Hi all,
As we break down the implications of this major datasheet, there are a few that really stand out. I think we are still unpacking the ripple affects as the GW team has taken a broad approach to solving issues cause by the Aeldari and other factions. Let’s dive in!
- Devastating Wounds no Longer Create Mortal wounds
This is massive change on multiple fronts. Previously, the devastating wounds ability churned out tons of mortal wounds that spilled through a squad. Now they are just wounds that cannot be saved, but no longer spill over. This goes a long way in capping the wounds that Wraithknights could do as their weapons have a low number of shots. At the same time, this is a nerf to thunderhammers which have fewer ways to deal with hordes. Another underappreciated impact is that these wounds are no longer blocked by Feel no Pain abilities. Thus armies like Custodes are now much more vulnerable to them. On the face of it, I like this change, but I feel like we may get some unintended consequences down the road. - Phantasm Limited to Infantry
A more direct nerf to the Aeldari this keeps you from Phantasoming units like Wraithknights, Tanks, the Avatar, etc. Phantasm is an amazing ability and this change preserves its utility but drastically limits its scope. - Towering no longer allows you to shoot through buildings
This is a controversial, but needed change. Knights were way too powerful, and this ability relegated much of the current terrain pieces as irrelevant. In order to keep this from hampering knights too much, they gave them the ability to “toe in”. That is, if part of the base is touching terrain, a towering model may use true line of sight for that terrain piece. I have already heard a few people bemoaning this change but I don’t care. In order to allow true line of sight you need to have a lot of very specific (window-less) terrain which doesn’t exist in the current environment. - Insane Bravery is once-per-battle and before the battle-shock roll.
Another step towards making battle-shock more meaningful. I think GW was too afraid of their own battle-shock rule when they launched the edition. It has been heavily limited, but now that is starting to change. As this ability is more relevant maybe we will see more armies lean into this feature of the game? - Death guard Get new Contagion Abilities
As much as I loathe them, I have to admit the stinky boys have been pretty low on the power-level totem pole this edition. In an effort to change this the designers now allow the DG to have another ability in addition to -1 Toughness. These include lowering enemy saves, their LD and OC, or their WS and BS. All of these are great choices and will make the Contagion Range ability much more relevant.
Conclusion:
This dataslate update holds a lot of promise for the 40k world. The sweeping changes will shift how armies are played and maybe the make up of the top tables. What other changes did I miss? What are you excited to see in this new meta? Let me know in the comments!
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