The Drukhari codex has leaked, and it’s already shaking up Warhammer 40k with new Power from Pain rules, detachments, and missing Finecast units.
The Drukhari codex for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition has slipped out early through the webway, and it’s packed with both exciting changes and a few eyebrow-raisers. The big headline? Power from Pain has been reworked so that every single unit has its own way to burn Pain tokens for buffs.
It’s flavorful, thematic, and could very well be a bookkeeping nightmare once the dice are flying. We’ll have the full how-to-play article soon, but for now, here’s our initial take on the book.
Power from Pain: New Tricks, Same Agony
Pain tokens are the fuel for the army. You gain one each Command phase, one when an enemy dies, and one when a Battle-shock test is failed. Spend them to “Empower” a unit, and suddenly Wracks, Wyches, Scourges, and their shadowy leaders unlock unique rules.
Example: Wyches can Advance and Charge when empowered, Wracks can soup up their melee or ranged attacks, and Scourges can drop in or reroll shots. The twist is that leaders drag their bodyguards along for the ride; an Archon or Succubus brings their entourage up to full murder speed with no extra tokens required.
It’s clever, but keeping track of who’s got which buff each phase might make your brain ache.
Detachments: Five Flavors of Mayhem
- Cult of Strife: Combat drugs return, letting you stack up buffs like extra Attacks or Strength. Their tricks lean on speed, melee spikes, and mobility plays.
- Kabalite Cartel: Operates on “Contracts” against certain enemy unit types. Warlords and hired blades cash in on precision shooting or lethal hits when the right targets go down.
- Skysplinter Assault: Rewards aggressive play from transports. Disembark and you gain Ignores Cover or Lance, making Raider-borne charges extra sharp.
- Covenite Coterie: The meat-and-metal brigade. They reduce wound rolls against big guns and have stratagems for resurrection, poison, and extra toughness.
- Realspace Raiders: Mix leaders from each cult, coven, and kabal, and you start with a fat stack of Pain tokens. Flexible and nasty right out of the gate.
Characters in the Spotlight
Lady Malys is finally here with rules that let you redeploy three units before the game begins, tax enemy stratagems, and empower her squad with lethal or sustained hits. A mix of trickery and teeth, she feels like a centerpiece model.
Drazhar is still the blender-in-chief for Incubi, granting wound bonuses and rerolls that make him terrifying in duels. Then there is Lelith Hesperax, who remains a duelist’s dream. She hands out the Fights First ability to Wyches and spikes her own output to 12 attacks with a 3++ once per game.
Going To Legends? Missing and the Doomed
If this leak is the whole codex, there are gaps. Urien Rakarth, Beast packs, Beastmasters, Grotesques, and the Court of the Archon are nowhere to be seen. They’re all Finecast, so this could be the moment Games Workshop shoves them into Legends.
Or maybe, just maybe, they’ll return in the rumored 11th edition range refresh with plastic sculpts. Fingers crossed.
Final Thoughts From Us: Leaked 40k Drukhari Codex Rules
Honestly, the Drukhari codex looks mean, flavorful, and a bit complicated with the new Pain system. Lady Malys makes her long-awaited debut, Scourges are split into two clear roles, and detachments each carry a unique playstyle.
The missing Finecast units leave a hole, but for players who love fast, cruel, and surgical gameplay, the Drukhari are still very much alive and kicking in 10th Edition.
If you want to see all the new Drukhari codex rules, check out the leaks on Imgur.
All the New 40k Drukhari Models So Far
