Flying and Surging

Flying and surging are two special movement rules that supplement the basic rules for moving models: surge moves let certain units lurch toward the enemy outside their normal activation, while the FLY keyword lets a unit take to the skies, passing over models and terrain. This guide covers the eligibility, targeting, and restrictions for each.

Surge Moves

A surge move is a bonus move granted by a specific rule — for example, an ability that lets a unit lunge forward after taking casualties from enemy shooting. The distance a surge move can cover is set by whichever rule triggers it, not by the unit's own Move characteristic.

A unit may make a surge move only if all of the following are true:

• The rule permitting the surge move has actually been triggered.
• The unit is not Battle-shocked.
• The unit is unengaged.
• The unit has not already moved this phase.

When it surges, the unit moves as it would during any move. Before shifting any models, choose the closest enemy unit — this is the surge target. Then move the unit under these constraints:

• Wherever it can be done, each model has to finish its move in engagement with the surge target.
• Any model that cannot reach engagement with the surge target must instead end its move as close as it can get to that target.

Once the surge move is finished:

• The unit cannot be engaged with any enemy unit other than the surge target — you may not use the move to slip into engagement with a different unit.
• The unit cannot move again for the remainder of the phase.

In practice, a surge is a reactive scramble toward the nearest threat: you commit to the closest enemy, pile in as tightly as the distance allows, and cannot redirect toward a softer target.

Flying Models

A model with the FLY keyword — and any unit that model belongs to — is able to FLY, and rules often describe such models or units as FLYING. Flight is not automatic on every move; it is a choice you declare move by move.

Each time a FLYING unit is picked to perform a move — whether normal, Advance, Fall Back, or charge — the active player may declare, before any model in the unit moves, that the unit will take to the skies. Declaring this changes the move as follows:

• Reduce the maximum distance of that move by 2". Taking to the skies costs range, so a 16" Advance becomes 14", for instance.
• Each time a FLYING model moves during that move:
• Vertical distance is ignored entirely when measuring how far the model has travelled — climbing up or dropping down terrain costs no movement.
• The model can pass through every type of model, including enemy models and MONSTER or VEHICLE models.
• The model can move both horizontally and vertically through every category of terrain feature.

The trade-off is deliberate: taking to the skies clips 2" off your move, but in exchange you glide over units and scenery that would otherwise block or slow the unit, and you ignore the vertical cost of ascending and descending terrain. If a FLYING unit has a clear path along the ground, keeping its feet on the floor preserves the full 2".

Frequently asked questions

What is a surge move in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?

A surge move is a bonus move granted by a specific rule, such as an ability that lets a unit lunge forward after losing models to enemy shooting. Its distance is set by the triggering rule rather than by the unit's own Move characteristic.

When can a unit make a surge move in 40k?

A unit can surge only if the triggering rule has fired, the unit is not Battle-shocked, it is unengaged, and it has not already moved this phase. Before moving you pick the closest enemy unit as the surge target and pile in toward it.

What does the FLY keyword do in Warhammer 40,000?

A model with the FLY keyword, and its unit, can choose to take to the skies move by move. While doing so it ignores vertical distance and can pass through any model and every category of terrain feature.

How much movement does taking to the skies cost in 40k?

Declaring that a FLYING unit takes to the skies subtracts 2" from that move's maximum distance, so a 16" Advance becomes 14". In exchange the unit glides over models and scenery and ignores the vertical cost of climbing terrain.

Can you fly on any move in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?

Flight is a per-move choice, not automatic. Each time a FLYING unit is picked to perform a move — whether normal, Advance, Fall Back, or charge — the active player may declare it will take to the skies before any model moves.