Grab your tin foil hats because these rumors point to a new Xenos race to appear in January’s 40k Codex slot- the first in 20 years!
Whoever sent this to us really went to some great lengths to keep themselves concealed, and are not any of our vetted industry insiders. Perhaps it was someone willing to go the extra mile to troll us all, we just don’t know. But, rumors are one of the things that makes this hobby fun!
So take this info to heart as much as you want, or throw it out. But the artwork from the rulebook/codex reveals does line up with the theory somewhat.
Editors Note: Be sure to read what GW had to say about this rumor…
The supposed race, Amanita Horrificus, is aligned with the Eldar to prevent the Tyrannids from achieving their ultimate goal. The rumor is that they are sentient fungus-like creatures, and the name supports the theory.
If that’s true, our speculations for the new Xenos codex reveal would be way off!
Rumored New 40k Xenos Race Background
According to an anonymous source:
The new race is the Amanita Horrificus, a race of sentient walking fungus-like creatures. This is one of the races fighting alongside the Eldar to prevent the Tyranids from gaining the ability to manipulate time by protecting the dying remnants of a species able to do so from consumption and adaptation by the hive mind.
Looking at some of the artwork (page 34 of the main rulebook), there are a few images that support the theory, and they usually don’t release artwork to the rulebook for races that don’t exist, and during the live stream back in May Andy Hoare, and Jes Goodwin seemed to dote on this particular piece of art for far too long…
New 40k Xenos Race Design & Rules
Their design philosophy is simple yet cool. See they have two things, one of which is weapons that generate “AoEs” that persist from a few marked points on the battlefield to the end of the round. These extend a number of inches from said point and can buff friendly models or debuff enemy models. This serves as their replacement to psyker actions. Generally not too powerful but cool things like adding or subtracting attacks (multi bonuses are subject to a D3 roll and are harder to put out), movement, or simply serving as cover.
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The second is splitting models. Effectively the army’s models can split like horrors but voluntarily. They can also combine again but that is a strategem. This can allow a few big guys like the Morel Vanguard to contest an objective or simply cover more ground by splitting into a swarm of Sporelings. It could even let you get a bigger hitter like a Death Stalk from a bunch of Sporelings in a pinch. An expensive pinch but a pinch. Overall I’m really excited to see this unique addition to Warhammer 40k. Some of you may notice I haven’t talked much about the models. I think the models deserve to be a surprise that’s just how fantastic they are. Truly a pinnacle of miniature artistry by the modeling team.
Again, we don’t know how true any of this is, but it’s fun to speculate! If this is true it sounds like they have some really cool and unique rules that could change the game greatly. The idea of splitting is somewhat precedented with horrors, but then rejoining and making bigger minis seems crazy. Also creating buff “zones” is kind of like the Tau with Marker Drones.
Supporting Arguments
Let’s look at some evidence to see if this could be real.
Looking at this artwork it looks awfully a lot like a giant fungi-like dude. From the fungus head to the root feet, this could very well support the above rumor. Maybe this is the form they take when a bunch of little guys join into one.
Could those giant heads be fungal type growths and not helmets? Who knows, but with the branches coming out everywhere it’s possible.
This could very well be them experimenting on some kind of Tyranid who would be their biggest adversary.
The rumor engine from last week could also be supportive of the new possible race. We didn’t really know what else this could be otherwise, maybe it’s all part of the new race in 40k!
What it Means for the Game
To say it’s been a while since we’ve seen a new race in 40k is an understatement. The Tau came out in October 2001, so almost 20 years. While we’ve had some new factions here and there, an entirely new race is basically unheard of. This would be such big news and the first new race in 20 years! Who knows how a brand new race could change the game and meta, or if this is true, will they be expanding the races with every new edition? We just don’t really know, but man is it fun to speculate!
Well, looks like we’ll just have to wait and see if this new 40k race is a real thing or not! Take this with a grain of salt, but how much fun would this be fun to see!
Do you think this is possible? Would you like to see a new race in 40k?
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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.
