Praise the Lord of Skulls with new World Eaters Detachments

Sure, being stinky is a valid strategy in the 41st Millennium, where even the slightest cough can make daemons explode out of your eyeballs, but doesn’t killing your enemy before you even get within firing distance sound a little… unsporting? Where’s the fun in a kill that doesn’t paint the room red? The World Eaters are inclined to agree, and with a new Codex on the horizon, we’re taking a look at how they translate this can-do attitude into dazzling battlefield strategies.

Unlike their rotting rivals in the Death Guard, the World Eaters’ army rule has gone through almost no modifications compared to the one in Index: World Eaters. One or two of the dice values needed to deploy your Blessings of Khorne have changed – Total Carnage now needs a double 3 or more instead of a double 4 or triple – but otherwise they’re still the same all-out assault troops you know and love.

Where things get spicy is in the Detachments, which offer budding berserkers the chance to try some surprisingly cunning tactics for Angron’s blood-crazed brotherhood. Don’t worry, you’ll still be hitting people with chainaxes in the end, but wouldn’t you rather get there double-quick with the Goretrack Onslaught, a vehicle-focused detachment whose core rule gives your units a neat +1 to charge and the Lance ability when they disembark.

Detachment Rule

RUSH TO THE FRAY
The World Eaters use their vehicles to drive into the heart of the enemy before piling out of their transports and hurling themselves into the fighting.

Each time a WORLD EATERS unit from your army disembarks from a TRANSPORT, until the end of the turn, add 1 to Charge rolls made for that unit and that unit's melee weapons have the [LANCE] ability.

Now you might be thinking, “But Angron, you can’t disembark and charge from a transport vehicle unless it’s a Land Raider with an Assault Ramp, isn’t that a bit naff?” and to be honest that kind of oversight would be very on-brand for the Red Angel, but his more lucid commanders have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Full-Throttle Assault is a simple tool that lets the cargo of one Rhino charge after they disembark, getting those sweet bonuses from the detachment rule, while less picky troops can also go from metal box to melee with Aggressive Disembarkation.

FULL-THROTTLE ASSAULT

GORETRACK ONSLAUGHT - STRATEGIC PLOY STRATAGEM

With their transports growling with hunger, the World Eaters emerge rapidly to crash headlong into their enemies

WHEN: Your Movement phase.

TARGET: One WORLD EATERS RHINO model from your army that has not been selected to move this phase.

EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time a WORLD EATERS unit disembarks from that model after it has made a Normal move, that unit is still eligible to declare a charge this turn.

AGGRESSIVE DISEMBARKATION

GORETRACK ONSLAUGHT - STRATEGIC PLOY STRATAGEM

Propelled by their blood lust, the World Eaters spill from their transports and surge towards the foe.

WHEN: Your Movement phase.

TARGET: One WORLD EATERS RHINO model from your army that has not been selected to move this phase.

EFFECT: One WORLD EATERS unit embarked within your RHINO can disembark. When doing so, models in that unit can be set up anywhere on the battlefield wholly within 6" of your RHINO and can be set up within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units.

Of course, you can also just pack your list with Land Raiders full of Eightbound – then you don’t even need any stratagems to ram elite troops into your opponent’s soft spots. But what if you wanted a vehicle itself to do the smashing? And its divine displays of brutality attracted a throng of awe-struck worshippers around its mighty tracks? Then, friend, you’ve formed a Cult of Blood.

In this detachment, hordes of Jakhals and Goremongers congregate around Idols of Khorne, be they Lords of Skulls, Daemon Princes, or Angron himself. Proximity to these breathtaking slaughter kings whips the mortal cultists of Khorne into a special kind of frenzy with three once-per-battle abilities, bestowing daemonic strength, speed and durability when needed most.

DETACHMENT RULE

IDOLS OF KHORNE
Titanic Khornate war engines draw teeming masses ofcultists to war.

At the start of your Command phase, you can select one of he Idols of Khorne abilities listed below. Until the start of your next Command phase, that ability is active and its effects apply to all WORLD EATERS TITANIC and WORLD EATERS MONSTER units from your army. You can only select each Idols of Khorne ability once per battle.

Idol of Infinite Rage (Aura)
While a friendly JAKHALS or GOREMONGERS unit is within 6"of this model (or within 9" if this model is TITANIC), each time a model in that unit makes an attack, add 1 to the Hit roll and add 1 to the Wound roll.

Idol of Burning Wrath (Aura)

While a friendly JAKHALS or GOREMONGERS unit is within 6" of this model (or within 9" if this model is TITANIC), add 1" to the Move characteristic of models in that unit and add 1 to Advance and Charge rolls made for that unit.

Idol of Blessed Blood (Aura)

While a friendly JAKHALS or GOREMONGERS unit is within 6" of this model (or within 9" if this model is TITANIC), models in that unit have a 4+ invulnerable save.

The Butcher Lord enhancement forces the normally arrogant Master of Executions and Slaughterbound to swallow their pride and lead a unit of Jakhals – even gaining the ability to Infiltrate if they join the Goremongers. They can then reap the benefit of some specialised stratagems, getting up to a 5+ Feel No Pain from In the Shadow of Brass Idols provided they’re close enough.

ENHANCEMENT

BUTCHER LORD
Some World Eaters lead packs of cultists into battle, inspiring the masses with their inhuman savagery.

WORLD EATERS INFANTRY model only. During the Declare Battle Formations step, the bearer can be attached to a JAKHALS or GOREMONGERS unit. If attached to a GOREMONGERS unit, the bearer has the Infiltrators ability.

IN THE SHADOW OF BRASS IDOLS

CULT OF BLOOD - STRATEGIC PLOY STRATAGEM

Emboldened by blood-slick and skull-laden idols oftheir dark god, mortal cultists shrug off injury.

WHEN: Your opponent's Shooting phase or the Fight phase, just after an enemy unit has selected its targets.

TARGET: One JAKHALS or GOREMONGERS unit from your army that was selected as the target as one or more of the attacking unit's attacks.

EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, models in your unit have the Feel No Pain 6+ ability. If your unit is within 6" of one or more friendly WORLD EATERS MONSTER units, or within 9'" of one or more friendly WORLD EATERS TITANIC units, your unit has the Feel No Pain 5+ ability instead.

Three more Detachments expand your options. The Berzerker Warband returns mostly unchanged with an extra pip of Strength going into your axe arm when you charge, while the Khorne Daemonkin enlists the aid of crimson warp entities to build up Blood Tithe points before spending them to unlock powerful abilities that last until the end of battle. Finally, the Possessed Slaughterband wear their modus operandi on their sleeves, hurling as many howling Eightbound up the table as possible while using the enemy’s own firepower to close in quicker.