Category: Video Games

It is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Warhammer 40,000 universe — at least, it was. Via a new codex, Games Workshop has finally revealed the true nature of the much-debated Terminus Decree — and some Warhammer 40,000 lore fans really wish it hadn’t.

The Terminus Decree, for the uninitiated, is the final order issued to the Grey Knights, perhaps the most mysterious chapter of Space Marines in the setting, before the Emperor was placed within the Golden Throne following his mortal wounding by the Warmaster Horus at the end of the Horus Heresy.

(For more on the Emperor’s current… situation, check out this article here.)

The idea is that only the Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights can open The Terminus Decree and discover what, exactly, this final order entails. Essentially, it’s a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ Pandora’s box — and Warhammer 40,000 fans have wondered what was inside for years.

Now, with the release of the new Grey Knights codex (a book packed with background lore, pictures of miniatures for use on the tabletop game, and fresh rules to play around with), Games Workshop has for the first time revealed what The Terminus Decree actually involves.

Warning! Spoilers for Warhammer 40,000 lore follow:

A single passage in the new Grey Knights codex has lit up Warhammer 40,000 lore fans, as it reveals the ultimate duty of the Grey Knights is to either kill or re-entomb the Emperor within the Golden Throne, should he ever attempt to leave, be reborn, or ascend to godhood. This is The Terminus Decree: an ultra-secret doomsday device, a contingency box left by the Emperor himself that would have the Grey Knights force him back onto the Golden throne, should he ever recover and dare to leave it.

New Grey Knights Codex “explains” The Terminus Decree
…what?
WHAT!?
HOW!
WHEN!?
H O W!? pic.twitter.com/87h9wjeQPB

— Tôryk BirdThrowa (@Torykbirdthrowa) July 29, 2025

Interestingly, the passage reveals The Terminus Decree offers no guidance for how the Grey Knights should do this, if they ever have to, and that they might have to cut through the Adeptus Custodes to do it. The Custodes are the Emperor’s super powerful bodyguard — even more powerful than the Space Marines — so good luck with that!

This is a huge amount for any Warhammer 40,000 lore fan to take in. It is a major revelation, one that puts an end to years of debate at this point. Whether you take it as the Emperor being smart because he knew that if he were ever to return it simply wouldn’t be him but something else entirely (this development would potentially tap into ongoing The Dark King plotline), or Games Workshop planting seeds for something big they’re building towards (Chief Custodian Constantin Valdor looms large over the setting, and it does seem like the Emperor is… stirring), the inescapable truth is now we know, whether we like it or not.

And that’s a big issue for some Warhammer 40,000 lore fans, who have since expressed their frustration that Games Workshop has explained this mystery at all. Warhammer 40,000 is packed full of unexplained mysteries, hanging plot threads, and tantalizing puzzles that it may never get around to explaining. Take, for example, the mystery of the II and XI, the Forgotten and the Purged, the two lost primarchs and their two lost legions. Games Workshop has danced around revealing this part of Warhammer 40,000 lore for years, and many hope the truth is never revealed. Speculation is, after all, part of the fun. There is much to be said for leaving things to the imagination.

And that was the case with The Terminus Decree, until now. So what gives? Why reveal it now? Why take the speculation and imagination away from fans on this lore point in particular? There is much vehement reaction from the community. Here’s a snippet:

“I don’t really like this,” redditor aposi said. “It both spoils the mystery and changes the concept from a weapon of last resort in a doomsday scenario (which is cool to speculate about) to just trying to restore the status quo in the event one of those cool speculative things happens.”

There has never been a case where GW filled in lore that was better than just leaving it up the the players imagination.

But this is by far the most atrocious example. Not even close.

— Shadow of a Doubt (@Shadow_ofaDoubt) July 30, 2025

“Dislike… outright annoyed by it,” added Drxero1xero. “Huge mystery, leave it unknown or make a novel or three out of it… Nope throw it away in text box in a codex.

“GW are little by little sucking the fun out of warhammer’s settings, flat and colorless… no mystery, all little bites of lore…”

GW is lost, they’re just going to explain everything and take the mystery out of things aren’t they?

— Gage Davidson (@GageDavidson608) July 30, 2025

“I feel like this not only completely undermines the whole mystery, but it doesn’t even work. At all,” said TheVoidDragon.

“The cool thing about the lore was not quite knowing what it was, what it would do, or what it was even about. The mystery and speculation on what it could be was what made it intriguing for so many years. To now just outright define it takes all that way completely, it’s just plainly stated exactly what it is as if it doesn’t matter.”

Leaving mysteries is essential to the mystique of 40k. If a mystery must be revealed, it must be a magnificent piece of writing. In this case, they marble brained one of the most foreboding and cool things the grey knights had. FFS GW

— LazySternguard (@LazySternguard) July 30, 2025

The next obvious question is, will The Terminus Decree come into effect any time soon? Will we see, perhaps in a novel, another codex, or a blog post, the Grey Knights actually fight the Custodes because the Emperor has somehow revived himself? Or is this just an odd spike of activity in Warhammer 40,000 lore that causes a kerfuffle now, but won’t lead to anything for years to come?

Like the Warp itself, Games Workshop sometimes feels unknowable.

The God-Emperor, by John Blanche. Image credit: Games Workshop.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The Land of Shu is full of dangers, and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers doesn’t always explain its mechanics. We’ve teamed up with the experts at Maxroll to bring you a beginner’s guide, builds to crush the game’s hardest bosses, additional resources and mechanical overviews, and much more.

Beginner’s Guide

Get started with Maxroll’s Beginner’s Guide. Combat in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is different from a lot of other Soulslikes, as your main resource Skyborn Might revolves around getting “perfect dodges” called Shimmers (think Sekiro but with hitting B instead of LB). You can then spend Skyborn Might to empower your weapon skills, or instantly execute a charged heavy attack. This is particularly useful because you can use charged heavy attacks to stagger foes, opening them up to a powerful Obliterate attack. Maxroll’s Beginner’s Guide also covers topics like leveling up using the Impetus Repository system, how the game’s unique Madness system works, and the various character progression systems including Temperance, Benedictions, Disciplines and more. Then, learn how to traverse the land of Shu, find hidden secrets and interact with Wuchang’s riddle doors.

Progression Systems

During Chapter 1 – Worship’s Rise, you’re introduced to several progression systems. Each system makes Wuchang a little stronger and by combining them you’re able to make some truly powerful builds that cut through the game’s hardest bosses with ease.

Weapons are the core of any build, the game offers five different weapon classes; Longsword, Spear, One-Handed Sword, Dual Blades, and Axe. Each weapon has a unique move set and a pool of customizable Disciplines. In addition, each weapon within a class has its own unique weapon skill.

• Check out Maxroll’s Weapon guide to learn more about your options, or browse all of the available Weapons.
• Weapons have unique skills, some of which can trivialize bosses. These Weapon Skills are powerful and can be further enhanced by expending Skyborn Might.
• Each weapon offers several Disciplines, custom moves that can be used with L2/LT. Learn the best with Maxroll’s Discipline guide or browse all of them in the database.
• Benedictions are gem-like enhancements socketed into your weapon. You can use one Oath type Benediction, one Wisdom and one Memory. Learn the best with Maxroll’s Benediction and Benediction Sets guide or browse the database to see all Benedictions and Benediction Sets.
• Weapons are enhanced through the Impetus Repository, the unique level-up system in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. Learn more with Maxroll’s Impetus Repository guide, or browse all of the Impetus Repository skills in the database.
• Temperance provides a powerful in-combat buff to Wuchang. She can insert various needles into her acupoints to change the element of the buff, or add unique effects. Learn more with Maxroll’s Temperance and Needle guide or browse the list of Bone and Stone needles.

Weapons aren’t the only item(s) you can equip in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. In addition, you have access to a variety of Armor Sets each of which has a unique appearance and provides slightly different stats. You can also use Jade Pendants that provide small bonuses, use consumable items (some of which are refilled when you rest at a Shrine), and equip powerful spells capable of unleashing devastation on bosses.

• Learn more about Armor and Pendants with Maxroll’s dedicated guide, or browse the database to peruse all of the Armor and Jade Pendant options available.
• Spend Skyborn Might to cast powerful spells, learn the best with Maxroll’s Magic and Spellcasting guide. Or simply browse through all of the Magic, Feathering and Utility spells.

Burning Questions

In addition to explaining the game’s mechanics and progression systems, here’s a short list of guides from Maxroll that answer some burning questions like “how do I beat Commander Honglan” or where to find the most powerful defensive spell in the game!

• How to Farm Red Mercury
• How to beat Commander – Honglan (with a full build)
• How to get Ethereal Form

Plus, check out these early-game guides from IGN. Blocking and “parrying” aren’t automatically built into Wuchang’s moveset:

• How to Block
• How to Parry

Builds

Each of the game’s five weapons has a unique playstyle. The Longsword is a balanced weapon that acts as a middle ground. Spears have great reach and excellent Disciplines, but have a weaker charged heavy attack animation. One-Handed Swords have long animations and low damage but provide Spell Damage, enabling a dedicated caster archetype. The Dual Blades reward all out aggression as you clash through enemy attacks and heal yourself. Axes hit hard, staggering foes and stopping them in their tracks, but they also tend to be slower and have higher stamina costs.

• Dual Blades Blademaster
• Spellcaster Build
• Axe Rampage Build

Database

Use Maxroll’s Wuchang: Fallen Feathers database to learn more about all of the items in the game. This includes Weapon scaling at different upgrade levels, defensive stats on armor and spell scaling. You can also learn about the materials you need to upgrade your Weapons, Manna Flask and more. You can use the search feature to find exactly what you want or browse different categories to learn about your options. If you want more details, click through to an item’s page.

More to Come

That’s it for now, Maxroll is hard at work adding a Spear build, along with more resources. Check out their Wuchang: Fallen Feathers page for more.

By: IGN staff with help from Maxroll

Xbox just had a great Q2…and it might have PlayStation to thank. Or is it PlayStation that should be thanking Xbox?

Per data shared from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, six of the ten best-selling games on PlayStation consoles in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2025 (April through June) were published by Microsoft.

Most of those games were new. Forza Horizon 5 debuted at No.2 for the quarter (just behind Elden Ring Nightreign). The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Remastered was right behind it. Doom: The Dark Ages debuted at No. 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle came in at No.8.