Warhammer 40,000 is full of cool and characterful guns, from the humble lasgun and the iconic bolter to the weird and wonderful weapons used by xenos species and Chaos forces.
Among the armies of the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus have more than their fair share of awesome guns, and their new codex has made many of these deadlier – and more fitting of their tremendous background – than ever before. Let’s take a look at some of the key improvements.
Galvanic Weapons
The galvanic rifles and carbines carried by Skitarii may look like antique flintlock weapons from eras past, but this design choice masks some serious tech, which utilises electricity to burn targets alive from the inside out. At least they’ll die knowing they were killed by beautifully made guns.
With newly improved Armour Penetration on their profiles, they’re now even more of a blast to use and make Skitarii Rangers and Serberys Raiders absolutely electrifying.
Arc Weapons
Arc weapons fire coruscating, well, arcs of electricity across the battlefield, frying opponents alive and messing with the systems of vehicles as holy energy courses through them. Just think loud zaps and the smell of burnt metal (and flesh and hair… eww).
Your upgraded arc weapons are now more reliable against enemy vehicles. They increase their damage and always wound on a 4+ if they’re targeting anything from battle tanks to ork buggies. The arc rifle has also received a Range boost, and both it and the pistol have higher AP than previously – perfect for zapping whatever gets in your way.
The melee versions of arc weapons also get the new benefits against vehicles, giving your Kataphron Breachers a punch that will be sure to charge up your force. These aren’t the only close combat weapons to get a boost either. Transonic blades and transonic razors now scythe through armour with wild abandon, having gone to AP -3 for blades and AP -2 for razors. Your Sicarian Ruststalkers are now a major threat to even the most well-protected foes, not to mention that they’re now every bit as awesome in-game as the models are to look at.
Cognis Weapons
Cognis weapons are outwardly similar to those used by other Imperial forces, but through secret rites and prayer, their machine spirits have been permanently awakened with a thirst for war.
The new codex represents this by making cognis weapons improvements that suit their eager machine spirits. Flamers? More shots, plus the same range increase as other flamers. Autocannons? More shots. Heavy stubbers? You guessed it – more shots. After all, when in doubt, just fire more shots.
Twin cognis lascannons don’t fire more shots – two is quite enough for heavy laser weapons that can blast a tank apart, really. Instead, they’re now Assault weapons rather than Heavy, making them easier to fire on the move, and their damage has gone from D6 to D3+3, meaning they can more reliably bore through those enemy vehicles, doing at least 4 damage per wound. Pew pew!
The torsion cannon that Kataphron Breachers can carry in place of their heavy arc rifles has had a similar upgrade, now doing D3+3 damage – and its range has doubled to a mighty 48”. We don’t know what the Tech-priests did to make this happen, but it’s going to lead to loads more enemies of the Imperium being twisted in half, so we reckon the Omnissiah will be cool with it.
The other Kataphron unit, Destroyers, have also received a handy upgrade – the ability to supercharge their plasma culverins without the risk of instantly blowing themselves up. Now those pesky 1s will only cause a mortal wound, making supercharging less an act of martyrdom and more a valid lifestyle choice.
What changes will these upgraded weapons mean for your Adeptus Mechanicus armies? Head to Facebook and join the discussion, and remember to keep an eye on the Warhammer newsletter to find out when you can pre-order your copy of the new codex.