The Warhammer 40k Chaos Space Marines army is about to get an almighty boost, as Games Workshop announces two brand new Chaos Lord character miniatures – each leading a sizeable Battleforce boxset – and a new Chaos Space Marines codex with a full eight playable detachments, rather than the normal six.
The Chaos Space Marines reveals kicked off GW’s Warhammer preview livestream at the Adepticon 2024 convention on Wednesday, and they hint that the heretic astartes may be one of the next Warhammer 40k codex releases we can pencil in for Summer 2024.
The brand new Chaos Lord miniatures come in two flavors: one foot-slogging leader standing proud on a tactical rock, and – in an exciting return to form for this Warhammer 40k faction – a plastic Chaos Lord with Jump Pack, zipping into bloodthirsty action.
The Lord on foot can wield a chainaxe, accursed maul, or daemon hammer in the right hand, while his off hand can either hold a plasma pistol, or come clad in a power fist.
As we’ve come to expect from 40k character models – which now usually cost around $40 (£25) each, mind you – we’ll also get a helmeted and bare-headed option for both kits.
The Jump Pack Lord can combine a plasma or bolt pistol in one hand with a chainaxe or power fist in the other – but, more excitingly, the kit does also allow you to build him with gnarly lightning claws – perfect for the Night Lords, the murderous sons of Konrad Curze.
It looks like the only way you’ll initially be able to get your hands on these chaps will be in one of two chunky Battleforce army boxes: the Lord on foot leads the balanced, gun-heavy Veterans of the Long War, and the Jump Pack Lord heads up the Dread Talons, a full-on melee force supported by Chaos Cultists.
We don’t know exact release windows or prices for these boxes yet, but we do know their contents.
The Veterans of the Long War Battleforce includes 31 models:
- Chaos Lord on Foot x 1
- Chosen x 5
- Legionaries x 10
- Chaos Terminators x 10
- Possessed x 5
The Dread Talons box is also packing 31 minis, but with a very different theme:
- Chaos Lord with Jump Pack x 1
- Daemon Prince x 1
- Raptors x 10
- Dark Commune x 1
- Chaos Cultists x 10
- Accursed Cultists x 8
GW’s Wednesday stream – and accompanying Warhammer Community article – also revealed that, like earlier Chaos Space Marines rulebooks, the army’s upcoming Warhammer 40k 10th Edition codex would have a bumper crop of 40k detachments – eight compared to the new standard of six.
Presenters on the stream explained these would represent the most popular traitor Space Marine legions we’ve known and loved since the Horus Heresy, including the dour, gunslinging Iron Warriors and the ritualistic, daemon-fancying Word Bearers.
There’s also a bespoke detachment for the followers of Vashtorr the Arkifane, a new Chaos demigod revealed in the Arks of Omen narrative series.
We don’t know when the new codex is coming out yet, and GW’s release schedule is currently full for Spring 2024 – but we can estimate that, given the Chaos marines’ pride of place in this preview, the Chaos Space Marines 10th edition codex is likely to be on the way in Summer.
For more Warhammer 40k news, hit that link for our 40k homepage, follow us on Google News, or check out the main Wargamer homepage for other hot, fresh, tasty, and delicious news from the GW Adepticon 2024 livestream.