Guardian Battlehost: The 11th-Edition Aeldari Objective Detachment
How to play Guardian Battlehost in 11th edition — the 2-DP infantry detachment that makes Guardians and Dire Avengers accurate, resilient objective-holders.
SprueSentry strategy commentary for 11th edition, not official rules. Games Workshop updates points and rules regularly — always confirm against the current official rules and your latest dataslate before a game.
Guardian Battlehost is the Aeldari objective-holding infantry detachment: a 2-Detachment-Point package that turns cheap Guardians and Dire Avengers into disciplined defenders who hit hardest where the game is won. It reflects Warhammer 40,000 11th edition (10th-ed Codex: Aeldari + Faction Pack v1.0).
This is SprueSentry strategy commentary, not official rules. The June 2026 pack reworded one enhancement; points weren't cleanly confirmed, so verify against the current codex, pack and the Warhammer 40,000 app before a game.
What the Defend at All Costs detachment rule does
Each time a Dire Avenger, Guardian, Support Weapon or War Walker model attacks, if its own unit and/or the target is within range of an objective, it adds 1 to the Hit roll. Because the buff triggers whether you or the enemy are near a marker, your infantry fire at full accuracy from their own objectives and into anything contesting one. It's a simple, always-on payoff that makes a Guardian horde punch well above its cost on an objective-dense mission.
Stratagems and when to use them
- Warding Salvoes (Shooting/Fight) — re-roll Wounds against an enemy near an objective. Stack with the +1 to Hit for a hard-hitting volley.
- Shield Nodes (defensive) — -1 to Wound against a Guardian/Dire Avenger unit near an objective, hardening your holders.
- Time to Strike (Movement) — a Storm Guardians unit adds a flat 6" and can still shoot (and charge) after Advancing, to deliver melta and flamers.
- Vaul's Vengeance — a War Walker shoots back after an enemy destroys one of your infantry squads.
- Blades of Asuryan (Shooting) — a unit's ranged weapons gain Pistol, to fire while engaged.
- Cost of Victory — recycle a battered Guardians unit into Strategic Reserves.
Enhancements worth taking
- Craftworld's Champion — the bearer has Objective Control 5, making its unit extremely sticky on a point.
- Ethereal Pathway — up to two Guardian units gain Infiltrators for aggressive forward deployment.
- Protector of the Paths — free Fire Overwatch once per round (better near objectives).
- Breath of Vaul (reworded for 11th ed) — re-roll flamer shots and fusion-gun Damage while leading a Storm Guardians unit.
Key units
- Guardian Defenders — the cheap Battleline core that holds objectives and hits on 2s near markers; a heavy weapon platform adds a gun per squad.
- Dire Avengers — the best-quality Guardian-keyword shooting, and a durable objective anchor with Warding Salvoes and Shield Nodes.
- Storm Guardians — an aggressive melta/flamer squad enabled by Breath of Vaul and Time to Strike.
- Support Weapons — D-cannon and Wraithcannon batteries that gain +1 to Hit near objectives.
- War Walkers — mobile firepower and the Vaul's Vengeance payoff unit.
When to pick Guardian Battlehost
Take it for a horde-lite, objective-holding Aeldari list built on massed Guardians and Dire Avengers rather than Aspect Warriors or Wraiths. It shines on objective-dense (Take and Hold) missions where the +1 to Hit is almost always live, and at 2 DP it leaves 1 DP for a support. Choose it when you want board control and resilient scoring infantry over alpha-strike damage.
Sample gameplan: deploy Guardians and Dire Avengers on or just behind your objectives, using Ethereal Pathway to Infiltrate two squads forward. Fire at full accuracy from your own markers, screen with Storm Guardians and push them up with Time to Strike to melt priority targets. Defensively, stack Shield Nodes on the squad the enemy commits to, recycle a broken unit with Cost of Victory, and hold War Walkers back as a Vaul's Vengeance counter-punch. Win on scoring, not tabling.
Common questions
How many Detachment Points is Guardian Battlehost?
2 DP, leaving 1 DP at a 2,000-point game for a support detachment like Armoured Warhost or Path of the Outcast.
What is the Guardian Battlehost detachment rule?
Defend at All Costs: your Guardians, Dire Avengers, Support Weapons and War Walkers add 1 to the Hit roll whenever their own unit or the target is within range of an objective marker — so your infantry fire at full accuracy on and around objectives.
What units are best in Guardian Battlehost?
Guardian Defenders and Dire Avengers as the accurate, resilient objective core, Storm Guardians as an aggressive melta/flamer squad, plus Support Weapons and War Walkers that also benefit from the objective +1 to Hit.
Is Guardian Battlehost good on objective missions?
Yes — that's its specialty. Its +1-to-Hit rule is almost always live on objective-dense missions, and its stratagems and enhancements (Shield Nodes, Craftworld's Champion, sticky objectives) reward holding and contesting ground.
Written by SprueSentry with SprueSentry editorial (hand-authored, research-grounded), grounded in the cited sources — original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.