The Big Summer Preview gave us shiny new kill teams, so of course the rules team followed with a quarterly rebalance to keep the tomb-world meta sane.
This free update hits the app and Warhammer Community today, and it targets the usual offenders without blowing up the whole ruleset. Because the overall meta looks healthy, the devs focused on sanding down spikes rather than reinventing core mechanics. Consequently, we get smart tweaks to overperformers, cleanup on confusing interactions, and a couple of welcome boosts for underloved crews. Let’s dig into what actually changed and why it matters on your next Into the Dark board.
Guard Gets Guarded
Guard was quietly one of the strongest universal tools, since you could counteract multiple times in a turn. Now, if you Fight or Shoot while on Guard, that operative cannot counteract again later in the same turning point. Therefore you must time that overwatch-like snap shot, because blowing it early leaves you passive for the rest of the phase. It still punishes reckless pushes, yet it no longer lets a single model police an entire lane.
Astartes Trimmed to Mortal Size
Loyalist and Heretic Marines have dominated events, so each flavor got bespoke nerfs. Angels of Death lost the Dueller trick of blanking multiple attack dice, which previously bullied low-dice melee teams like Kommandos or Gellers. Meanwhile, Night Lords Nemesis Claw users see In Midnight Clad’s distance gate widened, so shooting teams can actually tag them without feeling helpless. Because these changes hit specific problem levers, Marines stay elite but no longer auto-answer every threat.
Alpha Strikes Muzzled
Brood Brothers, Hierotek Circle, and Pathfinders loved blasting key targets before most opponents even breathed. Now their early-turn pressure is throttled with fresh timing and distance limits. Consequently, you get a real first turning point instead of immediately losing two operatives to pre-set angles and markerlight nukes. You must still respect their openings, however you finally have counterplay windows.
Sanctifiers Finally Slow Down
Sanctifiers kept breaking the curve even after the last pass. Their mobility plus Blaze spam let them kite and burn with impunity. Lead the Procession now caps at 3 inches, so chain-moves do not slingshot the team. Additionally, Blaze only sticks if critical damage lands, which means invuls, feel-no-pain effects, or simple luck can blunt the firehose. They still feel righteous, but they stop auto-pinning you in corridors with guaranteed token storms.
Breachers and Clade Get Love
Imperial Navy Breachers pick up a precious extra wound across the board, which is huge in close boards where chip damage racks up. Hunter Clade can bring an extra Sicarian or Gunner, letting them flex either melee pressure or special weapon saturation. Therefore both squads climb out of the mid tier and threaten top tables with better staying power and list flexibility.
Rules Clarification: No Double Retain Shenanigans
The update clarifies that a dice cannot be retained more than once. This fixes stacking combos like Punishing plus Rending with Accurate or Severe, which previously created math-breaking guaranteed crit engines. Because the wording is now explicit, expect fewer TO rulings mid-event and more consistent outcomes at your club.
Classified Format Changes Looming
Updates to Classified and the annual rotation hit after the World Championships in November 2025. These will drop into the Approved Ops Tournament Companion on the app and the site. Strike Force Variel, the Warhammer Heroes team, will sit out Classified entirely, so plan narrative fun with them instead. Until then, you can theorycraft with the current pack, but you should keep one eye on that November deadline.
Final Thoughts
Overall this is a surgical pass: Marines lose oppressive edges, alpha teams get leashes, and a couple of stragglers gain muscle. Meanwhile, Guard is still great, just less abusable, and dice retention nonsense is gone for good. Because the Necron tomb is about to open and Deathwatch are prepping loadouts, timing and mobility matter more than ever, so these tweaks land at the perfect moment. Grab the PDF, tweak your roster, and test the new lines of play before your next league night. See you in the corridors, and remember: always check those portals twice.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
