Warhammer 40K: The Ynnari Have Hit Hard Times
What the heck ever happened to the Ynnari? Let’s talk.
Introduced at the tail end of 7th Edtion, the Ynnari were supposed to be a significant player in the game. This brand new faction combined all the various bickering groups of Aeldari into one death god worshiping group. They were a major development for the Aeldari, not only advancing the race’s storyline but for the first time in over 10,000 years giving new hope to the faltering people. On a larger scale, their initial involvement in galactic events had massive ramifications and promised tantalizing new storylines. Since then, however, the Ynnari have more or less fallen by the wayside without major involvement. Let’s take a look at what happened, and why it’s so disappointing.
Rise of the Ynnari
In early 2017 the Ynnari faction was introduced as part Gathering Storm. This was a major development, in many ways as important as the return of Guilliman or the opening of the Great Rift. Without the Ynnari, Guilliman could not have returned. It was also one of the few times in recent memory we’ve seen a major plot development for the Aeldari. In a story that has increasingly focused on the Imperial vs. Chaos narrative, to the exclusion of all else, the Ynnari plot was a glimmer of hope for Xenos players. It hinted at major transformations for three popular factions and the possible introduction of a real new faction. The Ynnari’s rise, the birth of a new death god, and their involvement in imperial affairs point at major plans.
All Quiet On the Ynnari Front
After a big introduction and taking part in galaxy shattering events, the Ynnari storyline has mostly gone quiet for nearly three years. This once promising faction has languished, and is sadly underused. Aside from a few Black Library novels, which mostly flesh out their backstory, they haven’t been involved in the major events pushing the Galaxy forward. Vigilus, the major moment of 2019, was lacking a Ynnari presence even though other Aeldari factions had a role to play. Aside from offhand mentions in some Codexes, they don’t seem to be playing a major role in the most of the mainline novels. Since their introduction they simply haven’t done much or had any new major developments that are obvious. Back at the start of 2018, I talked about the need to advance the Ynnari/Aeldari storyline, and well it has been nearly two years now – and nothing has happened.
Tabletop Woes
The Followers of Ynnead have had mixed luck on the tabletop as well. First introduced as a sub/over- faction of Aeldari, the Ynnari had three whole models and some crazy rules. For such a small faction Ynnari had a massively disproportional effect on the game, with their forces dominating the meta for nearly two years. However, a series of nerfs slowly reined them in, culminating with the publication of a new Index for them in White Dwarf. With these new rules their power had finally been broken, and the faction has slipped out of the meta.
Even worse, early hopes for a Ynnari Codex seem to have been misplaced. The early Ynnari rules, like the rest of the Index rules, seemed a stop-gap before something bigger came out for them. However at this point it’s been two years without the hint of a Codex. While pretty much every other faction has gotten or been promised a codex (though not all; RIP Talons of the Emperor/Inquisition), and some have gotten two, the Ynnari are nowhere to be seen. Ultimately the relatively recent release of an Index for them would seem to imply a Codex is a while off.
A New Awakening?
There might still be hope for the Ynnari. Maybe they have a major role to play in the new Psychic Awakening event that promises to shake up the setting. However, we don’t have a lot of reason to hope. While the trailer and teasers we’ve seen do seem to tie in with the Eldar, they seem more aimed at the Craftworlds and Drukhari, mentioning Howling Banshees and Incubi. Moreover, the infographic GW has shown off that notes which factions will get new rules does not seem to include the Ynnari. Missing out on two major events is really bad news for the faction that started with such hope.
What Went Wrong?
So what happened with the Ynnari? They started with a bang, and have trailed off into a whimper. It’s disappointing seeing such a cool idea amount to a note on the tabletop and in the lore. If I had to guess I’d say GW had some major plans for them and ended up changing their minds for some reason. Maybe it was due to negative fan reaction, or at some point, they shifted gears on their narrative. We’ve always heard rumors that the original the shift from 7th to 8th was supposed to be a bigger change than it was and that things were dialed back due to bad initial reactions to the End Times and AoS. Maybe that’s what we are seeing. Or maybe the Ynnari were always planned to be a slow burn faction. Maybe their day is still coming, just further off then anyone would have guessed. Only time will tell.
Let us know what you think is going on with the Ynnari, down in the comments!
