Last week we had a look at how to build an army in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. One of the major choices you’ll need to make – after choosing which faction you like the most, of course – is what Detachment rules you’ll pick. These determine how your specific army performs, providing special rules and unique traits, as well as unique Stratagems and Enhancements.
The Index Cards released at the dawn of the new edition will each come with one Detachment, representing a common fighting style for a particular faction, and more will emerge as new Codexes arrive and armies expand. There is one golden rule: every Detachment must fit onto a single double-page spread. This means you’ll never need to go leafing through an armful of rulebooks to find that key Stratagem – you’ll have your core rules, your datasheets, and two pages of unique rules, and you’re good to go!
Remember: Simplified, not simple.
On top of this, every faction gets an army ability regardless of which Detachment you’re using. This represents the totemic aspect of that faction in war – so the Orks get Waaagh!, Tyranids get Synapse, the Astra Militarum get Orders, and the Space Marines get Oath of Moment.
Re-rolls are significantly less common in the new edition, so the ability to single out one target per round for complete annihilation reinforces the Space Marines’ reputation for disciplined, targeted hammerstrikes.
Exploring Detachments
The Tyranids begin their adventures in the new edition as an Invasion Fleet, focused on swift evolution and overwhelming offence. The Invasion Fleet’s Detachment rule is Hyper-adaptations, which provides three different abilities you can choose from each battle, depending on what you’re fighting.
Swarming Instincts adds the Sustained Hits 1 ability to your attacks against INFANTRY and SWARMS, landing an extra blow whenever you score a Critical Hit – that’s the new term for rolling an unmodified 6 on your Hit roll. This will be your go-to adaptation to handle an enemy horde or a stoic wall of elite infantry.
If your targets are tough VEHICLES and MONSTERS, you can instead pick Hyper-aggression and add Lethal Hits to your attacks against them – meaning you’ll automatically wound on a Critical Hit. Adapt and overcome!
For their army ability, the Tyranids can manipulate Battle-shock tests with Synapse and Shadow in the Warp – but we’ll find out what those do when we have a closer look at the Tyranid faction next month.
Stratagems and Enhancements
Stratagems and Enhancements are also now part of your Detachment. In the previous edition, many players found it difficult to juggle and remember two or three dozen Stratagems. Those days are gone – no Detachment will contain more than six Stratagems. Add that to a robust universal menu of 12 Core Stratagems, and there’s now simply less to keep track of.*
Armour of Contempt returns as a Stratagem for the Gladius Task Force, the first Space Marine Detachment.
Enhancements replace the old Relics and Warlord Traits, offering a unified list of unique upgrades for each Detachment. Unlike Stratagems, there are no Core Enhancements – each one is tied to a specific Detachment for a specific faction, tailored to your roster and abilities. These include refined personal wargear like Artificer Armour, or tactical talents that allow a commander to enhance the unit they’re leading.
Hold the phone, did we say “leading units”? Uh… find out next week here at Warhammer Community! Don’t forget to check the hub page for all the latest news about the new edition of Warhammer 40,000.
* Many old unit-specific Stratagems have become unit abilities instead – all the flavour, none of the faff.