Bonkers hammer is back- here are the biggest Warhammer 40k rules changes you need to know from the new Pariah Nexus and the balance dataslate
It’s year two, and we have entered a new age of Warhammer 40k 10th edition, where all the rules you’ve known have changed! Well, kinda…
Zero CP Strats: Still Same, But Different!
One of the biggest Warhammer 40k rules changes is a reversion of the “Free Strategems” rule. Commonly found on Space Marines Captains, rules that make a strategem 0CP have changed back to their original form of being able to work on ANY strategem, and not just battle tactics.
However, with that same change, it has also become just a CP reduction of 1, meaning those 2CP strats will still cost you 1CP after the discount. That same change also disallows “multiple” uses in a phase of a strategem. Now, you only get the discounted one and can’t “double up” on your powerful strats.
These changes fundamentally changed how some armies were playing. Blood Angels, for example, would use Red Rampage to grant multiple units [Lance] and [Lethal Hits] in a turn; now, it’s restricted to just one.
These changes make mistakes more punishing for the player executing and more forgiving for the player defending, likely a positive overall for the vast majority of players and toning down the game’s lethality.
Vect, AKA “What’s your best battle tactic?”
This one is another change to how rules interact in the game. Previously “vect” or CP increase abilities just worked anywhere, but now it’s a 12″ aura, that raises ALL strategems used inside that aura. This makes the rule potentially more powerful while also more interactable from the opponent’s perspective.
Requiring more deliberate and interactive play from the carrier of the aura, typically found on Lone Op units.
This change really makes you consider sliding Callidus up behind your frontline to hamstring opponents’ stratagem access instead of just sitting in your back corner screening. Increasing the cost of an offensive AND defensive strategem can be a huge turning point in a battle.
Boyz, Oh Boyz! Warhammer 40k Rules Changes
The last change is being included because of its initial potential to drastically change scoring, Battleline. The changes to Battleline for scoring on primary missions allow for 3-4 potential extra points per game. While extra Victory points are how you win a game, the units still have to do the thing, and you might find yourself less inclined to do it than you were initially expecting to.
In my initial playtesting, it rarely came up, to the point that list construction probably won’t be (or shouldn’t be) impacted much by this change. There are only a few primary missions where it comes into play, and even in those instances you may need your big unit of Boyz to go do something more important than raising a banner for 1VP.
If you were taking Battleline because it worked for you, you’re still taking it and maybe seeing a point here and there; if you weren’t, you probably shouldn’t change your lists as often as of right now…
Except in one case: Secret Missions. You kind of need one Battleline to avoid vulnerability to the secret mission “War of Attrition.” Or you can just kill their Battleline before the end of the game.
It was a wild weekend of 40k wargaming, with more players eager to add their own twist to the meta. Innovation is clearly not dead, and the best time to try that new idea is right now with all the new Warhammer rules changes from the latest balance Dataslate.
The Pariah Nexus Tournament Companion and Mission Deck are a game-changer for Warhammer 40k. They’ve got killer terrain layouts, mission presets, and fair guidelines to level up your gameplay. Be sure to embrace these tips, tweak your strategies, get those reps in, and crush it in your next game!
Click Here For More Top Warhammer Army Lists
What do you think of all the new Warhammer 40k rules changes?
About the Author: Steven Ross
Steven Ross
Job Title: Competitive 40k Writer
Socials: Steven on Facebook
About Steven Ross: Steven plays more Warhammer 40k in a week than most people do in a quarter, maybe even a calendar year. He studies every Warhammer tournament army list each week, watches all the live streams, and interacts everywhere he can online.
After only being in the hobby for a few years, Steven placed 8th overall out of several hundred at the Warhammer 40k Adepticon Championships in 2024, and was selected to play in the Warhammer World Championships as well.
Basically, he knows 10th Edition Warhammer 40k like few others, so watch this space for some great advice from tactics to army list building.
