The Warhammer 40,000 Narrative Finally Looks Set for a Significant Jolt Forward After 500 Worlds Book Teases Long-Awaited Meeting of Primarchs Roboute Guilliman and Lion El’Jonson

According to the new video from Arbitor Ian, 500 Worlds: Titus has a crucial piece of new lore, found right at the back of the book, that teases a meeting between Guilliman and Lion El’Jonson. It is an intergalactic message written by Lion El’Jonson and intended for Roboute Guilliman that reads: “Brother. We need to talk.”

This seemingly innocuous message teases a momentous plot development for the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Never before have two loyalist primarchs met in the current setting. Of course they spent a great deal of time with each other before the 41st millennium. They were, generally, pals during the glory days of the Great Crusade, for example. All the primarchs (apart from the two we don’t talk about) were active during the foundational events of the Horus Heresy, which took place 10,000 years before the current setting. And we just got our first novel set during the era known as The Scouring, which saw the loyalist primarchs enact their revenge on the traitor legions in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy.

The question now is, how will this meeting between Lion El’Jonson and Roboute go? It’s hard to tell. Some fans are speculating the Lion will be a bit miffed at Roboute, who has alarmed more than a few inquisitive minds with his Indomitus Crusade. Others think (hope?) the brothers will join forces to help drive back the forces of Chaos and rekindle the glory days of the Imperium. Given this is Warhammer 40,000 and everything is… awful, I suspect that plenty will go wrong, no matter the Lion’s feelings about his brother.

And then there’s the speculation around the message itself: “Brother. We need to talk.” That doesn’t sound aggressive necessarily, but it does suggest a matter of some importance needs to be brought to Guilliman’s attention. What does the Lion know that his brother doesn’t? Does he carry a warning? Has he discovered some grand conspiracy about their father, the Emperor? Does he bring good news? Is another loyalist primarch about to return?

Arbitor Ian speculates that the Lion may be upset with Guilliman because he believes his brother to be trying to usurp the Emperor with all this Indomitus Crusade and Ultramarian Reclamation business (there’s a whole thing about Roboute potentially doing something similar during the Horus Heresy when it looked like Chaos might win). Alternatively, Arbitor Ian suggests the Lion will reveal some new threat that becomes central to the plot of the next Warhammer 40,000 campaign book, perhaps to do with would-be fifth Chaos god Vashtorr the Arkifane.

Whatever Games Workshop has up its sleeve, it looks like we’re set for some answers over the next few months. At least, that’s the hope. Fans have been waiting three years for the Lion and Guilliman to get together. If Games Workshop just sat on this tease for another few years, well… that would be very Games Workshop, wouldn’t it?

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.