Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition has arrived with the fury of a drop pod from orbit, and it seems that the rumors were true – the new core box is called ‘Saturnine,’ features incredibly powerful new units who subscribe to the “bigger is always better” school of thought, and tweaks existing rules rather than tearing them up.
There’s a lot we can dive into, and plenty to unpick after the tongue-in-cheek Horus Hearsay “fansite” threw out more than a few red herrings (don’t be fooled, it was an actual page from publisher Games Workshop). With that in mind, the GamesRadar+ experts and I have broken down everything you need to know about Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition here. What does the Saturnine starter set contain, and how are the rules going to change for this new version?
No matter what, you’ll certainly need to clear some space; the Saturnine core box seems bigger than many of the best board games put together, judging by the size of its models…
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition essential info
- Revised rules with some new mechanics
- Core box starter set is called ‘Saturnine’
- Adds massive new Dreadnought & Terminators
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy is gearing up for its Third Edition in the not-so-distant future (we’re staring down the barrel of a Summer launch, apparently), and more details are emerging for this version of the wargame every day. To save you time piecing together publisher Games Workshop’s teases, here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about the upcoming starter set AKA core box – Age of Darkness: Saturnine.
What is Horus Heresy Third Edition?
As the name would suggest, Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition is the third version of this popular yet gritty tabletop wargame. It’s not a reboot, though; the existing mechanics were well-liked already, so this update sands off some rough edges and introduces a few new rules. It also adds fresh units that can be used with existing armies.
If you’re totally new to the hobby, Horus Heresy is a miniatures game where you command model armies (that you build and paint yourself) in battle against other players. It’s set in the same universe as Warhammer 40K, but is a prequel taking place thousands of years beforehand (which is why some fans refer to it as ‘Warhammer 30K’). Charting a civil war between the human Emperor and his ‘son,’ Horus, it’s an era of Space Marine fighting Space Marine – which is where you, the player, come in. You choose one of the 18 Space Marine legions, decide your allegiance, and then go to war.
Although it doesn’t have a traditional starter set, the new Horus Heresy edition is launching with a core box called ‘Saturnine’ that contains everything you need to play.
What is Horus Heresy Saturnine?
‘Saturnine’ refers to two things, so let’s tackle them individually. First is the new core box for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy. It features everything players need to get started: an all-new rulebook, dice, tokens, measuring rulers, and enough models to make two small armies or one larger force.
‘Saturnine’ also refers to the brand-new units being introduced for this edition; the Saturnine Dreadnought and Terminators. The former is a giant mech suit larger than any previously seen during the Heresy, while the latter are troops wearing enormous armor plating and dual-wielding heavy weapons. Both are very difficult to kill, and although they’re slow-moving, they hit with the force of a freight train.
This edition uses the infamous Dropsite Massacre of Istvaan V (a huge deal in Warhammer lore) as its backdrop, so the artwork of Saturnine revolves around the legions embroiled in that event. It sees countless Space Marines loyal to the Emperor gunned down after being lured into a trap by traitors. One of the worst-affected legions, the Salamanders, is depicted in pride of place on the front cover, while the other group featured across the box is the villainous Iron Warriors.
Can the Saturnine box set models be used for any army?
Even though the Saturnine core box depicts Salamanders and Iron Warriors throughout its artwork, you don’t have to paint your models like that. The models aren’t legion-specific, so you can paint them however you want. Those units can also be used by any army.
This is a running theme for Horus Heresy core boxes; it was the case for the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy 2nd Edition starter set, not to mention the Epic scale Legions Imperialis Starter Set.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition release date
- No official launch date yet
- A Summer release window was promised
- Could release in June or July
We don’t have a release date for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition yet, but a ‘Summer’ launch date is being promised for the core Saturnine box set.
Publisher Games Workshop has done something like this before with new edition s for both Warhammer 40K and the fantasy-focused Age of Sigmar. To be precise, those were announced a couple of months ahead of launch and came out in June/July respectively. As such, I’d expect the Saturnine box to drop around the same time frame – between late June and August.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition rules changes
- ‘Tactical Status’ gives more interactivity
- Leadership has been split into new categories
- ‘Challenge’ allows for epic duels
While this is an all-new edition, that doesn’t mean its rules have been completely redone. This is a revision rather than a reboot, and Games Workshop has added new mechanics to spice things up. Here’s a rundown of the most important additions.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy expert opinion
Just before the reveal, our resident GamesRadar+ Horus Heresy buff Will Salmon noted that, “in terms of the game itself, I’m hoping this is a case of evolution rather than revolution. Heresy is a fundamentally different beast to the streamlined, competitive play-focused 40K. It’s sprawling and messy – and we like that! Basically, fix a few of the more broken rules (piling shots on sergeants in Artificer Armor was always a bit daft), but keep the core set basically the same.” That’s exactly what’s happened, and it’s the best possible move. Rather than reinventing the wheel, the new mechanics simply enrich what was already there.
Many of these add nuance to troop characteristics, and this is exactly what I want from a gritty, more granular game. Breaking down the Leadership stat into sub-categories may add extra bookkeeping mid-match, but it better represents the strengths or weaknesses of a specific unit. This helps them feel distinct.
Similarly, I’m a big fan of Tactical Status where units can be impacted by suppressing fire, causalities, and more. I got my start playing Warhammer a long time ago (we’re talking ’90s, back when mono-pose Space Marines were a thing), and that kind of nitty-gritty defined the game. I grew up adoring this kind of attention to detail, and it makes your models feel less like automatons and more like actual people. I find myself caring so much more about them as a result, so I’m happy to see it come back for Horus Heresy Third Edition.
That’s exactly what Games Workshop has done with Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition – it’s an evolution, not a reinvention of the wheel.
While the majority of Will’s wishlist wound up being true (this is more of an evolution than a breaking of the wheel), that last part unfortunately
Judging by what we’ve seen in those reveals, “evolution” is exactly what’s happening. And honestly, I’m here for it; the bones of the game don’t need to change, but a little streamlining wouldn’t go amiss. Horus Heresy has always been up my alley thanks to its grittier approach, and those crunchy mechanics are based on a version of Warhammer 40,000 that I remember fondly. But as Will says, there are some kinks Games Workshop could do with ironing out. Based on the tweaked rulebook and inside-baseball mechanical references throughout Horus Hearsay and the Saturnine reveal, I think we can expect something similar to the new Dungeons & Dragons system. It’s fundamentally the same game, but better.
Speaking of blasts from the past, I totally agree with Will when he mentioned ahead of the reveal that “we’re clearly going back to the ’80s with this set: big shoulder pads and even bigger weapons. I do like that Games Workshop seems to be revelling in the ridiculous nature of these early Marines.” The Horus Heresy is an incredibly well-defined period of in-universe history at this point, so being surprised with new units is a rare treat.
The thing that isn’t a treat? Having to rebuy the various faction books for this new edition. As we awaited the Saturnine live stream where the core box would finally be shown off, Will said “preferably, don’t force us to re-buy Liber Astartes and Hereticus. GW’s reliance on big, spenny books has to end eventually.” Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. New tomes for each army are on the way, and although I appreciate that some rules will have changed, being forced to purchase them again when they may just be outdated after launch anyway (as is the case for almost every 40K and Age of Sigmar faction book) is frustrating. I’d prefer them to use these tomes as lore dumps, lavish faction galleries, and alternate color-scheme suggestions rather than rulebooks. Distribute the mechanics for free online or in the app instead, because then it doesn’t feel as if your new book has become a fancy paper-weight in a month or so when those stats inevitably change.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition pre-orders
You can’t pre-order the new Horus Heresy box set yet, but that should change before long. We’re due to get more info about it on May 30, and I don’t think it’s out of the question for us to see pre-orders go live shortly after.
While Warhammer’s official store will obviously stock Saturnine, it’s worth keeping an eye on independent retailers too. Sure, Amazon is guaranteed to sell it eventually. But Miniature Market in the US and the UK’s Magic Madhouse or Wayland Games will probably be a more reliable source in terms of discounts. They often knock a small amount off the sticker price, making them the cheapest place to buy Warhammer.
Just be aware that they sell out very quickly. If you want to grab the new core set and save along the way, you’ll have to act fast.
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