What to expect if/when codex comes?

[Doctor Perils]

Hi, I'm a complete ECs newbie, but I've grown more and more intrigued by Slaanesh in last few years. I also used to reject the pink of ECs armour, but have since grown to quite like the hyper-contrast of their colours, and am intrigued by the painting challenge it represents. If and when the new models and codex drops, I'll probably start a full warband for them.

 

However, as a newbie, I've found little information on how they are supposed to fight in fluff post-heresy. What should I expect to see as an army? Mostly noise marines and sonic dreads? Perhaps some marines on steeds? Corrupted phoenix terminators?

[WarriorFish]

It's ok Perils, you can tell people that you have to dedicate to Slaanesh after losing to my Daemonettes None of this "undecided" when Slaanesh has proven superiority right?

 

I think you can pretty much do whatever you want. You should have a good contingent of Marines I think, as they are what brings the perfection, but you'd likely have enough anyway for an army. You can load up on Noise Marines but it's not essential. Though as new sculpts are surely to come sooner or later you may as well have at least some as their rules are decent and will likely remain so (I'm sort of waiting for new models too).

 

Dreads are cool (I may be biased), and get to take advantage of the Legion rules. You want to be slapping people about in combat for this anyway and a DCCW goes far - especially striking first Termies too, especially as they seem to be getting a bit of a boost in 9th, and they'd fit the theme

[Doctor Perils]

Yeah I like me some Dreads too and I like the concept of Noise Marines, but overlooking the rules aspect I was wondering what lore is out there for them? I'd like to put some thought into my guys' fluff :)

[Daemon Prince Marbas]

So whilst the Emperor's Children do have their maniacal noise marines, Sonic Terminators, and Sonic Dreadnoughts, also known as the Kakophoni, who do nothing but blast noise during battle the vast majority of the legion are still the strategic geniuses of the Great Crusade they once were. So while Noise Marine spam may seem fluffy, it's actually more fluffy to have a well rounded, "perfect" force.

[WarriorFish]

Indeed, there isn't really anything that says the EC favour or dislike anything particularly strongly. You could say that they prefer being close to savour the battle and experiences more, but that is fairly typical of CSM and besides how far apart are armies in a normal game of 40k anyway? :P

 

So the short version is you'll need to be creative and come up with your own lore I'm afraid :lol: A mostly blank canvas is more fun to colour in right? ;)

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Well, one bit of lore we have is that they are very hard on their cultists - and everyone else's cultists.  It was their kidnapping the other chaos legions menials after they had run out of their own that kicked off the post-heresy falling out of the pro-Horus forces.

 

When the codex comes out, I would expect us to get a dedicated hand-to-hand unit - right now, the only dedicated units we have are noise marines and hellbrutes, both of which are shooty rather than close-combat.  Indeed, the noise marines special rule of "one last attack" is far superior on shooty noise marines, as it is of dubious utility for melee models that are not yet stuck in.  Plus, the lore emphasizes EC as consummate duelists, but we don't really have anything that reflects that.

 

Now, what that unit would look like, I don't know. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Marshal Loss]

In terms of what to expect from a potential codex:

 

So these are what I would expect 100%, no doubt about it:

 

1. Fulgrim
2. Lucius the Eternal
3. Noise Marines
4. A Terminator unit of some kind (perhaps a take on FW's 30k era Phoenix Terminators, or a Cult Terminator unit styled after 3.5 era CSM)

Other possibilities of varying likelihood:

1. A cultist unit of some kind (our version of Poxwalkers/Tzaangors: likely an actual human unit of devotees)
2. Another 30k unit port: Palatine Blades or Kakophoni
3. Various support characters, e.g. a Fabius Bile style Fleshcrafter, as well as the obligatory EC Lord equivalent
4. A Daemon Engine of some kind, perhaps inspired by the old epic
5. Sonic Dreadnought/Tanks etc, again derived from 3.5

 

To steer away from speculation: there is no set model for an EC warband. The Legion was comprehensively shattered, its high command dissolved, and while some are trying to bring it back together (Eidolon's Phoenix Conclave) no two warbands necessarily look or fight alike. Some are going to be dominated by Noise Marines and others may not have a single sonic weapon in sight. EC are famous for their bladecraft, their mastery of sonic weaponry, and their grasp of tactics; their forces are also usually very maneuverable. A fluffy EC warband is going to play up one or more of those aspects of their personality but does not necessarily need to indulge them all.

[Elazar The Glorified]

I think with Underworlds getting a Slaangor. If we did get a cultist unit it might be those...

[Blank Dave]

I think with Underworlds getting a Slaangor. If we did get a cultist unit it might be those...

Nope...Should look like the Necromunda Goliaths....I mean they already look like they're wearing bondage gear...

[Doctor Perils]

Does anyone think Doomrider could be set to come back? There's something about a cavalry-themed Emperor's Children force that appeals to me

[Elazar The Glorified]

I'd love to see it Doctor Perils. Or even just a non-Legends HQ on a bike in general! I think there's a lot that can be done with Emperor's Children and Slaanesh in line with Marines on bikes. The noise, the speed, the perfection of a well time outflanking manoeuvre. All feels very appropriate that we could lean into it. Would be a fun way to give EC something a bit different to the other Legions that have been fleshed out.

[WarriorFish]

We have been seeing a fair few returns of old things so more than possible I think, we'll need to wait and see as always. So long as the codex adds choice and doesn't remove any I'll be happy :)

[Marshal Loss]

So long as the codex adds choice and doesn't remove any I'll be happy

This is an interesting question and one which I've pondered on a lot while building my army over the last year - it's not inconceivable that some options may be removed without replacement, and probably likely that some things will be removed and replaced - both the DG & TS have a more limited/themed roster than the main CSM book as the price for their uniqueness. EC are a bit different though because while all non-Sorcerer TS are Rubric Marines & all DG are Plague Marines, not all EC are Noise Marines, but that doesn't mean we might not see e.g. Sorcerers replaced with some super special Slaaneshi space wizards, or Havocs replaced with super Noise Marines, etc.

 

I confess I'm a little worried they'll remove something like Obliterators which I've already painted up in EC colours in anticipation of our eventual release. :P

[RolandTHTG]

I think with Underworlds getting a Slaangor. If we did get a cultist unit it might be those...

 

I thought that the Blackstone Fortress Cultists of the Abyss were going to be Slaanesh cultists when they were first released. Even if they end up giving us generic cultists in the list, I think the SotA have several Slaaneshish stylings (asymetric clothing, ritual scars and piercings) and should be perfect as the actual models run. 

 

So long as the codex adds choice and doesn't remove any I'll be happy

This is an interesting question and one which I've pondered on a lot while building my army over the last year - it's not inconceivable that some options may be removed without replacement, and probably likely that some things will be removed and replaced - both the DG & TS have a more limited/themed roster than the main CSM book as the price for their uniqueness. EC are a bit different though because while all non-Sorcerer TS are Rubric Marines & all DG are Plague Marines, not all EC are Noise Marines, but that doesn't mean we might not see e.g. Sorcerers replaced with some super special Slaaneshi space wizards, or Havocs replaced with super Noise Marines, etc.

 

I confess I'm a little worried they'll remove something like Obliterators which I've already painted up in EC colours in anticipation of our eventual release.

 

 

Mine are converted Rat ogres, so I'll just run them as allied Servant of Bile if they're restricted from the EC list. 

[Verbal Underbelly]

Aside from possible new models, what's people's opinion on the life span of the Faith and Fury rules? With changes to how auras work on HQs for example do we thing the starts and relics etc. will become defunct once the new Heretic Astartes codex comes out?

 

I'm only just in the process of starting a new warband - I'm hoping my nascent plans & army lists don't fall apart.

 

 

[Marshal Loss]

Aside from possible new models, what's people's opinion on the life span of the Faith and Fury rules? With changes to how auras work on HQs for example do we thing the starts and relics etc. will become defunct once the new Heretic Astartes codex comes out?

 

I'm only just in the process of starting a new warband - I'm hoping my nascent plans & army lists don't fall apart.

GW said in the leadup to 9th that they'd cherry pick the "best" of PA and put it into upcoming codexes. It's possible that the 9th ed CSM book (assuming, for a horrible moment, that we don't get a dedicated EC codex) will contain virtually no Legion-specific rules and that F&F will continue to be valid as a supplement for a period of time, but I think what's far more likely is that a new book will either invalidate Faith & Fury upon release by incorporating a selection of its content or be put out alongside a new supplement that essentially repackages F&F.

 

That being said, I don't think you have to worry about much here. EC are always going to be themed around sonic weapons & dueling and that's pretty much all our F&F rules focus on, so whether they are left alone or tweaked, or even if a dedicated EC book comes out, your lists should be safe.