What's new in 11th edition
11th edition is live — launched 20 June 2026 via Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon (Space Marines vs Orks).
11th edition is a streamlining of 10th, not a reboot. The five-phase turn and the core hit→wound→save→damage maths carry over unchanged; list-building, the Fight phase, cover, missions, terrain and Battle-shock were overhauled.
⚠️ Heads up: the datasheets on this site are still 10th-edition data. 10th-edition codexes remain legal in hybrid play (10th army rules + 11th core rules) until each faction gets an 11th codex — and a structured 11th-edition data feed isn't available yet. Datacards will switch to 11th once one is.
▶ Watch the 11th-edition explainer on YouTube ↗
The changes (10th → 11th)
List building — Detachment Points major
One Detachment per army.
A Detachment Points budget (2 DP at 1,000 pts, 3 DP at 2,000). Each Detachment costs 1–3 DP; you can field several (no two sharing a keyword). 70+ Detachments at launch. Enhancement caps: 2 at 1,000 / 4 at 2,000.
Stratagems — one per unit per phase major
Multiple Stratagems could stack on one unit in a phase.
A unit benefits from only one Stratagem per phase. Command Re-roll is itself a Stratagem, so it's a re-roll OR a buff — stratagem stacking is gone.
Cover — to-hit penalty, not a save bonus major
Cover gave +1 to the armour save (high AP could negate it).
Cover imposes −1 to the attacker's hit roll on ranged attacks, and applies regardless of AP. No cover just from footprint overlap.
Battle-shock — now sticky major
Cleared automatically at the start of your turn; tested below half-strength.
A failed unit stays Battle-shocked until it passes a later Command-phase test (can last several turns). Now tested at half strength.
Terrain & objectives — physical terrain major
40mm circular objective markers.
Actual terrain pieces / key positions are the objectives. GW released a standardized Terrain Area set (~16 templates); mission packs specify layouts.
Missions — individualized, not random major
Random primary-mission draw.
Each player gets individualized primary objectives generated by comparing both armies' Force Dispositions (Take and Hold, Disruption, Purge the Foe, Priority Assets, Reconnaissance).
Charge & Fight phase — biggest in-turn overhaul major
Pick target then roll the charge; Engagement Range 1"; Fights First a strong defensive tool.
Roll the charge distance first, then choose engagements; Engagement Range 2"; all pile-ins at the start of the phase, all consolidations at the end; alternating activation with the controlling player going first (Fights First weaker); Overrun follow-up move on a wipe; Crushing Impact for Monsters/Vehicles.
Movement & coherency — streamlined medium
Pivot cost for large models; conga-line coherency.
No pivot cost; simplified coherency (kills conga lines); Monsters/Vehicles can move through smaller enemy models; Deep Strike arrives >8" from enemies (was >9").
Saves & invulnerables medium
Use the better of the armour or invulnerable save.
Invulnerable saves are no longer optional — resolve against the invuln first, then the normal save; the defender chooses allocation/order (applying lowest rolls first).
Keywords & abilities medium
Blast; Heavy = +1 to hit if stationary; Hazardous = mortal on a 1; leader buffs end with the bodyguard.
New Cleave (melee Blast, scales with target size); Heavy reworked (+1 to hit when moving short); Hazardous mortal-wounds on 1–2; Leader abilities persist after the bodyguard dies; one Leader + one Support per unit; Stay Hidden / Concealment for units in terrain; Close-Quarters replaces Pistol on some weapons; Psychic weapons ignore hit modifiers.
Points medium
10th-edition Munitorum Field Manual values.
New Munitorum Field Manual (17/6/2026); broadly infantry up, some shooting/artillery down. The MFM is now a searchable online page updated ~quarterly.
Board sizes medium
Strike Force on ~44x60in; Combat Patrol on a small board.
Standardised: Strike Force / 2,000pts = 44x60in; Combat Patrol = 44x30in; Incursion ~44x30in.
Battle Ready painting bonus medium
No painting score in matched play.
Reportedly +10 bonus VP if your whole army is painted to Battle Ready standard (confirm vs the current Event Companion).
Carried over from 10th (not new in 11th)
- Phase order: Command → Movement → Shooting → Charge → Fight.
- Weapon-based stat lines (S/AP/A on the weapon) and the Objective Control (OC) stat — both are 10th-edition features, not new.
- Core dice maths: hit → wound → save → damage, majority Toughness, mortal wounds, Feel No Pain.
- Battle-shock, invulnerable saves, coherency, engagement and the CP economy (all retained, several tweaked).
- The Index → Codex → app structure, and Combat Patrol.
Edition support & compatibility
- 10th-edition codexes and index rules remain legal at launch — armies without an 11th codex use existing rules + errata.
- Most players currently run a hybrid: 10th army/Detachment rules + 11th core rules.
- No armies are being squatted; old rules retire to Legends only when a faction gets its 11th-edition codex.
- The Armageddon box and free downloads provide updated 11th datacards; old datasheets stay usable until codex replacement.
- Crusade rules are moving out of codexes into dedicated narrative books; existing 10th Crusade content still works.
- Free Core Rules PDF is on the official Warhammer 40,000 downloads page.
Sources
- Warhammer Community — new edition revealed (AdeptiCon 2026)
- Warhammer Community — download the free Core Rules
- Wargamer — 11th edition guide
- Goonhammer — harnessing the 11th Fight phase
- Spikey Bits — 11th edition rules
- Warhammer Guild — 11th edition rules changes explained
10th → 11th edition rules changes. Sourced from in-vault deep research (2026-06-21) + Warhammer Community, Wargamer, Goonhammer, Spikey Bits, Warhammer Guild. Summaries in our own words; verify competitive specifics against the official PDFs.