fbpx JOIN LOGIN JOIN

40k Chapter Approved & Vigilus Rumors & Rules LATEST

draigo spire of madness lore

Big changes are coming for Warhammer 40k as both the 2018 Chapter Approved, and Vigilus Defiant book are here. Check out the latest rules rumors and more!

GW previewed some of the changes that will be coming to the game when Chapter Approved 2018 drops. From the looks of it, there will be some serious changes to Space Marines, Sisters of Battle, and a character creation format for Open play games.

Earlier Rumors on Chapter Approved 2018

Coming from a private Facebook post spotted on B&C, it looks like someone might have some inside knowledge on Chapter Approved. Remember to take everything with a grain of salt. These are still only rumors. 

chapter approved 2018 rumors

There’s a lot of info in a small amount of space so let’s break everything down into chunks.

Named Characters Changing Costs

  • Named Characters are supposed to all be getting cheaper.
  • Kaldor Draigo will cost under 200pts.
  • Castellan Crowe for Grey Knights will only be 80pts.
  • Trajann for the Custodes is going down by 75pts.
  • Eldrad will cost 15pts less.

Other Point Changes in the Works

  • Tau Commander Farsight will cost 125pts.
  • Land Speeders will only be 50pts.
  • Tau Crisis Suits will cost just over 30pts.
  • Chaos Cultists will cost 5pts.
  • Eldar Shining Spears will go up 3pts a piece.
  • A Necron Super Heavy will cost 60/70pts more. (Not sure which one.)

Space Marines Getting some Love

  • Deathwatch and almost all other Space Marines are getting 5-10% point reduction
  • Intercessors dropped a few points (exact amount unknown)
  • Warden Custodes and Terminators dropped in points as well. (Again, by an unknown amount.)

Side Notes

  • No changes on Abaddon
  • Almost no changes on Imperial Knights. Some minor changes for bigger ones (hopefully the Castellan).
  • Chapter Approved 2018 will drop around December 15, 2018.
  • Sisters of Battle Codex scheduled around October/November 2019.

Chapter Approved at Vigilus Open

chapter approved 2018 book

Matched play fans have been scrutinising the new points from the book, and it’s clear at this point that one massive winner is the Grey Knights, who have seen sweeping points reductions across a swathe of units.

It sounds like most of the playtesters have Approved of Chapter Approved’s (no pun intended) Grey Knights point reduction. Take hope Daemon slayers! Your time to shine looks like it’s coming up!

Sisters of Battle

Let’s start off with the previews we’ve seen so far…

Starting with Sisters of Battle, we can take a look at a stratagem and an Order of the Sororitas that was dropped as a teaser.

burning descent

Pretty good when you drop a unit full of flamers that are automatically hit their target, have their range increased to 12″ AND get to shoot again later in the turn.

order of the bloody rose

More and more previews are popping up for Sisters of Battle. It started with rumors, then models, and now art and stratagems!

 

sisters concept art

Sisters concept art from hobby hero Garro!

holy trinity

If you need to squeeze out the last bit of damage on a tank that’s hard to crack, you can use this stratagem and have your flamers and Meltas get +1 to wound. Not too bad for only 1CP. The only stipulation is that there has to be a Bolt weapon in range of the target and everyone has to be shooting at it.

Alicia Dominica Sisters of Battle

Open Play Character Creation

open play character

Chapter Approved 2018 features a new character creation system for open play where you can build your very own legendary heroes. If you’re feeling creative, this year’s edition is going to be great for you.

Players will be able to make their own characters for Open Play games. This is going to bring out the hobby spirit in all of us as players can splice bits together to make their unique character stand out from the crowd.

You may only be able to use your “made from scratch” character in Open Play, but you can always use your model as a sweet converted Captain, Chaplain, etc. in Matched Play.

Vigilus Formations

Vigilus Open Day had all sorts of new release previews, and rule teasers from Games Workshop. Looking at the upcoming Vigilus Campaign book itself and its “formations” a user on Reddit going by CaptainBetts rounded up the major points.

vigilus defiant

Make sure you check out the first article on the Vigilus formations to bring you up to speed on the new content coming to 40k in the Vigilus Defiant supplement.

These formations are being called “special detachments” to clear up some confusion. We already know that these special detachments are going to cost CP pre-game and their effects will be based or restricted to certain Keywords for units in those detachments.

It looks like “mega-stratagems” will also introduced with these detachments and effect every unit with a certain keyword.

  • There are new “mega stratagems”. They effect a whole load of units in a detachment. For example they can give every unit in a detachment a keyword.

  • An example of a stratagem/benefit is “indomitus veterans”, which upgrades all intercessors in a detachment to veterans.
  • They are more specialised benefits, so are quote-unquote “easier to balance”.
  • The benefits only affect specific models (e.g. all manticores in a detachment).

Detachments Designed with Fluff in Mind

Iyanden Guardians

These special detachments sound powerful and most people are gun-shy from 7th edition formations. However, it looks like (and we sincerely hope) the GW team didn’t want a repeat of the last edition and are bringing these detachments into 8th edition mainly for fluff.

  • The specialist detachments are more “characterful” rather than “powerful”. These detachments won’t be for every army or model out there – they’ll just be for the armies and models that make the most sense.

  • These detachments are not intended to be a “replacement” of the 7e detachments.

Vigilus Ork Formation: Blitz Brigade

Vehicles Orks Wal Hor

BLITZ BRIGADE (UNLOCK COST) – 1-3CP??

  • …Pick an ORK detachment from your army to be a BLITZ BRIGADE Spearhead detachment. WARBIKERS, BATTLEWAGONS, BONECRUSHAS and (OTHER VARIANT) in this detachment gain the BLITZ BRIGADE keyword.

The cost is up in the air for right now. It could be anywhere from 1-3Cp as the pictures are so blurry. However, it looks like spending the CP only gives a certain detachment a keyword. Which in turn, obviously gives you access to restricted warlord traits, relics, and stratagems.

Warlord Trait: Back-seat driver

blitz brigade 1

  • If a BLITZ BRIGADE CHARACTER is your Warlord, you can give the them the following Warlord Trait. When your Warlord is embarked within a BLITZ BRIGADE TRANSPORT, add 1″ to that transport’s move characteristic. In addition, while your Warlord is embarked within it, the transport gains the “ere we go” ability

Right off the bat, this seems perfect for an Evil Sunz list as a Speed Freeks Blitz Brigade units can move a whopping +2″ and reroll charge rolls. Let’s check out the special relic next.

Da Blitz Shouta

orks hor wal

If the relic wielder is in a Blitz Brigade Battlewagon at the start of your shooting phase, you can pick an enemy unit that is visible to the character. Until the end of the phase, reroll all hit rolls of 1 for attacks made by friendly Blitz Brigade units with 6″ that target the enemy you selected.

Blitz Brigade Stratagems

blitz brigade stratagem

1CP – Opening Salvo  Use this stratagem in your shooting phase in the first battle round. Select a friendly Blitz Brigade Gunwagon. You can double the range of all of its shooting attacks until the end of the phase.

Opening Salvo is perfect for getting that extra bit of reach on a unit you need to cripple turn one.

 1CP – CRUSH YA! – Use this stratagem when a Blitz Brigade Bonecrusha unit from your army is chosen to fight. You can roll an additional D6 when using the unit’s ram ability and take the highest result.

 2CP – Hold on, Boyz!  Use this stratagem during your movement phase, before moving a Blitz Brigade Battlewagon in your army. Pick a friendly <CLAN> Infantry unit wholly within 3″ of that model and remove it from the battlefield. Once the Battlewagon has moved, you may re-deploy the unit of Ork Infantry unit around the Battlewagon within 3″ of it and more than 1″ away from enemy units.

The infantry unit cannot move further this phase and counts as having moved this turn for all rules purposes and it cannot charge this turn.

Games Workshop has been busy trying to add new variables to 40k. Hopefully, these special detachments don’t send armies with an already-clear advantage in 40k over the top. It could be balanced depending on how things go with the CP cost of detachments/special rules etc. Until the full release, we’ll just have to sit here with our fingers crossed!

What do you think about these special detachments? Will you be busting out Grey Knights once again and give them a try when Chapter Approved drops? Are you waiting for Sisters of Battle full release to start a new army?

Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.

About the Author: Rob Baer

Virginia Restless, Miniature Painter & Cat Dad. I blame LEGOs. There was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all... Twitter @catdaddymbg