Hellblasters and 9th Edition

[L30n1d4s]

The more I think about it, the more I think a squad of 10 Hellblasters with Assault Plasma Incinerators is going to be a “go to” unit for Dark Angels in 9th edition.

 

 

 

Specifically, I think that the ability to put out either 30 x S6 AP-4 Dmg2 shots (not Over-Charged, with Weapons from the Dark Age) or 30 x S7 AP-4 Dmg3 shots (Overcharged, with Weapons from the Dark Age) gives them the ability to deal with almost the entire range of potential enemy targets – especially when supported by Azrael (for re-rolls and a 4++), a Lieutenant (for re-rolls of 1s to Wound), and a Chaplain (unique DA Litany which lets them count as not Moving even when they move, thus giving them +1 to Hit when shooting all the time).

 

 

 

For example:

 

 

 

1 – Against GEQs, 10 Hellblasters get 30 shots, 29-30 hits, 28-29 wounds, no enemy armor saves (thanks to AP-4), and so about 28-29 dead Guardsmen/Neophyte Hybrids/Fire Warriors, etc.

 

 

 

2 – Against (soon to be 2W) MEQs, 10 Hellblasters get 30 shots, 29-30 hits, 22-23 wounds, no enemy armor saves (thanks to AP-4), and about 22 dead MEQs (thanks to Weapons of the Dark Age for Dmg2 per shot) à If you split fire, a 10 man Hellblaster squad could kill two entire Marine squads in a single shooting phase, with average rolling.

 

 

 

2 – Against Gravis-Armor Equivalents, or GAEQs (i.e. 3W T5 Sv3+) like Aggressors and Eradicators (or even Bullgryns and Wraithguard), 10 Hellblasters get 30 shots, 29-30 hits, 22-23 wounds, no enemy armor saves (thanks to AP-4), and about 22 dead GAEQs (thanks to Overcharging + Weapons of the Dark Age for Dmg3 per shot) -- If you split fire, a 10 man Hellblaster squad could kill almost four entire 6 man Aggressor squads in a single shooting phase, with average rolling.

 

 

 

3 – Against Wave Serpents (i.e. 13W T7 Sv3+, reduce shooting Dmg by -1 with Serpent Shield), 10 Hellblasters get 30 shots, 29-30 hits, 14-15 wounds, no enemy armor saves (thanks to AP-4), and 28-30 total Dmg inflicted (i.e. Dmg3 per wound, but reduced to Dmg2 by Serpent Shield) -- splitting fire, that is two Wave Serpents killed in a single shooting phase, with average rolling.

 

 

 

4 – Against super tough infantry, like Blight Lord Terminators (soon to be 3W each, T5, 2+/4++, 5+++ FNP from Disgustingly Resilient), 10 Hellblasters get 30 shots, 29-30 hits, 22-23 wounds, 11-12 unsaved wounds after the Blight Lord 4++ saves, and about 5-6 dead Blight Lord Terminators (thanks to Overcharging + Weapons of the Dark Age for Dmg3 per shot, which averages out to 2 Dmg per shot due to Disgusting Resilient, which in turn means it takes two shots to kill a single Blight Lord Terminator, due to their 3W)

 

 

 

About the only targets that DA Hellblasters with Assault Plasma Incinerators are not highly efficient against are T8+ vehicles with high Invul saves (i.e. Plagueburst Crawlers, Knights with Rotate Ion Shield Strat, Leviathan Dreads, etc.), and even against these they can take off around 10+W on average per shooting phase. Against T8 vehicles without an Invul (i.e. Repulsors, Land Raiders, Leman Russes), these Hellblasters can easily inflict around 30+ Unsaved Wounds per shooting phases (so about two dead Tanks) all by themselves, thanks to AP-4 and Dmg3 (from Overcharging + Weapons of the Dark Age).

 

 

 

On the flip side, in terms of survivability, Azrael for a 4++ and a Dark Shroud for a -1 to Hit, along with a Primaris Apothecary for a 6+++ FNP from “Father of the Future” (I am making the assumption that DA will get access to the Chief Apothecary abilities from Space Marine PA, since they are being rolled into Codex: Space Marines) and the ability to bring back dead models on a re-rollable 4+, all make for a pretty darn survivable unit, especially if you can get them into cover somewhere in the middle of the table for a 2+ save (i.e. it would take an average of 57 BS3+ Bolter shots to kill a single Hellblaster, with all these survivability buffs activated for them). Even against high damage weapons, like say enemy Eradicators, if you use Transhuman Physiology, it would take an average of 8 shots to kill a single Hellblaster, thanks to -1 to Hit, “capping” of to Wound rolls to a 4+, and a 4++ Invul from Azrael (and you have a 75% chance of bringing that Hellblaster back to life next turn with the Chief Apothecary Narthecium ability). Finally, you can use the new Strategic Reserves Strat to keep the Hellblasters safe and off the board until later in the game, if you opponent has some overwhelming firepower out the gate.

[Aeri]

The dark shroud only benefits Ravenwing if I'm not mistaking?

Other than that I thing both assault and heavy hellblasters are going to be really good.

[Angel of Solitude]

@Aeri - Darkshroud is all Dark Angels units, not just Ravenwing.

 

In terms of Hellblasters, I feel like they should be a great unit given that we can buff them with WftDA. I played a game with a squad of 5 coming in from Reserves, and they were pretty effective.

 

However, the biggest problem right now is that Eradicators are too efficiently costed. Against something T7 like a flyer or Rhino, a 3-man unit is more efficient than a 5-man Hellblaster squad. They’re also more survivable too: just one fewer wounds, but all at T5, and 3 wounds a piece means they soak up 2D weaponry quite well.

 

I also think that a large Azrael bubble is not the best way to run Dark Angels. There is no doubt that it does become a high-damage, durable unit, but the cost is flexibility, and that seems to be really important from a secondaries perspective. I ran an Aggressors/Eradicators bubble the other day, and I struggled to maintain presence in at least 3 table quarters, as well keeping enough bodies on the primary objectives. None of Aggressors, Eradicators or Hellblasters are ObSec, and I think that is a real weakness to have so many points tied up in an Azrael bubble.

 

Now, Eradicators may go up in points, and we may get something also to support Hellblasters in the 9th Ed codex, so we’ll just have to keep trying things.

[aura_enchanted]

yea i think the hellblasters castle is done, are hellblasters still a good unit, but of course but their inefficient next to erads he is correct.

 

i think the new plasma unit to use will be interceptors and black knights maybe plasma veterans off the deepstrike a 1 time plasma firestorm of combi plasmas may proove to be a very powerful flex play vs some elite infantry.