Warhammer 40k 10th edition’s first starter set, Leviathan, was revealed on Saturday at Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fest convention. With 72 brand new Space Marine and Tyranid models, the box will be the first way for fans to get stuck into the latest edition of the sci-fi wargame.
While Warhammer 40k 10th edition will no doubt receive its own run of Warhammer 40k starter sets, Leviathan will be a limited run box. It will contain a 392-page hardback rulebook that contains the Leviathan narrative campaign, background, and of course the core rules), a deck of 66 mission cards, plus 25 Space Marines and 47 Tyranids.
Games Workshop has already said that the full rules for the new edition, and army lists for all the Warhammer 40k factions, will be available on launch date, so this box set isn’t essential – but it is stacked.
Warhammer 40k 10th edition Leviathan release date and price
The Warhammer 40k 10th edition Leviathan release date wasn’t revealed at Warhammer Fest, but we know it’s coming in Summer 2023.
Speaking in a Q&A after the reveal at Warhammer Fest, Warhammer Community’s Eddie Eccles says Leviathan will cost “less than the Horus Heresy box set and more than the last Warhammer 40,000 launch box”. He adds that the Leviathan box set will be limited, but Eccles says “we have made absolutely loads of it” and adds “the components from it will be made available separately very soon after it”. It won’t be put out on a made to order basis.
Leviathan Space Marines
These are the Leviathan Space Marines to expect in the new starter set.
Captain in Terminator Armour
The leader for the Space Marine force is a true classic, a Captain in Terminator Armour.
Primaris Lieutenant
It wouldn’t be a new 40k release without a Primaris Lieutenant, a dutiful officer commanding a Space Marine demi-company. This chap has raided the chapter armoury for a Big Knife™ and a combi-flamer. Leader models will work a little differently in 10th edition, joining units to grant them buffs rather than projecting aura bonuses.
Space Marine Terminators
Space Marine Terminators are heavily armed veterans in the most advanced warsuits available to the Imperium of Man, capable of deploying to the battlefield in a teleportation strike. Games Workshop has already revealed the full stats for the terminators in 10th edition, and the new starter set comes with five of them.
Librarian in Terminator Armour
The Librarian in Terminator Armour is a powerful battle psychic. GW has already revealed an overhaul to 10th edition rules that mean the psychic phase is completely gone: instead, the Librarian’s psychic abilities are represented by unique weapon attacks and buffs he can give to any unit he joins.
Apothecary Biologis in Gravis Armour
The Apothecary Biologis in Gravis Armour wears the heaviest pattern of MK10 pattern power armour, boosting his survivability – and under 10th edition’s new rules for leaders, allowing him to join other Gravis-armoured units like Aggressors, Heavy Intercessors, and Eradicators. Unlike other apothecaries, this chap is focused on collecting samples of Xenos biological matter – and provides the unit he joins with buffs
Infernus Squad
The Infernus Squad are a unit of 10 Space Marines armed with short-ranged pyreblaster flamethrowers. Until now, we’ve only seen these guns in small numbers wielded by the Black Templars, but this is a whole squad of burny boys. Salamanders, rejoice.
Ballistus Dreadnought
The Ballistus Dreadnought is a walking war-machine equipped with a ballistus missile launcher and ballistus lascannon. Built on the Redemptor dreadnought chassis, this is the first Primaris-sized fire support dreadnought. The lascannon / missile loadout is a classic, making its debut on the (solid metal) 2nd edition Dark Angels dreadnought.
Sternguard Veterans
Five new Sternguard Veterans will come in the Leviathan box set. These wear Mk 10 Tacticus armour and are Primaris scale, and will replace the existing Firstborn kit. The models in Leviathan are monopose.
Leviathan Tyranids
These are the Leviathan Tyranids coming in the new starter set:
Winged Tyranid Prime
The Winged Tyranid Prime is an evolution of the Tyranid Warrior biomorph, a powerful melee monster and a command lynchpin for the Hive Fleet’s ground forces. The Winged Tyranid Prime was the final model from the starter set GW revealed before Warhammer Fest.
Termagants
A horde of scuttling terrors equipped with ‘fleshborer’ bioweapons, the Termagants coming in the 10th edition starter set replace a kit that’s been in service since third edition. The 10th edition Termagants were the first new Tyranid model to be revealed for 10th edition 40k.
Von Ryan’s Leapers
Von Ryan’s Leapers are a unit of three, stealthy, melee monsters. Their biomorph sits halfway between the Lictor solo stealth predator and the Hormagaunt horde beasts. As for the name, it’s a retro call-back to a single reference in the field notes of an Imperial researcher in the 3rd edition Tyranids Codex.
Screamer Killer
The Screamer Killer is a (bioplasma) blast from the past. A huge monster equipped with four enormous scything claws and capable of spewing bioplasma from its screaming maw, this is a new model for a very old monster. The Screamer Killer had a distinctive ‘fair ground grabber claw’ model in 2nd edition 40k. We got another grabber claw Carnifex in third edition, before the design was retired in favour of the current, multipart Carnifex kit in 4th edition 40k.
Neurogaunts
Neurogaunts are a new, diminutive gaunt breed. Totally subservient to a synapse creature, they exist to throw themselves in the way of bullets, and fight much more effectively in the presence of their controlling nodebeast. They’re lead by a “node beast”, a slightly more sentient beast.
Neurotyrant
The Neurotyrant is the centrepiece of the Tyranid forces in the kit, a giant, psychic alternatve to the Hive Tyrant. This is an entirely psychic monsterthat bolsters the effect of the Shadow in the Warp – which the WarCom presenters say will be a board-wide rule for the new Tyranid faction. It recalls the design of the original, 2nd edition Tyranid Zoanthrope model. It goes into battle flanked by miniature “Neuroloids”, which relay its synaptic power across the battlefield.
Psychophage
The Psychophage is a huge, psyker-eating feeder beast, that will be particularly effective at devouring psychic opponents.
Barbgaunts
Barbgaunts are a new unit of artillery beasts. Each one is a symbiote of a gaunt and a symbiotic artillery beast. The ‘Biocannon’ fires short range, frag missile-like suppressive fire.
Check back for more Warhammer 40k 10th edition and Warhammer Fest coverage from Wargamer. We’re there for all three days, and we’re every bit as excited as you are to get stuck into all the news and reveals from the show.