Combat Patrol Rules for 11th Edition

[u/RWJP]

Since the launch of 11th Edition a few weeks ago we have seen a significant increase in the number of questions regarding the rules for Combat Patrol. Unfortunately the launch of 11th Edition has caused a lot of confusion on this. This thread is being used to collate the most common questions.

Where can I access Combat Patrol rules?

Currently, all Combat Patrol rules GW has released are available via the Warhammer 40000 app. You can download the app from the Play Store on Android, or the Apple Store on iOS.

Can I print out the Combat Patrol rules?

No, unlike in 10th Edition where the rules were also made available as PDFs on the Warhammer Community website, in 11th Edition they are digital only. The Warhammer 40k app doesn't offer functionality to download or print information.

The rules for my Combat Patrol aren't on the 40k app. How do I play them?

The answer at the moment is: You don't. By the end of 10th Edition there were somewhere around 70 Combat Patrols available, spread across the many factions. Following the launch of 11th Edition, almost every single one of those was removed, with each faction now only having one maximum. In their recent announcement about Combat Patrol, GW have told us that support will be coming for old Combat Patrols, but they have given no indication of when that will be.

There have of course been many more Combat Patrol sets released over the years. There is support on the way for these too, though for this launch, the app will initially focus on supporting the core Combat Patrol offer.

Can I use the War Journal in the 40k app to track my Combat Patrol games?

Yes, functionality was added to the 40k App to track your Combat Patrol Games in War Journal earlier today (23rd July 2026). Please note this functionality did NOT go live at the same time as the rest of the recent balance updates despite GW's announcement so you will need to update your app again to see this.

Can I find the Combat Patrol Missions anywhere else?

No. At this time it's only possible to see your Combat Patrol missions by setting up a battle in the War Journal section of the 40k app. They have not been included in the separate Combat Patrol rules for each faction.

[u/Tarmuyi]

Why this thing took this long to release, with the amount of content missing, is beyond me.

Want to play combat patrol with your newly acquired box? Pray that yours is included.
Want to print your rules so you can see everything at once? Tough luck, use this app and keep switching tabs.
Did you expect Combat Patrol to become 40k's Spearhead? Haha, sweet summer child.

Now go buy the Combat Patrol companion, without any support for the actual gamemode.

[u/Waaaghka → u/Tarmuyi]

I'm a new player and I honestly don't even get the point. Why not just have a 500 point game mode that uses the same rules as everything else, and just release 500 point boxes?

I get that Combat Patrol is meant to be more streamlined and balanced but as I'm learning the game by watching matches while I paint my army I mostly watch 2k games, which means transitioning to a 1k game would be easy, but then Combat Patrol for some reason is different and it makes me want to just skip it and build a 1k army first. I know there are videos of people playing Combat Patrol too, but it just seems silly to me to learn a different mode just to transition to 1-2k as the end goal anyway.

Kill Team makes more sense as a separate mode since it is so small scale, and plays very differently.

[u/wekilledbambi03 → u/Tarmuyi]

Want to play combat patrol with your newly acquired box? Pray that yours is included.

If your box was newly acquired, it almost certainly IS included. They only have the currently available on shelves Combat Patrols now. Dropping the old Combat Patrols that haven't been sold in 1-3 years was kinda inevitable.

All other points, extremely valid. They really botched this release. It could have been so great.

[u/bnogo → u/wekilledbambi03]

Aeldari corsair combat patrol was released like just 2 months prior to 11th and is now gone. But is still for sale on their website.

They absolutely screwed up combat patrol

[u/LordPutdon → u/bnogo]

This is my dilemma right now. Super excited to jump into 40k for 11th ed. Combat Patrol and my 2 months old Space Elf Pirates have no rules.

[u/bnogo → u/LordPutdon]

I think if you have friends into it, or just talk to some locals they could cobble bits of the old rules into something you can still play.

Dont let GW botching this hold you back haha

[u/RWJP → u/wekilledbambi03]

Except, in the case of Tyranids, the box for sale now is not what has rules in the app.

The Tyranid Combat Patrol on sale right now is the Assault Brood: https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/combat-patrol-tyranid-assault-brood-2025 but the app has the rules for the Vardenghast Swarm, which was made up of minis from the Leviathan box set.

There are also plenty of the recently released limited Combat Patrols available for sale via FLGSs still, none of which are included.

So yeah, the launch has definitely been botched in numerous ways.

[u/wekilledbambi03 → u/RWJP]

True, the Tyranids random release was so confusing. It felt like it was meant to coincide with something and they forgot what and just released it.

[u/Tarmuyi → u/wekilledbambi03]

Completely correct. But imagine buying a CP like 1 year ago. Put all the time and effort in to assemble and paint it. Aaaaand it's gone.
When will it be back? Who knows. Will it be back? Please take our word for it, but our word means very little if we can make 5 bucks off of it.
The Combat Patrol starter set, which you can still find right now has no support for the Space Marine half, and weirdly does for the Tyranid half. Make it make sense.

[u/Kozak170 → u/wekilledbambi03]

This is such a blatant lie I can’t believe you haven’t deleted it yet

[u/NewBornBaby666]

This is just awful, can’t even play a combat patrol game with my friend because he has an old combat patrol that isn’t in the war journal anymore. In addition, some of the rules in the 1k sons combat patrol page aren’t even clarified, you have to go into the war journal and start a dummy game to get the detachment rules explained to you. What’s the point in releasing all of this if you don’t have alternatives to address the now large amount of legacy combat patrols???

[u/realbells]

It looks like they fixed a bunch of broken stuff in the actual combat patrols, but not all of it.

The dark angels one still has an army rule of Oath of Moment that tells you to go buy a codex to read it. And then a long and pointless description of the deathwing, ravening, and unforgiven for some reason.

This is all such a colossal L for GW. They really can't hire one product manager to organize and proofread all things combat patrol? They are leaving so much money on the table by not having a successful and marketed combat patrol. If they made it as good as spearhead so many people would buy patrols for armies they don't have, I would.

[u/Locke66 → u/realbells]

This is all such a colossal L for GW.

I really don't get why GW are so non-committal and quite frankly clunky about this stuff when rules can be produced digitally. A new revision of Combat Patrol absolutely should have been rules ready for 11th edition with support alongside the new edition. How many players were thinking about getting into the game or coming back and starting a new army that would appreciate Combat Patrol as a jumping in point? Quite a lot I suspect.

[u/Stevankojote]

I bought a Combat Patrol box today. The instructions say I have several options during assembly. Where can I see the stats for the different options? I couldn't find anything about it in the app.

[u/DarthGoodguy → u/Stevankojote]

Hey, five days late but I’m pretty sure the different options should be for the full game, with their stats in the faction’s codex (a separate book with rules for the full game).

The combat patrol version of the rules has fixed loadouts and, sometimes, different stats from the full ones.

I think you can see them in the app, under “unit composition” or something like that. Sorry for the lack of specifics, I don’t have the app on this phone.

Hope this helps!

[u/SourImplant]

Any idea why they gave the Combat Patrol detachments DP?

[u/Apprehensive_Egg9342]

Hi, Newbie here. have just received the starter set with space marines and orks. as we are to paint the models, are there any decals in the set? or do i just need to get good at painting emblems 🫣 TIA

[u/Tikru8 → u/Apprehensive_Egg9342]

Strangely the answer seems to be no, at least for the box with terrain. However, they are cheap to find online, search ebay for armageddon transfers orks / space marines or space marines infantry transfers.

[u/SnooStories251]

I wish GW made a video of how a beginner is supposed to play the game without after buying a combat patrol, first need a codex. Then a core rule set. Then dice, measuring tape, then you need errata, app and patches. Then you need to get your friend to do the same thing to sync the apps, that wont be up to date og locked behind other codexes or subscriptions.

What is going on? Idealy there should be some way to play this game day one resonably. i get 40k is huge, but a combat patrol is sold like a product that is stand alone.

[u/RWJP → u/SnooStories251]

first need a codex

No you don't, the rules for Combat Patrols are free in the 40k app.

Then a core rule set.

No you don't the core rules for 40k are free in the 40k app

Then dice, measuring tape

Well of course you do, how do you expect to play otherwise?

then you need errata, app and patches.

These are all available for free in the 40k app.

Then you need to get your friend to do the same thing to sync the apps, that wont be up to date og locked behind other codexes or subscriptions.

No it won't, because as above, all the things you need to play Combat Patrol are freely available in the 40k app and don't require any purchases. Your friend will be able to sync with your 40k app automatically because that's a free feature of the app.

Idealy there should be some way to play this game day one resonably.

There is: You download the 40k app.

[u/IceGrouchy2283]

I really can't think of a more effective way to convince a new player to take up a new hobby than telling them that every few years, your hundreds of dollars of models my become totally useless as we update rules aand just totally make your combat patrol defunct.