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.
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