The Warhammer 40k Q3 Dataslate Balance Changes are here with big changes to Orks, Necrons, Harlequins, and way more!
The Dataslates are made to balance out the meta, but like with the previous ones, we’ll have to see how it plays out. Ultimately the idea is decent to help with the power creep from new books and help keep the older books in contention.
Warhammer Community released the latest 40k rules balance dat slate and considering this is the 3rd one, it looks like they will be keeping up with it quarterly as they promised. Let’s check it out!
Warhammer 40k Q3 Dataslate Balance Changes are Here!
Considering they don’t put what is different from the last one in red or something, you’ll have to compare it with the last one, which you can find here. But we’ll go through most of the changes.
Well, the first change is quite big! First up, all Atra Militarum vehicles get Armour of Contempt. That’s right, Guard tanks get the third buff in a row.
Next up, they made sure to let Militarum Tempetus get Hammer, and even if you run a full Scions army, you can still take advantage of the rule.
Click Here To Get Your Eternus Assault Armor!
This is a little strange as they actually took out a ton from the previous one for Admech. So, this is sort of an indirect buff as a lot of their stratagems are taken back to normal.
Asuyrani Dataslate Changes
Storm might is quite the change. It now does damage on a 4+ and needs LoS. For 3 CP, this probably won’t see that much play now. Then, only using the Fire and Fade strat once is also quite the hit…
Tyranids Dataslate Changes
Changing the Adaptive element is a good change as it makes people actually write down what they have before armies are on the table. Then, Synaptic Imperative is also grabbing a change to be focused on the Warlord.
Necrons Dataslate Q3 Buffs
Okay, there are some giant buffs here! First, basically, everything gains core including all vehicles. Next, we’ll let GW tell you about the protocol changes:
In addition, the Necrons’ Command Protocols now affect every model on the board rather than just those near a friendly CHARACTER, and don’t require a NOBLE to work – any CHARACTER will do.
Finally, whichever protocol you don’t assign to a specific turn now affects your army for the entire battle – in addition to your normal Command Protocol abilities. Better yet, you can select which of its two directives to employ at the start of each turn – and if your Dynasty allows both to be active at the same time, you get the benefits of both directives all game.
Orks Buffs
Orks see a slight adjustment to their restrictions on many of their SPEED FREEKS units – such as Shokkjump Dragstas or Megatrakk Scrapjets – now allowing up to three of each model rather than a single unit.
This is increased from 1 in the last dataslate, so a great quality of life change for the army.
The Waaagh! also taps into more of the greenskins’ latent power than before, granting an extra point of Strength and an invulnerable save for both turns.
This is quite the buff and probably quite needed.
Harlequins NERFs
Their initial stock of Luck re-rolls based on battle size is reduced to zero, meaning a re-roll can only be earned by making a Luck of the Laughing God roll.
The Light and Dark Saedath characterizations have also been tweaked – the former now only protects from incoming fire beyond 18”, while the latter inflicts mortal wounds on attackers rather than letting the slain Harlequins strike back at their assailant with their deadly weapons.
Well, the nerfs for the jesters just keep coming! They are performing well, but we’ll have to see if they can keep up with the constant nerfs.
Download the Q3 40k Balance Dataslate Here!
What do you think of the new quarterly rules balance dataslate update and changes for Warhammer 40k?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
