It goes without saying that Lion El’Jonson steals the show this week, but there’s still plenty more to look forward to in next week’s pre-orders – the final chapter of the Arks of Omen story, TWO Space Marine Chapter Masters, new Made to Order releases, and the first episode of Blacktalon, a new animated series on Warhammer+. Let’s see what the week has in store.
The Lion & Retinue
The Lion has risen from his 10,000-year slumber, and he’s wasting no time putting traitors to the sword. The Primarch of the Dark Angels is a monstrously powerful duelist and indomitable battlefield leader, armed with the Emperor’s own shield and a massive power sword named Fealty. Your first chance to get him is in this celebratory launch set.*
Alongside Lion El’Jonson you’ll get three elite Bladeguard Veterans – the perfect retinue for such a close combat powerhouse – a packed Dark Angels transfer sheet, and two beautiful prints depicting key art from Arks of Omen: The Lion.
Arks of Omen: The Lion
The Arks of Omen saga finally comes to a close in Arks of Omen: The Lion, as Vashtorr the Arkifane assembles his Key-fragments and begins a ritual of cataclysmic proportions. The Dark Angels are hot on his heels, hungry for vengeance for the assault on the Rock, but even they can’t predict what they’ll find when information extracted from a traitor leads to the far reaches of the galaxy.
What we do know is this – before the end, a Primarch will return to lead his sons against the overwhelming Chaos horde. Lion El’Jonson walks the galaxy again, and an epic duel with his brother Angron beckons.
In addition to concluding the latest narrative arc for Warhammer 40,000, Arks of Omen: The Lion contains expanded rules for Boarding Actions. On top of extra faction rules for the Leagues of Votann, Thousand Sons, Imperial Agents, and Adeptus Custodes, there’s a suite of diverse Dread Encounter missions to add scenarios that tear the battlefield itself apart and suck walls and doorways into the warp, while 12 Breaching Operation missions let you smash straight through solid walls and leave diabolical traps for your foes.
Supreme Grand Master Azrael
Fresh from his battle with Vashtorr, Supreme Grand Master Azrael gets a standalone release just in time to lead the charge into the Arkifane’s lair. He’s an imposing miniature merging new Primaris style with plenty of classic details, from his back banner to the ornate Lion Helm.
Commander Dante
Azrael isn’t the only Chapter Master given the Primaris treatment – Commander Dante has barely tied a bow on the apocalyptic invasion of Baal and he’s already off finding more enemies of the Imperium to destroy. Someone really needs to give the guy a holiday.
Vashtorr the Arkifane
He’s had a few setbacks, but the time for Vashtorr to enact his grand plan is nigh. There are still a few things left to do on the battlefield though, so the Arkifane takes to the field for his own standalone release, ready to lead his cult in person.
Arks of Omen: Sanguinary Guard Dice Set
The Sanguinary Guard are an awe-inspiring sight, decked out in gleaming gold armour and descending on pearl-white wings like true angels of death. This pack of 15 metallic gold dice are an equal match to their splendour, featuring royal red pips and the icon of their Chapter on the 6 face.
Boarding Patrol: Leagues of Votann
The Leagues of Votann have unparalleled expertise in salvaging space hulks, and their Boarding Patrol is packed with durable fighters who love a close-quarters scrap. An Einhyr Champion leads five Einhyr Hearthguard as the patrol’s immovable core, while five Cthonian Beserks and 10 Hearthkyn Warriors spread out to secure objectives all over the ship.
Boarding Patrol: Agents of the Imperium
The crews of Imperial Navy vessels are the first line of defence in brutal boarding actions, and teams of Breachers punch far above their weight in close confines. This Boarding Patrol, perhaps representing a Rogue Trader’s own combat team, consists entirely of Agents of the Imperium units usually restricted to a supporting role. 10 Elucidean Starstriders and 20 Imperial Navy Breachers make it a numerous and capable force, and there’s also an Eversor Assassin joining them – clearly, somebody important is on the other side of the bulkhead…
Made to Order: Drukhari
Strange creatures and alien mercenaries are commonplace in Commorragh, and many end up in the courts of Archons, where their exotic abilities are highly prized. Others find themselves under the yoke of a Beastmaster, or twisted by the insane experiments of the Haemonculi – and now a grand selection of these unfortunates return next week on a Made to Order basis.
These resin kits will be available to order for nine days, between the 15th of April and 8am UK-time on the 24th of April – and they can take up to 180 days to arrive.
Beastmasters, Clawed Fiends, Grotesques, Mandrakes, Razorwing Flocks, Khymerae, Lhameans, Medusae, Sslyth, Ur-Ghuls, and even the Master Haemonculus Urien Rakarth himself will all be available to order this Saturday. Don’t miss your chance to add these sought-after miniatures to your Drukhari collection.
Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer
The massive Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is an armoured beast, mounting a triple-barrelled neutron laser battery onto a rugged Spartan hull to create a devastatingly focused anti-tank weapon. It can detonate tanks in a single blast while shrugging off return fire like it’s nothing – everything you want in a Lord of War.
Sicaran Venator Tank Hunter
If you prefer your anti-tank options a little more discrete, the Sicaran Venator trades mass for speed and can wind its way around enemy flanks before lancing neutron beam laser blasts right through the sides of opposing tanks.
Cindy Piewhistle & Puggy Baconbreath
Halflings don’t make natural Blood Bowl players, but with enough gumption and a good lunch even the shortest soul can rise to league stardom. Take Cindy Piewhistle for example – once a master baker, now a Star Player who weaponises her delicious wares, while Puggy Baconbreath is an elite athlete by usual halfling standards, with the skill and discipline of a champion twice his size.
This twin-pack of resin Star Players from Forge World can be used in Halfling Thimble Cup or Old World Classic teams.
The Lion: Son of the Forest
Witness the dramatic return of Lion El’Jonson to the galaxy in The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks. The Primarch of the Dark Angels has spent 10 millennia sequestered within the Rock, and the time is nigh for him to rise.
This novel takes the Lion on a quest through the shadowed paths between stars to gather loyal knights to his side once more, though many have long since been hunted as members of the Fallen. Unsure of who to trust, and without the aid of his Legion, his father, and his home, the Lion will need to find his place in a galaxy even less forgiving than the one he left.
This milestone novel is an essential read for fans of the Dark Angels, and tells the tale of events leading up to Arks of Omen: The Lion. As well as its regular hardback release, The Lion: Son of the Forest will also be available in a sumptuous Limited Edition featuring a dark green cloth cover with red, cream, and gold details, and a crimson ribbon page marker. Only 2,000 individually numbered copies will be available, and they’re all signed by the author, so don’t let your chance pass by.
Legends of the Dark Angels
Delve into the secret history of the Unforgiven in Legends of the Dark Angels, a compilation of four full-length novels, one novella, and three short stories by authors Gav Thorpe and C Z Dunn. These tales follow heroes like Supreme Grand Master Azrael, Chief Librarian Ezekiel, and more. This is the perfect place to learn more about the Chapter before their Primarch returns to the galaxy.
Angels of Darkness (German Edition)
Interrogator-Chaplain Boreas stands vigil over the critical recruiting world of Piscina V, ensuring the next generation of Dark Angels are protected from the horrors of the galaxy. But when the existence of the Fallen comes to light, tragedy will strike as the Chaplain’s own history with their traitorous brothers comes back to haunt him in Angels of Darkness by Gav Thorpe, now available in German for the first time.
Warboss (German Edition)
Can you say Waaagh! in German? Hint: it’s the same. This German-language release of Warboss by Mike Brooks returns to the trials of ork society, as six clans vie for leadership over a suddenly leaderless warband. Prophecy foretells of a mysterious gate beneath a human city that only the one true warboss can open, and plenty of aspiring leaders know for sure that they’re the only ork suitable for the job.
The results are, as you might have guessed, hilariously violent.
White Dwarf 487
The latest issue of White Dwarf magazine continues the story of the space hulk Herald of Misery, adding new rules for deadly laser grids to Boarding Actions games and two short stories concerning the forces fighting within. Meanwhile, a Tale of Four Warlords takes on its second challenge of the year, while Part Five of The Great Stomp introduces campaign rules for Warhammer Age of Sigmar games set in the Living Peaks.
The long-awaited first episode of Blacktalon crowns an awesome week of Warhammer+ releases, as Sigmar’s favourite Knights-Zephyros brings her twin axes together for an epic debut. Little is known about Neave Blacktalon, save that she is a hunter who moves as swift as lightning, and that the enemies of Order rightly fear the bite of her axes. To find out more, you’ll have to watch the series.
Loremasters also gets into the Mortal Realms spirit with a look into the lore of the Vyrkos dynasty of Soulblight vampires, whose scion Ivya Volga is available to pre-order right now. Elsewhere, the background lore from the Crusade of Fire campaign book joins the Warhammer Vault alongside new White Dwarf issues.
This week’s Hang Out and Paint celebrates the Lion and his new boxed set, while also picking through the Agents of the Imperium Boarding Patrol for juicy titbits of Warhammer hobby goodness.
Over at Warhammer Community, our coverage of the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 continues with the reveal of a brand new Tyranid unit and close examinations of how characters and weapons work in the new system.
* The Lion & Retinue boxed set is delayed in Australia and New Zealand.