How do I build a good flesh covens army?

[Angel of Death]

Greetings from the swedish west coast.

 

To begin with, I have been active in the warhammer 40k tabletop community before and played dark eldar. However, it has been a couple of years since the last time I played them since I havent been very active the last 2 years or so. But now I have finally decided to get back into playing 40k, so Im wondering if you guys could help me create an army list for flesh covens. I know somewhat about the units, but since i dont have the latest codex and am not 100% updated about the rules, it would just be easier if you helped me.

 

For starters, im thinking of making an army around 2000pts ~ or so. I want it to be only flesh coven units, including wracks, grotesques and talos and all that. When it comes to competitiveness, its NOT necessarily a must for this list. Im building it mostly for casual games at the club with friends, so it doesnt have to be that competitive, but preferably not suck either. But I also play a chaos army that I can take for comp instead if this list doesnt get as competitive. But if it does, its a plus.

 

So what im wondering is: how do i make my army list for drukhari flesh covens? What units should i use, in what proportion? What units should i take more of? How many talos should i use? And should i take chronos? And eventually, what should be the strategy of the list.?

 

Thank you guys in advance :D

[ThePenitentOne]

We're getting our new Codex in January, so I'd recommend waiting to think big picture.

 

I doubt that wracks or Talos kits will be updated, so buy those. There is a chance they'll update Urien Rakoth (our named Haemonculus); a lesser chance that they will upgrade the generic Haemonculus. The one we all want them to upgrade is the Grotesque- here's hoping!

 

But wracks and Talos are probably pretty safe if you want to pick up models.

 

The organizational structure of the army will change with the new dex though; right now, you have to keep your Kabals, Cults and Covens all in separate detachments to get your Obsession powers, but they have told us in no uncertain terms that they are changing that with the new dex.

[Angel of Death]

Hey there Penitent thx for tuning in :)

We're getting our new Codex in January, so I'd recommend waiting to think big picture.

Okay, but I still doubt that much will change, will it?

 

We're getting our new Codex in January, so I'd recommend waiting to think big picture.

 

I doubt that wracks or Talos kits will be updated, so buy those. There is a chance they'll update Urien Rakoth (our named Haemonculus); a lesser chance that they will upgrade the generic Haemonculus. The one we all want them to upgrade is the Grotesque- here's hoping!

Yeah, I've already bought myself 4 boxes of wracks, and I look forward to collecting some talos. Are grotesque gonna get an update? But if we would just entertain the thought that not much of the army dynamics are going to change, for the sake of keeping the thread alive, what does a typical flesh coven list look like? Approximately. Just so I get the view of it.

 

But wracks and Talos are probably pretty safe if you want to pick up models.

 

The organizational structure of the army will change with the new dex though; right now, you have to keep your Kabals, Cults and Covens all in separate detachments to get your Obsession powers, but they have told us in no uncertain terms that they are changing that with the new dex.

 

Yeah, probably what Im going to do. Wracks are really cool models. How viable are raiders actually for wracks? Was thinking of running 10 man squads of them.
 

[WarriorFish]

Welcome aboard :) I think the Covens are due one or two unit updates but when that will be is anyone's guess, so I'd focus on what's available for the moment. The Talos is an obvious expansion route, but I think it's worth looking at some transports also to provide some mobility, protection and some heavier fire power (they're all but mandatory). I don't think Covens are a main choice for most so it'll be an uncommon army, but that also means fewer players to give their experiences. My Coven stands at 1 Talos currently

 

On the positive side, I think they broadly play as before and you'd expect, and having fewer options means you usually have more clear choices to make. I get the feeling Coven lists will generally have strong similarities due to requirements and such, but I'd argue that the limited choices for Kabals and Cults means the same there. It'll certainly be a characterful army so don't forget to post pictures, have you settled on a paint scheme?

[Angel of Death]

Welcome aboard :) I think the Covens are due one or two unit updates but when that will be is anyone's guess, so I'd focus on what's available for the moment. The Talos is an obvious expansion route, but I think it's worth looking at some transports also to provide some mobility, protection and some heavier fire power (they're all but mandatory). I don't think Covens are a main choice for most so it'll be an uncommon army, but that also means fewer players to give their experiences. My Coven stands at 1 Talos currently

 

On the positive side, I think they broadly play as before and you'd expect, and having fewer options means you usually have more clear choices to make. I get the feeling Coven lists will generally have strong similarities due to requirements and such, but I'd argue that the limited choices for Kabals and Cults means the same there. It'll certainly be a characterful army so don't forget to post pictures, have you settled on a paint scheme?

Hello warriorfish, nice to meet you :)

My thought exactly with the transports. I very much like the idea of fielding one raider for every unit of wracks and having it sort of like an invasion theme. I saw one person once who did this, and it just looked so cool :)

 

When it comes to the units, if I remember correctly, theres 3 coven units. I think im going to be focusing mostly on wracks and talos, since grotesques are kinda expensive. Were grots going to get a unit upgrade this release? And how many raiders should i aim for? And can I take lots of talos and maybe some chronos too? :)

[WarriorFish]

Yes, mono-build lists are a bit limited for DE I think Covens have the fewest but don't forget the mercenary units are still available Going mechanised is effective and it looks great too, nothing says raiding force quite like a load of Raiders turning up (the clue is in the name I suppose?) - this is the most important consideration of course so justification enough to add them Having all your squads mounted in a Raider is far from unreasonable, full mechanisation is probably more common for DE than any other army I'd reckon.

 

Unfortunately we don't know what DE models are coming, aside from what is almost certainly Lelith. The assumption generally is that GW are converting the range to fully plastic first, but as always we'll need to wait and see. For now best to assume nothing and focus on the bread and butter of your list

[Angel of Death]

Yes, mono-build lists are a bit limited for DE I think Covens have the fewest but don't forget the mercenary units are still available Going mechanised is effective and it looks great too, nothing says raiding force quite like a load of Raiders turning up (the clue is in the name I suppose?) - this is the most important consideration of course so justification enough to add them Having all your squads mounted in a Raider is far from unreasonable, full mechanisation is probably more common for DE than any other army I'd reckon.

 

Unfortunately we don't know what DE models are coming, aside from what is almost certainly Lelith. The assumption generally is that GW are converting the range to fully plastic first, but as always we'll need to wait and see. For now best to assume nothing and focus on the bread and butter of your list

As it looks right now, I see no limits to what my fantasies could allow for my creations :D The new DE codex is coming out soon, yes, but that only means that I can get the things I feel like without thinking too much about the meta since it's not sure yet what will come out. So I'm thinking that I'm gonna aim for some talos and wracks to start with. Maybe gonna convert some grots, but I'm thinking that maybe it doesn't matter that much in the beginning if everything is top notch competitive, It can still be a fun army to play against. And I'm sure it will get competitive over time aswell, I have seen flesh coven armies wreck face in competitive IRL tournaments, so I'll just say that I have a feeling i know what im doing.

 

Also a nice greeting here on the site and I can say I'm rly excited about getting started on this army :)

[WarriorFish]

Sounds like a plan. The new codex looks like it'll give Incubi a boost at the least so fingers crossed. Historically DE have usually been a decent army albeit one requiring some finesse to get the most from, so I'm sure you can get good results once you get going :) Don't forget to keep us updated with your progress and plans, especially when you get some pictures :tu:

[Angel of Death]

Sounds like a plan. The new codex looks like it'll give Incubi a boost at the least so fingers crossed. Historically DE have usually been a decent army albeit one requiring some finesse to get the most from, so I'm sure you can get good results once you get going Don't forget to keep us updated with your progress and plans, especially when you get some pictures

Yeah, sounds like a plan ;) Maybe gonna upload some pictures of the models aswell, why not. And yeah, i just have a feeling this army will be a delight :D

[TrawlingCleaner]

Welcome Angel of Death!

I'll echo what WF has said so far: Covens are the most restricted in the amount of units they can take. I don't think that's a bad thing at all as the units they can take are all pretty  solid.

 

Wracks are great this edition, reasonably tough troops units with an Invuln save to sit on an objective. With certain tiers of the Power from Pain table online they can do a decent amount of work in combat.

Grotesques are also pretty great for the same reason, except they really can put the damage out with fairly little input. Great to sit on objectives and dare the enemy to get too close.

Talos are really where Coven shine, they're silly amounts of tough, deal a lot of damage in combat and with Haywire blasters can deal with vehicles very effectively through mortal wound output.

Haemonculus pull the whole army together, everything within 6" gains +1T. This really boosts the army from decently tough to very tough. Wracks are now T5, Grots T6 and Talos T7.

To make the army even more obnoxious you can take the Prophets of the Flesh Obsession which makes all Coven units have a 4+ invuln which is Harlequin level invuln except your base infantry has the same toughness as their vehicles

 

As WF pointed out too, you can still take mercenaries. Scourge are great with Haywire blasters and also great just to run as deepstriking units to capture objectives. Mandrakes are great to drop in and tarpit units in the backlines that don't want to be tarpitted (Devastators, Heavy weapons teams etc). Incubi as they are atm are great and with the new codex look to be incredible.

 

Obviously this is all opinion and due to change  with the new codex in January but it all comes down to what works for you and your meta. As with everythign hobby: enjoy yourself! Sometimes the weird, whacky and "off meta" choices work really well

[Angel of Death]

Welcome Angel of Death!

I'll echo what WF has said so far: Covens are the most restricted in the amount of units they can take. I don't think that's a bad thing at all as the units they can take are all pretty  solid.

 

Wracks are great this edition, reasonably tough troops units with an Invuln save to sit on an objective. With certain tiers of the Power from Pain table online they can do a decent amount of work in combat.

Grotesques are also pretty great for the same reason, except they really can put the damage out with fairly little input. Great to sit on objectives and dare the enemy to get too close.

Talos are really where Coven shine, they're silly amounts of tough, deal a lot of damage in combat and with Haywire blasters can deal with vehicles very effectively through mortal wound output.

Haemonculus pull the whole army together, everything within 6" gains +1T. This really boosts the army from decently tough to very tough. Wracks are now T5, Grots T6 and Talos T7.

To make the army even more obnoxious you can take the Prophets of the Flesh Obsession which makes all Coven units have a 4+ invuln which is Harlequin level invuln except your base infantry has the same toughness as their vehicles

The first thing im going to mention is: Urien Rakarth. :) He is my favorite HQ model, and to combine it with the thing you said, prophets of flesh. Im pretty dead set on doing this army. And you almost read my thoughts there. Since Im going to make Prophets of Flesh on everything. The 4+ invul save is great in battles, and even a wrack with 4+ invul is pretty hard to kill. Back when I played non-coven Dark Eldar, I ran two venoms with a wrack formations (two five-man squads) to take objectives and a mission. And those wracks just didnt die. And that was only 2x5 wracks. Imagine what a full army of wracks can do :) Im also going to both play and 'collect' talos pain engines, because they are so awesome with tons of wounds, FnP and impossible to kill. Im perfectly happy with an army of only wracks, grots and Pain engines. Because i just love those models.

 

As WF pointed out too, you can still take mercenaries. Scourge are great with Haywire blasters and also great just to run as deepstriking units to capture objectives. Mandrakes are great to drop in and tarpit units in the backlines that don't want to be tarpitted (Devastators, Heavy weapons teams etc). Incubi as they are atm are great and with the new codex look to be incredible.

Yeah, that could be an idea. Maybe harlequinns? Or other DE, that works aswell. It must be something i like, tho.

 

Obviously this is all opinion and due to change  with the new codex in January but it all comes down to what works for you and your meta. As with everythign hobby: enjoy yourself! Sometimes the weird, whacky and "off meta" choices work really well

Yeah, let's hope for another unit in additions to the ones that are now :D would be pretty fun, even tho the ones the ones that are now are satisfactory. Ive collected lots of other armies, but now I finally realized that painting and collecting flesh covens is the only thing i want to do.

 

[TrawlingCleaner]

Prophets of the Flesh is probably the best way to run them IMO, it amps them up to the next level.

 

The great thing about any Eldar faction is that because they have the keyword Aeldari, they all plug and play. So you could have a detachment of Cabals, Quins or Craftworlds with no issues   (as of writing this of course, this could change so that DE get a bonus for only running units from that codex that could be lost if you take units from another codex)

 

I definitely wouldn't hold your breathe over new units appearing in the new Codex, we know we're getting a new Wych character (likely to be Lelith) but they haven't shown or teased anything else. I could definitely be wrong of course

[Angel of Death]

Prophets of the Flesh is probably the best way to run them IMO, it amps them up to the next level.

 

The great thing about any Eldar faction is that because they have the keyword Aeldari, they all plug and play. So you could have a detachment of Cabals, Quins or Craftworlds with no issues   (as of writing this of course, this could change so that DE get a bonus for only running units from that codex that could be lost if you take units from another codex)

 

I definitely wouldn't hold your breathe over new units appearing in the new Codex, we know we're getting a new Wych character (likely to be Lelith) but they haven't shown or teased anything else. I could definitely be wrong of course

Haha, I actually used to run Lelith despite being S3 T3. But back in 7:th, she had WS9 and got 1 attack for every higher than the opponent's WS. I used to massacre my friend's CSM entire troops with it, till the point of his mental instability. Im thinking about the coven units like: Im pretty satisfied with what Ive got, since its my favorite units. But a new addition to the covens certainly wouldn't be a bad thing either. If it would be something similar to a Talos pain engine, it would certainly be very interesting.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Angel of Death