Helbrutes and You

[SyNidus]

What are everyone's experiences so far with the helbrute?

 

On paper it seems pretty good actually with the 8" move and crazed ability. I'd like to hear your experiences with them, particularly if you were advancing with them, what support did they have and how did you equip them?

[Azekai]

With the proliferation of cheap lascannons in most local metas, they tend to up and die really fast; especially since the bog standard brute lacks an invuln save.

They are decent for smaller games, but in bigger points matches they tend to get popped T1.

[Sonoftherubric21]

As above; it may depend on Meta. 

Mine has actually done fairly well and often sucks up far more then its point cost in gunfire. 

That said; NEVER expect it to survive a game, but when it does? hey not to shabby! 

I just use the Fist/Multi Melta on DV for my Black Legion in support of a mauler fiend. and a Las/missile for my Thousand Sons. 

Contemptors on the other hand.........fairly more expensive (30-60 points more give or take for weapon load outs) and are far more survivable along with Machina Malifica for those melee attacks to give health back.  I had a Contemptor with kheres/fist take on a unit twenty genestealers.  Buggers crippled it but they all died in the process due to the 5+ to gain back a wound giving it some longevity. 

Sprinkle Warpsmith to taste if you plan on taking lots of Dreadnoughts or multiple walkers. 

[Mekhitar]

I occasionally run 2 in larger games (fist/melta... I don’t spring for the flamer) and get a lot of mileage out of them. They will fall over if a couple lascannons look at them, but I also like to run a defiler, and with warptime on it, my opponents are usually looking there, not at the brutes. They frequently see combat and the d3 is an excellent vehicle wrecker. Dttfe can make them truly vicious.

 

I also run emperor’s children, which pretty much means they are swinging first every round of combat - it’s come out in my favor a number of times.

 

Don’t underestimate the power of that multimelta. The range is nice for t1 or late vehicle cleanup. Also Since they get up close and personal, I’ve sniped a few characters with that gun. One failed invuln save...

[Tamika]

Deredeo with hellfire veil synergizes well with a pack of nearby helbrutrs for 5++ aura. Something to consider.

[Nym]

I have had mixed results with Helbrutes...

 

- Multi-melta / Fist : people often ignore it, even when it's in their lines. Because of that, it tends to achieve more than expected.

- TwinLascannon / Missile launcher : dies as soon as more immediate threats are gone. As Alpha Legion and in cover it is awesome though.

- Scourge / Fist : slingshot with Warptime it will probably reach CC but then die.

 

I think most Helbrutes are a tad too expensive for what they can do, except the TwinLascannon/ML variant which is fairly priced.

[the jeske]

They are ok babysitters to fire bases, when hidden from melee by a screen of cultists. they do ok shoting, do not cost a lot. the problem with them, is the same problem most chaos stuff has, they aren't unfair enough. And fair stuff does not win games. They are also a bit less flexible then DPs as counter units. Won't fit in to an army a 1500pts army, can be fit in to a 2k one, although you realy have to want to use them.

 

One should mention though that comparing to how they were or the state of some generic csm stuff, they are on the ok tier of stuff.

[Plaguecaster]

Deredeo with hellfire veil synergizes well with a pack of nearby helbrutrs for 5++ aura. Something to consider.

That actually seems like a good idea and I would be very keen to try it out with my DG

[Maschinenpriester]

I am regularily fielding 2 Helbrutes in 1000 pt games, and must say one dies in turn one every single game. The second one actually kills some stuff and annoys the oppnent. I am fielding more low cost brutes, with autocannon and powerflail. I am currently experimenting with dual Blastmaster ones, and they seem to be pretty effective too.

 

What sucks most are lucky rolls of oponents with lasguns, they sometimes just burn six wounds in my brutes. >.<

[Backslide]

Chapter approved powerfists go down to 50 for the pair so I'm gonna run a couple of those

[Mekhitar]

I haven’t been able to use a Warp Smith with brutes very well. They are good to the last drop anyway, and I find frequently that if they are targeted by anything dedicated they will die before he gets a heal in.

[ChazSexington]

I've realised they're really not that tough, which is a big issue. Their weapons become too expensive when their chassis goes down so fast. I saw Wraithguard put 25 (!) wounds on one turn 1. 

 

I've run them with Helbrute Fist and multi-melta (Red Corsair tactics), and bear in mind my dice tend to be towards the lower end of the spectrum when firing melta, and they haven't done anything since I got two into close combat with a Riptide back in July. Melta is too expensive and doesn't do much this edition - short ranged, weak lascannons that can re-roll the damage isn't good. 3 Helbrutes come in at Chaos Knight point cost territory, but why run them when you can run a tougher, faster, stronger Chaos Knight for the same points?

 

I'm currently painting up my Alpha Legion dakkadread, with a Reaper autocannon and Missile Launcher, which I think will be much better. Alpha Legion have the best dreads anyhow.

 

 

I haven’t been able to use a Warp Smith with brutes very well. They are good to the last drop anyway, and I find frequently that if they are targeted by anything dedicated they will die before he gets a heal in.

 

That's been my experience as well. 

 

Chapter approved powerfists go down to 50 for the pair so I'm gonna run a couple of those

Helbrutes use Helbrute Fists btw.

 

I have had mixed results with Helbrutes...

 

- Multi-melta / Fist : people often ignore it, even when it's in their lines. Because of that, it tends to achieve more than expected.

- TwinLascannon / Missile launcher : dies as soon as more immediate threats are gone. As Alpha Legion and in cover it is awesome though.

- Scourge / Fist : slingshot with Warptime it will probably reach CC but then die.

 

I think most Helbrutes are a tad too expensive for what they can do, except the TwinLascannon/ML variant which is fairly priced.

Never had people ignore my multi-melta/fist Dreads. 

[Panzer]

I like mine with double Blastmaster plus either Power scourge or Powerfist+Heavy Flamer. And the Doom Siren of course. There's no kill like overkill. :P

[techsoldaten]

My experience with Helbrutes is mixed.

 

I used to take Scourge / Lascannon brutes and they took a lot of shots. Which was fine when it kept opponents from targeting my Predators. But they didn't have much impact on the game.

 

I started taking double power fist Helbrutes. They were being ignored until it was too late and they were charging my opponent.

 

Not carrying big guns seems to make them more survivable. I don't really want to play a cc walker in a Chaos list, so I don't really know what to do with them. If they had a slightly better save, they'd be more interesting.

[Tamika]

They really need an invulnerable save to make opponent decisions more difficult, as they stand its a safe choice to shoot them.

[Stross]

They really need an invulnerable save to make opponent decisions more difficult, as they stand its a safe choice to shoot them.

Well, I will try Deredeo for this with Hellfire Vail. It saved my Fellblade from 1 turn of Ultramarines with 20 lascannon. 

[Lord Asvaldir]

I've never used helbrutes before, but I finally got one and I'm going to try using a heavy bolter/power scourge. My idea is by taking a heavy bolter and keeping the brute cheapish it won't be focused on early game, giving it a chance to actually get into combat and do some damage to infantry units with the scourge. Also I figured with the heavy bolter it won't be too big of a trade off between moving and not moving, as -1 to hit isn't as big of a deal when you have 6 shots opposed to say the 2 shots of a twin linked lascannon.