Strategic Reserves

Strategic Reserves let you hold units off the table at deployment and bring them onto the battlefield later in the game, arriving from the board edges via an ingress move. This guide covers how to place units in reserve, the 50% points cap, when and where reserves can arrive, and the deadline after which unarrived reserves are destroyed.

Placing Units in Strategic Reserves

During the Declare Battle Formations step at the start of the battle, you may nominate one or more of your friendly units to go into Strategic Reserves rather than deploying them onto the battlefield. FORTIFICATIONS cannot be placed in reserve. Any unit you select is set aside off the table instead of being deployed normally; it counts as a strategic reserves unit and will enter play during the game.

There is a hard ceiling on how much you can hold back. Unless a rule says otherwise, the total points value of every unit you keep in Strategic Reserves may not exceed 50% of the points limit for your battle size. This total includes any units embarked inside a TRANSPORT that is itself placed in reserve — the passengers count toward the cap alongside the vehicle carrying them.

Repositioned Units

Some abilities let you pull a unit off the battlefield mid-game and put it back into Strategic Reserves. A unit removed this way is a repositioned unit, and the following rules apply on top of any other restrictions the ability imposes (such as limits on where it can re-enter):

• If the rule is used during the Movement phase, it works even on a unit that has already moved that phase.
• If a repositioned unit is set back up in the same turn it made an Advance, Fall Back, or disembark move, it still counts as having made that move for the rest of the turn.
• Any effect that was applying to the unit for a set duration or under specific conditions carries over while those conditions still hold. For example, a unit that was Battle-shocked when removed remains Battle-shocked if it returns that same turn, whereas a unit that was benefiting from an aura loses that benefit if it re-enters outside the aura's range.

Arriving From Strategic Reserves

To come onto the battlefield, each strategic reserves unit makes an ingress move. Unless a rule states otherwise, no unit can make this move until the second battle round or later — nothing arrives from reserve on turn one.

An ingress move works as follows:

• Set-up distance: 6". The unit is eligible while it is in Strategic Reserves, excluding units embarked in a TRANSPORT that is itself in reserve — the transport arrives first and disembarks its passengers later.
• While moving: place the unit so it sits fully within 6" of a battlefield edge while keeping it more than 8" horizontally away from every enemy unit.
• Deployment-zone restriction: before the third battle round begins, no model may be placed inside your opponent's deployment zone when arriving. From the third round onward, that restriction lifts.
• After moving: unless stated otherwise, the unit cannot make any further type of move until the start of the next Charge phase.

The Third-Round Deadline

Reserves cannot loiter off the table indefinitely. At the end of the third battle round, unless a rule says otherwise, every strategic reserves unit that has not made at least one ingress move is destroyed. Two exceptions survive this cull:

• Units still embarked within a TRANSPORT that has itself made an ingress move during the battle.
• Repositioned units — those removed from the table and returned to reserve by a rule mid-game, rather than held back from the start.

Because reserves are locked out until the second round and face the destruction deadline at the end of the third, you effectively have the second and third battle rounds to commit them. Plan the timing and the arrival edge before you commit points to reserve, since a unit that never lands is simply lost.

Frequently asked questions

How do Strategic Reserves work in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?

During the Declare Battle Formations step you set chosen units aside instead of deploying them, then bring them onto the table later with an ingress move from a board edge. FORTIFICATIONS cannot be held back this way.

What is the points limit for Strategic Reserves in 40k?

Unless a rule says otherwise, everything you hold in Strategic Reserves can total no more than 50% of the points limit for your battle size. Passengers riding inside a TRANSPORT that is also in reserve count toward that cap alongside the vehicle.

When can units arrive from Strategic Reserves in Warhammer 40,000?

Unless a rule states otherwise, no strategic reserves unit can make its ingress move until the second battle round or later, so nothing enters play on turn one. Each arriving unit must be placed fully within 6" of a battlefield edge while remaining over 8" horizontally from every enemy unit.

Can reserves arrive in the enemy deployment zone in 11th edition?

No model may be placed inside your opponent's deployment zone when arriving before the third battle round begins. From the third round onward that restriction lifts and you can land there.

What happens to Strategic Reserves that never arrive in 40k?

At the end of the third battle round, every strategic reserves unit that has not made at least one ingress move is destroyed. The exceptions are units still embarked in a TRANSPORT that has itself ingressed, and repositioned units returned to reserve mid-game.