Warhammer 40K: Why Everyone Should Be Thrilled About The Balance Dataslate
The Balance Dataslate is a great sign for everyone who plays Warhammer 40,000. Buckle-up because change is coming.
Yesterday we got the huge news that Games Workshop was going to release quarterly rules updates for Warhammer 40,000. This is a BIG DEAL for the competitive scene and that generally means it’s going to filter out to other areas of the game, too. Goatboy went over all the changes and gave his first impressions on those changes, too. But I’m not here to talk about those individual changes. Today I want to take a step back and talk about why this is good for the game as a whole and how this impacts the Big Picture for Warhammer 40,000.
FAQ, Updates, Errata & You
Previously, from 2019 until now, GW was updating 40k with a slightly different timetable. They had planned to do two “Big FAQ updates” twice a year and every time they released a codex they would have errata out after approximately 2 weeks. For the most part, they were pretty regular with that schedule. We got two major FAQ updates twice a year and codexes errata dropped after two weeks.
Those big updates rarely included points updates. Those were reserved for the Chapter Approved books which had blanket updates for points. Sure there would be the occasional re-adjustment to points but, for the majority of armies, the Chapter Approved included all the points updates.
And then 2020 happened.
Look, I don’t think we need to get into all that — but the impacts have been pretty evident. It’s well known fact that GW plans out product releases pretty far in advance. The disruption to well…everything has certainly put a damper on long range planning and product releases. The end result has been instability and delays to not just products but also updates to rules, points, FAQs and Errata. Frankly, it’s been a mess. It’s completely understandable and we’ve ALL had to make adjustments to our timelines and expectations. But a mess is still a mess.
Thankfully, GW isn’t just throwing up their hands and giving up. And this Balance Dataslate is evidence of that.
Moving Forward – 2022 And Beyond
The Balance Dataslate is a big step forward for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s a return to a new normal. GW is saying they want to deliver a Balance Dataslate once a quarter. That is a self-imposed deadline. And when GW makes a schedule they try REAL hard to stick to it. Plus a “quarterly series of balance updates” is also vague enough to give them some wiggle room for their release. (And when they aren’t going to hit a particular deadline it would be nice if they just say “hey, we’re gonna have to push it back” instead of retroactively removing those dates…just sayin‘)
Secondly, this is double the number of game-changing updates from the previous iteration of the “2 Big FAQs a year” model. A major update every 6 months was a long time to wait between updates. Previously, this allowed for some of the more egregious armies to stay around and pummel other for far too long. To be fair, GW did have a habit of dropping an FAQ or two to fix outright busted things. But they were willing to let the meta fester a bit longer — until now.
Thirdly, the Balance Dataslate is a targeted update in an attempt to course-correct meta outliers. That’s not me putting words in GW’s mouth. That’s what they are saying they want to do:
“Each quarter, you can look forward to a short list of rules tweaks aimed at boosting factions that need a killer edge, and taking a bit of the sting out of those riding high at the top of the competitive pile.”
The Balance Dataslate they put out targeted three very specific things they started to notice in the meta — and nerfed them. They limited Aircraft, they nerfed Ork buggies, and they upped the points of both the Drukhari and Ad Mech. On the other hand, it wasn’t just a big nerf bat beatdown. They also buffed some armies that needed help. The improvements to Astra Militarum, Necrons, and Imperial Knights were all good changes and should make those armies more competitive…which is exactly their stated goal.
Now, I know that Drukhari, Ork, and Ad Mech players are probably grumbling about those changes — I get it. When your army gets taken down a peg, it sucks. But, for the overall health of the game, these changes are net positives. And the “damage” done is more like pruning a plant so that it can grow in a healthy manner.
Sorry Orks…your sacrifice will be noted in the logs.
The final point is the points update that was also included. Again, Chapter Approved is where GW wants to update points regularly. However, it’s also clear that they aren’t afraid to drop some points updates in this new Balance Dataslate and that’s a good thing. Personally, I like the idea of more frequent points updates with the Chapter Approved being the “official” consolidated book. I doubt that GW will make constant, sweeping points updates in these new Balance Dataslates but I wouldn’t be surprised to see targeted ones for “problem” units as time goes on.
Quarterly updates to the Matched Play Competitive Meta feels about right. It’s enough time between updates to give the updates a fair shake but things won’t stay stagnant for quite as long now, too. I’m looking forward to GW shaking up the meta once a quarter with these updates. This is a net positive for the game and step in the right direction for 40k as a whole.
Download the Balance Update HERE
What do you think of these quarterly updates? Do you hate them or think this is a great move for 40k?
