GW just dropped some rules bombs for blast weapons and their interactions with horde units in 9th Edition 40k. Check out the latest reveals.
Warhammer Community dropped a small preview on the way blast weapons and different unit sizes will be behaving in 9th Edition. To supplement all of this, the Warhammer TV on Twitch and mentioned a few details. Take a look at everything there is to know about shooting and how they’ll interact with hordes from the source!
GW Drops 40k 9th Edition Rules Bombs For Blast Weapons
We’ve all been there – a numberless horde of Tyranids is hurtling towards your army, but even as you line up your trusty ordnance weapon to blast a ruinous chunk from of their ranks, you roll a 1 for the number of shots it fires. Well, no more! The new rules for Blast weapons ensure you get the most bang for your buck when targeting larger concentrations of enemy troops…
When it comes to D6-shot blast weapons there are two magic number thresholds. If you shoot at a unit with 6+ models, 1-2’s on your roll always count as minimum 3.
For units that contain 11+ models, you don’t roll anything. You just get max shots. So for example, if you shoot at a unit of full-strength Ork Boyz, your Rapid-fire Battle Cannon on your Knight will get 12 shots.
This puts factions with Stratagems and tricks that allow every model in a unit throw a grenade (like Orks, Imperial Guard, Death Guard, GSC, etc.) to become a giant delete blob. Imagine a full-strength squad of GSC Bikers lobbing max shot Demolition Charges… That could be 30+ S8 hits easily.
On another note, swarmy melee armies will be glad to know that if they do manage to get into combat with a unit using a blast weapon, the unit won’t be able to fire. That means some tanks may only get to fire their sponsons, depending on what they’re equipped with. Which is a nice edge on melee armies. By the way, Engagement Range is 1″ of a model’s base.
Notes From Warhammer TV
- Stu Black on Stream also mentioned that there’s something like 150 weapons that made the “blast weapon” category that can be found in the appendix of the new rulebook in 9th Edition.
- Rules like Power of the Machine Spirit which may seem outdated now that all vehicles ignore Heavy will be updated later on.
- For Horde players that may be put-off by all the max-shots talk and the fact that vehicles can shoot in melee, they also mentioned that there will be new ways for units to be “protected” better than previously. We saw earlier in the week that a Repulsor Executioner could outflank onto the board, for example. We can only expect that Boys/Plaguebearer squads/ etc. will also get the same tricks.
After seeing official rules previewed supplemented by a commentary on-stream, it looks like shooting will be getting much stronger while also not leaving melee armies in the dust. However, it’ll be more apparent how true that is once we see more maneuver tricks revealed.
So do you think 40k will still be just as shoot in 9th Edition? What’s a couple of tricks that melee armies need up their sleeve to counteract all the vehicle shooting buffs?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
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Bio: Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4.
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