Dark vengeance helbrute.

[Beatnik cryptek]

I bought a DV helbrute and it was painted, terribly, and glued together. I stripped the pain with alcohol but can't really change it without tearing it to pieces. So i'm stuck with a muktimelta and a helbrute fist.

 

I run chaos stew with IW and NL, maybe with a little AL in big fights. I generally avoid cult units preferring CU.

 

Now that the situation is laid out, for a helbrute with MM and HF what legion is the best? IW, NL or AL?

[Iron Father Ferrum]

If you have spare weapons from the multipart Helbrute kit, they will actually fit on the gun arm; just slice off the melta barrels. For example, I put the Reaper barrels on instead, and they're not a terrible stand-in for lascannons either.

[Gederas]

Yeah, it's not that hard to replace the weapons.

 

This is my sonic Dreadnought made from that very model:

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Or you could chop off both arms and replace them with mauler fiend arms:

 

[happyslugger]

I cut the MM off and replaced with twin lascannon and his other hand is holding a rocket launcher :-)

[Doom Herald]

DV Helbrutes always have the Multimelta/Fist. All the previously mentioned ideas are good for conversions. As far as deciding where to fit it in as is, I would consider what roll it is going to play. Helbrutes get a pretty decent amount of attention usually, which makes them a good distraction. Outfitted as is, I would say it best serves taking out heavier and elite units.

 

As far as legions, it really comes down to Legion Traits and Strategems. Of the legions you use, only IW has a strat that works on Helbrutes. 6+ Feel No Pain for 1 CP on a Helbrute isn't bad, especially if you aren't using it on anything else. As far as their Legion Trait, ignoring cover with a Multi-melta doesn't seem particularly useful to me. Even against targets with a 2+ save, Multimelta AP adjusts it to 6+, and cover adjusts to 5+, still not a big save. If you really want to put a final nail in something, maybe the overkill is what you want though. That said, if you plan on wrecking terrain this Legion Trait makes this guy pretty good at it.

 

Night Lords, you really only get the -1Ld. If you are hunting elites with him, this might work out fine. Hit them hard with the Multimelta, hit them harder with the fist, and maybe the morale will help finish them. Also, if you just want to be able to pile those Ld penalties on, this isn't too bad since he has better movement than CSM infantry.

 

Alpha Legion, you only get the -1 to be hit at 12+". This isn't terrible if you plan on using him for distraction. You won't be able to utilise the roll 2D6 and use the best for damage though without giving up this trait. A Multimelta, that hits, still carries some threat beyond 12" though, and might see fire directed to it instead of other units. The fist means it will hurt things that get close and your opponent will have to decide to either ignore the brute, sit back with heavy weapons and fire on it (with to hit penalties, or brave into enhanced Multimelta and charge range. Any of these I'd say are not bad for you and in a not very competitive setting is going to distract your opponent from other machinations. Pair him with a Dark Apostle for the prayer for another -1 to be hit and maybe some cultists and objective camp.

 

So, to kill big stuff and mow down terrain, IW. To kill Elites and spread Ld penalties, NL. To be a distraction and guard objectives, AL. All in all, I think AL is the winner, though in some situations IW could do more work for you, the 6+ FNP is not bad. This isn't to say other loadouts wouldn't do any of this better, but as is, this is my assessment.

 

What other units do you plan on running that could enhance him, if you are inclined to do so? Sorcerers can help out with their buffs regardless of Legion. Apostles can help too, but must have the same Legion. Beyond that, what buffing auras you have and what Legion they pair with should be considered.

[Fhanados]

I use 3 Dark Vengeance Helbrutes and they make excellent distraction and interference units. I'll pick a tough target (preferably one without an invuln) and go full-speed-ahead in an all out attempt to murderize it. They're not the toughest thing in the world but they can take a bit of firepower away from other targets and if they get close enough to make the most of their gear there is potential to do a decent amount of damage. I find the multimelta is a VERY swingy weapon though, so if you're playing in a fairly cutthroat crowd you might want to swap it for something else. The only other weapon I've tried so far is the plasma cannon, which I wouldn't recommend.

 

If you're keeping the Multimelta/Fist combo I'd probably not use Alpha Legion. You want to be close with this loadout, and that means negating your Legion trait.

Iron Warriors ignoring cover is pretty situational. A lot of the things you'll be gunning for are vehicles or monsters, but those kinds of targets have difficulty getting cover in the first place. The 6+ Feel No Pain stratagem is decent but not going to save you if someone REALLY wants it dead. It does help fulfill the role as a distraction though.

Night Lords is a neat idea, but I've never seen anyone pull off the leadership shenanigans as intended. The only time I've seen someone actually troubled by the prospect of stacked leadership debuffs they used a stratagem to auto pass anyway. It might force your opponent to burn extra CP to save a unit from bad morale rolls but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

Really the only Legion traits I've seen that really help the Helbrute are Death Guard (move and fire heavy weapons without penalty) and Renegade for the run-and-charge. World Eaters would be OK as well but I think the other two have the edge.

[Maschinenpriester]

How about going EC and make it a sonic dread with cheap doom siren and maybe greenstuff a combi bolter on it For maybe clearing some chaff units. If you plan to get up close it might actually be worth it (only 10 points more) and it gets bolter discipline.