New Terminator Box Rumour

[Marshal Reinhard]

It's also the shape of the Bladeguard shields. I just can't see terminators getting small square shields when even blade guard got that shape.

 

Sure, they could have something completely different, but I doubt it. I think that's general storm shield shape now, with specific chapters getting variants.

[MaximusTL]

Im fully in the camp that tactical terminators should have heavy bolters standard, not storm bolters. however, for rules purposes, i think you could change their profile to something like 'first company storm bolter' with A4 AP-1 d1 twin linked and it would make them alot more viable

[Karhedron]

2 hours ago, MaximusTL said:

Im fully in the camp that tactical terminators should have heavy bolters standard, not storm bolters. however, for rules purposes, i think you could change their profile to something like 'first company storm bolter' with A4 AP-1 d1 twin linked and it would make them alot more viable

 

Ap0 just doesn't cut the mustard on "elite" troops. Regular Intercessors get 4 shots with Ap-1 out to 24" as long as they do not split fire. Terminators get 4/2 shots at 12"/24" with Ap0. Even the Assault Cannon looking pretty weak these days and needs to fish for 6s to get anything done.

 

Terminators are OK in melee but the fact their shooting has no AP unless they take the missile launcher or heavy flamer is seriously underwhelming. For the cost of a Terminator squad you can get an Intercessor squad and a BGV squad which will have better shooting, more wounds, faster, easier to Transport and can go after 2 Objectives. Terminators are tougher and hit harder in melee but not enough to make up the difference.

 

GW have consistently overpriced generalist units, even if they aren't especially good.

[Indy Techwisp]

Did we get more info about the Terminator box that I've missed?

I've not seen any source for the Tactical or Devastator Terminators people are talking about here.

[Marshal Reinhard]

That nonsense is just people's wishes/complaints about the viability of terminators in general.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

4 minutes ago, Indy Techwisp said:

Did we get more info about the Terminator box that I've missed?

I've not seen any source for the Tactical or Devastator Terminators people are talking about here.

Tactical terminators are normal terminators.

theyre called that because they’re the terminator equivalent of a tactical squad (ie 1 special shooting option per 5, like tactical squads are.)

[Indy Techwisp]

5 minutes ago, Marshal Reinhard said:

That nonsense is just people's wishes/complaints about the viability of terminators in general.

 

I thought Terminators were doing pretty well this edition tho.

[DemonGSides]

15 minutes ago, Indy Techwisp said:

 

I thought Terminators were doing pretty well this edition tho.

 

No, not really.

Specialist terminators have shown some success (Deathwing Knights), and Chaos factions have had some good terminators (Deathshroud), but overall Terminators have sucked all edition long and that hasn't changed.

 

In both cases, its melee terminators that are doing alright, and that's true across the entire range of terminators.  A power fist is Good, we have always known that.  It's just a lot easier to find those power fists in better units, so the regular Terminators are meh.

Edited Monday at 03:16 PM by DemonGSides

[Marshal Reinhard]

12 minutes ago, Indy Techwisp said:

 

I thought Terminators were doing pretty well this edition tho.

Too poor shooting for their cost I believe is the argument

[Karhedron]

Agreed, generally speaking Terminators have not been performing well. Deathwing Knights are significantly tougher than regular Terminators and have been showing up as anvil units in a decent number of lists. The fact that they can carry Anti-Vehicle/Monster maces means they are effective in melee too. They lose out on shooting attacks but as noted above, regular Terminator shooting is pretty poor so it is not a big drawback.

 

Wolf Guard Terminators look like they might be promising as they inflict -1 to Wound on incoming attacks of higher strength than their toughness. They can also trade out Stormbolters for Storm Shields but keep the Assault Cannon which is not too shabby. Probably not as good DWKs though.

[HeadlessCross]

50 minutes ago, Indy Techwisp said:

 

I thought Terminators were doing pretty well this edition tho.

No. It's either incredibly specific circumstances or it's chapter/legion specific Terminator variants because GW decided some armies deserve special treatment. 

Edited Monday at 03:51 PM by Dr_Ruminahui
Removed inflammatory language

[HeadlessCross]

17 minutes ago, Karhedron said:

Agreed, generally speaking Terminators have not been performing well. Deathwing Knights are significantly tougher than regular Terminators and have been showing up as anvil units in a decent number of lists. The fact that they can carry Anti-Vehicle/Monster maces means they are effective in melee too. They lose out on shooting attacks but as noted above, regular Terminator shooting is pretty poor so it is not a big drawback.

 

Wolf Guard Terminators look like they might be promising as they inflict -1 to Wound on incoming attacks of higher strength than their toughness. They can also trade out Stormbolters for Storm Shields but keep the Assault Cannon which is not too shabby. Probably not as good DWKs though.

The Space Wolves Terminators melee is pretty poor though. Only one special axe thing, a Power Fist per five dudes, it ain't looking pretty. They're just a worse version of Blightlords (which can be argued to be tuned SUPER well, if not overtuned).

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

2 hours ago, DemonGSides said:

 

No, not really.

Specialist terminators have shown some success (Deathwing Knights), and Chaos factions have had some good terminators (Deathshroud), but overall Terminators have sucked all edition long and that hasn't changed.

 

In both cases, its melee terminators that are doing alright, and that's true across the entire range of terminators.  A power fist is Good, we have always known that.  It's just a lot easier to find those power fists in better units, so the regular Terminators are meh.

What other units are you getting the same number or comparable power fist attacks that are better than terminators?

[HeadlessCross]

3 hours ago, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

What other units are you getting the same number or comparable power fist attacks that are better than terminators?

A good example would be Hearthguard, where they lack just one Power Fist attack but have considerably better shooting and a special rule. They're also hardly used. 

[Sete]

Terminator with a Greatsword or I riot!

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

On 7/14/2025 at 5:12 PM, HeadlessCross said:

A good example would be Hearthguard, where they lack just one Power Fist attack but have considerably better shooting and a special rule. They're also hardly used. 

I thought we were talking about imperial, specifically space marines of some stripe.

 

but still that’s just one unit.

[HeadlessCross]

4 hours ago, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

I thought we were talking about imperial, specifically space marines of some stripe.

 

but still that’s just one unit.

That wasn't your original question. For Imperial specific units, Aggressors count here due to the fact their Fists are Twin Linked (on top of, once again, better shooting). Jump Pack Death Company also get an absurd amount of Power Fists + Eviscerators on top of the Chainswords. They're not as durable and have less powerful shooting, but they can pick and choose their targets AND get one if the best characters to attach to them. 

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

29 minutes ago, HeadlessCross said:

That wasn't your original question. For Imperial specific units, Aggressors count here due to the fact their Fists are Twin Linked (on top of, once again, better shooting). Jump Pack Death Company also get an absurd amount of Power Fists + Eviscerators on top of the Chainswords. They're not as durable and have less powerful shooting, but they can pick and choose their targets AND get one if the best characters to attach to them. 

You’re looking at 9/18 attacks compared to 15/30 attacks and not nearly as durable.

i like aggressors, but they’re not better than terminators.

 

 

[Orange Knight]

I think Aggressors are far better than Terminators and I'm secretly hoping that Lysander is wearing Gravis armour when his model is updated.

 

More shooting attacks, more reliable close combat damage, better unit size. I think 6 Aggressors land better in the various transports than 5 or 10 Terminators.

 

The fact that both the shooting and melee is twin-linked means they can reliable cause damage against higher toughness targets, and their shooting is more reliable at clearing chaff that could bog them down, not to mention the increased AP which is a very useful rule.

 

There is literally no situation in which I would rather take Terminators.

 

Assault Terminators are a more interesting proposition, but still fall behind Aggressors when it comes to offensive power. In the 40k game there is far more value in dealing damage fast over being able to endure longer in close combat. The game has finite turns.

[Lord_Ikka]

Don't need more termies for my Primaris chapter, but...

 

Assault termies are kind of tempting. More for the sculpts than for their actual use on the field, but I could see them being ok in certain circumstances. 

 

Captain, meh- already have one, don't need another, same thing with the Chaplain. I guess I could get the Captain a fist instead of a sword, but that's just a WYSIWYG issue that doesn't really bug me. Ancient is not my cup of tea- buffing a unit as it gets more damaged is planning for failure in my view. 

 

Termies vs Aggressors is all about offense versus defense, balanced by mobility and cost and what characters can attach to the various units.

Termies have better saves at 2+/4++ compared to Aggressors 3+, but worse T at 5 versus 6. Overall, Termies win the defensive stats. 

Aggressors are flat-out better at offense. More shooting attacks (even with termies getting the option for an assault cannon or missile launcher) and more chances to wound in melee due to Twin-linked. Both squads have situational offensive abilities, with Aggressors benefiting against the closest target with ranged weapons while Termies are good against the Oath target, so it is a wash there. Aggressors win the offensive stats.

Mobility and points are interesting. Both squads only move 5", but Termies have Deep Strike and the Teleport Homer. While the teleport homer's value is...questionable, deep strike is extremely useful. Points-wise, termies are 34 points per model, in either 5 or 10 man squads (170/340). Aggressors are 33 points per model for 3, or 36 points per model for 6 (100/220). 

Character-wise, each squad can get a Captain, but the only other generic character that can attach to Aggressors is the Apothecary Biologis, while Termies can get Ancients/Chaplain/Librarian. I do think the Termie Captain is more useful overall than the Gravis, as re-rolling charges helps out the unit while halving damage only helps out the Gravis Captain himself. For named characters (base codex), Aggressors get more with Calgar, Tor Garadon, and Iron Father Ferros, while Terminators only get Lysander. 

 

I wouldn't say one unit is better than the other, they just do different things. Aggressors live up to their name- they are supposed to charge out and deal a lot of damage before dying, while terminators are much more of a precision holding unit, coming down from deep strike to take up an objective and hold it against all comers through sheer durability. 

Edited 45 minutes ago by Lord_Ikka

[Karhedron]

36 minutes ago, Lord_Ikka said:

I wouldn't say one unit is better than the other, they just do different things. Aggressors live up to their name- they are supposed to charge out and deal a lot of damage before dying, while terminators are much more of a precision holding unit, coming down from deep strike to take up an objective and hold it against all comers through sheer durability. 

 

Classic hammer and anvil units. I agree with your assessment and this leads us on to why generic Terminators seem to do poorly while chapter-specific ones perform better. If you want a unit to hold an Objective, no matter what then durability tends to trump other considerations. That is why Assault Terminators are more popular. The extra wound granted by the shield is more valuable than the shooting they give up vs Tactical Terminators. Deathwing Knights then double-down on this by stacking on -1 Damage which is a great rule for any multiwound models but particularly valuable on a unit with T5, 4W, 2+/4++.

 

This is why DWKs sometimes pop up in competitive lists but regular Terminators almost never do.