The new book actually covered a lot of what the faction needed and players wanted, making some Drukhari dreams come true!
We recently did a post of the top 5 things we wanted in the codex, which you can check out here. It’s almost like GW listened to us, and most of the wish list came true. Obviously not everything, but the book addressed a lot of it. Let’s go over the list and how the book achieved it!
GW Made (Most of) Drukhari Dreams Come True
If you haven’t been up to speed there are a ton of channels with full breakdowns of the codex. But, if you want to see rules previewed so by GW, you can check those out here.
Overall the book looks to be shaping up well and we can’t wait to get some games in! Before we go any further though, we know Power from Pain doesn’t give FNP and people are upset, but really the book is good so far…
Transport Capacity
Finally! Venoms can carry 6 and the Raiders can carry 11! This just makes keeping your characters with your units so much easier. No longer do you need extra vehicles to carry them around and risk rolling those terrible ones. We’ve all been there, you have two Succubi or an Archon in a Venom, and bam, dead. With the points staying basically the same, this is a total win.
This was something we had hoped for since it only makes sense, GW actually did it!
Characters & Upgrades
While we didn’t get any new named characters (still upset about this, but what can you do…), at least we got a single upgrade for each type. While basically, every other army has a Luitenant type mini for cheaper, we got upgrades instead. You can upgrade your characters now to have different special rules and wargear. I
t’s nothing too crazy, but it’s still leaps and bounds better than what we had before. When you’re running the army it gives you a little variety. Also, when you run Realspace Raiders, you can gain access to more obsessions and wargear, so that’s a nice little buff as well. Especially since your Archon can now buff units from Coven and Cults as well.
Stratagems/Obsessions
The stratagems have definitely become better on the whole, but Vect has been changed a ton. No longer can you just deny that all-important Stratagem from your opponent, but you make them cost more. For 0 CP, you can make your opponent’s Stratagem cost more for the rest of the game.
Pretty nice, especially against armies with ones they use all the time, like Transhuman, Tanglefoot Grenades, etc… There were some nifty new ones added, but maybe one of the biggest winners was Eviscerating Fly By. Now, all you have to do is clip a unit and they take a mortal for every model in your unit on a 5+. This then gets increased to a 4+ if that unit is infantry. That means a blob of 20 Hellions can clip a unit and do 10 mortals on average. Killing 5 Marines for a couple of CP seems pretty awesome!
The Obsessions are good overall, while not all are created equal, there is more than one viable option for most. Hard to argue with better rules!
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Make Rules that Make Sense/Viable Choices
Now, in the new book, basically, every type of army feels viable. Whereas before there were a few units you had to take to feel competitive, most things were brought to a level of decent. Plus, why was a Succubus not a combat monster before? Bringing back Trueborn and the other upgrades was another thing that just made sense. For so many editions, you could take an elite bodyguard, now you finally can again! While they can’t just be Blasterborn, still always hitting on a 2+ with a Blaster and Dark Lance is no joke. Especially when you run Black Heart, you can save those important rerolls for the bigger guns.
That brings us to another idea, Dark Lances became so much more viable for Black Heart. Instead of taking that risky chance, you can now get rerolls, making that single-shot weapon on Raiders so much more viable. Overall, it really feels like they decided to make the army more viable overall and actually be able to stand toe-to-toe with a lot of armies.
Wych Cult
For a long time now, the Wych Cult seemed like something to take for a fun game or as a small detachment, now they are a serious fighting force! We could talk for hours about how much better they got, but basically every rule and unit for them got better.
Wyches have more attacks, Combat Drugs are insanely better, Jetbikes got another wound (and Bladevanes are Strength +1, not base 4), Hellions grew leaps and bounds, Succubi are better, and overall they feel super viable. Especially with being able to advance and charge on turn 2, you can really cover serious distance and do damage.
Not to mention Blade Artists gives additional AP, so with all those Wych attacks, you (should) roll plenty of 6’s to wound, meaning at least some AP.
What do you think about the codex? What’s the one thing you disliked about it?
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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!
