Horus Heresy 2e Review: Pyroclast Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are solid and the squad functions very well for what it does.

Background.

Getting rid of the destroyer squads was a good move for our humanitarian hero, Vulkan. But his Salamanders still needed something to do a bit of end of days style cleansing with, so he forged the pyroclasts. Their role is one of cleansing. With fire - or more accurately a weapon of Vulkan's own devising. 

Strengths.

Two wounds each is very nice here along with It Will Not Die, and an invulnerable save against the very things they bring to the battlefield (fire, fire, and a touch of fire. Or melta, volkite, or plasma as well). I like the melta bombs here a whole lot more than I should as well. The 2+ save is, of course, great.

The flame projectors that they carry have two firing modes that can be used - one is a template with fire at S=6, the other is a melta gun variation. They also double up to perform close combat duty very nicely. 

Weaknesses.

Having to select every member in the squad firing in the same mode (template vs melta) might seem like a weakness, but it really isn't. Similarly the limited range of upgrade to the unit may also seem problematic, but the squad is already fairly optimized that you will just use the thunder hammer most of the time and call it a day I guess. And in all honesty, the price tag is not much of a negative compared to the humble support squad either for what you get for it. Pity other upgrades like a Vexilla is not available. 

Difference to First Edition.

Two wounds. The melta bombs come as standard now as well. 

Builds.

5 Pyroclasts, Warden with Power Fist (195 points).

The basic build. You will need either the power fist or thunder hammer to be fully effective. Take a transport to get where you need to be. Master craft a weapon to taste.

10 Pyroclasts, Warden with Thunder Hammer (350 points).

Can't really go too wrong, but I prefer smaller units for this squad I think. That said, put a praetor in here that is close combat orientated and you have a recipe for a nasty unit straight out of a land raider. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Vulkan

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. The rules are very strong indeed.

Background.

Vulkan is the good guy. The humanitarian. The perpetual. And amazingly a match for many of his brothers, whilst also being a consummate craftsman. Whilst his brothers played war leaders and planetary unifiers, he was more than happy to be a teacher and protector. He carried this over to his legion and sought to minimize the casualties he caused. This, of course, way not the way of some of his brothers. He was well liked by most of them all the same. 

Strengths. 

All Salamanders gain stubborn under his warlord trait which is excellent. The extra reaction in the shooting phase is solid as well. 

The stat line is great with a WS=S=T=7 at the expense on one lower initiative than his brothers. You won't mind this given his armaments though. Dawnbringer, his hammer, strikes with S=10 and AP1 just to make some of his brothers jealous. His side arm is a S=7 lance with d6 burst which is one of the better ones compared to his brothers.  Rounding this out is his 2+/3++ armour which is excellent. He re-rolls against flame and volkite where applicable, but I suspect that hardly will ever be used.

More than anything else, Vulkan is the tank among his brothers. His It Will Not Die is at 4+ and he will out last many of his brothers and tar pit others. 

Weaknesses.

Beware of getting stuck in combat yourself all game long. No doubt a lot of Salamanders players have this experience already. He's much the same in this edition. 

Overall.

As a tank, he will tank all game long. Choose your targets though. He can take on most things in the game and win, and for his brothers stands a good chance against half of them at least (forget taking on Horus or The Lion though). 

Difference to First Edition.

He's lost some of his special rules and army boosts (no more re-rolling deny the witch for instance). Beyond this, its pretty similar. And its always hammer time. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Salamanders Armoury and Psychic Powers

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars, and rounded down. The rules are strong.  

Artifice and Flame. The Salamanders are noted artisans within the background. Here they can master craft any of their weapons (1 per character for a small points cost) which is solid enough. In addition they can exchange heavy bolters for dragon's breath heavy flamers. 

Dragon's Breath Weapons. With a nice amount of S in each weapon, the key difference to base weapons is the modification of the Wall of Death rule to grant 1d6 hits instead of 1d3. These things are deadly when used right. 

Dragon Scale Storm Shield. The key difference between the Salamanders and other legions is arguably the upgrade available to shields. This turns their terminators in cataphractii armour into 3+ invulnerable saving throw monsters. This is massive, and keeps the Salamanders alive even better than their base legion rules. This is the main reason I am giving 4.5 stars out of 5 to the Salamanders here.

Mantle of the Elder Drake. Battle Hardened for a good amount of points. Its not quite as good as it was, and its not eternal warrior. But it gets close. 

Psychic Discipline: Fury of the Salamander.

This psychic discipline is used with the Awakening Fire rite of war and grants 2 abilities. The first is Salamander's Fury which changes open terrain into difficult terrain, and difficult terrain into both difficult and dangerous within a bubble. This is a magnificent power, but comes at the price of having to stay still and not do much else. The second is Elemental Horror which is a glorious template attack at S=7 with pinning, deflagrate, shell shock and psychic focus to boot. Take with a unit of heavy flamers and you will make exactly zero friends. 

Overall.

No special consul for the Salamanders, but the slight nerf to the base rules is more than made up for with a very strong armoury which even the average player will know what to do with and the average opponent might arguably struggle with. I am liking the Awakening Fire rite of war for the Salamanders in particular right at the moment. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Salamanders Legion Traits and Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are average, and some are rather nice. 

Warlord Traits.

The Salamanders Legion has three warlord traits on offer, including a traitor one, much to my surprise. 

The Weight of Duty. For the Loyalists, the warlord and his army gain S+1 against a unit that causes fear in combat. The unit also has hatred of traitors. This comes at the cost of not being able to take the nastier, unwholesome units like destroyer squads, but the bonus assault reaction is nice. Overall this is an average trait that will see sufficient play. 

Promethian Will. Bonuses to Ld against pinning and a reduction of incoming fear is a nice, but not complete replacement of their core rules from the first edition. Shooting reaction bonus is solid, but as above, they can't take the nastier units. Once again, average, and an inferior replacement for first edition rules. 

Redemption of Flames. I find it surprising that a traitor only warlord trait exists for the Salamanders since they were selected for destruction largely as the Warmaster didn't think he could turn any of them. Recall: in the lore, the Salamanders are really the humanitarians and the good guys, despite the red eyes. The bonus +1 to wound when using flames or volkite is strong and the bonus assault reaction the same. This is the best trait of the lot. I'm sad it is not that fluffy myself.

Rites of War.

The Conenant of Fire. Pyroclasts and Support Squads gaining Line and becoming troops when using flamers is all fine and good, as are predator squads with dragon's breath equipment as troops. Not deep striking is a problematic draw back, so take some termites instead if you're playing that way. Destroyers being eliminated is fluffy, but having to take a champion consul is odd. This is an average to sub-part rite of war that just enables things to be taken as troops fundamentally and as such it might appear to be a "shrug" all round, but it will still see play. 

The Awakening Fire. Being able to take Fear as an upgrade is excellent, as is ignoring Ld modifiers for pinning. Psykers having to use the Fury of the Salamander is not really a drawback (we will look at this psychic discipline later). Having the option to take an additional chaplain is a reasonable exchange rate (and indeed at least 1 chaplain must be taken). No jump packs can be problematic, but who take cavalry (similarly restricted). Of course, the restriction of no Vulkan might seem harsh, but it is fluffy. This is a strong rite of war to my mind.

Difference to First Edition.

The rules here appear to replace some of the first edition core rules for the legion somewhat. They are not quite as powerful, but they will do quite nicely. I'm surprised at the traitor warlord trait's existence, and doubly concerned that its the most powerful! Oh well. Good luck to those Salamanders players taking the side of the Warmaster. 

 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Salamanders Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars -- rounded up to 3/5 stars. The rules are okay and can be solid enough when played well.

Background.

The Salamanders were betrayed and broken at the Massacre in the Isstvan system at the opening in the Heresy. With Vulkan missing in action afterward, the legion was reduced to guerrilla actions for most of the rest of the civil war and their splintered forces carried on confronting the traitors wherever they found them.

Legion Rules Review.

Blood and Fire grants a reduction in rolls to wound against them when using many different types of special weapons (plasma, melta, volkite, and flames in general). In addition for models with more than one wound or hull point, they gain It Will Not Die on a 6+ roll. This rule then speaks volumes about staying power and survivability, but the canny opponent might be able to work around this.

Artifacts of Nocturne grants access to the unique wargear options from the armoury whilst The Creed of Vulkan provides the warlord traits. As with some other legions, there are no unique consul choices to be had within the Salamanders.

Advanced Reaction.

Duty is Sacrifice is an interesting advanced reaction that can be used once per game. On receiving a charge a Salamanders unit can gain +1 to WS, S, and A for that assault phase. But there's a downside: roll 1d6 for each combatant and get an unsavable wound against you on a 6! Ouch! Should the charge fail though, the Salamanders gain Fearless instead of all of the above. This is an interesting reaction at minimum in the sense that it has a downside. Probably best played with multi-wound units where possible, but in the right situation it can be very strong.  

Difference to First Edition.

Overall, the Salamanders are a bit thin on the ground in terms of the sheer number of unique units that they are fielding as core in second edition. Otherwise, they retain only scraps of the rules that they are famous for as they have been hit with some significant nerfs here. I mourn the loss of Strength of Will for them in particular, but some of this is included in a Warlord Trait at least.

Summary Page Updated

Today's progress has been to update the Horus Heresy Reviews Summary page here on Warpstone Flux.

This has been a bit of effort since I've left it far too long since the last time we updated it. Quite a few legions are left to be examined, as well as substantial sections of the core army list choices. We're getting there though! 

Normal service will resume tomorrow.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Saboteur

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 stars. The rules are unique and good enough for four stars. 

Background.

The Alpha Legion special consul character is the Saboteur. He specializes in infiltration, assassination and generally causing mayhem. Thanks to being able to strike in the opening moments of a battle unimpeded, they can readily swing entire fights. 

Strengths.

The special rule for the Saboteur is the False Colours rule. This means that they cannot be shot at if they've not shot themselves during a game. This is very interesting when used in conjunction with infiltrate and scouts which they automatically get. 

Beyond this, they get melta bombs, breacher charges, and shroud bombs as part of the cost. Considering the relatively cheap points cost of the upgrade, this is a real good purchase for the points and the main part of the reason that the saboteur gets 4 out of 5 stars from me in this review. 

In terms of play style, I can see several different themes. However, the optimal one is probably as a melta-cide one man crew. i.e., take a combi-melta and get up close to some tank to try to blow it away, or cause havoc on some dreadnought. The nemesis bolter for 5 points is a worthy upgrade, but there are better characters (i.e., Exodus) who snipe much better. Equally, if the saboteur survive such a melta attack, the nemesis bolter is a great way to spend the rest of the game just pining away at targets near and far for a cheap amount of points. Lastly he could also be used as a straight up assault unit. He's not the best at this, but in principle he could cause damage this way and could tie up an enemy unit before getting destroyed. Not really advised to be honest, but could work alongside a Headhunter squad especially at lower points values.

Weaknesses.

Just because they cannot be shot at does not mean that they cannot be charged at. Beware!

Difference to First Edition.

So much for the old sabotage rule! We will mourn its passing. Instead we now have a cheap-ish character whose best function appears to be a melta-cide attempt. Not bad overall.

Builds.

Saboteur, combi-melta (85 points).

Set up by infiltration and then take your best shot at a vehicle or similar. Congratulations if you make your points cost back. Don't stress if you miss, the character is cheap enough to not worry too much. And you've always got melta bombs for another attempt. Take a power dagger and/or nemesis bolter to taste?

Saboteur, Power Fist (90 points).

Not recommended, simply noted here in an illustrative fashion. Charge in to disrupt potential enemy squads you think you can survive against. Probably best used alongside a Headhunter unit.

Saboteur, Nemesis Bolt Gun, Power Dagger (85 points).

The long range sniper, with power dagger for tight situations. Candidly, Exodus is better at this sort of job, but in low points value games this has a place. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Armillus Dynat

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 stars - the rules are good!

Background.

Many legions have a named character other than the Primarch whose legend is writ large and are very capable commanders and fighters. For the Alpha Legion, Armillus Dynat represents such a character and his own legend might have been so much greater had he been in one of the more glorified legions. But within the Alpha Legion, he is a bit of a mystery with only the Ultras noting his character, and later others thanks to Paramar. 

Strengths.

Dynat has a number of positives to his name. With his warlord trait he can grant 3 units either infiltrate (making up for first edition mutable tactics - yay!), scout, or counter attack. These are nice choices to have and the bonus movement reaction is going to be very sound in addition to this. 

His stat line is very remarkably the same as a generic praetor. And in that it is unremarkable. What sets him apart is his equipment kit and his ability to split attacks between any of his weapons. He has a pair of power weapons - a rending power sword, and a thhunderstriking thunder hammer. Handily, if a hit is scored with the power sword, he also gets one further free attack with the hammer at I=1. Precision striking (4+) is also great here. This makes up for his baseline attacks being 4 and allows him to compete with other close combat monsters out there -- especially on the charge. Rounding this out are the venom sphere and the phosphex bomb which is easy to overlook. 

Weaknesses.

He's good, but not outrageous. He's a force enhancer, and great in combat against many other opponents. The way I read the rules, he can also purchase a power dagger for 5 points which might be nice if you need breaching or sudden striking. In fact, having just written that, I'm more convinced this is a good move, even if its yet another close combat weapon. I mean he gets a load of attacks on the charge, but can go at I=6 with the dagger and breach nicely, followed by several swings of the sword, and then a few hammers to finish things off. Best thing is the ability to choose how to split those attacks so Dynat and pick it according to the opponent. 

Overall.

A great character, good in a fight, and has an important warlord trait that can help the army now that mutable tactics is gone (sigh). 

Difference to First Edition.

Improved. Dynat was my "go to" praetor in first edition (when not using Skorr in low points cost games) and he will certainly remain so in second edition. His abilities in combat have improved, and he's retained the ability to get troops in where they need to be by infiltration (rather than deep strike, but its more units now). He's lost a wound, but I'm not bothered especially and traded it for another attack. The cognis signum loss is more of a hit, but I rarely used the sweeping bonus in my own deployment zone, so overall I see this as an improvement and a way to make up for the loss of mutable tactics from the legion. That, and his points cost has come down. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Exodus

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.5/5 stars - I've rounded up. Exodus is the ultimate last word in character killing at long range in the entire game. 

Background.

Exodus is a codename used by the Alpha Legion given to select individuals whose skill at assassination is second to none (or at least only those other special individuals who share or inherit the moniker - it is unclear if there's one or more of them). A Vindicare assassin in everything but name, but with the added benefits of being a space marine, and with the handy Alpha Legion rules to help. 

Strengths.

Exodus comes with a small army of special rules and war gear to help him out on the battlefield. Pathfinder, relentless, shrouded, move through cover, as well as shroud bombs, a venom sphere, a power dagger, and his weapon of choice: The Instrument are just the more obvious ones to talk about. Here I will give a shout out to the shroud bombs in particular since in combination with the Alpha Legion rules means that he is going to be 8 inches away from where the controlling player puts him on the battlefield. I mean seriously. This is amazing against shooting attacks. 

The Instrument makes Exodus into the ideal character assassin. With an impressive 72 inch range on an execution shot (AP1 - and Brutal 2 if he hasn't moved - at S=7) this sniper shot can down the best of them and take chunks out of primarchs as well with some good rolls. Handy also for blowing up light tanks on occasion, but this is a bit of a waste. The other mode of shooting is rapid shots, but the range plummets. The good news is that Exodus always uses his full BS against all targets come what may. And forget rolling shrouded against him too.

He can also infiltrate using his own version of the rule (The Hidden Hand) to set up almost where he likes (in cover, or at least 9inches away from enemies), or come in at the board's edge after the first turn (not sure I'd want to waste the first turn's shooting though to be honest). He's okay in combat as well, and rather tanky. Hence he can go with a headhunter kill team quite readily if you wanted to use him aggressively. And if charged, he has the equipment to cope.

Finally, he is not unique. You can take more than 1 of him! Wow. He also lacks an alignment just like Alpharius. 

Weaknesses.

He lacks artificer armour, so only a 3+ save. The refractor field helps of course. He is not really a close combat expert, but can readily hold his own if needed. He is not a compulsory HQ either, but you really won't care too much about that when you get those extra victory points for slaying the enemy warlord. 

Overall.

Exodus does something better than almost anything else in the game: kills characters at range. For this reason alone he gets 4.5/5 stars from me. He might just be a "must take" for Alpha Legion armies in second edition. Set him up on a very tall tower and kill anything he can see. Move in from a board edge and kill characters in their backs. The choices are varied and strong here. He is certainly worth the points. 

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral to slightly improved. I really like what I see here. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Headhunter Kill Team

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

Background.

The Alpha Legion is noted to have created Seeker Squads. But they went much further in secret, forming the Headhunter cadre. Skilled infiltrators and assassins combined, these marines can take out important enemy targets with precision. 

Strengths.

Let's get infiltrate and scouts out of the way first: the ability to set up where they need to be is key to how they operate. They take down enemy characters one by one by one until there's little by regular marines to mop up. Or at least that is the way that they should be played overall. 

Their shooting and load outs are strong thanks to both BS=5 plus S=5 and precision shots. Breaching rounds this out to provide access to AP2 with some luckier rolls. 

In close combat, they are not so great as when they are shooting, but they can readily handle regular space marines thanks to power daggers due to 3 attacks on the charge which will kill power armour marines on to wound rolls of 5+. This is great. 

Weaknesses.

The headhunters are a glass cannon unit. They are highly offensive (pun not intended), but they have absolutely nothing in regards of ways to defend themselves. That is, of course, fine, but it is best to be aware of this facet before you go fielding an army of them since the price tag gets high quick in comparison to tactical squads. They are also short range, and vulnerable to being melee'd to death. Use the legion advanced reaction to help here and make sure to measure to gain advantage with the 2 inches further away ruling due to Lies and Obfuscation. 

The last thing to say here is that there is a slight subtle defence that they have: they are skirmish units and so can spread out to avoid templates. I guess this is good!

Difference to First Edition.

Improved. The price tag in second edition makes this unit totally viable, and armies of headhunters can readily become your enemy's nightmare. Finally, the heavy bolter sits uneasily in this edition now, at least until FAQ'd to have suspensors, or be able to take banestrike. 

Builds.

5 Headhunters, 4 combi-meltas, 1 multi-melta (165 points).

Melta headhunter-cide. Not sure that's a word. Basically: set up and self-sacrifice if required to bring down a tank or dreadnought target. Don't expect to survive. Just kill something worth more than the points cost of this unit?

5 Headhunters, 1 multi-melta, Prime with Power Fist (155 points).

General purpose squad. The multi-melta can literally "melt" enemy characters. This is worth it in my opinion. 

10 Headhunters, Prime with artificer armour, melta bombs, power fist (260 points).

The large version of the squad. The multi-melta is not quite worth it here (arguably) since it relies on both overwhelming fire from the banestrike ammunition combined with overwhelming attacks in melee. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Lernaean Terminator Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5/5 stars, rounded up. The rules are good and can be powerful in the right hands.

Background.

Virtually unknown outside of the Alpha Legion thanks to leaving few alive to witness their passing, the Lernaeans are the proverbial jaws of the hydra. They are noted to be fearsome in assault as well as excellent at clamping their jaws around an objective and tough to kill. 

Strengths.

Two wound terminators, with three wounds on the squad leader is great. Clad in cataphractii armour with It Will Not Die really helps with survival. 

Their key special rule is Hydran Exemplars which enable them to select another legion and gain +1 to hit against them (this includes shooting!). It is a pity this doesn't extend to other armies such as Mechanicum and so forth (I feel it should!). 

More interesting than any of this is their load out. The volkite chargers are nice and will whittle down targets well enough on average. Power axes as standard is similarly good and the free venom sphere on the harrower is very nice indeed to have. The range of upgrades is entertaining too with access to a conversion beam cannon available -- one of the only legions to have ready access to such technology. If built in this manner, then securing an objective while maintaining fire is a great thing to have. The Harrower is a good option to take a power dagger as well (especially if he also has a chain fist since neither are specialist weapons). 

Weaknesses.

The stat line only has WS=4. This is a real problem since the Hydran Exemplars rule does not alter this - it only grants a bonus to hit. Hence they really are at risk in close combat since most terminator squads of other legions have a straight up WS=5. Moreover, their armaments mean that they are usually going to be striking at the lowest initiative. They therefore have to survive in close combat until they get their turn to strike. I would strongly recommend an Apothecary here if the points allow it to make them even more survivable. 

Difference to First Edition.

Mixed. Some things are clearly better, whilst others have gone a bit worse. Fundamentally, this is a glass cannon sort of unit. But it can function as one of the best objective sitters in the entire game as well since they have Line (not many other terminators boast this). It is also great for Zone Mortalis games if you play that.

Builds.

5 Lernaeans, 1 Conversion Beamer (265 points).

Sit on the objective whilst blasting things at the opposite side of the board.

5 Lernaeans, 1 power fist, 1 plasma blaster, Harrower with chain fist and power dagger (300 points).

An aggressive build for charging out of a land raider. Note the harrower here has 5 attacks base thanks to the power dagger - very nasty. 

10 Lernaeans, 2 volkite culverins, 4 power fists, Harrower with power dagger (530 points).

Getting expensive here, but this is an all round squad which can be remarkably deadly from both a shooting and a close combat point of view. Reduce members by 1 to slot in an apothecary and a land raider spartan. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Alpharius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️
2/5 stars. Alpharius is simply not worth the points cost. The rules are poor for what you pay and I honestly could have given 1.5 stars out of 5 instead.

Background.

Much has been written about the Primarch of the Twentieth legion. It is mostly lies. But buried beneath the double speak, duplicity, and mystery is a nugget of truth somewhere. He is an insidious master mind capable of bringing down many enemies through misdirection and application of critical force at the weakest points. Regardless of his (or Omegon's?) loyalty, he tended to put his own forces first and built up his legion from the smartest recruits whilst operating a flat structure that was self sufficient. 

Strengths.

His warlord trait allows for 3 units to redeploy in either the deployment zone or into reserves. This is cute, but not a great trait and it might as well be the Master of Lies trait instead considering the similarity. The ability to choose a phase and gain an extra reaction in the chosen phase is better though. 

Everywhere and nowhere allows him, and 3 other units, to gain either infiltrate (yay!), scout (nah), or deep strike (might be good depending on build and unit selected and certainly is a nice way to avoid paying for drop pods). 

Insidious Mastermind allows him to choose fleet (situational), preferred enemy of everything (yay!), or sudden strike (can be good) for one turn. This is solid enough. 

His equipment is sufficient for most purposes short of confronting other primarchs. His armour has special rules against fleshbane and poisoned. His Pale Spear weapon is going to be great against many targets thanks to the AP=1. Very few other characters can boast of this. His side arm is also great with assault 2 at S=8 and AP=3 with rending as well. His BS=7 can readily take advantage of this. 

Weaknesses.

Lacking Brutal, with S=6 and WS=7, he's not going to win battles against other Primarchs. Pretty much ever. Don't even think about attacking Horus with him. Not worth it. Don't get me wrong: as a primarch, Alpharius is crazy deadly as you might expect. But against his brothers he is flat out the weakest (barring unlucky dice rolls by Lorgar perhaps). This should not be new to Alpha Legion players though. So that's okay at first blush. Use him instead against other targets. 

His special rules are not that great and his warlord trait in particular is very poor versus his brothers (cross reference Guilliman for instance). He has lost a lot compared to First Edition if I am honest. Take for example he used to be able to seize the initiative and grant preferred enemy to everything all the time. That's just gone. No cognis signum either. I am crying.

Overall.

To be absolutely candid: Alpharius is not worth the points cost. His points cost needs to come down by a minimum of 50 points for him to be on par with what he is capable of. Preferably slightly more (but not as much as 100 points). What I'm saying is that he is between 50-100 points over costed. And that is a lot of points. Players will also need to build their armies around him. By that, I mean consider which units you will be infiltrating or deep striking if you are choosing to use those rules. Frankly this needs a FAQ it is that bad and that noticeable. Or just give him back some of the better rules, or maybe double strength on the pale spear and you have a deal. 

Difference to First Edition.

Alpharius has been nerfed and his points cost is not justified. 

I'm just as sad as you are and maybe more so. Sorry folks. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Alpha Legion Armoury

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
3/5 stars. The rules are average.  

Power Daggers. The invention of the Alpha Legion, these small blades are actually pretty nifty in game as they provide a valuable AP3, along with sudden striking and breaching. The points cost alone makes these a terrific upgrade for any Alpha Legion character and a great way to add an extra attack in close combat if it is needed. Worth taking in general.

Banestrike Bolters. Subsequently shared with the Sons of Horus, once again Banestrike Bolters were invented within the legion to directly compromise power armour. What great foresight the legion had! Short range, but nice to have the S+1 and breaching. Worth it for aggressive builds. 

Venom Spheres. Slightly expensive for one of these, but it is assault 6 with poison at 3+. These can nicely soften up some targets when required, but not sure if the points cost trade off is quite worth it. Not made up my mind overall. 

Difference to First Edition.

Fairly neutral overall realistically. I'd certainly get the power daggers when possible. The banestrike rounds are nice in general, but you do need to get close. Not bad overall, so 3/5 stars from me here.

Editorial: What to do about Coils of the Hydra?

In my post yesterday, I reviewed the traits and rites available to the Alpha Legion in the second edition of the Horus Heresy. One of the main grips that I have (not withstanding the general legion rules which I am saddened by immensely) is that Coils of the Hydra is almost unplayable. In First Edition, this rite of war allowed the player to select units from other legions and this was the only way of doing it. However, in second edition, this is now a generic feature of the Alpha Legion. 

 

Cut to second edition. The rite of war has been completely re-worked. If I understand the wording correctly (dubious) and the FAQ issued recently (equally dubious), then the player can select up to 3 rewards of treachery units from other legions. Now these units have to come from not only the same legion, but also by the exact same unit in triplicate. This is such a massive problem that it kills the rite of war. Exacerbating this is the fact that a similar number of units have to be placed in reserves. Now there are some perks for this, but overall, an opponent should try to just blow away those 3 units and finish the game on turn 1 if possible. If the Alpha Legion player has more units on the table on turn 1, I feel the rite will just lead to a loss due to picking off units one by one over many turns.

So what to do about it. 

My thought to solve this is (a) have any legion and any unit be selectable, and (b) just give those 3 units infiltrate. Done. Keep some of the limitations such as forcing some deep striking perhaps. But by infiltrating, they gain the advantage back and it makes the rite worth playing once again. That's it. That's the best I've got. Elegant. Simple. Desirable. And probably will sell more Forge World units to boot. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Alpha Legion Traits and Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2/5 stars - Some of the rules are actually quite nice overall. Several are sub-par. 

Warlord Traits.

As with most other legions, there are three traits to consider for the Alpha Legion.

The Mobius Configuration. For the loyalists, they get to treat an allied detachment as fellow warriors. But then they use them. Enemies cannot score victory points off them, and the Alpha Legion player gets +1 VP if the allies are destroyed. More than this, the first reaction per turn is free, but you can't react with the allies. This one is entertaining and very interesting. Worth playing in my opinion.

Master of Lies. Redeploy 3 units. Make an additional movement reaction. Nice, and has potential in the right hands, but otherwise won't see too much play I suspect.

Hydran Excursor. Probably more standard than the above, the warlord and his unit get +1 to hit against a selected legion. Bonus shooting reaction to boot. This should be the default choice and used for close combat purposes. Strictly better than the Master of Lies most of the time.

Rites of War.

Coils of the Hydra. At the time of writing, this is a rite that won't be played much. It lets the player select 3 Rewards of Treachery units. But they have to be from the same legion. And rules as written: have to be the same unit. This is bad since the rest of the army won't come on to the board due to the limitations (or rather: a number of units at least equal to the number of treachery reward units). I can only see units like Iron Warriors Seige Tyrants being worth it here. The bonus +1 to hit when other units come into play is nice though. Fearless for the stolen units is also good, but they still have to survive the first turn until help arrives. Further. The wording of much of this is unclear. The FAQ didn't help too much. It is a shame really. This was the "go to" rite of war in first edition. Now it is mangled. And you get rewards of treachery units for free anyway (which is a good move by the devs). Not worth taking. 

Headhunter Leviathal. Headhunters are troops and fast attack, +2 VP for slay the warlord, and shrouded in the first turn makes for a solid rite even if vehicles start in reserve. You don't even have to play the headhunters to make this one work well. 

Difference to First Edition.

Uglier implementation of Coils of the Hydra with some uncertainty about the rules, and if the current ruling stays in place, almost not worth playing. Master of Lies is weak. The rest is fine (which is to say competitive), but not truly outstanding. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Alpha Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️
2/5 stars. The rules are poor.

Author's Prelude.

The following is written from the point of view of a hard-core Alpha Legion player from First Edition. And I also know many of you have been waiting patiently for me to get around to reviewing the Alphas. Spoilers then: I feel there's been a strong nerf here overall. Having now played a few games, I am comfy with the new rules, but find myself strongly preferring the First Edition rules. Sorry folks. 

Background.

One of three legions raised in isolation from the others, the Alpha Legion was ever about ghost operations and uncertain allegiances. In the Heresy they proved their worth to the Warmaster at many different battles and campaigns as he saw in them a rather unique weapon. Appearing almost out of nowhere during the Great Crusade, they were one of the largest legions on record at the start of the Heresy (unknown to either side) and as the Heresy went on, they grew more powerful if anything even in the face of defeats. More than this, their loyalties are left as an open question and even within the legion there was a pseudo civil war taking place.

Legion Rules Review.

Lies and Obfuscation. The main rule is that the legion always appears to be 2 inches further away than it actually is for things like shooting, charging, and reactions. This is a very subtle effect within the game and requires a bit of planning by the player. It is not brilliant, but can sometimes make a difference. I would have liked this rule scaled with distance away to be honest (e.g., 10 per cent further away than measured, rounded up to the nearest inch). 

A Subtle Panolpy grants access to the wargear, while Saboteurs are a special consul upgrade (I will review these distinctly) and the Sons of the Hydra provide access to the Warlord Traits. 

Advanced Reaction.

Smoke and Mirrors. This reaction allows the target of a shooting attack to redeploy once per game by moving anywhere up to 12 inches from where it is. This, of course, can put them out of harm's way. But it can also be used as a demonstrable threat to move up the board when required. If possible I'd advise moving behind some cover while moving up the board if you are playing close combat Alphas, or moving out of range if you are playing a more shooty variant. 

The Rewards of Treachery allows the player to select a unit from another legion and play it. It is great that this has been retained from First Edition and even better that it is now generic and not requiring a rite of war to use. Good move. It is also the reason that I give the Alpha Legion 2 stars out of 5, instead of something lower. 

Difference to First Edition.

With candor, the Alpha Legion have been nerfed almost as hard as the White Scars. Mutable Tactics in first edition was simply better. Gone are the pure infiltration armies. Gone are the adamantium will armies to make Thousand Sons cry. They're now just 2 inches further away. It's not great. But the Rewards of Treachery is great. 

Lascannon Marine in Mk VI Armour

A bit more hobby progress to report this weekend with the construction of some lascannon toting mark VI marines. Not sure I've seen too many people post this on the interwebs, so here's the image. 

The lascannon for this marine comes from the recently released heavy weapons set in plastic for the Horus Heresy range. I was toying between getting some of the older resin lascannons from Forge World or this newer set. Two things convinced me: firstly the price. For the same price, I also get other heavy weapons (notably the auto cannons which I am similarly tempted to use, but also the volkites which have some great rules to them). Secondly I think the plastic heavy weapons have been done some good justice here. Yes, the resin can sometimes look better and the aesthetic is great, but here I am. 

The only "gotcha" in the build is the right hand and the zoom targeter which is a bit fiddly. Oh, and for the build with the augury scanner, there's a tiny handle that goes on to the end of the targeting array as well which is super annoying. Other than that single issue, these are a breeze to put together and I am planning on having 5 of them in a heavy support squad up and running soon. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Rhino Transport

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. The humble rhino is seen everywhere with good reason: it is a solid choice worth the points. It is not arguable there are better choices, but for the points it gets 5/5 stars from me. 

Background.

The standard armoured personnel carrier of the legions is everywhere. Based on ancient STC technology and very easy to maintain and use, it is no wonder that this chassis can be found on many battlefields of the Horus Heresy and 30k more widely (and also 40k later on). 

Strengths.

Look. Let's be honest here. It only has AV=11 on the front and sides. But for the points cost and added movement rate, it represents good value. And for this reason alone it gets 5 out of 5 stars from me. 

Weaknesses.

No one would deny that there might be better transport choices. No one could argue that others provide better armour. And of course, rhinos exploding are never pleasant. 

Difference to First Edition.

Improved. Better movement rate. Better capacity - now upgraded to 12 compared to before - and therefore able to carry a full tactical squad plus regular HQ selection, and maybe an apothecary or similar. There's little not to like!

Builds.

Rhino with Havoc Launcher (50 points).

This is my personal favourite build. The long range threat of the havoc launcher is great, and it stands to do some reasonable damage over the course of a battle, particularly if several such rhinos are being used.

Rhino with Dozer Blade and Search Lights (45 points).

Players often ignore the benefits of both the dozer blade and search lights. I can almost guarantee that after a game in which you use search lights for the first turn in night fighting you will value that extra few points you spent. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Scout Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. The rules are great and make for a cheap and cheerful squad.

Background.

Wearing lighter recon armour instead of power armour, these marines specialize in the disruption of enemy lines and resources. In the background, they are stated as being some of the more experienced members of the legion which I personally find interesting and a contrast to the usual 40k line of them being trainees. 

Strengths.

Infiltration, slightly higher movement than power armour, and move through cover is the trade off for a worse armour saving throw, otherwise they are fairly similar to the recon squad that wears power armour.

Weaknesses.

I guess the key here is to not expect them to last very long against meatier opponents. That said, they are cheap and they could be bought in bulk for some real cheap disruption work. Being a support squad is arguably another drawback here, but if you're into buying scouts, then this won't matter too much to you. I think scout squads are very under utilized in 30k myself, but that's just a personal opinion. 

Builds.

5 Legionaries, 5x Nemesis Bolters (115 points).

Such a cheap squad, yet still effective. The idea is to set up somewhere that has line of sight and pin your opponents at will. Sure, you have a 4+ save, but you still have a BS=4. Place in cover to offset the saving throw loss where possible. This is the default build I would think. 

10 Legionaries, 9x chain bayonets, Vexilla, Nuncio Vox, Sergeant with Power Fist (158 points).

Infiltrate and disrupt the enemy with the equipment before charging in at a target to cause melee mayhem. Nice points cost but feel free to take a power weapon instead of power fist to taste. 

10 Legionaries, (Chain Swords to taste), Vexilla, Nuncio Vox, Melta Bombs all round, Sergeant with Power Fist and Combi Melta (200 points). 

Cheap and cheerful! Enjoy the melta bomb threat that you pose!

Horus Heresy Review: Chapter Master Raldoron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. I am a fan.

Background.

All the legions have their legends - especially the duelists and close combat brothers. Eidolon and Lucius for the Emperor's Children. Corswain for the Dark Angels. Sigismund for the Imperial Fists. Even the Alpha Legion has something of a duelist in Dynat. Raldoron serves an equal purpose for the Blood Angels and his name is writ large in the annals of the Great Crusade. 

Strengths. 

I like the stat line combined with the S+1 AP2 shredding murderous Encarmine Warblade. He is a force to be reckoned with for close combat and the WS is especially attractive. 

Standing out here though is the warlord trait that allows him to select the core traits, or any of the loyalist traits of loyalist legions (with the exception of the Dark Angels funnily enough) since he likes to read a lot. This kind of swiss army knife is reminiscent of Alpha Legion shenanigans, and I can't help but like it. Sorry. 

Weaknesses.

I rather like Raldoron. As with other close combat monsters, he does need to get there, and this is where characters like Dominion shine a bit better thanks to the jump pack. The lack of jump pack might be an issue for some Blood Angels builds, but its tolerable. I see Raldoron as an almost default commander to take and he will be equally effective in large and small points games. 

Overall.

Embed in a big unit and go hunting. Strong outcomes will likely follow. 

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Dominion Zephon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars - rounded down. The rules are good enough.

Background.

With his career in the Blood Angels cut short thanks to a Xenos blade, Zephon was sent to Terra as one of the Crusader Host. His new bionic limbs didn't integrate with his remaining flesh initially. Until Land himself too an interest in Zephon. Land fixed up his bionics just in time for the siege of Terra where he rejoined his legion whole heartedly.

Strengths. 

Master of the Legion with an ability to come back from the dead once per game based on a die roll. Not bad really. More than this, he can choose a Legion Destroyer Squad as his retinue. This is fine, but not outstanding. 

I like the S+1 and AP2 sword that he wields which in conjunction with his rad grenades spells trouble for his opponents. The pistols are fine with a nice 6 shot deflagrate.

Weaknesses.

I don't know folks. I want to like him, I really do. I just think other HQ selections are better. Sorry. 

Overall.

I think he would be great in smaller points value games where he is leading close combat armies backed up with destroyers and Angel's Tears. Honestly, he's actually a quality choice for the Blood Angels player, and I personally speaking don't like facing off to him. Otherwise I suspect at regular points values and higher games other HQ choices are more attractive (Raldoron coming soon...!). 

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral.

Horus Heresy Review: Contemptor-Incaendius Dreadnought

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

Contemptor dreadnoughts with jump packs specially manufactured by the Mechanicum on Baal's first moon under the treaty of Anvillus. Being blunt: some dreadnoughts have jump packs - get over it. 

Strengths.

Its a contemptor. With a jump pack. Okay, I acknowledge that I already wrote that in the background, but its also a massive strength too. No harm in repeating it here then! 

The jump pack can function either as a deep strike, or can be used to make a shock attack which grants a movement increase along with hammer of wrath (2) which is splendid. Neither of these modes are game breaking, but they are very powerful. Considering the cost of a dreadnought drop pod, the price paid for this contemptor is well worth it in my opinion. 

Finally, the Brutal (2) rule on the talons of perdition makes this monster powerful - especially with shred. But the temptation will be to replace them with Gravis power fists for Brutal (3) and more strength instead. I could go either way on this choice. The melta and assault cannon upgrades are entertaining enough to consider. 

Weaknesses.

Rules as written: I cannot make up my mind whether one gravis power fist and one talon of perdition is permitted? Thoughts welcome.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral.

Builds.

Incaendius with 1 of each Talon of Perdition and Gravis Powerfist, 1 melta gun (210 points).

All round build. I prefer the melta over the assault cannon simply due to the fact that this should be a close range dreadnought threat rather than a longer range dakka threat. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: The Angel's Tears

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

Some legions avoid destroyer squads altogether (e.g., Salamanders). Other embrace them (e.g., Death Guard). Many see them as a necessary evil, while others have their own take on the unit. The Blood Angels come under that final category and the Angel's Tears are only used at Sanguinius' behest when utter annihilation is called for. 

Strengths.

Essentially these squads are much like destroyer assault squads but with two volkite serpentas and chainswords as their baseline. As with that squad, they come with counter attack, stubborn, and bitter duty. 

The question can be asked about how they truly differ then from the destroyer assault squad. Part of the answer is improved Ld, the other part is some different load outs that they can take. Most obviously, the Angel's Tears Grenade Launcher with is assault 3 with rad phage and flesh bane. Nasty. More over, every model can take this upgrade (or other upgrades) which serves to add to the customisation possible. 

Weaknesses.

I rather like this squad, and for what it does, it is worth taking instead of regular destroyer assault squads in my opinion. That extra pip in Ld is very valuable. The only real draw back is lack of access to phosphex. Shrug?

Difference to First Edition.

Roughly neutral, but the points cost is somewhat increased for smaller sized units.

Builds.

5 Erelim, Arch-Erelim with artificer armour and thunder hammer (185 points). 

The baseline entry. 

5 Erelim, Arch-Erelim with inferno pistol, artificer armour, thunder hammer, 2 heavy flamers, 2 assault cannons, melta bombs all round (245 points). 

For taking out transports and their content. Note the use of the inferno pistol here. 

10 Erelim, Arch-Erelim with artificer armour and perdition weapon, all with heavy flamers (325 points). 

The anti-horde build. It won't make you many friends, but it is very nice. 

10 Erelim, Arch-Erelim with artificer armour, all with Iliastus pattern assault cannons (360 points). 

Dakka till you drop. Again, you are not making any friends here. 

10 Erelim, Arch-Erelim with artificer armour and power fist, all with Angel's Tears grenade launchers (380 points). 

I really like this build as well. Might get you slightly more friends for being fluffy, but don't count on it. 

Painted Alpha Legion Exodus Conversion

Today has been a bit of a painting day. Among other things, I managed to get my Exodus conversion painted up entirely. 

The painting scheme is a new one for me and follows the Games Workshop approach for painting Alpha Legion which I thought was worth a try. Under coat is lead belcher followed by iron breaker and then the critical ingredient of contrast Akhelian Green to create the classic metallic blue colour. The cape was done in browns, ambers, reds, and oranges to create a camouflage style unique to the miniature. 

Rounding off the model is a gritted base covered with a dry brush of bone colour which I intentionally extended to the legs and the low regions of the blown cape to bring everything together. A pair of decals from the Alpha Legion decal range finishes off the right knee pad as well as the left shoulder pad. Overall, I think this is okay for a bit of a speed paint, but if I had more time, I'd go back and apply some more edge highlighting - most especially to the rear of the back pack which at the moment is somewhat muted compared to the rest of the model. Table top ready though!

Hobby: Alpha Legion Exodus Conversion

Exodus is an Alpha Legion character that does not yet have an official model. I have been keen on playing Exodus over the years and have generally substituted a sniper of some description to represent him on the battlefield. Hence it is long over time that I should now create a conversion for him. This is the fruits of my labour. 

For this work, I have used a Vigilator from Forge World as the basis. My one regret in doing so is that I am missing out on being able to apply the Forge World Alpha Legion shoulder pads to him, but it was either that, or use a Head Hunters torso and lose out on the billowing cape that I really liked. Hence I can live with this.

The Instrument uses plastic components from the dark eldar range, pinned on to the resin of the sniper gun that comes with the vigilator. The head is a simple substitute from the head hunters range -- I thought about several of the different heads, but none quite match 100 per cent the sketch of Exodus from the First (or Second) edition rules. 

Overall I am content with this conversion and it certainly communicates a unique character. My only regret will be if Forge World release a model for Exodus in the near future. If they do, I will end up purchasing it regardless and will then use this model as a regular vigilator, or as an Alpha Legion sniper - possibly the saboteur consul. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Crimson Paladins

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

These Blood Angels are the guardians of the halls of the Primarch. In battle, they serve as the bulwark -- or an anvil unit if you prefer. They are the men that the enemy will smash against and be found wanting. 

Strengths.

Two wound cataphractii terminators are inherently good. They really excel in close combat though rather than at range. Their special rules give them feel no pain in close combat when outnumbered which improves by one pip when outnumbered by a factor of two. For the purposes of being outnumbered, they use bulky (2) which shouldn't come as a surprise. Impressively, their shields reduce the to wound rolls of incoming attacks by 1 which is great. Sunset blades are nice to have here as well.

I will also mention here that I am a genuine fan of the sculpt of these models. Surely that also means that they last longer on the tabletop, right?! [This is where my followers will comment that first time use of such units always consigns them to be eliminated fast - this appears to be an underlying law of nature as well?].

Weaknesses.

They need to be in combat to shine. And for most of the game. They can serve well as tar pit units, but the lack of reliable AP2 is a concern for if the player really wants them to function as hammer units (they are demonstrably anvil units). 

Difference to First Edition.

Improved (note they have 2 wounds here). The points cost is also somewhat reduced.

Builds.

3 Paladins, Exemplar with perdition blade. (145 points). 

I regard this as the baseline build. Probably best used with a character or as a sneaky tar-pit. Feel free to add extra bodies if you're confident of not losing the feel no pain rule.

5 Paladins, Exemplar with perdition blade, 1 with heavy flamer, 2 with sunset blades, 2 with power fists (250 points). 

A better, fuller, close combat squad. Take grenade harness to taste, or replace the heavy flamer with a plasma blaster if preferred. 

5 Paladins, Exemplar with perdition blade and grenade harness, 1 with assault cannon, 2 with sunset blades, 2 with power fists (265 points). 

Slightly shooty with still excellent close combat possibilities here. More expensive than necessary though, as a regular legion terminator squad is arguably better for this role.

Note that I do not provide a squad of 10 example here. The reason for this is the concern about losing the feel no pain rule. Of course, this advice can easily be ignored and size 10 squads fielded no problem, and with good effect. But I feel that the feel no pain rule is such a boon with this squad. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Dawnbreaker Cohort

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good. I like them a lot, even when playing against them. 

Background.

Dropping from the sky to act as Sanguinius' tip of the spear, these Blood Angels are an elite cadre of assault troops bred on the liberation of human cities and settlements from the grips of xenos and false beliefs. Naturally, they also drop from the skies at dawn like angels, hence the name. 

Strengths.

Two wounds each is fabulous here. Combined with the artificer armour and jump pack, I would expect to be paying slightly more than we are, hence I think they are points cost effective here for the main part. 

The armaments are sound enough with a choice between the falling star power spear or the sunrise and sunset blades. Both can shine in different cases, and the choice between them is down to personal preference for most players, but of course there are trade offs. The grenade discharger is just the icing on the cake, while the Setting the Sky Aflame modifier to Ld for pinning when they deep strike is not only fluffy but something to take maximum advantage of. 

Weaknesses.

Reliance on AP3 and rending can be an issue here and the squad risks being tarpitted and then killed by terminators. Given the deep strike and potential other choices for the army though, they remain a reasonable tool in the Blood Angel's arsenal. 

Difference to First Edition.

I am going to suggest slightly worse. The lack of reliable AP2 is notable. But the points have been brought down. 

Builds.

5 Dawnbreakers, Champion with Perdition Weapon (155 points).

My baseline build. Potentially good first turn damage. NB: first edition cost for this was 230 points by comparison. 

5 Dawnbreakers, Equinox Blades, Champion with Perdition Weapon (175 points).

Another baseline build, but this time taking advantage of the sunrise and sunset blades. 

10 Dawnbreakers, 4x Equinox Blades, Champion with Perdition Weapon, Melta Bombs all round (325 points).

A bit of a maximum build. The melta upgrade is cost efficient with 10 members and shouldn't really be taken on a squad any smaller.