Time for another leak and rumor compilation, this time we have Warhammer 40k Craftworlds 9th edition codex, rumors, leaks, previews. As with the other compilations the A running compilation of rumors, leaks, sneak peaks for Craftworlds 9th edition codex. With new rules, point adjustments, stratagems and units. Compilation will feature both Games Workshop community info and any Internet leaks and rumors as they come!

Check back everyday as new leaks and rumors for Warhammer 40k Craftworlds 9th edition codex will be added, without notification.

Pre-orders: Feb 26th 2022 Release Date: March 5th 2022

• Craftworlds Codex: $50
• Eldritch Omens Box Set: $200
• Avatar: $110
• Guardian Squad: $60
• Rangers: $50
• Shining Spears: $50
• Shroud Runners: $60
• Baharroth Pheonix Lord: $35
• Autarch: $35

Current Rumor Dump

All Aspect Armour to get a 5+ Invulnerable Save

Phoenix Lords to be completely re-worked

Fire Dragons Get Re-Roll Hits and Wounds vs Vehicles

Fire Dragons get New Melta Rules same as everyone else

Falcon Grav Tanks Get Drop Pod Rules from Deep Strike.

Lynx Tank get Better Lance Weapon

Bright Lances Damage D3+3

Scatter lasers- Heavy 6, S5 D1 Ap0
Shuricannons- Assault 3, S6 D2 Ap1 (Ap3 on a 6 to wound)
Star cannon- Heavy 2, S7 D2 Ap3

Universal Rules

Stratagems 

Relics

Warlord Traits

Craftworlds Tactics:

Updated Unit Rules

• Yncarne

  Wounds M WS BS S T W A Ld Sv
  7+ wounds 12″ 2 2 7 7 12 6 10 3+
  4-6 9 2 2 6 7 NA 5 10 3+
  1-3 6 2 2 5 7 NA 4 10 3+
  Swirling void energy | 6″, Assault D6, S7, -2AP, D1 | Each time an attach is made with this weapon, the attack automatically hits its target

  Sword of Souls (two profiles)

  | Piercing Strikes | S+4, -4AP, Dd3+3 | No invun saves can be made against this profile

  | Sweeping Blow | S User, -4AP, D1 | Make 2 attacks instead of 1

  Abilities

  4++ and Halves Damage

  Ynnari within 12″ ignore modifiers for combat attrition

  During deployment, you can set up this model in waiting instead of setting it up on the battlefield. If you do this, then when another unit is destroyed, before removing the last model in that unit, you can set this model up within 1″ of that model. If this model is on the battlefield when another unit is destroyed, before removing the last model in that unit, you can remove this model from the battlefield and set it up again within 1″ of that model. When this/that model is set up in either of theses ways, it cannot be set up within Engagement range of any enemy models and until the end of the turn, it is not eligible to declare a charge or perform a heroic intervention. 

Leaked Images

Warhammer Community Sneak Peeks

Wraithknights are massive constructs that tower over even the Wraithlords, but unlike their smaller cousins, they contain a living pilot.* They’ve always been powerhouses in games of Warhammer 40,000, but now they’ve been taken to the next level.

Their legendary robustness is reflected by a new ability that reduces incoming damage from enemy attacks.

As if that weren’t enough, the Wraithknight’s agility means that they can dance between incoming attacks. In the past, you’d have to decide between the protection of a scattershield or adding another devastating weapon. Now, you can have the best of both worlds.

Don’t worry if you’re a fan of the scattershield, though – if you include one of these defensive devices, you can boost your invulnerable save to 4+.

Those new abilities will help you march across the battlefield with impunity, so you can chop things up with your titanic ghostglave. It now has a choice of profiles, meaning you can sweep aside weaker opponents or strike down bigger scarier targets.

For those Autarchs and Spiritseers who prefer to wipe out their enemies from afar, you can replace the ghostglaive with a suncannon. This mighty gun has also been improved – you could call it a real star of the new codex.

The suncannon was always pretty good at killing armoured infantry, but it’s now upgraded to the sweet spot of Damage 3. That means that even elite or durable infantry such as Custodian Guard and Plague Marines will quiver at the sight of it. At Strength 8, it can vaporise medium-sized vehicles in a single volley. Needless to say, ALL of the Wraithknight’s weapons are pretty scary, though.

The Yncarne is the morbid manifestation of Ynnead – the nascent Aeldari God of the Dead. Like its molten peer, this unsettling entity has become stronger, faster, and tougher than ever before.

It’s no surprise that the embodiment of death would be hard to kill – the Yncarne’s Deathly Form ability offers a 4+ invulnerable save and halves all incoming damage. This provides plenty of time for it to close in on the enemy and start lopping heads from shoulders with its legendary Sword of Souls, Vilith-zhar.

The mythical Croneswords* are some of the most powerful weapons in the galaxy, and the new profile gives it enough power to match its own legend. Against single targets, it hits at nearly twice the Strength as it used to, passing through both armour and invulnerable saves with ease to deliver a minimum of 4 damage on every swing.

When beset by teeming masses unworthy of the Yncarne’s focus, it can also sweep them aside with a huge 12 attacks – double its previous potential. Vilith-zhar was previously the only weapon at the Yncarne’s disposal, but now it can also direct its baleful hurricane of soul energy to strip the life from all nearby foes – without even rolling to hit.

Some foes might look at this intimidating array of attacks and decide to avoid confronting the Yncarne altogether. Unfortunately, they’re out of luck – the Yncarne retains its ability to manifest wherever an allied unit is wiped out, seeking revenge for their fallen souls.

As if being cut in half by mythical swords or scorched by the souls of long-dead Aeldari weren’t bad enough, the enemies of the Ynnari also have to contend with the Yncarne’s overwhelming psychic might.

Fittingly for an avatar of the Whispering God, the Yncarne now knows all psychic powers from the Ynnari’s Revenant discipline.** It can assault enemy minds at greater range than before with Storm of Whispers, while protecting a key ally with the newly-focused Shield of Ynnead – perfect for bolstering Aspect Warriors who’ve already claimed a 5+ invulnerable save.

Like the Harlequins before them, the Yncarne can easily slot into an existing craftworld army.  Tag-team it with Yvraine and the Visarch to show your foes the awesome power of Ynnead, or build a psychic arsenal with upgraded Warlocks to batter your opponents’ fragile minds.

The webway may be aeons old, but Fortifications are easier than ever to deploy in Warhammer 40,000 thanks to Chapter Approved 2022, and the new Codex: Aeldari has fresh ways to power them up. In short, Webway Gates are back to perplex your opponents with devious deployment shenanigans.

Much like Aeldari Guardians, who are soon strapping into upgraded armour, the Webway Gate has received a defensive boost of its own. In fact, it’s now almost completely invincible.

You read that right – these once-fragile gates are now as immune to harm as the terrain that surrounds them. They even provide Light and Heavy cover to your nearby troops and inspire them to stand and fight in the direst circumstances.

But they aren’t just big, pretty barricades for Dark Reapers to rest their shiny new reaper launchers on. Deep striking is the name of the webway’s game, and the Aeldari know exactly how to use their gates for lightning attacks.

You can now deploy the gate close to critical objectives for an overwhelming advantage once your reserve troops start pouring through, and there’s now no danger of losing access to the webway.

The true strength of the gates, however, lies in the ability to set your strongest combat troops up as close as you like to enemy forces. Get within Engagement Range of your target and you’ll even count as having charged, with the added bonus of being safe from Overwatch fire.

This immensely powerful ability does require a foe to approach the gate, but by plonking it on top of a vital objective they’ll have to come close eventually.

Troops must be held in Strategic Reserve to emerge through the webway, so the gate’s architects have taken a leaf from Prince Yriel’s playbook to halve the Command point cost. Now, for a paltry 1CP, you can even crash-land the immensely powerful Avatar of Khaine into the thick of combat.

Armed with deadly Banshee blades, these acrobatic Aspect Warriors race into combat and cut their foes to ribbons in a violent whirl of cutting death – yet none of this would be possible without their signature Banshee masks.

These ritual war helms are equipped with psychosonic amplifiers, which augment the wearer’s battle cry into a harrowing aural assault. The shriek-that-kills disorientates and paralyses the enemy, even causing lasting damage to their nervous system.* Put simply, targets of a charge cannot fire Overwatch or Set to Defend – presumably too agonised trying to muffle the caterwauling.

It only gets worse after that – any foe within Engagement range is unable to fight until all eligible units in your army have fought, so you can neutralise powerful enemy units before they can strike back. And your Autarch can don a Banshee mask, too – meaning no-one’s safe from the cry of Morai-Heg.

What’s more, this one incredible trick** isn’t the only tool the Howling Banshees bring to the battlefield.

Whirling Death makes these dynamic warriors even more potent on the charge – with their Banshee blades bringing their attacks up to Strength 4, they’ll be wounding even Space Marines on a roll of 3+, and utterly shredding through ceramite. Not too shabby for a unit that already has three attacks per model.

Meanwhile, the Acrobatic ability ensures you’ll be able to pull off that harrowing assault. First, it allows you to charge in the same turn you Advanced – combine that with Battle Focus to soften up your opponent with a close-range salvo of shuriken shots. It also makes your Howling Banshees harder to shoot, with applying a -1 penalty. 

Toss in the invulnerable save from their new Aspect Armour and guaranteed dice from Strands of Fate, and the Howling Banshees are about to tear up the whole galaxy. With the formidable guidance of their Phoenix Lord, Jain Zar herself, you’ve got a cacophonous choir who can liquify their foes’ brains before turning them into mincemeat.

The Phoenix Lords have been doing some serious strength training for the upcoming Codex: Aeldari – just check out Maugan Ra’s terrifying new rules – but they haven’t left their Aspect Warrior followers behind. Not only do the Phoenix Lords support their archetypal disciples with potent inspirational auras, these champions of the craftworlds are simply stronger and tougher across the board.

First on the shopping list? A new wardrobe, of course! Woven from psycho-reactive materials that mould to their every movement, an Aspect Warrior’s sacred raiment offers protection beyond even the Guardians’ upgraded wargear. As such, every Aspect Warrior* now has the new Aspect Armour ability, which offers an impressive invulnerable save.

Dire Avengers, whose usual job is to defend key points on the battlefield, will particularly appreciate their new level of durability. The scions of Asurmen can also hit back much harder than before, owing to the vicious new Avenger shuriken catapults.

The Shuriken ability on their catapults boosts Armour Penetration on a wound roll of 6 – combined with an extra shot and a higher base Armour Penetration, these guns can slice through power armour as if it were paper. Dire Avengers are now Elites – as they richly deserve – but with the Phoenix Lord Asurmen around, these crested warriors can retain that all-important Objective Secured ability.

The Aeldari’s finest tank hunters have also armoured up. Fire Dragons have put in more gym time than anyone else, allowing them to don heavy, plated Aspect Armour for an improved Toughness of 4.

A buff bod is just what they need to get up close, where the new (and extra toasty) dragon fusion gun can do its work. These white-hot atomic blasters now have the extra Strength they need to evaporate the toughest tank armour – and unlike the crude melta weapons of less civilised factions, they fire at full potency no matter how far away the target is.

It’s not just Fire Dragons who can access this new cooking equipment – the new Autarch can ‘borrow’ one when they don’t feel like lugging around a Dark Reaper’s missile launcher. Dragon fusion guns are an even deadlier prospect in an Autarch’s hands, and pair very well with the extra mobility of an Autarch jump generator.

Speaking of jump generators – Warp Spiders may still be missing a Phoenix Lord, but these sneaky Aspect Warriors haven’t been idle. Their death spinners are now a terrifying threat to even the largest units, as the Blast ability allows them to reduce a whole squad of light infantry to finely-diced chunks with nets of razor-sharp wire.

This short range can leave Warp Spiders open to a retaliatory charge – so they’ve taken extra time to practice acrobatic Battle Focus moves with their jump generators, rolling twice as many dice as normal** to ensure they’re far out of the enemy’s reach.

The Aeldari are a dwindling race, so to maintain an effective fighting force every craftworld must draft its butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers into a local militia. Formed into units of Guardians, these citizens take up arms in times of war, providing battlefield support to dedicated Aspect Warriors as infantry and vehicle crews.

Aeldari seldom do things by halves – despite being a militia, each Guardian is a highly trained match for the most elite of the Imperium’s soldiers. The upcoming Codex: Aeldari gives them the boost they need to put on their war face* and go toe-to-toe with the galaxy’s threats.

Guardian armour is tougher. This reactive thermoplas mesh now grants its wearer a respectable 4+ Save characteristic – without compromising the flexibility they need to pull off acrobatic Battle Focus moves.

Likewise, the humble shuriken catapults taken to battle by Guardian Defenders are more deadly than before. On top of the Shuriken ability we showed off earlier, these elegant armaments now have longer range and more reliable Armour Penetration – someone’s clearly sharpened the shurikens.

Guardian Defenders usually accompany a Heavy Weapon Platform armed with powerful ordnance, and new rules make it easier than ever to put these floating death-dealers to work. Alas, the close combat specialist Storm Guardians were left without a hovering battlefield buddy… until now.

After many failed attempts to mount a giant sword onto their grav platforms, the Storm Guardians have finally hit upon a solution. By replacing the heavy weapon with a powerful shield generator, these squads can sprint across the battlefield safe in the embrace of a glowing force field.

Combined with their upgraded armour and the probability-twisting powers of the Strands of Fate special rule, these Serpent Scale Platforms can ensure each squad reaches its objective unscathed, ready for a deadly charge. Sufficiently large units can even bring two along for the trip, in case one suffers an unfortunate mishap along the way.

All Guardians are trained to take and hold objectives, freeing up the skilful Aspect Warriors – like the grim Dark Reapers – to unleash Khaine’s wrath on the enemy. In fact, while they’re defending these objectives, both varieties get a neat bonus to help them drive off the warriors of lesser civilisations.

While most craftworlds train their Guardians as a conscript militia, drawn from artists and artisans in times of war, Ulthwé maintains theirs as a standing army, guided by powerful Warlocks. This imparts the famed Black Guardians with discipline and skill far in excess of their part-time comrades.

Prince Yriel of Iyanden is one of the most infamous pirate lords in the galaxy, a legend whose exploits have inspired many an adventurous Aeldari into a life of high-stakes swashbuckling. He’s no mere myth, however. He’s a former Autarch of Craftworld Iyanden who now leads his magnificent band of Corsairs – known as Anhrathe in the Aeldari tongue – to glory in the upcoming Codex: Aeldari.

In his youth, Yriel was chosen to walk the Path of Command and become an Autarch, but his illustrious career was cut short when he rashly left Iyanden open to attack from Chaos raiders. Censured, his pride drove him to abandon his craftworld with many faithful warriors in tow, forming the Eldritch Raiders Corsair fleet.

Now, thanks to his life as a corsair prince, Yriel’s strategic skills are sharpened to a razor edge, and he commands his army with the acumen of an Autarch. In fact, his Path of Command ability is more expansive than usual, affecting units with the Anhrathe keyword in addition to the usual Core.

Hit and run raids are a corsair speciality, using raw speed to strike with overwhelming force, and Yriel’s ability is not limited to the Anhrathe, and everyone from aspect warriors to the Wraithguard can hitch a ride with the Prince of Corsairs. The Aeldari have an arsenal of powerful close-range weapons, and getting to deploy them within arm’s length of their targets makes for a potent advantage.

If his skills stopped at being a brilliant tactician, Yriel would be dangerous enough, but command is far from his only talent. When a Tyranid hive fleet came to his former home, the Outcast Prince returned as a whirlwind of death, sweeping aside the largest of monsters with the Spear of Twilight. And to this day, he can still put a shift in with it.

Yriel is an excellent pick as Warlord, especially if you include Corsairs. Anhrathe units don’t prevent an Aeldari Detachment from accessing their powerful Strands of Fate ability, so you can slot them into an army whenever you like without losing access to deadly army-wide abilities.

Mixing wily Corsairs into ranks of tough Wraith units is peak Iyanden, and adds a diverse splash of colour to your massed yellow legions.

Phoenix Lords are the legendary Aeldari who (mostly) founded the Aspect Shrines dedicated to the different ways in which Khaine, the god of war, waged his crusades. Those Aeldari who walk the Path of the Warrior choose to specialise in particular aspects of combat by joining these shrines and becoming Aspect Warriors.

There’s an incredibly strong link between a Phoenix Lord and the warriors of their Aspect Shrine, including Maugan Ra and his Dark Reapers. His inspirational presence is now captured in the new Harvester of Souls rule.

Pop a unit or two of Dark Reapers on an objective in your territory and enjoy a leadership boost while you rain down death from afar upon your enemies.

It’s not just Maugan Ra who gets a rule like this – all of his Phoenix Lord pals have something similar. Asurmen* and his Dire Avengers can advance to the midfield, merrily cutting down foes with their Avenger shuriken catapults before claiming an objective. What’s more, each of the six gets a substantial boost to their stats, befitting their status as mythical exemplars of war. 

Similarly, Baharroth and the Swooping Hawks can swoop down (the clue’s in their name) and claim objectives deep into enemy territory, while Karandras and the Striking Scorpions can ambush unsuspecting opponents before claiming an objective.

These new rules really let you build an army around a particular Phoenix Lord leading your favourite Aspect Warriors into glorious battle. A legendary hero commanding a team of intense combat specialists – isn’t that what Warhammer 40,000 is all about?

We’ve already tasted the devastating power of the Avatar of Kaela Mensha Khaine, and felt the harsh embrace of the Harlequins’ updated arsenal – now it’s time to feel the lethal whisper-touch of Maugan Ra.

As the founder of the Dark Reaper Aspect Shrine, this ghoulish warrior embodies the inevitability of death – many of his victims bite the dust before they even catch sight of his macabre visage. That’s kind of a shame, because Maugan Ra is dressed to kill. Just look at his new miniature, with its ragged pitch-black robes and baroque, bony armour.*

That massive war scythe is called the Maugetar, and it doubles as a deadly shuriken cannon that cuts down enemies with shrieking discs of wraithbone. This Phoenix Lord is known as the Harvester of Souls for a reason – just check out that damage profile.

With six shots at Strength 7, plus a devastating crop of mortal wounds, Maugan Ra is the bane of elite squads – and can even pose a nasty threat to enemy Vehicles and Monsters. And despite the Maugetar’s outrageous size, this fearsome Phoenix Lord still benefits from the Battle Focus ability, allowing him to strike hard before fading away like a ghost.

On top of that, his ghastly presence is so intimidating that each foe he scythes down counts as two kills for Morale purposes. The Maugetar’s decapitating shurikens and foe-reaping blade can force even the most courageous warriors to double-check their funeral arrangements.

Maugan Ra is among the most favoured of Khaine’s warriors, embodying the war god’s nature as a Destroyer. Such paragons aren’t easy to kill – on top of the mighty 2+ Save offered by his ominous armour, he also has a 4+ invulnerable save, and cannot lose more than 3 wounds in each phase. 

That’s still not everything! Phoenix Lords accumulate skills over the epochs as new Aspect Warriors take up the mantle, and the gestalt entity known as Maugan Ra has learned plenty of tricks in his time. You’ll need to pick up Codex: Aeldari to find out what else he’s capable of – and what’s in store for other Phoenix Lords, like Jain Zar.

This iconic unit hasn’t just had a glow up, he’s erupted in incandescent flame, striding forward from the roaring heart of his craftworld looking better than ever and ready to slay.

Of course, it’s not enough to just look good on the battlefield. The Avatar has received an updated statline to match his magnificent stature, making him faster, tougher, and stronger than before – a true centrepiece, as befits the statuesque shard of a sundered god.

Sweating already? That’s not just the heat emanating from his blistering body. The Wailing Doom – or Suin Daellae, for the Aeldari amongst you – is the Avatar’s signature weapon. With its edge honed by Vaul and its balance tested by Asuryan, all three forms of this divine weapon are thirsty for blood.*

You read that right – piercing strikes are hitting at Strength 14, and each successful blow deals D6+2 damage. If you roll hot,** that’s an eye-watering 56 damage – more than enough to kill a Warhound Titan, and change. Don’t sleep on those sweeping blows, either, because 14 attacks at damage 2 will have the Avatar mowing down big hordes and elite squads alike.

Of course, nothing in combat is guaranteed, so why not soften up your opponents with a bit of cheeky pre-combat shooting? The Wailing Doom isn’t limited to hacking and slashing – it can fire a 12” column of searing flame that hits any unit it touches.

None of this would be worth much if the Avatar crumpled before withering firepower. Unfortunately for his opponents, this molten metal embodiment of war has a 2+ save, a 4+ invulnerable save, and halves all incoming damage.

The Avatar also has access to some impressive auras – aside from his general sense of style and presence, of course. The mere presence of their war god will drive nearby Asuryani into a bloody-handed battle-rage, but you’ll need to wait for Codex: Aeldari to arrive to get the whole story.

We’ve seen how Harlequin Detachments can join an Aeldari (or Drukhari) army. But what kind of weapons are these jesters bringing? Let’s just say that they’re funny, but not ha-ha funny.

The Harlequins are best known for dancing into battle and eviscerating their enemies with a variety of deadly melee weaponry. And now the three most famous Harlequin weapons have all been updated to have the same lethal stat line in the new Codex: Aeldari.

Each variant gives the model that carries it a different keyword, which can be triggered with Stratagems to really unlock the devastating impact of these unconventional weapons.

The Harlequin’s kiss contains a monofilament wire that unravels inside its victim, turning their insides into soup (not that the Aeldari would know anything about something as prosaic as soup). This horrific outcome is represented by the Kiss of Death Stratagem.

Armed with this, a Troupe of Harlequins can easily churn through a heavily armoured enemy unit such as Terminators. 

No less terrifying is the Harlequin’s caress – a wrist-mounted phase-field generator that allows its bearer to reach inside an enemy’s armour. With the Oblivion’s Caress Stratagem, it even allows you to bypass invulnerable saves.

Sorry mon-keigh, not even your fancy storm shields can save you this time.

Finally, there’s the Harlequin’s embrace, which surrounds an enemy with a monofilament wire that contracts, slicing them into pieces – perfect for feeding to Yvraine’s Gyrinx. Send your whole Troupe in for a group hug with A Deadly Embrace.

With the speed of the Harlequins, no one will be able to escape your hug of death.

It’s not just the Harlequins’ close-combat weapons that have been refreshed in the Aeldari codex. We’ve already seen what the shuriken cannon can do, but the haywire cannon on the Voidweaver is now so devastating that these fast-moving skimmers will tear through enemy tank squadrons.

Everything from Stompas to Baneblades to Monoliths will soon learn to fear the Voidweaver.

They may be teetering on the edge of extinction, but the Aeldari aren’t going down without a fight – the craftworlds are locked in constant struggles for survival such as the one found in Eldritch Omens,* which is available to pre-order tomorrow. Faced with such insurmountable odds, Asuryani seers stack the deck by weaving the Strands of Fate – to claim victory, you’ll need to scry destinies, twist fortunes, and keep hot dice. 

As with the Battle Focus ability we previewed yesterday, Strands of Fate is explored in the upcoming Codex: Aeldari – but the datasheets in the Eldritch Omens booklet list it too, so you can start using it right away.

Forewarned is forearmed, and Strands of Fate gives you a vital weapon in the eternal war against bad rolls. This powerful mechanic allows you to exert a measure of control over your luck at critical moments – provided the future is kind enough to show you the outcomes you desire.

Your manipulations of fate begin at the start of each battle round, so you can access the Farseers’ meddling** throughout every turn. Choose wisely when picking which dice to retain, but don’t hesitate to use them – the future is always changing, and any leftover dice won’t carry over to the next battle round.

Unlike the Adepta Sororitas, who use their faith in the Emperor to store rolled dice for later use, the Aeldari’s delicate mastery over fate allows them to maximise the result of any dice – as long as you’ve foreseen that specific type of roll. And as you can choose which results to retain in each battle round, you’ll have plenty of options for avoiding a critical failure in even the smallest games.

Perhaps you need your new Shroud Runners to snipe a crucial mortal wound onto an enemy leader, or your Howling Banshees are about to launch a pivotal charge? Since the manipulated dice counts as an unmodified 6, your visions will even allow you to activate certain abilities – like your beefed-up Shuriken weapons – as if you rolled the result naturally.

Those who pick up this new battlebox will find a slick special ability referenced on their Aeldari datasheets, available ahead of the upcoming codex release: Battle Focus. When the Asuryani go to war, they enter a waking trance that allows them to strike with surgical accuracy and escape before they face reprisal.

This rule, which you’ll also find liberally sprinkled throughout the codex, is a bit of a game-changer. Aeldari are awash with Assault weapons, from shuriken catapults to fusion guns, and Battle Focus not only allows you to fire these light and deadly guns without penalty after dashing into range, it also adds Pistols to the mix – like the vicious shuriken pistols wielded by Storm Guardians.

What of those fleet-footed fighters equipped with weightier weaponry? Even heavily armed Aeldari are known for being nimble, and prefer to pack a punch instead of taking one. With Battle Focus, your glass cannons* can now unload a salvo of death, then dart away from retaliation.

Shuriken weapons use Aeldari technology to spray high-speed monomolecular discs that slice through flesh as easily as ceramite. They’ve been a mainstay of Asuryani and Harlequin armies for many years, but the craftworlds have clearly been sharpening their ammunition in preparation for the new codex. Here is the current stat line of the shuriken cannon –

And this is what Aeldari players can look forward to –

Yes, that’s right – it’s Damage 2! Take that, Space Marines, with your power armour and your extra organs and your two Wounds!* But just what is that mysterious Shuriken rule tucked away in the corner? Well, it’s how your guns can get that all-important Armour Penetration – perfect for seeing whether Space Marines really do know no fear.

The best thing about the shuriken cannon (apart from its devastating new profile) is just how easy it is to fit them into your Aeldari armies. Looking for an Iyanden-style army of ghostly constructs? Wraithlords and the Wraithknight can take a shuriken cannon or two.**

So what’s waiting for you in the pages of this massive new 200-page codex? Let’s start with new ways to build the mixed-faction Aeldari armies of your dreams. Their race may be in decline, but they’re full of vibrant factions who can be called on for aid.

The fickle Harlequins are devotees of the Laughing God, and this new codex includes all the rules you’ll need to field an exclusively Harlequin army for the deadliest dance-off in galactic history. Yet the children of Cegorach aren’t limited to solo performances. A Masque will often caper from the webway unannounced, to aid their Aeldari cousins before evaporating once again. These fairweather allies are known as Travelling Players.

Neatly sidestepping the constraints of mission packs, this rule allows you to add a Detachment of Harlequins to any Aeldari army, as if a poised Patrol of perilous pierrots had put in an unexpected appearance on the battlefield.

Importantly, including a band of Harlequins in a Travelling Players Detachment will not prevent you from using Battle-forged rules, such as Power From Pain for Drukhari, special secondary objectives, or the new army-wide Asuryani special rules.**

That’s right – these alarmingly acrobatic assassins can make a cameo in Aeldari armies of both the smooth and spiky varieties.

This rule opens up a whole barrel of laughs (and options) for your army, as on top of the mandatory Troops and HQ choices, a Patrol Detachment has two slots each for Elite, Fast Attack, and Heavy Support units. Why not start throwing Skyweavers, Voidweavers, Death Jesters, and even a Solitaire into the mix?.

Travelling Players will allow anyone with existing Harlequin armies to supplement them with more straightforward Asuryani or Drukhari forces, it’s easier than ever to find a place in your collection for some of the wildest and most acrobatic miniatures in the Aeldari range. 

Harlequins aren’t the only Aeldari who can cross traditional faction borders — keep an eye out for updated Ynnari and all-new Corsairs. This is the most comprehensive Aeldari codex ever, and unlike the Laughing God, we’re not joking around.

The new kit includes options to make either a squad of Guardian Defenders (including a heavy weapon platform) or a squad of Storm Guardians, with a new addition for the latter – a Serpent’s Scale Platform. The latter deflects incoming fire, allowing your squad to stroll nonchalantly across the battlefield before slicing their way through the younger races of the galaxy.**