Warhammer 40K World Eaters Preview - Consumed By Rage

When it comes to World Eaters, the name of the game is all about butchery. These absolutely rampaging Chaos Space Marines are led by Angron and completely devoted to the Chaos God of carnage, Khorne. Where they go, blood flows. And now Games Workshop is releasing a brand new Codex for the army, as well as several new units. They sent us some preview copies to check out, so follow along as we get our hands bloody with our Warhammer 40K World Eaters preview!

Warhammer 40K World Eaters Codex - Lore At A Glance

Every Games Workshop Codex is filled to the brim with pages upon pages of in-depth lore, and the Warhammer 40K World Eaters Codex is no exception. The lore in this book serves, first, as a handy primer to the World Eaters' role in the Horus Heresy, before exploring the way the faction shattered, was remade, and now continues to slash a bloody gash across the galaxy. With tons of info on Angron, Khorne, Kharn, Lord Invocatus, and more key players, the story of the brutal triumphs and defeats of the XII Legion are well documented.

Warhammer 40K World Eaters Codex - Rules At A Glance

Let's dive into the rules covered in the Warhammer 40K World Eaters Codex, and take a look at some of our favorite elements. The most exciting element to the World Eaters Codex is the introduction of Blood Tithe Points. World Eaters players accumulate BTP's at the end of each phase as follows: when a unit, character, or titanic unit is destroyed, gain 1 BTP (and these stack, so a unit that's a Titanic Character would be worth a total of 3 BTP's). This includes your enemy's units or your own (the Blood God doesn't care where the blood comes from, he just wants that sweet, sweet blood). At the end of each phase, you can spend accumulated BTP's on a variety of different boons, from rolling to ignore mortal wounds, improving the Armor Penetration on your attacks by 1, or even bringing a destroyed Angron unit back from the dead to fight again (among others). I really like this new mechanic, as it encourages you to play a bit fast and loose with your WE models, getting them bloodied and into the fray. It matches the flavor of the army perfectly, and could prove to turn the tide of the battle if you gain enough BTP's.

Beyond this, there are some fun relics and stratagems, and crusade rules for telling a gory story with your army, but this isn't as rules-heavy as some other Codexes we've seen lately (which makes sense, this is a pretty darn straightforward army). Now let's take a look at the new or reworked models coming for World Eaters.

Warhammer 40K World Eaters New Model - Angron, Daemon Prince of Khorne

No single model more epitomizes the character of an entire army quite like Angron, Daemon Prince of Khorne. This HUGE model is an absolute walking nightmare. He has 18 Wounds, a 16" Movement (with flying), a 2+ Weapon and Ballistics Skill Rating, 9 Strength, 9 Toughness, a 2+ Save, and at full health he has 12 Attacks! His Abilities allow him to re-roll the hit rolls of models within 6" of him, give him a 4+ save, and his Wrathful Presence gives him a suite of area of affect abilities at the start of each Command Phase -- including giving +1 to Attacks or the ability to re-roll Attack rolls of 1 to friendly units, or keep a unit near him from using the Fall Back action.

Tanky, maneuverable, and brutal in his assaults, Angron is a serious threat on the battlefield and should not be held back, but thrust into the fray to let him slice and dice with abandon.

Warhammer 40K World Eaters New Model - Lord Invocatus

Lord Invocatus, mounted atop his stampeding Juggernaut, is hell on wheels (err... hooves) with a 12" move. This model can dash around the battlefield (he also has the Fly keyword), smashing with strong melee weapons and blasting with a pistol. He also comes equipped with grenades, and his melee weapon "Coward's Bane" has a special trait making it impossible to use Invulnerable Saves against him. That ability alone could see him easily crushing heavily warded and fortified opponents. He also gives nearby units 2" more to their move, and can let up to two units take a free normal move at the start of the first battle round.

Fast and fierce, you should use his ability to add to the move of other characters - and his two free moves at the start of the game - to make sure supporting units can keep up with him as you charge him headfirst into carnage.

Warhammer 40K World Eaters New Model - Exalted Eightbound

The Exalted Eightbound are a ferocious group of fighters who have survived the Eightbound process (where they are imprisoned in a coffin and made to battle demons of the warp until eight demons of Khorne inhabit their body) and have assimilated all souls into their being. In other words, they are MAD. Armed with Eviscerators and Chainfists, these melee-focused fighters hit hard, but their most interesting ability is their Blood Fury Aura ability, which says when an enemy unit is within 6" of this unit and is selected to Fall Back or perform an Action, you roll a die. On a 4+, they cannot fall back, or that action fails.

Warhammer 40K World Eaters New Model - Khorne Berzerkers

The Khorne Berzerkers are the epitome of a fighting unit bred and built for the World Eaters. With a 3+ Weapon and Ballistics Skill, and a 3+ save, they rain devastation down on their foes with 4 attacks each. They also come with a bolt pistol and grenades, and have a special ability that allows them to immediately move D6 inches if they're the target of a ranged attack that destroys one of their units. Let them enter the fray, pummel your opponents under a heavy hail of melee attacks, and close the gap when opponents try to pin them down with bolter fire.

Warhammer 40K World Eaters New Model - Jakhals

The final unit we're taking a look at this week are the Jakhals. Fairly straightforward without any stats that are too impressive, they still go a long way to round out a force that needs a few more bodies on the field. Armed with stims they can pop once per game to suffer D3 wounds and add one to their strength characteristic, these fanatical fighters can lay into your opponents with their 4 attacks each. Whether you send them against softer targets to chop up your opponents, or let them whittle down a tougher enemy before dying (and giving you a Blood Tithe Point), they're pretty good for cannon fodder!

Also releasing this week is the new Arks of Omen: Angron, which fits nicely with the release of this Codex and army! To learn more about Arks of Omen: Angron, check out our coverage here!

The products used in the creation of this review were provided by Games Workshop.