Space Wolves, Night Lords and World Eaters

[Lord_Caerolion]

The Wolves can think that all they want, but they still aren't as genocidal as the World Eaters or Night Lords. In fact, it was the Night Lords who were used as a Crusade-era "police force", operating behind the lines as well as on the front-line, there to terrify into obedience anybody who started thinking "maybe this Imperium thing wasn't such a good idea". I never agreed with those statements in Prospero Burns, and unless they're revised in some way, never will.

[Doghouse]

I think the difference is that the Night Lords and the World Eaters tactics were frowned upon by the Emperor leading to the eventual action taken against Night Haunter.

 

The Wolves were specifically created and tasked with performing brutal acts against those that might turn against the Imperium where as the other two were more products of their environment.

 

The way I see it the wolves were well and truly leashed where as the other two legions were wild dogs running free towards the end of the crusade.

 

As for the lost legions, it sounds like one used psychic powers predominantly by the sounds of things and were dealt with by the wolves. Personally I like the idea of one of the legions failing in their duty being destroyed by an enemy much like the old Roman Legion idea, being expunged purely because they failed.

 

I don't think that the Night Lords were charged with policing the Imperium but more like they took it upon themselves to do so much like the Word Bearers were spreading their own Imperial religion to worlds.

[Lord_Caerolion]

Well, according to LotN, the Emperor did sanction the Night Lords. The problem is also the fact that Curze and Angron were ostracised for what they did, yet Russ is praised for doing the exact same thing. Dorn hates Curze for his terror tactics, yet is completely fine with Russ, who's doing the same thing?

I know I keep complaining about this, but I just feel it steps on the toes of the Night Lords and World Eaters if we have the Space Wolves come along and go "oh yeah, we do everything they're both infamous for, but with none of the downsides, and we do it better!" It cheapens the tragedy of Curze if he sacrificed everything to become what the Imperium needed, yet Russ waltzes in and gets the same end effect, without becoming an inhuman monster in the process.

 

The Wolves just read a little too much like Mary Sues in the book. They have no downsides. The one downside they do apparently have, their superstition and primitiveness, we learn is actually just a charade to distract others from just how much of a Mary Sue the Legion is. They're just as bloodthirsty and genocidal as the World Eaters, doing everything they do and more, but are perfectly in control of themselves, and they're just as terrifying as the Night Lords, but their brother Legions still love them, and noone ostracizes them (well, except Magnus).

To put it another way, the World Eaters are now the Legion that's only good at doing half of what the Space Wolves do, and they do it worse. I also dislike the idea that one, and only one, Legion was created with a set role in mind. Every other Legion gravitated towards roles their Primarch was most suited to. The Iron Warriors weren't created to be a siege force, they took the role as Perturabo demonstrated a great talent in the area. The Death Guard weren't created to be an anvil. The Alpha Legion weren't created to be insurrectionists. The Raven Guard weren't created to be guerilla-warfare experts. The Thousand Sons weren't created to be psychic. Yet for some reason, the Wolves were created specifically to be Executioners? Out of every Primarch, only one got told "Yeah, you're now in command of a Legion, but you're going to specialise in this particular area"?

 

The Wolves place had always worked as a headstrong, yet cunning Legion. Sure, they weren't as ferocious as the Blood Angels or World Eaters, but they had elements of the Raven Guard in them too. Apparently though this wasn't good enough for Abnett, who pulled the "they're the baddest of the bad" thing entirely out of nowhere, and decided to outright state "yeah, the Wolves could take any other Legion in a fight and win, because they're totally badass, and were created with this in mind for absolutely no reason whatsoever."

There was no reason for the change. The Wolves have certainly never been the "worst of the worst", only "allowed to exist" because they acted as executioners. What atrocities had they committed to deserve this reputation? It's never been shown previously, and sure as hell isn't shown in the book. If the Wolves were only allowed to exist because they were the executioners, why in hell were the World Eaters and Night Lords allowed to survive for so long, having done things far, far worse than the Wolves have ever done?

 

I'm not against retcons, but a retcon should either fix a problem that previously existed in the background (there was none, in this case. The Wolves worked perfectly beforehand), or continue to make sense in-universe (which this doesn't. It creates problems as to how the Night Lords and World Eaters were allowed to exist). What we got was Abnett pulling the "Wolves are more badass than any other Legion!" thing out of nowhere, and making crud up to justify it, not thinking about the effect the change would have on other factions.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

just wondering, you have read Prosper Burns right?

 

half the time the Wolves mention how savage they are, they also mention how their brother Astartes loks at them like their animals. That they are seen as dogs. That certainly seems like a downside to me, if everyone around me thinks of me as a dirty, primitve savage.

 

and lets not forget the Imperial Army openly dread them coming to their aid. Or that they heap scorn on those connected with the Wolves.

 

complete Mary Sues there...

 

WLK

[Legatus]

Well, according to LotN, the Emperor did sanction the Night Lords. The problem is also the fact that Curze and Angron were ostracised for what they did, yet Russ is praised for doing the exact same thing. Dorn hates Curze for his terror tactics, yet is completely fine with Russ, who's doing the same thing?

I know I keep complaining about this, but I just feel it steps on the toes of the Night Lords and World Eaters if we have the Space Wolves come along and go "oh yeah, we do everything they're both infamous for, but with none of the downsides, and we do it better!" It cheapens the tragedy of Curze if he sacrificed everything to become what the Imperium needed, yet Russ waltzes in and gets the same end effect, without becoming an inhuman monster in the process.

Well, the simple answer is that this is not teh case at all. The Space Wolves neitehr slaughteres whole armies to the last man (or civillians for that matter) like the World Eaters did, and they did not employ terror tactics like the Night Lords did. They were certainly ferrocious warriors and a fearsome foe, but nowhere near the extremes of the World Eaters or the Night Lords. Quite on the contrary, the Space Wolves are known as benevolent towardst the common people and are quite famous throughout the Imperium, rather than feared like the (still loyal) World Eaters and Night Lords had been.

 

 

Apparently though this wasn't good enough for Abnett, who pulled the "they're the baddest of the bad" thing entirely out of nowhere, and decided to outright state "yeah, the Wolves could take any other Legion in a fight and win, because they're totally badass, and were created with this in mind for absolutely no reason whatsoever."

I have not read "Prospero Burns". I have seen Abnett make comments to that effect in one of his online interviews, but he was speaking from ignorance there, since he had obviously forgotten about the World Eaters at that moment. I can only assume that in "prospero Burns" it is presented as the Space Wolves' opinion that they are as badass as you now describe. Such biased and subjective opinions within Black Library novels are often taken as factual by the readers, even though that is often not the case (such as with certain passages from "Angels of Darkness", "Lord of the Night" or "The First Heretic"). If it is not the Space Wolves' opinion, then it is probably someone else's subjective point of view. The Horus Heresy novels are not researched historical accounts, they are showing events that are currently happening. There are other examples of made statements that will turn out to be wrong, such as the immortality of Space Marines.

 

No one would happen to have a quote or citation for where in "Prospero Burns" the Space Wolves are described as the most badass or terrifying of all the Legions, would they?

[Lord_Caerolion]

just wondering, you have read Prosper Burns right?

 

half the time the Wolves mention how savage they are, they also mention how their brother Astartes loks at them like their animals. That they are seen as dogs. That certainly seems like a downside to me, if everyone around me thinks of me as a dirty, primitve savage.

 

and lets not forget the Imperial Army openly dread them coming to their aid. Or that they heap scorn on those connected with the Wolves.

 

complete Mary Sues there...

 

WLK

 

It's not a downside when as I said, the entire thing is a charade to fool others. They aren't primitive savages, they just act like primitive savages. To quote Prospero Burns "It takes a great deal of self-control to be this dangerous", that "We are thought to be feral and undisciplined... But if that was our natural state, we'd all be dead by now". So no, it isn't a downside when it's a deliberately acted charade done to fool others. Superman isn't any less powerful because he pretends to be Clark Kent. He's still Superman, he's just pretending to be a wimp.

 

I have not read "Prospero Burns". I have seen Abnett make comments to that effect in one of his online interviews, but he was speaking from ignorance there, since he had obviously forgotten about the World Eaters at that moment. I can only assume that in "prospero Burns" it is presented as the Space Wolves' opinion that they are as badass as you now describe. Such biased and subjective opinions within Black Library novels are often taken as factual by the readers, even though that is often not the case (such as with certain passages from "Angels of Darkness", "Lord of the Night" or "The First Heretic"). If it is not the Space Wolves' opinion, then it is probably someone else's subjective point of view. The Horus Heresy novels are not researched historical accounts, they are showing events that are currently happening. There are other examples of made statements that will turn out to be wrong, such as the immortality of Space Marines.

 

No one would happen to have a quote or citation for where in "Prospero Burns" the Space Wolves are described as the most badass or terrifying of all the Legions, would they?

 

"I'd heard stories. We'd all heard stories"

"What kind of stories?"

"That there are Space Marines, and there are Space Marines. That there are supermen and there are monsters. That in order to breed the Astartes perfection, the Emperor Who Guides Us All has gone too far once or twice, and made things he should not have made. Things that should have been stillborn or drowned in a sack."

"Feral things?" asked Hawser.

"The worst of them all are the Space Wolves', replied Korine. 'They were animals, Great Terra, they were animals those things that fought with us. When you have sympathy with the enemy, you know you have the wrong kind of allies. They killed everything, and destroyed everything and, worst of all, they took great relish in the apocalypse they had brought down upon the foe. There was nothing admirable about them, nothing rousing. They just left a sick taste in the mouth as if, by calling on their help, we had somehow demeaned ourselves in an effort to win.

...

'When the 40th discovered that the Wolves were the only Astartes in range who could help us tackle the Quietude, we almost cancelled the request. I heard that as a fact from one of the senior men close to the fleet commander. It was a genuine consideration that we didn't want to involve ourselves with the Wolves again.

...

'But it was too late. The Wolves couldn't be called off. They sacked it. The Wolves destroyed it all. There wasn't even anything left for us to salvage, no treasure for us to plunder, nothing of value to claim as a prize. The Wolves destroyed it all."

 

So, we've got quotes from the Wolves themselves, Imperial Army soldiers who fought alongside them, and the author himself, all stating that the Wolves are the worst of the worst. Abnett intended for it to be taken as truth, given his opinions on the Wolves. During the Crusade, the Wolves were anything but benevolent. When you set the Wolves on a task, you couldn't call them off. They destroyed everything.

[Legatus]

So, we've got quotes from the Wolves themselves, Imperial Army soldiers who fought alongside them, and the author himself, all stating that the Wolves are the worst of the worst. Abnett intended for it to be taken as truth, given his opinions on the Wolves. During the Crusade, the Wolves were anything but benevolent. When you set the Wolves on a task, you couldn't call them off. They destroyed everything.

I had the chance to skim Prospero Burns, and apparently that Imperial Army guy had fought alongside Space Marine forces on four occasions. He fought with the Death Guard, the Blood Angels, the White Scars (who were having a good day, apparently) and the Space Wolves. Him calling the Space Wolves the worst the Emperor had created suggests that the World Eaters were engaged on the other side of the Galaxy, and accounts of their deeds had not reached him.

 

That a Space Wolf would think of his Legion as the baddest of the bad is no surprise, given the competetive spirit of the Wolves.

 

The main reason why I can easily dismiss such claims is that Abnett has made such claims merely to make Space Wolves cool (which they are, of course), while for the World Eaters and the Night Lords it is the entire point in their background that they were the most horrifying and terrible Legions to face, both even being chastised by the Emperor for it. It is not just a well established background fact that they were, it is what defines these two Legions. Such a statement made about the Space Wolves has no further meaning in the background, it's just for kicks.

 

In short:

 

--> The Imperial Army guy was ignorant of the Legions he had not himself yet encountered.

 

--> The Space Wolves guy was boasting.

 

--> Dan Abnett was pushing Space Wolves, who he was currently writing for. Deliberately or by mistake ignoring the World Eaters and the Night Lords.

[Lord_Caerolion]

The main reason why I can easily dismiss such claims is that Abnett has made such claims merely to make Space Wolves cool (which they are, of course), while for the World Eaters and the Night Lords it is the entire point in their background that they were the most horrifying and terrible Legions to face, both even being chastised by the Emperor for it. It is not just a well established background fact that they were, it is what defines these two Legions. Such a statement made about the Space Wolves has no further meaning in the background, it's just for kicks.

 

In short:

 

--> The Imperial Army guy was ignorant of the Legions he had not himself yet encountered.

 

--> The Space Wolves guy was boasting.

 

--> Dan Abnett was pushing Space Wolves, who he was currently writing for. Deliberately or by mistake ignoring the World Eaters and the Night Lords.

 

Legatus, I don't usually agree with you, but in this particular case I agree completely. My only hope for this book is that Abnett just hadn't heard about the World Eaters and Night Lords, because otherwise everything that defined those two Legions has just been stolen. I mean, I may be a Night Lord fanboy, but I hope they keep it that there's more to the Legion than "they're thugs and rapists in power armour", that they keep the "they may be thugs and rapists in power armour, but they also decided to copy Batman".

 

The biggest problem with that passage though is the fact that the Fleet actually considered letting themselves be destroyed, rather than "demean themselves" by calling the Wolves in. My real complaint is the Wolves are never shown to do anything to deserve this reputation. What, so they use the enemies weapons against them? They made use of satellites as makeshift meteors? Nothing they're shown doing is beyond what any other Legion would do. Have them make Nostramon Condors out of the dead bodies, and they'll begin to approach NL/WE levels of killing. As it stands, they're thorough, yes, but hardly the "worst of the worst".

[Legatus]

Heh, since Abnett is writing about the Battle for Calth next, I wonder what he will say about the Ultramarines?

 

Dan Abnett (prior to Prospero Burns): "The question is, why would the Emperor allow such a brutal and terrifying Legion to exist? The answer is obviously, to take down another Legion."

 

World Eaters player: "Uh, what?"

 

 

Dan Abnett (prior to Battle for Calth): "The question is, why would the Emperor allow such a large Legion to exist? The answer is obviously, to act as his personal strategic reserve and his praetorians."

 

Imperial Fists player: "Uh, what?"

[Yogi]

The two missing legions.. No one will ever know. Obviously one was a pirate and the other a ninja.

 

 

 

 

As for the space wolves, they are mutants who will do anything, say anything, believe anything to justify their existence.

[Scribe]

I had the chance to skim Prospero Burns, and apparently that Imperial Army guy had fought alongside Space Marine forces on four occasions. He fought with the Death Guard, the Blood Angels, the White Scars (who were having a good day, apparently) and the Space Wolves. Him calling the Space Wolves the worst the Emperor had created suggests that the World Eaters were engaged on the other side of the Galaxy, and accounts of their deeds had not reached him.

 

That a Space Wolf would think of his Legion as the baddest of the bad is no surprise, given the competetive spirit of the Wolves.

 

The main reason why I can easily dismiss such claims is that Abnett has made such claims merely to make Space Wolves cool (which they are, of course), while for the World Eaters and the Night Lords it is the entire point in their background that they were the most horrifying and terrible Legions to face, both even being chastised by the Emperor for it. It is not just a well established background fact that they were, it is what defines these two Legions. Such a statement made about the Space Wolves has no further meaning in the background, it's just for kicks.

 

In short:

 

--> The Imperial Army guy was ignorant of the Legions he had not himself yet encountered.

 

--> The Space Wolves guy was boasting.

 

--> Dan Abnett was pushing Space Wolves, who he was currently writing for. Deliberately or by mistake ignoring the World Eaters and the Night Lords.

 

This is pretty much how I have come to accept it. With no references to the WE or NL, the whole argument about being 'executioners' and the 'most terrible force to face' chest thumping is simply hollow.

[calgar101]

When I read that bit of the book the Wulfen and 13h Company sprang to mind, surely they're much worse than any World Eater and Night Lord?

[Scribe]

When I read that bit of the book the Wulfen and 13h Company sprang to mind, surely they're much worse than any World Eater and Night Lord?

 

Is the killing of something by an animal worse then the calculated, and intentionally creative murder perpetrated by man?

[Walter Payton]

When I read that bit of the book the Wulfen and 13h Company sprang to mind, surely they're much worse than any World Eater and Night Lord?

 

Is the killing of something by an animal worse then the calculated, and intentionally creative murder perpetrated by man?

 

No, of course.

 

The Space Wolves are a sort of "noble savage" part of 40k. It's one of the reasons that I really respect them as a chapter. They come from a primitive, feral and violent culture. Most Fenrisians are totally ignorant of the galaxy around them. Yet despite their savage origins, despite Leman Russ being raised by beasts, they are still loyal and still know right from wrong. For similar reasons do I despise the Night Lords and World Eaters (as people, not as characters); they come from advanced cultures with a millionfold advantage over Fenris. Yet they are psychopaths, cowards and murderers.

[Scribe]

And I can totally respect that, which is why Abnetts book seemed so offensive to me, with all my obvious bias.

[blamb]

For similar reasons do I despise the Night Lords and World Eaters (as people, not as characters); they come from advanced cultures with a millionfold advantage over Fenris. Yet they are psychopaths, cowards and murderers

which would imply the World Eaters and Night Lords are worse than the Wolves

[Walter Payton]

For similar reasons do I despise the Night Lords and World Eaters (as people, not as characters); they come from advanced cultures with a millionfold advantage over Fenris. Yet they are psychopaths, cowards and murderers

 

which would imply the World Eaters and Night Lords are worse than the Wolves

 

They are, as individuals. We don't know enough about the Heresy and Crusade to make a judgement about combat efficiency.

 

The thing is, though, surely the Emperor would have needed an element of stability in his executioners. Leman Russ, though savage and combative, was more sympathetic, kind and understing than Angron or Curze. The Wolves are not as unstable as the World Eaters or Night Lords, which makes them better executioners. The Emperor needed men of reason and loyalty, not a point-and-click pair legion like the World Eaters and not a legion of gutter rats like the NL.

[Lord_Caerolion]

Well, the Wolves boast about the fact that they're point-and-click. They proudly say "once you let the Wolves off the leash, you cannot call them back". Plus, I'm not sure you can really call Russ "understanding" or "sympathetic", given his reactions to Magnus. If you were his friend, then yes, he'd have your back, but if you were his enemy... then you were the scum of the galaxy to him. There was no middle ground.

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

He gave Magnus every chance to surrender and avoid bloodshed. I'd call that understanding or sympathetic.

[Lord_Caerolion]

Which he did after baying for his blood because Magnus was a damned dirty psyker. That "final chance" was completely out of character for Russ. He'd just spent the last few years campaigning to have Magnus tried, leading to the Council of Nikae, in which Russ was hoping to get Magnus found as a sorceror and heretic. For him to suddenly not want Magnus to die in flames made no sense whatsoever. It's almost like Khorne suddenly becoming best friends with Slaanesh... heywaitaminute! :cuss

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Which he did after baying for his blood because Magnus was a damned dirty psyker. That "final chance" was completely out of character for Russ. He'd just spent the last few years campaigning to have Magnus tried, leading to the Council of Nikae, in which Russ was hoping to get Magnus found as a sorceror and heretic. For him to suddenly not want Magnus to die in flames made no sense whatsoever. It's almost like Khorne suddenly becoming best friends with Slaanesh... heywaitaminute! :cuss

 

The only time in the HH books Russ has bayed for Magnus's blood prior to Magnus defying the Nikea verdict was after the Shrike incident.

When Magnus and his Thousand Sons used their sorcery against the Wolves over a xeno library.

 

This incident led to Russ pushing for the Council of Nikea, because to him, this was a blantant abuse of his powers. Up until thos point there was a rivalry between the two, but mostly just barbed comments.

And at the Council, he was below with Sangy and Fulgrim and expressed concern over the state of things.

 

This certainly sounds like the works of a madman...

 

and the final chance makes perfect sense to me. I come from a big family, and i have certainly been in more than a few fist fights with my siblings when we were younger. And then came a point when we knew, that if this continued, things would get out of any semblance of control. we have thankfully managed to avoid coming to blows in years.

Now imagine your Russ, and you love your brother, but you have your orders. You know that the moment of truth is coming and you wish to avoid this fight. Thats what the "last chance" meant to me.

 

you really dont like Russ do you?

 

WLK

 

Which he did after baying for his blood because Magnus was a damned dirty psyker. That "final chance" was completely out of character for Russ. He'd just spent the last few years campaigning to have Magnus tried, leading to the Council of Nikae, in which Russ was hoping to get Magnus found as a sorceror and heretic. For him to suddenly not want Magnus to die in flames made no sense whatsoever. It's almost like Khorne suddenly becoming best friends with Slaanesh... heywaitaminute! :P

 

The only time in the HH books Russ has bayed for Magnus's blood prior to Magnus defying the Nikea verdict was after the Shrike incident.

When Magnus and his Thousand Sons used their sorcery against the Wolves over a xeno library.

 

This incident led to Russ pushing for the Council of Nikea, because to him, this was a blantant abuse of his powers. Up until thos point there was a rivalry between the two, but mostly just barbed comments.

And at the Council, he was below with Sangy and Fulgrim and expressed concern over the state of things.

 

This certainly sounds like the works of a madman...

 

and the final chance makes perfect sense to me. I come from a big family, and i have certainly been in more than a few fist fights with my siblings when we were younger. And then came a point when we knew, that if this continued, things would get out of any semblance of control. we have thankfully managed to avoid coming to blows in years.

Now imagine your Russ, and you love your brother, but you have your orders. You know that the moment of truth is coming and you wish to avoid this fight. Thats what the "last chance" meant to me.

 

you really dont like Russ do you?

 

WLK

[spu00sed]

Which he did after baying for his blood because Magnus was a damned dirty psyker. That "final chance" was completely out of character for Russ. He'd just spent the last few years campaigning to have Magnus tried, leading to the Council of Nikae, in which Russ was hoping to get Magnus found as a sorceror and heretic. For him to suddenly not want Magnus to die in flames made no sense whatsoever. It's almost like Khorne suddenly becoming best friends with Slaanesh... heywaitaminute! :)

 

I think that there is a difference between asking Daddy to tell off your brother for being bad and stealing his private jet and credit cards and Daddy telling you to kill him yourself.

 

They are borthers, from PB I got the idea that they might be the closest of brothers but they did kinda like each other. Russ just didn't like how Magnus fought and wanted him sanctioned for it, not killed.

 

 

He had already lost two brothers and didn't want to lose anymore.. Just like any family you might not like your brothers, but you still want them around

 

[Walter Payton]

Well, the Wolves boast about the fact that they're point-and-click. They proudly say "once you let the Wolves off the leash, you cannot call them back".

 

Point-and-click was a poor choice of words.

 

Plus, I'm not sure you can really call Russ "understanding" or "sympathetic", given his reactions to Magnus. If you were his friend, then yes, he'd have your back, but if you were his enemy... then you were the scum of the galaxy to him. There was no middle ground.

 

Leman Russ was a better individual by far than Magnus the Red, Konrad Curze or Angron. Sympath and understanding are not what he was remembered for, in the same way we don't remember Alexander the Great for drinking honey and raw eggs. It doesn't mean it didn't happen.

[Badhaggis]

My favorate idea would be that they are still out their and intact but that would really screw things up if suddenly 2 legions of veteran space marine come wandering back and join either the imperium or chaos.

 

Leman Russ was a better individual by far than Magnus the Red, Konrad Curze or Angron. Sympath and understanding are not what he was remembered for, in the same way we don't remember Alexander the Great for drinking honey and raw eggs. It doesn't mean it didn't happen.

 

at no point in the books does Leman russ desplay any ounce of understanding, logar is far more compasionate in the cannon than Leman Russ which is why i loathed prospero burns, Dan Abnett took a look at existing cannon ( Space wolfs are decent soldiers with a saveage theme) and went " i want Vikings that can kill everyone, and destroy legions cause they are the big E's favourites plus they are still nice happy people that are better at their jobs than those traitors." kinna kills the mood of the space wolfs as they go from from being barbarians to ultra intelligent jolly executioners .

[Lucky Luke]

I realise that this is a strange place to finally come out of lurking, but there's something here that has been missing from the Conversation so far. The Wolves were made broken. It is entirely plausible that the Curse of the Wulfen was't some freak mutation of Russ' seed, but rather intentional genetic manipulation by the Emperor. The Wulfen provides a resistance to Chaos and the influences of the warp, sort of like a fail safe encoded into the very gene pool. If Chaos was always the Emperor's number one worry, then what better way to beat Chaos than create a Legion who's culture and genetic material was inherently resilient to its influence?

 

Bear in mind, these are the days before the Grey Knights were even a gleam in Garro's eye. Chaos, whilst not an overt threat, is still a corrupting influence. The Wulfen curse and the savagery that it implied was unheard of amongst the Wolves. I mean, the Blood Angels had not felt the Black Rage and the savagery of the World Eaters was entirely the external influence of a Primarch made wrong by his formative years.

 

Abnett did not claim that the Wolves were the physically fiercest, he did not claim that they were the fastest, he did not claim that they used terror tactics. Unlike the Night Lords, the Space Wolves did not seem to get any rise out of doing nasty things, they did not go looking for weaker targets or civilian populations; they did them because that was the task in front of them. Unlike the Night Lords, there first reaction was not "KILL IT. KILL IT WITH FIRE. THEN CUT IT APART FOR TROPHIES WHILST ENJOYING THE SPLATTER" as might be seen amongst the World Eaters, but rather; "Kill it. Make sure its dead. Move on. As a police service, Abnett's wolves are not suited to the task.

 

But attacking another legion? Following orders to the letter? Taking no pleasure in the task? Using the genetic deviancy that the Emperor created them with? These are the things that Abnett's wolves could do and do well. The World Eaters were mad axemen running around the galaxy who killed and killed and killed some more, as that was all they wanted to do. The Night Lords a weird Bat-man group who took a little too much sadistic pleasure in causing fear and too prone to committing atrocities. The Wolves were like a mix of the two, but with a very business like detachment from the morality of the task at hand. They did the job because it was there's to do. They did it well and they did it ruthlessly. Then they moved on to do it again somewhere else.

 

They weren't better than the World Eaters at chopping things to pieces messily in single minded rage. They weren't better than the Night Lords at terrorising populations. But at just charging in, exterminating a target and pulling out? This was where they excelled. Could the World Eaters do the same kind of job? Doubtful; rage and disloyalty of the Primarch would make them less than dependable, with few restraints to their violence. The job would be done, but very, very messily. The Night Lords? They could probably terrorise the foes and break them into fear-crazed weaklings, but that wasn't the task at hand. Circle block for circle hole.