Saturday, August 6, 2022

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Templar Brethren

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 stars. The rules are strong. I think this unit is solid all round and we will see much more of it on tabletops soon. 

Background.
These brothers guard the temple of Oaths which is located on board the ancient Phalanx starship. They have access to some of the best war gear available and are generally zealous in the extreme and hone their skills accordingly.

Strengths.
I like that these brothers have a good stat line, and that they can be nicely customized. Given the new rite of war, I would contend that Templars are going to be seen more frequently on the battlefields of 30k.

Furious charge and crusader imply by default that this unit should be build for close combat. The power swords as the basic weapon is great and something to build upon. Artificer armour is the icing on the proverbial cake here.

Weaknesses.
Watch for AP2 and instant death. Otherwise, this is a very strong unit for 30k and as above, I anticipate seeing many more of the Templars in second edition compared to first.

Difference to First Edition.
Improved. The extra wound is excellent to have and cannot be overlooked. 

Builds.
5 Templars, Champion with Solarite Power Gauntlet (160 points).
A baseline entry, and something of a distraction carnifex (i.e., has to be dealt with by an enemy or it will chop them steadily enough). Take a transport. 

10 Templars, Nuncio-Vox, Vexilla, Melta Bombs, Champion with Solarite Power Gauntlet (330 points).
Note the nice points cost here for a frightening mob of 10 marines ready to deploy against many other units in the game. The lack of invulnerable saves is the only problem, but that may not matter too much.

5 Templars, 4 Combat Shields, 2 plasma pistols, Champion with Master Crafted Thunder Hammer (198 points).
More for a Zone Mortalis game, but still viable elsewhere to say the least. Take a vexilla to taste.

3 comments:

  1. Love the Templars, especially considering their new rite. The only drawback in playing them is that they don't have a reliable source of AP2 attacks excluding the Gauntlet on their Sarge. Maybe with a generic "Power Weapon" they could have been mixed with sword/mail/axe to take on a larger number of targets (I do love power axes)

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  2. haven't managed to get the new edition yet, what's the comparison points wise ?

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  3. For the main part, all the points costs have been re-balanced somewhat. I think this squad is fractionally cheaper points wise ...depending on what build we're talking about. Example: 5 templars, vexilla, and champion with thunder hammer comes in at 170 points, whereas it was 195 points in first edition.

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