Horus Heresy 2e Review: Ferrus Manus

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. An excellent Primarch and similarly excellent choice for the Iron Hands player.

Background. 

The Gorgon. The Great Iron Father. And also the first Primarch to be betrayed and perish at his brother's hands during the opening phases of the Horus Heresy. In some ways Ferrus is a tragic figure, but in others, he is a stern and uncompromising leader of the Great Crusade. To me, it is a surprise that the Iron Hands stayed loyal to the Emperor. They were so close to Horus that many in the legion displayed the Eye of Horus on their armour. They also had a surprisingly close relationship with the Emperor's Children. The man himself is noted as a craftsman whose equal might only be found in Vulkan. And of course, he had a highly unusual physiology himself with those silvery hands and eyes. He prized physical strength above all things and despised weakness. The kind of excess that caused a fall from glory for his brothers. 

Strengths.

Of course, he is a primarch. And everything that comes with that is here. He grants an army wide buff of feel no pain (for infantry) and it will not die (for vehicles). This alone makes Ferrus worth taking if the points cost allows. The added reaction whilst he is on the battlefield to assaults is similarly strong.

Forgebreaker, his personal weapon, is truly amazing at S=12 (yes, you read that correctly) with great exo shock and brutal rules that befits its station. The usual 2+/3++ save is similarly amazing. This is therefore a primach that wants to be in close combat and smashing stuff up close and personal if at all possible.

At modest range he is arguably the best primarch of them all since he carries a small armoury of weapons on his person. The plasma blaster and graviton shredder (new for this edition!) is a great touch and will keep enemies on their toes regardless of if they're wearing terminator armour or not. As if that weren't enough there's a heavy flamer, a grenade harness, a servo arm, firing protocols and battle smith to boot. In short, Ferrus Manus can be played in a variety of roles but I suspect the main one will be as the tip of a spear and carried by something like a land raider into battle, or maybe a drop pod. But he'd be equally good on foot if needs must (probably using some tanks as his personal screen). He is a versatile primarch that comes with many boons and items of equipment and could be used in several difference ways, but the best one is as a front line smasher - make no mistake about that.

Weaknesses.

None. He is a primarch. At T=7 he's also incredibly tough in comparison to some of his brothers. And a good one at that, all things considered. He's tremendous in close combat and short range exchanges and provides a huge boost to the army.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral. The rules are just about the same. Great that the graviton shredder has been added - this is a nice, positive touch.

Overall.

Take him if you're allowed to play Lords of War and have the points cost. He can probably win against many of his brothers (I haven't run the numbers - NB), but is categorically out-matched by Horus.