The mission clock is ticking and the Drop Pods are locked in. The new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness is nearly here. We’ve already seen the contents of Saturnine, the massive boxed set containing 50 all-new miniatures, but that’s not all that’s coming in the new edition.
At launch, most armies will be supported by new Liber books. These five tomes detail the forces of the Loyalist and Traitor Astartes, the Mechanicum, the Solar Auxilia and the mighty walkers of the Titan Legions and Knight Households.
Expansive as they are, the forces that fought in the Age of Darkness were much more varied, so there will be more army lists provided as free PDFs soon after launch, to cover smaller factions such as the Daemons of the Ruinstorm, the Imperialis Militia and the Blackshields.
The Talons of the Emperor
Perhaps the most notable absence from the launch lineup are the Talons of the Emperor. Fans of these auramite-clad champions of humanity need not worry, as there will be a free digital PDF rules pack provided at launch, allowing you to play with your Legio Custodes and Sisters of Silence forces until a full Liber arrives.
It will be a few months yet, but remember… you have already seen the tip of the spear.
Legacies of the Age of Darkness
The Liber books deal with units which are part of the current Horus Heresy miniatures range, but there have been many units with rules in past editions which never had miniatures, or which have left the range.
You may absolutely still use these rules and miniatures in your games, using the Legacies of the Age of Darkness PDF. Units will clearly be marked as “core” or “legacy”, but there are no restrictions on using them, either in casual play or at tournaments. Tournament organisers may choose to exclude certain units from their events, but because this game system leans more towards the narrative side of things, the current plan is that all official Warhammer-run events will allow legacy units.
Digital Downloads
The first five months of the new edition will bring considerable digital support, covering forces across the Age of Darkness, from the vengeful strikeforces of Shattered Legions, to the malign incursions of the Daemons of the Ruinstorm. There will also be rules for Zone Mortalis Battles, bringing this compact play experience bang up to date.
Journal Tactica
On top of all this, there will be a steady stream of printed expansions in the form of the Journal Tactica series. These 48-page softback expansions each focus on a specific aspect of the Horus Heresy, from key battles to major factions and new ways to play.
The first of these lands alongside the Saturnine boxed set and focuses on the events of the Dropsite Massacre. As well as new lore and missions, many books will also bring a small number of new units to add to your games.
New miniatures
Horus Heresy fans can look forward to a substantial schedule of releases, accelerating the move from resin to flexible new plastic kits and adding new units.
We already know what some of these will be from the Dropsite Preview: brutal MkII Assault Marines, the much-anticipated MkIII Breachers and the huge Fellblade super-heavy tank.
-0wgyi8vd89.jpg)
Of course, with all this great content to come, it means that our Horus Heresy articles here on Warhammer Community will undergo a few changes.
The much-loved Heresy Thursday series will come to an end, as while there are loads of exciting new plastic kits to come, the release schedule won’t accommodate reveals every week.
But that doesn’t mean we won’t be supporting the game here on Warhammer Community. We’ll still have mountains of content including extra lore, in-depth interviews with the studio, tactical guides, and painting showcases. And when there are miniature reveals, this is where you’ll find them.
Make sure you stay up-to-date on all the new Horus Heresy news as it drops, by signing up to the Warhammer newsletter.
