In Warhammer 40K 9th Edition, heavy weapons work a little bit differently than they did in 8th. The way that heavy weapons work is you get a -1 to hit if you move and fire. 9th Edition is a big deal because -1 to hit is the largest penalty you can receive.
So if I’ve got heavy weapons, I want to shoot into a unit that is in dense cover because I’ve already got -1 to hit them. I may as well move with my heavy weapon. I’m incentivized to be more mobile with those heavy weapons against a unit that gives me -1 to hit.
And strategically it’s better to hide my heavy weapons unit behind a terrain where they can’t be shot and then move out and fire because I know I’ve got -1 to shoot my opponent anyway.
So your opponent can’t shoot you on the first turn. On your turn, you move out and blast them with your heavy weapons!
Heavy Weapons in Warhammer For Infantry
Also in 8th Edition anything that moved and fired with a heavy weapon got -1 to hit. In 9th Edition it only applies to infantry.
So if your model does not have the infantry keyword then you can move and fire with a heavy weapon without penalty.
That means monsters and vehicles can now move and fire without penalties. So heavy weapons in 9th Edition are far more effective, and you’re going to have a lot more mobility with them.
That covers the basics of how heavy weapons work in Warhammer 40k 9th Edition. How to use other weapons like Rapid Fire have also been covered.
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