The Biggest Adepticon Warhammer Reveals: Welcome to 40k 11th Edition!
So, Adepticon just wrapped up, and Games Workshop dropped a ton of news on us.
We all knew some cool stuff was coming, but they really went all out this time. The biggest bombshell? Warhammer 40,000 is officially rolling into its 11th Edition. It’s a huge shift for the tabletop, meaning fresh rules, new starter boxes, and a whole lot of updated sculpts.
Maybe you’re a veteran general. Or just getting into the hobby, new editions always shake things up in a great way. Plus, we got big updates for Age of Sigmar, the Horus Heresy, and more.
Let’s break down exactly what was shown and what it means for your workbench.
Warhammer 40,000
Let’s start with the big one. A new edition of 40k is always a wild time. It shakes up the meta, gives us new models to paint, and pushes the lore forward. This time, we are heading straight back into one of the most legendary warzones in the galaxy.
40k 11th Edition and the Armageddon Launch Box
Games Workshop hit us with huge news: 40k 11th Edition is kicking off with the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon launch box. Commissar Yarrick is back in action and sending a desperate call for help. A massive Space Marine coalition called Operation Imperator – including Blood Angels, Salamanders, and Space Wolves – is dropping in to fight off the Ork vanguard led by Wazdakka Gutsmek and Ghazghkull.
The Primaris Marines are showing the grind of constant war. New Intercessors are wearing a mix of fresh Mk X gear and older, classic armor marks. It is a great nostalgia trip for veteran players. On the Ork side, the Boyz had a brilliant idea – they are now carrying a shoota, a slugga, and a choppa all at once. More dakka, more krumpin’!
Rules-wise, do not panic. Your current codexes and supplements are still valid! You get to keep using your books. Detachments are getting a big update, giving you way more options to build your force exactly how you want. Plus, the missions are changing. Round objective markers are officially gone, replaced by terrain footprints. Terrain also changes Hit rolls now instead of saves, and the combat phase is getting smoothed out to make fights faster and cleaner.
We are going to be busy testing new 40k 11th edition rules for a long time.
The Return to Armageddon & Wazdakka Gutsmek
If the 40k 11th Edition box wasn’t enough, we are also getting a narrative expansion for the Armageddon warzone, similar to last 500 Worlds and Maelstorm. The biggest news here is that Wazdakka Gutsmek has an official plastic miniature. Ork players have been kitbashing Bikeboss for decades, so seeing him officially riding Big Revva on the tabletop is huge.
To counter that speed, Commissar Yarrick is bringing some heavy Imperial backup. We are getting a whole wave of unique characters and models: Commissar Graves, who rides into battle on her own custom transport to enforce discipline, Inquisitor Kroyle, an Ordo Xenos hunter riding a six-legged Garralisk, and Intranzia Fraye, a brutal Dogmata Superior leading.
Plus, the Astra Militarum motor pool is expanding. The new Centaur RSV gives infantry a fast, open-topped ride, while the Hippogriff AFV rolls in on six wheels to provide heavy fire support.
Games Workshop is also dropping four new Battalion boxes for the Guard, Sisters of Battle, Deathwatch, and Orks to kickstart new armies, or quickly update these you already have with new models.
Kill Team: The Red Terror & Nemesis Operatives
Kill Team is getting a huge boss-fight update. The Tyranid Red Terror will be a boss inTerror on Devlan box. Veteran players remember this model from the old codexes, and now it is back to swallow operatives whole. To hunt it down, the Guard is sending in the Spectre Squad: elite Cadian scouts relying on camo cloaks, ambushes, and heavy weapons to survive nine linked Joint Ops missions against a single giant monster.
Plus, if you ever wanted to drop a Dreadnought, a Crisis Suit, or a Screamer-Killer into a skirmish game, the new Nemesis Operatives book makes it happen. It gives you flexible rules to turn big models into custom boss encounters or heavy backup for your team. To kick things off, the Ambull and the Zoat from Blackstone Fortress are getting standalone releases with their own missions. We are definitely going to see some wild, cinematic boards built specifically for these monster hunts.
Age of Sigmar
Let’s jump into Age of Sigmar.
Games Workshop revealed the new City of Ash boxed set, focused entirely on the Spearhead game mode. This box throws the sneaky assassins of Clans Eshin against the disciplined ranks of the Freeguilds. It includes a board, terrain, and two complete forces, so it is a perfect excuse to start playing Spearhead with a friend.
City of Ash: Clans Eshin vs. Freeguilds
Skaven players have been waiting for Clans Eshin updates for a long time, and they are finally here. The Skaven half is led by Deathmaster Crixxit, who brings along a pack of bomb rats and 20 multi-part models that you can build as either elite Gutter Runners or expendable Night Runners.
On the human side, the Cities of Sigmar are deploying Ranger-Colonel Jorvan Kreel, who leads the charge alongside his pet ash panther, Thexa. His force includes heavily armored Freeguild Gallants, close-quarters Grenadiers, and a Mallus Forgepriest.
Cities of Sigmar: Cogforts & Massive Reinforcements
If you thought the Freeguilds were just about regular humans holding the line, think again. The star of the show is the Cogfort: massive, walking stone-and-steel fortresses powered by furnaces. You can equip them with giant cannons or heavy flame projectors. Plus, you can actually run them as mercenaries in almost any other army, which is a great excuse to paint one up no matter what faction you play.
The ranks are getting serious backup too. We are seeing bizarre new Collegiate Battlemages. On the infantry side, the Freeguild Gallants give us heavy foot troops, while the Grenadiers pack serious blackpowder firepower. As we covered in the last section, these new foot-sloggers will debut in the City of Ash Spearhead box. Between that, a fresh Battletome, a floating Dawner’s Triumph memorial, and a new Spearhead box featuring Pontifex Zenestra, it is the perfect time to start building a crusade.
Horus Heresy
Let’s shift gears to the Age of Darkness. The Horus Heresy is getting some heavy reinforcements for both the Legiones Astartes and the Solar Auxilia.
Spartan Prometheus, Charonite Ogryns & Rapier Batteries
First up, the Spartan Prometheus Assault Tank is making the jump to plastic. It trades the standard lascannons for either gravis heavy bolters to chew through infantry or laser destroyers for popping heavy armor. It is a massive kit and a staple for getting your elite Terminator squads exactly where they need to be on the front lines.
For the Solar Auxilia, dealing with Astartes requires some serious brute force. The new plastic Charonite Ogryns fit that bill perfectly. These guys are pumped full of combat stims, sealed in void suits, and have industrial mining tools grafted right to their arms. They have a perfectly grim, tragic vibe that fits the Heresy era so well, and they are going to look incredibly brutal on the tabletop.
If you prefer to deal with problems from a distance, the Auxilia are also getting plastic Rapier batteries. The Fire Support battery brings quad launchers and mole mortars—which literally fire explosive munitions underground to hit the enemy from below. The Direct Fire battery gives you options like heavy bolters, multi-lasers, or laser destroyers. It is a ton of heavy firepower on a tiny, track-driven chassis.
Rules for all these new kits will drop in the upcoming Journal Tactica: The Battle Of Tallarn – Part 1 supplement. Time to start planning your desert warfare lists!
Warhammer Underworlds
Let’s talk about Warhammer Underworlds. The skirmish game is getting some fresh air, quite literally, with a brand new warband dropping into Embergard.
Thyrielle’s Zephyrites
The Lumineth Realm-lords are sending in Thyrielle’s Zephyrites, a group of wind mages from the Hurakan temples. The coolest part about this warband is their unique tabletop mechanic. They bring along a vulpine spirit named Tzul, but Tzul isn’t a standard fighter—he is a token.
Where you place Tzul dictates how the magical winds blow across the board. If your models are caught in the slipstream, they get to pull off gravity-defying leaps and boost their defensive saves. If you catch the enemy in those same winds, they automatically count as flanked. You get four elite aelves in the box, including a blind archer who uses the wind currents to perfectly guide his shots. Small, specialized warbands like this are the perfect excuse to really push your brushwork on a handful of dynamic models without having to commit to a massive 2,000-point army project.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
The horns are sounding in the Westfold. Middle-earth players have been asking for updated cavalry for a long time, and Games Workshop finally delivered. We are heading straight back to the War of the Ring with some massive updates for Rohan and the forces of Isengard.
Riders of Rohan & The Burning of the Westfold
The biggest news is the brand new plastic Riders of Rohan kit. You get six unique horses and tons of weapon options, so your massed cavalry charges will look incredibly dynamic on the table. To keep that shieldwall strong, Rohan is also getting a new set of foot Commanders, including a captain, banner, and war horn.
On the evil side, the Hill Tribesmen are getting their own command group to lead the raiding parties. You can even run them as Wild Men of Dunland if you are focusing on Saruman’s armies.
To tie it all together, the new Burning of the Westfold Journal drops an 11-scenario campaign. You get to play through the battles of the Fords of Isen, the siege of Helm’s Deep, and the charge at Pelennor Fields. It is packed with hobby guides for building ruined settlements and painting horses. Painting a huge cavalry force can be intimidating, but a fully finished Rohirrim army charging across the table is one of the best sights in the hobby.
Time to Clear the Workbench
So, that was a massive drop of news. Between a brand 40k 11th edition, heavy armor for the Horus Heresy, and huge additions to the Cities of Sigmar, we are all going to need more shelf space. Adepticon showed us exactly where the hobby is heading over the next few months, and the sheer amount of plastic on the horizon is intimidating.
With all these new boxes hitting the shelves soon, your backlog is probably looking a bit scary. Let’s be honest—that Armageddon launch box won’t paint itself, even if you stare at it all year. If you want to get your new strike force tabletop-ready before the first tournament without losing sleep, send us a message. We paint, you play.
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