Warhammer 40k Winter 2025 Balance Update: Every Faction Touched, No Meta Left Behind

The final Warhammer 40k balance update of 2025 is here, and it is a classic light-touch dataslate. This time the design team is pretty clear that the game is in a healthy spot overall.

However, a handful of overachievers and underloved units needed some tuning. The result is a big round of mostly points tweaks, with a few key rules changes and several shiny new detachments taking center stage. Overall, it feels like a pass that nudges lists rather than detonates them.

The Big Picture: Light Touch, Healthy Meta

The Warhammer Design Studio say the game is broadly in a good place, with only a few outlier armies. So instead of swinging a giant nerf bat, they mainly adjust points and do small rules trims. This means most factions keep their current identity, while internal balance gets better across the board. As a result, you can probably keep your army’s core, but you may juggle a unit or two. Overall, it feels like a reassuring “we like where things are” rather than a hard reset.

Imperium Tweaks: Detachments, Fine Tuning, And Iconic Characters

A lot of Imperium factions get nudges rather than surgery, but there are some important highlights.

Adeptus Sororitas pay more for units that have been buffed across recent updates. This keeps their newer power level in check while still letting them hit hard.

Adeptus Custodes get classic internal balance treatment. Wardens remain popular, so alternative infantry get cheaper to tempt players into more varied golden bricks.

Adeptus Mechanicus see the bill come due. Their last update amped power without touching points. Now, with evidence that the buffs worked, several key units go up in cost to match their performance.

Astra Militarum are basically in a watch-and-see phase. The brand new Grizzled Company detachment is the star, so the team hold off on extra tweaks to see how it reshapes Guard play.

Black Templars get internal tuning. The overused Repulsor Executioner and Castellan go up, while the new Crusade Ancient and Execrator get extra incentive through better value. This should push more lists toward the new kits and varied crusading bricks.

Blood Angels focus on their new Rage-cursed Onslaught detachment. However, the mighty Sanguinor quietly drops 10 points, which feels like an open invitation to finally slot him in more often.

Dark Angels see Ravenwing gain some love, with both 3 and 6 man Black Knights dropping in cost. Meanwhile, Azrael proves a little too efficient, so he climbs 10 points to keep things fair.

Death Guard were heavily hit last round, so they mostly chill here. Only minor changes bring their Land Raider and Rotigus into line with other factions, which suggests the team now like their power level.

Deathwatch see the Indomitor Kill Team jump 15 points. This brings it in line with other comparable options and helps prevent it from becoming the auto-include brick every game.

Space Marines as a super-faction mostly get points polish and two key rules tweaks. Shadowmark Talon Hunter Instincts is now limited to your movement phase, which reins in some abusive play. Terminator Assault Squads get an updated datasheet to match the new kit. Meanwhile, Aethon Shaan, Centurion Devastators, Vanguard Veterans, and the new Victrix Honour Guard all go up. Other units get drops to even things out, which should encourage more diverse marine lists.

Space Wolves get the big spotlight treatment with their new Saga of the Great Wolf detachment. This offers a playstyle that feels similar to Gladius Task Force, but with very Space Wolf flavour. To support this, several unique Space Wolf units, including their specialist Dreadnoughts, see small points drops. This should mean more frosty coffins and characterful units on the table.

Imperial Knights benefit from early data on their new codex. A handful of big Knight variants get minor points drops, which in turn opens up more list building choices. You will likely see slightly more variety in which big robots stomp onto the battlefield.

Grey Knights get modest points buffs to Interceptor and Purgation squads. This helps them support Strike and Purifier squads better, and it should make the army’s toolbox feel more flexible.

Leagues of Votann follow a similar pattern to Imperial Knights. Now that the team have data, some of the new units from the latest codex get points drops. This encourages players to explore more of the new range rather than spamming only the most efficient pieces.

Chaos Ascendant: Daemons, Legions, And Tricky Rules

Chaos factions get a mix of internal balance tweaks, daemon parity, and some pretty exciting detachment and rules updates.

Chaos Daemons see the biggest shake within the warp. Big Daemons remain popular, so Rotigus, Kairos Fateweaver, and the Lord of Change all go up in points. However, Shalaxi Helbane and the Keeper of Secrets get cheaper, which pushes players to look at their full stable of greater monsters. The Endless Gift is a special case. It was very popular, even at 45 points, so it now becomes cheaper but less powerful, dropping from a 4+ Feel No Pain to a 5+. This keeps it attractive without feeling oppressive.

Chaos Knights receive classic internal balance attention. The Knight Despoiler goes up because the option to double up on guns is extremely strong. Meanwhile, the Knight Ruinator and Desecrator go down, to better match their power level against the rest of the big knight roster.

Chaos Space Marines largely sit in a good place already. They also gain the Nightmare Hunt detachment, which gives them something new to experiment with. Therefore, changes are minimal. Fabius Bile goes up 15 points, reflecting how often he appears in lists. On the other hand, the Terminator Lord and Forgefiend get drops, which should help them walk back onto tables.

Emperor’s Children get some of the flashiest updates. The new Court of the Phoenician detachment offers brand new ways to play, especially if you want to showcase Fulgrim himself. It is a very exciting moment for anyone who finally wants their Primarch strutting across the battlefield. Additionally, the Rapid Evisceration detachment rule is updated so that Transports can also benefit from the re-rolls. That shift makes aggressive, transport-heavy lists more attractive. To match Chaos Daemons, their Greater Daemons see similar points changes. Spawn and Daemon Princes on foot get cheaper, while the Winged Daemon Prince climbs 15 points. This keeps powerful flying beatsticks from being too easy to spam.

Thousand Sons see a major detachment rule upgrade. When using the Changehost of Deceit detachment, your Daemons now benefit from Cabal of Sorcerers. This completely changes how some lists can function, allowing more tricksy, warp-fuelled synergy between sorcerers and daemons. To support this, several units get points drops and their Greater Daemons mirror the profile and points changes seen in Chaos Daemons.

World Eaters get internal balance tuning as well. Goremongers and Angron both become cheaper, which tempts you to unleash the Red Angel more often. However, the Lord on Juggernaut and Slaughterbound each go up 15 points, which reins in some of the most efficient melee stacks.

Xenos Focus: Subtle Shifts And New Toys

The xenos factions are mostly in a fine place, so they see smaller but meaningful changes.

Aeldari receive targeted points increases to their most taken and powerful units. This is paired with several key rules tweaks. Star Engines now give Assault, which smooths mobility but avoids abuse. Skyborn Sanctuary now requires your unit to have been eligible to fight before it triggers, which stops some corner case nonsense. Fire and Fade can no longer let you embark, so the old “shoot and vanish into a ride” trick is gone. Finally, for consistency, all Aspect tokens no longer benefit an attached character, lining them up with how Incubi Shrine tokens work. This keeps the power of token stacking from spiraling too far.

Drukhari only see very minor adjustments. Their codex is the newest kid on the block, so the team are still watching performance before doing anything dramatic. Therefore, most real changes for them will probably come later once more data arrives.

Necrons and Orks are left stable. The design team are happy with their current position, especially since Orks had big changes in the previous update. So these factions get to watch everyone else shuffle around them.

T’au Empire get several internal points tweaks. Riptides and Skyray Gunships each go up 10 points, toning down some of the most efficient gun platforms. Meanwhile, Breachers and Strike Teams drop slightly, which encourages more boots on the ground. The Stormsurge sees a significant drop, which will excite anyone who loves gigantic battlesuits dominating the table.

Tyranids see fan favourite monsters get cheaper. Carnifexes and Screamer Killers both drop in points, which should instantly push more bug players toward multiple big beasts. This update clearly nudges Tyranid players back toward the classic “wall of angry chitin” style.

Final Thoughts: A Calm Dataslate That Rewards Smart Tweaks

This final 2025 update feels like a calm, confident pass across the whole game. The designers clearly believe Warhammer 40,000 is in a healthy state right now. Therefore they mostly nudge outliers, fix obvious rules exploits, and boost internal balance instead of detonating the meta. New detachments like Saga of the Great Wolf, Rage-cursed Onslaught, Court of the Phoenician, and Changehost of Deceit bring fresh ways to play without invalidating existing collections.

For players, this means you probably will not shelve your army, but you may rethink a few unit choices and combos. However, the big takeaway is that almost every faction got at least some attention, so it is worth grabbing your new faction pack and double checking your lists. So print your updated rules, tweak your points, and start planning your next games. In the end, this is the kind of update that keeps the game moving forward while still letting you enjoy the armies you love.

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