The Movement Phase

In the Movement phase the active player moves every unit in their army across the battlefield and brings reinforcements onto the table. It resolves in three steps, and by the end of the phase each of your units must have been selected, including those you choose to leave standing still.

The three steps

The Movement phase is short in structure but the middle step carries all the work:

1. Start of Movement phase: resolve any rules triggered at the start of the phase.
2. Move Units: the active player works through their units in sequence, moving each one on its own.
3. End of Movement phase: resolve end-of-phase and mission triggers.

Moving units one at a time

During the Move Units step you work through your army sequentially rather than all at once. For each unit you follow a two-part sequence:

• Select Unit. Choose one friendly unit that has not yet been selected to move this phase. You may select a unit on the battlefield, one sitting in strategic reserves, or one embarked within a TRANSPORT.
• Select Move Type. Choose one move type the unit is eligible to make and resolve it fully before moving on. The standard options are Remain Stationary, Normal move, Advance move and Fall Back move, alongside a Disembark move for embarked units and an Ingress move for arriving reserves.

You keep selecting units until every unit in your army has been selected. This is a hard requirement: before the phase can end, each unit must have made a move, and choosing to remain stationary counts as that unit's move. Units in strategic reserves are included, so you cannot simply forget about them.

Remain Stationary

Any unit may remain stationary. No models are moved or rotated, and because nothing moves, the unit does not trigger any rules that fire when a unit starts or ends a move. This is the safe default for a unit you want to keep exactly where it is.

Normal move

A Normal move is available to a unit that is on the battlefield and unengaged, meaning not within Engagement Range of any enemy. The unit moves up to its Move (M) characteristic in inches. After moving, the unit must still be unengaged; you cannot use a Normal move to walk into base contact with the enemy.

Advance move

An Advance move is also for unengaged units on the battlefield, and it trades reliability for extra distance. Before moving, make an Advance roll of one D6; the unit may then move up to its M characteristic plus the result of that roll. As with a Normal move, the unit must be unengaged after moving. The cost lasts for the rest of the turn: an Advancing unit gives up declaring a charge and gives up starting an action, unless a rule says otherwise.

Fall Back move

A Fall Back move is the only way to withdraw a unit that is engaged with the enemy. The unit moves up to its M characteristic, and before it moves you must select a fall-back mode:

• Ordered Retreat. If the unit is not battle-shocked, you may choose this disciplined withdrawal.
• Desperate Escape. Otherwise you must take this mode. Make a hazard roll for each model in the unit, risking casualties as they scramble away. While moving under Desperate Escape, each model may be moved through enemy models.

After a Fall Back move the unit must end up unengaged. Falling back also carries a penalty. Unless otherwise stated, for the remainder of the turn that unit can neither shoot nor declare a charge, and it cannot start an action either. If a non-battle-shocked unit was forced into Desperate Escape, it must additionally make a battle-shock roll after moving.

Ending the phase

Once every unit has been selected and its move resolved, the End of Movement phase step resolves any remaining triggered rules and mission scoring, and play moves on to the Shooting phase.

Frequently asked questions

What are the move types in the Warhammer 40,000 Movement phase?

Six in total: the four every unit on the table chooses between (stand still, Normal, Advance, Fall Back), plus Disembark for passengers and Ingress for reserves. An engaged unit's only options are to stay put or Fall Back, and an unengaged unit cannot Fall Back at all, so the real decision is usually Normal against Advance.

Do you have to move every unit in the Movement phase in 40k?

You have to select every unit, which is a different thing. Remain Stationary is a move type, so picking it satisfies the rule without shifting a model. The unit most people forget is the one still in reserves: it needs selecting too, even if all it does is stay off the table.

How far can a unit move with an Advance in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?

M plus one D6, rolled before the unit moves, so you learn the distance before committing. A roll of 1 is the classic trap: the unit has lost its charge and its action for a single extra inch. Advance only when the reach is worth more than the charge, for example to grab an objective.

How do you Fall Back from combat in 40k?

Pick the mode first, then move. Ordered Retreat is available to any unit that is not battle-shocked and costs nothing beyond the turn's restrictions. Desperate Escape is the forced option for a battle-shocked unit: a hazard roll per model, and a battle-shock roll afterwards if the unit was not already shocked. A unit that cannot end unengaged cannot Fall Back at all.

Can a unit shoot after Falling Back in Warhammer 40,000?

Not in the same turn, and it cannot charge or start an action either, so a unit that Falls Back is usually spending its turn to free up the rest of your army's shooting. Datasheet or detachment rules that let a unit shoot after Falling Back override this.