As we look to the new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, the Age of Darkness brings dramatic new ways to fight the galaxy’s most infamous betrayal. For the Traitor Legiones Astartes — those Space Marine Legions who turned against the Emperor — this updated edition expands their dark potential with Warp-fueled powers, twisted wargear, and new battlefield tactics that push the grim saga even further.
The Legiones Astartes: Masters of Betrayal
The Traitor Astartes fight without limits or restraint. Unlike their Loyalist brethren, they use corrupted technologies, daemonic influence, and forbidden tactics to crush Imperial resistance. As the Heresy progresses, these Legions diverge even more from their original doctrines — some transforming into monstrous parodies of their former selves.
Many Traitor Legions now have multiple Rites of War, each reflecting different stages of corruption. For example, the Emperor’s Children and World Eaters can be fielded as their disciplined early-war selves or as the twisted forces they became during the closing acts of the Heresy.
Rites of War: Enhanced Tools of Treachery
This new edition reimagines Rites of War, weaving together each Legion’s signature rules into a powerful, flexible framework:
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Legion Tactica: Define how each Legion fights on the battlefield — such as the World Eaters’ The Nail’s Bite, which channels the XIIth Legion’s murderous frenzy into devastating assaults.
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Gambits: Unique one-off tricks for characters and units — like Perturabo’s The Breaker, which lets him deny an enemy duel by ordering his Iron Warriors to gun down the challenger instead.
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Advanced Reactions: Once-per-game reactions that can swing critical moments — such as the Better Part of Valour, which allows Traitor units to withdraw into cover and re-engage on their terms.
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Detachments: Additional Force Organisation slots, including Apex Detachments for elite or corrupted units.
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Prime Upgrades: Thematic enhancements that infuse standard units with the tainted essence of their Legion’s unique corruption or culture.
These elements combine to make every Traitor force feel more thematic and unpredictable.
New Tactical Layers and Conditions
The new edition introduces updated cover rules, like Medium and Heavy Cover, which help Traitor units survive as they close with the enemy. The return of Tactical Statuses and conditions like Panic and Routed add psychological warfare to the battlefield, rewarding players who manipulate morale and battlefield control.
For Night Lords players, the lack of Night Fighting in the Core Mission Pack is offset by these Tactical Status mechanics and widespread access to Fear (X), letting them sow terror and seize objectives from cowering foes.
Standout Units and Dark Icons
Traitor armies have no shortage of new standouts:
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The Thousand Sons Saturnine Dreadnought can channel psychic power into its armor, boosting its resilience to mighty heights — though the Warp’s peril always looms.
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The Word Bearers Ashen Circle make expert use of Panic effects with Akkadic Hand Flamers and vicious Axe-Rakes, forcing enemy units into disarray and harvesting Victory Points through the Vanguard special rule.
Diverse Armies, Endless Schemes
The new edition emphasizes a wider range of viable army compositions. Whether massing Tactical Marines, stacking heavy support, or fielding corrupted elites, players will see a huge variety of themed lists on the tabletop. No single strategy dominates — cunning traitors will have countless ways to outwit even the staunchest Loyalist forces.
The Traitor Legiones Astartes remain a rich and rewarding choice for players who want to embrace the darker side of the Horus Heresy, commanding daemonic powers, fearsome relics, and the raw fury of betrayal.
Keep an eye out — more Faction Focuses are on the way as we continue our march up to the preorder of the new Edition!
