there is a new digital ecosystem coming
digital strategy is baked in and hinges on the redesigned web site, including builder and a new app version

You now have a digital collection. These are small pages with content for every army you have bought and an enhanced shop page for every unit you have collected. There are codes in the boxes and publications to unlock a collected item. The content is usually a codex or vault excerpt, artwork, painting tutorials, but sometimes downloadable wallpapers additional gaming profiles for the unit or a paint scheme showcase

All these profiles are predefined. The weapon choices are made for you. These are only for starter missions

For customizable units, designed for campaign and pick up play, you need the codex. This unlocks all the options in the new app or the army builder in the shop. These builders construct an army roster for you with profiles for each unit. on these generated profiles all the relevant choices you have made, are baked in

If you have collected a codex, you automatically get digital access to additional options released in other publications for the army, for the duration of the edition.

You need a subscription for access to the army builder for anything above starter missions

The core rules are free and the starter mission pack is free. You can play a starter game without a codex or rulebook, just with the profiles in the boxes you have bought

Both a printed version of the profile and a digital code come in the box

Codex publications come with a code, but you can also buy the codes digitally. But this doesn't give you a digital version of the codex, just the unlocks collection page of the army and the units and makes the content available in army builder

When you buy the rulebook or a seasonal rulebook, you get access to further mission packs suited for campaign and more detailed pick up play.

In these formats you can customize your units and the app generates the in-game profiles for you. These profiles are compatible with the starter profiles, but you can make all the decisions

You can theoretically do this by hand if you have the codex, but it is tedious to copy all the rules by hand. Printing your generated profiles from the app is easier

The app has no in-game functionality besides looking at your profiles and the rules

The codex has all the customizable options and build-a-unit datasheets. It unlocks these options in the army builder

You need both the codex and the publication with the mission pack to built an army for the respective kind of mission. at the beginning of the edition the purchase of the warhosts tome gives you access to all the armies at once

Erratas, revised construction datasheets, point adjustments are free for subscribers and released digitally only

The plan is to leave the predefined profiles unchanged for the duration of the edition, but i don't know how this will break cross-compatibility eventually

The army builder can be used for free for the core rules and starter mission pack

A W+ subscription gives you access to all the predefined profiles from all armies without needing to buy all the boxes. But you still need the box to add a unit to your collection for the immersive content

The edition starts with the Vigil of Blood box for hooked players and a series of mini starter boxes for beginners. these can be bought at a time or as a discounted subscription or all at once once they are released. These boxes have the same plastic terrain and units as the veteran box, but also contain tools and paints and step-by-step manuals. buying all boxes gives exactly all the starter box models + hobby items. First box is building two characters. After three boxes you can play the first game with a simple color scheme. The last three boxes are not as dense as the first ones

Grand Tournament packs are released once a year. They are exclusively released as a bundle of booklet and terrain. GT is its separate ecosystem now, with its own rules, profiles and point costs. This pack gives you digitally access to the Grand Tournament unit profiles. It is supposed to be a really tight ruleset. The launch box has a mountain of terrain and will be the most expensive bundle in Gw history. GT is separated in the app from the matched play mission and has its own builder - a reskinned version of the old app. The builder is sleeker because you cannot customize units. It has a clock, a scoresheet and a QR interface to share the scoresheet. The GT section is only available with a code in the pack. Further down the road, annual packs will have only half the terrain

Codex Space Marines, Tyranids, Demons and Orks are with the playtesters, as well as Blood Angels, Space Wolves and White Scars supplements

The launch box has fewer models than in the past, but plastic terrain included. I am paraphrasing: 1 winged jump primaris captain, 1 apothecari toxinmaster, 5 sword jump primaris, 5 veteran intercessors, 5 primaris scouts with grenade launchers, heavy offroad atv, 1 shrike prime, 3 shrikes, 8 termagants with fleshborer, 8 termagants with harpoon, 6 melee gargoyles, dreadnought sized trygon, Mosque style low tech buildings, reinforced with scifi tech and walls, improvised and rugged look, some destroyed old columns and centerpiece angel statue, plastic token set