News Roundup — Warhammer 40K April 2026 & Box Set Reveals
- Jamie Morrison
- May 2
- 7 min read
We're barrelling hard and fast into the grimdark future — and we thought we'd do you a solid. Don't thank us yet, but News Roundup has entered the chat...
Welcome 40k fans! This is the Brush & Bolter roundup for all the news and updates coming from the world of Warhammer 40,000 in April 2026. Plus, the full and unfiltered reveals for the 11th Edition Armageddon starter box set in all its glory. All of which feel like they only hit the internet in the last few hours!
Article Contents:
The Warhammer 40K April News Roundup
Armageddon has dominated the narrative across all fronts since March, but we've seen what feels like more 40K-oriented releases and news in the last few months than we have for the whole of 10th edition. We were also treated to a particularly creative April Fools joke in the form of 'The Emperor Protects' — a Musical Adaption of the grim dark future of Warhammer 40,000.
This was in incredibly good taste and we salute both the team at Warhammer for coming up with it, and the talented thespians that delivered it.*
Here it is in case you missed it:
Moving on from the power of musicals, we saw The Eye of Terror expansion which comes in tandem with some absolutely colossal kits for both Chaos and Imperial sides. The Chaos Defiler coming out on top and basically overshadowing many of the other chaos releases that really deserve the limelight.
The Chaos Defiler Kit — A Long Overdue Update
There are three words I would use to describe the classic Defiler kit of the early 2000's:
Iconic. Fun. Dated.
This was a model that would be remembered more for what it actually did for Chaos armies on the tabletop more than it ever would be aesthetically. But the goofy vibes aside, the defiler kit was one of the most iconic chaos options of the era.
The new Defiler kit is an evolution — a welcome one.**
The new kit keeps the core identity intact — the six-legged, disturbing silhouette, the gun-toting daemon engine torso, the sense that it’s as much creature as it is war machine. It then pushes it into full-blown centrepiece status with a massive physical presence and additional loadouts, giving the kit a much broader threat profile than its earlier incarnation ever managed.
The Defiler on Tabletop: Nothing Quiet About it
In recent discussions around Chaos armies — particularly Emperor’s Children — there’s been renewed interest in daemon engines and vehicles that can apply consistent pressure at range while remaining flexible in combat.
Step aside Helbrutes, Forgefiends and Maulerfiends — Enter: The Defiler
With its mixed profile of ranged and melee threat, the Defiler fits into that conversation more comfortably than it has in previous editions. Especially in Emperor's Children where it capitalises on the mobility-boosting army/detachment rules, or in Death Guard where it takes advantage of Mortarion's cheeky reactive abilities.
For factions with smaller list options like the Emperor's Children, a single unit that can contribute across multiple phases, adapt to changing board states, and support a broader game plan is exactly what they needed.***
This new kit has been so imposing and its rules have been so oppressive that it has completely overshadowed the other releases that came out alongside it. In the Shadow of the Defiler we also see Thulia Ghuld, The Knight Destrier, Kravek Morne, Mutilators and Iron Warriors Upgrades released.
Seige of Cadia — Knight Destrier, Admech, Iron Warriors
All of these releases deserve an article of their own — if you want to get us closer to creating content for every single Warhammer 40,000 release we can, then get on over to the Patreon and support Brush and Bolter's brand of ad-free hobby journalism.
The Emperor... Pre-Orders!
The Battle for Armageddon has been heating up and the Imperial Guard/Astra Militarum enthusiasts are getting increasingly sweaty. The Old Man of Armageddon has returned an with him comes a whole host of new releases!
Commissar Yarrick
Commissar Graves
Wazdakka Gutsmek
Intranzia Fraye – Dogmata Superior
Inquisitor Kroyle
These new characters are all currently up for pre-order at the time of publishing, so if you've forgotten to lock yours in, you can find them here on the official Warhammer webstore:
Package Deals — New Eye of Terror & Armageddon Battalions Boxed Sets
As part of this wave of pre-orders, the new Armageddon Battalion boxes are hitting the shelves. If you're not already aware of the new boxed sets, they are great ways of adding new kits to your army at competitive prices, or, in some cases, are perfect for kicking off a collection. Armageddon Battalions are in pre-order as we speak, and Eye of Terror Battalions have been available since the start of April. It's certainly worth noting, too, that Battalions — or at least the Eye of Terror Battalions — seem to be available on a 'while stocks last' basis.*****
The Armageddon Battalions
The New Astra Militarum Armageddon Battalion is currently the first place to get your hands on the new and immediately-loved Hippogriff AFV and Centaur RSV vehicles. Aside from that, though, the value in the box is enough to tip the scales any day of the week.
The Eye of Terror Battalions
The Adeptus Mechanicus are in desperate need of boxed sets and deals that bring the cost-per-point down to a reasonable level. Right now, it costs the best part of an arm and a leg to get a 2000 point list on the table — and that's a non-starter because you need one of those limbs to paint with.
Slow Burn Turns Big Drop — Full Armageddon Box Set Reveal!
We won't beat around the bush. The idea of revealing a single Armageddon model each day on the run up to the box set release window really isn't appealing. After what seems like 2 weeks of one-grot-per-day reveals (Ok so it was only two-to-three days) Warhmmer have very wisely opened up the floodgates and let the community see the full contents of the boxed set! No more speculations on the contents for either the Space Marines or the Orks. So without further ado, here's the line-up for the 11th edition starter set: Armageddon.
Our main takeaway here is that the Orks have ATE. While the Space Marines side has some individually spectacular performances, the Orks take the crown as a whole. All-in-all, though, the real kingmaker for this boxed set will be the price point. If Warhammer can get the price right versus the value, there are going to be a lot of happy hobbyists out there!
Let's get a closer look at the miniatures from images posted to the Warhammer instagram feed.
Armageddon Boxed Set — Space Marines Contents
For maximum clarity, the Space Marines in the boxed set consist of:
1x Space Marine Captain with Relic Shield
1x Space Marine Librarian
1x Space Marine Chaplain with Jump Pack
1x Space Marine Ancient
10x Space Marine Intercessors
5x Space Marine Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs
3x Eradicators with Heavy Bolters
1x Space Marine Landspeeder
There's a special shout-out for the Chaplain with Jump Pack and a bit of insight into recent history with that line of miniature in particular, check out what we've got to say about the Space Marine Chaplain with Jump Pack here.
Our personal favourite is this gent here picked out from the five Vanguard Veterans. We absolutely love the bonding studs on his left greave — and the heavy, menacing aura this chap exudes creates an atmosphere that draws us in.
Armageddon Boxed Set — Orks Contents
Again, for maximum clarity, the Orks in the boxed set consist of:
1x Warboss
1x Bigboss
1x Bannernob
1x Painboy
1x Weirdboy
20x Boyz
10x Gretchin
1x Wartrakk
1x Big Mek Dakkarig
For an in-depth insight into what we think was the stand-out model for the Ork side of the Armageddon boxed set, you can read our hot take on the Weirdboy from the reveal earlier this month.
Final Cogitations
If you can believe it, there's actually even more Warhammer 40,000 content for us to highlight from April alone, but we've boiled it down to what we think are the main ingredients.
If you found this article useful, insightful, or just plain entertaining — first of all; thank you for reading. Secondly; you can support our mission to provide honest ad-free hobby journalism for everyone forever at our Patreon.
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Until next time! Jamie M
*With their poker-faces' intact.
**Nobody in their right mind was gonna smash that 'B' button to stop it.
***Hold tight: there'll be three in every list until the points catch up with them!
****Possibly eight-legged. Maybe.
*****Just in case your 40k FOMO wasn't already making you foam-o.
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