Santic Halo Vs Shield Eternal

[Dread0]

Greetings brothers,

 

I'm in a friendly (ish) tournament at the weekend and I'm torn between the Santic Halo and the Shield Eternal. Both give that sweet sweet 3++ but I was hoping someone that has play tested these relics could give some feedback on the other benefits.

 

Cap's set up is jump pack and thunder hammer, geared up to smash things. I have a Libby as my other HQ so I'm not desperate for deny options but the more the merrier? Or do I keep the cap healthy for longer by halving damage?

[Grim Dog Studios]

I always roll with the Santic Halo myself, haven't tried the Shield Eternal. However, if you decide to go for the Shield Eternal, you need to buy a storm shield to "upgrade" to the Shield Eternal, whereas the Santic Halo can be taken without any prerequisites! Hope that helps a little in your decision.

 

James

[Toxichobbit]

I always roll with the Santic Halo myself, haven't tried the Shield Eternal. However, if you decide to go for the Shield Eternal, you need to buy a storm shield to "upgrade" to the Shield Eternal, whereas the Santic Halo can be taken without any prerequisites! Hope that helps a little in your decision.

 

James

 

This is the reason I only take the Santic Halo. I don't ahve any characters with storm shields and I don't really want to give up a ranged weapon to equip one. I do have the FW thunder hammer/storm shield sergeant model though, maybe I'll give it a try as the Shield Eternal one day.

[Tamiel]

Do you know the meta for your tournament? If there are a lot of caster races, then Sanctic halo seems like a better choice. I don't think adapting to your local meta is a shameful thing to do.

One of the advantages of Sanctic Halo is that you don't have to give up your weapon slot for it. The SM Captain has BS2 and reroll 1s. You're paying points for that shooting profile, and it's not easy to find a BS2 character who can reroll 1s. If you can stick a nice gun into his hand to take advantage of that, then it might be worth the effort (and the points). If you're really strapped for points, you can always go with 3pt the MC Boltgun which does 2dmg per shot and has ap-1. The stormbolter (2pts) is another option, and it is better than the MC boltgun when facing mass hordes.

It's not a lot, but it is one of the (many) advantages that the Sanctic Halo has. You get to attempt denying 1 power, it's free, and it gives you the option of buying a gun for your captain (since it doesn't take up an arm slot).

Edited November 29, 2017 by Tamiel

[Captain Idaho]

It's all about the Sanctic Halo, for all the reasons above.

 

In summary:

 

- it's free as it requires no prerequisite wargear cost.

- it allows for 2 weapons on the model. Just add a pistol and holster and you can either keep you bolt pistol or even a plasma pistol.

- it grants you a second option for stopping Psychic powers. If you wanted a Librarian just to try and stop enemy powers you can save those points with a Sanctic Halo on your Captain.

 

It's probably the best Relic in the book.

[Frater Cornelius]

To me it is usually as toss-up between Sanctic Halo and Armour Indomitus. The former if there are Psykers, the latter if there are massed low AP attacks. Hence I would vote for the Sanctic Halo in your case.

[Dread0]

Cheers guys. Seems like the Halo is the one to take. I'm not sure on the meta but I know I'll be fighting Nids and Death Guard so there will be some psy action. I'll take the halo and give him back his combi-plas to play with.

[Brother Captain Ed]

The Sanctic Halo is hands down the best relic in the book.

 

That said, the Shield Eternal isn't bad, I just think it is more niche than previously. I've been using it on a bike captain with a thunderhammer. The bike still provides shooting ability and gives him T5, so he is both making fewer saves and taking fewer wounds. Furthermore, since he is actively seeking dangerous characters to fight, taking half or a third of damage off can really help his longevity.

 

Of course there are still substantial drawbacks. Gotta buy the shield, so that pushes the cost up noticeably. Also giving up the Deny attempt can be rough since he finds himself exposed often. But it's still a reasonable option and it allows me to use the Sanctic Halo on a backfield captain who can babysit shooting units and still be very threatening with a relic blade and 3++.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

To me it is usually as toss-up between Sanctic Halo and Armour Indomitus. The former if there are Psykers, the latter if there are massed low AP attacks. Hence I would vote for the Sanctic Halo in your case.

 

I seem to be good rolling on 4++ so I often choose AI for 2+. It is quite good too.