Combat is integral to the game (obviously), and while the majority stays the same, there are some big changes for 4th Edition AoS!
GW has promised that 4th Edition will bring many changes to the core rules, battletomes, and modular rules. However, you’ll still need to smash your enemies in combat! There are some major changes to the order of combat, but it shouldn’t be too hard to adjust to in the new edition.
Combat Gets Some Big Changes in 4th Edition AoS!
Here is the latest on how combat works in 4th Edition AoS from Warhammer Community.
- Every miniature now has a combat range in a 3” radius.
- Units still charge into combat and fight, but now also work as abilities with clearly defined declaration and effect steps.
- The order of operations is generally much clearer in this edition.
- Players now alternate all fighting, meaning if you charge two units, you’ll have to pick which one goes first, and then your opponent gets to choose who goes next.
- The process of working out combat will be familiar to players, with a few key changes.
- Damage points are now allocated to the unit as a whole.
- Weapon and warscroll abilities now provide units with specific roles.
With Counter-charge and 3″ range, combat is already changing, but there are bigger changes than this!
Players familiar with the current edition will find the new process very similar: units still charge into combat and fight, but these now also work as abilities with clearly defined declaration and effect steps.
If you’ve played before, this is basically the same, as you still move 2D6 and try to reach your chosen targets.
Combat Abilities
The order of operations is generally much clearer in this edition. There are no more ‘start of phase’ or ‘end of phase’ subphases: in each phase the active player uses any of their abilities in whichever order they want, and then their opponent can do the same, like the Ardboyz’ Shield Bash and the Blood Sisters’ Crystal Touch.
If you have a big unit of Ardboyz, you might be able to get off a few free mortals before fighting. Then, Blood Sisters can force the enemy to strike last, which is going to be a lot more important in this edition, as you’ll see below.
The Combat Phase
The Combat Phase has one significant difference to other phases: after both players have resolved any of their other abilities for this phase, they then take it in turns to activate units to use FIGHT abilities, starting with the active player. Strikes-first and strikes-last effects are still very much in the mix, occurring on either side of the standard fight timings.
Well, here’s the biggest thing in the whole article. Players now alternate all fighting, meaning if you charge two units, you’ll have to pick which one goes first, and then your opponent gets to choose who goes next, which should add a lot of strategy to picking units. That’s why giving an enemy unit fight last will be so important.
A unit can perform a pile-in move as part of the FIGHT ability, allowing models to move up to 3”. Every model in that unit must end the move no further from the target unit than it was before piling in, and must still be in combat with every unit it started the move engaged in combat with.
This allows you to get more models in combat, or if you double-charged and the first unit forced the second unit out of combat, you can just move 3″ in any direction.
Fight Phase
The process of working out combat will be familiar to players, with a few key changes. Unmodified rolls of a 6 are now critical hits, a term that can trigger a range of new effects on attacks, while mortal wounds have been renamed mortal damage.
Overall, rend has been reduced throughout the game, and while you can still positively modify your save profile with All-out Defence, this remains capped at +1. Most factions lack any other tools to further increase a unit’s save profile, so “save stacking” – the process of negating rend by adding extra save – is largely a thing of the past.
They will now have critical hits, rend is reduced, and you can’t stack save buffs.
There’s a slight change to the way damage is allocated. Instead of allocating damage points to a model in a unit, damage points are now allocated to the unit as a whole. When the total of damage points allocated to a unit equals the Health characteristic of that unit, the commanding player removes a model from that unit, but they must stay in coherency.
Now, you have to continue causing damage to one model until it’s dead. No more putting damage randomly.
New Datasheets
With combat range gone, you might have some questions about how a warrior with a hammer is set apart from one with a spear. This has been handled by further differentiating the role of each unit on the battlefield. Weapon and warscroll abilities now provide units with specific roles – take the bristling spear-wall of Stormcast Eternals Vindictors as an example.
They have Anti-charge (Rend +1) as a weapon ability, granting additional Rend when they are charged, while they have the opportunity to strike first if they successfully Hold the Shield Wall.
Getting Strike first on a 4+ should make these a great unit to hold in front and let your opponent charge, and then getting additional rend when they are charged makes them quite strong.
Greater combat range and no battleshock makes seething hordes of Clanrats and Crypt Ghouls more dangerous, but monstrous infantry like Kroxigor love to cut a bloody swathe through these teeming mobs. Their Anti-Infantry (+1 Rend) devastates armour, while the Brutal Blows passive ability can pulverise four bodies in a single swing – and they get four attacks.
They are amazing at cutting through infantry and will not only rend; they will add damage as well!
From the new Counter-charge, to the clearer order of operations, the Combat Phase is sure to be a thrilling experience for players in Age of Sigmar 4th Edition!
GW Confirms New AoS Edition, Free Rules & Release Date
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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!
