Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate: September 2026 Changes + PDF

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40k Balance Dataslate guide for September 2026 is here! See what changed, the biggest buffs/nerfs by faction index, and the official PDF downloads.

Want the quick version of the latest 40k Balance Dataslate changes? Head straight to the Quick Reference for the official download, version notes, and a fast TL; DR. We also have a full breakdown of all the winners, losers, and mixed bags for all the factions.

Be sure to read all the latest changes to the Warhammer 40k Missions in the Event Companion and all the Munitorum Field Manual points updates in our coverage articles as well.

Latest Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate Update 

Updated on September 30th, 2026, by Rob Baer with the latest Balance Dataslate changes from Games Workshop.

September 2026 40k Balance Update: What Changed

• Points move, Space Marines get tons of updates: the September 2026 40k balance update is a points pass for most armies, delivered through a new Munitorum Field Manual. But the Space Marines (of all varieties, including Chaos) got huge changes with buffs to toughness and strength across the board. 
• Factions Affected: GW gave price adjustments to 28 armies, so pretty much everything in the game got changed. Space Marines almost all went up, while some factions like Aeldari only got Buffs. 
• Cadence: GW says this is the first dataslate going back to the regular quarterly updates. 

40k Balance Dataslate PDF Download & Quick Reference

Biggest Balance Dataslate Changes TL;DR

• This update is anything but surgical: GW just handed out a sweeping durability and weapon-strength overhaul, with Chaos Space Marines, Grey Knights, Thousand Sons, Emperor’s Children, Death Guard, Custodes, and World Eaters all getting tougher bodies or harder-hitting basic weapons. Several factions only received keyword cleanup, while Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Space Wolves are waiting for separate faction packs alongside next week’s Space Marine codex.
• Chaos Space Marines are the biggest winners: Legionaries, Chosen, Raptors, Warp Talons, and most power-armored Characters jump to T5, while Terminators, Bikers, Abaddon, and Huron reach T6. Havocs also climb to three wounds, and a broad spread of ranged and melee weapons gets stronger.
• World Eaters get a major offensive boost: Relentless Rage now grants every World Eaters unit +1 Attack in melee, Berzerkers gain +1 Strength when they charge, and the army’s core infantry receives tougher statlines and upgraded weapons.
• Grey Knights finally look properly elite: Power-armored units move to T5, Terminators and Paladins reach T6, and Dreadknights hit T9. Their storm bolters and other common weapons also pick up improved Strength and AP.
• Thousand Sons get better infantry and stronger Stratagems: Rubric Marines move to T5, Scarab Occult Terminators reach T6, inferno weapons improve, and Rubricae Phalanx gets a cheaper Infernal Fusillade alongside a stronger defensive option.
• Emperor’s Children become much harder to trade into: Infractors and Tormentors reach T5, Terminators hit T6, and Noise Marines gain a third wound. Slaanesh’s Chosen also gets a reactive surge move, although the Heldrake drops to OC 0.
• Custodes and Death Guard receive straightforward weapon buffs: Custodes bolt weapons, and the ranged profiles on their signature melee weapons reach S5, while Plague Marines gain S5 AP-1 guns and knives.
• Chaos Daemons get a genuine tradeoff: Legion of Excess gains a strong defensive Stratagem for Slaanesh infantry, but Cavalcade of Chaos now pays 2CP for From Beyond the Veil.
• Several factions only receive keyword housekeeping: Adepta Sororitas, Adeptus Mechanicus, Astra Militarum, and Necrons get FRAME or OFFICER adjustments without meaningful rules changes.
• Three Space Marine factions are still waiting: Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Space Wolves receive separate faction packs next week when the new Space Marine codex arrives.

Changes Index: 40k Balance Dataslate v1.3 Legal for matched play from 30th September 2026

Warhammer 40k Event Layouts Changed in August

In the August 2026 Warhammer 40k Event Companion update, almost every terrain layout in the pack changes, so tournament organizers aren’t dealing with a handful of minor map tweaks this time.

Games Workshop also recommends cycling layouts in order through A, B, and C, repeating that sequence for however many rounds are being played. A five-round event would use A, B, C, A, B, while a six-round event simply runs the full sequence twice.

Two Chapter Approved questions were cleaned up as well. Plunder’s “not within your territory” requirement applies to the terrain area, while a destroyed Beacon unit can’t be replaced. If that happens, you might as well discard it for the CP.

Check out our full look at the updated Warhammer 40k Event Companion for all the major changes

Latest Universal Rules Changes

Also in the August 2026 points and faction changes, GW released a separate Universal Rules Updates document with the overall changes. There’s one big change to the Universal Rules this time, and it cleans up exactly what kind of move a unit makes when special rules let it disembark after its Transport has already moved.

GW has now split those situations into two specific move types, depending on whether the Transport made a Normal Move or Advanced. Here’s what changed:

• Charging after a Transport moves now uses an Assault Disembark Move: If a rule lets a unit disembark from a Transport that made a Normal Move and still remain eligible to declare a charge, that unit now makes an Assault Disembark Move instead of a regular Disembark Move.
• Disembarking after a Transport Advances now uses a Shock Disembark Move: If a rule lets a unit disembark from a Transport after that Transport made an Advance Move, the unit now makes a Shock Disembark Move instead of a regular Disembark Move.

Finally, GW released the latest 11th Edition Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate in September 2026, along with updated point changes to the Munitorum Field Manual. 

Keep reading for the latest shifts in the 40k meta, and don’t forget to grab the full download of every faction’s new 40k dataslate rules change right here.

This guide breaks down the newest 40k rules updates for 11th Edition so you can see what got buffed, what took a hit, and how it all stacks up at the table, until the next balance dataslate drops, that is.

Big Winners From the Warhammer Dataslate: 40k Universal Rules Update

The latest Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate is here, and as always, it will shake things up across the competitive and casual meta.

This pass feels more like nudges and corrections than a full-on reset, which is often the healthiest kind of update. It still changes army list points, mission planning, and what you can get away with in-game, but it does it without nuking every archetype.

It’s also worth noting that GW published some changes in each of the new Faction Packs, and not a big FAQ document.  So if you just want the fast hit list, the Change Index up top is perfect for a quick scan, while the sections below are the “why this matters” version.

40k Balance Dataslate Winners: Imperial Factions

Adepta Sororitas

• What changed: No rules changes this pass. The only update is the FRAME keyword added to the Legends Battle Sanctum and Repressor.
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Adepta Sororitas Faction Pack v1.3 p1

Adeptus Custodes

• What changed: Custodes bolt weapons go to S5 AP-1, covering boltguns, storm bolters, combi-bolters, master-crafted boltguns and the Vertus hurricane bolter. The ranged profiles on Guardian Spears, Sentinel Blades, Castellan Axes and Valerian’s Gnosis also go to S5.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Adeptus Custodes Faction Pack v1.2 p35

The shooting half of every spear and blade in the army now hits hard enough to matter on the way into combat. It will not turn Custodes into a gunline, but the chip damage before the charge lands does real work now. Guard and Warden bricks trade a little better on every turn they are not yet in melee.

Adeptus Mechanicus

• What changed: No rules changes this pass. The only update is the FRAME keyword added to the Legends Terrax Pattern Termite.
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Adeptus Mechanicus Faction Pack v1.3 p1

Astra Militarum

• What changed: No rules changes this pass. The only updates are keyword changes: OFFICER added to Commissar Graves on Foot, FRAME added to the Centaur RSV, Commissar Graves and Hippogriff AFV, and FRAME removed from the Legends Sentinel Powerlifter.
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Astra Militarum Faction Pack v1.3 p1

Black Templars

• What changed: No changes, other than the standard vanilla Marine changes
• Verdict: Buff

Blood Angels

Blood Angels get a separate faction pack next week when the Space Marine codex drops.

Adeptus Titanicus 

• What changed: Nothing
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Adeptus Titanicus Faction Pack v1.1 p1

Dark Angels

Dark Angels get a separate faction pack next week when the Space Marine codex drops.

Grey Knights

• What changed: Terminators, Paladins, and the Terminator armor characters go to T6; Strike, Purifier, and Purgation Squads, Inceptors, Crowe, the Champion, and the Techmarine go to T5; and both Dreadknights go to T9. Storm bolters, combi-weapons, and hurricane bolters go to S5 AP-1, and power armor close combat weapons go to S5.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Grey Knights Faction Pack v1.2 p9

Grey Knights have always paid elite prices for bodies that fell over too easily, and this goes a long way toward fixing that. T9 Dreadknights now shrug off a lot of mid-strength anti-tank fire, and storm bolters at AP-1 do real work at range. It’s a stronger all-round army without changing how it plays.

Imperial Agents

• What changed: The Grey Knights Terminator Squad goes to T6, and storm bolters on the Terminators and the Imperial Rhino go to S5 AP-1.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Imperial Agents Faction Pack v1.2 p10

It’s a small touch that brings the Agents’ Grey Knights allies in line with the main faction’s upgrade. If you were already bringing a Terminator squad, it just got harder to shift.

Imperial Knights

• What changed: Nothing changed.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Imperial Knights Faction Pack v1.2 p27

Space Marines

Just got a new codex, so the changes to their toughness, datasheets, and everything else are in the new book, not the dataslate. 

Space Wolves

Space Wolves get a separate faction pack next week when the Space Marine codex drops.

Chaos Factions: 40k Balance Dataslate Winners

Chaos Knights

• What changed: No changes.
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Chaos Knights Faction Pack v1.2 p25

Chaos Space Marines

• What changed: The big one. Legionaries, Chosen, Raptors, Warp Talons, and most power armor characters go to T5, while Terminators, Bikers, Abaddon, and Huron go to T6, and Havocs go to W3. Bolt pistols, boltguns, combi-bolters and combi-weapons go to S5 AP-1, chainswords and close combat weapons go to S5, and Possessed mutations go to S6.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Chaos Space Marines Faction Pack v1.3 p38

This is the biggest upgrade in the whole drop. T5 Legionaries and T6 Terminators shrug off a lot of the anti-infantry fire that used to melt them, and the basic guns now punch through armour. Lists built around daemon engines and cultist screens should take a second look at the power armour.

Death Guard

• What changed: Plague Marine guns and knives get the Astartes upgrade, with bolt pistols, boltguns, combi-bolters, combi-weapons and plague knives all going to S5 AP-1. Close combat weapons on Blightlord Terminators, the Foul Blightspawn, and the Tallyman go to S5.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Death Guard Faction Pack v1.3 p7

Plague Marines have always been about grinding, and now the grind hits back harder. S5 AP-1 on the basic guns and knives means the chaff screens that used to soak their attacks go down faster. It’s a quiet upgrade to the core of the army rather than a new trick.

Emperor’s Children

• What changed: Terminators, Lucius, and the Lord Kakophanist go to T6; Infractors, Tormentors, the Lord Exultant, and the Sorcerer go to T5; and Noise Marines go to W3, with bolt weapons at S5 AP-1 and melee weapons at S5. Slaanesh’s Chosen gets a new Vengeful Surge, a D6″ surge move when an enemy shoots one of your Characters. The small nerf is the Heldrake dropping to OC 0.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Emperor’s Children Faction Pack v1.3 p9

The tougher statlines make Infractors and Tormentors much harder to trade off cheaply, and W3 Noise Marines finally stick around long enough to fire twice. Vengeful Surge makes shooting your Characters a risk, because they can move closer after you’ve shot them. The Heldrake losing its objective control barely matters next to the rest.

Thousand Sons

• What changed: Rubric Marines, Ahriman, and the Sorcerer characters go to T5, Scarab Occult Terminators and Terminator Sorcerers go to T6, and all inferno bolt weapons go to S5, with inferno bolt pistols also moving to AP-2. Rubricae Phalanx gets Infernal Fusillade cut to 1CP (and it now sets inferno weapons to S5), plus a reworked Unwavering Phalanx that gives -1 to be wounded by attacks with a Strength higher than the unit’s Toughness.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: Thousand Sons Faction Pack v1.3 p9

T5 Rubrics with S5 inferno fire are a real step up for the army’s core infantry, and Rubricae Phalanx is the big winner here. A cheaper Fusillade and a better defensive Stratagem make a slow Rubric wall far more playable. Expect to see a lot more foot Sons across the table.

World Eaters

• What changed: Relentless Rage now gives every World Eaters unit +1 A in melee, and Berzerkers gain Murderous Charge for +1 S when they charge. Berzerkers, Khârn, and the Master of Executions go to T5, Terminators go to T6, bolt weapons go to S5 AP-1, chainblades go to S5, and Angron’s aura now re-rolls hit and wound rolls of 1.
• Verdict: Buff
• Official ref: World Eaters Faction Pack v1.3 p7

An extra attack on every unit in Berzerker Warband is a huge upgrade by itself, and stacking it with S5 charges makes Berzerkers scary again. The T5 bump means they actually get across the table. Expect World Eaters to jump up the tier lists quickly.

40k Balance Dataslate Winners: Xenos Factions

Drukhari

• What changed: Nothing
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Drukhari Faction Pack v1.2 

Genestealer Cults

• What changed: Nothing
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Genestealer Cults Faction Pack v1.1 

Leagues of Votann 

• What changed: Nothing
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Votann Faction Pack v1.1 p11

Orks 

• What changed: Nothing
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Orks Faction Pack v1.2 

Aeldari

• What changed: Nothing 
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Aeldari Faction Pack v1.3 

Necrons 

• What changed: Nothing
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Necrons Faction Pack v1.2 

Tau Empire 

• What changed: Nothing
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: T’au Empire Faction Pack v1.2 

Tyranids 

• What changed: Nothing
• Verdict: Win
• Official ref: Tyranids Faction Pack v1.2 

 The Losers From 40k’s Balance Dataslate

This time, there were no outright NERFS to armies. 

Balance Dataslate 40k’s Mixed Bag

Chaos Daemons 

• What changed: Legion of Excess swaps Thieves of Pain for Rapturous Agony, a 1CP Stratagem that gives a non-Monster, non-Vehicle Slaanesh unit -1 to be wounded by attacks with a Strength higher than its Toughness. The nerf is on Cavalcade of Chaos, where From Beyond the Veil goes up to 2CP.
• Verdict: Mixed
• Official ref: Chaos Daemons Faction Pack v1.2 p1

Rapturous Agony gives Slaanesh infantry a real answer to the big guns that used to delete them, and it’s a big defensive upgrade for Excess lists. Cavalcade players will feel the extra CP on their reserves trick every game, so expect fewer cavalry drops from the Warp.

FAQ: 40k Balance Dataslate

What is the 40k balance dataslate?

It’s Games Workshop’s official “live update” document that adjusts rules interactions and clarifies how things are meant to work in 11th Edition 40k, alongside points updates in the Munitorum Field Manual. People search for it as the balance dataslate, the Warhammer dataslate, or just the 40k balance update; it is literally the same document.

Where do I download the Warhammer 40k balance dataslate?

The official download is hosted on Warhammer Community. The current download link is included at the top of the Quick Reference section.

Does the balance dataslate change points?

The dataslate focuses on rules updates, while points changes are handled in the Munitorum Field Manual.

When is the next 40k balance dataslate expected?

The August 2026 balance update landed on August 26th, 2026. Games Workshop has said September’s update will be the last of the monthly balance passes, after which 40k goes back to quarterly releases, so expect one more monthly pass in September, then a quarterly cadence.

How should I use these updates in casual games?

If your group wants smoother games and fewer rules arguments, using the current dataslate and points is usually the easiest path. If you prefer “printed book only,” just agree on it before the dice hit the table.

Do all factions get changes every dataslate?

Nope. Not every faction gets touched every time, and honestly, “no change” can be the best change. If your faction shows up in the dataslate but there’s nothing meaningful adjusted, that’s basically GW saying “we looked at you, and you’re not the problem right now.” If your faction isn’t listed at all, it usually means there were no amendments worth publishing for it in that pass.

How do I tell what text changed?

In the official PDF, GW makes it pretty easy to spot edits. New or revised wording is shown in red text, and highlights are used to flag earlier revisions inside the document. So if you want the exact “what changed since last time” answer, skip the vibes, open the PDF, and follow the red like it’s a trail of hobby glue on your desk.

Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate: Final Thoughts From Us

Overall, the 40k Balance Dataslate keeps shaking things up, and this round proves no army is safe from a good old-fashioned points increase. Some factions are cashing in on discounts, others are footing the bill, and everyone has new tech to test. 

So, if you’re already wondering “When is the next 40k balance dataslate?”, the September 2026 balance update has already landed, and GW has confirmed this means we’re back to quarterly updates, and not every month. 

If you missed it up top, version notes and the official download link are in our Quick Reference. But for now, grab the new 40k universal rules updates, rebuild your army, and run some practice games until everything starts sounding familiar again.

🔗 Related Reads:

• Download the latest Balance Dataslate here
• Latest Munitorum Field Manual 40k Points Update
• 40k Chapter Approved Missions & Tournament Companion Guide

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