Warhammer 40K: How The New Roadmap Shapes The Future
Games Workshop revealed the Warhammer 40,000 roadmap through Summer 2024. And we’ve got some secrets to look forward to.
The Warhammer 40k reveals during the World Championships happened pretty fast. There were quite a few winners and a couple let-downs, but overall it was solid. However, one thing that I wanted to cover in a bit more detail was the new 40k Roadmap.
The New 40k Roadmap
As you can see we’ve got a much clearer picture of what’s coming down the pipe. Before, we had a block of codexes that had been announced, but were unclear as to the full timeline. This is a bit easier to track and follow.
We’re on the cusp of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Necron codexes being released as they are going up for Pre-order this weekend. Following those codexes, we’re getting the Dark Angels and Orks after them in the Spring ’24 window. We know Dark Angels are on deck first because of the reveals.
We haven’t seen any Orks yet, but you can bet those are coming. I just hope we get some meaty releases for both armies. But in reality we’ve kind of seen the pattern of one army getting a few releases (typically 2-3 new units) and the other getting a kit or two. I’m hoping I’m wrong here and the Orks and Dark Angels both get more toys to play with.
Further out we’ve got the Adeptus Custodes, T’au, and then the Chaos Space Marines. There’s not too much to speculate here. I do wonder how this batch of codexes will turn out for 10th edition. The Chaos Space Marines in particular seem to be holding their own in the competitive scene. It will be interesting to see how the T’au and Custodes turn out come the back-half of Spring ’24.
Warhammer In Summer 2024
Once we get into Summer 2024, we enter into a trio of interesting codexes. First up, we have the Genestealer Cult army. When 10th Edition launched, they were actually one of the top armies to contend with. Personally, I think this was a mix of really good recursion rules (probably a little too good) and the fact that folks have had lots (and lots) of time since this army was released to get it ready. I think 10th was a perfect storm for the Genestealer Cults at launch — folks had good rules and a collection of miniatures ready to go.
And now we’ve seen what happens when this army gets some love. Unfortunately, finding a balance for them is a tricky prospect. Hopefully the codex solves some of that and we get an army that’s ready to compete but not crush everyone with unstoppable unit recursion.
After the GSC, we’re getting the Adepta Sororitas, aka the Sisters of Battle. They’ve gotten some impressive miniatures with there last few major updates and I think they could be poised to really make a splash with a new Codex in 10th. We’ll see how GW handles them as I think they are in a similar boat as the GSC. If they get too many buffs they could be dominate and if they don’t get any/enough good rules they will meander in 10th. Turns out game balance is hard.
Into The Unknown
The final bread crumb from GW is an unrevealed codex. This is exciting! What could it be? Will it be a completely new army? Or perhaps this is just a book that GW isn’t quite ready to announce. Personally, I’m hoping it’s Aeldari because they need some tweaks. I’ve said it before but I really don’t like the way 40k handles “dice manipulation/replacement” armies. Having a way to guarantee 6s as a result isn’t something I personally like as rule. Part of the reason I like games that use dice as a random number generator is so that things can be, ya know, random.
Anyhow, before I go any further on this tangent, I think the Aeldari as a core army have lots of cool models and tools to use to be successful without fate dice. They’ve been strong out of the gate in 10th and have gotten nerfed to prove it. Here’s hoping that if they are the mystery codex in Summer 2024, that GW gets that balance right.
And if it’s NOT an Aeldari Codex then the it will have to be one of the other MANY options in 40k. It’s not like there aren’t armies that could use a new ‘dex for 10th, right? If you’ve got one you’d like to see take that mystery spot drop us a line in the comments to let us know your pick and why.
What are you looking forward to from this new Warhammer 40,000 Roadmap?
