Horus Heresy 2e Review: Coronus Grav-Carrier

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2/5 stars. It carries Custodes, but it isn't an assault vehicle. 

Background.

An anti-grav skimmer used only by the Custodes. Fast, and possessing technology not found in other forces, the grav-carrier is a mainstay for the Emperor's finest.

Strengths.

It is fast with an incredible 16 inch move, and has an impressive 16 transport capacity (which translates to six ordinary Custodes). The weapons are very reasonable and they can fire at different targets. 

Weaknesses.

Honestly, the key thing that means you're not going to buy these is the lack of the grav craft being an assault vehicle. I cannot underscore enough just how much this sucks. Sure, it has deep strike and outflank. But your Custodes are an uber-elite close combat fighting force. They need to be in place and chopping things up close and personal. They aren't going to be shooting to victory most of the time. I can see a case for some melta-cide units, but beyond that, just forget it. 

Builds.

There are no builds to consider here. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sentinel Guard Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. I prefer the regular Custodian Guard Squad, but that's not to say this unit isn't great: it strictly is great.

Background.

Arguably having a greater degree of coordination than other formations, this squad is fundamentally a defensive configuration. They're still crazy deadly. 

Strengths.

They retain the Custodes stat line but have exchanged their spears for the Praesidium Shields and Sentinel Warblades. This grants them a little extra durability. 

I would advise taking some of those Solarite Power Gauntlets myself. They have "line" so hanging back on an objective is also a fine play for this unit. 

Weaknesses.

The price to be paid here is slightly less attacking potential. So what? They're still Custodes and they're still powerful. It is true though, I prefer them with spears. Just saying.  I can certainly see them doing well in boarding actions and Zone Mortalis in general though.

Builds.

3 Sentinels, 1 with Power Gauntlet (180 points).

A base line build. Take at least 1 power gauntlet in each squad, just in case!

5 Sentinels, 1 Vexilla, 2 Power Gauntlets (310 points).

A mid range unit that provides a potent threat. Expand the number in the squad to taste. 

Alpha Legion Painted Infernal Master (Librarian or Esoterist)

The Infernal Master from the Thousand Sons provided a good basis for a mini conversion a while back. I've finally got around to painting this marine up and I do like the results here.

What appeals to me here is that we are possibly seeing the corruption of what was a loyal marine into something a bit more sinister. It is a half way house between something that used to exist, and something that will exist in the future. Still enough of a remnant of the past to give a flavour of the Alpha Legion that was (iconography, decals) and what will become (sorcery and Tzeentian corruption). What also appeals that the blue and green should never be seen, and I've made a whole pallet out of the poor colour pairing!

 

More Iron Warriors Painted

The title of the post says it all really! More Iron Warrior troops have been painted up!

The sergeant has a plasma pistol and power fist, while the rest of the squad have affixed bayonets to their bolt guns ready for the next melee!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Custodian Guard Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Nearly undoubtedly the best troops squad in the game.

Background.

Superhumans, and pumped up even more than regular space marines. They are potent to a fault, and loyal to the Emperor alone.

Strengths.

With 5's across the board, 2 wounds and 4 attacks each, these are troops that will make an impact in almost every role they need to play.

They can take more members (up to 10 in the squad) along with some upgrades like axes, and alternative spears. But even the base build is excellent. The T=5 coupled with 2+ save (not to mention the invulnerable) means that they can handle most other troops in the game, including enemy terminators. 

Weaknesses.

Arguably Ld=9 is a weakness? Loyalist only? Honestly folks, I'm struggling to identify many weaknesses for the points cost you are paying. For Line troops, you don't get much better. 

Builds.

3 Custodians, 1 with Guardian Axe (150 points).

The base build is excellent. I like having an axe in here for tackling higher toughness enemies.

3 Custodians, all with Pyrithite Spears (195 points).

A specialist unit here for tanks and dreadnoughts. I don't see much point in the Adrasite Spears myself.

10 Custodians, 2 with Axes, Vexilla with Warblade (485 points).

Several lots of this squad, and you have an army that can kill most things. However, it would be very rude to field such an army in case you still have friends at this point. Slightly smaller squads might be preferred to take advantage of Line everywhere. I like the vexilla with the larger squad.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars, rounded down. A great unit!

Background.

Look, Custodes can recover from many physical injuries. But every once in a while something (undefined, but probably brutally nasty) happens that they cannot recover from physically. Where they still have the will, they get interred in a dreadnought. There are few of these though due to the previously mentioned facts. But those that do exist are exquisitely made.

Strengths.

What do you get when you mix a Custodes with a Contemptor? A horrifying stat line is the answer with amazing S, T, and even W, along with WS=6 to boot. They also still go at movement = 8. Very impressive to say the least ... but also on par with other dreadnoughts at first glance until you remember the nemesis enemies special rule. 

I like the weapons here a lot. The fist is nice and standard, but the ranged weapons are great. There's enough firepower here to put multiple wounds on large opponents like knights, and to take out enemy terminator squads as well. 

Weaknesses.

They might get bogged down in the same way that other dreadnoughts do in regular space marine armies. The thing here is that your enemies that are capable of taking it down should already be tied up with the other elements of your Custodes army. Spread the enemy thin and you will readily get going with this Contemptor. 

Builds.

Achillus with Dreadspear and Power Fist (250 points).

I very much favour the base build here. It has threats all round - name your enemy from vehicles to troops and it has a plausible answer.

Wargames Gallery: Hazard Stripe Supremacy

In the same location as yesterday's image, this one is the Alpha Legion Lernaeans trying to rip through a line of Iron Warriors troops guarding an objective. 

For the record, the Alpha Legion succeeded thanks to lots of hazard stripes on their chain fists. The character melee went very poorly for the sergeant of the Iron Warriors. It was a one round affair in favour of the Alpha Legion. Sorry to the Iron Warriors fans out there!

Wargames Gallery: We are the Loyalists

An Alpha Legion Lernaean terminator squad face off in deadly close combat against Iron Warriors terminators in cataphractii armour. The Tyrant Siege terminators failed to make their charge into the same whirling combat, resulting in the subsequent combat being a bit more interesting. 

The question remains though. Which side are the Loyalists again?

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Aquilon Terminator Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars but rounded down. Three wound terminators that will struggle to get where they need to be short of teleporting. 

Background.

Deployed as needs be, these terminators are great for Zone Mortalis operations, but less so for the regular battlefield.

Strengths.

Cataphractii terminators with 2+/4++ and three wounds each - let alone the usual 5's across the board. 

Additional bodies are good in the squad, but not entirely needed. I like the fire pike as a replacement for the gauntlet, but the other options can be left at home (especially the power talons). 

Weaknesses.

With a movement of 7, they won't get to where they need to be quickly enough. Bulky (4) is also a real issue for transportation. Hence you will need that teleportation transponder from one of your HQs.

Builds.

3 Aquilons each with a fire pike (335 points)

Teleport in, do some damage and carry on moving forward.

5 Aquilons (470 points)

No upgrades here - you don't realistically need them. But you do need that teleport. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Hetaeron Guard Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Excellent.

Background.

The closest confidantes of the Emperor himself and rarely leave his side. These are some of the best warriors that humanity has ever produced. 

Strengths.

Three wounds each and sporting meridian swords, these are a serious proposition for any enemy to tackle. The rest of the stat profile is standard for Custodes and the equipment similar

Weaknesses.

Not many realistically.

Builds.

I'm going to be honest: I don't think you should swap out the meridian swords. They're great as they are, so leave alone and play them accordingly. There might be a case for one or two Solarite Power Gauntlets, but hey, who am I to argue against such splendid swords?

Hetaeron Squad with 10 members, 1 with Vexilla and sentinel warblade (735 points)

You don't truthfully need a full set of 10 members for this squad, so just think of this option as the max'ed out version. Take less and they'll still work, depending on your points limit. The Shield is almost worth it here if you're footslogging. 

Hetaeron Squad, 1 with Solarite Power Gauntlet and Shield (265 points)

For illustration purposes, but still viable. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Custodian Shield Captain

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Used to be the most powerful non-named character in the game. Still close! Still glorious!

Background.

The will of the Emperor sometimes grants individuals the rank of shield captain. They are the best of the best and act like it too.

Strengths.

They have 1 less WS and wound compared to the Tribune, but otherwise 5's almost entirely across the board. 

These men are very customizable overall. Take your pick of weapons realistically and go hunting. You can't actually go toooooo wrong here. And let's be honest, there are not too many other choices for HQ in this army. 

Weaknesses.

No access to the teleport transponder array sadly.

They also drop fearless and eternal warrior unlike the Tribune. 

Builds.

Shield Captain with Pyrithite Spear (215 points).

Nice and "cheap" for an un-named character of such power!

Shield Captain with Meridian swords (200 points).

For the points cost, you can't go too wrong with this build.

Shield Captain with Solarite Power Gauntlet, Archeotech Pistol (235 points).

A bit more expensive, but I do like the gauntlet a lot here. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Custodian Tribune

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. The most powerful non-named character in the game. 

Background.

Perhaps no more than ten of the ten thousand carry this title. They are the war council of the shield-general, and responsible for the Emperor's security as well as providing war council. They do not take the to battlefield and instead fight only in the most dire of circumstances.

Strengths.

In First Edition, I made the curious note that the Shield Captain was the most powerful non-named character. In Second Edition, the Tribune takes this pride of place. That said, in terms of points cost, I'd sooner have a Shield Captain to be honest. 

The stat line is super impressive with WS=7, W=4, and 5's pretty much everywhere else. The special rules include eternal warrior and fearless which is an amazing combination for 30k. He also has a teleporter array option like Valdor. You are going to want that.

Beyond this, he has tremendous customization options. I really like the solarite power gauntlet. Although the spears and the meridian swords are nice as well. So many goodies!

Weaknesses.

Your army needs to be 3000 points or higher! Otherwise you're going to take a regular shield captain and still be boastful about having the almost best non-named character in the game. With this restriction, you might as well take Valdor himself. 

Builds.

Tribune with Solarite Power Gauntlet, Praesidium Shield, Teleporter Array (455 points).

Too expensive realistically, but you're paying a lot for the ability to teleport which is worth it for this army. Charge at a knight if you feel the need here.

Tribune with Pyrithite Spear, Teleporter Array (440 points).

I like the melta here. But you could swap out for a meridian sword - the misericord will grant A+1 don't forget!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Constantin Valdor

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars, rounded down. Valdor returns in second edition as strong as ever and is now classed as a Primarch.

Background.

Valdor is the Captain-General of the Legio Custodes. He has been the Emperor's Right Hand Man for a very long time and is exceptionally deadly and unrelenting once unleashed. He wields artifacts from the big man himself, given to him as relics of the Unification. 

Strengths.
The main change from First Edition is that Valdor is now classed as a Primarch Unit. To be clear: he isn't in the background fluff, but I totally get why the rules got switched up to this unit type for Second Edition.

His stat line is solid with 5's everywhere and WS=7, I=6. He gets counter attack and lightning blows (but only 6+) which will help. 

The main buffs come from his equipment. The Apollonian Spear gives a nice AP2 18 inch bolt gun which also causes concussive. Ouch. In melee, it grants S+2 and AP2 along with murderous strike. The armour is amazing at 2+/3++ and grants Ld=10 to anyone on the Loyalist side who can see his glorious form. Those in the same combat get the same. 

To be clear, he is super deadly in combat. 

Weaknesses.

Loyalist only. Of course!

For all his strengths, he will not be taking down enemy Primarchs himself. Even Alpharius and Lorgar are going to be a stretch for him. He will need friends. But given the style of army that the Custodes is capable of fielding, this won't be an issue! Indeed, taking LOADS of Custodes is probably almost an auto-win button in many cases, so don't be that jerk and build a nice varied army instead.

Overall.

A melee monster and legend writ large. Capable of taking on anything short of other primarchs alone, and with his friends will be able to deal even with the Emperor's sons. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legio Custodes Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. The rules are more than sufficient. 

Legio Custodes.

We begin our look at the Liber Imperium by examining the Legio Custodes special rules. This army fundamentally is one of heroes writ large who are deployed only to tackle the most severe of enemies. All wearing gold, naturally.

Golden Exemplar.
There are no warlord traits other than this one. It grants a bubble of +1 wound to combat resolution to nearby friendlies, while the warlord gains A+1 and I+1 in a challenge. Both of these are suitably powerful, but the restriction of warlord traits is balanced.

Nemesis Units.

The enemies of the Legio Custodes contain nemesis units defined as one of either the big bads of the game (primarchs, dreadnoughts, daemons, knights, to name but four), or a unit with 5 in a key characteristic (WS, BS, W, I), or the enemy warlord. Against such units, the Legio gains A+1 whilst locked in combat, +1 to the charge roll, and never need worse than 4+ to hit except against primarchs. These rules are powerful and mean that the golden boys are readily able to tackle almost anything in the game that they choose. Although enemy primarchs will remain an issue for them. Heck, even Alpharius will pose a problem for the base Custode. 

Overall.

A suite of powerful rules that rival the space marine legions and in many cases surpass them. They are, however, restricted to being Loyalists only though. 

Iron Warriors Plasma Gun Support Squad

A support squad of plasma gun toting marines from the Iron Warriors legion!

Very happy with how these turned out. Rather than a variation in markings, this squad is very self-consistent, down to the black helmets that mark them out as being distinct from some of their other brothers that might make up veterans or other companies. Perhaps too uniform? Not sure. Regardless, I like how this has turned out!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: The Legiones Inductii

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. An excellent addition to the game - although some legions are better than others. We will give individual ratings to each legion below, the rating here is an overall rating that includes the pure concept of Inductii - which I'm a big fan of!

Background.

Many legions faced a serious issue during the heresy. They were losing too many men. The solution? Accelerate their induction. There are two relatively well known examples: the World Eaters inducted many at Bodt through hypnosis to believe that they were truly veterans, and the Raven Guard made ... monsters - ahem. It turns out that all the legions had need to do this though. 

General Rules.

These squads are replacements for despoilers or tactical squads, but since the men are generally "outsiders", they cannot be joined by others, have access to artificer armour, and are support squads. Otherwise, they all have some interesting rules added on that the player can make use of. 

Dark Angels. ⭐️⭐️

Drop hexagrammaton and Fury of the Legion in exchange for a tactical squad with volkites. Great for cheap and cheerful volkite rain. But really: the range is an issue here. 

Emperor's Children. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain Perfection Embodied as a replacement for Heart of the Legion and swap chainswords for Charnabals for a small cost. The new rule provides Ld=10 for pinning and morale, but you lose draws in fights by 1. Great when tooled up with the Charnabals I think as they will get to where they need to be thanks to all those blissful drugs in their system and not caring about the world around them too much.

Iron Warriors. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tacticals that replace Heart of the Legion with Souls of Iron. You have to shoot at the closes enemy. You get to automatically pass pinning tests. Great as an objective sitter, or to bait the enemy to use up reactions maybe. 

White Scars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Despoilers without power glaives and Heart of the Legion, but gain Proof of Valour. This is a damage mitigation roll at 5+ against WS>4. If it works, and the unit survives, have a free VP. You'll need a few of these units to really go for extra VPs, and it could make all the difference!

Space Wolves. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Despoilers without a sergeant, possible shield replacement for a pistol (probably not worth it due to loss of attacks) and chainsword for chainaxes at the minimum cost (do it). Heart of the Legion becomes Headstrong which enables a bit more range for a charge at the cost of being disordered. 

Imperial Fists. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tacticals, options on heavy bolters and autocannons, replacing Heart of the Legion with Supporting Fire wherein heavy types gain pinning once per battle. Okay I guess.

Night Lords. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Undisciplined thugs that they are, these despoilers drop to Ld=7. They have to replace their chainswords with blades that have breaching at 6+ which is nice. The Heart of the Legion becomes Unscrupulous Murderes which means in a challenge you bring in your mates to help out at I=10. However, on a roll of a 1, your mates stab you instead, because Night Lords. Take a maximum sized squad. 

Blood Angels. ⭐️

Despoilers that replace Heart of the Legion with The Revenant Legion. No sweeps - they're too busy eating after combat. Yuck. Gain Fear. Not a great rules set, but fluffy?

Iron Hands. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tacticals that have fallen back on bad habits of replacing weak flesh with better bionics. Take a phosphex if you like too. The Forbidden Augmentations gives you a 1d6 roll at the beginning of the movement phase with a 5+ resulting in 1 better WS and BS for the turn which is great! However, a 1 or 2 results in 1d3 wounds instead. Ouch. You're only going to get the best outcome for a couple of turns per game, so it is pretty random, but can make a difference. 

World Eaters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heart of the Legion for Ravening Madmen in despoilers. Fluffy - certainly. But only a very mild boost to be very candid. 

Ultramarines. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Roboute was already experimenting with what would become the codex. Tacticals that can have flamers, melta guns, and plasma guns, but drop Fury of the Legion for Inexorable. I really like this. Far too much. 

Death Guard. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tacticals with access to Alchem Flamers, and Barbaran Resilience instead of Heart of the Legion. This is a damage mitigation roll that depends on how many men you have left in the squad. Solid, but note the rule triggers according to how many men at the start of a phase, not what's left. 

Thousand Sons. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tacticals with no acess to Asphyx and gain Unattuned Practitioners. No minor arcana for you. But you can take a psychic check for breaching. Suffer lots of perils if you're not careful, but this is actually quite good!

Sons of Horus. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Deaspoilers who can upgrade to chainaxes (good!) and have Creed of Brutality (because Cthonia) instead of Spite of the Legion. This provides Rampage and Furious Charge if they are within a small bubble of another Sons unit with WS>4. A nice accompaniment? 

Word Bearers. ⭐️⭐️ 

Traitors only. Heart of the Legion gets replaced with Empty Vessels as these men get ready to be possessed. Randomly (bonuses apply) gain corrupted during the game and furious charge but also suffer wounds. Not quite worth it for me to be honest.

Salamanders. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Despoilers with WS=5 sergeant that have upgraded themselves with the relics of their fallen brothers. Access to the melta gun and dragon breath flamer is great! Spite of the Legion becomes Wargear of Heroes which gives a re-roll of 1's to hit -- another awesome win! Love these Inductii!

Raven Guard. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm mad that the fluff is not reflected here! Boo! These tacticals replace Heart of the Legion with Unchained Conviction since they're not Corax's monsters, but the downtrodden striking back. Instead of being pinned, they will fall back 7 inches. This is rather strong all things considered.

Alpha Legion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tactical squads that drop Heart for Treacherous Lure which represents mimicked signals of the enemy. They cannot be targeted for shooting attacks in turn number one. Excellent really. You just need to think about your positions.