The new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy drops for pre-order this Saturday, and it’s a big one.
If you’ve been waiting to dive into the Age of Darkness with fresh rules, streamlined mechanics, and cinematic action, the Saturnine boxed set is your ticket. But while the box comes with a full rulebook and quickstart guide, Games Workshop has released a Learn to Play video to help you hit the ground running.
This isn’t just a minor patch. There’s a whole new ruleset under the hood, and Warhammer Community has been busy dropping previews and breakdowns to bring us all up to speed. Advanced Characteristics now break leaders down into roles like Cool, Willpower, and Intelligence, helping characters stand out beyond just high Leadership scores. Tactical Statuses simplify conditions like Pinning and Blind into a more intuitive and narrative-driven system that makes suppression and morale feel just as important as firepower.
New weapon stats also take center stage. From disintegrator rifles to more intuitive Damage values, ranged combat has gotten a major rework—especially when it comes to how Dreadnoughts and Terminators handle it. Challenges between characters are now more thematic and lethal, evoking those epic duels from Black Library novels.
On the list-building front, there’s room to be creative. The updated army building rules allow for more thematic and flexible force compositions, including allied detachments. And vehicles? They’ve had a mechanical tune-up too.
Whether you’re fielding the grim Solar Auxilia, ancient Mechanicum, towering Questoris Knights, or a classic Legion force, bite-sized force breakdowns written by playtesters offer a handy intro to each faction’s flavor and tactics.
Still not done? Warhammer Community promises even more coverage leading up to release—including a deep dive into how Titans operate under the new rules. Check back tomorrow if you want to see how god-machines fit into the Age of Darkness.
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