Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition has finally broken cover in the most unexpected way, and we now know the core box's name - Saturnine.
The revision was unveiled as part of the tongue-in-cheek 'Horus Hearsay,' an official Warhammer page which poses as a fansite doling out "leaks." It's been dropping behind-the-scenes sprue shots, out-of-focus model pics, and amusing asides for days now, but it seems as if things are coming to a head. With a drop promised on May 30 (an official post on May 13 notes that there will be "planetfall" in 399 hours, which takes us to the end of the month) it seems as if a full reveal for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition is imminent. Brace for impact and a full unveiling of Saturnine, which seems bigger than many of the best board games put together judging by the size of its models.
With that in mind, what do we know about Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition so far? The GamesRadar+ experts and I are on hand to give you the full lowdown on everything you can expect from the wargame, what the core box may contain, and how the rules are going to change for this new version.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition essential info
- New core box called 'Saturnine'
- Has new Dreadnought & Terminators
- Features revised rules
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy is gearing up for its Third Edition in the not-so-distant future, and more details are emerging for this version of the game every day. To save you time piecing together publisher Games Workshop's teases, here's a quick rundown of everything you need to know about the upcoming core box - Age of Darkness: Saturnine.
What is Horus Heresy Saturnine?
Age of Darkness: Saturnine is the new core set for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, and it looks like it'll feature everything players need to get started. Judging by teases from publisher Games Workshop via the Horus Hearsay site, you can use the models inside to represent two distinct factions. The artwork depicts Salamander and Iron Hands legions, but there's no reason why you can't paint these as something else.
Although details haven't been confirmed, I suspect you'll also be able to use those models as a single army if you'd prefer. That was certainly the case for the previous core box along with the Epic scale Legions Imperialis Starter Set, so it'd be strange for that option not to be offered here. This is the brilliant thing about including non Legion-specific Space Marines; you can paint them up as anyone you want.
As you'd expect for a core box, all the dice, tokens, and rules necessary for play are included too. Essentially? This is the new Horus Heresy starter set. If you want an idea of how it'll look, check out our Warhammer: The Horus Heresy 2nd Edition starter set review.
I'm not sure if this will be included in the box, but Horus Hearsay makes reference to the edition's campaign as well. This may focus on the 'Shattered' Legions who were decimated during the civil war, e.g. the Salamanders and Iron Hands. Yep, the same groups shown on the box art...
Is Saturnine a new edition of Horus Heresy?
Although publisher Games Workshop doesn't tend to use those labels itself, this does seem to be a new edition of Horus Heresy that replaces the old version. For starters, the teaser video the company released explicitly refers to it as a new edition - complete with what may as well be a wink and nod direct to camera.
Plus, the book itself seems different based on the blurry, 'leaked' images provided on Horus Hearsay. Even though it appears to still bear the last edition's subtitle, 'Age of Darkness,' this tome has a different cover compared to its predecessor... and it's chunky enough to be the proper, core rulebook instead of an abridged starter set version made specifically for the Saturnine box. While that's not exactly a smoking (bolt)gun, it certainly implies that this isn't the same product.
However, it also suggests that the rules aren't different enough to ditch the Age of Darkness name. That leads me to believe this is more of a tweak than a full-on revision. Which makes sense, honestly; the previous version has been well-received enough that a total revamp is unnecessary.
What's different about Horus Heresy Third Edition?
A clutch of new rules have already been teased for this edition and its Saturnine core box via Horus Hearsay, so these will likely offer the biggest change. Despite a few ideas feeling like (amusing) red herrings, others have the whiff of truth about them. I'll go into more detail soon, but some are tied to the many tokens included within the core box. The "titanshocked" chit is one of these, and it supposedly gives superheavies an advantage of some kind against smaller units. Similarly, the Horus Hearsay site suggests that "characters can now issue orders to units, like in Legions Imperialis."
This is in line with my current thought that the pictured 'Age of Darkness Rulebook' is more of a revision than a top to bottom reboot.
In a more practical sense, the Saturnine box is totally different to the previous core set as well. Even though I'd assume you can still use its contents for two small armies or one larger force, it offers a totally different lineup of models that include brand-new Saturnine Terminators packing impressive weaponry, alongside a massive Saturnine Dreadnought.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Third Edition release date
- No official launch date yet
- More details promised for May 30
- Could release in June or July
We don't have a release date for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy - Saturnine yet, but we'll be getting more info on May 30. The official site promised "planetfall [in] 399 hours" on May 13, and that takes us through to the end of the month.
Publisher Games Workshop has done something like this before with both Warhammer 40K and Age of Sigmar's new editions. To be precise, those came out in June/July respectively. As such, I'd expect the Saturnine box to drop around the same time.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy expert opinion
As noted by GamesRadar+ Streaming Editor and Horus Heresy buff Will Salmon, "we're clearly going back to the '80s with this set: big shoulder pads and even bigger weapons. It's hard to tell exactly what the new models are like until we get some clear and official imagery, but I do like that Games Workshop seems to be revelling in the ridiculous nature of these early Marines.
"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. And, preferably, don't force us to re-buy Liber Astartes and Hereticus. GW's reliance on big, spenny books has to end eventually."
Judging by what we've seen in those teased images (the core rules still being labelled 'Age of Darkness' but featuring a different cover), I think "evolution" is exactly what's happening here. 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, I think we can expect something similar to the new Dungeons & Dragons system. It's fundamentally the same game, but a few rough edges have been sanded off.
Talk of push-fit miniatures get a nod of approval from this grizzled Warhammer veteran for a similar reason. I love multi-part sprues as much as the next guy, but they can be a little off-putting for newcomers - even those familiar with 40K and Age of Sigmar - trying to break into the hobby. As such, the Saturnine starter set models being (potentially) so easy to construct makes Horus Heresy just a bit more accessible without losing what makes the game special.
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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