Warhammer 40K: The Adeptus Mechanicus FAQ Arrives – But Is It Enough?

Games Workshop has dropped a new FAQ for the Adeptus Mechanicus. Did they dodge the nerf bat or suffer it’s wrath? One way to find out.

The Ad Mech are in a pretty good spot in the 40k Meta. They have lots of options for units in their latest codex and they have LOTS of rules to track. It’s a good combination that has really pushed the tournament scene. Today, GW dropped a much anticipated FAQ for them. So how did they fair? Take a look:

via Games Workshop

That’s pretty much it. A one-pager with a handful of changes and clarifications. To be fair, some of those changes are pretty large re-works. The addition of “you can only use this Stratagem once” is an important one for Acquisition at Any Cost. Both the Ironstrider Ballistarii and Sydonian Dragoons both lost “Core” which is a big deal if you were running those units.

Enriched Rounds and Galvanic Volley Fire both got a big set of changes. Enriched Rounds now automatically wounds on an unmodified 5+ to hit. And Galvanic Volley Fire got their characteristic type changed to Heavy 3. Solar Blessing no longer stacks with light cover but it does provide an additional +1 to armor saves vs damage 1 weapons.

So did this reel the Ad Mech in and beat them with the nerf-bat? Not really. These changes and clarifications are important but, fundamentally, the Ad Mech just have a LOT of rules and ways to stack a lot of bonuses. They have answers for a lot of problems and can tackle just about anything. The real trick is just knowing how to play the army well by learning all the rules and getting in lots of practice with them. The FAQ didn’t remove any of those things and, while it might take a little while to adjust your cognitators to the changes, the impact overall is going to be relatively minor. The Adeptus Mechanicus is still going to be a great army.

Unless you were relying on being able to spend all your CP on one of these very specific Stratagems repeatedly – in which case you might need a new game plan…

+++Adjustments Required+++

+++Tabulating+++

+++Combat Efficiency Impact: Negligible+++

+++Targets Locked+++

+++Engage+++

Author: Adam Harrison

Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and Austinite for 15+ years, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table. A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam's current obsession are his Death Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.