“The time has come to emerge from the shadows!”
– Malak Vorenth
The Genestealer Cults have infiltrated Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge, bringing their clandestine tactics and insidious strategies to the battlefield. Prepare to enter the cult’s inner circle and commence the invasion by learning all about the new faction! Read on to discover the new strategic layer this faction brings into the game and how to begin your collection.
The Genestealer Cults join the battle
Slowly but steadily spreading their influence over a planet, the Genestealer Cults are masters of deception, undermining planetary defences long before the first shot is fired. Their devotion to the “Star Children” drives them to sow discord and rebellion, ultimately paving the way for the Tyranid Hive Fleets. These fanatical hybrids are poised to spread their insidious influence across the Imperium, corrupting all in their path before their “day of ascension”. However, not all splinter cults face the same ultimate fate.
Enter the Grizzlepit
Unbeknownst to Imperial personnel, the seed of the Star Children took root on Damnathor V, a Penal planet located in the fringes of the Reductus Sector. Due to the sector’s high criminal rate, the prisons were overpopulated and imposed particularly severe conditions on their unfortunate occupants, including forced mining labours on some convicts which ultimately granted the splinter cult of the Grizzlepit Convicts their nickname.
The lack of need for Penal Legions in the Reductus Sector before the Stratos Campaign allowed for many generations to be born inside the prison, children whose knowledge of the galaxy was reduced to the purgatorial jailhouse, the mines, and the occasional view of a barren red-lit wasteland, but united by the promise of their starborn saviours.
As Hive Fleet Leviathan drew closer and all nearby garrisons focused on the incoming threat, the gene-sect broke into open rebellion and overcame its wardens. The few distress signals that were issued were lost among the much greater devastation brought by Hive Fleet Leviathan, allowing the cult to dispatch agents to the other Penal colonies in the sector. The Hive Fleet ultimately consumed Damnathor V, yet the cult had spread its reach, bringing its promise of liberation to those captured and imprisoned throughout the neighbouring planets.
New card mechanics
With the introduction of the Genestealer Cults, three new traits also make their way into Warpforge! Get ready to unfold insidious plots and schemes as you:
- Sabotage: Sabotage cards are a subset of Stratagems that are generated via Genestealer Cult effects in the enemy’s hand. These cards have a negative effect while they remain in hand, and must be played if one wants to get rid of them.
- Ambush: Troops with Ambush enter the game “hidden”, a new card state introduced into the game. Ambushing troops will only reveal themselves if they attack or are damaged, and will trigger an effect if they are revealed during their Warlord’s turn. Unlike Camouflage or Stealth, hidden troops can be attacked and targeted. However, the name, cost, melee, ranged and health values of the hidden troop will remain unknown until it is revealed. When a player puts a troop with Ambush into play, their remaining energy will also be obscured.
- Uprising: Troops with Uprising will trigger an effect whenever you play another troop during the same turn you played the Uprising one.
New Warlords
Three powerful Warlords will guide the Genestealer Cults in their uprising:
- Malak Vorenth: The strongest and most intelligent of the Grizzlepit’s Acolyte Hybrids, Vorenth earned the honour to bear the sacred wyrm-form banner into battle on the day of the cult’s ascension.
- Uthrel Naas: As Magus of the Grizzlepit Convicts, Uthrel Naas represents a living promise of salvation to the forlorn convicts that crammed the mining pits of Damnathor V.
- Saffa Rhiannor: The ultimate military leader of the Grizzlepit Convicts, Primus Saffa Rhiannor spent years preparing for the day she led the cult into the open and took over Damnathor V.
Take a look at the new cards
Discover the full array of Genestealer Cults cards, featuring Warlords, Stratagems, Troops and Sabotage cards that will be at your command in the card gallery. Dive into the complete collection to master their unique playstyle, and share your ideas in the #deck-building channel of our official Discord channel.
Remember that you will be able to plot your own uprising with a free Starter Deck, unlockable by completing the first step of the Genestealer Cults campaign. Additionally, using Blackstone in a Draft run will ensure a Genestealer Cults Warlord is available in the Warlord selection step so that you can lead your cult to victory in a Draft!
How to start collecting them
Take advantage of pre-release and release-day deals to get extra value when collecting the new faction! The Genestealer Cults join the game as an entirely new faction, so the new cards will be collectable by similar means to the existing ones.
- Genestealer Cults Booster Packs, each including 5 faction cards, with at least one of them of rare or higher quality.
- All Armies Booster Packs have a chance at yielding Genestealer Cults cards while opening them.
- Get the Premium Campaign at the best price with one of the two time-limited bundles available in the Webshop. Take your first steps on the battlefield with the Starter bundle or command a mighty Genestealer Cults deck on the day of release with the Ascension bundle! Check out all the info in the Pre-sale web post.
- New Twitch Drops campaign. Watch your favourite content creators play Warpforge and earn amazing rewards while at it.
- From the 16th August onward, the new Genestealer Cults cards will make frequent appearances in the shop. Every day there will be new cards for sale, so keep your eyes peeled!
Earn free booster packs with new promos
Celebrate the release of the new faction and earn free booster packs with a new Twitch Drops Campaign, Promo Code and Free Avatar in the Webshop! Stay tuned to our social media to learn more about these when they become available tomorrow.
Claim up to 8 booster packs and an avatar for free by engaging with the community, perfect for improving the free deck you can earn in-game from completing the first step of the Genestealer Cults campaign! Check out this web post to find out all about how to collect these rewards.
The Genestealer Cults are ready to rise! Unite your followers and overthrow the Imperium from within.