Necromunda’s new edition hands out free downloadable rules, so no old miniature gets benched to Legends when the game changes this weekend.
One of the biggest worries with any new edition is finding out which models no longer have rules and are now headed to Legends, but GW is getting ahead of that problem this time. The new edition of Necromunda kicks off this weekend, and every classic character left out of the paid books will still get free rules.
Which is fantastic for those who’ve been building an Underhive crew in the last edition, who won’t have to worry about half their collection getting dropped.
That’s not always how edition changes have gone. GW has notoriously retired models when new editions landed and the release calendar reset, so keeping older collections playable is a welcome move. The studio has done this before, too, with free rules for old Necromunda gangs during the last major shift as well.
Either way, if you play Necromunda, the models you already own (or converted) should still have a place in your gang.
- Free downloadable rules: Classic characters left out of the two books get free rules through a Necromunda’s Most Wanted release.
- Two paid books: Gangs of the Underhive and Gangs of the Outlands include the House gangs and several named characters.
- Pre-order Saturday: Both books arrive alongside the new Core Rulebook this weekend.
GW isn’t Squatting Your Classic Underhive Crew
This was the part players had every reason to be nervous about, and to their credit, GW got it right. Necromunda has built up a huge cast over the years, including Dramatis Personae, Hangers-On, and all the Alliance and Delegation oddballs.
Now, anyone left out of Gangs of the Underhive or Gangs of the Outlands will get free downloadable rules instead of quietly disappearing. That means Lady Credo, Bigby Crumb, the House Greim Military Attache, the Whisper Merchant, and the rest of those older releases will still be playable.
GW has released free rules like this before, so there’s already a track record here, and this isn’t just a vague promise about supporting old models later.
The Paid Content is Going to be Two Gangs Books
The paid rules are split between Gangs of the Underhive and Gangs of the Outlands. Both books release alongside the boxed set and the new Underhive Crew boxes.
Together, they cover the regular House gangs and several named characters, including Ozostium Aranthus and Lady Haera in her Sthenian-pattern Hunting Rig. Those are the rules GW is charging for, while the free Most Wanted download covers almost everyone else left out of the two books.
Even the Miniature-less Characters Get Another Shot
GW also isn’t limiting this support to characters with official miniatures. A handful of characters received rules during the current edition but never got models, and the studio says it still wants to update some of them later.
Which is great for anyone who converted a stand-in instead of waiting for a kit that never arrived. Those custom models built for the Underhive should now still have a reason to hit the table.
Everything Hits Pre-Order This Weekend
The two Gangs books go up for pre-order Saturday alongside the new Necromunda Core Rulebook, and the Most Wanted rules will follow as a free download from Warhammer Community soon after.
Final Thoughts on the Necromunda New Edition
The bigger question for us is whether GW handles other edition changes the same way. A lot of players are already wondering what this could mean for Warhammer 40k, especially after so many units and loadouts disappeared during the move into 10th Edition.
If Necromunda can start a new edition without dumping its classic characters, there isn’t much excuse for the flagship game to handle things differently in 11th Edition too. Free rules won’t solve every edition-change problem, but they do keep older collections usable, and people still engaged with the Warhammer hobby overall.
Now we’ll see whether Games Workshop carries that same approach into its other games. All of our old miniatures certainly hope so.
🔗 Related Reads:
- Necromunda News, Articles, Updates & Rumors
- New Necromunda Core Set & Gangs Pre-Order Revealed
- Free PDF Rules For Old Necromunda Gangs
- Updated Warhammer 40k 2026 Roadmap, 11th Edition Release Schedule
- GW Reveals New Necromunda Phyrr Cats & Rules
- New Rogue Doctor Mini & Rules for Necromunda
What do you think of GW handing out free rules instead of sending classic Necromunda characters off to Legends?
