Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate: July 2026 Rules Changes Winners & Losers

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40k balance dataslate guide for July 2026 is here! See what changed, the biggest buffs/nerfs by faction index, and the official PDF download.

Want the quick version of the latest 40k Balance Dataslate changes? Head straight to the Quick Reference for the official download, version notes, and a fast TL; DR. We also have a full breakdown of all the winners, losers, and mixed bags for all the factions.

Be sure to read all the latest changes to the Warhammer 40k Missions in the Event Companion and all the Munitorum Field Manual points updates in our coverage articles as well.

Latest Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate Update 

Updated on July 22nd, 2026, by Rob Baer with the latest Balance Dataslate changes from Games Workshop.

40k Balance Dataslate: Quick Reference 

Biggest Balance Dataslate Changes TL;DR 

• Quarterly update stays tight: nothing got hard-nerfed this time, so it’s mostly keyword adds, rules reworks, and mobility tweaks.
• FRAME is the headline keyword, landing across nearly every vehicle roster in the game; Space Marines, Aeldari, Necrons, T’au, Drukhari, Orks, Grey Knights, Custodes, Imperial Agents, and Votann all fold tanks and transports into the growing FRAME club.
• A new MOBILE keyword shows up on marquee characters: Guilliman, Fulgrim, the Lion, Sammael, and Belisarius Cawl; as part of a broad mobility pass.
• A batch of reactive stratagems and abilities gets shaved from 9″ to 8″ across a dozen factions (Black Templars, Grey Knights, Emperor’s Children, Thousand Sons, Genestealer Cults, Orks, Tyranids, Aeldari, Drukhari, and more).
• Reserves-and-redeploy escape hatches spread everywhere: Callidus Assassin, Grey Knights’ Gate of Infinity, Thousand Sons’ Umbralefic Crystal, and Imperial Knights’ Mysterious Guardian all gain teleport or second-wave threats.
• Space Marines get the biggest glow-up: blanket FRAME plus [LANCE], harder-hitting infantry, and stickier characters, with only two footnote nerfs.
• Dark Angels’ Company of Hunters and Space Wolves’ Saga detachments both get mobility-focused reworks.
• Crypteks (Necrons) and the Ravenwing Command Squad swap Leader for Support, freeing up leader slots.
• No straight nerfs: mixed bags hit Sisters (Light of the Emperor to 2CP), Death Guard (Mortarion’s reactive BS), Drukhari (Shadowfield), Aeldari flyers, and Votann.

Changes Index: 40k Balance Dataslate v1.0 

Universal Rules Changes for the 40k Balance Dataslate

Alongside the points and faction changes, GW released a separate Universal Rules Updates document with the overall changes. Every change in it targets a Stratagem loophole that was letting rules stack in ways they clearly weren’t supposed to.

GW went straight after the generic “for free” and “again this phase” wording players have been stretching since 11th Edition dropped. Here’s what changed:

• Free Stratagems on friendly units now just cost 1CP less: Any rule that lets you target a friendly unit with a Stratagem for 0CP, without naming a specific Stratagem, now reduces the cost by 1CP instead. Blanket “use a Stratagem for free” rules can no longer turn expensive 2CP and 3CP Stratagems into complete freebies.
• Extra Stratagem uses have to name the Stratagem now: If a rule lets you use a Stratagem again after you’ve already targeted a unit with it that phase, or ignore a once-per-turn, once-per-battle-round, or once-per-battle limit, the rule now has to name that Stratagem. Generic wording that ignores those restrictions no longer works.
• The 12″ targeting bubble got pushed out to 18″: Stratagems that only let an enemy shoot the target when the attacking model was within 12″ now use 18″ instead. That’s a real hit to those defensive screens, since enemy units can now shoot the target from much farther away.
• Unit-recursion Stratagems are once per battle: Any Stratagem that adds “a new unit to your army that is identical to your destroyed unit” now gets a hard “You can only use this stratagem once per battle” restriction. You can’t keep bringing back the same squad through one Stratagem anymore.

GW released the latest full 11th Edition Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate via Universal Rules Changes in July 2026, along with updated point changes to the Munitorum Field Manual. 

Keep reading for the latest shifts in the 40k meta, and don’t forget to grab the full download of every faction’s new 40k dataslate rules change right here.

This guide breaks down the newest 40k rules updates for 11th Edition so you can see what got buffed, what took a hit, and how it all stacks up at the table, until the next balance dataslate drops, that is.

Big Winners From The Balance Dataslate, 40k Universal Rules Update

The latest Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate featuring 40k universal rules updates is here, and as always, it will shake things up across the competitive and casual meta.

This pass feels more like nudges and corrections than a full-on reset, which is often the healthiest kind of update. It still changes army list points, mission planning, and what you can get away with in-game, but it does it without nuking every archetype.

It’s also worth noting that GW published some changes in each of the new Faction Packs, and not a big FAQ document. 

If you just want the fast hit list, the Change Index up top perfect for a quick scan, while the sections below are the “why this matters” version.

40k Balance Dataslate Winners: Imperial Factions

Adeptus Custodes

• What changed: The Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike and Vertus Praetors get revised ranged weapon profiles, and the Anathema Psykana Rhino and Venerable Land Raider both gain the FRAME keyword.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Adeptus Custodes Faction Pack v1.1 p35

A very light touch that mostly cleans up the jetbike crowd’s shooting and quietly folds two transports into the growing FRAME club. The weapon reprofile matters most to Dawneagle and Vertus Praetor players who lean on their guns between charges. 

Adeptus Mechanicus

• What changed: A long list of Cult Mechanicus units, including Belisarius Cawl, both Electro-Priest units, Kastelan Robots and the Tech-Priests, now have Doctrina Imperatives in their Faction Abilities (buff). Rad-Zone Corps sees Rad-bombardment battle-shock the target and deal D3 mortal wounds on a 5+, and Skitarii Hunter Cohort’s Stealth Optimisation now covers Skitarii Mounted and Ironstrider Ballistarii too. Cawl and the Onager gain MOBILE, while the Cybernetica Datasmith picks up Data-severed, losing VEHICLE and becoming INFANTRY once its Robots are gone.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Adeptus Mechanicus Faction Pack v1.1 p17-19

Handing the imperatives to the Cult Mechanicus half of the book means those units finally swing with the same hit and armour-pen bumps the Skitarii already enjoy, which is a real lift for mixed lists. 

Astra Militarum

• What changed: No standout hits called out here, and the new detachment remains the headline.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Balance Dataslate v3.2, p7

The new Grizzled Company detachment already gives Guard players a fresh way to bully the table. GW leaves them untouched since the detachment itself is expected to move the needle by a noticeable amount. Getting skipped in a dataslate tends to be a win when everyone else is eating changes.

Black Templars

• What changed: The only red change is the Companions of Vehemence detachment’s Heresy Begets Retribution Stratagem, Target Section, dropping from 9″ to 8″.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Black Templars Faction Pack v1.1 p5

Honestly, this is one inch shaved off a single stratagem’s target range, and that is the whole pass for the Templars. 

Blood Angels

What changed: Changes to Upon Wings of Fire Detachment Rule, they now must ingress next turn, and Miraculous Saviour Ability doesn’t stop the Sanguinor from moving. 
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Blood Angels Faction Pack v1.0 p9

Overall, these just add a little bit more movement to the army, even if some of it is forced. 

Adeptus Titanicus 

• What changed: The Towering Example army rule was rewritten so the army now has the Take and Hold force disposition, the only red-flagged edit in the pack.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Adeptus Titanicus Faction Pack v1.1 p1

Titans finally get a force disposition baked right into the army rule, so you are not leaving a deployment perk on the table just because the god-engines skip the detachment step. Take and Hold is a sensible fit for a list built around parking something almost impossible to shift on top of an objective.

Dark Angels

• What changed: Company of Hunters got a major rewrite, with Masters of Manoeuvre now giving all Adeptus Astartes [ASSAULT] and free fall-back-and-shoot, and Mounted units advancing and still charging (buff). Lion El’Jonson and Sammael both gain MOBILE plus reserve and advance tricks, Shroud of Heroes now returns a battle-shocked model at full wounds, and several units pick up Stealth. The Ravenwing Command Squad shifts from Leader to Support.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Dark Angels Faction Pack v1.1 p9-11

This is a mobility pass through and through, and Company of Hunters armies come out able to reposition and still land shots like almost nobody else. The Lion and Sammael upgrades make the flagship models slipperier and much harder to pin down. Even the Command Squad role change is more about building more efficiently than losing power. 

Grey Knights

• What changed: Gate of Infinity now places units in strategic reserves so they can ingress on any turn, including the first, and five transports (Land Raider, Land Raider Crusader, Land Raider Redeemer, Razorback, Rhino) gain the FRAME keyword. Three 9″ abilities drop to 8″ (Shadow of Anarch, Precognitive Strategies, Sigil of Exigence), and a handful of enhancements and stratagems were rewritten.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Grey Knights Faction Pack v1.1 p9

The Gate of Infinity rework is clutch here, giving Grey Knights reliable first-turn teleport pressure instead of a delayed drop. FRAME on the transports is a quiet durability and rules-interaction win that adds up across a mech list.  

Imperial Agents 

• What changed: The Callidus Assassin’s Acrobatic Escape ability was reworked into a real escape hatch, letting her fall back up to D6″ at the end of the Fight phase if engaged and, if she ends your opponent’s turn more than 3″ from all enemies, redeploy into strategic reserves to ingress back next turn. The Imperial Rhino, Inquisitorial Chimera and Sisters of Battle Immolator also gain the FRAME keyword.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Imperial Agents Faction Pack v1.1 p10

The Callidus rework turns her from a one-and-done nuisance into a model that stabs something and then vanishes to do it again. Bouncing into reserves and re-ingressing is exactly the kind of slippery the Assassinorum should have, and it makes her a genuine repeat threat instead of a suicide drop. 

Imperial Knights

• What changed: A new Gate Warden Lance detachment arrives around the Dauntless Defenders rule, which names two objectives as foundations and rewards models holding the line drawn between them, supported by new stratagems like Survivor of Strife and Flanking Manoeuvres (buff). The Freeblade Company Mysterious Guardian enhancement is also reworked into a once-per-battle redeploy that drops the bearer into Strategic Reserves with Deep Strike.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Imperial Knights Faction Pack v1.1 p27

Knights finally get a proper hold-the-line identity, and the Gate Warden Lance turns parking big bases on the midfield into an actual plan rather than a last resort. The Mysterious Guardian rewrite hands a lone Knight a real escape hatch and a second-wave threat, which is exactly what a low-model-count army wants late in a game. 

Space Marines

• What changed: The headline is the FRAME keyword landing on almost the entire vehicle roster, from Rhinos and Razorbacks to every Land Raider, Predator, Gladiator, Repulsor and Storm Speeder. On top of that, Shock Assault now grants [LANCE], Bladeguard Veterans choose +1 to hit or -1 to be hit, Intercessors trade Target Elimination for a +2 Attacks Hail of Bolts, Guilliman gains MOBILE, and Tigurius gets a durability rework, with fresh weapon options for Vanguard Veterans and Chaplains (all buffs). The nerfs are narrow: Company Heroes lose their rule, and the Thunderhawk loses AIRCRAFT.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Space Marines Faction Pack v1.1 p61

This is a real glow-up for the poster boys, and the blanket FRAME addition alone reshapes how their armor interacts with a fast-growing pile of keyword rules. The unit-level changes all push the same way, giving Marine players harder-hitting infantry and stickier characters across the board. The two nerfs read as footnotes next to how much moved in their favor. 

Space Wolves

• What changed: The Saga detachment enhancements were reworked. Thunderwolf’s Fortitude in Saga of the Bold now revives the bearer on a 2+ with 3 wounds when destroyed, Saga of the Beastslayer’s Wolf-touched simply adds 2″ of Move, and the Impetuosity stratagem lets a shot-at Wulfen Infantry or Blood Claws unit make a D6″ surge move.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Space Wolves Faction Pack v1.1 p9

These are solid upgrades to the two Saga detachments that needed the help, giving characters staying power and the fast units even more reach. Impetuosity turning enemy shooting into free Wulfen movement is exactly the aggressive tempo Wolves players want. 

Chaos Factions: 40k Balance Dataslate Winners

Chaos Knights

• What changed: The Forge World knights all got sharper, with the Knight Ruinator’s Darkflame Lance and Terrorpulse Missiles both jumping to D6+6 attacks, the Knight Abominant’s Volkite Combustor picking up IGNORES COVER, and the Knight Desecrator’s Laser Destructor gaining DEVASTATING WOUNDS against MONSTER and VEHICLE targets. The Desecrator’s Obsessive Ruthlessness now also ignores modifiers to its BS, hit rolls and wound rolls against those same targets. Traitoris Lance’s Storm of Darkness stratagem adds a “Melee attacks that target your unit have -1 to hit rolls” bullet on top of Stealth.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Chaos Knights Faction Pack v1.1 p25-p26

The Imperial Armor big guns are the story, and they all point to more output against exactly the tanks and monsters you want a giant Chaos Knight shooting at anyway. D6+6 attacks on the Ruinator’s guns is a real jump, and free Ignores Cover and Devastating Wounds elsewhere means fewer wasted activations.

Chaos Space Marines

• What changed: The Cabal of Chaos Empyric Wellspring detachment rule is reworked so a Dark Pact now adds +1 Strength to a Heretic Astartes Psyker unit’s shooting and gives non-Khorne Daemon Princes +2 Strength and +1 AP in melee (buff). The Nightmare Hunt Sorrowscent Vulture enhancement now hands the bearer’s unit Scouts 6″, the Defiler re-rolls Wound rolls of 1 on a Dark Pact, and a batch of new reactive stratagems land across several detachments.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Chaos Space Marines Faction Pack v1.1 p1

The Empyric Wellspring is huge, because turning every Dark Pact into free Strength and AP pushes Chaos further into the all-in damage race it already wanted to run. Free Scouts 6″ on a jump Lord’s escort plus a table’s worth of new reaction strats give the army more ways to punish an opponent who overextends.

Emperor’s Children

• What changed: The ‘Host’ tag is removed from the Frenzied Host detachment, the Court of the Phoenician Exalted Patron enhancement is now Lord Exultant only and simply adds 1″ to the bearer’s Move, Fulgrim gains the new MOBILE keyword, and a new Catalytic Stimulus stratagem grants a reactive surge move (buffs). The clear buff is Dark Apparitions losing range from 9″ to 8″.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Emperor’s Children Faction Pack v1.1 p9

None of these swings are huge alone, but together they nudge Emperor’s Children toward tighter, more mobile play rather than any rebuild. Catalytic Stimulus giving a free reaction move is the pick of the bunch for an army that lives on dictating the pace of battle.

Thousand Sons

• What changed: Kairos Fateweaver leads the pass, with his Infernal Gateway Focused Witchfire jumping to D3+6 shots and One Head Looks Back now taxing any opponent stratagem used within 12″ by an extra 1CP (buff). Umbralefic Crystal was rebuilt into a Command-phase redeploy that drops the unit into strategic reserves with Deep Strike and a guaranteed ingress, and the Bray Lord enhancement now hands a Sorcerer or Infernal Master Scouts 6″. The Twisted Mirage stratagem drops from 9″ to 8″ (buff).
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Thousand Sons Faction Pack v1.1 p9-10

Kairos becomes a genuine control unit now that he can price opponents out of their key stratagems while throwing more Gateway shots downrange. The Umbralefic rebuild gives Thousand Sons a flexible redeploy threat that plays straight into their teleport-heavy game plan. 

World Eaters

• What changed: The Cult of Blood detachment’s Butcher Lord Enhancement is rewritten to WORLD EATERS INFANTRY models only and now hands the bearer the Infiltrators ability (buff). The Khorne Daemonkin detachment’s Disciple of Khorne Enhancement is locked to a Lord on Juggernaut and now grants Deep Strike, swapping the bearer to the BLOOD LEGIONS keyword in place of WORLD EATERS.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: World Eaters Faction Pack v1.1 p7

Two narrow enhancement retools; doesn’t really change how they work. Giving a Butcher Lord Infiltrators is a real forward-deploy threat on a melee brick, and the Disciple of Khorne rewrite is plumbing for Daemon-leaning Daemonkin lists that want their Juggerlord dropping in. 

40k Balance Dataslate Winners: Xenos Factions

Genestealer Cults

• What changed: A batch of reactive stratagems has its ranges increased from 9″ to 8″, covering Evasive Vanguard, In the Shadow of Iron, Rapid Feint and the marker relocation on Along Shadowed Trails. The Cult Ambush army rule is also clarified so attached CHARACTER models no longer count toward the destroyed-unit return mechanic.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Genestealer Cults Faction Pack v1.1 p7

This is a quiet buff of the cult’s reaction game, shaving an inch off the tools that let you slip danger and shuffle markers around. None of it is game-breaking (maybe), but 8″ instead of 9″ lets you get that little bit closer for shooting, but melee charges stay the same. Finally, the Character clarification just closes a return-shenanigan loophole. 

Orks 

• What changed: The Boyz datasheet gets a full wargear overhaul with new Boss Nob loadouts, shoota options and big shoota or rokkit swaps, the Bodyguard section removed, and the Warboss gains a kustom choppa and kustom shoota option. Battlewagon, Stompa and Trukk pick up FRAME, several abilities are retooled (Snikrot gains Deep Strike, the Shokkjump Dragsta gets a move-through advance teleport), and Conniving Runts drops from 9″ to 8″.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Orks Faction Pack v1.1 p24

The Boyz rewrite is the big one, handing the green tide real shooting flexibility and better unit building right where most Ork lists want to be. Snikrot with Deep Strike and the Dragsta’s new teleport give the army more ways to show up where it hurts. 

Necrons 

• What changed: Reanimation Protocols are rewritten to a clean D3-wound heal and Resurrection Orbs now bring a unit back healing D6 instead of D3 (buff). The big one is that the Cryptek characters (Chronomancer, Geomancer, Orikan, Plasmancer, Psychomancer, Technomancer) swap Leader for Support, and a long list of vehicles picks up FRAME.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Necrons Faction Pack v1.1 p29

Moving the Crypteks to Support is the big news here, changing how you build around them and freeing your Leader slots for other characters. The beefier Resurrection Orb makes bringing a squad back genuinely worth the once-per-battle cost. Necrons still grind the same way; they just reanimate a little better and attach a little differently. 

Tau Empire 

• What changed: The Strike Swiftly Enhancement is reworked so that in the Resolve Pre-battle Abilities step it now grants Scouts 6″ for the rest of the battle to up to two friendly T’au Empire units within 6″ that do not already have it (buff). The FRAME keyword is also added to the Devilfish, Hammerhead Gunship, Piranhas, Sky Ray Gunship, and all three Tidewall pieces (buff).
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: T’au Empire Faction Pack v1.1 p19

Handing free Scouts 6″ to two units is a real pre-game tempo swing that lets you shove Breachers or a suit brick up the board before a shot is fired, which is exactly the early board control a shooting army wants. Plus the FRAME additions look like housekeeping but also firm up the entire grav-tank and Tidewall backbone.

Tyranids 

• What changed: Tyranid Warriors with melee bio-weapons get a flexible Adaptive Instincts pick of +1 Strength or +1 Toughness, and Venomthropes now hand Stealth to friendly Tyranids units within 6″ (buffs). The Chameleonic enhancement is locked to Vanguard Invader models and Tyrannocyte Aerial Seeding drops from 9″ to 8″.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Tyranids Faction Pack v1.1 p19

Venomthropes spreading Stealth is the standout, making screens and midboard bugs a real pain to shoot off objectives. The Warriors’ choose-your-buff toggle gives one of the codex workhorses more answers across more games.

 The Losers From 40k’s Balance Dataslate

Nothing got explicitly NERFED this time around, but there are plenty of mixed bag results. 

Balance Dataslate 40k’s Mixed Bag

Adepta Sororitas

• What changed: The Army of Faith detachment took the biggest hit, with Divine Intervention rebuilt to resurrect a destroyed Character and Light of the Emperor climbing to 2CP (nerf). Junith Eruita gains Stealth and -1 to hit in melee (buff), while the Catechism of Divine Penitence and Sanctified Orators Hagiomnifex enhancements were both restricted to specific models (nerf).
• Verdict: Mixed
• Official ref: Adepta Sororitas Faction Pack v1.1 p13-14

Sisters players leaning on Light of the Emperor will feel the extra CP every game, so that reflexive save is no longer a free reaction. Junith picking up Stealth and -1 to hit finally makes her worth fielding as a durable anchor. 

Aeldari

• What changed: The FRAME keyword is added across almost the whole vehicle roster (Falcon, Fire Prism, Night Spinner, Wave Serpent, the Ynnari transports and more), Skyweavers pick up Stealth and -1 to hit in melee, Eldrad can now join far more units, and the Seer Council gains a Deep Strike redeploy stratagem alongside a wave of new reactive move strats. Offsetting that, the Crimson Hunter and Hemlock Wraithfighter lose their Move and Objective Control to a dash and Tricksters’ Retort drops from 9″ to 8″.
• Verdict: Mixed
• Official ref: Aeldari Faction Pack v1.1 p27

This is a broad pass rather than a single highlight, with Eldrad attaching almost anywhere and a stack of new reactive moves letting the Aeldari slide out of trouble on the opponent’s turn. Skyweavers becoming genuinely hard to pin in melee is a win for jetbike lists. The flyer profile cuts sting, but for most builds the added mobility tools outweigh them. 

Death Guard

• What changed: The Virulent Vectorium’s Worldblight rule was rebuilt so a held objective is secured and any enemy within range becomes Afflicted (buff). Mortarion is the flip side, with Inflamed Reprisal now worsening the BS of its retaliatory shooting by 1 (nerf) and Diseased Influence retuned to an 8″ trigger with a 5″ move. Deathshroud Terminators also get cleaned-up Deep Strike wording.
• Verdict: Mixed
• Official ref: Death Guard Faction Pack v1.1 p7

Worldblight securing objectives and spreading Afflicted turns Virulent Vectorium into a genuine board-control detachment rather than a damage gimmick. Mortarion taking a BS hit on his reactive shooting is sensible now, given how punishing he was to shoot into. 

Drukhari

• What changed: The Archon’s Shadowfield was reworded so the model loses its invulnerable save for the rest of the battle once it loses a wound, and the unit cannot re-roll saves while the field is up (a clarification that plays as a nerf with how the new wound allocations work). Small nerfs too: Covenite Coterie’s Postmortality now has to return the revived model unengaged. On the plus side, Raider, Ravager and Venom pick up the FRAME keyword and a new FAQ lets the Venom’s Aerialists embark a unit that disembarked that same turn. Skysplinter’s Scourges Swooping Descent drops from 9″ to 8″
• Verdict: Mixed
• Official ref: Drukhari Faction Pack v1.1 p7-p8

Most of what changed here trims the edges rather than reshaping the faction. The Shadowfield wording is interesting too, since it locks in that your Archon is one bad moment away from losing the save entirely, so screen him like you mean it. The FRAME keyword and the Venom ruling are also wins, so call it a wash that leaves Drukhari playing the same fragile knife-fight they always have. 

Leagues of Votann 

• What changed: Secure Positions can now be used at the end of any of your phases (buff), and the Hekaton Land Fortress and Sagitaur both gain the FRAME keyword. Small nerfs too: the Delve Assault Shift enhancement can no longer revive Character models.
• Verdict: Mixed
• Official ref: Votann Faction Pack v1.1 p11

Letting Secure Positions fire at the end of any phase is a real play upgrade that makes the strat harder to play around and lets Votann lock scoring at awkward moments. The FRAME additions also help the Kin’s transports too. 

FAQ: 40k Balance Dataslate

What is the 40k balance dataslate?

It’s Games Workshop’s official “live update” document that adjusts rules interactions and clarifies how things are meant to work in 10th Edition 40k, alongside points updates in the Munitorum Field Manual.

Where do I download the Warhammer 40k balance dataslate?

The official download is hosted on Warhammer Community. The current download link is included at the top of the Quick Reference section.

Does the balance dataslate change points?

The dataslate focuses on rules updates, while points changes are handled in the Munitorum Field Manual.

When is the next 40k balance dataslate expected?

The current expectation from players is that the next balance dataslate will land monthly in August and September, and then resume quarterly updates for the rest of 11th Edition. 

How should I use these updates in casual games?

If your group wants smoother games and fewer rules arguments, using the current dataslate and points is usually the easiest path. If you prefer “printed book only,” just agree on it before the dice hit the table.

Do all factions get changes every dataslate?

Nope. Not every faction gets touched every time, and honestly, “no change” can be the best change. If your faction shows up in the dataslate but there’s nothing meaningful adjusted, that’s basically GW saying “we looked at you, and you’re not the problem right now.” If your faction isn’t listed at all, it usually means there were no amendments worth publishing for it in that pass.

How do I tell what text changed?

In the official PDF, GW makes it pretty easy to spot edits. New or revised wording is shown in red text, and highlights are used to flag earlier revisions inside the document. So if you want the exact “what changed since last time” answer, skip the vibes, open the PDF, and follow the red like it’s a trail of hobby glue on your desk.

Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate: Final Thoughts From Us

Overall, the 40k Balance Dataslate keeps shaking things up, and this round proves no army is safe from a good old-fashioned points increase. Some factions are cashing in on discounts, others are footing the bill, and everyone has new tech to test. 

So, if you’re already wondering “When is the next 40k balance dataslate?”, there will be two more monthly updates in August and September, and then we’ll get back to the quarterly updates presumably in December 2026 after the Warhammer World Championships.

If you missed it up top, version notes and the official download link are in our Quick Reference. But for now, grab the new 40k universal rules updates, rebuild your 2,000 points, and run some practice games until the muscle memory clicks.

🔗 Related Reads:

• Download the latest Balance Dataslate here
• Latest Munitorum Field Manual 40k Points Update
• 40k Chapter Approved Missions & Tournament Companion Guide

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