Horus Heresy 3e Review: Karacnos Assault Tank

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are great.

Background. 

The Karacnos is a Triaros tank that has had its interior fitted with the mechanisms for the support of a weapon that should have been banned by the Geneva Convention and also should never made it through to the 30th millennium. The shells are (and I quote) "small plasma implosion devices wrapped around highly toxic radium-cobalt isotope cores". If this description along didn't want to make a Great Crusade target world press for a deal and join the Imperium without delay, then I am not sure anything would.

Strengths.

A total of 7 hull points combines with 14 at the front and 12's elsewhere and a good BS and movement rate for a solid basis and a flare shield to complement it all. 

The front of the tank has a Karacnos mortar battery which has a truly impressive range of 60 with a large pie plate, poisoned, phage, barrage and pinning. The sponsons meanwhile have lightning locks which provide S=7 shots with a veritable fashion parade of shredding, breaching, suppressing pie plates (ouch!). 

Rounding this out is the ability to shock ram and auto repair. 

Weaknesses. 

About the only thing I can say is that the mortar is not AP=3. The lightning locks are though!

I would add though that the pie plate got smaller in comparison to second edition, so its not all good news!

Regardless, this is a great tank even with the points cost being similar to a land raider. 

Builds.

There are no build to discuss beyond whether to take some hunter killer missiles which are to taste based on the rest of the army outfitting. 

New Primary Detachments and Mission Packs

I think this is what everyone wanted from day zero: a return of the drop pod assault army, and various other styles of play that used to be encoded directly in first and second edition through Master of the Legion and Rites of War. Warhammer Community released today two developments for third edition: a new set of missions, and a new set of primary detachments.

The Primary Detachments consist of:
 - Pride of the Legion (lots of terminators and veterans who gain line by replacing vanguard);
 - Fury of the Ancients (lots of dreadnoughts);
 - Sky-Hunter Phalanx (with direct inclusions for specific White Scars fast jets);
 - Armoured Spearhead (for tank heads);
 - Orbital Drop Assault (which is what a lot of people have missed).

For the Orbital Drop Assault, it is important to note that it is not recommended for regular play. I can just about see why, but there's a good argument for "why not" as well. There's a new drop chart come in to play which offsets the worst of the tactics, and for the main part it will work out just fine I think. The designers do note that a future supplement may provide missions in which these drop pod assaults are dealt with better. For the time being though, this is great.

The new missions pack is similar solid and provides a range of missions, boards, and objectives for players to compete for. There's nothing tremendously original (don't go in expecting the original Black Book series or anything), but they are good enough. 

Overall then, a great pair of additions to third edition!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Vultarax Stratos Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5 stars. The rules are mildly sub-par for the points and there are superior choices potentially. The models are cool though in my biased opinion.

Background. 

Created on the Forge World of Anetarbraxus, the design was given to Mars as a tribute. It owes very little to the natural world and instead is a terrible amalgamation of parts that don't look like they should gel together individually, but actually do the part whilst looking almost alright. [Or if you're a 40k player: look even better when Nurgle corrupts them into Blight Drones?].

Strengths.

On the stat line, T=6, 6 wounds, and a 3+/5++ save is strong enough to stick around. The movement rate of 12 is fine, but actually represents a significant nerf from second edition.

The armaments are an arc blaster which is great for 6 lots of S=6 shots and suppressive. 

The Vultarax Missile Launcher is no longer a havoc launcher and confusingly is not under missile weapons in the back of the book, but rad weapons. The shaped charge is double shot S=10 with toughness phage, panic, and shock. Clearly this is incredible to use against vehicles which will be the temptation. But therein, I reckon players need more than just one model. The air burst mode provides a large pie plate with phage and panic, but at S=6 instead. This is still very respectable. 

The dendrite talons are okay with breaching, double damage, and S=5 attacks. 

Weaknesses. 

Both WS and BS are at 3 each. This is quite detrimental to the model. But also understandable. If they were a pip higher (espcially in BS), then I'd probably move from 2 stars to 4 stars to be very honest! And they'd be over powered. But at BS=3, their anti tank role requires plenty of models -- and only one can be taken per force organisation slot (argh!). Their anti-infantry role remains excellent. However, I cannot help but think that the army has better options for anti-tank, and anti-infantry than the Vultarax. 

I do like the model though! Just a pity that it feels like a bit of a nerf from second edition, despite the phage on toughness. 

Builds.

There are no build to discuss and only 1 model can be taken per slot unfortunately. 

Iron Hands Breacher Squad Painting

A painting update for today: the entire Iron Hands breacher squad is complete. 

The overall goal here was to represent one of the clans, but also allow some individuality leak into the squad through slightly different placement of decals and mild battle damage. There are several lines of damage across the shields which represent charring of the paints and metal. These will hopefully blend in nicely with the Saturnine dreadnought damage that I painted in Dreadtober. A bit of scattered blood here and there finishes the squad nicely. 

Look closer and some of the squad also sport the Eye of Horus. Are they loyalists who wear it as shame? Or perhaps traitors declaring their allegiance? I always thought that the Iron Hands probably should have been traitors - they certainly are very grim and dark even by 30k standards and were pretty close to Horus - as well as their cousins in the Emperor's Children. But they stayed loyal in the main part of course. 

This squad is armed with a pair of las cutters. I was originally going to go down the graviton path since it suits this legion very well indeed, but figured something a bit more up close and personal would suit them. And the white accents on the shields is something that I was also nervous about, but I think this has paid off nicely. Hope you like them!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Vorax Attack Maniple

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5 stars, rounded down. The rules are fine. 

Background. 

Got too much famine going on in the Forge World? Send in the Vorax for a little bit of population culling - that'll cure it. Grim and Dark. Got mutant vermin issues? Same. Got rogue machine problems? Vorax will search and destroy for you. Got a war going down? Well, same thing once again really. 

Strengths.

Starting with the stat line, we have S=5 and T=5 coupled with 4 wounds and a 3+/6++ saving throw which means these predators are going to be tough to dislodge.

Helping them get into position is a more than reasonable movement rate of 10. They're also Fast, have firing protocols, firestorm, and phased reactor shields. 

In the ranged weapon department, they have a twin rotor cannon which is great for the suppressive rule at 24 inch range and S=5. The singular lightning gun is slightly shorter range, but comes with shred and suppressive. These should cause some damage for the points cost. The upgrade to the irad-cleanser should certainly be considered for a model or two - especially for a unit closing for close combat. These provide a very handy phage on toughness, in addition to the usual poisoned and panic. 

Meanwhile the pair of power blades providfes AP=3 with breaching and shred at native strength which is plentiful for melee duties against many foes. 

Weaknesses. 

The WS and BS have had a touch of a nerf since last edition and are down to 3 in Third Edition. 

Don't forget they are also automata. 

Builds.

3 Vorax, 1 Irad Cleanser (155 points).

Considering that they want to be in combat, I like the irad cleanser. The poinst cost is also cheaper than third edition, at the cost of WS and BS as noted above. Very viable still, however. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Triaros Armoured Conveyor

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are more than sufficient. 

Background. 

This is the dedicated transport for the Taghmata Omnissiah Mechanicum. As might be expected for a Mechanicum transport, it is not a simple thing. Based on ancient technologies never shared with the other half of the Imperium, this transport has a killer front end that is literally capable of smashing things to oblivion, as well as having a large capacity. . 

Strengths.

The front of the vehicle is well armoured with AV=14 and 12 otherwise. The 7 hull points is good and the flare shield will help here too. 

On the centreline are two mounted Volkite Calivers which are notable for the long range. The bolt cannon mauler is also good. 

It has a solid evens-chance of auto repair and can also use itself as a shock ram to yield a +3 increase in damage. 

What is notable here though is the sheer carrying capacity. A whopping 22. Very impressive!

Weaknesses. 

This is not a rhino. It costs not like a rhino too. 

Builds.

There are no particular builds to discuss here apart from the Hunter Killer missile upgrade. I regard this upgrade as being to taste if your army needs them. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Armiger Moirax

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 stars. Rounded Down. The rules are excellent. 

Background. 

An unseemly tool that wasn't seen much until the Heresy. This is scout class knight able to mount otherwise restricted weaponry. Their pilots were accordingly lesser and expendable in the grand scheme of things - tainted slowly by the otherwise radioactive poison of these machines. 

Strengths.

A modified stat line from regular armigers here with a bonus pip to the invulnerable save, better leadership (or 12) and lower initiative, but 1 more attack. They are powered by a Rad Furnace. This means they cause T-1 for opponents in close combat thanks to radiation leakage. Nasty. 

There is also some great customization available here. The Gyges claw singular or paired is nasty for S+5 (or 6) armour breaker and breaching. These are excellent and come recommended. They have a built in irad cleanser as well which is a nice template weapon overall.

I wouldn't recommend the Volkite Veuglaire particularly. Despite the high S, volkite needs big numbers to make the most of it. The lightning lock is a much better prospect with a blast, breaching, shred and suppressive on top of AP=3 and 2 damage coupled with the exact same strength as the volkite. Take the lightning lock. The graviton pulsar is similarly not fully recommended. The final option of the conversion beamer is certainly interesting. Hang back and cause devastation is the way to operate these and they can be good if you pull it off. 

If in doubt though, take the lightning lock. 

Weaknesses. 

They're not a full knight. They lack armour values, and come with the standard advanced characteristics which are excellent in leadership and cool, but very much lacking in intelligence and willpower. 

Builds.

Armiger Moirax, Gyges Siege Claw and Lightning Lock (170 points).

The standard build!

Armiger Moirax, Paired Gyges Siege Claws (175 points).

Close combat only, but viable thanks to the rad furnace inside.

Armiger Moirax, 2 Moirax Conversion Beamers (215 points). 

Very much a longer ranged option. Sit back and fire. 

18 Years Blogging

I don't do these posts very often as I tend to be very forward looking rather than backward. But I'll make an exception today. Warpstone Flux has been in existence for slightly over 18 years now!

Originally I started the blog as a record of what I'd been up to in the hobby space, some painting, games reports, collections, and a whole host of other things. It has gone through expansions into Dungeons and Dragons, roleplay games more broadly (including Sequestered Industries as a spin off - check out drivethrurpg), a period where I didn't post much at all, where my mate "Eldrad" took over for a bit, being part of the From The Warp blogger collective in the very early days, infamous Army List Challenges, and lots more besides. 

It is now quite the reference manual for the Horus Heresy game and those reviews have pushed the blog ever onward to greater heights. Perhaps this is no surprise. As a veteran, my love of 40k still remains, but for me the Heresy game is simply superior now, even though there are quirks to 3rd edition that I think are a degrade compared to 2nd or 1st edition - there remains a lot to be having fun with in third. 

The image on this page is one of the first that I ever posted: a blue-in-pink horror of Tzeentch. I still own the model of this in the collection. In my opinion the Juan Diaz sculpts of this period are some of the best that have existed for chaos. This is not to say that the current range is bad - it is not. But the older miniatures really communicate something that the newer range don't: something a bit more primal. Would love to see these kinds of sculpts make a comeback in plastic to be honest! 

And over the years I've sold quite a bit of my collection too. My old Death Guard amies for instance have long since departed. I have no regrets as they've made way for newer Heresy armies. I also knew that I wasn't going to continue with 40k Death Guard in the long term as the newer sculpts were just too jovial and exaggerated compared to the older grim dark nature of chaos that I loved the aesthetic of decades ago. 

Paints have also changed. Goodbye to Goblin Green and Hello to contrast paints and everything inbetween. Now we also the newer tone pro paints too. I'm yet to road test them in a serious way; I'll have to get back to you! 

More of the same is down the line as well. I have not finished reviewing Third Edition Horus Heresy by any means for instance. There's lots more painting yet to do to establish a couple of armies and detachments that I want to complete. I might sell some too - undecided. Its half tempting to reintroduce some roleplaying game elements back as well, but I'm sticking to Heresy for just the time being so as not to dilute the strong audience. 

Speaking of which, I would likely have given up on Warpstone Flux a long while ago if it were not for the regular readers, commenters, and generous support that it has received over many years. I very much appreciate you being here, and reading to the end of this, what must be quite the tiresome read! Back to normal imminently!!

Dreadtober 2026: Iron Hands Saturnine Dreadnought Complete

Its over the line! The Iron Hands Saturnine Dreadnought is now complete. 

The key two parts of the final detailing are the battle damage and the plasma. 

For the battle damage, there is a strong scoring effect on the left hand side (as looked at) along the shoulder. The idea here is to provide depth to the wound through painting alone. Rest assured that I didn't do anything to the plastic itself. I think this pays off very well.

For the plasma, I wanted to have a sheen of reflection along the main hull of the dreadnought. I lined this up visually and applied progressively lighter blues and whites to get the effect in a modestly haphazard manner. For the weapon itself, this provided a bit of a challenge. I eventually went with the lighter blue, painted the recesses with thinned white so it would flow and then applied darker blue in select central areas to suggest mild cooling away from the core heat. I also think this has worked when viewed from most angles. 

Less was also more for the base. I only added a couple of very minor green shrubs to finish the base off and stuck to the otherwise cracked earth established a few weeks ago. 

Very pleased overall and I hope readers like the outcome as much as I do!

Happy Dreadtober to everyone celebrating!!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Thanatar Siege Maniple

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are great. 

Background. 

More a mobile artillery platform than an actual combat unit, the Thanatar is a force to be reckoned with. Other than the plasma weapon originating on Ryza, little more is generally known about their backgrounds save rumours about where the Calix variant hailed from (within the sects of the mechanicum itself).

Strengths.

Incredibly, the toughness and strength is 8, with 10 wounds, combined with a 2+ and 5++ saving throw. Importantly, the BS is 4 here, even though the WS is only 3. Firing protocols and firestorm are nice too.

The basic armament are shock chargers and twin mauler bolt cannon. The latter pumps out 6 lots of S=6 for both pinning and shred each turn. Very respectable. 

You also have to select one of two configurations.

The Cavas configuration provides a plasma mortar. This is a nice large pie plate with ordnance on range, breaching and barrage for S=8 and 2 damage, but only at AP=4. 

The Calix configuration gives a Sollex heavy-las and graviton ram. Of course, the graviton ram is nice in close combat with armour ban, AP3 and 2 damage. Given the base S=10 for these attacks, it will be collapsing rhinos with ease. The heavy las is also S=10 for 2 ranged attacks. Ordnance on damage, shock, suppressed, and armour bane all rolled in with native AP=2. 

The choice between them is therefore whether you want significant cover fire, versus something a bit more targeted and close combat orientated. Both are viable. 

Weaknesses.

WS is three, but presumably you don't care. They also explode, so watch out. 

Builds.

Thanatar Cavas (225 points). 

Sit back and fire.

Thanatar Calix. (245 points).

More focussed hits and close combat potential. But you have to get there with a movement rate of 6. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Castellax Battle Maniple

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are great. 

Background. 

These robots have long featured at the forefront of the Mechanicum's armies. So much so, that some in the Imperium saw them as a sleeping threat should Mars ever decide to break away from the deal struck with the Emperor. The Heresy quashed that in short order though.

Strengths.

The stat line is strong with 6's in both S and T which immediately makes these robots incredibly strong. When combined with 4 wounds and 3+ save, they suddenly become a big problem for opponents. 

Special rules include firing protocols, firestorm, and a phased reactor shield which will improve their invulnerable save against ranged attacks. 

They come armed with 2 bolt guns (upgrade to flamers possible, but not required), mauler bolt cannons (4 shots at S=6 with shred and pinning which is very nasty when done well), and shock chargers which can be upgraded to power blades (which depends a little bit on taste to my mind). 

Weaknesses.

WS and BS are only three, but players will be fine with this overall in all probability (and good die rolls). They also explode. But hey, that's the territory. 

Builds.

2 Castellax (100 points). 

I genuinely see little case for the upgrades, but perhaps the flamers might be nice on occasion. Given the movement rate though, I think of Castellax as a fundamentally ranged unit, so stick with the bolt rounds?

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Thallax Cohort

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background. 

Cyborgs that have been produced only via grim dark trauma, the Thallax retain some of their original human individuality thanks to the brain being moderately preserved. However, they have replaced most of everything else in favour of becoming shock troops for the Mechanicum.

Strengths.

The stat line has 4's where it matters and a 5 in toughness. Double wounds, attacks, and I=3 with reasonable 3+ save and 6+ invulnerable. They have deep strike natively thanks to the jump pack which also enables a movement rate of 10. 

Thanks to Aegis of Pain, they cause fear when they are modified with statuses which is an interesting option. 

The basic armament is a lightning gun which gives S=5 and 3 shots which also causes suppression and shred. Nice. Upgrades include the always useful multi-melta, a photon thruster (S=8 armourbane armour breaker and suppressive with a vital AP=2) or a phased plasma fusil (breaching at S=5 with three shots - which is okay).

Chain bayonets for the lightning locks are entertaining, melta bombs for the unit are fine for dedicated units, and one praetorian should be taken merely for the leadership boost. 

Don't forget the Reductor advantages here. They are significant. Wall breaker really turns them in to tank and fortification destroyers with ease, whilst the prime advantage boost the invulnerable save to 5+ and increases the leadership by a further pip. It is well worth taking the Reductor apex detachment merely for this and kitting out your thallax accordingly. 

Weaknesses.

In all honestly, for the poinst cost, what you are getting is worth it. 

Builds.

6 Thallax including 1 Preatorian, 6 Multi Meltas, Melta Bombs (250 points).

A melta build. Can also be a distraction carnifex. Doesn't need extra models really. 

9 Thallax including 1 Praetorian, all with lightning guns and chain bayonets (208 points).

Tactical flexibility here.

6 Thallax including 1 Preatorian, 6 Proton Thrusters (220 points).

A slightly longer ranged option for your armour busting enjoyment. 

6 Thallax, including 1 Praetorian, 2 Proton Thrusters, Melta Bombs (190 points).

Mixed threat.  

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Tech-Thrall Covenant

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️ 1.5/5 stars, rounded down. The rules are poor and points cost not worth it. 

Background. 

Not servitors so much as cyborgs, this is the fate that awaits the regular population of a Forge World should they offend their masters. Or, your know, when the need arises possibly as well. Simply put, these are expendable troops. 

Strengths.

Human cyborgs of the grim Lacrymaetra. They have a 5 in toughness and 12 in cool, but that's about the only thing I have to write home about. 

They are expendable, and don't suffer leadership tests in the same way as others except in terms of panic. Feel no pain is handy, but hardly an advance on the 6+ native save. 

For armaments they have a las lock with throws out S=4 ranged hits. It is okay. 

At best, this is a tar pit unit and a distraction. 

Weaknesses.

Lots of weaknesses here realistically. The 2's in both WS and BS are massively problematic. S=3 and I=2 means they don't stand up in combat. The 6+ save is pathetic. They need boosted to even get a basic job done. And they move only at a rate a 5. They just can't do things other than serve as a screening unit. Even a non-augmented unit of mortal humans could probably do better. I question the Mechanicum's vision here. 

The real problem here is the points cost. A unit of 10 costs the same as a space marine squad and they are nowhere near as effective. The poinst cost needs to be halved for me to roughly change my rating for this squad. 

Unfortunately therefore, my view is that this unit is simply not worth the points cost unless you want a really fluffy army. 

Builds.

20 Tech-Thralls (200 points). 

A large screening unit that you need a magos or arch magos with to get to function at an acceptable level. Honestly not worth it. 

Dreadtober 2026: Iron Hands Saturnine Dreadnought - The End Is In Sight!

Appreciable progress this week with getting the Saturnine Dreadnought close to completion. And as can be seen, the legion of choice here is the Iron Hands!

The Eshin Grey base coat has been slapped with layers of Nuln Oil and a black wash to give the dreadnought the legion's characteristc look. I have gone around the edges of the larger plates with an equally large highlight brush of eshin grey once more. This is intentionally not meant to be perfect. The idea is to illustrate age and irregularities on the armour that have built up over time. The decals, of course, give the entire game away about which legion this is. I did consider for a long time having stripes of white across the shoulders, but in the end decided that the white decals themselves were prefectly sufficient here. 

I have also applied white in to the recesses of the plasma. These will be better made into a feature in the final step. Indeed, my brave and probably a bit stupid plan is to have the plasma light up parts of the black armour in an irregular fashion to highlight the left hand side of the model where the light would catch it. I am also planning on trying out some large scale battle damage through painting and some wear and tear in general, but the black colours of the Iron Hands makes this tough to stand out - I will give it some thought this weekend. I might also apply some white to the helmet to help it pop and stand out a bit. Perhaps the eyebrow ridge. Not made my mind up. 

Once done, I will combine it with the base from earlier on. I am planning on adding a couple of small green shrubs to the base, but otherwise will keep it minimal.

In short then: the end is in sight! I am very confident of meeting the deadline on this and having the dreadnought to a good tabletop standard next week, even with the risks I am planning on taking around the plasma highlighting and lighting that I am putting in scope!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Tech-Priest

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5 stars, rounded up. The rules are solid. 

Background. 

Adepts of the Cult Mechanicus. These are the lower ranking priests of the orders and arcana. Their jobs are much more mundane than the magos or arch magos that they might ultimately serve. Perhaps one day they might even upgrade themselves sufficiently in rank and cybernetics to get there themselves. Until then, they herd the robots and the thralls, and otherwise labour away in the forges until war comes for them. 

Strengths.

With 5's in S and T, and 4's i nWS and BS, the humble tech priest is able to achieve a multitude of roles for the Mechanicum player. 

They have a bunch of special rules like feel no pain, comptroller, battle smith, and master of machines - all of which you might have guessed at. They also have firing protocols as well which means you can use two ranged weapons. This is easy to overlook but can potentially be exploited.

Otherwise their major strength is customisation. Take what you like from the Mechanicum wargear section. Stand outs include the cortex controller, cognis-signum, cyber familiar, servo arm, and nuncio vox (although rad grenades are very tempting too). They can have one item from the Rites list hence they gain access to some of the old tech magics. Overcharged reactors will probably remain a favourite. One pistol can be taken (bolt, volkite, or plasma are all fine here in my opinion) and one ranged weapon (again, all are nicely viable). One melee weapon can be taken as well and here the thunder hammer or power fist both look like reasonable options, but a power weapon is also nice.  

Weaknesses.

I=3 and 2 wounds with only a 3+ save (6+ invulnerable). They might not last long. But at least they are cheap enough to field a lot of! And in third edition, I think having several of them as troops is a really good prospect for a player. 

Builds.

Tech Priest, Thunder Hammer, Cortex Controller, Rad Grenades, Overcharged Reactors (80 points). 

An arcana-agnostic close combat variant with a cortex controller to plug and play with! This also illustrated the issue with the Tech Priest: the points cost can rapidly add up, so you will be thinking about stripping back the points (potentially the rad grenades?) in oder to make them more points efficient.

Tech Priest, Plasma Pistol, Melta Gun (55 points). 

Mid ranged with no further upgrades is still enough to cause a headache when embedded in a larger squad. 

Of course, building with specific arcana in mind is also certainly encouraged!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Ursarax Cohort

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5 stars, narrowly rounded down. The rules are reasonable. 

Background. 

Thralls, rather than servitors, these beings are purposed as a close combat unit in service of the magos. Formed from human remains of selected people, they retain just enough ability to make good tactical decisions, but need regular grim-dark neural anesthetics to cope which they periodically get. Grim. 

Strengths.

The stat line is mostly 4's with T=5 and 2 wounds. 

They come with a pair of Ursarax Claws with give A+3 and breaching. This is very reasonable overall. However, it is certainly tempting to get the Ursarax Fists for S+2 and a native AP=2 with 2 damage and the expense of I-2. A mixture of the two options might be even more attractive. 

The volkite incinerators are very close range S=5 shots which are nice, but you need to get there. Helping that is the movement rate of 10. And related further: deep strike is a native option too here which can be taken advantage of. 

The real stand out in the special rules is Vanguard (3) which argues strongly for a up front approach and risky plays. Do it! Also: don't forget the arcana boost!

Weaknesses.

I=3 is a mild issue, but offset if you take the power fists upgrade in which case you're going last regardless, so might as well.

Builds.

6 Ursarax, 2 Power Fists, 1 Alpha (160 points). 

Swift and broad ranged enough to takle most enemy infantry.

9 Ursarax, 9 Power Fists, 1 Alpha (235 points).

Cheap enough to take, and potent enough to do damage when positioned well. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Castellax Destructor Maniple

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are great. 

Background. 

Thought of by some as a potential internal threat should Mars ever go against its agreement with the Emperor, the Castellax were a mainstay of both siege warfare and shock troops for the Mechanicum. This worry never arose thanks to the Heresy and they were never made in sufficient numbers ever again to pose an internal threat, but their potency was never much doubted thanks to the sheer aggression of the internal machine spirit.

Strengths.

With 6's in S and T coupled with 4 wounds and 3+/6++ these robots are going to be tough to dislodge - but not impossible. They have a stand out cool value of 12, but have the usual weaknesses elsewhere. Interestingly the WS and BS are 3's.

Customisation means you can optimise your unit for both ranged weaponry and close combat. The shock chargers are good as a baseline entry since they generate S=8 hits. The power blades upgrades give breaching and shred instead which might actually be more useful overall.

The mauler bolt cannon is useful on its own with S=6 hits and pinning. Upgrades here include the dark fire cannon which is always welcome with AP=2 and S=8 with suppressive despite the lower firing rate. The multi-melta pushes this further into anti-tank territory but is obviously shorter range. 

Weaknesses.

The WS and BS being 3 are mild issues. But the points cost remains attractive. At worst you can use them as distraction carnifexes. 

Builds.

6 Castellax (300 points).

Yes, no upgrades. Also yes: viable. 

3 Castellax, 3 dark fire cannons (195 points).

Long range options. 

3 Castellax, 3 Multi Meltas, 3 power blades, 3 flamers (225 points).

A close combat variation for taking out transports and dealing with the contents. Of course, mixing the builds up is also viable. 

Wargames Gallery: Purification

The Word Bearers close with flame units on the Iron Hands positions. Both praetors are weighing each other up. Meanwhile the planet itself looks like it is about to emerge against both sides in the conflict! Will the Word Bearers flames be enough to undertake a thorough purification of either?

Dreadtober 2026: Saturnine Basecoated and Metals

More progress has been made with the painting of the Saturnine Dreadnought!

The undercoat was done in black - as might be expected for many legions. The base coat here is Eshin Grey for the main parts. And therein is the biggest clue to which legion I am aiming for here. Guesses welcome and its probably obvious perhaps given my other painting. The edges are picked out in lead belcher silver, as have the joints with an irregular sponge approach. 

For the armaments, I have taken the sponging approach further. A base coat of lead belcher has been followed up by sponging irregular gold over the top of the colours to provide a worn effect overall. I quite like the outcome here. Although clearly it is metallic paint, it really does have the old and ancient vibe going on which is what I wanted. 

Next steps will be the inking and washing down with lots of dark colours and the perennially useful Nuln Oil. Stay tuned!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Myrmidon Destructor Host

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are great. 

Background. 

A sub-sect of the Myrmidons that are dedicated to heavy weapons and the rendering of vehicles and buildings to slag. They were heavily used on both sides of the war, and even by some who would seek to avoid joining either (cross ref: Anvilus). 

Strengths.

Secutors have 4's and 5's in most places on the stat line. Of note is S=5, T=5 and W=4 which makes for a potent combination combined with a 3+/5++ save. The unit's Lord also gains a pip in BS and WS which is very nice. 

The regular armaments are volkite culverins (magnificent range with 3 lots of S=6 shots and heavy on FP too) and shock chargers (close combat for S+2 which is solid enough). 

The upgrades are where the attraction to this unit gets increased though. Irradiation engines are a template with panic, poisoned, and phage on toughness. Clearly this is a close combat choice though. The dark fire cannon is very attractive with 2 lots of S=8 shots and AP=2 which causes suppressive and has heavy on damage. This can cause some very serious problems from a good range. And then there is the conversion beamer which just gets better with longer range. Very tempting. 

Weaknesses.

The Myrmidax trait is already built in. Overall the points cost is nicely balanced and this is a great unit. However, I am unconvinced about the close combat build (with irradiation engines) as I feel other units can do close combat better. I see this unit fundamentally as a long range unit. 

Builds.

3 Destructors, 3 Conversion Beamers (195 points).

I just really like the idea of a trio of conversion beamers taking out things at long range. I'm not even sorry. 

3 Destructors, 3 dark fire cannons (210 points).

The dark fire cannon is similarly good at long range but the purpose is much more (laser!) focussed. 

10 Destructors, all with Volkite Culverins (465 points).

Remember the rule of thumb about Volkite weapons: go big! 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Myrmidon Secutor Host

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are great. 

Background. 

The Myrmidon Secutors regard war as something to be computed with cold logic. They praise the Omnissiah through well executed battle plans and test themselves against new opponent in the arts of destruction. They have no master for long and during the Heresy could readily be found on both sides of the conflict. 

Strengths.

Secutors have 4's and 5's in most places on the stat line. Of note is S=5, T=5 and W=4 which makes for a potent combination combined with a 3+/5++ save. The unit's Lord also gains a pip in BS and WS which is very nice. 

They come armed as standard with power axes (nice), and twin maxima bolt guns (5 shots at S=4 and shred) which is a strong mix of ranged threat and close up potential. 

Vanguard (3) is beautiful to see here. My advice would be to go big in order to wip an opponent's unit in a single turn where possible.  The Lord gains battle meditation which provides feel no pain in a challenge, which is enhanced when their WS is out-matched. 

Beyond this, there are options to upgrade to twin phased plasma fusils which provides 3 lots of S=5 with breaching at 5+. Pretty solid and worth the upgrade. Or, take twin graviton guns for the same cost. These are only single shot, but are blast weapons at S=6 with breaching, and shock that causes pinning. The AP is only 4 here though, so I'd mildly favour the plasma upgrade for regular marine opponents, but the graviton blast template is absolutley worth it for the pinning and blasts. Tough choice. But the good news is that they can be mixed and matched. 

Weaknesses.

Note that the Myrmidax trait is already built in here. There's no downsides overall and the points cost is reasonable overall. 

Builds.

3 Secutors, 3 Twin Graviton Guns (210 points).

Lots of blast templates basically. 

10 Secutors, 2 Twin Graviton Guns, 2 Twin Phased Plasma Fusils (545 points).

The mixed threats makes sense, and the large numbers will all but ensure Vanguard (3) triggers most of the time against reasonably selected opposing units. You just need to get there. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Domitar Battle Maniple

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are really good. 

Background. 

A late entry to the mechanicum's strength before the fires of the Heresy would gut everything. The Domitar was designed as a line breaker. Able to smash into enemy lines and tanks alike, their purpose was one of swift engagement and destroying key elements of the enemy.

Strengths.

With 7's in S and T, these are combat beasts that will stick around long enough to cause serious damage to many opponents. The BS and WS is the same as a space marine and with 4 wounds and a good save, they will provide a solid front line. 

They come armed with a Cyclone Missile Launcher as standard. These are handy for the choice between frag, krak, and also flak missiles - the latter being the sky fire option. Hence they provide even a strong ranged threat to all. The domitar fists in melee give AP=3 at S+1 with breaching and armour bane which is good enough to take care of light tanks and many space marine equivalents. And the graviton hammer helps all this along with a variant option. 

A feast of special rules includes fear, vanguard, firing protocols and impact on attacks which is glorious. Add on there fire storm for not having to make snap shots and this beast is a great deal overall.

Weaknesses.

It will explode! The movement rate is 7, which is good enough, but I'd like it faster ideally. Still, you get what you pay for here and it is a very good deal overall. Take them. 

Builds.

There are no build to discuss. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Echidnax Servo Maniple

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5 stars, rounded down. Useful repairs, but I want to call them Echidnas. 

Background. 

Drones that follow their master around and are helpful by automating repairs. They also have some basic battle field programming that can help with in close combat or at range when required. 

Strengths.

Weaknesses.

The drones have limited autonomy. Hence if a sniper or similar removes the commander from play, they will just sit there in the same way that rocks do for the rest of the game. Hence they can be quite vulnerable. On the other hand, they are also cheap enough to not get too upset about this possibility. 

Builds.

10 Echidnax, 10 bolt guns (120 points).

Ten members here to make the best use of the battle smith special rule which gets its maximum advantage when 9 or more members of the unit are present.

Dreadtober 2026: Saturnine Built, and Base Based

Dreadtober has progressed!

The Saturnine dreadnought has now been built and assembled. I liked the choice of parts for the dreadnought which was nice to have. Some of the bits are certainly fiddly though with the shoulder pads being one of the prime examples. I would also politely contend that it doesn't need as many bits as it is supplied with, but hey, as a veteran I don't mind that either as it gives extensive possibilities. 

I have posed the dreadnought in a slight walking (baseline) pose with the left arm swivelled to the side to point at a target and the head looking in exactly the same direction. This is a dreadnought in the middle of shooting and destroying!

As for the base from last week, I have dolled it up with some cracked surfacing. My pro tip here is to use watered down PVA glue to ensure that the cracks stay where they dry rather than peel off. Works a treat. I will put the dreadnought on to the base at a later point and come back to add some flora later on. 

So after one week of Dreadtober, I can safely say that significant progress has been made, but there is much more yet to do!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Scyllax Guardian Maniple

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are good. 

Background. 

If you drew a Venn diagram of cyborgs, robots, and servitors, then the Scyllax might sit at the intersection and be a bit mistrusted by large parts of the mechanicum for their icky origins. There are claims that over time they gain something of self-awareness despite their minimal organic components. Their purpose is as a Magi's bodyguards and a melee unit. 

Strengths.

With 5's on the stat line in most places, the Scyllax are are strong proposition for the poins cost and like enhanced marines otherwise. 

The come equipped with a combat array for AP=3 with breaching. This is made worse for opponents due to the inherent rad furnace to reduce their toughness. The phased reactor shields are interesting as well for improving the invulnerable save against attacks to 5+. 

Beyond this, there is the option to upgrade with a bolt gun. This is so cheap it is in the category of "why not". 

Weaknesses.

The poinst cost is cheap enough to not be that bothered if they grind to a halt, and they can be effective even with 2 wounds and a 3+ save in many battlefield locations and situations. Obviously stronger in close combat than in ranged shooting - they just need to get there. The "Compact" rule will help if you need to transport them. But even as abalative wounds considering their retinue status, they are useful if not outstanding. 

Builds.

5 Scyllax, 5 bolt guns (135 points).

I selected 5 members only because it gives a final number divisible by 5 when upgrading to bolt guns. Otherwise this is a pretty standard unit. 

 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Arcuitor Magisterium

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars. Lords of the Malagra give excellent bang for the points cost. 

Background. 

In effect, these are the judges of tech-heresy and lords of the Malagra. Over many years they have become as close to the machine god as possible and are known as the grandfathers of the Malagra. Magi in their own rights, they are (socially) powerful and respected. On the battlefield, they are advisors by nature and rarely in command.

Strengths.

It is worth pointing out the WS=6 in the stat line here. This is the epitome of the Malagra - ready for close combat. The rest of the stat line is similar to a Magos, but with I=4 and A=5.

A well placed Arcuitor can cause serious WS and BS issues to nearby enemy units, and this combined with their own stat line makes them a clear threat. Combined with infiltrate, and you have the makings of something quite spectacularly deadly. 

The customisation is strong here, but for full effect the character will need to be kitted out for close combat. 

Weaknesses.

For the points cost, this character is as good as it gets! Hence 5/5 stars from me. 

Builds.

Arcuitor Magisterium, Thunder Hammer, Overcharged Reactors (135 points). 

A baseline build for close combat and buffing.

Arcuitor Magisterium, Thunder Hammer, Overcharged Reactors, Melta Bombs, Rad Grenades, Rad Furnace, Flamer (190 points). 

A more maximal version. The flamer is purely for the tactical status. The rest is mainly achieved through radiation poisoning and the thunder hammer. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Magos

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. Solid choice with or without an Abeyant. 

Background. 

The Magos Dominus fill a gap between the Archmagos Prime and the rest of the army / feuding states / technocracy. They are masters of the cybernetica and build the cortex automata for the Mechanicum. Some are at the very edge of heresy themselves thanks to all the body modifications that they put themselves through, and most are eccentrics and obsessive about their technologies.  

Strengths.

As with the Archmagos, there is a glorious amount of customisation available for the Magos. I will refer readers back to the Archmagos for some general thoughts. 

The stat line here is less than an Archmagos as might be expected: 5's are everywhere, with 4 wounds and WS=4 and I=3. Intelligence is still 9 which is important for commanding Mechanicum and their cyber rites. 

Weaknesses.

WS=4 is an issue for combat, as is I=3. I therefore regard the Magos as more of a support character choice than a full-on commander. 

Builds.

Magos, Conversion Beamer (130 points). 

Very much a ranged character, but I do like it a lot. Add some rites to taste. 

Magos, Abeyant, Rad Furnace, Thunder Hammer, Melta Bombs, Rad Grenades, Overcharged Reactors (200 points). 

A close combat version. The danger here is spending too many points on a single character who is not the archmagos to be honest. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Archmagos

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars. You will be taking one, basically. With or without an Abeyant.

Background. 

These unique individual are the high adepts of the machine cult of the Omnissiah. They have likely upgraded themselves for the purpose of war and might have gone as far as placing their remaining organic components inside the equivalent of a dreadnought. Armed and armoured with the best Forge World available kit, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Strengths.

With sixes in most places on the stat line, the archmagos is already rather powerful and maybe more powerful than a Praetor in some regards. Adding to this are special rules like feel no pain at 5+, battlesmith at 4, and firing protocols. And don't forget the ability to score victory points as well - this implies arming for at least a bit of close range action. 

The Archmagos is also highly customisable. They can take anything from the mechanicum gear and the magos gear. There's a lot to be had there:a cortex controller is almost always going to be useful, augury scanners are optional, cognis-signum is solid, cyber familiars are good, servo-arms are nice, melta bombs to taste, rad grenades are good at close range, nuncio vox is nice if no-one else has them. The rad furnace is attractive, and the machinator array similar. 

Choose from the rites as well (see here). I think players should be thinking about a couple of these regardless of anything else. Other armaments are to taste really. 

Weaknesses.

WS=5 is slightly lower than what is useful for a commander who might like to engage in challenges. 

Beware of spending too many points on the character with attractive upgrades galore!

Builds.

I'll try to provide one build per trait to give some ideas. There are obviously many more besides. And far too many permutations to list. Hence I hope it at least gives some ideas. Abeyants are the obvious upgrade here and also worth taking in any build below. They give T+1 and Command Throne to help with reactions at the price of being bulky and exploding. Worth it. 

Archmagos [Archimandrite], Overcharged Reactors, Chastise the Machine Spirit, Paragon Blade (165 points).

Trying not to spend too many points, but here we are focussed on using Cyber skills mainly. Other things like a cyber familiar are of course usable. 

Archmagos [Cybernetica], Overcharged Reactors, Cogitator Purge, Paragon Blade, Rad Furnace, Rad Grenades (190 points).

Take and hold objectives. Take the melta bombs, nuncio vox and augury scanner to taste.

Archmagos [Lacrymaerta], Fleshknit Protocols, Omega Protocols, Paragon Blade, Rad Furnace (175 points).

To take alongside your flesh and metal creations. 

Archmagos [Myrmidax], Overcharged Reactors, Paragon Blade, Rad Furnace (160 points).

Although you should go close combat, there's a case here for ranged as well - like the following.

Archmagos [Myrmidax], Conversion Beamer (150 points).

An interesting ranged option. A bit of a waste of close combat potential though.

Archmagos [Malagra], Overcharged Reactors, Paragon Blade, Cortex Controller (150 points).

This archmagos is all about positioning to be honest. 

Archmagos [Macrotek], Servo Arm, Machinator Array, Thunder Hammer, Overcharged Reactors (175 points).

Run alongside your tanks. Also a candidate for a conversion beam.

Archmagos [Reductor], Thunder Hammer, Deactivate the Limiters, Unseal the Portal, Melta Gun (175 points).

Reducing things to smaller things. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Cybertheurgy

Cybertheurgy, or cyber spells, are used by models with the Cybertheurgist trait, or cyber sorcerers. In short then, these are the members of the Mechanicum who understand how to manipulate robots, electrical flows, transitors, something approaching AI, and magnetic fields (or similar). They are not warp based magic in the slightest, even though some of the outcomes might seem like they border on those results.

To activate these abilities, an Intelligence test is conducted, with a modifier for the difficulty level (as a negative). Handily, other cybertheurgists can help out if they are in the same unit to give +1 bonueses. Failure leads to feedback which is essentially perils of the warp under a new name. 

There are three common statuses to be aware of that arise from these powers. Quicken gives movement+1 and I+1 (or movement+3 if it lacks intelligence). Fortify gives S+1 and T+1 (or a chosen armour value +1). Guide gives WS+1 and BS+1.  

Standard Rites:

Programming Interrupt gives ones of the three above statuses and can make a free reaction at the cost of removing the status. This is good, and sound, and should be used. 

Cogitator Pulse removes those statuses and inflicts a feedback outcome. Also basic and very reasonable, if situational given the opponent. 

Overcharged Reactors also applies statuses, is easier to cast, and gets removed at the end of the turn. Very basic, and you probably should aim for programming interrupt given an option and some good die rolls. 

Lacrymaerta Rites:

Omega Protocols removes statuses, suffers feedback, and if any models are removed then two more S=6 hits get applied. Essentially and upgrade for Cogitator Pulse. 

Flesh-Knit Protocols gives fortify or quicken. It is a touch easier to cast than Overcharged Reactors. 

Reductor Rites:

Unseal The Portal forces an emergency disembark and inflicts a feedback. Nice, albeit short ranged.

Deactivate Limiters is essentially a long ranged version of Overcharged Reactors. 

Esoteric Rites:

Fury Of Ages is for Myrmidax and gives fortify or guide at short range and low difficulty. 

Chastise The Machine Spirit is for everyone and gives Stunned or Suppressed as well as a feedback. This is good. 

We will cover Machina Malefica distinctly. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Mechanicum Traits

Beginning the reviews of Liber Mechanicum, we first turn to the high tech arcana of the various traits - or factions - within the Mechanicum itself. Players can choose which traits they like, but there are penalties for mixing a commander of one trait with a unit from another. Further, all automata can't control objectives (unless via the Cybernetica trait), make reactions (except if someone has a cortex controller), suffer tactical statuses, or be routed. 

Archimandrite (Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars). 

This is the governing and political faction, broadly speaking. Their core benefit is Cl+1 and Ld+1 which is very nice to have. Significantly, they don't suffer any penalties for joining other factions. For a small points cost, the player can also use 2 Cybertheurgic Rites per turn as well which can be powerful. Their apex detactment has troops with veterans prime advantage selected for them as well as retinues since they can summon the corse of the Forge Worlds power to the front. 

Cybernetica (Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 stars, narrowly rounded up!).

The robot controllers and creators. Any automata unit accompanied by a magos or similar can hold objectives. This one cannot be under-estimated on the battlefield. One model can also be given Paragon of Metal as a prime advantage (Ld+4, Int+4, WP+4, I+1, WS+1) and is counted as a tech priest - this is amazing really. Their apex detachment gives you yet more robots or different force organisation chart slots. 

Lacrymaerta (Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5 stars, but rounded down). 

The flesh and metal masters. Your battlesmiths can repair wounds to infantry, walkers, automata, as well as vehicles as normal. Or just add more tech thralls to your unit that you are already in proportionate to your battlesmith value. Interesting! The prime advantage here is for infantry: S+2 and W+1. This turns one unit into a super unit effectively. And the apex detachment is three heavy assault slots to use as Ursarax cohorts. 

Myrmidax (Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars). 

This is the trait of warfare! Models get W+1 and a bunch of special rules such as battle meditation. They become champions too and therefore eligible for challenges. As a gambit, the get an additional die in the focus phase and discard the highest in exchange for a shooting attack. The apex formation are elites with only a single prime advantage. 

Malagra (Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars). 

Effectively the secret police of the Mechanicum! Cause BS-1 and WS-1 in a reasonable range to Mechanicum enemies as you radiate fear into them. Pretty amazing really when placed well. They also come with a gambit which is an Intelligence test to add a battlesmith value to one of WS, S, A, or I which will help. For the Apex detachment, there are three Arcuitor Magisterium units to gain. 

Macrotek (Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars). 

Building things from cities to titans - they have the grandest of plans and visions. They can grant a 6++ to a regular vehicle just by being close to it. The Prime Advantage also gives vehicles AV+1 on the front and sides, Hull Points +2, and an increase of transport capacity by 2. This is solid without being outrageous. Of course, their Apex detachment offers 6 vehicles and you have to select the prime advantage discussed for all of them. 

Reductor (Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars). 

Dissembling things - like enemy fortifications - into ash. The give S+1 to things shooting at buildings or stationary vehicles, or eliminates the use of ShieldWall advanced reaction choice when targeting a unit that otherwise could declare it. The Prime advantage is 5++ and Ld+1 which is solid. They get 3 Thallax cohorts in their Apex detachment.