Warhammer 40K: Codex Orks: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
Goatboy here with review on the new Codex Orks. Here’s the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from what’s headed your way in 40K 10th Edition.
Codex Orks has finally come out and it is doozy of a new book for 10th Edition. In fact I think it is one of the better codexes GW has done in a while and sits up there with Necrons in creating something new and unique with an army. So sit back, strap in, and get ready to yell WAAAGH in excitement!
The Orks are a race of war-loving loons. They believe in themselves so fully that they bring reality to their crazy mechanical ideas. They are also never going to stop when they get to your planet. They are one of the “bad” guys of the 40K universe and unlike Chaos or Necrons – their beliefs are fighting, destruction, and more fighting.
Thankfully the new Codex Orks does all of this and more with its rules and updates. In fact, I find it to be one of the best books GW has come out with in 10th Edition. It feels on par with Necrons in how it is built and re-designed from top to bottom. Almost everything feels good in the book which is a great thing to say. I don’t think it is busted over-powered, but instead feels just right. If all the codexes felt this way, it would be a much more diverse 40K 10th Ed. meta – but it is hard to come up with rules for every faction that feels unique and fun.
But enough of that let’s get to the review. As usual I will go over the things I like from the codex and instead of a deep dive into everything I am just talking about the things that excite me. I break this down into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly as usual. So strap on some piecemeal armor, grab a rusty choppa, and get ready to scream bloody murder.
Codex Orks: The Good
This codex is filled to the brim with good stuff. The overall army rule doesn’t change from the Index and still works the same way. You get to call a WAAAGH at the beginning of a Battle turn and you get advance/charge, +1 Strength/Attacks, and you get a 5+ Invulnerable save. It is pretty dang good and lets you really put on the early pressure and survive a bit more. Heck, a few of the detachments let you do other stuff, too, and some of the Datasheets gain extra things if they are in the Waves of the Waaagh. I’ve always liked this rule as it is simple, works for Orks, and just feels right.
New Orky Detachments
From there, you get six new detachments, and I think this is one of the few times I have seen every option be worthwhile to play with. Really, each choice lets you play a style of army you want from a Horde of Boys, pure pressure builds, and Bully Ork Nonsense. You have seen some already, and I think each one has its uses. This is the big thing in all of this is that I think all choices let you come up with an effective army that you want. Sure, there is going to be the best all-around one, but each detachment can be a threat.
My favorite right now is the Bully Boyz. This one is all about having a ton of leadership in units as it grants you a Second Waagh but only for Nobz, Meganobz, and Warboss units. Of course, if your Warboss is joined to a unit, that unit becomes a Warboss unit, so you can see how this very fun “Character” driven detachment has me excited. I can see myself using this one as a sort of Highlander-style list using all the “Warboss” keyworded units and who they can attach to.
The next one I like and I think will be the anchor of a powerful army is the Green Tide detachment. This one gives your Boyz units a 5+ invulnerable save with the added bonus if the unit is 10 or more models (or counts as having that many) they get to reroll 1’s. There is an enhancement for an Ork Infantry character that lets the unit its assigned to count as having 10 or more models. You can see how Meganobz will love this set up and probably be a cornerstone to a true bully list with 60+ Boyz and Meganobz holding the center.
The Dreadmob detachment also looks amazing with its fun rules and a design that pushes your walkers to the forefront. This one could be a ton of fun if you have a lot of Killa Kans and other clanky nonsense. I keep getting tempted by going hard on the Gorka/Morkanauts and maybe this will have me do it at some point. This one has a ton of flavor to it too, with the sheer madness you can do throwing out damage, hazardous rolls, and Ork nonsense.
The other three are copies of the old Warhorde, a Kult of Speed, and Da Big Hunt Beast Snaggas one. The Kult of Speed seems interesting with a simple rule of allowing all your Speed Freaks units being able to shoot if they Advance or Fall Back. It seems like an army that is dependent on if the units themselves get too cheap, and throwing that many on the field is worth it. Da Big Hunt is one of those – choose a target with your Beast Snagga units and watch as they get benefits to that. This is ok, and again, if specific style of armies come out or their points drop enough – it could be something worth it. The Warhorde is perfectly fine, as Sustained 1 army wide is a powerful ability.
Ork Datasheet Changes
Beyond the detachments we see some changes to datasheets. The Beastboss on a Squigosaur now joins the unit of Squighog Boyz. The Nob on Squighog is now an upgrade to the unit, and you can get two when you make it full-sized. The Meganobz gain a 4+ FNP when they are in the WAAAGH which seems pretty dang good. Ghazghkull-Thraka got a sweep attack. The regular Boyz get sticky objectives. Look, the Ork Datasheets were good before and they continue to be good. The Beastboss on Squigosaur did get a kick down a bit with their FNP going to a 5+, Invulnerable save to a 5+, and less Wounds, but being able to join a unit and give it a Warboss keyword seems like a powerful buff.
All the detachments have interesting Enhancements to, with things like making your character better, let their unit count as 10+ models all the time, deep strike abilities, and even the ability to charge when jumping out of a vehicle that already moved. Each detachment has something fun and unique which again makes taking different detachments fun.
Orky Strategems
On the Stratagem front we see a lot of help with charging, some regen options, and just powerful buffs. Most detachments have a few that are pretty key to them working well, which is a good thing. There are even movement tricks with responses to taking damage and getting closer to the enemy. There is even an Armor of Contempt ability for your army, which works well with you Meganobz. Each of the options are pretty good and helpful to your Ork detachments as a whole.
Codex Orks: The Bad
Really, the bad thing in this codex is just how some of the characters are talked about in the book but they are no longer options you can take. Badruk is gone even though his Flashgitz are running around. The Vulcha is gone as well, even though Storm Boyz would love a character that can join up. Mad Doc is gone as well and still talked about fixing up Ghazghkull-Thraka too. It feels like a few characters are just missing from this codex. While it is probably due to GW not wanting to make new models and balancing their existing options, it still hurts. Also randomly, the Nob with Waaagh banner is missing, and it feels like an odd character to leave out or at least not make a new model for.
The other kind of bad thing is the whole new boxed set with new Mek is – weird. I don’t think shoving a Stompa into a box is really making it a worthwhile deal. It would have been better with a “Bully Boyz” style box with Meganobz, Nobz, and other fun stuff. O,r at the very least, make it a Gorkanaut with more things in it.
Codex Orks: The Ugly
The real ugly is we have two left over Resin options in the book with Tank Bustas and the Warphead. I think it is safe to say those will probably come out at some point but it feels weird to leave these models that don’t really fit in the aesthetic of the current Orks. They just look kind of ugly.
Overall this is a home run release for GW and those who want to play Orks. I know I have been hoarding Ork boxes lately and I am excited to finally start breaking them out, building them up, and painting them. They have always been a fun army to paint that rewards madness which is a great thing. They are just fun as heck to work on even if they have too many dang straps/watches/etc on them.
WAAAGH!
