Get ready to march into battle with a fresh perspective as Warhammer: The Old World receives its latest balance update! But here's where it gets controversial: with so many new releases and changes, how do we ensure every faction remains both unique and balanced? Let’s dive in and find out.
The new year brings a wave of excitement for Warhammer: The Old World players, and with it, the highly anticipated balance update. After a bustling few months of releases—including the Matched Play Guide, the 1.5 errata & FAQ, the introduction of the Armies of Grand Cathay, and Arcane Journals like The War of Settra’s Fury and The Razing of Westerland—there’s a lot to unpack. To help us navigate these changes, we’ve called upon the expertise of the Warhammer Studio Regiment, our trusted Dogs of War. To arms, indeed!
Since the last update, we’ve received a flood of questions from the community, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to reach out. While some excellent questions arrived just a tad too late for this update, rest assured they’ll be addressed in the next one later this year. If you have lingering queries, don’t hesitate to send them to OldWorldFAQ@gwplc.com.
Now, let’s talk changes. And this is the part most people miss: instead of overhauling the game or armies with major revisions, this update focuses on refining the details. Why? Because the last update introduced significant changes that players are still adapting to, and we want to give you time to master those before shaking things up again. This time, our goal was to answer your burning questions and clarify areas of confusion in both the core rules and army-specific mechanics.
One of the key areas we’ve revisited is the Armies of Grand Cathay. Based on your feedback, we’ve made targeted adjustments to ensure they remain a unique and effective faction while aligning more closely with our original vision. For instance, we’ve clarified how the Ogre Loader functions when attached to a war machine, tweaked the points values and effects of certain magic items, and reduced the power of Sky Lanterns by lowering their Toughness. We’ve also demoted the Commander from a champion to a crew member, addressing the oddity of the model being overly protected during challenges. These changes, among others, strike a balance between uniqueness and fairness.
Beyond Grand Cathay, we’ve fine-tuned profiles and points values across multiple factions. Empire Priests of Sigmar and Ulric, for example, now boast improved Leadership, making them more effective leaders and prayer chanters. We’ve also adjusted profiles and points for various models, with the ongoing goal of refining balance based on your feedback and gameplay data. But here’s the controversial part: how do we ensure these tweaks don’t inadvertently favor one faction over another? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
As always, your input is invaluable. Keep playing, keep sharing your experiences, and know that they directly shape the future of the game. In the meantime, download the updated documents below and prepare to dive back into the World of Legend with renewed enthusiasm.
A special shoutout to those who shared their adventures, painted armies, and exploits—while we can’t respond individually, your stories inspire us. Thank you for being part of this incredible community. Form ranks, warriors, and let the battles begin! We’ll see you in a few months with the next update.
