Big Autumn Warhammer Preview Set for September 18: Legion of the Damned Tease and More

Warhammer’s next major showcase is nearly here, and its deliberately cryptic preview material has already turned miniature fans into amateur codebreakers. The Big Autumn Warhammer Preview is scheduled for Friday, September 18, with reveals expected across several corners of the setting: Warhammer 40,000, Kill Team, Necromunda, The Old World, Horus Heresy, and Warhammer Age of Sigmar.

The presentation is set to begin at 11 a.m. PDT, 2 p.m. EDT, and 7 p.m. BST. Ahead of it, Games Workshop has released a short teaser and a collection of spray-painted-looking symbols. Some clues point fairly clearly toward known armies or settings. Others are vague enough to fuel the traditional pre-show ritual of magnifying a glyph, declaring it obviously means something, and then preparing to be spectacularly wrong.

One emblem has attracted particular attention: a flaming skull that appears closely related to the older iconography of the Legion of the Damned. If that reading is right, the spectral Space Marines could be headed back into the spotlight for the first time in quite a while.

The flaming skull and a possible Legion of the Damned return

The Legion of the Damned occupies a distinctive place in Warhammer 40,000 lore. These mysterious warriors are associated with desperate Imperial battles, appearing when the situation is at its bleakest before disappearing just as suddenly. Their imagery is inseparable from skulls, flames, and the idea that ordinary battlefield logic has taken a brief, very dramatic lunch break.

The symbol in the preview is not a definitive product announcement. It is, however, similar enough to historic Legion of the Damned imagery that the theory has become one of the show’s most compelling possibilities. The key question is where such a return might land.

Because the Legion belongs firmly within the Warhammer 40,000 era, a new appearance could be part of a wider 40K release, perhaps as an offshoot or allied force connected to ongoing Space Marine updates. Kill Team is another plausible home. Its smaller-scale format can accommodate unusual, characterful teams particularly well, and it is among the games named for the September showcase. There is also room for both interpretations to be partly true, though that remains pure speculation until the presentation begins.

A burning skull may be a broad symbol in most fictional universes. In Warhammer, it has the unfortunate advantage of being both highly recognizable and still somehow not specific enough.

Confirmed Age of Sigmar attention for the Khazalites Holds

Not every part of the teaser needs a detective board covered in red string. The event material confirms that Age of Sigmar will feature the Khazalites Holds, a new duardin faction. What has been indicated so far points toward a more traditional dwarf fantasy identity than some of the setting’s existing duardin forces: mountain strongholds, runic craft, and constructs.

The newly mentioned Gholem unit helps establish that direction. Its name and the broader framing suggest an army where carved stone, durable engineering, and ancient hold culture could sit alongside the setting’s typically elaborate Age of Sigmar styling. The preview icon set does not make it entirely obvious which image corresponds to the Khazalites, but the faction itself is no longer merely an inference.

That makes this one of the event’s clearest reasons for Age of Sigmar players to tune in. A wholly new faction can affect much more than a few individual model kits: it establishes visual themes, battlefield roles, lore territory, and a new set of opponents or allies for armies already on the table. Exactly how broad the initial Khazalites range will be is not known, so it is best not to assume a full launch lineup from a single named unit.

Necromunda may be heading back to the meat grinder

A can labeled “Corpse Starch” is widely read as a nod to the Corpse Grinder Cults of Necromunda. The gang is an especially logical candidate for attention because Necromunda is confirmed to appear in the showcase and has recently received a new edition.

In the hive cities of Necromunda, corpse starch is exactly the sort of grim term that fits the setting’s industrial misery, gallows humor, and deeply unappetizing food supply chain. Corpse Grinder Cults are among the game’s most visually aggressive gangs, making the reference a meaningful clue rather than just an unpleasant grocery item.

Still, the teaser does not establish whether this means new miniatures, rules support, a narrative expansion, or something else. A spotlight on an existing faction would make sense following a new-edition launch, but the precise shape of that support remains unannounced.

Nehekhara could mean Tomb Kings get more than a history lesson

Nehekhara, the ancient land associated with the Tomb Kings, is another name appearing in the clues. That directs attention toward Warhammer: The Old World, where Tomb Kings were already a major presence around the game’s return. Much of that range, however, drew from earlier miniature releases.

As a result, the Nehekhara reference raises the possibility of refreshed Tomb Kings models. It could instead signify a smaller selection of new characters or heroes rather than a wide reworking of the army. The teaser alone cannot settle that question, but it does put a significant Old World faction back on the agenda.

For collectors, the distinction matters. A character release can deepen an established army with a striking centerpiece or a lore-specific personality, while a larger refresh would potentially alter the collection’s visual baseline. Either outcome would be notable, particularly for a faction whose identity has long leaned on ornate undead infantry, chariots, and monumental rulers.

Custodes, Alpha Legion and Imperial Agents clues point toward the far future

Warhammer 40,000 and Horus Heresy speculation has centered on three other visual prompts: a golden, elongated helmet-like mark, crossed Xs, and an Inquisition or Imperial Agents symbol accompanied by the word “Ready?”

The gold clue is broadly associated with the Adeptus Custodes. A new Custodes Terminator type was unintentionally shown in a Warhammer Academy video roughly a month before this preview material appeared, making it a leading candidate for the event. If that is what is revealed, it may have relevance for both Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000, though the show itself will need to confirm platforms and rules usage.

The pair of X-shaped markings has been linked to the Alpha Legion, the secretive 20th Legion. This could point to activity in Horus Heresy, Warhammer 40,000, or neither if the symbol is a misdirect. Alpha Legion imagery practically invites that level of suspicion, so a clue that feels transparent may be doing exactly what it is supposed to do.

Then there is the apparent Inquisition/Imperial Agents insignia. An update for Imperial Agents would give Warhammer 40,000 another opportunity to explore the Imperium’s stranger and more specialized forces. Yet, once again, the evidence establishes only that the symbol is present—not the size, format, or even the precise subject of a potential reveal.

And what is the deal with the squigs?

The preview art also includes an apparent squig reference. This is one of the harder symbols to interpret because squigs can turn up in more than one Warhammer setting and factional context. Orks with squigs recently received attention in Warhammer 40,000, while greenskins have also already been updated in the latest Age of Sigmar era.

That history makes the squig clue less straightforward than the Corpse Starch can or the Nehekhara name. It could relate to a smaller release, a game mode, an unexpected factional addition, or a detail that means something entirely different. In other words, it is a wonderfully squig-like mystery: loud, toothy, and currently impossible to put in a sensible box.

What the showcase’s broad lineup means

The important detail is the range of game systems on the slate. This is not being framed as a single-army Warhammer 40,000 reveal or an Age of Sigmar-only event. With Kill Team, Necromunda, The Old World, Horus Heresy, Age of Sigmar, and 40K all in the mix, the event has the potential to touch collectors and players with very different shelves, rulebooks, and paint projects.

That diversity is also why caution is warranted. A teaser packed with icons does not guarantee that every icon corresponds to a major new miniature range. Some may lead to individual models, rules books, narrative releases, returning kits, or other forms of support. The Khazalites Holds are the standout in terms of direct confirmation; much of the remaining discussion is informed interpretation rather than settled fact.

Gaming showcases can take many forms, from miniature reveals to community-driven livestreams such as a Golf With Your Friends event where donations influence the action. This Warhammer presentation has a different focus, but the shared appeal is watching a hobby community gather around what comes next.

For now, the safest expectations are the ones explicitly supported by the setup: a new Khazalites Holds faction for Age of Sigmar, some form of Necromunda appearance, and a multi-system presentation on September 18. The Legion of the Damned, Tomb Kings refresh, Custodes Terminators, Alpha Legion, Imperial Agents, and squig theories are all credible possibilities—but they remain theories until the reveals arrive.