Predicting Primaris 2022 Part 1: Spring battlebox possible?

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

Hey all:

 

Figured I'd take a moment in light of recent signs and portents to speculate on what next year has in store for the Primaris line.

 

First off, I have ZERO insider info other than the same rumors you've all heard/read and am basing my predictions on a combination of those, GW's revealed schedule, and their past behavior. Very strong chance you'll walk away with a better impression of 2022's Primaris line by just watching Valrak's video tomorrow. In fact I incorporate one of the teasers he alluded to in this post.

 

AND as far as a March box goes, I acknowledge that maybe they're going to drop the Heresy box there instead. But that really seems like something they'd do in June/July at the start of their fiscal year when they usually drop new setting boxes. Maybe I'm wrong and if so... well, the Primaris should still see SOMETHING this Spring, but just not an actual battlebox.

 

Basically, until today I've been looking at calendar year 2022 as being pretty much a repeat of 2019, with a full range of supplements for the codex-compliant chapters and some new models coming in the August-October timeframe. Where I DIDN'T expect a repeat was in the spring (March) release of a battlebox with new models. Where we saw Shadowspear in 2019, I just figured we'd get this Eldar-Chaos box in March 2022 and that would be it.

 

But then something amazing happened.

 

Not only did the article for the initial tease of the Gravis Captain allude to him "leading... no, that would be telling" (meaning he's NOT simply going to be a weird out-of-cycle one-off release) but then GW went and not only did the reveal trailer for the Eldar-Chaos set yesterday, but they pretty much spoiled the entire set today (minus some promised "options" for the Autarch and maybe some other loadouts for the other kits). THAT is the kind of thing they'd only do if the box's release was weeks away, rather than months.

 

So my understanding that this Eldar/Chaos box was filling the slot of GW's typical March battlebox is apparently off-base. That box is going to be a January thing or first week of February at the latest.

 

Which means the March timeframe is open again. And as it happens, we have one Primaris model we know is coming in the next couple of months (GW don't drop full model previews six+ months in advance) and also a promise that he'd be "leading... no, that would be telling."

 

For the latter, I had thought maybe that was just a little bit of hyperbole and - since he wasn't even shown fully in that teaser - they were either implying that he would be an appropriate leader for the already-released Aggressors but just didn't want to give the game away as to what the Captain model was, or that maybe he would be coming out around the same time as a Kill Team Primaris Scout squad and that the reference to him "leading" them was just an accident of timing.

 

Now though, I really am thinking we might see a March battlebox with not only that Captain, but a set of Primaris Scouts, AND the actual new squad that GW was alluding to in that article. And said squad would most likely be the long-awaited Gravis CC squad. Actual Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield "Breacher" boys.

 

Yes, this also flies in the face of my contention that any box of new Primaris would have to include a new Troop squad. I don't see GW changing the Scout battlefield role from Elite and I don't see them making the CC Gravis the equivalent of Incursors and Assault Intercessors by being a CS/Troop squad - can you imagine a squad of Gravis Troops in a box with a squad of barely-Phobos ELITES? It'd be kind of laughable ("Watch me closely, son. Maybe one day you too can be a... Troop?... instead of a lowly... wait, ELITE? Yo Roboute, can we have a meeting?")

 

So no, I think this just ends up being marketed as an "Elite" box or maybe they actually do break protocol and include a set of previously-introduced Troop models. I'm leaning toward the former.

 

But... what I think would make this set different from Dark Imperium, Shadowspear, and Indomitus is that these squads would NOT be monopose (or ETB in the case of Indomitus). No, they would actually be the full MPK sprues and would simply be box-exclusive for six months or so. Just as happened with the Kill Team Pariah Nexus models. And then in late summer or fall we would see the "real" Primaris wave of 2022.

 

Of course, with a Scout squad in attendance and a very slow-moving Gravis CC squad, there would be a need for some Fast Attack in the mix. Maybe we see either the Omnis-armored Assault Marine equivalent or the Shrike-pattern Vanguard Vet equivalent (Catch some claws, Chaos!)

 

And yeah, I do think it would be a Chaos faction as the antagonists, even with them being the opposing force in Eldritch Omens. And as with the Primaris models in the set, I would expect these new models to also be full kits with the difference being that they'd be available separately sooner as part of the Chaos range update.

 

It's even possible those Chaos models would be more tradtional "Lost and the Damned" units. Maybe we see an assortment of Traitor chaff to offset the Primaris Scouts. But as a challenge for the heftier boys, they're accompanied by either a new Chaos Sentinel or similar vehicle or even some new War Dog models (shades of Forgebane) since we know that Chaos Knights are still supposed to get something this edition.

 

(And if a couple War Dogs would be an overmatch for the Primaris side, maybe instead of the aerial support, they go fully Elite and include a new Dreadnought. That would be the Valrak tease I mentioned before).

 

So that's about it. Again, I am very confident we'll see a Primaris wave later in the year. But I'm now quietly optimistic that we'll see a significant release earlier as well.

 

[Marshal Reinhard]

Primaris scouts, Gravis Melee and Omnis jump melee are all things I would like very much thank you.

 

Would jump at each, though then I'd be pretty satisfied.

 

Only thing I really expect is the jump melee, since it was revealed by an article warcom about space marine II that the studio had designed such a thing. Scouts also seem inevitable given that neophytes exist (and I need pose variety so so badly). Gravis melee has been a meme of mine for a while now.

 

We'll get something generic for sure, otherwise I feel the floodgate of primaris unique chapter units has opened... and they aint gonna close anytime soon.

[Dark Shepherd]

Dont think therell be a Spring battlebox with marines with all the chaos and HH to come in the same window

 

maybe a Killteam

 

This Gravis Captain might come with melee Gravis though

[Orange Knight]

I would really like some Primaris Scouts.

 

I think the army needs a cheaper infantry option. I would make them Troops, drop any rules that involve infiltration or fancy deployment as Infiltrators and Incursors cover those bases.

 

Just give us an infantry unit there we can bring in greater numbers for a low cost.

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

 

We'll get something generic for sure, otherwise I feel the floodgate of primaris unique chapter units has opened... and they aint gonna close anytime soon.

 

I don't know if I'll end up doing my planned Part 2 (which was originally the ONLY part, since as I said I really wasn't expecting anything this Spring aside from maybe a Primaris Scouts Kill Team box... but then they showed the MPK Gravis Captain and hinted at more... and then they shot their wad on the Eldar-Chaos set, suggesting it's coming a lot earlier than March...)

 

Anyway, the one thing I will say I am very confidently predicting for that summer/fall Primaris wave is a generic version of the Black Templars upgrade kit. I think eventually ALL chapters will get those, but I don't know that we'll see them all this edition and with the usual suspects of the Angels and Wolves (along with Deathwatch) having already gotten their supplements I don't see the full codex-compliant roster getting their boxes first. So they might all end up being Tenth-edition releases or maybe at least the Smurfs get theirs in Ninth. I'll be pleasantly surprised if all the First Founding chapters end up getting theirs this edition.

 

But like I said, at the very least I expect to see a generic "Space Marines upgrade kit." Along with, of course, the supplements and then whatever other models show up.

 

But what will be in the upgrade kit?

 

Well, there shouldn't be any need for Scout Shotguns since, even though I definitely do think a generic Primaris Scout box is coming, they'll probably include Shotguns in the base kit unlike the Termplars' Neophyte precedent. And there won't be much need for new heads in the generic box, though they'd certainly be part of the chapter-specific upgrade kits.

 

BUT there are a handful of relics in the core Space Marine codex that would probably be represented in the base upgrade kit so that the same chapters who have access to those (which is everyone) wouldn't have to buy an Ultramarines upgrade kit just for a few pieces of plastic they actually want.

 

More than that, I think this kit would include new bits for all of the Intercessor Sergeant weapons options. Not that GW doesn't love money, but it just really flies in the face of GW's established design pattern for the Primaris to not have those extra wargear options available in either the base Intercessor kit or a generic upgrade kit. And I don't think they're going to add a new sprue to the Intercessor kit (although they COULD, it'd basically be the equivalent of what they did just this year with the Guard Infantry squad kit getting their new sprue).

 

Beyond just the logistics, though - that Power Fist in the Assault Intercessors kit just screams "ALTERNATE sculpt" to me. A more iconic and representative look for the Power Fist would be along the lines of what the Imperial Fists got. And it makes even less sense to put the better bit in a chapter-exclusive kit. So I envision a more standard and widely available Power Fist bit showing up in this generic upgrade kit.

 

In addition to the Power Fist, I expect new Power Sword, Chainsword, Thunder Hammer, Hand Flamer, and Plasma Pistol bits... the latter in a left-handed non-augmetic bit so that Hellblaster Sergeants can actually be modelled with one in-hand without needing to have said hand blown off first.

 

I also would expect a Power Maul and probably a Power Axe bit (if they DON'T release a generic Power Axe, then they'd better release one specifically for the Iron Hands sooner rather than later and wrap it in an apology).

 

Maybe more significantly, I think they will also add to the standard Intercessors' wargear options so that one guy in five can take not just the Auxiliary Grenade Launcher, but instead could take the appropriate Heavy Bolt Rifle version.

 

In other words, a squad with the standard Bolt Rifle could have one of five guys take a Heavy Bolt Rifle. A squad with Auto Bolt Rifles could have one of five take a Hellstorm Bolt Rifle. And ditto for a Stalker squad having an Executor Bolt Rifle option.

 

Nice thing here is that, whereas Heavy Intercessors only get an option for a Heavy-type weapon upgrade, a setup as I described would allow an Intercessor Squad to stick with all Assault weapons and the same for Rapid-Fire boys. They'd get the upgunned version of the Bolt Rifle, but not a variant of the Heavy Bolter.

 

And along the lines of most existing Bolt Rifle and Heavy Bolt Rifle bits, they wouldn't need to include full bits for each Heavy Bolt Rifle variant. Just a couple sets of arms to account for two guys in a ten-man squad upgrading and then include the various magazine types to change variants.

 

I definitely have some other ideas for what the fall wave will include, but supplements and a generic upgrade kit are the most solid bets.

[Halandaar]

Unfortunately I just need to shoot down the "Battlebox in March" thing. You're forgetting a major factor here, the existence of Age of Sigmar which has now released all of it's revealed models and is far enough out from it's last edition launch to warrant another significant release. Indeed, at the end of the Eldritch Omens article it even says:

 

 

If you’re a fan of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, we will have a major reveal coming on Monday, pitting two allies of Order against one another in a battle of the elements.

 

So that's your spring battlebox right there.

 

Will there be a new Primaris releases this year? Almost certainly. But don't pin your hopes on a big chunk of stuff early in the year when all signs are pointing to Chaos and Eldar being the big players in 40k in the first quarter/half of the year.

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

Unfortunately I just need to shoot down the "Battlebox in March" thing. You're forgetting a major factor here, the existence of Age of Sigmar which has now released all of it's revealed models and is far enough out from it's last edition launch to warrant another significant release. Indeed, at the end of the Eldritch Omens article it even says:

 

 

If you’re a fan of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, we will have a major reveal coming on Monday, pitting two allies of Order against one another in a battle of the elements.

 

So that's your spring battlebox right there.

 

Will there be a new Primaris releases this year? Almost certainly. But don't pin your hopes on a big chunk of stuff early in the year when all signs are pointing to Chaos and Eldar being the big players in 40k in the first quarter/half of the year.

 

Unfortunately, that makes entirely too much sense. My eyes glaze over at the mere mention of Age of Sigmar.

[Lord Marshal]

I think Primaris Scouts will be a thing in a Kill-Team box, but the Big Leak seems like it has a pretty sizeable block of 40k releases for the foreseeable covered. Would another Primaris wave in there really have escaped their notice? 

Edited December 25, 2021 by Lord Marshal

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

I think Primaris Scouts will be a thing in a Kill-Team box, but the Big Leak seems like it has a pretty sizeable block of 40k releases for the foreseeable covered. Would another Primaris wave in there really have escaped their notice? 

 

I considered that, but again I wasn't really expecting a Primaris "wave" in the early part of 2022, just a single half of a battlebox. Depending on how they got their info, a set of new box-exclusive kits might well have not been on the list of actual product releases they were cribbing from. And their leaks seem to run out about mid-year, which is when I (still) expect the actual next wave of independent kits to show up.

 

But as for March, Halandaar's probably right. Now I'm back to wondering just what the context is going to be for that Gravis Captain to show up.

[WrathOfTheLion]

They might just release the captain as is, and possibly without any larger release. Perhaps he'll come with a specific campaign. I do wonder if we'll see things like a Lord of Contagion for Death Guard as well around the same time.

[Dark Shepherd]

Gravis Captain as the one new marine model in a battle box, now theres a doomsday scenario

[Marshal Reinhard]

Generic templar upgrade kit? So like a kit with bits for the generic relics and such? Interesting idea. 

 

Like I said, I don't expect much for generic primaris. I desperately want primaris scouts, as a KT or regular kit. Just give me something. and it does sound like the Gravis captain will not be entirely alone. Any one other kit I would think of would have to be omnis melee.

 

But otherwise, besides Eldar, chaos marines, AoS releases and the inevitable unique chapter units, I'm not expecting too much generic primaris.

 

Like I don't think you're on the wrong track with your thoughts, just perhaps the timing of it all. I was never under the illusion that a squad that can take lightning claws, thunderhammers, powerswords, power mauls and power axes would always remain BT unique. Not a chance. And it would be weird indeed if they only came as chapter unique units, so a generic version is to be expected.

[Cleon]

I wouldn't be surprised to see something like the Primaris scouts in one of those quarterly kill team starters, with the Gravis Captain then coming alongside their full release and possibly multi part Suppessors. As much as I'd like a melee jump unit, I'm concerned that adding too many new units at once to an already bloatd codex would be self cannablising the sales.

[Marshal Reinhard]

Given the captain's full reveal I'd expect him much sooner than any other primaris release.

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

Generic templar upgrade kit? So like a kit with bits for the generic relics and such? Interesting idea. 

 

Like I said, I don't expect much for generic primaris. I desperately want primaris scouts, as a KT or regular kit. Just give me something. and it does sound like the Gravis captain will not be entirely alone. Any one other kit I would think of would have to be omnis melee.

 

But otherwise, besides Eldar, chaos marines, AoS releases and the inevitable unique chapter units, I'm not expecting too much generic primaris.

 

Like I don't think you're on the wrong track with your thoughts, just perhaps the timing of it all. I was never under the illusion that a squad that can take lightning claws, thunderhammers, powerswords, power mauls and power axes would always remain BT unique. Not a chance. And it would be weird indeed if they only came as chapter unique units, so a generic version is to be expected.

 

Yeah, like I said I think they'll represent the relics from the codex in a generic upgrade kit and then the chapter-specific relics from the supplements will (eventually) turn up in chapter-specific upgrade kits. Not saying EVERY relic will show up in plastic by any means, but a lot of them should.

 

And then the generic upgrade kit would be filled out with those existing melee options for the Intercessor sergeants and hopefully a left-handed Plasma Pistol for the Hellblaster Sergeants for those who've managed to not lose their arm to an overcharge accident.

 

Plus a "fifth man" option for an Intercessor squad to take a Heavy Bolt Rifle variant. Way too weird that their "gunner" option is just a grenade launcher.

 

Other than that, just a few more generic bits and bobs. They can feel free to surprise me.

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

I wouldn't be surprised to see something like the Primaris scouts in one of those quarterly kill team starters, with the Gravis Captain then coming alongside their full release and possibly multi part Suppessors. As much as I'd like a melee jump unit, I'm concerned that adding too many new units at once to an already bloatd codex would be self cannablising the sales.

 

Man, Halandaar's comment actually blackpilled me more than I realized. Now not only am I pretty well convinced that a March battlebox isn't likely, but it also made me think that if that Heresy relaunch is in the June timeframe as I expected (anyone think differently?), then GW might think doing a Primaris wave in late summer or fall would be stepping on the toes of THAT. Kind of like with Age of Sigmar, I'm just disinterested enough in the Heresy line that even though I allowed for it to fill a window in the schedule, I didn't consider that GW would classify both a Heresy release and a Primaris wave as "Space Marines" and not want to do them back to back.

 

We might end up back here in a year with nothing in between but that Gravis Captain and a Scouts Kill Team box.

Edited December 26, 2021 by Lord Nord

[Orange Knight]

The way people are talking about this Scout kill team is making me think it's already confirmed to be coming lol

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

The thing about Primaris scouts is we know GW made firstborn an elite choice… they don’t want players taking three min units to fulfill their troop choices and I don’t think they will go away from this sentiment.

[WrathOfTheLion]

Even with the most recent rumors, I really doubt we'll see anything before the summer. There's a lot of cool stuff going on besides that with 30k, CSM and Eldar, so it doesn't really bother me if there's a wait.

 

The thing about Primaris scouts is we know GW made firstborn an elite choice… they don’t want players taking three min units to fulfill their troop choices and I don’t think they will go away from this sentiment.

Yeah, even if they do Primaris scouts, I really doubt they'll be troops.

Edited December 26, 2021 by WrathOfTheLion

[Marshal Reinhard]

The way people are talking about this Scout kill team is making me think it's already confirmed to be coming lol

Scouts and Kill Team just make too much sense.

 

But I don't care what shape they come in, i just need them. 

[Dark Shepherd]

 

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see something like the Primaris scouts in one of those quarterly kill team starters, with the Gravis Captain then coming alongside their full release and possibly multi part Suppessors. As much as I'd like a melee jump unit, I'm concerned that adding too many new units at once to an already bloatd codex would be self cannablising the sales.

Man, Halandaar's comment actually blackpilled me more than I realized. Now not only am I pretty well convinced that a March battlebox isn't likely, but it also made me think that if that Heresy relaunch is in the June timeframe as I expected (anyone think differently?), then GW might think doing a Primaris wave in late summer or fall would be stepping on the toes of THAT. Kind of like with Age of Sigmar, I'm just disinterested enough in the Heresy line that even though I allowed for it to fill a window in the schedule, I didn't consider that GW would classify both a Heresy release and a Primaris wave as "Space Marines" and not want to do them back to back.

 

We might end up back here in a year with nothing in between but that Gravis Captain and a Scouts Kill Team box.

Valraks reliable source said HH box was pushed back to this February from October

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

 

Valraks reliable source said HH box was pushed back to this February from October

 

 

Well, that's encouraging. If they do the Heresy relaunch very early into 2022 then there might be enough of a buffer in between there and the late summer or fall timeframe that they could do a Primaris wave without seeing it as "too many Space Marine releases in short order."

 

After the CSM and Eldar range expansions, we should only be down to Guard, Nids, Daemons, and both flavors of Knights (which may just make sense to drop at the same time as each of them is probably only going to get one new model alongside their codex). You would think they'd want to go into the holiday season with a moneymaker range and then maybe trickle out the last book or two with minimal model support in early 2023.

 

So at least a decent chance of a generic Primaris wave in the fall, possibly kicked off with a battlebox against the initial vanguard of that World Eaters range we've been hearing about. And then the World Eaters get their codex and full range last just to bring the 9th-ed codex release map to a close with a bang.

Edited December 26, 2021 by Lord Nord