The Fight Phase

The Fight phase is the only phase in which both players act. Combatants first pile in to bring more models into contact, then make melee attacks in an alternating sequence, and finally consolidate their positions. Units that charged this turn strike first.

Sequence of the phase

The phase runs through five steps: the start of the phase, Pile In, Fight, Consolidate, and the end of the phase. You are required to fight with every unit that is able to, but piling in and consolidating are optional for each unit.

Pile In

Both players make pile-in moves with the eligible units they choose to move. The active player resolves all of theirs first, then the opponent. No unit may pile in more than once this step.

A pile-in move has a maximum distance of 3". A unit qualifies if, at some point during the Fight phase, at least one of the following is true: it is currently engaged, it charged this turn, or it was chosen to make an overrun fight this phase. The move follows the standard Moving rules.

• Before moving, choose your pile-in targets. Where your unit is engaged, that means every enemy unit it is engaged with; where it is not, pick one or more enemy units within 5".
• While moving, models already in base contact with an enemy model cannot move. Every other moved model must finish closer to the closest pile-in target, ending engaged with it if possible.
• After moving, your unit has to be engaged, and any model that began the move engaged with an enemy unit needs to stay engaged with that same unit.

Fight

A unit can fight provided it has not yet been picked to fight this phase and one of these holds: it is engaged, it was engaged when this step began, or it charged this turn. Combats resolve in two sub-steps, and players alternate selecting one unit at a time.

• Resolve Fights First Combats. Beginning with the active player, the two sides take turns picking a single friendly Fights First unit that is able to fight. If a player has no eligible Fights First unit, either the sequence advances to remaining combats (if neither player has one) or the other player takes their next selection.
• Resolve Remaining Combats. Beginning with whichever player moved the sequence into this sub-step, players alternate choosing one eligible unit. When neither player has an eligible unit left, the Fight step ends.

If a unit becomes a Fights First unit and eligible to fight during the Remaining Combats sub-step, the sequence returns to Fights First Combats before continuing.

When a unit is selected to fight, choose one fight type it qualifies for and resolve it:

• Normal Fight. Available if your unit is engaged. It fights using the Making Attacks rules.
• Overrun Fight. Available if your unit is unengaged now but was unengaged at the start of the Fight step and became engaged during the phase. It may make one extra pile-in move and then fights. An overrun fight can pull previously unengaged enemy units into Engagement Range, making them eligible to fight this phase as well.

Consolidate

Both players make consolidation moves with their eligible units, active player first, no more than one per unit. A consolidation move has a maximum distance of 3", and a unit is eligible if it was eligible to fight this phase. Before moving, select a consolidation mode in priority order:

• Ongoing Consolidation. When your unit is engaged, this mode is compulsory, and you pick every enemy unit it is engaged with. Models in base contact cannot move; other moved models end closer to the closest selected enemy unit, engaged if possible. After moving, any model that started engaged with an enemy unit must remain engaged with it.
• Engaging Consolidation. Failing that, a unit with enemy units inside 3" must use this mode, selecting one or more of them. Each moved model ends closer to the closest selected unit, engaged if possible. After moving, your unit must be engaged with every selected unit. Any of those enemy units that has not yet fought this phase is then selected by your opponent, one at a time, becoming eligible and being selected to fight.
• Objective Consolidation. Failing that, a unit with objectives inside 3" must use this mode and pick one of them. Every model that moves finishes within range of that objective where it can, or otherwise nearer to it. Once the move is done, your unit has to sit within range of the chosen objective.

Engaging Consolidation can drag your unit into combat with fresh enemies who then get to strike back, so weigh how far you push a unit that has already fought.

End of the phase

Finally, any rules that trigger at the end of the Fight phase resolve, closing out the battle round's combats before the turn passes.

Frequently asked questions

Who fights first in the Warhammer 40,000 11th-edition Fight phase?

Chargers and anything with the Fights First ability, alternating, with the active player opening. A charging unit and a defending unit that both have Fights First still alternate, so the charger does not automatically swing before a Fights First defender. The first pick in Remaining Combats belongs to whoever ended the Fights First sub-step, which is not always the active player.

How far can a unit pile in during the 40k Fight phase?

3" per model, measured like any other move, with the usual after-move coherency check. It is not a free repositioning: every model that shifts has to close on the nearest pile-in target, so you cannot slide a model away from combat or round to a flank. An unengaged unit can still pile in if an enemy is within 5".

Is piling in and consolidating mandatory in Warhammer 40,000?

Fighting is compulsory; the two moves are not. Skipping a pile-in is common when your models are already where you want them and moving would break coherency or expose a leader. Skipping a consolidation matters more in 11th edition, because the modes are ranked and an unengaged unit with enemies inside 3" is forced into an Engaging Consolidation if it moves at all.

What is an overrun fight in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?

It is the fight type for a unit that was pulled into combat mid-phase, typically because an enemy piled in and reached it, rather than by its own charge. The bonus pile-in is what lets it reach base contact, since it never had a charge move to get there. Anything it drags into Engagement Range on the way becomes eligible to fight too, so overruns can chain.

What does Engaging Consolidation do in the 40k Fight phase?

It turns a consolidation into a fresh charge without the charge roll. The unit must end engaged with every enemy unit it selected, and each of those enemies that has not fought this phase is immediately picked by your opponent and swings back. Use it to tie up a shooting unit before its next turn; avoid it when the target is a melee unit that would happily accept the invitation.