Games Workshop has given us a big preview into the new Blood Angels Codex for 8th Edition. Come get your taste of the hype!
GW has just given us a major preview of the upcoming Blood Angels Codex on their Twitch live stream earlier today.
Here are the highlights of what Rhu and Ceri revealed concerning the Blood Angels Codex tactics, Stratagem, datasheets, and more.
- Cataphractii and Tartaros Terminator armor are now included in the codex. They have a +4 invulnerable save. They can take double lightning claws. No Tartaros Captain option.
- Blood Angel Terminator-specific Strat: Strike of the Archangels. *The image for this strat is below in our previous article.*
- Sanguinary Guard Stratagem: Behold the Golden Host – it extends the Death Mask aura to 12″.
- Assault Marine Troops are still listed as Fast Attack.
- Lots of options for Blood Angel army lists with 77 datasheets to choose from.
- You can have a Death Company Leader with the Death Visions of Sanguinius Stratagem. *The image for this strat is below in our previous article.*
- Terminator Captain in Cataphractii Armor datasheet is now included in this codex.
- Blood Angels Psychic Powers: Wings of Sanguinius is back. Unit can make a 12″ flying move in its Psychic phase. Blood Lance: pick a visible enemy model within 12″ and draw a line. Any models in the path can take damage with a warp charge of 6 and 5+ inflicts a mortal wound.
- Contemptor Dreadnoughts have been added to the Blood Angel unit selection.
- Some Stratagems in the Blood Angels Codex come from the Space Marine Codex and there are 13 unique Stratagems.
- Lucifer Pattern Engines Stratagem: Use before Advancing with a Blood Angels vehicle other than a Blood Angel Dreadnought or a flying vehicle, you can increase the movement of chosen vehicle by 6″ or D6 + 6 if you are a Baal Predator.
- Vengeance for Sanguinius Stratagem: on a hit roll of 6+ against Heretic Astartes will generate an extra attack. When targeting Black Legion units, you generate an extra attack on a 4+.
- Relics: The Archangel’s Shard – Strength is equal to the user. -3AP and 1 Damage. If attacking a Monster, you do D3 Damage, If the Monster is also a Demon, you D6 Damage.
- Warlord Traits: Speed of the Primarch – Your Warlord can fight first in the Fight phase, even if her did not charge. Artisan of War: add +1 damage to any weapon that you choose to use for your Warlord.
- Mephiston has access to Red Thirst.
- Inferno pistols are now 9 points, down from 20. Hand Flamer is now 1 point, down from 8. Angelus Boltgun
- Librarian Dreadnought is 130 points, down from 150. 80 points for a Furioso Dreadnought, down from 122.
Below are our previous articles that cover the first segment of Blood Angels Codex live stream with developer Wade Pryce and what Games Workshop revealed leading up to the Twitch livestream preview.
- New Codex discusses new Successor chapters and will allow to create one. They cannot use relics save for one that is made from the shard of Sanguinius’ sword.
- More lore concerning the various Blood Angel Successor chapters is contained inside the codex.
- The theme of this codex will be the introduction of Primaris Marines to the chapter and what this means for the revival of the Blood Angels chapter.
- Death Company has new strat that will apply to a character model that has succumbed to to the black rage be fore the battle and will allow to apply Death Company rules and traits to said character. Can be used on a character, chaplain, and lieutenants and not any Primaris.
- Red Rampage Stratagem: allows you to add D3 to the Attack characteristic for a Blood Angel Character to charge that turn.
- There is a new Blood Angels Primaris Lieutenant model, Lt. Tolmeron. No new Blood Angels models.
- Unless there is a datasheet for it, special and unique characters cannot use a bike.
- The codex is quite comprehensive and will have all applicable models, vehicles, and weapon options when it comes to datasheets. There are also many little changes to said datasheets.
- Blood Angels Dreadnoughts will have access to meltaguns.
- Sanguinary Ancient has his own datasheet.
- Terminator Ancient is now a character.
- Death Company rules: re-roll failed to hit roills for all units within 6″ of Sanguinary Guard units. Enemy units suffer -1 to Leadership when within 3″ of anyone wearing a Death Mask.
- Lamenters have been brought up to date as have all Blood Angel successor chapters.
- Centurions are not part of the Blood Angles forces. Some units that have been added are the Storm Talon Gunship and the Storm Hawk Interceptor.
There is also a solid amount of art work that demonstrate the current state of the Blood Angels in the 41st Millennium. Games Workshop previewed the Blood Angels throughout the week, and from the looks of it there’s some big, big changes incoming. Let’s take a look at what the latest preview for the Blood Angels.
The Blood Angels are among the most distinct of the Space Marine Chapters, and their new codex reflects this with a vast suite of new rules, units, Stratagems and more designed to reflect the fast-paced, aggressive style of war favoured by the sons of Sanguinius.
Firstly, Blood Angels are fittingly blessed with a melee-focused army wide special rule, the Red Thirst:
The Red Thirst gives all Blood Angels units +1 to wound when they charge, are charged or make a Heroic Intervention. With the new wound roll chart, this makes getting 2+ to wound that much easier, as well as helping your smaller units damage even your enemies’ toughest monsters and vehicles with ease.
The Blood Angels codex is also absolutely packed with new units. As you’d expect, Blood Angels now have access to the entire Primaris Space Marines arsenal, but what you might not know is that this codex also broadens the Blood Angels range of traditional Space Marines weapons and units.
There are loads of Stratagems to use with your Blood Angels army. These have been designed to open up new and thematic ways to structure and use your army. Death Visions of Sanguinius, for instance, lets you give one Captain, Lieutenant or Chaplain the dubious blessings of the Black Rage:
Strike of the Archangels is great for gunning down squads of massed infantry, and is especially deadly if you make the charge on the turn you arrive.
Upon Wings of Fire is a great way to grab an objective at the last minute, pull an at-risk squad out of combat or get a particularly deadly unit into position for a devastating charge.
There are new psychic powers, too. You may remember Wings of Sanguinius from the previous edition. This power is back and just as dangerous as it was before when used with the Librarian Dreadnought.
Indeed, Librarian Dreadnoughts, and the rest of your characters, are now eligible for many powerful Warlord Traits and Relics. Artisan of War is a superb way to build deadly characters, and combined with a Primaris Captain can give you an auto bolt rifle that does 3 damage a shot! Gift of Foresight, on the other hand, provides some extra durability:
For Relics, you’ll be able to choose between lethal, master-crafted weapons of the Chapter and more tactical options. We love the Veritas Vitae, providing you with a great way to maximise your Command Points, while the Standard of Sacrifice combined with the Sanguinary Ancient to create a fantastic lynchpin for the rest of your forces.
This is the first look we’re getting at the Blood Angels and they are looking a little intimidating. The army wide Red Thirst is going to be a great way to get a +1 to your wound rolls in the Fight phase if you charged, got charged, or made a Heroic Intervention. We’re also got a look at some of the new Stratagems, Warlord Traits, Relics, and even a psychic power. Wings of Sanguinius is going to provide a very fast and deadly advantage for your psyker, and with a warp charge value of 5 it shouldn’t be too hard to pass. It will immediately be able to move as if it were Movement phase, it gains the Fly keyword, gets a 12″ Move characteristic, and it can even shoot if it fell back. This will help you get your psykers in and out of battle whenever you need to.
All in all, the Blood Angels are looking like they’re really going to be a strong and deadly force to see on the tabletop.
About the Author: Juan Lopez
