Pre-orders open Feb 14 for The Maelstrom with Red Corsairs, Eldritch Raiders

Pre-orders opened Saturday, February 14 around 1 p.m. EST for The Maelstrom: Lair of the Tyrant and an associated wave of boxed sets, with a street date of Saturday, February 28, 2026. Warhammer Community’s product copy frames the set as a Red Corsairs‑led story, urging hobbyists to “Plunge into the swirling warp storms of the Maelstrom in the next narrative expansion for Warhammer 40,000, starring the unscrupulous Red Corsairs as they and their infamous captain, Huron Blackheart, set out to plunder the Imperium’s soft underbelly.”

The Maelstrom: Lair of the Tyrant ships as a decorative slipcase containing three softback books and one booklet and splits its content across new background lore, a piratical campaign system, custom character creation rules, and new Detachments for the Chaos Space Marines, Aeldari, Orks, and Leagues of Votann. A Collector’s Edition matches the same contents but adds premium physical touches; Warhammer Community says each book in the Collector’s Edition is “bound in premium, alternate art covers stamped with red foil details and matching red gilt page edges, and possesses a red ribbon page marker.” Product pages show “pre‑order now” CTAs and emphasize availability “while stocks last.”

Games Workshop also released Huron Blackheart as a new miniature and a Masters of the Maelstrom crew kit that splits into Huron plus a command squad only he can join. Spikeybits summarized the kit as “Huron Blackheart returns with a new mini and a Masters of the Maelstrom ‘crew’ kit that splits into Huron plus a command squad only he can join.” Sprues & Brews, which received review copies from Games Workshop, praised the sculpt and painting prospects, saying “I know Huron himself has been a little marmite, but I really like this new sculpt and really enjoyed painting him up!”

Two limited battleforces headline the boxed model offerings. Battleforce: Lords of the Maelstrom packs ten new Red Corsairs Raiders, a new multi‑part Reave‑Captain, ten Chaos Space Marines Legionaries, five Chaos Terminators, ten Traitor Guardsmen, and a Red Corsairs upgrades set with shoulder pads and extras; Warhammer Community and Spikeybits note the box is limited and that the individual kits inside will be released separately later. Battleforce: Eldritch Raiders combines a new Prince Yriel, Corsair characters including Kharseth, Skyreavers, Voidreavers, and a Starfang/Vyper; Spikeybits lists regional pre‑order prices at $255 in the USA, $310 in Canada, $420 in Australia, £155 in the UK, and €200 in the EU.

Frontlinegaming tracked additional battalions and merch in the same wave, including a Drukhari Maelstrom Battalion built from a Succubus, two Venoms, three Reavers, five Hellions, and ten Wyches, and a Leagues of Votann battalion including a Memnyr Strategist, three Hernkyn Pioneers, and six Ironkin Steeljacks. Frontlinegaming also flagged a Map of the Imperium knitted blanket sized 160 cm by 102 cm that is delayed in Australia and New Zealand.

On rules access, Sprues & Brews reported that “all the profiles for new models and some detachments are actually available for free on Warhammer Community, so there’s no need to have to pick up the book for the rules - but the book is 100% worth picking up for the rest of it!” Reviewers’ disclosure notes that Games Workshop provided review copies to Sprues & Brews. Warhammer Community’s product pages repeat that the Collector’s Edition and limited battleforces are available while stocks last, so expect initial scarcity and later individual kit releases.

How will you slot Huron’s exclusive command squad or Prince Yriel into Maelstrom raids now that the slipcased campaign system and new detachments are live and Eldritch is priced at $255 in the US?