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★ World Eaters

The World Eaters were the twelfth Legion created in the First Founding of Space Marines and still regard themselves as such. It is the later Foundings under the False Emperor of Mankind which have turned from the true path and become decadent and depraved. Even before the Horus Heresy, the World Eaters were noted for their bloody-handed approach to warfare and the savagery of their training, rituals and treatment of enemies. They were censured by the Emperor for their use of psychosurgery on new recruits to turn them into frothing madmen. Nonetheless, the World Eaters were invaluable terror troops in the Great Crusade and fought at the forefront of all the greatest campaigns. It was a simple matter for Horus to pervert the World Eaters’ bloody Legion rituals to the worship of Chaos. Under his corrupting influence, Angron, Primarch of the World Eaters, quickly became devoted to Khorne – the Blood God. Angron was a great warrior whose courage and sense of martial pride were recognised by Khorne himself. The Primarch became one of Khorne’s greatest champions and began to tread the path towards daemonhood and ultimate power.

How This Supplement Works

On this page you will find special rules unique to armies from the World Eaters that reflect their tactics on the battlefield. You will also find Warlord Traits, Chaos Artefacts and Tactical Objectives that you can use when fielding your World Eaters army in games of Warhammer 40,000, and an exclusive Detachment – the Butcherhorde.

Books


BookKindEditionVersionLast update
► Traitor LegionsCodex Supplement71.0January 2017

FAQ

Traitor Legions

 Q: Alpha Legion have the ability to bring Cultists back on a 4+ in their Insurgency Force, but the only way to take Cultists is in the Lost and the Damned Formation which already has the rule. How do these interact?
 A
These rules do not interact in any stackable way.

World Eaters Special Rules

Any Detachment with the Chaos Space Marines Faction can be from one of the nine Traitor Legions. A World Eaters Detachment retains the Chaos Space Marines Faction and is treated in all ways as a Chaos Space Marines Detachment, with the following modifications:
All units in a World Eaters Detachment or Formation gain the following special rules:

Berzerker Horde

Units of Khorne Berzerkers are Troops choices instead of Elites choices.

The Blessing of Khorne

Units that have the Veterans of the Long War special rule have the Adamantium Will special rule.

The Butcher’s Nails

Units that have the Veterans of the Long War special rule have the Fearless and Furious Charge special rules.

Special Rules


Epitome of Rage

The bearer gains the Feel No Pain and It Will Not Die special rules, but loses the Independent Character special rule.

Murderous Strike

Any To Wound rolls of 6 made with this weapon have the Instant Death special rule.

Whirlwind of Blood

When using Bloodfeeder in close combat, the bearer’s Attacks characteristic is not used; instead, the bearer makes 2D6 Attacks (roll before making Attacks with the bearer each time they use it), which can be increased as normal if the bearer charged, etc. However, for each roll of 1, the bearer immediately suffers a Wound with no armour saves allowed.

Tactical Objectives

D6Result
11Bane of Sorcery 
12Kill Them Where They Stand 
13The Sacrament of Khorne 
14Skulls for the Skull Throne! 
15Blood for the Blood God! 
16Kill! Maim! Burn! 

Presented below are six Tactical Objectives to use in your games of Warhammer 40,000, which are exclusive to World Eaters players and reflect their penchant for wholesale slaughter and carnage.

If your Warlord is from a World Eaters Detachment or Formation, you may replace the Capture & Control Tactical Objectives (numbers 11-16) described in Warhammer 40,000: The Rules with the Tactical Objectives on this page.

If a Warhammer 40,000 mission has the Tactical Objectives special rule, players use the normal rules for using Tactical Objectives with the following exception: when a World Eaters player using these Tactical Objectives generates a Capture & Control objective (numbers 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16), they instead generate the corresponding World Eaters Tactical Objective, as shown in the table to the right. Other Tactical Objectives (numbers 21-66) are generated normally.

BANE OF SORCERY
Khorne despises little more than the cowardly use of sorcery.
11
This Tactical Objective is achieved the next time one of your units successfully makes a Deny the Witch test. Immediately score 1 Victory Point.
Type: WORLD EATERS
KILL THEM WHERE THEY STAND
The enemy seeks to hold a strategic location against you. Show them the folly of their actions.
12
Score 1 Victory Point at the end of your turn if at least one enemy unit that was controlling an Objective Marker at the start of your turn was completely destroyed.
Type: WORLD EATERS
THE SACRAMENT OF KHORNE
In the thick of the fighting, where his bloody work is done, Khorne’s followers truly glorify their savage master.
13
Score 1 Victory Point at the end of your turn if at least 3 of your units made successful charges during your turn.
Type: WORLD EATERS
SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!
Khorne demands the skulls of the enemy’s greatest champions.
14
Score 1 Victory Point at the end of your turn if any of your characters slew an opponent in a challenge during your turn. Score D3 Victory Points instead if you killed the enemy Warlord in a challenge during your turn.
Type: WORLD EATERS
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!
Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows, so long as it flows.
15
Score 1 Victory Point at the end of your turn if at least one unit, friend or foe, was completely destroyed during your turn. Score D3 Victory Points instead if at least one enemy unit and at least one friendly unit were both destroyed during your turn.
Type: WORLD EATERS
KILL! MAIM! BURN!
Kill! Maim! Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn! Kill! Maim! Burn!
16
Score 1 Victory Point at the end of your turn for each enemy unit that was completely destroyed during the Assault phase of your turn (up to a maximum of 6 Victory Points).
Type: WORLD EATERS

Warlord Traits

When generating his Warlord Traits, a Warlord from a World Eaters Detachment or Formation may choose to roll on the table below instead of those found in Warhammer 40,000: The Rules or Codex: Chaos Space Marines.

D6Warlord Traits
1Arch-slaughterer
When surrounded by foes to kill, this Warlord is truly in his element.
The Warlord has the Rampage special rule. 
2Slaughterborn
This Warlord bears the favour of Khorne, his murderous prowess growing with each worthy skull claimed in his master’s bloody name.
Each time your Warlord could roll on the Chaos Boon table (including for the Gift of Mutation Chaos Reward), you may instead choose to increase his Attacks characteristic by 1. 
3Unrivalled Battlelust
So desperate is this Warlord to join in the slaughter that he will lead his followers sweeping into the fray should the carnage start without him.
At the end of your opponent’s Charge sub-phase, you can declare a charge with your Warlord and his unit, so long as the enemy unit that you attempt to charge is locked in combat. Your Warlord and his unit count as charging for all rules purposes. 
4Disciple of Khorne
Many claim to hold the title of one of Khorne’s eight foremost champions, but any pretenders are swiftly proven false, for none can rival one of their number in the art of single combat.
Your Warlord can re-roll all failed To Hit and To Wound rolls when fighting in a challenge
5True Berzerker
When this Warlord meets his foes face-to-face, his fury is such that he will brush aside even fatal wounds, the better to claim more skulls for Lord Khorne.
Whilst locked in combat, your Warlord has the Eternal Warrior and Feel No Pain special rules. 
6Violent Urgency
This Warlord’s bloodlust is palpable and pushes the Butcher’s Nails of those around him into overdrive. This, in turn, fuels a desperate need to spill blood.
When determining the charge range of your Warlord and any friendly units with the Mark of Khorne within 8" of him at the start of the Charge sub-phase, roll three dice and pick the two highest results. 

Detachments


World Eaters Butcherhorde

The Butcherhorde allows you to represent the typical structure of a World Eaters army on the battlefield. Whether you wish to bring death and destruction with the full might of a Chaos invasion force, or field an elite warband tasked with some dark purpose, the choices below offer a great way to pick your army.

A Butcherhorde is a special type of Detachment that can be included in any Battle-forged army. Unlike the Detachments shown in Warhammer 40,000: The Rules, it has a Force Organisation Chart whose slots are a combination of specific Formations and Army List Entries instead of Battlefield Roles. However, it still has compulsory and optional elements, as well as Restrictions and Command Benefits, just like any other Detachment.

Although units cannot normally belong to more than one Detachment, units from a Formation that is part of a Butcherhorde are an exception. They count as part of both their Formation and the Detachment, and have all associated Command Benefits and special rules. If your Warlord is part of a Formation or an Army List Entry that makes up part of a Butcherhorde, the entire Butcherhorde is your Primary Detachment.

Command
0-4
Core
1+
Auxiliary
1+


LORD OF THE LEGION
 • 1 of the following:
  - Chaos Lord
  - Dark Apostle
  - Daemon Prince

 • 1 Chaos Lord
 • 0-1 Sorcerer
 • 1-3 units chosen in any combination from the following list:
  - Chosen
  - Chaos Terminators
  - Possessed
 • 2-6 units of Chaos Space Marines
 • 1-3 units chosen in any combination from the following list:
  - Raptors
  - Warp Talons
  - Chaos Bikers
 • 1-3 units chosen in any combination from the following list:
  - Havocs
  - Helbrute
 • 1 Chaos Lord or Khârn the Betrayer
 • 4-8 units of Khorne Berzerkers

 • 1 Dark Apostle
 • 4-9 units of Chaos Cultists

 • 2-4 Heldrakes

 • 1-3 Warpsmiths
 • 3-5 units chosen in any combination
from the following list:
  - Obliterators
  - Mutilators

 • 1 Chaos Lord
 • 3-5 units chosen in any combination from the following list:
  - Raptors
  - Warp Talons

 • 1 Daemon Prince
 • 3-5 units of Possessed

SPAWN
 • 1-3 units of Chaos Spawn
 • 1 Warpsmith
 • 3-5 units chosen in any combination from the following list:
  - Helbrute
  - Maulerfiend
  - Forgefiend
  - Defiler

 • 1 Warpsmith
 • 3-5 units chosen in any combination from the following list:
  - Chaos Predators
  - Chaos Vindicators
  - Chaos Land Raider

 • 1 Chaos Lord or Sorcerer
 • 3-5 units of Chaos Terminators


RESTRICTIONS
This Detachment must include at least one Core choice and one Auxiliary choice. It may include up to four Command choices and any number of additional Core or Auxiliary choices, in any combination. Only the datasheets listed here can be included in this Detachment and all units must have the Chaos Space Marines Faction.

COMMAND BENEFITS
Berzerker Lord: If this Detachment is your Primary Detachment, you can re-roll the result when rolling on the World Eaters Warlord Traits table.

Blood Mad: After both sides have deployed (including Infiltrators), but before the first player begins their first turn, all non-vehicle units comprised entirely of models from this Detachment can immediately make a 2D6" move (roll separately for each unit). In addition, non-vehicle units and Walkers from this Detachment can re-roll any failed charge rolls they make during the battle.

Chaos Artefacts of the World Eaters

The bloodstained artefacts wielded by the champions the World Eaters are items of incredible rarity, bestowing unrivalled killing powers upon those whose combat prowess is already vaunted as amongst the deadliest in the galaxy. Only one of each of the following items may be chosen per army, and only one may be chosen per model.

Units in a World Eaters Detachment or Formation that can normally take Chaos Artefacts in Codex: Chaos Space Marines can choose to take items from the Chaos Artefacts of the World Eaters list below at the points cost shown instead.

Brass Collar of Bhorghaster 20 pts
The Crimson Killer 20 pts
Talisman of Burning Blood 25 pts
Bloodfeeder 30 pts
Gorefather 30 pts
The Berserker Glaive 30 pts

Bloodfeeder

Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows, and this Daemon weapon is testament to that immortal truth. One struck by this ever-thirsting blade is immediately exsanguinated, reduced to a desiccated husk as his lifeblood is channelled into the lakes of gore that swill around Khorne’s brass stockade as sustenance for his juggernaut Daemon beasts. Woe betide he who does not answer its call – if the blade goes without this grisly harvest for long enough, it will gladly siphon away its wielder’s blood instead.
Replaces one of the bearer’s Melee weapons.

Range S AP Type
- +1 2 Melee, Specialist Weapon, Unwieldy, Whirlwind of Blood

Whirlwind of Blood: When using Bloodfeeder in close combat, the bearer’s Attacks characteristic is not used; instead, the bearer makes 2D6 Attacks (roll before making Attacks with the bearer each time they use it), which can be increased as normal if the bearer charged, etc. However, for each roll of 1, the bearer immediately suffers a Wound with no armour saves allowed.

Brass Collar of Bhorghaster

This spiked collar of heavy brass is the bane of sorcerers, for it has bound within it a Greater Daemon that despises magic with a fiery passion. A psyker with the temerity to unleash eldritch power near this relic finds his mind screaming with intense pain. Moments later, the empyric energies he has conjured into being are turned back upon him in a raging inferno of white-hot flame. Those who succumb are immediately sucked into Khorne’s realm, there to die by Bhorghaster’s blades a thousand times over.
When making Deny the Witch tests, the bearer and his unit always nullify Warp Charge points on rolls of 4 or more (though this cannot be modified by any means). In addition, if the power is successfully nullified, the casting Psyker immediately suffers Perils of the Warp.

Gorefather

This immense chainaxe is said to have once been wielded by Angron himself. Though it was ultimately cast aside, just as with its partner weapon Gorechild, it has since been returned to its former pre-eminence on a diet of sacred oil and spiced blood. This relic is of such immense importance to the Legion that wars have been fought between rival warbands seeking to claim it for themselves. One strong enough to heft Gorefather can scythe his enemies into scattering explosions of blood and ruined flesh.
Replaces one of the bearer’s Melee weapons.

Range S AP Type
- +2 2 Melee, Armourbane, Murderous Strike, Two-handed, Unwieldy

Murderous Strike: Any To Wound rolls of 6 made with this weapon have the Instant Death special rule.

Talisman of Burning Blood

This bizarre relic constantly drips with thick, bubbling gore. The air around it is so heavy with the charnel stench of the slaughterhouse that it has a stark effect on those nearby, the stink of carnage so potent they find themselves charging forwards with a supernatural eagerness to slake their need for slaughter.
Add 3" to the maximum move distances of the bearer and all models in his unit each time they move in the Movement phase, Run in the Shooting phase and charge in the Assault phase.

The Berserker Glaive

The bearer of this inordinately heavy, Daemon-infested killing tool is driven to a state of apoplectic frenzy by the proximity of its red-hot steel. His fellow World Eaters treat him with great caution, shunning him as a dangerous maniac even amongst his own bloodthirsty kind whilst venerating him – from a distance – as a living totem of rage. A host of Bloodletters are bound into the weapon’s fabric, and by channelling the life essence of those it slays, the vampiric Daemon weapon ensures its isolated host can fight like a man possessed for weeks on end, healing his wounds so it can continue the slaughter.
Replaces the one of the bearer’s Melee weapons. The Berserker Glaive has the following profile:

Range S AP Type
- +2 3 Melee, Daemon Weapon, Epitome of Rage, Specialist Weapon, Two-handed

Epitome of Rage: The bearer gains the Feel No Pain and It Will Not Die special rules, but loses the Independent Character special rule.

The Crimson Killer

This ornate pistol fires blasts of crimson plasma that crackle with murderous power, fierce energies that ignite body and soul alike.
Replaces one of the bearer’s ranged weapons.

Range S AP Type
12" 7 2 Pistol, Soul Blaze