Rather than objectives existing as tokens that units need to stand next to, most are now secured by claiming a terrain area*. It might sound like a simple change, but it has a couple of big implications that shake up how you’ll approach the battle for your objectives.
For starters, many objectives will now offer a measure of cover to those capturing them, so you don’t need to worry about your dutiful vanguard being left out in the open as a sacrificial lamb. Infantry, Beasts, and Swarms that choose not to shoot can also make use of the new Hidden rule that we saw earlier this week to avoid long-range fire, making them safer as they contribute to your overall victory.
Larger units, such as vehicles and monsters, will also be able to contribute to claiming objectives in greater safety. While not able to use Terrain Areas to gain cover, they can still perch behind ruins, trees, and rubble to gain the benefit of cover, which will be most of the time when holding an objective, as objectives ARE ruins, trees or rubble.
Vehicles can also traverse the terrain around objectives more easily, being able to move through lighter features like low walls, scrub, and treelines without slowing (effectively, all the yellow bits on these maps).
