Helbrutes. How to use them?

[Ceranidian]

So I think Helbrutes are pretty cool. They get legion traits, have sweet plastic models and are pretty cheap points wise. 

 

One idea I've been toying around with is 3 Helbrutes with double fists (or fist+scourge). Either Red Corsairs for advance + charge or Purge for reroll everything (maybe then add combi bolters since they might not be advancing every turn). They're a little squishy but will put a decent dent into anything they get to. Could work well in a monster mash sort of list as another big stompy threat for only 300pts.

 

Do you think this could work? Has anyone come up with any other ideas for using Helbrutes?

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I often use 3 hellbrutes, one as a firing platform (double lascannon plus missile), one with multimelta & fist (with heavy flamer) and one with twin fist - only the first one is magnetized and the others are built that way.

 

I typically lose at least 2 (and usually all 3) before I get a chance to go.  At only 8 wounds each, they are very fragile to any kind of anti-vehicle weaponry.

 

Personally, I would keep your melee ones cheap - while fist and scourge is better (and double scourge better yet) in terms of melee potency, given the likelihood of them dieing before getting there its best to keep them cheap.  If you do go 3x melee brute, consider running them with the new Master of Discord.

 

That said, when I can keep my firing platform hellbrute alive, I feel it performs quite well - my list lacks anti-tank and that hellbrute helps fill that gap.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

I use my Helbrutes primarily as gun platforms. The Alpha Legion Trait helps keep them safe, and I can stack it with Miasma of Pestilence and the new Apostle power too. I mostly equip them for long range - las and missiles - but I do take fists and scourges too so they can defend themselves from deep strikers or fast movers who make it into the backfield.

[Prot]

What about throwing a Noctlith Crown in such a list? I’m just throwing that out there as I haven’t used Helbrutes since the new codex. But I think psychic support would help with the crown and add some invulns to the brute firebase.

[ChazSexington]

Kind of like the rest here, I've just found Helbrutes to die too easily. My Alpha Legion Reaper autocannon/Missile Launcher Dread never does much, and neither do the 3 Red Corsairs Helbrutes with fist and multimelta. When compared to a Helverin, they're just wasted points.

 

So, to answer you question, I use them for fun and gathering dust!

[Ceranidian]

I had a sneaking suspicion they might be a little squishy for what they do. It seems to me like throwing in more supporting units (Noctlith Crown, psychic support, Dark Apostle) might be a bit of a trap since I think even with all that they won't be the heavy lifters in a list and now suddenly your cheap 'brutes aren't so cheap anymore.

 

My thinking is maybe the best way to keep them safe is target overload: If you have a few DiscoLords, DPs, Venomcrawlers and/or Maulerfiends running up the board with them the opponent probably won't have enough firepower to kill everything before it hits his lines. Maybe even a Heldrake or two to provide a first turn in-their-face distraction.

[Sandviper]

I feel like if you plan to use them you have to have multiple other high toughness threats. Otherwise its easy for your opponent to direct their anti-tank weaponry. 

[Midnight Brotherhood]

They've got good damage output but they die quite easily. You need good threat saturation for them to stand a chance at surviving. Thankfully they are relatively cheap so I think they're still worth it. In my last game my opponent managed to kill 1 a turn with just 2 lascannons in his army, once they get targeted they go down easy to be honest. For me I use them to keep the heat off other parts of my army if I can, I always have them supporting my infantry.

[Scourged]

They're just... Okay. Nothing super great, but okay. But other than the double fist version... Their performance per points pales very quickly to many other, better options. I still run them, mind you. Many games they don't do much, or anything at all. But then there's other games where that las/mis brute just gets work done and never dies.

[undivided_apostle]

This Ceranidian's quote I just mangled it a bit

 

My thinking is maybe the best way to keep them safe is target overload: If you have a few DiscoLords, DPs, Venomcrawlers and/or Maulerfiends running up the board with them the opponent probably won't have enough firepower to kill everything before it hits his lines. Maybe even a Heldrake or two to provide a first turn in-their-face distraction.

 

That pretty much describes how I run them I use a lord discordant 2 venom crawlers and a maulerfiend. The helbrutes rate pretty low on target priority especially once firstblood is out of the way. They do all right. I would probably be better off with more obliterators but helbrutes are fun.

[Maschinenpriester]

I am a big fan of the slingshot warptime hellbrute with doublefist and combibolter with bolter discipline. as i am an ec player i sometimes make it a sonic dread with a doom siren which is an assault weapon, so i can autohit after advancing two times. If it ties first round then it is some distraved fire from my two other rifle brutes which i play with twinlinked bassblaster and rocket launcher. but i also like rocket launcher with twin linked heavy bolter to keep it cheap. tjis helps with the firefrenzy stratagem, because in most cases the closest targets are infantry and not tanks. The bassblasters allow some flexibility here, and can also be fired with full BS (HB peofile) when moved.

[Jings]

I bring my twin scourge brute whenever I bring my Defiler - always with a sorcerer with warptime. They tend to do a lot of nothing for their points, but work as excellent distractions to keep folk away from my gun line. Psychically flinging melee daemon engines into the enemy front line always draws attention, and when they do connect, they cause a lot of hurt.

 

Fire Frenzy brutes are nice too, if your opponent isnt careful or you can chuck it down in range of a vehicle first turn.

 

Definitely not the most competitive option, but if you're playing friendly games then they can certainly pull their weight.

[Sonoftherubric21]

Threat saturation is how to use them. Taking 1 brute alone won't do much and it will die fast. 

If you have 2-3 + engines + other vehicles or walkers? That adds up mighty fast and will limit your opponents options in properly dealing with your army. 

 

Used in batches of 2-3 I have found some solid success with them.