Will Houndpack Lance Survive 11th Edition?

11th edition is right around the corner. With Games Workshop wrapping up their faction previews and already showcasing three teaser games, it feels like we are rapidly approaching the pre-order stage of the release cycle. (Rules to be revealed next week as I type!!)

So the big question is:

Will Houndpack Lance survive in 11th edition?

Honestly, I think the answer is yes… but probably not in exactly the same way it has during the last few months of 10th edition.

What Made Houndpack Lance Work in 10th Edition?

Houndpack Lance thrives on overwhelming the opponent with waves of T9, 14-wound, 3+/5++ War Dogs. For many armies, that combination of durability, speed and board presence is simply too much to efficiently handle.

One of the biggest strengths of the detachment is access to battleline War Dogs, allowing you to flex between different chassis depending on matchup and role. Brigands and Executioners bring efficient ranged pressure, Karnivores threaten brutal melee trading, while Stalkers and Huntsmen offer utility and flexibility.

More importantly though, the army excels at playing the table.

Houndpack Lance has never really been about tabling opponents, unless the opportunity arises. It wins through pressure, movement, trading efficiency and forcing opponents into awkward decisions every turn. The army floods the board with durable OC bodies that can project threat into multiple areas simultaneously.

That style of gameplay looks like it could remain extremely valuable in 11th edition.

What Likely Changes?

Looking at the preview games so far, there appears to be a much heavier emphasis on actions and interacting with objectives than we saw in 10th edition.

For Houndpack Lance, that is not necessarily bad news.

War Dog heavy lists naturally “go wide”, which means they are already well equipped to spread across the board and complete multiple tasks at once. However, on UKTC terrain specifically, movement and positioning could become far more punishing if not planned correctly.

Traffic jams were already something Chaos Knights players had to manage carefully in 10th edition. If objectives now revolve around physically interacting with terrain pieces, pathing and staging are going to matter even more.

Good Houndpack players will likely separate themselves through macro movement and planning rather than raw datasheet efficiency alone.

Access to 1DP Detachments

With the Chaos Knights reveal, which i reviewed the other day, you can read here:

Im a big fan of the Iconoclast Fiefdom detachment with access to loads of Damned units from Chaos Space Marines, I particular Cultists! Cheap bodies, good for screening and can action, all super important in the new edition of 40k.

Will OC and Action Play Still Matter?

I actually think high OC could become one of the most important stats in the game.

With terrain now functioning as objectives in 11th edition, being able to toe into multiple pieces of terrain while projecting strong Objective Control values looks incredibly powerful.

This is somewhere War Dogs may continue to shine.

A single durable OC body that can contest, control and threaten multiple areas of the table at once is extremely valuable in a mission format that appears more interactive and movement-focused.

The ability to pressure several objectives simultaneously has always been one of Houndpack Lance’s greatest strengths, and early signs suggest that may continue.

What Happens if Shooting and Indirect Changes?

The announced changes to shooting and terrain interaction are potentially massive for Chaos Knights.

Terrain granting -1 to hit is not ideal for Houndpack Lance. Most War Dogs already hit on 3s, so dropping to 4s represents a noticeable decrease in output across the army.

However, Brigands potentially benefit enormously here.

Ignoring cover becomes significantly stronger in an edition where terrain interaction appears central to gameplay. In many situations, it effectively acts as a pseudo +1 to hit by preventing opponents from stacking defensive bonuses. Chaincannons also gain value, as AP1 becomes much more meaningful when saves are no longer being modified in the same way.

The downside is melta weaponry.

Two-shot meltas hitting on 4s much of the time is a substantial reduction in reliability, especially for an army that already values efficiency and consistency in trading.

Indirect fire also appears to have taken a sizeable nerf.

With indirect now hitting on 6s unless the target is visible to that unit or another friendly unit, Havoc Launchers lose a chunk of efficiency. That said, hitting on 6s is still considerably better than Stubbers contributing nothing at all out of sight and similar output when firing normally which, likely means Havocs remain the preferred top gun option in most situations.

Is Combat Power Actually Boosted?

Some of the revealed rules definitely appear to favour combat armies, although I think a few of them are more nuanced than they first appear.

Rolling Charges Before Selecting Targets

This is just straight-up strong.

Being able to roll first and then decide where to commit opens up huge flexibility for aggressive armies. Shorter charges can become launch points into the heart of the opponent’s position, while successful long charges become even more rewarding.

For fast melee War Dogs, this is potentially a major gain.

Hidden - 15" Lone Operative

This rule looks extremely powerful for Infantry, Beasts and Swarms.

However, I’m not convinced it hurts Chaos Knights as much as some people think.

Fifteen inches is still relatively manageable for War Dogs, especially in an edition where scoring units will likely need to aggressively move onto terrain pieces to contest objectives. Chaos Knights naturally pressure midfield space very well, and that may limit how safely these units can operate.

2" Engagement Range

This is a big quality-of-life improvement for melee armies.

No more awkward wall blocking, easier multi-engagements and more models getting to fight are all significant positives. Larger bases also benefit massively from the ability to engage more flexibly around terrain.

That said, the change to charge distances is a very real downside.

No more being “within X.1 inches” and effectively shaving an inch off charges. You now need to roll the exact distance or higher, which mathematically makes many charges less reliable than before.

So while successful charges are potentially more rewarding, average consistency may actually go down.

Fights First Changes

The change to how Fights First works could be a huge boost for combat armies overall.

Previously, pushing into armies with access to Fights First often felt incredibly restrictive. Now, attackers appear to retain significantly more agency when committing to combat, which should make aggressive melee play far more viable into those matchups.

For Karnivore-heavy builds especially, that could end up being extremely important.

Final Thoughts

Right now, I don’t think Houndpack Lance looks dead at all.

If anything, the early signs suggest that durable, fast, high-OC armies with strong board presence could remain extremely powerful in 11th edition.

The army may become slightly less efficient from a raw shooting perspective, particularly into dense terrain setups, but the mission format itself may end up rewarding exactly the kind of macro gameplay Chaos Knights already excel at.

The biggest question is whether War Dogs remain costed efficiently enough to maintain overwhelming board pressure.

If they do, Houndpack Lance players may feel very much at home in 11th edition.