Warhammer 40K: Codex Chaos Daemons Is Kind of Boring

A new Chaos Daemons codex is here! Strangely for 40K’s most divergent army, it’s rules aren’t at all what we expected.

Daemons have a bright and shiny new codex. One of the important things any new codex needs to do is not only make the army good, but also interesting. However power level aside, a debate for another time, the new Daemon codex simply falls down on the job of being an interesting book. Lets take a look at why.

Stat Buffs Instead of Rules

The book see a lot of reworking of daemonic units. However they all just feel kind of… meh? Instead of coming up with cool rules or interactions, the book generally just goes for straight buffs. This isn’t a tactic I particularly like. On the one hand it reeks of power creep. To see a unit double its attacks and get a ton of stat buffs seems to make it a ton better. It seems a needless buff and creep. Of course having twice as many attacks makes a unit better. On the other hand I’m not sure it really does enough to make them super good.

This is Boring

But is also just feels a little lazy and boring. There is no attempt to make the unit DO something interesting or better. Giving a unit twice the attacks or shots is about the most boring way possible to make it better. I’d much prefer to see some kind of cool rule or interaction (within reason) to up a units viability. Just plan boosting a ton of stats might make a unit good, but it doesn’t make the unit interesting. It also has a strange other affect.

Are Chaos Daemons Elite Now?

Most of the time in the lore you hear about Daemonic hordes, or legions. It gives the impression that Daemons are a horde army. In the past that’s been pretty true. They swarm forward in large numbers. Its an unending wave of Chaos. Their weakness tends to be their own daemonic nature in many cases. Yet the new book positions them as more of an elite army. The buffed stats of many units makes them swing towards an elite role. In addition with most units having much smaller unit caps, you don’t really get massive blocks of them any more.

Rather than a horde, Daemons are just kind of a solid stat lined elite army now. Gone is any kind of interesting overall rules or playing with their instability. Overall this just kind of makes them a bit bland and not very divergent. For a new book its a bit of a disappointment, especially for an army begging for otherworldly unique rules.

Wishing For More

This isn’t really a question of good or bad. I don’t need them to be the top army in the game. I do wish we had gotten a more unique and intresting book. Chaos Daemons are one of the most “out-there” armies in Warhammer 40K. Having them reduced to a bland elite army is kind of sad. Better stats are fine, and I”m sure the army iteslf is probably decently balanced. But in doing that it seems the army has lost a bit of what made itself feel like the very stuff of the warp.

Luckily, time flows strangely in the Immaterium. If a new edition is closer than we think, it’s possible that Codex Chaos Daemons may spring anew before we know it – hopefully with a little more flavor.

Would you rather have better statlines, or unique rules for your army?

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.