Sunday 30 March 2014

Overview of the new 4 legions

Hi Guys/girls

As you can tell by our previous posts, today 4 of the bunnies went to the Forge World Openday and we got out hands on the third Horus Heresy Book, Extermination.  Here is a brief overview of the 4 legions that are present in the book. 



Overview of the Raven Guard

Raven Guard have some really nice hit and run tactical rules. The rules for Raven Guard allows the fleet special rule for infantry models which I believe is correct. The special units are very fast attack and have an array of special rules which suit nicely, such as a deep strike bonus. 

The characters look good but I am not sold on the Moritat based character which was shown in the previews on the Forge World website after seeing the legion rules. Corax looks really good, a very good statted primarch with some good rules which include multiple attack variations and also a rule which makes some units have to only shoot snapshots. 

There are more great rules for Corax and the other characters/units and I think they have done this legion quite well, although I was hoping to see some jetpack unit traits/bonuses or some more shrouded rules but I know they can't make all the legions overpowered! Very happy I am using this legion in the battles to come.


Overview of the Alpha Legion

Now this is the Legion I have been most looking forward to seeing. Wondering which rules are going to be implemented and also the rulings for Alpharius. And I have not been disappointed as some of the traits look awesome. This includes having an extra special rule from a list at the start of the game and also included in the rite of war allows taking a non alpha legion unit into their own fold (im speaking very loosely there as I don't want to give too much away regarding this and everything else for that matter). They are also allowed the banestrike bolter rounds (see betrayal in the sons of horus section).

The majority of the units and characters have some sort of infiltration bonus and have some equipment that helps them with getting to combat easier. One character is actually just listed as "the assassin" and he looks to be a very useful character as he has a nice wound calculation difference.

Alpharius is a great Primarch in my opinion. He has a great rule which I had been guessing may happen which, in basic terms, means he hides within a unit and pops out when you choose to (there is lots more to that which you will enjoy if you are keen on Alpha). He also has some great legion bonuses which also include bonuses to steal the initiative and a preferred enemy bonus.

Regarding the Alpha Legion I am very excited to use these. The rules are very complex (which is what I like) and Alpharius looks like a great Primarch to use. There isn't really anything that I dislike about this army, only that I'm not doing these guys now!!


Iron Warrior Overview

The legion has powerful grenade and Melta-bomb attacks. There is a great morale check rule against opponents fire which goes with their style of advancing forward. 
They gain stubborn with Perturabo on the table. There is a rule which kind of goes against them with turn length options for the opponent, but if u play them well should not be an issue. 
Warsmiths are an option and can be used to nerf one piece of terrain in the opponents deployment zone. 
The Hail of fire rule encourages the use of Bolters in before they charge. 
Tyrant Siege Terminators although expensive could be awesome. A squad full of Cyclone missile Packing Terminators would be pretty dangerous. 
Iron Havocs could be great. Not sure what weapons I would equip them with but I reckon they could be a good unit. 

Erasmus Golg is a beast, he also unlocks Legion Terminator squads as Troop Choices. 
Warsmith Kyr Vhalen is a very interesting Character. He is a great defensive character and looks mean as hell. Funny thing is: He is a Loyalist!
Perturabo is very good when he gets Forgebreaker is his Mitts. But otherwise just uses his fists. 
His wrist cannon is excellent and I never think he will miss with it. 
Overall it is a quite average Legion unless you want to bring Perturabo and lots of heavy options. But very very fitting with their Legion persona. 


Imperial Fists Overview

The legion is very powerful with all bolt type guns. They also have some very nice rules in relation to challenges. 
They gain stubborn when claiming cover/fighting from fortifications and barricades. Their opponent are able to opt to play six full turns instead of the roll to end the game being made.

The Phalanx Warder Squad, which is a troop choice for the Imperial Fists, must be the two compulsory troop choices. Also, an army detachment can not have more Elites and Fast Attack choices total then they have Troop choices. 

The Templar Brethren seem like a pretty standard unit, but they do have an option of tanking a Solarite power gauntlet which does look very tasty.

The Phalanx Warder Squad does look like a squad that will be used a lot (not just because you have to). They have a lot of weapon choices and have some very cool rules with their Shields.  

Sigismund in my opinion is the best legionary, and rightfully so.  Lots of really cool rules in close combat.

Alexis Polux seems like a pretty stander character, however very good for his points value. 

Rogal Dorn is the cheapest primarch in this book, however I believe he is still as good as the others. He is pretty powerful in close combat as his weapon has the shred special rule. He also has the option of halving his attacks and increase the his strength by +2. He can awake Terminators as a troop choice.


Please let us know of what your first opinions are or the new Legions below :-)

51 comments:

  1. First look looks interesting. Has Corax some kind of fly-pack as was described in some old rumors or he is as all another primarchs - footsloga? :)

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    1. He does have a jet pack and he is also able to vector strike :-)

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  2. Awesome summary ! Thank you so much for the effort. I wont be able to get my hands onto the book until its released.

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  3. Any chance you can cheat, and give us stats and weapon options for the Legion units?

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  4. Hey, anything you can post for Corvus like his rule page :$ if you can that would be great!!!!

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  5. Unfortunately we cant post pics of the book on our page until release as we aim to maintain our a positive relationship with Forge World. Can confirm that Corax is Jump infantry though

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    1. Oh ok thanks Darko! Good to hear about Corax! Any news on his model? :)

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    2. Nothing in relation to him yet. We did speak to Edgar and he claimed the next Primarch is "finished" and will be available at the Horus Heresy Weekender. After seeing him take on Typhon one would assume this is finally Mortarion. Our guess at the Bunnies is that there may be 2 Primarchs released at the Weekender although everyone in the Forge World team were giving absolutely nothing away

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    3. Oh ok awesome! thanks and great to hear about the Ravens:)

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  6. thanks for the updates guys, corax sounds v tempting!

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    1. No problems Richard. The Raven Guard will prove to be very popular I feel. Corax is a very solid choice with a lot of fantastic variety. The RG themselves have some fun rules as stated above. If you do take the plunge and do a RG force, please share pics on our blog site. We would love to see them :)

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  7. fair enough, can we hear a bit more on the Headhunters

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    1. Headhunter kill teams are normal imfantry with automatic banestrike ammo. They can take extra equipment such as heavybolters and have infiltrate

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    2. They come under as fast attack

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    3. Sweet! Thanks for all the info, this book can't get here fast enough!

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  8. I understood that Alpharius and Omegon were identical twin brothers, do the rules reflect this?

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    1. There is no mention of Omegon at the moment.

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    2. There is no mention of Omegon in this book. We spoke to Alan Bligh and I put this question to him and he explained that Omegon is a fan known character but when explained in books from an "Imperial" perspective he is not known hence not being named with the Primarch now. He did not discount that Omegon may be featured later further on.

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    3. Bligh suggested that the Alpharius rules could be:
      A) Alpharius
      B) Omegon
      C) A normal marine in a specially designed suit.
      Realistically we know nothing of the ALs and they writers have said it will stay that way. Alan Bligh did suggest that Omegon's loyalties have not been fully revealed yet...very interesting!

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    4. The Horus Heresy has not really covered him in any great detail so I guess it makes sense not to just blast him out there before he has had his big reveal in the novels.

      Cheers for the info, that books looks very interesting.

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  9. Thanks for the rundown! Alpha Legion sounds rad!

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    1. Hey J :)

      Yeah they are looking to be a really annoying opponent. Coupled with the fact that they have a truly stunning paint scheme (which we will be doing a guide for asap) and they are a very tempting legion :) glad you enjoyed the rundown

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  10. Ooh, also, can you guys say if the Kharybdis in the book is the same as the experimental rules from the pdf? or have they tweaked it at all?

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    1. The rules look the same from what I can remember

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    2. good to hear, ive had one on my shopping list for yonks, but i was reluctant to jump on board until the proper rules got released, just in case.

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  11. Hi everyone. Any links to page dumps from the books will be removed. We dont intend to infringe on copyrights. It is damaging for us, Forge World and the hobby. We are more than happy to answer questions around the books though :)

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  12. Hey guys, can you tell me anything on the units for the Raven Guard? Im curious as to what they are:)

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    1. There are some good looking units for Raven Guard. Includes an infantry elite unit which has a rule which gives an upgraded rending bonus and has stealth. There is also a jump fast attack unit that provides an instant cover save when deep striked. These look good but there is also a special Raven Guard storm eagle gunship which looks awesome, will be getting this as soon as it comes out!!!

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    2. Indeed!!!! Thanks Darko! I am so excited for the Raven Guard Legion I just want these two units to come out as well as there Special Characters and of course... Corax!:) Victorus Aut Mortis!!!

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  13. Thanks for the info. Regarding Corax ( not exact values) which Primarchs is he between in cost? I have all the values from Massacre and Betrayal if that helps. Thanks a lot.

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    1. Between Ferrus and Mortarion. He is awesome though.

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    2. Thanks a lot. More towards Mort of Ferrus? Thanks again. He really seems like a marine blender - though I cannot fathom his low WS, considering his fighting prowess. :(

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    3. He has a high WS, the same as Fulgrim iirc. The only primarch higher is Angron.

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    4. I was wrong, 1 less than Fulgrim.

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  14. Hi guys, I saw your comments on Faeit about the rules dump, and thought I'd make some comments of my own. Firstly, you have my support for the comments you made. I briefly skim read the rules but could see that they were excessive, too much so IMO. However, although I'm not defending Natfka, I can see how re-typing the rules may not seem as bad as leaking photos, as the post contained no fluff or artwork, which takes up a good deal of the book (and, for me, is more interesting and appealing content). But overall, I agree with what you're saying, and resent the flak you were getting. Thank you for voicing your opinions, and so helping me make mine. Good job.

    Secondly, you have my respect for the way you have handled releasing the information on here. I have books 1 and 2 (am reluctant to get 3), and can imagine that there is a temptation to spread the undoubtedly awesome content between the pages (especially before general release). You have resisted remarkably, and are setting a great example to those less scrupulous members of the community.

    I know that this post hasn't really said much of interest, but I felt I needed to let you know that not every 40k fan is a dishonest pirate (excuse the generalisation/exaggeration), and that you're doing the right thing. Thank you.

    P.S Good luck with your 30k armies, I am glad to see that there are some people with the same enthusiasm for the heresy as me (and greater commitment - my year-old World Eaters are still only 7 models strong :( )! I may well come back here from time to time to check up on you're progress, keep it up!

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    1. Your comments are greatly appreciated and to be honest they have just made my day so thank you.

      Also, I'm sure I speak for the other bunnies when I say I would be interested to see what you have currently done with you word eaters so please don't hesitate to share some pics

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    2. I fully agree. Thank you very much for your words. We have removed the multiple rule dumps we have had on our site from the past few days as it is not something we want to get involved with. Good luck with Your World Eaters Buddy.

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    3. As my other Bunnies have said we thank you for your words. Good to see that some agree with us. We aren't attacking natfka but it is a bit wrong to post up everything that someone should experience from the book itself. As the Bunny that is doing the World Eaters I hope you like what I have done with them :D would be good to see how yours are getting on. They are a fun legion to play with, glad you agree!

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  15. Thank you Greylock. As said above, your comments are very welcome. I feel there is a definite line between cheeky previews and copyright theft/infringement.

    I have been told that Natfka has diluted some of the content, only naming special rules and not dumping them. Good news.

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  16. How would ypu characterize the Sons of Horus and the Iron Hands ? I am really between these two right now, but I am a total noob ruleswise, therefore cant make anything of statlines and special rules.
    How are their Primarchs ?

    Love your summary.

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    1. Both of them are fabulous legions with very diverse rules. The SoH are a tactical and close combat powerhouse with 2 unique units that excel here. They are based around the 1st Company and are divided into; The Justaerin - walking tanks (terminators) that can deep strike anywhere on the table - and the Catalan Reavers - a power armoured unit that can take jump packs. Between Horus and the legion rules, you become able to take these units as troop choices. All SoH gain rage if they charge units already in combat. The must take a master of signal to use their Rite of War. You can take banestrike bolter rounds for Seeker squads - which are effectively rending.

      You can take Abaddon, Loken and Malogurst as characters. All have great rules.

      Horus is an absolute monster, he can rain down an orbital bombardment once per game. He has 2 close combat weapons - the talon; which reduces the foes stats and the Worldbreaker; concussive maul. He is a fantastic primarch.


      The Iron Hands have 2 unique units too - Gorgon Terminators and Medusan immortals. I am not a massive repository for IH information, but I know the Gorgons are more powerful cataphractii terminators and the immortals are an enhanced breacher squad. The legion rules make the entire army more resilient to shooting attacks and also allows a degree of outflanking tanks.

      Ferrus is a very tough primarch who has massive hits but in fewer number. He is a great primarch.

      The characters for IH are not really from the novels but are well fleshed out in Massacre.


      If you are interested in a tactical and close combat army with a flexible primarch - go for SoH.

      If you want a resilient legion with loads of tanks - go for IHs.

      Check back over weekend for my painting guide for Horus and an update on my SoH 1st Company project :) please dont hesitate to ask further questions and keep us updated with your own project.

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  17. Thank you for the insightful answer ! My Forge World shopping basket is filling now : )

    I made the choice to go with the Sons Of Horus. Sounds like something I would like to play, further I am not to keen to paint a lot of black. Love the looks of both model ranges, though maybe I like the Ferrus Manus model a tad more than Horus, but difficult to decide since they are both incredibly awesome.

    I am really more of painter and than a player because I paint so slowly, but the target always is to field the army one day : )

    If the Reavers can take Jump Packs, which MK variant would be fitting ? I love the look of the MK II variant.

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  18. The reaver armour is MK IV. It has a similar design asthetic to the MK II and MK III on the back however. For my Jump Packs I have used the ones from the Blood Angels Sanguinary guard box set. I will be posting up a picture of these tomorrow as a work in progress. Please check back to see the fun :)

    Sadly though, Justaerin and Reavers are black armoured. I intend to do mine with a chaos black spray followed by Eshin zenithal highlight and then inked/washed. Should be effective. Will you share some of your work with us when they are done?

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  19. I am looking forward to see your flying Reavers, so far your website has been a well of great inspiration and is also guilty of making me want to join the Legion ranks ! ...as a Heretic.
    And of course I will share my progress as I go on as soon as I get my hands on some models.

    Reavers are black too ?! Didnt know that, on the FW site they are in the standard Horus greenish kinda colour.

    But thenn again I dont mind to paint some units in black, I even think its cool, but an entire army in black ? Dozens of infantry men and vehicles in black...for years and years... I fear to me it seems like a rather dark prospect : )

    Right now I am waiting until monday with my FW order, hoping rumors will show true and I will be able to order FW stuff via my local GW shop here in Germany/Cologne.

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    1. Yup Catulans are definitely black. Here are a few links to them :)

      http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Catulan_Reavers

      http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/The_Horus_Heresy/Legiones_Astartes/Sons_Of_Horus/SONS_OF_HORUS_REAVER_ATTACK_SQUAD.html

      Unfortunately the artist has painted the shoulders incorrectly on the FW website. They are supposed to be red like the justaerin.

      I hope this helps :) if I can help any further please dont hesitate to ask :)

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  20. I have been building a PreHeresy Raven Guard Force since I finished Deliverance Lost. These rumored rules sound fantastic. The shadowy good guys motif really caught my imagination, that and their predilection for lightning claws. I just wish there was a way to get the heresy style "bladed digits" lightning claws in bulk and not just as the one offs in the upgrade packs or the ones in the chaos marine raptor box (which require a moderate amount of conversion work to look loyalist).

    Hunter

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    1. I think you are spot on there Thomas. FW needs to make the various weapon designs more accessible. I won't be using any lightning claws. If I come across any I will let you know :)

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  21. I have been getting a lot of conflicting information on alpha legion. Are the headhunters more similar to tactical squads with banestrike or beefed up seekers (bs 5 and other special issue ammos?) and what kind of special weapons can lernaens take? Can any unit with bolt weapons get access to banestrike?

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    1. Hey there, to respond to your question, yes the headhunters have automatic access to banestrike ammo with no cost. They also can upgrade to combibolters and also can upgrade to heavy bolters also. In regards to the Lernaean teams they start off with Volkite chargers but can also upgrade to other weapons including the chance to master craft them. Cataphractii units with implacable advance so they look to be an interesting unit to play!! Can't wait to start my own Alpha Legion!!

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    2. I think out of all of us Darko you have the biggest Legion Diversity. Heavy and brutal Salamanders which make use of heat weapons, fast and quick Raven Guard which will run circles round other armies with their speed, Hand to hand beasts with the World Eaters and a really weird stealthy and special rule heavy Alpha Legion! Kinda awesome!

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