This weekend saw the reveal of a new edition of Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team and a brand-new boxed set featuring new, elite troops for you to use on the tabletop. Kill Team: Hivestorm features the Tempestus Aquilons going up against the Vespid Stingwings in a fight for Massif Ballistus.

Kill Team: Hivestorm // Warhammer 40,000

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Hivestorm marks the beginning of a new edition for Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team and the start of a new season as well. Core to the design of the new edition is making it easier for you to dive into. The same tactical gameplay remains but they have tried to make the game more approachable. For one, it seems like the shapes have gone from the measurements and it's back to good ol' inches across the board.

Games Workshop has also started to look at gameplay options for people interested in trying out the game. The Core Rules and the rules for the various factions will be free for you to download when the new edition hits. So, if you have miniatures in your collection, you could just dive in and start giving the game a go.

The new edition of Kill Team will also feature rules for playing the game cooperatively and solo. You will be able to team up with a friend and battle against enemy forces or go it alone. I think this is a great bonus feature for Kill Team and one that is going to draw a lot of people into the game.

New Miniatures

The new edition of the game will also feature some brand-new miniatures. Leading the way, we have elite soldiers from the Astra Militarum in the form of the Tempestus Aquilons. Like their Scion counterparts, the Aquilons are trained to be the best of the best and they come with grav-chutes that they use for deploying from Valkyries whilst also offering them added manoeuvrability on the battlefield.

Tempestus Aquilons // Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

Leading the way, we have the Tempestor, Gunner and Marksman. As you might have guessed, the Tempestor is pretty darn good at commanding your troops and cutting down the enemy with that power sword, You've also got the Gunner who blows away their enemies and the Marksman who does the same from long range.

Tempestus Aquilons // Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

I really like the Grenadier from this set. That chap is absolutely laden with explosives and looking to turn everything into rubble. You'd have to make sure you avoided incoming fire though otherwise, you might take out a few of your allies! These Aquilons are backed up by the Servo-Sentry that will lay down some covering fire whilst you move forward towards objectives.

Tempestus Aquilons // Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

If you've ever wanted to run the elite of the Astra Militarum then this is the way to go. I really like the kits for the Tempestus Scions and this is a great update. I like that the design studio took into account the fact that they are drop troopers so they don't have unneeded bits and pieces strapped all over that would snag. They look super tactical. Maybe I'll end up revisiting my Inquisitorial warband idea using a mix of Tempestus Scions and Enforcers.

Going up against the Tempestus Aquilons, we have the Vespid Stingwings. These fellows have been long overdue an update and they are looking rather good indeed!

Vespid Stingwings // Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

The Vespid are one of the auxiliary armies called into service alongside the T'au. The Kroot recently got a big update so it would make sense that the Vespid would follow in their footsteps. This Kill Team is led by a Strain Leader and Shadestrain who wear T'au-based helmets which either help them direct their troops or provide the T'au with means of "controlling" their troops. There might be some mind control going on here.

Vespid Stingwings // Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

The armaments of the Vespid range from the classic neutron blasters that use crystals from their homeworld as well as weapons given to them by the T'au Empire. They bring a range of intriguing weapons to the battlefield which can be used to get one up on your enemies. They also benefit from the improved agility that their wings afford them making it easier for the Vespid to go where the T'au cannot.

Vespid Stingwings // Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

They have access to deadly grenade launchers and that Shadestrain that we saw earlier can also go invisible, turning the Vespid into one of those annoying bugs that you can hear in your room but just can't find. The Vespid really got themselves a glow-up!

Terrain & Accessories

The terrain in the new boxed set allows you to make Killzone: Volkus which features more multilayered terrain than before in a Kill Team set. We'd seen a few larger pieces in previous sets, like the rig in the middle of the ocean, but this throws more of it together in closer confines.

Kill Team: Hivestorm Terrain // Warhammer 40,000

It will also be handy for those needing a few more line-of-sight blocking terrain pieces for regular games of Warhammer 40,000 I don't doubt. The terrain can be combined with the upgrades and accessories to create a battlefield littered with cover for you to sneak through.

Kill Team - Equipment // Warhammer 40,000

You can use the classic barricades to offer a bit more cover for your advancing troops and then all of the other bits and pieces can be used to mark objectives on the tabletop. I like the smoke canisters which feel like a very neat "spec-ops" addition to the range.

Kill Team: Hivestorm // Warhammer 40,000

You'll also be able to get stuck into a new Rulebook, Dossier (which contains the specific rules for Hivestorm), and the Approved Ops Card Pack which will give you the appropriate missions for you to dive into for the start of this next season. All of this will be inside Hivestorm but you'll also be able to buy elements separately later on down the line.

Kill Team: Hivestorm is looking like a great new edition of Kill Team. They appear to have taken the ideas from the last edition and refined them. It's still a more in-depth game than regular Warhammer 40,000 but I like that they have tried to make it more approachable and accessible to new players. The addition of solo and cooperative mode in particular is a real bonus.

Will you be picking up this new edition of Kill Team?