Now that the Orks are confirmed arriving on October 27th, let’s circle back to the latest rules and Wave 2 release rumors for what’s on the way in November.
First up we have some release rumors that look to be partially confirmed as of right now.
Lord Kragan, on Dakka claimed that he got a tip from his LGS of what’s coming in the weeks ahead. Without any more delay, let’s check out everything that was said.
REMEMBER these are just rumors so take everything you read with a grain of salt. Most LGS have no idea what is coming out more than 7 days in advance.
Ork Codex Rumors: Warlord & Clan Rules LATEST
Lord Kragan’s post was spotted in an Ork/Speed Freeks rumor thread and had this to say:
My LGS informed me they got the preorders for next week (Oct 20) CONFRIMED
And the Ork stuff is the following one (so on stores the 27th). Ah, and Blackstone Fortress apparently.
The context is a little weird here, but the thread was full of Speed Freeks and Ork-related rumors. From what we can gather, it sounds like his LGS got the preorders for Speed Freeks next week. Then the week after, Orks are supposed to hit in full force. It would make sense for the order of events to happen that way since Box Sets are usually released just a little bit ahead of time to increase the hype of things even more.
We know most of you were expecting “Orktober” to be a month of WAAAGHH! energy, but it looks like it’ll all be coming in the latter half of the month. Kragan also mentioned Blackstone Fortress in his post. So Blackstone might even be circling the release of the Orks codex as well.
What is Blackstone Fortress exactly? Well, not a whole lot is known.
Here’s a look back at the rumors for Ork Clan tactics, and Warlord traits.
First Series of Rumors for Clan Tactics
These are the rumors from a while back and as of right now, there haven’t been any other rumors for Clan tactics to challenge this list.
Goffs
Goff: Each hit roll of a 6 generates an extra attack in combat.
Not bad when you spam Boyz and Ghazghkull. With each Boy getting four attacks a piece, you’ll be generating a hefty amount of attacks.
Bad Moons
Bad Moons: Reroll hit rolls of 1 in the shooting phase.
Obviously, you can see that the synergy with this clan isn’t choppa/slugga Boyz. This Clan rule is something you’d use in a Dakka list.
Evil Sunz
Evil Suns: Add 1″ to movement, advance, and charge rolls. Also doesn’t suffer -1 to hit penalties after advancing and firing assault weapons.
You’d more than likely see this in a “shock and awe” type list. One that is fast moving and relentless in shooting and in combat.
Deff Skullz
Deff Skulls: Units have a 6+ Invulnerable save. In addition, each unit can reroll a single hit, wound, or a damage die each time it shoots or fights.
a 6+ invulnerable may not seem like a lot at first but it essentially makes sure every single model ALWAYS has a save no matter what. When you’re taking 150+ Boyz, you’re bound to make some saves. Assault Cannons are usually scary to Ork plays because they can shred through their lines. This will help alleviate that.
If you’re taking the low-shot count model with high damage, the ability to reroll a certain die each turn also maximizes your value potential.
Freebooters
Freebooters: Freebooters get +1 to hit if a friendly Freebooters unit destroys an enemy unit.
We aren’t sure if this would stack or not. But if it is a stackable rule, we will be seeing Orks hitting on 2’s in the tail end of games.
Snakebites
Snakebites: Orks have a 6+++ Feel No Pain. This is probably a bit more powerful than the army-wide 6++ invulnerable save. You can always take a Big Mek with a Kustom Forcefield to give you a 5++ save. a 6+++ FNP with a Painboy and the Snakebites Clan rule will just be added tankiness.
Blood Axes
Blood Axes: Units can fall back and charge in the same turn. They also always count as being in cover.
This is another clan that’s extremely melee-centric. Not many units in 40k have the ability to fall back and charge in the same turn and now just about any unit in this Ork clan can do it. Powerful to say the least.
Orktober Rumors: Codex Clan Warlord Trait Rules
Let’s look at what the Orkish Warlords might be bringing to the tabletop in the latest rumor.
The rumor actually has six Clan’s Warlord traits and GW has already come out and said “[Codex: Orks] features bespoke rules for the six major Ork clans…”
Interestingly enough, six Warlord traits are under the spotlight in the rumor. This may have some credibility to them after all.
Bad Moons
- 4++ Invulnerable Save
An Invulnerable save that’s already better than 80% of Ork armor saves is always solid.
- Roll a D6 whenever a command point gets used. On a 6+, the point is refunded as long as your Warlord is on the battlefield.
This would’ve been much better pre FAQ. Now, we can’t really say that it’ll be used all too often.
Deathskulls
- Warlord can reroll 1’s when in combat with a vehicle.
- Warlord can also target enemy characters in the shooting phase even if they aren’t the closest unit.
This is Warlord trait seems to fit a tankbusting Warlord. Maybe they’ll get a relic Power Klaw that could do flat three damage. The ability to target a character is nice but Ork are NOT known for their shooting.
Evil Sunz
- Evil Sunz units can charge even if they fell back earlier in the turn as long as they are within 6″ of the Warlord.
This is brutal in sustained combat. You can throw a wall of bodies at something, fall back and pepper it with shots, then charge it again. If you don’t kill the Evil Sunz Boyz quick, they’ll have too much of an advantage for you to ever hope of winning combat.
Goffs
- Warlord gets +1 to attack Characteristic
If we’re being real here, this one seems a bit lazy. Goffs are the main Ork clan with big boy Gazzy and all they get is one extra attack? It’s definitely useful and can get even more brutal when you combine it with the rumored Clan tactic. But it seems like it’s too close to the Legendary Fighter generic trait already.
Snakebitez
- Any unit within 6″ of your Warlord may reroll morale tests. Gretchin within 12″ autopass.
This seems good late game if your Boyz are getting their teef kicked in. Why do we say that? Well Mob Rule essentially shares the leadership of two Boyz units. So as long as your Boyz are orbiting each other, they’re BASICALLY fearless. Leadership 30 is pretty hard to beat.
Late game, if you’ve got spatterings of Boyz from different units, this is definitely useful. Your Warlord just has to stay close by.
Freebooters
- Units within 6″ of your Warlord can reroll 1’s on their attacks.
Your Warlord is essentially a Captain with this Warlord trait. That can be devastating in close combat with a banner. That would be an unholy amount of attacks hitting on 2’s and rerolling 1’s.
What are your thoughts on the rumored Warlord traits and Clan rules? What do you think GW will release after Speed Freeks?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits In 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
Bio: Virginia restless, miniature painter & cat dad. He blames LEGOs for all this, as there was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all. Spikey Bits started with Rob trying to stay motivated to hobby on his backlog of projects and share his knowledge with others during the early blogging era.
Scale model hobbyist in the 80s, miniature wargamer, and trading card player ever since. He’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy since 5th Edition, but Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and minatures made of both pewter and resin.
