Horus Heresy 3e Review: Alpharius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded Up. Alpharius is once again very strong, but not in ways many people might initially guess. 

Background.

Alpharius. Omegon. Someone Else. No One. The Hydra. The Threefold Serpent. The Final Configuration. All Lies. 

Beneath the lies, the double speak, the duplicity, and the mystery is something much more. A master mind more cunning and insidious than his brothers, and one that works outside any regular framework to bring victory. Applying critical force at the weakest points whilst misdirecting everyone else, Alpharius' loyalties were never entirely certain and he operated a very flat structure to take advantage of the natural intellect of his recruits to the Alpha Legion, or perhaps the effects of his gene seed. Oh, and if you drank his blood, then you realized the full history of his plotting and ambition and will to power and survival. 

Strengths. 

Let's start with the stat line which is similar to previous editions. He has a solid WS=BS=I=7 which stands him in reasonable stead. Most are 6's otherwise which at first glance is an issue (especially S and T). He does get an extra pip in Intelligence though which I thought was very pleasing to see - if rather situational - compared to most of his other brothers. 

But let's progress quickly to the Pale Spear. This necron device (I assume it is necron and I've never heard anything to the contrary, so I'm sticking to my head canon) has been enhanced in this edition. It is AP=2 which is strong, yes. But. Here, we also get S+1 (taking his attacks up to a valuable S=7), I+1 (taking his initiative up to a very competitive I=8 against many of his brothers - you will still use I am Alpharius as your opening gambit though). Most importantly, he also has damage=2 now. This gives him more than a fighting shot. But its better. Armourbane and phage against strength combine with critical hit (5+) to truly take his close combat prowess up further notches. In short: he is no longer the outright weakest primarch any longer. He will outclass probably at least Lorgar now! Probably. Horrah! And you know what, I had a challenge recently against Angron which he won. He's still going to lose against Horus and others though. I digress - let's get back on track. 

His ranged side arm, The Hydra's Spite, remains strong with S=7 and breaching on 4+. Try not to forget that he also has venom spheres as standard too. 

Everywhere and Nowhere provides Alpharius with the means to redeploy at the start of the battle. This can potentially be game changing. But you can't go outside your own deployment zone (boo). I think having a choice on each flank is good here, but also riding up the centre is an option. Depends on your terrain configuration. 

Sire of the Alpha Legion gives prime slots to troops if you fill troop slots with tactical squads or assault squads which is appropriate. The ability to gain outflank from reserve rolls is okay, but not very powerful reserve manipulation ability, nor an army multiplier that I might have naively wanted. 

I want to briefly mention two of his traits as well. He has the smoke screen trait, which gives shrouded that can be very nice and useful. 

But. 

Get this. 

He DOES NOT HAVE AN ALLEGIANCE. You can play Alpharius as a Loyalist, or as a Traitor. Rejoice brothers! 

Weaknesses. 

Alpharius and/or Omegon are strictly better than second edition at the price of losing AP=1 on the pale spear (which is offset by other gains like 5+ critical hits) and some other special rules. The only mildly arguable negative here is that Alpharius is only minimally over-costed now. Perhaps by 10 points or so. You know what. There's not much in it. I'll say he is probably on par with his ability levels in Third Edition and not 50-100 points over costed like in Second. Yet he is certainly not the force multiplier he was in First. I miss him being a force multiplier which he honestly should be. 

Overall.

Alpharius is better than his recent incarnation in Second Edition. You can actually win against other Primarchs using Alpharius now (eternal warrior at 2 certainly helps this). I would know - I am Alpharius. Are you Alpharius too?

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Alpha Legion Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded up. My boys had a glow up and they're back in business in Third Edition. 

Background.

I am Alpharius. 

You are Alpharius. 

I am occasionally Omegon too. 

No one is Sigmar. 

This is all lies. 

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 - 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.

Armoury. 

The Armoury retains the critical elements that the Alpha Legion is known for. 

Venom Spheres give you access to poisoned blasts at shortish range for a very cheap points cost to commanders and champions. Worth taking. 

Power Daggers extend this to even sergeants to replace regular power weapons for free. This gives you breaching at 5+ at the expense of lower S, but I+2. Overall I think this is well worth taking. 

Banestrike bolt guns and combi-bolt guns are also on offer from the Legacies update. They breach on a 6+ at the expense of a slightly reduced range. They are a permanent addition to the combi-weapons list which makes a lot of units able to take them. Handy, but the points cost can add up quickly. 

Tactica. 

Lies and Obfuscation carries forward the core trait from second edition of the legion members being 2 inches further away. When I saw this in second edition, I was dismayed at how they'd replaced the mutable tactics. I still am. But this works well in third edition and is potentially even stronger thanks to the changes in the charge range distances. 

Gambit.  
I am Alpharius could well be a contender for the strongest legion gambit in the game. Seriously. There is no downside and you should be using it every time on your first combat round. Setting your opponent's initiative to 1 until the end of the strike step is simply amazing. I cannot underscore enough how awesome this one is. Plus - you get to say out loud "I am Alpharius". I mean, what more could you actually want?! 

Additional Detachments. 
Headhunter Leviathal brings in four slots - 2 elites and 2 recon, but the elites must be either Seekers or Headhunters, but both are primes. This is nice. Fluffy too. And flexible. Makes me want to buy more Seekers and Headhunters - can't lie. 

Advanced Reaction. 
Smoke and Mirrors is different in third edition and forces enemies shooting at a unit to take precision shots on a 6+. You don't know which one is Alpharius after all - the command structure is hidden. Interesting, fluffy, but also a little situational. 

Rewards of Treachery. 

What would the Alpha Legion be without being able to take other units from other legions? This has been a core ability since First Edition. And here, the terrible implementation in Second Edition is done away with and replaced with something much more worthy. For the price of a Command Prime slot, you get to have an additional slot of any battlefield role from any legion except high command, command, warlord, unique, or Lord of War. Simple, and very, very effective. Gone is the nonsense of only having 1 type of unit that you are able to take. Gone is the restriction of a maximum of 3 of that same type of unit. All you need is the command prime slots. Just replace their trait with Alpha Legion and you are ready to go. 

The only real issue here is which unit to select. There are MANY good choices. Examples include but are not limited to Iron Warriors Siege Tyrant Terminators, Salamanders Firedrake Terminators, Iron Hands Morlock Terminators, Raven Guard Mor Deythan, and perhaps Word Bearers Gal Vorbak. Honestly, there's lots of other choices as well - these are just the ones that popped into my head when writing this. Welcome back to the coils of the hydra everyone. Would love to hear about your favourite unit to snare and why. 

Overall, the Alpha Legion enters third edition in a much better way than Second, even if mutable tactics didn't return from First edition. I am re-invigorated by what I am seeing here, but just wait until I review the rest of the units... the Primarch is going to be the next post. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Esoterist, Legacy Unit Esoterists, and the Anathemata Discipline

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. Esoterists serve the purpose of summoning or denying enemy daemon / malefic units. As such, they can be niche, but are otherwise solid. 

Background.

The Esoterist is basically a librarian that realized that they could either summon or banish daemons. They are therefore late-Heresy era eventualities and a product of the Warrior Lodges, or perhaps secret Librarian conclaves looking to thwart daemons by examining ancient lore. 

In this review, we combine together the all Legacy variations of the Esoterist unit, as well as looking at the Anathemata discipline. 

Strengths. 

Surprisingly, the Esoterist has a higher Willpower score than the regular Librarian. Perhaps that's what happens when you have to bind daemons to your will or force them out of existence? 

Anathemata Discipline - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars. Situational. If you are a traitor player, you get a way in which to summon your daemon units to the table very reliably. However, they cannot charge directly out of summoning in third edition which is a change to second edition. Therefore this is not quite as strong, but still reasonable. If you have a shooting daemon unit, it could be good. But if you have a melee unit, you could always summon them behind yourself and use your own unit as a screen?

For the loyalists, they get a reaction to seal the veil. This slows enemy malefic units by making them discard the highest die for charges, and making them have a maximum set up move of one inch. Its a bit meh and not very useful at all if your opponent is not playing malefic units. 

On top of this, you get the Void Darts psychic power. This is okay. It probably won't slay too many space marines, but then again, neither does a bolt gun on its own. Hence my thought is to think of it as a heavy bolt gun analogue with a random amount of shots. Shred and Force are nice here. 

Don't forget the Fear (1) rule here though. This is good on its own merits. And I'm certain the Night Lords will especially appreciate it. 

Weaknesses. 

Esoterists are niche. 

For the traitors, you get to summon daemons without reserve rolls which is great! But you need to invest in daemons. 

For the loyalists, you don't get much, especially if your opponents do not play malefic units. Fear and Void Darts are just about acceptable, but you'd want something more for your points really. That, and you are probably not going to be in the right position to make the most of the Seal the Veil reaction. 

Builds.

Esoterist (95 points).

The naked build is acceptable for traitors, but you need a transport solution in all probability. Moderately useless for Loyalists. 

Esoterist with Jump Pack (125 points).

Bring your jump pack friends, and summon daemons!

Esoterist with Jet Bike and Plasma Cannon (160 points).

About the only version worthy for Loyalists due to the quick movement (although admittedly, the jump pack and the outrider are quicker than foot soldiers as well). Great for the traitor player too it has to be said. 

Esoterist in Cataphractii Armour (125 points). 

Presumably you have a land raider or teleport solution to get them into place before summoning. You can then use your daemons as a screen, or use yourself as a screen for those daemons. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Librarian, Legacy Unit Librarians, and Psychic Disciplines

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Librarians are solid performers, and the psychic disciplines in third edition a mixed set. 

Background.

Most of the legions maintained cadres of battle psykers to be deployed against foes needing a bit of special attention. That all changed after Nikaea wherein the legions were ordered to stop using them and push them back into the rank and file. The Heresy turned that around once more as many Primarchs saw the benefits of their librarians and re-established their use. 

In this review, we combine together the disciplines, as well as all the Legacy variations of Librarians. 

Strengths. 

The Librarian is a character that gives access to the psychic disciplines, a force weapon, and potentially a pistol upgrade (which arguably you won't need). 

What is really interesting here are the psychic disciplines which we will go over here. 

Biomancy - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars. As a strong as ever in my opinion, and a go to option if you otherwise cannot decide. It is close combat orientated and can augment your joined unit by a strong amount. Really scary in the right hands. 

Pyromancy - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars. Nothing wrong with pyromancy, and is remains solid. You get to burn things, and at range too. Regular mortals (i.e., not space marines) will suffer at their hands. 

Telekinesis - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5 Stars. Rounded Down. Telekinesis is utility territory and you will need to think how to optimize them (placing the telekineticist with a backline heavy support squad is, for instance, a great idea if you have the points). Also don't forget your psychic reactions for whole squad effects. 

Divination - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars. Honestly, its great. Very offensive and has to be played strongly, but absolutely great. 

Thaumaturgy - ⭐️⭐️ 2/5 Stars. A bit niche to my mind, but you'll be glad you have it if you ever face off against the Thousand Sons and Magnus himself. It is basically an anti-psyker discipline. 

Telepathy - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars. Push units away and stun them. Great stuff! But not as strong as it used to be in second edition, which is actually a good thing. 

Weaknesses. 

It is slightly surprising to see that Willpower=9 and not 10. 

Doubly so considering the Esoterist is Willpower=10!

I would also like to have a bit more customization available to the Librarians (ranged weapons like bolt guns being replaced perhaps?). The disciplines more than make up for this though. 

Builds.

Librarian with Biomancy and Divination (125 points).

My baseline build suggestion which must be played aggressively and probably with a retinue unit or similar tagging along. You will need a transport solution.

Librarian with Telekinesis and Telepathy (115 points).

Backline support. 

Librarian with Jump Pack, Biomancy and Thaumaturgy (155 points).
Aggressive, but with a suite of anti-psyker usage as well. Take with an assault squad. 

Librarian with Jet Bike and Multi-Melta, Divination (180 points).
Blow things up and melt enemy commanders or flag bearers.

Librarian in Cataphractii Armour, Biomancy (140 points). 

A team enhancer for your terminator assaults. 

Warpstone Flux Star Rating Explained

Since Second Edition, Warpstone Flux has been using a star rating system to describe units within the Horus Heresy (Warhammer 30k). Today, I wanted to say a few words about the rating system.

Firstly, and most importantly: all ratings are subjective.

Secondly, all ratings are subjective.

Thirdly, the first point was so good it needed repeating (see point two). Now go back to point number 1. 

Okay, joking aside, what I want to emphasize is that my long term readers REGULARLY disagree with my ratings, and I am certain that any new reader will also do likewise. This doesn't mean that the ratings are useless, but what it does mean is that there is a balance to be struck and I am ALWAYS OPEN TO FEEDBACK (seriously, I want the blog to be useful to the community). How do I go about achieving that balance then? Well, I try to at least be consistent, and here are my rough parameters:

5/5 Stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️). This means that the unit is excellent! I do not give 5/5 stars lightly, nor do I give them all the time. I only give them to truly outstanding units. In this context, outstanding and excellent mean at least several of the following are true. Well above par stat line. Excellent special rules. Alignment with fluff / background is exceptional. Rule of cool applies (this is where the subjectivity comes in a lot, of course). Potential for game domination, or turning the tide of a game is very high. In some cases, the unit might be "broken" in some manner, shape, or form (or put another way: you don't make friends by fielding this in some circumstances). Arguably, you NEED this unit in your army (cf., Praetors). 

4/5 Stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️). With 4 stars, the points cost of the unit is well worth while. The stat line is above what you might expect for the points. The special rules make them stand out, or perhaps the combination of special rule. There might be strong build flexibility allowing the unit multiple battlefield roles, or without builds they can take on multiple roles easily.  Whilst they are not 5/5 stars, they come very highly recommended and they represent some of the best in the game. You are also likely to come across them in both friendly and tournament play. You need to think that you will be encountering them, or that they are popular. They function well! They might also be very fluffy (which I like, and which will boost their star rating from me since 30k cares more about this than 40k). 

3/5 Stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️). These are average or typical units. If the humble tactical squad is 100 points, then this unit is also worth about the same (i.e., you pay for what you get - but note that I rate the humble tactical squad much higher than this for different reasons). They might not have many, or any special rules. They probably don't even have an invulnerable save most of the time. Their stat line is average, or typical for space marines (etc.). Nothing particularly stands out to me, or quite often: the weaknesses of the unit are offset by their strengths. They're okay. Not brilliant. Not poor. Solid performers. 

2/5 Stars (⭐️⭐️). In some way, these units are sub-par. They are not quite worth their points cost, or they are rare to field on the tabletop because there is some flaw - intentional or not. They might be over-designed or too bespoke. They could be ineffective, or perhaps even cannon fodder (which to be clear: is still useful for quite a number of builds). They probably die quickly and easily, or can be exploited. Or perhaps you only field them because they are fluffy and appropriate. You are still likely to encounter them on the tabletop in friendly games, and fluffy tournament lists. But not all the time. 

1/5 Stars (⭐️). There's something very wrong or bad with this unit. It might not be designed well. The points cost might be horribly high in comparison to its effectiveness. The stat line is terrible. The special rules exhibit major drawbacks for you in the game by making the unit less effective than anything of its ilk should be. No one plays this unit realistically outside of very friendly games, or games where you are just testing out ideas and concepts. They might not even be fluffy (if they were fluffy and just bad, I might give them 1.5 stars or 2 stars). 

0/5 Stars. I honestly don't give this rating much, if at all. If I did, this would signify unplayability. Like a combat monster who can never charge (I'm looking at Night Lords dreadnoughts in second edition shattered legions for this level of silliness and star rating). Make no mistake: if I refuse a star rating, something is terribly wrong to the point of not being able to be played rather than just being bad. 

I often use half stars. I will round up or down to get a whole integer for these to display on the blog, and half stars are therein only mild descriptions (I might as well write 3.5 stars as a 4 star minus, or similar to be honest). 

Caveat Emptor applies. I remain your humble servant, and but a fallible human being. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Cassian Dracos Reborn

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. A fluffy choice!

Background.

How often do you get to play the original commander of a legion? Almost unheard of. Just ask Angron what he did. Vulkan was a bit different. After the final battle that Cassian undertook, he was horrifically injured. But along came Vulkan in time to craft him a majestic dreadnought skin the likes of which has never been repeated. At Isstvan, it took an orbital lance to stop him and he lay vitrified in glass for a long period before he was once again released (and hence: reborn). He is not altogether as sane as he once was though. 

Strengths. 

The stat line alone of this dreadnought is nearly like a Primarch, minus the usual perks. S=T=7 with W=8 is very impressive. 

The ability to use the Scrap Code infection is very reasonable. 

Yet it is in close combat where Cassian will truly shine with 2 Gravis power fists pumping away. The drakenscale helps keep him alive, and he also gets battlesmith which helps a lot. 

Weaknesses. 

Cassian lacks in Willpower and Intelligence. This makes him vulnerable in these departments. Willpower=6 in particular could be a significant issue.

He also explodes when dead. 

Overall.

High points cost overall, but also a high command for the Salamanders Legion which makes Cassian a very interesting choice, albeit with some advanced characteristics compromised.