable Troops unit. If the ability to fight twice makes Marine Troops worth 22pts remains to be seen….
Eightbound also look to be extremely expensive at 40pts per model, but these powerlifters come with some amazing upside based on the leaks we have seen so far. While their profile has not been shared, they are rumored to have a 5++ Daemon Save along with a pre-game move built into their datasheet. My expert tactical analysis is that getting closer to your enemy to take their skulls for the skull throne is a good thing when playing World Eaters. There is also a rumored stratagem that allows a unit of Eightbound to make a 9 inch move after losing a model during the opponent’s Shooting Phase. This could have some absolutely wild implications during games. Getting shot then moving behind Obscuring terrain, moving onto Objectives, or just moving toward your opponent to get a charge off they thought was impossible are all things they straight up win games of 40k. Despite these guys 40pts price tag, World Eaters players are going to want a couple of these units in their army.
The World Eaters release is scheduled for January 2023, and I cannot wait to see if these leaks prove to be accurate. One thing to keep in mind when looking at any leaked rules for future Codexes is that the meta we are currently playing in is not the one that will exist when the Codex actually releases. The game could look completely different by January 2023 with a new mission pack, new balance dataslate, and even a new Edition of the game!
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