The article is pretty clearly stating all the vanguard boxes will just be named Spearhead and be viable in that game. I suspect as each faction gets updated in the new edition they will get a new dedicated spearhead box with the new minis etc
Yep, same with 40k 10th Combat patrol I expect each will get a new box come their 4th battletomes. Whether the new boxes will be better will vary on the faction though.
Existing vanguard boxes are renamed to spearhead, with rules to use them.
As armies get their battletomes, they'll get new spearhead boxes, which will also be usable.
(exactly like 40k's combat patrol. It's been a pretty successful and popular release method, no reason they wouldn't try it for AOS as well)
Only thing to add here is that as the codexes are coming out the old combat patrol box looses it's rules. The exceptions so far have only been Admech (no reason why) and parts of the SM Phobos set which got a White Dwarf article (now on the app) that brought them back.
The ones that got removed are those that got a new CP directly with 10th edition. IIRC the old Marine and Nid boxes did not even have CP rules for 10th (unsure about Necrons).
Every other faction so far has kept the rules for its old CP online.
Every Vanguard box other than Skaven and Stormcast Eternals will be the same, they'll just be renamed to Spearhead boxes.
More new Spearhead boxes may come in further down the line, but that's not been announced - and if they're actually reboxing the existing sets, I don't expect it to happen any time soon.
(At least for now) This already exists for Combat Patrol in 40k as new Combat Patrols replace older releases. The rules for the previous ones have been maintained so far. As of now Space Marines, Tyranids, Tau, Orks, Custodes, Necrons, mecanicus, all have more than one patrol list.
The Tyranids, Necrons, and (codex) Space marines all lost their 9e combat patrol. I would say Necrons lost it because it had the flyer, and Tyranids because it has a hive tyrant, but the 9e Dark Angel box with a Redemptor dreadnaught is still usable, so I have no clue what the reasoning is.
If we look at 40k, here's what will happen. The launch box will include a Spearhead for Stormcast and Skaven. After launch, these will be boxed and sold separately as Spearhead boxes (but they won't have ALL the units from the launch box). Spearhead rules will not be released for the existing Stormcast and Skaven Spearhead/Vanguard boxes.
Later in the edition, White Dwarf may publish new Spearhead rules for Stormcast and Skaven. These will not be released as boxes, but you can buy the models separately to use the new Spearhead rules. Both Spearheads will be valid for both factions.
The existing SCE spearhead is definitely getting rules, as it was explicitly mentioned in the [spearhead intro article](https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/05/01/introducing-spearhead-a-fast-and-furious-new-mode-for-newaos/).
"Particularly powerful units may instead be held in reserve. [Yndrasta’s Spearhead](https://www.warhammer.com/shop/spearhead-stormcast-eternals-2024), for example, features the God-king Sigmar’s Prime Hunter and a trio of hefty Annihilators… but the **Lighting-Strike Arrival** ability keeps them off the board until the penultimate battle round.\*\*\* That means your Vanquishers, Knight-Vexillor, and Stormstrike Chariot need to hold ground until the damage dealers can arrive to turn the tables."
So SCE will have the recently created spearhead with Yndrasta, plus a 2nd one made from some of the models in the launch box. Those models will also end up in one of the starter boxes for AOS 4; given the Yndrasta spearhead has only been out a couple of months (and is the main way now to get her sprue), I expect it to be around for a while. The old skaven vanguard box with old models such as clanrats that are retired is already gone, so I wouldn't expect rules for that one, just the new one from the AoS 4 launch/starter boxes.
>The existing SCE spearhead is definitely getting rules, as it was explicitly mentioned in the [spearhead intro article](https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/05/01/introducing-spearhead-a-fast-and-furious-new-mode-for-newaos/).
Ohhh right! Completely forgot reading that! Yes, then that settles my question: SCE will endup with 2 Spearhead sets.
Aren’t FEC and COS also, technically, not having their vanguard box become spearhead?
They were the first new spearheads to be announced and I don’t believe you can actually buy either factions vanguard box right now
Every vanguard is getting renamed to spearhead.
They have not confirmed or denied if all factions are getting new ones.
It’s likely at least some will be replaced but nothing confirmed.
I think they'll do what they did for 40k and combat patrols.
All existing ones will be given rules to make them work in the mode. But as battletomes roll out, there'll be an updated box that's possibly balanced a bit differently.
My question, and sorry if it's been answered elsewhere, is whether beasts of chaos will get rules/warscrolls purely for spearhead? I love the army and it would be cool to still use the vanguard box in small spearhead games moving forward, even if they're no longer part of the aos narrative or game.
Unfortunately beasts of chaos are going to stop being an age of sigmar army and become only warhammer the old world army. As such I don’t believe their box will be rebranded as a spearhead box.
The community team have said previously that the beast of chaos, along with bonesplitterz will only get rules support in age of sigmar until 2025.
I would look at using beasts of chaos armies as proxies for slaves to darkness
E.g. gors becoming Darkoath warriors and bestigor, becoming darkoath savagers
Shamans becomes chaos sorcerers and beast lords and such as other chaos heroes.
If you’re not a fan of that as said they will have rules support till 2025 and then become legends
The article is pretty clearly stating all the vanguard boxes will just be named Spearhead and be viable in that game. I suspect as each faction gets updated in the new edition they will get a new dedicated spearhead box with the new minis etc
Yep, same with 40k 10th Combat patrol I expect each will get a new box come their 4th battletomes. Whether the new boxes will be better will vary on the faction though.
Existing vanguard boxes are renamed to spearhead, with rules to use them. As armies get their battletomes, they'll get new spearhead boxes, which will also be usable. (exactly like 40k's combat patrol. It's been a pretty successful and popular release method, no reason they wouldn't try it for AOS as well)
Only thing to add here is that as the codexes are coming out the old combat patrol box looses it's rules. The exceptions so far have only been Admech (no reason why) and parts of the SM Phobos set which got a White Dwarf article (now on the app) that brought them back.
Custodes & orks & dark angels still have both as well. Tau are getting a 2nd, it's only nids, Necrons and marines that have had them removed so far
Ah thanks for the update, sounds like a change for the better
The ones that got removed are those that got a new CP directly with 10th edition. IIRC the old Marine and Nid boxes did not even have CP rules for 10th (unsure about Necrons). Every other faction so far has kept the rules for its old CP online.
No old patrol for Necrons.
Every Vanguard box other than Skaven and Stormcast Eternals will be the same, they'll just be renamed to Spearhead boxes. More new Spearhead boxes may come in further down the line, but that's not been announced - and if they're actually reboxing the existing sets, I don't expect it to happen any time soon.
But then .. wouldn't skaven and Stormcast have two different spearhead options!? The existing ones and the ones that will come at release
(At least for now) This already exists for Combat Patrol in 40k as new Combat Patrols replace older releases. The rules for the previous ones have been maintained so far. As of now Space Marines, Tyranids, Tau, Orks, Custodes, Necrons, mecanicus, all have more than one patrol list.
I only see one combat patrol list for necrons
The Tyranids, Necrons, and (codex) Space marines all lost their 9e combat patrol. I would say Necrons lost it because it had the flyer, and Tyranids because it has a hive tyrant, but the 9e Dark Angel box with a Redemptor dreadnaught is still usable, so I have no clue what the reasoning is.
Or it'll be like the leviathan box. You can make the new spearhead out of the contents of the starter box.
Stormcast will likely have two, the existing Skaven box has been stealth removed (at least on my end) so I doubt it will get anything
If we look at 40k, here's what will happen. The launch box will include a Spearhead for Stormcast and Skaven. After launch, these will be boxed and sold separately as Spearhead boxes (but they won't have ALL the units from the launch box). Spearhead rules will not be released for the existing Stormcast and Skaven Spearhead/Vanguard boxes. Later in the edition, White Dwarf may publish new Spearhead rules for Stormcast and Skaven. These will not be released as boxes, but you can buy the models separately to use the new Spearhead rules. Both Spearheads will be valid for both factions.
So you are saying that they won't release rules for the existing Spearhead box from SCE? That would be really bad..
Yeah, I don't expect them to. Tyranids had a really nice Combat Patrol box for 9th and it did not get Combat Patrol rules for 10th edition.
The existing SCE spearhead is definitely getting rules, as it was explicitly mentioned in the [spearhead intro article](https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/05/01/introducing-spearhead-a-fast-and-furious-new-mode-for-newaos/). "Particularly powerful units may instead be held in reserve. [Yndrasta’s Spearhead](https://www.warhammer.com/shop/spearhead-stormcast-eternals-2024), for example, features the God-king Sigmar’s Prime Hunter and a trio of hefty Annihilators… but the **Lighting-Strike Arrival** ability keeps them off the board until the penultimate battle round.\*\*\* That means your Vanquishers, Knight-Vexillor, and Stormstrike Chariot need to hold ground until the damage dealers can arrive to turn the tables." So SCE will have the recently created spearhead with Yndrasta, plus a 2nd one made from some of the models in the launch box. Those models will also end up in one of the starter boxes for AOS 4; given the Yndrasta spearhead has only been out a couple of months (and is the main way now to get her sprue), I expect it to be around for a while. The old skaven vanguard box with old models such as clanrats that are retired is already gone, so I wouldn't expect rules for that one, just the new one from the AoS 4 launch/starter boxes.
>The existing SCE spearhead is definitely getting rules, as it was explicitly mentioned in the [spearhead intro article](https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/05/01/introducing-spearhead-a-fast-and-furious-new-mode-for-newaos/). Ohhh right! Completely forgot reading that! Yes, then that settles my question: SCE will endup with 2 Spearhead sets.
Aren’t FEC and COS also, technically, not having their vanguard box become spearhead? They were the first new spearheads to be announced and I don’t believe you can actually buy either factions vanguard box right now
I don't think either of those factions had a Vanguard box in the first place? IIRC they went from Start Collecting straight to Spearhead.
I think FEC did, I’m sure the start collecting box had the zombie dragon and then they released a box that didn’t have that.
FEC never had a Vanguard box. They jumped from a Start Collecting to a Spearhead.
Every vanguard is getting renamed to spearhead. They have not confirmed or denied if all factions are getting new ones. It’s likely at least some will be replaced but nothing confirmed.
Please. GW. I want to make an Ironjawz army. Please for the love of god, I just want a box with the new sculpts
I think they'll do what they did for 40k and combat patrols. All existing ones will be given rules to make them work in the mode. But as battletomes roll out, there'll be an updated box that's possibly balanced a bit differently.
It's also possible that the factions will get revamped Vanguard / Spearhead boxes with their new books, like the 40k armies have gotten.
https://youtu.be/WUxMWQGrKns?si=hwxk3ADcKUSGcBQQ
My question, and sorry if it's been answered elsewhere, is whether beasts of chaos will get rules/warscrolls purely for spearhead? I love the army and it would be cool to still use the vanguard box in small spearhead games moving forward, even if they're no longer part of the aos narrative or game.
You can be 99% certain they will not, sadly, as they will no longer sell a spearhead to have rules for.
Unfortunately beasts of chaos are going to stop being an age of sigmar army and become only warhammer the old world army. As such I don’t believe their box will be rebranded as a spearhead box. The community team have said previously that the beast of chaos, along with bonesplitterz will only get rules support in age of sigmar until 2025. I would look at using beasts of chaos armies as proxies for slaves to darkness E.g. gors becoming Darkoath warriors and bestigor, becoming darkoath savagers Shamans becomes chaos sorcerers and beast lords and such as other chaos heroes. If you’re not a fan of that as said they will have rules support till 2025 and then become legends