The Adeptus Custodes codex gives Custodians six martial ka’tahs instead of two, and fewer models means every one of those picks matters.
Fewer golden boys (and girls) on the table means every one of them has to pull more weight, and GW just gave each squad six different ways to do it. Last week’s new Custodes datasheets bumped Custodian Guard up to T7 with 5 wounds, and today Warhammer Community showed off the army rules that decide what those tougher bodies are doing each turn.
It makes sense to have more options, as a smaller army with bigger statlines needs every unit to have more than one trick, and the old book gave you two Fight-phase-only stances to choose from.
So, now there’s actually something to think about every turn. Units get readied in your Command phase, spend that on one ka’tah when its trigger comes up, then after that is used, they’re no longer readied. Which is pretty in line with how many options GW is giving every army in Warhammer 40k 11th Edition so far…
ARTICLE SUMMARY
- Six ka’tahs replace the old two, and most of them work outside the Fight phase: Conservai, Calistus and Salvus cover actions, movement and shooting, while Dacatarai, Kaptaris and Rendax stay in combat.
- Aegis of the Emperor comes back as a mortal-wound Feel No Pain, not an invuln: it’s a 5+ against mortals now, and Aquila Commander hands out an extra CP every battle round on several Characters.
- Sisters of Silence turn into a walking anti-psyker bubble for the whole army: they get Feel No Pain 3+ against psychic attacks and give nearby Custodes a 5+ inside 6″.
New Adeptus Custodes Codex Price & Release Date
Updated September 26th, 2026, by Rob Baer with the latest news on the Adeptus Custodes codex for 11th Edition.
- Adeptus Custodes Codex Release Date: October 2026
- Pre-Order Date: October 3rd, 2026 (estimated)
- Retail Price (MSRP/RRP): $40(USD). Regional pricing is listed below.
Custodes Units Going to Legends
The new Adeptus Custodes codex shakes up the roster, but most existing armies are coming through intact. Games Workshop is, however, pulling several Horus Heresy and Imperial Armour units into the main 40k codex, including Aquilon Terminators, Venatari, the Telemon, Galatus and Achillus Dreadnoughts, Gyrfalcon Jetbikes, and the Custodes grav vehicles. But not everything stays, as seven units get axed to Legends.
Staying in the codex:
- Trajann Valoris
- Shield-Captain
- Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armor
- Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike
- Blade Champion
- Custodian Wardens
- Allarus Custodians
- Vertus Praetors
- Knight-Centura
- Prosecutor Squad
- Vigilator Squad
- Witchseeker Squad
- Anathema Psykana Rhino
Moving to Warhammer Legends:
- Aleya
- Valerian
- Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought
- Venerable Land Raider
- Custodian Guard Sodality with Adrasite Spears
- Custodian Guard Sodality with Pyrithite Spears
- Sagittarum Custodian Sodality
The Ares Gunship and Orion Assault Dropship are staying matched-play legal through digital datasheets, so they’re not joining the Legends pile.
Ka’tahs Stopped Being a Fight-Phase Coin Flip
This probably changes how Custodes actually feel on the table more than any of those statline bumps did last week. In 11th edition, every unit starts your turn readied; you choose one ka’tah when its WHEN window opens, and once you spend it, that unit is done until a Character ability or stratagem readies it again. So instead of waiting for the fight phase and flipping a stance, you’ve got to think about that pick before the turn gets away from you.
And three of the six aren’t even about combat, which is pretty different for Custodes:
- Conservai (Command phase): until the end of the turn, being engaged or battle-shocked doesn’t stop the unit from starting an action, and starting an action doesn’t stop it from shooting.
- Calistus (Movement phase): when a readied unit makes a normal, advance or fall-back move, it can move through every type of model.
- Salvus (Shooting phase): the unit ignores modifiers to its BS, hit rolls and wound rolls.
If you play with standard missions, Conservai is probably the one you’ll notice first. Getting tied up in combat or battle-shocked used to mean waving goodbye to a mission action. Now a Guard squad stuck on an objective can still score it and keep shooting while it does. Salvus isn’t as flashy, but if you’ve got a unit parked somewhere awkward just to hold a marker, ignoring those penalties is pretty handy.
Custodes still want to get stuck in, though, and the other three ka’tahs are built for exactly that:
- Dacatarai (start of the Fight phase): melee attacks against anything that isn’t a MONSTER or VEHICLE can re-roll hit rolls of 1.
- Kaptaris (start of the Fight phase): melee attacks that target your unit get -1 to hit.
- Rendax (when the unit is selected to fight): the unit’s melee attacks get [LETHAL HITS: MONSTER/VEHICLE].
Dacatarai handles infantry and ignores the big stuff, while Rendax helps get through tanks and monsters, so you’re actually looking at the target before choosing. Kaptaris is the one you reach for when you know your opponent is about to swing back, and -1 to hit on T7 (and higher) bodies is going to be rough for a lot of melee lists. Stick that on a big Terminator brick, with T8, and charging into them doesn’t sound like much fun.
Aegis Is Back, and it Looks Nothing Like the Old One
Aegis is back, but yeah, it’s not doing what it used to. Aegis of the Emperor used to give Custodians their invulnerable save. Now it’s a flat Feel No Pain 5+ against mortal wounds on friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES units that have it.
Mortal wounds are exactly the kind of thing your nice armor save, or toughness, don’t help with, and this gives you some much-needed protection.
The new Aquila Commander on several Character units also gives you an extra Command Point at the start of every battle round, and since this army can spend stratagems to get its ka’tahs back, that extra CP probably isn’t sitting around for long.
And that rolls right into the detachments. Six of the book’s 13 detachments have a Favored Ka’tah that adds a bonus when you use that specific ability. Emperor’s Chosen, for example, makes Rendax deal mortal wounds to an engaged MONSTER or VEHICLE.
Now the Sisters of Silence Pull Their Weight Again
Now this is the kind of rule that makes you look at Sisters as more than just cheap action units. Daughters of the Abyss give ANATHEMA PSYKANA units Feel No Pain 3+ against psychic attacks, while their Psychic Null aura gives friendly ADEPTUS CUSTODES units within 6″ a 5+ against the same thing.
The Nulls have spent plenty of editions feeling like a flavor pick you brought because you liked the models and wanted cheap units to do actions. This 6″ bubble helping your Custodians shrug off psychic attacks might be a reason to bring them for something else.
New Custodes Datasheets Push Durability Through the Roof
The first new Adeptus Custodes datasheets are here, and GW is making every golden body on the table count for a lot more; sadly, though, it looks like the Misericordia rule isnt in 11th edition anymore.
Custodian Guard Hit T7 and Five Wounds
Custodian Guard now sit at T7 with five Wounds each. Sodality squads can also reach OC 4 per model with a Vexilia, meaning three Custodes can bring 12 OC while forcing your opponent to chew through 15 T7 wounds.
The tradeoff is squad size, with Guard capped at just three models before Leaders.
Trajann Keeps the Hits Coming
Trajann Valoris still looks built to ruin somebody’s centerpiece model. The Watcher’s Axe brings serious melee damage, the Moment Shackle piles on extra attacks, and nearby Custodes can re-roll hit rolls of 1.
For an army mostly hitting on 2+, that’s about as close to autopilot as dice ever get.
The Telemon Is Built Like a Truck
The Telemon Heavy Dreadnought moves up to T11 and 14 Wounds, with weapons covering hordes, elite infantry, vehicles, and monsters. Take two Caestus fists and they gain Twin-Linked, giving the big golden brick legitimate game into Knights and other heavy targets.
Aquilon Terminators are getting tougher too, landing at T8 with six Wounds each. To see all the datasheets revealed, check out our breakdown here.
Final Thoughts on the Adeptus Custodes Codex
The more you look at this book, the more it feels like everything runs through the ka’tahs. Once we see which detachments get which Favored Ka’tah, we’ll have a much better idea whether Custodes split into combat builds and objective builds, or whether everybody just grabs Rendax and points the golden guys at the biggest thing on the table.
WarCom says pre-orders for the codex and the new Custodes kits are coming “very soon,” so the detachment reveal next week is the last rules look before you have to decide how much gold you’re going to add to your shopping cart.
Where To Buy The New Adeptus Custodes Codex
11th Edition Adeptus Custodes Codex: $40 (USA), $50 (Canada), £25 (UK), €32.50 (EU), ¥5,900 (Japan), ₩55,000 (Korea), $68 (Australia), $83 (New Zealand)
Prices change by region and edition, so we’ve got the full lineup broken out in our 11th Edition Adeptus Custodes pre-order coverage.
If you’re trying to save a few bucks or just find the thing before it sells out, our retailer guide has options broken out by region below.
🔗 Related Reads:
- New Custodes Datasheets Make Custodian Guard T7 With 5 Wounds
- New Custodes 11th Edition Detachments Hand Telemons 36 Shots and Drop Allarus on Turn 1
- Aquilon Terminators Hit T8 W6 in the New Custodes Codex
- Custodes Rumors Turn Terminators Into T10 Walking Tanks
- Warhammer Big Autumn Preview 2026: Every New Reveal From GW Analyzed
- Warhammer 40k 11th Edition Rules: Release Date, Detachments + Every Change
Which ka’tah do you think your Custodes will lean on most in the new Adeptus Custodes codex?
