Its a Green Tide of rules reveals as we break down the 40k Ork codex and go over all the new Clans, Stratagems, Traits and more that you need to know!
Come with us as we take an in-depth look at what our favorite green Xenos will be playing like on the table. A lot of Ork players could tell from GW’s previews that a lot of the rumors from a while back were true, leading everyone to believe we had seen most of the rules for the Clans, wargear, and new vehicles already.
Don’t get it twisted though, there is still a ton of rules from the new Ork codex that had not been revealed, until now…
WAAAGH! Full Ork Codex Reveal & Breakdown
Clan Kulturs
Grot Players: Just as a warning, Grots will not be able to benefit from any Clan Kultur rules. We’re pulling the band-aid off now and telling you before you get excited.
Goffs: No Mukkin’ About
Bad Moons: Armed to da Teef
Evil Sunz: Red Ones Go Fasta!
Deathskulls: Lucky Blue Gitz
Snakebites: Da Old Ways
Blood Axes Taktiks
Freebooterz Kultur
Warlord Traits
- Goff: Warlord gets +1 to attack Characteristic
- Evil Sunz: units can charge even if they fell back earlier in the turn as long as they are within 6″ of the Warlord.
- Bad Moons: 4++ Invulnerable Save
- Deathskulls: Warlord can reroll 1’s when in combat with a vehicle. Warlord can also target enemy characters within 18″ in the shooting phase even if they aren’t the closest unit.
- Snakebites: Any unit within 6″ of your Warlord may reroll morale tests. Gretchin within 12″ auto pass.
- Blood Axes: Roll a d6 everytime a CP is spent, on a 6+ the CP is refunded.
- Freebooters: Reroll hit rolls one 1 in the fight phase for any friendly units within 6″ of your Warlord.
- Follow me, Lads!: Warlord gains the WAAAGGH! and Breaking heads ability, the range is increased by 3″. In addition, you receive one additional CP.
- Big Killa Boss: Add 1 to the wound rolls against a vehicle or monster.
- ‘Ard as Nails: Add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of the Warlord
- Brutal But Kunnin’: Reroll hit rolls in the fight phase and increase the damage by 1 if he charged or performed a heroic intervention.
- Might is Right: Add 1 to the Strength and Attack characteristics
- Kunnin’ But Brutal: At the start of your first battle round but before the first turn begins, you can redeploy him and D3 units around your deployment zone.
Stratagems
- More Dakka(2CP): Changes the Dakka Dakka Dakka rule to trigger on a 5+ to hit.
- Bad Moons Stratagem: Can select a unit that has just fired its weapons. They may shoot at a target again. Use this stratagem only once per phase.
- Drive-By Krumpin'(1cp): Use this stratagem at the end of the movement phase, you can immediately move as if it were in the movement phase with an Evil Sunz Speed Freeks unit. That unit can’t charge later in the turn.
- Kill Cruisa Broadside (3cp): Use the stratagem at the start of the shooting phase. Roll a D3 and pick that many points on a battlefield more than 6″ from each other. on a 5+, every unit friend or foe suffers D3 mortal wounds. Subtract 1 for rolls against characters (6+)
- Mob Up: Combine two units of Boyz to make a larger squad.
- Medi-Squig (1cp): Select a friendly Ork Character that is within 3″ of a Painboy, that character automatically heals D3 wounds.
- Warp Head(1cp): Beginning of the game, your Psyker can cast an additional psychic power for the rest of the game.
- Ramming Speed(2cp): Roll 3d6 Charge on a 2+ the enemy unit takes D3 mortal wounds.
- Get Stuck in Lads(3cp): Select a friendly Ork unit, they may pile in and fight for a second and final time.
- Orks is Never Beaten: Use this stratagem when an Ork character dies, they may immediately shoot or fight before the model is removed.
- Forcefield Projecta (3CP): Makes a Kustom Forcefield 18″ range for one battle round.
- ‘Ard Boyz(2cp): Increase the Toughness characteristics of an Ork Boyz unit for the rest of the game.
- Grot Shields (1cp): If an Ork infantry unit gets targeted by a shooting attack and a Grot unit is between the shooting attack, if you lose a wound, on a 2+, a Grot takes the wound.
Special Rules
- Dakka Dakka Dakka: is an Army-wide special rule now instead of the stratagem back from Chapter Approved. Whenever you roll a 6+ to hit in the shooting phase, you get another shot.
- Speed Mob: Units with this keyword are deployed together and can then act separately. This is basically hot some Imperial Guard vehicles work.
- ‘Ere we Go: You can reroll ALL or ANY of the dice when charging. It’s been changed from the index where you can choose to roll only one of the dice if you’d like. –Huge buff there.
- This is ours! Zogg Off!: objective secured for Orks
- Guns for Hire: Flash Gitz special rule that lets them be taken into other detachments of different Kultur and remain battleforged.
- WAAGH!: Friendly units can charge even if they advanced earlier in the turn.
- Breaking ‘eads: Warboss can deal D3 mortal wounds to a friendly unit within 3″ if they fail a morale test to restore order.
- Kommandos ONLY:
- Stormboyz ONLY:
- Battlewagon model ONLY:
Gubbinz
- Da Lucky Stikk: They actually brought this relic back but in a new way. It’s not quite as broken as it was in the previous editions. It does essentially let your characters hit on 2+ with their power Klaws if they’re close enough. Keep in mind this is a GOFF model only.
- Gobshot Thunderbuss: BAD MOONS model with Kustom Shoota variant only. Gain “heavy 2D6 S5 AP-1 D1” AND is automatically hits its target. It’s technically a blunderbuss but it acts just like a flamethrower.
- Rezmekkas Redder Armour: EVIL SUNZ model only. You can increase the movement of a vehicle your warlord is in and deal out mortal wounds for basically free.
- Da Fixxer Upperz: DEATHSKULLS model only. You can heal a target either D3 wounds or if he has the Mekaniak ability, heals auto-three wounds.
- Broggs Buzzbomb: SNAKEBITE only. This is probably the most powerful relic out there. “grenade 3D6 S5 AP-1 D1. Can only be fired once, and spashes out an additional 2d6 hits to an enemy closeby. Oh and it AUTOMATICALLY HITS. You’ll be able to cream infantry squads with this thing or even shave off the last few wounds from a vehicle.
- Da Badskull Banner: FREEBOOTERS model only. Once per battle, you can tell your opponent that the model is flying the flag on his bosspole. When you do that, no unit in your army has to take morale until the start of your next turn. That’s a good way to keep units stuck to the board and grind out the last few kills of a game.
- Morgogs Finkin Cap: BLOOD AXE model only. You can essentially generate two different warlord traits for the bearer if he’s your warlord. Or have two different warlord traits on different characters. Not bad at all.
Powers of the WAAAGH!
This only goes off on a 6 (on 2d6) and you can give an Ork character +2 strength and attacks. Imagine this with the Gubbin Killa Klaw. It’s basically a thunder hammer power klaw. When you think about a Boss getting 6-7 attacks with that thing, you’ll be able to munch on some vehicles and anything else unlucky enough to get caught in you’re way.
This is the copy and paste version of psychic powers we’ve seen across all codexes. You roll a d6 for each model in the unit and on a 6+ it’s a mortal wound. However, this one has a nice little twist to it. After you roll the first wave, you roll an additional 2d6. If it’s 10+, you get to do it all over again! It does go off on an eight and you won’t always be rolling a second time, but it’s all nice.
- Roar of Mork WC8: Subtract 1 from leadership characteristics from all enemy units with 18″ of the Psyker.
- Da Jump: Lets you basically scoop up a unit and plop them down 9″ away from enemy models.
- ‘Ead Banger: As long as you roll greater than a model’s Toughness characteristic, you model is slain. This can snipe out weak problem characters.
Latest Speed Freek Buggies Points (With Wargear)
- Megatrakk Scrapjet 100pts.
- Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy 140 pts.
- Boomdakka Snazzwagon 100 pts.
- Kustom Boostablasta 100 pts.
- Shockjump Dragsta 120 pts.
- Defkilla Wartrike 120 pts.
Points Changes & Minor Tweaks
- Ghasghkull Thrakka: Went up from 215 pts. to 235 pts.
- Warboss: Went up another 10pts.
- Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun: (no longer Big Mek on Foot).
- Snikrot: T5 characteristic
- Boyz: Increased by a whopping 1pt. (7pts total)
- Gretchin: add 1 to hit rolls as long as the unit has 20+ models.
- Stompa: Went down 50pts. (still way too expensive).
- Battlewagons: 120pts base. (over 40 pts cheaper than what it used to be).
- Gunwagon (Battlewagon variant): Can now shoot twice if you moved under half-speed.
- Tractor gun for Mek: Automatically hits its target now. S8 -2AP D6 damage 48″ range gun.
- Flash Gitz: Now have a 4+ armor save.
- Storm Boyz: Can Deepstrike on the field now
- Deffkoptas: down to 30pts base
- Killa Kans, Morkanauts, and Gorkanauts all got cheaper. (Guns also got much better).
Important note: A whole slew of Ork weapons shots have changed. For example, Heavy D3 is now Heavy 3, Assault D6 is now Assault 6.
Do you think Orks deserved a points decrease almost across the entire army? Did they get better now that there’s less random shot mechanics? Let us know what you think in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials:@RealmbrushPainting
Bio: Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4.
If you like what he writes and want to reach out or get your models painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
