Another of the big reveals from the Warhammer Preview over the weekend was the announcement of a new campaign for Warhammer 40,000 and the ascendance of a particular Space Marine. Titus has regained his rank as Captain and has now been given a daunting task by the Primarch of the Ultramarines.

Captain Titus, Metaurus & Ancient Gadriel // Warhammer 40,000

Captain Titus has now been given the title of Master of the Watch, which means he has been tasked with the defence of the Ultramarine homeworld, Macragge and the rest of the planets within the system. He isn't doing this job alone, however, and Titus brings with him some of his trusted allies in the form of Space Marines you might remember from Space Marine II and the Secret Level animation.

He is joined by his mentor, Veteran Sergeant Metarus and Gadriel has now been elevated to the rank of Ancient, carrying the massive banner of the Second Company into the heart of the fighting. You did hear that right, Titus is now Captain of the Second Company, which means Captain Acheran has met some terrible fate!

Titus is also all too familiar with the role that those other than the Space Marines play in the defence of the Imperium. To that end, he has called on other human Wardens of Ultramar to aid him.

Wardens of Ultramar // Warhammer 40,000

Gaius Silva commands the Ultramarine defence ships that make up the fleets that watch over the system, whilst Amelia Minervas is leader of the Legatus in the Ultramar Defence Auxilia, acting as a liaison between the Space Marines and the regular humans that fight to defend Ultramar.

Lucia Vestha is a valued plenipotentiary (new word day!) and diplomat with much-needed negotiation skills. Finally, you have Dainal Kornelius, a veteran Astropath who has been part of the Ultramarines' plans and campaigns for over 100 years.

But why has Titus been called back to Ultramar? Well, that would be because of some nefarious new Necron foes lurking in the darkness.

New Necrons!

Titus must face off against a deadly new foe in the form of Nekrosor Ammentar, thought to be the one behind the Destroyer Curse that has plagued (or enlightened?) the Necrons after their awakening from many years in stasis.

Nekrosor Ammentar // Warhammer 40,000

In a lore-based twist, the knowledge of his existence has been all but removed from the collective Necron psyche, according to Games Workshop, a handy way of introducing a new miniature into the range that hasn't appeared elsewhere! However, if this has been done on the authority of the Silent King, then there must be a reason why he has been all but hidden from the galaxy for so long.

Ammentar is linked with the Nightbringer, one of the C'tan and seeks to bring the many shards of it back together so that it can be reborn as an ancient star god. To do that, he can twist the minds of Necrons around him, turning any who are in his presence into enthralled and maddened soldiers. With that in mind, the first of the Battalion boxes will be on its way when 500 Worlds lands, giving you a starting point for your Destroyer Cult...

500 Worlds Battalion - Necrons // Warhammer 40,000

This set comes with a Hexmark Destroyer, three towering Skorpekh Destroyers, three Ohydrian Destroyers and two Lokhust Heavy Destroyers. All the Destroyers you'd need to vanquish the enemy from afar and up close and personal!

As the Nightbringer is such an integral part of Ammentar's plans, he will also be coming out separately from the big Kill Team set that ends the current run. You will remember he was fully revealed (leaked) earlier in the year.

500 Worlds Campaign

All of this comes together as part of the 500 Worlds campaign that will start to close out the current edition of Warhammer 40,000 and most likely usher in 11th Edition next Summer.

500 Worlds // Warhammer 40,000

Within the new set of books, you'll find the story of Titus' reclaimation of the Ultramar sector and his fighting on the Vespator Front. This is where the focus will be on the battle between the Ultramarines Second Company and the Necron Destroyer Cult.

The Vespator Front is more than just lore, however. It acts as a full campaign system which allows three alliances to fight for control of territory and critical locations across a big map included within the set. You will also find the book, Dread Incursions, within the set which is a Boarding Actions supplement that features new missions and maps.

Finally, there is also a full set of new Detachments for the Space Marines and Necrons to fit the theme of the narrative. Whilst I like that we're seeing Titus again and it's cool that the Necrons are the big, bad evil, whatever happened to the potentially galaxy-ending Tyranid invasion? It seems like Games Workshop played with that narrative at the beginning of the edition and then forgot about it.

Feels like that might have been a prime opportunity to introduce more Tyrannic War Veterans and new, monstrous Tyranids...

Lots more is on the horizon for the 500 Worlds campaign, so keep an eye out!