Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition launched on June 20, 2026 with the Armageddon starter set, headlined by Blood Angels and Orks. Now that the new edition is on the table, here's a complete guide to what actually changed — and how to build armies under the new rules.
Last updated: July 8, 2026
Army Building: The Detachment Points System
The defining change of 11th Edition is modular army construction. You no longer pick a single detachment — you spend a Detachment Points (DP) budget:
Battle Size
Points
DP Budget
Enhancement Limit
Duplicate Limit
Incursion
1,000
2 DP
2
2 per datasheet
Strike Force
2,000
3 DP
4
3 per datasheet
Key rules:
Each detachment costs 1 to 3 DP. Narrow, conditional detachments cost 1 DP; classic codex-style detachments cost 2 DP; army-wide powerhouses cost 3 DP
You can combine multiple detachments, but no two selected detachments may share the same unique tag
The duplicate limit is doubled for Battleline units — spam your troops, not your tanks
Enhancement limits changed: 2 at Incursion, 4 at Strike Force (it was a flat 3 in 10th). The new Upgrade enhancements can go on up to three non-Character units while counting as a single enhancement choice
Leader and Support Characters
Characters are now designated Leader or Support when they join units:
A unit can have one Leader AND one Support attached at the same time — this replaces 10th Edition's ad-hoc double-attach rules
Character assignments happen during list construction, not at deployment
Leaders may operate independently; Support characters must be attached to a bodyguard unit
Which characters can join which squads is now official structured data, published alongside the points
Core Gameplay Changes
The rules got a substantial pass. The changes you'll feel most:
Shooting and Cover
Engagement range is now 2" (was 1")
Benefit of Cover gives the attacker −1 to hit instead of improving your save — cover finally works against units relying on invulnerable saves
Hidden: Infantry, Beast, and Swarm units in cover that didn't shoot last turn can't be targeted beyond 15"
Invulnerable saves are no longer optional — they're checked first, then armour
Stratagems
Only one stratagem per unit per phase — and yes, that includes Command Re-roll. No more stacking
Movement and Charges
Roll charge distance before selecting targets, then declare — a huge tactical shift
If your charge target is destroyed before you fight, you get an Overrun 3" pile-in
Reserves arrive 8" from enemies (was 9"), though charges from reserves still need a 9"
Flying units move −2" but ignore vertical distance
Fight Phase
All pile-ins happen at the start of the phase, all consolidations at the end, with alternating activations
Battle-shock
You can now test in your own Command phase to remove Battle-shock, even above half strength
Objectives
The circular objective markers are gone — terrain pieces act as physical objectives, and each detachment grants access to one or more Force Dispositions that determine your primary mission
Your 10th Edition Codexes Still Work
Games Workshop confirmed that all 10th Edition codex datasheets remain valid at launch. Each faction's book only becomes obsolete when its 11th Edition codex ships, over a roughly three-year cycle.
At launch, every faction received a free Faction Pack PDF containing all its detachments updated for 11th Edition — including 3–4 brand-new 1 DP detachments per faction (70+ new detachments game-wide) — plus rules updates and errata. Points for all factions live in the new online Munitorum Field Manual, updated digitally.
How to Build an 11th Edition List
1Pick your battle size — that sets your DP budget, enhancement limit, and duplicate limits
2Spend your DP — one big detachment or a combination, watching unique tags
3Add units — Battleline can be duplicated twice as much as everything else
4Attach characters — one Leader and one Support per unit, assigned in the list
5Spend enhancements — respecting the new per-size limits; consider Upgrade enhancements for non-Character units
GrimSlate handles all of this automatically — DP budgets, unique-tag conflicts, Leader/Support slots, and the new limits are validated live while you build. If you have 10th Edition lists, the one-click Convert to 11th feature recalculates them against the new points.
What This Means for Competitive Play
The first months of a new edition are always turbulent. Expect:
1A wide-open meta — 70+ new detachments and reworked cover/stratagem rules reset a lot of assumptions
2Multi-detachment experimentation — the 1 DP detachments enable combinations that simply didn't exist before
3A first balance pass — GW has committed to regular balance updates, with the first 11th Edition rules update expected in late July
Start Building
11th Edition is live in GrimSlate today. Create a roster, spend your Detachment Points, and get your army ready for the new edition.
*Sources: Warhammer Community, Games Workshop Core Rules and Faction Packs, Munitorum Field Manual*
