In a quick post GW has released a points update for the Reductus Saboteur, let’s check out everything we know about the release so far!
With the Shadow Throne box coming soon, the rules for the factions inside have been coming quite often.
Warhammer Community revealed the points but not much else this time around which is strange for them. So, let’s first look at all the GSC rules we’ve seen then, jump into the points!
9th Edition Genestealer Cults Codex
Offer praise to the Many-armed Emperor, dear child, for he has delivered a tome full of new and updated rules for the Genestealer Cults. Infiltrate a planet’s key institutions and ready your cult for the Day of Ascension with thematic Crusade rules, and ambush your prey with updated units and new abilities.
Of course, it couldn’t just be Custodes getting their update, so Genestealer Cult is also receiving their full 9th Edition codex this year! They were sure to mention a new point system to help prevent Genestealers from using up all of their CP on turn 2 as they are famous for their CP use, and in turn, running out of them quickly.
Rumors: New Genestealer Cult Codex & Rules
Let’s start with the reveal from GW, they said a Xenos and Imperial book are coming in December. Conveniently, this rumor has a Xenos and Imperial army coming in December. Just to note, the artwork is just stock, they’ve used them for every codex reveal, so, unfortunately, you can’t read into them.
Anyways, the timing would line up perfectly with what GW has laid out. This is both good and bad if you play the factions. It means they are getting a book sooner, but it also means they are only grabbing one new mini this time around.
Let’s take a look at the actual rules rumor from Reddit.
There are some decent changes here, most notably, the change to ambush. While it’s a really cool mechanic, over time it sort of makes all your games feel similar. The Saboteur is supposedly the new unit coming along with the Custodes/GSC Battlebox, and DS only 3″ away from something is really nice, but no charging is pretty lame.
Overall, the changes to the deployment side of things just seem like something they needed, so let’s hope that all comes true. Gaining cult creeds would be super strong for everything and adding some strength to Rending Claws would give the army a nice boost.
New Genestealer Cults 40k Rules
There are also some confirmed 40k rules updates for the Genestealer Cults now too!
Thankfully, Acolyte Hybrids get a well-deserved buff to their Toughness in the new codex, offering them greater protection against Strength 4 weapons (boltguns, we’re looking at you) and from the multi-shot Strength 6 guns that are their current nemesis.
Hey, can’t complain about a better statline with extra toughness. Plus, with the Cult icon, they will be more survivable than ever.
This calls upon reinforcements lurking in the shadows to restore them to fighting strength – in the case of Acolyte Hybrids, that’s D3 destroyed models from the unit.
This is pretty sweet and while it might not be broken, over time it can bring back a decent amount of models if you can use it for a few turns.
Genestealer Cults Crossfire 40k Rules
Whenever a unit with the Crossfire keyword shoots and scores at least five hits (or a hit with a Damage characteristic other than 1) their target gains a crossfire marker. Once an enemy unit has a crossfire marker, it becomes especially vulnerable to attack. First, any further Crossfire units shooting at them add 1 to their hit rolls. Then, if the target is Exposed, they’re in for a world of hurt.
How does a target become Exposed? If you draw a line from the attacking unit’s base to another friendly Crossfire model within sight, and that line passes over the targeted unit, that targeted unit is Exposed (like the picture above).
Attackers add 1 to their wound rolls against the Exposed unit, and if the attackers are within 12” of their target, they ignore enemy cover too. Enemies taking cover in Obscuring terrain have some protection, but unsuspecting foes will fall victim to the Cult’s diabolic pincer attacks.
This is a pretty cool rule and basically turns your units into marker lights that also do damage! If you get both the five hits on a unit and have them exposed, you will have all kinds of buffs. So be sure to order your shots correctly so your better units get the bonuses.
Crossfire Stratagems
If that sounds powerful already, you’d be right, and that’s far from all the Genestealer Cults can do with their Crossfire units. Coming under such heavy fire often renders enemies completely unable to defend against an incoming charge and gives their attackers plenty of time to hack away before risking retaliation.
Covering Fire for 1CP is pretty nice to get your units where you want them without the enemy being able to do anything about it. Coordinated Assault is also a great way to get all of your attacks in before the enemy even has a chance.
A Perfect Ambush
You can even upgrade one of your units to be able to use the Crossfire rule as soon as they arrive from Reinforcements, meaning that your enemies are never safe from the Genestealer Cults.
For 15 points this can be insanely strong. While it will only be for one turn, you’ll be getting +1 to hit, adding 1 to your Wound rolls, and ignoring cover!
Reductus Saboteur 40k Rules
Starting with Genestealer Cults we see a weapon that the new Reductus Saboteur will use.
As you might expect for a demolitions specialist, the Reductus Saboteur is equipped with explosives of every description, from blasting and demolition charges to frag grenades. What’s more, before battle is joined, a Reductus Saboteur will saturate the battlefield with remote explosives that they can detonate from afar when the enemy draws near – and they’re especially effective against larger, more cumbersome targets.
This new weapon Remote Explosives looks fantastic. Getting a decent amount of shots with Blast and a triple base-damage modifier against vehicles and monsters built-in, make this thing an absolute powerhouse of damage.
Because the damage bonus is so high, you’ll probably want this character to chip away at vehicles and monsters any time it can, as a damage potential of 18 is pretty dang high for a solo unit with a ranged attack…
As if that wasn’t enough, they can perform a special Plant Explosives action, leaving a booby trap in place for an area denial threat. Should your opponent ignore the danger, they’ll suffer explosive consequences.
This is a unique rule because your opponent can choose to ignore it or avoid it. If they ignore it, you get to control the field and affect your opponent’s decision-making, which is powerful in a competitive scenario. If they ignore it, you get a decent amount of mortal wounds for free!
Even if your opponent attempts to hunt them down, they’ll find that these masters of concealment are all but impossible to pinpoint while in cover thanks to their combination of Cloaked and Clandestine abilities.
Getting another +1 to saves while in cover is pretty big, making them even harder to take down if you place them correctly and thanks to their decent range, it shouldn’t be too hard to do and still be effective. Additionally, not being targetable within 12″ makes abusing its own 24″ range much easier!
It seems like it always gets -1 to hit regardless of being in cover, which could also make this unit an absolute menace to deal with for your opponents to deal with.
GW Releases Points Update for Reductus Saboteur
We’ve even included the points value of the Reductus Saboteur so you can start using this demolitions expert in your matched play games right away.
Without seeing the full book, it’s hard to determine how good something actually is for the points like the Reductus Saboteur. So whether you think this is way too much or little, wait for the full book before you make the final decision on that.
We’ll have to wait and see which of these rumors come true, but again, they are rumors, so take them with as much salt as you need!
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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!
