Warhammer 40k cover rules are being revised and slimmed down “significantly”, according to a preview on the Warhammer Community. The article from Thursday explains new limits to the Benefit of Cover, as well as the six categories of terrain in the next edition of the sci-fi wargame.
When a model has the Benefit of Cover in Warhammer 40k 10th edition it gets +1 to its saving through – unless it has a Save of 3+ or better. If that’s the case, it only gets the Benefit of Cover against attacks with an Armour Penetration characteristic of one or more.
This means that heavily armoured Space Marines or Leagues of Votann Einhyr can still benefit from cover, but only against dedicated armour-piercing weaponry. WarCom has previously stated that there’s less AP in 10th edition than there has been before, so we might see more Space Marines brazenly wandering around in the open.
Notably, there’s no longer any type of terrain that makes it harder to hit models: it’s a bonus to armour save, or nothing.
Types of terrain in Warhammer 40k 10th edition
There are now six types of terrain in Warhammer 40k 10th edition. Whether or not a model receives the Benefit of Cover depends on the kind of terrain it’s standing in, on, or up against.
The descriptions provided by the Warhammer Community article reference models being ‘partially obscured’, but doesn’t provide a definition. That’s going to matter for tournament players.
Craters or rubble
Infantry models wholly within or standing on craters or rubble get the Benefit of Cover from ranged attacks.
Barricades or fuel pipes
An infantry model within 3” of barricades or fuel pipes that partially obscure them from any model in an enemy unit has the Benefit of Cover against that unit’s ranged attacks.
When charging an enemy unit within 1” of barricades or fuel pipes, a unit can make a Charge move that ends as close as possible to the terrain feature and within 2” of the enemy unit, rather than within 1”. Units can fight enemies on the opposite side of a barricade or fuel pipe provided they’re within 2”.
Debris
Models that are partially obscured from any model in an enemy unit by a piece of debris have the Benefit of Cover against that unit’s ranged attacks. This includes models larger than infantry.
Hill or Sealed Structure
Models that are partially obscured from any model in an enemy unit by part of a hill or sealed structure have the Benefit of Cover against that unit’s ranged attacks. That includes models standing on top of hills, as well as on the far side of them.
Woods
While within woods, or on the far side of a woods from an observing model, most models are considered to be partially obscured by the woods. Visibility to and from Towering models and Aircraft is determined normally. As long as a model is partially obscured from any model in an enemy unit by the woods it has the Benefit of Cover against that unit’s ranged attacks.
Ruins
Models wholly within ruins have the Benefit of Cover, as do models partially obscured by the ruins from any model in an enemy unit targeting them with a ranged attack. If a model is 6” above ground level (usually two storeys up in a Games Workshop building) in a ruin, the AP of its ranged attacks targeting units wholly on ground level improves by one.