Horus Heresy 3e Review: Reconnaissance Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. I am personally quite fond of the Recon Squad and they have their purpose. 

Background.

Roaming ahead of the main lines and conducting all manner of operations behind enemy lines, the recon squad is the forward eyes and ears of the legions. They can be armed with long range sniper weapons, or something a bit more up close and personal - either way they're useful. 

Strengths. 

Although at first glance they look expensive, what you are really paying for here is the ability to infiltrate a small squad to pack a punch. They also come with move through cover to help them advance (use this) although they are also a support squad (at a level of 2) so not quite as effective at grabbing objectives as you might otherwise like. 

Customization options range from making the marines short range fighters with shot guns, to long range snipers with nemesis bolt guns. Both are valid. 

Don't forget though that they provide a way to also bring a buried power weapon or similar to an early fight, as well as melta bombs. 

Weaknesses. 

The points cost can add up fast here, so you will need to think carefully about how you infiltrate them. 

Builds.

5 Recon Marines, Shotguns, Sergeant with Power Weapon and Melta Bombs, Nuncio Vox (140 points).

Up close and personal with a buried power weapon of your choice. Take on your target early game, but don't expect to survive long without back up. Increase squad size to 10 if you wish. Multiple of these represent a very interesting threat. 

5 Recon Marines, Nemesis Bolters, Nuncio Vox, Augury Scanner (155 points).

Use infiltrate to set up in position (probably a tall, central ruins or building) and shoot at your targets at liberty. Highly annoying to your enemy in all probability. Bonus tactica to infiltrate right on top of an objective in mid-field! 

Praetor Challenge: Iron Warriors vs Shattered Legions

Happy New Year!

A new feature for Warpstone Flux this year is the Praetor Challenge! This will largely supersede the Wargames Gallery (but I will keep the tag going all the same). The core idea of the Praetor Challenges is to suggest what you would do in a given tactical situation on (a segment of) the game board. Sounds simple enough right? But you would not believe the disagreements that arise. Not merely from pure mathematics or statistics, but also from fluff (what would Angron do, after all?), duty, honour, or anything else combined. There's no right answer to Praetor Challenges, but there might be optimal plays, and most fluffy plays, and those are the kinds of comments we'd like to see and talk about!

So here is the first of 2026's Praetor Challenges: Iron Warriors facing off against the Shattered Legions!

Iron Warriors:

Tactical squad x7 (Sergeant with Power fist and plasma pistol, bayonets all round, 1 vexilla)
Iron Havocs x3 (all with Lascannons);
Cataphractii Terminators x4 (2 with chain fists and combi bolters, 1 with heavy flamer and power fist, 1 with thunder hammer and combi bolter);

Praetor in Cataphractii Armour (Thunder hammer and combi bolter - unwounded). 

Shattered Legions:
Mor Deythan x3 (2 melta guns, 1 combi melta - spent already);

Salamanders Praetor in Cataphractii Armour (2 wounds remaining; thunder hammer and combi melta - spent);

Salamanders contemptor (twin meltas - 3 wounds remaining);
Salamanders tactical squad x4 (sergeant with power fist; standard marines otherwise);

Iron Hands Heavy Support Squad x3 (Auto cannons x3). 

The Iron Warriors have finished their movement phase. What should they do next for shooting and charging / close combat? The Shattered Legions have 2 reactions in hand. Critically, the tactical squad is already sat on an objective (the necron scenery). What is the right play? The optimal play? The fluffy play? Or just a mad play?

Over to you in the comments, Praetors!