The new 10th Edition Warhammer 40k terrain rules are looking much simpler, which should help streamline play with less debate.
Well, GW is keeping with the theme of more straightforward rules, and if you’ve played in 9th Edition much, you know just how annoying terrain can be. The new 10th edition rules only have six types of terrain, and each looks to have pretty simple rules (but cover saves are a little more complex). GW has officially confirmed the new 10th edition of Warhammer 40k and continues to show off a bunch of the rule changes as well! Here are the quick links to the latest for 10th Edition Warhammer 40k and the full articles below!
- Warhammer 40k New 10th Edition Release Guide: LATEST
- New 10th Edition Warhammer 40k Starter Set & Models
- What Will Happen To Codex Books in 10th Edition
- All the Latest 10th Edition Rules Changes
- How to Build Army Lists in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k
Now, let’s jump into the new rules.
New 10th Edition 40k Terrain Rules are Looking Streamlined!
The rules come from Warhammer Community.
Terrain provides the Benefit of Cover rule to those units that can take advantage of it. As in previous editions, this adds 1 to save rolls against ranged attacks, but this time there’s an important caveat.
Having the Benefit of Cover will not improve saves of a 3+ or better against weapons with an Armour Penetration characteristic of 0. This means a unit will never have its save improved to 2+ by terrain.
This is pretty similar, but it’s interesting that if something has 0 AP, you won’t get better than a 3+ save; however, if something has -1 AP, then this will cancel out.
Now, deciding whether or not a unit has the Benefit of Cover is as simple as knowing which category their cover falls into – craters, barricades, debris, hills, woods, or ruins.
This should make things easier, as they will have visibility, engagement range, and cover rules on their rules card.
New Types of Warhammer 40k Terrain
This category includes other small patches of terrain such as rubble. It’s the most simple type and functions like the area terrain of previous editions, granting cover to any INFANTRY model standing wholly inside them. Even if the models are fully visible to the attacker targeting them, they get the cover.
Nothing too wild, as this shouldn’t obstruct vision, but in theory your models are diving down to get some extra cover.
Barricades and Pipes
All sorts of terrain are classed as Barricades, from promethium pipelines to ramshackle defence lines, and any model within 3” can claim cover so long as the object partially obscures them from at least one of their attackers. As the thickness of a barricade can often make it difficult to get within 1” of an enemy unit when charging from the opposite side, this terrain type also modifies the Engagement Range rules to include models within 2”, providing they’re attacking a unit on the other side of the barricade.
Well, seeing if something is partially obstructed shouldn’t be too hard, but you will have to do some Line of Sight checks to see if you’re actually obscured sometimes. Then, for combat, you can fight if your models are within 2″ and on the opposite side, so it shouldn’t be too confusing at all now.
Battlefield Debris
This terrain includes any bits and pieces that a unit can’t end their move on, such as barrels, statues, and piles of discarded Mek Workshop parts. These confer cover when they partially block a model from the attacking unit, regardless of range or size.
Again, if you are obscured at all, you get cover.
Hills and Sealed Structures (Bunkers)
The Hills terrain type also encompasses solid buildings that units can stand on, like the Battlezone: Fronteris Landing Pad or Munitorum Armoured Containers. Both models and other terrain features can sit on top of hills provided they don’t overhang the edge and, like debris, the hill confers cover to anything it partially obscures. This often results in some dicey close-range firefights, as the edge of the hill itself gets in the way of units shooting up and down at each other.
It’s hard to be super obscured by the hill, but we guess if you’re close, it will come into play.
Woods
Woods and forests are a little more involved than the rest. Any model fully inside the wood, or viewed through an area of woodland terrain by a unit that is also not inside it, is never considered to be fully visible and receives the Benefit of Cover.
So, putting woods in the middle of a battlefield could effectively give tons of units cover. Because even if you look through the woods, you get cover. Again, you’ll have to do some LoS determinations, and having a defined outline of the trees will make this much easier.
Also note the two new keywords Towering, and Aircraft.
Ruins
These wrecked and damaged structures completely block visibility of all models through their footprint, regardless of how much you can see through their fancy gothic windows. Otherwise, models outside can shoot in, and models inside can shoot out.
Since particularly tall ruins can give attackers an advantageous position, they also come with the Plunging Fire rule, which improves the Armour Penetration characteristic of a ranged attack by 1 when the attacking model is more than 6” above ground level and shooting at a target on the ground – making it a great way to get around other units’ cover.
It makes sense some terrain pieces block all vision if a model is not inside of it. However, if you’re in the ruins, you can still be shot and shoot out yourself. Either way, your models get the cover no matter what. Plunging Fire is interesting and will make very tall terrain pieces more valuable to secure.
Check out the latest for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition, new releases, rules, rumors, and more!
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Here’s the most up-to-date list of new Games Workshop bits from preview models that we should watch out for. Click on the gallery above to see dozens of Rumor Engines with new models still to be revealed!
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What do you think about the new 10th Edition Warhammer 40k terrain rules? Do you like the changes so far?
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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!
