BLOOD FOR THE BLOOOD GOD !

SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE !

KILL… MAIM…BURN !

If you hear those words it can only mean one thing, that’s right the brand new World Eater codex is now up for pre-order which you can order from Element Games and support us at the same time.

First of thank you to Games Workshop for sending us a free copy of the codex to review as well as the new Khorne Bezerkers, Jakhals, Eightbound, Lord on Juggernaut and of course the red angel himself ANGRON ! I might need some more blood for the blood god paint now.

Lets jump straight into the review

Layout 

The first thing that stood out to me with this new codex was the layout, we get the army special rules first… well kind of, we get the generic rules for daemon engines and deep striking as well as the detachment conditions like only being able to take one daemon prince per detachment etc. Unlike a lot of other codexes this barely took up a page and was very simple and concise to read. 

We then get the faction rules, so when you build a World Eaters army you build it as either World Eaters or Disciples of the Red Angel ( Angron’s host more on that later ) each comes with a single army rule which is same for both and then 3 relics and 3 command traits / enhancements for your faction. Then the real interesting part, each faction has only 8 stratagems ! that’s right only 8 ! and even then some can almost be ignored unless you take certain units so in essence there is less than 8.

Now I have a sneaking suspicion that this is how the codexes will be going forward with stratagems still being a part of the game but only having a few that players have access to limits book keeping and speeds up the game in my opinion.

And then we jump straight into the data sheets, thats right the crusade section has been moved to the back of the book, well last section before war gear and points but basically the end of the book, the interesting thing about the data sheets is that the units special rules are all on the data sheet not with the army special rules which is a great change and again makes things a lot simpler to find.

This feels, as silly as it sounds, like the codex is written for the next edition as it is a lot easier to find rules and overall makes perfect sense in terms of the layout.

Army Rules

Like I said previously really small section that I can sum up very quickly =

• You can only have 1 Daemon Prince model per detachment.
• You cannot include more Cultist units than Butcher Astartes units.
• Troop choices gain objective secured.
• You have to choose for your army to be either World Eaters or Disciples of the Red Angel which limits what relics and warlord traits etc you can take.
• Daemon Engines get a 5+ Invunerable save and heal 1 wound in your command phase.
• There’s a rule called warp strike which is deep strike with a different name, teleport onto the battlefield more than 9″ away from enemy units at the end of your movement phase for those who don’t know.

Done and Done, Khorne likes simple and so do I. We also get the most important rule of all for those following Khorne the Blood Tithe rule !!!

Blood Tithe

If every unit in your army has the World Eater keyword ( not counting unaligned or agents of chaos ) then you generate blood tithe points every time a unit ( friend or foe ), a character, monster, vehicle or a Titanic unit is destroyed.

With these blood tithe points (BTP) you can at the end of a phase spend some of the points you have acquired to gain certain benefits for the rest of the game.

• Spiteful Nullification 2BTP = Your army gains a 5+ save against wounds caused by mortal wounds.
• Rage – Fuelled Invigoration 3BTP = Add 1 to charge rolls for your army.
• Warp Blades 4BTP = Add 1 to armour penetration for friendly melee weapons.
• Wrathful Devotion 4BTP = Every time a World Eater model loses a wound on a 6 you ignore the wound.
• Martial Excellence 5BTP = Each unmodified hit roll of a 6 scores an extra hit.
• Savage Guidance 5BTP = Add 1 to hit in melee.
• Total Carnage 6BTP = Unmodified hit rolls of a 6 automatically wound the target.
• Reborn in Blood 6BTP = Bring Angron back onto the table via the Warp Strike rule with 8 wounds remaining.

I really do like the blood tithe mechanic, especially being able to bring Angron back onto the table, as it works well at being both an interesting rule and fitting into the theme of the World Eaters.

Factions

We get 2 factions in this codex, the obvious World Eaters and the Disciples of the Red Angel. Both factions come with a special relics and benefits the big difference is only the World Eaters come with warlord traits, the Disciples of the Red Angel has to include Angron who has to be your Warlord so instead you get unique rules that you can give to a unit of Eightbound.

World Eaters

Legion Trait

Relentless Rage = When a World Eater unit charges, is charged or performs a heroic intervention that unit gets +1 strength and +1 attack.

Very simple and fitting for a combat army to get better at combat…love it.

Warlord Traits

• Favoured of Khorne = If your warlord is on the table you gain 1 blood tithe point in your command phase, really good to get to those 4 or 5 BTP buffs.
• True Berzerker = Half the damage characteristic of melee weapons that target the warlord.
• Battle Lust = Your warlord can fight first in combat and can heroically intervene within 6″.

Relics

• Helm of Brazen Ire = The bearer is -1 to be wounded for both shooting and combat.
• Berzerker Glaive = A slightly stronger power axe that scores an extra 2 hits on a unmodified hit roll of a 6.
• Talisman of Rage = The bearer can pick a friendly World Eater core unit within 9″ and the unit automatically wounds a target in melee on an unmodified hit roll of a 6.

Now onto the strategems of which like I said before there is only 8.

Stratagems

• Red Butchers 2CP = Pick a friendly Terminator or Eightbound unit and they get +1 damage in melee.
• Gory Dismemberment 1CP = Pick a friendly World Eater core of character unit, when that unit fights the unmodified wound roll of a 6 does a mortal wound in addition to the normal damage to a maximum of 6 mortal wounds.
• Skulls for the Skull Throne 1CP/2CP = You can use this stratagem when the enemy warlord is killed ( so normally once per game ) by a melee weapon made by a World Eater character model, you gain 2 additional blood tithe points for 1 CP and for 2 CP that character gets +1 to advance and charge rolls. Most of the time I’d completely forget this stratagem so the list is down to 7 stratagems now.
• Scorn of Sorcery 1CP = Auto deny an enemy psychic power within 24″ which is really good if you play against an army with psykers and very narrative for World Eaters.
• Blood Frenzy 1CP/2CP = Pick a friendly unit in combat and when models in that unit are killed that turn they can fight before you remove the models, if the chosen unit is a troops choice the stratagem costs 1CP any other units it costs 2CP.
• Aggressive Intervention 1CP = Gives one of your Core units the ability to heroically intervene.
• Smokescreen 1CP = A friendly Smokescreen unit (which is basically every tank in the codex) can pop smoke making themselves -1 to be hit in your opponents shooting phase.
• Icon of Wrath 1CP = When a friendly Icon unit is selected to charge you roll 3D6 and discard the lowest result.

7/8 stratagems are pretty solid which is really good, I love the reduced number of stratagems as I feel that I could remember them or at the very least find the one I want to use very quickly.

Disciples of the Red Angel

Restrictions and benefits

• Your army must include Angron and he must be your warlord.
• Your army can only include Daemon units or Land Raiders.
• Eightbound units gain the objective secured ability.

Legion Trait

Relentless Rage = When a World Eater unit charges, is charged or performs a heroic intervention that unit gets +1 strength and +1 attack.

Daemonic Infusions

For the Disciples of the Red Angel you don’t get any warlord traits because Angron has to be your warlord, instead you can give a unit of Eightbound a daemonic infusion for the game.

• Drawn to Power = Each model counts as 2 for controlling objectives.
• Mutable Form = Each unmodified wound roll of a 6 does a mortal wound in addition to the normal damage to a maximum of 6 mortal wounds per phase.
• Brazen Skin = The unit gains a 4+ save against mortal wounds.

Relics

• Burning Plate = Add 1 to both the armour saves of the bearer and wounds characteristic, pretty good now that armour of contempt has gone.
• Soulburner = Replaces the Daemon Prince’s infernal cannon with a strength 7 AP -2 flamer that does 2D6 shots, actually not bad.
• The Skull of An’Gr’Ant = The bearer can pick an enemy unit it can see and gets re rolls to wound against the chosen unit.

Strategems

• Gratuitous Bloodletting 1CP = You can pick a friendly unit that is in combat with an enemy unit that is less than halve it’s starting strength and your chosen unit gets +1 to wound rolls.
• Bloodscent 1CP = When an enemy unit falls back out of combat you can pick a friendly unit that was in combat with that unit and your unit can make a 6″ consolidation move.
• Furious Surge 1CP = Pick a friendly Eightbound unit after your opponent has made a shooting attack against your chosen unit that killed 1 or more models your Eightbound unit can make a normal move.
• Diabolic Machines 2CP/1CP = One of your Machine Sprit or Daemon Engine units counts as having it’s full wounds remaining until your next command phase it normally costs 1CP but 2CP if the unit has the Titanic keyword.
• Apoplectic Frenzy 1CP = Instead of rolling for a units advance roll you can automatically make it a 6″ advance.
• Violent Dismemberment 1CP = You can use this stratagem after a friendly unit destroys an enemy unit which gives your unit an aura ability until the end of the turn, enemy units within 6″ subtract 2 from leadership tests and -1 to combat attrition tests.
• Terrifying Assault 1CP = Pick an enemy unit that you declare a charge against and you can either stop them from overmatching or make them -1 to hit in the combat phase.
• Bloodthirsty Determination 1CP = Ignore any or all modifiers to a charge roll.

Datasheets

In the new World Eaters codex there are surprisingly not a lot of World Eater specific units instead they do get access to a lot of the Chaos Space Marine units which apart form having the World Eater Keyword have not changed such as =

• Daemon Prince
• Master of Executions
• Terminators
• Hellbrute
• Chaos Spawn
• Chaos Land Raider
• Defiler
• Predator Destructor (Autocannon variant)
• Predator Annihilator (Lascannon variant )
• Forgefiend
• Maulerfiend
• Chaos Rhino
• Helldrake
• Khorne Lord of Skulls

But what about the World Eater units well…

Angron – To put it simply Angron might be the deadliest model in all of 40k in close combat, he chooses to either make a sweeping attack or a slash attack in combat both are very scary but depend on what your attacking, the sweep attack does a massive 36 ! attacks in combat on his top profile and a measly 24 attacks on his bottom profile that are strength 9 -3 and damage 1 pretty scary; while his slash attack is strength 14, -4 and D3+3 damage making it perfect for killing any multi wound models.

He has a special ability to give a World Eater core or character ( most of the time himself ) re-roll hits until your next command phase not that he really needs it but still no kill like overkill. His armour gives him a 4+ invulnerable save which is good to see otherwise he might not get to see a lot of combat, I mean Tau railguns will still be an issue but thats Tau. At the start of the command phase Angron can also pick 1 of 3 aura abilities which lasts until your next command phase.

The abilities are =

• Infectious Rage – World Eater Core units get +1 Attack while within 6″ of Angron.
• Glorious Bloodletting – World Eater units within 6″ re-roll hits of a 1 in melee.
• Righteous Slaughter – Units within 6″ cannot fall back.

But thats not all his warlord trait makes enemy units within 6″ loose objective secured, of course most units within 6″ of him won’t have that rule anyway because they will most likely be dead but still very useful. Angron is a hammer unit pure and simple he is there to charge and kill an enemy unit, he does have some utility in aura abilities but they are only 6″ range and I feel most of the time you won’t have units in that range because they will be charging other units.

Kharn the Betrayer – So first of his plasma pistol no longer has the overcharge rule that could potentially kill him so no more living in fear instead it has the overcharge profile all the time. He has an impressive 9 attacks with Gorechild that is -4 AP and damage 3 ! as standard, needless to say throw Kharn into any infantry unit that is toughness 5 or less and he will make mince meat out of them.

Like Angron he walks around with a 4+ Invulnerable save now where previously I believe he had a 5+ invulnerable save making him surprisingly hard to kill and he now has an aura ability that gives World Eater core units within 6″ re-roll wound roll of a 1 which makes him good to have close by but his Betrayer rule which now only works on a roll of a 1 does 2 mortal wounds to a friendly unit within 3″ at the end of the fight phase which won’t come up too much and when it does khorne will still be happy.

Lord Invocatus – The named version of the World Eater Lord on Juggernaut, Lord Invocatus is a quick cavalry model who can increase the movement of nearby units by 2″ and if he is the warlord you can select 2 World Eater Core units before the first turn begins to make a pre game move making him a very tempting choice for my warlord in Incursion games. His Cowards Bane melee weapon does not allow Invulnerable saves to be taken which makes him perfect for killing most things in the game.

World Eater Lord on Juggernaut – This guy is basically a Chaos Lord on a Juggernaut, apart from his aura a ability to add 2″ of movement to nearby units he doesn’t do much, in small games he will be great but unless you add a relic or warlord trait to him the only roll he full fills is a compulsory HQ choice in a Disciples of the Red Angel Ark of Omen detachment for me, his combat ability is what you expect, he has 7 attacks that are -2 AP and damage 2 making him great at killing primaris marines.

Khorne Bezerkers – My second favourite kit from the new range ( Angron is my favourite ) who are what you would expect… killing machines. Each model has 4 attacks as standard at strength 5 but when you factor in their legion trait that gives them +1 attack and strength on the charge they have 5 strength 6 attacks that are -2 AP and damage 1.

1 in every 5 models can have a Khornate Eviscerator which is +3 strength -4 AP and damage 2 making it a very scary weapon in combat. You can also give your champion a plasma pistol in addition to 1 in 5 models being able to take one so small squads can have a good amount of plasma but it’s the icon that I feel is a must take which combined with the Icon of Wrath stratagem gives them a very reliable charge.

They also have a new rule on their data sheet called Blood Surge, which after they loose models to enemy shooting attacks they can move D6 inches towards the closest enemy unit, unless they have an icon any actions they are currently doing automatically fail so I would invest in an icon.

Jakhals – The cheap blood tithe point generators the Jakhals are the World Eater cultist unit, in combat they are not very scary being only WS 4+ and strength 3, they can once per battle take D3 mortal wounds to get +1 strength but even then they are not great, like I said they are there to generate some easy blood tithe points and capture some objectives while the rest of your army surges forward.

Eightbound – These daemon infested World Eaters are the bigger scarier versions of Khorne Bezerkers, what separates them is their Daemon keyword which gives them a 5+ invulnerable save, they have a rule called Bloodscent which allows them to be put in strategic reserves and treat the battle round as being 1 higher meaning they can be set up on turn 1 ! They have a 9″ move making them very quick and a lot of attacks that are geared towards killing infantry very well.

Exalted Eightbound – Similar to the Eightbound the Exalted Eighbound are daemons but have a 4+ invulnerable save and are geared more towards hurting high toughness units like vehicles with their chainfists and WS 2+, they have the Warp Strike rule so they can get around and threaten back objectives but can only be taken in units of 3 so you won’t see loads of these.

Crusade

The crusade section for World Eaters focuses on claiming skulls for Khorne by killing certain units and then making an offering that can give you various awards… You get a number of worthy skull points as shown below.

• Characters – 2 worthy skull points.
• Monster or Vehicle – 3 worthy skull points
• Any other unit – 1 worthy skull point

At the end of the game the unit with the highest leadership still alive takes the skulls with a roll off if there is a tie… if you have no eligible units then the skulls are lost. You then roll a number of D6 determined by the units rank and reduce the total by that amount and as long as the total is 1+ then your unit receives either a lesser, greater or exalted reward.

Conclusion

Wow where to begin, this codex is definitely written with a new edition in mind that we assume is coming this year with the way the codex is laid out and the fact that most of the rules are on the unit’s data sheets making the codex in my mind a lot easier to read and digest. The fact that there is essentially only 8 stratagems is amazing, enough to use your CP but not too many that you can’t find one your looking for quickly and easily.

The World Eater units themselves are all very similar in the sense that they are great in combat and thats about it, adding in some of the Chaos Space Marine units into the codex adds some much needed firepower to the army, a few Predator Annihilators with las cannons supporting your army as your infantry surge towards the enemy is going to be key to victory not to mention you can take some Chaos Daemon units in your World Eater’s army.

I really like the Blood Tithe army rule as it adds some interesting challenges and rewards you for well… dying, if a couple of your units die, oh well more blood tithe points which I imagine will make the army great fun to play and really buffs your units that do survive.

The crusade section looks good but I feel not being able to choose a unit to make the offering will just make a handful of units better, however the crusade content does look fun and I could see players having a lot of fun with the worthy skull mechanic.

Overall I love the new codex and the new army, Angron is an absolutely amazing centre piece model and the new Khorne Bezerkers are so well done that I can see myself painting a lot of these models in the future, the army is super solid in combat but has the flexibility to be a nice mixed arms army as well, I love some of the synergies that make some of the units like Lord Invocatus worth including in lists which makes me extremely excited to collect World Eaters.

Thanks to Games Workshop for sending us a free copy of the World Eater codex to review for free.

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD !

SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE !

KILL… MAIM…BURN !

Published by Andy

View all posts by Andy