The reveals for the upcoming Warhammer 40k 11th edition Armageddon box set are heating up, as GW has just previewed the first character miniature, a roaring Ork Weirdboy. This greenskin psyker is crowned in cables and fit to burst with psychic energy, and replaces a kit that debuted in 2008. But how will it play on the tabletop?
Like the Orks themselves, Weirdboys have been part of Warhammer 40k since first edition. 40k psykers are all incredibly dangerous, barely constrained conduits of warp energy that are just one bad day away from daemonic possession. Ork Weirdboys are even more… well, weird!
Weirdboyz draw their power by channelling the collective enthusiasm of the Orks around them as Waaagh! energy. While they’re far less exposed to the influence of Chaos in the warp than human psykers, this doesn’t really make them any ‘safer’ – if a Weirdboy can’t unleash its pent up Waaagh! energy, its head is likely to explode.
GW revealed the new miniature on the Warhammer Community website on Monday. It replaces a direct-order only miniature cast that was originally released in 2008 as a metal figure, then later re-released in finecast resin.
The big question for 11th edition is: what psychic powers will this guy have? In the cinematic trailer for Armageddon the Weirdboy unleashes Psychic Vomit, an old Ork psychic power that isn’t currently on the mini’s datacard that was basically a psychic flamethrower. Is that going to replace the character sniping ‘Eadbanger?
More importantly, will the Weirdboy keep Da Jump? This iconic ability has hurled countless Ork Boys through the warp and into the opponent’s deployment zone over the years, and it’s a very useful tool for the foot-slogging greenskins. If he doesn’t have this table-traversal power, what will the Weirdboy’s role be in the updated Orks army list?
Do you rate the new mini? Is Da Jump going to stay in 40k, or is it due to be cut? Let us know what you think in the Wargamer Discord community.