Don’t miss the latest GW new releases roadmap for 2021 that is filling up fast with new model previews, and rumors for February and beyond!
Love GW miniatures? The release roadmap is back and more loaded than ever.
What’s Next From GW: 2021 New Releases Roadmap
Warhammer Community has been busy previewing batch after batch of what’s on the way along in their engaging online previews
2020 was an interesting year, to say the least, and with previews still going strong for all avenues of Games Workshop, there are still plenty of new releases waiting to hit the shelves in February and beyond from GW. With that said, we’ll be going over what’s left to get released heading into the remainder of 2021.
RUMORS: Age of Sigmar New Edition in 2021!
We may be about due for another edition of Age of Sigmar in 2021, as we’re seeing the signs of a build-up to an edition change…
So what does it all mean? Well, it seems like we have a pretty solid repeating pattern from Games Workshop that is a semi-predictable release schedule (revenue stream) for both their major games. Read the whole article from last fall right here.
New 40k Warzone Charadon: Book of Rust Expansion
A new 40k expansion is here as Warzone Charadon from the Book of Rust is focused on a Death Guard assault on an Imperium Forge World.
A new narrative expansion similar to Vigils is on the way. Act 1 also suggests this will be a multiple book-long narrative and development. The book focuses on a Typhus lead Death Guard campaign to take down an Imperium Forge World. However, it’s not just Mechanicus and Death Guard…
There’s more than just the background of an epic war zone in here, the book also includes new rules for:
- Death Guard
- Adeptus Mechanicus
- Imperial and Chaos Knights
- Drukhari
The warriors of Commorragh are keen to take advantage of the chaos and confusion caused by Typhus’ invasion. Alongside these codex supplements are rules for playing through the Charadon campaign yourself. Can you claim Metalica for the Death Guard or will you try to stop Typhus?
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Crusade: Plague Purge
The Plague Purge Mission Pack allows everyone to join the fun in the Charadon war zone with a host of specific Crusade rules. Send your army campaigning through a land of rust and decay, and pick up some new relics and abilities along the way. In the same way as Beyond the Veil, this pack gives you a whole new region of space to set your campaigns in.
This Crusade pack is paired with the Book of Rust, so expect to see an emphasis on the same factions: Death Guard, Mechanicus, Knights, and Drukhari.
Drukhari 9th Edition 40k Codex
Next to the Dark Angels, we got a Drukhari Codex Announced.
The first xenos codex of 2021 makes the Drukhari faster and deadlier than ever before. You’ll see:
- More attacks
- Higher damage
- Lethal combat output across the board
The stabbiest of the Aeldari are about to get stabbier. Their new rules allow you to take the realspace raiding force you’ve dreamed of without being penalised in Command point cost. Want to run a pure Wych cult? You can do that. Have an urge to mix up Kabals with Haemonculi Covens? Do it! The book also introduces new Crusade rules that allow you to expand your influence and become a feared crime lord of Commorragh.
Incubi will easily slice through anything that gets in their way. Now that their klaives are Damage 2, even Space Marines will be no match for them in combat.
Unlike Dark Angels, Drukhari got a model statline teased with the Codex. With an INSANE 2+ ws on a non-character non-Custodes, these might be one of the best melee combatants in the new book. The 2 damage also makes them an absolute menace to Primaris Space Marines.
New Uriel Ventris Space Marines Model Coming 2021
The Black Library Preview event may have been 90% new books, but a brand new Uriel Ventris Primaris space marines model coming in 2021.
The miniature depicts Ventris in all his Primaris glory, clad in Mark X armour and bearing all the accouterments of his office, including the white rose of Pavonis that he earned all the way back in Nightbringer.
Ventris is a character who has a lot more presence and back story than even some of the arguably more important characters. He has had books on him for nearly 20 years! There are even callbacks and evidence on his model. That rose on his shoulder? He earned that in the 2002 novel Nightbringer. Easily a fan-favorite character, this model will be a slam dunk.
In usual fashion, there’s tons of great detail on the model to make it a great painting challenge when the time comes.
5 New Warhammer 40k Models Teased Teased
Next up is very clearly a female Dark Eldar model. That may just be another rumor engine bit we saw a while back.
A close up on the arm makes the Dark Eldar Iconography even more clear, is it the mightly Lelith Hesperax?
After that, there is a very clearly Ad Mech model holding a small scepter.
Orks After Dark Eldar?
We’ve seen a coin in the wild for Orks, a new mini previewed, and with how early they got their codex in 8th, it all lines up well for you Ork players out there! The real question is, what could they be getting? It would be awesome to see them and Ad Mech both receive a box much like Piety & Pain.
But other than that, there are a couple of units for both that we think could be very likely. Let’s start with the Orks.
The model also has an almost “Captain Morgan” style pose, making it seem more likely to be a character.
Last of the teases is an Ork model. Perhaps an updated Boy?
Whatever it is, they appear to have a lizard or dinosaur style skin on their head.
Last up is an actually confirmed model! After taking a look at this sword we get a full look at the model.
This is a Palatine – a battlefield commander who works under a Canoness to coordinate Adepta Sororitas forces and smite any heretics who get in her way.
Sisters of Battle Paragon Warsuit
As you can see, it looks like some Sisters of Battle may be in cahoots with the Grey Knights as they get their own version of a Dreadknight-like mech suit.
It appears there are multiple weapon options. This model has a Spear and heavy bolt rifle, we also saw a flamer option within the video that these were revealead in.
Finally z model by its self, it’s wielding a multi melta. These are sure to hit hard and be decently durable. If they have anything in common with the Dreadknights, they were one of the better models in their lineup, so this might be pretty good on the tabletop.
Kill Team Pariah Nexus Expansion
This brand new Kill Team expansion is on the way, which is great because it has been a while since Kill Team got some love, but bad because the Heavy Intercessors are now locked behind a ‘Starter Set Paywall’ at least in the near term.
You can tell the setting is in the Pariah Nexus, which we just visited in the Psychic Awakening campaigns.
You’ll be able to find out the answers when Kill Team: Pariah Nexus drops later in the year. While you wait, take a look at the full (and we mean FULL) contents of the boxed set.
The kit also includes all of the rules to use the models from the Indomitus boxed set in your games of Kill Team, including Assault Intercessors and Necron Warriors armed with gauss reapers.
As we can see looking at the contents, these are all models we knew were coming. Most of these were announced back during the launch of the 9th edition, however, we know now that they will release in this box. The addition of more rules for the Kill Team is also encouraging.
Captain with Master-Crafted Heavy Bolt Rifle & Heavy Intercessors
This captain will surely shoot like a beast and he is also wearing Gravis Armor, so he’ll be hard to take down. His Captain status is sure to bring a great aura or two as well.
Wait a minute… a heavy bolt rifle? Yes, indeed! Heavy bolt rifles also happen to be the standard armament of… wait for it… Heavy Intercessors!
And they’re called that for a reason – like their Captain, these bad-boys aren’t just heavily armed, they’re heavily armoured too, thanks to their Gravis armour. A Toughness 5 Troops unit with 3 Wounds apiece, anyone?
The datasheet doesn’t lie, these heavy troops pack a serious punch. Gravis is now coming as a troop choice is nice too. Now your elite Primaris force has an even more elite troop option that can bring heavy support if need be.
The Space Marines have sent a Captain with master-crafted heavy bolt rifle and five Heavy Intercessors to carry out this dangerous mission.
We’ve seen the models and rules for these, way back in September. You can check out everything there is to know about these Space Marines models from our past coverage here.
Necron Chronomancer & Flayed Ones
Trying to take out the Space Marines in the nightmarish gloom is a Necron kill team made up of a Chronomancer – a type of Cryptek that can harness temporal energies to weaponise time itself – and five twisted and ghoulish Flayed Ones.
As for the Necrons and Flayed ones, we have also seen the models and rules for these, way back in September too. You can check out that post on these Necron models here.
Exclusive GW Anniversary Miniatures For 2021:
Plus we even have two more miniatures coming in 2021 with the Store Anniversary models that were revealed in early January.
Both of these models will only be sold through Warhammer stores on their appointed anniversaries, but don’t worry about stock running out – if your store runs out, you can order the miniatures at the till and we’ll ship them right to the store for you to pick up.
Some hobbyists may see opening time disruptions due to the global situation, so your store’s celebration might be on a different day than it normally would. But don’t worry – everyone will still have their chance to get these celebratory models.
Kamoteph the Crooked is the new mini coming for the Necrons and 40k. He’s considered ancient even by Necron standards, he may not be fast but he sure is cunning! They also say that these will be basically unlimited stock. Even if they don’t have any in the store, as long as you order it in the first week, they’ll get you a mini, let’s hope that holds true.
For AoS we’ll be getting a new Stormcast mini this year, Sylas Beastbane. If you ask us, the mini seems very appropriately named. He is armed with the new Questor Axe-hammer which allows him to strike an additional time against anyone he hits.
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Exclusive minis are usually hard to get ahold of. Especially in times of social distancing and quarantining. But as we move forward into the next year, here’s to hoping GW makes some of these exclusive models easier to get.
Broken Realms Teclis
Along with new background that will forever change the Mortal Realms, the book features warscroll battalions for
- Lumineth Realm-lords
- Cities of Sigmar
- Maggotkin of Nurgle
- Flesh-eater Courts
- Ossiarch Bonereapers
There are also warscrolls for a swathe of new Lumineth Realm-lords units, including some that we saw earlier in the week, and unique battleplans that let you play out some of the battles from the narrative yourself.
The main goal of Teclis and his forces is to stop or at least hinder Nagash and his plans. Teclis believes Nagash is the main threat to the mortal realms and therefore demands his attention.
Sevireth, Lord of the Seventh Wind
2020 saw the release of the glorious Lumineth Realm-lords range, and now this year will see reinforcements on their way for the aelves, including Sevireth, Lord of the Seventh Wind.
This fox-like creature is a demi-god empowered by the wind spirits of Hysh, just in case you thought that Teclis had peaked with mountains.
This character is sure to pack a punch and assumably will have a ton of movement, ya know, empowered with wind and all… It also looks to primarily be a ranged unit with only its trusty bow, and no sign of melee weaponry.
New AoS Soulblight Gravelords Coming
There was a shoddy picture of this new Soulblight Gravelords mini spotted recently. But GW decided that wasn’t good enough so they put out this high-quality photo before the big preview. While the Vampires have a different feel to them, we’re sure you could use both in your army and no one would say anything. Next, let’s look at what’s coming next for Warhammer Underworlds.
Lumineth Realm-lords Minis: Hurakan Windchargers
We saw a bunch of teaser pics for these not so long ago, but we usually don’t see the minis come out so fast. They didn’t say much else in the post about rules or anything like that. Just that they will be as fast as the Autumn wind. They are interesting models if nothing else and shows that GW is willing to take things in a new direction with their mounts. Maybe with them being Treerunners, they will get to ignore terrain or something like that? But if nothing else we know one of the factions the new Broken Realms book is going to focus on!
Vanari Lord Regent
They do say this mount is something entirely different. It definitely has a different look, and if you ask us, we like it more than the normal guys. If you play the Lumineth Realm-lords, you’re getting a bunch of new minis! Because these may not even be everything they are getting.
Another New Lumineth Realmlord?
On New Year’s day, GW had a special preview with a couple of new models teased, one of which looked to be a Chocobo-like cavalry for the Realmlords. First off we got what looks to be a Lumineth character standing on top of a cloud.
A different angle shows off the stance and the mace the character is holding. The cloud also has a unique parallel to the flying nimbus seen in Dragonball, Chinese Mythology, and more. Is the cloud moving like a mount, or is it still serving as a platform?
Amazing New Plastic Treebeard Miniature Revealed For LoTR
In the midst of their latest Warhammer preview, GW also revealed a new Treebeard miniature for Lord of the Rings complete with Merry and Pippin!
Part of the Magic of the LoTR tabletop games is recreating some of the scenes from the movies. Now, that includes Merry and Pippin riding Treebeard! They can also be taken off and act as models independently which makes for interesting tabletop opportunities. You can even mount and dismount mid-game!
This is the first Ent to be made in non-metal, so expect a truer-to-scale experience that was just too hard to do with metal back in the day.
Treebeard even comes with new models of Merry and Pippin, and you can have them seated on top of the Ent or separate. Eagle-eyed viewers might notice that the Hobbits are bigger than their previous models – that’s because they’ve been drinking Ent-draught!
GW 2021 Necromunda New Releases Roadmap
The 2021 Necromunda New Release Roadmap has been revealed- here’s what you can expect for the Underhive in the coming year.
Here’s the order of the books we’ve seen up until now. Each one has also been accompanied by some amazing minis! Let’s see what’s coming next year.
Some of the reinforcements we’ve seen previewed, and maybe a couple we haven’t, are coming first. Once the second quarter of the year hits we then start seeing the new Gangs come into play. Starting with the faithful of House Cawdor! If Fanatics are your thing, then this is the gang for you! After that, we then get the shadow masters of House Delaque. Let’s hear what they have to say about it:
The Cawdor and Delaque clans get the “House of…” treatment and we’ll be seeing some of the Necromunda characters that already have awesome artwork make their debuts as models. So we might be seeing this Master Nautican in the underhive before long – that will be especially helpful for anyone who wants to get a nice cool glass of water in the underhive.
Adeptus Titanicus Warmaster
If you absolutely, positively have to destroy everything on the battlefield, you need the Warmaster Titan.
This might be a Titanicus model, but it’s still packed with detail. It also might even work as an alternate model for a “normal” knight in 40k
This might be a smaller scale, but it is still a sweet model with plenty of potential for painters who just like big robots. This base looks to be either the new 150mm oval for the Ork dragsters or perhaps the 170 oval that 40k Knights come on. THICC!
Adeptus Titanicus: Loyalist Legios Expansion
Also coming soon for Adeptus Titanicus is the new Loyalist Legios book. It’s packed with all of the rules and background for 16 Loyalist Titan Legions and 12 Loyalist Knight Households.
With more lore than ever before and a range of Loyalist-specific Titan upgrades and Stratagems, this book is all you need to end the civil war swiftly.
Expansions are always great for these specialist games, they add depth and new ways to play to keep the game fresh and fun with your friends.
Warhammer Underworlds Roadmap Revealed
First off it looks like we won’t see the full Death Warband in action until April, but that’s not really too far off now. After that, it looks like Orruk players will be getting a new Warband. And if you ask us, that looks an awful lot like a Savage Orruk! They’ve always been cool minis os it will be nice to see some of them grab new models.
Crimson Court Direchasm Warband Revealed
The Crimson Court bring their bloodlust to Warhammer Underworlds, and we hope that you’ve packed your decks with lots of wooden stake upgrades because garlic is very hard to find in Direchasm.
This new vampire warband is all about aggression, but it can come with heavy penalties if you don’t control their hunger. And when we say, “control their hunger”, we don’t mean with a sandwich.
By the look of it, this Warband might be one of the most aggressive yet, they need to presumably kill enemies quickly and consistently to feast on their blood, or else they will get weaker and thus loose the power they need to kill opponents easier.
The first character looks very similar to a Blood Knight Lord (or Vlad)- Could this revive lead to an update to the Blood Knights kit for AoS?
The second character is a more typical female vampire lord. You can definitely tell just by looking at it that she oozes confidence and has a serious issue with a superiority complex. We can assume she might be good in melee and a duelist but will lack defenses.
The third character is another Vampire lord in heavy armor, this time sporting a gigantic mace bigger than most humanoids in the game. A hit by this will more than likely break half the bones in the target body.
The final character least armor/clothes, but also the smallest weapon in a single one-handed mace. He does however have a large stature and has sprouted wings. He will probably have goo movement and decent power, but nothing too insane.
GW Reveals New Savage Orruk for Direchasm
Honestly, the Savage Orruks were some of the coolest minis when they came out, but it’s been many years now and they’ve fallen behind somewhat. So, it’s super nice to see them get an update, even if it is just a few guys! But, we’ve seen them release something like this before they do a rework to the whole line. Who knows, maybe Orruks and Orks will line up with releases and we’ll just get an entire month of Orky goodness from GW on the latest new releases roadmap.
Warhammer Quest: Cursed City Announced
Speaking of vampires, an epic new Warhammer Quest game brings even more bloodsuckers to the Mortal Realms. If you and your friends have already defeated the Silver Tower and the Blackstone Fortress, you’ll find an exciting challenge ahead as you embark on the most dangerous quest yet, into the cursed city of Ulfenkarn.
Some of the art style used in this video is near identical to the old AoS Everchosen Battletome, which is fine because it fits perfectly with the blood theme.
Here we see the heroes gather, there seems to be 4 of them. We can assume they are a dwarf, a human witch hunter, an elven archer, and a larger brute, warrior-like character.
This Witch Hunter character offers a return to good old fashioned Witch Huntin’. Except now this character brings a custom rifle with an underslung stake launcher. Why get close to beasties when you can stake ’em from far away? Not to mention the giant executioner’s blade on his back and hammer in hand for anything that wanders too close.
The final model is a villain the heroes must face, which we can presume is one of the lackeys of the main villain referred to as the “Wolf”, who is likely a vampire lord. Judging by the iconography and such, this quest looks like something right out of Vlad the Impalers playbook, that is if he had access to necromancers to raise all the people they kill for food.
3 More Cursed City Models Previewed
Hoping to receive the ‘gift’ of the Soulblight curse, Oleksander Halgrim joined the traitorous purge of Ulfenkarn’s nobility. This did not go down well with his fellow officers, who bound him hand and foot and threw him in a sewer pit to be eaten by Corpse Rats. His skeleton was then raised as a Deathrattle officer to lead the Ulfenwatch, although he is now little more than a rotting automaton.
Death by rats, must not have been fun, but it’s okay, he’s just an animated skeleton now, he doesn’t worry about such foolish things like living.
To control a city the size of Ulfenkarn, an army is required. With no time to place ads in the local newspaper, Gorslav the Gravekeeper emptied the corpse-gardens and crypt-tunnels. Soon an army of fleshless soldiers were dispensing brutal justice on the streets from their stronghold, the Vharngate.
While an individual skeleton warrior shouldn’t cause your party much trouble, they will be inspired to fight even harder by their banner bearer, so make sure that you try to take him out first.
Not only do we get a little lore to peek at what is assumed to be the first section of the Cursed City quest, but we also get a sense of some rules. The banner will somehow buff these new Warhammer cursed city skeletons, but how? We’ll just have to wait and see!
Qulathis the Exile: Kurnothi Archer
In the realm of Ghyran, there is a strange annex called the Enga’la Weald, once known only to the Sylvaneth. Then the Soulblight came. Qulathis and her kin fought a savage guerrilla war against the vampire invaders, but they could not match the brute strength and the resilience of their undead foes.
Her clan lost hope and withdrew, seeking to restart their lives elsewhere. Qulathis, however, refused to give up and vowed to bring true death to the vampires, even though her elders expressly forbade it. With her blade and her bow, she made her way to Ulfenkarn to seek her revenge.
Qulathis the Exile will be one of the heroes in the upcoming game and honestly, we love the mini! Her fate is intrinsically tied with Ulfenkarn because she can never return to her old clan. Hopefully, her magic arrows will be enough to turn the tides, and maybe one day she can return as a hero. They don’t give much in the way of rules for her other than that she is great at killing the undead.
We know this is a lot to digest so be sure to take your time counting up all of the kits we’re bound to see sometime in the near future.
In the meantime, what new releases do you think we’ll see from GW in 2021 that didn’t make this roadmap? Do you think the other codexes will also be pushed back?
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
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.
