The latest Warhammer 40,000 Balance Dataslate has landed, bringing key adjustments to a variety of factions to ensure a more balanced and engaging game. Alongside these changes, updates to the FAQ and Errata help clarify rules and refine gameplay. Let’s dive into the highlights of this update.
Key Changes by Faction
Adepta Sororitas
The Sisters of Battle have been struggling, so the developers are revisiting the Acts of Faith mechanic. Players will now regain a Miracle Dice each time a unit is destroyed, restoring a powerful tool to their arsenal. To balance this, some unit costs have been lowered to reflect the reduced Miracle Dice economy.
Adeptus Custodes
The golden warriors of the Emperor have been performing well, so certain standout units are seeing point increases. The Blade Champion and Custodian Wardens are getting a slight bump, while the Venerable Contemptor and Telemon Dreadnoughts also see small increases due to their synergy with the Solar Spearhead Detachment. However, points on Aleya, Custodian Guard, the Knight-Centura, and Shield Captains have been reduced to encourage more list variety.
Adeptus Mechanicus
A small but welcome buff—Belisarius Cawl and Tech-Priest Dominus are dropping in points, making it easier to fit them into AdMech armies.
Aeldari
To tone down excessive damage output, Asurmen’s Hand of Asuryan ability now has an Anti-Infantry 5+ rule instead of its previous value, reducing the volume of Devastating Wounds he could generate.
Astra Militarum
Changes here focus on toning down the Bridgehead Strike Detachment, which had become dominant. The Fire Zone Purge rule now grants +1 to Hit instead of Wound, and Firing Hot Stratagem has an increased CP cost. The Combat Engineers’ Remote Mine has also been nerfed, now dealing D3 Mortal Wounds instead of its previous value.
Blood Angels
Several Death Company units, including the Death Company Captain, are getting point reductions to bring them in line with other units. Meanwhile, the Rage-Fueled Warrior Enhancement is going up in cost due to its overwhelming impact on the battlefield.
Chaos Daemons
The Legion of Excess has been a powerhouse, so adjustments have been made to curb its effectiveness. Seductive Gambit no longer grants full re-rolls unless within the Shadow of Chaos. The Thieves of Pain Stratagem now requires the intercepting unit to be visible to the attacker, preventing abuse. Additionally, Overwhelming Excess no longer applies Battle-shock but instead provides a flat -1 to Hit in both the Shooting and Fight phases.
Leagues of Votann
The Army Rule now allows players to place two Judgement Tokens on enemy units at the start of the battle. The Oathband’s Judged Enemy starting values have been adjusted accordingly to maintain balance.
Orks
Lissen ‘Ere in the Takital Brigade Detachment now requires an Ork unit to make a Leadership test before executing its tactical decision. This change better reflects Ork behavior while limiting powerful stacking combos. Additionally, Tankbustas now need line of sight to launch their Bomb Squigs and can only dispatch one at a time.
Space Marines
Clarifications have been made to prevent certain Chapters from exploiting Oath of Moment. Now, it only applies to Codex: Space Marines Detachments.
- Uriel Ventris can now only grant Deep Strike to Phobos, Gravis, and Tacticus units.
- Phobos Lieutenants can no longer move, shoot, and charge in a single turn under Strategic Dispersal.
- Wind Swift Evasion Stratagem is now limited to Infantry and Mounted units to prevent odd interactions with non-mobile units.
Final Thoughts
This balance update refines the meta while keeping factions competitive and fun. With buffs to struggling factions like the Adepta Sororitas, nerfs to dominant builds (Legion of Excess, Bridgehead Strike), and clarifications to Space Marine mechanics, this update brings important changes to the game.
For full details, download the Balance Dataslate now!
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