Warhammer Fest 2022: The Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness Revealed
The Horus Heresy is going mainstream with a brand-new box set launching in June. On the final day of Warhammer Fest 2022, Games Workshop shined the spotlight on the anticipated game with lots of reveals as to what’s to come.
The Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness box set is packed with enough for two players to start or can be all used by one to build their legion! It’s packed with 40 Space Marine Legionairies in Mark VI Power Armour. This is the core of any army and even more important in this edition.
To lead them are two Praetors who are as decadent as you’d expect for the time.
The Contemptor Dreadnought brings heavy support and comes with loads of weapons and the ability to position it the way you want.
How about a Spartan, which is able to transport 26 Space Marines in power armour. The first time in plastic, it’s armed with lascannons to destroy the enemy.
The Spartan was originally designed to get Terminators into battle. The set also features 10 of them in Cataphractii plate!
The box set also feature templates, measuring sticks, dice, and a new rulebook!
All of that will cost less than £200 or $300 (US) when it launches.
Also revealed are the first two Legion Astartes army books. One will be for Loyalists while the other for the Traitor Legions.
The Liber Astartes book features profiles for shared units, weapons, special weapons, and guides to build your forces.
Liber Hereticus contains rules for all nine Traitor Legions, including Rites of War, Primarchs, Legion-specific units and wargear. If you’re of a more Loyalist bent, the Liber Astartes contains the same for the nine Loyalist Legions.
Each faction will get its own book in the future, so this is just the beginning!
If you want to build out your force, you’ll be able to get the Mark VI Tactical Squad on its own. The box features 20 Space Marines so you can make two 10-man squads or one giant 20-man squad!
If you like the look of other armor, you’ll be able to get Mark III and Mark IV Tactical Squads, each also featuring units of 20!


Geigor Fell-hand and Azhek Ahriman were originally released in the Burning of Prospero box set and they’ll now be available on their own for the first time with rules in their respective Liber Astartes books!
In one of the more intriguing announcements, Games Workshop has revealed new weapon upgrade kits. You’ll be able to turn your Tactical Squads into Tactical Support or Legion Heavy Support Squads.
The Special Weapons upgrade set contains 10 meltaguns, 10 plasma guns, 10 volkite calivers, 10 volkite chargers, 10 flamers, and 10 rotor cannons.
There’s an upgrade kit containing 10 heavy bolters and 10 missile launchers.
There’s also a kit featuring 10 plasma cannons, 10 heavy flamers, and 10 multi-meltas.
Finally, there’s a kit featuring 10 volkite culverins, 10 lascannons, and 10 autocannons.
Those looking for bits even for their 40K forces will be picking these up!
Speaking of use in 40K… the Deimos-pattern Rhino is an update to the classic Rhino kit back from Rogue Trader days. The kit features lots of options like pintle-mounted weapons and wargear. They can be taken by any legion and is similar to the Rhino from Forge World. Expect this to be a hot kit for both games.
Speaking of tanks, the Kratos is getting a plastic kit as well. It has loads of options to blast away the enemy including a battlecannon, volkite cardanelle, or melta blast-gun.
You’ll also be able to explore the world of the Horus Heresy with new books from Black Library.
Lupercal’s War contains 21 stories from some of the most prominent authors including Dan Abnett, Graham McNeil, and John French.
Cthonia’s Reckoning is an anthology of brand-new lore. As Horus is off trying to capture Terra, you’ll discover what is happening on his homeworld of Cthonia.
Rogal Dorn: The Emperor’s Crusader by Gav Thorpe expands the Primarch’s story as Dorn is tasked with expanding the Great Crusade by his immortal father.