Warhammer 40k 9th Edition | Goonhammer

Welcome to Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition! Whether you’re brand new to the game or a veteran of hundreds of miniature battles, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about playing the game and improving. If you’re a veteran of 8th edition and haven’t played a game of 9th yet due to the pandemic, then we’ve got everything you need to catch up on everything you missed.

40k is a complicated game, and if you’re interested in where to start or looking for what changed from the prior edition, this is where you’ll find what you’re looking for.

• Getting Started with Warhammer 40k – if you’ve got some models already and are looking to finally give the game a try, start here.
• Getting Started with Indomitus or the Command Edition – If you’re totally new to the game but have the Command Edition (or Indomitus), here’s a guide to playing your first game.
• 9th Edition Rules Review – if you’ve played 8th edition but are new to 9th and want to know what changed and why, this review is the one you’re looking for.

If you’re acquainted with the core rules of 9th and ready to move on to the more intermediate rules knowledge, here’s what comes next – 9th edition has seen a few changes to its points values and some major FAQs to really tighten up the rules. If you’re looking for a rundown of all those FAQs and changes, here’s where you can find those:

• The Core Rules FAQ
• Imperium FAQs
• Chaos FAQs
• Xenos FAQs
• the New GT Missions Book
• The Munitorum Field Manual Points update
• The 9.1 Edition Round Table

Additionally, we’ve seen several updates to the rules via FAQs and balance updates. You can find our coverage of those here:

• The January 2021 Rules and Errata update
• The January 2021 Imperial Update
• The June 2021 FAQ Hot Take
• The December 2021 Balance Dataslate Hot Take

Are you looking for a more in-depth view of things? Do you have rules questions? Are you an experienced 8th edition player looking for even more about the rules changes? Then check out some of this content.

Ruleshammer

Ruleshammer is our comprehensive resource to rules issues in 9th edition. Each week we answer reader questions and tackle the way 40k rules work.

9th Edition Rules Guides

The Core Rules

• Building Armies
• Terrain Guide
• Dice, Re-rolls & Modifying Characteristics
• Engagement Range
• Actions
• Auras and Fast Rolling

The Movement Phase

• Aircraft
• Types of Move
• Transports

The Shooting Phase

• Look Out Sir
• Big Guns Never Tire

The Charge and Fight Phases

• Charging and Heroic Intervention
• The Fight Phase

The June 2021 FAQs

• The Updates Compendium

8th to 9th Edition Change Breakdowns

• How have the Core Concepts of 40k Changed in 9th edition?
• Movement
• The Shooting & Psychic Phases
• Charge and Fight
• Morale and Core Stratagems
• Actions
• Terrain
• Building Armies
• Missions and Reserves

Competitive Play

• Competitive Play in 9th edition
• 9th Edition Matched Play Points Review
• 9th Edition FAQs Review
• 9th Edition Forge World FAQs Review
• The Grand Tournament 2020 Mission Pack
• GT Incursion Missions

James “One_Wing” Grover writes a weekly column on the competitive lists that are winning tournaments in 9th edition. You can find the page for it here: Competitive Innovations in 9th

Matched Play Missions

• Combat Patrol Missions
• Incursion Missions
• Strike Force Missions
• Onslaught Missions
• Tactical Deployment

Hammers Of Math

• The Command Re-Roll
• Morale and Attrition
• Weapon Changes in 9th Edition
• 9th Edition Primary and Secondary Objectives

9th edition introduces a new way to play Narratively: Crusade. In Crusade, players build a Crusade force that they change and improve over time, adding new units to their forces and shaping their growth. From player resources to campaign guides, we’ve got you covered.

• An Introduction to Crusade
• Running a Crusade Campaign
• Our Crusade Armies
• Crusade Missions
• Ruleshammer Crusade Edition

Administratum

If you’re interested in Crusade, check out Administratum, Goonhammer’s custom tool for tracking and managing rosters, running campaigns, and generally just making the bookkeeping for armies easier.

Faction Crusade Rule Reviews

• Codes: Space Marines
  • Space Wolves
  • Deathwatch
  • Blood Angels
  • Dark Angels
  • Black Templars
• Necrons
• Death Guard
• Drukhari
• Adeptus Mechanicus
• Adepta Sororitas
• Orks
• Thousand Sons
• Grey Knights
• Adeptus Custodes
• Genestealer Cults
• T’au Empire
• Aeldari
• Tyranids

Supplement Reviews

• Beyond the Veil
• Plague Purge
• Amidst the Ashes
• Containment
• Catastrophe
• Wars of Faith
• Charadon, Act I: The Book of Rust
• Charadon, Act II: The Book of Fire (Imperium)
• Charadon, Act II: The Book of Fire (Chaos)
• Octarius, Act I: Rising Tide
• Octarius, Act II: Critical Mass
• Nachmund: Vigilus Alone

Interested in how specific factions have changed and how they play in 9th edition? We are too, and we’re writing guides to each faction as new rules and FAQs are released.

The October 2020 FAQs The January 2021 FAQs The July 2021 FAQs The December Balance Dataslate The January 2022 Balance Dataslate

Codex Reviews

• Codex: Space Marines
• Codex: Necrons
• Codex Supplement: Blood Angels
• Codex Supplement: Space Wolves
• Codex Supplement: Deathwatch
• Codex Supplement: Dark Angels
• Codex: Death Guard
• Codex: Drukhari
• Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus
• Codex: Adepta Sororitas
• Codex: Orks
• Codex: Grey Knights
• Codex: Thousand Sons
• Codex Supplement: Black Templars
• Codex: Adeptus Custodes
• Codex: Genestealer Cults
• Codex: T’au Empire
• Codex: Aeldari
• Codex: Tyranids

Start Competing 40k

If you’re looking for more detailed insight and guides for playing each faction competitively, check out our Start Competing page. We’re constantly working to update the tactics here for each of the 40k factions.

Faction-Specific Guides

We’ve been wrapping up articles for each faction into faction guides that cover a specific faction in greater detail. If you want to know where everything worth reading about your faction can be found, look no further.

Chaos Space Marines are still waiting on that second wound.

Chaos Space Marines - Click Here to Expand

Painting and Modeling

• How to Paint Everything: Night Lords
• How to Paint Everything: Fabius Bile
• How to Paint Everything: 2nd Edition Chaos Space Marines

Competitive Play

• Start Competing: Chaos Space Marines Tactics
• Start Competing: Alpha Legion Tactics
• Start Competing: Black Legion Tactics
• Start Competing: Creations of Bile Tactics
• Start Competing: Emperor’s Children Tactics
• Start Competing: Iron Warriors Tactics
• Start Competing: Night Lords Tactics
• Start Competing: Renegade Chapters Tactics
• Start Competing: Word Bearers Tactics
• Start Competing: World Eaters Tactics
• Nachmund Faction Focus: Chaos Space Marines