New Codex Released - Discussion and FW strategies

[MajorNese]

 

I just noticed today that Secutarii Breachers don't seem to be available from Forge World any more. That's a shame, they were cool looking models and had less spikes and aerials than standard Skitarii. They did have the disadvantage that they weren't Hoplites though. I love me a good Hoplite phalanx.

Breachers?!? Do you mean Peltasts? Either way, both variants are still available as upgrade sets.

[Magos Takatus]

 

 

I just noticed today that Secutarii Breachers don't seem to be available from Forge World any more. That's a shame, they were cool looking models and had less spikes and aerials than standard Skitarii. They did have the disadvantage that they weren't Hoplites though. I love me a good Hoplite phalanx.

Breachers?!? Do you mean Peltasts? Either way, both variants are still available as upgrade sets.

 

So they are! I couldn't find them when I checked last. I wonder why they only sell them as the upgrade kit now?

[Black Knight]

I think previously you got a reduction in price for the plastic part, GW probably said nah to that.

[FelipeFlops]

So I had my first game of the new Codex yesterday (can give my list if anyone is interested). Against my buddies' Tyranids. I went into this one expecting a win but it was not pretty, he conceded at the the end of turn 2. We had a pretty populated board with plenty of line of sight blocking terrain but unfortunately it did not help the Nids one bit.

 

A few takeaways;

 

• I took Mars, the combination of the Mars reroll and Benediction rerolls, especially when Protector Imperative active (on my turn two, I had both active), made so many units very reliable.
• Infiltrators are genuinely awesome in combat now with the various stratagem support. Exploding 5s and 6s with Taser Goads was very tasty for 1CP.
• Still can't get enough use out of a Dunecrawler with Neutron Laser. Still feels lacklustre, the additional STR really doesn't help.
• 20 rangers with support are terrifying. Bye bye Winged Hive Tyrant in one round of shooting. Only had the rapid fire strat, Manipulus buff, and Magi exploding 6s to hit on them and it was serious overkill.
• Breachers with hydraulic claws are much better now.
• Marshal with Programmed Retreat and Exemplar's Eternity is worth its weight in gold. Very useful at stopping my Ballistarii shooting being switched off by annoying 1st turn Gargoyle charge.

 

I'm sure there's more but that's all I've got off the top of my head.

Edited June 7, 2021 by FelipeFlops

[Magos Takatus]

Congratulations. I desire more data, my previous campaigns against the swarm have been unsuccessful so far and I need all the assistance I can find. You give me hope that the codex is broken enough that it can paper over the cracks of my tactical shortcomings!  Seriously though, I don't want to win games entirely due to codex creep but being able to contest the objectives without getting eaten would be nice. If you do remember anything extra that might be relevant please pass it on, I would really appreciate it. I'd love to know what the army list you picked was. I feel you have more Breachers in your list than I do.

[brother_b]

Nice breakdown Felipe.

 

For anti tank I have two Neutronagers. I'd love to have some Ironstriders but don't have any built or painted. I  have one box so may add that as additional firepower. I have 5 infiltrators, how many did you run?

 

I was considering the Marshal with the same relic/trait and am glad he paid dividends. I plan to use him with some Vanguard. Anyway, my list is developing, I hope to have something to show for it soon as I update and consider my options.

[FelipeFlops]

One of the benefits of having larger squad sizes is that screening becomes a lot easier, which is definitely what I found, especially against Tyranids. The 20 blob of Vanguard ate everything the Winged Hive Tyrant could throw at them and completely mitigated the alpha strike. The Breachers and Raiders did the same for the Gargoyle charge.
 
I'll pop a condensed version of the list I used here;
 

 
Mars Battalion;
 
HQ;
Skitarii Marshal, [Warlord]: Programmed Retreat, [Relic]: Exemplar's Eternity
Tech-Priest Manipulus, [Holy Order]: Magi
Tech-Priest Enginseer
 
Troops;
4x Kataphron Breachers w/ Arc Rifle & Hydraulic Claw
20x Skitarii Rangers w/ Galvanic Rifles, Enhanched Data-Tether, Omnispex
10x Skitarii Rangers w/ Galvanic Rifles + 1x Arc Rifle, Enhanched Data-Tether, Omnispex
20x Skitarii Vanguard w/ Radium Carbines, Enhanced Data-Tether
10x Skitarii Vanguard w/ Radium Carbines + Arc Rifle, Enhanced Data-Tether, Omnispex
 
Elites;
10x Sicaron Infiltrators w/ Fletchette Blasters & Taser Goads
 
Fast Attack;
3x Ironstrider Ballistarii, 1x Twin Cognis Autocannon, 2x Twin Cognis Lascannon
3x Ironstrider Ballistarii, 1x Twin Cognis Autocannon, 2x Twin Cognis Lascannon
6x Serberys Raiders, Enhanced Data-Tether
 
Heavy Support;
Onager Dunecrawler, Icarus Array, Smoke Launchers
Onager Dunecrawler, Neutron Laser & Cognis Heavy Stubber, Cognis Heavy Stubber, Smoke Launchers
 
Flyer;
Archaeopter Stratoraptor, Chaff Launchers
 
[1,996pts, 12CP]

Other things I'd take away from the game;

• Data-tethers are worth it, especially for the negation of the Doctrina deprecation ability the Marshall has. As well as the Programmed Retreat warlord trait.
• The Infiltrators deployment change I think is better now, though really needs you to have turn 1 otherwise they will be targeted hard.
• Arc Rifles were not that useful in this match up, unfortunately thats how I had them modelled so ho hum, Calivers would have probably been better.

[Magos Takatus]

That's curious. Thanks for the information. So, according to the codex a full sized squad can now equip one Data Tether and one Omnispex? That's great news. I hadn't got that far into reading through the codex yet. I've never assembled a Data Tether model before. I might need to start now that the Marshal adds so much value to them.

[DanPesci]

That's curious. Thanks for the information. So, according to the codex a full sized squad can now equip one Data Tether and one Omnispex? That's great news. I hadn't got that far into reading through the codex yet. I've never assembled a Data Tether model before. I might need to start now that the Marshal adds so much value to them.

 

Yep seems so! My codex finally turned up this morning so have just been reading over that myself.

 

Is a lovely book btw (but I think I need some bookmarks ha)

 

 

 

 

Other things I'd take away from the game;

 

• Data-tethers are worth it, especially for the negation of the Doctrina deprecation ability the Marshall has. As well as the Programmed Retreat warlord trait.
• The Infiltrators deployment change I think is better now, though really needs you to have turn 1 otherwise they will be targeted hard.
• Arc Rifles were not that useful in this match up, unfortunately thats how I had them modelled so ho hum, Calivers would have probably been better.

 

Congrats on the win!

 

Agree on data tethers, have seen a couple of batreps where marshalls have influenced stuff across the table to great effect.

 

Am really looking forward to getting my 15 infiltrators back on the table. Also have a load of breachers, i think you much more take them for their staying power/CC than their ranged output now. I dont mind the new heavy arc rifle but  with much less options than previous for ways to boost that BS4 theyre hard to rely on.

 

Arc always struggles agaist nids due to them having no vehicles - but it sounds like you didnt need them too much anyway  

[Subtle Discord]

Interesting. No codex yet so I'm just going on the bits and pieces I'm absorbing here-and-there. It looks like the 40 Vanguard I have painted up will come in quite handy in the near future, but with so many special weapons (3 per squad) I'll need to build a few stock replacements to swap some out and/or another unit or two to spread them around. I also figured it was only a matter of time before I needed/wanted to make some more Rangers to accompany the loan unit I have. But, with so much stuff in the final stages of painting maybe this time I can build a list that actually sees a table no matter what the broader changes are. It's very encouraging to hear positive feedback that seems to say that there's enough flexibility in the 'dex to offer opportunities to build significantly different lists that are viable. AdMech have grown on me so much since I started collecting them as a distracting side project, I'm glad to see them get what appears to be a competitive codex.

[Ulfast]

I think we have got a good codex but it´s a bit complicated and I´m not yet ready with what strategy to play with them, what is good and not. And one problem is of course that our army is the most expensive in $. So to buy and just chance is at least for me at the moment not a option. But I´m sure that I will love to play with them and tonight I got my first game with them. shall be both intersting and fun i hope.

[Malakithe]

Hmm that list is actually similar to my Mars list im trying to tweak and finish. 

 

For the first time in any of my list building across all my factions I play im not seeing any good Heavy Support options as Ballistarii are now the best shooting option in the book. My problem is now im running out of Fast Attack slots lol.

 

I also am going with a unit of 10 Infiltrators but also consider a unit of Dragoons. A unit of 3 running around and smashing into stuff looks real good along the threat of Infiltrators appearing anywhere.

 

You like the Magi? I had a feeling about that one but no one was talking about it. The thought of a unit of 20 Vanguard with 60 shots and exploding 6s sounded good. Thought you should keep the Arc Rifles as they will be useful in almost every other matchup except for Nids. Remember that chicken walkers are vehicles too. I kept my Ranger unit at minimum to act as a small sniper unit that can move a lot easier to better hiding places.

 

For HQ I was also doing the Marshal with Programmed Retreat and a second Marshal with Exemplar's. I dont like all my eggs in one basket lol also a Manipulus with Logi(for now) and Enginseer with Artisans to chill with some Ballistarii. But im thinking of changing these up.

 

After all my thoughts are put in Battlescribe im left with 300-400 points to add other stuff. 

[MagicHat]

 

 

1. Overall thoughts on the codex/units

 

2. How has it affected your current army/forgeworld?

 

3. What would you change in your list/new models to get?

 

 

1. Overall thoughts on the codex/units:

 

Page 3 and they already lied straight between their smiling teeth. "[...] can be quickly and easily painted to a high standard with minimal effort, [...]". It actually made me a bit angry when I read it, which is ridiculous on my part.

 

Otherwise, my thoughts from this and this post haven't changed much.

I remain positive to the changes, but still think that the tech-priests should be able to repair other imperial factions (Enginseer should at least be able to repair Astra Militarum!). 

 

2. How has it affected your current army/forgeworld?

 

I play Mars. Castling isn't really a thing anymore, but I seldom did anyway. 

 

3. What would you change in your list/new models to get?

 

My Skitarii troops must all change. I think that the special weapons are still worth taking, although Vanguards wont be given Arquebus, I could see myself giving Rangers all 3. I will have to repaint the guys with special weapons so they can go in other squads and build more skitarii so I can have one 20 man squad each of vanguards and rangers, and have data-tethers for my squads (I have none built right now).

 

My Destroyers will probably go for grav, maybe a single plasma since I have a re-roll. My Breachers will need to be assembled and painted, with a single torsion cannon because MARS and probably magnetized melee arms, because those hydraulic claws wont stay so good in the long run.

In general I must focus all my painting effort on AdMech alone and get the army entirely painted and expanded with Skitarii blobs. 

 

I wish my ruststalkers had the swords now, much weaker attacks in order to get an extra even weaker attack fills me with sadness. Will I change it? Not until everything else is done.

 

I will probably pick up another ironstrider, and the Combat Patrol. I like the new Enginseer and doesn't own one yet, I want 5 breachers and 4 destroyers, I need more skitarii and I guess I want the phospor blaster onager now, which is a shock. (Only option I never made, because hey, I have Kastelans for shooting, what could go wrong)

 

Probably wont bother with the Dominus in most games. All hail the Marshal, Manipulus and Enginseer, Might try out Cawl. Logi for initial part on the Manipulus, Artisan for either part on the Enginseer I guess, both those orders seems like no-brainers.

 

 

Wild Card question, what would you change?

 

Make it so a certain relic can replace phosphor blast pistols, and then let Skitarii Alpha take that relic. Come on GW, give my Bro his Posphoenix back, the Dominus took it and refuses to give it back!

 

I don't care that Kataphrons lacks core, I care that so many WT and abilities works on CULT MECHANICUS CORE only and there are barely any of them. 

 

Speaking of which, let Datasmiths within 2" of Kastelans share the charge move. Don't let them strike through the robots and they have to end up as close as possible to the enemy unit but don't leave them stranded, Ideally this would be a thing for all characters, but especially Datasmiths, Repentia Superiors, DE beastmasters and so on.

 

Make Cognis Lascannons (and dark lances, and melta in half-range) do 2d3D. This damage race has to end. Why bother with Neutron lasers and Ferrumite cannons when the cognis outclass them?

[Magos Takatus]

 

 

 

1. Overall thoughts on the codex/units

 

2. How has it affected your current army/forgeworld?

 

3. What would you change in your list/new models to get?

 

 

1. Overall thoughts on the codex/units:

 

Page 3 and they already lied straight between their smiling teeth. "[...] can be quickly and easily painted to a high standard with minimal effort, [...]". It actually made me a bit angry when I read it, which is ridiculous on my part.

 

I also read that and rolled my eyes. As an army with lots of overlapping parts, fine detail, thin trims and models that are especially fragile, I do think that's a particularly bold claim.