The stars are right once again, and a new balance update is coming to Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge at the start of next week. After analyzing last month’s data and taking player feedback into thoughtful consideration, this update will have two main objectives: to rein in the T’au dominance and to boost two of the factions that were suffering most in the meta.
The T’au Empire has wielded formidable power on the battlefield, yet as the meta evolves, so must their strategies. In this update, we’re implementing targeted adjustments to ensure a harmonious balance across all factions. While we respect the T’au’s strengths, it’s crucial to uphold fairness and equilibrium for the Greater Good of all commanders.
In parallel, we’re enhancing many of the other factions in the game, with special focus on the Ultramarines and Sautekh Dynasty. The changes not only aim to empower these factions, but also breathe new life into underutilized strategies and cards from their collections. The galaxy might be grim, but we would want as many deck archetypes as possible to feel fun and viable.
These balance changes also bring some tools to counter Stealth to most factions, as it has become an increasingly prevalent mechanic which had almost no counter-play.
As a reminder, these changes ARE NOT YET LIVE at the time of posting, but you can check out the full list of upcoming balance changes below in preparation for when they drop.
T’au Empire
- Sniper Drone: Lower Ranged Attack from 4 to 3
- Crisis Bodyguard: Lower Ranged Attack from 5 to 4
- Breacher Shas’ui: Lower Ranged Attack from 5 to 4
- Piranha: Lower Companion from 2 to 1
- Broadside Battlesuit: Lower Ranged Attack from 6 to 5
- Enforcer Battlesuit: Lower Melee Attack from 5 to 4
- Razorshark Fighter: Change description to: “Flying. Rally: Deal 2 damage to an enemy” (instead of 3 damage)
- Longstrike: Lower Melee Attack from 4 to 3, and Markerlight from 5 to 3
- Serene Unifier: Change description to: “Ephemeral. Choose an invocation and put it in your hand.” (no longer reduces cost by 1)
- Saviour Protocols: Increase cost from 3 to 4
- Burgeoning Empire: Increase Cost from 7 to 8
Ultramarines
- Scout: Increase Health from 1 to 2
- Firstborn: Lower Health from 3 to 2 and description to “Codex: Gain +1 Melee Attack, +1 Ranged Attack and +1 Health”
- Intercessor Sergeant: Increase Health from 3 to 4 and gain “Codex: Deal 1 damage to a random enemy troop”
- Tyrannic War Veteran: Increase Melee from 2 to 3 and change description to “Rally: All enemies lose Stealth and Camouflage”
- Sternguard Sergeant: Increase Health from 3 to 4
- Eliminator: Increase Melee from 1 to 2
- Primaris Invader: Gain “Codex: Give +1 Ranged Attack to all your Vehicles”
- Primaris Chaplain: Lower Melee from 4 to 3 and change description to “Codex: Give +1M and +1R to your Infantry troops” (including himself, unlike before)
- Aggressor Sergeant: Increase Blast from 1 to 2
- Apothecary Polixis: Lower Melee Attack to 3 and Ranged to 4, and change description to “Codex: Heal 2 to this troop and its adjacent units”
- Stormtalon: Gain “Codex: Deal 3 damage to a random enemy troop” and increase Melee from 2 to 4
- Bladeguard Veteran: Gain Armour 1, and lower Health from 7 to 6
- Desolation Marine: Increase Health from 6 to 7
- Devastator Centurion: Gain “Codex: Gain Armour 1”
- Captain Sicarius: Change description to “Codex: Heal 5 and gain Vanguard until your next turn. Talent: Greatest Deeds.”
- Greatest Deeds: Change description to “Lower the cost of all cards in your hand by 2”
- Sheltered Location: Change description to: “Give Camouflage to your troops”
- Knights of Macragge: Change description to “Give +1 Melee Attack, +1 Ranged Attack and 1 Health to your troops” (instead of +2 Melee this turn)
- Armoured Support: Increase cost from 3 to 4 and change description to “For the rest of the match, give Armour 1 to Vehicles you put in play”
- Gather the Company: Increase cost from 5 to 6 and change description to “Draw 3 cards. For every troop drawn, refill 1 Energy”
- Avenging Zeal: Change description to “Give +2M and +2R to all your units in play and in hand. Lower cost by 1 when a friendly unit triggers Codex”
Sautekh Dynasty
- Frenzied trait: The Frenzied trait changes name to ‘Destroyer’. Units with this trait no longer attack automatically. Instead, the trait now has a different effect: “If this unit could kill an enemy, then it cannot attack a different target”
- Nemesor Zahndrekh: Change description to “Adjacent Remnants do not disappear at the end of your turn. Talent: Relentless March”
- Necron Warrior: Lower Ranged Attack from 3 to 2 and change description to: “Remnant. Vanguard.”
- Gauss Warrior: Increase Health from 2 to 3
- Flayed One: Change description to: “When reanimated, gain Fast”
- Canoptek Plasmacyte: Increase Health from 3 to 4 and change description to: “Flying. Remnant. Stealth. When you deploy a troop with Frenzied, give it Regenerate 1”
- Gauss Immortal: Increase Ranged from 3 to 4
- Canoptek Reanimator: Change stats 2 Melee, 2 Ranged and 5 Health, and change description to “Talent: Reanimate. Rally: Reanimate a friendly Remnant”
- Canoptek Wraith: Gain Remnant
- Psychomancer: Gain Remnant
- Night Scythe: Increase Ranged Attack from 4 to 5
- Chronomancer: Change description to “Remnant. Friendly Remnants do not disappear at the end of your turn. Talent: Reanimate”
- Lychguard: Increase Attack from 4 to 5
- Command Barge: Change description to “Flying. Talent: Reanimate”
- Royal Warden: Gain Remnant
- Skorpekh Lord: Change description to “Remnant. Frenzied. When an enemy dies, gain +1 Melee and +1 Ranged Attack”
- Necron Lord: Change Overlord Powers to: Reanimation Protocol, Hyperlogical Strategist and Curse of the Phaeron
- Monolith: Gain “Artifice: Deploy a Necron Warrior”
- Solar Pulse: Change description to: “Blind all enemies, and they lose Stealth and Camouflage”
- Immortal Pride: Lower cost from 6 to 5 and change description to “Give Armor 1 to your units. For the rest of this battle, your Warlords’ Talent costs 1 less”
- Annihilation Command: Change name to “Undying Legions”, cost to 5 and description to: “For the rest of this battle, when a friendly troop becomes a Remnant it gains Shield”
Saim-Hann Craftworld
- Ranger: Change Camouflage for Stealth
- Dire Avenger: Increase Melee Attack from 1 to 2 and change description to “Waystone. Shuriken 2”
- Swooping Hawk: Increase Health from 3 to 4
- Wraithguard: Lower Spirit Stones ability cost from 2 to 1
- Dire Avenger Exarch: Change description to “Waystone. Shuriken 2. Rally: All enemies lose Stealth and Camouflage”
- Witchfire: Reduce cost from 2 to 1
Hive Fleet Leviathan
- Gargoyle: Gain Flank
- Ravener: Gain description “Rally: Deal 3 damage to a random enemy in Stealth, and it loses Stealth”
- Darkened Skies: Change description to “Deal 1 damage to all enemies”
- Rapacious Hunger: Change cost from 5 to 6 and description to “Deal 3 damage to all enemies. For each one that dies, heal 2 to a random friendly unit” (instead of 2 damage)
- Hive Fleet Leviathan: Reduce cost from 7 to 6
These changes are not live yet but will be coming soon into the game. Stay tuned for the release of this update, and plan your strategy to be ready on the battlefield. Good luck, commander!