Discover why Games Workshop’s new Warhammer 40K rules leave the Imperial Fists struggling. A deep dive into what went wrong with this iconic Chapter.
The Imperial Fists might be the heroes of the Horus Heresy and an iconic presence on the tabletop, but their standing in modern Warhammer 40K tells a very different story. The Sons of Dorn are struggling — one of the weakest Space Marine subfactions with some of the most underwhelming rules in the entire game. Unfortunately, the latest leaks from Games Workshop suggest that nothing is changing for the better.
A Disappointing Rules Reveal
In recent months, Games Workshop has been rolling out updates through Codex: Space Marines for Chapters outside of the Ultramarines spotlight. While the rules for every faction haven’t dropped yet, we’ve now seen the new Imperial Fists chapter rules — and the results are disappointing at best.
If you haven’t seen them yet, you can check out the leak here before they go live, but the bottom line is clear: fans expected more, and what we got feels rushed and uninspired.
Confusion Between Codex and Leaks
One of the strangest parts of this update is the inconsistency between the Codex and the leaked rules. In the book, the Imperial Fists are clearly tied to the Anvil Siege Force, complete with their trademark yellow armor featured throughout the margins of those sections.
But in the leaked update, the Imperial Fists aren’t receiving any improvements to the Anvil Siege Force detachment. Instead, their focus has shifted to a variation on However, in the leaked update, the Imperial Fists are not slated to receive any enhancements to the Anvil Siege Force detachment. Instead, the spotlight has been redirected towards a modification of the First Company Task Force.
This feels like a forced decision, one that seems to stem from Games Workshop giving Darnath Lysander a new datasheet focused primarily on Terminators. The result? The entire 7th Legion is pigeonholed into leaning on one of the least efficient units in the Space Marine Codex.
Terminators Still Don’t Work
Let’s be honest: as much as fans love them in the lore, Terminators haven’t lived up to their reputation on the tabletop in years. 10th Edition has made this even clearer. If Terminators are meant to be a premier unit, then Games Workshop needs to find a way to make them actually feel like it.
On the table, Terminators are slow, underwhelming, and lack consistent damage output. They don’t maximize the benefit of re-rolling wound rolls of 1 in Oath of the Moment as provided by the new detachment rule, nor do they fully capitalize on Lysander’s ability to re-roll all wounds.
Sure, imagining a squad of ten Thunder Hammer-wielding Terminators charging forward with Lysander at their side sounds exciting. But the reality is the points cost never justifies the value — it’s a fantasy that doesn’t translate into competitive play.
Stratagems and Enhancements Fall Flat
The problems don’t stop with unit choices. The stratagems are uninspired, the enhancements are locked to characters in Terminator plate (who themselves feel lackluster), and the army as a whole feels far more bland than even the Anvil Siege Force detachment.
And that’s saying something. Anvil Siege Force may not be exciting, but at least its defensive, positional playstyle fits the lore of the Imperial Fists. This new detachment, however, fails to capture their identity entirely.
Games Workshop clearly understands how to build thematic rules — they nailed it with the Leagues of Votann. So why can’t the “Guys in Yellow” get the same treatment?
A Missed Opportunity for the Imperial Fists
In the end, no one expected these updates to completely revolutionize the meta. But even with tempered expectations, this release is a disappointment. The Imperial Fists finally had a chance to be relevant in competitive Warhammer 40K for the first time in years, and Games Workshop squandered it with rules that feel soulless, restrictive, and ineffective.
For my money, there are far more ways to make the Anvil Siege Force usable than to salvage the First Company Task Force. At least with Anvil, you get access to Tor Garadon — and who doesn’t want to field him on the table?
Husband, Florida State Seminole, and fan of all things grimdark, sometimes even winning a game or two.
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