It’s been three months since the last Balance Dataslate for Warhammer 40,000. Since then there have been two new codexes – Adeptus Custodes and Genestealer Cults – and a whole new season of Warhammer 40,000 focusing on War Zone Nachmund.
We also got Chapter Approved 2022, which brings a host of changes to the game, including a bevvy of points changes summarised here. But the designers aren’t done, and now it’s time for the next instalment of the Balance Dataslate. This is a quarterly free download from the Warhammer 40,000 design team which rounds up balance changes so the game stays fun, fair, and competitive.
This edition of the Dataslate contains simple-to-understand updates to a handful of Drukhari outlier units in Warhammer 40,000, making for a better play experience for all. It’s much shorter than the last Dataslate – though no less vital. Most of the balance changes from the previous round remain, which is good news for Necrons, and the Leman Russ battle tank!
The Warhammer 40,000 studio explains:
"This Balance Dataslate is a fairly light touch in comparison to the previous iteration, as the points changes in this season's Munitorum Field Manual address the more general outliers in balance. As the Nachmund season gets underway, changes to the Grand Tournament Mission Pack, coupled with these points updates, should provide an exciting new state of play. It should take a little bit of time for a new meta-game to emerge.
“That said, we recognise both from our playtesting and from community feedback that points drops to certain Drukhari units, notably Haemonculus Covens, have put them out of sync with the most other units in the codex and game.”
“We thought it appropriate to limit the power of the synergies and combos available to certain Haemonculus Covens units. Removing the <CORE> keyword from both varieties of Pain Engine (the Talos and the Cronos) is intended to reduce their efficiency and provide a more balanced field of compelling options within the Drukhari codex. They remain terrifying units on the tabletop – as they rightly should be – but they should feel a little less oppressive this season.
“We also tweaked the Artists of the Flesh Obsession so that it only applies to weaponry below Strength 8. This small tweak should reduce its utility while maintaining its efficacy in most situations and bring it more in line with the other available Obsessions."
There is also a bundle of FAQs for more or less every Warhammer 40,000 release to date, from the Core Book to the Imperial Armour Compendium, and everything in between. Check them all out here, to see all the nitty-gritty changes for your faction.
Go forth and dominate the tabletop off the back of these changes, and subscribe to the Warhammer Community newsletter to get all the latest news about Warhammer 40,000 delivered to your inbox.