With all of the Chapter Approved changes, FAQs, and errata in Warhammer 40k, when will we see other factions get their second edition codex book?
With GW steadily pumping out new content for existing factions, players are forced to show up on game day with all kinds of material. Their codex, Chapter Approved, maybe a White Dwarf, the Vigilus book…The list can go on. Is Games Workshop starting to consolidate their rules into one spot again, and sell more product at the same time? Let’s take a look:
Preparing For The 2.0 Codex Books
We should probably note that with GW pumping out all the codexes for armies, it’s unclear if Ynnari is still left to get a book of their own. Their rules were from one of the Xenos Indexes. While they did get updates in Chapter Approved, you in theory, still need the index to play them.
Also, to be honest, most early 8th edition codexes are starting to become obsolete from all the points changes and FAQs as well. The Chaos Marine faction is about to get a tractor-load of support dumped onto it from Shadowspear and Vigilus and none of it is anywhere to be found in the codex they have now. Same with Space Marines with their Vigilus and White Dwarf updates as well.
Could GW start the cycle all over again and re-release a codex across all factions? Some of you might not be happy to hear the reality of this happening. However, there’s a silver lining.
The Upside to the Update
If they did make their rounds and give all the factions a new codex, there could be some real benefits. Factions that got shafted (looking at you Grey Knights and Necrons) could have another shot of redemption. GW could rework all of the points and make old models better. Space Wolves could even finally have their Warlord Traits section printed correctly! Huzzah!
We could see more stratagems get printed with more accurate CP costs too. When you really sit and think about it, a v2 codex doesn’t sound half bad as long as they give folks the option to get the “new” content in a campaign book (or some other vessel like White Dwarf) just like they did with Chaos.
Now we’re not saying this is going to happen overnight either. It took nearly 2 years to spawn the first 2.0 dex, we imagine it could take as much as 3-4 more years to update them all over to 2.0 versions. That is not counting any new faction books, post-Vigilus campaign, Ynnari etc either. Those could either stretch out that timeline or contribute to its accuracy…
GW is Helping us Out
This whole diagram is from GW showing players what their smartest option is. If a player is new to Chaos, they’re better off to just buy the new codex and Shadowspear. However, if the player already has a codex, they are better off buying the Vigilus Ablaze book and download the datasheets for the new Chaos units.
Remember, with all the excitement of the Vigilus campaign, we still have yet to see any kind of support come to the Necrons and Tau. They are on the other side of space from where everything is going down on Vigilus. From a fluff standpoint, if the Tau even were close by, they would probably just stay in orbit and watch the free for all go down. Then drop in and promote the Greater Good to the last surviving faction.
Where are we going with this? Well, we feel like we would see more Tau and Necron support pop up before we see GW really make a heavy transition into pumping out new codexes for everyone. At the end of the day, this is all skepticism backed by educated guesses from what we’re seeing GW do.
Do you think it’s only a matter of time before we see a v2 codex hit the factions of 40k? Do you still use units from the index that didn’t make it to your codex? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
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.
