Jump to content

Late Great Crusade/Early Heresy era Legion size


Azorius

Recommended Posts

Here is my personal speculation and brainstorming about number/size of the not-yet-released Legions

 

 

 

Space Wolves: According to the Extermination, they are one of the 'substantial' Legion. Whereas Bjorn says Wolves have never been a 'big' Legion, that does not internally contradict. After all, according to Forge World, middle-size Legion is around 120,000-130,000 and above-middle Legions is around 150,000.

 

So I assume Space Wolves number would be in excess of 100,000 at the very least.

 

Dark Angels: Previously, Dark Angels number has been supposed to be around 150,000. 30 Orders each 5,000 marines, so 5,000x30. However Forge World Books clearly state Dark Angels are one of the largest Legion along with the Iron Warriors(Massacre) and they once possessed around 216,000+ Astartes and recovered their initial strength prior Heresy.

 

Moreover, according to the Forge World, Dark Angels have numerous void outposts and watch fortresses...all of them are viable recruitment facilities/headquarters and each and every of them is unimaginably large and powerful.

 

How large and powerful? In Wolf King, a single Dark Angels watch fortress and attendant fleet mauled main fleet of the Alpha Legion, which had crippled and then nearly annihilated entire fleet of the Wolves.

 

And in Wolf King, Dark Angels commander confesses sorta 'we are more powerful than any other period'.

 

So I think it would be safe to presume that Dark Angels have at least 200,000+ Legionary in total during the heresy and probably as many as the Ultamarines, just like the Word Bearers achieved.

 

Blood Angels: IIRC, in Fear to Tread Horus refers Blood Angels have around 120,000 Legionaries. But that may be biased and untrue, just like Thousand Sons' 10,000 or World Bearers 140,000 or Alpha Legion and Night Lords' 90,000 to 120,000 etc. Blood Angels are always one of the most powerful and prestigious Legion and according to Forge World, Baal is a 'throneworld' and Ninth Legion recruits from multiple worlds.

 

So I think that 120,000 number merely indicates 'bulk' of the Legion(like Retribution clearly stated) and actual size of the Legion would likely be around 130,000 to 150,000.

 

Then we have interesting bunches like Lamentii guard and Lord Captain Morrachi's expeditionary force and around 8,000 strong garrisons of the Baal...

 

Thus, why below 150,000? Because according to Extermination, gene seed of the Ninth Legions is very unstable. How unstable? The answer is as unstable as the Sixth Legion.

 

Yep, implant success rate of the Blood Angels is comparable to the Space Wolves - at least during the Great Crusade and the Heresy era. So I doubt they ever reached size of Sons of Horus or Iron Warriors, despite of their extensive recruitment efforts.

 

In any case, I'm certain that estimated number of the both Angels would be heavily revised like some other Legions.

 

White Scars: Just ignore them. Who know? Thanks to the Legion's notoriously quixotic, dispersed nature no one can sure. However their gene seed is assuredly stable, and according to Forge World, they rule an entire cluster and take tributes from them - just same as the Iron Warriors.

 

And we know Iron Warriors have in excess of 180,000 Astartes...whereas I doubt White Scars supply and logistic network would be as extensive as Iron Warriors', the Fifth Legion would unlikely be a small one, as old Index Astartes lore suggested.

 

 

 

Any thoughts and opinions is welcomed, especially from 30k-ers.

Logic seems pretty sound on everything there. I don't think DA will be quite that large at the start of the Heresy, Angels of Caliban implies it would be closer to the 100,000 mark. I'd take FW accuracy over BL any day though so I really can't dispute your reasoning.

I'm not 100 percent positive but I think the blood angels were 300 companies of 300. Can't remember where I'm pulling that from.

I honestly hope to everything that that kind of thing changes. It irks me to no end that their organization structure stopped at captain in Fear to Tread.

 

Fortunately Forge World gave them at least a defunct chapter, meaning they likely have chapters.

 

I'm not 100 percent positive but I think the blood angels were 300 companies of 300. Can't remember where I'm pulling that from.

I honestly hope to everything that that kind of thing changes. It irks me to no end that their organization structure stopped at captain in Fear to Tread.

 

Fortunately Forge World gave them at least a defunct chapter, meaning they likely have chapters.

ADB rescued us. Zephon was either a Dominion himself or led a Dominion (can't remember which ATM)

 

 

I'm not 100 percent positive but I think the blood angels were 300 companies of 300. Can't remember where I'm pulling that from.

I honestly hope to everything that that kind of thing changes. It irks me to no end that their organization structure stopped at captain in Fear to Tread.

 

Fortunately Forge World gave them at least a defunct chapter, meaning they likely have chapters.

ADB rescued us. Zephon was either a Dominion himself or led a Dominion (can't remember which ATM)

 

 

Oh good! And it even sounds awesome.

 

Man, now I can't wait for them at FW again!

 

No, not ADB. Actually the lore god, Alan Bligh himself, delivered us. Forge World books explicitly state the Blood Angel rank of the "Dominar" and the "Blooded" - the former command a Dominion, while latter command a Company equivalent.

 

And then we know the Blood Angels have at least a Chapter...so let's wait and behold our most noble and magnificent of the Legions. 

Ultramarines - 250,000
Sons of Horus - Between 130,000 and 170,000
Iron Warriors - 150,000 to 180,000
World Eaters - 150,000
Word Bearers - 100,000 to 150,000 (possibly more by the Isstvan Massacres)
Blood Angels - 120,000
Night Lords - 90,000 to 120,000
Iron Hands - 113,000

Emperor's children 110,000 - 54,000 after Isstvan

Imperial Fists - 100,000 (Old figure, don't remember actual ballpark, it's in Phall.)

Dark Angels 100,000 - unknown traitors
Death Guard - 95,000
Salamanders - 89,000
Raven Guard - 80,000

Thousand Sons - 10,000 (1,200 ish survive the sacking of Prospero)

Alpha Legion - Trololololololololololololololo

 

 

 

 

I'm not 100 percent positive but I think the blood angels were 300 companies of 300. Can't remember where I'm pulling that from.

I honestly hope to everything that that kind of thing changes. It irks me to no end that their organization structure stopped at captain in Fear to Tread.

 

Fortunately Forge World gave them at least a defunct chapter, meaning they likely have chapters.

ADB rescued us. Zephon was either a Dominion himself or led a Dominion (can't remember which ATM)

Oh good! And it even sounds awesome.

 

Man, now I can't wait for them at FW again!

No, not ADB. Actually the lore god, Alan Bligh himself, delivered us. Forge World books explicitly state the Blood Angel rank of the "Dominar" and the "Blooded" - the former command a Dominion, while latter command a Company equivalent.

 

And then we know the Blood Angels have at least a Chapter...so let's wait and behold our most noble and magnificent of the Legions.

Whaa? When did Alan say that? I love that man

Remember that Extermination denotes that the Raven Guard were the smallest legion post Gate 42 (iirc) and numbered 83k marines.

And remember there are unknown thousands of exiled, reaving Terran Legionaries of the Nomad Predation fleet. 

 

And still, according to the same book, the Raven Guard are 'the smallest Legion'

 

So I doubt number of the Thousand Sons would be less than 85,000. 

Logic seems pretty sound on everything there. I don't think DA will be quite that large at the start of the Heresy, Angels of Caliban implies it would be closer to the 100,000 mark. I'd take FW accuracy over BL any day though so I really can't dispute your reasoning.

 

Doesnt the book with the DA rules in state that by the outbreak of the heresy the had again increased numbers to one of the largest legions 100,000 seems a bit small for that ☺

 

Theae figures are approximates and subject to change. There is no firm number for DA as of now.

 

The Forge World books repetitively confirm the Dark Angels are one of the largest and most powerful Legions and before Heresy, they already managed to replenish their savage loss during the Rangdan Xenocide and recover the Legion's original strength and become 'a powerful and independent Legion again'.

 

And all of these facts are cross-verified via the Wolf King - like I said, according to Wolf King, the First Legion is now 'more powerful than any other juncture'.

 

So it 'closer to the 100,000 mark' would be a tremendous underestimation of numeric strength of the Dark Angels and even 150,000 figure is improbably underrated assessment. 

 

And I will be severely disappointed at the Forge World if they break their own words and render the Dark Angels number fall short of the Iron Warriors at the very least

 

 

 

 

I'm not 100 percent positive but I think the blood angels were 300 companies of 300. Can't remember where I'm pulling that from.

I honestly hope to everything that that kind of thing changes. It irks me to no end that their organization structure stopped at captain in Fear to Tread.

 

Fortunately Forge World gave them at least a defunct chapter, meaning they likely have chapters.

ADB rescued us. Zephon was either a Dominion himself or led a Dominion (can't remember which ATM)

Oh good! And it even sounds awesome.

 

Man, now I can't wait for them at FW again!

No, not ADB. Actually the lore god, Alan Bligh himself, delivered us. Forge World books explicitly state the Blood Angel rank of the "Dominar" and the "Blooded" - the former command a Dominion, while latter command a Company equivalent.

 

And then we know the Blood Angels have at least a Chapter...so let's wait and behold our most noble and magnificent of the Legions.

Whaa? When did Alan say that? I love that man

 

Oh, and the Blood Angels have battalion-esque formations, too. Forge World confirmed they have 'commander' rank. 

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.