Alpha Legion list advise

[Brother Lutheriel]

So, as I’ve been poking around asking you guys questions about getting into HH, I asked AI to build me an Alpha Legion list based on some personal parameters. This is what it gave me to start out.
 

Feedback appreciated. I don’t need it to be competitive, but I also don’t want it to be garbage. 

[Cleon]

So, first point is Age of Darkness is the v2 starter and out of print, so unless you already have one or are confident you can source one (and don't mind the Cataphractii in it are the old version), that may change the viability of the collection.

 

Honestly there is nothing in there that is 'wrong', you'd end up with a reasonable core of stuff you'd likely want to regularly use, ready to be tweaked to what you enjoy, maybe consider the special weapons set too.

[Brother Lutheriel]

4 hours ago, Cleon said:

(and don't mind the Cataphractii in it are the old version)

By this, do you mean they are older sculpts and there are newer ones?

[Griefbringer]

There are two versions of the plastic Cataphractii terminators, the first ones were originally released circa 2015 (Betrayal at Calth boardgame box). These are the ones that were also included in the 2022 Horus Heresy (2.0) starter boxed set. There are probably a number of these floating out on the second hand market.

 

The newer version of the plastic Cataphractii terminators, which you should be able to find on GW onlne store, were released earlier this year (2026).

 

The present Horus Heresy (3.0) Saturnine starter box (2025) comes with Saturnine terminators, which may be a bit of acquired taste stylistically.

 

 

[Razorblade]

On 10/12/2026 at 5:56 PM, Brother Lutheriel said:

*ramblings of the abominable intellect*

As griefbringer said the 2.0 starter is Oop so that suggestion really falls apart (the rest wasn't great either) 

First up, what Armor do you want? Alpha Legion is most commonly associated with MkIV but Mk VI works well for them two, all Legions would have had copious amounts of Mk II and a mix of armors either for different squads or in a mishmash to represent rugged veterans also works. This is important because it will dictate how you source your infantry and you will need a lot of that. 

Due to heresys scoring you will want 30 tacticals and a rhino in pretty much every list to not put yourself at a massive disadvantage. 

After that it really depends on what you want to bring. Recon Elemts, like, we'll, Recon Squads, Seekers and Speeders fit Alpha Legion well of course, but you can also go tanks, dreadnoughts, terminators, there's tons of Options even before factoring in that you can borrow units from other legions. Would you like to use Alpha Legion specific units? Do you like kitbashing and/or 3D printing? What kind of budget are you planning with? 

I need more Information to be proper helpful I guess

[SlickSamos]

By the Omnissiah

 

How on Terra are we meant to know what you want?  You've told some machine more than us, then asked us for help?  What are we meant to do with the information you've given us?

 

AI is incorrect (as usual), it's guess what exists.  There is a really good internet thing that tells you what exists: https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/the-horus-heresy/traitor-legiones-astartes/alpha-legion.  

 

Please don't use AI again.

[Griefbringer]

13 hours ago, Razorblade said:

As griefbringer said the 2.0 starter is Oop so that suggestion really falls apart 

 

It was actually Cleon who said  it.

 

SlickSamos makes also a very valid point: we do not know what are the "personal parameters" that Brother Lutheriel has.

 

As for the use of the soulless, abominable machine spirit (Gemini in this case), don't expect it to be able to produce an actual coherent list. What you are more likely to get is a mixture of semi-random copy-paste from various online articles and discussions over the years. Don't expect the soulless, abominable machine spirit to be able to even separate material written about HH 1.0, HH 2.0 an HH 3.0 (as seen by the recommendation for the 2022 starter boxed set, which though well appreciated may be difficult to find nowadays at a good price).

[Brother Lutheriel]

Guys, I asked if the list it gave me was any good. I didn’t ask you to tell me what I wanted. And apparently the list it gave me SUCKS.  (Although I did manage to find a box of the 2.0 starter set for purchase online). I don’t really like the Saturnine terminators look that much, so I don’t really want the current starter box. 
 

14 hours ago, Razorblade said:

As griefbringer said the 2.0 starter is Oop so that suggestion really falls apart (the rest wasn't great either) 

First up, what Armor do you want? Alpha Legion is most commonly associated with MkIV but Mk VI works well for them two, all Legions would have had copious amounts of Mk II and a mix of armors either for different squads or in a mishmash to represent rugged veterans also works. This is important because it will dictate how you source your infantry and you will need a lot of that. 

Due to heresys scoring you will want 30 tacticals and a rhino in pretty much every list to not put yourself at a massive disadvantage. 

After that it really depends on what you want to bring. Recon Elemts, like, we'll, Recon Squads, Seekers and Speeders fit Alpha Legion well of course, but you can also go tanks, dreadnoughts, terminators, there's tons of Options even before factoring in that you can borrow units from other legions. Would you like to use Alpha Legion specific units? Do you like kitbashing and/or 3D printing? What kind of budget are you planning with? 

I need more Information to be proper helpful I guess

This was very helpful, because you asked questions I didn’t even know I needed the answers to! I think I want to stick around MK VI armor (but I also read somewhere that Alpha Legion mixes it up a little to be confusing). 
 

I do like kitbashing, I don’t prefer 3D prints, I like the idea of a sneaky/recon alpha legion army, but also it seems tanks matter a lot more in HH?
 

Also part of the attraction to Alpha Legion is that they have rules allowing me to get a few of the Dark Angel units I like without just doing a Dark Angel army. But you are right, and I should focus on Alpha Legion units first. 
 

My budget is that I just can’t buy it all at once, because I can’t eat them. 

[Razorblade]

6 hours ago, Brother Lutheriel said:

This was very helpful, because you asked questions I didn’t even know I needed the answers to! I think I want to stick around MK VI armor (but I also read somewhere that Alpha Legion mixes it up a little to be confusing). 
 

I do like kitbashing, I don’t prefer 3D prints, I like the idea of a sneaky/recon alpha legion army, but also it seems tanks matter a lot more in HH?
 

Also part of the attraction to Alpha Legion is that they have rules allowing me to get a few of the Dark Angel units I like without just doing a Dark Angel army. But you are right, and I should focus on Alpha Legion units first. 
 

My budget is that I just can’t buy it all at once, because I can’t eat them. 

There is currently no bundle with MkVI in it but there's generally a lot of them around due to being last editions starter set armor, so you can often get them at a decent discount from eBay/vinted. I think they'll also mix decently well with the new MkIV (even use the same jump packs) so if you can get a hand on the recent maximus battlegroup for cheap that could be a decent start. You'll want 50 bodies in power armor at least. 

OK, you're in luck because my main army is Dark Angels and my buddy plays Alpha Legion but hates building minis so I kitbashed all his stuff :D 

You can build Recons/Seekers/Ephrit really easily with some stuff from the promaris range. All of the guns come with multiple scope options so you get them really cheap. The Infiltrators kit also has a bunch of extra "tacticool" gubbins. For the Recons I also made barrel extensions with plastic cubes from the hardware store (1,99€ gives you enough for 30 and counting). You can get shotguns for the Ephrit from the black templar or the old deathwatch kit but theres also now an upgrade kit with shotguns and combi-weapons. 

As for the Dark Angels, you want to avoid the aforementioned knights cenobium. They're horrendously overcosted in and off themselves and because they're so expensive and slow they will need a land raider. Since that is a hugely expensive target in and off itself you will then need a techmarine to babysit your land Raider... You see where this goes. Dreadwing Interemptors are a nice cheap-ish unit that can fit into most lists. They aren't quite as terrifying as they used to be in editions past but they still have very nasty flamer-type weapons. Short ranged firepower also synergies decently well with the AL trait. 

Your other Option are Deathwing Companions which are another expensive Melee unit but unlike the knights cenobium they are actually worth their points, nasty, extremely tough, cruisers, and they can take jump packs so you don't necessarily need a land Raider. 

Would you like a Dark Angels or an Alpha Legion look for your borrowed unit(s)?

Tanks aren't mandatory outside of maybe a rhino or two to get onto objectives. In fact most tanks aren't great. However, reliable anti-tank is really hard to come by and most of that is itself Mounted on a tank, hence their prevalence. But you can fill your AT needs with Rapiers, Dreadnoughts and Speeders and basically skip Tanks altogether.

 

[Brother Lutheriel]

@Razorblade dude, thanks for all of that. Lots of great information. Also, good heads up on the knights. Basically a points pit kind of unit. 
 

Because I love the DA so much, AND because depending on which side I’m playing I can say they are the Fallen or not, I think I want to paint the Dark Angel units as Dark Angels. I understand the concept of them just being Alpah Legion in disguise or stolen tactics. But I just want them to look like actual Dark Angels. 

[Griefbringer]

13 hours ago, Razorblade said:

There is currently no bundle with MkVI in it 

 

AFAIK the current Legiones Astartes Combat Force bundle comes with 20 Mk VI power armour, Rhino and Leviathan, plus optional heavy weapon arms (missile launchers, heavy bolters) for the marines.

 

https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/horus-heresy-legiones-astartes-combat-force-2025

 

It is marked as being temporarily out of stock on UK webstore, but should be easy enough to locate from third party retailers. I didn't calculate how much you would save compared to buying the components separately.