Games Workshop just brought in a Frankie back to give us an idea on how the Chaos Daemons are going to play in 8th Edition 40k!
Chaos fans rejoice! This new update is looking like a great time to be a Chaos player!
Frankie from Frontline Gaming was more than happy to give a breakdown about how Chaos Daemons play in the upcoming update. Let’s take a look at a couple key points from his article on Warhammer Community.
But what about Daemons in the new Warhammer 40,000? Let’s run through this preview one god at a time, shall we?
Khorne blesses his devotees with an increased ability to reap skulls in his name. These models charge up the table taking skulls for the Skull Throne with Unstoppable Ferocity, which grants them a bonus attack and a point of Strength in combat if they charge or are charged. This turns already formidable melee units into killing machines! Your Bloodthirster will be a king of melee when he charges, as he should be.
Well I am certainly ready for this to happen. Greater Daemons have for the most part been ineffective for quite some time, while their prince cousins seem to have all the fun on the tabletop.
Tzeentch grants his minions the ability of Ephemeral Form, giving his Daemons +1 to their invulnerable saves. Wow, that’s good! A Lord of Change with that boost will be quite powerful indeed, with a 4+ invulnerable save and SIXTEEN wounds!
Your opponents will come to fear not just the big models though, as even your basic Horrors have the ability to lay low even the mightiest of enemies with their psychic might. You will want to include several units of these in your Tzeentch army to deal with some of the tougher enemy units out there.
Save some Reinforcement Points for Blue Horrors and Brimstone Horrors as well, as these still split out of their parent unit like a series of Russian Dolls and are great for grabbing objectives and keeping enemy units busy long after other units would have been destroyed.
From the sound of this looks like the “split” mechanic is still in, and the profile at least one of the Greater Daemons includes 16 wounds (and a very decent invulnerable save as well)! Very cool news for everyone that went all in on Tzeentch Daemons with the Wrath of Magnus / Traitor’s Legion book’s that that even the lowliest Horror can be effective still in 8th edition
Slaanesh is all about speed, baby. They will almost always swing first in combat, even if they did not charge, due to their Quicksilver Swiftness special rule! This means even relatively fragile units such as Daemonettes can be a threat at all times. They’re one of my favourite units – I own nearly 100 of them at present (I might have a problem) – and I can’t wait to get them on the table.
The good news is that these crab-armed warriors are absolutely lethal, especially if taken in units of twenty or more models. In large units like this, the Graceful Killers special rule grants them a bonus attack with their Piercing Claws (which are resolved at AP-4 when you roll a 6+ to wound!) allowing them to slice through armour in melee.
Making Slaanesh great again? Possibly? I mean they have always been “fast” but will these new rules restore them to their third edition level of greatness that many veterans have craved for years?
Last, but certainly not least, we’ve got Papa Nurgle and his motley crew. Probably the coolest models in the Nurgle Daemon line are the Nurglings, in my opinion. These little buggers were often taken in the past just to fulfil the Troop requirement, but in the new Warhammer 40,000, they will be taken for their ability to deploy near enemy models and engage them quickly, tying them up or simply getting in their way using their Mischief Makers special rule.
That would normally be a very dangerous proposition for a unit of little guys, but the children of Nurgle are Disgustingly Resilient – which means they ignore wounds on a roll of 5 or 6!
This is an exciting preview for Daemon fans, as 8th edition definitely seems like it might be opening the door to a lot of models that have been sidelined or in danger of being benched in the new edition!
What are your thoughts? Do Daemons need this kinda of a boost or is it just enough to make it count? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
P.S. If you haven’t singed up for the SoCal Open Gaming Convention yet, perhaps you should?
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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.
