It wouldn’t be a proper game of Horus Heresy without the earth-shaking rumble of tanks, the seismic stomp of Knights, or the shadow-casting bulk of Titans on the board.
Vehicles have always been the thunderous heartbeat of Age of Darkness battles – and in the upcoming edition, they’re getting an overhaul that adds resilience, narrative crunch, and some nice retro touches for old-school players.
This preview from the Warhammer Community site lays out how vehicles now operate. While a lot will be familiar to veteran players, there are some clever changes that give them more durability, better interaction, and way more cinematic flair.
Let’s break it down like a Predator rolling over rubble.
Vehicle Stats: Back to the Arc
Vehicles now sport a proper vehicle statline again – complete with distinct Front, Side, and Rear Armour Values. Gone are the days of generic toughness and wounds for tanks. Instead, your Spartan or Predator now has Hull Points, and the angle of attack really matters. For instance, a Predator sports 13 Front, 12 Side, and 10 Rear armour, with 5 Hull Points to chew through.
It’s classic stuff – roll a D6, add your weapon’s Ranged Strength (RS), and try to beat that facing’s Armour Value. Equal it for a Glancing Hit, exceed it for a Penetrating Hit. And yes, some weapons will just bounce off like rubber darts. That’s the point.
Glancing Hits Got a Glow-Up
Here’s where things change up. Glancing Hits no longer just strip Hull Points – instead, they apply one of three Tactical Status effects:
- Impaired Sensors = Stunned
- Broken Motors = Pinned
- Weapons Damaged = Suppressed
If a vehicle gets hit with the same status again, then it loses a Hull Point. That means Glancing Hits are less “death by papercuts” and more about disabling functionality. Want your Kratos to keep shooting? You’ll need to make Repair tests or call in a Techmarine. That’s right, no heroic morale rolls for tanks – these bad boys need wrench work, not pep talks.
Penetrating Hits Are Straight Brutal
Penetrating Hits now deal weapon Damage directly to the vehicle’s Hull Points. So if your lascannon hits hard, it hits hard. To balance this, Hull Point totals have been bumped – for example, Predators now have 5 HP instead of 3. So your tanks won’t pop the second someone sneezes with an autocannon. That’s a major improvement, especially for narrative games.
Also worth noting: the old Vehicle Damage Chart is gone. Instead, Glancing Hits now simulate that old chart’s flavor – messing with sensors, movement, or weapons. Critical hits that exploded tanks out of nowhere? They’re a thing of the past.
Knights and Titans: Rulebreakers by Design
Knights, being the stompy melee machines they are, keep some stats that regular tanks don’t. They have Weapon Skill, Strength, Initiative, and Attacks, so they can still punch things very hard. Their Armour values only split between Front and Rear, which makes sense – good luck flanking something that turns like a gun turret.
Titans though? Completely different beast.
They’ve got modular body zones – head, arms, carapace, legs – each with its own Armour and Hull Points. Hit the carapace? That’s one roll. Take out an arm? Now your opponent’s missing a weapon. Drop the legs to zero HP? That Titan is now very sad and very slow. There’s even a Titan Critical Damage Table with all kinds of bad outcomes: losing the Princeps, explosions, collapsed systems, and reactor meltdowns.
And yes, you can assault Titans with infantry. There’s even a special sub-system for jump-pack troops boarding Titans mid-battle to punch them in the head. This is the kind of stuff that makes Heresy feel cinematic, not just crunchy.
Flyers and More to Come
We only got a teaser here, but the article closes by teasing new Flyer Combat Assignments, more interactive Aircraft rules, and that infamous sub-system for infantry-on-Titan assaults. It’s clear that the design team is leaning hard into narrative interaction this edition – not just stat math.
Oh, and next week we’ll get a look at Saturnine Terminators and a new Dreadnought kit – so stay tuned if you like your Heresy with chunky resin and plate armour.
Final Thoughts
These vehicle rules strike a nice balance. They bring back classic mechanics like facing armour and Hull Points, but pair them with modern design ideas like status effects and scalable damage. Tanks feel tougher, more thematic, and far more interactive. Titans are titanic again, not just tall models waiting to be killed.
It’s clear that Horus Heresy is aiming to reward players who love deep tactics and narrative detail in equal measure. If you’ve ever wanted your Contemptor to lead a squad of jump-pack marines onto the back of a wounded Titan to disable its reactor – your time is now.
We’ll be back next week with more Heresy coverage. Until then, keep your lascannons hot and your Techmarines close.
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