Don’t miss the new 9th edition 40k rules that were spotted for Plague Marines coming with the Death Guard codex in early 2021.
It looks to be few more weeks out than anticipated, but we’re already seeing new rules for the Miasmic Malignifier on Warhammer Community. Now we have some of the new 9th Edition 40k rules for the DG backbone: Plague Marines! Let’s take a closer look at what we know is coming in the Death Guard Codex so far!
GW Confirms New Death Guard Terrain & 40k Rules!
Here is the video it was spotted in! You can see it is pretty massive compared to those weeny Death Guard! Honestly, it looks about the height of the new Necron Terrain. So they may be trying to bring some continuity to the army line-ups. If you want to see more about what’s going down with the upcoming army releases, check out what we know about what is on the way in 2021.
Here it is in it’s full Nurgle glory. A pretty fun sculpt that captures the essence of a decaying plague furnace! Let’s hear a little what GW has to say about it:
Super-gross, right? And no, we don’t want to think about what sort of vile fluids are being pumped around in there, let alone the toxic fumes being spewed forth from its chimney. But irrespective of your own opinions on the matter, the Death Guard love everything it has to offer! This is no surprise, really, as its presence makes these notoriously tough champions of the Plague God even harder to kill thanks to its Putrescent Fog ability.
Putrescent Fog
Nothing too crazy, but giving your backline units some extra survivability is never a bad thing! You have to be pretty close to get the aura, but it could make for a perfect anchor point for your firing base. Although it looks to be 9-12″ wide so maybe it can project its aura out to 21″ to 24″ in diameter?
This is the only rule revealed, but they did give us a small teaser of what else it can do:
What’s more, the Miasmic Malignifier is so contagious (and stinky) that nearby enemies suffer terribly in its proximity. Even if it’s destroyed, the foetid furnace will likely burst in a Putrid Explosion – how wonderfully Nurgley!
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New Plague Marine Death Guard 40k Rules SPOTTED!
We already knew some of the new rules via GW from last week, before they announced that the Death Gaurd release is delayed till 2021.
First off we have Plague Marine rules updates, and two major changes highlighted here are the +1 wound and +1 attack.
Ever since Codex: Space Marines bestowed non-Primaris Space Marines with a pesky extra Wound, Heretic Astartes have been on the back foot. Now Codex: Death Guard makes Plague Marines appropriately difficult to dispatch – and it’s just a taste of what’s to come for Chaos Space Marines in the future.
This change is huge, (but not unexpected) Plague Marines finally getting in line with basic firstborn loyalist marines was a much-needed update. Hopefully, the update means Death Guard (and CSM when they get their codex) will be able to better compete with Loyalist Marines! The +1 attack is a nice buff but honestly probably won’t come into effect that often seeing how slow Plague Marines are moving up the board.
But new rules have been spotted all over the web, Plague Marine quick reference IKEA style 40k rules are here, and there are some interesting changes!
Old rules
New Rules
So from the looks of their new 9th Edition Datasheet, we can see a few things:
New bonuses:
- +1 Wound (up to 2 from 1)
- +1 Attack (up to 2 from 1)
- Blight Launcher is flat 2 damage (was d3)
- Flail is +1 strength (was +2)
- Plaguesword is +1 strength and -1 AP (was user strength and no AP)
- Plague knives have -1AP (was no AP)
- Plague spewer has a 12″ range (was 9″)
- Plague Belcher has a 12″ range (was 9″)
What we don’t know:
- Do they still get +1 attack for double melee loadout?
- Icon?
- Weapon loadout conditions?
- Is disgusting resilience unchanged? (fingers crossed)
- Is Plague weapon unchanged?
- Strats/traits value combos?
- Grenade cheese?
Overall, these changes are great. Worshipers of the Plague God are very happy with these changes, that is assuming a massive point increase isn’t on the way. These changes are so good in fact, that plague marine spam armies might be a little more viable than before! This might be a sign that GW wants DG armies to play more plague marines and fewer daemons… in the past, some of the daemon options were the all-stars.
Look for the Death Guard codex to hit store shelves in early 2021!
Do you like the addition of terrain pieces into 40k? Are you excited about the new Death Guard Book? How do the stat changes look to you so far?
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About the Author: Andrew Schrank
Andrew Schrank
Job Title: Miniatures & Warhammer Hobby Staff Writer
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About Andrew Schrank: Over the past 15 years, Andrew has played all the games, including tabletop and video games, and immersed himself in the associated lore. Andrew joined the Spikey Bits team in 2018 and covers the Warhammer hobby and tournament scene, along with the latest in tabletop miniatures, each week.
Aspiring diplomat, Lord of Fluff, and Master of Ice Hammer, He loves Star Wars, Chaos Undivided, and Gundam. During his free time, he hunts Platinum trophies on PS5 and reads international news. On weekends, Andrew plays commander and cEDH games, often with unique strategies that push the limits.
He believes each day presents a new opportunity to grow and be challenged.
