Games Workshop Had a Cheeky Response to One of the Most-Asked Warhammer 40,000 Lore Questions From Fans

One of the biggest — if not biggest — questions from fans of Warhammer 40,000 lore is: who volition beryllium the adjacent returning loyalist primarch? In a uncommon Q&A video, Games Workshop really addressed the question — but failed to supply a meaningful answer.

For the uninitiated, the primarchs are the overpowered, genetically-engineered demigod sons of the Emperor, created to pb the Space Marine legions earlier they were breached up into chapters pursuing the catastrophic civilian warfare known arsenic the Horus Heresy. Warhammer 40,000 arsenic a communicative operated for decades with astir of the primarchs either thought dormant oregon mislaid successful the warp, but caller years person seen 2 loyalist primarchs instrumentality to the existent setting, sparking speculation that much are connected the way.

The 2 primarchs confirmed live and progressive successful the Warhammer 40,000 mounting are Ultramarines brag Roboute Guilliman, who returned to the postulation during the Gathering Storm lawsuit successful 2017, and Dark Angels main Lion El'Jonson, who miraculously popped backmost into beingness arsenic portion of the Arks of Omen storyline successful aboriginal 2023. These were galaxy-shaking crippled developments for the Warhammer 40,000 setting, and with the upcoming merchandise of the 11th Edition of the tabletop game, immoderate are wondering if a 3rd loyalist primarch volition instrumentality to shingle things up further.

And so, successful the Q&A video, Games Workshop’s Adam Troke and Eddie Eccles brought up the question themselves: “Who volition beryllium the adjacent returning loyalist primarch?”

“It’s a bully question, but I’m truly atrocious to interruption it to you Adam, they’re really each dead,” Eccles replied.

“All of them?” Troke said.

“I’m beauteous definite they’re each dead,” Eccles insisted.

Troke past began to person a spot of amusive with his response: “Well, so, we bash cognize that Russ is back… arsenic a tank. Rogal Dorn… arsenic a tank. If I was a betting man, you could possibly expect a conflict vessel called a Khan oregon a Manus oregon a Sanguinius astatine immoderate point.”

Then, finally: “Interesting that the question was ‘who,’ alternatively than ‘will.’ They’re dead, according to Eddie.”

While Games Workshop had a cheeky effect to a question that was astir apt ne'er going to see a definitive answer, galore Warhammer 40,000 fans person already picked it apart, pointing retired that successful the lore, it’s not wholly wide that each the different loyalist primarchs are so dead. You spot this statement popular up present and again connected Warhammer subreddits, discords, and crossed societal media. For example, Jaghatai Khan, primarch of the White Scars, is thought to beryllium mislaid successful the Webway, the weird country betwixt realspace and the Warp the Aeldari usage to get astir the galaxy. Rogal Dorn, brag of the Imperial Fists, is presumed dead, but could beryllium retired and astir doing primarch things down force lines. Space Wolves person Leman Russ, meanwhile, is said to beryllium awaiting the Wolf Time earlier helium makes a melodramatic instrumentality to prevention his kin. Sanguinius though, he's decently dead. RIP.

The happening is, Games Workshop could bring backmost immoderate loyalist primarch astatine immoderate time, creating immoderate lore to marque it marque consciousness wrong canon conscionable arsenic it did with Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson, and that would beryllium that. Any caller exemplary for a returning primarch would nary uncertainty beryllium to beryllium a large seller, too. So it does consciousness similar a question of when, not if, it really happens. Money talks, aft all.

Perhaps 11th Edition isn’t the close time, though, arsenic fans are eagerly awaiting different momentous primarch-related moment, 1 Games Workshop has really decently teased: the gathering of Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson. A caller run publication released earlier this twelvemonth includes an intergalactic connection written by Lion El'Jonson and intended for Roboute Guilliman that reads: “Brother. We request to talk.”

Lion El'Jonson wants a connection with his brother, Roboute Guilliman, successful a gathering 10,000 years successful the making. Image credit: Games Workshop.

So, volition the Lion and Guilliman yet conscionable this edition? That was different lore question Troke and Eccles brought up during the Q&A.

“I mean, the postulation is simply a large place,” Troke said, erstwhile again keeping his cards adjacent to his chest. “So, maybe. Maybe not. I kinda anticipation so. You’ve got to ideate the Lion’s got things to say.”

“It volition beryllium an absorbing gathering for sure, whenever it happens,” Eccles added.

For me, it feels much apt that this gathering of brothers, 10,000 years successful the making, volition beryllium the large communicative infinitesimal of 11th Edition, alternatively than the instauration of a caller loyalist primarch, but I’d beryllium blessed to beryllium proven wrong. Any caller primarch turning up is simply a immense infinitesimal for Warhammer 40,000 lore fans and a changeable successful the limb of the setting. It would determination things guardant and possibly adjacent the likelihood against the forces of Chaos and each those daemon primarchs who are moving amok.

So, successful that case, who's next?

Image credit: Warhammer Community / Games Workshop.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].