We’ve seen how the Space Marines, the Astra Militarum, the Adepta Sororitas, and the Adeptus Custodes are going to play in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. After learning about the oppressors, it’s now time for the Genestealer Cults to crawl out of the shadows for their Day of Ascension. Get ready to start the rebellion.
Overview
The Genestealer Cults combine cunning,* fanaticism, and monstrous alien horror. Numberless hordes of Neophyte Hybrids burst from sewers, mine workings, and rusted conduits to overwhelm their enemies. Fast-moving Atalan Jackals and Achilles Ridgerunners outflank foes while Sanctus assassins take out key targets. Twisted Abominants and Aberrants smash through the toughest enemy defences as the Kelermorph starts blasting with its liberator autostubs.
The Genestealer Cults also have a number of extra tricks up their grubby sleeves for the new edition of Warhammer 40,000…
Faction Rules
Cult Ambush returns as the Genestealer Cults army rule, but with some major changes. Every Genestealer Cults INFANTRY unit now has the Deep Strike core ability, so most of your army can already show up where your enemy least expects it – instead, Cult Ambush allows you to martyr your squads for the rebellion, and then call in identical reinforcements inspired by their sacrifice!
This is especially great for your BATTLELINE units – Neophyte Hybrids and Acolyte Hybrids. These both have OC2, so after they’ve been destroyed you can reliably bring them back to claim an objective marker deep in enemy territory… or just aim their guns and claws at a key enemy unit.
When your forces arrive as Reinforcements – whether by Deep Strike, Strategic Reserves, or through Cult Ambush – you also get to use the Ascension Day Detachment rule. They Came From Below!
That Sustained Hits 1 ability applies to scavenged guns and mutant blades alike, helping you bring down anything standing in the way of the glorious revolution.
On top of that, you can still include Astra Militarum units in your army as Brood Brothers. This represents the Cult sending its tendrils into the ranks of the planet’s military forces, influencing those troops to recant their oaths to the God-Emperor and throw in their lot with the Patriarch.
Alas, the no Epic Heroes condition means you can’t hypnotise or infect characters like Lord Solar Leontus, but you can still add extra tactical options to your army, such as Leman Russ tanks, Field Ordnance Batteries, or Deathstrikes.
Unit Spotlight
We’ve already seen that you can bring your Neophyte Hybrids back from the dead – now, let’s take a look at the datasheet of a unit that makes up the majority of most Genestealer Cults.
As though Cult Ambush recycling whole squads wasn’t bad enough, a Cult Icon can inspire replacements for destroyed models within each unit. If enemy tacticians think they can avoid triggering Cult Ambush by simply mauling and ignoring your troops, rather than destroying them, they’re sorely mistaken. Meanwhile, you can put the squad in a Goliath Truck to take advantage of its Firing Deck 12 ability.
If the Neophyte Hybrids are the core of the army then the Patriarch is its alpha predator. This alien vector for genetic infection is a demigod to its followers, and when the Day of Ascension arrives, they’re at the forefront of the fighting.
Attach this fearsome creature to a unit of Purestrain Genestealers to grant them the Devastating Wounds ability, making it even easier to slice your way through your enemies with those lethal claws.
Weapon Spotlight
The Genestealer Cults have a wide range of weaponry, from the mining tools employed by Acolyte Hybrids and the improvised weapons clutched by Aberrants to the deadly blades of the Locus. If you prefer something a little more underhand, there are the various bombs of the Reductus Saboteur – it turns out that with enough tinkering, almost anything can become an explosive device.
Use those demolition charges to take out a single high-Toughness target, and the remote explosives to bomb enemy hordes wherever they hide. Hopefully, you won’t blow off half of your face like the Reductus Saboteur.
That’s fine for the Shooting phase, but what if you prefer getting up close and personal? Well, how about a hammer? It is called WarHAMMER, after all.
The old saying states that when you have a hammer, you see all problems as nails. Well, the Abominant doesn’t see problems or nails, just smashed bones and twisted metal after it’s hit them with its power sledgehammer.
Stratagem Spotlight
While the old Crossfire ability is no longer an army rule, there are still benefits to doubling up your units and catching unfortunate enemies in a Coordinated Trap.
Use this on a couple of Neophyte Hybrid squads in the Shooting phase to gun down your foe in a hail of hybrid firearms,** heavy stubbers, and seismic cannons. Alternatively, use it on a pair of Hybrid Metamorph*** squads to tear through an enemy with a pincer movement of metamorph mutations.
As we’ve seen, your squads are already dangerous enough when they arrive on the battlefield – but these Tunnel Crawlers can be even more troublesome if they pop up right next to a target unit.
Whether you’re sneaking onto an objective your opponent thought they had guarded, getting up close for a point-blank salvo, or simply forcing the enemy to deal with an unexpected blockade, it’s a perfect Stratagem for giving your opponent a surprise they’ll never forget.
The Word from the Studio
The insidious Genestealer Cults have even infiltrated the Warhammer Studio! Here’s what they have to say about the changes.
“In redesigning the Cult Ambush rule, we wanted to emphasise the persistent, insidious threat posed by Genestealer Cultists,” explains James. “Even as their numbers are culled in one location, reinforcements are likely to reveal themselves elsewhere, giving the opponent the uneasy feeling that the Cult is never quite stamped out!
“The Leader ability also opens up many exciting possibilities for this faction, with some supporting Characters able to lend their own abilities to units already led by a Primus, Magus, or Acolyte Iconward. From the Fights First ability conferred by the Locus to the Lethal Hits weapon ability a Biophagus brings with them, there are many devious ways to punish the foes of the Cult.
Black Library
Learn more about the Genestealer Cults in a range of stories from Black Library. Cult of the Spiral Dawn by Peter Fehervari follows an Imperial Cult on a pilgrimage to the world their sect began on, but they soon learn that not everything is as it seems. Adrian Tchaikovsky's first full-length work for Black Library, Day of Ascension, finds a new hope amidst their life of toil – the long-awaited angels are coming to save them.****
If you want to follow the adventures of the Genestealer Cults from the Imperial point of view then see how the Deathwatch deals with them in Deathwatch: Ignition.
We’ve still got the last few Faction Focus articles to go this week. In the meantime, prepare for the arrival of the Star Children in the Warhammer 40,000: Leviathan boxed set by grabbing some Genestealer Cults T-shirts – this one for you so everyone knows you’re part of the rebellion, and this for the younger insurrectionists in your Cult.
