New Imperial Guard 40k Rules are here for War Zone Octarius for the Cadians complete with Whiteshields, Cadian Stratagems, and Relics!
With the Warzone Octarius supplement in hobbyists’ hands, we can get a better picture of what all the new rules are looking like for factions focussed on in the book.
These rules are collected from all the following reviews on YouTube, Imgur, and Warhammer Community alike, so be sure to watch your favorite presenters talk about their take on the book at the links below!
Get Your War Zone Octarius Here
Since this is a little different than a standard faction codex or supplement, we’ve included the introduction below in case you are curious about how exactly the rules are applied to each faction.
In this post, we will focus on the new Imperial Guard Cadians 40k rules, so let’s start by diving into their Warlord Traits.
New 40k Cadians Warlord Trait Rules:
The first new rules we see for Cadia in Octarius are three new Warlord Trait options. In our opinion, there is one clear winner here and that’s Gifted Commander. This trait puts a ton of mind game power on your side, being able to teeter-totter match-ups in the early game can heavily sway the game into your favor early on.
If you can bait your opponent to over commit to one side of the board, then quickly redeploy your biggest threats to the other side (especially long-range threats) you dictate how they have to play their first few turns! The only tricky thing is if this is better than any of their traits available to the greater Astra Militarum forces.
40k Cadia Octarius Relic Rules:
Of the new 4 Relics, Dekker’s Auto Servo Skull and Tactica Pax Cadia both seem like decent options. Dekker’s allows you to greatly extend the range of orders, giving you much more flexibility on the board with how you position your officers and troops. while Pax Cadia allows you to get a -1CP discount to a stratagem (which can make it cost 0). This can only be used once a turn and once per stratagem in any given game. It also only works for Battle Tactic or Strategic Ploy Stratagems that have to select a Cadian unit.
Even with the restriction, this can be extremely powerful, getting you free stratagems every turn can be huge, and easily win the game with the extra power! In this book alone there’s potential to get 2 completely free stratagems over the course of two turns.
The sword itself is a keen weapon in the hands of skilled officers, and its glorious presence ensures the morale of your Whiteshields – often their Achilles heel – will be more resolute than ever. This sword is just one of several relics available to Cadian commanders, while there are also plenty of suitably obdurate Warlord Traits.
Ignoring any modifiers, especially for those giant units, is really nice and can keep those poor conscripts in line. Next, it is pretty strong in combat, and we can imagine some heroic moments with this!
New 40k Cadian Octarius Rules Stratagems:
The Cadians received quite a few new Stratagem options in the book, with a total of 7 new options landing in players’ arsenals. Both of the Battle Tactic Stratagems look great! Cadia Stands from Octarius make your infantry harder to take down by making 1s and 2s to wound auto fail, while also giving you a +1 save if the weapon is being used against your infantry in 1 Damage.
If you are using large squads, this 1CP can save quite a few bodies swinging the turn in your favor! Shock Troops also looks to be great in a heavily infantry focussed list. This strat allows you to push up the board in emergencies and being able to still shoot your weapons as if you didn’t move. This can come in clutch in a pinch, and can even be used on non-infantry units for an extra CP.
Of the last two Stratagems, Load-Fire-Reload seems good. Causing a vehicle’s blast weapons to score double hits on nat 6s is great, or triple hits against monsters and vehicles, which is bonkers! On top of that, you can prevent them from taking overwatch shots next turn or Set to Defend, all for just a single cp!
Overall it’s a great time to play 40k! Need more on everything Warhammer? Here are the latest rules updates!
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What are your thoughts on all the new 40k Octarius Imperial Guard Cadian rules? Which is your favorite new option?
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About the Author: Andrew Schrank
Andrew Schrank
Job Title: Miniatures & Warhammer Hobby Staff Writer
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About Andrew Schrank: Over the past 15 years, Andrew has played all the games, including tabletop and video games, and immersed himself in the associated lore. Andrew joined the Spikey Bits team in 2018 and covers the Warhammer hobby and tournament scene, along with the latest in tabletop miniatures, each week.
Aspiring diplomat, Lord of Fluff, and Master of Ice Hammer, He loves Star Wars, Chaos Undivided, and Gundam. During his free time, he hunts Platinum trophies on PS5 and reads international news. On weekends, Andrew plays commander and cEDH games, often with unique strategies that push the limits.
He believes each day presents a new opportunity to grow and be challenged.
