Horus Heresy 3e Review: Acastus Knight Asterius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. A knight that must operate at the longest range possible to get the most out of it.

Background. 

The machine spirit is said to be all consuming fire and rage. It is therefore of no surprise that only the veteran pilots in a household will bond with this type of knight. Doubly so given that it is a very long range knight and lacks any glory in melee given its armaments. It remains exceedingly rare in any given household.

Strengths.

As with the Porphyrion, the armour on the front is a fabulous AV=14 and it has 18 hull points to keep it in the game for a long while. The Ionic Flare Shield only accentuates this. And as with its sister knight, this is also a long range affair which can legitimately park at the backfield with the more vulnerable AV=11 rear armour to the board edge. 

The Conversion Beam Desolator Array is interesting. As with other conversion beams, it gets stronger with distance from the target. All ranges come with massive pie plate and ordnance on damage. Strength starts at 8 and goes to 10, AP starts at 4 and goes to 2, and damage is the inverse of that. This is very impressive, and you get 2 shots as well. You really need to go long range though (42 inches and above) to get the very best out of this beast, otherwise you have really wasted your points value and your attacks. 

The Karacnos mortar has a very good range as well and brings a much smaller pie plate with phage on toughness, pinning, poisoned, and barrage. Although S=6 and the AP isn't great, it can work. The remaining volkite culverins are similarly S=6 and reasonable range for anything that gets too close. 

The auto repair is impressive at 4+ which is what really sets this knight apart and why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 3 (which I would have been tempted to due to the conversion beam range issue of needing maximum ranges). 

Weaknesses. 

Explodes! And at 4+! This is something to consider. 

For the same points cost, you can actually get a Warhound Titan. That is fundamentally the balance here and the trade off to consider deeply. 

Builds.

There are no build here to speak of or analyse. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Acastus Knight Porphyrion

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are good for this rare knight.

Background. 

What is the machine limit that a single human mind can safely interface with? Apparently it is the Porphyrion, after which you will need more minds to take care of the scout class titans. 

This is a different class of knight altogether compared to the ones thus far visited. It is not only rare, but often taken to be the symbol of a household authority itself. Its vast form means it is almost strictly a long range knight.

Strengths.

AV=14 on the front begs for the knight to be placed at the back field with its AV=11 rear at the board edge. With 18 hull points, it isn't going anywhere fast anyway.

The Neutron Wave Battery has an impressive range of 120 inches, so my advice above can remain true all battle unless you are playing on an Apocalyptic scale. With four shots at S=12 and AP=2 with 4 damage, this is impressive. Armour bane, shock from stunning, and ordnance on damage escalates things further and means you can potentially pick off other knights, land raiders, and pose a threat to titans as well. 

Added to this are the iron storm missile battery giving you a nice large blast to take care of marines and similar, and some auto cannons in case you felt you lacked in the shooting department. 

Being a colossus means it doesn't need a base, and things are measured from its hull directly. It also blocks lines of sight. Auto repair is fine, but the independent fire rule is excellent and will come in very handy here.

Weaknesses. 

Explodes!

You are also only 25 points away from a Warhound Titan itself. The points cost is incredibly high here. There's a legitimate question about whether to just get a titan instead?

Builds.

There are no build here to speak of or analyse. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Cerastus Knight Atrapos

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 stars, rounded down. A knights knight for destroying knights and other foul xenos macro constructs. 

Background. 

Exceedingly rare. The Atrapos is typically a gift for a blood debt, or a spoil of war. They are designed to be enemy knight killers (against xenos macro-constructs) and it is considered a major honour to pilot them, although such outings are only at the command of the head of the household him or herself.  

Strengths.

The graviton singularity cannon is impressive. It has a valuable large pie plate, with AP=2, S=9, and a whopping 8 damage! 

If that's not enough, then there's also heavy on damage, armourbane, and critical hitting. 

The phase cutter also has armour bane, but is at S=12! The damage is a mere 6 though, and it has AP=2 with some small modifiers to initiative and attacks which is acceptable. 

Weaknesses. 

Explodes!

The overload on the cannon is a mild issue, but tolerable. This is made up for with a 4+ auto-repair which is excellent compared to other knights of its chassis design. 

The points cost is high here, but I think it can just about be justified. To be clear, this is a specialist knight and needs to be treated as such. You are after destroying other knights or vehicles with this, so don't waste it chasing primarchs!

Builds.

There are no build here to speak of or analyse. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Cerastus Knight Lancer

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars. An ideal knight for the points value and 5 stars too because it also has the rule of cool in addition to everything else going for it!

Background. 

The most famous configuration of the Cerastus Knights has to be the Lancer. They bring with them a legacy of war. Not for them are defensive positions, but rather their reputations are ones of destruction and conquering. They race ahead of their forces to engage enemy champions in single combat and are regarded as impetuous, yet simultaneously held in high regard.  

Strengths.

The shock lance and gauntlet shield are an iconic pairing. The shock lance at range provides 18 inch cover with 6 shots, at S=7. This also yields stun which is nice, and has AP=3 which enables you to almost single handed arc (lance?) down enemy space marine formations. 

In close combat the lance is agile and gives precision along with a much needed increase in initiative and an extra pip in strength. This enables it to take on most foes and stand a chance against them. The movement rate on the knight also means you should be able to get into position nicely. 

Meanwhile the ion gauntlet shield gives a 5+ invulnerable save in melee against penetrating hits. You also get the invulnerable save against glancing hits before any rolls are performed on the vehicle damage chart.  

Weaknesses. 

Explodes!

I genuinely like this knight. I just need to build one of my own!

Builds.

There are no build here to speak of or analyse. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Cerastus Knight Acheron

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

Background. 

Deployed as a sign to the enemy that they intend extermination, these knights are sinister and and spell utter death and cleansing flame. Their pilots tend to be either those of iron wills, or those damaged souls that relish the massacre, such is the machine spirit of that contained within. Few elect to pilot them.

Strengths.

The reaper chain fist is impressive. It combines armour bane with S+3 (for a total of S=12) and AP=2 with a truly maddening damage characteristic of SIX! This is an up close and personal weapon that is designed to destroy tanks and building alike. 

The inferno cannon is a hell storm template which combines shred and panic (as you might imagine) with a strength of 7. Really useful against massed foes, or just the contents of a tank transport that you just exploded. 

Weaknesses. 

Explodes!

I actually like this knight a lot more than others. But you do have to get up close and personal to get the most out of it. So you will need to think about positioning and movement more than you would with other knights since you are quite likely to expose your comparatively weaker rear armour a lot of the time. 

Builds.

There are no build here to speak of or analyse. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Cerastus Knight Castigator

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars. Great against massed lesser foes. 

Background. 

The Castigator is typically piloted by those venerable scions of a Household who can be relied upon to hold the line and to conserve ammunition when required. The machine spirits of these machines are stoic but no less able than the more impetuous ones in other knights. These knights are favoured by households who face multiple and lesser foes.

Strengths.

The Cerastus class knight comes with the auto repair, explode, and vanguard you might expect and layers this with an ion shield 13 armour on the front, 12 hull points, and a rapid movement of 14 which is one of the stronger points for this class overall in my opinion. 

The Castigator itself comes with the castigator bolt cannon which shoots out 10 shots every turn at S=6 and has AP=3. Ordnance on damage and suppressing fire is good here. Overall a great weapon for regular marines, or mechanicum or mortals. The tempest warblade has reaping blow and is aflame. With AP=2, it is deadly in close combat and will see off terminators quite nicely. 

Weaknesses. 

Explodes!

Honestly, I should like it more, but I actually prefer other Cerastus knights. The number of shots here has also decreased compared to second edition which is sad. 

Builds.

There are no build here to speak of or analyse. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Questoris Knight Styrix

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. The rules are good and a glow up from previous editions!

Background. 

The Styrix apparently did some really nasty and bad stuff during the Age of Strife. Accordingly, their machine spirits are perfectly capable of reducing even the iron will of the typical noble householder to madness that forces them to conduct massacres. They are therefore held in low regard and a bit of a stain of dishonour.

Strengths.

As with the Magaera, this is like a regular questoris knight in the rules department ... except better auto-repair and a flare shield instead of an ion shield.

The graviton gun and the irad scourer are very handy for short range work. But the real attraction is the Hekaton Siege Claw. Doubling strength (which means S=16 - wow!), armour breaking and breaching at even odds each, and pinning via shock is amazing! The AP=3 is good as is the 3 damage. 

Rounding this off is the Volkite Chieorovile. This gives 5 lots of S=7 shots at a great range along with shred and deflagrate of course. Ordnance is on FP which is okay. The 2 damage per hit is strong. Arguably one of the best Volkite weapons on the market, and it satisfies the "go big" rule for Volkite without needs more of the same. 

I actually like this knight a lot more in third edition than any of the previous editions, and that's saying something. It has had a glow up, certainly. 

Weaknesses. 

Explodes!

And the points made about the Questoris Knight apply here as well. 

Builds.

There are no build here to speak of or analyse. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Questoris Knight Magaera

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

Background. 

A rare knight chassis combined with weapons of ancient provenance make for the Magaera to be a top shock knight in the Questoris Knights army list.

Strengths.

Much like a regular questoris knight in the rules department ... except better auto-repair and a flare shield instead of an ion shield.

The weapons consist of a lightning cannon which is nice for anti space marine duty, a phase plasma fusil which is also nice for breaching, and an irad scourer for your toughness phage antics. 

Weaknesses. 

Explodes!

And the points made about the Questoris Knight apply here as well. 

Builds.

There are no build here to speak of or analyse. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Knight Questoris

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. A unit with a lot of customization and good rules. 

Background. 

The Questoris Knight is the most common form of knight in the Imperium. It saw vast use during the Heresy and comes in a variety of different configurations.

Strengths.

With 10 hull points and 13 armour value on the front this is a great basis to build a specific and dedicated knight out of. 

They can be configured in every manner you would want (paladin, errant and everything else) which gives them excellent battlefield possibilities. 

The base movement of 12 is also good here and an improvement over second edition. I like that they also have Vanguard (2) here as well. 

Weaknesses. 

Rear armour value of 11 is a mild issue and represents a mild debuff compared to second edition - but you also have to factor in the increase in hull points overall. Massed firepower against such knights can represent an issue. Explodes is also a mild risk. 

Builds.

There are many builds available here. I'll go through some of the more common ones. 

Knight Paladin, Reaper Chainsword, Battle Cannon, Stormspear Rocket Pod (415 points).

A classic set up which is mid range and a bit of a swiss army knife able to take on many roles. I added the storm spear because why not. 

Knight Errant, Reaper Chainsword, Thermal Cannon (420 points).
Up close and personal. Tanks and heavy infantry are your targets here. Take the front mounted melta gun for added fun.

Knight Crusader, Battle Cannon, Gatling Cannon, Twin-Linked Icarus Autocannon (415 points).
Long range fire support, and anti-air to boot. 

Knight Gallant, Reaper Chainsword, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Ironstorm Missile Pod (425 points). 
Melee knight.

Knight Warden, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Gatling Cannon, Ironstorm Missile Pod (435 points).
A mixed bag. Good against lighter vehicles and infantry. 

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, Moirax Conversion Beamer, Lightning Lock (190 points). 

Very much a longer ranged option.  

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Armiger Warglaive

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

Background. 

Piloted by lesser retainers, distant cousin, prisoners on occasion, and wannabes, the human on board strives to one day be worthy of an entry level job in a Household. Some targets are rightly beneath the notice of other Knights. The Warglaives' job is to take care of these threats such as infantry trying to clamp on some melta bombs and the like.

Strengths.

The stat line is identical to the Helverin. With 7's on the stat line for Wounds, S and T, the Warglaive also reads well and has a vital 4 in both WS and BS which is an improvement compared to the last edition. The 3+ save is distinctly average whilst the 6+ invulnerable is just going to be a lucky save once in a while. They're not immune, but they are fleet with 10 in movement which should help get the positioning correct for you.

Armaments are a heavy stubber (which is okay I guess), the thermal lance (which is S=9, 4 damage at AP=2 and comes with melta which is impressive; and also heavy on the strength which can be a massive boon). It also has a reaper chain blade (reaping blade is nice, but shred at 5+ is better. S+1 hits at AP=2 and 2 damage is actually really nice and presents a clear and present threat to most terminators in the game). 

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. 

Overall.

I would advocate that swapping out the heavy stubber for the melta gun is the upgrade you want to go for here if you are thinking about some light tank busting action. I like the Warglaive - and perhaps even a tiny bit better than the Helverin thanks to the chain blade which can cause some serious problems for opponents. Well worth the points. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Armiger Helverin

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

Background. 

Piloted by lesser retainers, distant cousin, prisoners on occasion, and wannabes, the human on board strives to one day be worthy of an entry level job in a Household. These are long range armigers and can happily sit at the back taking shots at others all game.

Strengths.

With 7's on the stat line for Wounds, S and T, the Helverin reads well and has a vital 4 in both WS and BS which is an improvement compared to the last edition. The 3+ save is distinctly average whilst the 6+ invulnerable is just going to be a lucky save once in a while. They're not immune, but they are fleet with 10 in movement which should help get the positioning correct for you.

Their armaments are two lots of Phaeton Autocannons. With a 30 inch range they are powerful and you get 3x2 shots with them as S=7 with Ordnance on range. Breaching is the icing on the cake at 5+. They will take out regular marines with ease and challenge terminators to remain upright. Against their own kind though is where they will shine quite a lot. The heavy stubber is just the icing on the cake really. 

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. 

Overall.

There are no builds to discuss here other than replacing the heavy stubber with a melta gun. Since you are long ranged this is not advised. This is a long range pesky construct that fires annoying shots all game long if they are not targeted and focused against. I actually like them!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Knight Household Ranks, Vows, and Advanced Reactions

Continuing the overview of the Liber Questoris Knights section, today we look at the Household Ranks that Knights can have, their Vows that they can take, and their advanced reactions. 

Ranks. 

All ranks are a function of Prime Advantage slots. As such, the basic knight army roster gives you 4 knights all with prime advantages. 

Seneschal (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars). One per army, penetrating hits against you get -1 damage and counts as the Warlord for Slay the Warlord purpose. You are probably going to take it regardless. It probably pushes you toward Acastus due to AV=14 on the front perhaps, but any knight is viable. 

Lord Scion (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars). Also one per army, you get two repair tests for them in each status phase rather than one. Very handy. 

Scion Arbalester (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars). Move no more than half of your usual distance and benefit from any Heavy or Ordnance rule still. Really handy, but one per army and probably wants to be on one with a weapon that takes advantage of Ordnance (on damage) such as neutron wave batteries against tanks or castigator bolt cannon against elite infantry. 

Scion Aspirant (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️ 1/5 stars) gives you expendable (1) as well as a negative modifier for the auto repair rule. Meh. A fluff choice. BUT it unlocks the armiger detachment. 

Scion Aucteller (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars) is one per army and gives precision at 5+. This is ideal for close combat knights and undoubtedly will suit a Lancer. 

Scion Dolorous (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars) is similarly one per army and gives Fear. Don't underestimate this one - it can be awesome. 

Scion Implacable (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars) gives the fire storm special rule. Handy but not outrageous, and one per army. 

Scion Martial (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5 stars) offers nothing. Presumably take it if you have no other options remaining that are not better than Aspirants. BUT it unlocks the Support banner detachment (more knights!). 

Preceptor (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars) gives you battlesmith at 2 (and Int=8). Its okay actually and once per army.  

Scion Uhlan (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars) is also once per army and gives fast (2) and impact on attacks. Great for close combat closing out. 

Vows. 

Taken during the core mission sequence, vows can give bonuses when conditions are met.

Vow of Execution gives +2 for Slay the Warlord so long as it is also a High Command slot. This is excellent!

Vow of Slaying gives Giant Killer +2 points against Lords of War. Situational. 

Vow of Resolve gives +2 for Last Man Standing. A nice one to take for more backline units, certainly.

Vow of Alacrity is +2 for First Strike so long as you do it in turn one. This is about focus fire and can pay dividends if you have set up nicely.

Advanced Reactions.

Stomp does what you might think if an enemy gets too close during movement. Small blast marker, and S=hull points, at AP=3 and 2 damage. Can be very good against regular marines and non-marine armies.

Rotate Ion Shields gives +1 to your invulnerable save at the front when shot at, but you get -1 to the same save for the rest of the turn. Its a gamble, but can be good if you know you're not going to take more hits. 

Joust! charges in when you are charged at. No special bonuses apply any longer for successful charges. Of course, you have to be charged by another knight. Very fluffy!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Knight Armies and Familia

Our next book we will review in the Horus Heresy series is Liber Questoris.

This Liber covers both Knights and Titans, alongside some ground troops and others which we will come to in due course. 

We will start with the Knights themselves and in the article have a look at both army construction and Familia that we can give to the Knights.

Knight households are an entirely different kind of army to regular space marines or the Imperial army. The first choice that a player faces is what Questoris Familia to declare themselves for. There are three choices: Imperialis, Machanicum, or Mendicant (which is to say: freeblades). These give different Tactica, Vows, and Advanced Reactions. 

Imperial House (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars) gives you a Baronial Court which provides a free Mesnie Detachment, and removes the 0-1 restriction for Lord Scions. Their vow (more on this another day) is Dominion which gets you more victory points the first time you score with Vanguard (this is good!). The advanced reaction is Rallying Call which allows army wide repair rolls (this is excellent). 

Mechanicum Vassals (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars) gives a free automat talon, removes the 0-1 Preceptor limit, and gets +2 victory points the first time you score thanks to the vow. Their advanced reaction is rad purge which is strong thanks to poisoned 2+ and phage on toughness. Nice for clearing out a zone around you. 

The Freeblade Company (Warpstone Flux rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars) gives free Armiger talon and you get free household rank prime advantages as if everyone had a prime slot. If you win combat first, then you also get +2 victory points as part of your vow of belligerence which encourages strong close combat play. The advanced reaction is Valorous End which is a bit of a Pyrrhic victory moment. Explode yourself and roll 6's as part of that explosion. Might be useful. 

Army construction is also modified here as you might imagine. Sure, you can still take a Knight as a Lords of War choice, but you can also field dedicated detachments which is easier to show in the image below (reproduced here under fair use). 

We have 4 knights as the core Knight household detachment, and other additional detachment which are dependent on you prime advantage selections. We shall look at household ranks in the next article. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Household Dark Blessings

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The Dark Blessings are a replacement for the Household ranks and can only be taken by traitors. Some are really good, others a bit less so. Suggested knights are provided for each entry.  

Conqueror of Worlds. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The dark blessing version of the Seneschal. An auto-include for the big boss whose warlord trait provides access to reactions. Suggested Knight: Lancer. 

Heedless Slaughter. ⭐️

A free upgrade (probably from Khorne) that comes at the cost of WS-1 and BS-1, but gain Rage (2) if you have an armiger unit somewhere. I am torn on this upgrade. Rage is nice. But those negatives are bad. Very bad. I probably won't take it on balance.  

Malevolent Artifice. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain IWND +1 for each wound or hull point you inflict in close combat until the end of the battle. This is very, very nice, and worth the points cost. Suggested Knights: Lancer, Acheron, Questoris.

Encroaching Ruin. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BS+1 and a bonus speed to armigers that start a turn next to it. Very nice overall. Suggested Knight: Questoris, and probably Asterius.

Putrid Corruption. ⭐️⭐️

Ablative organic mass that speaks of Nurgle. Loses movement speed, but gains unrelenting which lowers 1d3 wounds from a penetrating shot to just 1. This is okay overall, but not amazing. Suggested Knight: Unclear. 

Infernal Tempest. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tzeentch (we think?) gives you psychic or sorceress powers. Warding grants an invulnerable pip, tempest is nice for its AP=2 but is short range. Suggested Knight: Questoris. 

Ravenous Dissolution.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WS+1 and marked for death. This is quite strong and calls for a melee unit. Suggested Knights: Lancer, Questoris. 

Rapturous Sensation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Slaanesh (given the title of the blessing) demands your attentions. No reactions unless you take a Ld test in a large bubble. This is strong, but situational. Suggested Knight: Unclear. 

Formless Distortion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WS+1, become a character, and get an ionic lash which is at AP=2 and S=10 with exoshock. Very nice indeed. Suggested Knight: Questoris. 

And Then There Were Two

Double trouble. A pair of Warglaives have now been assembled!

The machines have opposite arms or handedness, which is something that I like about this build. The poseability is fantastic, and the only real question that I have left is what should I do with the bases. I've not made my mind up with that yet, but very excited to see these pair finally built. Hopefully they will go nicely with what is on order... 

Warglaive

Back to some hobby this afternoon, and this time featured the assembly of an Armiger Warglaive. I've only put together one of these, there's obviously a second one to do since they come in boxes of two.

What impressed me about the miniature is the poseability. I was a touch confused at Step 5 where the arms attach to the side and then turn around, but it took just a gentle press to get the glueless pose working. All the arms are nicely actuated and can pivot as required. There's clearly been a lot of thought put into this miniature and how it can be assembled.

I've made this one hold the chain sword in the left hand as - to me - this seems more natural if the rider was right handed. The main weapon is on the right. I suppose ultimately with the mind merging that goes on, a bit of ambidexterity doesn't matter. I am not sure whether to assemble the second Warglaive in a similar left / right hand configuration or not, but I do prefer this way around! Overall pretty easy and straight forward to assemble with no real issues other than the choice of a melta gun on the top. A great model and well designed!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knights Household Ranks

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (individual rankings follow for each upgrade - this is just a rough average).

4/5 stars. The rules provide some excellent flavour to knight armies and should be used by all players at least in part.

Seneschal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The boss. The head of the house. Massively experienced. And a big price tag. This provides increased WS and BS which can be very important, but also a warlord trait that permits reactions within a local radius and gains a bonus shooting reaction. Great stuff! Suggested Knight: Lancer.

Arbalester. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain BS, and roll an additional scatter die when you have to and choose which result you want. This upgrade is almost a no brainer for longer ranged knights. Suggested Knight: Asterius, Knight Questoris (especially melta).

Aspirant. ⭐️

Not truthfully recommended due to the negatives on WS, BS, and movement. Has utility if you are short on points, willing to give your opponent a bigger chance, or generally want something fluffy. Otherwise avoid. Suggested Knight: None!

Aucteller. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain WS. Also gain further WS and A when engaged in a challenge with certain other units (knights, monsters, primarchs, and so forth). This is also a no brainer for your dedicated melee knights that you will get to the front lines very quickly. But you have to get there first. Suggested Knight: Knight Questoris, Acheron, Lancer

Dolorus. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain WS and can sweep. A really solid upgrade for melee knights. Suggested Knight: Castigator

Implacable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain a hull point. Attacks against you can't cause more than 1 hull point of damage. Even exoshock! Useful for when you want a survivable knight. Suggested Knight: Unclear. 

Preceptor. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain BS. Help out your armiger buddies by giving them improved Ld within a small radius. Can be very useful in the right circumstances. Apply it to a ranged knight and it will be good. Suggested Knight: Knight Questoris

Uhlan. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain a ridiculous movement boost, as well as character, outflank and scout. Well worth it for the shock of turn 1. Suggested Knight: Lancer, Atrapos

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Acastus Knight Asterius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average.

Background.

The machine spirit is said to be all consuming fire and rage. It is therefore of no surprise that only the veteran pilots in a household will bond with this type of knight. Doubly so given that it is a very long range knight and lacks any glory in melee given its armaments. It remains exceedingly rare in any given household. 

Strengths.
I'm going to talk about the secondary armaments first here. The volkite culverins on the front are a reasonably good weapon for finishing troops off. But to do that, the knight probably wants to opt for the Karacnos mortar battery to fire first. This beast might only be AP4, but with S=6 and a range a special rules that most notably include fleshbane and radphage (let alone shell shock and pinning, plus it ignores cover), this has the potential to be a squad killer overall. 

The main weapons here are the two twin linked heavy conversion beam cannons. At maximum range, these weapons have an eye watering S=12 and AP=1 coupled with a large blast. Truthfully, this is an anti-titan (and anti-knight) weapon at long range. As such, you will want to be targeting enemies at the longest range possible. But the issue here is the minimum firing range to obtain S=12 is 42 inches. The strength decreases as you go below. Still above 18 inches, it is a S=9 cannon, but the AP of 4 is an issue. Up to 18 inches is a paltry S=7 which just doesn't justify the points cost. 

Weaknesses.

I will freely confess to being a fan of the conversion beamer. The main issue with it is that it is most suitable to big game boards. i.e., Apocalypse game boards. Therefore this knight is not really recommended outside of such games. More than this, the points cost of this knight is within shouting distance of a scout titan which might serve you better depending on the scenario.
 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of here. The points cost is probably just about worth it, but only when you know you will be firing at long range for most of a game. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knight Atrapos

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are great!

Background.

Exceedingly rare. The Atrapos is typically a gift for a blood debt, or a spoil of war. They are designed to be enemy knight killers and it is considered a major honour to pilot them, although such outings are only at the command of the head of the household him or herself.

Strengths.
The Atrapos is a knight killer - and monster slayer - mounted on a Cerastus body. Thanks to the macro extinction protocols rule, its weapons are counted as twin linked when firing at knights, titans, and super heavy analogues. 

The singularity cannon is an extreme form of graviton weaponry. Occasionally you will get a vortex result out of this, and sometime you will also hurt yourself. Regardless, the large blast with haywire makes sure that you are going to cause some mighty damage here. Meanwhile the phase cutter is armour bane for close combat at S=10 and AP1. Ouch.

Weaknesses.

No real weakness other than the requirement to get up close and personal with this knight. The flank speed here is your ally.
 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of here. The points cost is worth it, and the potency of this knight should not be doubted when played to its strengths.