And Then There Were Two

Double trouble. A pair of Warglaives have now been assembled!

The machines have opposite arms or handedness, which is something that I like about this build. The poseability is fantastic, and the only real question that I have left is what should I do with the bases. I've not made my mind up with that yet, but very excited to see these pair finally built. Hopefully they will go nicely with what is on order... 

Warglaive

Back to some hobby this afternoon, and this time featured the assembly of an Armiger Warglaive. I've only put together one of these, there's obviously a second one to do since they come in boxes of two.

What impressed me about the miniature is the poseability. I was a touch confused at Step 5 where the arms attach to the side and then turn around, but it took just a gentle press to get the glueless pose working. All the arms are nicely actuated and can pivot as required. There's clearly been a lot of thought put into this miniature and how it can be assembled.

I've made this one hold the chain sword in the left hand as - to me - this seems more natural if the rider was right handed. The main weapon is on the right. I suppose ultimately with the mind merging that goes on, a bit of ambidexterity doesn't matter. I am not sure whether to assemble the second Warglaive in a similar left / right hand configuration or not, but I do prefer this way around! Overall pretty easy and straight forward to assemble with no real issues other than the choice of a melta gun on the top. A great model and well designed!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knights Household Ranks

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (individual rankings follow for each upgrade - this is just a rough average).

4/5 stars. The rules provide some excellent flavour to knight armies and should be used by all players at least in part.

Seneschal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The boss. The head of the house. Massively experienced. And a big price tag. This provides increased WS and BS which can be very important, but also a warlord trait that permits reactions within a local radius and gains a bonus shooting reaction. Great stuff! Suggested Knight: Lancer.

Arbalester. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain BS, and roll an additional scatter die when you have to and choose which result you want. This upgrade is almost a no brainer for longer ranged knights. Suggested Knight: Asterius, Knight Questoris (especially melta).

Aspirant. ⭐️

Not truthfully recommended due to the negatives on WS, BS, and movement. Has utility if you are short on points, willing to give your opponent a bigger chance, or generally want something fluffy. Otherwise avoid. Suggested Knight: None!

Aucteller. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain WS. Also gain further WS and A when engaged in a challenge with certain other units (knights, monsters, primarchs, and so forth). This is also a no brainer for your dedicated melee knights that you will get to the front lines very quickly. But you have to get there first. Suggested Knight: Knight Questoris, Acheron, Lancer

Dolorus. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain WS and can sweep. A really solid upgrade for melee knights. Suggested Knight: Castigator

Implacable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain a hull point. Attacks against you can't cause more than 1 hull point of damage. Even exoshock! Useful for when you want a survivable knight. Suggested Knight: Unclear. 

Preceptor. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain BS. Help out your armiger buddies by giving them improved Ld within a small radius. Can be very useful in the right circumstances. Apply it to a ranged knight and it will be good. Suggested Knight: Knight Questoris

Uhlan. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain a ridiculous movement boost, as well as character, outflank and scout. Well worth it for the shock of turn 1. Suggested Knight: Lancer, Atrapos

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Acastus Knight Asterius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average.

Background.

The machine spirit is said to be all consuming fire and rage. It is therefore of no surprise that only the veteran pilots in a household will bond with this type of knight. Doubly so given that it is a very long range knight and lacks any glory in melee given its armaments. It remains exceedingly rare in any given household. 

Strengths.
I'm going to talk about the secondary armaments first here. The volkite culverins on the front are a reasonably good weapon for finishing troops off. But to do that, the knight probably wants to opt for the Karacnos mortar battery to fire first. This beast might only be AP4, but with S=6 and a range a special rules that most notably include fleshbane and radphage (let alone shell shock and pinning, plus it ignores cover), this has the potential to be a squad killer overall. 

The main weapons here are the two twin linked heavy conversion beam cannons. At maximum range, these weapons have an eye watering S=12 and AP=1 coupled with a large blast. Truthfully, this is an anti-titan (and anti-knight) weapon at long range. As such, you will want to be targeting enemies at the longest range possible. But the issue here is the minimum firing range to obtain S=12 is 42 inches. The strength decreases as you go below. Still above 18 inches, it is a S=9 cannon, but the AP of 4 is an issue. Up to 18 inches is a paltry S=7 which just doesn't justify the points cost. 

Weaknesses.

I will freely confess to being a fan of the conversion beamer. The main issue with it is that it is most suitable to big game boards. i.e., Apocalypse game boards. Therefore this knight is not really recommended outside of such games. More than this, the points cost of this knight is within shouting distance of a scout titan which might serve you better depending on the scenario.
 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of here. The points cost is probably just about worth it, but only when you know you will be firing at long range for most of a game. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knight Atrapos

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are great!

Background.

Exceedingly rare. The Atrapos is typically a gift for a blood debt, or a spoil of war. They are designed to be enemy knight killers and it is considered a major honour to pilot them, although such outings are only at the command of the head of the household him or herself.

Strengths.
The Atrapos is a knight killer - and monster slayer - mounted on a Cerastus body. Thanks to the macro extinction protocols rule, its weapons are counted as twin linked when firing at knights, titans, and super heavy analogues. 

The singularity cannon is an extreme form of graviton weaponry. Occasionally you will get a vortex result out of this, and sometime you will also hurt yourself. Regardless, the large blast with haywire makes sure that you are going to cause some mighty damage here. Meanwhile the phase cutter is armour bane for close combat at S=10 and AP1. Ouch.

Weaknesses.

No real weakness other than the requirement to get up close and personal with this knight. The flank speed here is your ally.
 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of here. The points cost is worth it, and the potency of this knight should not be doubted when played to its strengths. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knight Megaera

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are great!

Background.

Rare to unknown for many households, the Megaera is a marvel of a forgotten age. It is piloted by only the worthy, or those who have won the right in battle or duels. Bonding with this machine is as much an honour as it is deadly: the leaking radiation will eventually damage the pilot regardless of any matter of prestige. 

Strengths.
Although sharing the same weaknesses as the Styrix in the stat line (low I and A), the lightning cannon is worthy of a good examination. With S=7 and AP3, this is a marine killer. Although there's only 1 shot here, it is a large blast and comes with added rules like rengins and exoshock (let alone shred) which makes it viable across a large array of targets from lighter tanks to tankier infantry. This is backed up by the phased plasma fusil which also has the AP3 line.

The knight can take the standard reaper chain sword, but I feel the upgrade to the siege claw is well worth it here. 

Weaknesses.

I actually like this knight!
 

Builds.
Megaera, Lightning Cannon, Siege Claw (410 points).

Well worth the points here. Take out marines or transports from range (don't forget the irad cleanser if within range). Charge in with the claw and take care of more vehicles. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knight Styrix

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are average.

Background.

The Styrix apparently did some really nasty and bad stuff during the Age of Strife. Accordingly, their machine spirits are perfectly capable of reducing even the iron will of the typical noble householder to madness that forces them to conduct massacres. They are therefore held in low regard and a bit of a stain of dishonour. 

Strengths.
Back to the regular questoris knight profile here, except for I=2 and A=3. In exchange, we have a volkite chieorovile gun. This has a good number of shots at high strength, but lacks the vital AP3 against space marines. This is more than made up for by the reaper chainsword of course. 

I see a reasonable battlefield role here as whittling down numbers before charging in an finishing a space marine blob. Against mechanicum and other lesser armoured beings, they will do exponentially better. 

Weaknesses.

I want to like this knight, but if I'm being brutally honest, there might be similar [Castigator] and alternative [Basic Knight] choices.

Builds.
Styrix, Volkite Chieorovile, and Reaper Chainsword (380 points).
The classic design.

Styrix, Volkite Chieorovile, and Siege Claw (405 points).

Graviton gun the light tank, blast with volkite, charge in and finish with the claw. Can probably take care of the transported units next turn. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Acastus Knight Porphyrion

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

What is the machine limit that a single human mind can safely interface with? Apparently it is the Porphyrion, after which you will need more minds to take care of the scout class titans. This is a different class of knight altogether compared to the ones thus far visited. It is not only rare, but often taken to be the symbol of a household and few are ever seen.

Strengths.
Two magna las cannons, two autocannons, and an iron storm missile pod. This beast is a long ranged threat that does not necessarily need to move for most of the game. 

On top of this, the stat line is very impressive with 14 on the front, no less than 9 hull points and an innate S=10 coupled with a still respectable movement rate of 12. 

Weaknesses.

You take the risk of a catastrophic explosion here, and the I=A=3 isn't good at all. But what do you care? Sit back and take lots of shots all game.

Also, you can only ever take one of these full stop. This is, of course, sensible game design. This said, the points cost alone is a significant issue here as well. It is on the borderline of being worth it if one thinks about taking a few whirlwind style tanks and other batteries of lascannons somehow -- your playstyle and mileage may vary. 

Builds.
Porphyrion, Magna Lascannons, Hull Lascannons, Hyperios Whirlwinds (655 points).
I've upgraded the autocannons to lascannons here to better match the high strength output. The Hyperios warheads are deliberately selected for the anti-air role. Of course, you can keep the non-upgraded version just as readily as it will output more shots over a larger area which will kill plenty of mechanicum and Imperial Guard units. But if you're facing marines, then I think the above is a better option. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Knight Acheron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

Deployed as a sign to the enemy that they intend extermination, these knights are sinister and and spell utter death and cleansing flame. Their pilots tend to be either those of iron wills, or those damaged souls that relish the massacre, such is the machine spirit of that contained within. Few elect to pilot them. 

Strengths.
The flame storm cannon has ordinance and shred making it of utility in a number of scenarios. But the real beauty here is the reaper chainfist at S=10, AP2 and with shred. 

Take advantage of flank speed and charge headlong into the fray. You are wanting to be targeting dug-in enemy formations and tanks here. Especially transports!

Weaknesses.

AP4 on the flame is not going to kill space marines outright. But it is still useful against those pesky cover saves. 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of. Instead I will note here that the base points cost is reasonable for what you are getting.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Knight Castigator

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. The rules are solid.

Background.

The Castigator is typically piloted by those venerable scions of a Household who can be relied upon to hold the line and to conserve ammunition when required. The machine spirits of these machines are stoic but no less able than the more impetuous ones in other knights. These knights are favoured by households who face multiple and lesser foes.  

Strengths.
The high movement rate and flank speed are your friends here. The bolt cannon spews out an impressive 18 shots per turn which anyone will find daunting. At S=6, they will certainly do damage, but the AP is not enough to counter space marines - you are literally relying on the rate of fire here to do the work for you. 

Let's do a small amount of mathhammer at this juncture against space marines. At BS=4, 12 out of those 18 shots will hit their targets. 10 out of those 12 will wound. And (rounded down) 3 will kill. Its not enough really, but when followed up by a charge and the tempest warblade whirling around, it could certainly cause a rout. And therein is the key. Get into position. Expend your ammo, and charge right in. The tempest's S=10 and AP2 will certainly add to your tally and cause a Ld test (or wipe) against a smaller space marine squad. But against Imperial Guard or Mechanicum equivalents, this combination is simply golden. 

Weaknesses.

This knight has its place in the roster and it very effective. It might not win every time against a blob of 20 marines in one round, but you might as well try it! I've seen blobs tied up for several rounds against the might of this knight and it is highly effective.

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of. Instead I will note here that the base points cost is reasonable for what you are getting.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Knight Lancer

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are very good.

Background.

The Cerastus Knight comes in several different configurations. The Lancer is the best known. They race ahead of their forces to engage enemy champions in single combat and are regarded as impetuous, yet simultaneously held in high regard. 

Strengths.
Strictly better than the Questoris Knight, the Ceratus has a greater movement rate of 14, a higher strength of 9, and one more attack. 

The Lancer comes with the Shock Lance and Ion Gauntlet Shield combination. Heavy 6 on the shock lance is really good, but it is at very close range. The S=7 and AP3 are still great, but concussive makes it even tastier. In close combat the S=10 and AP1 are just phenomenal. That's before we mention the added rules of reach and exoshock. It sits in an incredible sweet spot. 

Weaknesses.

Get your positioning and timing right and you will love playing with the Knight Lancer. Get it wrong and you will quickly be eliminated. 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of. Instead I will note here that the base points cost is reasonable for what you are getting.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Knight Questoris

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

The Questoris Knight is the most common form of knight in the Imperium. It saw vast use during the Heresy and comes in a variety of different configurations.

Strengths.
With 7 hull points and 13 armour on the front, they have a very reasonable stat line (although the 12 armour on the other facings will make the player think harder about positioning and angle). They are able to be configured in every manner (Paladin, Errant, and so forth). Hence the flexibility that this knight offers is good and when combined with the relatively quick movement of 10, they really do pose a good threat to most things on the table. 

Weaknesses.
Massed firepower can and will bring down knights with this chassis - make no mistake. Although it won't explode, the controlling player really does need to think carefully about optimizing the build and purpose of these beasts. 

Builds.
There are many builds available here. I'll go through some of the more common ones. 

Knight Paladin, Reaper Chainsword, Batle Cannon, Stormspear Rocket Pod (405 points).
A classic set up which is mid range and a bit of a swiss army knife able to take on many roles. I added the storm spear because why not. 

Knight Errant, Reaper Chainsword, Thermal Cannon (380 points).
Up close and personal. Tanks and heavy infantry are your targets here. Take the front mounted melta gun for added fun.

Knight Crusader, Battle Cannon, Gatling Cannon, Twin-Linked Icarus Autocannon (415 points).
Long range fire support, and anti-air to boot. 

Knight Gallant, Reaper Chainsword, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Ironstorm Missile Pod (410 points). 
Melee knight.

Knight Warden, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Gatling Cannon, Ironstorm Missile Pod (415 points).
A mixed bag. Good against lighter vehicles and infantry. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Armiger Helverin Talon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. A great long range shooting threat.

Background.

Piloted by lesser retainers and wannabes, the human on board strives to one day be worthy of an entry level job in a Household. These are long range armigers and can happily sit at the back taking shots at others all game. 

Strengths.
As with the Warglaive, the stat line reads well with S=T=7, and six wounds. Perhaps the only thing lacking here is the WS=BS=4, but this is a reflection of the fact that the pilots might be veterans outside of noble lineage, but are otherwise ordinary human beings. 

The main weapons here are the Phaeton Autocannons. These pump out two shots each (four shots per model) at a truly impressive 64 inch range at S=7. Sure, the AP3 is a slight issue, but there is rending to help a little bit. There are also two types of rounds, one for ignoring cover and one for sundering. Both are excellent. 

Weaknesses.

You will need either this unit, or the Warglaive alternative, in order to field Knights. This is more of a comment than a weakness overall though and represents arguably the biggest change to the army list from first edition: specifically 2 troops choices give you a Lord of War. A real weakness is not being able to take Moirax with your knights (sigh). 

Rules wise, they can be pinned, and they can be swept after an unfortunate combat. Best to think of them as mini-monsters from this point of view perhaps. With a mere 3+ armour save as well. 

Builds.
2 Helverins, Phaeton Autocannons (400 points).
Using them in a unit of two gives a fantastic 8 shots per turn at S=7 which will prove a threat to many things on the board. Sure, a lone Helverin is also useful, I just like increasing the number of long range shots myself. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Armiger Warglaive Talon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. I really like the warglaives. 

Background.

Some targets are rightly beneath the notice of other Knights. The Warglaives' job is to take care of these threats such as infantry trying to clamp on some melta bombs and the like. 

Strengths.
The combination of the reaper chain blade and rthe thermal lance makes the Warglaive a good proposition against a lot of units in the game. The high strength and low armour penetration combination is a winner. The heavy stubber can be swapped out for a melta gun for more melting fun if required. 

The stat line reads well with S=T=7, and six wounds. Perhaps the only thing lacking here is the WS=BS=4, but this is a reflection of the fact that the pilots might be veterans outside of noble lineage, but are otherwise ordinary human beings. 

They're going to be great against elite enemies like terminators and characters, but are likely to struggle in melee with true marine contemptors (best to shoot these!). 

Weaknesses.

You will need either this unit, or the Helverin alternative, in order to field Knights. This is more of a comment than a weakness overall though and represents arguably the biggest change to the army list from first edition: specifically 2 troops choices give you a Lord of War. A real weakness is not being able to take Moirax with your knights (sigh). 

Rules wise, they can be pinned, and they can be swept after an unfortunate combat. Best to think of them as mini-monsters from this point of view perhaps. With a mere 3+ armour save as well. 

Builds.
Warglaive, Reaper Chainblade, Thermal Lance, Melta Gun (215 points).
I like the multiple melta threats here even if it is slightly expensive. Go hunting some enemy armour or take down some terminators before you close to destroy the rest of the unit. Not sure of the ideal number in a unit here as it will depend on your points limit for a given game. 

Horus Heresy Review: Acastus Knight Porphyrion

Background.
Rounding off our examination of units from Inferno, we have the Knight Porphyrion. This is a brand new chassis in the Horus Heresy and one that is very rare. Indeed, even the largest of Houses only have a couple as it is the ultimate sign of the Machine god's favour.

The background story behind them seem a bit odd as well: only those who have fought a brother over a matter of honour seem to obtain them.

Other than that, they are the supreme enforcers of a House's will over their scions.

Strength.
It is a Knight. It is great.

More specifically though. It has a pair of magna las cannons that are twin linked. These dish out a large blast with Ordnance 2 and AP2 at S=10. Magnificent really!

Combined with this, it comes with auto cannons as standard along with iron storm missiles. Overall, this is a lethal level of firepower that will attract attention from across the board from all enemies. And rightly too. For if this Knight is not dealt with, it will represent a significant threat to most units across the board.

On top of this, it has BS=5 and good armour compared to other knights and a healthy hull point count.

Weaknesses. 
This is not a close combat knight. Forget it. It is a shooty knight.

Builds.
Although I like the naked knight, I do like this one as well:

Porphyrion with autocannons replaced with Irad-Cleanser (495 points).
Ouch. Just ouch. This is deadly to everything. Swap to las cannons if you have the points. It matters little. It is still a beast!

Horus Heresy Review: Mechanicum Ceratus Knight-Atrapos

Background.
Designed during the Great Crusade to take on filthy xenos macro-engines, the Atrapos is now a very rare commodity. Really, its only the Mechanicum who deploy these, but on the odd occasion they will use them as "payment" to a Knightly household should the need arise.

In 30k, they can stand for both a Lords of War choice in a mechanicum army, as well as being in a Questoris Knights army list.

Strengths. 
The armaments of the Atrapos are just as rare as the beast itself. Firstly is the lascutter. This can be used as a beam weapon with a very short range and Destroyer strength. Or as a close combat Destroyer weapon. Both are very nice to say the least.

Secondly is the graviton singularity cannon. This has a 36 inch range and therefore marks the Atrapos out as being a much shorter ranged threat than others in the Questoris army list options. With armour bane, concussive and the potential to shoot off a vortex template, this is a superlatively strong weapon.

The real role of this beast is to take out enemy super heavies. This can be done nicely thanks to the Macro-extinction targeting protocols that give its weapons the twin-linked rule when it points them at enemy super heavies and gargantuan creatures.

Weaknesses.
Should the dice gods not be with you, then the Atrapos can help kill itself by wiping out hull points through unfortunate rolls of the singularity cannon. Whilst it can produce vortex results (as mentioned above), at the opposite end of the scale, it wipes out a hull point with no saves allowed once every six times it is fired, on average. Personally, this is a risk worth taking I would contend!

Also, its worth mentioning the restriction here: only one of these machines is permitted per 2000 points in the army. Hence you're looking at high points games only here.

Builds.
The only option here is to add on occular augmetics. So here it is:
Atrapos with ocular augmetics (445 points).

In terms of house hold ranks, the most obvious is the Arbalester. That said, I could certainly find a use for it as my HQ and wouldn't mind it being the Seneschal. Dolorous and Aucteller are reasonable other choices here too. Situationally, the Implacable might be nice if fighting in a dense city or under hive.

Of course, a Freeblade would be the most entertaining as one could craft an entire narrative around how such a situation ever arose!

Knight Warden

Following on from the Knight Errant, the second of my Knights from the Renegade boxed set has been built as a Knight Warden. I really like the sheer number of shots that the gatling cannon can pump out. But more importantly for 30k is the ability to designate this Knight as an Arbalester -- with sky fire and tank hunters, this can really glance almost anything to death. Lining it up next to a preceptor might be nice as well, but that's a dream for a different day!

Perennia Knight Basecoat

Proceeding today with the base colours for my Imperial Knight (an interesting allied option for my Alpha Legion forces, I thought!), I wanted a colour scheme that would somehow resonate with them. Then I recalled that I had started a green colour scheme for my Warhound Titan. Everything clicked in to place and I decided that the Knight would be from the same Forge World as the Titan -- Perennia. 

The undercoat here is black, airbrushed on. This was followed by two silvers (gunmetal and rune fang) airbrushed in to position. On top of this, I have applied three coats of (very) watered down zinc green from Vallejo airbrush range. The idea is to build up the colour in a layer of glaze, not unlike the shiny colours one often sees associated with Alpha Legion or Thousand Sons (or even a beast like a Scorpion of Khorne). 

I'm pleased with the metallic green effect and will proceed on to the edging soon enough!

Assembled Knight

Just a small update today -- a completely assembled Knight (finally!). Yay!

Knightly Legs

The Imperial Knight is taking a bit more shape today with the completion of the legs of the build. At first I was not too sure about the groin-banner - at least in the sense I was worried it wouldn't hold or survive transportation to battle. Yet it seems reasonably solid to me, so I'm no longer than worried now. 

The legs don't have too great a degree of possibility sadly. I was thinking I'd have it crushing some unfortunate victim much like I've got my titan stomping down on a building. But it just seemed like too much of a task and I couldn't be all that bothered. Hence I went down the standard pose route. I'll just make the base a bit fancy to offset this I think.

Onward with the torso next. It shouldn't be too long now till this particular build is complete. I'm hoping that it will be a nice accompaniment to my Alpha Legion 30k forces eventually - at least in larger points value games.