Here's what to expect from the Big Autumn Warhammer Preview show this week
I suspect we're getting Legion of the Damned, Age of Sigmar dwarves, Custodes, and more
A Big Autumn Warhammer Preview show has been announced for Friday, September 18, and that means an battalion's worth of reveals are on the way. What can we expect to see from the show? That's a good question, so I've broken out my magnifying glass bionic eye to decipher the many teasers we've been left with.
Publisher Games Workshop likes hinting at what's to come via cryptic images (it's what they did ahead of the Big Summer Warhammer Preview 2026), and this week's show is no different. A short video and a series of spray-painted icons hint at everything from Custodes to a particularly grim Necromunda gang, so I've been busy working it all out for you below. The Big Autumn Warhammer Preview is looking stacked as a result, but there's one thing that excites me more than anything else: a possible comeback for Legion of the Damned, hinted at by a certain flaming skull.
Here's everything the team and I have been able to piece together for the show (which features new content for Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Horus Heresy, Kill Team, The Old World, Blood Bowl, Darkwater, and Necromunda) when it goes live this Friday at 11am PDT, 2pm EDT, and 7pm BST.
- Legion of the Damned (40K/Kill Team): That 'skull on fire' symbol is very similar to old Legion of the Damned iconography from several editions ago. If you're unfamiliar with this group, they're more or less a 40K twist on the Flying Dutchman; they're cursed warriors who emerge from the dark reaches of space to help humanity when all hope is lost, then vanish again. Oh, and they're permanently on fire. Y'know, no big deal. Because they're firmly set in the Warhammer 40,000 time-period, that means they'll either be showing up as a faction/offshoot for 40K (which I suppose is possible, seeing as Space Marines are getting an imminent revamp) or Kill Team. Both games are featured on the show lineup, so it could be a little from column A, and a little from column B.
- Corpse Grinder Cults (Necromunda): The 'Corpse Starch' tin presumably references this grimly-named cannibal group, and we know we're getting an appearance of some kind from Necromunda during this Friday's show. Seeing as we just got a new edition (which is currently discounted at Miniature Market), revisiting other factions makes sense.
- Khazalites Holds (Age of Sigmar): This was less a tease and more an outright confirmation. On the Warhammer reveal post for the show, it confirmed that Age of Sigmar is getting a brand-new dwarf/duardin faction that, by the looks of things, will be a more traditional spin on the fantasy trope. (We're talking mountain holds and runic creations, like the new Gholem unit.) I'm not sure what's referencing them in the teaser, though. Maybe the rune-like double X?
- Custodes (40K/Horus Heresy): That golden banana can only mean one thing… more Custodes (if you're not sure why, it's thanks to those long, banana-shaped golden helmets). Warhammer accidentally revealed a new Custodes Terminator type via a Warhammer Academy video a while ago, so I suspect this will be what we'll see during the show. If it's anything like the other Custodes releases this year (which you'll be able to find at a discount via stores such as Miniature Market), it'll be available for both Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40K.
- Nehekhara (The Old World/Blood Bowl): This one's a surprise. Nehekhara refers to the Tomb Kings faction in The Old World, but that game actually launched a few years back with Tomb Kings as a major force (as demonstrated by the wealth of box sets at Amazon). These were mostly old models, though, so we could finally be due a revamp. Of course, the alternative is that it could just be a handful of heroes... or that it's something to do with Blood Bowl.
- Alpha Legion (40K/Horus Heresy): Those crossed Xs could potentially mean a return of the 20th Legion, the Alpha Legion, for Horus Heresy or maybe even Warhammer 40K. This Chaos Space Marine group is as mysterious as they come, and it's been a long time since they've got any love in the latter game.
- Inquisition/Imperial Agents (40K): It looks like the Inquisition/Imperial Agents symbol appears up there with 'Ready' written over the top (the one that looks like an I, or a II). Could this faction be next to get some love in 40K?
- Squigs (Blood Bowl/Darkwater): This one threw me at first. Those are clearly ork/orruk/goblin-owned squigs bouncing across the screen, but I'll be damned if I know what they're referencing. Because we've already seen a lot of love for the greenskins across 40K and Age of Sigmar, I'd assume they'll be leaping into the Blood Bowl fantasy football game or Warhammer Quest: Darkwater. The latter could be an especially good fit; the board game was largely focused on Nurgle-worshipping foes, so an expansion featuring orruks could be the fresh update it needs to bring everyone back to the table.
I'm sure there's more to come that we haven't seen yet, but even if not, we've certainly got enough to be excited about.
Personally speaking, the thing that intrigues me most is the Legion of the Damned... and the possibility that they could be included in a Kill Team box set. We're due a new season of the skirmish game with fresh teams and terrain around about now, so "haunted Space Marines" would certainly kick things off with a bang.
No matter what, we'll get answers soon; the show takes place in just a few days. You can tune in on Friday September 18 at 11am PDT, 2pm EDT, or 7pm BST.
- See the latest Warhammer 40K offers at Amazon
I'll be interested to see what those Khazalites Holds models look like, because the Age of Sigmar team's been on fire recently; the new Sons of Behemat models are exactly what the faction needs, and the Ogors range is delightfully hard-hitting.
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I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, but these days you'll find me managing GamesRadar+'s tabletop gaming and toy coverage (I spend my time here handling everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news). I've also been obsessed with Warhammer since the 1990s, and love nothing more than running tabletop RPGs like D&D as a Dungeon Master.
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