From zeros to heroes the Space Marines are back with what looks to be an army-wide new two wounds rule in 9th Edition 40k!
U/themoobster on Reddit posted pic of a Veteran squad and their updated rules datasheet for 9th Edition 40k. Sit back and check out this shocking update to the basic Space Marines statline.
First, we saw new Terminator rules, and now their smaller brothers are getting an update too!
Amazing New Rules Spotted For 9th Edition 40k Terminators!
There are a few key points to make about this pic. For starters, Terminators look to be going up to 3 wounds each. Whew, that’s huge! But it gets better. The Heavy Flamer they can be given was also bumped up to a 12″ range and their Powerfist is now 2-dmg flat.
It’s also worth noting that it looks like this datasheet has a small error in it not showing any (-AP) value for the Chainfist. We all know it’s AP -4 but still. The power sword for the Terminator was also given a +1 Strength bonus, which is nice.
We’ve been seeing Terminator-heavy lists placing in the top 3 leaderboards of recent 9th Edition tournaments and they’ve been operating on the 2-wound, non updated weapon profiles. If they’re already seeing play now but this update is coming (which makes them straight up better across the board), it’ll be interesting to see how much more popular they get.
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Space Marines Get Two Wounds 40k Rule!
So this is huge. We’ve been seeing these reformatted instruction sheets steadily popping up for Necrons and Space Marines over the past few weeks showing updates to stats and wargear. However, this is the first time we’ve seen anything on the regular Space Marines. Looking at the changes, we’ve got:
- +1 Wounds
- Chainsword also -1AP
- +1 damage on Thunder Hammer
- Relic Blade changed to 2 damage instead of D3
- Power Fist also updated to 2 damage instead of D3
- +1 Strength on Power Sword
- +1 Strength on Power Axe
The biggest change is the +1 Wound on a regular Marine but those wargear updates are a little bonkers as well…a four damage Thunder Hammer…WHAT? We also thought that the -1AP profile on Chainswords was for Primaris only…since you know, the sword is literally bigger than a human body.
It’s not clear if this is a misprint or not but assuming regular Marines are going to two wounds per model as well, what in the world is the point of Primaris? They literally have less wargear options and are more difficult to transport. It’ll be interesting to see what develops further in the days ahead.
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What do you think about basic Marines going up to two wounds? Are you surprised to see so many buffs to their wargear options as well?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, 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 models made of both pewter and resin.
