The new Astra Militarum Detachments from Armageddon: The Return of Yarrick are all about armor, as Grizzled Company just got left behind.
Warhammer Community unveiled the first two detachments for Armageddon: The Return of Yarrick, Armored Infantry, and Steel Hammer. Between them, they hand the Guard motor pool two completely different playstyles, and they make parking a Baneblade or a stack of Chimeras on the table feel like an actual plan instead of a points tax. If the Grizzled Company gave your foot sloggers all the power, this one is the Guard getting the keys to the war machine.
It’s the opening salvo for the Armageddon launch wave, with Ork Detachment rules and pre-orders going live April 25th. If you play Astra Militarum in Warhammer 40k, you’ll want both of these in your back pocket before 11th Edition hits the shelf.
- Armored Infantry folds SQUADRON units into the Order structure: Officers can issue Orders to tank squadrons, and the new On My Signal Order gives ARMOURED SKIRMISHER units a D6″ reactive move.
- Steel Hammer kills the Blast penalty inside Engagement Range: Titanic and Squadron units shoot at point-blank targets without the to-hit penalty, Blast weapons included.
- Baneblades can be Warlords with the CHARACTER keyword: The Assault Hatches Enhancement lets disembarking infantry Charge after a Normal move.
- Combined Fire and Opening Salvo turn Chimera squads into wound machines: Stripping cover and stacking Wound bonuses lets pintle lasguns wound Space Marines on a 3+.
- Engine of Wrath gives Titanic vehicles +6 Attacks and +2 AP in melee: Turning a single fight activation into full-unit-deletion math.
Armored Infantry Hands Guardsmen The Keys To Every Chimera You Own
The Armored Infantry is “the” detachment for players who already own more transports than they know what to do with. The Squadron Command rule folds SQUADRON units into the Voice of Command ability, which means your Officer units can hand out Orders to Leman Russ tanks without needing a Tank Commander or Lord Solar Leontus babysitting the squadron.
Your existing Command Squads just got more job titles, and that’s a meaningful list-building win for anyone who’s been scraping CP together for tank Orders.
- Squadron Command opens Orders to SQUADRON units across the Detachment: OFFICER units can issue Orders to SQUADRON units, and the Detachment adds the On My Signal Order for ARMOURED SKIRMISHER units (any SQUADRON unit smaller than a Leman Russ, minus artillery).
- On My Signal Order gives a D6″ reactive Normal move: Whenever an enemy ends a Normal or Advance move within 9″ of the unit, once per turn.
- Combined Fire Stratagem (1 CP) strips cover and adds Strength: After an ARMOURED SKIRMISHER unit shoots, the target loses Benefit of Cover and every follow-up ARMOURED SKIRMISHER attack gets +2 Strength for the rest of the phase.
- Opening Salvo Stratagem (1 CP) rewards disembarking squads with +1 to Wound: A disembarked ASTRA MILITARUM unit gets +1 to Wound rolls for the rest of the Shooting phase.
Combined Fire is the Stratagem you’ll plan your turns around with this ine. Once a Chimera or Taurox hits a target, every ARMOURED SKIRMISHER shooting into it for the rest of the phase ignores cover at +2 Strength, which means pintle lasguns on the back of a Chimera are wounding Space Marines on a 3+.
Stack Opening Salvo on a disembarked Infantry Squad, and you’ve got a combined-arms firing line that earns its points in a single activation.
Steel Hammer Lets A Baneblade Charge and Crush Entire Units
Now, for the one that lets you put more giant tanks on the table. Steel Hammer is the big-tank Detachment, and yes, you can run a Baneblade as your Warlord.
The Ceaseless Cannonade rule fixes one of the most annoying things about running vehicles: the moment an enemy tagged them in melee, they had a hard time shooting their way out. Not anymore, your Titanic and Squadron units can fire at units in Engagement Range (Blast weapons included) and ignore the to-hit penalty for being in combat, as long as no other friendly unit is stuck on that target.
The rest of the Detachment’s rules are exactly as over-the-top as it sounds, too:
- Ceaseless Cannonade lets Titanic and Squadron units shoot inside Engagement Range: Blast allowed, no to-hit penalty, as long as no other friendly unit is stuck on the target. TITANIC units can also gain the CHARACTER keyword in Muster Armies.
- Assault Hatches Enhancement lets infantry Charge after the transport moves: On a Titanic Character transport, a unit that disembarks after a Normal move can still declare a Charge that turn.
- Engine of Wrath Stratagem (1 CP, Epic Deed) turns a Titanic fight activation into a full unit wipe: A Titanic unit that hasn’t fought yet gets +6 Attacks and +2 AP on its melee weapons, focused on one target in Engagement Range.
The Assault Hatches Enhancement is where the memes live. Stuff two squads of Bullgryns into a Stormlord, barrel it into a gunline, pop the hatches, and charge a chapter master off the table. Engine of Wrath is the follow-up, and the math is ugly: a Titanic unit can clear almost any single infantry unit in the game off the board in one activation.
Nothing in the Astra Militarum range is scarier than a Baneblade, and now with this detachment, it can be your Warlord too!
Final Thoughts on the New Astra Militarum Detachments
Armageddon: The Return of Yarrick is GW’s play to get Guard players building out the motor pool they’ve been avoiding. Transport and super-heavy kits have been gathering dust while foot-slogging lists carried the tournament circuit.
Either way, these two Detachments that reward owning tanks are the ones that reward buying them, and that makes sense in the Armageddon Campaign, honestly.
If you ask us, there is a pretty good chance Chimera and Leman Russ stock will tighten at the retail level around May when this campaign book drops.
🔗 Related Reads:
- Astra Militarum Codex: How To Play Rules Guide
- Grizzled Company Detachment Breakdown
- Baneblade Warhammer 40k Guide
- Leman Russ Tank Loadout Guide
- Armageddon: The Return of Yarrick Coverage
- Warhammer 40k Rules Guide for 11th Edition
