David Petry Expands Total War Warhammer With Destructible Cover

Total war warhammer 40,000 will let players tear down forests, buildings, and other map cover, including terrain Imperial Guardsmen might be using. David Petry says the change is coming into play, but only in areas where destruction fits the battle space.

David Petry on cover

"One of the really big and exciting things that we're doing here is the destruction now is going to come into play," Petry said during the closing segment of the first Total War Show & Tell. He added, "That forest - if you don't like it, get rid of it."

Joshua Williams called it "the biggest mental shift" for the series because players have long had to work around dense terrain. In this game, he said, they can remove obstacles with surface-to-surface ordnance or by calling in an orbital strike.

Orbital strikes and ruins

Williams said he can get rid of buildings and make the battlefield "a lower density map" when he wants to open lines of fire. Petry said units can also stand on ruins and the like for a clearer shot, while jetpacks give players another way to jump over obstacles and get into melee.

That shift changes how cover works in practice. Petry said, "Being completely clear, not absolutely everything is destructible, right?" and added, "We've kept it to areas where it really works and makes sense, and it feels like it can really sort of add to that depth."

2026 battlefield planning

Petry said players can even shoot at a building next to enemies and drop it on them. He also said orbital strikes depend on having a fleet in position with the right armaments, and that a fleet loaded with a macro cannon can make Space Marines appear exactly where the enemy does not want them.

For players, the practical change is simple: cover is no longer fixed, so dense maps will reward faster decisions about whether to hide behind a ruin, delete a forest, or break open a lane with ordnance. Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is one of Julian's most anticipated games of 2026, and this destructible-terrain system is the feature most likely to change how battles are played once it arrives.

First Total War Show & Tell

The first Total War Show & Tell is where the developers laid out the destruction system and the limits around it. The biggest question now is how often those limits will matter once players start using forests, buildings, and orbital fire in the same fight.