Chaos got a strong faction preview this time. So, this article feels like more than a light rules tease. Both Chaos Space Marines and Chaos Daemons receive three new detachments.
Moreover, each one pushes a different style of battlefield cruelty, which is exactly what a Chaos release should do.
The Heretic Astartes side mixes psychic nonsense, siege fire, and pure Night Lords malice
Chaos Space Marines come out looking sharp, because every detachment has a clear identity. First, Cabal of Chaos is the sorcerous option.
Empyric Wellspring boosts the Strength of ranged attacks from Psykers using Dark Pacts, while non-Khorne Daemon Princes gain extra Strength and AP in melee when they pact. That immediately makes the detachment feel dangerous.
Then Touched by the Warp gives a non-Khorne Character the PSYKER keyword and Psychic weapons, which opens up cheeky build ideas for models that normally would not play in that space.
Fleshy Curse adds the finishing touch by letting a Psyker hammer a nearby visible enemy with mortal wounds at the start of the Shooting phase. So, this is the detachment for people who want their army to feel cursed, swollen with warp power, and deeply wrong.
Meanwhile, Devotees of Destruction is the ranged brutality option. Rain of Ruin gives Havocs and Obliterators Heavy, which makes those units even more reliable when set up properly.
Pact of Destruction helps a Warpsmith reroll Leadership for Dark Pacts and then heal if its ranged attacks kill something.
Then Ruination’s Bounty lets Havocs or Obliterators gain both Lethal Hits and Sustained Hits 1 from the same Dark Pact.
That is nasty, simple, and very Iron Warriors in spirit.
Finally, Murdertalon Raiders is the Night Lords flavored detachment.
Infantry Fly units like Raptors and Warp Talons reroll hit rolls of 1 into battle-shocked or half-strength enemies, while weakened enemies also suffer minus 1 to hit back.
Shadowcowl Talisman gives a Chaos Lord with Jump Pack a 5+ invulnerable save, and Plunging Talons gives a charging jump unit Lance. As a result, the detachment looks built to stalk softened targets and then rip them apart.
The daemon side pushes cavalry speed, objective control, and a full tide of warp infantry
The daemon detachments are a little broader, but they still land cleanly. First, Cavalcade of Chaos focuses on Mounted units like Bloodcrushers, Seekers, and the Fateskimmer.
Unholy Avalanche lets them fall back and still shoot or charge, which is huge for cavalry that can get stuck in awkward fights.
Soul-shattering Charge helps more riders actually fight on the charge, while Warp-Riders grants Mobile so they can cut through dense terrain.
Lords of the Warp shifts attention to smaller daemon Characters instead of the usual giant monsters.
Loci of Power gives non-Monster Characters plus 1 Leadership and Objective Control, while Swollen with Power adds 2 Wounds to one of them.
Then Carnival of Excess lets a Slaanesh Character unit gain Fights First after an enemy has already fought, which is exactly the kind of timing trick Slaanesh players love.
Finally, Warptide goes all in on rank-and-file daemons.
Shudderblink lets Battleline units advance, shoot with Assault, and still charge, which is perfect for Bloodletters, Plaguebearers, Daemonettes, and Horrors.
Bane-forged Weapons adds 1 Strength to a Battleline unit, and Daemonic Infestation heals 3 wounds in the Command phase. Altogether, this preview sells Chaos as six different ways to be awful, which is a very good outcome for one faction focus.
