GW has revealed three updated Detachments for the World Eaters coming for the new edition of Warhammer 40k, and they are - for the most part - deliciously, gore-drenchedly simple. 'Butchers of Khorne' ramps up the destructive melee capabilities of Terminators to hitherto undreamt of heights, while 'Vessels of Wrath' does the same thing for characters. If you do want to get fancy, 'Brazen Engines' dabbles with 11th edition's upgraded Battle-shock rules - but the option to completely ignore the shooting phase is very much alive.
As GW has revealed more rules for Warhammer 40k 11th edition, a picture has begun to emerge that this could be a considerably more nuanced version of the game than 10th edition. There are extra dimensions to consider when building your force. Some new Detachments allow you to manipulate detection ranges or the hidden status, with scouting units that can decloak your opponent's forces earlier in the game, or snipers that retain the hidden status even after they shoot. A minor change to battle-shock rules turn pro-active terror assault strategies into a viable tool for claiming objectives.
In other words, there are ways to fight over that can't be reduced to just line of sight or target selection. And for the most part, the World Eaters simply don't care, as revealed in the latest faction focus article on WarCom. Each of the new Detachments costs one detachment point, and they should socket in alongside the existing codex Detachments, which WarCom states will mostly cost two.
Butchers of Khorne makes World Eaters Terminators better at killing and harder to kill. The Detachment rule grants every Terminator unit the bonus from another Blessing of Khorne during the Fight phase, in addition to any others active for the army. You can upgrade up to three units to be Gore-Stained veterans, for +1 WS. There's a 1CP Stratagem that grants +1 to wound Vehicles or Monsters in the Fight phase, and, as described in the accompanying video, a 2CP strat that reduces damage from enemy shooting attacks by one. None of this changes how Terminators function, it just makes them better at their job.
Likewise, Vessels of Wrath ramps up character units, granting non-epic Heroes a choice of either +1AP or the new 40k weapon ability Cleave during the fight phase. Would it surprise you to learn that there's a Stratagem that gives a character +1A and +2S in melee? Probably not. The Arch-slaughterer Enhancement might be a little unexpected though, since it grants the bearer every single Blessing of Khorne at the same time once per game.
It's all so simple. While other factions have new tools for the challenges of the new edition, the World Eaters have just dragged out a bigger, sharper axe.
Brazen Vessels is the exception. This Detachment focuses on Daemon Engines, and allows them to force one enemy unit engaged with them at the start of each fight phase to make a Battleshock test with a -1 penalty. The World Eaters Defiler was already extremely tempting for its ability to counter-charge an enemy deep-striker, not to mention its battery of (profoundly inaccurate) ranged weapons. Forcing Battle-shock tests will make it, and its shiny metal kin, even more effective at holding objectives with their big fat bases.
Don't worry - that's as subtle as it gets. The Talons of Butchery upgrade for Maulerfiends grants them Cleave 2, letting them chop their way out of melee with infantry hordes, while the Apoplectic Clarity stratagem removes all negative modifiers to hit rolls during the Shooting or Fight phase.
Almost entirely focused on single-minded aggression - just what you want from the World Eaters. Honestly, we love to see it. If you've got a collection of gore-slicked maniacs, we'd love to see your photos in the official Wargamer Discord community.