What changed for Genestealer Cults in 11th edition
11th edition asked the Genestealer Cults for a little more across almost the whole roster. Of the thirteen units that had their points revised, eleven went up, small +5 to +15 bumps that land squarely on the infantry core, and only one came down. Add three new characters and the picture is a gentle tax rather than a shake-up: your cult still does everything it did in 10th, it just costs a touch more to muster.
Summary
- 64 units repriced, 3 new, 22 unchanged
- Biggest drop: Leman Russ Commander (-40)
- Biggest rise: Winged Hive Tyrant (+15)
- Detachment Points: 2 / 3 / 3 at Incursion / Strike Force / Onslaught
Detachments
The cult fields nine detachments in 11th, Host of Ascension, Xenocreed Congregation, Biosanctic Broodsurge, Brood Brother Auxilia and the rest, and three of them are new. Running any of the nine now costs Detachment Points from the army total, 2 at Incursion, 3 at Strike Force and 4 at Onslaught, a flat rate across the shelf. On a roster where most rises were 5 points, that fee is the same order of size as the tax on one squad. Pay it first, then fill the list.
New in 11th: Heroes of the Uprising, Purestrain Broodswarm, Xenocult Masses. None removed.
| Detachment | DP | |
|---|---|---|
| Host of Ascension | 3 | |
| Xenocreed Congregation | 2 | |
| Biosanctic Broodsurge | 2 | |
| Outlander Claw | 2 | |
| Brood Brother Auxilia | 2 | |
| Final Day | 2 | |
| Heroes of the Uprising | 1 | New in 11th |
| Purestrain Broodswarm | 1 | New in 11th |
| Xenocult Masses | 1 | New in 11th |
Points changes
The repricing hit thirteen units, eleven up and one down, while eleven others held steady and three new characters arrived. The rises cluster on the cult's backbone: Acolyte and Neophyte squads, Metamorphs and the elite specialists all crept upward by 5 to 15. Only the Locus moved the other way. Several units are priced by squad size; price the size you field before you tally.
| Unit | Role | 10th | 11th | Δ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leman Russ Commander | Characters | 235 | 195 | -40 | |
| Baneblade | Vehicles | 450 | 415 | -35 | |
| Banehammer | Vehicles | 420 | 385 | -35 | |
| Banesword | Vehicles | 450 | 415 | -35 | |
| Doomhammer | Vehicles | 415 | 380 | -35 | |
| Hellhammer | Vehicles | 420 | 385 | -35 | |
| Shadowsword | Vehicles | 410 | 375 | -35 | |
| Stormlord | Vehicles | 430 | 395 | -35 | |
| Stormsword | Vehicles | 465 | 430 | -35 | |
| Leman Russ Demolisher | Vehicles | 190 | 160 | -30 | |
| Basilisk | Vehicles | 140 | 115 | -25 | |
| Leman Russ Battle Tank | Vehicles | 185 | 160 | -25 | |
| Leman Russ Eradicator | Vehicles | 170 | 145 | -25 | |
| Leman Russ Executioner | Vehicles | 170 | 145 | -25 | |
| Tyrannocyte | Transports | 105 | 80 | -25 | |
| Centaur RSV | Transports | 85 | 65 | -20 | |
| Deathstrike | Vehicles | 145 | 125 | -20 | |
| Field Ordnance Battery | Infantry | 110 | 90 | -20 | |
| Leman Russ Exterminator | Vehicles | 180 | 160 | -20 | |
| Leman Russ Punisher | Vehicles | 150 | 130 | -20 | |
| Leman Russ Vanquisher | Vehicles | 145 | 130 | -15 | |
| Manticore | Vehicles | 165 | 150 | -15 | |
| Parasite of Mortrex | Characters | 80 | 65 | -15 | |
| Taurox Prime | Transports | 90 | 75 | -15 | |
| Von Ryan's Leapers | Infantry | 3: 70 6: 140 | 3: 55 4: 105 | -15 -35 | |
| Winged Hive Tyrant | Characters | 170 | 185 | +15 | |
| Wyvern | Vehicles | 110 | 95 | -15 | |
| Chimera | Transports | 85 | 75 | -10 | |
| Gargoyles | Battleline | 10: 85 20: 170 | 10: 75 11: 150 | -10 -20 | |
| Goliath Rockgrinder | Vehicles | 120 | 110 | -10 | |
| Goliath Truck | Transports | 85 | 75 | -10 | |
| Hellhound | Vehicles | 125 | 115 | -10 | |
| Locus | Characters | 45 | 35 | -10 | |
| Neurolictor | Infantry | 70 | 80 | +10 | |
| Nexos | Characters | 60 | 50 | -10 | |
| Primus | Characters | 70 | 60 | -10 | |
| Sanctus | Characters | 50 | 60 | +10 | |
| Taurox | Transports | 75 | 65 | -10 | |
| The Red Terror | Characters | 130 | 120 | -10 | |
| Aberrants | Infantry | 5: 135 10: 300 | 5: 140 6: 280 | +5 -20 | |
| Acolyte Hybrids with Hand Flamers | Battleline | 5: 70 10: 140 | 5: 75 6: 140 | +5 0 | |
| Benefictus | Characters | 70 | 75 | +5 | |
| Cadian Command Squad | Characters | 65 | 60 | -5 | |
| Cadian Shock Troops | Battleline | 10: 65 20: 120 | 10: 70 11: 145 | +5 +25 | |
| Catachan Command Squad | Characters | 65 | 60 | -5 | |
| Catachan Heavy Weapons Squad | Infantry | 65 | 70 | +5 | |
| Catachan Jungle Fighters | Battleline | 10: 65 20: 120 | 10: 70 11: 135 | +5 +15 | |
| Death Korps of Krieg | Battleline | 10: 65 20: 145 | 10: 70 11: 135 | +5 -10 | |
| Hybrid Metamorphs | Infantry | 5: 70 10: 140 | 5: 75 6: 140 | +5 0 | |
| Hydra | Vehicles | 95 | 90 | -5 | |
| Kasrkin | Infantry | 110 | 105 | -5 | |
| Krieg Combat Engineers | Infantry | 5: 60 10: 95 | 5: 65 6: 95 | +5 0 | |
| Krieg Command Squad | Characters | 65 | 60 | -5 | |
| Krieg Heavy Weapons Squad | Infantry | 75 | 70 | -5 | |
| Mawloc | Monsters | 135 | 130 | -5 | |
| Neophyte Hybrids | Battleline | 10: 65 20: 145 | 10: 70 11: 135 | +5 -10 | |
| Patriarch | Characters | 75 | 80 | +5 | |
| Reductus Saboteur | Characters | 65 | 70 | +5 | |
| Trygon | Monsters | 140 | 135 | -5 | |
| Achilles Ridgerunners | Vehicles | 1: 95 2: 170 | 1: 95 2: 160 | 0 -10 | |
| Acolyte Hybrids with Autopistols | Battleline | 5: 65 10: 130 | 5: 65 6: 120 | 0 -10 | |
| Armoured Sentinels | Vehicles | 1: 65 2: 130 | 1: 65 2: 120 | 0 -10 | |
| Death Riders | Mounted & Beasts | 5: 60 10: 120 | 5: 60 6: 110 | 0 -10 | |
| Scout Sentinels | Vehicles | 1: 55 2: 110 | 1: 55 2: 100 | 0 -10 | |
| Cult Guerrilla | Characters | — | 60 | — | New in 11th |
| Cult Insurrectionist | Characters | — | 80 | — | New in 11th |
| Voice of the Patriarch | Characters | — | 70 | — | New in 11th |
| Abominant | Characters | 85 | 85 | — | |
| Acolyte Iconward | Characters | 50 | 50 | — | |
| Aegis Defence Line | Fortifications | 145 | 145 | — | |
| Artillery Team | Infantry | 95 | 95 | — | |
| Atalan Jackals | Mounted & Beasts | 5: 85 10: 150 | 5: 85 9: 150 | — | |
| Attilan Rough Riders | Mounted & Beasts | 5: 60 10: 120 | 5: 60 6: 120 | — | |
| Biophagus | Characters | 50 | 50 | — | |
| Cadian Castellan | Characters | 55 | 55 | — | |
| Cadian Heavy Weapons Squad | Infantry | 65 | 65 | — | |
| Clamavus | Characters | 50 | 50 | — | |
| Deathleaper | Characters | 80 | 80 | — | |
| Hyperadapted Raveners | Characters | 165 | 165 | — | |
| Jackal Alphus | Characters | 55 | 55 | — | |
| Kelermorph | Characters | 60 | 60 | — | |
| Lictor | Infantry | 60 | 60 | — | |
| Magus | Characters | 50 | 50 | — | |
| Primaris Psyker | Characters | 60 | 60 | — | |
| Purestrain Genestealers | Infantry | 5: 75 10: 140 | 5: 75 6: 140 | — | |
| Raveners | Infantry | 125 | 125 | — | |
| Rogal Dorn Battle Tank | Vehicles | 260 | 260 | — | |
| Rogal Dorn Commander | Characters | 290 | 290 | — | |
| Winged Tyranid Prime | Characters | 65 | 65 | — |
Biggest increases
Are Winged Hive Tyrant still worth it?
Up 15 points in 11th: 185 now, 170 in 10th.
Are Neurolictor still worth it?
Up 10 points in 11th: 80 now, 70 in 10th.
Are Sanctus still worth it?
Also up 15, from 50 to 65, a chunky jump on a lone specialist character. Its value has always been surgical rather than points-efficient, so the answer hinges on how much you lean on that role. If the Sanctus reliably earns its keep in your games, it is still a fine pick. If it was a habit buy, 15 points is enough to make you weigh the slot.
Frequently asked questions
Did the Genestealer Cults get better in 11th edition?
On points, no, but the bill is small. Eight squads and characters at +5 apiece add 40 points between them, and the Locus gives 10 of that back. Only Aberrants and the Sanctus rise by more, so a list without either pays well under 50 more than it did. The three new characters are the one place a returning player gains options rather than paying for them.
What got more expensive for Genestealer Cults in 11th edition?
Eleven units. Aberrants and the Sanctus each rose 15, the biggest jumps in the faction. The rest are +5 nudges: Acolyte Hybrids (both Autopistol and Hand Flamer squads), Neophyte Hybrids, Hybrid Metamorphs, Atalan Jackals, the Benefictus and the Patriarch. Nothing rose dramatically, but the cult's rank-and-file all cost a touch more now.
Are there new Genestealer Cults characters in 11th edition?
Yes, three characters that did not exist in 10th: the Cult Guerrilla (60), the Cult Insurrectionist (80) and the Voice of the Patriarch (70). They are the roster's only new entries this edition. The Locus, meanwhile, is the lone unit that got cheaper, dropping 10 points from 45 to 35.
Is now a good time to start a Genestealer Cults army?
A fine one. The increases are minor and the range is stable, so nothing about the 11th-edition points makes the cult harder to build toward, and the swarm-and-ambush playstyle is as distinctive as ever. Three new detachments give a first list more to try than the 10th-edition shelf did. The Starting a Genestealer Cults Army guide has a sensible buying order.