Whitelion Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 It has been some time since I started to get interested in the infantry too, at this moment I am very passionate about the figure of the primarch. So I asked myself, who are the most powerful primarchs, and what are their abilities? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK BLΠFLY Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Sanguinis was the most powerful. He had wings, prescience and was the best fighter . Inquisitor Eisenhorn 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597123 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribe Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Sanguinis was the most powerful. He had wings, prescience and was the best fighter . ...incorrect, other than that he had wings, and visions that he could hardly control. It has been some time since I started to get interested in the infantry too, at this moment I am very passionate about the figure of the primarch. So I asked myself, who are the most powerful primarchs, and what are their abilities? First, welcome to the flame war that is about to commence. :D Second, they are all powerful in their own ways, and depending on the context, each is both less, or more powerful, than any other. Third, it is commonly accepted that 'powerful' in terms of 1 vs 1, it would be Horus, Sanguinius, and Angron at the top of the pile. Now for the rest of my brothers, lets keep it clean! :p Inquisitor Eisenhorn, Doctor Perils, Preliminary Bombardment and 4 others 7 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597126 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fajita Fan Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) Depends on the specific author, the story, the event, or the setting. Why does this feel like a troll question? It's like what's the best flavor of ice cream. Edited September 6, 2020 by Fajita Fan Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597133 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Loss Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Yeah, there's no empirical answer to this question. Different perspectives present different views in different books. The Primarchs are all so close to each other in ability that there are only minute degrees of difference between them - even if we compare a poor combatant with one renowned for their combat skills. If you're looking for summaries of their abilities you are best served diving into the Age of Darkness forum, the BL novel series (esp. the actual "Primarchs"), the FW black books, and the old IA articles. That being said, in general, I'd always put my money on Horus. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597151 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 This is very difficult question to answer. Each of the Primarchs had their own areas of strength. In terms of fighting skills, Angron and Sanguinius are often mentioned as being the best at 1:1 fighting. However the Khan, Fulgrim and Johnson were also noted as exceptional HTH fighters. Magnus's psychic powers were second only to the Emperor. He accomplished some incredible feats that none of the other Primarchs could match. The most successful legions in terms of victories were The Sons of Horus, the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves (in that order). The Sons of Horus were the first to be reunited with their Primarch and the Space Wolves the Second. The Dark Angels were the first Legion to be founded and were the largest for the early part of the Great Crusade. Only when they lost 30%-ish of the Legion fighing the Rangdan did the other Legions catch up. Horus was chosen as Warmaster in part because he was the best leader. He was the first Primarch found and knew his brothers best. He was also good at getting them to work together in spite of their assorted rivalries and jealousies. Vulkan is another candidate as he was supposedly the strongest Primarch although he tended to hold back when sparring with his brothers to avoid hurting them. He was also a Perpetual meaning he could regenerate from fatal wounds (even complete destruction of his body). Only very specific psychic powers and weapons can permanently kill a Perpetual. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597154 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord_Caerolion Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Most powerful at what? GW authors have been pretty consistent that there's no such thing as a "Primarch ranking" or anything like that, where X is the absolute bestest, and Z is the schmuck Primarch who can't do anything right. Any question of "which Primarch would win in a fight, A or B" is always answered by "well, it depends who's writing, what the story is, what the situation is, and why the fight is occurring". Just look at the assorted duels between the Lion and Night Haunter. In a proper swordfight, Night Haunter doesn't do well, because he's a gutter fighter. In a sneak attack though? He's choking the Lion out until the Marines step in. Detjan 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597156 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxom Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Most powerful at what? and Z is the schmuck Primarch who can't do anything right. If and only if Z is Lorgar. Blindhamster, Detjan, stretch_135 and 1 other 4 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597162 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK BLŒ FLY Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Sanguinius ripped the hole in Horus’ armor so that the Emperor could super smite him to death so I’d rank the Angel over the Warmaster... and don’t forget what Abbadon said either . Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597165 Share on other sites More sharing options...
WrathOfTheLion Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) Most powerful isn't that meaningful of a metric. For example, in the Corax novel, Corax is clearly a superior combatant than Guilliman in their interaction. However, Guilliman is vastly superior in that interaction at prosecuting a war. So there is strength in charisma, martial strength and martial leadership that all could affect their ability to handle a direct confrontation or to wage war in general. Edited September 6, 2020 by WrathOfTheLion Detjan and Inquisitor Eisenhorn 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597166 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord_Caerolion Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Most powerful at what? and Z is the schmuck Primarch who can't do anything right. If and only if Z is Lorgar. Hey, he's definitely the best at ruining everything for everyone. In all fairness, he just wasn't intended as a front-line fighter, which seems to have been decided in a rare moment of sanity by the Emperor, when he realized that if these are the 20 beings that he's depending on to save the galaxy, then intending to have them fight on the front lines of wars featuring continent-destroying super-weapons is just the tiniest bit risky. BLACK BLΠFLY 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597168 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxom Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Oh yeah, hands down he’s a square peg in a round hole. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597174 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribe Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Lorgar remains, the most poorly understood of the Primarchs I see. Bat33.1 and Lord_Caerolion 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597176 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fajita Fan Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Okay sure, Horus is the most powerful combatant. He was blessed by all four gods and he went toe to toe with the Emperor who died trying to kill him. BLACK BLΠFLY 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597178 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Depends on the specific author, the story, the event, or the setting. Why does this feel like a troll question? It's like what's the best flavor of ice cream. Nuh uh, my space dad can beat up your space dad. Chaplain Mollusc and Blindhamster 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597188 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indefragable Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 https://youtu.be/SfTbwGq4qNM (04:45 in) Blindhamster 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597198 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangoalphatwo Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 I think there is enough evidence to show all the primarchs have different strengths and abilities, but many of them are on par with each other in multiple areas. Take for example straight hand to hand fighting. I think Horus, Corax, Russ, the Lion, and Sanguinius were all pretty evenly matched, to the point on any given day any of them could beat or be beaten by the others. Look at the fight between the Lion and Russ. You can make the argument that it was a sucker punch that ended that fight. Now I won’t say either is better, but their skill is matched. Then look at Russ and Horus. Russ nearly won, only his hesitation to kill his brother being the reason Horus survived. Then look at Horus vs Sanguinius. Horus beat Sanguinius and yet Russ admitted he didn’t think he could beat Sanguinius. So again, I think multiple primarchs were each gifted in multiple fields. Karhedron 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597214 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribe Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Are there tools to mute/hide a thread? This one is bad for my blood pressure. :D Imren 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597219 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK BLΠFLY Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Lorgar remains, the most poorly understood of the Primarchs I see. Poorly understood lol that is quite a claim. In many ways he is the most childish and simple. They need to grandpa paradox him via Tal. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597227 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord_Caerolion Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 I think there is enough evidence to show all the primarchs have different strengths and abilities, but many of them are on par with each other in multiple areas. Take for example straight hand to hand fighting. I think Horus, Corax, Russ, the Lion, and Sanguinius were all pretty evenly matched, to the point on any given day any of them could beat or be beaten by the others. Look at the fight between the Lion and Russ. You can make the argument that it was a sucker punch that ended that fight. Now I won’t say either is better, but their skill is matched. Then look at Russ and Horus. Russ nearly won, only his hesitation to kill his brother being the reason Horus survived. Then look at Horus vs Sanguinius. Horus beat Sanguinius and yet Russ admitted he didn’t think he could beat Sanguinius. So again, I think multiple primarchs were each gifted in multiple fields. Horus beat Sanguinius and Russ while boosted up by the Chaos Gods, they're hardly examples of how things would "usually" go. Again, any "who wins in a fight" comes down to "ok, well what's the situation? Are they armed, is it in the middle of a battle, did one ambush the other, do they have backup, is one more tired than the other, etc". Night Haunter has killed Vulkan dozens, if not hundreds of times, but that doesn't mean they'd go the same way in a direct fight. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597232 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azekai Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Sanguinius ripped the hole in Horus’ armor so that the Emperor could super smite him to death so I’d rank the Angel over the Warmaster... You would rank Sanguinius above the guy that straight up killed him? Sword Brother Adelard 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597251 Share on other sites More sharing options...
havlar Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 (edited) Despite liking Imperial Fists a lot and finding Rogal Dorn to be awesome (see this for details), I think that Sanguinius is the best. He is the hope embodied, the one who remained loyal despite being so deeply flawed, the slayer of the dragon, Saint Michael of WH40k. Edited September 7, 2020 by havlar BLACK BLΠFLY 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597263 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribe Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Despite liking Imperial Fists a lot and finding Rogal Dorn to be awesome (see this for details), I think that Sanguinius is the best. He is the hope embodied, the one who remained loyal despite being so deeply flawed, the slayer of the dragon, Saint Michael of WH40k. Best...at what. Simple the best at existing? At being a Primarch? If so, why not he instead of Horus as Warmaster and de-facto leader of the Crusade while the Emperor retreated? Lord_Caerolion and Doctor Perils 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597267 Share on other sites More sharing options...
havlar Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 <cut>Simple the best at existing?<cut> I guess so. I liked Sanguinius' presentation in the books the most. Sometimes the presenation shows him as stupid and foolish, but in the end he rose to the challenge. The fact that Sanguinalia exist is just a cherry on top for me. BLACK BLΠFLY 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597273 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Lightstar Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Despite liking Imperial Fists a lot and finding Rogal Dorn to be awesome (see this for details), I think that Sanguinius is the best. He is the hope embodied, the one who remained loyal despite being so deeply flawed, the slayer of the dragon, Saint Michael of WH40k. Best...at what. Simple the best at existing? At being a Primarch? If so, why not he instead of Horus as Warmaster and de-facto leader of the Crusade while the Emperor retreated? Horus and Sanguinius discuss this in Fear to Tread. Sanguinius is too noticeably "different" from humanity to be the figurehead of the Imperium of Humanity. Rik Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/366353-best-primarchs/#findComment-5597283 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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