Time for another leak and rumor compilation, this time we have Warhammer 40k Genestealers Cults 9th edition codex, rumors, leaks, previews. As with the other compilations the A running compilation of rumors, leaks, sneak peaks for Genestealers Cults 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 Genestealers Cults 9th edition codex will be added, without notification.

Pre-orders: Jan 8th 2022 Release Date: Jan 15th 2022

• Shadow Throne: $170
• Genestealers Cults Codex: $50

Universal Rules

• Everything gets cult creeds

  Guard units and drill gone from the dex

  Metas, aberrants, jackals got weapons standardised (to some degree) – doesn’t matter how you build em, profile is the same. Exceptions for demos, hand flamers, sarge upgrades and so on but not “basic guy” weaponry

  For acos, cutters and drills now better – saws still reasonable though. Looks like Cutters are 3D with -1 to hit, saws 2D, and drills 1D with a special rule (tied to hit roll). All 3 same pts.

  4AE gets 27 CP to play with – 12 to start, 1 per turn, 1 gen per turn in some way, and implied to be a cost reduced strat per turn too

  Bikes, rockgrinders, acos, sanctus, iconward, primus (with gun) all good

  Nexos arguably biggest glow up, now really good

  Sanctus with blade and abom both pretty trash

  Saboteur gets no support whatsoever in the dex – no real reason to take her

  Clamavus, Locus, Alphus and Biophagus interesting options, as are metas, abs, purestrains have merit in some builds

  Characters largely feel like that they should have already been for their cost

  Big neo blobs not great – one factor might be icons costing a LOT

  Basically all the psy powers got worse, combined with magos and patty changes a real debate whether you just ignore them for abhor now

  Crossfire on everything that can proc it (except sabo apparently, rip) – i.e. trucks, acos

  Hivecult looking strong, custom creeds also very potent

  HC best mech cult, FAE DS and CP, PP mass infantry cult, RC closest to unchanged, BC and TH options for muscle beach

  Crossfire lost if you soup with nids at all – but not blips!

  Dropping trucks outside the DZ from blips is fixed

  Minor change to Unquestioning loyalty – but not to “take 1 MW”

  Nearly everything in the dex is same or more points, bar abom (goes to <80 but still awful lol). Lists will cost ~150-200 more

  Abs go to 2A T5 3w, hit at S8 -2 3D on a 3+, can get a 5++ and transhuman

  Stop sign no longer very good, hypermorph just gives +1atk

  Metas cause fight last

  Rockgrinders go to 12” move, slightly worse melee profile, 3+ save and -1D

  1 junk 2 situational secondaries

  Broodcoven still a thing and only way for multiple WL traits

  All the unit buff upgrades are really good, hard to pick them!

  No fearless aura in the dex anymore

  Lots of command phase stuff making putting stuff in trucks and DS less ideal as you miss out on them all

  Bio still permanent targeted buff, doesn’t kill own guys any more

  Psyker relic: +1 deny attempt, +1 to deny witchfires and maybe debuffs, infinite deny range

  Crouchling: Reroll 1 failed spell a turn and if you roll doubles it can’t be denied

  Extra relic for 1/2CP for 1/2

  Max crossfire build – maybe try 6x 10 man neos with lasers in trucks?

  Clamavus almost 100% different but still decent

  Lots of 1cp strats, a handful of 2 cost

  Throw multiple nades strat is gone

  Our vect becomes same as Deldars’ new vect

  Jackals get 3 good new special rules on top of -1 to hit

  Only rerolls to hits are largely 1s, one v specific reroll all

  Can somehow turn off obsec

• 

Stratagems 

Relics

Warlord Traits

Cults Tactics:

Updated Unit Rules

• Rockgrinder gets 12″ movement and WS3+
• Rockgrinder & Truck are 3+ save
• Standard 9E improvements to some weapons for both vehicles, especially the heavy seismic cannon
• Jackal Alphus +1Sv -1W, better sniper rifle
• Abominant -1S +1W

Leaked Images

Warhammer Community Sneak Peeks

While the Imperium has access to some of the finest weapons in the galaxy, such as the bolt rifle and plasma incinerator,* and the T’au Empire can unleash the mighty railgun, the Genestealer Cults have to rely on whatever they can get their hands (and claws) on. Often this is a wide variety of industrial equipment that proves just as useful on the battlefield as it is in the mine.** Here’s how a few of our favourites can help out your rebellion.

Seismic Cannon

The seismic cannon has also been improved in the new codex and, whether you’re using it in short-wave or long-wave mode, your enemies will be shaking in those new socks that they got for Christmas.

Having two firing modes gives you a lot of flexibility on the battlefield, but we recommend the short-wave setting to deal with those pesky Adeptus Custodes that we’re expecting to see a lot more of after their new codex goes on pre-order tomorrow.

Heavy Power Weapon

It’s not just ranged weapons that can be pilfered for use in battle, though. Along with the heavy rock saw, heavy rock cutter, and heavy rock drill that the Acolyte Hybrids can take, the heavy power weapon carried by the Aberrants shows how mining and melee can go hand-in-hand. The entire squad now carries this weapon, so you no longer have to decide between the raw hitting power of the heavy power hammer or the reliability of the power pick – you now get the best of both worlds. 

Along with this new weapon, the Aberrants have also gained a point of toughness AND an extra wound – expect to see these gene-deviants**** popping up all over the place.

All of these weapons are already pretty awesome, but what if there was a Stratagem to make them more awesomer? Sometimes you just have to turn things up to 11.

Play this when you really need to push through one of your attacks, and remember, anyone that dies from their weapon exploding is just another martyr for your cause.

Now it’s time for one of your Cult’s major players to step into the spotlight: the Primus. He more than lives up to the whispered legends, having received a host of changes, including an extra pip of toughness, which should help when going up against hardy opponents such as the Adeptus Custodes Blade Champion. 

It’s a good job this guy has three arms, because he has to juggle the responsibilities of being a fearsome warrior, guerilla general, and a cult icon. 

Alongside an improvement to his cult bonesword, both his scoped needle pistol and toxin injector claw retain their ability to wound non-vehicle and non-titanic units on a roll of 2+, regardless of their toughness, thanks to the samples of the Primus’ own virulent blood each weapon employs.* Not content with improving his physical prowess, the Primus has also been practising his sharp-shooting too, giving him a Ballistic Skill of 2+.

As a general, the Primus brings more to the table than combat prowess. He is able to plan raids and ambushes in minute detail, thanks to his abominable intellect. These meticulous plans give his cult warriors the edge against the tyrannical foes they battle against.

In some cults, the Primus is even better at planning than others, their otherworldly patience allowing them to spend hours collating tiny morsels of information and likely delivering exhaustive slideshow presentations of their plans to their comrades. It’s worth it though – the Exacting Planner ability enables a Primus to use Meticulous Planning twice in one phase, with one instance free from CORE unit restrictions. 

There’s very little on the battlefield that’s going to remain standing after you give Purestrain Genestealers and Aberrants the ability to re-roll wound rolls of 1. Who knew feral mutants would benefit from being involved in long, drawn-out meetings?

The Primus is a valued commander, and as such inspires Fanatical Devotion from lesser members of the cult, who are willing to lay down their lives for his.

The sacrifice of the many ensures that this heroic figure can skulk off to lead his brethren another day, and with his superb suite of abilities, you’ll want him to stick around.

You can include an entire Detachment from Codex: Astra Militarum in your Genestealer Cults army. Not only does this give you access to lots of additional units but, even better, it doesn’t prevent the Genestealer Cult units from using the awesome new Crossfire rule to gun down anyone standing in the way of your rebellion.

Previously, Infantry units would get a boost to their Leadership thanks to the Cult’s shared consciousness. Now, that boon is stronger than ever and spreads to all Brood Brothers forces. While they may not gain the Crossfire keyword, it’s hard for the massive firepower offered by a Heavy Weapons Squad to go unappreciated by Acolyte and Primus alike.

One of the war machines most coveted by the Genestealer Cults is the mighty Leman Russ Battle Tank, and their codex is arriving just in time to take advantage of the latest Balance Datasheet’s improvements. For an army that rarely sports a save higher than 4+, the 2+ armour save on the newly improved Leman Russ is a spectacular step up for their toughness on the tabletop.

To get the biggest bang for their buck, a Reductus Saboteur is also an expert infiltrator, silently navigating tunnels, and scaling towering buildings to plant their lethal payloads. Indeed, they’re responsible for taking out the military assets and sacred symbols of their oppressors when the cult reveals itself – a symbolic gesture that the time for the long-awaited uprising has come.

When you think of the servants of the Hive Mind, there are a few things that stand out – big claws, sharp teeth, and breathtaking appetites. It’s easy to forget that one of their greatest strengths is their ability to coordinate at the speed of thought, and it’s this that the Genestealer Cults use to devastating effect in their impending codex, coming early 2022.

Unprepared foes find themselves trapped in a cage of gunfire from all sides, as cultists spring up from prepared positions to blanket them in bullets. Whenever a unit with the Crossfire keyword shoots and scores at least five hits (or a hit with a Damage characteristic other than 1) their target gains a crossfire marker.

Once an enemy unit has a crossfire marker, it becomes especially vulnerable to attack. First, any further Crossfire units shooting at them add 1 to their hit rolls. Then, if the target is Exposed, they’re in for a world of hurt.

How does a target become Exposed? If you draw a line from the attacking unit’s base to another friendly Crossfire model within sight, and that line passes over the targeted unit, that targeted unit is Exposed. 

Attackers add 1 to their wound rolls against the Exposed unit, and if the attackers are within 12” of their target, they ignore enemy cover too. Enemies taking cover in Obscuring terrain have some protection, but unsuspecting foes will fall victim to the Cult’s diabolic pincer attacks.

If that sounds powerful already, you’d be right, and that’s far from all the Genestealer Cults can do with their Crossfire units. Coming under such heavy fire often renders enemies completely unable to defend against an incoming charge and gives their attackers plenty of time to hack away before risking retaliation.

You can even upgrade one of your units to be able to use the Crossfire rule as soon as they arrive from Reinforcements, meaning that your enemies are never safe from the Genestealer Cults.

Acolyte Hybrids

Acolyte Hybrids are one of the hardest-hitting units in the Genestealer Cults army on account of their ferocity in combat, universal access to hand flamers, and brutal melee options. However, they’re also a bit… squishy, which doesn’t quite feel right for xenos hybrids who share the bio-enhanced genetic traits of the Tyranids. 

Thankfully,  Acolyte Hybrids get a well-deserved buff to their Toughness in the new codex, offering them greater protection against Strength 4 weapons (boltguns, we’re looking at you) and from the multi-shot Strength 6 guns that are their current nemesis.

Better still, they’ll also be able to mitigate battlefield losses by carrying a cult icon, which grants them the ability to summon the cult.

This calls upon reinforcements lurking in the shadows to restore them to fighting strength – in the case of Acolyte Hybrids, that’s D3 destroyed models from the unit.

The Cult is opposed by the mightiest heroes the Imperium can muster – the Talons of the Emperor. Both sides bring a new hero to the fight – the Adeptus Custodes Blade Champion, a consummate master of melee combat (more on him later), and for the Genestealers, the crafty demolitions expert known as the Reductus Saboteur.

As you might expect for a demolitions specialist, the Reductus Saboteur is equipped with explosives of every description, from blasting and demolition charges to frag grenades. What’s more, before battle is joined, a Reductus Saboteur will saturate the battlefield with remote explosives that they can detonate from afar when the enemy draws near – and they’re especially effective against larger, more cumbersome targets.

As if that wasn’t enough, they can perform a special Plant Explosives action, leaving a booby trap in place for an area denial threat. Should your opponent ignore the danger, they’ll suffer explosive consequences.

Even if your opponent attempts to hunt them down, they’ll find that these masters of concealment are all but impossible to pinpoint while in cover thanks to their combination of Cloaked and Clandestine abilities.

In the narrative of Shadow Throne, a strike team of Talons of the Emperor – a combined-arms force of Adeptus Custodes and Sisters of Silence – are attempting not only to rid the Throneworld of the Genestealer Cult, but return with its Patriarch still alive for study. Even for the Emperor’s superhuman personal guard, this is no mean feat!