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

Pre-orders: Sept 10th 2022 Release Date: Sept 17th 2022

• Leagues of Votann Codex: $55
• Leagues of Votann Box Set: $200

Leaked Codex Rules

Warhammer Community Sneak Peeks

We’ve seen plenty of awesome Leagues of Votann technology already, from nimble Sagitaurs to thundering Einhyr exo-armour, but we’ve only scratched the surface of the ingenious Kin that create it all. It’s the job of the Brôkhyr to toil in forges, and when the Oathbands head to battle, they strap into powerful exo-frames to become the mighty Thunderkyn.

The powerful suits they wear are adapted from rugged engineering rigs and allow the Brôkhyr Thunderkyn to heft the heaviest man-portable weapons the Leagues can muster with ease. Hordes of enemies fall before bolt cannon salvos, while heavy infantry find themselves pierced by the unstoppable lances of SP conversion beamers. 

Although not quite as scratch-resistant as the Einhyr Hearthguard’s exo-armour, their exo-frames can still weather considerable fire. 

The rigs themselves are rough and workmanlike, a far cry from the Kâhl’s beautifully ornamented armour, but they get the job done – and the Brôkhyr would have it no other way. Their advanced engineering equipment also helps out, with omni-visors able to pick out the telltale signs of enemy units through dense terrain.

Even the most level-headed Hearthkyn Warriors and battle-ready Cthonian Beserks need a stern voice at their backs from time to time, so when an Oathband marches to war it’s the job of the Kâhl to lead them to victory.

Appointed from among the Leagues’ most skilled and dependable warriors, these generals are the final authority over an individual Oathband. Subordinate only to their Kindred’s ruling Votannic Council, the Kâhls back up decades of hard-won experience with rigorously drilled combat skills, and the Leagues’ signature advanced weaponry.

This is the first time we’ve seen a Kin in red armour.  He’s from the Ymyr Conglomerate, while that classic teal colour we’ve seen so far are from the Greater Thurian League. We’ll have more on these and the other sub-factions of the Leagues of Votann soon…

On the tabletop, these stalwart HQ choices are the core around which the Leagues of Votann’s war machine revolves, directing assaults while smacking their foes with the business end of a plasma axe. Their most important role, however, is to cast the Eye of the Ancestors over their foes – marking out priority targets and ensuring the most dangerous enemies are the first to feel the wrath of the Kin.

This is a multipart kit with options for heads, weapons, and equipment, so you can tailor your commander to a particular battlefield role. We can’t say exactly what all the weapons do yet – but a volkite-and-power-fist combo can’t be bad.

“Visually, they’re like the Votann themselves,” adds Jes, who took charge of the miniature design. “Chunky, rugged, and tough. Even the magna-coil tech utilised in their gimballed lifter coils is unsubtle, contrasting with the sleek elegance of Aeldari anti-grav. I imagine them kicking up dust as they manoeuvre.”

“In a lot of factions, bikers are shock troops, swift hunters, or even (in the case of Orks) just marauding speed-crazed loons,” Andy explains. “By comparison, the Hernkyn Pioneers serve as armoured cavalry. They are extremely sturdy, highly mobile, and pack a tremendous amount of firepower – which to my mind makes them a more central and powerful element of the main Kin battle lines than some other factions’ bikers.

“Their magna-coil bikes are fast and manoeuvrable, even over the most difficult terrain or bodies of water, which might confound more conventional bikes with wheels. What’s more, they have some seriously big guns, and with their multiwave comms arrays and pan-spectral scanners they have all the supporting tech needed to operate as intelligence gathering assets.”

“They wear lighter void suits than the Hearthkyn,” Jes notes, “and distinctive heavy coats, no doubt lined with protective weaves and shielding. Leather skull caps, face scarves, goggles, and visors, even parka-style hoods are all in evidence. These are explorers and frontiersmen – even more so than their Hold-bound comrades. 

“Their hand-held weaponry is similarly prosaic, with bolt pistols and shotguns, and big plasma knives. On the other hand, the bikes themselves mount weaponry that employs some of their more advanced technologies. Their variant uniforms and weaponry give a contrast to the more armoured Kin, adding texture to the range and a distinctive image to an important element of Kin society.”

Interestingly, as an offshoot of human civilisation from the Dark Age of Technology, the Leagues of Votann share a visual language with certain Imperial technologies.

“Rather than matching Leagues of Votann tech to a particular, existing style of STC devices, the idea was that their tech had slowly evolved from more ancient designs,” says Jes. “The Leagues and the Imperium share a common root in the STCs that were prevalent in those days, and you can spot the commonalities, but they’ve diverged over the millennia. The Leagues’ kit is less clunky and temperamental, while the Imperium has lost so much…

“That being said, their armour style has a rounded, almost muscular feel, with additional layers and countersunk bolts that are reminiscent of the Kastelan Robot used by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Some of the Imperial weapon types usually described as ‘relics’ are more commonplace in the Leagues, and they also possess better versions of most Imperial technologies – even common ones like las weapons. Just look at the HYLas rotary cannon that can be mounted on a Hernkyn Pioneer – HYLas is short for High Yield Laser.”

The courageous warriors of the Cthonian Mining Guilds represent some of the most heavily augmented Kin – unreasonably brave souls who have enhanced the physical capabilities of their cloneskeins with cybernetic upgrades, all the better to extract precious minerals from rad-plagued nebulae, explosive asteroids, and fathomless ocean depths. 

Boosted by the cyberstimms that flood their systems, the Beserks can keep battling through life-or-death situations. They eschew the high-tech STC weapons wielded by the rest of the Kin, using robust mining equipment such as heavy plasma axes and concussion mauls.

In the muscled (or mechanical) hands of Cthonian Beserks, these tools become weapons that can penetrate heavy armour or alien carapaces just as easily as stubborn rock and stone. 

The stalwart Kin who make up the Leagues of Votann are doughty, rugged survivalists – but the galaxy is a grim enough place that even they won’t go it alone. All Kin – save a few rare outcasts – belong to a Kindred, a social group somewhere between an extended family and an outright nation-state, its members all springing from the same genetic crucibles* to forge an unbreakable fellowship. 

A Kindred might be a few dozen strong, or a few million, but they all live, train, and toil in the same shared Hold. Kin prefer not to waste words, so “Hold” is a malleable term – it could mean a fortified outpost, a live-in factory, or a warren of tunnels. Some Holds float in the void of space, cling to asteroids, or hover on the fringe of a black hole, while others may stretch out across the surface of an entire planet.

Most Kindreds have some means of defending themselves, and some are mighty battleforces in their own rights – but they tend to unite for protection under the banner of a League. These formal affiliations allow Kindreds to share the benefits of trade, military support, and so on. Leagues like the Ymyr Conglomerate are massive and ancient power blocs, but others have waned in power, or only risen to prominence in more recent times – such as the Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues, who have profited greatly from trade with the T’au Empire.

But what of the Guilds? These groups exist outside the bounds of Kindred or League, uniting all who practice a particular trade within a given region of Kin space. Whether you make a living by salvaging broken void craft or concocting nutritious liquid rations, there’s a Guild for you – setting standards, providing accreditation, and demanding tithes. Guild membership is voluntary – but there’s no love lost between Guildkin and freelancers, who regard each other as disreputable and hidebound, respectively.

In theory, the Guilds are not political entities, but independent commercial groups, dedicated to ensuring fair competition – in practice, smaller Guilds rarely extend beyond a single Hold, and maintain key positions within their ruling bodies. Guildmasters typically sit on the Hearthspake – a Kindred’s governing council – as civilian representatives, alongside the military commanders of the Kinhosts and the Grimnyr.

Competition between Guilds can become heated, even drawing other species into the crossfire as jockeying Guildmasters sponsor Oathband expeditions to survey systems rich in resources. Anyone who happens to already inhabit these hotly-contested worlds are out of luck – existing civilisations and ecosystems are a much lower priority than beating rivals to the punch.

Despite their fractious natures, Guilds are invaluable to Kin society – their accumulated know-how and contacts are what smoothes trade and transit between disparate Kindreds, providing a web of organisation and support that runs throughout the Leagues. From star-mining and gravitic fracking to constructing the far-flung Holds that the Kin call home, every venture is marked by the high standards – and relentless competition – of the Guilds.

The Cthonian Mining Guilds are particularly powerful, embodying the belligerent acquisitiveness of the Kin. Fearless in the cause of locating, securing, and harvesting resources for their race, the Cthonians think nothing of braving environments so extreme that even other Kin would baulk at their hazards. You can expect to hear more about this particular Guild – and its much-modified members – soon enough. 

The Cicatrix Maledictum that shattered the galaxy has even harmed the mighty Leagues of Votann. With Holds swallowed up and trade routes severed, the Kin have been forced to establish new footholds beyond the galactic core, sending forth expeditions of brave Hearthkyn Warriors, exo-armoured Einhyr Hearthguard, and redoubtable vehicles like the Sagitaur.

Designed for surveying inhospitable alien terrain, the Sagitaur is a rapid-response ATV suited to scouting operations and lightning-fast armoured offensives alongside Hernkyn Pioneers. Its armoured carapace is durable enough to shrug off everything from rockslides to plasma blasts, making it an ideal spearhead for any League-sponsored colonisation effort.

Sagitaurs usually operate in pairs – they’re remarkably heavily-armed for their size, with a nose-mounted twin bolt cannon complemented by a swivelling turret weapon, such as a HYLas beam cannon, L7 missile launcher, or MATR autocannon. 

Once they’re right up in enemy lines, they disgorge their ornery cargo – a full squad of infantry, which can be split between the two vehicles. These hardy warriors pop out, engage enemy units with their superior weaponry, and claim vital objectives – while the Sagitaurs speed off to deliver their heavy firepower wherever it’s needed.

Selected from the most accomplished fighters in a Kinhold, the Einhyr Hearthguard have many roles – from bodyguards to deadly first-strike troops. Each Hearthguard has proved themselves over many years of front-line combat, ascending purely by the virtue of their deeds, just as the staunch meritocracy of the Leagues requires.

Like Hearthkyn Warriors, Hearthguard are dependable fighters, but their experience and inch-thick battle plating take the Kins’ natural durability to a whole new level. Crack units of Einhyr Hearthguard can be trusted to hold the line and inspire their fellows to stand firm even in the face of untold horrors.

They aren’t all take and no give, either. Each Einhyr is equipped with a Volkanite Disintegrator and a shoulder-mounted grenade launcher, laying down a solid curtain of fire as they advance. Once the Einhyr Hearthguard join the melee, they’re just as formidable, lashing out with devastating concussion gauntlets. 

These marvels use ancient technologies to increase the mass of a warrior’s fist as they swing, turning an already burly uppercut into an earth-shattering blow that can lift a hulking Ork right off their feet. Those who prefer the deftness of a sword over the raw power of their gauntlets can fit a thrumming plasma blade to their wrist, perfect for slicing and dicing the galaxy’s less damage resistant dangers.

As the time draws closer for the Leagues of Votann to be unleashed onto the battlefields of Warhammer 40,000, we take a look at what makes them tick – and where their formidable battle prowess comes from.

While the Leagues were unveiled in April this year, they trace their lineage back to the game’s early days, as well as occasionally popping up on the ravaged planet of Necromunda, where their cousins, the Ironhead Squat Prospectors, can be found searching for riches under its irradiated crust.

How do they measure up?

The first thing you might notice is that they look a little squat compared to many other races in the galaxy. Measuring up at around 4ft (1.4m) on average, Kin are miniscule compared to the warriors of the Adeptus Astartes, but they can pack almost as much of a punch.

Inside that diminutive frame is the stout heart of a fighter who is afraid of no foe – be they fellow mortals or eldritch horrors. The Kin answer the rallying call to battle whenever, and wherever, they are required.

Armour and Wargear

As we’ve alluded to before, the Kin also happen to be sitting on a closely guarded network of (more-or-less) functioning STCs. 

The Leagues may move slowly, but they’re not stuck in a technological rut, unlike some factions we could mention. Their engineers – called Brôkhyrs – command the auto-foundries of each Kinhold from their personal A.N-vyl terminals. But what are they forging?

We know the Leagues have technology far outclassing much of that of the Imperium, and Void Armour is a prime example of this. While the Power Armour of the Adeptus Astartes is always evolving, and may be considered the peak of Imperial body protection, the Kin’s Void Armour takes personal defence to another level.

Void armour comprises hardened, jointed segments which are hooked into the void suit beneath. It is fashioned from magnaferrite weave, and often reinforced with adamantine and enhanced with microfield generators – providing the ultimate protection for these doughty warriors.

Kin and Culture

Culture in general is incredibly important to the Leagues, and much like the requirement for Imperial Knight pilots to honour their ancestors, Kin are also acutely aware that the Ancestors are Always Watching, a phrase which is used as a blessing, battlecry, and warning interchangeably.

The rugged survivalist culture of the Leagues of Votann has bred a long-lived, hardy, and self-sufficient race. In order to truly honour the Ancestors, every member of a Hold must also endeavour to live a full life, discovering as much as they can and offering their learned experience to the Votann. This thirst for knowledge has led the Kin to launch countless exploratory and prospecting fleets into the wider galaxy – and even fight as mercenaries in other species’ wars!

These hardy clone warriors form the core of the Kinhosts, and unlike the Adeptus Astartes, they are not bred solely for war. These soldiers are citizens drawn from the populace of the Holds, regardless of gender, job, or social role. They’re Kin who have undergone rigorous martial training, yes, but they also have fulfilling lives outside of war. 

Hearthkyn Warriors are often engineered with particular cloneskeins that allow them to specialise in combat – heightened senses, improved stamina, and the ability to see better in the dark, to name but a few. In contrast, others augment their bodies for battle with mechanical limbs and synthetic organs. Held in equal status in League society, Ironkin also fight shoulder to shoulder with their flesh-and-blood comrades – Kin are Kin, even in war.

Each unit of Hearthkyn numbers 10 to 20 strong, and is led by an experienced Theyn. These doughty squad leaders have the honour and responsibility of commanding their fellow Kin – and are able to arm themselves with a variety of hand-to-hand combat weapons, including brutal concussion gauntlets and vicious plasma axes.

Theyns communicate with their squad with the aid of cybernetic implants – relaying strategic instructions from the commanders of the Oathband to their units, who carry specialized heavy weaponry such as L7 missile launchers, Eta Carn plasma beamers, and magna-rail rifles.

These units work effortlessly in conjunction with one another, regardless of their specialisation. Some are tasked with sundering the defenses of heavily-armoured opponents with ion blasters and HYLas auto-rifles, while others capture battlefield objectives and lay down a hail of saturated fire with their Autarch-pattern bolters.

The Leagues of Votann believe that nothing is worth doing unless it is done well, and they wage war as methodically as any other pursuit. If the cost of the fight cannot be justified, they’ll retire from the battle in good order. Every commander, from Theyns to the grand leader of an Oathband, will ensure no Kin lives are wasted in the pursuit of victory.

To help limit unnecessary loss of life, squads of Hearthkyn often go to battle with experienced field medics (or skilled engineers, for Ironkin) who can tend to any injuries. Be they mechanical or meat – no Kin gets left behind!

We already know that Kin society is run by the Votann, ancient thinking machines that the Imperium would be indisputably dubious of… if they knew about them. Fortunately, that’s not something outsiders need to know about.

The Leagues might want to be a bit more subtle about the Ironkin. These are true mechanical intellects, created by the Votann – and they’re computationally advanced enough that they’ve learned to mimic Kin social behaviour, fully integrated into League society as equal partners. Whether made from meat or metal – Kin are Kin.

Each Ironkin consists of a Cerebral Unit – woven with microfield generators that make it very hard to destroy – and a unique mechanical body. An Ironkin’s body isn’t just some component to be replaced – it’s deeply personal, as much as the bodies of their fleshy cousins, and designed to fulfil a certain niche, such as mining support units, cargo luggers, combat pilots, or shock troopers. Some Ironkin even serve as Wayfinders, whose accelerated logic-cores help them cogitate probable paths through the warp. 

The purpose of the Ironkin is to support the Kin in every aspect of their lives, but it’s important to know that they’re not held in servitude, nor treated as lessers. They’re simply designed to want to be helpful. However, as artificial beings, they can only imitate the emotions of their biological fellows – it’s rare (but not unknown) for an Ironkin to possess ambition, or seek to become a leader.

On the battlefield, Ironkin combatants fight alongside Kin warriors in pursuit of the goals of the Leagues. They often accompany the Brôkhyr Iron-masters as assistants alongside the less complex COG robots, offering technical support and pitching into combat in a pinch.

The Ironkin have accompanied the Kin since their  earliest days – long before myth segues into recorded history. No one is quite sure of their origins, but they’ve always been there, equal partners in each Kinhold’s every endeavour.

The Leagues of Votann are still a few months out from making first tabletop contact with the rest of the 41st Millennium, but after learning about the Ancestor Cores and the cloneskeins, we’re all agog for the main course – the guns.

As with more or less everything else in the Leagues, the collected technological knowledge of the Kin is contained within the Votann. These ancient minds are vast repositories of weapon schematics that would have just about every member of the Adeptus Mechanicus weighing up the merits of becoming a heretek. The Kin, you see, are sitting on a closely guarded network of functioning STCs – a fact reflected across their entire armoury.

An armoury which, mark you, they are perfectly permitted to improve over time. The Kin may move slowly, but they’re not stuck in technological stasis like some factions we could mention. Their engineers – called Brôkhyrs – command the auto-foundries of each Kin hold from their personal A.N-vyl terminals. But what are they forging?

From the Autoch-pattern bolter to the Etacarn plasma gun, many Kin weapons bear superficial similarities to Imperial weapons, but they’re superior in every respect. There’s a clear shared ancestry between the bolt revolver and bolt shotgun and the bolt weapons of the Adeptus Astartes, but Kin weapons simply work better and hit harder. 

Then there are items like the volkanite disintegrators, which use technology since lost to the Imperium, or ion technology, which is proscribed by the Adeptus Mechanicus. That’s their loss – the T’au Empire certainly seemed to appreciate being taught how to harness it…

All these weapons are supported by smart tech integrated into Kin battlegear. The haptic utility nerve transmission recalibrator modules – HunTR for short – interface with their neural augmetics to establish a feedback loop between firearms and their users. This system projects minute gravitational pulses to maintain a stable firing platform even while running at full pelt – or zooming along on a flying trike.

The Leagues don’t just fight at range, either. The Kin recognise the need for hand-to-hand engagements – especially in the face of swarms of Orks or Tyranids occupying a perfectly good mineral-rich asteroid – and their melee weaponry is similarly high-tech. They make substantial use of plasma fields either to augment blades or extend them, while concussion weapons like hammers and mauls mount mass drivers to really make an impact.

Though the old Squat Trikes were noticeably less airborne, you can see a number of key design cues that carried over to the Hernkyn Pioneer… as well as a few places where the technology of the Leagues of Votann has clearly diverged from the Imperium. There’s no mistaking this for a Space Marine bike!

And check out the tough-and-testy triker holding the handlebars of the Hernkyn Pioneer! It’s our first look at a female Kin, clad in a coat and goggles worthy of any aviating outrider. In the Leagues of Votann, when the clan-family calls, everyone answers.

Long millennia spent isolated from the worst of the galaxy’s conflicts have done nothing to soften the Leagues of Votann. Thanks to their naturally hardy constitutions and their terrifyingly technologically advanced Ancestor Cores, even their basic soldiers – known as Hearthkyn Warriors – can rumble with the best that the 41st Millennium has to offer.

Could this be due to a rigorous martial tradition, or a bit of technological assistance from the Votann? The answer is likely somewhere in between.

Combined with solid void-hardened armour and their knack for sticking around in close combat, these guys march in squads of up to 20 with high-tech guns blazing before charging in to mop up survivors.

The Theyns, their leaders, are even tougher: