Games Workshop just gave us a rundown on how the Combat phase is going to work in the new 8th edition of Warhammer 40k.
Warhammer Community just revealed the new Combat phase, let’s see what they had to say.
This is part of the new Warhammer 40,000 with some of the biggest changes. …the priority for striking is based on the previous phase, with those units that completed a charge swinging first.
There’s a definite emphasis on making charging into combat effective – these units have gotten all the way across the battlefield, they’ve braved enemy fire and overwatch, and now they’ve finally made it into combat – they will at the very least get to swing.
Units that activate gain a free 3″ move towards the closest enemy. This can be used to get within 1″ of other enemy units, if you’re cunning, dragging more foes into the melee and preventing them from shooting next turn, even if you didn’t charge them directly (giving them no chance to overwatch). Enemy gun lines will need to be careful about how they position their supporting units, so as to avoid getting dragged into the fight too.
Following chargers, players take it in turns to activate units across the board to fight – this can get quite tactical, as both players need to choose the combats where dealing maximum damage will be important to them, while trying to limit enemy retaliation on their valuable or fragile models.
There are a few units that can interrupt this sequence to attack out of turn too – Tyranids with lash whips and Slaaneshi Daemons, for example – and it can also be influenced by Stratagems (more on these soon) if your army is Battle-forged, all of which add a nuanced level of tactical depth to the phase.
Close combat weapons (which we’ll look at in more detail in future) also gain new rules – some will slice through armour easily, while others will hit with enough force to cause deal multiple wounds that can cripple or kill even powerful enemy models.
The priority for striking first is no longer initiative based and now the units that completed the charge first get to hit first.
This is going to be huge in deciding if you should charge or not. Does their wording mean also that on top of the charge your units will now get a free 3″ move towards the closest enemy, or just when you activate existing units in combat?
After the charges are complete the players then take turns activating units across the board. The good news is that there are units out there that can interrupt the attack sequence and attack out of turn. At the same time it can also be influenced by Stratagems, (and also command points IIRC) which we haven’t seen yet, if your army is Battle-forged?
We’re going to be getting a more in depth look into close quarter combat weapons, which will also be gaining some new rules.
Games Workshop wasn’t kidding when they said they made “some” changes to 40k as of right now this looks to be a hybrid of both existing 40k, and Age of Sigmar with no emphasis on either.
Check back with us tomorrow when they reveal the Morale phase. How much will they be changing there?
What are your thoughts on the Fight phase? Let us know in the comments below.
