13 new Deathwatch warlord traits and stratagems have been teased by GW and they are adding a dangerous edge to the army that has folks taking note for sure. Come see the latest.
Games Workshop’s new previews for the Deathwatch Codex are looking pretty spicy if you happen to be a dirty Xenos.
Warlord Trait:
First off the Lord of Hidden Knowledge is quite powerful because it allows you to get a free dice re-roll for your warlord without burning up a command point. In addition, you have the chance to regain those lost command points when you use a stratagem on a 5+.
This seems to be a modified Puretide engram neurochip signature system for Tau.
Curious about what more of the Deathwatch Stratagems will look like?
Xenos Doctrine Stratagems:
Targeting Scramblers has insane power for just one command point. Being downrange from a Tau gun-line player using markerlight spam to maximize the result of his shooting phase can be neutered by the targeting scramblers.
Tau players think twice before using the uplinked markerlight stratagem.
Intercepting Volley seems to be a pseudo-Auspex Scan stratagem for space marines. However, this has a bit more flexibility as they Aeldari simply have to move rather than arriving from deep strike.
Definitely a solid stratagem against such a mobile army.
Synaptic severance gives a Deathwatch kill team a whole new area of lethality being able to target a synaptic character for Tyranids. Having the ability to take out a synapse character hiding behind an annoying unit of gaunts is huge as you can easily force a morale check on any other unit that was being held together by synapse.
There is a definite need for stemming the green tide in 8th edition. As this edition favors horde armies, Ork Boyz in melee combat can devastate just about anything on the ground.
Orks are not known for their armor save so the Deathwatch player can feel pretty confident giving a few more inches of charging distance to the Orks.
Making a Cryptek reanimate on a 5+ again? Yes, please! In the event that you do not kill a pesky Necron squad, you can use the overkill stratagem as added security to make the enemy unit stay down for good.
Doctrine Stratagems:
Now we have a new set of Doctrine Stratagems that coincide with the Doctrine Tactics released earlier this week. The Furor Doctrine allows the Deathwatch unit to add 1 to the wound rolls effectively making them ranged Blood Angels for one volley.
When paired with the Furor Tactic allowing them to re-roll wound rolls of 1 is remarkable.
Deathwatch will be coming in strong upon the release of their codex in weeks to come. To stay updated keep a close eye on future posts.
Missed the Deathwatch post from earlier this week? We got you covered with the latest, below:
Deathwatch and Primaris are a hot topic these days. GW previewed a few builds that you can use to upgrade your Deathwatch with Primaris and pics of their new models.
GW gave us a new look at a few ways to incorporate some hard-hitting Primaris action into your kill teams, and some of their new models on the primaris side of things:
Here are a few ways to incorporate some Deathwatch kill team builds into your current army that GW featured in their big reveal today.
Close Assault Specialists
6x Intercessors with bolt rifles
1x Inceptor with assault bolters
2x Aggressors with flamestorm gauntlets
1x Reivers with bolt carbine
This build is a hard-hitting up close and personal force that focuses more on getting face to face and laying down some punishing firepower.
Firebase
5x Intercessors with 4x stalker bolt rifles and 1x grenade launcher
4x Hellblasters with heavy plasma incinerators
1x Aggressor with auto boltstorm gauntlets and fragstorm grenade launcher
This build is on the other side of the spectrum focusing more on hanging back, grabbing objectives and punishing your opponent from a distance while progressively earning you the win.
Assault Firebase
5x Intercessors with auto bolt rifles
3x Hellblasters with assault plasma incinerators
1x Aggressor with flamestorm gauntlets
1 x Inceptor with two plasma exterminators
Last but not least we have a solid mid-range build. With the Aggressors making your opponent think twice about coming to close while the Inceptors allow you to retreat and deal damage if assaulted.
These are a few solid ways to incorporate some new Deathwatch into your 40k game, and all will benefit from their new mission tactics ability that was revealed yesterday:
The Mission Tactics ability allows the Deathwatch to adjust their fighting style dependent on your opponent. At the start of the game, you’ll get to pick a Mission Tactic which corresponds to a Battlefield Role – Troops, Fast Attack, Elites, etc. – and your entire army will gain re-rolls of 1s to wound against that unit. Like Chapter Tactics, Mission Tactics applies to all your infantry, Bikers and Dreadnoughts, so you’ll be able to take advantage of a wide range of units.
Look for codex Deathwatch to make a splash soon with awesome new minis and tactics! What else would you like to see from the Deathwatch in their new codex after the latest previews?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
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Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
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About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
