Unit of the week CSM 10th edition Unit of the week: Hellbrute

[Cpt.Danjou]

 

CSM 10th edition Hellbrute

 

This is a topic about Hellbrute in the 10th edition.

 

• Do you use them?
• How are you using them?
• Do you think they perform well?
• How do you equip them?
• Is there a detachment that they are extra crucial?

 

Other Unit of the Week for Chaos Space Marines can be found in the link below.

 

Chaos Space Marine Unit of the Week Links

[HeadlessCross]

Helbrute Castle is just okay, and that's it. Not a good unit at all. Moves way too slow and when specialized still does far worse than just using a Daemon Engine. 

[Tallarn Commander]

This edition my Helbrutes have moved out from behind cover on Turn 1 and taken a potshot. And then they get blown away by Turn 2. 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I've fielded my melee helbrute a couple of times in 10th edition, and its done okay - basically, it is pretty flimsy for its price but does okay if it can make it into melee.

 

While we have lost the dual lash helbrute (not surprising, given the lack of model) the ability to take a fist + lash makes a nice stopgap in that extra attacks no longer trigger specifically off of having 2 fists, but instead off of having two melee weapons (so, the fist + lash combo gets it).  That allows you to have a more flexible melee helbrute by taking the mixed weapon set - you just lose out on the heavy flamer/combibolter you would have gotten on the second fist.  So, that's the way I have fielded my own double lash helbrute - mentally justifying the 2 melee profiles as a smash/sweep combo and the heavy flamer as demonic puke. 

Edited November 2 by Dr_Ruminahui

[MadEdric]

I've got 2, one with Lascannon and scourge, one with fist/heavy flamer and scourge. I field one or both in every list. If only one, it will be the lascannon brute.

He works best in the Soulforged and Pactbound detachments. Soulforged for getting possessed and Pactbound for the boost in Dark pacts. 

I play cagey with them, lascannon brute stays back and takes pot shots, most fire will go at the forgefiend next to him getting Lethal and Sustained hits on 5+.

The assault brute will usually stay close to assault elements but wait to charge in only for kills, or set up for counter charges. This way their Dark Asencson aura stays up a little longer

Both work great in Soulforged. I find spending the quick CP over 2 turns to get them possessed is worth it. The assault brute getting 9 fist attacks is great, even the humble lascannon brute has 10 scourge attacks.

I'm pleased with their performance in any detachment though

[HeadlessCross]

4 hours ago, MadEdric said:

I've got 2, one with Lascannon and scourge, one with fist/heavy flamer and scourge. I field one or both in every list. If only one, it will be the lascannon brute.

He works best in the Soulforged and Pactbound detachments. Soulforged for getting possessed and Pactbound for the boost in Dark pacts. 

I play cagey with them, lascannon brute stays back and takes pot shots, most fire will go at the forgefiend next to him getting Lethal and Sustained hits on 5+.

The assault brute will usually stay close to assault elements but wait to charge in only for kills, or set up for counter charges. This way their Dark Asencson aura stays up a little longer

Both work great in Soulforged. I find spending the quick CP over 2 turns to get them possessed is worth it. The assault brute getting 9 fist attacks is great, even the humble lascannon brute has 10 scourge attacks.

I'm pleased with their performance in any detachment though

I'm surprised you'd waste using a CP to do that. I'd even rather do that to a Predator variant. 

[Iron Father Ferrum]

When playing with the Index, I used to use at least two in every game; getting Sustained & Lethal on 5s with Nurgle Havocs or my Land Raider made their lascannons so much more punch-y.  I haven't run the Pactbound version of that detachment, but I can't say I've found a lot of use for them in my Deceptors since the Codex dropped.  As a stand-alone weapons platform, they are kinda underwhelming -- they die too fast in the prevailing meta.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

On 11/2/2024 at 9:24 PM, HeadlessCross said:

I'm surprised you'd waste using a CP to do that. I'd even rather do that to a Predator variant. 

 

That's not a bad point (in that there are certainly better non-demon vehicles in the codex to get the Soulforged demon vehicle boost), but if you are already fielding helbrutes anyway (usually in the double dark pact benefit dispensing role) and all your other vehicles already have the demon keyword, its not a bad use of the strategem.

 

That said, if your list has other non-demonic vehicles in it, you are right that those (outside of things like rhinos) are probably a better target than the helbrute.

Edited November 5 by Dr_Ruminahui

[MadEdric]

On 11/2/2024 at 8:24 PM, HeadlessCross said:

I'm surprised you'd waste using a CP to do that. I'd even rather do that to a Predator variant. 

I find that our codex has a lot of fun options and parts to make it function. I want to use all the parts, not just the parts that are the best. This is how I have fun with the game.

 

 

[Dr. Clock]

On 11/2/2024 at 6:44 PM, MadEdric said:

I find spending the quick CP over 2 turns to get them possessed is worth it.

... I've done this with a Leviathan dread as well, and it's just oodles of fun. Legends is unfortunate, of course...

 

More pointed to the Helbrute itself - I like them well enough, but usually can't find points for them now that I'm usually running 2 forgefiends and 2 maulers. I like las/missile as rear support piece, and bog standard MM+Fist to run forward.

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.