Battle Formations and Traits are a core part of AoS, so it’s good to know how they are changing in 4th Edition and spicing up the game a bit!
GW has promised that 4th Edition will bring many changes to the core rules, battletomes, and modular rules. However, you’ll still need formations and traits to build out your forces. They mainly show off the Stormcast rules for this, but they still give you a good idea of what to expect from all armies!
GW Reveals How Battle Traits & Battle Formations are Changing in 4th Edition AoS!
Here is the latest on the new Aos 4th Edition Battle Traits and Battle Formations from Warhammer Community.
- Formations and traits will still be required.
- Battle Traits are unique to each army and have been tightened up and codified to work with the new ability system.
- Heroic Actions are gone, and you can now target whole units instead.
- Some Battle Trait abilities may be commands with an associated cost.
- Battle Formations work like subfactions. They exemplify how a specific force might conduct battle or represent the specific tactics it employs.
- Each Faction Pack contains four Battle Formations.
There are some interesting changes, but they are probably going to be familiar. Maybe the biggest change is you don’t have to paint your models a certain way for different sub-factions.
Battle Traits are a series of widespread abilities that are unique to your army. Some of these will feel similar to existing army rules, but they’ve all been tightened up and codified to work with the new ability system.
For instance, the Stormcast Eternals have four different Battle Trait abilities that apply to the army as a whole. While heroic actions are gone, many of those ideas live on, and Their Finest Hour continues to power up a Stormcast Eternals unit for a turn at a time.
Like most editions, many of the rules remain similar but with some small changes. Heroic Actions are gone, and you can now affect whole units instead. Once per turn, giving a whole unit +1 to wound and save is no joke.
Scions of the Storm returns as a way to blast your gleaming silver warriors into the thick of battle on bolts of lightning, and it now applies to all Stormcast Eternal armies, rather than needing to pick between this ability and the territory-holding prowess of the Stormkeeps. As a movement phase ability, it’s paired with a deployment ability called The Celestial Realm, allowing you to keep your units in High Azyr before battle.
Both of these are great ways to redeploy your army and get your units where you need them! It’s also super thematic to have a bunch of Stormcast Eternals dropping in from the skies.
Some Battle Trait abilities may be commands with an associated cost, such as Heavens-sent. This powerful once-per-battle ability can return a destroyed unit to the battlefield at half-strength, ready to smash aside the enemies of Sigmar once again.
Most of these are free, but with the possibility of so many Command Points, it makes sense to charge CP, especially when you’re getting half-strength units of Stormcast!
Battle Formations
You will also pick a Battle Formation when constructing your army. These work like subfactions of old, and exemplify the way a specific force might do battle or represent the specific tactics it employs – but they’re no longer tied to a particular colour scheme or location in the world, encouraging players to express their creativity and craft their own creations.
Each Faction Pack – the decks of cards released alongside the new edition – contains four Battle Formations, so you can lean into particular strategies and experiment with new army options from the start.
We love the idea of no color schemes for certain sub-factions. Now, you can paint however you want and take what you want. Plus, with four per army, you should have a decent amount of options.
Take the Thunderhead Host, which prioritises mixing and matching units from the various Chambers with its Synchronised Strikes passive ability, empowering Warrior Chamber units in combat while they are within 12” of a unit from members of a different Chamber.
This is a good formation to take if you have a whole bunch of different units and want them to work well together.
Stormdrake Guard, Dracothian Guard, and other warriors and heroes of the Extremis Chamber often battle within a Lightning Echelon, their Oncoming Storm ability conferring one unit per turn the Strikes-first effect in combat on a roll of 3+. This kind of flexibility extends across the Factions, and we’ll be seeing more of what they can do when we come to the Faction Focuses next month.
Strike-First is super strong, and on a 3+, you have a great chance of getting the effect! Considering you can use it in any Combat Phase, this should make people nervous about charging your big units.
The new ability system will streamline and codify the Battle Traits, while the Battle Formations will encourage players to unleash their creativity and experiment with new army options. These changes to Battle Formations and Battle Traits in the upcoming 4th Edition of Age of Sigmar are exciting and promising.
GW Confirms New AoS Edition, Free Rules & Release Date
What do you think about the rules changes to 4th Edition Age of Sigmar Battle Formations and Traits?
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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!
