Overview

Warhammer 40K Eldar Wraithbone Retcon Controversy, also known as Games Workshop Aeldari Wraithbone Lore Retcon refers to a significant change in the lore of the Eldar (Aeldari) faction from the Warhammer 40,000 universe regarding the nature of wraithbone, one of the main materials used in the construction of many Eldar technologies, armors and structures.

The mid-February 2025 lore update, which debuted alongside the faction's 10th Edition codex of the tabletop game (TTG), characterizes wraithbone as a composite material “grown as much as it is forged,” suggesting it’s formed from various ores and minerals, straying from the original concept that depicted it as a mystical substance created through psychic manipulation. The lore change and retcon (retroactive continuity) sparked a significant amount of backlash from the fandom (similar to the Female Custodes Controversy), especially from Eldar fans and players, as it spread online and spawned memes in February 2025.

Background

On February 8th, 2025, Games Workshop’s 10th Edition Codex: Aeldari material was released online as part of the tabletop game's range refresh and new model release for Warhammer 40,000. In a particular section of the material, the description of the iconic Eldar material called wraithbone was changed from a warp-based material to one implying a more realistic manufacturing process using ore and other materials.

On February 9th, 2025, Redditor^[1] u/dduckddoctor posted one of the earliest mentions of the lore update about the Warhammer 40,000 material, writing an excerpt from the codex regarding wraithbone’s new concept, titled “The Wraithbone Change a.k.a. Gutting a Faction's Lore.” The post (seen below) received over 1,100 upvotes and 395 comments in five days.

After the post went viral on Reddit, u/dduckddoctor added the full section about the updated description of wraithbone in the faction's newly released codex as an edit to their post (seen below).

Online Reactions

The wraithbone retcon quickly sparked backlash and negative comments among Warhammer 40K fans, especially Eldar players, many of whom felt that Games Workshop had neglected or mistreated them for years in the universe's lore.^[4]

For instance, on February 10th, 2025, YouTuber^[2] Jon Del Arroz uploaded a video commenting on the lore retcon controversy, which received roughly 13,000 views and 850 likes in three days.

On February 8th, 2025, X^[3] user @pancreasno posted a Dragon Ball Frieza I'll Ignore That meme with the caption, "Not to worry everyone, I know how to handle the wraithbone lore change," as a response to a tweet about the lore update. The tweet (seen below) received more than 22,000 views and 1,200 likes in five days.

Numerous memes referencing the controversy appeared on Reddit in mid-February 2025. For instance, Redditor AutumnArchfey posted an illustration of an Eldar woman reacting to the codex change to the /r/Grimdank^[5] subreddit on February 8th, receiving over 4,300 upvotes and 650 comments in five days.

On February 10th, 2025, Redditor dazli69 posted an edit of the contentious tweet from the Warhammer Official X / Twitter account during the Femstodes controversy to the /r/Grimdank^[6] subreddit, receiving over 1,800 upvotes and 310 comments in three days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References