Did you army get NERFED? Check out our LIVE video discussion where Haspil hosts two of the top 40k minds out there breaking down the changes for you!
If you haven’t heard, the BIG 40k FAQ has finally dropped and we’ve taken some time to digest it all.
Let’s look at what in the world got changed in 8th edition as it was LIVE from the Beats Lab:
Winners & Losers: New FAQ LIVE 40k Discussion
https://www.facebook.com/spikeybits/videos/495078617631152/
GW’s Fall FAQ Changes Everything About 40k, Again!
Stratagem Changes
As far as Stratagems go, there are quite a few “heavy hitters” in the meta that got hit. The stratagems do the same thing,
you’ll just have to pump more of that CP gas into them.
Blood Angels
- Upon Wings of Fire- Now 2CP
Imperial Knights
- Oathbreaker Guidance System- Now 3CP
- Order of Companions- Now 3CP
- Our Darkest Hour-3CP
Dark Eldar
- Agents of Vect- Now 4CP -You’ll also need some Kabal of the Black Heart to use it now.
Say Goodbye to CP Farming
It’s actually impossible to actually net CP when you use a stratagem now. Those relics like Kurov’s Aquilla and the Veritas Vitae can only gain 1CP back per BATTLE ROUND. Even though these relics got nerfed, more people are probably going to run Guard battalions. Players will need CPs to stay competitive and there’s almost no other cheaper way to get CPs points-wise.
Important Note: Some of the stratagems that are designed to net CP like Feeder Tendrils for Tyranids didn’t get touched and don’t apply to this change.
The Benefit of Going Second
For those that never seem to go first, there’s a silver lining. Players that are going second will have the option to put their entire army in cover for 2CP. GW realizes that 8th edition is the game where going first is imperative. At least the players going second have the opportunity to hunker down and brace for impact.
Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors got a little bit better since they ignore cover. This isn’t game breaking and we doubt we’ll see Imperial Fist lists competitively just because of that neat bonus, but it’s something to note.
Ground-Covering Stratagems Got Hit
Now that we’ve covered the cost of some Stratagems going up as well as some of their latest nuances, it’s time we talk about what big stratagems got changed.
- Strike from the Shadows- Raven Guard can’t pop up anywhere 9″ away anymore. They basically get a free 9″ move before the start of the first turn. (i.e Nerfed Forlorn Fury).
- Forward Operatives- Alpha Legion are in the same boat, being able to move 9″ before the game starts as well.
- Clandestine Inflitration- Ad Mech also got hit with a nerf bat only being able to get a free 9″ move versus deepstriking 9″ away.
- Appear Unbidden-Eldar got lucky on this one. At the end of any of the movement phases, they can appear from the Webway 9″ away from any enemy models.
- Inevitable Death-“When you set up the Yncarne, it can be set up in waiting rather on the battlefield”.
If you noticed a pattern here, board presence is taking a huge hit. They are nerfing almost every stratagem that lets a player move a unit 9″ away from the enemy first turn.
Deepstriking Gets Another Nerf
Players used to be able to deepstrike their force into their deployment zone in the first turn. That took an even bigger nerf today now that nothing at all can come in turn one. Players will essentially have turn two and three to bring their forces in before they’re considered “destroyed”.
Genestealer Cult didn’t get excluded either. It’s looking like they are in the position to play as a more ‘beta-strike” army until their codex.
As for Grey Knights, this might have been the final nail in the coffin. Just when everyone thought they couldn’t get any worse, GW slowed them down even more.
The Meta’s Most Mobile Units Get Hit with the Nerf Bat
With the way FLY was worded before, the model was able to ignore any terrain features and heights.
Players were able to jump onto the second level of buildings (above an enemy unit) and make a 0″ charge.
This means that our precious Slam Captains can still get around, but they’ll have to account for true distance when they charge and they won’t be able to charge over screens.
Necron Wraiths don’t fly, but they got the same wording change. They ignore terrain features in the movement phase only. They’ll still have to measure the true distance when they decide to charge.
Harlequin’s flip belts are only active in the movement phase as well. Screening units will be even more effective against units that need to close in with melee combat.
Matched Play Games & Detachments
In case you were wondering, GW elaborated on Matched Play and their rule of three. Now, we can only have a certain number of detachments depending on how many points we play.
On top of that, the rule of three isn’t as “nerfed” as we thought. For example, in a 2,000-point game, we can take three detachments with three Daemon Princes in each one from a different Chaos alignment.
(three from Death Guard, three from Chaos Space Marines, and three from Tzeentch, etc.). The only thing that the rule of three prevents is more than three of the same unit in a given detachment.
As for individual factions, there were some changed here and there.
- Ogryn’s with Slabshields only gain the benefit to armor saves now. Invulnerable saves aren’t affected.
- The Targeting Scramblers stratagem for Deathwatch has to wait until a Tau unit finished shooting all of it’s attacks before they can remove all markerlights now. (Realistically, you’ll only ever have one or two markerlights on your unit by the time the Tau squad is done shooting).
Make sure you check out the faction you play and read up on the erratas yourself. These were just a few of the bigger changes we noted.
After a long awaited time, do you think this FAQ will get the job done equalizing some of the most OP units in the meta?
Have other factions become stronger as a result of this FAQ? Let us know what you think in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
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.
