Games Workshop just Vect-ed the new Genestealer Cults codex in the latest Warhammer 40k FAQ to come out for 8th edition. Check out the latest changes!
Warhammer Community posted the comprehensive list of all the changes that hit the faction. Quite a bit was changed so be sure to head over to the page and read everything. However, we’ll try to pull out the most pertinent information and have it all laid out for you.
Remember, these are the first set of changes we’ve seen since the codex so nothing will be in Magenta like we normally see.
GSC Codex FAQs
Looking at some of the biggest changes to hit the faction first, the Magus’s Spiritual Leader rule excludes other friendly Psykers from benefiting. Plus, the unit you’re going to be denying with has to be within 12″ of the enemy caster and 6″ from your Magus. (They’re the middlemen caught in between).
Some people were looking to game the perfect ambush and gain a few inches by getting out of a vehicle. However, they reworked the wording to prevent any disembarking vehicle shenanigans.
Perhaps the biggest nerf out of everything is the Plan Generations in the Making Stratagem can only be used once per battle so make it count! We think that’s pretty fair in all actuality. It’s already cheaper than the Dark Eldar’s Agents of Vect Stratagem that counters an enemy play and it was kind of “their thing” first.
Mass Hypnosis got clarified a bit more against things that always fight first like Daemonettes and Blood Angel characters that have the Speed of the Primarch warlord trait. Mass Hypnosis shuts down any “fight first” combat tricks and makes them behave as if they did not charge. (Yes, this power is gross).
Looking at Mind Control, it’s still a nasty power. You’re still able to shoot all of its weapons or make a single close combat attack. However, it now gets treated as if it is a separate unit that is a part of your army while it’s making those attacks. That means that it won’t be affected by any aura buffs from the enemy (which is probably how it worked before, but now we know for sure). Also, remember that you may not be able to split fire, etc with a unit, as the rules for choosing targets are not listed in the Psychic phase- only during the shooting phase.
Atalan Jackals got reworded a bit as well. Now, if you’re wanting to add more bikes, you can add UP TO 4 additional Jackals for (+3PR) or UP TO 8 additional jackals for (+6PR). The kicker here is you don’t have to add exactly 4 or 8 respectively. You’ve now got more flexibility on unit sizing.
Looking at the Cult Leman Russ, it got helped out a ton. It used to take mortal wounds and couldn’t fire for the rest of the game whenever it rolled a 1 with plasma. Who thought that was a fair rule? Instead, it behaves like regular Guard Russes. It takes a mortal wound and keeps on trucking.
Like we said before, these are some of the biggest changes we’ve noticed coming from playing the codex. You may still want to dive into the FAQ page yourself and go over everything if you play the faction.
Do you think Genestealer Cults got nerfed or were they made better? Do you agree with the Plan Generations in the Making change? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
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About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
