Defend the Maiden World: Exodites are coming! - A Review
Kill Team takes center stage this weekend with the long-awaited return of the Aeldari Exodites, supported by new Warhammer 40,000 terrain, standalone Kill Team releases, and a substantial wave of MkIV armor for Horus Heresy players.
There is plenty here for skirmish players, army builders, and hobbyists looking to expand their battlefields. However, Kill Team: Exodite is almost certainly going to be the release attracting the most attention.
Kill Team: Exodite
The Aeldari Exodites are finally coming to the tabletop, and they are doing it in spectacular fashion. Rather than relying on the sleek vehicles and advanced technology associated with their Craftworld cousins, these nomadic Aeldari ride powerful reptilian mounts into battle.
The Exodite kill team contains five elite operatives, including three Dragon Masters and two Drakolithes. Their small team size means players will need to make careful use of their speed, durability, and superior combat abilities to overcome larger enemy forces.
Opposing them are 10 Beast Snagga Boyz and five Squighog Boyz, which serve as enemy NPOs throughout the narrative missions included in the Kill Team: Exodite Dossier. The set also includes 88 datacards, an Exodite transfer sheet, and a full token sheet with movement aids and other useful markers.
This is a striking box with two armies that could not look more different from one another. The mounted Exodites bring something genuinely new to Kill Team, while the Beast Snagga Orks provide a suitably aggressive enemy force for the included narrative campaign.
That said, if you have been around long enough, you already know how these Kill Team releases tend to go.
As always, we are requesting more than enough copies to meet the expected demand. However, if the recent trend for Kill Team box sets continues, we, along with every other retailer, will likely be heavily shorted on our requested allocation.
Please keep that in mind as this release approaches. We will make as many copies available as we receive, but the number we are allocated may be significantly lower than the number we order.
New Warhammer 40,000 Terrain
A new wave of Warhammer 40,000 terrain is also arriving, making it easier to build complete battlefields for Combat Patrol and larger games.
The Combat Patrol Battlezone contains 15 pieces of terrain, a double-sided gaming board, and a set of terrain footprints. Together, these provide enough scenery to assemble a full Combat Patrol-sized battlefield straight from the box.
The Manufactorum Ruins, Capacitor Cluster, and Galvanic Network will also be released as individual terrain sets. These smaller kits should be useful for players looking to expand an existing collection without purchasing an entire battlefield at once.
It is important to note that these terrain kits are supplied unpainted. The previously announced ready-painted terrain range is still planned for a later release.
Kill Team: Spectre Squad
The Astra Militarum Spectre Squad returns as a standalone release after originally appearing in Kill Team: Terror on Devlan.
These sharpshooters and infiltration specialists are designed to operate from concealed positions, carefully maneuvering into place before unleashing their explosive arsenal on unsuspecting enemies.
The standalone release is good news for anyone who wanted the miniatures without purchasing the larger Terror on Devlan box. They should also appeal to Astra Militarum collectors looking for a more specialized unit to add to their army.
A separate pack of 40 Spectre Squad datacards will also be available. These cards contain the team’s operative datasheets, equipment, ploys, and other important rules, making them much easier to reference during a game.
Standalone Warhammer 40,000 Kill Team Units
Several units that originally debuted through Kill Team are being repackaged as standard Warhammer 40,000 kits.
The returning units include:
- Kroot Farstalkers
- Imperial Navy Breachers
- Exaction Squad
- Fellgor Beastmen
- Raptors
- Kasrkin
This is primarily a packaging change, but it will make these units easier for Warhammer 40,000 players to identify and add to their armies without needing to navigate the broader Kill Team range.
Horus Heresy MkIV Tactical Squad
The classic MkIV Maximus armor design receives a major update with a new box of 20 Tactical Marines.
The kit includes enough parts to build two Sergeants, allowing the models to be fielded as one large unit of 20 or two smaller squads of 10. It is also compatible with the previously released Horus Heresy weapon upgrade sets.
One particularly useful inclusion is a complete set of vambrace parts for all 20 Marines. These allow arms from earlier upgrade kits to better match the distinctive appearance of MkIV armor.
This should be one of the most useful releases in the wave for Horus Heresy players. Twenty Marines provide a solid foundation for a new force, while existing collectors can use the kit to expand their infantry or add more visual variety to their Legion.
Horus Heresy MkIV Assault Squad
The MkIV Assault Squad brings 10 jump-equipped Space Marines to the battlefield, each armed with a bolt pistol and chainsword.
The kit also includes 10 power lances, providing enough weapons to build the entire unit as a Veteran Assault Squad. Two power fists and two sets of lightning claws are included for Sergeants or other standout members of the squad.
The combination of classic armor, jump packs, and a full set of power lances makes this a particularly strong release for anyone building an aggressive, close-combat-focused Legion.
Combi-weapons and Shotguns Upgrade Set
Veteran squads, Breacher units, and Reconnaissance Squads receive a huge selection of new weapon options with the Combi-weapons and Shotguns Upgrade Set.
The box contains:
- 10 combi-volkites, plus two one-handed versions
- 10 combi-flamers, plus two one-handed versions
- 10 combi-plasmas, plus two one-handed versions
- 10 combi-meltas, plus two one-handed versions
- 10 Astartes shotguns, plus two one-handed versions
- 60 assorted pouches, magazines, and accessories
This is an extremely practical upgrade set, especially for players building Veteran Tactical Squads or other specialist infantry. The sheer number of weapons included should also leave plenty of extra components for future conversions.
The one-handed versions are a thoughtful addition for Breacher Squads, allowing them to retain their shields while carrying specialized weapons.
Black Library: Archmagos
Belisarius Cawl returns in Archmagos by Guy Haley.
Cawl turns his attention toward one of the Imperium’s greatest problems, finding a way to safely cross the Cicatrix Maledictum. His search takes him to a Necron tomb world, where his work attracts the attention of something even more dangerous than the ancient xenos already waiting beneath the surface.
Archmagos will be available in a new paperback edition.
Black Library: The Relentless Dead
The Relentless Dead by Steve Lyons follows Colonel Graven and the 401st Krieg Regiment as they search for a missing inquisitor on the dead world of Oleris III.
Their mission leads them deep into a network of tombs, catacombs, and ossuary tunnels, where the dead are beginning to stir. Graven must confront both the horrors beneath the planet’s surface and the consequences of a tragedy from his own past.
The Relentless Dead will also be available in a new paperback edition.
The Baneblade Is Coming Back
The internet went ablaze when the tried-and-true Baneblade suddenly disappeared from the Games Workshop online store, with plenty of players wondering whether the legendary super-heavy tank was being retired.
Don’t worry, the Baneblade is returning.
The kit is receiving refreshed branding and packaging as part of this release cycle, rather than disappearing from the range entirely. The Baneblade remains one of the most iconic Astra Militarum kits ever produced, and it would be difficult to imagine the Imperial Guard range without its enormous silhouette looming over the battlefield.
So, while it may be temporarily absent from the online store, there is no need to panic. The Baneblade will be back.
Final Thoughts
This is a strong and varied preorder wave, but Kill Team: Exodite is unquestionably the headline release. The return of the Exodites is a major event for longtime Aeldari fans, and the mounted Dragon Masters give Kill Team one of its most visually distinctive factions yet.
The new Warhammer 40,000 terrain provides some useful options for building complete battlefields, while the standalone Kill Team units make several popular kits easier to add to regular armies.
Horus Heresy players also have plenty to look forward to. The new MkIV Tactical and Assault Squads modernize an iconic armor pattern, while the combi-weapon upgrade set offers a huge number of options for customizing Veteran, Breacher, and Reconnaissance units.
These releases will be rolling into preorders this weekend. Please remember that Kill Team: Exodite is expected to be heavily allocated. We are ordering enough to cover demand, but based on previous Kill Team launches, our final allocation may be substantially lower than what we request.
