GW revealed their latest Warhammer new releases featuring Horus Heresy Legio Custodes and Black Library titles, hitting pre-order this week!
Games Workshop revealed its latest pre-orders this week for Warhammer Horus Heresy, featuring the new Shield Captain, Custodes, Dreadnought, Grav-tanks, and a selection of Black Library books.
Here’s the full lineup, along with our thoughts on all the new products.
New Warhammer Horus Heresy Pre-Order Releases
These products will be available for pre-order on Saturday, April 11th, around 1 p.m. EST in the States, with a shelf release date of Saturday, April 25th, 2026.
If you’re still waiting on something else to hit pre-order, though, be sure to check out the latest new release lineup in our updated Warhammer Roadmap for 2025.
Shield Captain
The new Shield Captain looks like one of the cleanest centerpieces in the preview. Armed with an eternity blade and praesidium shield, the miniature can also represent a Tribune on the tabletop, which gives it some welcome flexibility.
That kind of dual-purpose build is always a win. It gives players options without forcing them into a one-use purchase, and it helps hobbyists justify spending more time on a character model that can lead to different list builds.
Hobby quick tip for Custodes characters
When painting a Shield Captain, keep the gold armor consistent with the rest of your force, then use the cloak, plume, shield face, and weapon glow to set him apart. That keeps the model looking elite without drifting away from the rest of the army.
Custodian Guard Sodality
The Custodian Guard Sodality is probably going to be one of the most important kits in the release. These are the standard-bearers of the army in every sense. Guardian spears, ornate armor, and a vexilla option give this box a lot of value for players trying to build the core of a force.
Six Custodian Guards in one kit are already useful, but the real hobby strength lies in the customization. With a pile of helmeted and unhelmeted heads, you can break up the repetition that sometimes shows up in elite armies with low model counts.
That matters a lot for Custodes. In horde armies, repeated poses get lost in the crowd. In a Custodes army, every model stands out. More head swaps and visual variation help the army feel more like a noble host and less like six copies off the same assembly line.
Sentinel Guard Sodality
If the Custodian Guard are the classic spear line, the Sentinel Guard Sodality is the shield wall version of that fantasy.
These warriors trade guardian spears for sentinel warblades and heavy praesidium shields, leaning into the image of stubborn, elite defenders who simply refuse to move. On the tabletop, that look alone is going to sell plenty of boxes. Massive shields and ornate armor always play well with Custodes collectors.
The interchangeable plumes and unique shields are doing a lot of work here too. That kind of kit design gives painters room to add personality without losing the unit’s unified look.
Hobby quick tip for shield-heavy infantry
Large shields are a gift for painters. They give you a natural place to add weathering, freehand details, or small color accents. Even a simple gem effect or edge highlight pass can make the whole squad look more premium.
Venatari Sodality
The Venatari Sodality may end up being one of the most exciting kits in the whole preview. Winged Custodes have always had style, and this box doubles down on that with six miniatures that can be run as one large unit or split into two squads of three.
You also get meaningful weapon choices. Players can build for ranged combat with kinetic destroyers and tarsus bucklers or go into melee with verutum lances. That gives the kit some real utility beyond just looking cool on the shelf.
Then there is the neutronium cascade mine, which sounds exactly like the kind of terrifying anti-vehicle tool that makes opponents start measuring very carefully.
From a hobby perspective, this kit has a lot going for it. Alternate wing designs, shoulder pads, and head options should help each squad feel distinct, and anything with wings gives painters room to break up an otherwise all-gold army.
Hobby quick tip for flying Custodes
Use subtle color transitions on wings to create visual separation from the armor. You do not need to go wild. Even a slightly different metallic tone, ivory feathering effect, or controlled wash pattern can make the unit pop.
Custodian Dreadnought
No Custodes release would feel complete without something brutal and expensive-looking stomping across the battlefield, and the Custodian Dreadnought does that job nicely.
This kit builds two variants:
- Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought
- Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought
The Achillus comes with a spear and multiple weapon options mounted on the arms, including a lastrum storm bolter, infernus incinerator, or Adrathic combi-destructor. It sounds aggressive, flexible, and very much in line with the Legio Custodes aesthetic of elegant overkill.
The Galatus goes in a slightly different direction with a sword-focused loadout. If the Achillus is the hunter, the Galatus feels more like the bodyguard, ready to carve its way through anything that gets too close.
Both variants are described as highly poseable with multiple cosmetic options, which is exactly what you want from a premium dreadnought kit. Poseability matters more than people think. It is often the difference between a model that looks static and one that feels like it belongs in the middle of a battlefield.
Coronus Grav-carrier
The Coronus Grav-carrier fills a very important niche in the preview. Custodes infantry might be durable, but they still need a way to get where they are going, especially if you are talking about a compact elite force that cannot afford to waste turns plodding forward.
This transport can carry a full six-model sodality plus an attached officer, which makes it feel purpose-built for the range being previewed right beside it. That kind of transport capacity is a nice thematic touch. It feels tailored, not generic.
Its weapon options also make it more than just a taxi. With a twin Arachnus blaze cannon and a choice between a twin lastrum bolt cannon or twin neutronium cascade projector, the Coronus sounds ready to contribute meaningful fire support while it moves your infantry into position.
Caladius Grav-tank
The standard Caladius Grav-tank gets a turret-mounted twin Iliastus accelerator cannon and a choice of hull weapon options. This makes it the more general-purpose fire support choice, ideal for smashing lighter targets and keeping pressure on enemy transports and infantry.
The description really sells the speed and lethality of the chassis. It is not just a tank, it is a fast-moving execution platform, which is exactly the sort of over-engineered nonsense Custodes should be fielding.
Caladius Annihilator Grav-tank
The Caladius Annihilator Grav-tank swaps the turret weapon for a twin Arachnus blaze carronade, which immediately pushes it into dedicated tank-hunting territory. Concentrated fire for punching through armor, burst fire for chewing up power armor, and the same front hull weapon options as the standard Caladius give it a strong role distinction.
This is good design language for the range. The base chassis stays recognizable, but the battlefield identity changes in a way that hobbyists and players can understand at a glance.
Hobby quick tip for Custodes grav-tanks
Large flat panels can get boring fast if you only spray gold and call it done. Break things up with controlled panel shading, clean edge highlights, and a little heat staining on weapon barrels. It keeps the vehicles looking rich rather than flat.
Liber Custodes stays central for rules support
Games Workshop made it clear that rules for all these miniatures can be found in Liber Custodes: The Forces of the Emperor Army Book.
That is an important detail because it tells players this release is not just a random visual refresh. It sits within an established rules framework, which makes it easier for existing Horus Heresy players to slot these units into planned projects.
It also quietly reinforces that this preview is about building out a coherent Legio Custodes force, not just dropping one or two flashy kits and moving on.
Also, don’t forget, Games Workshop said there are 40k rules for these models coming soon, too.
New Black Library Pre-Order Releases
The latest Black Library pre-order titles are here; they’re hotter than a Salamander’s forge! So if you’re into far-future battles, mysterious quests, or tales of heroism, there’s probably something here for you.
Zardu Layak: The Crimson Apostle
Not everything in the preview is golden and loyal. Black Library is also pushing Zardu Layak: The Crimson Apostle by Rich McCormick.
The setup is pure Word Bearers material. Zardu Layak heads to Helwain in search of the legendary Anakatis blades, guided by visions from Lorgar and haunted by the question of whether truth itself can be trusted. That sounds like exactly the right kind of grim, self-destructive pilgrimage for a character like Layak.
Zardu Layak: The Crimson Apostle (Collector’s Edition)
The release formats are broad, too, with regular hardback, eBook, mp3 audiobook, and a signed Special Edition featuring gold foil details and a ribbon marker. For collectors, that premium edition will probably be the version to watch.
Legio Custodes Sunday Preview FAQs
What new Legio Custodes models were previewed?
Games Workshop previewed a Shield Captain, Custodian Guard Sodality, Sentinel Guard Sodality, Venatari Sodality, Custodian Dreadnought, Coronus Grav-carrier, Caladius Grav-tank, and Caladius Annihilator Grav-tank.
Are the new Custodes kits for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy?
Yes, the preview points to Liber Custodes: The Forces of the Emperor Army Book for rules, which places these squarely in the Horus Heresy range, but there are 40k rules on the way at some point as well for these new models.
Can the Shield Captain kit build different characters?
Yes. The miniature can represent either a Shield Captain or a Tribune, which adds some nice flexibility for collectors and players.
How many models are in the Custodian Guard and Sentinel Guard kits?
Both the Custodian Guard Sodality and Sentinel Guard Sodality build six miniatures.
How many models come in the Venatari kit?
The Venatari Sodality builds six miniatures, which can be fielded as one larger unit or split into two units of three.
What are the Custodian Dreadnought build options?
The kit builds either the Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought or the Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought.
What is the difference between the Caladius Grav-tank and Caladius Annihilator?
The standard Caladius uses a twin Iliastus accelerator cannon, while the Annihilator variant swaps that for a twin Arachnus blaze carronade geared more toward cracking armor and elite targets.
Is there anything in the new Sunday preview besides Custodes?
Yes. Black Library also previewed Zardu Layak: The Crimson Apostle, a new novel focused on the Word Bearers character Zardu Layak.
Final Thoughts on the Legio Custodes Pre-Orders
So, that is the menu this week: a whole lot of shiny Legio Custodes muscle, sleek grav armor, one mean-looking dreadnought kit, and a Black Library release for anyone who likes their Heresy fiction soaked in Word Bearers nonsense.
The Custodes side feels like a pretty complete push, with characters, line troops, shield walls, jump infantry, transports, and tanks all showing up at once. For hobbyists, there is plenty here to keep anyone busy, and for players it looks like GW is giving the golden host a proper spread of tools instead of tossing out one flashy kit and calling it a day. And for painters, this is a great opportunity to practice that warm gold recipe before pre-orders hit.
Overall, this week’s pre-orders look pretty loaded if Horus Heresy is your thing (or you want some 40k conversions!).
Legio Custodes Battle Group Box Review
What do you think of the new Warhammer Horus Heresy Adeptus Custodes that are coming to pre-order this week?
