With the Emperor’s Children on the horizon for the first time in decades, we decided to seek advice from a true master of the Warhammer 40,000 art. Here’s Stephen Box from Vanguard Tactics to explain more about his favourite parts of the new faction.
Few Traitor Legions in Warhammer 40,000 are as fascinating as the Emperor’s Children. Once noble warriors striving for perfection, they have since embraced excess and madness under Slaanesh, becoming something truly unique. Known for their speed, precision, and devastating sonic weaponry, their new Codex brings them back into the spotlight with exciting new rules that showcase their signature style.
One of the main highlights? Fulgrim. He adds a whole new layer of strategy to the army with his Daemon Primarch Of Slaanesh ability, which allows you to pick one of three defensive abilities in your opponent’s turn:
-1 to Hit rolls for attacks targeting him
Fights First
Make it potentially harder for nearby enemy units to Fall Back
This makes him tricky for opponents to deal with, and as you’d expect from a Primarch, his damage output is massive.
Speed and Flexibility
The Emperor’s Children are all about fast, aggressive play with deadly mid-range shooting and brutal melee. Their Army Rule, Thrill Seekers, reflects this by letting them shoot and declare charges in a turn in which they Advance or Fall Back. This flexibility means your units are never stuck in a bad position, and can keep the pressure on every turn.
If your opponent tries to pin your key units in combat, they won’t stay trapped for long – you can disengage, shoot, and charge, keeping your momentum going. You can also close the gap quickly without sacrificing offensive output. Whether repositioning Noise Marines for better firing lanes or ensuring melee units make their charge, this rule keeps your army constantly on the move.
This does have some limitations – you can’t target a unit if another unit in your army attacked or charged them in the same phase, and a unit that Fell Back can’t target the unit they just left combat with. This means thinking ahead about the order of operations. My top tip is to attack and charge with the units that advanced first, and then follow up with units that did not advance.
Detachments: Different ways to play
The Emperor’s Children get six unique Detachments, each with a different playstyle. These allow you to lean into different strengths, whether that’s speed, melee combat, or ranged firepower. You can even bring in Slaanesh Daemons for some extra synergy.
Let’s take a look at a couple of my favorite detachments that bring out the best in the Emperor’s Children.
The Mercurial Host is all about speed and striking at the right moment. With a Detachment Rule granting re-rolls to Advance rolls, your army moves faster than ever, making sure you can control engagements and dictate the pace of the battle.
Top Enhancements
Steeped In Suffering: +1 to Hit rolls against units below their Starting Strength offers a great way to capitalise on attritional combat. The Lord Kakophonist granting Sustained Hits 1 to Noise Marines makes this even more powerful.
Intoxicating Musk: -1 to Wound rolls for high-Strength melee attacks targeting the bearer’s unit is a major durability boost. It works really well with a Lord Kakophonist and Terminators, making them sturdier for holding objectives.
Top Stratagems
Violent Excess: Grants Sustained Hits 1 in combat. More hits means more damage, especially for melee-focused units.
Honour The Prince: Auto Advance 6”. This helps Noise Marines get into ideal firing positions, and when they disembark from a Rhino, they can move 15” in one turn – great for setting up big plays.
Dark Vigour: Reactive 6” move when an enemy ends a move within 9”. This is super useful for staying out of harm’s way. You can duck behind cover, reposition for a counter-strike, or even hop into a transport to keep your units safe.
If you love mobility, movement tricks and aggressive board control, the Mercurial Host is a fantastic choice. It lets you stay one step ahead, hit hard, and reposition for maximum impact.
Up next, and this might be my absolute favourite, the Peerless Bladesmen are all about elite melee combat. If you enjoy powerful units like Daemon Princes and Flawless Blades, then this is the detachment for you.
You can choose Lethal Hits or Sustained Hits 1 in the turn a unit Charges, which means your units can either automatically Wound on 6s to Hit or generate extra Hits – great against tough opponents and hordes alike.
Top Enhancements
Blinding Speed: Once per battle, models in the bearer’s unit have the Fights First ability, which is a huge tactical advantage, especially for units holding objectives. It makes them much harder to charge since they’ll strike first no matter what.
Distortion: +1 Attack and +1 Damage for the bearer’s melee weapons – perfect for a Lord Exultant leading Infractors, as he becomes an absolute beast in combat, especially when using his once per game ability.
Top Stratagems
Death Ecstasy: Fight on Death (2CP). Expensive, but super powerful when used at the right time. Always try to end your turn with at least 1 CP so you have it ready.
Cruel Bladesman: Improved AP in combat after Charging makes Infractors even nastier, pushing them to AP -2. Combine this with a Lord Exultant, and they’ll be tearing through enemies.
Cut Down The Weak: Charge an enemy unit after they Fall Back, keeping your units locked in combat and avoiding return fire. The best trick here is to pair this with Fights First – if your opponent tries to charge you again, they’ll be in for a rough time.
If you love melee combat with a flexible, tactical edge, Peerless Bladesmen gives you the tools to adapt to any situation. Whether taking on elite enemies or clearing out hordes, this Detachment makes your melee forces feel sharp, efficient, and deadly.
Final Thoughts
Codex: Emperor’s Children offers tons of exciting new ways to play. Whether you prefer speed and manoeuvrability or precise, hard-hitting melee combat, there’s a Detachment that suits your style.
Stephen, thank you. Head over to the Vanguard Tactics YouTube channel tomorrow for more advanced tactical insight. There will be some awesome streamed games using the new Emperor’s Children and a full, in-depth Codex review.
