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Tarantula

2018-08-11T05:35:19Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330:

{{Stub}}

The Tarantula is a robotic sentry turret used by the Imperial Guard and Space Marines to defend strategic positions. Utilizing simple logic engines and infused with a machine spirit, the Tarantula can function without needing to be controlled by a human gunner. Commonly fitted with either twin-linked lascannons or heavy bolters, the Tarantula offers a significant deterrent to both enemy armor and infantry waves. However, it is not intelligent enough to actually choose its targets - instead only prioritizing the closest threat in range.

Beloved by the [[Imperial Guard]], because it's an automated gun turret defending them on the front lines, and they don't even need to be in harm's way.

[[Grimdark|They will still be put in harm's way]].

==On Tabletop==

==8th Edition==

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]

Tarantula

2018-08-11T05:32:30Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330:

Xiphon pattern interceptor

2018-08-10T05:25:32Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330:

[[File:Xiphon.jpg|thumb|350px|right|One of the few well designed and aerodynamic Space Marine craft. Now barely used today because of... [[Herp|reasons.]] I don't know whether to laugh or cry.]]
First brought into Imperial service in 806.M30 from the Rhadamanthys Enclave and used by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, the Xiphon Pattern Interceptor was a fighter aircraft based on designs so ancient its origins were long lost even in the Crusade/Heresy era (though it could be presumed to date back to when humanity fought the <s>Cylons</s> Men of Iron). Capable of both atmospheric and space flight, the Xiphon carried two pairs of twin-linked Lascannons and a Xiphon Rotary Missile Launcher into battle, allowing it to destroy both air and ground targets with ease. This firepower, combined with the Xiphon's unparalleled speed and maneuverability, made it a deadly opponent. The problem was, the Xiphon was complex, had limited range, and was ill-favored by the Mechanicum. Astartes were also pretty much the only ones that could fly the Xiphon effectively, as the fighter's performance put great stress on its pilot that few unaugmented humans could withstand (how anyone flew it before the Astartes came along is anyone's guess). By the end of the Great Crusade the Xiphon had largely fallen out of frontline service in all Space Marine Legions except the [[Dark Angels]], [[Ultramarines]] and [[Thousand Sons]], though the demands of the Heresy forced many Legions to press them into service once more. The White Scars made good use of them during their hit-and-run campaign against Horus' advance. No word at all on how many supposedly survived to 40k, but like many Heresy era stuff, if there's 40k rules for it, then it can be assumed that ''someone's'' still got a few squirreled away.

For those that want to field a Xiphon without paying Forge World, a Dark Angels Nephilim Jetfighter can be easily converted to fit the bill most satisfactorily, if having the Battlestar Galactica jet isn’t that important.

The Xiphon is named after the "Xiphos", an Iron Age shortsword used by the Ancient Greeks. The name Xiphos apparently means "penetrating light" according to researcher and swordsmith Peter Johnsson - which is very appropriate for something that's basically a flying Predator Annihilator.

== Tabletop ==
The Xiphon Pattern Interceptor is a flyer that is available to all Legiones Astartes armies in Horus Heresy games. In 40k the Xiphon is available to Space Marines, Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, and Grey Knights, but only as an experimental rules PDF.

====Horus Heresy (30k)====
Now this is why people think twice when they hear "Forgeworld rules." It will also make you think twice when taking Lightnings because this is essentially a souped up Lightning. Comes with Two Twin-linked Lascannons and a Xiphon rotary missile launcher - Heavy 2 S8 AP2 that re-rolls successful Jink and cover saves and rolls d3 times per Penetrating hit, choosing the best one (and AP grants +1 on that table). All that makes this your flying tank killer. AV11 all around, this murderous potential is 'balanced' by costing about as much as a kitted-out Lightning and being extremely limited in its optional wargear: Chaff launchers and Extra Armour for survival and Ground Tracking Auguries to kill Land Raiders after you've cleaned the skies. And we say ''balanced'' because it comes already equipped with Armoured Ceramite, and Agile grants it a 3+ jink save, enjoy!

====40k====
It’s exactly what you'd expect an interceptor to be: light, fast and good against other vehicles, be they tanks or other flyers. Comes with two twin linked lascannons and a rotary missile launcher. The launcher is two shot, S8 AP2 and forces jink and cover saves to be rerolled, plus when penetrating hits are rolled, it chooses the best of D3 results (adding one for AP2). The Xiphon is a great vehicle hunter, but as mentioned its light. Only two hull points mean it'll go down against a stiff breeze, but with AV11 at least it's immune to small arms bolter fire just like a Stormtalon. If you want a good all-rounder you should take the talon which at least has a hover mode, but this thing is a dedicated vehicle killer.

====8th Edition====

The Xiphon remains a highly competitive flyer and armor-killer, as the changes to twin-linked rules mean its lascannons now put out 4 shots instead of only 2. Unlike most flyers the Xiphon also ignores the penalty for moving and shooting heavy weapons (and being a flyer it has to move a minimum distance every turn), on top of getting +1 to hit against models with the FLY keyword - which is a lot (Raiders, Battlesuits, Wave Serpents, etc).

The missile battery is now: Heavy 3, S6, AP-2, and does an incredible flat 3 damage. Perfect for taking out the lightest of light vehicles...or one-shotting Adeptus Custodes. [[Skub|Alternatively, one can see it as a 3-shot Krak Grenade with buffed damage.]]

The only downsides are that; A - the Xiphon can't take Chapter Tactics, B - you are limited to only taking 3 of them in a typical 2K game, and C - ''Boots on the Ground'', a rule for Matched Play that essentially means if you have nothing left on the board except Flyers and empty Fortifications you're instantly tabled.

====Death From The Skies Update====
With GW's release of Death From The Skies (DFTS) Forge World have released a doc of updates for their non-Codex flyers (currently here: https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/Warhammer_40000/Death-from-the-Skies.pdf). These rules go a fair way to forcing the <s>BSG Viper</s>...er...Xiphon into it's designated Interceptor role, with the Sky Assassins special rule locking Zooming Interceptor-types into having Skyfire active and the Xiphon, not having the (Hover) sub-type, is always Zooming.
'''As Skyfire is always active the Xiphon is reduced to firing snap shots at any ground vehicle which isn't a Skimmer''', meaning that if you take the Ground-tracking Auguries option you only get Strafing Run's +1BS against Skimmers as specified in the Skyfire USR. Along with Skimmers, Jetbikes, Flyers, FMCs & GMCs are still legit targets with Skimmers & Flyers being quite fuckered by the Xiphon RML's Cluster Warhead rule.

On the flipside, the update gives the Xiphon a Pursuit of 5, meaning it can shift an extra 5" when going Flat Out and combined with Supersonic this tops the Xiphon out at a max move of 41" in a single turn making it the fastest Flyer the Astartes have. The Xiphon is granted an Agility of 4 so it can perform a second 90 degree turn at any point during it's movement on the roll of a 4 or less. Not bad at all; only the Tempest & Eldar Flyers have better.

"LAWLS, WE DON'T PLAY WITH CRAPPY DFTS RULES, PSYCH!" you may say but as an observational note it's worth considering that core rules from both Escalation & Stronghold Assault were rolled into the 7th edition (current) 40k BRB so for 8th edition all bets are currently off but you never know... And then 8e came along and made it a flyer interceptor as a main role (but at least it can shoot normally at ground targets again).

{{Template:40k-Imperial-Vehicles}}
{{Template:Marines-Forces}}

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]][[Category:Vehicles]]

Xiphon pattern interceptor

2018-08-10T00:44:56Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* Tabletop */

[[File:Xiphon.jpg|thumb|350px|right|One of the few well designed and aerodynamic Space Marine craft. Now barely used today because of... [[Herp|reasons.]] I don't know whether to laugh or cry.]]
First brought into Imperial service in 806.M30 from the Rhadamanthys Enclave and used by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, the Xiphon Pattern Interceptor was a fighter aircraft based on designs so ancient its origins were long lost even in the Crusade/Heresy era (though it could be presumed to date back to when humanity fought the <s>Cylons</s> Men of Iron). Capable of both atmospheric and space flight, the Xiphon carried two pairs of twin-linked Lascannons and a Xiphon Rotary Missile Launcher into battle, allowing it to destroy both air and ground targets with ease. This firepower, combined with the Xiphon's unparalleled speed and maneuverability, made it a deadly opponent. The problem was, the Xiphon was complex, had limited range, and was ill-favored by the Mechanicum. Astartes were also pretty much the only ones that could fly the Xiphon effectively, as the fighter's performance put great stress on its pilot that few unaugmented humans could withstand (how anyone flew it before the Astartes came along is anyone's guess). By the end of the Great Crusade the Xiphon had largely fallen out of frontline service in all Space Marine Legions except the [[Dark Angels]], [[Ultramarines]] and [[Thousand Sons]], though the demands of the Heresy forced many Legions to press them into service once more. The White Scars made good use of them during their hit-and-run campaign against Horus' advance. No word at all on how many supposedly survived to 40k, but like many Heresy era stuff, if there's 40k rules for it, then it can be assumed that ''someone's'' still got a few squirreled away.

For those that want to field a Xiphon without paying Forge World, a Dark Angels Nephilim Jetfighter can be easily converted to fit the bill most satisfactorily, if having the Battlestar Galactica jet isn’t that important.

== Tabletop ==
The Xiphon Pattern Interceptor is a flyer that is available to all Legiones Astartes armies in Horus Heresy games. In 40k the Xiphon is available to Space Marines, Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, and Grey Knights, but only as an experimental rules PDF.

====Horus Heresy (30k)====
Now this is why people think twice when they hear "Forgeworld rules." It will also make you think twice when taking Lightnings because this is essentially a souped up Lightning. Comes with Two Twin-linked Lascannons and a Xiphon rotary missile launcher - Heavy 2 S8 AP2 that re-rolls successful Jink and cover saves and rolls d3 times per Penetrating hit, choosing the best one (and AP grants +1 on that table). All that makes this your flying tank killer. AV11 all around, this murderous potential is 'balanced' by costing about as much as a kitted-out Lightning and being extremely limited in its optional wargear: Chaff launchers and Extra Armour for survival and Ground Tracking Auguries to kill Land Raiders after you've cleaned the skies. And we say ''balanced'' because it comes already equipped with Armoured Ceramite, and Agile grants it a 3+ jink save, enjoy!

====40k====
It’s exactly what you'd expect an interceptor to be: light, fast and good against other vehicles, be they tanks or other flyers. Comes with two twin linked lascannons and a rotary missile launcher. The launcher is two shot, S8 AP2 and forces jink and cover saves to be rerolled, plus when penetrating hits are rolled, it chooses the best of D3 results (adding one for AP2). The Xiphon is a great vehicle hunter, but as mentioned its light. Only two hull points mean it'll go down against a stiff breeze, but with AV11 at least it's immune to small arms bolter fire just like a Stormtalon. If you want a good all-rounder you should take the talon which at least has a hover mode, but this thing is a dedicated vehicle killer.

====8th Edition====

The Xiphon remains a highly competitive flyer and armor-killer, as the changes to twin-linked rules mean its lascannons now put out 4 shots instead of only 2. Unlike most flyers the Xiphon also ignores the penalty for moving and shooting heavy weapons (and being a flyer it has to move a minimum distance every turn), on top of getting +1 to hit against models with the FLY keyword - which is a lot (Raiders, Battlesuits, Wave Serpents, etc).

The missile battery is now: Heavy 3, S6, AP-2, and does an incredible flat 3 damage. Perfect for taking out the lightest of light vehicles...or one-shotting Adeptus Custodes.

The only downsides are that; A - the Xiphon can't take Chapter Tactics, B - you are limited to only taking 3 of them in a typical 2K game, and C - ''Boots on the Ground'', a rule for Matched Play that essentially means if you have nothing left on the board except Flyers and empty Fortifications you're instantly tabled.

====Death From The Skies Update====
With GW's release of Death From The Skies (DFTS) Forge World have released a doc of updates for their non-Codex flyers (currently here: https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/Warhammer_40000/Death-from-the-Skies.pdf). These rules go a fair way to forcing the <s>BSG Viper</s>...er...Xiphon into it's designated Interceptor role, with the Sky Assassins special rule locking Zooming Interceptor-types into having Skyfire active and the Xiphon, not having the (Hover) sub-type, is always Zooming.
'''As Skyfire is always active the Xiphon is reduced to firing snap shots at any ground vehicle which isn't a Skimmer''', meaning that if you take the Ground-tracking Auguries option you only get Strafing Run's +1BS against Skimmers as specified in the Skyfire USR. Along with Skimmers, Jetbikes, Flyers, FMCs & GMCs are still legit targets with Skimmers & Flyers being quite fuckered by the Xiphon RML's Cluster Warhead rule.

On the flipside, the update gives the Xiphon a Pursuit of 5, meaning it can shift an extra 5" when going Flat Out and combined with Supersonic this tops the Xiphon out at a max move of 41" in a single turn making it the fastest Flyer the Astartes have. The Xiphon is granted an Agility of 4 so it can perform a second 90 degree turn at any point during it's movement on the roll of a 4 or less. Not bad at all; only the Tempest & Eldar Flyers have better.

"LAWLS, WE DON'T PLAY WITH CRAPPY DFTS RULES, PSYCH!" you may say but as an observational note it's worth considering that core rules from both Escalation & Stronghold Assault were rolled into the 7th edition (current) 40k BRB so for 8th edition all bets are currently off but you never know...

{{Template:40k-Imperial-Vehicles}}
{{Template:Marines-Forces}}

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]][[Category:Vehicles]]

Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Death Korps of Krieg(8E)

2018-08-08T23:37:43Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* Fast Attack */

{{delete|Unnecessary, can be completely merged with the Imperial Guard tactics page.}}
This is the [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics(8E)|current Edition's]] Death Korps of Krieg tactics. [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard(8E)|General Imperial Guard tactics can be found here.]]

==Why Play the Death Korps of Krieg==
If you love WWI and 40k, then you'll love the [[Death_Korps_of_Krieg|Death Korps of Krieg]]. They love trenches, attrition warfare, and everything that the Western Front had to offer. They don't waver when their mates drop dead, in fact, they get happier. Collectively, they want to martyr themselves as a messed up way of saying "sorry" to [[God-Emperor_of_Mankind|The Emperor]]. All in all, they are badasses who shell their enemies into a pulp, then mow down the survivors with hordes of infantry and armour.

On the tabletop, the Death Korps can be played like a normal Imperial Guard army, just with a few unit restrictions, an immunity to casualties taken in the shooting phase, and are strong in close quarters, be that melee, or short-range gunfights.

===Pros===
*Versatile and strong vehicles.
*Sgts who can actually take lasguns AND have BS3+ - apparently the DKOK are ''more reasonable'' than every other regiment (although odds are you still probably want the chainsword as well)
*You have numerous advantages over standard IG - infantry that are immune to morale tests caused by shooting (which is especially useful in a shooty meta) and have WS3+, which means you are almost impossible to budge off objectives. You also have access to unique units like Combat Engineers, Grenadiers, Deathriders, and various flavors of artillery.
*DKOK Field Officers are the cheapest HQ choice available to IG, bar none, and unlike normal JO's they don't consume a valuable Elites slot.
*Deathriders are possibly the ''best'' assault unit available to IG, short of Bullgryns, and put Rough Riders to shame. Hell, they put even ''Death Company'' to shame.
*Although legit models cost an arm and a leg recast DKOK are very easy to find online (and amusingly are sometimes higher quality casts than Forgeworld, with less bubbles, warping, flash, etc. YMMV). Thanks China.
*DKOK make excellent visual stand-ins for Armageddon Steel Legion, or vice-versa. Which is great because one of your only sources of re-rolling 1's is Yarrick.
*Hordes of infantry that can be buffed with force multipliers such as Commissars, Astropaths, Priests, and all Commanders.
*Dirt cheap troops means you can laugh off the loss of cheap guardsmen whereas an elite army cannot.
*The removal of platoons means you can get rid of some minor taxes. A little bit of points go a long way.
*Laughably easy to amass command points in a brigade detachment or multiple battalions due to dirt cheap units.
*The new Strength/Toughness and AP mechanics tend to favor hordes, as does the removal of templates. Your opponent won't get more than 6 hits from a flamer or heavy flamer, you actually get a save against both, and that heavy flamer only wounds your boys on 3s.
*You're the best ally army in the Imperium, bar none. It doesn't matter if you're bringing Space Marines, Sisters, AdMech, or [[Brood Brothers|Genestealers]]: you open more doors for more armies than any other army in the game, whether with long-ranged fire support, cheap bodies, or badass flyers.
*Let's state the obvious: Guard is by far one of the strongest armies in the game right now, right up there with Marines, Tyranids, and Death Guard. All those Eldar, Tau, and Necron players who cheesed their way through easy victories with Decurion detachments, Wraithknight spam, and markerlights are crying crocodile tears about how tricky Guard is to counter this edition. You're not invincible, but you are ''very'' point-efficient, and have probably the highest heavy-and-special weapon density in the game; there is almost no unnecessary purchase between you and your big killy guns.
* You have arguably one of the best looking armies in the game, and with awesome fluff to go with it.

===Cons===
*Overall flimsy infantry. What you have in numbers you do not have in resilience; your most common model statline is toughness 3 with a 5+ save. Still some of the toughest models point-for-point, but it practically forces you to buy in bulk.
*DKOK lose access to FRFSRF and Take-Aim, arguably the most useful orders available to IG, and their replacements (Duty unto Death, Without Mercy) are seriously underwhelming.
*Your standard infantry are slightly more expensive than vanilla IG, and can't take heavy weapons. Granted, you can still bring 100 models for only 500 pts. Amusingly the implication seems to be that the DKOK's lives are actually valued just a little bit ''more'' than a standard Guardsman.
*Comparatively weak in assault. S3 with 1 attack each is not doing you any favor, even though you hit on 3+. Close combat can still work, but shooting is preferable. Our Infantry squads are still better in assault than Battle Sisters, Guardians Defenders, Termagants or even Tactical Marines point for point. That's before Priests, Fix Bayonets, and regimental standard shenanigans. But squads caught in melee alone will fail anyway because...
*Individual units are weak without support from characters and other squads. Synergy is key.
*Anti-infantry weapons will destroy your hordes in short order.
*Anti-tank weapons will destroy your tanks in short order.
**Now stop and think about those above three points. Together, they constitute a major challenge when understood in tandem. Enemies can reap bounteous rewards through good target selection against the IG, and it can be tricky to find ways to deny their efforts. Take a typical mixed-unit army, some infantry and some tanks. There will be times when the enemy can pull off a highly effective attack, pointing their dakka at your infantry and their blasta at your tanks. Some units may have to be sacrificed to an effective enemy - let's say a unit of Centaurs against enemy melta fire - if it means guarding a more important yet similarly vulnerable target - your Leman Russes - until you can wheel a more effective counter unit into place - disposable infantry squads. You can only anticipate so much! The standard wisdom when designing an army is to aim for a uniform defensive approach between units, to prevent easy target practice for the enemy. But the IG are very dependent on synergy, so taking an all-infantry or all tank army is also quite risky! Whether it's a mixed army that demands carefully positioning and tough sacrifices, all-infantry that runs the risk of weak output or all-tank brigades that struggle to shoot fast enough, you've always got a catch when constructing your wall of shooty death.
*Playing Imperial Guard can be tedious. Whether its literally counting out ''hundreds'' of dice for shooting (bring bags, and expect to lose some) or spending more than half an hour just deploying your army (movement trays, learn to love them). Fortunately your turns will go by faster once you start piling up casualties.
*Although your units are cheap in points, they're not that cheap in cash, ''especially'' since the Death Korps are a [[Forge_World|Forge World]] exclusive army..
*You're not GW's [[Space Marines|favorite children]], so not only are new models for your army very rare, but your infantry models are mostly outdated as fuck and are rarely in stock. Just thank the Emperor that you don't have to buy pewter models for everything like Sisters players do. (PLASTIC SISTERS COMING OUT B*TCH! YEEAAHH!)
*Unless you keep everything in transports or a tank squad list (and maybe if you're playing against Orks), you're less likely to get the first turn by getting all of your units deployed first since during the roll-off the player who finished deploying first gets +1 to their roll (this is assuming you're using the new deployment method outlined in the Chapter Approved book and confirmed by GW, if you're using the old one you will rarely go first). Plan your strategy accordingly. Of course, you can get away with going tank and transport heavy better than most armies can.
*A fair few Forge World options have been removed from the site, so you'll need to either kitbash, or do some lurking online for them.

==Important Rules References==
Games Workshop has been lax about propagating errata to their errata page, so FAQ links are included below. Current as of May 15, 2018.

*'''Index: Forces of the Astra Militarum''' is your go-to. It has all the main rules for the Death Korps of Krieg and many of the units you can take.
**The FAQ is [https://whc-cdn.games-workshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/imperial_armour_index_forces_of_the_astra_militarum-1.pdf here].
*'''Codex: Astra Militarum''' is your go-to for some options of your list..
**The FAQ is [https://whc-cdn.games-workshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/warhammer_40000_astra_militarum_en-1.pdf here].
*'''The Big FAQ''' contains some point changes that are relevant for the Death Korps. You can find it [https://whc-cdn.games-workshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/warhammer_40000_The_Big_FAQ_1_2018_en.pdf here].

==Special Rules==
<div style="margin-left: 1em;>
*'''Defenders of Humanity:''' [[Awesome|Leman Russes in a Spearhead Detachment]], and all Astra Militarum troop choices, have Objective Secured in 8th edition.
*'''Cult of Sacrifice:''' When taking Morale tests, ignore casualties inflicted in the Shooting phase. This applies to all Infantry units listed above, not just the Death Korps exclusive ones. This rule helps mitigate the punishing effects of morale, which is both fluffy and reduces their dependency on Ld-boosting aura effects.
**Note that this is casualties inflicted in the ''Shooting Phase'' not ''By Shooting''. So DKoK ignore casualties inflicted by Gets Hot!, which is good for Plasma and Carcass spam.
*Death Korps can take laspistols, hotshot laspistols, hotshot lasguns, dual hotshot laspistols, dual laspistols, and dual bolt pistols as ranged weapons, heavy flamers, twin heavy stubbers, and the normal selection of heavy weapons as heavy weapons, and chainswords as melee weapons. They cannot take sniper rifles as special weapons however.

==Warlord Traits==
Unfortunately, you can't take any Regiment-specific Warlord Traits, because you're not a part of that regiment. You can however, have an {{W40Kkeyword|Officio Prefectus}} character as your Warlord, such as Yarrick, or a Lord Commissar.

#'''Grand Strategist:''' Re-roll one failed hit, wound, or save per battle. More importantly, every time you spend a command point, get it back on a 5+. Quite powerful when you have an easy time making Brigades and other armies (SM) bring Vanguard. ''Beat the Smurfs at their own game!''.
#*While the CP is gained on a 5+ (aka 1/3), <u>that same CP you just got back can be regained yet again on a further roll of 5+</u> when it is spent. Since spent CP can be recovered once again after spending, if you spend your entire pool, recover as much as possible, spend it all, etc, the net impact is multiplying your pool by 1.5, not the 1.33 a naive approach would assume.
#*Note that Kurov's Aquila gives you a third of what your enemy spends, so the net effect of combining the two is that you have 1.5*(your starting CP + 1/3 of enemy's CP) - Kurov's will give you more the more your enemy spends, and this will give you more the more you spend.
#'''Old Grudges:''' At the start of the game, choose an enemy unit. All {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} ''units'' within 6" of your warlord re-roll failed wounds against that unit.
#*Better than "Bring it Down!" and affecting multiple units, but against a single enemy unit you have to pick up front. Powerful when nominating Magnus or models providing buffs, but Guilliman and anyone smaller can hide from anything more dangerous than a Ratling, unless you nominate a key element of your enemy's strategy instead, like a deathstar squad or their transport.
#'''Implacable Determination:''' When the warlord and one friendly unit within 3" of them advance, both add 6" to their move instead of rolling.
#*Note the lack of keywords on this one - you can use this to accelerate any friendly. At its most extreme, if you've been allied to Tyranids via Genestealer Cults, this will work on both a GSC unit or a Tyranids unit.
#'''Draconian Disciplinarian:''' Re-roll failed Morale checks for friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum Infantry}} within 6" of the Warlord. ''Technically better than a Commissar, rerolling for free instead of at the cost of 1 execution''.
#*If applied to an actual Commissar, Summary Execution takes precedence. If the Summary Execution re-roll is also failed, d3 models are slain but the test is considered passed.
#'''Bellowing Voice:''' Increase all data sheet ability ranges of the Warlord by 3 inches, aka 9" orders (which ''won't'' stack with a Vox-caster) or 9" Commissar auras of Discipline and Summary Execution. ''Remember named characters, Masters of Ordnance and Officers of the Fleet can't get this WT in the first place''.
#'''Master of Command:''' Gain the Voice of Command Rule. If you already have it or Tank Orders, issue one extra order ''instead'' (Tank Commanders don't get infantry orders).
#*No longer an issue for Yarrick or Lord Commissars. The FAQ says {{W40Kkeyword|Commissar}}s can issue the basic orders to ''any'' {{W40Kkeyword|<regiment> infantry}} units, regardless of regiment, still unclear on what happens if you give this trait to ministorum priests, enginseers, psykers, etc. This is more special if you have multiple detachments, as Company Commanders may order units only from their own Regiment. So it's not only putting your orders in more baskets, but it carries fewer restrictions (although the Warlord won't have a Regiment-exclusive order). Remember, the {{W40Kkeyword|Commissar}} still won't have a {{W40Kkeyword|<regiment>}}, so they won't be able to order themselves.

==Orders==
The Death Korps of Krieg has a different roster of Orders compared to standard guard and can order {{W40Kkeyword|Cavalry}} as well as {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}}.
===Infantry Orders===
*'''Re-roll Orders''': Death Korps lose Take Aim! and thus only have Bring it down! as a Re-roll Order. However, except in the case of Gets Hot!, Bring it down! has the same effect as Take Aim!
**'''Bring it down!''': Ordered unit re-rolls to-wound rolls of 1 until the end of the phase.
*'''Movement Orders''': Same as standard Guard. Death Korps are mostly footsloggers, so a fluffy army will find these more useful.
**'''Forwards, for the Emperor!''': Ordered unit can shoot, even if it advanced in the movement phase.
**'''Get back in the fight!''': Ordered unit can shoot, even if it fell back in its movement phase.
**'''Move! Move! Move!''': Ordered unit must move as if it were in the movement phase, and it must advance and cannot charge.
*'''Special Orders''': Death Korps lose First Rank fire! Second Rank fire! and gain the orders Duty Unto Death! and Without Mercy!
**'''Without Mercy!''': Lasguns and Hot-shot Lasguns become Pistol 2. While lacking in the sheer number of shots FRFSRF can bring out, it can be quite effective at surprising a melee-happy opponent when your gunline can keep on shooting even in close combat.
***This is basically your equivalent of FRFSRF, and unless you're under 12", actually gives the same firepower - no range change so you get 24" Pistol 2.
***However, because you still have access to Get back in the Fight!, overall you're usually ''worse'' with these weapons than stock Guard - FRFSRF+GBITF together solve most problems as well as or better than Without Mercy + GBITF. This order is primarily useful on Objectives, where you dare not Fall Back or you'll cease to contest.
**'''Fix Bayonets!''': May only be issued to units within 1" of an enemy unit. Ordered unit may immediately fight as if it were in the fight phase.
***This is more useful for Death Korps, as it can be given to their superior dedicated melee units, namely Death Riders.
**'''Duty Unto Death!''': Any INFANTRY or CAVALRY model in the affected unit slain in the Fight phase makes one last attack. Helps to wring out one last bit of usefulness from a unit that's losing a melee fight.
***Compared to Fix Bayonets! this is useless, as Fix Bayonets! lets '''all''' of a unit's models fight twice with their full attacks, not just slain models fight with one attack, so it is mainly only useful with the laurels of command.
When using death riders, Duty Unto death is the only way to get extra attacks with the lances. Fix Bayonets can not be used the same turn you charge (shooting is before charging and thus you are not within 1"). Duty Unto death *can* give some extra attacks if some death riders are killed. Otherwise stick to the other orders.
===Tank Orders===
*'''Gunners, Kill on Sight!:''' This gives your Leman Russes the ability to re-roll hits of 1. Pretty useful for an overcharging Executioner's main turret, or plasma cannons if your tank didn't move. This order is the one you will likely be using the most, as it increases your accuracy.
*'''Full Throttle!:''' This is simply the Tank Order version of "Move! Move! Move!", and is identical in every other respect. ''Did you ever expect a Russ to move 27", outrunning Eldar skimmers?''.
*'''Strike and Shroud! (Tank Order):''' Allows the ordered Russ to both fire its weapons (including Grinding advance) and protect itself with its smoke launchers, as if it had two shooting phases. You can use this rule to get into a shooting position (you can see the enemy but it can see you too) and cripple the enemy while you survive the return fire. Smoke launchers are One Use, and so is this rule.

==Psychic Powers==
Guard Psykers are drawn from the {{W40kKeyword|Scholastica Psykana}}, and thus don't have a regiment; however they're the only {{W40Kkeyword|Psykers}} with the {{W40kKeyword|Astra Militarum}} keyword, so if you want regiments, doctrines, and all that good jazz without adding another detachment, you're limited to the '''Psykana''' discipline. Fortunately for you, it's really good! The rules breakdown is [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Psychic 101(8e)|here]], but here's some tactical commentary.
*'''Offensive Powers'''
**'''Terrifying Visions (WC 7):''' One of the hardest powers to channel, with only a 58.33% base chance of success. This, combined with the fact that most of the units you'll cast it on - those with high points-per-model where Battleshock is most painful - are high leadership, have ways around it, or can just deny your powers to begin with, makes it highly situational, and while it's not ''useless,'' it's probably the least useful power in the discipline.
***Before the IG Codex, it was the time of mixed Imperium armies. But multiple small detachments are still a thing, and -2Ld is less situational when you stack it: '''Sicaran Infiltrators''' can combine their own -1Ld aura with {{W40kKeyword|Metallica}}'s -1Ld Stratagem, and appear wherever you need them to. 120pts & -1CP for an Auxiliary Detachment, or 212pts for a Patrol and the cheap HQ Enginseer can repair your vehicles too. '''Reivers''' also have -1Ld and may deepstrike, and {{W40kKeyword|Black Templar}} reroll charges (233-268pts for a Patrol with Jump Pack Lieutenand and Scouts), not to mention SM in general have powerful melee infantry to begin with (plus the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant for another -1Ld). 6 Maul Bullgryn cost 252pts, so ''it's not unreasonable''. What we're saying is -2Ld is situational, ''but -4Ld not so much'' and you still have Crusaders, Bullgryn, Death Riders and disposable Korpsmen, boosted by Priests, Yarrick and Commissars. -4Ld renders expensive & resilient Plague marines as cowardly as Conscripts, but without a Commissar to "motivate" them. <u>IG is & Imperium all about coordination</u>, don't you restrict it.
**'''Gaze of the Emperor (WC 6):''' With a 72.22% base chance of success and no save of any kind aside from a deny roll, this is also a TEQ-buster. It's model-count-dependent, so it's lousy against Characters, but it can wreck small units of high points-per-model troops, or densely packed blobs of cheaper models. Aim carefully - friendly fire is ''on'' - and beware the random range!
**'''Psychic Maelstrom (WC 7):''' The other hard one to channel, but a ''hell'' of a lot more powerful. This can target Characters, and it's probably best used in this fashion; you've got a really solid chance of scoring at least one mortal wound if you pull it off. As-is, there's no way to add to the roll to wound, but the rule is future-proofed for it; if you do find a way, this power can become a ''lot'' stronger. Save a Command Re-Roll for this one - by re-rolling the lowest of two dice you can get it off about 84% of the time.
*'''Defensive Powers'''
**'''Psychic Barrier (WC 6):''' Channels relatively reliably and ''only'' benefits {{W40kKeyword|Astra Militarum}} units, for some reason. Best against poor AP attacks. The flat bonus to saves can make certain units ''stupidly'' durable; suggestions include Bullgryns, Korpsmen, Crusaders, and anything in the Baneblade family - it affects Invulnerable saves, too! Going from 3+ to 2+ outright halves wounds taken, before AP. Make sure to cast it on a unit that the enemy can't ignore so they don't just target something else. Good for Scions, since it protects against both ranged and melee. Stack it with '''Nightshroud''' on a Baneblade and make your opponent weep salt-water crocodile tears. One of the best powers on the list, right there with...
**'''Nightshroud (WC 6):''' A new power added with the Codex, this is essentially a psychic smokescreen; all ranged hit rolls made towards the targeted unit (which, again, must be {{W40kKeyword|Astra Militarum}}) subtract 1. Best against low accuracy shooting, think Gaunts and humans. Psychic Barrier is better in about 70% of the circumstances you'd be using this, but by RAW it can cause enemy Plasma gunners to blow themselves up, and ''completely'' negates '6+ to hit' effects like Necron Tesla weapons. It also stacks with Night Fighting and similar rules. More importantly, the two powers ''stack.'' Get two psykers and pick a unit you need to stick around, as [[Duncan Rhodes|two thin psychic layers are better than a thick one]]. Don't waste it on something the enemy can afford to ignore, though.
**'''Mental Fortitude (WC 4):''' AKA'' 'I'm'' the Commissar now!' This will go off more than nine times out of ten and makes the unit in question ''immune to morale''. You don't even have to execute anyone! It's not an AoE, and it's {{W40kKeyword|Astra Militarum}} only, but it can be a nice ability if the enemy is debuffing your units' Leadership, as Commissars will run the risk of executing people simply to fail the morale test anyway. Limited far more by the Psychic Focus rule in matched play - you only get one.

==Tactical Objectives==
;11 - Overkill
: 1 VP if a {{W40Kkeyword|ASTRA MILITARUM VEHICLE}} destroyed an enemy unit this turn, d3 VP if the vehicle in question was {{W40Kkeyword|TITANIC}}.
;12 - Regimental Pride
: 1 VP if you slew an enemy {{W40Kkeyword|CHARACTER}} with an attack made by one of your {{W40Kkeyword|<REGIMENT>}} {{W40Kkeyword|CHARACTER}}s this turn. Good luck with that, you're going to need it.
;13 - Chain of Command
: 1 VP if you issued 3-5 different orders or tank orders this turn, which goes up to d3 VP if you gave 6 or more orders or tank orders.
;14 - Troops on the Ground
: Score d3 VP if you control 3-5 objectives with {{W40Kkeyword|INFANTRY}} units. If you hold all 6 objectives with {{W40Kkeyword|INFANTRY}}, it becomes d3+3 VP.
;15 - Hammer of the Emperor
: 1 VP if you destroy an enemy unit that was controlling an objective at the start of the turn.
;16 - Death from Afar
: 1 VP if an enemy unit wholly within their deployment zone at the start of the turn was destroyed by a unit wholly within your own deployment zone this turn.

==Stratagems==
Each new Codex grants its faction new Stratagems.
Remember that some of these are irrelevant for the Death Korps, as they affect units that cannot be used for by your army, which sucks. These stratagems will stay here because you can ''technically'' use them, but it's a waste of CP.

*'''Aerial Spotter (2 CP):''' Use at the start of the shooting phase. A Wyvern or Basilisk can re-roll failed hit rolls in this phase.
*'''Consolidate Squads (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem at the end of your movement phase. Select two {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry Squads}} (the unit named "Infantry Squad", nor just any {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} units) within 2" of each other sharing the same {{W40Kkeyword|<Regiment>}}, and they combine to form one big unit. Who didn't see this coming? Allows you to sort-of recapture the blob guard armies of yore and use less orders, but it'll now cost you valuable command points. Still nothing an extra Battalion Detachment can't fix, though. Also a good option to 'save' orphaned special and heavy weapons by adding them to less mauled squads.
**The Stratagem doesn't have an explicit rule against combining a squad with a squad that's already been combined with this Stratagem, so ''in theory'' you could keep on consolidating them so long you have the CP...although you'll need 5 game turns to surpass 50 models when accounting for casualties. It does help if you're bent on having every single Guardsman listen to orders at all time; every Platoon Commander costs ''half an infantry squad'' after all. As casualties diminish each individual squad, your orders affect less and less models but this Stratagem fixes that problem just as the Munitorum pastes understrength Regiments together. Besides Orders, the primary benefit of this is that the defensive Psychic Powers (see below) get to protect more dudes, and that the other buffs you might have (again, see below) spread to more men.

*Alternative view point: there also is another benefit to do so defense stance for you heavy weapon teams. First, you need a lot more guys before even getting to their heavy weapon teams. Second, and more importantly, with a flamer in each infantry squad, for your adversary is lot more risky to charge 20ish guys with two 2 flamers, or 30ish guys with 3 flamers. It's a risky procedure that endangers you greatly in the shooting phase, but can be an unsuspecting tactical advantage if you desire to remove the enemy spotlight from your most sensible units. Aside from this, it's still best used sparingly.

*With the nerf to Summary Execution this strategem has gone from the only way to get big blobs of dudes like in 7th edition to a ''trap.'' If you combine units, you spend CP to make a unit that is ''more'' vulnerable to battleshock losses, not less (only in the Fight Phase) they can't be respawned anymore, either. The only thing you get out of this is order efficiency - which you can get by taking more officers, who are cheap - and Psychic Barrier/Nightshroud efficiency - which you can get with more psykers, who are ''also'' cheap. Of course this isn't really an issue since you're {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}}, but it still renders the unit a bigger target, thus increasing the efficiency of enemy fire - five men is a juicy opportunity, while one man is a waste of ammo. The only real reason to use it now is to keep a Watchmaster with a Power Weapon alive so he can keep hacking at the enemy.
**Combine a squad that advanced into another squad that didn't. Order, shoot, and assault with the whole bunch as if they didn't advance.
*'''Crush them! (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem at the start of the charge phase. A Vehicle may charge, even if it has advanced this turn. In addition, all attacks made by the vehicle will hit on a 2+. Remember how the Baneblade family has 9 powerful melee attacks that are reduced in effectiveness by WS 5+? This will fix that in an instant and make sure that even dedicated melee units won't want to get into its newly boosted charging range.
*'''Defensive Gunners (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem when a charge is declared against one of your vehicles. When it fires Overwatch for the rest of the phase, it hits on a roll of 5 or 6. Vehicle formations can serve as a literal [[Mordian Iron Guard|wall of iron]] in front of your infantry, as the enemy won't be able to slip through them without declaring multiple charges. And you thought charging a Leman Russ with heavy flamers was already a risky proposition.
*'''Fight to the Death (1 CP):''' Any Imperial Guard unit can take a morale test on 1d3 instead of 1d6. You've got plenty of morale improving abilities already, but it's cheap and could be useful in an emergency. Now that commissars got the nerf this one got a lot more useful. You might want to use this stratagem if you’re using infantry or vets and need them to survive morale, and don’t have anything else to buff leadership nearby. It’ll help them survive losing 3-5 guys at once much more easily.
*'''Fire on my position! (3 CP):''' Use when the last model is slain from an Astra Militarum unit equipped with a vox-caster, before removing it from the table; for each unit within 3", on a 4+ that unit suffers 1d3 mortal wounds. Note, specifies ''unit with a vox-caster'', not model (you use it when the unit dies, not the specific model with the caster), and if several models all die together, you can choose which is the last to be removed from the table, to maximize the potential victims of this stratagem.
**Hits all nearby units, friend or foe, but only up to once per unit, so a waste of CP against a single blob, but excellent if a bunch of MSUs have melee'd you to death.
*'''Go! Recon! (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem at the beginning of your shooting phase; select a unit of Scout Sentinels. They immediately move 2d6", but cannot shoot or charge this turn. Useful for getting a Scout sentinel to an unguarded objective or out of trouble, but only applies to one unit, and can't be applied to an Armoured Sentinel; sacrificing a turn of shooting makes it extremely situational, and it doesn't even benefit a unit with a chainsaw blade, as they can't charge, either.
**Note that, although you can't Charge, you are still allowed to use this move to move within 1" of a enemy unit and thus fight in the Fight Phase, due to the fact that the prohibition on moving with 1" of an enemy model is only in effect during the '''movement''' phase. Do note that this is likely RAW instead of RAI, and thus may be FAQed.
*'''Grenadiers (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem before an {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum Infantry}} unit either shoots or fires overwatch. Up to ten models in the unit armed with grenades may throw their grenades this phase instead of only one- basically the AM rip-off of the Death Guard grenade stratagem.
**This can be ''a powerful tool for any regiment in Overwatch'' on a roll of 3 or more. Beware gimped charge range against squishy distant enemies.
**Extra powerful in Cities of Death, where grenades both reroll all failed wounds and get the maximum possible amount of hits. That's 60 for ten models.
**Can also give Scions squads a nasty bite. Krak grenades will do a better job versus tanks than a hot-shot lasgun. 6 of them can supplement the squad's special weapons nicely, especially since scions are out of order range a lot more often.
*'''Jury Rigging (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem at the start of your turn. Select a AM Vehicle in your army, that vehicle can't move, charge or pile in this turn but immediately heals 1 wound. Good for giving that little push into a better health bracket if an Enginseer isn't around (or it wasn't enough), and you can still shoot with the targeted vehicle.
*'''Imperial Commander's Armoury (1/3 CP):''' One use only. Use "before the battle" and you may take 1 additional relic for 1 CP, or two additional relics for 3 CP; all relics must be different and given to different characters.
**"Before the battle" means, suprisingly, ''"before the battle"''. Use it to get the Dagger of Outflank before deployment? It works. The Grand Strategist WT needs the Warlord to be already on the field (which won't happen until the deployment phase) to refund your CP, so that ''won't'' work. But enemy Kurov's Aquilas do work, since they only need to be written in the enemy's roster, not any "while this Warlord is ''on'' the battlefield" limitation. ''You spend CP and gain extra toys before the battle, simple as that''.
*'''Inspired Tactics (1 CP):''' An officer can issue 1 more order. You can only bring so many Platoon and Tank Commanders, after all, and not everybody is Creed, Pask or Kell.
*'''Mobile Command Vehicle (1 CP):''' Use at the start of a turn; pick a Chimera, and until the end of the turn, an embarked officer may issue orders to units outside the vehicle, measuring range from the vehicle. He is also treated as having access to a Vox. Sadly it now costs CP to use Chimeras as the Command Vehicles they were...but under threat of enemy snipers, this Stratagem may be worth its CP. Unfortunately specifies Chimera only, so no Stormlord or Macharius command vehicles for you.
*'''Opening Bombardment (2 CP):''' One use only. After deployment but before the first battle round, each enemy unit on the battlefield suffers a mortal wound on a 1d6 roll of 6+. Like '''Fire on my position''', this can be useful against MSU, but less so if they hid themselves inside transports.
*'''Officio Prefectus Command Tank (2 CP):''' Commissar Tank! Pick a Leman Russ at the start of the first round, before the first turn - it gives all Astra Militarum units within 6" of it Ld9 for the rest of the game. It also lacks the Summary Execution rule while granting a superior LD buff, so you should always consider taking this stratagem over a regular Commissar. ''"Drive me closer, I want to hit them with my sword!"''
*'''Take Cover! (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem in your opponents shooting phase if they target one of your Infantry units. That unit immediately adds 1 to their saving throws (including invulnerable saves!) until the end of the phase.
*'''Vengeance for Cadia! (1 CP):''' Any Imperial Guard unit can re-roll failed hits and wounds versus {{W40Kkeyword|Chaos}}. Scary, this can turn even basic Infantry into a major threat against Daemons and Heretics, especially if you combine it with FRFSRF since it surpasses both "Take Aim!" and "Bring it Down!" effects (supercharge that Plasma). It goes without saying Consolidated squads use it better than lone Infantry ones, but keep in mind it affects {{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}}s too. From the humble Sentinel to the mighty Manticore and Baneblade, the Stratagem's effects are far more powerful than its cheap cost would suggest.
*'''Vortex Missile (3 CP):''' ''Nuclear launch detected'', for when targets require not so much strategy as a "fuck you". Use this stratagem when you ''get to'' fire a Deathstrike missile (pay after rolling the 8, before resolving the shot). You can re-roll all failed to-hit rolls with the weapon, and add 1 to the roll made to determine if nearby units within 6" of the target unit are hit (so a 3+, rather than a 4+). If a model is wounded but not slain by the attack, roll an additional die, on a 6 it suffers 1d6 additional mortal wounds. Makes the missile go from 5.25 mortal wounds dealt on the target + 1 to each nearby to 8.46 + 1.72 per each nearby, but the amount of variance is ''very'' high, and that assumes you're shooting a parking lot, as single-wound models won't trigger the stratagem's extra mortal wounds.

==Wargear==
<div style="margin-left: 1em;>
===Ranged Weapons===
*'''Laspistol:''' A lasgun Pistol. More of a placeholder than anything else, but it's free. Still find the points to get the bolt version.
*'''Lasgun:''' Your trusty flashlight hasn't changed. What changed is the way strength rolls against wounds, allowing it to wound T5 on a 5+, and T7+ is no longer immune to them.
*'''Bolt Pistol:''' 1pt for a real pistol. Only advantage over the boltgun is that it can be fired in close combat.
*'''Boltgun:''' 1pt allows your Watchmaster/Character to actually contribute to a firefight instead of merely looking cool.
*'''Hot-shot Laspistol:''' What says on the tin, but only 6" range means you may not even get to shoot it before a charge. Karis Venner has one, to balance out his sheer power in buffing your dudes.
*'''Hot-shot Lasgun:''' Still sacrifices 6" of range for AP-2, but as the AP system itself changed this bad boy is ever so slightly worse at MEQ hunting now. Its short 18" range also makes it unable to rapid fire right after an Aerial Drop.
**edit:This only applies to deepstriking units, so the most useful use of these can be achieved with a transport, in particular our good old friend Valkyries which can take a Commander to boot, just remember that if they don't die next turn, your guys will.
*'''Plasma Pistol:''' An actual officer's weapon. Plasma can now be fired safely at S7 AP-3 to deal with infantry, and can be supercharged to S8 and D2 to deal with heavy infantry and even vehicles. However, a Gets Hot now outright slays the shooter, so reserve overcharges for your disposable Watchmasters instead. ''No longer overcosted at 5pts'', so it's actually worth considering now.

===Special Weapons===
*'''Flamer:''' A bit different in 8E. Templates are gone, so flamers do 1d6 Str4 autohits from 8" range. Thus, they may hit even single models several times and your flamers will never be out of position...but your enemy may bunch 20 gaunts together and you'll still only hit 3.5 on average. Due to its rate of fire being random regardless of the number of enemies, range so short it cannot be used right after an outflank and ''no longer ignoring cover'' while also lacking any AP whatsoever, you cannot depend on this weapon alone to beat hordes like it used to. Still, being an assault weapon that always hits, there's no penalty for advancing and firing, especially for Special Weapon Squads. It's also pretty useful insurance against charges as it always auto-hits during Overwatch and cautious opponents will position their charges at least 9" away to ignore its 8" range (making it statistically likely that they'll simply ''fail'' their charge to begin with).
*'''Grenade Launcher:''' Not bad, but there are better things available. Krak grenades in particular took a big hit, with insufficient AP and Str. Furthermore, there is no more rear AV10 to target anymore. Frag grenades average 3.5 lasgun shots, make of it what you will.
*'''Meltagun:''' Good against ''anything with lots of wounds'', not just vehicles. 12" Assault allows it to be fired even if you ran. S8 AP-4 D1d6 makes it more powerful than supercharged plasma yet safe. Damage doesn't spill, so it's more efficient against singular huge targets of any kind. If you manage to get to 6" for melta range, the average Damage goes from 3.5 to 4.47, making it more reliable. However, it is expensive: 12 points for regular guardsmen and 17 for anyone with BS of 3+ or better. On a model with 3+ BS, the meltagun within half range has a slight advantage in terms of average damage dealt per point over a supercharged plasma gun in rapid firing range, but you have to be close to reap the maximum potential of metlaguns. The choice between plasma and melta should be based on what you want your infantry units to be doing. If your dudes are going to be sitting in a static gunline, plasma is probably a better choice. If you are getting your men close (preferably via a transport or Valkyrie) melta can be the better option.
*'''Plasma Gun:''' See the Plasma Pistol, but in Rapid Fire. A bit less powerful than in 7E due to the new mechanics, but it can be fired safe so it's ok. You only need to supercharge against [[Grey Knights|mean]] [[Tyranids|bastards]], but against mean [[Chaos|bastards]], you ''need'' to supercharge. Curiously, it's about half as cheap for models with BS4+ (7pts) as it is for BS3+ models like Veterans and Scions (13pts). Given that you have a variety of ways to re-roll 1's ('''"Hero of Hades Hive"''', etc.) casualties from supercharging can be easily minimized.
**Given it has the same 24" range and Rapid Fire profile as Boltguns and Lasguns, Plasma Guns are the default special weapon choice in most squads. Remember, it is only 7 points on BS4+ models. Point for point, plasma is the most efficient weapon for regular guardsmen at engaging tough targets. As for BS 3+ units (vets, Scions, etc.), there is room for debate between plasma and melta. The question should always be: "what is this unit going to be doing?"

===Melee Weapons===
Most of these are specific to one unit. The ones that aren't are listed below, and may be taken by sergeants and most characters. As of newer codex, Power Axe and Power Maul are no longer available options in Imperial Guard Armory, but you can simply field them using their Index entries. However, none of them will make you ''great'' at melee. Almost everything that can take something here gives up a chainsword to do so, although normal Commissars do not.

*'''Chainsword:''' Some credit must be given to the old standby. In addition to being free, it gives an extra attack with it. This is why Watchmasters should give all of the other options here a complete miss, unless maybe they have a priest.
*'''Power Axe:''' S+1 AP-2 looks good on paper, and it is, the only problem being it's 5 points instead of 4. But then again, so what? Generally the best option for killing T3, and not bad against T4, it's the take-all-comers option.
*'''Power Fist:''' Sx2 AP-3, but forces a -1 to hit on the model using it. Korpsmen don't feel the impact of the downsides too much, given their 3+ WS. While expensive, it's cheaper than it was in the Index, and as a result, almost everything that can take this will see the best results from it.
*'''Power Maul:''' At S+2 AP-1, this is the best choice if you're fielding a Lord Commissar but want to keep him cheap - it'll outperform the sword for the same cost.
*'''Power Sword:''' At SUser AP-3 and 4 points, just not good enough for the S3 models that can mostly take this - and the S4 models prefer the Fist. You should generally avoid this unless you're looking for a budget choice, or you like the look of swords.

</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em;>

===Heavy Weapons===
*'''Mortar:''' 48" Heavy D6 S4 AP0 D1, and may fire indirectly. At 8 points a gun team, it's a dirt cheap light and medium infantry muncher. Because of the revision to the way AP works it's in direct competition with the Heavy Bolter; this ALSO means it's in ''in''direct competition with your ''entire motor pool.'' Consider this when the challenge of fitting half a dozen kits' worth of mortar tubes into your list is a daunting prospect.
*'''Heavy Bolter:''' 36" Heavy 3 S5 AP-1 D1. It's still standard on every vehicle in your motor pool, and it's better than the Autocannon against T5 and less, but especially 4 and 2 where it hits 50% harder. It's gone ''way'' down in price (8 points), so the choice is a ''choice'' now, but it's still one of the weaker options.
*'''Autocannon:''' 48" Heavy 2 S7 AP-1 D2. The 'Pom-Pom' is the all-rounder choice for heavy weapons. Its two S7 AP-1 D2 shots don't particularly excel against any one kind of target. The heavy bolter is generally the superior choice against infantry much like the lascannon is the go to for anything with high toughness and multi wound. The autocannon does, however, act as an the intermediate between those two. Because Guard has access to cheap platforms for weapons, it may be better to specialize your units. However, having autocannons can let your bolters focus on the infantry, your lascannons focus on the big guys so you aren't wasting those two on the intermediate targets like MEQs and Sentinels as well as 2-wound units like some Eldar Jetbikes, Nobz, etc.
*'''Missile Launcher:''' 48" Heavy D6 S4 AP0 D1 or 48" Heavy 1 S8 AP-2 D1d6. Still the Jack of All Trades, still the Master of None. Lost the option for a flak missile (though you don't really need it, as fliers can be hit on 5s by guardsmen now, and 4s by Veterans and Scions) but kept the cost; at 20 points it's tied with the Lascannon for most expensive heavy weapon. Compared to Autocannons, it is better against the hordiest and heaviest units such as Guardsmen or tanks, but the auto cannon has a slight edge against MEQ, a decent edge against T5 and T6 MEQ and TEQ, and kicks ass against almost anything with 2 wounds, especially with light or medium armor like Nobz or Rough Riders (as neither frag nor krak missiles are fully effective against such models). While some armies you'll play against have a hard time fielding T8 units where you won't feel the decreased strength from the lascannon. With the Big FAQ that came out in April of 2018, the potential for limits of a single datasheet could be imposed which would restrict the number of heavy weapon teams one could take potentially making it harder to specialize units en masse making more versatile options more appealing. This and the possibility of facing few T8 units, however, is situational and by no means a sure thing. Lascannons still have superior strength and AP for the same cost and mortars do the same thing as frag missiles for one quarter the cost. You're playing Guard and your platforms for heavy weapons are cheap. It is often better to specialize units which makes the missile launcher less appealing. Some units may be better served having versatility though. The Avenger for example comes stock with purpose built AT (lascannons) and GEQ-eating (Avenger bolt cannon) weapons so having additional versatile weapons may not be a bad choice. Like everything else in Guard however, you need to ask yourself what you want your unit to be doing and give them the best loadout for that one job.
*'''Lascannon:''' 48" Heavy 1 S9 AP-3 D1d6. The ever-reliable Imperial tank-buster. The improved strength over Missile Launchers is critical, as most tanks are T8, meaning krak missiles wound on 4s while the Lascannon wounds on 3s. The extra AP doesn't hurt, either; carapace armor is ignored entirely, and Land Raiders have to roll with a 5+. It's the same price as last edition, at 20 points, but the D6 damage lets it threaten heavy units, and it can now be used to snipe heavy infantry in cover.
*'''Heavy Flamer:''' 8" Heavy 1d6 S5 AP-1 D1. Can only be taken by Grenadier Squads and Vehicles. This almost strictly better than a Flamer, with the only downside that it can't advance and fire and it is more expensive.
*'''Twin Heavy Stubber:''' 36" Heavy 6 S4 AP0 D1. As it ties with the Heavy Bolter against MEQs and beats the Mortar against GEQs, take it unless you are low on anti TEQ. Models look quality too.
</div>

===Vehicle Weapons===
There are many weapons that are only available on vehicles, and other weapons that are also available to infantry have different tactics when mounted. (note, this list is currently incomplete)

*'''Multi-Melta:''' 24" Heavy 1 S8 AP-4 D1d6. If you're within 12" of the target you roll 2D6 for damage and take the highest. Leman Russ Demolishers can find some use out of this to brawl with enemy heavy vehicles and monsters, although they'll take a penalty for firing on the move. Cost is unchanged from 7th, at the same 20 point cost as a missile launcher or lascannon, but because it's so difficult to get it into range for the increased damage, particularly without incurring a -1 penalty to hit, and due to how AP works in 8E, you're usually better off with a lascannon against T8 (or incredibly rare T9) targets; the Multi-Melta remains far superior against <-T7 with 3+ or better saves, but the big issue remains getting into range - lighter vehicles like that are faster, and you don't want to be fighting infantry hordes with either weapon - and it's not like you can rely on your opponent leaving his T8 at home. Plus, Multi-Meltas are hurt ''far'' more by invuln saves than lascannons are. Your more reliable anti-tank choice is always going to be the lascannon, for the same cost.
*'''Plasma Cannon:''' 36" Heavy D3 S7 AP-3 D1 or S8 AP-3 D2 Gets Hot. ''Someone found the manual!'' If a korpsman overcharges it, it gets the more powerful statline, but a 1 on the hit roll kills you. Yes, that's correct - no armor save, you're just ''dead.'' The ones on Leman Russ sponsons have special vents to survive this, taking only a single mortal wound per 1 rolled. Cost is unchanged from 7th, though when buying just one, you only pay for one. Careful firing on the move or against Tyranids with venomthropes; those -1 to-hit modifiers now make it much more likely to roll that 1, at least until GW regains its sanity and makes it only a natural one.
**When fired on normal mode, this is equal to or worse than an autocannon against everything in the game with 2 or more wounds, but often better against 1-wound targets, since the improved AP helps, while the difference in Damage doesn't matter. In overcharged mode, it completely puts the autocannon to shame - but even with re-rolling 1s to hit, you run a 5.45% chance every time you fire it of slaying the wielder, and the wielders you don't mind losing - heavy weapons teams - can't carry it. That's a whopping 29.78% chance to lose the wielder without the buff, incidentally. On top of all this, its ''only'' advantage over a plasma gun is range - its average rate of fire is the same as a plasma gun within rapid fire range, and a plasma gun can be carried by a Moving wielder without penalty, while costing ''less than half'' of what a plasma cannon does. By and large, avoid this weapon if you can.

*'''Leman Russ Main Guns'''
**'''Battle Cannon:''' The main gun of your standard Leman Russ. With the new rules of firing twice when moving at half speed with no penalty, the amount of fire this cannon can unleash is terrifying. Take aim at anything GEQ or MEQ, and this gun can level squads of 5-10 with ease, don't waste it on large swarms or blobs. Against T5-T7 multi-wound models, it can easily down a dreadnought, or if you feel lucky, can put a surprisingly decent smack on some T8 models with the right stratagem and a group of tank commanders (looking at you Pask). The Battle Cannon is very much a generalist weapon able to do most battlefield roles but will lose out to more specialized weapons. The main downsides are the variable damage, as you are relying on RNG against low multi-wound models whom you'll either kill outright or scratch them to death in a nonstop battle of attrition, and that it struggles against invulnerable saves which negate the cannon's AP advantage.
**'''Exterminator Autocannon:''' Costs more than the Battle Cannon, which would be worth it for the (very slightly) improved rate of fire, except that its output is inferior against T4, T7, T8, anything with a 5+ or better save, and anything without exactly 2 wounds.
**'''Eradicator Nova Cannon: ''' Often overlooked. For 3 points ''more'' than a Battle Cannon, you lose 36" of range and only hit at S6. In exchange you ignore cover bonuses, which would have been negated anyway by the Battle Cannon's AP-2. This is perhaps the most specialized of all the Leman Russ options, so only consider bringing it against targets that depend on cover saves (Space Marine Scouts with camo cloaks, Eldar Rangers, AdMech with cover canticles, Poxwalkers, Vindicare Assassins, ''Imperial Guard'', etc). Perhaps the best at straight-up ''murdering'' GEQs in cover (wounding on 2+ with no save), its extra 12" range edging out the Demolisher Cannon.
**'''Vanquisher Battle Cannon''': The Vanquisher, a dedicated anti-tank cannon, is proof that GW is incapable of statistics, as it performs worse against heavy armour than every Leman Russ turret except the exterminator, despite being one of the pricier options (doing 0.93 wounds to another Russ; every other variant manages at least 1 wound). Sad thing is, if GW had given it a flat 2+ to wound against vehicles or flat 2D6 damage instead of 2D6 drop the lowest, it’d perform better against most vehicles than other Russes. ''Never'' take this.
**'''Demolisher Cannon''': Statistically the best tank-buster of all Russ cannons, and easily the most powerful (and expensive) of all the Leman Russ options at 40 pts, the Demolisher is S10 AP-3 dealing '''D6''' damage. Against units with 5 or more models the Demolisher Cannon jumps from Heavy D3 to Heavy D6. The caveat? It has the same range as a lasgun, a 24" bubble of pure unadulterated fucking murder. If you have to choose it's best taken on a Leman Russ rather than a Baneblade/Hellhammer (which won't benefit from '''"Grinding Advance"''').
**'''Executioner Plasma Cannon''': A plasma cannon with nearly double the rate of fire even before you use Grinding Advance to shoot twice and without a movement penalty, but only x1.33 the cost, and cheaper than a Battle Cannon, at the same price as a Punisher. If you fire it on Supercharge - which you should - it will outshine the Battle Cannon easily, dealing more damage to W2 models at -1AP for 9.1% (2) fewer points. That actually places this weapon in direct competition with the Demolisher Cannon, above - when Supercharged, the Demolisher's only improvement against most targets is +2S, which is of dubious utility, given that it costs 25% more and has 66.67% the range.
**'''Punisher Gatling Cannon''': Tank-mounted BRRRT. Statistically, your best friend against infantry, but it lacks range and struggles against heavy stuff. However, consider grinding advance. While the range is short if you give this vehicle track guards and maybe use full throttle on it the turn before it can easily be in range to do 40 S5 shots while maintaining a 29" threat range (24" plus half move) even until it only has 1 wound remaining. Getting scary yet? Remember that tank commander who ordered it to use full throttle? Now give it kill on sight to reroll 1s with all those shots. Virtually no INFANTRY units in the game can withstand that level of firepower. Additionally, because of the way AP works in 8e the sheer volume of fire can do decent damage against targets that might not immediately come to mind when thinking about a minigun on steroids. This is particularly true if you can get a punisher to hit more that 50% of the time... Looking at YOU Pask!
**'''Annihilator Twin Lascannon''': You know it, you love it. The same cost as a Demolisher Cannon that trades the flexibility against infantry for a reliable number of shots and twice the range. More exciting then most other army's version due to Grinding Advance and Tank Orders, amongst other things.
**'''Conqueror Battle Cannon''': A Battle Cannon with 2' less range that costs more. However, the gun itself is not important; it's the Co-axial Storm Bolter that is the real selling point here. When shooting the main gun at the same target as the Co-axial, you may reroll any and all hits made with the cannon. This makes the Conqueror one of the most potent and flexible Russ variants this addition, enough to make you ask yourself when trying to select which gun to bring 'Why SHOULDN'T I take a Conqueror?' Just keep in mind your Storm Bolter's range is half your cannon's, so you gotta get up close and personal to make the most of this; still though, you'll be performing identically to the battle cannon from 24-48", and significantly better inside of 24".
*'''Earthshaker:''' The Earthshaker smacks units up to '''240"''' away at with the same power as a lascannon, rolling 2D6 for shot count and taking the highest while ignoring LOS. It performs better against vehicles than troops, because its multi-wound power is wasted against infantry. Unless you're playing on a 20 ft board (or at a table across the room) the range on an Earthshaker is pure overkill.
*'''Neutron Laser Projector:''' a cannon that hits plenty hard, fires more than one shot and gets damage rerolls vs vehicles (who also take a -1 shooting penalty if the shot damages them)
*'''Macharius Vulcan Mega-Bolter''' unlike the stormlord variant, it retains the ability to spin up to maximum speed if the tank hasn't moved, doubling its rate of fire to 30 compared to the stormlord's 20. On a S6 AP-2 gun, that's some SERIOUS pain.

===Vehicle Equipment===
All of your non-Forge World vehicles on ''treads'' that isn't a Baneblade variant (i.e. not a Lord of War) has access to this list.

*'''Augur Array:''' The vehicle may re-roll one hit die per game, at a cost of 10 points; with the vast array of other possible sources of re-rolls, this upgrade should be rejected out of hand. Perhaps the most useless thing in the entire book.
*'''Dozer Blade:''' Adds one to melee hit rolls when charging. Not bad ''per se'', at 5 points, for that rare situation where you want to charge with a Leman Russ (finishing off MCs, for instance). Can be combined with Crush Them! if you're trying to hit something giving you a penalty to hit, and has some synergy with Straken's aura. Or if you just want your tanks to look cool.
** Actually crush them just forces a +2 to hit regardless of modifiers, probably not worth it considering how many CP you'll have.
*'''Hunter-Killer Missile:''' This is a missile launcher with only the Krak profile that can only shoot once per game, at slightly more than 1/4 the points (i.e. 6). Not bad on Pask or a Tank Commander for a little extra punch on turn 1.
*Pintle Weapon; '''one''' of:
**'''Heavy Stubber:''' 4 points for 36" Heavy 3 S4 AP0 D1 is a bit more to think about it; you can't move and shoot it without being at Ork BS, ''and'' it's twice the cost of the Storm Bolter, while ''fewer'' shots out to 12" (relevant for e.g. Overwatch). Synergizes with the Stormlord which already comes stock with 2x Heavy Stubbers, while costing less than 1% of the tank itself.
**'''Storm Bolter:''' 2 points for 24" Rapid Fire 2 S4 AP0 D1. A perfectly respectable option on just about everything, and particularly useful in Overwatch.
*'''Track Guards:''' Easily the most useful of all the vehicle upgrades. Makes the vehicle ignore the damage table in respect to degraded movement range. This one does actually make sense to take as it will keep your vehicles agile even when they're on their last wound. As far as upgrades go 10 points is an investment - put it on a Hellhound and laugh as your opponent fails to escape its auto-hitting cleansing flames even when its down to 1 wound! Also useful on Leman Russes and short-range tanks like Demolisher and Eradicators.

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===Other Wargear===
**'''Platoon Standard''': Can be carried by either normal Infantry Squads or Command Squads, and gives all {{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps}} units within 6" of a unit with a model in it with one of these may add 1 to its Leadership when taking a Morale test.
**'''Regimental Standard''': Carried by Command Squads, all friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps}} units within 6" of a ''model'' with one of these may add 1 to its Leadership and attacks.
*Command and Infantry Squads, Engineers, and Grenadiers:
**'''Vox-Caster:''' This machine is the beating heart of the Orders system. It's greatly simplified from previous editions; if an Officer is within 3" of a model with a Vox, and the target squad also has a Vox (and is of the same {{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps}}), the range of the order is ''tripled'' to 18". The important thing to note here is that it means your Officers can improvise their command structure a lot more - ''any'' Vox can send, and ''any'' Vox can receive, as long as the Officer and target squad share regiments. It is entirely legal - and fluffy - for your Field Officer, his assigned Vox operator having been killed, to run to a nearby squad of Grenadiers and commandeer their Vox Operator to continue sending orders! This also means you don't need to rely on flimsy four-man Command Squads for your Officers to send orders out.
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===Heirlooms of Conquest===
Relics return in the new Codex. Like Warlord Traits, the regiment-specific ones really are regiment-specific, so custom regiments can only use the Universal list, but once again, this list contains the best options anyway, ''Kurov's Aquila'' and ''The Laurels of Command''.
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*'''The Blade of Conquest:''' Replaces a Power Sword. At S+2 AP-4 D1d3 it's better than a Relic blade...but if you want one why not take an actual Relic Blade on a SM? But if you're bent on demonstrating mortal hands are worthy of this [[Lord Solar Macharius|Macharian blade]], a Marshal, or Lord Commissar, could make something out of it, especially when supported by the usual retinue of Ogryn Bodyguard, Priest, [[Commissar Yarrick]], Bullgryn and Crusaders. The Guard may be a shooty army, but mortals can still fight the good fight with blade, boot and bodies. Plus the sword is only 4pts, ''try having some fun''.
*'''The Dagger of Tu'Sakh:''' {{W40kKeyword|INFANTRY officers}} only, per the FAQ. During deployment you can set up the bearer and one {{W40kKeyword|INFANTRY}} unit of the same Regiment (if the bearer has one) in ambush behind enemy lines. At the end of any of your movement phases these units may launch their attack. Set them up within 3" of each other, more than 6" from any battlefield edge, and more than 9" away from enemy units. ''Surprise Special weapons are always welcome, especially when they're a part of a bigger plan instead of just them.''
*'''The Deathmask of Ollanius:''' {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} only; the bearer has a 4++, and once per game, at the start of your turn, can heal 1d3.
**An Ogryn Bodyguard with a Slabshield will now have a 2++ (Bullgryn Plate optional) to only ever worry about snipers fishing for 6s and the Mortal Wounds he'll get from doing bodyguard duty...risks that are both diminished by it suddenly healing 1d3W, helping the overwhelmed Quartermaster.
*'''The Emperor's Benediction:''' Replaces a Commissar's or Lord Commissar's Bolt Pistol, giving it +2 shots, -1AP, and +1D. While it can also target {{W40Kkeyword|Character}}s like a 12" sniper, it can't do so when the bearer is within 1" of the enemy, unlike the very similar {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial Fists}} Spartean relic Bolt Pistol. Still, better than a Plasma Pistol.
*'''Kurov's Aquila:''' {{W40Kkeyword|Officer}}s only (now including Tank Commanders!). Every time your opponent uses a stratagem, roll 1d6, and on a 5+, you gain ''one'' Command Point. Which you may regain once you use them yourself with the '''Grand Strategist''' WT, allowing you to farm more CP out of the already high amount you'll have. Damn solid relic. ''Punish Ultrasmurfs for their recycling command points!''
*'''The Laurels of Command:''' One of the better relics too! {{W40Kkeyword|Officer}}s with Voice of Command. When the bearer issues an order to a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps}} unit within 6" of them, roll a die; on a 4+, the bearer can immediately issue them another order, which does not count against the orderer's maximum, ''and can trigger Laurels again''. Also the only way in the game to stack multiple orders on one unit, though the bonus orders can't be the same as the first (so no, you can't use Fix Bayonets like 10 times if you keep making the roll).
**{{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps of Krieg}} caught in melee wouldn't fall back because of their better WS: turn your Lasguns into pistols with '''"Without Mercy"''', but then go directly to '''"Fix Bayonets"'''. {{W40Kkeyword|Death Riders}} should instead '''"Fix Bayonets"''' and then '''"Duty onto Death"'''.
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==Units==
===HQ===
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*'''Death Korps Marshal:''' The equivalent of a Company Commander doesn't come stock with a chainsword (but can take one for free, so he might as well) or shotgun, but he does come with a Krak Grenade and a higher armor save. Additionally, the Momento Mori he can buy forces all weapons that normally roll for damage to treat the roll as a 1, giving him a bit more staying power than normal.
**'''Marshal Karis Venner:''' Your named Character for the Death Korps, he comes with a hot-shot laspistol, powersword, and Momento Mori. He can issue three Orders per turn and lets friendly units within 12" to use his Ld value unless their own Ld is higher. With that Ld aura, you can combine Venner with a platoon and regimental standard for an '''Ld 11''' bubble 25"+ in diameter (depending on what size base you put him on). Basically gives your guys fearless. A little something to remember: RAW states that '''all''' friendly units can use Venner's Ld, which means that all units in your army use his Ld. That's right. Terminators with Ld 11? Yes, please.
***If you really want to be cheesy, get him to sit on an Imperial Defence Line for another +1 to his Leadership. This will result in units that need to take at least 7 casualties (and, if they're Death Korps, those loses can't be in the Shooting Phase) to even have a chance of losing models to Morale and, even after taking 9 casualties, will still have a 50% chance of the remaining model holding the line. Finally, if you use the Fight to the Death stratagem, they '''become immune to Morale completely'''. And remember, this applies to all friendly units. Have fun with those Leadership 12 Space Marines.
*'''Death Korps Field Officer:''' The Platoon Commander equivalent, though he shares the improved armor save with the Marshal and comes with a Marshal's Ld score as well. At 23 points base, possibly the cheapest HQ choice in the game (other regiments have to spend a precious Elite slot on their version of this guy).
*'''Death Korps Death Rider Squadron Commander:''' A Field Officer on a horse, with a boost to Toughness and Wounds to go with it. Having the same Augmented Mount ability as other Death Riders helps to increase his durability, and for obvious reasons he's the best choice for getting Orders to your cavalry.
*'''Tank Commander:''' A single Leman Russ tank, with 3+ to hit and '''Tank Orders''' ([[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Death_Korps_of_Krieg(8E)#Orders|as seen in their section]]) to boost a single fellow Leman Russ (the Codex doesn't say he can't order himself, but an earlier Index FAQ did. However the official facebook account of Games Worskhop for warhammer 40.000 confirmed that both Pask and Tank commanders can order themselves). As such, you're paying +45pts over a normal Russ for ''one'' order and BS3+, but it is an extra Russ in HQ as opposed to Heavy. There are ways to make it issue more orders, but is it worth passing the other Warlord Traits?. Still, with Warlord Traits, they can do different gimmicks. Plus, being {{W40Kkeyword|Officer}}s, they unlock Command Squads. In all other respects, it's still a {{W40Kkeyword|Leman Russ}}: it gains '''Objective Secured''' in an {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} Spearhead detachment, can become an '''Officio Prefectus Command Tank''', and has the same weapon options.
**Unfortunately, RAW says they can't ride in a Leman Russ Mars Alpha, but if you're not at a tournament, who's going to tell you otherwise?
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====Non Regimental====
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====={{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Astra Telepathica}}=====
*'''Primaris Psyker:''' Gone are the days of making everything reroll hits. Compared to an Astropath you get a compulsory force stave, one more known power, and more durability. Can still only cast 1 a turn, so only bring him if you need HQs or are worried about snipers (he's tougher than an Astropath) or want to be able to smite like a big boy. Slightly okayish in close combat. Keep a Commissar nearby in case Perils kills him- he'll still die, but it'll prevent mortal wounds from spilling over to anyone else.
**'''Note:''' These guys are probably the best cheap way to spam (unmodified) Smite in the game; on average he scores 1.79 mortal wounds per turn (assuming he's at full health - he gets a bit worse as his ability to survive Perils goes down), which likely is more damage than any other 40 point unit in this army will deal. Astropaths may be more efficient when it comes to utility, but being able to reliably get off Smite makes these a steal for their points. If you assume no one is attempting to Deny you, a Primaris Psyker's Points-Per-Wound with ''Smite'' is 22.33 (assuming he can live through Perils, which he can from full health, guaranteed); an Astropath's is 22.5 but their odds of actually casting ''Smite'' on 1D6 are abysmal. ''Psychic Maelstrom'' is generally much better than ''Smite'', so consider taking it as your 2nd backup power.
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====={{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Mechanicus}}=====
*'''Tech-Priest Enginseer:''' ''Not'' an Astra Militarum option per se, but you can field this guy using his Adeptus Mechanicus entry, where he is an HQ choice; per the rules in the AM Codex, he explicitly won't block your Regiment rules. Your Regiment ''will'' block his Canticles, but he doesn't get those anyway when fielded as an Elites choice. The benefit of doing this is that you can pay an HQ tax with an Enginseer, which you may have wanted anyway to keep your tanks repaired, in e.g. a Spearhead detachment, or better yet a Supreme Command Detachment with 3 of them; the major downside is that he won't have the {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} keywords, so you won't be able to convince him to get on any of your transports, and he'll cause other problems, like interfering with Stratagem access. Still, he's legal, just a poor choice.
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====={{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Ministorum}}=====
*'''Uriah Jacobus:''' A Ministorum Priest on steroids who now has the Astra Militarum faction keyword and qualifies as an HQ despite being found in the Adeptus Ministorum portion of the index. For 65 points more than a standard Priest (100, rather than 35, and we'll be assuming the Priest took a Bolt Pistol and Bolter, since every other choice on a Priest is worse), you get: +2 Ld (which is irrelevant, but note that that's counting both his native Ld and his aura, which hits himself), +2A and +1WS, which is largely irrelevant, +1BS and the Bolter becomes Assault 2 and has -1AP, and is D2 on a 6+ to wound, which is nice, but not worth the cost, 1d6 Deny the Witch, which is nearly worthless, and +1 Leadership to nearby {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Ministorum}} or {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} {{W40Kkeyword|infantry}}. Finally, and most valuably, he occupies an HQ slot, simultaneously helping to pay your HQ taxes while avoiding occupying a potentially valuable Elites slot.
**He's not worth his cost, which is nearly 3 normal Priests, but it's worth noting he ''does'' buff Commissar leadership - if you combine him with a Lord Commissar, units will receive 10 Leadership, not 9, which means they need to suffer a fifth casualty before Summary Execution starts making your life worse. However, it's far more cost efficient at that point to just buy more soldiers with your points - you have no units valuable enough for Uriah to earn his cost back this way. That said, if you're already bringing Yarrick, this ''can'' be a way to reduce the damage he'll inflict on your army.
**Despite having the {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} and {{W40Kkeyword|Ministorum Priest}} keywords, he is not listed as a unit you can take without breaking your Regimental abilities. GW has not updated the Guard FAQ because it might cause Primaris Marine or Nurgle/Death Guard production to fall below optimal levels, so unless your opponent is a reasonable sort, either leave him at home or take him in an Vanguard/Supreme Command detachment along with your Commissars, Psykers, Ogryns/Bullgryns, and Ratlings (or in a general {{W40Kkeyword|Imperium}} detachment).
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====={{W40Kkeyword|Officio Prefectus}}=====
*'''Lord Commissar:''' A more expensive Commissar with a power sword, but improved in all key stats like ''not using up one of your crowded Elite choices'', offense (BS & WS2+), resilience (4W 4+/5++) and, most importantly, '''Ld9''' for his Aura of Discipline, which is important now Summary Execution became a mere (thankfully optional, as of the most recent FAQ) Morale reroll at the tax cost of one dude, as opposed to the outright morale near-immunity it used to be. With enough casualties, you'll just fail the reroll regardless of result. Still, Ld9 is hands down better than Korpsmen Ld6, and you'll lose fewer of them. He works best with squads small enough to benefit from Aura of Discipline without triggering Summary Execution, like Ogryn. Furthermore, he's the one with enough WS to properly use a Power Fist. Always replace his bolt pistol for a bolter; same price, double shots. His 2+ BS also makes a plasma pistol a tempting option since you're only paying 4 points more over the mandatory bolt pistol.
**Company Commanders with '''Draconian Disciplinarian''', and Kell, both allow ''optional'' Ld re-rolling without shooting up a guy, which is superior to Summary Execution, although they don't boost Ld by themselves. A Regimental Standard will get your Infantry Squads up to normal Commissar Ld8.
** Post-FAQ the Lord Commissar has practically become an auto-include - for a mere 35 pts you get a LD9 aura, optional ATSKNF, insurance against Perils of the Warp, and a surprisingly decent melee character.

**'''Officio Prefectus Command Tanks''' cost CP and aren't {{W40Kkeyword|Character}}s (unless you choose a Tank Commander but even then he has more than 10 wounds, so moot point anyway), so they tend to last less despite being a damn tank. They get you Ld9, but also lack the reroll. Likewise, you can always pay 2 CP to auto-pass Morale, or 1 CP to take the test on 1d3.

*'''Commissar Yarrick:''' Essentially a named Lord Commissar with a power <s>fist</s> ''klaw'' that ''costs more than double'', but has a bunch of extra stuff on him. He's got three guns (Storm Bolter, Bolt Pistol, and Bale Eye Hot-Shot Laspistol), and even better, resilience, with T4, his 4++ Power Field, and FnP 3+ for his final wound (and he's legally healable with a medic). His main use, which GW thinks it costs something around +66pts to use, is '''Hero of Hades Hive''', an aura of re-roll 1s to hit, re-rolling all failed hits against {{W40Kkeyword|Orks}} instead. Not just "Take Aim!" for shooting, but in melee as well. Your infantry squads may not be so eager to be in close combat, but Bullgryn and Crusaders are. For the cost, you could buy ''two'' Company Commanders to order the actual "Take Aim!" to your units, in addition to the Lord Commissar (and get +1CP in a Supreme Command Detachment)...but Yarrick's buff can stack with other orders, like a Laurels of Command that isn't free but is reliable and even affects vehicles. ''Plasma, woo!'' Yes, he has Summary Execution despite him not executing anyone in Hades Hive. But now that Summary Execution is optional, you don't even have to use it if you don't want to.
** Post-FAQ Yarrick is nearly 4x as expensive as a 35 pt Lord Commissar, and almost 9x as expensive as a regular Commissar. Hopefully GW will be reevaluating his point cost. That being said, he's an absolute tank in melee, regularly makes Marines crap themselves in terror, and sticks around a lot longer than other Commissars do. There's some trade-off.

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===Troops===
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*'''Death Korps Infantry Squad:''' An odd change to basic Guardsmen, Kriegers lose the option to take Heavy Weapon Teams and their Watchmaster uses a lasgun like the regular troops (though he can exchange it for a chainsword and laspistol for free, so it's a non-issue). They also all have WS3+ and can buy a Platoon Standard which buffs all Kriegers within 6" LD by 1. They synergize particularly well with the Death Korps' unique orders - especially when dogpiling on an objective or bubblewrapping precious artillery pieces. Kriegers also come stock with Krak grenades; with the '''GRENADIERS''' stratagem you can throw 10 of them at once (though this tactic is more impressive when used on <s>Grenadiers</s> (no acid grenades for the grenadiers) or Combat Engineers' acid grenades).
**Oddly enough the Watchmaster also has BS3+.(not so odd when you remember that all watchmasters serve in the grenadiers before returning to be promoted.)
*'''Death Korps Grenadier Storm Squad:''' Scions with dicks that work. A Tempestus Scion squad with deep striking replaced by Cult of Sacrifice and no access to hot-shot volley guns. Unlike with Scions the number of Special weapons Grenadiers can take does not depend on the number of models in the unit so they can unfortunately only have two Specials max. Now with the FAQ update they can take Heavy Stubbers as special weapons, as well as the ability to form a Heavy Weapons team to tote around a Heavy Flamer.
**Not as good as Combat Engineers in terms of points per wound, but they can get Objective Secured (as well as letting you farm up command points with battalions etc) which is probably worth their extra points cost and loss of acid gas grenades. Fundamentally fantastic MSU style, with a heavy flamer, 2 special weapons (probably plasma, maybe melta), and a Watch Master taking up 4 spots in a transport and costing very little points. Shove three squads in a Valkyrie and drop them onto an objective.
*** OR, if you don't want to spend the points on a Valkyrie, chuck these mean machines in a centaur. They are suprisingly mobile, thanks to the 9" scouting move you can do before the game starts. And a bare-bones centaur is only 54 points!
**Hot-shot laspistols are garbage, so ''always'' have the Watch Master swap out his weapon - your best bet is probably a hotshot lasgun or bolter, unless you want to fucking commit and get a plasma pistol.
**These guys are perhaps one of our best units; they are extremely cheap and customizable for almost any purpose.
***Need AT? 2 Meltas, with 3 ambivalent bodies to eat shots for you. Shove them in a centaur and throw them down the field, they will either be ignored or attract fire away from your army.
***Need some extra firepower to support your infantry line? 2 squads of 5 with 2 plasma guns each will only run you down just under 140pts.
***Pesky melee units got you down? Take 2 Flamers and a Heavy Flamer! Position them just behind your front line just out of consolidation range. Chuck an infantry squad into the enemies path, retreat in your turn (then issue Get back in the fight to the unit that retreated) and then toast the fuckers with your flamers. This unit also works brilliantly shoved into a centaur as a suicide bomb/Distraction. No enemy wants to be hit with up to 18 auto hits (remember that you can do this after you advance as well).

===Elites===
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*'''Death Korps Command Squad:''' No heavy flamer, medi-pack, or heavy weapons teams in this command squad, but what you do get is the ability to use the Regimental Standard. It only affects Cavalry and Infantry, but grants an additional attack on top of the Ld bonus, making your troops more effective in close combat. They are very useful for providing that easy Ld buff, and I would recommend running them as bodyguards/buffs for your HQs.
**These guys are surprisingly underwhelming compared to Combat Engineers, since you pay the same cost per model and don't get a 4+ save or acid gas bombs; furthermore, they obey the same 2 special weapons per unit limit as the Engineers. Even if you do spam them, you're not going to achieve anything you couldn't achieve only better with Combat Engineer spam; they're too slow to keep up with Death Riders, they can't be Medics.... really, <s>there's just about never a good reason to field these guys over Combat Engineers.</s> There is only ONE reason to take this squad. The regimental standard.
**I feel that comparing this unit to Engineers is somewhat of a misnomer; this unit is not a combat unit, it is a support unit. Comparing these guys to engineers is a little unfair; they are not designed to kill things, their job should not be charging up the field to kill things. It should be staying in the back or moving up with your infantry providing them with some light special weapon support and a buff from the regimental banner. Stack beautifully with a priest.
*'''Death Korps Combat Engineer Squad:''' Shotgun infantry with decent armour. Overall not super inspiring until you see their shotguns have Carcass Shot, which wounds anything (except Vehicles) on a 2+. Carnifex? 2+ Wound. Ogryns? 2+ Wound. You lose the model if you roll a 1 on the hit roll. BUT buff them with a nearby <s>Guilliman (gross, or don't and have some class. You are a Guard player after all, not a WAAC Tau reject left over from 7th)</s> Yarrik and say hello to rerolls of 1 to hit. Carcass Shot vs GEQs, MEQs and TEQs is basically a Plasma Gun with AP 0.
**You can use the Grenadiers stratagem to toss up to 10 acid grenades at once.
**These guys are ''incredible'' - they cost a point ''less'' than Grenadiers for what amounts to the same model with the addition of an acid gas grenade, although they are Elites and hence cannot get Objective Secured. You can keep their shotguns, which, unlike hot-shot lasguns, are worth spending a point on, or swap out for special weapons to demonstrate superiority over Grenadiers - 2 plasma gunners, a boltgun on the sergeant, and a heavy flamer team will get you the same output as a Grenadier squad with the same loadout, except your guys also have acid gas grenades and cost ''less''. The plasma gunners can carry meltaguns instead, of course, and either way can be stuffed in a Valkyrie and dropped in sets of 3 squads directly into your enemy's lap.
**A bit of MathHammer shows the following averages: 864pts of Combat Engineers will put out 216 shots, hitting on 3s and wounding GEQs, MEQs and TEQs on 2+ with a 5+/3+/2+ save respectively and 2 wounds, killing 640pts/160 models of GEQs, 1040pts/80 models of MEQs and 960pts/20 models of TEQs; while losing 288pts/36 Engineers in return. Thus, ignoring other factors the kills to deaths ratio will always be in your favour by a factor of 585:1300, 360:1300 or 390:1300 respectively and Carcass Shot is most productive when used on MEQs.
*'''Death Korps Death Rider Command Squad:''' A must-have for any list focusing on Death Riders. Taking this squad along allows them and up to 5 other Death Rider units to deploy via outflanking at the end of any movement phase. Use in combination with the Death Rider officer, above, and a few squads of Death Riders, below, to outflank an entire detachment! Aside from this they're the same as an understrength Death Rider Squad, as they lost the ability to take a Standard.
**As of the current FAQ, you may only bring one Command Squad or a Rider Command Squad per Death Korps officer, but any type of officer will do.
*'''Death Korps Quartermaster Cadre:''' This is where the Command Squad's Medi-pack went. One creepy guy and up to 4 servitors wielding scalpels that wound non-vehicles on a 2+ and get buffed to WS/BS 4+ and Ld 9 as long as they stay close to him. They also grant nearby Infantry and Cavalry the ability to ignore an unsaved wound on a 6+, making it mutually beneficial for them to stay close to a big squad of infantry. This is a fantastic unit buffer, a bubble of up to 21" x 12" (if you position the unit in a line with 2" between each member) of 6+ FnP for 50-60pts is a really good deal.
*'''Master of Ordnance:''' Gone is the hilariously inaccurate mini-basilisk of 7th edition; the MoO is now a fire support coordinator, which is arguably closer to the fluff. The fluff changed him very slightly; instead of buffing specific named units, he's now entirely keyword based - nearby {{W40Kkeyword|<regiment>}} {{W40Kkeyword|Basilisks}}, {{W40Kkeyword|Deathstrikes}}, {{W40Kkeyword|Manticores}}, and {{W40Kkeyword|Wyverns}} can reroll 1s on the hit roll if this guy is about and the target is more than 36" away (because he can't really help if the gun is direct firing, apparently). If that isn't enough to justify his cost, he can call in a favor from a nearby battery once per game, dropping a basilisk shell anywhere on the map - though if he can't see the target, it hits on 4s. Unfortunately, thanks to his one-shot syndrome that one shell is going to do almost nothing (at least it won't kill your dudes now). Take this guy for his re-roll ability; that way, you're pleasantly surprised if the artillery strike does something instead of basing your strategy around such an unreliable, one-use attack.
**As of the change he can now support an Armageddon Pattern Basilisk, but he still inexplicably cannot support the other Forge World variants, like Medusae (vehicle or either Battery), or the Battery variants for Basilisks, or Wyverns (that last meaning Heavy Quad Launcher Batteries).
*'''Atlas Recovery Tank:''' Believe it or not, this thing is almost useful now. It's a standard "battle Chimera" tank (T7 W11 and a hull heavy bolter) with S7, but rather than a battle gun, it has an enginseer's ability to heal a vehicle (but not itself). Compared to the enginseer, it's more expensive (both in points and money), but more mobile and less vulnerable to sniper fire. Unfortunately, while being a tank means it can't be picked off by snipers, it's not a character, so it ''can'' be targeted by anything else. Still probably too expensive for what it does, but a lot better than what it used to be.
**''Important note:'' Unlike the Enginseer's Master of Machines rule, the Recovery Vehicle rule doesn't stipulate that a given vehicle may only benefit from it once. If you have a Lord of War on the field and want it to stay alive, an Enginseer and a few Atlases can give it a serious survivability boost. Highly situational, but potentially useful.
*'''Hades Breaching Drill Squad:''' A Vehicle with a squad of "Veterans" (who all have Sergeant grade LD, but none of whom have Veteran grade BS, all with shotguns, AKA crazy... or very unlucky) that emerges anywhere more than 9" away from enemies. Once it shows up, the Drill and Veteran Squad become separate units entirely. The Hades Drill itself is a big 'fuck you' machine, with 1d6 WS3+ S10 AP-4 D1d3 melee attacks (D1d6 against Vehicles), and it has a 4++ invul in the fight phase thanks to its whirling blades. With T7, W7, and Sv3+, it's pretty durable, too. The Veterans are significantly worse than normal Veterans at shooting, with limited special weapons access on top of their nerfed BS, in that they can only take 2 special weapons in the squad, with no heavy flamer or heavy weapons team; the squad amounts to a tax on the drill, because it is so much worse than your other options, but it can still do ok with a pair of flamers. Makes for a delightful Distraction Carnifex; cackle with glee as your opponent shits himself trying to kill this thing before it crawls up his Gargant's ass and cores it like an apple!
====No Regiment====
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=====Adeptus Mechanicus=====
*'''Tech-Priest Enginseer:''' Found in the AdMech list as well as the new Guard codex alongside Servitors. Repairs D3 lost wounds on a single Astra Militarum vehicle or AdMech vehicle with the same Forge World keyword as himself within 3" of him. This opens up some interesting listbuilding ideas, such as combining mechguard troops with Skitarii snipers or Cult Mech deathrobots, as the Enginseer can repair whatever he pleases from either list as long as they share the same Forge World. An auto-include if you brought a Baneblade. He can also repair Questor Mechanicus Knights, albeit only for a single wound per turn.
**Imperial Guard codex kept Tech-Priest as an Elite choice, and allows him to bring in his Servitors with him as another Elite choice.
*'''Servitors:''' 4 Guardsman bodies which are slower, have poor BS of 5+, and have a 4+ save. Two of them can take a Heavy Bolter, Plasma Cannon, or Multi-Melta. If Tech-Priest is babysitting them, they increase their BS to 4+ and Leadership to 9. A poor choice all around, even with two Plasma Cannons.
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=====Adeptus Ministorum=====
*'''Ministorum Priest:''' Streamlined from 7th Edition, his War Hymns are now a +1 attack for every Astra Militarum infantry ''unit'' within 6". He also still has Zealot, though since it's not an AoE buff and only offers the first turn re-roll, he no longer assists with morale. Not a bad idea if there's a likelihood that your boys will charge or be charged. He synergizes well with {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}}, especially when taken with the regimental standard for A3 on your basic infantry during the fight phase. He's also great for any infantry units you plan on getting in close combat. He also buffs nearby {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Ministorum}} infantry, too, so there's obvious synergy with their dedicated close-combat units as well.
*'''[[Crusaders]]:''' A dedicated close-combat unit that, while not as tough or strong as Bullgryns, pack a 3+ invulnerable save (and that's before Psychic powers or stratagems) and Power Swords. They're identical to their entry in Index: Imperium 1 with the exception of the added {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Ministorum}} keyword, including the otherwise Sisters-exclusive rule '''Act of Faith'''. At the start of your turn, roll a D6, and on a 2+, you can immediately move as if it were the movement phase, shoot as if it were the Shooting phase (which is hilarious because these guys don't have any shooting weapons, but the rule was lifted from the Sisters), fight as if it were the Fight phase, or heal a wound/bring back a dead model as if it were the Healing phase. You only get one Act of Faith per turn, no matter how many units of these guys you have, and you can't give them more using Celestine or an Imagifier since they aren't {{W40Kkeyword|Adepta Sororitas}} and don't have an {{W40Kkeyword|<ORDER>}}. Still, with base 2A and Zealot, these guys can easily overwhelm their points in MEQs on the charge, and they love taking Priests with them. They can be made even tankier by using Psychic Barrier, as unfluffy as it may be to have them tolerate the presence of Psykers. They're one wound wonders, but you can bring one back each turn on a 2+ so long as the unit hasn't been destroyed. They're not quite as points efficient as Bullgryns, but they can come back from the dead, andthey have an easier time fitting into your list, as they can be taken in groups of 2-10 and are cheaper per model.
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=====Astra Telepathica=====
*'''Wyrdvane Psykers:''' Very mediocre. If you have 6 you get to add 2 to psychic tests (getting them all the way up to succeeding ''two thirds'' the time for Smite, and ''one half to one third'' for the Psykana powers, ugh), but you only roll 1d6 for both Psychic and Deny tests (the bonus for having members only applies to Psychic tests, though). And without having the character keyword, expect them to die quickly. It is, however, impossible for you to peril.
**'''Alternate take:''' If the Guard teaches us anything, it’s that cheapness and numbers have a quality all their own. Switching over to Power Levels for a moment, for simplicity, you can make a Vanguard Detachment consisting of one Primaris Psyker and three (3-model) Wyrdvane Psyker squads for 5 Power Level. In a typical 80 Power Level game, that means that you can take 16 of those detachments. Hitting on a 4+, your 48 Wyrdvane squads alone could potentially drop an average of 24 Smites (and roughly 36 mortal wounds) a round, with no Perils. Oh, and you’ll also have 16 extra command points to re-roll Perils on your Primaris. This is, of course, a terrible idea, but just imagine the look on your opponent’s face when you lay out 160 Psyker models and begin the longest Psychic Phase outside of the Thousand Sons.
*'''Astropath:''' Only 1d6 for Smite (but you should be casting Psychic Maelstrom or Gaze of the Emperor for damage anyway), but ''astoundingly'' cheap at only 30 pts per model. Camp a few of these guys behind your gunline and deny powers. The only reason not to bring these guys would be if you ran out of Elites slots, because Primaris Psykers are HQs.
** Unlike Primaris Psykers Astropaths lack the '''It's For Your Own Good''' rule, so Commissars are unable to stop them from blowing up in case they die from Perils of the Warp. However, it's also impossible for Astropaths to Perils while casting Smite (as they're limited to only rolling 1D6).
** Players often forget about the Astropath's ''other'' special rule (note this is not a psychic power) - '''Astral Divination'''. Pick an enemy unit within 18" of an Astropath, and for the rest of the shooting phase that unit loses its cover save against IG models within 6" of your Psyker. A great way to fuck with Eldar Rangers, Space Marine Scouts, or anything that relies on cover saves.

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=====Officio Prefectus=====
*'''[[Commissar]]:''' His ''Summary Execution'' rule means that all Astra Militarum squads within 6" of him ''may'' re-roll (as of the latest FAQ, which also dropped their points cost considerably) their first failed Morale test in any given phase at the expense of a single model dying (the newly dead unit doesn't count for the re-roll), which means you should be picky about when you use the Summary Execution ability. Thanks to the Aura of Discipline ability, those same Guard squads will be given Ld8. Compared to his senior ranking Lord counterpart, he has one less wound, a 5+ save, WS and BS 3 instead of 2, and no Invulnerable save of any kind. However, he's ''much'' cheaper.
**His ranged weapon should ''always'' be a bolter; you shouldn't buy him a melee weapon, as he should be staying out of melee and providing buffs instead.
**The cheapest Commissar you can take is 15 points (16 with a Bolter), while Lord Commissars have to take a Power Weapon as well, raising them up to 34 (35 with a Bolter). They're Characters, so what you primarily need them to live through are sniper rifle shots; their points divided by how many ratling sniper rifle shots it takes to kill them are 76 and 165, respectively (using the versions that took a Bolter). The Lord Commissar fills up an HQ slot, which is better, and if you ''do'' take one, higher Leadership is better, to try and minimize losing models to Summary Execution.
**Now that you don't have to use his ability, he's gone from being a hindrance to a situational buff.
** Consider using the Officio Prefectus Command Tank stratagem instead of taking a Commissar. For just 2CP you get a 6" LD'''9''' buff with a much better version of Summary Execution... in addition to being a goddamn tank.
***Other Stratagem options include paying 1 CP to take a test on 1d3 or 2 CP to auto-pass; if you're low on CPs, you're playing Guard wrong, especially now that a Brigade nets you 12 goddamn CP.
** Other superior choices, provided you can get them in, include an Inquisitor or Guilliman (who will both need their own detachment to avoid breaking Doctrine, which isn't hard for Guilliman since he's a Lord of War choice), or an Astropath or Primaris Psyker using the Fearless power (which the Inquisitor also has).
** 4/16/2018 FAQ notice: In case you have missed it, '''Summary Execution''' is an optional re-roll now. Commissars also faced a steep price decrease, now being 16 points instead of 31 at base.
*'''Death Korps Commissar:''' A basic Commissar. Given all the buffs to Ld you can get with the Death Korps along with their Cult of Sacrifice rule, you can skip him. The models are pretty nice though.
** As of April 2018, the cost of a Death Korps Commissar has gone down to 15 points, from 30. They’ve become a pretty handy Ld buffer for melee.
*'''Death Korps Death Rider Commissar:''' See above, but with a horse. Forge World doesn't seem to make these models anymore so you'll have to kitbash them.
**While the Death Korps Commissar and the other Forge World Commissars were FAQed to have the new Summary Execution Rule, the Death Rider Commissar was overlooked. While this is an obvious RAW interpretation, [[That_guy|the Death Rider Commissar therefore still only allows a maximum of 1 model to be lost to morale.]]
** Same as the foot-slogging Death Korps Commissar, this Commissar got a point reduction to 35 points. They’ve become useful, if not viable, as your Death Riders will be getting stuck into melee.
**Remember that while your army is immune to casualties caused by shooting it can still be battleshocked by losses incurred in melee - which is exactly where you want your LD6 Deathriders (even MSU squads aren't invulnerable). Deathrider Commissars are ''essential'' for keeping your horses on the table.
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===Dedicated Transport===
*'''Death Korps Storm Chimera:''' The Krieger approach to warfare is obvious in this armored vehicle's loadout. It gets an autocannon as its turret gun and the option to buy improved armor, which gives it a 2+ save vs weapons of S4 or less and lets it ignore the effects of land mines on a 4+. It's a price hike on the standard Chimera, but it's worth it. Note that it doesn't necessarily have to be used with Death Korps; although it has the DEATH KORPS OF KRIEG keyword instead of REGIMENT, it specifically says it transports ASTRA MILITARUM INFANTRY, and even mentions it can take Ogryn, so RAW, it's legal to use these to transport regular guardsmen, or even storm troopers.
*'''Death Korps Centaur Light Assault Carrier:''' Hoo-boy. This little bugger is magnificent. Sure, it's not as tough or as shooty as a Storm Chimera, but if you pop 5 grenadiers with some meltas or flamers, or 4 (how are you getting a squad of 4 grenadiers? Min is 5(ruled as written, a Grenadier Weapons Team doesn't take up two slots in the vehicles. Only Heavy Weapons Teams are mentioned.)) with heavy flamer/melta or flamer/melta or flamer/sergeant and, optionally, a fifth rider of your choice, such as an Astropath or Primaris Psyker for Smite, you can send this off towards the enemy up to 9" before the game even starts. Imagine your opponent's face when they see this little bundle of hurt rolling towards them. They can ignore it, and have some grenadiers kick them in the arse, or shoot it and ignore the vast majority of your army.
**Pretty cheap, at 54 points, and 6 wounds in it's still Movement 12, unlike a Chimera, which has dropped to 8 by then. Plus, like the DKSC above, this transport carries any Imperial Guard infantry, not just <REGIMENT> ones.
*'''Centaur Light Carrier:''' "Light" is sort of an understatement - with only a 5-man capacity and two heavy stubbers as its weapon, the thing is barely a transport. Its real role is to haul around your otherwise-immobile {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}} {{W40Kkeyword|artillery}} batteries, taking them along for its move. The artillery in question can't fire that turn, but it's useful enough to keep them out of range of opponents. Best used for 4-man command squads with their Officer; its big benefits are that ti's cheaper than any other transport you have access to, and while it has -1S, -1T, -3W and -1A compared to a Chimera, but you don't care about the S or the A. One benefit of the lower wound count is that it carries the vehicle below the threshold for stat deterioration, which is a huge boon in 8th. After suffering 5 or 6 wounds, the Centaur actually has higher M (assuming the Chimera hasn't got Track Guards) and BS than a Chimera, and equivalent A. It's pretty even, as by the point a Centaur would be dead, a Chimera's so crippled it doesn't matter anyway.
*'''Trojan Support Vehicle:''' This Forgeworld model was updated to be effectively a very cramped (Transport Capacity 6) Chimera for a rather stunning ''tripling'' of its original base cost to a painful minimum of 98. In return, however, it brings the one and only source of full failure re-rolls in the Guard, granting one tank within 6" re-rolls to hit in the shooting phase. If you're not using this as the portable [[Elf Slave, Wat Do?|love slave]] of your Stormlord or Shadowsword, you're doing it wrong.
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===Fast Attack===
*'''Death Korps Death Rider Squadron:''' A big step up from the basic Rough Riders. +1 to WS, T, A, and Sv, although the +1A evens out in the wash when you don't charge, as you lack chainswords; regardless, you're ''much'' less likely to die before you reach your target, particularly since the Augmented Mount special rule gives you 5+ FNP against S4 weapons and below. Your steed gets 2 extra attacks instead of one and hits as hard as a bolter; this is particularly noticeable when not charging, giving you 4 attacks to a normal Rough Rider's 3, and 2 of those are at +1S. While you don't get a chainsword, you ''do'' get krak grenades, which will benefit one model in the unit. While you cannot outflank with this unit (unless you take the Death Rider Command Squad), it is not slowed when charging through terrain, making it easier to attack cover campers. With no access to special weapons, they're much better suited as frontline brawlers - with access to orders, they can be just mean with Fix Bayonets! and Duty Unto Death! (although Fix Bayonets is better in basically all circumstances). Like with most DKoK, they have Cult of Sacrifice as a morale buff.
**The fact that Death Riders trade their Chainsword for +1 Attacks is a bonus, because they can hit twice with their lance on the charge, instead of the one lance and one chainsword hit that standard Riders get.
**Use Duty Until Death when you charge, because that's the only order you will get use out of by doing so. If your opponent decides he doesn't want to get slowly pounded down by hard to kill horsies, use Fix Bayonets! to make him understand that melee guardsmen just work.
**Deathriders have a shockingly bad LD6, and considering that they're supposed to be taking most of their casualties in melee they will be vulnerable to failed morale tests. You NEED to take a Deathrider Commissar if you're going to commit to large squads of Deathriders.
**Rough Riders cost 10 points apiece, compared to the DKoK Death Rider cost of 16, which pays for itself in the improved attack volume alone, let alone their many other improvements, like ability to obey orders; their only substantive downside is their inability to take special weapons. Even their sergeant is buffed, as he drops his lance to buy a melee weapon if you want to change his melee up, as opposed to stock, which is forced to carry both a lance and a power weapon if you want that. Consider said swap, as a power axe brings the sergeant pretty close to the lance, but usable in the event you get stuck in. Fix Bayonets!, and you're possibly hitting 6 times with that axe in one turn. Ouch.
*'''Hellhounds:''' The medium tank of the Guard motor pool has been favored in 8th, with increases in speed and toughness and decreases in price all around. The chassis actually covers three vehicles, but they're all the same power, so they all get one entry. Regarding the chassis itself, the wounding rules make it genuinely tough in 8th - your average lascannon has to hit it six times to kill it, which is a ''very'' welcome increase over the 4.5-if-it-doesn't-just-explode of 7th - and they can't outright lose their weapons, either. Track guards were basically made for this vehicle as the majority of available weapons ignore ballistic skill. Unless your bringing the devil dog, your tanks will pretty much never degrade.
**The basic ''Hellhound'' is armed with the infamous Inferno Cannon, a more powerful heavy flamer with double the range, double the rate of fire, and +1 strength, at S6. A nasty infantry muncher, capable of eating guard-equivalent models with 2s to wound and a 6+ save from up to 16 inches away; due to good strength and rate of fire it's not too shabby against vehicles either (who knew setting things on ''fire'' could be so effective?). Use it to hunt down the other Guard player's Heavy weapons teams, or just chew through his conscripts at a healthy pace from safely outside of rapid fire range. Still not convinced? Mathhammer says it will outperform a ''Battle Cannon'' versus anything that's not T7 3+ and better, and it can still score a few wounds besides. ''Let 'em burn!''
***Because the Hellhound is BS4+ and can't mitigate the movement penalties for heavy weapons, you would be wise to try for a Heavy Flamer on the hull mount, but on the Hellhound that means you need to get in very close to use it, negating the Inferno Cannon's range advantage. The Heavy Bolter is cheaper and more consistent, but at BS5+ on the move, it won't hit anything at all - you choose it to keep the tank cheap, not to actually kill anything with the gun. Take the Heavy Flamer if you want the gun to actually kill anything.
***Because Hellhounds always explode on 4+ they make excellent suicide tanks, useful for disrupting gun lines and charges (especially considering their relatively short range). Artemia-pattern Hellhounds are better at this though as they deal D6 mortal wounds instead of D3.
**If your foe is made of tougher stuff, swap out for the ''Bane Wolf,'' whose vicious (and cheaper) Chem Cannon wounds everything that's not a vehicle on 2s, with an improved AP-3 (at the cost of range, only 8", and shot count, only 1d6 vs the Hellhound's 2d6). Between the wounding improvement and the AP improvement, this will outperform the Inferno Cannon against MEQ even before you account for its reduced cost - the range is the primary issue, as 8.1" charges will ignore it on Overwatch, and the secondary issue is that while it's obviously incredible against monsters and Primarchs especially, it's absolute garbage against vehicles, and utterly inferior to the Hellhound versus anything not MEQ or MC. While by itself the Bane Wolf may not actually do a lot, its potential will scare many opponents into focusing it down like the plague after a turn or two. This is probably the best distraction carnifex you will ever find in this codex outside of a deathstrike (and this is cheaper, too).
***Here the use of a Heavy Flamer is more obvious, since it has the same range as the Chem cannon. With two auto-hitting weapons, this thing will take a big bite out of attacking forces in Overwatch.
**Finally, if you want to take on vehicles, the ''Devil Dog'' closes the gap with the mighty melta cannon, which is ''much'' better than a multi-melta for the same cost - on average, twice the shots, and assault now, rather than heavy. It's specialized, but powerful - it outperforms even the revised Inferno cannon against pretty much anything tank-shaped (specifically, T7 with a 3+ save and tougher). Making the melta cannon assault has brought the D-Dog up from garbage to actually being a very solid tank buster. With D3 shots rerolling damage within melta range, you have one of few weapons potentially capable of blowing up a tank every time it fires. It's also the longest ranged melta weapon short of the Imperial Knight thermal cannon, and is mounted on your fastest ground unit, making range a non issue.
***Sadly, the Multi-Melta you'd usually strap to the hull to supplement its tank-busting is still Heavy, and still shoots like an Ork, so give thought to alternatives. A heavy flamer will go a long way to deter the counter charge you will almost definitely be staring down after you shove that melta in your opponent's face.
*'''Salamander Scout Tank:''' Cute little light tank, with guns otherwise found on sentinels or heavy weapons squads. Pricier and tankier than either; great if you have the points and are not otherwise concerned about getting bogged down in melee, as these things ''will'' get bogged down in melee.
**Given that Forge World doesn't make the Salamander model anymore, a good proxy is a Hellhound hull with the Chimera Autocannon Turret.

===Flyers===
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The following weapon options are exclusively available to the flyers at your disposal:
*'''Hellstrikes:''' Hell yeah strikes! Does a good job against any armor, but they come in at a price of 20 points each. This is a go-to on both Lightnings and Thunderbolts. Heavy 1, S8, AP-2, roll 2d6 pick highest for D, which means at an average of 4.4 damage for each unsaved wound, this is the go to monster/tank/aircraft killer.
*'''Skystrikes:''' Cheaper at 15 points each, but only Heavy 1, S7, AP-2, D3 damage. Your dedicated anti-air missile, it gets +1 to hit against flyers but -1 against everything else. The strength here seems to be that you get to take 6 instead of only 4. But the damage for each unsaved wound is an average of 2 compared to Hellstrikes' 4.4. Statistically, they are worse unless you are shooting at very specific targets like jet bikes or battle suits.
*'''Hellfuries:''' Anti-infantry missiles that are expensive for the amount of shots you get. They haven't found their niche yet.
*'''Tactical bombs:''' Pretty cool. They are cheaper than the missile options and do some serious damage. May be a valid option on a aircraft that can hold its own without extra missile firepower.

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=====Aeronautica Imperialis=====
*'''Valkyrie:''' The original badass of the skies can hold 12 Astra Militarum Infantry; Ogryn count as 3 models. Any infantry with the Astra Militarum keyword (and Inquisitorial models with the Authority of the Inquisition trait) count. Transports can hold multiple units now, so 3 Command Squads each with 4 meltaguns for 12 meltaguns at BS 3+ in one Valkyrie? Nice! Even better, Grav-Chute Deployment allows you to put anybody it can carry 9" away from the enemy...''after'' the Valkyrie's 20" minimum move. Can you say 'turn 1 charge with ogryns?' And to top it all off it has 2 MORE wounds than a Leman Russ tank (though 1 less toughness). Cue the music!
**''Note:'' On the firepower side of things, hellstrike missiles are no longer one-use only (but you can fire only 1 per turn). In addition, the codex added the ''Roving Gunship'' rule, which adds 1 to hit rolls if you're in Hover mode. When standing still, you hit on 3s. Between the multilaser, rocket pods, and heavy bolters, that's a LOT of infantry mulching!
**''Other Note:'' The Grav-Chute deployment still only counts as a disembarkation from a transport, allowing you your normal movement afterwards with your 12 melta vets, or your 4 Bullgryn for that 3+ charge... Ogryn ''can'' fit in Valkyries.
**''Note:'' The new FAQ just stated that you now must have 1 officer per Command squad; while not game breaking, this does mean that you need 3 officers per Valkyrie 3 CC squad combo. Something to keep in mind when you start getting tight on points.
Chapter Approved 2017 hiked the price on most of the base airframes and with the ridiculous price increase on hellstrike missiles (30 points per missile now) makes most of these models very inefficient choices in terms of damage dealers. The models are still pretty great though.
*'''Aquila Lander'''
*'''Arvus Lighter (FW Index: Astra Militarum):''' This thing went from completely useless to pretty useful. It is pretty expensive at 115 points barebones, but thanks to advanced clown car physics you can somehow cram 12 models into it now (no Ogryns though). With T6 and 8 wounds it is more fragile than a chimera but it can fly and move 30"/20" when hovering. It also has the ability to regain a wound on a 6+ and has no characteristics modifiers. It can also deepstrike, so just put it behind some LoS blocking terrain and unload your flamer/melta/plasma squads on the next turn. It can also take one or two additional models in the same slot thanks to the squadron ability. It must be purely by coincidence that Forge World started producing this model again, and they were even kind enough to jack up the price a good bit.
*'''Avenger Strike Fighter (FW Index: Astra Militarum):''' The ground attack beast rocks on in 8th edition. With T7 and 14 wounds it's pretty tough and will probably stay on the table a while. Comes stock with two lascannons, an 8 shot S6 AP-2 D1 bolt cannon, and an 8" heavy stubber that rerolls hits against FLY units. The weapon upgrades now cost double but you'll also get twice the shots so it's only fair. Missiles lost their "one use only" rule so feel free to load up on anti-infantry or anti-vehicle fire power. Like the other non-hover fliers it hits on 3+, but since it always has to move you hit on your regular 4+ (still better than the Ork BS of the Valkyrie/Vendetta).
*'''Lightning Strike Fighter:''' Hard hitting little thing that brings a ton of anti-tank for a reasonable cost. The Thunderbolt is generally the more cost effective choice, with a better airframe for a marginal cost increase and comes with 2 twin autocannons instead of 1 long barreled piece of crap. The Lightning finds its niche as the cheaper option with slightly more expansive payload options. The most interesting one is loading it up with anti-tank missiles. This is assuming that leaving out one-use only is not altered in a future faq since they would go from "we could pay that" to "no way in hell are we paying that". You can fit the Lightning with anti-air (could be good) or -infantry missiles (much worse than vultures). The anti-air missiles are not much better than the anti-tank missiles at shooting aircraft (or even worse) and the anti-air missiles are A LOT worse at engaging tanks. With that said, you do get 6 anti-air missiles for only 10 points more than 4 anti-tank missiles, and they do a nice job against things like battle-suits and landspeeders. The anti-infantry version may seem tempting, but vultures do this job much better at a cheaper cost. 235 points buys you a Lightning with 4 anti-tank missiles and 245 for 6 anti-air missiles.
*'''Thunderbolt Heavy Fighter:''' The frame itself costs 5 points more than a lightning and for those 5 points you get 1 more wound and 6+ repair. Not huge additions, by any means, but quite good value for 5 points. This guy also carries more guns, 4 autocannons and two lascannons. That is 3 more autocannons than the Lightning, and since they are twin autocannons instead of a long barreled one they are far more cost effective. Has slightly more restrictive payload options than the Lightning, though the only option you miss out on is anti-infantry missiles, so no-one cares. Basically you get more effective firepower, but you need to invest more in a single model to get there. 335 points buys you the thunderbolt with 4 anti-tank missiles and 305 buys you the thunderbolt + 6 anti-air missiles.
**Against multi-wound models, the anti-tank missiles are definitely better, doing more than twice the damage per shot with 2/3 the shot volume and 8/9 the points; even after accounting for the BS3->BS4 or BS4->BS5 penalty, the anti-tank missiles are going to be better in general against whatever flyers you are trying to bring down. Against single-wound models you should be fielding a Vulture instead.
*'''Vendetta (FW Index: Astra Militarum):''' ''She's back, boys and girls!'' The premier tank-hunter of the galaxy is back, and she's ''pissed''. Carrying half a dozen lascannons and a nice, fat troop bay for 12 models (even keeping Grav-Chutes!) the Vendetta is a fine transport and gunship both. You pay a premium for her - you have to buy every one of those six lascannons - but it's worth it. God-Emperor, is it worth it. Keep in mind that Heavy Weapons impose a -1 penalty on a roll to hit if you moved, and you ''must'' move as a flyer unless in Hover mode. This means your beautiful (and expensive!) lascannons are fired with an Ork BS of 5. If you feel safe from assaults or you have already disembarked its cargo, go into Hover mode and unleash hell. Take the slap on the wrist; with the miracles it can pull in the field of transportation the lousy shooting is the only thing keeping this from being outright cheese. Alternately, keep the Vendetta as a scary bastard zipping around the board. It's expensive, but when you roll good, it's damn good. Or go Hover early, wipe something out, then zip around soaking fire for the rest of the game. Heavy bolters are fun to throw some extra dice out to keep attention on your Vendetta.
*'''Vulture (FW Index: Astra Militarum):''' Sorry, did we say the Vendetta was a fine gunship? Well, okay, it is, but ''this'' is the exemplar of the role. A Valkyrie's statline with a tasty Strafing Run rule (+1 on roll to hit if target has no <Fly>) and 4 weapon pylons, carrying rocket pods, missiles, autocannons, multilasers and tactical bombs (a special one-time use ability that's great against units with lots of models and deals mortal wounds on a 5+)... yeah, okay, fine. We know why you're here. The ''Twin Punisher Cannon'', a Heavy '''''40''''' S5 dual-minigun man-muncher that will turn anything you point this bird at into paste. Scratch the paint and make sure it's not an Ork...
**In terms of weapons, the Twin Punisher Cannon is better than every other weapon vs most units and is only worse than the Skystrike Missiles vs units that can FLY. Hunter-Killer Missiles are also almost always better, but are one use only; while Tactical Bombs are rather gimmicky. If for some reason you aren't taking the Punisher, the following loadouts are best for the following roles:
***'''Pure Anti-Tank:''' Twin Lascannon and Two Hellstrike Missiles
***'''Pure Anti-MEQ/TEQ:''' Twin Autocannon and Two Missile Pods or Four Missile Pods
***'''Pure Anti-GEQ:''' Twin Multi-Laser and Two Hellfury Missiles
***'''Mixed Anti-Tank and Anti-MEQ/TEQ:''' Twin Lascannon and Two Missile Pods
***'''Mixed Anti-Tank and Anti-GEQ:''' Twin Lascannon and Two Hellfury Missiles
***'''Mixed Anti-MEQ/TEQ and Anti-GEQ:''' Twin Autocannon and Two Hellfury Missiles or Two Missile Pods and Two Hellfury Missiles
***'''Anti-FLY:''' Take relevant loadout and swap the Hellfury/Hellstrike Missiles or Missile Pods for Skystrike Missiles.
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===Heavy Support===
*'''Death Korps Heavy Weapons Squad:''' Other than the higher WS, Krak Grenades, and Cult of Sacrifice, they're identical to the vanilla HWS - with the additional option to take heavy flamers. You might need to bring a couple along anyway though since you can't take heavy weapons in your regular infantry squads.
**Heavy Flamer teams are drastically the most cost effective way to get heavy flamers into your army, so much so that they are actually competitive with flamers (which does not usually happen, due to a heavy flamer costing more than two flamers). This gives them a radically dofferent role from what HWSs are used to, but they can be very effective when carried in a Valkyrie.
**Heavy Bolters and Twin Heavy Stubbers may compete with each other, as they both cost 8 points each, and are both direct-fire anti-infantry options. Against TEQs (T4 2+), Heavy Bolters win (0.9801 wounds on average vs 0.765 wounds on average). Against MEQs (T4 3+), either option is viable (1.485 wounds on average). Against GEQs (T3 5+), Twin Heavy Stubbers are better (3.9204 wounds on average vs 2.4948 wounds on average). Ultimately, Heavy Bolters are better against enemies with better saves, and Twin Heavy Stubbers are better against enemies with worse saves. The models for either weapon choice are very nice, so you can't lose there.
**A full squad of mortars actually costs 3 pts ''less'' than it does in the AM Codex, although sadly they don't really benefit from Krieg's doctrines
*'''Death Korps Leman Russ Mars Alpha Battle Tanks:''' Your favorite battle tank, customizable into any configuration of Russ as you see fit (though the Vanquisher Cannon comes with a heavy stubber instead of a storm bolter as its coaxial weapon), but now with the ability to trade the stock hull-mounted heavy bolter for a multi-melta or a plasma cannon. As an added bonus, its armour save becomes a 2+ against weapons of S4 or lower, so bolter shots won't even faze you. Like the other Forge World Russ variants, it too now benefits from Grinding Advance and Objective Secured (in a Spearhead Detachment).
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">The Leman Russ can be divided into two categories. The four 'Battle Tanks' (Battle, Eradicator, Exterminator, Vanquisher, Conqueror, Annihilator) have more range but less firepower than the three 'Siege Tanks' (Demolisher, Punisher, Executioner).<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
***''Battle Cannon'': Heavy D6 S8 AP-2 D1d3. The Battle Cannon has taken some big hits compared to past editions. Since losing its large blast template it only gets an average of 1.75 hits, though ''"Grinding Advance"'' buffs this to a less disappointing 3.5. MEQ now get a 5+ save, but it is now more effective against TEQ. Surprisingly the cheapest of the 4 options...and easily the best. Though it faces stiff competition from its Demolisher cousins.
***''Exterminator Autocannon'': Costs more than a Battle Cannon which would be worth it for the (very slightly) improved rate of fire, where it is ''worse''), except that its output is inferior against T4, T7, T8, anything with a 5+ or better save, and anything with 3 or more wounds.
****''Alternate Opinion'': The Exterminator really shines against units with 3+/4++ save, particularly T5 and 6. Furthermore you'll consistently put out a '''lot''' of firepower without the need of staying in range of a Tank Commander. It's not that the Exterminator is better or worse compared to the Battle Cannon, it's just designed for a different purpose. Put a lascannon, multimeltas and track guards on your Leman Russ Exterminator and for 217 points you'll have a very good, '''mobile''' all rounder unit that can react to almost everything on the battlefield. It will still deal less average damage than a battle cannon, but it will do so more reliably.
****''Continued'': As above, this is a particular gun for particular targets. In most cases you’re better off taking one of the other options, but there are cases to be made for this one. The Exterminator excels against high-toughness multi-wound monsters and elite infantry, particularly Tyranid Monsters and Ork vehicles/nobs, against whom it generally performs better against than the “burst” damage of say a battle cannon. The Exterminator’s consistent shot volume and damage seems tailored towards these units, where you’re getting 4/8 shots instead of a potential 1/2. Also consider using on CSM and SM bikers (particularly scout bikers if you know people who use them) where the -1 AP and 2D can be a nasty surprise.
***''Eradicator Nova Cannon'': Often overlooked. For 3 points more than a Battle Cannon, you lose 36" of range and only hit at S6. In exchange you ignore cover bonuses, which gets you that guarenteed -2 to Armor save. This is perhaps the most specialized of all the Leman Russ options, so only consider bringing it against targets that depend on cover saves (Space Marine Scouts with camo cloaks, Eldar Rangers, AdMech with cover canticles, Poxwalkers, Vindicare Assassins, Imperial Guard, etc). Perhaps the best at straight-up murdering GEQs in cover (wounding on 2+ with no save), its extra 12" range edging out the Demolisher Cannon in this particular niche.
***''Vanquisher Battle Cannon'': The Vanquisher, a dedicated anti-tank cannon, is proof that GW is incapable of statistics, as it performs worse against heavy armour than every Leman Russ turret except the exterminator, despite being one of the pricier options (doing 0.93 wounds to another Russ; every other variant manages at least 1 wound). Sad thing is, if GW had given it a flat 2+ to wound against vehicles or flat 2D6 damage instead of 2D6 drop the lowest, it’d perform better against most vehicles than other Russes. ''Never'' take this.
**** It is statistically worse than a Battle Cannon at -everything-. It actually costs less, thanks to Chapter Approved (20 points to the battle cannon's 22). And "never take it" in a tournament or if you're a win at all costs player. If you're playing for fun, or love the model and look more, it's entirely up to you.
**The three 'Demolisher' variants hit ''much'' harder at the expense of range; only one of them beats two feet.
***''Demolisher Cannon'': You can fit a ''man'' in that gun barrel! Statistically the best tank-buster of all Russ cannons; nearly doubles (x1.82) the cost of the Battle Cannon, but deals x1.75 the Damage against targets with enough Wounds to suffer it, on top of +2S and -1AP, making it far superior against T5 and T8 in practice. With 2 Multi-Meltas and a Lascannon on a tank, this will munch through most enemy armor, if you can bear the cost of 222 points. It gets larger dice rolls versus units of 5 models or more, letting it outpace the Battle Cannon - though using such a short-ranged and expensive weapon against anything but TEQ is a mis-allocation of resources.
***''Executioner Plasma Cannon'': A plasma cannon with nearly double the rate of fire, even before you use Grinding Advance to shoot twice and without a movement penalty, but only x1.33 the cost, and cheaper than a Battle Cannon, at the same price as a Punisher. If you fire it on Supercharge - which you should - it will outshine the Battle Cannon easily, dealing more damage to W2 models at -1AP for 9.1% (2) fewer points. That actually places this weapon in direct competition with the Demolisher Cannon, above - when Supercharged, the Demolisher's only improvement against most targets is +2S, which is of dubious utility, given that it costs 25% more and has 66.67% the range. Speaking of range keep in mind the Executioner is the longest range of the "siege tank" variants, at 36", nowhere near as good as the battle cannon, but a step up from the dangerously short range of the Demolisher and Punisher to a more middle of the road range where you can stay reasonably safe from enemy melta weapons while still laying down plasma fire.
****Real Talk: outside of penalties to hit, this will only deal 0.583... mortal wounds to you, on average. You should ''not'' be feeling scared to fire it, even without re-rolling 1s.
***''Punisher Gatling Cannon'': Tank-mounted BRRRT. Statistically, your best friend against infantry, but it lacks range and struggles against heavy stuff. With 3 heavy bolters (166 points), it can wreak impressive amounts of havoc for a single model.
****You can also combine it with lascannons, multi-meltas, and plasma cannons freely under them, for the same reason. Note that if you ''are'' moving away from heavy bolter sponsons, a lascannon is a better idea than a multi-melta for the hull weapon (especially since multi-meltas can't be taken as hull weapons), as it will outperform the multi-melta against a Land Raider even ''before'' you realize that if you've driven up next to infantry for the Punisher, good heavy targets might be farther away; likewise, the Plasma Cannons will do better if you're willing to supercharge, but without an accuracy buff like Yarrick or Guilliman along, both of whom will slow you down, that's a risky click.
***''Conqueror Battle Cannon'': Actually pretty useful now. No longer the cheaper version of the vanilla, as per the Forgeworld 1.0 FAQ, it is now TEN points MORE. The Conqueror cannon has the same statline as a regular battle cannon, just with a 48" range. The co-axial weapon is only a storm bolter though, rather than the much more logical heavy stubber, but Forgeword are bound to go derp somewhere. Actually while the Storm Bolter is shorter ranged (its max range is half the main gun's, rapid fire is 12) due to not being a heavy weapon it fires at full BS on the move, and it grants rerolls to hit with your Conqueror cannon if you fire on the same target, it doesn't even have to hit anymore. Slap a pintle mounted storm bolter on there and you'll be putting out 8 S4 shots on overwatch.
*** When you do some math you will quickly realize, that this baby is one of the best Russ variants in the game right now. Reroll every (not only failed) shots on the main gun gives you MASSIVE powerboost, almost doubling your hits. Find the path to reroll that random attack D6 roll end enjoy tearing everyting up to a land raider to pieces. Trust me, this tank gonna '''CONQUER''' your battlefield.
*** Chapter Approved has added another 12 pts to its cost. GOD DAMN IT, GW, YOU HAVE ONE JOB!.. - not sure what's going on here, but Chapter Approved lists the Conqueror as 122 points, the same as a Leman Russ Annihilator and dropping 10 points after the Forge World 1.0 FAQ. Where the additional 12 (+10) points came from, I have no idea.
***''Annihilator Twin Lascannon'': In past editions, this was indisputably the most underwhelming Leman Russ variant. However, with the changes to the twin linking rules, compounded by Grinding Advance, it’s the only Leman Russ that has increased in firepower rocking, effectively, 4 bs4 lascannons. Against another Leman Russ, this thing will put out 1.94 wounds, matching the Demolisher but with more range. Expect to see this eclipse the “anti-armor” Vanquisher, which only puts out 0.94 wounds a turn against another Russ. In an edition where vehicles tend to stick around, loaded for bear (multi-melta sponsons and a hull lascannon), this tank has the potential to take out a vehicle per shooting phase.
*** With that cool new Grinding Advance rule, this tank became our one of the best options, matching even Demolisher in sheer amount of hard hitting hatred it can bring to our enemies, even matching Demolisher in his own field, while been miles away from the fight.
*** Chapter Approved has been kind to this laser shooting behemoth, dropping his cost by 10 pts, maybe GW doesn't hate us that much...
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*'''Stygies Destroyer Tank Hunter:''' A Leman Russ chassis with no turret and a Heavy Laser Destroyer Array for a hull gun. It's not twin-linked anymore, instead acting a bit like a small blast weapon - D3 shots at a Lascannon statline, except it rolls 2d6-pick-the-highest vs vehicles on damage. Unlike any other vehicle build on the Russ chassis, it must hold still to get its full BS. Easily overshadowed by the Annihilator.
**'''Stygies Thunderer Siege Tank:''' 10 points more than a Vindicator for one additional wound and 1 lower BS...which only counts when you're standing still, because ''this'' vehicle ignores the heavy penalty. Sadly not particularly worth it due to the general nerf to blast weapons, but can be a fun distraction vehicle or tank-buster nonetheless.
**The Index FAQ deliberately avoided giving this vehicle the buff given to all Leman Russ tanks, for whatever reason, while also making it cost 40 points more than a Demolisher. Take a Demolisher.
*'''Cyclops Demolition Vehicle:''' 40k's version of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_tracked_mine Goliath], a bomb on treads controlled by remote. Magos Cawl figured out how to encrypt the controller signal, so the operator doesn't have to walk around on the field next to it, but putting it in transports disrupts the signal...so you can't drop it out of a Valkyrie anymore. In exchange, it's ''much'' faster (10" move, though advancing prevents you from setting it off) and its payload is one of the few blast weapons in 8th edition that's ''actually'' a blast - you set it off in the Shooting phase, and it hits ''everything,'' friendly and enemy, within d6" like an Earthshaker shell. Oh wait, no, it actually hits ''much harder,'' rolling a flat 2d6 for shots instead of 2d6-take-the-highest, and ''it auto-hits.'' This is the single worst thing to roll into a deathstar of characters at the center of your opponents' army - no more Look Out Sir! to slough off the pain it can bring, and every unit within the effect radius is hit the same. It's not very tough, but it's small and easily concealed behind bigger, bulkier units, and at 40 points it can be a powerful disruptor of enemy formations.
**Note that this little ball of hate explodes on a '''3+''' when killed, and that's your die to roll. You, the Guard player, with the giant pile of command points. Take a reroll, hand out some mortal wounds, and get a glass for the tears of your opponent.
** Chapter Approved has increased its cost to 60 points from 40.
*'''Malcador Tank Family (Forge World Index: Astra Militarum):''' Down(?)-graded from Lord of War to Heavy Support, the light-super-heavy tanks of the Malcador family have been smiled upon in 8th by the removal of weapon facing. This means the bizarre fixed-transfer casement the main gun sits in (and the fact that the sponsons can't train forward) no longer limits its shooting ability; also gone is the chance to break down every time it moves, apparently they finally fixed the engines on these things. The Demolisher cannons have Grinding Advance, as well. Note: The Valdor tank destroyer is still taking a Lord of War, so no spamming Neutron Lasers (not that you could spam a tank this size anyway).
**'''Malcador Heavy Tank:''' The basic Malcador is a Russ on a steroid binge - 18 wounds instead of 12 (this is standard across all Malcadors), and it can carry autocannons or lascannons in the sponsons.
**'''Malcador Annihilator:''' The Malcador's version of the Leman Russ Annihilator. Two lascannons in that weird turret and a Demolisher cannon in the hull.
**'''Malcador Defender:''' ''Now we're talkin'!'' In a remarkable display of foresight, the Defender eschews the nerfed turret weapons of its brothers for an interwar-style turret fitted with ''five'' heavy bolters. Two more on the sponson mounts make for a bullet hose to rival the Stormlord - at 21 shots, it can chew through blobs for breakfast. It also adds 1 to its overwatch hit rolls. A demolisher cannon is still present on the hull for tougher targets.
**'''Malcador Infernus:''' The Malcador's version of the...Hellhound? Apparently someone <s>saw the need</s> addressed the requirement to set entire city blocks on fire at once. This vehicle carries the Inferno Gun, which rolls 2d6 automatic hits with a strength and damage that resembles an Autocannon (with better AP). If that and the 16" range weren't enough the prometheum fuel can be swapped out for <s>Trooper Duffy's special soup recipe</s> a toxic sludge that wounds everything that isn't a vehicle on 2s, and has AP-3. It's a big pile of points and tends to violently explode, but it can be very fun to run! And if it does blow up, try to have it do so next to those heretics. It WILL hurt.
**'''Rapier Laser Destroyer Battery (Forgeworld Index: Astra Militarum):''' Got nerfed hard and went from auto-include to almost-nope. Twin-linked is gone but it still fires only one shot, so there is no chance to reroll that 4+ except CPs (or a Trojan, see above), as the Rapier can't take orders any more. Still, the gun is S12, and ''if'' the shot hits, on a roll of 3-5 it does 2D6 damage, and on a 6 it's upped to 3D6 (so you ''could'' hypothetically one-shot a Land Raider, but it is highly unlikely) - the overall expected damage roll is 6.42, slightly better than 3d3 but slightly worse than 2d6. The price got almost doubled ,to 74 points for one gun and a crew of two. The rapier has 3 wounds now, but unfortunately is only T5. Mathhammer says it will only beat out a team of lascannons (of similar cost) against 2+ models, models of T6 and below, and 3+ models of T9 and above. If you have it, save it for the ''really'' tough stuff.
'''Mobile Artillery:'''
*'''Hydra:''' The original AAA is back in action! The red-headed stepchild of the Chimera-chassis Heavy choices, this is the only one a Master of Ordnance can't help you with. The Hydra can hit ground troops on 5s and {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}} units on 3s, and with its 6 feet of '''8''' S7 AP-1 D2 shots, it's a potentially good investment even if you didn't expect {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}} from your opponent. The power comes at a price, though: 108 points after the compulsory heavy bolter, up from 75. Fliers will learn to fear it, though; it puts out enough power to statistically guarantee damage versus most aircraft. There is a bit of a cost disparity on this vehicle between points (108) and power rating (7), leading to the situation that it's better value for money under the former than the latter, as the "standard" power cost for it should be 5 or 6.
** There's a surprising number of units with '''FLY''', like jetbikes, jump troops, anything that used to be a skimmer in 7th, Monoliths, half of the Dark Eldar and Tau Army Lists... it's really quite staggering. Make sure you check the tags on your target's datasheet before opening fire, and do take a picture of your opponent's face when you inform them of this.
** This will outperform a Basilisk against its chosen targets.... but needs LOS to do it, and against anything else, it won't do so well. Since it needs LOS, and needs to remain static, it's in direct competition with your Heavy Weapons Squads; at cost, you can field 4 lascannon teams in HWSes (with 4 points left over), which will outperform it against the enemy air you were presumably worried about.
*'''Griffon Mortar Carrier:''' The Griffon Mortar Carrier occupies the niche of cheap medium artillery support compared to the other big guns available to the Guard. The Griffon Heavy Mortar has a range of 48" and strikes at S6 with AP -1 and dealing D3 damage per wound and this Mortar ignores cover saves. In previous additions, the Griffon used to have the ability to re-roll scatter, and thanks to the way the bombardment and artillery squadron rules worked meant that you could use it as spotter artillery for your bigger guns. These days however, much like its larger cousin the Basilisk, it rolls 2D6 and takes the highest to determine the number of attacks it makes. This all clocks in at a measly 78 points after purchasing the mandated Heavy Bolter, though this can be swapped out for a Heavy Flamer for extra charge defense and it can also take a pintle mounted weapon and/or Hunter-Killer Missile. Unlike the Medusa and Basilisk who's preferred targets are TeQs, MeQs and Vehicles, the Griffon is best used to rain hate on cover camping units with a 4+ save or worse, though it can also be used to hunt light vehicles and low save, multi-wound models thanks to its D3 damage. It doesn't re-roll wounds like the Wyvern, but since both mortars main targets tend to hide in cover, any time you would take a Wyvern, consider the Griffon instead. Probably not as competitive as either the Medusa or the Basilisk, but a solid artillery piece for the price. Note: Forgeworld no longer sells a model for this unit, but the conversions are super easy.
*'''Basilisk:''' Fluffy is back! The Earthshaker gun motor carriage smacks units up to twenty feet away at with the same power as a lascannon, rolling 2d6 for shot count and taking the highest and ignoring LOS - and it's down in cost too, to 108 points base (after the heavy bolter, which you can pay to upgrade to a heavy flamer if you're an idiot). Better against vehicles than troops, because its multi-wound power is wasted against infantry, but powerful and long-ranged for its points nonetheless. The Basilisk is brutal and very point-efficient, with the only problem being the Guard's BS of 4+ (and there's a stratagem for that). Welcome in any list. It is also "Webstore exclusive" - what a funny coincidence. There is a bit of a cost disparity on this vehicle between points (108) and power rating (7), leading to the situation that it's better value for money under the former than the latter, as the "standard" power cost for it should be 5 or 6.
**Keep in mind that it is just a T6 vehicle so use the ignore LOS ability or see it explode.
*'''Armageddon Pattern Medusa:''' Your only mobile source of the Medusa Siege gun.
This one is an odd little box. What you get is a vehicle that wounds like a Manticore (S10) and is just as tough (T7), ignores armor like a basilisk (AP3) and has a similar point value (111), has the wounds and armor of a Leman Russ (12W and 3+save) but can fire without line of sight. So far so good. However, you trade all this for the lack of ability to fire after moving without a penalty to hit (and have a poor range of 36 inches), the lack of T8 to survive plasma and anti-tank firepower that is usually S7 and above, and worst of all, you score less hits than a basilisk, Manticore or most Leman Russes with grinding advance with your single D6.
*'''Colossus Bombard:''' ''Finally'' gaining the toughness of the Leman Russ chassis it's mounted on, the Colossus still ignores cover, though that doesn't do as much now. Downside, it costs as much as a Leman Russ, too. The mortar itself has gotten a HUGE range increase (In fact this might be a typo - ''240 inches''), and hits like a Heavy Mortar with slightly better AP. It fires twice as many shots, too. All in all, it's a damn fine artillery piece.
'''Static Artillery:'''
*'''Heavy Mortar Battery:''' The Heavy Mortar hits like a midway between a normal mortar and the Earthshaker Cannon. Unfortunately it takes after the latter in price - 72 points for a 3-man team and the gun carriage. Potentially viable if you've got the models, but nothing special.
*'''Heavy Quad Launcher Battery:''' Also known as the Thudd Gun. Invented by [[squats|a race of abhumans]] whose worlds were lost to the Tyranids sometime in the mid-M40s (it's not clear) and much beloved by Kriegers, 8th Edition's Thudd Gun behaves like a Wyvern's quad-gun, without the rerolls to wound (perhaps it doesn't use airburst ammunition?). It's also only 10 points cheaper as a Wyvern, sans the heavy bolter the latter gets with its Chimera mobile platform.
*'''Earthshaker Carriage Battery (Forge World Index: Astra Militarum):''' The Earthshaker Cannon mounted on a Krieg-style wheeled gun carriage. Unlike the above, the crew is separate, and thus can defend the gun in melee. You get 4 crewmen a gun, which essentially means a full battery comes with a free Infantry Squad. ''And'' they can take orders, though re-rolling 1s won't work the miracles that ignoring all cover saves once did. With a slightly-lower-damage version of the lascannon's gun profile and an average of 2.24 hits to a lascannon team's 1.5 for a marginal increase in cost, it's more point-efficient than a lascannon team for tank-busting, and thanks to the high shot count and lasgun-armed crew, better at fighting crowds, too. Not bad.
** Forget about it. Chapter Approved has killed it to death. Now base cost for this poor boy without legs (tracks) is 105 + 16 points for 4 crewman. Stick with a vanilla Basilisk, that costs only 108 points and still can move, while also having a heavy bolter. I would still recommend running it simply for fluffy reasons and that the model looks amazing.
*'''Medusa Carriage Battery (Forge World Index: Astra Militarum):''' The Medusa Siege Gun returns, mounted on a wheeled gun carriage. Got a few buffs - the standard siege shells are ballistic, and may be fired out of line-of-sight now, while the still-direct-fire Bastion-Breaker shells may be used without losing the ability to fire standard shots. The 36" range may chafe on an immobile platform, though.
**The Bastion-Breacher shells can deal some serious damage to fortifications, but at the cost of no longer being able to fire indirectly.

===Lords of War===
Forge World, with its unbridled fetish for treads, guns, and engines, has provided the Guard with the largest selection of Lords of War in the game, bar none. You can't take Titans in here anymore, but you could be forgiven for not noticing. The overwhelming majority of these are tracked vehicles of one variant or another, and most of them have the Steel Behemoth rule, allowing the vehicle in question to shoot and charge normally if it's fallen back that turn, fire heavy weapons with no penalties to hit, fire twin heavy flamers or twin heavy bolters into melee combat as if they were pistols, and fire the larger guns normally even if there are enemies within 1" (but not at those same enemies). Who said the conventional army fighting spooky paranormal activity was being screwed? Here's the hint: That daemon is not
*You won't be able to use Regimental Doctrines for these in a Superheavy Auxiliary Detachment, which means that in order to pull off this level of cheese, you would need to take a Superheavy Detachment or Supreme Command Detachment of the same {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}} (no plopping in Guilliman in order to achieve this). In other words, if you want a Lord of War that benefits from a Doctrine you'll need to either take several Lords of War, all with the same {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}} keyword, or a bunch of extra HQs (you could take Yarrick or some Lord Commissars, though). Still, the Imperial Guard is perhaps one of the few armies that can pull this off without too much of a HQ tax since ours tend to be cheap. As of the new Codex, Primaris Psykers as HQ, and Techpriests and regular priests as Elites count towards this HQ quota (and you'll want a techpriest anyway if you are bringing a member of the Baneblade family) without disrupting your regimental doctrine.
<div style="margin-left: 1em;>

*'''Minotaur Artillery Tank (Forge World):''' One of the two variants of the Malcador chassis that retains the Lord of War title...though you could be forgiven for not noticing, since it's had two Earthshaker cannons mounted on it. ''Backwards.'' Simultaneously the coolest thing on treads and an ungodly abortion only Hereteks could love. Has two heavy bolters mounted on it...somewhere. As a side effect of mashing two Basilisks together it gains Steel Behemoth and a 5+ Invulnerable save against shooting attacks (which is copy-pasted from the Gorgon's entry, because the two are such similar machines...bravo, Forge World). The durability comes at a cost: for the firepower of two Basilisks, it's almost as expensive as three.
*'''Gorgon Heavy Transporter (Forge World):''' Want to haul an entire platoon of Korpsmen? Here's how. With an unmatched-anywhere transport capacity of '''50''' models, the Gorgon can move more men safely than anything else. The Gorgon Mortar is no longer one-shot, too, letting this vehicle function as a pseudo-Land Raider...until you realize you're transporting 4 point models in a Lord of War, and they can't shoot out of it.
**Don't view the Gorgon as a mobile dakka vehicle like the Stormlord. View the Gorgon as a mass transporter to move your Korpsmen into rapid fire range.
** Want to use monster? Well too bad. Forgeworld no longer makes the kit, and is difficult to find on the secondhand market. So good luck.
*'''Macharius Family (Forge World:''' the middle child of the super heavy tanks, the Macharius series starts to wield titan-sized guns, while the non-tank variants of the chassis bring to the field some of the largest transport capacities in the game.
**'''Macharius Heavy Tank:''' Suffers from a lot of the problems that the Leman Russ suffers from. It has the potential to deal a lot of damage, but like the Leman Russ battle cannon, the likelihood of it actually doing anything isn't that high. If you really have your heart set on this tank, consider the Macharius Vanquisher as an alternative.
**'''Macharius Omega:''' Its plasma blastgun is pretty amazing, especially if you can keep it still. Only 1 mortal wound per to-hit roll of 1 on the supercharged firing mode, and even if you play it safe, each shot is still doing as much damage as a normal supercharged plasma gun shot, but with much better range. Consider this if facing big squads of MEQ... now, if only FW still made the model for it.
**'''Macharius Vanquisher:''' Two Vanquisher shots are better than one, and if all else fails, you can fire this as a slightly less potent version of the twin battle cannon that the Macharius Heavy Tank has, making this a more versatile choice. It's still nothing to write home about in the grand scheme of things, but at least you get two shots for the Vanquisher cannon instead of 1.
**'''Macharius Vulcan:''' The Vulcan Mega Bolter retains the ability to spin up to maximum speed if the tank hasn't moved, doubling its rate of fire to 30. On a S6 AP-2 gun, that's some SERIOUS pain. With 15 hits on average, you'll be mowing down entire GEQ squads with an average of 12.5 wounds per shooting phase. This is a nice tank to have up your sleeve when that Ork player floods the board with Boyz.
*'''Baneblade Family:''' The galaxy's premier super-heavy tank has been lucky this edition, with almost-universal reductions in points, retention of fire points, ''amazing'' toughness, and the addition of the Steel Behemoth rule. The Steel Behemoth rule is especially powerful on Baneblades; Versus targets ''in'' melee it may fire its twin heavy flamers and twin heavy bolters like pistols, targeting foes within 1" - this makes a fully-armed Baneblade variant one of the ''meanest models in the game'' in close quarters, dealing out an average of '''31''' hits, at S5 AP-1 - and that's before it uses its adamantium tracks, which swing at s9 ap-2 for d3 damage up to 9 times. And those flamers hit on overwatch, too. All variants have a twin heavy bolter on the hull, and may take up to 4 sponsons, each with a lascannon and a twin heavy flamer/twin heavy bolter.
**The choice between twin heavy bolters and twin heavy flamers on your sponsons is a tricky one. The bolters deliver a lower average hit count (3 instead of 7) but are ''much'' cheaper and have more than four times the range of the flamers. If you're thinking of getting in close and can spare the points, a giant tank that's more painful to fight in melee than a ''bloodthirster'' versus most targets can be a lot of fun (and it's even more dangerous in conjunction with the Crush Them! Stratagem to give it WS 2+ and a boosted charge range), but if you plan on hanging back (and have a Trojan around), save yourself the points.
**Codex changes, several members of the Baneblade family have seen a reduction in points cost of up to 40 to their hulls, their main weapons have all been buffed to do an extra D6 shots (e.g. if it fired D6 it now fired 2d6, if it fired 2d6 it now fires 3d6) with the exception that the Stormlord is still a flat 20 and Shadowsword went from 1d6 to 3d3. This has resulted in some changes to power cost though; Baneblade -2, Banehammer 0, Banesword +1, Stormlord -1, Stormsword +1, Shadowsword -1, Doomhammer +1.
**As with all superheavies, carefully assess if your needs would be better met with 2-3 of the smaller versions (in this case Russes). Firepower, board control, damage control, ease of support, and vulnerability to burst damage need to be considered when comparing.
**'''Baneblade:''' First of the turreted variants (though with the removal of facing that's not as relevant anymore), the original Baneblade packs the mighty Baneblade Cannon, a dual-linked heavy bolter, an autocannon, and a hull Demolisher Cannon. Oldies but goldies.
**'''Shadowsword:''' Arguably the most famous aside from the Baneblade itself, the 'Titan-Killer' mounts the incredibly powerful Volcano cannon, still capable of one-shotting Land Raiders even in an edition rife with tough vehicles and monsters with an impressive Strength of '''16'''. Versus {{W40Kkeyword|Titanic}} units it gets +1 to hit with everything and the Volcano Cannon re-rolls wounds. Very little can hope to survive a duel with this beast.
***The Volcano Cannon is 120" Heavy 3d3 S16 AP-5 D2d6, re-rolling wounds against {{W40Kkeyword|Titanic}}, so on average it is 120" Heavy 6 S16 AP-5 D7 - the highest damage*rate of fire gun this line can field, so high it even accounts for lacking a Demolisher Cannon when attacking low-model units. On average, one shot from this gun will kill a fellow Baneblade variant with 1.22 wounds to spare, or a Land Raider with 1.5 wounds to spare. However, it won't kill a Knight in one shot, on average dealing 18.15 wounds - enough to cripple all the way, usually, but you'll want the lascannon sponsons to finish the job.
***Alternatively, give shadowsword-senpai some minions! A Salamander Command Vehicle and a Trojan Support Vehicle can beef up the Volcano Cannon's firepower considerably, taking its average hit count from 3 to 5.33 - which makes for ''23.5'' wounds after damage rolls and the knight's invulnerable save. This means you can finish the job with the hull bolters, and sponsons with lascannons will make the kill a virtual certainty. You will need to take it in a Supreme Command detachment to assign your Shadowsword to a regiment, which means 3 HQs, but you were going to take those Primaris Psykers and Lord Commissars already, right?
***Funny little update in the FAQ; if you so desire, you can now nix the Lascannons off of your weapons sponsons and just take the Twin Heavy Bolters to represent the Forge World Shadowsword model. A bit weird, but it is a cost saving measure if you're really trying to fine tune your points.
**'''Arkurian Pattern Stormblade:''' One of the few variants without a twin heavy bolter stock, this one comes with a plain heavy bolter instead, as well as a plasma blastgun. The Plasma Blastgun's 2d6 MEQ-vaporizing blasts will wipe out any infantry near it. Supercharging it boosts its range from 72" to 96" and boosts the shots' strength and damage by 1, but as always you'll want something nearby to ensure that it doesn't risk damaging itself in the process.
***The Plasma Blastgun is 72" Heavy 2D6 S8 AP-3 D2 or 96" Heavy 2D6 S9 AP-3 D3, 1 mortal wound per 1 rolled to hit, which averages to 72" Heavy 7 S8 AP-3 D2 or 96" Heavy 7 S9 AP-3 D3 and take 1.17 mortal wounds, which would still be underwhelming even if it didn't inflict the mortal wounds, largely because this is a Forge World gun that didn't get up-gunned, so the Codex variants are deeply superior.
**'''Stormsword:''' Formerly one of the cheapest variants (though still a list-buster at 390 points ''before its weapons),'' the Stormsword carries the Stormsword Siege Cannon, a massive gun that ignores cover and all but the strongest armor to boot. Lead the charge and smash the foe. Lost a lot of its thriftyness with the Shadowsword, Banehammer, and Banesword now matching it in price.
***The Stormsword Siege Cannon is 36" Heavy 4H2d6 S10 AP-4 D1d6r1, Ignores Cover, or on average, 36" Heavy 9.34 S10 AP-4 D3.92. Its relatively shabby gun is only comparable to guns carried by cousins with transport capacities and firing decks, so you probably want to shop around the other choices before settling for this one.

==Death Korps of Krieg Tactics==

*Deathriders are perhaps the single greatest edge you have over any other IG regiment, Rough Riders simply cannot compare (although they do make excellent tank hunters).
Use '''Flanking Maneuvers''' to put up to ''50'' horses in your opponent's backfield for every Deathrider Command Squad in your army. An all Deathrider army is perfectly feasible and highly competitive, though it works best when supported by a horde of infantry and mortar artillery.
*Combat Engineers' ''Carcass Shot'' and Acid Grenades make splinter rifles look tame by comparison. If your Engineers get locked in melee (and with a 12" threat range it's going to happen) fall back 6", '''Get Back In the Fight!", and then use the ''Grenadiers'' stratagem to lob ''10'' Acid Grenades at your opponent.
**Your Engineers will need a transport, either a Centaur if you're running them in MSU or a Chimera for a full squad and a Field Officer.
*Kriegers are practically fearless thanks to '''Cult of Sacrifice''' which makes them immune to morale tests caused by shooting. Put Marshal Karis Venner in range of a regimental standard - he becomes LD10...and so does every infantry/cavalry model within 12" of him. This makes '''Consolidate Squads''' not such a terrible idea as morale tests are irrelevant if you're fighting a shooty opponent (Tau, IG, etc).
*Krieg is perhaps the best IG regiment when it comes to melee (other than Catachans). You are also one of the toughest - ultra-high LD + '''Cult of Sacrifice''', Storm Chimeras, Deathriders, and (relatively) cheap infantry hordes mean Kriegers are surprisingly hard to table even against horde-optimized armies.
*Krieg excels in games with heavy terrain like few other armies. Deathriders aren't impeded by charging through cover while mortar artillery ignores cover saves completely. And Combat Engineers are even in better in Cities of Death where they can benefit from '''Fire In the Hole'''.

</div></div>

{{Warhammer_40k_Tactics}}

Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Death Korps of Krieg(8E)

2018-08-08T23:34:52Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* Officio Prefectus */

{{delete|Unnecessary, can be completely merged with the Imperial Guard tactics page.}}
This is the [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics(8E)|current Edition's]] Death Korps of Krieg tactics. [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard(8E)|General Imperial Guard tactics can be found here.]]

==Why Play the Death Korps of Krieg==
If you love WWI and 40k, then you'll love the [[Death_Korps_of_Krieg|Death Korps of Krieg]]. They love trenches, attrition warfare, and everything that the Western Front had to offer. They don't waver when their mates drop dead, in fact, they get happier. Collectively, they want to martyr themselves as a messed up way of saying "sorry" to [[God-Emperor_of_Mankind|The Emperor]]. All in all, they are badasses who shell their enemies into a pulp, then mow down the survivors with hordes of infantry and armour.

On the tabletop, the Death Korps can be played like a normal Imperial Guard army, just with a few unit restrictions, an immunity to casualties taken in the shooting phase, and are strong in close quarters, be that melee, or short-range gunfights.

===Pros===
*Versatile and strong vehicles.
*Sgts who can actually take lasguns AND have BS3+ - apparently the DKOK are ''more reasonable'' than every other regiment (although odds are you still probably want the chainsword as well)
*You have numerous advantages over standard IG - infantry that are immune to morale tests caused by shooting (which is especially useful in a shooty meta) and have WS3+, which means you are almost impossible to budge off objectives. You also have access to unique units like Combat Engineers, Grenadiers, Deathriders, and various flavors of artillery.
*DKOK Field Officers are the cheapest HQ choice available to IG, bar none, and unlike normal JO's they don't consume a valuable Elites slot.
*Deathriders are possibly the ''best'' assault unit available to IG, short of Bullgryns, and put Rough Riders to shame. Hell, they put even ''Death Company'' to shame.
*Although legit models cost an arm and a leg recast DKOK are very easy to find online (and amusingly are sometimes higher quality casts than Forgeworld, with less bubbles, warping, flash, etc. YMMV). Thanks China.
*DKOK make excellent visual stand-ins for Armageddon Steel Legion, or vice-versa. Which is great because one of your only sources of re-rolling 1's is Yarrick.
*Hordes of infantry that can be buffed with force multipliers such as Commissars, Astropaths, Priests, and all Commanders.
*Dirt cheap troops means you can laugh off the loss of cheap guardsmen whereas an elite army cannot.
*The removal of platoons means you can get rid of some minor taxes. A little bit of points go a long way.
*Laughably easy to amass command points in a brigade detachment or multiple battalions due to dirt cheap units.
*The new Strength/Toughness and AP mechanics tend to favor hordes, as does the removal of templates. Your opponent won't get more than 6 hits from a flamer or heavy flamer, you actually get a save against both, and that heavy flamer only wounds your boys on 3s.
*You're the best ally army in the Imperium, bar none. It doesn't matter if you're bringing Space Marines, Sisters, AdMech, or [[Brood Brothers|Genestealers]]: you open more doors for more armies than any other army in the game, whether with long-ranged fire support, cheap bodies, or badass flyers.
*Let's state the obvious: Guard is by far one of the strongest armies in the game right now, right up there with Marines, Tyranids, and Death Guard. All those Eldar, Tau, and Necron players who cheesed their way through easy victories with Decurion detachments, Wraithknight spam, and markerlights are crying crocodile tears about how tricky Guard is to counter this edition. You're not invincible, but you are ''very'' point-efficient, and have probably the highest heavy-and-special weapon density in the game; there is almost no unnecessary purchase between you and your big killy guns.
* You have arguably one of the best looking armies in the game, and with awesome fluff to go with it.

===Cons===
*Overall flimsy infantry. What you have in numbers you do not have in resilience; your most common model statline is toughness 3 with a 5+ save. Still some of the toughest models point-for-point, but it practically forces you to buy in bulk.
*DKOK lose access to FRFSRF and Take-Aim, arguably the most useful orders available to IG, and their replacements (Duty unto Death, Without Mercy) are seriously underwhelming.
*Your standard infantry are slightly more expensive than vanilla IG, and can't take heavy weapons. Granted, you can still bring 100 models for only 500 pts. Amusingly the implication seems to be that the DKOK's lives are actually valued just a little bit ''more'' than a standard Guardsman.
*Comparatively weak in assault. S3 with 1 attack each is not doing you any favor, even though you hit on 3+. Close combat can still work, but shooting is preferable. Our Infantry squads are still better in assault than Battle Sisters, Guardians Defenders, Termagants or even Tactical Marines point for point. That's before Priests, Fix Bayonets, and regimental standard shenanigans. But squads caught in melee alone will fail anyway because...
*Individual units are weak without support from characters and other squads. Synergy is key.
*Anti-infantry weapons will destroy your hordes in short order.
*Anti-tank weapons will destroy your tanks in short order.
**Now stop and think about those above three points. Together, they constitute a major challenge when understood in tandem. Enemies can reap bounteous rewards through good target selection against the IG, and it can be tricky to find ways to deny their efforts. Take a typical mixed-unit army, some infantry and some tanks. There will be times when the enemy can pull off a highly effective attack, pointing their dakka at your infantry and their blasta at your tanks. Some units may have to be sacrificed to an effective enemy - let's say a unit of Centaurs against enemy melta fire - if it means guarding a more important yet similarly vulnerable target - your Leman Russes - until you can wheel a more effective counter unit into place - disposable infantry squads. You can only anticipate so much! The standard wisdom when designing an army is to aim for a uniform defensive approach between units, to prevent easy target practice for the enemy. But the IG are very dependent on synergy, so taking an all-infantry or all tank army is also quite risky! Whether it's a mixed army that demands carefully positioning and tough sacrifices, all-infantry that runs the risk of weak output or all-tank brigades that struggle to shoot fast enough, you've always got a catch when constructing your wall of shooty death.
*Playing Imperial Guard can be tedious. Whether its literally counting out ''hundreds'' of dice for shooting (bring bags, and expect to lose some) or spending more than half an hour just deploying your army (movement trays, learn to love them). Fortunately your turns will go by faster once you start piling up casualties.
*Although your units are cheap in points, they're not that cheap in cash, ''especially'' since the Death Korps are a [[Forge_World|Forge World]] exclusive army..
*You're not GW's [[Space Marines|favorite children]], so not only are new models for your army very rare, but your infantry models are mostly outdated as fuck and are rarely in stock. Just thank the Emperor that you don't have to buy pewter models for everything like Sisters players do. (PLASTIC SISTERS COMING OUT B*TCH! YEEAAHH!)
*Unless you keep everything in transports or a tank squad list (and maybe if you're playing against Orks), you're less likely to get the first turn by getting all of your units deployed first since during the roll-off the player who finished deploying first gets +1 to their roll (this is assuming you're using the new deployment method outlined in the Chapter Approved book and confirmed by GW, if you're using the old one you will rarely go first). Plan your strategy accordingly. Of course, you can get away with going tank and transport heavy better than most armies can.
*A fair few Forge World options have been removed from the site, so you'll need to either kitbash, or do some lurking online for them.

==Important Rules References==
Games Workshop has been lax about propagating errata to their errata page, so FAQ links are included below. Current as of May 15, 2018.

*'''Index: Forces of the Astra Militarum''' is your go-to. It has all the main rules for the Death Korps of Krieg and many of the units you can take.
**The FAQ is [https://whc-cdn.games-workshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/imperial_armour_index_forces_of_the_astra_militarum-1.pdf here].
*'''Codex: Astra Militarum''' is your go-to for some options of your list..
**The FAQ is [https://whc-cdn.games-workshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/warhammer_40000_astra_militarum_en-1.pdf here].
*'''The Big FAQ''' contains some point changes that are relevant for the Death Korps. You can find it [https://whc-cdn.games-workshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/warhammer_40000_The_Big_FAQ_1_2018_en.pdf here].

==Special Rules==
<div style="margin-left: 1em;>
*'''Defenders of Humanity:''' [[Awesome|Leman Russes in a Spearhead Detachment]], and all Astra Militarum troop choices, have Objective Secured in 8th edition.
*'''Cult of Sacrifice:''' When taking Morale tests, ignore casualties inflicted in the Shooting phase. This applies to all Infantry units listed above, not just the Death Korps exclusive ones. This rule helps mitigate the punishing effects of morale, which is both fluffy and reduces their dependency on Ld-boosting aura effects.
**Note that this is casualties inflicted in the ''Shooting Phase'' not ''By Shooting''. So DKoK ignore casualties inflicted by Gets Hot!, which is good for Plasma and Carcass spam.
*Death Korps can take laspistols, hotshot laspistols, hotshot lasguns, dual hotshot laspistols, dual laspistols, and dual bolt pistols as ranged weapons, heavy flamers, twin heavy stubbers, and the normal selection of heavy weapons as heavy weapons, and chainswords as melee weapons. They cannot take sniper rifles as special weapons however.

==Warlord Traits==
Unfortunately, you can't take any Regiment-specific Warlord Traits, because you're not a part of that regiment. You can however, have an {{W40Kkeyword|Officio Prefectus}} character as your Warlord, such as Yarrick, or a Lord Commissar.

#'''Grand Strategist:''' Re-roll one failed hit, wound, or save per battle. More importantly, every time you spend a command point, get it back on a 5+. Quite powerful when you have an easy time making Brigades and other armies (SM) bring Vanguard. ''Beat the Smurfs at their own game!''.
#*While the CP is gained on a 5+ (aka 1/3), <u>that same CP you just got back can be regained yet again on a further roll of 5+</u> when it is spent. Since spent CP can be recovered once again after spending, if you spend your entire pool, recover as much as possible, spend it all, etc, the net impact is multiplying your pool by 1.5, not the 1.33 a naive approach would assume.
#*Note that Kurov's Aquila gives you a third of what your enemy spends, so the net effect of combining the two is that you have 1.5*(your starting CP + 1/3 of enemy's CP) - Kurov's will give you more the more your enemy spends, and this will give you more the more you spend.
#'''Old Grudges:''' At the start of the game, choose an enemy unit. All {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} ''units'' within 6" of your warlord re-roll failed wounds against that unit.
#*Better than "Bring it Down!" and affecting multiple units, but against a single enemy unit you have to pick up front. Powerful when nominating Magnus or models providing buffs, but Guilliman and anyone smaller can hide from anything more dangerous than a Ratling, unless you nominate a key element of your enemy's strategy instead, like a deathstar squad or their transport.
#'''Implacable Determination:''' When the warlord and one friendly unit within 3" of them advance, both add 6" to their move instead of rolling.
#*Note the lack of keywords on this one - you can use this to accelerate any friendly. At its most extreme, if you've been allied to Tyranids via Genestealer Cults, this will work on both a GSC unit or a Tyranids unit.
#'''Draconian Disciplinarian:''' Re-roll failed Morale checks for friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum Infantry}} within 6" of the Warlord. ''Technically better than a Commissar, rerolling for free instead of at the cost of 1 execution''.
#*If applied to an actual Commissar, Summary Execution takes precedence. If the Summary Execution re-roll is also failed, d3 models are slain but the test is considered passed.
#'''Bellowing Voice:''' Increase all data sheet ability ranges of the Warlord by 3 inches, aka 9" orders (which ''won't'' stack with a Vox-caster) or 9" Commissar auras of Discipline and Summary Execution. ''Remember named characters, Masters of Ordnance and Officers of the Fleet can't get this WT in the first place''.
#'''Master of Command:''' Gain the Voice of Command Rule. If you already have it or Tank Orders, issue one extra order ''instead'' (Tank Commanders don't get infantry orders).
#*No longer an issue for Yarrick or Lord Commissars. The FAQ says {{W40Kkeyword|Commissar}}s can issue the basic orders to ''any'' {{W40Kkeyword|<regiment> infantry}} units, regardless of regiment, still unclear on what happens if you give this trait to ministorum priests, enginseers, psykers, etc. This is more special if you have multiple detachments, as Company Commanders may order units only from their own Regiment. So it's not only putting your orders in more baskets, but it carries fewer restrictions (although the Warlord won't have a Regiment-exclusive order). Remember, the {{W40Kkeyword|Commissar}} still won't have a {{W40Kkeyword|<regiment>}}, so they won't be able to order themselves.

==Orders==
The Death Korps of Krieg has a different roster of Orders compared to standard guard and can order {{W40Kkeyword|Cavalry}} as well as {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}}.
===Infantry Orders===
*'''Re-roll Orders''': Death Korps lose Take Aim! and thus only have Bring it down! as a Re-roll Order. However, except in the case of Gets Hot!, Bring it down! has the same effect as Take Aim!
**'''Bring it down!''': Ordered unit re-rolls to-wound rolls of 1 until the end of the phase.
*'''Movement Orders''': Same as standard Guard. Death Korps are mostly footsloggers, so a fluffy army will find these more useful.
**'''Forwards, for the Emperor!''': Ordered unit can shoot, even if it advanced in the movement phase.
**'''Get back in the fight!''': Ordered unit can shoot, even if it fell back in its movement phase.
**'''Move! Move! Move!''': Ordered unit must move as if it were in the movement phase, and it must advance and cannot charge.
*'''Special Orders''': Death Korps lose First Rank fire! Second Rank fire! and gain the orders Duty Unto Death! and Without Mercy!
**'''Without Mercy!''': Lasguns and Hot-shot Lasguns become Pistol 2. While lacking in the sheer number of shots FRFSRF can bring out, it can be quite effective at surprising a melee-happy opponent when your gunline can keep on shooting even in close combat.
***This is basically your equivalent of FRFSRF, and unless you're under 12", actually gives the same firepower - no range change so you get 24" Pistol 2.
***However, because you still have access to Get back in the Fight!, overall you're usually ''worse'' with these weapons than stock Guard - FRFSRF+GBITF together solve most problems as well as or better than Without Mercy + GBITF. This order is primarily useful on Objectives, where you dare not Fall Back or you'll cease to contest.
**'''Fix Bayonets!''': May only be issued to units within 1" of an enemy unit. Ordered unit may immediately fight as if it were in the fight phase.
***This is more useful for Death Korps, as it can be given to their superior dedicated melee units, namely Death Riders.
**'''Duty Unto Death!''': Any INFANTRY or CAVALRY model in the affected unit slain in the Fight phase makes one last attack. Helps to wring out one last bit of usefulness from a unit that's losing a melee fight.
***Compared to Fix Bayonets! this is useless, as Fix Bayonets! lets '''all''' of a unit's models fight twice with their full attacks, not just slain models fight with one attack, so it is mainly only useful with the laurels of command.
When using death riders, Duty Unto death is the only way to get extra attacks with the lances. Fix Bayonets can not be used the same turn you charge (shooting is before charging and thus you are not within 1"). Duty Unto death *can* give some extra attacks if some death riders are killed. Otherwise stick to the other orders.
===Tank Orders===
*'''Gunners, Kill on Sight!:''' This gives your Leman Russes the ability to re-roll hits of 1. Pretty useful for an overcharging Executioner's main turret, or plasma cannons if your tank didn't move. This order is the one you will likely be using the most, as it increases your accuracy.
*'''Full Throttle!:''' This is simply the Tank Order version of "Move! Move! Move!", and is identical in every other respect. ''Did you ever expect a Russ to move 27", outrunning Eldar skimmers?''.
*'''Strike and Shroud! (Tank Order):''' Allows the ordered Russ to both fire its weapons (including Grinding advance) and protect itself with its smoke launchers, as if it had two shooting phases. You can use this rule to get into a shooting position (you can see the enemy but it can see you too) and cripple the enemy while you survive the return fire. Smoke launchers are One Use, and so is this rule.

==Psychic Powers==
Guard Psykers are drawn from the {{W40kKeyword|Scholastica Psykana}}, and thus don't have a regiment; however they're the only {{W40Kkeyword|Psykers}} with the {{W40kKeyword|Astra Militarum}} keyword, so if you want regiments, doctrines, and all that good jazz without adding another detachment, you're limited to the '''Psykana''' discipline. Fortunately for you, it's really good! The rules breakdown is [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Psychic 101(8e)|here]], but here's some tactical commentary.
*'''Offensive Powers'''
**'''Terrifying Visions (WC 7):''' One of the hardest powers to channel, with only a 58.33% base chance of success. This, combined with the fact that most of the units you'll cast it on - those with high points-per-model where Battleshock is most painful - are high leadership, have ways around it, or can just deny your powers to begin with, makes it highly situational, and while it's not ''useless,'' it's probably the least useful power in the discipline.
***Before the IG Codex, it was the time of mixed Imperium armies. But multiple small detachments are still a thing, and -2Ld is less situational when you stack it: '''Sicaran Infiltrators''' can combine their own -1Ld aura with {{W40kKeyword|Metallica}}'s -1Ld Stratagem, and appear wherever you need them to. 120pts & -1CP for an Auxiliary Detachment, or 212pts for a Patrol and the cheap HQ Enginseer can repair your vehicles too. '''Reivers''' also have -1Ld and may deepstrike, and {{W40kKeyword|Black Templar}} reroll charges (233-268pts for a Patrol with Jump Pack Lieutenand and Scouts), not to mention SM in general have powerful melee infantry to begin with (plus the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant for another -1Ld). 6 Maul Bullgryn cost 252pts, so ''it's not unreasonable''. What we're saying is -2Ld is situational, ''but -4Ld not so much'' and you still have Crusaders, Bullgryn, Death Riders and disposable Korpsmen, boosted by Priests, Yarrick and Commissars. -4Ld renders expensive & resilient Plague marines as cowardly as Conscripts, but without a Commissar to "motivate" them. <u>IG is & Imperium all about coordination</u>, don't you restrict it.
**'''Gaze of the Emperor (WC 6):''' With a 72.22% base chance of success and no save of any kind aside from a deny roll, this is also a TEQ-buster. It's model-count-dependent, so it's lousy against Characters, but it can wreck small units of high points-per-model troops, or densely packed blobs of cheaper models. Aim carefully - friendly fire is ''on'' - and beware the random range!
**'''Psychic Maelstrom (WC 7):''' The other hard one to channel, but a ''hell'' of a lot more powerful. This can target Characters, and it's probably best used in this fashion; you've got a really solid chance of scoring at least one mortal wound if you pull it off. As-is, there's no way to add to the roll to wound, but the rule is future-proofed for it; if you do find a way, this power can become a ''lot'' stronger. Save a Command Re-Roll for this one - by re-rolling the lowest of two dice you can get it off about 84% of the time.
*'''Defensive Powers'''
**'''Psychic Barrier (WC 6):''' Channels relatively reliably and ''only'' benefits {{W40kKeyword|Astra Militarum}} units, for some reason. Best against poor AP attacks. The flat bonus to saves can make certain units ''stupidly'' durable; suggestions include Bullgryns, Korpsmen, Crusaders, and anything in the Baneblade family - it affects Invulnerable saves, too! Going from 3+ to 2+ outright halves wounds taken, before AP. Make sure to cast it on a unit that the enemy can't ignore so they don't just target something else. Good for Scions, since it protects against both ranged and melee. Stack it with '''Nightshroud''' on a Baneblade and make your opponent weep salt-water crocodile tears. One of the best powers on the list, right there with...
**'''Nightshroud (WC 6):''' A new power added with the Codex, this is essentially a psychic smokescreen; all ranged hit rolls made towards the targeted unit (which, again, must be {{W40kKeyword|Astra Militarum}}) subtract 1. Best against low accuracy shooting, think Gaunts and humans. Psychic Barrier is better in about 70% of the circumstances you'd be using this, but by RAW it can cause enemy Plasma gunners to blow themselves up, and ''completely'' negates '6+ to hit' effects like Necron Tesla weapons. It also stacks with Night Fighting and similar rules. More importantly, the two powers ''stack.'' Get two psykers and pick a unit you need to stick around, as [[Duncan Rhodes|two thin psychic layers are better than a thick one]]. Don't waste it on something the enemy can afford to ignore, though.
**'''Mental Fortitude (WC 4):''' AKA'' 'I'm'' the Commissar now!' This will go off more than nine times out of ten and makes the unit in question ''immune to morale''. You don't even have to execute anyone! It's not an AoE, and it's {{W40kKeyword|Astra Militarum}} only, but it can be a nice ability if the enemy is debuffing your units' Leadership, as Commissars will run the risk of executing people simply to fail the morale test anyway. Limited far more by the Psychic Focus rule in matched play - you only get one.

==Tactical Objectives==
;11 - Overkill
: 1 VP if a {{W40Kkeyword|ASTRA MILITARUM VEHICLE}} destroyed an enemy unit this turn, d3 VP if the vehicle in question was {{W40Kkeyword|TITANIC}}.
;12 - Regimental Pride
: 1 VP if you slew an enemy {{W40Kkeyword|CHARACTER}} with an attack made by one of your {{W40Kkeyword|<REGIMENT>}} {{W40Kkeyword|CHARACTER}}s this turn. Good luck with that, you're going to need it.
;13 - Chain of Command
: 1 VP if you issued 3-5 different orders or tank orders this turn, which goes up to d3 VP if you gave 6 or more orders or tank orders.
;14 - Troops on the Ground
: Score d3 VP if you control 3-5 objectives with {{W40Kkeyword|INFANTRY}} units. If you hold all 6 objectives with {{W40Kkeyword|INFANTRY}}, it becomes d3+3 VP.
;15 - Hammer of the Emperor
: 1 VP if you destroy an enemy unit that was controlling an objective at the start of the turn.
;16 - Death from Afar
: 1 VP if an enemy unit wholly within their deployment zone at the start of the turn was destroyed by a unit wholly within your own deployment zone this turn.

==Stratagems==
Each new Codex grants its faction new Stratagems.
Remember that some of these are irrelevant for the Death Korps, as they affect units that cannot be used for by your army, which sucks. These stratagems will stay here because you can ''technically'' use them, but it's a waste of CP.

*'''Aerial Spotter (2 CP):''' Use at the start of the shooting phase. A Wyvern or Basilisk can re-roll failed hit rolls in this phase.
*'''Consolidate Squads (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem at the end of your movement phase. Select two {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry Squads}} (the unit named "Infantry Squad", nor just any {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} units) within 2" of each other sharing the same {{W40Kkeyword|<Regiment>}}, and they combine to form one big unit. Who didn't see this coming? Allows you to sort-of recapture the blob guard armies of yore and use less orders, but it'll now cost you valuable command points. Still nothing an extra Battalion Detachment can't fix, though. Also a good option to 'save' orphaned special and heavy weapons by adding them to less mauled squads.
**The Stratagem doesn't have an explicit rule against combining a squad with a squad that's already been combined with this Stratagem, so ''in theory'' you could keep on consolidating them so long you have the CP...although you'll need 5 game turns to surpass 50 models when accounting for casualties. It does help if you're bent on having every single Guardsman listen to orders at all time; every Platoon Commander costs ''half an infantry squad'' after all. As casualties diminish each individual squad, your orders affect less and less models but this Stratagem fixes that problem just as the Munitorum pastes understrength Regiments together. Besides Orders, the primary benefit of this is that the defensive Psychic Powers (see below) get to protect more dudes, and that the other buffs you might have (again, see below) spread to more men.

*Alternative view point: there also is another benefit to do so defense stance for you heavy weapon teams. First, you need a lot more guys before even getting to their heavy weapon teams. Second, and more importantly, with a flamer in each infantry squad, for your adversary is lot more risky to charge 20ish guys with two 2 flamers, or 30ish guys with 3 flamers. It's a risky procedure that endangers you greatly in the shooting phase, but can be an unsuspecting tactical advantage if you desire to remove the enemy spotlight from your most sensible units. Aside from this, it's still best used sparingly.

*With the nerf to Summary Execution this strategem has gone from the only way to get big blobs of dudes like in 7th edition to a ''trap.'' If you combine units, you spend CP to make a unit that is ''more'' vulnerable to battleshock losses, not less (only in the Fight Phase) they can't be respawned anymore, either. The only thing you get out of this is order efficiency - which you can get by taking more officers, who are cheap - and Psychic Barrier/Nightshroud efficiency - which you can get with more psykers, who are ''also'' cheap. Of course this isn't really an issue since you're {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}}, but it still renders the unit a bigger target, thus increasing the efficiency of enemy fire - five men is a juicy opportunity, while one man is a waste of ammo. The only real reason to use it now is to keep a Watchmaster with a Power Weapon alive so he can keep hacking at the enemy.
**Combine a squad that advanced into another squad that didn't. Order, shoot, and assault with the whole bunch as if they didn't advance.
*'''Crush them! (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem at the start of the charge phase. A Vehicle may charge, even if it has advanced this turn. In addition, all attacks made by the vehicle will hit on a 2+. Remember how the Baneblade family has 9 powerful melee attacks that are reduced in effectiveness by WS 5+? This will fix that in an instant and make sure that even dedicated melee units won't want to get into its newly boosted charging range.
*'''Defensive Gunners (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem when a charge is declared against one of your vehicles. When it fires Overwatch for the rest of the phase, it hits on a roll of 5 or 6. Vehicle formations can serve as a literal [[Mordian Iron Guard|wall of iron]] in front of your infantry, as the enemy won't be able to slip through them without declaring multiple charges. And you thought charging a Leman Russ with heavy flamers was already a risky proposition.
*'''Fight to the Death (1 CP):''' Any Imperial Guard unit can take a morale test on 1d3 instead of 1d6. You've got plenty of morale improving abilities already, but it's cheap and could be useful in an emergency. Now that commissars got the nerf this one got a lot more useful. You might want to use this stratagem if you’re using infantry or vets and need them to survive morale, and don’t have anything else to buff leadership nearby. It’ll help them survive losing 3-5 guys at once much more easily.
*'''Fire on my position! (3 CP):''' Use when the last model is slain from an Astra Militarum unit equipped with a vox-caster, before removing it from the table; for each unit within 3", on a 4+ that unit suffers 1d3 mortal wounds. Note, specifies ''unit with a vox-caster'', not model (you use it when the unit dies, not the specific model with the caster), and if several models all die together, you can choose which is the last to be removed from the table, to maximize the potential victims of this stratagem.
**Hits all nearby units, friend or foe, but only up to once per unit, so a waste of CP against a single blob, but excellent if a bunch of MSUs have melee'd you to death.
*'''Go! Recon! (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem at the beginning of your shooting phase; select a unit of Scout Sentinels. They immediately move 2d6", but cannot shoot or charge this turn. Useful for getting a Scout sentinel to an unguarded objective or out of trouble, but only applies to one unit, and can't be applied to an Armoured Sentinel; sacrificing a turn of shooting makes it extremely situational, and it doesn't even benefit a unit with a chainsaw blade, as they can't charge, either.
**Note that, although you can't Charge, you are still allowed to use this move to move within 1" of a enemy unit and thus fight in the Fight Phase, due to the fact that the prohibition on moving with 1" of an enemy model is only in effect during the '''movement''' phase. Do note that this is likely RAW instead of RAI, and thus may be FAQed.
*'''Grenadiers (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem before an {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum Infantry}} unit either shoots or fires overwatch. Up to ten models in the unit armed with grenades may throw their grenades this phase instead of only one- basically the AM rip-off of the Death Guard grenade stratagem.
**This can be ''a powerful tool for any regiment in Overwatch'' on a roll of 3 or more. Beware gimped charge range against squishy distant enemies.
**Extra powerful in Cities of Death, where grenades both reroll all failed wounds and get the maximum possible amount of hits. That's 60 for ten models.
**Can also give Scions squads a nasty bite. Krak grenades will do a better job versus tanks than a hot-shot lasgun. 6 of them can supplement the squad's special weapons nicely, especially since scions are out of order range a lot more often.
*'''Jury Rigging (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem at the start of your turn. Select a AM Vehicle in your army, that vehicle can't move, charge or pile in this turn but immediately heals 1 wound. Good for giving that little push into a better health bracket if an Enginseer isn't around (or it wasn't enough), and you can still shoot with the targeted vehicle.
*'''Imperial Commander's Armoury (1/3 CP):''' One use only. Use "before the battle" and you may take 1 additional relic for 1 CP, or two additional relics for 3 CP; all relics must be different and given to different characters.
**"Before the battle" means, suprisingly, ''"before the battle"''. Use it to get the Dagger of Outflank before deployment? It works. The Grand Strategist WT needs the Warlord to be already on the field (which won't happen until the deployment phase) to refund your CP, so that ''won't'' work. But enemy Kurov's Aquilas do work, since they only need to be written in the enemy's roster, not any "while this Warlord is ''on'' the battlefield" limitation. ''You spend CP and gain extra toys before the battle, simple as that''.
*'''Inspired Tactics (1 CP):''' An officer can issue 1 more order. You can only bring so many Platoon and Tank Commanders, after all, and not everybody is Creed, Pask or Kell.
*'''Mobile Command Vehicle (1 CP):''' Use at the start of a turn; pick a Chimera, and until the end of the turn, an embarked officer may issue orders to units outside the vehicle, measuring range from the vehicle. He is also treated as having access to a Vox. Sadly it now costs CP to use Chimeras as the Command Vehicles they were...but under threat of enemy snipers, this Stratagem may be worth its CP. Unfortunately specifies Chimera only, so no Stormlord or Macharius command vehicles for you.
*'''Opening Bombardment (2 CP):''' One use only. After deployment but before the first battle round, each enemy unit on the battlefield suffers a mortal wound on a 1d6 roll of 6+. Like '''Fire on my position''', this can be useful against MSU, but less so if they hid themselves inside transports.
*'''Officio Prefectus Command Tank (2 CP):''' Commissar Tank! Pick a Leman Russ at the start of the first round, before the first turn - it gives all Astra Militarum units within 6" of it Ld9 for the rest of the game. It also lacks the Summary Execution rule while granting a superior LD buff, so you should always consider taking this stratagem over a regular Commissar. ''"Drive me closer, I want to hit them with my sword!"''
*'''Take Cover! (1 CP):''' Use this stratagem in your opponents shooting phase if they target one of your Infantry units. That unit immediately adds 1 to their saving throws (including invulnerable saves!) until the end of the phase.
*'''Vengeance for Cadia! (1 CP):''' Any Imperial Guard unit can re-roll failed hits and wounds versus {{W40Kkeyword|Chaos}}. Scary, this can turn even basic Infantry into a major threat against Daemons and Heretics, especially if you combine it with FRFSRF since it surpasses both "Take Aim!" and "Bring it Down!" effects (supercharge that Plasma). It goes without saying Consolidated squads use it better than lone Infantry ones, but keep in mind it affects {{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}}s too. From the humble Sentinel to the mighty Manticore and Baneblade, the Stratagem's effects are far more powerful than its cheap cost would suggest.
*'''Vortex Missile (3 CP):''' ''Nuclear launch detected'', for when targets require not so much strategy as a "fuck you". Use this stratagem when you ''get to'' fire a Deathstrike missile (pay after rolling the 8, before resolving the shot). You can re-roll all failed to-hit rolls with the weapon, and add 1 to the roll made to determine if nearby units within 6" of the target unit are hit (so a 3+, rather than a 4+). If a model is wounded but not slain by the attack, roll an additional die, on a 6 it suffers 1d6 additional mortal wounds. Makes the missile go from 5.25 mortal wounds dealt on the target + 1 to each nearby to 8.46 + 1.72 per each nearby, but the amount of variance is ''very'' high, and that assumes you're shooting a parking lot, as single-wound models won't trigger the stratagem's extra mortal wounds.

==Wargear==
<div style="margin-left: 1em;>
===Ranged Weapons===
*'''Laspistol:''' A lasgun Pistol. More of a placeholder than anything else, but it's free. Still find the points to get the bolt version.
*'''Lasgun:''' Your trusty flashlight hasn't changed. What changed is the way strength rolls against wounds, allowing it to wound T5 on a 5+, and T7+ is no longer immune to them.
*'''Bolt Pistol:''' 1pt for a real pistol. Only advantage over the boltgun is that it can be fired in close combat.
*'''Boltgun:''' 1pt allows your Watchmaster/Character to actually contribute to a firefight instead of merely looking cool.
*'''Hot-shot Laspistol:''' What says on the tin, but only 6" range means you may not even get to shoot it before a charge. Karis Venner has one, to balance out his sheer power in buffing your dudes.
*'''Hot-shot Lasgun:''' Still sacrifices 6" of range for AP-2, but as the AP system itself changed this bad boy is ever so slightly worse at MEQ hunting now. Its short 18" range also makes it unable to rapid fire right after an Aerial Drop.
**edit:This only applies to deepstriking units, so the most useful use of these can be achieved with a transport, in particular our good old friend Valkyries which can take a Commander to boot, just remember that if they don't die next turn, your guys will.
*'''Plasma Pistol:''' An actual officer's weapon. Plasma can now be fired safely at S7 AP-3 to deal with infantry, and can be supercharged to S8 and D2 to deal with heavy infantry and even vehicles. However, a Gets Hot now outright slays the shooter, so reserve overcharges for your disposable Watchmasters instead. ''No longer overcosted at 5pts'', so it's actually worth considering now.

===Special Weapons===
*'''Flamer:''' A bit different in 8E. Templates are gone, so flamers do 1d6 Str4 autohits from 8" range. Thus, they may hit even single models several times and your flamers will never be out of position...but your enemy may bunch 20 gaunts together and you'll still only hit 3.5 on average. Due to its rate of fire being random regardless of the number of enemies, range so short it cannot be used right after an outflank and ''no longer ignoring cover'' while also lacking any AP whatsoever, you cannot depend on this weapon alone to beat hordes like it used to. Still, being an assault weapon that always hits, there's no penalty for advancing and firing, especially for Special Weapon Squads. It's also pretty useful insurance against charges as it always auto-hits during Overwatch and cautious opponents will position their charges at least 9" away to ignore its 8" range (making it statistically likely that they'll simply ''fail'' their charge to begin with).
*'''Grenade Launcher:''' Not bad, but there are better things available. Krak grenades in particular took a big hit, with insufficient AP and Str. Furthermore, there is no more rear AV10 to target anymore. Frag grenades average 3.5 lasgun shots, make of it what you will.
*'''Meltagun:''' Good against ''anything with lots of wounds'', not just vehicles. 12" Assault allows it to be fired even if you ran. S8 AP-4 D1d6 makes it more powerful than supercharged plasma yet safe. Damage doesn't spill, so it's more efficient against singular huge targets of any kind. If you manage to get to 6" for melta range, the average Damage goes from 3.5 to 4.47, making it more reliable. However, it is expensive: 12 points for regular guardsmen and 17 for anyone with BS of 3+ or better. On a model with 3+ BS, the meltagun within half range has a slight advantage in terms of average damage dealt per point over a supercharged plasma gun in rapid firing range, but you have to be close to reap the maximum potential of metlaguns. The choice between plasma and melta should be based on what you want your infantry units to be doing. If your dudes are going to be sitting in a static gunline, plasma is probably a better choice. If you are getting your men close (preferably via a transport or Valkyrie) melta can be the better option.
*'''Plasma Gun:''' See the Plasma Pistol, but in Rapid Fire. A bit less powerful than in 7E due to the new mechanics, but it can be fired safe so it's ok. You only need to supercharge against [[Grey Knights|mean]] [[Tyranids|bastards]], but against mean [[Chaos|bastards]], you ''need'' to supercharge. Curiously, it's about half as cheap for models with BS4+ (7pts) as it is for BS3+ models like Veterans and Scions (13pts). Given that you have a variety of ways to re-roll 1's ('''"Hero of Hades Hive"''', etc.) casualties from supercharging can be easily minimized.
**Given it has the same 24" range and Rapid Fire profile as Boltguns and Lasguns, Plasma Guns are the default special weapon choice in most squads. Remember, it is only 7 points on BS4+ models. Point for point, plasma is the most efficient weapon for regular guardsmen at engaging tough targets. As for BS 3+ units (vets, Scions, etc.), there is room for debate between plasma and melta. The question should always be: "what is this unit going to be doing?"

===Melee Weapons===
Most of these are specific to one unit. The ones that aren't are listed below, and may be taken by sergeants and most characters. As of newer codex, Power Axe and Power Maul are no longer available options in Imperial Guard Armory, but you can simply field them using their Index entries. However, none of them will make you ''great'' at melee. Almost everything that can take something here gives up a chainsword to do so, although normal Commissars do not.

*'''Chainsword:''' Some credit must be given to the old standby. In addition to being free, it gives an extra attack with it. This is why Watchmasters should give all of the other options here a complete miss, unless maybe they have a priest.
*'''Power Axe:''' S+1 AP-2 looks good on paper, and it is, the only problem being it's 5 points instead of 4. But then again, so what? Generally the best option for killing T3, and not bad against T4, it's the take-all-comers option.
*'''Power Fist:''' Sx2 AP-3, but forces a -1 to hit on the model using it. Korpsmen don't feel the impact of the downsides too much, given their 3+ WS. While expensive, it's cheaper than it was in the Index, and as a result, almost everything that can take this will see the best results from it.
*'''Power Maul:''' At S+2 AP-1, this is the best choice if you're fielding a Lord Commissar but want to keep him cheap - it'll outperform the sword for the same cost.
*'''Power Sword:''' At SUser AP-3 and 4 points, just not good enough for the S3 models that can mostly take this - and the S4 models prefer the Fist. You should generally avoid this unless you're looking for a budget choice, or you like the look of swords.

</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em;>

===Heavy Weapons===
*'''Mortar:''' 48" Heavy D6 S4 AP0 D1, and may fire indirectly. At 8 points a gun team, it's a dirt cheap light and medium infantry muncher. Because of the revision to the way AP works it's in direct competition with the Heavy Bolter; this ALSO means it's in ''in''direct competition with your ''entire motor pool.'' Consider this when the challenge of fitting half a dozen kits' worth of mortar tubes into your list is a daunting prospect.
*'''Heavy Bolter:''' 36" Heavy 3 S5 AP-1 D1. It's still standard on every vehicle in your motor pool, and it's better than the Autocannon against T5 and less, but especially 4 and 2 where it hits 50% harder. It's gone ''way'' down in price (8 points), so the choice is a ''choice'' now, but it's still one of the weaker options.
*'''Autocannon:''' 48" Heavy 2 S7 AP-1 D2. The 'Pom-Pom' is the all-rounder choice for heavy weapons. Its two S7 AP-1 D2 shots don't particularly excel against any one kind of target. The heavy bolter is generally the superior choice against infantry much like the lascannon is the go to for anything with high toughness and multi wound. The autocannon does, however, act as an the intermediate between those two. Because Guard has access to cheap platforms for weapons, it may be better to specialize your units. However, having autocannons can let your bolters focus on the infantry, your lascannons focus on the big guys so you aren't wasting those two on the intermediate targets like MEQs and Sentinels as well as 2-wound units like some Eldar Jetbikes, Nobz, etc.
*'''Missile Launcher:''' 48" Heavy D6 S4 AP0 D1 or 48" Heavy 1 S8 AP-2 D1d6. Still the Jack of All Trades, still the Master of None. Lost the option for a flak missile (though you don't really need it, as fliers can be hit on 5s by guardsmen now, and 4s by Veterans and Scions) but kept the cost; at 20 points it's tied with the Lascannon for most expensive heavy weapon. Compared to Autocannons, it is better against the hordiest and heaviest units such as Guardsmen or tanks, but the auto cannon has a slight edge against MEQ, a decent edge against T5 and T6 MEQ and TEQ, and kicks ass against almost anything with 2 wounds, especially with light or medium armor like Nobz or Rough Riders (as neither frag nor krak missiles are fully effective against such models). While some armies you'll play against have a hard time fielding T8 units where you won't feel the decreased strength from the lascannon. With the Big FAQ that came out in April of 2018, the potential for limits of a single datasheet could be imposed which would restrict the number of heavy weapon teams one could take potentially making it harder to specialize units en masse making more versatile options more appealing. This and the possibility of facing few T8 units, however, is situational and by no means a sure thing. Lascannons still have superior strength and AP for the same cost and mortars do the same thing as frag missiles for one quarter the cost. You're playing Guard and your platforms for heavy weapons are cheap. It is often better to specialize units which makes the missile launcher less appealing. Some units may be better served having versatility though. The Avenger for example comes stock with purpose built AT (lascannons) and GEQ-eating (Avenger bolt cannon) weapons so having additional versatile weapons may not be a bad choice. Like everything else in Guard however, you need to ask yourself what you want your unit to be doing and give them the best loadout for that one job.
*'''Lascannon:''' 48" Heavy 1 S9 AP-3 D1d6. The ever-reliable Imperial tank-buster. The improved strength over Missile Launchers is critical, as most tanks are T8, meaning krak missiles wound on 4s while the Lascannon wounds on 3s. The extra AP doesn't hurt, either; carapace armor is ignored entirely, and Land Raiders have to roll with a 5+. It's the same price as last edition, at 20 points, but the D6 damage lets it threaten heavy units, and it can now be used to snipe heavy infantry in cover.
*'''Heavy Flamer:''' 8" Heavy 1d6 S5 AP-1 D1. Can only be taken by Grenadier Squads and Vehicles. This almost strictly better than a Flamer, with the only downside that it can't advance and fire and it is more expensive.
*'''Twin Heavy Stubber:''' 36" Heavy 6 S4 AP0 D1. As it ties with the Heavy Bolter against MEQs and beats the Mortar against GEQs, take it unless you are low on anti TEQ. Models look quality too.
</div>

===Vehicle Weapons===
There are many weapons that are only available on vehicles, and other weapons that are also available to infantry have different tactics when mounted. (note, this list is currently incomplete)

*'''Multi-Melta:''' 24" Heavy 1 S8 AP-4 D1d6. If you're within 12" of the target you roll 2D6 for damage and take the highest. Leman Russ Demolishers can find some use out of this to brawl with enemy heavy vehicles and monsters, although they'll take a penalty for firing on the move. Cost is unchanged from 7th, at the same 20 point cost as a missile launcher or lascannon, but because it's so difficult to get it into range for the increased damage, particularly without incurring a -1 penalty to hit, and due to how AP works in 8E, you're usually better off with a lascannon against T8 (or incredibly rare T9) targets; the Multi-Melta remains far superior against <-T7 with 3+ or better saves, but the big issue remains getting into range - lighter vehicles like that are faster, and you don't want to be fighting infantry hordes with either weapon - and it's not like you can rely on your opponent leaving his T8 at home. Plus, Multi-Meltas are hurt ''far'' more by invuln saves than lascannons are. Your more reliable anti-tank choice is always going to be the lascannon, for the same cost.
*'''Plasma Cannon:''' 36" Heavy D3 S7 AP-3 D1 or S8 AP-3 D2 Gets Hot. ''Someone found the manual!'' If a korpsman overcharges it, it gets the more powerful statline, but a 1 on the hit roll kills you. Yes, that's correct - no armor save, you're just ''dead.'' The ones on Leman Russ sponsons have special vents to survive this, taking only a single mortal wound per 1 rolled. Cost is unchanged from 7th, though when buying just one, you only pay for one. Careful firing on the move or against Tyranids with venomthropes; those -1 to-hit modifiers now make it much more likely to roll that 1, at least until GW regains its sanity and makes it only a natural one.
**When fired on normal mode, this is equal to or worse than an autocannon against everything in the game with 2 or more wounds, but often better against 1-wound targets, since the improved AP helps, while the difference in Damage doesn't matter. In overcharged mode, it completely puts the autocannon to shame - but even with re-rolling 1s to hit, you run a 5.45% chance every time you fire it of slaying the wielder, and the wielders you don't mind losing - heavy weapons teams - can't carry it. That's a whopping 29.78% chance to lose the wielder without the buff, incidentally. On top of all this, its ''only'' advantage over a plasma gun is range - its average rate of fire is the same as a plasma gun within rapid fire range, and a plasma gun can be carried by a Moving wielder without penalty, while costing ''less than half'' of what a plasma cannon does. By and large, avoid this weapon if you can.

*'''Leman Russ Main Guns'''
**'''Battle Cannon:''' The main gun of your standard Leman Russ. With the new rules of firing twice when moving at half speed with no penalty, the amount of fire this cannon can unleash is terrifying. Take aim at anything GEQ or MEQ, and this gun can level squads of 5-10 with ease, don't waste it on large swarms or blobs. Against T5-T7 multi-wound models, it can easily down a dreadnought, or if you feel lucky, can put a surprisingly decent smack on some T8 models with the right stratagem and a group of tank commanders (looking at you Pask). The Battle Cannon is very much a generalist weapon able to do most battlefield roles but will lose out to more specialized weapons. The main downsides are the variable damage, as you are relying on RNG against low multi-wound models whom you'll either kill outright or scratch them to death in a nonstop battle of attrition, and that it struggles against invulnerable saves which negate the cannon's AP advantage.
**'''Exterminator Autocannon:''' Costs more than the Battle Cannon, which would be worth it for the (very slightly) improved rate of fire, except that its output is inferior against T4, T7, T8, anything with a 5+ or better save, and anything without exactly 2 wounds.
**'''Eradicator Nova Cannon: ''' Often overlooked. For 3 points ''more'' than a Battle Cannon, you lose 36" of range and only hit at S6. In exchange you ignore cover bonuses, which would have been negated anyway by the Battle Cannon's AP-2. This is perhaps the most specialized of all the Leman Russ options, so only consider bringing it against targets that depend on cover saves (Space Marine Scouts with camo cloaks, Eldar Rangers, AdMech with cover canticles, Poxwalkers, Vindicare Assassins, ''Imperial Guard'', etc). Perhaps the best at straight-up ''murdering'' GEQs in cover (wounding on 2+ with no save), its extra 12" range edging out the Demolisher Cannon.
**'''Vanquisher Battle Cannon''': The Vanquisher, a dedicated anti-tank cannon, is proof that GW is incapable of statistics, as it performs worse against heavy armour than every Leman Russ turret except the exterminator, despite being one of the pricier options (doing 0.93 wounds to another Russ; every other variant manages at least 1 wound). Sad thing is, if GW had given it a flat 2+ to wound against vehicles or flat 2D6 damage instead of 2D6 drop the lowest, it’d perform better against most vehicles than other Russes. ''Never'' take this.
**'''Demolisher Cannon''': Statistically the best tank-buster of all Russ cannons, and easily the most powerful (and expensive) of all the Leman Russ options at 40 pts, the Demolisher is S10 AP-3 dealing '''D6''' damage. Against units with 5 or more models the Demolisher Cannon jumps from Heavy D3 to Heavy D6. The caveat? It has the same range as a lasgun, a 24" bubble of pure unadulterated fucking murder. If you have to choose it's best taken on a Leman Russ rather than a Baneblade/Hellhammer (which won't benefit from '''"Grinding Advance"''').
**'''Executioner Plasma Cannon''': A plasma cannon with nearly double the rate of fire even before you use Grinding Advance to shoot twice and without a movement penalty, but only x1.33 the cost, and cheaper than a Battle Cannon, at the same price as a Punisher. If you fire it on Supercharge - which you should - it will outshine the Battle Cannon easily, dealing more damage to W2 models at -1AP for 9.1% (2) fewer points. That actually places this weapon in direct competition with the Demolisher Cannon, above - when Supercharged, the Demolisher's only improvement against most targets is +2S, which is of dubious utility, given that it costs 25% more and has 66.67% the range.
**'''Punisher Gatling Cannon''': Tank-mounted BRRRT. Statistically, your best friend against infantry, but it lacks range and struggles against heavy stuff. However, consider grinding advance. While the range is short if you give this vehicle track guards and maybe use full throttle on it the turn before it can easily be in range to do 40 S5 shots while maintaining a 29" threat range (24" plus half move) even until it only has 1 wound remaining. Getting scary yet? Remember that tank commander who ordered it to use full throttle? Now give it kill on sight to reroll 1s with all those shots. Virtually no INFANTRY units in the game can withstand that level of firepower. Additionally, because of the way AP works in 8e the sheer volume of fire can do decent damage against targets that might not immediately come to mind when thinking about a minigun on steroids. This is particularly true if you can get a punisher to hit more that 50% of the time... Looking at YOU Pask!
**'''Annihilator Twin Lascannon''': You know it, you love it. The same cost as a Demolisher Cannon that trades the flexibility against infantry for a reliable number of shots and twice the range. More exciting then most other army's version due to Grinding Advance and Tank Orders, amongst other things.
**'''Conqueror Battle Cannon''': A Battle Cannon with 2' less range that costs more. However, the gun itself is not important; it's the Co-axial Storm Bolter that is the real selling point here. When shooting the main gun at the same target as the Co-axial, you may reroll any and all hits made with the cannon. This makes the Conqueror one of the most potent and flexible Russ variants this addition, enough to make you ask yourself when trying to select which gun to bring 'Why SHOULDN'T I take a Conqueror?' Just keep in mind your Storm Bolter's range is half your cannon's, so you gotta get up close and personal to make the most of this; still though, you'll be performing identically to the battle cannon from 24-48", and significantly better inside of 24".
*'''Earthshaker:''' The Earthshaker smacks units up to '''240"''' away at with the same power as a lascannon, rolling 2D6 for shot count and taking the highest while ignoring LOS. It performs better against vehicles than troops, because its multi-wound power is wasted against infantry. Unless you're playing on a 20 ft board (or at a table across the room) the range on an Earthshaker is pure overkill.
*'''Neutron Laser Projector:''' a cannon that hits plenty hard, fires more than one shot and gets damage rerolls vs vehicles (who also take a -1 shooting penalty if the shot damages them)
*'''Macharius Vulcan Mega-Bolter''' unlike the stormlord variant, it retains the ability to spin up to maximum speed if the tank hasn't moved, doubling its rate of fire to 30 compared to the stormlord's 20. On a S6 AP-2 gun, that's some SERIOUS pain.

===Vehicle Equipment===
All of your non-Forge World vehicles on ''treads'' that isn't a Baneblade variant (i.e. not a Lord of War) has access to this list.

*'''Augur Array:''' The vehicle may re-roll one hit die per game, at a cost of 10 points; with the vast array of other possible sources of re-rolls, this upgrade should be rejected out of hand. Perhaps the most useless thing in the entire book.
*'''Dozer Blade:''' Adds one to melee hit rolls when charging. Not bad ''per se'', at 5 points, for that rare situation where you want to charge with a Leman Russ (finishing off MCs, for instance). Can be combined with Crush Them! if you're trying to hit something giving you a penalty to hit, and has some synergy with Straken's aura. Or if you just want your tanks to look cool.
** Actually crush them just forces a +2 to hit regardless of modifiers, probably not worth it considering how many CP you'll have.
*'''Hunter-Killer Missile:''' This is a missile launcher with only the Krak profile that can only shoot once per game, at slightly more than 1/4 the points (i.e. 6). Not bad on Pask or a Tank Commander for a little extra punch on turn 1.
*Pintle Weapon; '''one''' of:
**'''Heavy Stubber:''' 4 points for 36" Heavy 3 S4 AP0 D1 is a bit more to think about it; you can't move and shoot it without being at Ork BS, ''and'' it's twice the cost of the Storm Bolter, while ''fewer'' shots out to 12" (relevant for e.g. Overwatch). Synergizes with the Stormlord which already comes stock with 2x Heavy Stubbers, while costing less than 1% of the tank itself.
**'''Storm Bolter:''' 2 points for 24" Rapid Fire 2 S4 AP0 D1. A perfectly respectable option on just about everything, and particularly useful in Overwatch.
*'''Track Guards:''' Easily the most useful of all the vehicle upgrades. Makes the vehicle ignore the damage table in respect to degraded movement range. This one does actually make sense to take as it will keep your vehicles agile even when they're on their last wound. As far as upgrades go 10 points is an investment - put it on a Hellhound and laugh as your opponent fails to escape its auto-hitting cleansing flames even when its down to 1 wound! Also useful on Leman Russes and short-range tanks like Demolisher and Eradicators.

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===Other Wargear===
**'''Platoon Standard''': Can be carried by either normal Infantry Squads or Command Squads, and gives all {{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps}} units within 6" of a unit with a model in it with one of these may add 1 to its Leadership when taking a Morale test.
**'''Regimental Standard''': Carried by Command Squads, all friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps}} units within 6" of a ''model'' with one of these may add 1 to its Leadership and attacks.
*Command and Infantry Squads, Engineers, and Grenadiers:
**'''Vox-Caster:''' This machine is the beating heart of the Orders system. It's greatly simplified from previous editions; if an Officer is within 3" of a model with a Vox, and the target squad also has a Vox (and is of the same {{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps}}), the range of the order is ''tripled'' to 18". The important thing to note here is that it means your Officers can improvise their command structure a lot more - ''any'' Vox can send, and ''any'' Vox can receive, as long as the Officer and target squad share regiments. It is entirely legal - and fluffy - for your Field Officer, his assigned Vox operator having been killed, to run to a nearby squad of Grenadiers and commandeer their Vox Operator to continue sending orders! This also means you don't need to rely on flimsy four-man Command Squads for your Officers to send orders out.
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===Heirlooms of Conquest===
Relics return in the new Codex. Like Warlord Traits, the regiment-specific ones really are regiment-specific, so custom regiments can only use the Universal list, but once again, this list contains the best options anyway, ''Kurov's Aquila'' and ''The Laurels of Command''.
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*'''The Blade of Conquest:''' Replaces a Power Sword. At S+2 AP-4 D1d3 it's better than a Relic blade...but if you want one why not take an actual Relic Blade on a SM? But if you're bent on demonstrating mortal hands are worthy of this [[Lord Solar Macharius|Macharian blade]], a Marshal, or Lord Commissar, could make something out of it, especially when supported by the usual retinue of Ogryn Bodyguard, Priest, [[Commissar Yarrick]], Bullgryn and Crusaders. The Guard may be a shooty army, but mortals can still fight the good fight with blade, boot and bodies. Plus the sword is only 4pts, ''try having some fun''.
*'''The Dagger of Tu'Sakh:''' {{W40kKeyword|INFANTRY officers}} only, per the FAQ. During deployment you can set up the bearer and one {{W40kKeyword|INFANTRY}} unit of the same Regiment (if the bearer has one) in ambush behind enemy lines. At the end of any of your movement phases these units may launch their attack. Set them up within 3" of each other, more than 6" from any battlefield edge, and more than 9" away from enemy units. ''Surprise Special weapons are always welcome, especially when they're a part of a bigger plan instead of just them.''
*'''The Deathmask of Ollanius:''' {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} only; the bearer has a 4++, and once per game, at the start of your turn, can heal 1d3.
**An Ogryn Bodyguard with a Slabshield will now have a 2++ (Bullgryn Plate optional) to only ever worry about snipers fishing for 6s and the Mortal Wounds he'll get from doing bodyguard duty...risks that are both diminished by it suddenly healing 1d3W, helping the overwhelmed Quartermaster.
*'''The Emperor's Benediction:''' Replaces a Commissar's or Lord Commissar's Bolt Pistol, giving it +2 shots, -1AP, and +1D. While it can also target {{W40Kkeyword|Character}}s like a 12" sniper, it can't do so when the bearer is within 1" of the enemy, unlike the very similar {{W40Kkeyword|Imperial Fists}} Spartean relic Bolt Pistol. Still, better than a Plasma Pistol.
*'''Kurov's Aquila:''' {{W40Kkeyword|Officer}}s only (now including Tank Commanders!). Every time your opponent uses a stratagem, roll 1d6, and on a 5+, you gain ''one'' Command Point. Which you may regain once you use them yourself with the '''Grand Strategist''' WT, allowing you to farm more CP out of the already high amount you'll have. Damn solid relic. ''Punish Ultrasmurfs for their recycling command points!''
*'''The Laurels of Command:''' One of the better relics too! {{W40Kkeyword|Officer}}s with Voice of Command. When the bearer issues an order to a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps}} unit within 6" of them, roll a die; on a 4+, the bearer can immediately issue them another order, which does not count against the orderer's maximum, ''and can trigger Laurels again''. Also the only way in the game to stack multiple orders on one unit, though the bonus orders can't be the same as the first (so no, you can't use Fix Bayonets like 10 times if you keep making the roll).
**{{W40Kkeyword|Death Korps of Krieg}} caught in melee wouldn't fall back because of their better WS: turn your Lasguns into pistols with '''"Without Mercy"''', but then go directly to '''"Fix Bayonets"'''. {{W40Kkeyword|Death Riders}} should instead '''"Fix Bayonets"''' and then '''"Duty onto Death"'''.
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==Units==
===HQ===
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*'''Death Korps Marshal:''' The equivalent of a Company Commander doesn't come stock with a chainsword (but can take one for free, so he might as well) or shotgun, but he does come with a Krak Grenade and a higher armor save. Additionally, the Momento Mori he can buy forces all weapons that normally roll for damage to treat the roll as a 1, giving him a bit more staying power than normal.
**'''Marshal Karis Venner:''' Your named Character for the Death Korps, he comes with a hot-shot laspistol, powersword, and Momento Mori. He can issue three Orders per turn and lets friendly units within 12" to use his Ld value unless their own Ld is higher. With that Ld aura, you can combine Venner with a platoon and regimental standard for an '''Ld 11''' bubble 25"+ in diameter (depending on what size base you put him on). Basically gives your guys fearless. A little something to remember: RAW states that '''all''' friendly units can use Venner's Ld, which means that all units in your army use his Ld. That's right. Terminators with Ld 11? Yes, please.
***If you really want to be cheesy, get him to sit on an Imperial Defence Line for another +1 to his Leadership. This will result in units that need to take at least 7 casualties (and, if they're Death Korps, those loses can't be in the Shooting Phase) to even have a chance of losing models to Morale and, even after taking 9 casualties, will still have a 50% chance of the remaining model holding the line. Finally, if you use the Fight to the Death stratagem, they '''become immune to Morale completely'''. And remember, this applies to all friendly units. Have fun with those Leadership 12 Space Marines.
*'''Death Korps Field Officer:''' The Platoon Commander equivalent, though he shares the improved armor save with the Marshal and comes with a Marshal's Ld score as well. At 23 points base, possibly the cheapest HQ choice in the game (other regiments have to spend a precious Elite slot on their version of this guy).
*'''Death Korps Death Rider Squadron Commander:''' A Field Officer on a horse, with a boost to Toughness and Wounds to go with it. Having the same Augmented Mount ability as other Death Riders helps to increase his durability, and for obvious reasons he's the best choice for getting Orders to your cavalry.
*'''Tank Commander:''' A single Leman Russ tank, with 3+ to hit and '''Tank Orders''' ([[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Death_Korps_of_Krieg(8E)#Orders|as seen in their section]]) to boost a single fellow Leman Russ (the Codex doesn't say he can't order himself, but an earlier Index FAQ did. However the official facebook account of Games Worskhop for warhammer 40.000 confirmed that both Pask and Tank commanders can order themselves). As such, you're paying +45pts over a normal Russ for ''one'' order and BS3+, but it is an extra Russ in HQ as opposed to Heavy. There are ways to make it issue more orders, but is it worth passing the other Warlord Traits?. Still, with Warlord Traits, they can do different gimmicks. Plus, being {{W40Kkeyword|Officer}}s, they unlock Command Squads. In all other respects, it's still a {{W40Kkeyword|Leman Russ}}: it gains '''Objective Secured''' in an {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} Spearhead detachment, can become an '''Officio Prefectus Command Tank''', and has the same weapon options.
**Unfortunately, RAW says they can't ride in a Leman Russ Mars Alpha, but if you're not at a tournament, who's going to tell you otherwise?
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====Non Regimental====
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====={{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Astra Telepathica}}=====
*'''Primaris Psyker:''' Gone are the days of making everything reroll hits. Compared to an Astropath you get a compulsory force stave, one more known power, and more durability. Can still only cast 1 a turn, so only bring him if you need HQs or are worried about snipers (he's tougher than an Astropath) or want to be able to smite like a big boy. Slightly okayish in close combat. Keep a Commissar nearby in case Perils kills him- he'll still die, but it'll prevent mortal wounds from spilling over to anyone else.
**'''Note:''' These guys are probably the best cheap way to spam (unmodified) Smite in the game; on average he scores 1.79 mortal wounds per turn (assuming he's at full health - he gets a bit worse as his ability to survive Perils goes down), which likely is more damage than any other 40 point unit in this army will deal. Astropaths may be more efficient when it comes to utility, but being able to reliably get off Smite makes these a steal for their points. If you assume no one is attempting to Deny you, a Primaris Psyker's Points-Per-Wound with ''Smite'' is 22.33 (assuming he can live through Perils, which he can from full health, guaranteed); an Astropath's is 22.5 but their odds of actually casting ''Smite'' on 1D6 are abysmal. ''Psychic Maelstrom'' is generally much better than ''Smite'', so consider taking it as your 2nd backup power.
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====={{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Mechanicus}}=====
*'''Tech-Priest Enginseer:''' ''Not'' an Astra Militarum option per se, but you can field this guy using his Adeptus Mechanicus entry, where he is an HQ choice; per the rules in the AM Codex, he explicitly won't block your Regiment rules. Your Regiment ''will'' block his Canticles, but he doesn't get those anyway when fielded as an Elites choice. The benefit of doing this is that you can pay an HQ tax with an Enginseer, which you may have wanted anyway to keep your tanks repaired, in e.g. a Spearhead detachment, or better yet a Supreme Command Detachment with 3 of them; the major downside is that he won't have the {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} keywords, so you won't be able to convince him to get on any of your transports, and he'll cause other problems, like interfering with Stratagem access. Still, he's legal, just a poor choice.
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====={{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Ministorum}}=====
*'''Uriah Jacobus:''' A Ministorum Priest on steroids who now has the Astra Militarum faction keyword and qualifies as an HQ despite being found in the Adeptus Ministorum portion of the index. For 65 points more than a standard Priest (100, rather than 35, and we'll be assuming the Priest took a Bolt Pistol and Bolter, since every other choice on a Priest is worse), you get: +2 Ld (which is irrelevant, but note that that's counting both his native Ld and his aura, which hits himself), +2A and +1WS, which is largely irrelevant, +1BS and the Bolter becomes Assault 2 and has -1AP, and is D2 on a 6+ to wound, which is nice, but not worth the cost, 1d6 Deny the Witch, which is nearly worthless, and +1 Leadership to nearby {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Ministorum}} or {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} {{W40Kkeyword|infantry}}. Finally, and most valuably, he occupies an HQ slot, simultaneously helping to pay your HQ taxes while avoiding occupying a potentially valuable Elites slot.
**He's not worth his cost, which is nearly 3 normal Priests, but it's worth noting he ''does'' buff Commissar leadership - if you combine him with a Lord Commissar, units will receive 10 Leadership, not 9, which means they need to suffer a fifth casualty before Summary Execution starts making your life worse. However, it's far more cost efficient at that point to just buy more soldiers with your points - you have no units valuable enough for Uriah to earn his cost back this way. That said, if you're already bringing Yarrick, this ''can'' be a way to reduce the damage he'll inflict on your army.
**Despite having the {{W40Kkeyword|Astra Militarum}} and {{W40Kkeyword|Ministorum Priest}} keywords, he is not listed as a unit you can take without breaking your Regimental abilities. GW has not updated the Guard FAQ because it might cause Primaris Marine or Nurgle/Death Guard production to fall below optimal levels, so unless your opponent is a reasonable sort, either leave him at home or take him in an Vanguard/Supreme Command detachment along with your Commissars, Psykers, Ogryns/Bullgryns, and Ratlings (or in a general {{W40Kkeyword|Imperium}} detachment).
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====={{W40Kkeyword|Officio Prefectus}}=====
*'''Lord Commissar:''' A more expensive Commissar with a power sword, but improved in all key stats like ''not using up one of your crowded Elite choices'', offense (BS & WS2+), resilience (4W 4+/5++) and, most importantly, '''Ld9''' for his Aura of Discipline, which is important now Summary Execution became a mere (thankfully optional, as of the most recent FAQ) Morale reroll at the tax cost of one dude, as opposed to the outright morale near-immunity it used to be. With enough casualties, you'll just fail the reroll regardless of result. Still, Ld9 is hands down better than Korpsmen Ld6, and you'll lose fewer of them. He works best with squads small enough to benefit from Aura of Discipline without triggering Summary Execution, like Ogryn. Furthermore, he's the one with enough WS to properly use a Power Fist. Always replace his bolt pistol for a bolter; same price, double shots. His 2+ BS also makes a plasma pistol a tempting option since you're only paying 4 points more over the mandatory bolt pistol.
**Company Commanders with '''Draconian Disciplinarian''', and Kell, both allow ''optional'' Ld re-rolling without shooting up a guy, which is superior to Summary Execution, although they don't boost Ld by themselves. A Regimental Standard will get your Infantry Squads up to normal Commissar Ld8.
** Post-FAQ the Lord Commissar has practically become an auto-include - for a mere 35 pts you get a LD9 aura, optional ATSKNF, insurance against Perils of the Warp, and a surprisingly decent melee character.

**'''Officio Prefectus Command Tanks''' cost CP and aren't {{W40Kkeyword|Character}}s (unless you choose a Tank Commander but even then he has more than 10 wounds, so moot point anyway), so they tend to last less despite being a damn tank. They get you Ld9, but also lack the reroll. Likewise, you can always pay 2 CP to auto-pass Morale, or 1 CP to take the test on 1d3.

*'''Commissar Yarrick:''' Essentially a named Lord Commissar with a power <s>fist</s> ''klaw'' that ''costs more than double'', but has a bunch of extra stuff on him. He's got three guns (Storm Bolter, Bolt Pistol, and Bale Eye Hot-Shot Laspistol), and even better, resilience, with T4, his 4++ Power Field, and FnP 3+ for his final wound (and he's legally healable with a medic). His main use, which GW thinks it costs something around +66pts to use, is '''Hero of Hades Hive''', an aura of re-roll 1s to hit, re-rolling all failed hits against {{W40Kkeyword|Orks}} instead. Not just "Take Aim!" for shooting, but in melee as well. Your infantry squads may not be so eager to be in close combat, but Bullgryn and Crusaders are. For the cost, you could buy ''two'' Company Commanders to order the actual "Take Aim!" to your units, in addition to the Lord Commissar (and get +1CP in a Supreme Command Detachment)...but Yarrick's buff can stack with other orders, like a Laurels of Command that isn't free but is reliable and even affects vehicles. ''Plasma, woo!'' Yes, he has Summary Execution despite him not executing anyone in Hades Hive. But now that Summary Execution is optional, you don't even have to use it if you don't want to.
** Post-FAQ Yarrick is nearly 4x as expensive as a 35 pt Lord Commissar, and almost 9x as expensive as a regular Commissar. Hopefully GW will be reevaluating his point cost. That being said, he's an absolute tank in melee, regularly makes Marines crap themselves in terror, and sticks around a lot longer than other Commissars do. There's some trade-off.

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===Troops===
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*'''Death Korps Infantry Squad:''' An odd change to basic Guardsmen, Kriegers lose the option to take Heavy Weapon Teams and their Watchmaster uses a lasgun like the regular troops (though he can exchange it for a chainsword and laspistol for free, so it's a non-issue). They also all have WS3+ and can buy a Platoon Standard which buffs all Kriegers within 6" LD by 1. They synergize particularly well with the Death Korps' unique orders - especially when dogpiling on an objective or bubblewrapping precious artillery pieces. Kriegers also come stock with Krak grenades; with the '''GRENADIERS''' stratagem you can throw 10 of them at once (though this tactic is more impressive when used on <s>Grenadiers</s> (no acid grenades for the grenadiers) or Combat Engineers' acid grenades).
**Oddly enough the Watchmaster also has BS3+.(not so odd when you remember that all watchmasters serve in the grenadiers before returning to be promoted.)
*'''Death Korps Grenadier Storm Squad:''' Scions with dicks that work. A Tempestus Scion squad with deep striking replaced by Cult of Sacrifice and no access to hot-shot volley guns. Unlike with Scions the number of Special weapons Grenadiers can take does not depend on the number of models in the unit so they can unfortunately only have two Specials max. Now with the FAQ update they can take Heavy Stubbers as special weapons, as well as the ability to form a Heavy Weapons team to tote around a Heavy Flamer.
**Not as good as Combat Engineers in terms of points per wound, but they can get Objective Secured (as well as letting you farm up command points with battalions etc) which is probably worth their extra points cost and loss of acid gas grenades. Fundamentally fantastic MSU style, with a heavy flamer, 2 special weapons (probably plasma, maybe melta), and a Watch Master taking up 4 spots in a transport and costing very little points. Shove three squads in a Valkyrie and drop them onto an objective.
*** OR, if you don't want to spend the points on a Valkyrie, chuck these mean machines in a centaur. They are suprisingly mobile, thanks to the 9" scouting move you can do before the game starts. And a bare-bones centaur is only 54 points!
**Hot-shot laspistols are garbage, so ''always'' have the Watch Master swap out his weapon - your best bet is probably a hotshot lasgun or bolter, unless you want to fucking commit and get a plasma pistol.
**These guys are perhaps one of our best units; they are extremely cheap and customizable for almost any purpose.
***Need AT? 2 Meltas, with 3 ambivalent bodies to eat shots for you. Shove them in a centaur and throw them down the field, they will either be ignored or attract fire away from your army.
***Need some extra firepower to support your infantry line? 2 squads of 5 with 2 plasma guns each will only run you down just under 140pts.
***Pesky melee units got you down? Take 2 Flamers and a Heavy Flamer! Position them just behind your front line just out of consolidation range. Chuck an infantry squad into the enemies path, retreat in your turn (then issue Get back in the fight to the unit that retreated) and then toast the fuckers with your flamers. This unit also works brilliantly shoved into a centaur as a suicide bomb/Distraction. No enemy wants to be hit with up to 18 auto hits (remember that you can do this after you advance as well).

===Elites===
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*'''Death Korps Command Squad:''' No heavy flamer, medi-pack, or heavy weapons teams in this command squad, but what you do get is the ability to use the Regimental Standard. It only affects Cavalry and Infantry, but grants an additional attack on top of the Ld bonus, making your troops more effective in close combat. They are very useful for providing that easy Ld buff, and I would recommend running them as bodyguards/buffs for your HQs.
**These guys are surprisingly underwhelming compared to Combat Engineers, since you pay the same cost per model and don't get a 4+ save or acid gas bombs; furthermore, they obey the same 2 special weapons per unit limit as the Engineers. Even if you do spam them, you're not going to achieve anything you couldn't achieve only better with Combat Engineer spam; they're too slow to keep up with Death Riders, they can't be Medics.... really, <s>there's just about never a good reason to field these guys over Combat Engineers.</s> There is only ONE reason to take this squad. The regimental standard.
**I feel that comparing this unit to Engineers is somewhat of a misnomer; this unit is not a combat unit, it is a support unit. Comparing these guys to engineers is a little unfair; they are not designed to kill things, their job should not be charging up the field to kill things. It should be staying in the back or moving up with your infantry providing them with some light special weapon support and a buff from the regimental banner. Stack beautifully with a priest.
*'''Death Korps Combat Engineer Squad:''' Shotgun infantry with decent armour. Overall not super inspiring until you see their shotguns have Carcass Shot, which wounds anything (except Vehicles) on a 2+. Carnifex? 2+ Wound. Ogryns? 2+ Wound. You lose the model if you roll a 1 on the hit roll. BUT buff them with a nearby <s>Guilliman (gross, or don't and have some class. You are a Guard player after all, not a WAAC Tau reject left over from 7th)</s> Yarrik and say hello to rerolls of 1 to hit. Carcass Shot vs GEQs, MEQs and TEQs is basically a Plasma Gun with AP 0.
**You can use the Grenadiers stratagem to toss up to 10 acid grenades at once.
**These guys are ''incredible'' - they cost a point ''less'' than Grenadiers for what amounts to the same model with the addition of an acid gas grenade, although they are Elites and hence cannot get Objective Secured. You can keep their shotguns, which, unlike hot-shot lasguns, are worth spending a point on, or swap out for special weapons to demonstrate superiority over Grenadiers - 2 plasma gunners, a boltgun on the sergeant, and a heavy flamer team will get you the same output as a Grenadier squad with the same loadout, except your guys also have acid gas grenades and cost ''less''. The plasma gunners can carry meltaguns instead, of course, and either way can be stuffed in a Valkyrie and dropped in sets of 3 squads directly into your enemy's lap.
**A bit of MathHammer shows the following averages: 864pts of Combat Engineers will put out 216 shots, hitting on 3s and wounding GEQs, MEQs and TEQs on 2+ with a 5+/3+/2+ save respectively and 2 wounds, killing 640pts/160 models of GEQs, 1040pts/80 models of MEQs and 960pts/20 models of TEQs; while losing 288pts/36 Engineers in return. Thus, ignoring other factors the kills to deaths ratio will always be in your favour by a factor of 585:1300, 360:1300 or 390:1300 respectively and Carcass Shot is most productive when used on MEQs.
*'''Death Korps Death Rider Command Squad:''' A must-have for any list focusing on Death Riders. Taking this squad along allows them and up to 5 other Death Rider units to deploy via outflanking at the end of any movement phase. Use in combination with the Death Rider officer, above, and a few squads of Death Riders, below, to outflank an entire detachment! Aside from this they're the same as an understrength Death Rider Squad, as they lost the ability to take a Standard.
**As of the current FAQ, you may only bring one Command Squad or a Rider Command Squad per Death Korps officer, but any type of officer will do.
*'''Death Korps Quartermaster Cadre:''' This is where the Command Squad's Medi-pack went. One creepy guy and up to 4 servitors wielding scalpels that wound non-vehicles on a 2+ and get buffed to WS/BS 4+ and Ld 9 as long as they stay close to him. They also grant nearby Infantry and Cavalry the ability to ignore an unsaved wound on a 6+, making it mutually beneficial for them to stay close to a big squad of infantry. This is a fantastic unit buffer, a bubble of up to 21" x 12" (if you position the unit in a line with 2" between each member) of 6+ FnP for 50-60pts is a really good deal.
*'''Master of Ordnance:''' Gone is the hilariously inaccurate mini-basilisk of 7th edition; the MoO is now a fire support coordinator, which is arguably closer to the fluff. The fluff changed him very slightly; instead of buffing specific named units, he's now entirely keyword based - nearby {{W40Kkeyword|<regiment>}} {{W40Kkeyword|Basilisks}}, {{W40Kkeyword|Deathstrikes}}, {{W40Kkeyword|Manticores}}, and {{W40Kkeyword|Wyverns}} can reroll 1s on the hit roll if this guy is about and the target is more than 36" away (because he can't really help if the gun is direct firing, apparently). If that isn't enough to justify his cost, he can call in a favor from a nearby battery once per game, dropping a basilisk shell anywhere on the map - though if he can't see the target, it hits on 4s. Unfortunately, thanks to his one-shot syndrome that one shell is going to do almost nothing (at least it won't kill your dudes now). Take this guy for his re-roll ability; that way, you're pleasantly surprised if the artillery strike does something instead of basing your strategy around such an unreliable, one-use attack.
**As of the change he can now support an Armageddon Pattern Basilisk, but he still inexplicably cannot support the other Forge World variants, like Medusae (vehicle or either Battery), or the Battery variants for Basilisks, or Wyverns (that last meaning Heavy Quad Launcher Batteries).
*'''Atlas Recovery Tank:''' Believe it or not, this thing is almost useful now. It's a standard "battle Chimera" tank (T7 W11 and a hull heavy bolter) with S7, but rather than a battle gun, it has an enginseer's ability to heal a vehicle (but not itself). Compared to the enginseer, it's more expensive (both in points and money), but more mobile and less vulnerable to sniper fire. Unfortunately, while being a tank means it can't be picked off by snipers, it's not a character, so it ''can'' be targeted by anything else. Still probably too expensive for what it does, but a lot better than what it used to be.
**''Important note:'' Unlike the Enginseer's Master of Machines rule, the Recovery Vehicle rule doesn't stipulate that a given vehicle may only benefit from it once. If you have a Lord of War on the field and want it to stay alive, an Enginseer and a few Atlases can give it a serious survivability boost. Highly situational, but potentially useful.
*'''Hades Breaching Drill Squad:''' A Vehicle with a squad of "Veterans" (who all have Sergeant grade LD, but none of whom have Veteran grade BS, all with shotguns, AKA crazy... or very unlucky) that emerges anywhere more than 9" away from enemies. Once it shows up, the Drill and Veteran Squad become separate units entirely. The Hades Drill itself is a big 'fuck you' machine, with 1d6 WS3+ S10 AP-4 D1d3 melee attacks (D1d6 against Vehicles), and it has a 4++ invul in the fight phase thanks to its whirling blades. With T7, W7, and Sv3+, it's pretty durable, too. The Veterans are significantly worse than normal Veterans at shooting, with limited special weapons access on top of their nerfed BS, in that they can only take 2 special weapons in the squad, with no heavy flamer or heavy weapons team; the squad amounts to a tax on the drill, because it is so much worse than your other options, but it can still do ok with a pair of flamers. Makes for a delightful Distraction Carnifex; cackle with glee as your opponent shits himself trying to kill this thing before it crawls up his Gargant's ass and cores it like an apple!
====No Regiment====
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=====Adeptus Mechanicus=====
*'''Tech-Priest Enginseer:''' Found in the AdMech list as well as the new Guard codex alongside Servitors. Repairs D3 lost wounds on a single Astra Militarum vehicle or AdMech vehicle with the same Forge World keyword as himself within 3" of him. This opens up some interesting listbuilding ideas, such as combining mechguard troops with Skitarii snipers or Cult Mech deathrobots, as the Enginseer can repair whatever he pleases from either list as long as they share the same Forge World. An auto-include if you brought a Baneblade. He can also repair Questor Mechanicus Knights, albeit only for a single wound per turn.
**Imperial Guard codex kept Tech-Priest as an Elite choice, and allows him to bring in his Servitors with him as another Elite choice.
*'''Servitors:''' 4 Guardsman bodies which are slower, have poor BS of 5+, and have a 4+ save. Two of them can take a Heavy Bolter, Plasma Cannon, or Multi-Melta. If Tech-Priest is babysitting them, they increase their BS to 4+ and Leadership to 9. A poor choice all around, even with two Plasma Cannons.
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=====Adeptus Ministorum=====
*'''Ministorum Priest:''' Streamlined from 7th Edition, his War Hymns are now a +1 attack for every Astra Militarum infantry ''unit'' within 6". He also still has Zealot, though since it's not an AoE buff and only offers the first turn re-roll, he no longer assists with morale. Not a bad idea if there's a likelihood that your boys will charge or be charged. He synergizes well with {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}}, especially when taken with the regimental standard for A3 on your basic infantry during the fight phase. He's also great for any infantry units you plan on getting in close combat. He also buffs nearby {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Ministorum}} infantry, too, so there's obvious synergy with their dedicated close-combat units as well.
*'''[[Crusaders]]:''' A dedicated close-combat unit that, while not as tough or strong as Bullgryns, pack a 3+ invulnerable save (and that's before Psychic powers or stratagems) and Power Swords. They're identical to their entry in Index: Imperium 1 with the exception of the added {{W40Kkeyword|Adeptus Ministorum}} keyword, including the otherwise Sisters-exclusive rule '''Act of Faith'''. At the start of your turn, roll a D6, and on a 2+, you can immediately move as if it were the movement phase, shoot as if it were the Shooting phase (which is hilarious because these guys don't have any shooting weapons, but the rule was lifted from the Sisters), fight as if it were the Fight phase, or heal a wound/bring back a dead model as if it were the Healing phase. You only get one Act of Faith per turn, no matter how many units of these guys you have, and you can't give them more using Celestine or an Imagifier since they aren't {{W40Kkeyword|Adepta Sororitas}} and don't have an {{W40Kkeyword|<ORDER>}}. Still, with base 2A and Zealot, these guys can easily overwhelm their points in MEQs on the charge, and they love taking Priests with them. They can be made even tankier by using Psychic Barrier, as unfluffy as it may be to have them tolerate the presence of Psykers. They're one wound wonders, but you can bring one back each turn on a 2+ so long as the unit hasn't been destroyed. They're not quite as points efficient as Bullgryns, but they can come back from the dead, andthey have an easier time fitting into your list, as they can be taken in groups of 2-10 and are cheaper per model.
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=====Astra Telepathica=====
*'''Wyrdvane Psykers:''' Very mediocre. If you have 6 you get to add 2 to psychic tests (getting them all the way up to succeeding ''two thirds'' the time for Smite, and ''one half to one third'' for the Psykana powers, ugh), but you only roll 1d6 for both Psychic and Deny tests (the bonus for having members only applies to Psychic tests, though). And without having the character keyword, expect them to die quickly. It is, however, impossible for you to peril.
**'''Alternate take:''' If the Guard teaches us anything, it’s that cheapness and numbers have a quality all their own. Switching over to Power Levels for a moment, for simplicity, you can make a Vanguard Detachment consisting of one Primaris Psyker and three (3-model) Wyrdvane Psyker squads for 5 Power Level. In a typical 80 Power Level game, that means that you can take 16 of those detachments. Hitting on a 4+, your 48 Wyrdvane squads alone could potentially drop an average of 24 Smites (and roughly 36 mortal wounds) a round, with no Perils. Oh, and you’ll also have 16 extra command points to re-roll Perils on your Primaris. This is, of course, a terrible idea, but just imagine the look on your opponent’s face when you lay out 160 Psyker models and begin the longest Psychic Phase outside of the Thousand Sons.
*'''Astropath:''' Only 1d6 for Smite (but you should be casting Psychic Maelstrom or Gaze of the Emperor for damage anyway), but ''astoundingly'' cheap at only 30 pts per model. Camp a few of these guys behind your gunline and deny powers. The only reason not to bring these guys would be if you ran out of Elites slots, because Primaris Psykers are HQs.
** Unlike Primaris Psykers Astropaths lack the '''It's For Your Own Good''' rule, so Commissars are unable to stop them from blowing up in case they die from Perils of the Warp. However, it's also impossible for Astropaths to Perils while casting Smite (as they're limited to only rolling 1D6).
** Players often forget about the Astropath's ''other'' special rule (note this is not a psychic power) - '''Astral Divination'''. Pick an enemy unit within 18" of an Astropath, and for the rest of the shooting phase that unit loses its cover save against IG models within 6" of your Psyker. A great way to fuck with Eldar Rangers, Space Marine Scouts, or anything that relies on cover saves.

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=====Officio Prefectus=====
*'''[[Commissar]]:''' His ''Summary Execution'' rule means that all Astra Militarum squads within 6" of him ''may'' re-roll (as of the latest FAQ, which also dropped their points cost considerably) their first failed Morale test in any given phase at the expense of a single model dying (the newly dead unit doesn't count for the re-roll), which means you should be picky about when you use the Summary Execution ability. Thanks to the Aura of Discipline ability, those same Guard squads will be given Ld8. Compared to his senior ranking Lord counterpart, he has one less wound, a 5+ save, WS and BS 3 instead of 2, and no Invulnerable save of any kind. However, he's ''much'' cheaper.
**His ranged weapon should ''always'' be a bolter; you shouldn't buy him a melee weapon, as he should be staying out of melee and providing buffs instead.
**The cheapest Commissar you can take is 15 points (16 with a Bolter), while Lord Commissars have to take a Power Weapon as well, raising them up to 34 (35 with a Bolter). They're Characters, so what you primarily need them to live through are sniper rifle shots; their points divided by how many ratling sniper rifle shots it takes to kill them are 76 and 165, respectively (using the versions that took a Bolter). The Lord Commissar fills up an HQ slot, which is better, and if you ''do'' take one, higher Leadership is better, to try and minimize losing models to Summary Execution.
**Now that you don't have to use his ability, he's gone from being a hindrance to a situational buff.
** Consider using the Officio Prefectus Command Tank stratagem instead of taking a Commissar. For just 2CP you get a 6" LD'''9''' buff with a much better version of Summary Execution... in addition to being a goddamn tank.
***Other Stratagem options include paying 1 CP to take a test on 1d3 or 2 CP to auto-pass; if you're low on CPs, you're playing Guard wrong, especially now that a Brigade nets you 12 goddamn CP.
** Other superior choices, provided you can get them in, include an Inquisitor or Guilliman (who will both need their own detachment to avoid breaking Doctrine, which isn't hard for Guilliman since he's a Lord of War choice), or an Astropath or Primaris Psyker using the Fearless power (which the Inquisitor also has).
** 4/16/2018 FAQ notice: In case you have missed it, '''Summary Execution''' is an optional re-roll now. Commissars also faced a steep price decrease, now being 16 points instead of 31 at base.
*'''Death Korps Commissar:''' A basic Commissar. Given all the buffs to Ld you can get with the Death Korps along with their Cult of Sacrifice rule, you can skip him. The models are pretty nice though.
** As of April 2018, the cost of a Death Korps Commissar has gone down to 15 points, from 30. They’ve become a pretty handy Ld buffer for melee.
*'''Death Korps Death Rider Commissar:''' See above, but with a horse. Forge World doesn't seem to make these models anymore so you'll have to kitbash them.
**While the Death Korps Commissar and the other Forge World Commissars were FAQed to have the new Summary Execution Rule, the Death Rider Commissar was overlooked. While this is an obvious RAW interpretation, [[That_guy|the Death Rider Commissar therefore still only allows a maximum of 1 model to be lost to morale.]]
** Same as the foot-slogging Death Korps Commissar, this Commissar got a point reduction to 35 points. They’ve become useful, if not viable, as your Death Riders will be getting stuck into melee.
**Remember that while your army is immune to casualties caused by shooting it can still be battleshocked by losses incurred in melee - which is exactly where you want your LD6 Deathriders (even MSU squads aren't invulnerable). Deathrider Commissars are ''essential'' for keeping your horses on the table.
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===Dedicated Transport===
*'''Death Korps Storm Chimera:''' The Krieger approach to warfare is obvious in this armored vehicle's loadout. It gets an autocannon as its turret gun and the option to buy improved armor, which gives it a 2+ save vs weapons of S4 or less and lets it ignore the effects of land mines on a 4+. It's a price hike on the standard Chimera, but it's worth it. Note that it doesn't necessarily have to be used with Death Korps; although it has the DEATH KORPS OF KRIEG keyword instead of REGIMENT, it specifically says it transports ASTRA MILITARUM INFANTRY, and even mentions it can take Ogryn, so RAW, it's legal to use these to transport regular guardsmen, or even storm troopers.
*'''Death Korps Centaur Light Assault Carrier:''' Hoo-boy. This little bugger is magnificent. Sure, it's not as tough or as shooty as a Storm Chimera, but if you pop 5 grenadiers with some meltas or flamers, or 4 (how are you getting a squad of 4 grenadiers? Min is 5(ruled as written, a Grenadier Weapons Team doesn't take up two slots in the vehicles. Only Heavy Weapons Teams are mentioned.)) with heavy flamer/melta or flamer/melta or flamer/sergeant and, optionally, a fifth rider of your choice, such as an Astropath or Primaris Psyker for Smite, you can send this off towards the enemy up to 9" before the game even starts. Imagine your opponent's face when they see this little bundle of hurt rolling towards them. They can ignore it, and have some grenadiers kick them in the arse, or shoot it and ignore the vast majority of your army.
**Pretty cheap, at 54 points, and 6 wounds in it's still Movement 12, unlike a Chimera, which has dropped to 8 by then. Plus, like the DKSC above, this transport carries any Imperial Guard infantry, not just <REGIMENT> ones.
*'''Centaur Light Carrier:''' "Light" is sort of an understatement - with only a 5-man capacity and two heavy stubbers as its weapon, the thing is barely a transport. Its real role is to haul around your otherwise-immobile {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}} {{W40Kkeyword|artillery}} batteries, taking them along for its move. The artillery in question can't fire that turn, but it's useful enough to keep them out of range of opponents. Best used for 4-man command squads with their Officer; its big benefits are that ti's cheaper than any other transport you have access to, and while it has -1S, -1T, -3W and -1A compared to a Chimera, but you don't care about the S or the A. One benefit of the lower wound count is that it carries the vehicle below the threshold for stat deterioration, which is a huge boon in 8th. After suffering 5 or 6 wounds, the Centaur actually has higher M (assuming the Chimera hasn't got Track Guards) and BS than a Chimera, and equivalent A. It's pretty even, as by the point a Centaur would be dead, a Chimera's so crippled it doesn't matter anyway.
*'''Trojan Support Vehicle:''' This Forgeworld model was updated to be effectively a very cramped (Transport Capacity 6) Chimera for a rather stunning ''tripling'' of its original base cost to a painful minimum of 98. In return, however, it brings the one and only source of full failure re-rolls in the Guard, granting one tank within 6" re-rolls to hit in the shooting phase. If you're not using this as the portable [[Elf Slave, Wat Do?|love slave]] of your Stormlord or Shadowsword, you're doing it wrong.
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===Fast Attack===
*'''Death Korps Death Rider Squadron:''' A big step up from the basic Rough Riders. +1 to WS, T, A, and Sv, although the +1A evens out in the wash when you don't charge, as you lack chainswords; regardless, you're ''much'' less likely to die before you reach your target, particularly since the Augmented Mount special rule gives you 5+ FNP against S4 weapons and below. Your steed gets 2 extra attacks instead of one and hits as hard as a bolter; this is particularly noticeable when not charging, giving you 4 attacks to a normal Rough Rider's 3, and 2 of those are at +1S. While you don't get a chainsword, you ''do'' get krak grenades, which will benefit one model in the unit. While you cannot outflank with this unit (unless you take the Death Rider Command Squad), it is not slowed when charging through terrain, making it easier to attack cover campers. With no access to special weapons, they're much better suited as frontline brawlers - with access to orders, they can be just mean with Fix Bayonets! and Duty Unto Death! (although Fix Bayonets is better in basically all circumstances). Like with most DKoK, they have Cult of Sacrifice as a morale buff.
**The fact that Death Riders trade their Chainsword for +1 Attacks is a bonus, because they can hit twice with their lance on the charge, instead of the one lance and one chainsword hit that standard Riders get.
**Use Duty Until Death when you charge, because that's the only order you will get use out of by doing so. If your opponent decides he doesn't want to get slowly pounded down by hard to kill horsies, use Fix Bayonets! to make him understand that melee guardsmen just work.
**Rough Riders cost 10 points apiece, compared to the DKoK Death Rider cost of 16, which pays for itself in the improved attack volume alone, let alone their many other improvements, like ability to obey orders; their only substantive downside is their inability to take special weapons. Even their sergeant is buffed, as he drops his lance to buy a melee weapon if you want to change his melee up, as opposed to stock, which is forced to carry both a lance and a power weapon if you want that. Consider said swap, as a power axe brings the sergeant pretty close to the lance, but usable in the event you get stuck in. Fix Bayonets!, and you're possibly hitting 6 times with that axe in one turn. Ouch.
*'''Hellhounds:''' The medium tank of the Guard motor pool has been favored in 8th, with increases in speed and toughness and decreases in price all around. The chassis actually covers three vehicles, but they're all the same power, so they all get one entry. Regarding the chassis itself, the wounding rules make it genuinely tough in 8th - your average lascannon has to hit it six times to kill it, which is a ''very'' welcome increase over the 4.5-if-it-doesn't-just-explode of 7th - and they can't outright lose their weapons, either. Track guards were basically made for this vehicle as the majority of available weapons ignore ballistic skill. Unless your bringing the devil dog, your tanks will pretty much never degrade.
**The basic ''Hellhound'' is armed with the infamous Inferno Cannon, a more powerful heavy flamer with double the range, double the rate of fire, and +1 strength, at S6. A nasty infantry muncher, capable of eating guard-equivalent models with 2s to wound and a 6+ save from up to 16 inches away; due to good strength and rate of fire it's not too shabby against vehicles either (who knew setting things on ''fire'' could be so effective?). Use it to hunt down the other Guard player's Heavy weapons teams, or just chew through his conscripts at a healthy pace from safely outside of rapid fire range. Still not convinced? Mathhammer says it will outperform a ''Battle Cannon'' versus anything that's not T7 3+ and better, and it can still score a few wounds besides. ''Let 'em burn!''
***Because the Hellhound is BS4+ and can't mitigate the movement penalties for heavy weapons, you would be wise to try for a Heavy Flamer on the hull mount, but on the Hellhound that means you need to get in very close to use it, negating the Inferno Cannon's range advantage. The Heavy Bolter is cheaper and more consistent, but at BS5+ on the move, it won't hit anything at all - you choose it to keep the tank cheap, not to actually kill anything with the gun. Take the Heavy Flamer if you want the gun to actually kill anything.
***Because Hellhounds always explode on 4+ they make excellent suicide tanks, useful for disrupting gun lines and charges (especially considering their relatively short range). Artemia-pattern Hellhounds are better at this though as they deal D6 mortal wounds instead of D3.
**If your foe is made of tougher stuff, swap out for the ''Bane Wolf,'' whose vicious (and cheaper) Chem Cannon wounds everything that's not a vehicle on 2s, with an improved AP-3 (at the cost of range, only 8", and shot count, only 1d6 vs the Hellhound's 2d6). Between the wounding improvement and the AP improvement, this will outperform the Inferno Cannon against MEQ even before you account for its reduced cost - the range is the primary issue, as 8.1" charges will ignore it on Overwatch, and the secondary issue is that while it's obviously incredible against monsters and Primarchs especially, it's absolute garbage against vehicles, and utterly inferior to the Hellhound versus anything not MEQ or MC. While by itself the Bane Wolf may not actually do a lot, its potential will scare many opponents into focusing it down like the plague after a turn or two. This is probably the best distraction carnifex you will ever find in this codex outside of a deathstrike (and this is cheaper, too).
***Here the use of a Heavy Flamer is more obvious, since it has the same range as the Chem cannon. With two auto-hitting weapons, this thing will take a big bite out of attacking forces in Overwatch.
**Finally, if you want to take on vehicles, the ''Devil Dog'' closes the gap with the mighty melta cannon, which is ''much'' better than a multi-melta for the same cost - on average, twice the shots, and assault now, rather than heavy. It's specialized, but powerful - it outperforms even the revised Inferno cannon against pretty much anything tank-shaped (specifically, T7 with a 3+ save and tougher). Making the melta cannon assault has brought the D-Dog up from garbage to actually being a very solid tank buster. With D3 shots rerolling damage within melta range, you have one of few weapons potentially capable of blowing up a tank every time it fires. It's also the longest ranged melta weapon short of the Imperial Knight thermal cannon, and is mounted on your fastest ground unit, making range a non issue.
***Sadly, the Multi-Melta you'd usually strap to the hull to supplement its tank-busting is still Heavy, and still shoots like an Ork, so give thought to alternatives. A heavy flamer will go a long way to deter the counter charge you will almost definitely be staring down after you shove that melta in your opponent's face.
*'''Salamander Scout Tank:''' Cute little light tank, with guns otherwise found on sentinels or heavy weapons squads. Pricier and tankier than either; great if you have the points and are not otherwise concerned about getting bogged down in melee, as these things ''will'' get bogged down in melee.
**Given that Forge World doesn't make the Salamander model anymore, a good proxy is a Hellhound hull with the Chimera Autocannon Turret.

===Flyers===
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The following weapon options are exclusively available to the flyers at your disposal:
*'''Hellstrikes:''' Hell yeah strikes! Does a good job against any armor, but they come in at a price of 20 points each. This is a go-to on both Lightnings and Thunderbolts. Heavy 1, S8, AP-2, roll 2d6 pick highest for D, which means at an average of 4.4 damage for each unsaved wound, this is the go to monster/tank/aircraft killer.
*'''Skystrikes:''' Cheaper at 15 points each, but only Heavy 1, S7, AP-2, D3 damage. Your dedicated anti-air missile, it gets +1 to hit against flyers but -1 against everything else. The strength here seems to be that you get to take 6 instead of only 4. But the damage for each unsaved wound is an average of 2 compared to Hellstrikes' 4.4. Statistically, they are worse unless you are shooting at very specific targets like jet bikes or battle suits.
*'''Hellfuries:''' Anti-infantry missiles that are expensive for the amount of shots you get. They haven't found their niche yet.
*'''Tactical bombs:''' Pretty cool. They are cheaper than the missile options and do some serious damage. May be a valid option on a aircraft that can hold its own without extra missile firepower.

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=====Aeronautica Imperialis=====
*'''Valkyrie:''' The original badass of the skies can hold 12 Astra Militarum Infantry; Ogryn count as 3 models. Any infantry with the Astra Militarum keyword (and Inquisitorial models with the Authority of the Inquisition trait) count. Transports can hold multiple units now, so 3 Command Squads each with 4 meltaguns for 12 meltaguns at BS 3+ in one Valkyrie? Nice! Even better, Grav-Chute Deployment allows you to put anybody it can carry 9" away from the enemy...''after'' the Valkyrie's 20" minimum move. Can you say 'turn 1 charge with ogryns?' And to top it all off it has 2 MORE wounds than a Leman Russ tank (though 1 less toughness). Cue the music!
**''Note:'' On the firepower side of things, hellstrike missiles are no longer one-use only (but you can fire only 1 per turn). In addition, the codex added the ''Roving Gunship'' rule, which adds 1 to hit rolls if you're in Hover mode. When standing still, you hit on 3s. Between the multilaser, rocket pods, and heavy bolters, that's a LOT of infantry mulching!
**''Other Note:'' The Grav-Chute deployment still only counts as a disembarkation from a transport, allowing you your normal movement afterwards with your 12 melta vets, or your 4 Bullgryn for that 3+ charge... Ogryn ''can'' fit in Valkyries.
**''Note:'' The new FAQ just stated that you now must have 1 officer per Command squad; while not game breaking, this does mean that you need 3 officers per Valkyrie 3 CC squad combo. Something to keep in mind when you start getting tight on points.
Chapter Approved 2017 hiked the price on most of the base airframes and with the ridiculous price increase on hellstrike missiles (30 points per missile now) makes most of these models very inefficient choices in terms of damage dealers. The models are still pretty great though.
*'''Aquila Lander'''
*'''Arvus Lighter (FW Index: Astra Militarum):''' This thing went from completely useless to pretty useful. It is pretty expensive at 115 points barebones, but thanks to advanced clown car physics you can somehow cram 12 models into it now (no Ogryns though). With T6 and 8 wounds it is more fragile than a chimera but it can fly and move 30"/20" when hovering. It also has the ability to regain a wound on a 6+ and has no characteristics modifiers. It can also deepstrike, so just put it behind some LoS blocking terrain and unload your flamer/melta/plasma squads on the next turn. It can also take one or two additional models in the same slot thanks to the squadron ability. It must be purely by coincidence that Forge World started producing this model again, and they were even kind enough to jack up the price a good bit.
*'''Avenger Strike Fighter (FW Index: Astra Militarum):''' The ground attack beast rocks on in 8th edition. With T7 and 14 wounds it's pretty tough and will probably stay on the table a while. Comes stock with two lascannons, an 8 shot S6 AP-2 D1 bolt cannon, and an 8" heavy stubber that rerolls hits against FLY units. The weapon upgrades now cost double but you'll also get twice the shots so it's only fair. Missiles lost their "one use only" rule so feel free to load up on anti-infantry or anti-vehicle fire power. Like the other non-hover fliers it hits on 3+, but since it always has to move you hit on your regular 4+ (still better than the Ork BS of the Valkyrie/Vendetta).
*'''Lightning Strike Fighter:''' Hard hitting little thing that brings a ton of anti-tank for a reasonable cost. The Thunderbolt is generally the more cost effective choice, with a better airframe for a marginal cost increase and comes with 2 twin autocannons instead of 1 long barreled piece of crap. The Lightning finds its niche as the cheaper option with slightly more expansive payload options. The most interesting one is loading it up with anti-tank missiles. This is assuming that leaving out one-use only is not altered in a future faq since they would go from "we could pay that" to "no way in hell are we paying that". You can fit the Lightning with anti-air (could be good) or -infantry missiles (much worse than vultures). The anti-air missiles are not much better than the anti-tank missiles at shooting aircraft (or even worse) and the anti-air missiles are A LOT worse at engaging tanks. With that said, you do get 6 anti-air missiles for only 10 points more than 4 anti-tank missiles, and they do a nice job against things like battle-suits and landspeeders. The anti-infantry version may seem tempting, but vultures do this job much better at a cheaper cost. 235 points buys you a Lightning with 4 anti-tank missiles and 245 for 6 anti-air missiles.
*'''Thunderbolt Heavy Fighter:''' The frame itself costs 5 points more than a lightning and for those 5 points you get 1 more wound and 6+ repair. Not huge additions, by any means, but quite good value for 5 points. This guy also carries more guns, 4 autocannons and two lascannons. That is 3 more autocannons than the Lightning, and since they are twin autocannons instead of a long barreled one they are far more cost effective. Has slightly more restrictive payload options than the Lightning, though the only option you miss out on is anti-infantry missiles, so no-one cares. Basically you get more effective firepower, but you need to invest more in a single model to get there. 335 points buys you the thunderbolt with 4 anti-tank missiles and 305 buys you the thunderbolt + 6 anti-air missiles.
**Against multi-wound models, the anti-tank missiles are definitely better, doing more than twice the damage per shot with 2/3 the shot volume and 8/9 the points; even after accounting for the BS3->BS4 or BS4->BS5 penalty, the anti-tank missiles are going to be better in general against whatever flyers you are trying to bring down. Against single-wound models you should be fielding a Vulture instead.
*'''Vendetta (FW Index: Astra Militarum):''' ''She's back, boys and girls!'' The premier tank-hunter of the galaxy is back, and she's ''pissed''. Carrying half a dozen lascannons and a nice, fat troop bay for 12 models (even keeping Grav-Chutes!) the Vendetta is a fine transport and gunship both. You pay a premium for her - you have to buy every one of those six lascannons - but it's worth it. God-Emperor, is it worth it. Keep in mind that Heavy Weapons impose a -1 penalty on a roll to hit if you moved, and you ''must'' move as a flyer unless in Hover mode. This means your beautiful (and expensive!) lascannons are fired with an Ork BS of 5. If you feel safe from assaults or you have already disembarked its cargo, go into Hover mode and unleash hell. Take the slap on the wrist; with the miracles it can pull in the field of transportation the lousy shooting is the only thing keeping this from being outright cheese. Alternately, keep the Vendetta as a scary bastard zipping around the board. It's expensive, but when you roll good, it's damn good. Or go Hover early, wipe something out, then zip around soaking fire for the rest of the game. Heavy bolters are fun to throw some extra dice out to keep attention on your Vendetta.
*'''Vulture (FW Index: Astra Militarum):''' Sorry, did we say the Vendetta was a fine gunship? Well, okay, it is, but ''this'' is the exemplar of the role. A Valkyrie's statline with a tasty Strafing Run rule (+1 on roll to hit if target has no <Fly>) and 4 weapon pylons, carrying rocket pods, missiles, autocannons, multilasers and tactical bombs (a special one-time use ability that's great against units with lots of models and deals mortal wounds on a 5+)... yeah, okay, fine. We know why you're here. The ''Twin Punisher Cannon'', a Heavy '''''40''''' S5 dual-minigun man-muncher that will turn anything you point this bird at into paste. Scratch the paint and make sure it's not an Ork...
**In terms of weapons, the Twin Punisher Cannon is better than every other weapon vs most units and is only worse than the Skystrike Missiles vs units that can FLY. Hunter-Killer Missiles are also almost always better, but are one use only; while Tactical Bombs are rather gimmicky. If for some reason you aren't taking the Punisher, the following loadouts are best for the following roles:
***'''Pure Anti-Tank:''' Twin Lascannon and Two Hellstrike Missiles
***'''Pure Anti-MEQ/TEQ:''' Twin Autocannon and Two Missile Pods or Four Missile Pods
***'''Pure Anti-GEQ:''' Twin Multi-Laser and Two Hellfury Missiles
***'''Mixed Anti-Tank and Anti-MEQ/TEQ:''' Twin Lascannon and Two Missile Pods
***'''Mixed Anti-Tank and Anti-GEQ:''' Twin Lascannon and Two Hellfury Missiles
***'''Mixed Anti-MEQ/TEQ and Anti-GEQ:''' Twin Autocannon and Two Hellfury Missiles or Two Missile Pods and Two Hellfury Missiles
***'''Anti-FLY:''' Take relevant loadout and swap the Hellfury/Hellstrike Missiles or Missile Pods for Skystrike Missiles.
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===Heavy Support===
*'''Death Korps Heavy Weapons Squad:''' Other than the higher WS, Krak Grenades, and Cult of Sacrifice, they're identical to the vanilla HWS - with the additional option to take heavy flamers. You might need to bring a couple along anyway though since you can't take heavy weapons in your regular infantry squads.
**Heavy Flamer teams are drastically the most cost effective way to get heavy flamers into your army, so much so that they are actually competitive with flamers (which does not usually happen, due to a heavy flamer costing more than two flamers). This gives them a radically dofferent role from what HWSs are used to, but they can be very effective when carried in a Valkyrie.
**Heavy Bolters and Twin Heavy Stubbers may compete with each other, as they both cost 8 points each, and are both direct-fire anti-infantry options. Against TEQs (T4 2+), Heavy Bolters win (0.9801 wounds on average vs 0.765 wounds on average). Against MEQs (T4 3+), either option is viable (1.485 wounds on average). Against GEQs (T3 5+), Twin Heavy Stubbers are better (3.9204 wounds on average vs 2.4948 wounds on average). Ultimately, Heavy Bolters are better against enemies with better saves, and Twin Heavy Stubbers are better against enemies with worse saves. The models for either weapon choice are very nice, so you can't lose there.
**A full squad of mortars actually costs 3 pts ''less'' than it does in the AM Codex, although sadly they don't really benefit from Krieg's doctrines
*'''Death Korps Leman Russ Mars Alpha Battle Tanks:''' Your favorite battle tank, customizable into any configuration of Russ as you see fit (though the Vanquisher Cannon comes with a heavy stubber instead of a storm bolter as its coaxial weapon), but now with the ability to trade the stock hull-mounted heavy bolter for a multi-melta or a plasma cannon. As an added bonus, its armour save becomes a 2+ against weapons of S4 or lower, so bolter shots won't even faze you. Like the other Forge World Russ variants, it too now benefits from Grinding Advance and Objective Secured (in a Spearhead Detachment).
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">The Leman Russ can be divided into two categories. The four 'Battle Tanks' (Battle, Eradicator, Exterminator, Vanquisher, Conqueror, Annihilator) have more range but less firepower than the three 'Siege Tanks' (Demolisher, Punisher, Executioner).<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
***''Battle Cannon'': Heavy D6 S8 AP-2 D1d3. The Battle Cannon has taken some big hits compared to past editions. Since losing its large blast template it only gets an average of 1.75 hits, though ''"Grinding Advance"'' buffs this to a less disappointing 3.5. MEQ now get a 5+ save, but it is now more effective against TEQ. Surprisingly the cheapest of the 4 options...and easily the best. Though it faces stiff competition from its Demolisher cousins.
***''Exterminator Autocannon'': Costs more than a Battle Cannon which would be worth it for the (very slightly) improved rate of fire, where it is ''worse''), except that its output is inferior against T4, T7, T8, anything with a 5+ or better save, and anything with 3 or more wounds.
****''Alternate Opinion'': The Exterminator really shines against units with 3+/4++ save, particularly T5 and 6. Furthermore you'll consistently put out a '''lot''' of firepower without the need of staying in range of a Tank Commander. It's not that the Exterminator is better or worse compared to the Battle Cannon, it's just designed for a different purpose. Put a lascannon, multimeltas and track guards on your Leman Russ Exterminator and for 217 points you'll have a very good, '''mobile''' all rounder unit that can react to almost everything on the battlefield. It will still deal less average damage than a battle cannon, but it will do so more reliably.
****''Continued'': As above, this is a particular gun for particular targets. In most cases you’re better off taking one of the other options, but there are cases to be made for this one. The Exterminator excels against high-toughness multi-wound monsters and elite infantry, particularly Tyranid Monsters and Ork vehicles/nobs, against whom it generally performs better against than the “burst” damage of say a battle cannon. The Exterminator’s consistent shot volume and damage seems tailored towards these units, where you’re getting 4/8 shots instead of a potential 1/2. Also consider using on CSM and SM bikers (particularly scout bikers if you know people who use them) where the -1 AP and 2D can be a nasty surprise.
***''Eradicator Nova Cannon'': Often overlooked. For 3 points more than a Battle Cannon, you lose 36" of range and only hit at S6. In exchange you ignore cover bonuses, which gets you that guarenteed -2 to Armor save. This is perhaps the most specialized of all the Leman Russ options, so only consider bringing it against targets that depend on cover saves (Space Marine Scouts with camo cloaks, Eldar Rangers, AdMech with cover canticles, Poxwalkers, Vindicare Assassins, Imperial Guard, etc). Perhaps the best at straight-up murdering GEQs in cover (wounding on 2+ with no save), its extra 12" range edging out the Demolisher Cannon in this particular niche.
***''Vanquisher Battle Cannon'': The Vanquisher, a dedicated anti-tank cannon, is proof that GW is incapable of statistics, as it performs worse against heavy armour than every Leman Russ turret except the exterminator, despite being one of the pricier options (doing 0.93 wounds to another Russ; every other variant manages at least 1 wound). Sad thing is, if GW had given it a flat 2+ to wound against vehicles or flat 2D6 damage instead of 2D6 drop the lowest, it’d perform better against most vehicles than other Russes. ''Never'' take this.
**** It is statistically worse than a Battle Cannon at -everything-. It actually costs less, thanks to Chapter Approved (20 points to the battle cannon's 22). And "never take it" in a tournament or if you're a win at all costs player. If you're playing for fun, or love the model and look more, it's entirely up to you.
**The three 'Demolisher' variants hit ''much'' harder at the expense of range; only one of them beats two feet.
***''Demolisher Cannon'': You can fit a ''man'' in that gun barrel! Statistically the best tank-buster of all Russ cannons; nearly doubles (x1.82) the cost of the Battle Cannon, but deals x1.75 the Damage against targets with enough Wounds to suffer it, on top of +2S and -1AP, making it far superior against T5 and T8 in practice. With 2 Multi-Meltas and a Lascannon on a tank, this will munch through most enemy armor, if you can bear the cost of 222 points. It gets larger dice rolls versus units of 5 models or more, letting it outpace the Battle Cannon - though using such a short-ranged and expensive weapon against anything but TEQ is a mis-allocation of resources.
***''Executioner Plasma Cannon'': A plasma cannon with nearly double the rate of fire, even before you use Grinding Advance to shoot twice and without a movement penalty, but only x1.33 the cost, and cheaper than a Battle Cannon, at the same price as a Punisher. If you fire it on Supercharge - which you should - it will outshine the Battle Cannon easily, dealing more damage to W2 models at -1AP for 9.1% (2) fewer points. That actually places this weapon in direct competition with the Demolisher Cannon, above - when Supercharged, the Demolisher's only improvement against most targets is +2S, which is of dubious utility, given that it costs 25% more and has 66.67% the range. Speaking of range keep in mind the Executioner is the longest range of the "siege tank" variants, at 36", nowhere near as good as the battle cannon, but a step up from the dangerously short range of the Demolisher and Punisher to a more middle of the road range where you can stay reasonably safe from enemy melta weapons while still laying down plasma fire.
****Real Talk: outside of penalties to hit, this will only deal 0.583... mortal wounds to you, on average. You should ''not'' be feeling scared to fire it, even without re-rolling 1s.
***''Punisher Gatling Cannon'': Tank-mounted BRRRT. Statistically, your best friend against infantry, but it lacks range and struggles against heavy stuff. With 3 heavy bolters (166 points), it can wreak impressive amounts of havoc for a single model.
****You can also combine it with lascannons, multi-meltas, and plasma cannons freely under them, for the same reason. Note that if you ''are'' moving away from heavy bolter sponsons, a lascannon is a better idea than a multi-melta for the hull weapon (especially since multi-meltas can't be taken as hull weapons), as it will outperform the multi-melta against a Land Raider even ''before'' you realize that if you've driven up next to infantry for the Punisher, good heavy targets might be farther away; likewise, the Plasma Cannons will do better if you're willing to supercharge, but without an accuracy buff like Yarrick or Guilliman along, both of whom will slow you down, that's a risky click.
***''Conqueror Battle Cannon'': Actually pretty useful now. No longer the cheaper version of the vanilla, as per the Forgeworld 1.0 FAQ, it is now TEN points MORE. The Conqueror cannon has the same statline as a regular battle cannon, just with a 48" range. The co-axial weapon is only a storm bolter though, rather than the much more logical heavy stubber, but Forgeword are bound to go derp somewhere. Actually while the Storm Bolter is shorter ranged (its max range is half the main gun's, rapid fire is 12) due to not being a heavy weapon it fires at full BS on the move, and it grants rerolls to hit with your Conqueror cannon if you fire on the same target, it doesn't even have to hit anymore. Slap a pintle mounted storm bolter on there and you'll be putting out 8 S4 shots on overwatch.
*** When you do some math you will quickly realize, that this baby is one of the best Russ variants in the game right now. Reroll every (not only failed) shots on the main gun gives you MASSIVE powerboost, almost doubling your hits. Find the path to reroll that random attack D6 roll end enjoy tearing everyting up to a land raider to pieces. Trust me, this tank gonna '''CONQUER''' your battlefield.
*** Chapter Approved has added another 12 pts to its cost. GOD DAMN IT, GW, YOU HAVE ONE JOB!.. - not sure what's going on here, but Chapter Approved lists the Conqueror as 122 points, the same as a Leman Russ Annihilator and dropping 10 points after the Forge World 1.0 FAQ. Where the additional 12 (+10) points came from, I have no idea.
***''Annihilator Twin Lascannon'': In past editions, this was indisputably the most underwhelming Leman Russ variant. However, with the changes to the twin linking rules, compounded by Grinding Advance, it’s the only Leman Russ that has increased in firepower rocking, effectively, 4 bs4 lascannons. Against another Leman Russ, this thing will put out 1.94 wounds, matching the Demolisher but with more range. Expect to see this eclipse the “anti-armor” Vanquisher, which only puts out 0.94 wounds a turn against another Russ. In an edition where vehicles tend to stick around, loaded for bear (multi-melta sponsons and a hull lascannon), this tank has the potential to take out a vehicle per shooting phase.
*** With that cool new Grinding Advance rule, this tank became our one of the best options, matching even Demolisher in sheer amount of hard hitting hatred it can bring to our enemies, even matching Demolisher in his own field, while been miles away from the fight.
*** Chapter Approved has been kind to this laser shooting behemoth, dropping his cost by 10 pts, maybe GW doesn't hate us that much...
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*'''Stygies Destroyer Tank Hunter:''' A Leman Russ chassis with no turret and a Heavy Laser Destroyer Array for a hull gun. It's not twin-linked anymore, instead acting a bit like a small blast weapon - D3 shots at a Lascannon statline, except it rolls 2d6-pick-the-highest vs vehicles on damage. Unlike any other vehicle build on the Russ chassis, it must hold still to get its full BS. Easily overshadowed by the Annihilator.
**'''Stygies Thunderer Siege Tank:''' 10 points more than a Vindicator for one additional wound and 1 lower BS...which only counts when you're standing still, because ''this'' vehicle ignores the heavy penalty. Sadly not particularly worth it due to the general nerf to blast weapons, but can be a fun distraction vehicle or tank-buster nonetheless.
**The Index FAQ deliberately avoided giving this vehicle the buff given to all Leman Russ tanks, for whatever reason, while also making it cost 40 points more than a Demolisher. Take a Demolisher.
*'''Cyclops Demolition Vehicle:''' 40k's version of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_tracked_mine Goliath], a bomb on treads controlled by remote. Magos Cawl figured out how to encrypt the controller signal, so the operator doesn't have to walk around on the field next to it, but putting it in transports disrupts the signal...so you can't drop it out of a Valkyrie anymore. In exchange, it's ''much'' faster (10" move, though advancing prevents you from setting it off) and its payload is one of the few blast weapons in 8th edition that's ''actually'' a blast - you set it off in the Shooting phase, and it hits ''everything,'' friendly and enemy, within d6" like an Earthshaker shell. Oh wait, no, it actually hits ''much harder,'' rolling a flat 2d6 for shots instead of 2d6-take-the-highest, and ''it auto-hits.'' This is the single worst thing to roll into a deathstar of characters at the center of your opponents' army - no more Look Out Sir! to slough off the pain it can bring, and every unit within the effect radius is hit the same. It's not very tough, but it's small and easily concealed behind bigger, bulkier units, and at 40 points it can be a powerful disruptor of enemy formations.
**Note that this little ball of hate explodes on a '''3+''' when killed, and that's your die to roll. You, the Guard player, with the giant pile of command points. Take a reroll, hand out some mortal wounds, and get a glass for the tears of your opponent.
** Chapter Approved has increased its cost to 60 points from 40.
*'''Malcador Tank Family (Forge World Index: Astra Militarum):''' Down(?)-graded from Lord of War to Heavy Support, the light-super-heavy tanks of the Malcador family have been smiled upon in 8th by the removal of weapon facing. This means the bizarre fixed-transfer casement the main gun sits in (and the fact that the sponsons can't train forward) no longer limits its shooting ability; also gone is the chance to break down every time it moves, apparently they finally fixed the engines on these things. The Demolisher cannons have Grinding Advance, as well. Note: The Valdor tank destroyer is still taking a Lord of War, so no spamming Neutron Lasers (not that you could spam a tank this size anyway).
**'''Malcador Heavy Tank:''' The basic Malcador is a Russ on a steroid binge - 18 wounds instead of 12 (this is standard across all Malcadors), and it can carry autocannons or lascannons in the sponsons.
**'''Malcador Annihilator:''' The Malcador's version of the Leman Russ Annihilator. Two lascannons in that weird turret and a Demolisher cannon in the hull.
**'''Malcador Defender:''' ''Now we're talkin'!'' In a remarkable display of foresight, the Defender eschews the nerfed turret weapons of its brothers for an interwar-style turret fitted with ''five'' heavy bolters. Two more on the sponson mounts make for a bullet hose to rival the Stormlord - at 21 shots, it can chew through blobs for breakfast. It also adds 1 to its overwatch hit rolls. A demolisher cannon is still present on the hull for tougher targets.
**'''Malcador Infernus:''' The Malcador's version of the...Hellhound? Apparently someone <s>saw the need</s> addressed the requirement to set entire city blocks on fire at once. This vehicle carries the Inferno Gun, which rolls 2d6 automatic hits with a strength and damage that resembles an Autocannon (with better AP). If that and the 16" range weren't enough the prometheum fuel can be swapped out for <s>Trooper Duffy's special soup recipe</s> a toxic sludge that wounds everything that isn't a vehicle on 2s, and has AP-3. It's a big pile of points and tends to violently explode, but it can be very fun to run! And if it does blow up, try to have it do so next to those heretics. It WILL hurt.
**'''Rapier Laser Destroyer Battery (Forgeworld Index: Astra Militarum):''' Got nerfed hard and went from auto-include to almost-nope. Twin-linked is gone but it still fires only one shot, so there is no chance to reroll that 4+ except CPs (or a Trojan, see above), as the Rapier can't take orders any more. Still, the gun is S12, and ''if'' the shot hits, on a roll of 3-5 it does 2D6 damage, and on a 6 it's upped to 3D6 (so you ''could'' hypothetically one-shot a Land Raider, but it is highly unlikely) - the overall expected damage roll is 6.42, slightly better than 3d3 but slightly worse than 2d6. The price got almost doubled ,to 74 points for one gun and a crew of two. The rapier has 3 wounds now, but unfortunately is only T5. Mathhammer says it will only beat out a team of lascannons (of similar cost) against 2+ models, models of T6 and below, and 3+ models of T9 and above. If you have it, save it for the ''really'' tough stuff.
'''Mobile Artillery:'''
*'''Hydra:''' The original AAA is back in action! The red-headed stepchild of the Chimera-chassis Heavy choices, this is the only one a Master of Ordnance can't help you with. The Hydra can hit ground troops on 5s and {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}} units on 3s, and with its 6 feet of '''8''' S7 AP-1 D2 shots, it's a potentially good investment even if you didn't expect {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}} from your opponent. The power comes at a price, though: 108 points after the compulsory heavy bolter, up from 75. Fliers will learn to fear it, though; it puts out enough power to statistically guarantee damage versus most aircraft. There is a bit of a cost disparity on this vehicle between points (108) and power rating (7), leading to the situation that it's better value for money under the former than the latter, as the "standard" power cost for it should be 5 or 6.
** There's a surprising number of units with '''FLY''', like jetbikes, jump troops, anything that used to be a skimmer in 7th, Monoliths, half of the Dark Eldar and Tau Army Lists... it's really quite staggering. Make sure you check the tags on your target's datasheet before opening fire, and do take a picture of your opponent's face when you inform them of this.
** This will outperform a Basilisk against its chosen targets.... but needs LOS to do it, and against anything else, it won't do so well. Since it needs LOS, and needs to remain static, it's in direct competition with your Heavy Weapons Squads; at cost, you can field 4 lascannon teams in HWSes (with 4 points left over), which will outperform it against the enemy air you were presumably worried about.
*'''Griffon Mortar Carrier:''' The Griffon Mortar Carrier occupies the niche of cheap medium artillery support compared to the other big guns available to the Guard. The Griffon Heavy Mortar has a range of 48" and strikes at S6 with AP -1 and dealing D3 damage per wound and this Mortar ignores cover saves. In previous additions, the Griffon used to have the ability to re-roll scatter, and thanks to the way the bombardment and artillery squadron rules worked meant that you could use it as spotter artillery for your bigger guns. These days however, much like its larger cousin the Basilisk, it rolls 2D6 and takes the highest to determine the number of attacks it makes. This all clocks in at a measly 78 points after purchasing the mandated Heavy Bolter, though this can be swapped out for a Heavy Flamer for extra charge defense and it can also take a pintle mounted weapon and/or Hunter-Killer Missile. Unlike the Medusa and Basilisk who's preferred targets are TeQs, MeQs and Vehicles, the Griffon is best used to rain hate on cover camping units with a 4+ save or worse, though it can also be used to hunt light vehicles and low save, multi-wound models thanks to its D3 damage. It doesn't re-roll wounds like the Wyvern, but since both mortars main targets tend to hide in cover, any time you would take a Wyvern, consider the Griffon instead. Probably not as competitive as either the Medusa or the Basilisk, but a solid artillery piece for the price. Note: Forgeworld no longer sells a model for this unit, but the conversions are super easy.
*'''Basilisk:''' Fluffy is back! The Earthshaker gun motor carriage smacks units up to twenty feet away at with the same power as a lascannon, rolling 2d6 for shot count and taking the highest and ignoring LOS - and it's down in cost too, to 108 points base (after the heavy bolter, which you can pay to upgrade to a heavy flamer if you're an idiot). Better against vehicles than troops, because its multi-wound power is wasted against infantry, but powerful and long-ranged for its points nonetheless. The Basilisk is brutal and very point-efficient, with the only problem being the Guard's BS of 4+ (and there's a stratagem for that). Welcome in any list. It is also "Webstore exclusive" - what a funny coincidence. There is a bit of a cost disparity on this vehicle between points (108) and power rating (7), leading to the situation that it's better value for money under the former than the latter, as the "standard" power cost for it should be 5 or 6.
**Keep in mind that it is just a T6 vehicle so use the ignore LOS ability or see it explode.
*'''Armageddon Pattern Medusa:''' Your only mobile source of the Medusa Siege gun.
This one is an odd little box. What you get is a vehicle that wounds like a Manticore (S10) and is just as tough (T7), ignores armor like a basilisk (AP3) and has a similar point value (111), has the wounds and armor of a Leman Russ (12W and 3+save) but can fire without line of sight. So far so good. However, you trade all this for the lack of ability to fire after moving without a penalty to hit (and have a poor range of 36 inches), the lack of T8 to survive plasma and anti-tank firepower that is usually S7 and above, and worst of all, you score less hits than a basilisk, Manticore or most Leman Russes with grinding advance with your single D6.
*'''Colossus Bombard:''' ''Finally'' gaining the toughness of the Leman Russ chassis it's mounted on, the Colossus still ignores cover, though that doesn't do as much now. Downside, it costs as much as a Leman Russ, too. The mortar itself has gotten a HUGE range increase (In fact this might be a typo - ''240 inches''), and hits like a Heavy Mortar with slightly better AP. It fires twice as many shots, too. All in all, it's a damn fine artillery piece.
'''Static Artillery:'''
*'''Heavy Mortar Battery:''' The Heavy Mortar hits like a midway between a normal mortar and the Earthshaker Cannon. Unfortunately it takes after the latter in price - 72 points for a 3-man team and the gun carriage. Potentially viable if you've got the models, but nothing special.
*'''Heavy Quad Launcher Battery:''' Also known as the Thudd Gun. Invented by [[squats|a race of abhumans]] whose worlds were lost to the Tyranids sometime in the mid-M40s (it's not clear) and much beloved by Kriegers, 8th Edition's Thudd Gun behaves like a Wyvern's quad-gun, without the rerolls to wound (perhaps it doesn't use airburst ammunition?). It's also only 10 points cheaper as a Wyvern, sans the heavy bolter the latter gets with its Chimera mobile platform.
*'''Earthshaker Carriage Battery (Forge World Index: Astra Militarum):''' The Earthshaker Cannon mounted on a Krieg-style wheeled gun carriage. Unlike the above, the crew is separate, and thus can defend the gun in melee. You get 4 crewmen a gun, which essentially means a full battery comes with a free Infantry Squad. ''And'' they can take orders, though re-rolling 1s won't work the miracles that ignoring all cover saves once did. With a slightly-lower-damage version of the lascannon's gun profile and an average of 2.24 hits to a lascannon team's 1.5 for a marginal increase in cost, it's more point-efficient than a lascannon team for tank-busting, and thanks to the high shot count and lasgun-armed crew, better at fighting crowds, too. Not bad.
** Forget about it. Chapter Approved has killed it to death. Now base cost for this poor boy without legs (tracks) is 105 + 16 points for 4 crewman. Stick with a vanilla Basilisk, that costs only 108 points and still can move, while also having a heavy bolter. I would still recommend running it simply for fluffy reasons and that the model looks amazing.
*'''Medusa Carriage Battery (Forge World Index: Astra Militarum):''' The Medusa Siege Gun returns, mounted on a wheeled gun carriage. Got a few buffs - the standard siege shells are ballistic, and may be fired out of line-of-sight now, while the still-direct-fire Bastion-Breaker shells may be used without losing the ability to fire standard shots. The 36" range may chafe on an immobile platform, though.
**The Bastion-Breacher shells can deal some serious damage to fortifications, but at the cost of no longer being able to fire indirectly.

===Lords of War===
Forge World, with its unbridled fetish for treads, guns, and engines, has provided the Guard with the largest selection of Lords of War in the game, bar none. You can't take Titans in here anymore, but you could be forgiven for not noticing. The overwhelming majority of these are tracked vehicles of one variant or another, and most of them have the Steel Behemoth rule, allowing the vehicle in question to shoot and charge normally if it's fallen back that turn, fire heavy weapons with no penalties to hit, fire twin heavy flamers or twin heavy bolters into melee combat as if they were pistols, and fire the larger guns normally even if there are enemies within 1" (but not at those same enemies). Who said the conventional army fighting spooky paranormal activity was being screwed? Here's the hint: That daemon is not
*You won't be able to use Regimental Doctrines for these in a Superheavy Auxiliary Detachment, which means that in order to pull off this level of cheese, you would need to take a Superheavy Detachment or Supreme Command Detachment of the same {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}} (no plopping in Guilliman in order to achieve this). In other words, if you want a Lord of War that benefits from a Doctrine you'll need to either take several Lords of War, all with the same {{W40Kkeyword|Krieg}} keyword, or a bunch of extra HQs (you could take Yarrick or some Lord Commissars, though). Still, the Imperial Guard is perhaps one of the few armies that can pull this off without too much of a HQ tax since ours tend to be cheap. As of the new Codex, Primaris Psykers as HQ, and Techpriests and regular priests as Elites count towards this HQ quota (and you'll want a techpriest anyway if you are bringing a member of the Baneblade family) without disrupting your regimental doctrine.
<div style="margin-left: 1em;>

*'''Minotaur Artillery Tank (Forge World):''' One of the two variants of the Malcador chassis that retains the Lord of War title...though you could be forgiven for not noticing, since it's had two Earthshaker cannons mounted on it. ''Backwards.'' Simultaneously the coolest thing on treads and an ungodly abortion only Hereteks could love. Has two heavy bolters mounted on it...somewhere. As a side effect of mashing two Basilisks together it gains Steel Behemoth and a 5+ Invulnerable save against shooting attacks (which is copy-pasted from the Gorgon's entry, because the two are such similar machines...bravo, Forge World). The durability comes at a cost: for the firepower of two Basilisks, it's almost as expensive as three.
*'''Gorgon Heavy Transporter (Forge World):''' Want to haul an entire platoon of Korpsmen? Here's how. With an unmatched-anywhere transport capacity of '''50''' models, the Gorgon can move more men safely than anything else. The Gorgon Mortar is no longer one-shot, too, letting this vehicle function as a pseudo-Land Raider...until you realize you're transporting 4 point models in a Lord of War, and they can't shoot out of it.
**Don't view the Gorgon as a mobile dakka vehicle like the Stormlord. View the Gorgon as a mass transporter to move your Korpsmen into rapid fire range.
** Want to use monster? Well too bad. Forgeworld no longer makes the kit, and is difficult to find on the secondhand market. So good luck.
*'''Macharius Family (Forge World:''' the middle child of the super heavy tanks, the Macharius series starts to wield titan-sized guns, while the non-tank variants of the chassis bring to the field some of the largest transport capacities in the game.
**'''Macharius Heavy Tank:''' Suffers from a lot of the problems that the Leman Russ suffers from. It has the potential to deal a lot of damage, but like the Leman Russ battle cannon, the likelihood of it actually doing anything isn't that high. If you really have your heart set on this tank, consider the Macharius Vanquisher as an alternative.
**'''Macharius Omega:''' Its plasma blastgun is pretty amazing, especially if you can keep it still. Only 1 mortal wound per to-hit roll of 1 on the supercharged firing mode, and even if you play it safe, each shot is still doing as much damage as a normal supercharged plasma gun shot, but with much better range. Consider this if facing big squads of MEQ... now, if only FW still made the model for it.
**'''Macharius Vanquisher:''' Two Vanquisher shots are better than one, and if all else fails, you can fire this as a slightly less potent version of the twin battle cannon that the Macharius Heavy Tank has, making this a more versatile choice. It's still nothing to write home about in the grand scheme of things, but at least you get two shots for the Vanquisher cannon instead of 1.
**'''Macharius Vulcan:''' The Vulcan Mega Bolter retains the ability to spin up to maximum speed if the tank hasn't moved, doubling its rate of fire to 30. On a S6 AP-2 gun, that's some SERIOUS pain. With 15 hits on average, you'll be mowing down entire GEQ squads with an average of 12.5 wounds per shooting phase. This is a nice tank to have up your sleeve when that Ork player floods the board with Boyz.
*'''Baneblade Family:''' The galaxy's premier super-heavy tank has been lucky this edition, with almost-universal reductions in points, retention of fire points, ''amazing'' toughness, and the addition of the Steel Behemoth rule. The Steel Behemoth rule is especially powerful on Baneblades; Versus targets ''in'' melee it may fire its twin heavy flamers and twin heavy bolters like pistols, targeting foes within 1" - this makes a fully-armed Baneblade variant one of the ''meanest models in the game'' in close quarters, dealing out an average of '''31''' hits, at S5 AP-1 - and that's before it uses its adamantium tracks, which swing at s9 ap-2 for d3 damage up to 9 times. And those flamers hit on overwatch, too. All variants have a twin heavy bolter on the hull, and may take up to 4 sponsons, each with a lascannon and a twin heavy flamer/twin heavy bolter.
**The choice between twin heavy bolters and twin heavy flamers on your sponsons is a tricky one. The bolters deliver a lower average hit count (3 instead of 7) but are ''much'' cheaper and have more than four times the range of the flamers. If you're thinking of getting in close and can spare the points, a giant tank that's more painful to fight in melee than a ''bloodthirster'' versus most targets can be a lot of fun (and it's even more dangerous in conjunction with the Crush Them! Stratagem to give it WS 2+ and a boosted charge range), but if you plan on hanging back (and have a Trojan around), save yourself the points.
**Codex changes, several members of the Baneblade family have seen a reduction in points cost of up to 40 to their hulls, their main weapons have all been buffed to do an extra D6 shots (e.g. if it fired D6 it now fired 2d6, if it fired 2d6 it now fires 3d6) with the exception that the Stormlord is still a flat 20 and Shadowsword went from 1d6 to 3d3. This has resulted in some changes to power cost though; Baneblade -2, Banehammer 0, Banesword +1, Stormlord -1, Stormsword +1, Shadowsword -1, Doomhammer +1.
**As with all superheavies, carefully assess if your needs would be better met with 2-3 of the smaller versions (in this case Russes). Firepower, board control, damage control, ease of support, and vulnerability to burst damage need to be considered when comparing.
**'''Baneblade:''' First of the turreted variants (though with the removal of facing that's not as relevant anymore), the original Baneblade packs the mighty Baneblade Cannon, a dual-linked heavy bolter, an autocannon, and a hull Demolisher Cannon. Oldies but goldies.
**'''Shadowsword:''' Arguably the most famous aside from the Baneblade itself, the 'Titan-Killer' mounts the incredibly powerful Volcano cannon, still capable of one-shotting Land Raiders even in an edition rife with tough vehicles and monsters with an impressive Strength of '''16'''. Versus {{W40Kkeyword|Titanic}} units it gets +1 to hit with everything and the Volcano Cannon re-rolls wounds. Very little can hope to survive a duel with this beast.
***The Volcano Cannon is 120" Heavy 3d3 S16 AP-5 D2d6, re-rolling wounds against {{W40Kkeyword|Titanic}}, so on average it is 120" Heavy 6 S16 AP-5 D7 - the highest damage*rate of fire gun this line can field, so high it even accounts for lacking a Demolisher Cannon when attacking low-model units. On average, one shot from this gun will kill a fellow Baneblade variant with 1.22 wounds to spare, or a Land Raider with 1.5 wounds to spare. However, it won't kill a Knight in one shot, on average dealing 18.15 wounds - enough to cripple all the way, usually, but you'll want the lascannon sponsons to finish the job.
***Alternatively, give shadowsword-senpai some minions! A Salamander Command Vehicle and a Trojan Support Vehicle can beef up the Volcano Cannon's firepower considerably, taking its average hit count from 3 to 5.33 - which makes for ''23.5'' wounds after damage rolls and the knight's invulnerable save. This means you can finish the job with the hull bolters, and sponsons with lascannons will make the kill a virtual certainty. You will need to take it in a Supreme Command detachment to assign your Shadowsword to a regiment, which means 3 HQs, but you were going to take those Primaris Psykers and Lord Commissars already, right?
***Funny little update in the FAQ; if you so desire, you can now nix the Lascannons off of your weapons sponsons and just take the Twin Heavy Bolters to represent the Forge World Shadowsword model. A bit weird, but it is a cost saving measure if you're really trying to fine tune your points.
**'''Arkurian Pattern Stormblade:''' One of the few variants without a twin heavy bolter stock, this one comes with a plain heavy bolter instead, as well as a plasma blastgun. The Plasma Blastgun's 2d6 MEQ-vaporizing blasts will wipe out any infantry near it. Supercharging it boosts its range from 72" to 96" and boosts the shots' strength and damage by 1, but as always you'll want something nearby to ensure that it doesn't risk damaging itself in the process.
***The Plasma Blastgun is 72" Heavy 2D6 S8 AP-3 D2 or 96" Heavy 2D6 S9 AP-3 D3, 1 mortal wound per 1 rolled to hit, which averages to 72" Heavy 7 S8 AP-3 D2 or 96" Heavy 7 S9 AP-3 D3 and take 1.17 mortal wounds, which would still be underwhelming even if it didn't inflict the mortal wounds, largely because this is a Forge World gun that didn't get up-gunned, so the Codex variants are deeply superior.
**'''Stormsword:''' Formerly one of the cheapest variants (though still a list-buster at 390 points ''before its weapons),'' the Stormsword carries the Stormsword Siege Cannon, a massive gun that ignores cover and all but the strongest armor to boot. Lead the charge and smash the foe. Lost a lot of its thriftyness with the Shadowsword, Banehammer, and Banesword now matching it in price.
***The Stormsword Siege Cannon is 36" Heavy 4H2d6 S10 AP-4 D1d6r1, Ignores Cover, or on average, 36" Heavy 9.34 S10 AP-4 D3.92. Its relatively shabby gun is only comparable to guns carried by cousins with transport capacities and firing decks, so you probably want to shop around the other choices before settling for this one.

==Death Korps of Krieg Tactics==

*Deathriders are perhaps the single greatest edge you have over any other IG regiment, Rough Riders simply cannot compare (although they do make excellent tank hunters).
Use '''Flanking Maneuvers''' to put up to ''50'' horses in your opponent's backfield for every Deathrider Command Squad in your army. An all Deathrider army is perfectly feasible and highly competitive, though it works best when supported by a horde of infantry and mortar artillery.
*Combat Engineers' ''Carcass Shot'' and Acid Grenades make splinter rifles look tame by comparison. If your Engineers get locked in melee (and with a 12" threat range it's going to happen) fall back 6", '''Get Back In the Fight!", and then use the ''Grenadiers'' stratagem to lob ''10'' Acid Grenades at your opponent.
**Your Engineers will need a transport, either a Centaur if you're running them in MSU or a Chimera for a full squad and a Field Officer.
*Kriegers are practically fearless thanks to '''Cult of Sacrifice''' which makes them immune to morale tests caused by shooting. Put Marshal Karis Venner in range of a regimental standard - he becomes LD10...and so does every infantry/cavalry model within 12" of him. This makes '''Consolidate Squads''' not such a terrible idea as morale tests are irrelevant if you're fighting a shooty opponent (Tau, IG, etc).
*Krieg is perhaps the best IG regiment when it comes to melee (other than Catachans). You are also one of the toughest - ultra-high LD + '''Cult of Sacrifice''', Storm Chimeras, Deathriders, and (relatively) cheap infantry hordes mean Kriegers are surprisingly hard to table even against horde-optimized armies.
*Krieg excels in games with heavy terrain like few other armies. Deathriders aren't impeded by charging through cover while mortar artillery ignores cover saves completely. And Combat Engineers are even in better in Cities of Death where they can benefit from '''Fire In the Hole'''.

</div></div>

{{Warhammer_40k_Tactics}}

Primaris Space Marines

2018-08-02T05:24:24Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* On the Tabletop */

[[File:New40KPrimarisArt1.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Look out Chaos, there's a new kid on the block.]]
{{Topquote|They were forged for Mankind's darkest hour, and that hour is upon us.|[[Roboute Guilliman]]}}
{{Topquote|In a galaxy wreathed in darkness, we must be the light.|Unnamed Primaris Officer}}
{{Topquote|Today, we are canceling the apocalypse!|Marshal Stacker Pentecost, from the movie Pacific Rim}}

Primaris Space Marines (also known as Primaris Marines, Ultra-Ultramarines, Space Space Marines, Primarines, NuMarines, Chadmarines, [[Ultramarines: The Movie|The Greater-est of them all]], Adeptus Restartes, Gigglymarines, Super Space Marines, Biglymarines, Space-marine Space-marine Space-Marines, 8thmarines, Bigmars, [[Stormcast Eternals|Spacesigmarines]], Guillimarines, Special Snowflake Marines, [[Mary Sue|Primarysues]], Ultra-Ultrasmurfs, Marines II: Electric Boogaloo, the Replacements and the New Kids) - are the next step forward in [[Space Marine]] evolution (not counting the [[Raptor]] supermarines by [[Corax]] during the [[Horus Heresy]] before [[Alpharius]] spiked the gene-tech with [[Daemon]] Blood). [[Roboute Guilliman|Big Bobby G]] got together with [[Belisarius Cawl]] and put together this next generation of Astartes. They are bigger, faster, stronger, and maybe smarter than all that have come before them. Buckle up boys, its about to get hot in here.

==History and Background==
Shortly after the conclusion of the Horus Heresy, Guilliman predicted that another major Chaos attack on the Imperium might come at some point in the future. Though the Space Marines had proven themselves worthy defenders of Mankind, the Primarch foresaw that there might be a time where even they would struggle against the onslaught of the Ruinous Powers - [[Derp|because Roboute himself broke Legions in chapters]], and those tend to have problems fighting Black Crusades against ''hundreds of thousands'' CSM (the reason why Dorn declined Codex Astartes at first, being one of the few after the Scouring to suppose the Traitor Legions may be back one day). But nowadays it turns out Guilliman knew about it as well - which makes the whole situation awkward to say the least.

Ahem, in a frankly extreme show of [[just as planned]], our [[Spiritual Liege]] gained the aid of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl and began a program to create a new, superior form of Space Marines in secret over the next ten millennia. To assist him, Guilliman gave Cawl a relic called the Sangprimus Portum- a device containing the purest samples of each Primarch's [[/d/|genetic material]] that outstripped even the gene-seed in its potency.

Even after he was poisoned by [[Fulgrim]], Guilliman's plan continued without anybody learning about it, and by the time of his revival, Primaris Marines were ready to be unveiled to the Imperium - the only thing needed was a sanction from the Primarch himself.

In conjunction with the [[Ultima Founding]], there are now going to be entirely new chapters composed just of Primaris Marines as well, with some taking over the [[Fortress-Monastery|fortress-monasteries]] of extinct chapters.

However, in the Black Library novel "Dark Imperium", Guilliman calls Primarises "Cawl's blasphemous hordes". So much for daddy's love, eh?

==New Stuff==
*The basic Primaris Marine is encased in [[Power Armour#Mark X: Tacticus Armour|Mark X Tacticus Armour]]. Basically, it's the best of all the suits that came before it, wrapped up into one convenient package; no [[Beakie]] schnozz, but it's got that sweet Maximus style vox grill. As usual, mechanically this is entirely cosmetic.
**[[Primarch#Two_Missing_Primarchs|We don't talk about Mark IX Power Armour]].
**Bigger, tougher Primaris Marines wear [[Power_Armour#Mark_X:_Gravis_Armour|Mark X Gravis Armour]]. As of 8E, this translates to +1T. Shiny.
**Reivers wear [[Power Armour#Mark X: Phobos Armour|Mark X Phobos Armour]], sleeker-looking, with <strike>crocs, capris, and</strike> skull-faced helmets.
*They wield the [[Bolt#Bolt Rifle|Mark II Cawl-pattern Bolt rifle]] as their standard firearm. Apparently a "perfected" version of the ubiquitous bolter, it does have an improved statline - 30" Rapid Fire 1 S4 AP-1 D1 - which appears to be a boltgun with an extended barrel.
**Its statline is one AP worse than the new "Special Issue Boltgun" Sternguard carry, but their big selling point is some combination of being cheaper/easier to manufacture and using more readily available/cheaper/easier to manufacture ammunition, reflected in their points cost - bolt rifles are the same gun for 3 points cheaper in 8E.
**At least two variants of Bolt Rifle exist- the Auto Bolt Rifle, which has lower AP and shorter ranges but offers greater mobility due to being Assault 2, and the Stalker Bolt Rifle, a Heavy 1 sniper variant with superior range and one extra point of AP.
*An enhanced [[gene-seed]], which was created by combining the purified genetic material of the Loyalist Primarchs with parts of the [[Adeptus Custodes|Custodes]] creation process (as they don't have gene-seed) that adds 3 more organs to the existing 19. It's also worth noting that Cawl did something to make the Primaris Marines physically incapable of turning traitor. Guilliman's internal monologue in Dark Imperium reveals that he considers it an impossibility for Primarines to turn, unlike "the old breed". This has interesting implications about whether or not the Primaris marines truly have free will, assuming that they truly are unable to fall to Chaos- it is just as likely that they haven't been active long enough for any corruption to take hold yet.
**The new organs are:
***'''Sinew Coils''', which turn the Primaris Marines into [[Wat|Inspector Gadget]]....okay, we may be joking here, but it's basically metallic coils wrapped around the Marine's tendons and ligaments that can contract with extreme force.
****This is particularly interesting, as it's not actually a living organ, and hence is presumably not developed from gene-seed at all.
***'''The Magnificat''', which just sets the rest of the superhuman organs into overdrive (and is itself part of a super-organ dubbed the '''Immortis Gland''' intended for Primarchs, though the information needed to complete it is lost), as well as producing additional growth hormone.
***'''Belisarian Furnace''' (because Cawl gets a robo-boner for naming things after himself), essentially a 'last-stand' organ, which gives a Primaris Marine a supercharged adrenaline rush near death while triggering rapid tissue and bone regeneration. This presumably explains the additional Wound they have.

==Potential Problems==
* Primaris marines were made from all extant Loyalist genelines, and thanks to the material made available to [[Belisarius Cawl]] through the Sangprimus Portum, show little to none of the idiosyncrasies that usually mark the bloodlines of [[Space Wolves|Russ]] and [[Blood Angels|Sanguinius]]. Not only that, but according to an (admittedly biased) in-universe source, there's only a .001% chance of genetic deviation per generation, which means that the Primaris genestock are incredibly stable as well. Interestingly, thanks to Cawl's work Chapters that have lost organs through the centuries (like the [[Imperial Fists]]) or have malfunctioning organs (like the [[Raven Guard]]) all of a sudden have a complete set of organs thanks to the influx of new Primaris blood.
** This means of course that Chapters like the [[Space Wolves]], who due to the same quirks of their genetics were unable to ''have'' successors, [[Wolfspear|can now have them]], without fear of them devolving into [[Wulfen]] in one generation. Despite this stability, some people (see [[Flesh Tearers|Gabriel Seth]]) aren't too happy at this flagrant tinkering with the Emperor's work.
** It's worth noting that in the '''Kill Team Focus: The Adeptus Astartes''', [[Black Dragons]] Reivers with bone mutations are mentioned. Maybe this is due to the purposeful mutation farming by the Black Dragons, or maybe the mutation rate is higher than Daddy Cawl cares to admit.
* Despite being bigger, stronger, and much faster than "regular" Astartes, what the Primaris initially lacked was actual battlefield experience (a fact bemoaned by Captain Felix of the [[Ultramarines]] in ''Dark Imperium'' to have been the cause of most of the initial losses to the Primaris). While this has been mostly been offset by the long and hard Indomitus Crusade campaign, even after a hundred-odd years of war the average Primaris marine is looked upon as a relative greenhorn by regular Astartes veterans. They have a lot to prove to their adopted Chapters as a result.
** We get little hints of this having to prove themselves goodness in, the Dark Angels codex. A group of Hellblasters are half put off, half inspired by the strictness of their primogenitor. After the squad gets trapped in a hive city for days fighting off enemies, they rack up so many kills even Belial can't help but smile.
*The Dark Angel example above illustrates another problem: how well will the new Primaris Marines get along with their chapter? The Dark Angels are an extreme example given their <s>issues</s> UNSWERVING LOYALTY TO THE IMPERIUM, but other chapters may have their own problems getting the first couple batches of Primaris marines to get with the traditions and cultures of their chapters.
**As the Primaris have no Terminators ([[skub|Aggressors are debatable]]) or Biker units or any real equivalents. (Yet, if GW thought that far ahead.) I.e. Hellblasters and Inceptors can be deployed in place of Sternguard and Vanguard Veterans in other chapters. With the exception of Primaris Librarians, induction into the Inner Circle or the lower ranks of the Ravenwing is unlikely.
*Chaos will be interested in the Primaris Marines. The [[Chaos Gods]] are not happy with the existence of the Primaris Marines, and are creating some warp charged warriors to counter them (enhanced Chosen, perhaps). [[Fabius Bile|Fabulous Bill]] became obsessed with "perfecting" the Primaris Marines from the moment he first encountered them and has already begun trying to kidnap Primaris Marines for dissection. They've supposedly been made resistant to Chaos influence, but "resistant" doesn't mean "immune" by a long shot, since they still have a soul. In fact a [[Noxious Blightbringer]] is able to effect them in Dark Imperium, successfully hurting and trying to get them to turn. And come to think of it, the cover image of 8th Edition does seem to partially show a [[Plague Marine]] in Tacitus armor...
**The discovery that Cawl wanted to use Traitor Legion gene-seed as well as the gene-seed of the missing legions to make Primaris Marines doesn't help the matter; Guilliman refused to let him do so, but he has a feeling Cawl will try it anyway with predictable results.
***Cawl claims that it was only due to the influence of the traitorous Primarchs that their Legions fell to Chaos. While this may be true, attempting to test that theory would almost certainly be a bad idea.
****The [[Sons of the Phoenix]] exist.
***The reasons as to why the the Lost Legions were purged so thoroughly were apparently so unthinkably horrible (so much that even after his rebellion had begun, Horus was still unwilling to break the vow he made to never speak of the Missing Primarchs) that Cawl trying to use their DNA might bite him in the ass even harder than for using gene-seed from the Traitor Primarchs.
*While barely explored in-universe so far, the various alien races in the setting may also take exception to or dangerous interest in the Primaris Marines.[[Urien Rakarth]] has expressed interest in them in spite of what he calls Guilliman's "lack of imagination", and has requested his [[Haemonculus|Haemonculi]] bring as many to him as possible; more unnervingly, he has expressed that he will be saving his best oubliette for the Primarch if he ever wished to "learn from the master". It would be equally unsurprising if [[Illuminor Szeras|a certain spider-legged robot mad scientist]] also wanted to collect a few Primaris specimens. The rest of the alien races, fortunately, are much less interested in genetic modification and would be more likely to view them as being more or less like any other Space Marine.
* The book "War of Secrets" has the Primaris Marines of the Dark Angels (and by implication, all Primaris Marines of Terran stock) heavily influenced by the culture of Mars: they call the Emperor the Omnissiah, reverently call their creator 'Pater Cawl', and swear to the glory of "chapter, Terra and Mars". This raises the question of if they are more loyal to the Adeptus Mechanicus than the Imperium or even their own Chapter. Indeed, in the book its one of the main reasons the Dark Angels don't trust them.
* Another problem is simply one of character development. If the Primaris are free of any mutation, supposedly so resistant to Chaos that they are impossible to turn, and are stronger than their older counterparts, this might create a deep plot and writing pitfall for future Black Library books. Not like they don't deal with those already of course...

==Forces of the Primaris Marines==
[[File:Blood Raven 1.JPG|300px|thumb|right|"[[Roboute Guilliman|Lord Commander]], the batch 3789-Alpha is missing! Just after the visit of..." "[[Just as Planned|I know.]]"]]
Primaris Marines don't get to select from a variety of equipment loadouts, but the equipment they do carry is designed by [[Cawl]], who is shockingly competent, so they usually outgun their non-Primaris equivalents who tried to choose an otherwise identical loadout; this forces them to depend on other units to support them to fill in any gaps (much like Eldar Aspect Warriors). They enjoy, as of 8E, +1W and +1A relative to a regular marine, making them more durable and a lot more dangerous in melee combat. Some of them wear [[Power_Armour#Mark_X:_Gravis_Armour|Mark X Gravis Armour]], for another +1T.
*'''[[Primaris Captain|Primaris Captain:]]''' Primaris Captains are the analogues of [[Space Marine]] Captains. They are decked out in the new Gravis Armor which somehow manages to be even ''MOAR'' egg-shaped than a [[Squat]] [[Hearthguard]]. They're armed with a mini-Gauntlet of Ultramar/Hand of Dominion (I.E. a three-shot bolt pistol built into a power fist) and a master-crafted power sword. Others use the Mark X Tacitus power armor and wield a power sword and their choice of Stalker Boltgun or Auto Bolt Rifle. There's also a plasma pistol and power fist model exclusive to Games Workshop stores celebrating their anniversaries.
*'''[[Primaris Librarian|Primaris Librarian:]]''' Just what it sounds like. Has a fancy-looking Force Sword.
*'''[[Primaris Chaplain|Primaris Chaplain:]]''' Self-explanatory; they wear black robes as though they're aping on the [[Interrogator-Chaplain]]s. In battle, they wear an Iron Halo and carry a Crozius Arcanum alongside a specialized Absolver Bolt Pistol. To double down on the skull motif, their breastplate looks like a ribcage.
*'''[[Primaris Lieutenant|Primaris Lieutenants:]]''' The Primaris Lieutenants are somewhere between a Captain and a Sergeant in rank, and are often the most experienced of a Primaris Squad. Their role is to take command of demi-companies when the Captain is absent, freeing Chaplains and Librarians to focus on their own specialties. Lieutenants are differentiated from their fellow marines by a red-on-white stripe on their helms. Some of them can be helmetless which often showcase an extreme amount of Hair-esy. They can either use a power sword or a master-crafted automatic version of the Bolt Rifle (shorter range and worse ap, but better rate of fire at long range, fireable after Advancing, and more damage per shot from being master-crafted).
*'''[[Primaris Ancient|Primaris Ancients:]]''' Primaris Marines dubbed honorable enough to have the privilege of carrying the Standard's Banner. Identifiable by their white helmets (although that could change depending on the Chapter), they are in no way related to another [[Tarkus|dude-clad-in-power-armor-wearing-a-white-helmet-that-also-comes-with-the-same-name-from-a-certain-WH40K-game]]. At least until he's been upgraded. In case you were wondering, "Ancient" is a corruption of the rank of "Ensign" which was a term for an army's flagbearer in the Middle Ages, so it has nothing to do with how old the Marine in question actually is.
*'''[[Primaris Apothecary|Primaris Apothecary:]]''' A specialization of Primaris Marine first seen in artwork and promo photos, and now has rules and a model. Their left bracer appears to have a screen on it for monitoring lifesigns, and they have a pistol with a reductor built into it for geneseed removal (and the occasional puncturing of enemy skulls). The Narthecium attached to a <s>cyberdong</s> mechadendrite on the Apothecary's back.
*'''Primaris Techmarine:''' One of them acts as the pintle gunner for the Repulsor Tank. That's about all we know.
*'''[[Reiver|Reivers:]]''' Reivers are Space Marines created from the gene-seed of [[Sly Marbo]]. Think [[Catachan Jungle Fighters]] in [[Power Armor]]. It's time to piss yourselves, [[Chaos Space Marines|traitorous scum.]] Reivers are the only true close-combat specialist Infantry for the Primaris and are pretty good at it overall. Compared to Intercessors they have a Combat Knife for another attack and an improved Bolt Pistol with greater Armour Penetration, and the ability to negatively effect enemy morale. They can be equipped for more ranged combat but that is not why you take them. They have Deep-Strike option like everyone else, but also a new grappling hook that allows them to both outflank and jump-up ruins like they're nothing. But arguably their biggest trump-card is their special grenade that causes effected units to lose both their overwatch and minus one to shooting. While not the most devastating CC unit in the game they make excellent back-field harassers and synergize wonderfully with the rest of your army with their ability to cripple enemy gun-lines.
*'''[[Aggressor|Aggressors:]]''' Aggressors are basically Primaris [[Terminators]] mixed in with [[Centurion Squad|Centurions]], but with a 3+ save. They have an even more specialized Gravis armor, and either an automatic version of the Primaris Captain's Boltstorm Gauntlet paired with shoulder-mounted grenade launchers or a flamer-equipped version of said gauntlet dubbed the Flamestorm gauntlet. Regardless of what they're equipped with, they specialize in close-range firepower that obliterates light infantry.
*'''[[Intercessor|Intercessors:]]''' Intercessors are the <s>standard</s> SUPER bolter Marines, having most in common with a bare-bones tactical squad as they're armed with Primaris versions of the same things (such as their super bolters and Mk X armour). Compared to tacticals, they perform better in melee and have greater armour penetration on their basic weapons along with being more survivable, making them effective in a wider variety of situations. This is both a strength and a weakness, as while they may be bigger Jacks of all trades, they're even worse masters of nothing. Compared to Tacticals they have fewer weapon and transport options and only one type of heavy weapon choice. This might be part of the reason that other Primaris Marines are more specialized: to compensate/synergize. As Primaris specialists may be more vulnerable to heavy firepower and be fire-magnets, Intercessors with their flexibility they can more reliably protect other more valuable units and plug any holes that arise from specialist losses, or make themselves useful against any foe until the hard-hitting second wave arrives (being the most versatile as far as Primaris Marines go).
*'''[[Inceptor|Inceptors:]]''' Inceptors are the <strike>[[Assault Marines]] equivalent</strike> drop troops of the Primaris Marines and are equipped with a new pattern of Jump Packs, two Assault Bolters, which are basically sawn off Heavy Bolters, a pair of hand-portable Plasma Cannons, and a pair of [[Derp|absolutely ridiculous-looking shoe-shovels.]] Unlike Assault Squads, the Inceptors' focus is on firepower and a pseudo Hammer of Wrath. This makes them closer in role to Assault Bikes as a fast moving strafing unit and harasser. They lack melee weapons of any kind; this doesn't mean they can't fight in melee, as their sheer weight allows them to crush their enemies to death, and they still have the statline of "normal" Primaris marines along with being even tougher to hurt, making them not completely useless in a scrap. Don't get it in your head that their melee ability is "good", though, or even decent, and only engage in melee if you have to; they do far better blowing things into tiny pieces.
*'''[[Hellblaster|Hellblasters:]]''' Hellblasters are Primaris Marines who make Flash Gitz green(er) with envy. They use [[Plasma#Plasma Incinerator|Plasma Incinerators]], enhanced Plasma Guns with longer range and armor piercing ability. Aside from that, there's nothing special about them as compared to "regular" Primaris marines. Very expensive and vulnerable to strong weapons, but they fuck up TEQs and can pose a threat to vehicles if they can get into Rapid Fire range, though outside of said range it's not as suicidal to unload a charged volley, so they can threaten vehicles there, too. Also, with the changes to how cover works, they are terrifying against cover campers. With how big a fire magnet these guys are, if you get these guys close to an expensive or dangerous vehicle or multiwound TEQs feel free to HELLBLAST them into oblivion in a suicide barrage. (That is, IF they're at risk of being wiped out or swarmed.)
*'''[[Redemptor Dreadnought|Primaris Redemptor Dreadnought:]]''' For no matter how great and glorious they may be, [[Grimdark|in the grim future even they are not immortal]]. Though how enough of these brand spanking-new Space Marines were curbstomped just enough to warrant Dreadnought status, we'll (probably) never know (hundreds of thousands of Primaris fighting in the over a century long indomitus crusade may be the answer). Times be desperate, yo. Probably because they're so hard to kill that just about all of them that couldn't be saved are made dread-ful.
*'''[[Repulsor_Tank|Repulsor]]:''' The Repulsor is the standard transport and/or tank (nobody's entirely sure yet) of the Primaris Marines. Which is good for them, because they can't go inside standard Space Marine transports, including ones that can hold Terminators, Centurions, and (in 30k) even fucking ''Primarchs.'' There must be [[Profit|some mysterious force surpassing even the Emperor]] blocking the door - which also blocks the door on this thing if you try to convince a ''non''-Primaris to go inside. Being a floating [[METAL BOXES|Metal Box]], it might be considered the spiritual successor to the [[Grav-Rhino]], if you covered said Grav-Rhino with missile pods everywhere, including on its rear and sides, put twin-linked lascannon in the front hull, and gave it what looks like a [[Fail|heavy stubber]] as a coaxial gun to go with the turret lascannon and pintle-mounted Gatling gun.
*'''Overlord:''' The Overlord is the Primaris-exclusive dropship used to support the bigger frames of the Primaris Marines. You would think the [[Thunderhawk]] would be big enough for them, but it seems they are ''too'' [[Mary Sue|special]] to share the same vehicle with their smaller brothers. Anyways, the Overlord is noticeable for one thing. It is '''ECKS BAWKS HUEG''', making a Thunderhawk look like a [[Stormtalon]] in comparison. In terms of specs, it is the [[Corvus Blackstar]] on steroids. Seriously, it has powerful quintuple engines and twinned hulls thick enough to permit insertion from orbit, like Thunderhawks or Stormbirds, and like Blackstars, Overlords possess twin transport bays with their own assault doors, but they're considerably bigger (they can carry up to 40 of your Chadmarines) and even more blessed with advanced technologies like fucking [[AWESOME|energy shields]] ([[Heresy|Guess Cawl kind of]] [[Blood Ravens|'borrowed']] [[Extra Heresy|some of that sweet ass energy shields from the]] [[Eldar|pointy-eared gitz]]). Additionally, the Overlord is equipped with anti-munitions cannons, wing-mounted Desolator Lascannons, nose-mounted Melta Cannons and Heavy Bolters fixed on its lower wing surfaces. This thing is pretty much a flying [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)|Titan]] or an Imperial [[Manta]].
*'''[[Astraeus|Astraeus Super-Heavy Tank]]:''' Surely the result of a grudging 3-way between a Mastodon, a Sicaran, and a somewhat reluctant Repulsor, the Astraeus is the first Primaris super-heavy tank (implying there will be more variants on the way) and looking to be an utter beast on the tabletop - it's armed with Land Raider style frontal Heavy Bolter mount, two front angled sponsons for Las-Rippers or Plasma Eradicators, topped with a turret mounted dual Macro-Accelerator Cannon. Given how expensive it is to field a decently kitted repulsor, it remains to be seen how viable it will be to concentrate so many points into one vehicle.

==On the Tabletop==
Crunch wise, Primaris Space Marines are about as physically dangerous as Space Marines are already supposed to be fluff-wise, so they get an additional Attack and an additional Wound; weapons which deal additional Wounds seem to be fairly common now, so while it might not be a big improvement it can still be helpful. However, they also have exclusive access to shiny new toys from Cawl, including a "basically Kraken" Bolter with +6" range and -1 AP, a Plasma gun with +6" range and -4 AP, and half-range [[AWESOME|one-handed Assault Heavy Bolters and Plasma Cannons. That they dual-wield. With jump packs.]] Defensively, so far only they have access to Gravis armor, which grants +1 Toughness (and even then only the Captain, Aggressors, and Inceptors can use it). Finally, their squads don't mix weapon types, with all members carrying the same loadout; whether this will be a benefit or a downside relative to "standard" marines being able to carry a mixed loadout remains to be seen with the other new rules in 8th, such as the ability of any squad to split its fire across multiple targets.

Most of the Primaris units so far also cost nearly twice as many points as their older counterparts and have unit sizes no larger than a <del>5</del> 10 model maximum (including the Serge). This strongly suggests they will be more useful as a supplement to standard Marine forces than they might be as outright replacements; they're far too inflexible and expensive to be fielded effectively on their own, and their lack of melee specialists and access to weaponry with a range greater than 36" is a glaring flaw (for now) as well. And while their movement is no worse than any other Marine, for reasons that totally aren't financial in origin they can't take '''any''' transports usable by standard Marines. Not [[Rhino|Rhinos]], not [[Drop Pods]], not [[Land Raider|Land Raiders]], not even the motherfucking [[Mastodon]]. They can use the Thunderhawk, but odds are you're not going to have room for it in your standard 2000 points game, and even then, it has to be carrying only Primaris Marines (and in that case, it still can't carry too many). They have a special transport called a Repulsor (which is a [[Awesome|grav tank]]), which somehow can't carry non-Primaris, but besides that they have no choice but to go footslogging.

However, single-model units can be astonishingly efficient - the most extreme case is the Primaris Librarian, who has a static, unchangeable loadout, but costs the exact same as a non-Primaris Librarian with the same loadout (a bolt pistol and Force Sword).

In terms of sheer durability Intercessors are also far more point efficient than Tactical Marines, and are the better option when it comes to holding down homefield objectives. Primaris armies can seem deceptively small, however, they have an incredible wound density. They're also by far some of the best bolter infantry available, with a number of advantages over basic Sternguard (though lacking access to combi-weapons).

===Rules Datasheets===
<gallery>
File:New40kPrimarisCaptainAgainFull.jpg|Stats for the Captain. GW is being awfully generous with these datasheets.
File:New40kIntercessorDatasheet.jpg|Behold the Intercessor Datasheet (thanks GW!).
File:New40kPrimarisInceptorVersion2Full.jpg|The Inceptor rules, sadly the shoe-shovels have no stats.
File:Hellblaster stats.jpeg|Hellblaster stats, because leaks are great for those on the outside. Note how when their guns explode they die, rather than take damage.
</gallery>

==Gallery==
===Miniatures===
<gallery>
File:Captain1.jpg|A Primaris Captain channeling the [[meme|Juggernaut BITCH!]]
File:Lieutenant1.jpg|Primaris Lieutenants, not quite butter bars, not quite seasoned
File:Ancient1.jpg|I am NOT [[Tarkus]]!
File:40kPrimarisLibReveal1.jpg|Being a Librarian ain't easy.
File:40kPreviewJuly23_Chaplain8h-500x466.jpg|The Chaplain. Totally not [[Blizzard|Reaper from Overwatch]].
File:40kPreviewJuly23_Apothecary2n-500x461.jpg|The Apothecary.
File:Intercessor2.jpg|Super Smurfs!
File:Reivers.jpg|Surprise Motherfucker!!
File:Helblaster1.jpg|An entire ''squad'' of Super-Smurfs with upgraded Plasma Guns.
File:Inceptor1.jpg|Inceptors! Now capable of flying and skiing! Inspired by Youjo Senki?
File:IMG-20171123-WA0005.jpg|Lieutenant Tolmeron pulling a charge pose with his saber. Now all you need to do is mount him on a horse and you're golden.
File:IMG-20171123-WA0002.jpg|Lieutenant Zakariah. Look at how smug his face is, like he has just <s>apprehended the Fallen </s> CLEARED ALL HERETICS FROM THE SECTOR
</gallery>

===Pictures===
<gallery>
File:Space_Marine_Squared.png|A Squad of Intercessors about to go to town on some greenskins. Aren't they beautiful?
File:Redemptor_Dreadnought.PNG|I HAVE LEGS! I HAVE FULLY ARTICULATED LEGS!
File:Chad marine hover tank.png|Guilliman and Cawl have figured out how to build hover tanks once more!
File:Aggressors.jpg|The Aggressors box.
File:PassiveAgressors.jpg|Passive Aggressors, ready to make catty remarks at the enemy
File:Chap&apoc.png|Grainy sighting of a Primaris Apothecary and Chaplain.
</gallery>

===Assorted===
<gallery>
File:PrimarisBigBoy.png
File:Adeptus Astronimus.jpg
File:PrimarisLightyear.jpg|Primaris Marine of the Galactic Rangers chapter.
File:Primaris_comparison.png|Numarine, the carefree playboy, and Oldmarine, the grizzled vigilante. [[Batman|Have you ever seen them in the same art together?]]
File:Primaris vs chaos by theangrymarine-dccr2jv.png|The new kid always gets picked on.
</gallery>

{{Primaris Marine-Forces}}

Primaris Space Marines

2018-08-02T05:22:44Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* On the Tabletop */

[[File:New40KPrimarisArt1.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Look out Chaos, there's a new kid on the block.]]
{{Topquote|They were forged for Mankind's darkest hour, and that hour is upon us.|[[Roboute Guilliman]]}}
{{Topquote|In a galaxy wreathed in darkness, we must be the light.|Unnamed Primaris Officer}}
{{Topquote|Today, we are canceling the apocalypse!|Marshal Stacker Pentecost, from the movie Pacific Rim}}

Primaris Space Marines (also known as Primaris Marines, Ultra-Ultramarines, Space Space Marines, Primarines, NuMarines, Chadmarines, [[Ultramarines: The Movie|The Greater-est of them all]], Adeptus Restartes, Gigglymarines, Super Space Marines, Biglymarines, Space-marine Space-marine Space-Marines, 8thmarines, Bigmars, [[Stormcast Eternals|Spacesigmarines]], Guillimarines, Special Snowflake Marines, [[Mary Sue|Primarysues]], Ultra-Ultrasmurfs, Marines II: Electric Boogaloo, the Replacements and the New Kids) - are the next step forward in [[Space Marine]] evolution (not counting the [[Raptor]] supermarines by [[Corax]] during the [[Horus Heresy]] before [[Alpharius]] spiked the gene-tech with [[Daemon]] Blood). [[Roboute Guilliman|Big Bobby G]] got together with [[Belisarius Cawl]] and put together this next generation of Astartes. They are bigger, faster, stronger, and maybe smarter than all that have come before them. Buckle up boys, its about to get hot in here.

==History and Background==
Shortly after the conclusion of the Horus Heresy, Guilliman predicted that another major Chaos attack on the Imperium might come at some point in the future. Though the Space Marines had proven themselves worthy defenders of Mankind, the Primarch foresaw that there might be a time where even they would struggle against the onslaught of the Ruinous Powers - [[Derp|because Roboute himself broke Legions in chapters]], and those tend to have problems fighting Black Crusades against ''hundreds of thousands'' CSM (the reason why Dorn declined Codex Astartes at first, being one of the few after the Scouring to suppose the Traitor Legions may be back one day). But nowadays it turns out Guilliman knew about it as well - which makes the whole situation awkward to say the least.

Ahem, in a frankly extreme show of [[just as planned]], our [[Spiritual Liege]] gained the aid of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl and began a program to create a new, superior form of Space Marines in secret over the next ten millennia. To assist him, Guilliman gave Cawl a relic called the Sangprimus Portum- a device containing the purest samples of each Primarch's [[/d/|genetic material]] that outstripped even the gene-seed in its potency.

Even after he was poisoned by [[Fulgrim]], Guilliman's plan continued without anybody learning about it, and by the time of his revival, Primaris Marines were ready to be unveiled to the Imperium - the only thing needed was a sanction from the Primarch himself.

In conjunction with the [[Ultima Founding]], there are now going to be entirely new chapters composed just of Primaris Marines as well, with some taking over the [[Fortress-Monastery|fortress-monasteries]] of extinct chapters.

However, in the Black Library novel "Dark Imperium", Guilliman calls Primarises "Cawl's blasphemous hordes". So much for daddy's love, eh?

==New Stuff==
*The basic Primaris Marine is encased in [[Power Armour#Mark X: Tacticus Armour|Mark X Tacticus Armour]]. Basically, it's the best of all the suits that came before it, wrapped up into one convenient package; no [[Beakie]] schnozz, but it's got that sweet Maximus style vox grill. As usual, mechanically this is entirely cosmetic.
**[[Primarch#Two_Missing_Primarchs|We don't talk about Mark IX Power Armour]].
**Bigger, tougher Primaris Marines wear [[Power_Armour#Mark_X:_Gravis_Armour|Mark X Gravis Armour]]. As of 8E, this translates to +1T. Shiny.
**Reivers wear [[Power Armour#Mark X: Phobos Armour|Mark X Phobos Armour]], sleeker-looking, with <strike>crocs, capris, and</strike> skull-faced helmets.
*They wield the [[Bolt#Bolt Rifle|Mark II Cawl-pattern Bolt rifle]] as their standard firearm. Apparently a "perfected" version of the ubiquitous bolter, it does have an improved statline - 30" Rapid Fire 1 S4 AP-1 D1 - which appears to be a boltgun with an extended barrel.
**Its statline is one AP worse than the new "Special Issue Boltgun" Sternguard carry, but their big selling point is some combination of being cheaper/easier to manufacture and using more readily available/cheaper/easier to manufacture ammunition, reflected in their points cost - bolt rifles are the same gun for 3 points cheaper in 8E.
**At least two variants of Bolt Rifle exist- the Auto Bolt Rifle, which has lower AP and shorter ranges but offers greater mobility due to being Assault 2, and the Stalker Bolt Rifle, a Heavy 1 sniper variant with superior range and one extra point of AP.
*An enhanced [[gene-seed]], which was created by combining the purified genetic material of the Loyalist Primarchs with parts of the [[Adeptus Custodes|Custodes]] creation process (as they don't have gene-seed) that adds 3 more organs to the existing 19. It's also worth noting that Cawl did something to make the Primaris Marines physically incapable of turning traitor. Guilliman's internal monologue in Dark Imperium reveals that he considers it an impossibility for Primarines to turn, unlike "the old breed". This has interesting implications about whether or not the Primaris marines truly have free will, assuming that they truly are unable to fall to Chaos- it is just as likely that they haven't been active long enough for any corruption to take hold yet.
**The new organs are:
***'''Sinew Coils''', which turn the Primaris Marines into [[Wat|Inspector Gadget]]....okay, we may be joking here, but it's basically metallic coils wrapped around the Marine's tendons and ligaments that can contract with extreme force.
****This is particularly interesting, as it's not actually a living organ, and hence is presumably not developed from gene-seed at all.
***'''The Magnificat''', which just sets the rest of the superhuman organs into overdrive (and is itself part of a super-organ dubbed the '''Immortis Gland''' intended for Primarchs, though the information needed to complete it is lost), as well as producing additional growth hormone.
***'''Belisarian Furnace''' (because Cawl gets a robo-boner for naming things after himself), essentially a 'last-stand' organ, which gives a Primaris Marine a supercharged adrenaline rush near death while triggering rapid tissue and bone regeneration. This presumably explains the additional Wound they have.

==Potential Problems==
* Primaris marines were made from all extant Loyalist genelines, and thanks to the material made available to [[Belisarius Cawl]] through the Sangprimus Portum, show little to none of the idiosyncrasies that usually mark the bloodlines of [[Space Wolves|Russ]] and [[Blood Angels|Sanguinius]]. Not only that, but according to an (admittedly biased) in-universe source, there's only a .001% chance of genetic deviation per generation, which means that the Primaris genestock are incredibly stable as well. Interestingly, thanks to Cawl's work Chapters that have lost organs through the centuries (like the [[Imperial Fists]]) or have malfunctioning organs (like the [[Raven Guard]]) all of a sudden have a complete set of organs thanks to the influx of new Primaris blood.
** This means of course that Chapters like the [[Space Wolves]], who due to the same quirks of their genetics were unable to ''have'' successors, [[Wolfspear|can now have them]], without fear of them devolving into [[Wulfen]] in one generation. Despite this stability, some people (see [[Flesh Tearers|Gabriel Seth]]) aren't too happy at this flagrant tinkering with the Emperor's work.
** It's worth noting that in the '''Kill Team Focus: The Adeptus Astartes''', [[Black Dragons]] Reivers with bone mutations are mentioned. Maybe this is due to the purposeful mutation farming by the Black Dragons, or maybe the mutation rate is higher than Daddy Cawl cares to admit.
* Despite being bigger, stronger, and much faster than "regular" Astartes, what the Primaris initially lacked was actual battlefield experience (a fact bemoaned by Captain Felix of the [[Ultramarines]] in ''Dark Imperium'' to have been the cause of most of the initial losses to the Primaris). While this has been mostly been offset by the long and hard Indomitus Crusade campaign, even after a hundred-odd years of war the average Primaris marine is looked upon as a relative greenhorn by regular Astartes veterans. They have a lot to prove to their adopted Chapters as a result.
** We get little hints of this having to prove themselves goodness in, the Dark Angels codex. A group of Hellblasters are half put off, half inspired by the strictness of their primogenitor. After the squad gets trapped in a hive city for days fighting off enemies, they rack up so many kills even Belial can't help but smile.
*The Dark Angel example above illustrates another problem: how well will the new Primaris Marines get along with their chapter? The Dark Angels are an extreme example given their <s>issues</s> UNSWERVING LOYALTY TO THE IMPERIUM, but other chapters may have their own problems getting the first couple batches of Primaris marines to get with the traditions and cultures of their chapters.
**As the Primaris have no Terminators ([[skub|Aggressors are debatable]]) or Biker units or any real equivalents. (Yet, if GW thought that far ahead.) I.e. Hellblasters and Inceptors can be deployed in place of Sternguard and Vanguard Veterans in other chapters. With the exception of Primaris Librarians, induction into the Inner Circle or the lower ranks of the Ravenwing is unlikely.
*Chaos will be interested in the Primaris Marines. The [[Chaos Gods]] are not happy with the existence of the Primaris Marines, and are creating some warp charged warriors to counter them (enhanced Chosen, perhaps). [[Fabius Bile|Fabulous Bill]] became obsessed with "perfecting" the Primaris Marines from the moment he first encountered them and has already begun trying to kidnap Primaris Marines for dissection. They've supposedly been made resistant to Chaos influence, but "resistant" doesn't mean "immune" by a long shot, since they still have a soul. In fact a [[Noxious Blightbringer]] is able to effect them in Dark Imperium, successfully hurting and trying to get them to turn. And come to think of it, the cover image of 8th Edition does seem to partially show a [[Plague Marine]] in Tacitus armor...
**The discovery that Cawl wanted to use Traitor Legion gene-seed as well as the gene-seed of the missing legions to make Primaris Marines doesn't help the matter; Guilliman refused to let him do so, but he has a feeling Cawl will try it anyway with predictable results.
***Cawl claims that it was only due to the influence of the traitorous Primarchs that their Legions fell to Chaos. While this may be true, attempting to test that theory would almost certainly be a bad idea.
****The [[Sons of the Phoenix]] exist.
***The reasons as to why the the Lost Legions were purged so thoroughly were apparently so unthinkably horrible (so much that even after his rebellion had begun, Horus was still unwilling to break the vow he made to never speak of the Missing Primarchs) that Cawl trying to use their DNA might bite him in the ass even harder than for using gene-seed from the Traitor Primarchs.
*While barely explored in-universe so far, the various alien races in the setting may also take exception to or dangerous interest in the Primaris Marines.[[Urien Rakarth]] has expressed interest in them in spite of what he calls Guilliman's "lack of imagination", and has requested his [[Haemonculus|Haemonculi]] bring as many to him as possible; more unnervingly, he has expressed that he will be saving his best oubliette for the Primarch if he ever wished to "learn from the master". It would be equally unsurprising if [[Illuminor Szeras|a certain spider-legged robot mad scientist]] also wanted to collect a few Primaris specimens. The rest of the alien races, fortunately, are much less interested in genetic modification and would be more likely to view them as being more or less like any other Space Marine.
* The book "War of Secrets" has the Primaris Marines of the Dark Angels (and by implication, all Primaris Marines of Terran stock) heavily influenced by the culture of Mars: they call the Emperor the Omnissiah, reverently call their creator 'Pater Cawl', and swear to the glory of "chapter, Terra and Mars". This raises the question of if they are more loyal to the Adeptus Mechanicus than the Imperium or even their own Chapter. Indeed, in the book its one of the main reasons the Dark Angels don't trust them.
* Another problem is simply one of character development. If the Primaris are free of any mutation, supposedly so resistant to Chaos that they are impossible to turn, and are stronger than their older counterparts, this might create a deep plot and writing pitfall for future Black Library books. Not like they don't deal with those already of course...

==Forces of the Primaris Marines==
[[File:Blood Raven 1.JPG|300px|thumb|right|"[[Roboute Guilliman|Lord Commander]], the batch 3789-Alpha is missing! Just after the visit of..." "[[Just as Planned|I know.]]"]]
Primaris Marines don't get to select from a variety of equipment loadouts, but the equipment they do carry is designed by [[Cawl]], who is shockingly competent, so they usually outgun their non-Primaris equivalents who tried to choose an otherwise identical loadout; this forces them to depend on other units to support them to fill in any gaps (much like Eldar Aspect Warriors). They enjoy, as of 8E, +1W and +1A relative to a regular marine, making them more durable and a lot more dangerous in melee combat. Some of them wear [[Power_Armour#Mark_X:_Gravis_Armour|Mark X Gravis Armour]], for another +1T.
*'''[[Primaris Captain|Primaris Captain:]]''' Primaris Captains are the analogues of [[Space Marine]] Captains. They are decked out in the new Gravis Armor which somehow manages to be even ''MOAR'' egg-shaped than a [[Squat]] [[Hearthguard]]. They're armed with a mini-Gauntlet of Ultramar/Hand of Dominion (I.E. a three-shot bolt pistol built into a power fist) and a master-crafted power sword. Others use the Mark X Tacitus power armor and wield a power sword and their choice of Stalker Boltgun or Auto Bolt Rifle. There's also a plasma pistol and power fist model exclusive to Games Workshop stores celebrating their anniversaries.
*'''[[Primaris Librarian|Primaris Librarian:]]''' Just what it sounds like. Has a fancy-looking Force Sword.
*'''[[Primaris Chaplain|Primaris Chaplain:]]''' Self-explanatory; they wear black robes as though they're aping on the [[Interrogator-Chaplain]]s. In battle, they wear an Iron Halo and carry a Crozius Arcanum alongside a specialized Absolver Bolt Pistol. To double down on the skull motif, their breastplate looks like a ribcage.
*'''[[Primaris Lieutenant|Primaris Lieutenants:]]''' The Primaris Lieutenants are somewhere between a Captain and a Sergeant in rank, and are often the most experienced of a Primaris Squad. Their role is to take command of demi-companies when the Captain is absent, freeing Chaplains and Librarians to focus on their own specialties. Lieutenants are differentiated from their fellow marines by a red-on-white stripe on their helms. Some of them can be helmetless which often showcase an extreme amount of Hair-esy. They can either use a power sword or a master-crafted automatic version of the Bolt Rifle (shorter range and worse ap, but better rate of fire at long range, fireable after Advancing, and more damage per shot from being master-crafted).
*'''[[Primaris Ancient|Primaris Ancients:]]''' Primaris Marines dubbed honorable enough to have the privilege of carrying the Standard's Banner. Identifiable by their white helmets (although that could change depending on the Chapter), they are in no way related to another [[Tarkus|dude-clad-in-power-armor-wearing-a-white-helmet-that-also-comes-with-the-same-name-from-a-certain-WH40K-game]]. At least until he's been upgraded. In case you were wondering, "Ancient" is a corruption of the rank of "Ensign" which was a term for an army's flagbearer in the Middle Ages, so it has nothing to do with how old the Marine in question actually is.
*'''[[Primaris Apothecary|Primaris Apothecary:]]''' A specialization of Primaris Marine first seen in artwork and promo photos, and now has rules and a model. Their left bracer appears to have a screen on it for monitoring lifesigns, and they have a pistol with a reductor built into it for geneseed removal (and the occasional puncturing of enemy skulls). The Narthecium attached to a <s>cyberdong</s> mechadendrite on the Apothecary's back.
*'''Primaris Techmarine:''' One of them acts as the pintle gunner for the Repulsor Tank. That's about all we know.
*'''[[Reiver|Reivers:]]''' Reivers are Space Marines created from the gene-seed of [[Sly Marbo]]. Think [[Catachan Jungle Fighters]] in [[Power Armor]]. It's time to piss yourselves, [[Chaos Space Marines|traitorous scum.]] Reivers are the only true close-combat specialist Infantry for the Primaris and are pretty good at it overall. Compared to Intercessors they have a Combat Knife for another attack and an improved Bolt Pistol with greater Armour Penetration, and the ability to negatively effect enemy morale. They can be equipped for more ranged combat but that is not why you take them. They have Deep-Strike option like everyone else, but also a new grappling hook that allows them to both outflank and jump-up ruins like they're nothing. But arguably their biggest trump-card is their special grenade that causes effected units to lose both their overwatch and minus one to shooting. While not the most devastating CC unit in the game they make excellent back-field harassers and synergize wonderfully with the rest of your army with their ability to cripple enemy gun-lines.
*'''[[Aggressor|Aggressors:]]''' Aggressors are basically Primaris [[Terminators]] mixed in with [[Centurion Squad|Centurions]], but with a 3+ save. They have an even more specialized Gravis armor, and either an automatic version of the Primaris Captain's Boltstorm Gauntlet paired with shoulder-mounted grenade launchers or a flamer-equipped version of said gauntlet dubbed the Flamestorm gauntlet. Regardless of what they're equipped with, they specialize in close-range firepower that obliterates light infantry.
*'''[[Intercessor|Intercessors:]]''' Intercessors are the <s>standard</s> SUPER bolter Marines, having most in common with a bare-bones tactical squad as they're armed with Primaris versions of the same things (such as their super bolters and Mk X armour). Compared to tacticals, they perform better in melee and have greater armour penetration on their basic weapons along with being more survivable, making them effective in a wider variety of situations. This is both a strength and a weakness, as while they may be bigger Jacks of all trades, they're even worse masters of nothing. Compared to Tacticals they have fewer weapon and transport options and only one type of heavy weapon choice. This might be part of the reason that other Primaris Marines are more specialized: to compensate/synergize. As Primaris specialists may be more vulnerable to heavy firepower and be fire-magnets, Intercessors with their flexibility they can more reliably protect other more valuable units and plug any holes that arise from specialist losses, or make themselves useful against any foe until the hard-hitting second wave arrives (being the most versatile as far as Primaris Marines go).
*'''[[Inceptor|Inceptors:]]''' Inceptors are the <strike>[[Assault Marines]] equivalent</strike> drop troops of the Primaris Marines and are equipped with a new pattern of Jump Packs, two Assault Bolters, which are basically sawn off Heavy Bolters, a pair of hand-portable Plasma Cannons, and a pair of [[Derp|absolutely ridiculous-looking shoe-shovels.]] Unlike Assault Squads, the Inceptors' focus is on firepower and a pseudo Hammer of Wrath. This makes them closer in role to Assault Bikes as a fast moving strafing unit and harasser. They lack melee weapons of any kind; this doesn't mean they can't fight in melee, as their sheer weight allows them to crush their enemies to death, and they still have the statline of "normal" Primaris marines along with being even tougher to hurt, making them not completely useless in a scrap. Don't get it in your head that their melee ability is "good", though, or even decent, and only engage in melee if you have to; they do far better blowing things into tiny pieces.
*'''[[Hellblaster|Hellblasters:]]''' Hellblasters are Primaris Marines who make Flash Gitz green(er) with envy. They use [[Plasma#Plasma Incinerator|Plasma Incinerators]], enhanced Plasma Guns with longer range and armor piercing ability. Aside from that, there's nothing special about them as compared to "regular" Primaris marines. Very expensive and vulnerable to strong weapons, but they fuck up TEQs and can pose a threat to vehicles if they can get into Rapid Fire range, though outside of said range it's not as suicidal to unload a charged volley, so they can threaten vehicles there, too. Also, with the changes to how cover works, they are terrifying against cover campers. With how big a fire magnet these guys are, if you get these guys close to an expensive or dangerous vehicle or multiwound TEQs feel free to HELLBLAST them into oblivion in a suicide barrage. (That is, IF they're at risk of being wiped out or swarmed.)
*'''[[Redemptor Dreadnought|Primaris Redemptor Dreadnought:]]''' For no matter how great and glorious they may be, [[Grimdark|in the grim future even they are not immortal]]. Though how enough of these brand spanking-new Space Marines were curbstomped just enough to warrant Dreadnought status, we'll (probably) never know (hundreds of thousands of Primaris fighting in the over a century long indomitus crusade may be the answer). Times be desperate, yo. Probably because they're so hard to kill that just about all of them that couldn't be saved are made dread-ful.
*'''[[Repulsor_Tank|Repulsor]]:''' The Repulsor is the standard transport and/or tank (nobody's entirely sure yet) of the Primaris Marines. Which is good for them, because they can't go inside standard Space Marine transports, including ones that can hold Terminators, Centurions, and (in 30k) even fucking ''Primarchs.'' There must be [[Profit|some mysterious force surpassing even the Emperor]] blocking the door - which also blocks the door on this thing if you try to convince a ''non''-Primaris to go inside. Being a floating [[METAL BOXES|Metal Box]], it might be considered the spiritual successor to the [[Grav-Rhino]], if you covered said Grav-Rhino with missile pods everywhere, including on its rear and sides, put twin-linked lascannon in the front hull, and gave it what looks like a [[Fail|heavy stubber]] as a coaxial gun to go with the turret lascannon and pintle-mounted Gatling gun.
*'''Overlord:''' The Overlord is the Primaris-exclusive dropship used to support the bigger frames of the Primaris Marines. You would think the [[Thunderhawk]] would be big enough for them, but it seems they are ''too'' [[Mary Sue|special]] to share the same vehicle with their smaller brothers. Anyways, the Overlord is noticeable for one thing. It is '''ECKS BAWKS HUEG''', making a Thunderhawk look like a [[Stormtalon]] in comparison. In terms of specs, it is the [[Corvus Blackstar]] on steroids. Seriously, it has powerful quintuple engines and twinned hulls thick enough to permit insertion from orbit, like Thunderhawks or Stormbirds, and like Blackstars, Overlords possess twin transport bays with their own assault doors, but they're considerably bigger (they can carry up to 40 of your Chadmarines) and even more blessed with advanced technologies like fucking [[AWESOME|energy shields]] ([[Heresy|Guess Cawl kind of]] [[Blood Ravens|'borrowed']] [[Extra Heresy|some of that sweet ass energy shields from the]] [[Eldar|pointy-eared gitz]]). Additionally, the Overlord is equipped with anti-munitions cannons, wing-mounted Desolator Lascannons, nose-mounted Melta Cannons and Heavy Bolters fixed on its lower wing surfaces. This thing is pretty much a flying [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)|Titan]] or an Imperial [[Manta]].
*'''[[Astraeus|Astraeus Super-Heavy Tank]]:''' Surely the result of a grudging 3-way between a Mastodon, a Sicaran, and a somewhat reluctant Repulsor, the Astraeus is the first Primaris super-heavy tank (implying there will be more variants on the way) and looking to be an utter beast on the tabletop - it's armed with Land Raider style frontal Heavy Bolter mount, two front angled sponsons for Las-Rippers or Plasma Eradicators, topped with a turret mounted dual Macro-Accelerator Cannon. Given how expensive it is to field a decently kitted repulsor, it remains to be seen how viable it will be to concentrate so many points into one vehicle.

==On the Tabletop==
Crunch wise, Primaris Space Marines are about as physically dangerous as Space Marines are already supposed to be fluff-wise, so they get an additional Attack and an additional Wound; weapons which deal additional Wounds seem to be fairly common now, so while it might not be a big improvement it can still be helpful. However, they also have exclusive access to shiny new toys from Cawl, including a "basically Kraken" Bolter with +6" range and -1 AP, a Plasma gun with +6" range and -4 AP, and half-range [[AWESOME|one-handed Assault Heavy Bolters and Plasma Cannons. That they dual-wield. With jump packs.]] Defensively, so far only they have access to Gravis armor, which grants +1 Toughness (and even then only the Captain, Aggressors, and Inceptors can use it). Finally, their squads don't mix weapon types, with all members carrying the same loadout; whether this will be a benefit or a downside relative to "standard" marines being able to carry a mixed loadout remains to be seen with the other new rules in 8th, such as the ability of any squad to split its fire across multiple targets.

Most of the Primaris units so far also cost nearly twice as many points as their older counterparts and have unit sizes no larger than a <del>5</del> 10 model maximum (including the Serge). This strongly suggests they will be more useful as a supplement to standard Marine forces than they might be as outright replacements; they're far too inflexible and expensive to be fielded effectively on their own, and their lack of melee specialists and access to weaponry with a range greater than 36" is a glaring flaw (for now) as well. And while their movement is no worse than any other Marine, for reasons that totally aren't financial in origin they can't take '''any''' transports usable by standard Marines. Not [[Rhino|Rhinos]], not [[Drop Pods]], not [[Land Raider|Land Raiders]], not even the motherfucking [[Mastodon]]. They can use the Thunderhawk, but odds are you're not going to have room for it in your standard 2000 points game, and even then, it has to be carrying only Primaris Marines (and in that case, it still can't carry too many). They have a special transport called a Repulsor (which is a [[Awesome|grav tank]]), which somehow can't carry non-Primaris, but besides that they have no choice but to go footslogging.

However, single-model units can be astonishingly efficient - the most extreme case is the Primaris Librarian, who has a static, unchangeable loadout, but costs the exact same as a non-Primaris Librarian with the same loadout (a bolt pistol and Force Sword).

In terms of sheer durability Intercessors are also far more point efficient than Tactical Marines, and are the better option when it comes to holding down homefield objectives. They're also by far some of the best bolter infantry available, with a number of advantages over basic Sternguard (though lacking access to combi-weapons).

===Rules Datasheets===
<gallery>
File:New40kPrimarisCaptainAgainFull.jpg|Stats for the Captain. GW is being awfully generous with these datasheets.
File:New40kIntercessorDatasheet.jpg|Behold the Intercessor Datasheet (thanks GW!).
File:New40kPrimarisInceptorVersion2Full.jpg|The Inceptor rules, sadly the shoe-shovels have no stats.
File:Hellblaster stats.jpeg|Hellblaster stats, because leaks are great for those on the outside. Note how when their guns explode they die, rather than take damage.
</gallery>

==Gallery==
===Miniatures===
<gallery>
File:Captain1.jpg|A Primaris Captain channeling the [[meme|Juggernaut BITCH!]]
File:Lieutenant1.jpg|Primaris Lieutenants, not quite butter bars, not quite seasoned
File:Ancient1.jpg|I am NOT [[Tarkus]]!
File:40kPrimarisLibReveal1.jpg|Being a Librarian ain't easy.
File:40kPreviewJuly23_Chaplain8h-500x466.jpg|The Chaplain. Totally not [[Blizzard|Reaper from Overwatch]].
File:40kPreviewJuly23_Apothecary2n-500x461.jpg|The Apothecary.
File:Intercessor2.jpg|Super Smurfs!
File:Reivers.jpg|Surprise Motherfucker!!
File:Helblaster1.jpg|An entire ''squad'' of Super-Smurfs with upgraded Plasma Guns.
File:Inceptor1.jpg|Inceptors! Now capable of flying and skiing! Inspired by Youjo Senki?
File:IMG-20171123-WA0005.jpg|Lieutenant Tolmeron pulling a charge pose with his saber. Now all you need to do is mount him on a horse and you're golden.
File:IMG-20171123-WA0002.jpg|Lieutenant Zakariah. Look at how smug his face is, like he has just <s>apprehended the Fallen </s> CLEARED ALL HERETICS FROM THE SECTOR
</gallery>

===Pictures===
<gallery>
File:Space_Marine_Squared.png|A Squad of Intercessors about to go to town on some greenskins. Aren't they beautiful?
File:Redemptor_Dreadnought.PNG|I HAVE LEGS! I HAVE FULLY ARTICULATED LEGS!
File:Chad marine hover tank.png|Guilliman and Cawl have figured out how to build hover tanks once more!
File:Aggressors.jpg|The Aggressors box.
File:PassiveAgressors.jpg|Passive Aggressors, ready to make catty remarks at the enemy
File:Chap&apoc.png|Grainy sighting of a Primaris Apothecary and Chaplain.
</gallery>

===Assorted===
<gallery>
File:PrimarisBigBoy.png
File:Adeptus Astronimus.jpg
File:PrimarisLightyear.jpg|Primaris Marine of the Galactic Rangers chapter.
File:Primaris_comparison.png|Numarine, the carefree playboy, and Oldmarine, the grizzled vigilante. [[Batman|Have you ever seen them in the same art together?]]
File:Primaris vs chaos by theangrymarine-dccr2jv.png|The new kid always gets picked on.
</gallery>

{{Primaris Marine-Forces}}

Sarah Cawkwell

2018-07-20T02:45:13Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330:

'''Sarah Cawkwell''' is currently the only female novellist in the sausage party that is the '''[[Black Library]]'''.

The running gag is that she is a hot, sexy (your mileage may vary), goth chick, and therefore not real. This is because the only women who go into a Games Workshop are the ones that fa/tg/uys dream up in their heads. She's actually a rather charismatic and regular looking human being, who [http://pyroriffic.wordpress.com has a blog], even though there are [[No Girls on the Internet]]. She wastes a lot of her time playing Morepigs, apparently.

She apparently researched Norse Sagas while writing Blood Raven, as the entire story is basically Valkia teaching her fellow Norscans a ritual torture exactly similar to the real-life "Blood Eagle" present in Norse sagas. This makes sense because the Warriors of Chaos are evil Chaos Vikings anyway, and because this ritual was already in ''Wulfrik''. Also, Khorne apparently thought it up and gave it to the Norscans. It must be reiterated that this short story is named after the procedure detailed in the Norse sagas and NOT after [[Blood Ravens|a certain chapter of BAWLD AND FEWLISH]] Space Marines.

She's apparently [[Special:Contributions/79.77.101.209|visited this wiki]] a few times. Probably found it after [[Schlicktau|Googling herself.]]

Not [[Aaron Dembski-Bowden]] or [[Graham McNeill]]. Certainly not [[Nik Vincent]], because that would mean that she'd be married to [[Dan Abnett]].

No one dares to make the obvious joke. NO ONE.
As a corollary to the above, no one here is going to make the joke that her middle name is in fact a variation of "Swallows" or "Recieves", because even some jokes are too easy even for us. The obvious joke really is that her last name is missing an "s" somewhere in the middle, since a female author staffed at Black Library, who is ''also'' a decent author is enough to give any fa/tg/uy a raging chubby.

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Writers]]
[[category:Black Library]]

Intercessor

2018-07-05T14:28:39Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330:

[[File:Intercessors_Squads.jpg|300px|right|thumb|OPERATION G.I. BLUES is a go!]]
{{topquote|A strong core of reliable and adaptable warriors that can lay down fire while advancing or holding down terrain is an invaluable aid to any tactician. In the case of strike forces bolstered by Primaris battle-brothers, this role is fulfilled by the Intercessor Squads.|Games Workshop}}

An Intercessor, who can be part of an Intercessor Squad, is the standard multirole heavy infantry unit of the Primaris Space Marines. It is <u>NOT</u> to be easily confused with the similarly named [[Inceptor|Inceptors]] which is also another type of Primaris Marines. Intercessors are similar in combat function to a [[Tactical Space Marine Squad|Tactical Squad]] of standard Astartes or a Legion Tactical Squad of ancient Astartes Legionaries. They are by far the most common form of Primaris Marines out there during the Indomitus Crusade by the beginning of the 42nd Millennium. At its height, the Primaris Marines numbered in the tens of thousands, easily becoming a ''Primaris Legion'', and with that many Primaris running along came with that much Intercessors as well.

As you can imagine, having a legions worth of these jacked out marines has forced the armies of [[Chaos]] to be hard on work to counter them. Fortunately for the Imperium, the Intercessors are ''made'' to adopt to situations that would have gimped most specialized chapters thanks in no small part to the revised edition of the [[Codex Astartes]] by [[Roboute Guilliman|Big Bobby G]]. Indeed, they have since been adapted by the [[Raven Guard]] and [[Imperial Fists]] as drop site defenders and breach suppressors, respectively.

==Equipment==
Intercessors are equipped with tools needed for them to wade through various types of combat situations. Thus, their equipment are meant to be versatile and adaptable to almost any type of situation.

These includes the famous Bolt Rifle which is basically the Bolter on steroids, a Bolt Pistol which is the Bolt Rifle's kiddly brother and some frag and krak grenades when the situations is getting a bit too 'hot'. When there is one too many enemies to fight against that would make even a Bolt Rifle croak, the Intercessors is able to swap their Bolt Rifles with an Auto Bolt Rifle, which is basically the SMG of Bolters or a Stalker Bolt Rifle, aka a [[Awesome|Bolt Sniper Rifle]]. Additionally, much as the Marinelets may take a special/heavy weapon, one in five may take a Auxiliary Grenade Launcher which, although a squad can have up to two, [[Fail|doesn't let a unit throw more than one grenade per turn]] [[RAW]] (Might have something to do with the fact they can combat squad. Maybe. Just a tad).

==Tabletop==
As mentioned, Intercessors are the equivalent of Tactical Marines. They have an extra wound and attack compared to the original Tactical Marines and a Cawl Pattern Bolt Rifle in the place of the regular bolter, which should let them last a little longer in melee and give them a better chance against light vehicles than a bare-bones Tactical Marine squad. However, they also cost more points to field and cannot equip any of the Tacticals' special or heavy weapons beyond the bolt rifle variations, so while they're better than Tacticals against infantry of most types their lack of access to anti-armor weapons causes them to struggle against heavier vehicles and similar tough targets.

On the other hand, as Primaris specialists tend to be more vulnerable to heavy firepower and be fire-magnets, Intercessors with their flexibility can more reliably protect others, plug any holes that arise from specialist losses, or make themselves useful against any foe by providing covering fire until the hard-hitting second wave arrives.

{{Primaris Marine-Forces}}

Space Sharks

2018-07-01T16:44:34Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* 8th Edition */

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Space Sharks/Carcharodon Astra
|Heraldry = [[Image:Carcharodons Livery.jpg|center|140px]]
|Number =
|Battle Cry = "From the void we come - darkness there, and nothing more" Alternatively: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrB2_zqJQJU]
|Founding = Either 2nd (according to a GW article) or 23rd (according to FFG) Basically '''Unknown'''
|Successors of = Chimeric, combination of [[Raven Guard]] and [[Night Lords]]
|Successor Chapters = None (thankfully)
|Chapter Master = [[Tyberos the Red Wake]]
|Primarch = Their Geneseed is chimeric, so fuck knows. [[Corax]], [[Konrad Curze|Curze]], [[Angron]], all of them...
|Homeworld = Fleet Based
|Specialty = Terror and scorched earth tactics, with brutal close combat preference.
|Strength = 1000 (ish)
|Allegiance = [[Imperium]]
|Colours = Grey, with black pauldrons and white helmet faces (and the occasional blood splatter)
}}
[[File:B5oUxpr.jpg|200px|thumb|left|This is what [[furry|some]] believe the Space Sharks look like.]]
[[File:Sharks Bitch!.jpg|200px|thumb|left|This is what they [[Awesome|really look like]]. Yes, we assure you that they are good guys. Maybe.]]

{{topquote|He could sense the Company Master's fury, the rage he was battling to keep in check. The Blindness was beckoning to him, that precipice poised above a black sea of hatred and needless slaughter-sacrifice.|Chief Librarian Te Kahurangi's assessment of 3rd Captain Akia}}

The Carcharodons (High Gothic ''Carcharodon Astra'', low Gothic ''Space Sharks'') is a Loyalist [[Space Marine]] Chapter of unknown heritage. Little is known about them, aside from the fact that they usually appear amidst campaigns quietly and unannounced, and respond to threats with surprising ruthlessness and brutality. They are noted to use much older (and very patched-up) Heresy-era armor and weaponry (in ''Red Tithe'' a squad carries around a Volkite caliver, an ''extremely'' rare piece of tech in the 41st millennium), and in battle seem to be utterly silent, even when visiting bloody murder on their foes.

Very old records say they were sent out on a crusade outside the borders of Imperium-controlled space to, for all intents and purposes, preemptively kill anything that may or may not be a future threat to the Imperium of Man. And to our best knowledge, they were promptly forgotten about, because when they showed up again, no one knew who the hell they were or what side they were on.

The Carcharodons "officially" return to the Imperial consciousness during the [[Badab War]], where it's kinda hinted that they're Raven Guard mutants or descended from those other deranged genocidal space marines - the Night Lords. Siding with the Loyalists in the conflict, the Chapter descended in strength upon the worlds of the [[Mantis Warriors]], and it is in this phase of the campaign that the Chapter's reputation for bloody violence was made known. With the Mantis Warriors forced to surrender, the Chapter was then set upon Badab itself. There they helped conclusively secure victory for the Imperials -- by detonating the reactors of the primary hives on the planet. The resultant tectonic upheavals eventually destroyed Badab, and to this day the [[Star Phantoms]] pin the blame on the Sharks for the losses they experienced in the hurried evacuation that followed, but the war was officially won.

For its troubles, the Chapter returned to the Endymion Cluster one last time, ransacked the fortresses of the Mantis Warriors for materiel and their worlds for recruits, and quietly returned to the darkness of the galactic plane where it originally came from.

Their leader is [[Tyberos the Red Wake]], a badass motherfucker who couldn't decide if he liked lightning claws or chainfists better, so he made ''Hunger'' and ''Slake'', a pair of Lightning Chainclaws... the ugly offspring of the two weapons after a couple glasses of Blacklabel and a night of extremely violent and questionable life choices, that allow him to one shot (swipe? stab?) Tyranid Carnifexes and Space Marine Dreadnoughts. This would usually make [[Marneus Calgar|anyone else]] a [[Mary Sue]], but this guy is so badass (and has the most [[awesome]] weapons in the setting), that he has earned immunity (so long as he doesn’t [[Roboute Guilliman|punch guys in space without wearing a helmet]]). Though very quiet in the way of formal encounters, Tyberos, when war ensues, becomes something that nightmares piss themselves to think about. During the Badab War, Tyberos wrote a name for himself and his chapter across the surface of the planet in the blood of the Mantis Warriors. Clad in a set of ancient [[Terminator]] Armour, Tyberos was always on the front lines, and ensured that the traitors paid for all the trouble they caused in blood and resources, going about this task in the grimly silent fashion known to be common to the Carcharodons.

==Organization==
[[File:Space Shark Mk5.jpeg|thumb|right|Space Shark in Heresy-era armour.]]
The Sharks are a fleet-based chapter. At some point in their history, Rangu (their word for the Emperor) banished them from their home world and set them to hunt amongst the stars and slaughter the enemies of Man with no quarter. To this day, no one knows why they were banished. To this end, he granted the rite of Tithe; the Grey, all the physical material they needed for their duty, and the Red, a claim to prisoners, rebels, rejects, and other detritus for ship crew and potential recruits. They are explicitly forbidden from taking serving members of the Adeptus Terra (read - anyone from any other branch of the Imperium) in their tithing. The Grey Tithe is usually a semi-regular swap meet with allied members of the Mechanicum, bartering a few pieces of archeotech for freshly made materiel.

Another chapter wide trait is an intentional lack of ego and individuality. Line troopers are frequently given numerical designations when inducted. Each battle brother is only a part of the utility of the whole, leading Carcharodon command to eschew concepts like honour and pride-driven vengeance that drive other chapters to action. Only by following their ancient mandate of exile can they be worthy. They hope their actions (or more likely their descendants' actions) will redeem them for their crimes and allow them to return home, wherever that might originally be. Most chapter veterans don't believe this and channel their shame and remorse into meticulously violent murder.

The Carcharodons follow the battle half of the codex but ignore everything else about force organisation. Cruising around in the void beyond the galaxy's edge can be nasty business, and years without resupply or any kind of logistical support means they must be both flexible and resourceful. Each company practices high self-reliance - salvaging, repairing and re-purposing stuff to make sure it lasts as long as possible. This is why they sport so much working Heresy-era gear and why stuff like vehicles and Terminator armour are often kept together using a variety of patterns and models. Because of this, Techmarines are seldom seen on the battlefield. They also don't use reserve companies (realising that having 100 of the finest warriors sitting around doing nothing is fucking stupid). Each company is thought to be a self-contained force, with their own scouts and veterans, ensuring they've got guys for every situation on hand. This has drawbacks of course, as they can't simply ask for reinforcements from a reserve company and must make do; for this reason Apothecaries are prized and kept off the front lines since every Marine makes a difference. At the same time it means that they've got all their companies actively doing stuff.

It seems likely that their scorched earth campaign during the Badab War was in fact more of a violent [[Looted|looting]] spree, restocking the Carcharodons' inventory after having spent so long outside known space. Filling up on ammo, weapons, armor, supplies, and [[Blood_Ravens|grabbing everything that wasn't nailed down, followed by the nails, and then everything that used to be nailed down]], before destroying anything else the enemy could possibly have had a use for. We do know that they claimed a bunch of recruits post-Badab, and they probably do this after all their big campaigns (maybe every time they come back into contact with the Imperium). The ''Red Tithe'' novel appears to confirm this theory; the Carcharodons' 3rd Company, having just come off a nasty brawl with some [[Tyranids]], rocked up to a remote Imperial prison planet with the intent of claiming all of its inmates as either serfs or potential recruits. A [[Night Lords]] warband had the same idea and arrived just before they did; the two groups proceeded to have a slight disagreement about who was going to empty out this wretched hive of scum and villainy. After several rounds of murder tag (and several thousand casualties later), the Carcharodons were victorious. They scooped up all the prisoners, stripped the place bare, and took off before Imperial reinforcements could arrive.

==Gene-Seed Speculation==
[[File:Space Shark Tau.jpeg|right|thumb|''FFFFFUCKING WEEB!'']]
Initially, many fa/tg/uys speculated that the Carcharodons were of Raven Guard or Night Lord descent, or possibly a loyalist remnant. A minority also speculated that they might be World Eater remnants, though since that seems to be the old [[Minotaurs]]' schtick it's probably not true. Moreover, given that they are believed to have been founded by M32 and most of their wargear appears to be Heresy-era, they are most likely of the Second Founding or a product of the Heresy.

Most of the evidence for these theories is based on their military tactics and the few descriptions we had of marines outside of their armour.

Their favored tactics, relying heavily on stealth and surprise, would seem to fall in line with the Raven Guard's combat doctrines. However, their preference for close-combat, total slaughter, and the strategic use of terror put them at odds with the "tacticool operator" style of the modern Raven Guard. Their method of war is closer to the pre-Heresy Night Lords, if substantially higher in body count, or the World Eaters, if they were a little more subtle.

Physically, the Carcharodons displayed pale white skin and black eyes with black sclera. These were common traits of people living upon Lycaeus and Nostramo, the homeworlds of Corvus Corax and Konrad Curze, respectively. While the modern Raven Guard exhibit these traits as a result of mutations within their gene-seed, ''[[Imperial Armour#Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two|Imperial Armour]]'' states that the Space Shark's gene-seed is unusually pure, i.e. stable, and that these traits are unlikely to be the result of mutation. However, their Chief Librarian has toothy denticle growths on his elbows and around his neck which comes from a "degraded genetic inheritance" which essentially gives him sharkskin, a condition that effects the entire chapter being much more common on older Carcharadons. They also suffer from something they call the "the blindness" a condition that can make them lose all control during combat to the extent they may even attack their own.

This makes their appearance all the more unusual, as the Carcharodons are known to take recruits from the worlds they conquer, meaning there is no common genetic source that could explain their development other than through their gene-seed. Interestingly, the Chief Librarian also seems to make a note of the 3rd Captain's particular genetic heritage, as if it were somehow significant. It may very well be that the Carcharodons have more than one gene-seed source; Corvus Corax was noted for his snow-white skin, and Konrad Curze for his black eyes.

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===TL;DR===
'''The first mention of the Carcharodons says that their gene-seed might be Raven Guard''', but doesn't expand on that. Given that this was during the time that the [[Blood Ravens]] were really in the popular vogue, the idea that the Carcharodons are secretly Loyalist Traitors was pretty popular because their tactics are more like the Night Lords than anyone else's. GW has tried to walk it back a bit by saying the Raven Guard were basically the Night Lords only with Corax instead of Curze since then, but the debate still rages on because most of the documents supporting the Raven Guard hypothesis are speculative in-universe, and the Imperium would probably cover up a loyal Chapter being descended from Traitors if the Blood Ravens are anything to go by.

Horus Heresy III: Extermination pretty much puts this to bed and confirms they're the descendants of Terran-born Raven Guard exiles led by Shade Lord Arkhas Fal, the grey armoured and white-faced pre-Corax XIXth Legion who had a reputation for going from stillness to extreme brutality and were basically taken under Horus Lupercal's wing in the centuries before their own Primarch was discovered. The exiles are referred to as a "nomad predation fleet" the same as the Carcharodons in the Badab War books and their cognomen during the early Great Crusade era was "Pale Nomads", a title given to them by the Luna Wolves and also the title of Te Kahurangi, the Chapter's current chief librarian, rumoured to be only three generations removed from the original exiles. The Reaper Prime (Captain) of the Third Battle Company wears armour bearing the skull and lightning bolts of the Terran Pacification War further highlighting the Chapter's links to the pre-Crusade Legions, and Tyberos' distinctive shark-like helmet is also featured in the book.
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===Raven Guard===
Following the publication of ''Imperial Armour 10'', new evidence was published to support the Raven Guard theory by Games Workshop's licensors. Presumably the idea that every Traitor Legion has a secret Loyalist Successor was too much for them.

[[Fantasy Flight Games]]' ''[[Deathwatch]] RPG'' included rules for playing the Carcharodons ('''Honour the Chapter'''). Among the fluff, it is stated that Deathwatch Apothecaries have occasionally had the chance to analyze the gene-seed of Carcharodons slain in the service of the Deathwatch, and that they bear certain genetic markers unique to the Raven Guard. Of course, this being the Imperium of Man, you can never be certain what they're actually finding or if the records are accurate.

Forgeworld's ''[[Horus Heresy]] Book 3'' included a bunch of new information on the Raven Guard, and their predecessor [[First Founding|Legion]], the '''Pale Nomads'''. The Pale Nomads were noted for being the Emperor's preferred operators, often stealthing their way into enemy fortresses and armies to slay their leaders should they refuse surrender, and adopting multi-angle strike-and-fade tactics if the enemy continued to fight on. The latter is a favored tactic of the Carcharodons on the battlefield. The Pale Nomads were known for crushing any hint of resistance, which some have equated to the Space Sharks decimating entire star systems in order to sow terror. Their tactics evidenced a disdain for humans that the Raven Lord couldn't stomach, which is similar to the attitude adopted by the Space Sharks during the Badab War when they Exterminatus'd Badab and hundreds of Loyalist Space Marines along with it. The Pale Nomads were also slavers, who would take children from defeated worlds to raise as Legionnaires, a practice that the Space Sharks have adopted. The Xeric tribesmen from which the Pale Nomads recruited also had a tradition of tattooing their bodies and painting their armor with tribal markings.

This could possibly explain why the Space Sharks have an abundance of [[Beakie|MkVI armor]] alongside their other Heresy-era tech, since the Raven Guard were the first to get their hands on them when they entered production during the Horus Heresy and that they're unusually stealthy with a variety of sensory systems to assist them in the void of space. Additionally, the Raven Guard were revealed to suffer from a gene-seed defect known as the ''Ash Blind'' or ''Sable Brand''. Similar to the ''Black Rage'', this defect caused otherwise normal Space Marines to charge into battle seeking only to destroy all trace of their foes, whether they lived or died. Those afflicted would develop eyes of solid black, and would neither speak nor reason until the condition passed.

Finally, it is stated that Corax would divest the Raven Guard of the surviving Terran-born Pale Nomads, whom he found too similar to the cruel lords he overthrew on [[Deliverance]]. One of the many branches of Raven Guard he sent off on isolated, never-ending crusades contained the [[Battle Barge]] '''Nicor''', (an old English word for a water sprite or monster) later to be found in the fleet of Space Sharks who ended the Badab War.

Tellingly, in '''Horus Heresy book 3''', Corax had no idea what happened to the fleet of Terran Exiles or to its master Arkhas Fal and made no effort to contact them in the build-up prior to the [[Drop Site Massacre]]. There is no evidence that these exiles were recalled after the massacre either, despite the 4000 men "officially" counting towards about half of the size of the remaining Legion, so they were considered an entirely separate force. They could simply have been designated a new Chapter following the end of the civil war.

According to the "Carcharodon Outer Dark" novel, the descendant Marines of the exiles, still under the Great Crusade-era name "Ashen Claws", now settles on the planet Atargatis Prime beyond the Ghoul Stars region. Only a few people, including the Space Sharks, know of their existence. "Grey Tithe" are occasions when the Space Sharks trade war machines and geneseeds for the Ashen Claws' aspirants and neophytes. Also, Tyberos's claws were once the Ashen Claws' relics but somehow were taken from them.

===Loyalist Traitors===
[[File:Space Shark Chainaxe.jpeg|left|thumb|[[Rip and Tear]] at its finest.]]

Contradicting the Raven Guard theory are some logical inconsistencies, the issue of their battle tactics, and recently published material from '''Horus Heresy Book 6''' where it is revealed that the above-mentioned 4000 Terrans exiled by Corvax from the Raven Guard turned full renegade, calling themselves the '''Ashen Claws''' and abandoning the Imperium to build their own domain in the Segmentum Tempestus. With no contact from the Imperium, no support from the Emperor, and no reward for their loyalty, it seems likely that other Raven Guard exiles could have turned. Interestingly, this band of exiles raided the fortress worlds of the Night Lords for supplies before returning to the darkness beyond the Imperium.

The fact that the Carcharodons adhere to a known pattern of crusading behavior, the "Nomad-Predation Pattern," would seem to indicate that their "recruiting" practices aren't unique to any Legion or Chapter, but an established Space Marine tactic for dealing with long crusades beyond the supply lines of the Imperium. Rather than being a relic of Xeric nomads recruited by the Emperor, it seems likely that the Space Sharks are only unique in that they utilize this pattern exclusively, obeying the order to "ravage the foes of Mankind" in the darkness beyond the galactic plane. It also points to them either being formed prior to the implementation of the [[Codex Astartes]] or an utter disregard for it.

If the Space Sharks were founded during the Second Founding, you'd expect them to have roughly equal portions of their gear granted to them from their original Legion, and thus have higher proportions of more "modern" gear such as mark VI ''(Corvus)'' & VII ''(Aquila)'' plate, yet it is older mark V ''(Heresy)'' plate alongside Phobos pattern boltguns which predominantly fill the ranks. This points to the Space Sharks resupplying during the throes of the Heresy and their access to more recent patterns of wargear have come from salvaged or reclaimed equipment gathered over the years. Even their revered Terminator suits seem to be modified in unorthodox ways just to keep them operational. If they descend from any other Primarch, especially considering their tactics and manner of deployment, it's possible that they simply salvaged ''Nicor'' and other wargear from some distant and bloody battlefield.

The Space Sharks' preferred tactics are bloody and brutal, far more so than expected from any pre-Heresy Space Marine Legion besides the Night Lords and the World Eaters, although the information about the Raven Guard pre-Corax does resolve this inconsistency to an extent. During the Badab War they had no qualms about using the extermination of worlds and entire systems loyal to the [[Mantis Warriors]] to draw them into battle by the scale of their horror, and they would use the shattered survivors of their bloody attacks to demoralize and weaken rebel forces.

The history, as known, of the Space Sharks points to their being present during the Second Founding. Whether the Raven Guard exiles were recalled or returned on their own, or if they were a Loyalist remnant of the Night Lords, or more unlikely the World Eaters, and were given the chance to forge a new life and history, it seems odd that they would've been dispatched to such distant battlefields if they weren't regarded with mistrust by the High Lords of Terra. And assuming they possessed a reputation for such brutality that "ravage" is a more appropriate word for their orders than "harry" or "destroy," they should be descended from a Legion or portion of a Legion with a particularly bloody reputation.

Amusingly, the same ''Honour The Chapter'' splatbook that posits that the Carcharodons are descended from the Raven Guard also says they are of the 23rd Founding, descended from the Eagle Warriors. And the Chapter immediately preceding them in the splatbook, the [[Raptors|Reasonable Marines]], are definitively stated to be a Second Founding descendant of the Raven Guard. While the Raptors skin grows translucent and their hair grows darker as they age, the Space Sharks gain gray, shark-like skin and their hair turns whiter as they age. In addition, the Carcharodons by implication have a fully-functioning set of gene-seed organs, unlike the Raven Guard and Raptors who lack functioning Mucranoid and/or Betcher's Glands, as do other Raven Guard Successors.

====Night Lords====
The Carcharodons' deliverance of bloody and total judgement upon the followers of the rebellious Badab Chapters is in line with the [[Night Lords]]' pre-Curze and pre-Heresy role and attitudes towards those who failed the Emperor in loyalty or deed. Brutal purges of the disloyal would build into a reputation that became one of terror and bloody death under Konrad Curze, and his use of fear and fluid, almost wild maneuvers in battle are seen by some in the descriptions of the Space Shark's battles.

The Space Sharks' apparently fractious nature and their manner of giving personal titles of distinction and honor could be echoes of the Night Lords' practices as well. Many commanders and captains would have personal honorifics, like Zso Sahaal, would either earn idiosyncratic titles or have lurid and unique ranks within the Legion's organizational structure. Likewise, ''The Red Wake'' could be an honorific specific to the Chapter Master, or a personal one. As the Night Lords were grouped into semi-independent Companies with individual names, traditions, and markings, it's possible the Carcharodons could be one such Company that rejected the Heresy or returned to the Emperor's light. It would also explain why their forces never seem to gather in full Chapter strength; having passed down this tradition of building brotherhood solely within small, tribal bands like the gangs of Nostramo and fighting in semi-independent units as preferred by the Night Haunter, they would see little reason to fight together while other conflicts and enemies require their notice.

The Chapter's preference for close-combat is in stark contrast to the Raven Guard's preference for long-ranged and quick-moving strikes, especially as they prefer stealth and speed to the roar of assault jetpacks and jetbikes. However, these tactics were favored by the Night Lords and their Terror Squads. Indeed, the enforced silence and refusal to coordinate with Imperial forces of the Space Sharks is similar to the silence that Terror Squads would work with during the latter years of the Great Crusade. Rather than being a gene-seed curse, as with the Raven Guard, the Carcharodons simply isolate their vox nets and refuse to speak to anyone unless it is truly urgent and necessary.

As with the Space Sharks, the Night Lords were infamous for stealing the youth of conquered worlds for rapid implantation and hypno-indoctrination. While the former could also be a hallmark of the Nomad-Predation deployment pattern, the latter is a practice that seems to have been preferred by the Night Lords since it was the fastest and quickest way to make a new, battle-ready Space Marine in spite of the risks of instability and insanity it engendered.

====World Eaters====
Yet another possibility may be [[World Eaters]], since Space Sharks are silent and brooding outside of battle but go absolutely batshit crazy when ''in'' battle, no questions asked, and they seem to have a preference for chain-axes, which is somewhat unusual among Loyalist Space Marines. The love of chain weapons is carried over in a few other ways ; one marine has what can only be described as a chain-club / staff - with an enormous flat chain blade running up one edge and handles on the opposite side at either end (potentially doubling as a very heavy duty eviscerator). Their predilection for close-combat and bloody melee, to an even greater degree than the Space Wolves, would be in keeping with the attitudes of the World Eaters and the War Hounds. Like the World Eaters, the Space Sharks have a preference for Drop Pod assaults, fast vehicles like Land Speeders, and Assault Terminators, and it can be argued that Tyberos's Terminator bodyguards, the ''Red Brethren'', are reminiscent of Angron's own Terminator posse, the ''Devourers''. Some of their ships also possess Ursus Claws, which only World Eaters used (but then again, it could just be a salvaged ship).

The main problem with this theory is the Butcher's Nails. We can assume one of two things when it comes to the Nails:
#The Space Sharks learned to control their urges outside of battle, lest they snap and massacre each other, since they're out in the void of space for long periods of time doing nothing.
#Or they could have simply phased them out of their recruitment process after the Horus Heresy, seeing as it drove the other World Eaters fucking bonkers and was detrimental in the long run.

And whilst there were very few loyalist Night Lords (only two examples in the canon thus far), there are canonically loyalist World Eaters, both at Istvaan III and scattered around the Imperium during the Heresy.

====Chimeric Geneseed====
As another wrench thrown in, in Robbie MacNiven's Black Library novel ''Red Tithe'', it is heavily hinted that there are, in fact, ''multiple'' geneseeds utilized by the Space Sharks, primarily Raven Guard, Night Lords, and World Eaters. Given the typical canon conflicts that the Black Library in known for, this should be looked at with skepticism at least and as a half-assed excuse to explain why they have traits of all three Legions at best. Hopefully this will be elaborated on in the future but for now we can only theorize what this entails.

It is possible that the Carcharodons once consisted of Blackshields of Raven Guard and both loyalist Night Lords and World Eaters during the Horus Heresy, and after a time they were reformed into their own chapter and the traitor aspects of their origins were buried away. This ''could'' explain why their combat doctrine is an odd hybrid of their three supposed predecessors, any mutations they have are hard to connect to any one Legion, why their equipment is so old and haphazard, and why they were sent out in the void of space due to their origins. Until we have hard evidence from Forge World itself on any such Blackshields, however, this is up in the air.

Another, simpler explanation is that, given the nature of the Space Sharks to scavenge whatever they find, it's possible that they harvested the geneseed of the fallen marines they have killed. It's never explicitly said that their geneseed is comprised of ''only'' the three suspected Legions; rather, it just happened to just be mostly the aforementioned three. For all we know they could trace back to every Legion through a small percentage of their geneseed. Though admittedly, this train of thought makes their origin even harder to pinpoint as we don't have a clear-cut predecessor.

And it should be kept in mind that a good chunk of this information in the novel was divulged to one of the Space Sharks by a daemon. ''A daemon,'' for shit's sake. As we've seen with [[Magnus]], Chaos usually doesn't give accurate information.

This said, this is practically confirmed in HH6, where the Ashen Claws (Raven Guard) raid the Nostromo Sector to take their gear and geneseed. So if the Carcharodons are the Ashen Claws or a related group/successor, then they're Raven Guard and Night Lords. As of the novel ''Outer Dark,'' sequel to ''Red Tithe,'' it has been confirmed that the Carcharodons are related to the Ashen Claws and have a shaky pact with them. When the Carcharodon's Red Tithes can't refill their ranks fast enough, they are permitted to conscript young boys for augmentation from the fragmented domains that the Ashen Claws hid in beyond the Imperium's borders in exchange for war material and fresh Corax-derived gene-seed. It also seems their relationship is a shaky one prone to conflict. This suggests that the Carcharodons origins may lie with the Raven Guard exiles but the two groups split over whether to remain loyal to the Emperor or not. Regardless, both are willing to secretly come together against threats from beyond such as the [[Tyranids]].
Given how things were during the heresy, it's perfectly reasonable that there's some World Eater geneseed in there, as well as some "loyalists" who joined up as Blackshields, seeing as they spent the Heresy as an independent force at the edges of the Imperium.
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==On the Tabletop==
===7th Edition===
Carcharodons Chapter tactics gives all Space Marines models Fear, and allows Tactical marines to replace their bolters with a chainsword or keep it and buy an additional close combat weapon for 1pt each. In addition they gain Rage after destroying or forcing an infantry unit to fallback in close combat, however they must consolidate towards the nearest unit they can hurt (after all, [[Khorne|the rape train]] [[Meme|has no brakes!]]). This can make stuff like Vanguard Veterans, Assault Marines, or even bikes surprisingly dangerous. Even a full batch of 10 footslogging Tacticals with extra CC weapons can be a pretty scary thing to face up against. Also, Dreadnoughts with Fear and Rage? Yes please.

Tyberos, their believed Chapter Master, is quite the beast. He can destroy just about anything in the game in close combat. His Scent of Blood rule makes him and and any Carcharodon unit subject to Rage +1 strength for the rest of the game. He is [[Reasonable Marines|reasonable]] enough to wear a helmet and does not carry a banner and a shitton of flashy trinkets on his armour, unlike most other chapter masters, whose wargear just screams "Shoot me down, sniper!" Also, allows you to take a unit of lightning claw equipped assault terminators as troops; and he and any unit he joins have preferred enemy (infantry).

You can only ally with Imperial Forces and all of those are bumped down to Desperate Allies. All this means that, with them, you play Horus Heresy World Eaters with Fear and all the shiny new toys of the 40k arsenal of Space Marines.

They also have a couple of unique psyker powers:
:"From The Depths": The librarian casting this causes his targets to become intensely frightened, hallucinating about being in the deep dark depths of the ocean, immobilizing their opponent so that the Carcharodons can finish the target without a fight.
:"Rending Maw": The librarian summons a giant spirit shark that comes up out of the ground and bites the shit out of anyone unlucky enough to be there at the time.

===8th Edition===
Currently, the only Carcharodons-specific thing in the game is Tyberos, in the Forge World Imperial Armour book. This go around he's got a standard Terminator {{W40kKeyword|CHAPTER MASTER}} profile (which means he's been upgraded to the same 4++ the others have) with an extra Attack and one less Ballistic Skill (which doesn't matter as he has no guns). Wargear-wise, ''Hunger'' and ''Slake'' are now unique weapons - a chainfist and lightning claw equivalent respectively, except ''Hunger'' has +1 Damage and ''Slake'' has +1 Damage and -1AP. In special rules terms he's got the standard Terminator {{W40kKeyword|CHAPTER MASTER}} ATSKNF, teleport deep strike and hit rerolls for {{W40kKeyword|CARCHARODONS}} within 6" (renamed '''Lord Reaper of the Void'''), but he also gives them +1 Strength thanks to his unique ability '''Savagery Beyond Reason''' (doesn't need activating any more, but it's now only a 6" bubble instead of the whole table). He's a great choice to lead a Deep Striking Assault Terminator squad, but at a little over 200 points you'll need to place him where he can do maximum damage to earn back that cost.

Codex Space Marines didn't bring any special joy for the Carcharodons. The White Scars Chapter Tactic is the GW-recommended "appropriate" one for them, even though they're (probably) Raven Guard successors (mostly because the Raven Guard tactic involves being sneaky rather than murdering the bloody fuck out of everything in melee). This gives them 2" of extra movement whenever they Advance, and allows them to charge the same turn they Fall Back. If you do choose to go with the Raven Guard one, enemies that are more than 12" away get -1 to hit you. Seeing as you'll probably be aiming to get right in their faces and stab them, this is probably a poor choice. Alternatively, The Imperium's Sword from the generic list is pretty good for a stabby warlord.

Of course, the most appropriate choice might just be to borrow the Blood Angels rules - after all if anyone has a Red Thirst, it's a Space Shark.

Here is an approximation of what 6th/7th edition rules would look like if they were updated to 8th, for the Carcharodons.
'''Warlord Trait: ''Carcharodons''. ''Reavers of the Outer Darkness'':''' Friendly CARCHARODON units within 6" gain: In the FIGHT phase, if this unit is fighting a unit that has lost any models, that unit being attacked reduces their Toughness by 1 for the remainder of the phase.

'''Carcharodon Ability: ''Blood Hunger'':''' CARCHARODONS models gain +1A in a turn that the charged.

'''OR'''

An alternative Chapter Tactic for the Carcharodons is this...

'''Carcharodon Ability: ''Terror from the Void'':''' Models in enemy units must subtract 1 from their Leadership characteristic for each unit with this trait that is within 6" of theirs (to a maximum of -3)

{{Template:Marines-Official}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]]

List of 40K Cheese

2018-06-11T00:56:02Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* Imperial Guard */

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The history of Warhammer 40,000 is a history of violence. . . well OK yes it's part of the setting, but it's history of 40k's balance is almost as violent as the grim dark future it takes place in. No matter what people will tell you, the game has always had excessive problems with imbalance, min-maxing and blatant bullshit - From the days of [[Rogue Trader]] to modern day 8th Edition, the game has fostered many [[Cheese|cheesy]] units, army lists or deathstars, who have changed the meta and repeatably broken the game - Not through players maximizing their gear or people abusing unclear rules, but by simply being awfully balanced and written.

Fortunately, many of these, if not all of them, are the very concept of "The flame that burn twice as bright dies twice as fast", as they all got their reckoning at some point or another. Being either nerfed to the ground, changed to the core or completely removed from the game, this allowed the next-cheesy thing to step in with a silly hat and a way too small point-tax.

But life will go on. New codices will be under/overpowered and grind the others to dirt, the meta will change to deal with what-ever is the most powerful at the moment, and [[Warseer|the forums will]] be white-hot with [[Rage|rage]] over the unbalance present, but life will go on, and as soon as you accept this eternal struggle for our fun and wallets, you will be at peace.

As time goes on, this list will grow, to encompass more and more cheese as it gets released. If you feel that a unit, model or deathstar needs mentioning in the list, feel free to add to it with your own experiences and knowledge.

== 2nd Edition ==

'''Polymorphine:''' Assassins (and anyone else with the access to the wargear) used to be able to magically appear in the middle of a squad via Polymorphine (killing a troop when you exploded out of his body, leading to such shenanigans as [[Arseplomancer|a Guardsman hiding a dude in power armor on a bike]]). Then Jump Pack over and throw a Vortex Grenade and killing anything on a 2+.

'''Virus Weapons:''' The Virus Grenade was 50 points for a grenade with a 2 inch blast radius. Any model that was hit by the Virus Grenades (partial hits were on a 4+) was not explicitly stated to be immune (Space Marines, Terminators, Aspect Warriors and vehicles were immune) to said Virus Grenade would die on a 3+. So far, not to bad right? The problem with the Virus Grenade was that when a model was killed by it, every other model not immune that was within d6 inches would have to test, dying on a 4+ and recursively requiring every other model within d6 inches to test not to die on a 4+. Thus, a Virus Grenade could become something of a Grey Goo situation where the more enemy models are bunched up, the easier it was to spread out and kill them all. However, the real rage-inducer was the Virus Outbreak stratagem card, which acted like a Virus Grenade template that you just placed anywhere on the board without restriction; the writers went so far as to recommend that players tear up their Virus Outbreak cards from the Dark Millenium set since they hadn't intended on it being so powerful.

'''Wolf Guard Crisis Suits:''' Back in 2nd edition, the Cyclone Missile Launcher required the Terminator to replace his Power Fist with a laser targeter. However, when the Space Wolf codex first came out, it was entirely possible to make your army nothing but Wolf Guard Terminators, and to give each Terminator an Assault Cannon **and** a Cyclone Missile Launcher. Add in the fact that Terminators made their armor saves on 3+ on 2d6 (this game did use save modifiers), and it was possible for them to teleport in, weather most overwatch, fire all missiles and assault cannons, and only have to mop up the remnants from the burning wreckage. When the Space Wolf codex was reprinted, it explicitly banned Wolf Guard Terminators from going with Assault Cannon and Cyclone Launcher.

'''Deathspinners:''' Deathspinners were a flamer template in 2nd edition, that had a "save or die" initiative check. Imagine an entire squad of Warp Spiders with Jaws in flamer form. Yeah.

== 3rd Edition ==
Eldar Exarchs with the unique ability to "Build your own Exarch." You could have a bright lance that shot twice with warp spider pack that allowed you to jump all over the field, then add a Powerfield that gave you a 2+ invulnerable save). This was just one of many cheese custom Exarchs that were possible; however, they were also the only thing keeping Eldar on the table - those customizable Exarchs, though cheesy, were expensive in an army with nerfed and expensive units and weapons. Eldar were largely bottom-tier in 3rd edition.

===3.5 Edition===
In general, 3.5 had 3 specifically cheesy armies, two of which belonged to Chaos.

====Necrons====
Necrons were introduced as a stand-alone codex army for the first time in 3.5. Their release was met with immediate hostility once neckbeards read their codex; here's why:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hod0WtYE4SA|here is a video of their grand debut]
* Warscythes in abundance that ignored all saves and rolled 2D6 for pens.
* We'll Be Back made infantry immune to death as they basically had a 4++ that could be rolled after they failed their 3+ armour save and after your opponent was done shooting.
**Compounding that, the Resurrection Orb that ignored any of the restrictions previously applied to the WBB rule like instant death or bypassing armour saves in CC.
* Veil of Darkness which allowed you to Deepstrike hop a unit all over the board.
* Basic infantry guns that could kill a landraider with a lucky shot.
* The fucking Monolith - immune to anything that wasn't S9/10 and/or ordinance, could deepstrike and never suffer a mishap, fixed your broken troops and could deepstrike in any from reserves. Oh, and Melta/Ordinance rules that gave better chances to penetrate armor? Into the trash they went thanks to ''Living Metal''.
* Necron Pariahs - they lowered opponent's troops Ld to 7 unless better, made psykers piss themselves unless fearless AND had warscythes (see above) and gauss blasters (basically heavy bolters that could kill vehicles too). The only thing keeping tables from being swamped by those murder machines was the "0-1 unit per army" ''limitation''. (Oh and yeah, they lacked ''We'll be back!'' so if you somehow managed to take them down they stayed down. But yeah, good luck with that...)
* Wraiths had the only 3++ save in the game and were proper Necrons unlike today, meaning they too had WBB.
* C'tan being IMPOSSIBLY GOOD! The Nightbringer could use a Bloodthirster as a speedbump while the Deceiver allowed you to reposition your army after deployment.

Necrons earned the title "n00bcrons" for a reason; though they didn't have the sheer quantity of cheese that Chaos had at the time, what cheese they had was prevalent throughout their army and was way too good for the points paid.

====Chaos====
Going into third edition, Chaos was... unremarkable. Bland. Decent crunch-wise, but without the wealth of options to field Daemons/Cultists/Mutants/Fallen/Renegades/... they had in 2e. Pete Haines listened to the players (yes, GW did that back then) and Chapter Approved articles in White Dwarf did provide those variants over the years. Eventually GW decide to bring out a 3.5 Codex updated with all those options and a couple extra added on top... and that's where it went horribly wrong. A wealth of options meant a wealth of possible combinations and some were just... too much. Though not the same level of cheese as Necrons quality-wise Chaos Space Marines got a massive truckload of it, that went from 'strong but expensive' to 'outrageous'. Here's a smattering of what CSM had in 3.5:

''Young cheese'' (things that were a-okay on their own but could combine into ungodly monstrosities.)
* Khornate chain axes: Being one of the only things that could outright modify armour saves, reducing them to 4+ unless worse, across the board - that's right, your terminator's save is no better than carapace armour against them. Ork Choppas did the same on an army-wide level for free back then.
* Unit Champions could take Psy Powers and even Daemon Weapons. Strong, but with only 1 HP it could turn very ugly very quickly both ways.
* [[Possessed]] were expensive but they could ''buy'' their powers instead of rolling for them, which included rending, fleet ''and'' a magical bolt pistol shot, making them point-for-point one of the best assault units in the game.
*The [[World Eaters]] army list in general: Tough motherfuckers full of [[rage|RAEG]] that would murder the fuck out of everything they got their hands upon on the charge, giving the opponent the easy to understand but hard to solve problem of "shoot me before I reach you!" The only thing that kept them from being completely broken was their lack of firepower, jump packs and assault vehicles and the impredictability of their special 'rage' rule that would give them a free "run" move on a dice roll of "1" (tested each turn, roll 2 dice with the ''correct'' wargear) but they had to rush toward the enemy even if it meant disembarking or leaving cover. It would leave them helpless in the open to be shot to death just as often as it allowed them to get into charge range to murder shit, which kept the army manageable (if unpredictable) to play both with and against.

''Aged cheese'' (This is where it started to get really ugly, although those things were still within hailing distance of manageable.)
* Chaos Lords that could out-punch anything, point-for-point.
* Vehicle upgrades that could regrow lost weapons and unimmobilize themselves on 4+, ignore crew shaken/stunned ''and'' grant +1 AV on all sides.
* Bloodletters that wore power armour and wielded power weapons. Basically an evil deep-striking space marine honour guard.
* [[Sonic Weaponry]] - anything with a MoS could exchange their guns for sonic weapons (and get access to the Slaaneshi armoury if they were characters). This lead to [[Rhino]]s, [[Dreadnought]]s, Defilers, Lords, Lieutenants, regular Marines, Chosen, Possessed, Aspiring Champions, Bikers, Havocs, Terminators and ''Predators'' all sporting Sonic Weapons. They weren't as good as they would become in later editions, but they were better than the Bolters and Autocannons they replaced (almost) for free.
* [[Defiler|That enemy crab thing]] gets introduced as both a monstrous creature and a walker, which made it pretty much invulnerable in melee against anything without Power Fists (or equivalent Strength-doubling CC weapons).
* [[Obliterator]]s. Back then they were fucking GOD-TIER - S/T5, two wounds, 2+/5++, loaded with heavy and special weapons, Fearless, deep-striking. Luckily for your opponents you could only take a single squad of up to three of them. Eventually they got FAQ'd down to T 4(5) which made them more vulnerable to meltagun 'Instant Death' but they were still ''hard'' customers and an auto-take.

''Premium cheese'' (The really retarded things that could break the game. Never mind those costed arms and legs in points, unless the opponent knew what was coming and went to great lengths to avoid them, those things were "I-win" buttons.)
* A [[Daemon Prince]] with Power Armour, Wings and the Dread Axe. Tough, moved like jump pack infantry, a beastly statline, 3+/5++ and the really cheesy part: the Dread Axe ignored invulnerable saves and wounded on a 4+ unless better. Combined to the fact the DP was a monstrous creature that ignored armor saves; and you had a tough, fast motherfucker with a truckload of attacks that hit/wounded easily, ignored '''all''' saves and could easily consolidate from unit to unit, remaining locked in CC and untargetable the whole game as it solo'ed the enemy army. (And I wish I was exaggerating...)
* Siren. A Slaaneshi minor psychic power that made a model immune to shooting and blocked line of sight. Spam generously. Worst of all, it combo'd way too well with the Daemon Prince load-out above - hell, this thing could actually take on and defeat a Nightbringer back in the day with some luck.
* Veteran skills - ranging from 1-3 pts. per model, could be taken on any squad (only 1 skill for marked units) with higher costs for independent characters. You could load up whole squads that infiltrated, moved through cover and furiously charged.
* Chosen. Chosen were... absurdly powerful since you could make any member in the squad an aspiring champion, giving them access to the armoury. If they were marked and if you took a chosen squad in a multiple of the number of that God (Slaanesh 6, Nurgle 7, Khorne 8, Tzeentch 9), then the 10 pt. upgrade cost was free! Deathstar of 8 Khornate champion TERMINATORS that could butcher through anything (and I mean anything) with a truckload of [[exploding dice]] S7 attacks ignoring armor saves on the charge coming out of a Land Raider to chain-rape unit after unit, anyone? Or maybe a squad of 6 Slaaneshi Chosen all with Doom Sirens, plasma pistols and power weapons? Or if you prefer, 9 Tzeentchian Sorcerers [[troll|auto-succeeding on psychic tests thanks to the Mark of Tzeentch]] with psychic Heavy Bolters and Lascannons unleashing some next-level mind-bullet dakka (or alternatively turning everything into [[Chaos Spawn|those things]] or threw down templates that wounded on a 4+ and ignored armour and glanced vehicles)? Yeah, it was kinda like that back then...
* The [[Emperor's Children]] Legion list. Sirens, sirens you can't shoot and that will demolish you in CC everywhere.
* The [[Iron Warriors]] Legion list. Remember above where I said only one unit of god-like Obliterators? Well, nope! Take as much as you can! Oh, and you can exchange two Fast Attack slots on the FOC for one more Heavy Support choice! More Obliterators? Well, nope, since they were elite but here came the second best thing: [[derp|the only ones amongst the Chaos Legions]], Iron Warriors had access to both the Vindicator from the loyalist armoury and the Basilisk from the Imperial Guard's armoury. You know, just in case the nine Obliterators ran into some trouble and needed some long- and/or close-range fire support!

Now, you'd think that with that generous amount of cheese, GW would get the message and stop piling it on... But then the world-wide "Eye of Terror" campaign happened and Chaos got another toy to play with - the Lost and the Damned army list. Veteran Chaos players actually rejoiced when it was announced as it meant they could go back to the 2nd ed days of fielding traitor Guard, Beastmen, mutants and other dregs supported by a very small number of traitor Marines. Sadly enough, while it did allow to do that, the army list came with its own rapetrain of cheese:

* The list allowed to take units from the 3.5 CSM and Imperial Guard Codices in various FOC slots; which amounted to taking the best of all worlds.
* A cheap HQ choice (Chaos Lieutenant) that was point for point even more killy than the 3.5 Chaos Lord.
* Mutants could be taken in huge cheap hordes that could tarpit pretty much anything forever.
* Big mutants being awesome dakka blobs with 3 wounds each and great Chaos mark effects - basically, better Ogryns!
* Traitor guardsmen had better stats than loyalists, access to chaos marks, veteran skills here and there (Infiltrate ahoy!) and could wield '[[Bolter]]s'. Yes, said slapdash 'Bolters' had the same "Gets Hot!" rule as plasma weapons which meant you'd lose some traitors each time you fired but it was a very small price to pay to unleash an ungodly amount of dakka.

It's really no mystery as to why Chaos won the Eye of Terror campaign. Games Workshop, concerned with their future revenue streams from Spess Muhreen fanchildren, decided to basically reset the crunch and shift the timeline away from the event while attempting to balance (read: nerf to the ground) what it could in 4th edition.

===Honorable Mentions:===
====Blood Angels====
Blood Angels were tied with Khornate Berzerkers for the title of most killy fuckers in glorious melee. The 'zerkers were just a bit killier thanks to their chainaxes but the BA enjoyed better mobility thanks to being able to equip jump packs everywhere. That almost assured they would get that precious charge bonus of +1S and + 1I (on top of the +1A) from the army-wide Furious Charge, ensuring whatever they got their hands op would be [[rip and tear|brutally dismembered]]. For extra [[lulz]] you had the option to go for a full [[Death Company]] army that would forego any firepower for an army-wide FnP save on top of the [[rage|righteous fury at the death of Sanguinius]]. This said, each mini costed a premium when kitted-out, so it was an army of extremes: when things went right they'd table the enemy in three turns but when they went wrong they'd get tabled themselves in little more time, with few compromises due to the low model count.

====[[Imperial Guard]] Armored Division====
This one deserves an honorable mention as well, even if it quickly disappeared after the arrival of [[Necrons]] and their vehicle-killing Gauss everything and "We'll be Back!" shenanigans. Back in 3rd ed., vehicles were much less prevalent, as were the ways of dealing with them. Most armies had a couple of heavy weapons like Lascannons, some power fist equivalents and a melta-bomb here and there, and it was more than sufficient to deal with the occasional armoured behemoth. This list? It was [[rape|vehicles only!]] HQ? [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Leman Russ]] variant. Troops? Leman Russ variants. Anything else? Leman Russ variants (with the token Infantry Squad in a Chimera). Park together covering the vulnerable rears, point battle cannons and let fly, all guns! Due to the lack of heavy weapons being able to affect the Russ' frontal AV, "all-rounder" armies stood little chance of doing anything.

== 4th Edition ==

* '''Assault Cannon Spam:''' Rending in 3rd and 4th edition Edition was far more powerful than in 5th through 7th. [[Rape|Instead of a 6 to wound ignoring armor saves, a 6 to-hit automatically wounded and ignored armor saves]]. Combine with the fact that Terminator Squads could take two of them at minimum size, and it was quite common to run a lot of them.

===[[Fish of Fury]]===

It has its own page, but the basic gist involved using a semi-invulnerable troop transport as a mobile bunker for the otherwise assault-prone Fire Warriors.

The tactic died when errata changed how skimmers worked.

===[[Imperial Guard]] 500-Point Assholery===
Take minimalist choices for the bulk of your mandatory force org setup. Use the remaining points to buy a [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Leman Fucking Russ]] and absolutely butt-fuck the balance of low-point games. The personification of being [[That Guy]].

===[[Imperial Guard]] Unit Deletion Barrage===
In the 4th edition codex, the Hunter-Killer Missile cost a mere 5 points. Because of this, an insanely common strategy was to load basically every single vehicle you fielded that could fit one with one, and with many guard armies that could be 6-7 vehicles on a 1000-point list at the time. Once loaded, the tactic was simple: find the single most threatening enemy model on the board that could be reliably penetrated with a Krak Missile, acquire line of sight, and hammer the shit out of it with all your Hunter-Killers in one go. Even with guard accuracy being what it is, the fact that you could potentially obliterate a lynchpin unit or pesky independent character meant that this was often used to secure early dominance.

When the 5th edition Tyranid codex came out, this tactic was very often used to flat-out cripple 'Nid players by taking out their [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]]ES and [[Hive Tyrant]]s from standoff range, fucking over attempts to counter.

The tactic ended when 5th edition cranked the cost of HK Missiles to 15 points each.

== 5th Edition ==

===General===
* 5th edition was generally known as "Mechhammer" or "Box Hammer" due to how relatively hard it became to kill vehicles. Compared to 4th edition, the vehicle damage became more forgiving, being consolidated into a single damage chart where vehicles were destroyed on a 5+. Glancing hits subtracted 2 from this modifier, AP - weapons subtracted another -1 from this and AP 1 weapons simply added 1. Hull Points did not exist in 5th, and a vehicle that moved more than 6" in a turn was only hit in 6s on melee (stand still). Thus, most lists gradually became "Parking Lot" builds, where sheer quantity of cheap Rhino and Rhino-equivalents could jam up the board, form armored convoys, or otherwise make your enemy hate your life.
* 5th edition was also known for Musical Wounds. The owning player had to allocate wounds to each model that took a hit, with wounds allocated as evenly as possible: For example, a 5-man Tactical Squad with Combi-Melta Sergeant, 3 Bolter Marines, and a Meltagun Marine takes 9 wounds and needs to make 9 armor saves. You would need to allocate at least 1 hit to the Sergeant, 1 to the Meltagun, and 3 to the Bolters. 3 of the remaining 4 hits could be allocated to the Bolter Marines, and the last one would have to be allocated onto either the Sergeant or the Meltagunner. The problem with this system was that certain "multiwound" units (Most notably: Nob Bikers and Grey Knight Paladins) could be equipped so that each model had a unique loadout. One Grey Knight Paladin would have a Halberd, one would have a Hammer, one would have a Sword, one would have a Psycannon, one would have a Psycannon and Hammer, one would have the Standard, etc. The end result was that versus attacks that couldn't inflict Instant Death on this unit, the unit effectively got its model count's worth of ablative wounds.
* On a tamer yet more comedic note, 5th edition also had the "50% cover rule." If at least half of a unit was considered to be in cover, the entire unit was treated as being in cover. What was viewed as an amusing abstraction could quickly be gamed, either with vehicle squadrons (2 Piranhas, one Disruption Pod) or large units of light infantry. Imagine the rage a Thousand Sons player must have faced versus Guard: A Guard player could get 30 Guardsmen for the cost of 4 Rubric Marines and an Aspiring Sorcerer...and this was before the Sorcerer spent points for a mandatory Psychic Power! By combining squads into a single unit of 30, you could keep 15 models in cover and the other 15 proudly advancing in the open with 4+ saves (or 2+ saves if they use Incoming)...

===Imperial Guard===
Arguably the only army in 5th that got a stratospheric Cruddex buff, the rest getting nerfed into uselessness as [[Robin Cruddace]] hates you:

* This was the first time Guard could field vehicle squads, particularly for Basilisks and Leman Russes allowing players to cover the field in pie plates.
* Master of the Fleet, which subtracted 1 from your opponent's deep strike rolls. Particularly nasty against the above two lists which relied on deep-strike spam to get close enough to shred armies.
* Master of Ordnance, which came with its own pie plate attack.
* [[Creed|CREEEEEEEED!!!!1]]
* Hellhound squads and variants get introduced, especially the bane(wolf) of all MEQs, the banewolf.
* Veterans - particularly melta-vets. They are legend when it comes to vehicle busting.
* Valkyries and Vendettas - fucking hell, where do I even begin? Super fast chimera, identical armour and a shitload of guns; Vendettas take it to the next level with 3 TL Lascannons.
* Hydra flak tank debuts in this list outside of FW and is amazing at taking out bikers and fast skimmers with its super-long range autocannons that bypass Jink saves. Eldar tears flow unstoppably.
* Orders are introduced here as well; they weren't OP per se, but combined well with other buffs to the list for horrifying efficacy.
* Up until the release of the GK codex in 5th, Guard could still take allies with Daemon or Witch Hunters leading to the construction of the infamous Guard leaf-blower list, so named for how fast it removed your opponents models from the board. Mind, when GK came out with their Wardex, this didn't really put too much of a damper on the blower but now they had competition at least.

===[[Space Wolves]]===
The Space Wolf codex became an infamously powerful tournament army due to having ruthless point-efficiency all around. While the Blood Angels got speed and flashy toys, and the Grey Knights would get mass Force Weapons and Psybolt weapons, the Space Wolves were able to look at those armies and shut them down by pure attrition. Notable reasons for the Space Wolf hate include:

*'''Space Wolf Psykers:''' Compared to the other Marine codexes, the Space Wolf Rune Priests caused rage for several reasons.
**'''Good Blastiness:''' Rune Priests got Living Lightning instead of Smite, a Strength 7, D6+1 shot, infinite range gun. Rune Priests could also buy a Chooser of the Slain, a "counter" placed that served as a +1 BS marker when targeting enemies near it. However, the real fondue was Jaws of the World Wolf. Jaws was a 24" beam, and all non-Jump/Jetbike/vehicle models underneath had to take an Initiative Check or be removed outright. No Invuln, no Feel no Pain, no Eternal Warrior, just death. Monstrous Creatures got +1 to the test, but since many Tyranid Monstrous Creatures were only Initiative 1 anyway, Jaws meant that you had a 66% chance of losing a Carnifex, Tervigon or Tyrannofex in one go!
**'''Good Denial/Defense:''' Rune Priests also had access to good defense auras, with Storm Caller acting like a psychic Kustom Forcefield and Tempest's Wrath shutting down Bikes and Jumpers in its 24" radius bubble. Compared to regular Marines, they were arguably more reliable at shutting down Psykers; while a standard Psychic Hood required beating your opponent's Psyker's Leadership on an opposed roll, the Rune Staff would simply stop any incoming power within 24" on a 4+. You could include an allied Inquisitor if you so desired, allowing for a chance to double-deny. And remember that Chooser of the Slain? When it was placed down during deployment, no enemy units could Infiltrate near it.
**'''Njal Stormcaller:''' Njal took the strengths of the Rune Priest and amplified them. Although he didn't get the anti-Infiltration effect of the Chooser, he automatically knew every Space Wolf power, could cast two per turn, and his staff could deny any incoming powers on a 3+. However, his real claim to fame was that as the Stormcaller, you would roll a D6 at the start of each turn, add the turn number, and consult a chart to see the effects. Some were innocent yet annoying enough (the enemy suffers -1 BS for a turn), but the real fondue was rolling Chain Lightning. EVERY enemy unit within 18" of Njal would take D6 S8 AP - hits. At Nova 2011, this Chain Lighting went off against a Dark Eldar Venom Spam list with predictably destructive results.
*'''Wolfwolfwolf:''' This is the edition that saw the introduction of [[Canis Wolfborn]], Thunderwolves and Fenrisian Wolves being their own units. The Thunderwolf in particular garnered a lot of hate at the time since it increased its rider's base Strength and Toughness (in 5th, Bikes and Marks of Nurgle were not counted for purposes of checking Instant Death), meaning you now needed S10 to inflict Instant Death, while you could Instant Death T5 models in turn. Combined with super-cheap wolves to act as rapid-moving bullet catchers and you could get into melee.
*'''Long Fangs:''' Long Fangs were the Space Wolf equivalent of Devasatators. However, while Devastators were considered inefficient and fragile, Long Fangs were the peak of efficiency. Sure, they didn't get regular Bolter bullet-catchers, but when deployed well into your deployment zone while the rest of the Space Wolf army midfielded, they weren't a reliable target anyway. Instead, Long Fangs had a single throwaway sergeant and 1-5 heavy weapon guys as needed; Missile Launchers only cost 10 points, making them the default Heavy of choice. But the real kicker was that Long Fangs had Fire Control; this was the ancestor to Split Fire and superior overall. As opposed to 6th and 7th where Split Fire meant "one model in the unit can shoot at a different target unit," you could divide the Wolves to shoot at two targets however you wanted.
*'''Loganwing:''' Loganwing was and arguably the only viable foot marine list in 5th. See, taking Logan Grimnar let you take Wolf Guard as troops. Back in the day, Wolf Guard were a single customizable unit of 3-10 models, individual models being able to switch for Terminator Armor, Jump Pack or Bike; you could intentionally make your squads smaller by having Wolf Guard detach from their squad at deployment in order to lead another non-Wolf Guard unit. However, the real advantage of Wolf Guard in Loganwing lists is it let you take units each of a Cyclone Missile Launcher Terminator and 4 power-armor bulletcatchers. You would run Lone Wolf Terminators as anti-heavy support, Thunderwolves as chasers, and Long Fangs as support; Logan himself usually joined a unit of Lascannon Long Fangs to either grant them Tank Hunters or Relentless for the turn.
*'''Razorwolf:''' Space Wolves could spam Razorbacks more cost-effectively than other Marines. Compared to Tactical Marines, 5 Grey Hunters were only 75 points instead of 90. Space Wolves didn't get Sergeants, but they instead got Wolf Guard. The kicker of course was that there was no restriction that stated that a Wolf Guard squad actually needed any models. Thus, you could buy 6 squads of 5 Grey Hunters, each with Razorback, buy two units each of 3 Wolf Guard and Razorback, attach them all among the six squads, and have two "spare" Razorbacks. Since Long Fangs didn't need to stay in a transport for the most part, you could also buy even more Razorbacks, points permitting.
*'''Wolf Scouts:''' Wolf Scouts by themselves were unassuming. They could Outflank from their opponent's deployment zone and bring a Wolf Guard alongside. Their real danger came from their usage alongside mechanized Wolves and Long Fang support, as they could be used to eliminate or tie up backfield threats. It was common to equip them with a Meltagun and Combi-Melta Wolf Guard for neutralizing backfield Guard artillery.
* An honorable mention goes to the Saga of the Warrior Born, an upgrade only available to Wolf Lords. If you think this bonus gives an extra attack like the Mark of Khorne, oh you're sadly mistaken for the Wolves outbless the God of War. Rather than +1 attack, the way the Saga of the Warrior Born worked was you kept track of how many models the Wolf Lord killed in an Assault Phase, and the Wolf Lord would gain that many bonus attacks in the *next* Assault Phase. There was no theoretical cap to how many extra attacks you get if you were able to keep your Lord in assaults. In practice, the number of bonus attacks would reset if your Wolf Lord missed an Assault Phase.

===[[Blood Angels]]===
Cheesy for the [[Matt Ward|exact same reason]] as Grey Knights. Here are just a few things they received:

* Deep-striking Landraiders, because that's just great - just fucking great.
* Furioso Dreadnoughts in general. Their FA13 made them immune to Krak grenades prevalent on most infantry; coupled with Blood Talons which generated more attacks every time you caused a wound. With S6 and WS6. Fuuuuuuuuck!
* In addition to regular Furiosos, you could also take a [[Librarian Dreadnought|FLYING. LIBRARIAN. DREADNOUGHT.]] Jesus Christ...
* Death Company Dreadnoughts were also outrageous - taking up a fucking ''Troops'' slot, they were Furiosos with a more offensive focus, their WS and FA lowered by a point in exchange for fleet, more attacks and furious charge and rage.
* Blood Angels Dreadnoughts could also take a Magna Grapple on top of their arm weapons, an S8 AP2 assault 1 weapon with a 24" range that, should it pen a vehicle or wound a monstrous creature, could then drag it closer to the dreadnought.
* Mephiston - basically, a monstrous creature with psychic powers that could take cover. And fly. And reduce his opponent's WS/I to 1.
* The Stormraven gunship debuted in this list - a flying landraider with weaker armour but immune to melta weapons that could transport a squad AND a dreadnought. Oh, and it's an assault vehicle ffs. Given how powerful in CC Blood Angels infantry is as well as just how deadly their dreadnoughts are, getting them where they needed to be in a fast skimmer that was immune to melta weapons AND was heavily armed was the cherry on top of this particular cheesecake.

===[[Grey Knights]]===
Seriously, there's a shitload to explain here for the noobs:

* First and foremost, Psycannons - S7 AP4 rending on models that could otherwise always shoot them.
* Psybolt ammunition, leading to the creation of the much feared Psyfleman Dreadnought, pumping out 4 S8 AP4 twin-linked shots a turn.
* Kaldor Draigo outcreeding Creed and just generally being a monster (unless and until he fought Abaddon).
* EVERYTHING ARMED WITH A FUCKING FORCE WEAPON SERIOUSLY WTF - in particular, Force Halberds. Auto-take, granting all the bonuses of a nemesis force weapon and +2 Initiative, meaning your silver armoured Mary Sues struck before most Eldar units.
* Librarians with a flamer template that removed models from play - not just instant death, they took an initiative test or were removed from play doling out auto-pens to vehicles.
* The only list that could take Assassins or Inquisitors, which both got buffed into the fucking sky.
* The goddamn Nemesis Dreadknight debuted here - absolutely broken if not expensive (MC w/ 2+ save, psychic powers).
* Oh hey, they ''also'' got stormravens - on top of being immune to melta weapons and transporting an OP squad plus an OP dreadnought, the GK stormraven could also take psybolt ammo for its heavy bolters, assault cannons, etc.

People hated the Grey Knights - even longtime GK players hated them. A list that was built to destroy daemon armies (during a time when they didn't even need a special list to destroy them because they were so bad - seriously, it wasn't uncommon for GK players to fight demons without suffering so much as a wound!) got buffed into a list with units that were just flat-out better than anyone else could field. Some GK players took to making lists that used none of the staples mentioned above in order to give themselves a challenge.

== 6th & 7th Edition ==

7th edition came out barely two years after 6th and in many ways could be called 6.5 or so. There were differences of course, such as the reworked Psychic Phase, and shooting phase resolution, but most of the changes were small enough tweaks that it's sane enough to include entries for both editions in here.

===Allies===

A mechanic that got a mixed reception when it hit, and one it was never able to truly shake. Listed below are some of the most infamous examples that resulted from exploiting this mechanic.

*'''ChaosCrons:''' In 7th edition, Chaos Space Marines and Necrons were considered Allies of Convenience, meaning that they were treated as "enemies" for all intents and purposes except you could intentionally target your own Allies of Convenience with Warlord Traits, shooting, charging, or Psychic Powers. However, all other abilities remained in theory able to interact with each other (barring exceptions like the Genestealer Cult ruling stating that Tyranid Allies of Convenience did not cause Shadow in the Warp/hinder Return to the Shadows). However, Anrakyr's special ability "Mind in the Machine" was RAW none of the above and [[cheese|in theory could be used on your own allied Typhon to have it fire its gun twice]]. [[Derp|More amusing however was a Black Legion Spearhead using Turn 1 Deep Strike while triggering Ethereal Interception from Allies of Convenience Deathmarks for a front-loaded alphastrike that required no Drop Pods to pull off]].

*'''TauCrons:''' Necrons had a lot of good mid-strength ranged weapons that could drown enemy units in saves or strip Hull Points off enemy vehicles, but most of their weapons were confined to the 24" range-bracket. Thus Tau were popular for providing longer-range: [[Cheese|The Firebase Support Cadre added 36" threat projection via Tank-Hunting Missile Broadsides and the Riptide was always appreciated]]. However, the real comedy came from the fact that [[Nemesor Zahndrekh]] had the special rule '''Adaptive Tactics:''' Whenever an enemy unit with one or more USRs from a bucket list (Counter-Attack, Furious Charge, Hit & Run, Split-Fire, Stealth, or Tank Hunters) was within 24" of Zahndrekh, Zahndrekh's unit also benefitted from that rule as well. [[Cheese|Many Tau wargear options and abilities made it shockingly easy to acquire said USRs and provide them to Zahndrekh]]; [[Derp|perhaps he thought Puretide was actually a Necrontyr prodigy]]?

*'''TauDar:''' Allies Abuse was not entirely uncommon in 6th and 7th Edition, however the combined cheese from these two Codexes - each very powerful in their own right - resulted in a combination of Cheddar so potent it practically warped space and time. In short, imagine the best parts about both the Tau and Eldar Codexes, and fuse them together into a potent strike force. The even worse part? In 6th Edition, the two Factions were considered Battle Brothers - meaning there was no penalty for taking either one as Allies.

===Admech===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Cult_Mechanicus(7E)#Formations|Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation]]:''' Includes units from Cult Mechanicus, Skitarii, and and Imperial Knights. Everything has Canticles of the Omnissiah, all wargear is free, and nothing Gets Hot. You like winning? Use this formation and literally pay to win.

===Chaos===

* '''[[Heldrake]]:''' The [[Heldrake]] was added to the 6th Edition [[Chaos Space Marine]] Codex as a new unique flier. It could Vector Strike like a Flying Monstrous Creature, was incredibly resilient due to numerous stacked defensive rules, all of those ultimately played second fiddle to the real reason it was so powerful: The Baleflamer. Sure, you "could" give the Heldrake a Hades Autocannon, but as it only hit on 4+s and didn't ignore Marine armor, it was pointless considering both weapons cost the same. Imagine the Inferno Cannon of a Guard Hellhound, able to project a Strength 6 flame template anywhere within 12", but make it AP 3 so even regular Space Marines don't get an armor save. 7th edition brought a series of nerfs to the Heldrake, the most notable one being to limit the fire arc of its Baleflamer to a 45-degree arc, as well as Vector Strikes only doing one AP 2 hit (instead of D3+1 AP 3 hits) versus ground targets. However, the real reason the Heldrake lost its viability was an indirect one; whereas only disembarked troops (and certain unit types depending on scenario) could score objectives in 6th, 7th allowed any units to score while giving Troops Objective Secured.

*'''The [[Screamerstar]]:''' a combination of artifacts and psychic powers that gives a unit of Screamers a rerollable 2++ Invulnerable Save, making them effectively invincible.

*'''[[Magnus the Red]]:''' Magnus the Red is one of the cheesiest units to grace this section. He got a plethora of special rules (including Eternal Warrior, It Will Not Die and Fearless) along with being a Flying Monstrous Creature for even more cheese, but wait! There's more! As befitting the Demon Primarch of Tzeentch, Magnus was a psychic powerhouse. He was the only Mastery Level 5 Psyker in the game, and knew the complete Lores of Tzeentch and Change. He could cast these powers without needing line of sight, and possessed at least two Strength D powers. His Horus Heresy incarnation wasn't much better, becoming able to completely avoid attacks if he had Invisibility cast upon himself and could boost his psychic attacks to Strength D with a 2D6 roll, for even less points than both his 40K incarnation and ''Horus''!

===Eldar===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Eldar(7E)|The Entirety of 6th and 7th Edition Eldar]]''': No really. Eldar were pretty much the pet army of [[Phil Kelly]], and it showed in how their army consistently managed to be the top or damn close to it. To include a few notable crimes against balance:

* '''Battle Focus:'''

* '''Serpent Spam:''' From 6th Edition, the Wave Serpent gained a massive upgrade in power from 5th Edition. Aside from getting a bump to Ballistic Skill 4 (as opposed to 3 in the previous Codex) for a pittance of point-costs, and all Shuriken Weapons gaining the Bladestorm upgrade (6s to wound ignore armor saves), the Wave Serpent's Shield was changed so that rather than capping the strength/removing bonus dice to penetrate it, it would downgrade Penetrating Hits into Glancing Hits on a 2+. However, the real the Serpent Shield could alternately be used "in extremis" as a glorified wave motion gun: [[Cheese|It would fire D6+1 strength 7 shots with infinite range, ignoring cover, and wrecking enemy vehicles]]. [[RAGE|Since the Serpent Shield was wargear and not a weapon, you couldn't destroy it with Weapon Destroyed]]. [[Anal_Circumference|The real fondue was taking a Twin-Linked Scatter Laser for "Laser Lock;" You got 4 S6 shots, rerolling to-hit, and if you hit with at least one, you could reroll to-hit with all other weapons being fired by the Wave Serpent. Thus, the Wave Serpent was transport, anti-aircraft, anti-everything in one go.]] Although Serpentspam got suitably nerfed in the 7th Edition update, it got replaced by the below:

* '''Scatpack Spam:'''

* '''Warp Spider Spam:''' Warp Spiders got a notable upgrade in 6th Edition, receiving a point drop and innate Hit and Run/Deep Strike, while their Deathspinners gained the '''Monofilament''' rule, making them deadlier against low-initiative models and vehicles. Although 7th Edition reworked Monofilament so they weren't innately stronger versus vehicles, they got upgraded in two additional ways: First of all, [[Cheese|Monofilament was changed so they wounded enemy models on Initiative instead of Toughness, and very few models had Initiative greater than 5]]. However, the real issue was Warp Spiders gained the ability '''Flickerjump:''' [[Cheese|If targeted by enemy shooting, the Warp Spiders could immediately move 2d6 inches, and if they ended up out of range/line of sight, the enemy attack was wasted.]] [[RAGE|Aggressively spamming Warp Spiders allowed an Eldar player to win Maelstrom objective games on your turn, after they dropped in to slag any real resistance otherwise.]]

* '''Wraithknights:''' "And you thought the Riptide was Big." The Wraithknight was the penultimate step (after the Riptide) to the reintroduction of Knights to 40k that Games Workshop was going to continue making the game revolve around giant models. It was powerful enough in 6th edition, where it cost like two Wraithlords while having twice the wounds, and extra mobility while sharing the same slot to boot, but [[Cheese|7th edition went and turned them from Jump Monstrous Creatures to Jump Gargantuan Monstrous Creatures, giving them Stomp, Feel No Pain, immunity to Instant Death (only taking D3 extra wounds instead), and the ability to fire an unlimited (rather than two) number of guns, split-fired at different units.]] [[Rage|This came with a point increase that was less than the price of an unupgraded Razorback, still making it cheaper than the Imperial Knight which it was vastly superior to.]]
**Note that despite the rage about the Wraithknight having access to D-Weapons, the most common variant was actually the Forgeworld Skatach Wraithknight. The Skatach cost a few more points than the vanilla one, but rather than having two Wraithcannons, it had two Deathshrouds. [[Rape|Imagine a Nightspinner's gun, but as a Hellstorm.]] [[Cheese|The Skatach became a tournament staple because it had innate cover-ignoring and crowd control that the rest of the Eldar army lacked, while being able to operate at optimal efficiency without needing a Farseer to buff it.]]

===Necrons===

Necrons technically got their codex update at the end of 5th Edition, but 6th really made them shine for awhile. Their 7th ed codex toned down a lot of that in exchange for adding the Decurion.

* '''ScytheWing:''' This was a build that was overpowered at the start of 6th Edition, and would only be slightly reduced in strength as 6th Edition continued. Essentially, ScytheWing (also known as Croissant Spam, 'Cron Air and a variety of other colourful names) was a build based around how many Doom Scythes and Night Scythes could be squeezed into a list - and the 'Crons could squeeze in a lot of these two units. It didn't even have the traditional weaknesses of Flyer-Heavy armies of 6th Edition usually had, as Scarabs and Canoptek Spiders were very easy to hide, minimising the odds of the army being tabled on turn one. As 6th Edition continued and factions gradually got access to actual Anti Aircraft options this died down, but it remained strong for the rest of 6th. 7th Edition finally put the Scythewing to a gradual rest, as changes to how objectives were scored, and the 7th ed codex upping the cost of Nightscythes/making Tesla no longer work on Snapshots put an damper on Necron destruction.

* '''Necron Pimpmobiles:''' The Catacomb Command Barge was infamously durable and only got moreso at the start of 7th. [[Cheese|Due to numerous rulings, taking a Phase Field gave both the Necron Lord AND the Barge a 3++]], [[RAGE|While making a successful Reanimation Protocols would bring back both the Lord, as well as the Barge at full Hull Points]]! Changes to how the Phylactery and Phase Field worked in 7th did a lot to tone the Barge to more realistic levels though it still remained a powerful unit so long as it did not come up against Destroyer weapons.

* '''Stormteks:''' The Storm Harbinger was a "free" swap for a Cryptek, that traded out its Staff of Light for a Voltaic Stave. As opposed to the S5 AP 3 3-shot weapon that the Staff of Light was, the Voltaic Stave was a 4-shot 12" Haywire projector. In 5th edition, this wasn't too dangerous but was annoying for stunlocking enemy vehicles. [[Anal Circumference|When 6th edition added Hull Points and changed how Glancing Hits worked, the Voltaic Stave became better than a Meltagun for tearing apart enemy vehicles; it was common for a Scythewing to run as multiple units of "5 Warriors, 2 Storm Harbingers" for them to drop down and zap enemy units to pieces. The Stormtek was eradicated with extreme prejudice with the 7th Cron codex.

* '''The Decurion:''' The 7th Edition Necrons got largely toned down from how they were at the start of 6th Edition. However, they would go back up to complete cheese in the same book. You see, GeeDubs had this great idea - what if we let people take armies that consisted...of nothing but Formations? Enter the Decurion, a force organization that would forever change the face of warfare for all the 7th Edition Codexes going forwards. This formation offered several, powerful bonuses to the Necrons - with individual formations granting rules like enhanced Reanimation Protocols for example. It would also make every Codex released prior to Necrons suffer from being severely underpowered for the rest of the Edition. The worst part was that every book after the Necrons had Decurions of their own, some more powerful than others but all of them making more traditional forces obsolete.

* '''The Orikanstar:''' The assorted changes to Reanimation Protocols and the introduction of the Decurion were both powerful upgrades for Necrons, but Orikan the Diviner also got a nice buff. Aside from being able to transform to have the statline of a C'tan Shard, his main ability was that he granted all models in his unit that had the Reanimation Protocols rule the ability to reroll 1s on all their Saves. Not just Armor Saves, but all Saves. Combined with Lychguard getting a point reduction and their Shields granting a 3++, this became a notoriously difficult unit to remove, and one whose defenses couldn't be debuffed by a Culexus. However, it wasn't until this unit took Zahndrekh that it became notoriously more powerful: [[Cheese|"Hit and Run" was a common ability used by tournament armies and Orikan effectively gave his unit Initiative 4 for the test, letting what should be a "slow" and frail unit pinball across the map to cap objectives and slay backfield units like.]] [[Anal Circumference|However, it was also common to swap out the Lychguard for Wraiths from a Canoptek Harvest, for extra threat range and the ability to destroy Knights with a pile of Rending attacks]].

===Space Marines===
*'''[[Chapter Master Smashfucker]]:''' Smashfucker is a character build for the [[Iron Hands]] that went through several revisions as 6th and 7th edition came along, starting from 6th ed Codex: Space Marines, getting a proper birth in Clan Raukaan, but ultimately reaching his ultimate form in the 7th edition Space Marines/Angels of Death codex and supplement. Smashfucker was a beatstick, an immovable rock and irresistable force in one that with enough buffs could beat most things into a pulp.

*The [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marines(7E)#Dataslate_Formations|Skyhammer Annihilation Force]], a Space Marine dataslate formation. Two Devastator squads in drop pods that ignore Drop Pod Assault, and two Assault Squads with jump packs. The devs are Relentless on the turn they Deep Strike, and the assault squads can charge immediately.

* [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marines(7E)#Gladius_Strike_Force|Gladius Strike Force]]: Space Marines' detachment-size formation. Anything in a Battle Demi-Company is Objective Secured, and any Drop Pods, Rhinos and Razorbacks taken as dedicated transport have their base cost reduced to 0 if you take two demi-companies.

===Space Wolves===

*'''The Barkbarkstar:''' Fenrisian Wolves were relatively cheap, at 8 points per model for a Beast unit with Marine statlines, but with a 6+ armor save. By themselves, they were mostly an escort of throwaway bodies for a Thunderwolf Lord. However, the real cheese came from the Fenrisian Hunting Pack, which allowed for 5 units of Fenrisian Wolves to be merged together into a blob of up to 75 Wolves. Such a huge unit could gain incredible mileage from stacking buffs on it, but the real piece de resistance was attaching Grand Commander Azrael of the Dark Angels to the unit. Azrael granted the entire unit a 4+ Invulnerable Save, while being able to choose the Warlord Trait that granted the unit Feel No Pain while within 3" of an Objective (the unit was large enough to practically cover the entire map).

===Tau Empire===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Tau(7E)|The Entirety of 6th and 7th Edition Tau]]''': This part is debatable, because Tau had weak troops (not that anyone used them, and Farsight had his Crisis suits as troops), bad leadership, and were bad at "playing the mission" due to generalized fragility (battlesuits are anything but "fragile", but not exactly tough for their points-value), but this was made up for by numerous items detailed below and generally great synergy. That said, minimaxed mono-Tau lists were great at wiping the table of almost any list, making them the bane of the local game store, if not necessarily the tournament scene due to lack of psychic powers/defense from those.

*'''Markerlights:''' The Tau Empire had access to cost effective cover removal and Markerlights, allowing them to do things like increasing their to hit rolls for Overwatch (though they were chiefly used to remove cover). The fact that Markerlights only required a To Hit roll to apply their effects cheesed the onions of many players on the receiving end. Not a game-breaking mechanics per se, but it compensated the only thing holding Tau ''horrendous'' firepower back - their mediocre BS. Oh, and with so many Ignores Cover options (not all of them from Marketlights) it was sometimes faster to just remove marked unit that had no invulnerable without resolving the hits from an actual attack - most Imperial Guard infantry squads, for example, had virtually no chance to survive.

*'''Interceptor:''' 6th Edition brought back Overwatch...as a weakened form of WHFB Stand and Shoot. It also made Interceptor a Special Rule available to some units: A unit with Interceptor could at the end of the opponent's Movement Phase, shoot at an enemy unit that had entered from Reserves. Unlike 2nd Edition, this did not require forfeiting shooting during your prior Shooting Phase, but your *next* Phase. Very few armies got access to this, but Tau could give [[Wat|each and every one of their Battlesuits this ability for the price of a Melta Bomb]], [[Rage|thus letting said Suits shoot in their turn, shoot when the enemy tried to appear from Reserves, then hightail it to safety in the Tau player's next turn.]] Oh, and it combined nicely with the ability to give those battlesuits Skyfire, blasting enemy aircraft from the sky the moment it entered play. Thanks to this, Tau were the only army able to reliably table dreaded Flytyrant list.

*'''Riptide:''' The Riptide was introduced in 6th Edition, as a Jetpack Monstrous Creature. It came with a Primary and Secondary, and was about as tough as a Dreadknight on paper. However, while the Dreadknight was primarily a melee unit (with some gun options), the Riptide mainly existed as a shooting platform that could give Tau the option for the occasional Linebreaker or finisher assault. Its main draw however was the Nova Reactor: You could pick a bonus from four options and roll a D6. On a 3+ you got the bonus, while you lost a wound otherwise. In practice, since one of the four options was to upgrade the Riptide's Invulnerable Save from 5++ to 3++, [[derp|you statistically took less wounds from Nova-Charging your Shields than from your opponent shooting you unshielded.]] In addition, the Riptide's Drones allowed it to be treated as a Unit, thus making it a Monstrous Creature that could be joined by Independent Characters, such as a Buffmander (a Tau Commander optimised to hand out supporting buffs to Units he joins) or perhaps more infamously, a character like a Space Marine Librarian or Eldar Farseer, who got a big meat shield to protect themselves while they in turn buffed the Riptide with access to the Divination table, or Space Marine Captain (eliminating close combat weakness) with Storm Shield that allowed him to tank wounds with 3++ using Riptides T saving Nova reactor of the latter for more dakka. All of this for a relatively paltry sum of points that made it cheaper than a squad of Terminators, and it didn't cost much more due to the inexpensiveness of it's upgrades. As a result, the "Triple Riptide" (or Triptide) became a common 6th Ed build, becoming less prevalent in 7th due to general scoring changes. However, the Riptide would be largely untouched for 7th Edition, remaining a very strong unit that practically made all other options in the same slot obsolete (At least until the Ghostkeel became a thing).
**'''The Riptide Wing:''' And then the Riptide Wing came out for 7th. This Formation simply required you take 3 units of Riptides, with no extra tax. In exchange, the Formation got three obscene bonuses: If a Riptide unit from the Formation was near its buddies, it could reroll the Nova Reactor, it could get +1 BS when shooting an enemy unit shot at by another Riptide unit from the formation in the same Phase, but the real fondue was that once per game, the Formation could perform a Hailfire Attack: Any Riptides that did not move in the preceding Movement Phase could shoot twice in that Shooting Phase. This formation was "no tax" for already-good units while eliminating two of their only real weaknesses (marginal damage without Markerlight support, unreliable Nova Power). That said, the sheer power of the Riptide Wing meant that this Formation was commonly used to support an Eldar army.

*'''Farsight Enclaves:''' This was the next logical step for Tau Cheese. It had access to several very good formations (most notably The Eight, a Formation of Independent Characters unique in that you could take some or all of it's members, who in turn got some of the best relics from this supplement and the OG Tau Empire Codex and allowed you to '''have two unique relics''' in a single army as members of the Eight didn't count for 1 per army relic limitation. Bears mentioning Riptide was also an Independent Character, so even in 7th edition it could be joined by Buffmander) as well as removing a key weakness of the Tau on paper, its weaksauce selection of Troops Choices. Instead of Fire Warriors or Kroot, now you could take Crisis Suits as Troops choices! This allowed for even further Min-Maxing, which capitalised on some of the other problems listed above. Compounding this, in 6th Edition it was perfectly legal to take a Tau Empire Force and a Farsight Enclaves force, and the two treated each other as Battle Brothers (meaning there were no penalties).

*'''The Firebase Support Cadre:''' Introduced in 6th, the Firebase Support Cadre was the OG Formation. Two units of 3 Broadsides and a Riptide teamed up, getting [[Cheese|Tank Hunter and Preferred Enemy(Space Marines)]]. This was a popular Formation for Necrons.

*'''The Optimized Stealth Cadre:''' The last real rage-inducer, the OSC had a Ghostkeel unit and two units of Stealth Suits. Any units from the Formation near the Ghostkeel got +1 BS, Ignore Cover, and automatically hit the Rear Armor of enemy vehicles. The OSC basically said "Flanking? Meh." That said, Stealth Suits were generally seen as a tax for this formation, which was mostly taken for the upgraded Ghostkeel(s).

===Tyranids===

Well, you see, Tyranids had bad codexes back in 6th and 7th edition. They were so bad Tyranid players still hate [[Robin_Cruddace|Threadheads]] guts, but they also had the power to create one list to rule them all...

*'''Flytyrant list:''' aka [[Flying Circus]]. You take 3 Tyrants with wings and Devourers with brainleech worms, 3 Crones, Spore Mines as Troops and Venomthrope to allow them to live through the first turn. The trick is Flying Monster Creatures were able to start on the board in 6th and 7th, but not begin in Swooping mode, therefore being hit not only on 6's. However, they still could Jink, and Venomthrope upped that save to 2+, enabling you to live through first enemy turn, reach to the sky and blast enemy below with impunity, while also being virtually unhittable, and even Invisibility-spam couldn't save from Vector-strike autohits. It was not unheard of for people to outright refuse to play with this list on tournaments. Shield of Baal even introduced formation that was basically this list, but weaker.

== 8th Edition ==

===T'au===

*'''For The Greater Good:''' Your entire army gets shared overwatch and with the T'au sept trait can overwatch on 5+. This is pretty much a 2nd shooting phase, and pretty much ensures that T'au armies will remain static firewarrior gunlines for the remainder of 8th edition

*'''Savior Protocols:''' No T'au player worth his salt shows up without at least 20 Shield Drones these days, and you have to kill every single one of them before you can even hope to scratch their precious Rapetides.

*'''Darkstrider:''' Oh what's that? Your charge actually made it through a solid wall of overwatch shooting? Hold up a minute while I move my entire gunline back 6" and gun you down. Also Structural '''Anal'''yzer.

===Eldar/Ynnari Soup===

Ironically, in what may be a case of "is it the army or is it the tournament format," the Eldar did better at LVO 2018 than they did in any 7th edition LVO tournament. Although many other aspects about why they are so powerful are being debated, there is a general consensus on what is problematic:

*'''Hard to Hit:''' The Alaitoc Craftworld grants the "-1 to be hit vs attacks >12 away" bonus that is associated with Alpha Legion and Raven Guard. Unlike Space Marines however, their entire detachment gains this bonus including vehicles; not only that, but Eldar in general have a Psychic Power to grant a -1 to-hit buff, a Stratagem to do the same, and several of their units have such an ability just because. Further making Alaitoc harder to actually hit is the fact that their unique Stratagem can be used on Rangers (which normally get taken anyway to "push back" the deep strike deployment bubble) to make it so you can only hit them on 6s.

*'''Not as Penalized going Second:''' Eldar are currently the only "main" faction (excluding Thousand Sons or other "secondary" factions) with a codex that has a Reserve stratagem that is not dependent on taking a specific subfaction. Rather than having to take Tallarn or Alpha Legion or Jormugandr, any Eldar can Webway Assault without issue. Furthermore, they have a superior equivalent of the Auspex Stratagem, which helps further protect them against Deepstrike. Said stratagem can be used against any DSer and not just those that land within 12", and does not have a -1 to-hit penalty; however, said penalty is moot since it the Stratagem tends to be used by the below.

*'''Dark Reapers are reliable when other units aren't:''' Dark Reapers are the only long-range unit that innately ignores all hit modifiers in the game, while having two firing modes that can either reliably mow down 2-wound models or blow up heavy armor. Their leader is armed with the equivalent of two Guard Mortars, if those Mortars could hit on an unmodified 3+ rerolling ones and had a -2 save mod. Furthermore, a Stratagem exists that lets an Eldar unit make a 7" move after shooting.

*'''Soup and Free Actions:''' Ynnari are infamous for getting extra "out-of-phase" actions, and despite Strength from Death being nerfed so you can use each type of action once (and only once) on your game turn, they give Eldar extra utility in general. However, the real issue with Ynnari is that if you take at least one battleforged Craftworld Detachment, the Craftworld Ynnari gain access to Craftworld Stratagems, including all Craftworld-specific ones. This means if you took an Alaitoc Craftworld Eldar detachment, Saim-Hann Shining Spears in a Ynnari detachment would have access to the Saim-Hann Stratagem, a Biel-Tan Spiritseer could take the Spirit Stone of Anathlan, etc.

*'''The Fondue:''' All of this resulted in a scenario where an Alaitoc army took several small units of Rangers to screen several two Wave Serpents, lots of small Dark Reaper units, and an allied Ynnari detachment which took a block of 10 Dark Reapers. If going second, the Eldar player could hide the Reapers in the Serpents and wait it out; alternately, the large block of Reapers could pop out of a Wave Serpent, shoot twice (the equivalent of 20 Krak Missiles or 40 Starshot Missiles), then Fire and Fade back into the Serpent before they could be targeted. Soulburst could let a Ynnari caster use Quicken to reposition an Eldar unit as well, while a unit of Shining Spears ran inference while acting as the equivalent of Bike Terminators (Protect turning their save into 2+/3++). Wheras in the 2016 LVO (which gave the "Strength 6 Intensifies" meme) where 3 of the top 8 lists were Eldar, 5 of the 8 were Eldar in 8th. Oops.

*'''The Tournament Format itself:''' It's no big secret that the ITC Format and Mission packages heavily favour armies like the Eldar due to how the scoring for missions works. Eldar have always been one of the better armies for "just playing the mission" and over the years they have become very good at this alongside being able to eliminate scoring units very efficiently (Ynnari are effectively a hard counter to MSU lists in general thanks to all of the bonus actions). It's very easy to pick a bunch of Secondary Missions that the Ynnari can very easily and reliably score, and with all the extra actions that the Ynnari get? It's very easy to build up an insurmountable lead. Compare to playing just a regular pick up game of 40k with a list designed to exploit and abuse the ITC format? The lists tend to be far less dominant compared to the armies that are strongest when playing the regular Warhammer 40k format. Would an overhaul of the Format cripple the Ynnari for ITC Tournaments? No, of course not, but it would be disingenuous to ignore the Tournament Format as a reason why the Ynnari were so dominant at the 2018 LVO, especially when combined with the above.

===Imperial Guard===
'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Guard(8E)|The Entirety of 8th Edition Imperial Guard]]'''. Remember Eldar and Tau in 7th Edition? Yep, that's the Imperial guard right now. Between blobs of dirt-cheap Conscripts flooding the board (thankfully nerfed into uselessness), and bringing down everything through sheer volume of fire (which is kind of the point...they're a gunline), or deep-striking Scions shoved full of Plasma or Melta as well as the best tanks in the game, and most point efficient troops choice in the game in the Infantry Squad. Like Eldar, Tau and Necrons in 7th, it's pretty bad when the only way to beat them is saying "Fuck you, I'm not playing against Imperial Guard". Of course, if you're consistently losing to a shooty army that always misses half its shots, generally sucks in melee, and is mostly valued as an ''ally''/Command Point battery to more elite armies you probably need to grow the fuck up and adjust your tactics.

Or by just bringing Guilliman, who himself has his own entry below;

Now they have a new Codex. Let us see the highlights:

*Bullgryns in general. They changed the wording for slab shields - instead of giving the unit a flat 2+ armor save, they give you +2 to all your save rolls. So if you field A Custode Vexilla, who has an aura that gives 5++ invuln, slab shields improve it to a 3++. So now they are a 2+/3++ unit. And you can take it further, with the psychic power psychic ward they get an additional +1 saves so now they are at 1+/2++ and finally with the 1CP stratagem Take Cover they get an additional save in the enemy shooting phase. Enjoy your 0+/1++ (it is important to note that ones always fail however) Bullgryn-Custode deathstar of doom that requires two Smites per Bullgryn to wear down.

*HQ units can take a Relic that lets them regain spent CP on a 5+ because of course they can. Remember that the Imperial Guard are second to Chaos Daemons in cheapest Brigade Regiments in the game so if you are somehow below 12 CP you are optimising your list wrong.

*Cadians. General Rerolls of 1 for standing still, having a 2 pt stratagem that boosts their hit rate by 1 for targeting one thing of you choice so amazing for Superheavies and 40man boy squads, and then there are the Leman Russes, as not only do they also get rerolls of 1 but also have Pask who for only 10 Points more than a regular Tank Commander can do an additional order, including one for the tanks that allow them to re roll the amount of shots they get with the turret, hits on fucking 2s

*Mordians. One Mordian strategem lets you spend 1CP to give any unit exploding dice on a 6 to hit. This is ANY weapon, so have fun giving it to Mortar Teams or units stuffed full of <strike>Flamers</strike> (Flamers Auto hit) or a Leman Russ Punisher.... They also have an Order that lets units with lasguns target characters directly, pretty much making them the only counter to the Imperial Guard. It's bad when the only counter to an army is to play that army yourself.

*Valhalla can [[Skaven |fire into melee combat without any penalty other than hitting friendly units on a 1 to-hit]]. Flamers don't roll to hit. Or you could just issue the order to a heavy Weapons team and use your Conscripts like Skavenslaves... [[Commander Kubrik Chenkov |Conscript blob died? You can spend 2CP and some reinforcement points to bring them right back]] in an army where you are guaranteed a Brigade detachment for most games. Before it was FAQ'd you didn't even have to spend reinforcement points to do this in Matched Play.

*Vostroya has an order that allows them to shoot any weapon in close combat. They this includes Grenades, Flamers, you heavy Weapons teams...Oh and they can spend CP to add +1 to their hit rolls in the shooting phase meaning that all Plasma Weapons are safe to supercharge.

(<s>Note the last 4 points are army traits, so you can only take one of the four</s>) Two or more Detachments can take different Army Traits. Have fun!

No doubt [[Robin Cruddace|He]] had a part in this.

*crusaders, teamed up with a primaris psyker and ministorum priest, packed into a valkyrie. This combo will have them dumped as far as 29 inches away (though no closer to enemy models than 3 inches)essentially giving you a virtually garanteed first turn charge. Futhermore when buffed by a priest they will have 3 attacks each, rerolling hits on the charge. A full squad will be delivering an average of 27 hits per turn though only S3. They also have significant staying power with psykic barrier adding 1 to all saves giving these guys a 2++ save.if you fail the psykic power you can also use take cover! To get the 2++ from shooting attacks. Use a command point reroll and grand strategist reroll to save the couple casualties you may eventually take or just heal one back next turn with AoF. You can also bring along an inquistor and cast mental fortitude to keep these tough (and expensive) guys from falling back, or use terrify for true rage induction to deny overwatch on that first turn chage you just got. TL:DR: when comboed, thet get first turn charges, kill everything and then refuse to die.

===Space Marines===

====[[Ultramarines]]====
Have all of the best Marine toys plus a number of game breaking Chapter abilities. First all Ultramarine units can literally walk out of Close Combat and keep firing, making assault orientated armies useless against them. Second they can regain any spent Command Points on a 5+ so really can spam those Re-Rolls.This is before we even get into what Rowboat can do to your army... Falling back from combat and still being able to fire isn't as useful as it first seems, firstly there is a -1 to hit penalty for doing so but in most situations you'll have lost enough of the squad in the previous combat for the unit to be nonthreatening. You don't take the blue boys for their chapter tactic, but for the below.

=====[[Roboute Guilliman]]=====
Any keyword '''Imperium''' unit within 12" adds 1 to advances and charges, re-roll hits of 1 and can re-roll failed morale tests, meaning you can spam the '''fuck''' out of stupidly cheap [[Imperial Guard]] Plasma.

'''Ultramarines''' units within 6" re-rolls of failed hit and wound rolls as well. Guilliman himself is affected by his own aura, allowing him to add 1 to charges and advances as well as re roll failed hits and wounds. If all that wasn't enough if your army is battleforged you get 3 extra CP.). [[That Guy |It's not unusual to see him sat in the middle of a pile of Assault Cannon Razorbacks with Lascannon Squads inside, and Stormravens tossed in for good measure. Or sat behind a huge wall of Hellblasters]].

Guilliman himself is a beast in close combat, with a 3++, 9 Wounds and 6 S6, AP-4 3 Damage attacks with 6's adding d3 Mortal Wounds. He also has a Power Fist with no to hit penalty because of course he fucking does. He also revives on a 4+ with 1d6 Wounds back so good luck killing this fucker for good unless you literally send hordes of Fire Dragons or Scions after him. And even then he's just going to get back up and murder whatever downed him next turn.

So for all of this he must be expensive, right? Even Wraithknights must be cheap compared to-[[What |what he only costs 400 points?!]] Yeah. So, barring restrictions, it's possible to take him in [[Fail |500 point games...]], and is one of the few LoW choices that can be. There are countless batreps out there of him taking on entire armies alone and just crushing them.

Basically Ultramarines, and Imperium by extension, shoot better than any other army, fight better than any other army and are all but immune to morale thanks to this unbalanced cunt.

====[[Raven Guard]]====
Anything shooting at the Raven Guard are shooting at -1 to hit if outside of 12", and they can spend CP to allow infantry to Deep Strike just before Turn 1. This pretty much guarantees that you will always be going first with your Aggressors dropping in right next to an opponent without having counted as moved.

Oh and their Warlords are immune to Overwatch so [[MURDERWINGS]] is back, and it's cheaper to do than just taking Shrike.

====[[Chapter Master Smashfucker]]====
Smashfucker is back and broken as ever. Take an Iron Hands Captain on Bike with a Thunder Hammer and Shield Eternal and the Iron Resovle Warlord trait. The result is a stupidly mobile Beatstick with 7 Wounds and a 3+/3++/6+++/6++++. Plus unlike Girlyman, an Apothecary can heal him.

===Chaos Daemons===

[[Chaos Daemons]] are one of two armies in the game that can fill multiple Brigade Detachments in a normal match thanks to Brimstone Horrors (the other is Imperial Guard). Plus they can cherry pick the Guard's best units via the Renegades faction, and the Chaos Space Marines best toys and characters due to the Chaos keyword.

===Adeptus Custodes Doombike===

[[Adeptus Custodes]] are very hard to kill in general, but if you're really intent on feeding off your enemy's impotent rage then you can build a nice little Doombike. Take a Shield Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike as your warlod and give him the '''Auric Aquilas''' Relic which gives him a 3+ Invulnerable save (as well as the ability to re-roll failed charge rolls). Next give him the '''Superior Creation''' Warlord Trait which gives him a 5+ FnP. Top that with the '''Victor of the Blood Games''' Stratagem right at the start of the game that allows him to re-roll a failed hit/wound or '''save roll''' per turn!

This results in a highly mobile '''character''' (which means he cant be shot at if hes not the closest target, so with clever positioning as with all characters, it will take an eternity until he even gets hit once) that has 7W, 6T, 2+/3++/5++ with the ability to re-roll one save per turn outside of command re-rolls. Besides that he is extremly mobile, meaning he will extremly hard to outmaneuver by your enemy and he is in an army that already soaks up so much firepower like nothing... ''If'' he is caught in a ''bad fight for him'', he can always disengage using his '''FLY''' keyword. Against Mortal Wounds in the Psi phase he has his Custodes standard 6+ save as well. And with all that, he is very good in close combat and very good at shooting too...!

For about 180 points quite a steal...

Get out of here, [[Smashfucker]], you've been dethroned!

===Autarch Skyrunner===

No, really.

On the opposite end of the Spectrum, [[MURDERWINGS |the Eldar are able to make an obscenely fast character that is less durable than the above, but is more mobile and hits even harder]]. 125 Points (using the Xenos 1 Index - this loadout is no longer available in the Codex) gets you a Jetbike character with 6W, T4, and 4 S6 AP3-, D2 Attacks (Hitting on 2+, Re-Rolling 1's) on the Charge (only S3 when not on the charge) that is immune to Overwatch, has a 3+/4++ (Can be boosted to 2+/3++ if a Warlock Protects them) 16" movement. They also have 4 Shuriken shots, a Meltagun shot (that they can snipe characters with, with the right trait) as well on top of all of this, as well as access to a stratagem that lets them Fall Back and Charge for one turn (for 2 command points). They also can pick a Relic that gives them a blanket -1 to hit with access to a Stratagem that can make that -2 (costs 2CP and lasts for a single shooting or fight phase) with the potential to boost that up to a -3 with a warlock casting conceal or even -4 if 12" away for Alaitoc. You can also make him more effective at shredding infantry with the Blazing Star of Vaul, if you swap out the wargear that gives -1 to hit.

So lets look at how silly the Variants are:

*'''Saim-Hann:''' With the Right Warlord Trait and Novalance, (you lose your -1 to hit, though), but you are now up to 5 S8 AP-2, D2 attacks, D4 on any 6's to wound, 5's if a Warlock casts Enhance on them. Combine this with the Supreme Disdain Stratagem and they also Explode on 5's. Oh and you can advance and charge for 1CP though you are likely reserving that strat for the huge Shining Spear blob with them. Cast Empower on him for a flat +1 to wound and even Imperial Knights are suffering critical existence failure.

*'''Ynnari''': Everything the default Autarch gets but the ability to move twice, charge again, shoot twice or attack twice. As mentioned in the Soup section, these free actions are incredibly powerful themselves, and the Autarch can benefit from the majority of the Bonus actions that Strength from Death can can grant. There's a very good reason why lists at LVO basically spammed these guys. With the Shuriken Catapult and Laser lance hits after charging, and they can easily charge twice per turn.

Looks like [[MURDERWINGS]] didn't vanish, he just ran off to race the Space Elves.

*Celestine do all that, but better

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]] [[Category:Gamebreaking]] [[Category:Warhammer 40000 Tactics]]

List of 40K Cheese

2018-06-05T18:35:20Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* T'au */

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The history of Warhammer 40,000 is a history of violence. . . well OK yes it's part of the setting, but it's history of 40k's balance is almost as violent as the grim dark future it takes place in. No matter what people will tell you, the game has always had excessive problems with imbalance, min-maxing and blatant bullshit - From the days of [[Rogue Trader]] to modern day 8th Edition, the game has fostered many [[Cheese|cheesy]] units, army lists or deathstars, who have changed the meta and repeatably broken the game - Not through players maximizing their gear or people abusing unclear rules, but by simply being awfully balanced and written.

Fortunately, many of these, if not all of them, are the very concept of "The flame that burn twice as bright dies twice as fast", as they all got their reckoning at some point or another. Being either nerfed to the ground, changed to the core or completely removed from the game, this allowed the next-cheesy thing to step in with a silly hat and a way too small point-tax.

But life will go on. New codices will be under/overpowered and grind the others to dirt, the meta will change to deal with what-ever is the most powerful at the moment, and [[Warseer|the forums will]] be white-hot with [[Rage|rage]] over the unbalance present, but life will go on, and as soon as you accept this eternal struggle for our fun and wallets, you will be at peace.

As time goes on, this list will grow, to encompass more and more cheese as it gets released. If you feel that a unit, model or deathstar needs mentioning in the list, feel free to add to it with your own experiences and knowledge.

== 2nd Edition ==

'''Polymorphine:''' Assassins (and anyone else with the access to the wargear) used to be able to magically appear in the middle of a squad via Polymorphine (killing a troop when you exploded out of his body, leading to such shenanigans as [[Arseplomancer|a Guardsman hiding a dude in power armor on a bike]]). Then Jump Pack over and throw a Vortex Grenade and killing anything on a 2+.

'''Virus Weapons:''' The Virus Grenade was 50 points for a grenade with a 2 inch blast radius. Any model that was hit by the Virus Grenades (partial hits were on a 4+) was not explicitly stated to be immune (Space Marines, Terminators, Aspect Warriors and vehicles were immune) to said Virus Grenade would die on a 3+. So far, not to bad right? The problem with the Virus Grenade was that when a model was killed by it, every other model not immune that was within d6 inches would have to test, dying on a 4+ and recursively requiring every other model within d6 inches to test not to die on a 4+. Thus, a Virus Grenade could become something of a Grey Goo situation where the more enemy models are bunched up, the easier it was to spread out and kill them all. However, the real rage-inducer was the Virus Outbreak stratagem card, which acted like a Virus Grenade template that you just placed anywhere on the board without restriction; the writers went so far as to recommend that players tear up their Virus Outbreak cards from the Dark Millenium set since they hadn't intended on it being so powerful.

'''Wolf Guard Crisis Suits:''' Back in 2nd edition, the Cyclone Missile Launcher required the Terminator to replace his Power Fist with a laser targeter. However, when the Space Wolf codex first came out, it was entirely possible to make your army nothing but Wolf Guard Terminators, and to give each Terminator an Assault Cannon **and** a Cyclone Missile Launcher. Add in the fact that Terminators made their armor saves on 3+ on 2d6 (this game did use save modifiers), and it was possible for them to teleport in, weather most overwatch, fire all missiles and assault cannons, and only have to mop up the remnants from the burning wreckage. When the Space Wolf codex was reprinted, it explicitly banned Wolf Guard Terminators from going with Assault Cannon and Cyclone Launcher.

'''Deathspinners:''' Deathspinners were a flamer template in 2nd edition, that had a "save or die" initiative check. Imagine an entire squad of Warp Spiders with Jaws in flamer form. Yeah.

== 3rd Edition ==
Eldar Exarchs with the unique ability to "Build your own Exarch." You could have a bright lance that shot twice with warp spider pack that allowed you to jump all over the field, then add a Powerfield that gave you a 2+ invulnerable save). This was just one of many cheese custom Exarchs that were possible; however, they were also the only thing keeping Eldar on the table - those customizable Exarchs, though cheesy, were expensive in an army with nerfed and expensive units and weapons. Eldar were largely bottom-tier in 3rd edition.

===3.5 Edition===
In general, 3.5 had 3 specifically cheesy armies, two of which belonged to Chaos.

====Necrons====
Necrons were introduced as a stand-alone codex army for the first time in 3.5. Their release was met with immediate hostility once neckbeards read their codex; here's why:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hod0WtYE4SA|here is a video of their grand debut]
* Warscythes in abundance that ignored all saves and rolled 2D6 for pens.
* We'll Be Back made infantry immune to death as they basically had a 4++ that could be rolled after they failed their 3+ armour save and after your opponent was done shooting.
**Compounding that, the Resurrection Orb that ignored any of the restrictions previously applied to the WBB rule like instant death or bypassing armour saves in CC.
* Veil of Darkness which allowed you to Deepstrike hop a unit all over the board.
* Basic infantry guns that could kill a landraider with a lucky shot.
* The fucking Monolith - immune to anything that wasn't S9/10 and/or ordinance, could deepstrike and never suffer a mishap, fixed your broken troops and could deepstrike in any from reserves. Oh, and Melta/Ordinance rules that gave better chances to penetrate armor? Into the trash they went thanks to ''Living Metal''.
* Necron Pariahs - they lowered opponent's troops Ld to 7 unless better, made psykers piss themselves unless fearless AND had warscythes (see above) and gauss blasters (basically heavy bolters that could kill vehicles too). The only thing keeping tables from being swamped by those murder machines was the "0-1 unit per army" ''limitation''. (Oh and yeah, they lacked ''We'll be back!'' so if you somehow managed to take them down they stayed down. But yeah, good luck with that...)
* Wraiths had the only 3++ save in the game and were proper Necrons unlike today, meaning they too had WBB.
* C'tan being IMPOSSIBLY GOOD! The Nightbringer could use a Bloodthirster as a speedbump while the Deceiver allowed you to reposition your army after deployment.

Necrons earned the title "n00bcrons" for a reason; though they didn't have the sheer quantity of cheese that Chaos had at the time, what cheese they had was prevalent throughout their army and was way too good for the points paid.

====Chaos====
Going into third edition, Chaos was... unremarkable. Bland. Decent crunch-wise, but without the wealth of options to field Daemons/Cultists/Mutants/Fallen/Renegades/... they had in 2e. Pete Haines listened to the players (yes, GW did that back then) and Chapter Approved articles in White Dwarf did provide those variants over the years. Eventually GW decide to bring out a 3.5 Codex updated with all those options and a couple extra added on top... and that's where it went horribly wrong. A wealth of options meant a wealth of possible combinations and some were just... too much. Though not the same level of cheese as Necrons quality-wise Chaos Space Marines got a massive truckload of it, that went from 'strong but expensive' to 'outrageous'. Here's a smattering of what CSM had in 3.5:

''Young cheese'' (things that were a-okay on their own but could combine into ungodly monstrosities.)
* Khornate chain axes: Being one of the only things that could outright modify armour saves, reducing them to 4+ unless worse, across the board - that's right, your terminator's save is no better than carapace armour against them. Ork Choppas did the same on an army-wide level for free back then.
* Unit Champions could take Psy Powers and even Daemon Weapons. Strong, but with only 1 HP it could turn very ugly very quickly both ways.
* [[Possessed]] were expensive but they could ''buy'' their powers instead of rolling for them, which included rending, fleet ''and'' a magical bolt pistol shot, making them point-for-point one of the best assault units in the game.
*The [[World Eaters]] army list in general: Tough motherfuckers full of [[rage|RAEG]] that would murder the fuck out of everything they got their hands upon on the charge, giving the opponent the easy to understand but hard to solve problem of "shoot me before I reach you!" The only thing that kept them from being completely broken was their lack of firepower, jump packs and assault vehicles and the impredictability of their special 'rage' rule that would give them a free "run" move on a dice roll of "1" (tested each turn, roll 2 dice with the ''correct'' wargear) but they had to rush toward the enemy even if it meant disembarking or leaving cover. It would leave them helpless in the open to be shot to death just as often as it allowed them to get into charge range to murder shit, which kept the army manageable (if unpredictable) to play both with and against.

''Aged cheese'' (This is where it started to get really ugly, although those things were still within hailing distance of manageable.)
* Chaos Lords that could out-punch anything, point-for-point.
* Vehicle upgrades that could regrow lost weapons and unimmobilize themselves on 4+, ignore crew shaken/stunned ''and'' grant +1 AV on all sides.
* Bloodletters that wore power armour and wielded power weapons. Basically an evil deep-striking space marine honour guard.
* [[Sonic Weaponry]] - anything with a MoS could exchange their guns for sonic weapons (and get access to the Slaaneshi armoury if they were characters). This lead to [[Rhino]]s, [[Dreadnought]]s, Defilers, Lords, Lieutenants, regular Marines, Chosen, Possessed, Aspiring Champions, Bikers, Havocs, Terminators and ''Predators'' all sporting Sonic Weapons. They weren't as good as they would become in later editions, but they were better than the Bolters and Autocannons they replaced (almost) for free.
* [[Defiler|That enemy crab thing]] gets introduced as both a monstrous creature and a walker, which made it pretty much invulnerable in melee against anything without Power Fists (or equivalent Strength-doubling CC weapons).
* [[Obliterator]]s. Back then they were fucking GOD-TIER - S/T5, two wounds, 2+/5++, loaded with heavy and special weapons, Fearless, deep-striking. Luckily for your opponents you could only take a single squad of up to three of them. Eventually they got FAQ'd down to T 4(5) which made them more vulnerable to meltagun 'Instant Death' but they were still ''hard'' customers and an auto-take.

''Premium cheese'' (The really retarded things that could break the game. Never mind those costed arms and legs in points, unless the opponent knew what was coming and went to great lengths to avoid them, those things were "I-win" buttons.)
* A [[Daemon Prince]] with Power Armour, Wings and the Dread Axe. Tough, moved like jump pack infantry, a beastly statline, 3+/5++ and the really cheesy part: the Dread Axe ignored invulnerable saves and wounded on a 4+ unless better. Combined to the fact the DP was a monstrous creature that ignored armor saves; and you had a tough, fast motherfucker with a truckload of attacks that hit/wounded easily, ignored '''all''' saves and could easily consolidate from unit to unit, remaining locked in CC and untargetable the whole game as it solo'ed the enemy army. (And I wish I was exaggerating...)
* Siren. A Slaaneshi minor psychic power that made a model immune to shooting and blocked line of sight. Spam generously. Worst of all, it combo'd way too well with the Daemon Prince load-out above - hell, this thing could actually take on and defeat a Nightbringer back in the day with some luck.
* Veteran skills - ranging from 1-3 pts. per model, could be taken on any squad (only 1 skill for marked units) with higher costs for independent characters. You could load up whole squads that infiltrated, moved through cover and furiously charged.
* Chosen. Chosen were... absurdly powerful since you could make any member in the squad an aspiring champion, giving them access to the armoury. If they were marked and if you took a chosen squad in a multiple of the number of that God (Slaanesh 6, Nurgle 7, Khorne 8, Tzeentch 9), then the 10 pt. upgrade cost was free! Deathstar of 8 Khornate champion TERMINATORS that could butcher through anything (and I mean anything) with a truckload of [[exploding dice]] S7 attacks ignoring armor saves on the charge coming out of a Land Raider to chain-rape unit after unit, anyone? Or maybe a squad of 6 Slaaneshi Chosen all with Doom Sirens, plasma pistols and power weapons? Or if you prefer, 9 Tzeentchian Sorcerers [[troll|auto-succeeding on psychic tests thanks to the Mark of Tzeentch]] with psychic Heavy Bolters and Lascannons unleashing some next-level mind-bullet dakka (or alternatively turning everything into [[Chaos Spawn|those things]] or threw down templates that wounded on a 4+ and ignored armour and glanced vehicles)? Yeah, it was kinda like that back then...
* The [[Emperor's Children]] Legion list. Sirens, sirens you can't shoot and that will demolish you in CC everywhere.
* The [[Iron Warriors]] Legion list. Remember above where I said only one unit of god-like Obliterators? Well, nope! Take as much as you can! Oh, and you can exchange two Fast Attack slots on the FOC for one more Heavy Support choice! More Obliterators? Well, nope, since they were elite but here came the second best thing: [[derp|the only ones amongst the Chaos Legions]], Iron Warriors had access to both the Vindicator from the loyalist armoury and the Basilisk from the Imperial Guard's armoury. You know, just in case the nine Obliterators ran into some trouble and needed some long- and/or close-range fire support!

Now, you'd think that with that generous amount of cheese, GW would get the message and stop piling it on... But then the world-wide "Eye of Terror" campaign happened and Chaos got another toy to play with - the Lost and the Damned army list. Veteran Chaos players actually rejoiced when it was announced as it meant they could go back to the 2nd ed days of fielding traitor Guard, Beastmen, mutants and other dregs supported by a very small number of traitor Marines. Sadly enough, while it did allow to do that, the army list came with its own rapetrain of cheese:

* The list allowed to take units from the 3.5 CSM and Imperial Guard Codices in various FOC slots; which amounted to taking the best of all worlds.
* A cheap HQ choice (Chaos Lieutenant) that was point for point even more killy than the 3.5 Chaos Lord.
* Mutants could be taken in huge cheap hordes that could tarpit pretty much anything forever.
* Big mutants being awesome dakka blobs with 3 wounds each and great Chaos mark effects - basically, better Ogryns!
* Traitor guardsmen had better stats than loyalists, access to chaos marks, veteran skills here and there (Infiltrate ahoy!) and could wield '[[Bolter]]s'. Yes, said slapdash 'Bolters' had the same "Gets Hot!" rule as plasma weapons which meant you'd lose some traitors each time you fired but it was a very small price to pay to unleash an ungodly amount of dakka.

It's really no mystery as to why Chaos won the Eye of Terror campaign. Games Workshop, concerned with their future revenue streams from Spess Muhreen fanchildren, decided to basically reset the crunch and shift the timeline away from the event while attempting to balance (read: nerf to the ground) what it could in 4th edition.

===Honorable Mentions:===
====Blood Angels====
Blood Angels were tied with Khornate Berzerkers for the title of most killy fuckers in glorious melee. The 'zerkers were just a bit killier thanks to their chainaxes but the BA enjoyed better mobility thanks to being able to equip jump packs everywhere. That almost assured they would get that precious charge bonus of +1S and + 1I (on top of the +1A) from the army-wide Furious Charge, ensuring whatever they got their hands op would be [[rip and tear|brutally dismembered]]. For extra [[lulz]] you had the option to go for a full [[Death Company]] army that would forego any firepower for an army-wide FnP save on top of the [[rage|righteous fury at the death of Sanguinius]]. This said, each mini costed a premium when kitted-out, so it was an army of extremes: when things went right they'd table the enemy in three turns but when they went wrong they'd get tabled themselves in little more time, with few compromises due to the low model count.

====[[Imperial Guard]] Armored Division====
This one deserves an honorable mention as well, even if it quickly disappeared after the arrival of [[Necrons]] and their vehicle-killing Gauss everything and "We'll be Back!" shenanigans. Back in 3rd ed., vehicles were much less prevalent, as were the ways of dealing with them. Most armies had a couple of heavy weapons like Lascannons, some power fist equivalents and a melta-bomb here and there, and it was more than sufficient to deal with the occasional armoured behemoth. This list? It was [[rape|vehicles only!]] HQ? [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Leman Russ]] variant. Troops? Leman Russ variants. Anything else? Leman Russ variants (with the token Infantry Squad in a Chimera). Park together covering the vulnerable rears, point battle cannons and let fly, all guns! Due to the lack of heavy weapons being able to affect the Russ' frontal AV, "all-rounder" armies stood little chance of doing anything.

== 4th Edition ==

* '''Assault Cannon Spam:''' Rending in 3rd and 4th edition Edition was far more powerful than in 5th through 7th. [[Rape|Instead of a 6 to wound ignoring armor saves, a 6 to-hit automatically wounded and ignored armor saves]]. Combine with the fact that Terminator Squads could take two of them at minimum size, and it was quite common to run a lot of them.

===[[Fish of Fury]]===

It has its own page, but the basic gist involved using a semi-invulnerable troop transport as a mobile bunker for the otherwise assault-prone Fire Warriors.

The tactic died when errata changed how skimmers worked.

===[[Imperial Guard]] 500-Point Assholery===
Take minimalist choices for the bulk of your mandatory force org setup. Use the remaining points to buy a [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Leman Fucking Russ]] and absolutely butt-fuck the balance of low-point games. The personification of being [[That Guy]].

===[[Imperial Guard]] Unit Deletion Barrage===
In the 4th edition codex, the Hunter-Killer Missile cost a mere 5 points. Because of this, an insanely common strategy was to load basically every single vehicle you fielded that could fit one with one, and with many guard armies that could be 6-7 vehicles on a 1000-point list at the time. Once loaded, the tactic was simple: find the single most threatening enemy model on the board that could be reliably penetrated with a Krak Missile, acquire line of sight, and hammer the shit out of it with all your Hunter-Killers in one go. Even with guard accuracy being what it is, the fact that you could potentially obliterate a lynchpin unit or pesky independent character meant that this was often used to secure early dominance.

When the 5th edition Tyranid codex came out, this tactic was very often used to flat-out cripple 'Nid players by taking out their [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]]ES and [[Hive Tyrant]]s from standoff range, fucking over attempts to counter.

The tactic ended when 5th edition cranked the cost of HK Missiles to 15 points each.

== 5th Edition ==

===General===
* 5th edition was generally known as "Mechhammer" or "Box Hammer" due to how relatively hard it became to kill vehicles. Compared to 4th edition, the vehicle damage became more forgiving, being consolidated into a single damage chart where vehicles were destroyed on a 5+. Glancing hits subtracted 2 from this modifier, AP - weapons subtracted another -1 from this and AP 1 weapons simply added 1. Hull Points did not exist in 5th, and a vehicle that moved more than 6" in a turn was only hit in 6s on melee (stand still). Thus, most lists gradually became "Parking Lot" builds, where sheer quantity of cheap Rhino and Rhino-equivalents could jam up the board, form armored convoys, or otherwise make your enemy hate your life.
* 5th edition was also known for Musical Wounds. The owning player had to allocate wounds to each model that took a hit, with wounds allocated as evenly as possible: For example, a 5-man Tactical Squad with Combi-Melta Sergeant, 3 Bolter Marines, and a Meltagun Marine takes 9 wounds and needs to make 9 armor saves. You would need to allocate at least 1 hit to the Sergeant, 1 to the Meltagun, and 3 to the Bolters. 3 of the remaining 4 hits could be allocated to the Bolter Marines, and the last one would have to be allocated onto either the Sergeant or the Meltagunner. The problem with this system was that certain "multiwound" units (Most notably: Nob Bikers and Grey Knight Paladins) could be equipped so that each model had a unique loadout. One Grey Knight Paladin would have a Halberd, one would have a Hammer, one would have a Sword, one would have a Psycannon, one would have a Psycannon and Hammer, one would have the Standard, etc. The end result was that versus attacks that couldn't inflict Instant Death on this unit, the unit effectively got its model count's worth of ablative wounds.
* On a tamer yet more comedic note, 5th edition also had the "50% cover rule." If at least half of a unit was considered to be in cover, the entire unit was treated as being in cover. What was viewed as an amusing abstraction could quickly be gamed, either with vehicle squadrons (2 Piranhas, one Disruption Pod) or large units of light infantry. Imagine the rage a Thousand Sons player must have faced versus Guard: A Guard player could get 30 Guardsmen for the cost of 4 Rubric Marines and an Aspiring Sorcerer...and this was before the Sorcerer spent points for a mandatory Psychic Power! By combining squads into a single unit of 30, you could keep 15 models in cover and the other 15 proudly advancing in the open with 4+ saves (or 2+ saves if they use Incoming)...

===Imperial Guard===
Arguably the only army in 5th that got a stratospheric Cruddex buff, the rest getting nerfed into uselessness as [[Robin Cruddace]] hates you:

* This was the first time Guard could field vehicle squads, particularly for Basilisks and Leman Russes allowing players to cover the field in pie plates.
* Master of the Fleet, which subtracted 1 from your opponent's deep strike rolls. Particularly nasty against the above two lists which relied on deep-strike spam to get close enough to shred armies.
* Master of Ordnance, which came with its own pie plate attack.
* [[Creed|CREEEEEEEED!!!!1]]
* Hellhound squads and variants get introduced, especially the bane(wolf) of all MEQs, the banewolf.
* Veterans - particularly melta-vets. They are legend when it comes to vehicle busting.
* Valkyries and Vendettas - fucking hell, where do I even begin? Super fast chimera, identical armour and a shitload of guns; Vendettas take it to the next level with 3 TL Lascannons.
* Hydra flak tank debuts in this list outside of FW and is amazing at taking out bikers and fast skimmers with its super-long range autocannons that bypass Jink saves. Eldar tears flow unstoppably.
* Orders are introduced here as well; they weren't OP per se, but combined well with other buffs to the list for horrifying efficacy.
* Up until the release of the GK codex in 5th, Guard could still take allies with Daemon or Witch Hunters leading to the construction of the infamous Guard leaf-blower list, so named for how fast it removed your opponents models from the board. Mind, when GK came out with their Wardex, this didn't really put too much of a damper on the blower but now they had competition at least.

===[[Space Wolves]]===
The Space Wolf codex became an infamously powerful tournament army due to having ruthless point-efficiency all around. While the Blood Angels got speed and flashy toys, and the Grey Knights would get mass Force Weapons and Psybolt weapons, the Space Wolves were able to look at those armies and shut them down by pure attrition. Notable reasons for the Space Wolf hate include:

*'''Space Wolf Psykers:''' Compared to the other Marine codexes, the Space Wolf Rune Priests caused rage for several reasons.
**'''Good Blastiness:''' Rune Priests got Living Lightning instead of Smite, a Strength 7, D6+1 shot, infinite range gun. Rune Priests could also buy a Chooser of the Slain, a "counter" placed that served as a +1 BS marker when targeting enemies near it. However, the real fondue was Jaws of the World Wolf. Jaws was a 24" beam, and all non-Jump/Jetbike/vehicle models underneath had to take an Initiative Check or be removed outright. No Invuln, no Feel no Pain, no Eternal Warrior, just death. Monstrous Creatures got +1 to the test, but since many Tyranid Monstrous Creatures were only Initiative 1 anyway, Jaws meant that you had a 66% chance of losing a Carnifex, Tervigon or Tyrannofex in one go!
**'''Good Denial/Defense:''' Rune Priests also had access to good defense auras, with Storm Caller acting like a psychic Kustom Forcefield and Tempest's Wrath shutting down Bikes and Jumpers in its 24" radius bubble. Compared to regular Marines, they were arguably more reliable at shutting down Psykers; while a standard Psychic Hood required beating your opponent's Psyker's Leadership on an opposed roll, the Rune Staff would simply stop any incoming power within 24" on a 4+. You could include an allied Inquisitor if you so desired, allowing for a chance to double-deny. And remember that Chooser of the Slain? When it was placed down during deployment, no enemy units could Infiltrate near it.
**'''Njal Stormcaller:''' Njal took the strengths of the Rune Priest and amplified them. Although he didn't get the anti-Infiltration effect of the Chooser, he automatically knew every Space Wolf power, could cast two per turn, and his staff could deny any incoming powers on a 3+. However, his real claim to fame was that as the Stormcaller, you would roll a D6 at the start of each turn, add the turn number, and consult a chart to see the effects. Some were innocent yet annoying enough (the enemy suffers -1 BS for a turn), but the real fondue was rolling Chain Lightning. EVERY enemy unit within 18" of Njal would take D6 S8 AP - hits. At Nova 2011, this Chain Lighting went off against a Dark Eldar Venom Spam list with predictably destructive results.
*'''Wolfwolfwolf:''' This is the edition that saw the introduction of [[Canis Wolfborn]], Thunderwolves and Fenrisian Wolves being their own units. The Thunderwolf in particular garnered a lot of hate at the time since it increased its rider's base Strength and Toughness (in 5th, Bikes and Marks of Nurgle were not counted for purposes of checking Instant Death), meaning you now needed S10 to inflict Instant Death, while you could Instant Death T5 models in turn. Combined with super-cheap wolves to act as rapid-moving bullet catchers and you could get into melee.
*'''Long Fangs:''' Long Fangs were the Space Wolf equivalent of Devasatators. However, while Devastators were considered inefficient and fragile, Long Fangs were the peak of efficiency. Sure, they didn't get regular Bolter bullet-catchers, but when deployed well into your deployment zone while the rest of the Space Wolf army midfielded, they weren't a reliable target anyway. Instead, Long Fangs had a single throwaway sergeant and 1-5 heavy weapon guys as needed; Missile Launchers only cost 10 points, making them the default Heavy of choice. But the real kicker was that Long Fangs had Fire Control; this was the ancestor to Split Fire and superior overall. As opposed to 6th and 7th where Split Fire meant "one model in the unit can shoot at a different target unit," you could divide the Wolves to shoot at two targets however you wanted.
*'''Loganwing:''' Loganwing was and arguably the only viable foot marine list in 5th. See, taking Logan Grimnar let you take Wolf Guard as troops. Back in the day, Wolf Guard were a single customizable unit of 3-10 models, individual models being able to switch for Terminator Armor, Jump Pack or Bike; you could intentionally make your squads smaller by having Wolf Guard detach from their squad at deployment in order to lead another non-Wolf Guard unit. However, the real advantage of Wolf Guard in Loganwing lists is it let you take units each of a Cyclone Missile Launcher Terminator and 4 power-armor bulletcatchers. You would run Lone Wolf Terminators as anti-heavy support, Thunderwolves as chasers, and Long Fangs as support; Logan himself usually joined a unit of Lascannon Long Fangs to either grant them Tank Hunters or Relentless for the turn.
*'''Razorwolf:''' Space Wolves could spam Razorbacks more cost-effectively than other Marines. Compared to Tactical Marines, 5 Grey Hunters were only 75 points instead of 90. Space Wolves didn't get Sergeants, but they instead got Wolf Guard. The kicker of course was that there was no restriction that stated that a Wolf Guard squad actually needed any models. Thus, you could buy 6 squads of 5 Grey Hunters, each with Razorback, buy two units each of 3 Wolf Guard and Razorback, attach them all among the six squads, and have two "spare" Razorbacks. Since Long Fangs didn't need to stay in a transport for the most part, you could also buy even more Razorbacks, points permitting.
*'''Wolf Scouts:''' Wolf Scouts by themselves were unassuming. They could Outflank from their opponent's deployment zone and bring a Wolf Guard alongside. Their real danger came from their usage alongside mechanized Wolves and Long Fang support, as they could be used to eliminate or tie up backfield threats. It was common to equip them with a Meltagun and Combi-Melta Wolf Guard for neutralizing backfield Guard artillery.
* An honorable mention goes to the Saga of the Warrior Born, an upgrade only available to Wolf Lords. If you think this bonus gives an extra attack like the Mark of Khorne, oh you're sadly mistaken for the Wolves outbless the God of War. Rather than +1 attack, the way the Saga of the Warrior Born worked was you kept track of how many models the Wolf Lord killed in an Assault Phase, and the Wolf Lord would gain that many bonus attacks in the *next* Assault Phase. There was no theoretical cap to how many extra attacks you get if you were able to keep your Lord in assaults. In practice, the number of bonus attacks would reset if your Wolf Lord missed an Assault Phase.

===[[Blood Angels]]===
Cheesy for the [[Matt Ward|exact same reason]] as Grey Knights. Here are just a few things they received:

* Deep-striking Landraiders, because that's just great - just fucking great.
* Furioso Dreadnoughts in general. Their FA13 made them immune to Krak grenades prevalent on most infantry; coupled with Blood Talons which generated more attacks every time you caused a wound. With S6 and WS6. Fuuuuuuuuck!
* In addition to regular Furiosos, you could also take a [[Librarian Dreadnought|FLYING. LIBRARIAN. DREADNOUGHT.]] Jesus Christ...
* Death Company Dreadnoughts were also outrageous - taking up a fucking ''Troops'' slot, they were Furiosos with a more offensive focus, their WS and FA lowered by a point in exchange for fleet, more attacks and furious charge and rage.
* Blood Angels Dreadnoughts could also take a Magna Grapple on top of their arm weapons, an S8 AP2 assault 1 weapon with a 24" range that, should it pen a vehicle or wound a monstrous creature, could then drag it closer to the dreadnought.
* Mephiston - basically, a monstrous creature with psychic powers that could take cover. And fly. And reduce his opponent's WS/I to 1.
* The Stormraven gunship debuted in this list - a flying landraider with weaker armour but immune to melta weapons that could transport a squad AND a dreadnought. Oh, and it's an assault vehicle ffs. Given how powerful in CC Blood Angels infantry is as well as just how deadly their dreadnoughts are, getting them where they needed to be in a fast skimmer that was immune to melta weapons AND was heavily armed was the cherry on top of this particular cheesecake.

===[[Grey Knights]]===
Seriously, there's a shitload to explain here for the noobs:

* First and foremost, Psycannons - S7 AP4 rending on models that could otherwise always shoot them.
* Psybolt ammunition, leading to the creation of the much feared Psyfleman Dreadnought, pumping out 4 S8 AP4 twin-linked shots a turn.
* Kaldor Draigo outcreeding Creed and just generally being a monster (unless and until he fought Abaddon).
* EVERYTHING ARMED WITH A FUCKING FORCE WEAPON SERIOUSLY WTF - in particular, Force Halberds. Auto-take, granting all the bonuses of a nemesis force weapon and +2 Initiative, meaning your silver armoured Mary Sues struck before most Eldar units.
* Librarians with a flamer template that removed models from play - not just instant death, they took an initiative test or were removed from play doling out auto-pens to vehicles.
* The only list that could take Assassins or Inquisitors, which both got buffed into the fucking sky.
* The goddamn Nemesis Dreadknight debuted here - absolutely broken if not expensive (MC w/ 2+ save, psychic powers).
* Oh hey, they ''also'' got stormravens - on top of being immune to melta weapons and transporting an OP squad plus an OP dreadnought, the GK stormraven could also take psybolt ammo for its heavy bolters, assault cannons, etc.

People hated the Grey Knights - even longtime GK players hated them. A list that was built to destroy daemon armies (during a time when they didn't even need a special list to destroy them because they were so bad - seriously, it wasn't uncommon for GK players to fight demons without suffering so much as a wound!) got buffed into a list with units that were just flat-out better than anyone else could field. Some GK players took to making lists that used none of the staples mentioned above in order to give themselves a challenge.

== 6th & 7th Edition ==

7th edition came out barely two years after 6th and in many ways could be called 6.5 or so. There were differences of course, such as the reworked Psychic Phase, and shooting phase resolution, but most of the changes were small enough tweaks that it's sane enough to include entries for both editions in here.

===Allies===

A mechanic that got a mixed reception when it hit, and one it was never able to truly shake. Listed below are some of the most infamous examples that resulted from exploiting this mechanic.

*'''ChaosCrons:''' In 7th edition, Chaos Space Marines and Necrons were considered Allies of Convenience, meaning that they were treated as "enemies" for all intents and purposes except you could intentionally target your own Allies of Convenience with Warlord Traits, shooting, charging, or Psychic Powers. However, all other abilities remained in theory able to interact with each other (barring exceptions like the Genestealer Cult ruling stating that Tyranid Allies of Convenience did not cause Shadow in the Warp/hinder Return to the Shadows). However, Anrakyr's special ability "Mind in the Machine" was RAW none of the above and [[cheese|in theory could be used on your own allied Typhon to have it fire its gun twice]]. [[Derp|More amusing however was a Black Legion Spearhead using Turn 1 Deep Strike while triggering Ethereal Interception from Allies of Convenience Deathmarks for a front-loaded alphastrike that required no Drop Pods to pull off]].

*'''TauCrons:''' Necrons had a lot of good mid-strength ranged weapons that could drown enemy units in saves or strip Hull Points off enemy vehicles, but most of their weapons were confined to the 24" range-bracket. Thus Tau were popular for providing longer-range: [[Cheese|The Firebase Support Cadre added 36" threat projection via Tank-Hunting Missile Broadsides and the Riptide was always appreciated]]. However, the real comedy came from the fact that [[Nemesor Zahndrekh]] had the special rule '''Adaptive Tactics:''' Whenever an enemy unit with one or more USRs from a bucket list (Counter-Attack, Furious Charge, Hit & Run, Split-Fire, Stealth, or Tank Hunters) was within 24" of Zahndrekh, Zahndrekh's unit also benefitted from that rule as well. [[Cheese|Many Tau wargear options and abilities made it shockingly easy to acquire said USRs and provide them to Zahndrekh]]; [[Derp|perhaps he thought Puretide was actually a Necrontyr prodigy]]?

*'''TauDar:''' Allies Abuse was not entirely uncommon in 6th and 7th Edition, however the combined cheese from these two Codexes - each very powerful in their own right - resulted in a combination of Cheddar so potent it practically warped space and time. In short, imagine the best parts about both the Tau and Eldar Codexes, and fuse them together into a potent strike force. The even worse part? In 6th Edition, the two Factions were considered Battle Brothers - meaning there was no penalty for taking either one as Allies.

===Admech===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Cult_Mechanicus(7E)#Formations|Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation]]:''' Includes units from Cult Mechanicus, Skitarii, and and Imperial Knights. Everything has Canticles of the Omnissiah, all wargear is free, and nothing Gets Hot. You like winning? Use this formation and literally pay to win.

===Chaos===

* '''[[Heldrake]]:''' The [[Heldrake]] was added to the 6th Edition [[Chaos Space Marine]] Codex as a new unique flier. It could Vector Strike like a Flying Monstrous Creature, was incredibly resilient due to numerous stacked defensive rules, all of those ultimately played second fiddle to the real reason it was so powerful: The Baleflamer. Sure, you "could" give the Heldrake a Hades Autocannon, but as it only hit on 4+s and didn't ignore Marine armor, it was pointless considering both weapons cost the same. Imagine the Inferno Cannon of a Guard Hellhound, able to project a Strength 6 flame template anywhere within 12", but make it AP 3 so even regular Space Marines don't get an armor save. 7th edition brought a series of nerfs to the Heldrake, the most notable one being to limit the fire arc of its Baleflamer to a 45-degree arc, as well as Vector Strikes only doing one AP 2 hit (instead of D3+1 AP 3 hits) versus ground targets. However, the real reason the Heldrake lost its viability was an indirect one; whereas only disembarked troops (and certain unit types depending on scenario) could score objectives in 6th, 7th allowed any units to score while giving Troops Objective Secured.

*'''The [[Screamerstar]]:''' a combination of artifacts and psychic powers that gives a unit of Screamers a rerollable 2++ Invulnerable Save, making them effectively invincible.

*'''[[Magnus the Red]]:''' Magnus the Red is one of the cheesiest units to grace this section. He got a plethora of special rules (including Eternal Warrior, It Will Not Die and Fearless) along with being a Flying Monstrous Creature for even more cheese, but wait! There's more! As befitting the Demon Primarch of Tzeentch, Magnus was a psychic powerhouse. He was the only Mastery Level 5 Psyker in the game, and knew the complete Lores of Tzeentch and Change. He could cast these powers without needing line of sight, and possessed at least two Strength D powers. His Horus Heresy incarnation wasn't much better, becoming able to completely avoid attacks if he had Invisibility cast upon himself and could boost his psychic attacks to Strength D with a 2D6 roll, for even less points than both his 40K incarnation and ''Horus''!

===Eldar===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Eldar(7E)|The Entirety of 6th and 7th Edition Eldar]]''': No really. Eldar were pretty much the pet army of [[Phil Kelly]], and it showed in how their army consistently managed to be the top or damn close to it. To include a few notable crimes against balance:

* '''Battle Focus:'''

* '''Serpent Spam:''' From 6th Edition, the Wave Serpent gained a massive upgrade in power from 5th Edition. Aside from getting a bump to Ballistic Skill 4 (as opposed to 3 in the previous Codex) for a pittance of point-costs, and all Shuriken Weapons gaining the Bladestorm upgrade (6s to wound ignore armor saves), the Wave Serpent's Shield was changed so that rather than capping the strength/removing bonus dice to penetrate it, it would downgrade Penetrating Hits into Glancing Hits on a 2+. However, the real the Serpent Shield could alternately be used "in extremis" as a glorified wave motion gun: [[Cheese|It would fire D6+1 strength 7 shots with infinite range, ignoring cover, and wrecking enemy vehicles]]. [[RAGE|Since the Serpent Shield was wargear and not a weapon, you couldn't destroy it with Weapon Destroyed]]. [[Anal_Circumference|The real fondue was taking a Twin-Linked Scatter Laser for "Laser Lock;" You got 4 S6 shots, rerolling to-hit, and if you hit with at least one, you could reroll to-hit with all other weapons being fired by the Wave Serpent. Thus, the Wave Serpent was transport, anti-aircraft, anti-everything in one go.]] Although Serpentspam got suitably nerfed in the 7th Edition update, it got replaced by the below:

* '''Scatpack Spam:'''

* '''Warp Spider Spam:''' Warp Spiders got a notable upgrade in 6th Edition, receiving a point drop and innate Hit and Run/Deep Strike, while their Deathspinners gained the '''Monofilament''' rule, making them deadlier against low-initiative models and vehicles. Although 7th Edition reworked Monofilament so they weren't innately stronger versus vehicles, they got upgraded in two additional ways: First of all, [[Cheese|Monofilament was changed so they wounded enemy models on Initiative instead of Toughness, and very few models had Initiative greater than 5]]. However, the real issue was Warp Spiders gained the ability '''Flickerjump:''' [[Cheese|If targeted by enemy shooting, the Warp Spiders could immediately move 2d6 inches, and if they ended up out of range/line of sight, the enemy attack was wasted.]] [[RAGE|Aggressively spamming Warp Spiders allowed an Eldar player to win Maelstrom objective games on your turn, after they dropped in to slag any real resistance otherwise.]]

* '''Wraithknights:''' "And you thought the Riptide was Big." The Wraithknight was the penultimate step (after the Riptide) to the reintroduction of Knights to 40k that Games Workshop was going to continue making the game revolve around giant models. It was powerful enough in 6th edition, where it cost like two Wraithlords while having twice the wounds, and extra mobility while sharing the same slot to boot, but [[Cheese|7th edition went and turned them from Jump Monstrous Creatures to Jump Gargantuan Monstrous Creatures, giving them Stomp, Feel No Pain, immunity to Instant Death (only taking D3 extra wounds instead), and the ability to fire an unlimited (rather than two) number of guns, split-fired at different units.]] [[Rage|This came with a point increase that was less than the price of an unupgraded Razorback, still making it cheaper than the Imperial Knight which it was vastly superior to.]]
**Note that despite the rage about the Wraithknight having access to D-Weapons, the most common variant was actually the Forgeworld Skatach Wraithknight. The Skatach cost a few more points than the vanilla one, but rather than having two Wraithcannons, it had two Deathshrouds. [[Rape|Imagine a Nightspinner's gun, but as a Hellstorm.]] [[Cheese|The Skatach became a tournament staple because it had innate cover-ignoring and crowd control that the rest of the Eldar army lacked, while being able to operate at optimal efficiency without needing a Farseer to buff it.]]

===Necrons===

Necrons technically got their codex update at the end of 5th Edition, but 6th really made them shine for awhile. Their 7th ed codex toned down a lot of that in exchange for adding the Decurion.

* '''ScytheWing:''' This was a build that was overpowered at the start of 6th Edition, and would only be slightly reduced in strength as 6th Edition continued. Essentially, ScytheWing (also known as Croissant Spam, 'Cron Air and a variety of other colourful names) was a build based around how many Doom Scythes and Night Scythes could be squeezed into a list - and the 'Crons could squeeze in a lot of these two units. It didn't even have the traditional weaknesses of Flyer-Heavy armies of 6th Edition usually had, as Scarabs and Canoptek Spiders were very easy to hide, minimising the odds of the army being tabled on turn one. As 6th Edition continued and factions gradually got access to actual Anti Aircraft options this died down, but it remained strong for the rest of 6th. 7th Edition finally put the Scythewing to a gradual rest, as changes to how objectives were scored, and the 7th ed codex upping the cost of Nightscythes/making Tesla no longer work on Snapshots put an damper on Necron destruction.

* '''Necron Pimpmobiles:''' The Catacomb Command Barge was infamously durable and only got moreso at the start of 7th. [[Cheese|Due to numerous rulings, taking a Phase Field gave both the Necron Lord AND the Barge a 3++]], [[RAGE|While making a successful Reanimation Protocols would bring back both the Lord, as well as the Barge at full Hull Points]]! Changes to how the Phylactery and Phase Field worked in 7th did a lot to tone the Barge to more realistic levels though it still remained a powerful unit so long as it did not come up against Destroyer weapons.

* '''Stormteks:''' The Storm Harbinger was a "free" swap for a Cryptek, that traded out its Staff of Light for a Voltaic Stave. As opposed to the S5 AP 3 3-shot weapon that the Staff of Light was, the Voltaic Stave was a 4-shot 12" Haywire projector. In 5th edition, this wasn't too dangerous but was annoying for stunlocking enemy vehicles. [[Anal Circumference|When 6th edition added Hull Points and changed how Glancing Hits worked, the Voltaic Stave became better than a Meltagun for tearing apart enemy vehicles; it was common for a Scythewing to run as multiple units of "5 Warriors, 2 Storm Harbingers" for them to drop down and zap enemy units to pieces. The Stormtek was eradicated with extreme prejudice with the 7th Cron codex.

* '''The Decurion:''' The 7th Edition Necrons got largely toned down from how they were at the start of 6th Edition. However, they would go back up to complete cheese in the same book. You see, GeeDubs had this great idea - what if we let people take armies that consisted...of nothing but Formations? Enter the Decurion, a force organization that would forever change the face of warfare for all the 7th Edition Codexes going forwards. This formation offered several, powerful bonuses to the Necrons - with individual formations granting rules like enhanced Reanimation Protocols for example. It would also make every Codex released prior to Necrons suffer from being severely underpowered for the rest of the Edition. The worst part was that every book after the Necrons had Decurions of their own, some more powerful than others but all of them making more traditional forces obsolete.

* '''The Orikanstar:''' The assorted changes to Reanimation Protocols and the introduction of the Decurion were both powerful upgrades for Necrons, but Orikan the Diviner also got a nice buff. Aside from being able to transform to have the statline of a C'tan Shard, his main ability was that he granted all models in his unit that had the Reanimation Protocols rule the ability to reroll 1s on all their Saves. Not just Armor Saves, but all Saves. Combined with Lychguard getting a point reduction and their Shields granting a 3++, this became a notoriously difficult unit to remove, and one whose defenses couldn't be debuffed by a Culexus. However, it wasn't until this unit took Zahndrekh that it became notoriously more powerful: [[Cheese|"Hit and Run" was a common ability used by tournament armies and Orikan effectively gave his unit Initiative 4 for the test, letting what should be a "slow" and frail unit pinball across the map to cap objectives and slay backfield units like.]] [[Anal Circumference|However, it was also common to swap out the Lychguard for Wraiths from a Canoptek Harvest, for extra threat range and the ability to destroy Knights with a pile of Rending attacks]].

===Space Marines===
*'''[[Chapter Master Smashfucker]]:''' Smashfucker is a character build for the [[Iron Hands]] that went through several revisions as 6th and 7th edition came along, starting from 6th ed Codex: Space Marines, getting a proper birth in Clan Raukaan, but ultimately reaching his ultimate form in the 7th edition Space Marines/Angels of Death codex and supplement. Smashfucker was a beatstick, an immovable rock and irresistable force in one that with enough buffs could beat most things into a pulp.

*The [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marines(7E)#Dataslate_Formations|Skyhammer Annihilation Force]], a Space Marine dataslate formation. Two Devastator squads in drop pods that ignore Drop Pod Assault, and two Assault Squads with jump packs. The devs are Relentless on the turn they Deep Strike, and the assault squads can charge immediately.

* [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marines(7E)#Gladius_Strike_Force|Gladius Strike Force]]: Space Marines' detachment-size formation. Anything in a Battle Demi-Company is Objective Secured, and any Drop Pods, Rhinos and Razorbacks taken as dedicated transport have their base cost reduced to 0 if you take two demi-companies.

===Space Wolves===

*'''The Barkbarkstar:''' Fenrisian Wolves were relatively cheap, at 8 points per model for a Beast unit with Marine statlines, but with a 6+ armor save. By themselves, they were mostly an escort of throwaway bodies for a Thunderwolf Lord. However, the real cheese came from the Fenrisian Hunting Pack, which allowed for 5 units of Fenrisian Wolves to be merged together into a blob of up to 75 Wolves. Such a huge unit could gain incredible mileage from stacking buffs on it, but the real piece de resistance was attaching Grand Commander Azrael of the Dark Angels to the unit. Azrael granted the entire unit a 4+ Invulnerable Save, while being able to choose the Warlord Trait that granted the unit Feel No Pain while within 3" of an Objective (the unit was large enough to practically cover the entire map).

===Tau Empire===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Tau(7E)|The Entirety of 6th and 7th Edition Tau]]''': This part is debatable, because Tau had weak troops (not that anyone used them, and Farsight had his Crisis suits as troops), bad leadership, and were bad at "playing the mission" due to generalized fragility (battlesuits are anything but "fragile", but not exactly tough for their points-value), but this was made up for by numerous items detailed below and generally great synergy. That said, minimaxed mono-Tau lists were great at wiping the table of almost any list, making them the bane of the local game store, if not necessarily the tournament scene due to lack of psychic powers/defense from those.

*'''Markerlights:''' The Tau Empire had access to cost effective cover removal and Markerlights, allowing them to do things like increasing their to hit rolls for Overwatch (though they were chiefly used to remove cover). The fact that Markerlights only required a To Hit roll to apply their effects cheesed the onions of many players on the receiving end. Not a game-breaking mechanics per se, but it compensated the only thing holding Tau ''horrendous'' firepower back - their mediocre BS. Oh, and with so many Ignores Cover options (not all of them from Marketlights) it was sometimes faster to just remove marked unit that had no invulnerable without resolving the hits from an actual attack - most Imperial Guard infantry squads, for example, had virtually no chance to survive.

*'''Interceptor:''' 6th Edition brought back Overwatch...as a weakened form of WHFB Stand and Shoot. It also made Interceptor a Special Rule available to some units: A unit with Interceptor could at the end of the opponent's Movement Phase, shoot at an enemy unit that had entered from Reserves. Unlike 2nd Edition, this did not require forfeiting shooting during your prior Shooting Phase, but your *next* Phase. Very few armies got access to this, but Tau could give [[Wat|each and every one of their Battlesuits this ability for the price of a Melta Bomb]], [[Rage|thus letting said Suits shoot in their turn, shoot when the enemy tried to appear from Reserves, then hightail it to safety in the Tau player's next turn.]] Oh, and it combined nicely with the ability to give those battlesuits Skyfire, blasting enemy aircraft from the sky the moment it entered play. Thanks to this, Tau were the only army able to reliably table dreaded Flytyrant list.

*'''Riptide:''' The Riptide was introduced in 6th Edition, as a Jetpack Monstrous Creature. It came with a Primary and Secondary, and was about as tough as a Dreadknight on paper. However, while the Dreadknight was primarily a melee unit (with some gun options), the Riptide mainly existed as a shooting platform that could give Tau the option for the occasional Linebreaker or finisher assault. Its main draw however was the Nova Reactor: You could pick a bonus from four options and roll a D6. On a 3+ you got the bonus, while you lost a wound otherwise. In practice, since one of the four options was to upgrade the Riptide's Invulnerable Save from 5++ to 3++, [[derp|you statistically took less wounds from Nova-Charging your Shields than from your opponent shooting you unshielded.]] In addition, the Riptide's Drones allowed it to be treated as a Unit, thus making it a Monstrous Creature that could be joined by Independent Characters, such as a Buffmander (a Tau Commander optimised to hand out supporting buffs to Units he joins) or perhaps more infamously, a character like a Space Marine Librarian or Eldar Farseer, who got a big meat shield to protect themselves while they in turn buffed the Riptide with access to the Divination table, or Space Marine Captain (eliminating close combat weakness) with Storm Shield that allowed him to tank wounds with 3++ using Riptides T saving Nova reactor of the latter for more dakka. All of this for a relatively paltry sum of points that made it cheaper than a squad of Terminators, and it didn't cost much more due to the inexpensiveness of it's upgrades. As a result, the "Triple Riptide" (or Triptide) became a common 6th Ed build, becoming less prevalent in 7th due to general scoring changes. However, the Riptide would be largely untouched for 7th Edition, remaining a very strong unit that practically made all other options in the same slot obsolete (At least until the Ghostkeel became a thing).
**'''The Riptide Wing:''' And then the Riptide Wing came out for 7th. This Formation simply required you take 3 units of Riptides, with no extra tax. In exchange, the Formation got three obscene bonuses: If a Riptide unit from the Formation was near its buddies, it could reroll the Nova Reactor, it could get +1 BS when shooting an enemy unit shot at by another Riptide unit from the formation in the same Phase, but the real fondue was that once per game, the Formation could perform a Hailfire Attack: Any Riptides that did not move in the preceding Movement Phase could shoot twice in that Shooting Phase. This formation was "no tax" for already-good units while eliminating two of their only real weaknesses (marginal damage without Markerlight support, unreliable Nova Power). That said, the sheer power of the Riptide Wing meant that this Formation was commonly used to support an Eldar army.

*'''Farsight Enclaves:''' This was the next logical step for Tau Cheese. It had access to several very good formations (most notably The Eight, a Formation of Independent Characters unique in that you could take some or all of it's members, who in turn got some of the best relics from this supplement and the OG Tau Empire Codex and allowed you to '''have two unique relics''' in a single army as members of the Eight didn't count for 1 per army relic limitation. Bears mentioning Riptide was also an Independent Character, so even in 7th edition it could be joined by Buffmander) as well as removing a key weakness of the Tau on paper, its weaksauce selection of Troops Choices. Instead of Fire Warriors or Kroot, now you could take Crisis Suits as Troops choices! This allowed for even further Min-Maxing, which capitalised on some of the other problems listed above. Compounding this, in 6th Edition it was perfectly legal to take a Tau Empire Force and a Farsight Enclaves force, and the two treated each other as Battle Brothers (meaning there were no penalties).

*'''The Firebase Support Cadre:''' Introduced in 6th, the Firebase Support Cadre was the OG Formation. Two units of 3 Broadsides and a Riptide teamed up, getting [[Cheese|Tank Hunter and Preferred Enemy(Space Marines)]]. This was a popular Formation for Necrons.

*'''The Optimized Stealth Cadre:''' The last real rage-inducer, the OSC had a Ghostkeel unit and two units of Stealth Suits. Any units from the Formation near the Ghostkeel got +1 BS, Ignore Cover, and automatically hit the Rear Armor of enemy vehicles. The OSC basically said "Flanking? Meh." That said, Stealth Suits were generally seen as a tax for this formation, which was mostly taken for the upgraded Ghostkeel(s).

===Tyranids===

Well, you see, Tyranids had bad codexes back in 6th and 7th edition. They were so bad Tyranid players still hate [[Robin_Cruddace|Threadheads]] guts, but they also had the power to create one list to rule them all...

*'''Flytyrant list:''' aka [[Flying Circus]]. You take 3 Tyrants with wings and Devourers with brainleech worms, 3 Crones, Spore Mines as Troops and Venomthrope to allow them to live through the first turn. The trick is Flying Monster Creatures were able to start on the board in 6th and 7th, but not begin in Swooping mode, therefore being hit not only on 6's. However, they still could Jink, and Venomthrope upped that save to 2+, enabling you to live through first enemy turn, reach to the sky and blast enemy below with impunity, while also being virtually unhittable, and even Invisibility-spam couldn't save from Vector-strike autohits. It was not unheard of for people to outright refuse to play with this list on tournaments. Shield of Baal even introduced formation that was basically this list, but weaker.

== 8th Edition ==

===T'au===

*'''For The Greater Good:''' Your entire army gets shared overwatch and with the T'au sept trait can overwatch on 5+. This is pretty much a 2nd shooting phase, and pretty much ensures that T'au armies will remain static firewarrior gunlines for the remainder of 8th edition

*'''Savior Protocols:''' No T'au player worth his salt shows up without at least 20 Shield Drones these days, and you have to kill every single one of them before you can even hope to scratch their precious Rapetides.

*'''Darkstrider:''' Oh what's that? Your charge actually made it through a solid wall of overwatch shooting? Hold up a minute while I move my entire gunline back 6" and gun you down. Also Structural '''Anal'''yzer.

===Eldar/Ynnari Soup===

Ironically, in what may be a case of "is it the army or is it the tournament format," the Eldar did better at LVO 2018 than they did in any 7th edition LVO tournament. Although many other aspects about why they are so powerful are being debated, there is a general consensus on what is problematic:

*'''Hard to Hit:''' The Alaitoc Craftworld grants the "-1 to be hit vs attacks >12 away" bonus that is associated with Alpha Legion and Raven Guard. Unlike Space Marines however, their entire detachment gains this bonus including vehicles; not only that, but Eldar in general have a Psychic Power to grant a -1 to-hit buff, a Stratagem to do the same, and several of their units have such an ability just because. Further making Alaitoc harder to actually hit is the fact that their unique Stratagem can be used on Rangers (which normally get taken anyway to "push back" the deep strike deployment bubble) to make it so you can only hit them on 6s.

*'''Not as Penalized going Second:''' Eldar are currently the only "main" faction (excluding Thousand Sons or other "secondary" factions) with a codex that has a Reserve stratagem that is not dependent on taking a specific subfaction. Rather than having to take Tallarn or Alpha Legion or Jormugandr, any Eldar can Webway Assault without issue. Furthermore, they have a superior equivalent of the Auspex Stratagem, which helps further protect them against Deepstrike. Said stratagem can be used against any DSer and not just those that land within 12", and does not have a -1 to-hit penalty; however, said penalty is moot since it the Stratagem tends to be used by the below.

*'''Dark Reapers are reliable when other units aren't:''' Dark Reapers are the only long-range unit that innately ignores all hit modifiers in the game, while having two firing modes that can either reliably mow down 2-wound models or blow up heavy armor. Their leader is armed with the equivalent of two Guard Mortars, if those Mortars could hit on an unmodified 3+ rerolling ones and had a -2 save mod. Furthermore, a Stratagem exists that lets an Eldar unit make a 7" move after shooting.

*'''Soup and Free Actions:''' Ynnari are infamous for getting extra "out-of-phase" actions, and despite Strength from Death being nerfed so you can use each type of action once (and only once) on your game turn, they give Eldar extra utility in general. However, the real issue with Ynnari is that if you take at least one battleforged Craftworld Detachment, the Craftworld Ynnari gain access to Craftworld Stratagems, including all Craftworld-specific ones. This means if you took an Alaitoc Craftworld Eldar detachment, Saim-Hann Shining Spears in a Ynnari detachment would have access to the Saim-Hann Stratagem, a Biel-Tan Spiritseer could take the Spirit Stone of Anathlan, etc.

*'''The Fondue:''' All of this resulted in a scenario where an Alaitoc army took several small units of Rangers to screen several two Wave Serpents, lots of small Dark Reaper units, and an allied Ynnari detachment which took a block of 10 Dark Reapers. If going second, the Eldar player could hide the Reapers in the Serpents and wait it out; alternately, the large block of Reapers could pop out of a Wave Serpent, shoot twice (the equivalent of 20 Krak Missiles or 40 Starshot Missiles), then Fire and Fade back into the Serpent before they could be targeted. Soulburst could let a Ynnari caster use Quicken to reposition an Eldar unit as well, while a unit of Shining Spears ran inference while acting as the equivalent of Bike Terminators (Protect turning their save into 2+/3++). Wheras in the 2016 LVO (which gave the "Strength 6 Intensifies" meme) where 3 of the top 8 lists were Eldar, 5 of the 8 were Eldar in 8th. Oops.

*'''The Tournament Format itself:''' It's no big secret that the ITC Format and Mission packages heavily favour armies like the Eldar due to how the scoring for missions works. Eldar have always been one of the better armies for "just playing the mission" and over the years they have become very good at this alongside being able to eliminate scoring units very efficiently (Ynnari are effectively a hard counter to MSU lists in general thanks to all of the bonus actions). It's very easy to pick a bunch of Secondary Missions that the Ynnari can very easily and reliably score, and with all the extra actions that the Ynnari get? It's very easy to build up an insurmountable lead. Compare to playing just a regular pick up game of 40k with a list designed to exploit and abuse the ITC format? The lists tend to be far less dominant compared to the armies that are strongest when playing the regular Warhammer 40k format. Would an overhaul of the Format cripple the Ynnari for ITC Tournaments? No, of course not, but it would be disingenuous to ignore the Tournament Format as a reason why the Ynnari were so dominant at the 2018 LVO, especially when combined with the above.

===Imperial Guard===
'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Guard(8E)|The Entirety of 8th Edition Imperial Guard]]'''. Remember Eldar and Tau in 7th Edition? Yep, that's the Imperial guard right now. Between blobs of dirt-cheap Conscripts flooding the board (thankfully nerfed into uselessness), and bringing down everything through sheer volume of fire, or deep-striking Scions shoved full of Plasma or Melta as well as the best tanks in the game, and most point efficient troops choice in the game in the Infantry Squad. Like Eldar, Tau and Necrons in 7th, it's pretty bad when the only way to beat them is saying "Fuck you, I'm not playing against Imperial Guard". Or by just bringing Guilliman, who himself has his own entry below;

Now they have a new Codex. Let us see the highlights:

*Bullgryns in general. They changed the wording for slab shields - instead of giving the unit a flat 2+ armor save, they give you +2 to all your save rolls. So if you field A Custode Vexilla, who has an aura that gives 5++ invuln, slab shields improve it to a 3++. So now they are a 2+/3++ unit. And you can take it further, with the psychic power psychic ward they get an additional +1 saves so now they are at 1+/2++ and finally with the 1CP stratagem Take Cover they get an additional save in the enemy shooting phase. Enjoy your 0+/1++ (it is important to note that ones always fail however) Bullgryn-Custode deathstar of doom that requires two Smites per Bullgryn to wear down.

*HQ units can take a Relic that lets them regain spent CP on a 5+ because of course they can. Remember that the Imperial Guard are second to Chaos Daemons in cheapest Brigade Regiments in the game so if you are somehow below 12 CP you are optimising your list wrong.

*Cadians. General Rerolls of 1 for standing still, having a 2 pt stratagem that boosts their hit rate by 1 for targeting one thing of you choice so amazing for Superheavies and 40man boy squads, and then there are the Leman Russes, as not only do they also get rerolls of 1 but also have Pask who for only 10 Points more than a regular Tank Commander can do an additional order, including one for the tanks that allow them to re roll the amount of shots they get with the turret, hits on fucking 2s

*Mordians. One Mordian strategem lets you spend 1CP to give any unit exploding dice on a 6 to hit. This is ANY weapon, so have fun giving it to Mortar Teams or units stuffed full of <strike>Flamers</strike> (Flamers Auto hit) or a Leman Russ Punisher.... They also have an Order that lets units with lasguns target characters directly, pretty much making them the only counter to the Imperial Guard. It's bad when the only counter to an army is to play that army yourself.

*Valhalla can [[Skaven |fire into melee combat without any penalty other than hitting friendly units on a 1 to-hit]]. Flamers don't roll to hit. Or you could just issue the order to a heavy Weapons team and use your Conscripts like Skavenslaves... [[Commander Kubrik Chenkov |Conscript blob died? You can spend 2CP and some reinforcement points to bring them right back]] in an army where you are guaranteed a Brigade detachment for most games. Before it was FAQ'd you didn't even have to spend reinforcement points to do this in Matched Play.

*Vostroya has an order that allows them to shoot any weapon in close combat. They this includes Grenades, Flamers, you heavy Weapons teams...Oh and they can spend CP to add +1 to their hit rolls in the shooting phase meaning that all Plasma Weapons are safe to supercharge.

(<s>Note the last 4 points are army traits, so you can only take one of the four</s>) Two or more Detachments can take different Army Traits. Have fun!

No doubt [[Robin Cruddace|He]] had a part in this.

*crusaders, teamed up with a primaris psyker and ministorum priest, packed into a valkyrie. This combo will have them dumped as far as 29 inches away (though no closer to enemy models than 3 inches)essentially giving you a virtually garanteed first turn charge. Futhermore when buffed by a priest they will have 3 attacks each, rerolling hits on the charge. A full squad will be delivering an average of 27 hits per turn though only S3. They also have significant staying power with psykic barrier adding 1 to all saves giving these guys a 2++ save.if you fail the psykic power you can also use take cover! To get the 2++ from shooting attacks. Use a command point reroll and grand strategist reroll to save the couple casualties you may eventually take or just heal one back next turn with AoF. You can also bring along an inquistor and cast mental fortitude to keep these tough (and expensive) guys from falling back, or use terrify for true rage induction to deny overwatch on that first turn chage you just got. TL:DR: when comboed, thet get first turn charges, kill everything and then refuse to die.

===Space Marines===

====[[Ultramarines]]====
Have all of the best Marine toys plus a number of game breaking Chapter abilities. First all Ultramarine units can literally walk out of Close Combat and keep firing, making assault orientated armies useless against them. Second they can regain any spent Command Points on a 5+ so really can spam those Re-Rolls.This is before we even get into what Rowboat can do to your army... Falling back from combat and still being able to fire isn't as useful as it first seems, firstly there is a -1 to hit penalty for doing so but in most situations you'll have lost enough of the squad in the previous combat for the unit to be nonthreatening. You don't take the blue boys for their chapter tactic, but for the below.

=====[[Roboute Guilliman]]=====
Any keyword '''Imperium''' unit within 12" adds 1 to advances and charges, re-roll hits of 1 and can re-roll failed morale tests, meaning you can spam the '''fuck''' out of stupidly cheap [[Imperial Guard]] Plasma.

'''Ultramarines''' units within 6" re-rolls of failed hit and wound rolls as well. Guilliman himself is affected by his own aura, allowing him to add 1 to charges and advances as well as re roll failed hits and wounds. If all that wasn't enough if your army is battleforged you get 3 extra CP.). [[That Guy |It's not unusual to see him sat in the middle of a pile of Assault Cannon Razorbacks with Lascannon Squads inside, and Stormravens tossed in for good measure. Or sat behind a huge wall of Hellblasters]].

Guilliman himself is a beast in close combat, with a 3++, 9 Wounds and 6 S6, AP-4 3 Damage attacks with 6's adding d3 Mortal Wounds. He also has a Power Fist with no to hit penalty because of course he fucking does. He also revives on a 4+ with 1d6 Wounds back so good luck killing this fucker for good unless you literally send hordes of Fire Dragons or Scions after him. And even then he's just going to get back up and murder whatever downed him next turn.

So for all of this he must be expensive, right? Even Wraithknights must be cheap compared to-[[What |what he only costs 400 points?!]] Yeah. So, barring restrictions, it's possible to take him in [[Fail |500 point games...]], and is one of the few LoW choices that can be. There are countless batreps out there of him taking on entire armies alone and just crushing them.

Basically Ultramarines, and Imperium by extension, shoot better than any other army, fight better than any other army and are all but immune to morale thanks to this unbalanced cunt.

====[[Raven Guard]]====
Anything shooting at the Raven Guard are shooting at -1 to hit if outside of 12", and they can spend CP to allow infantry to Deep Strike just before Turn 1. This pretty much guarantees that you will always be going first with your Aggressors dropping in right next to an opponent without having counted as moved.

Oh and their Warlords are immune to Overwatch so [[MURDERWINGS]] is back, and it's cheaper to do than just taking Shrike.

====[[Chapter Master Smashfucker]]====
Smashfucker is back and broken as ever. Take an Iron Hands Captain on Bike with a Thunder Hammer and Shield Eternal and the Iron Resovle Warlord trait. The result is a stupidly mobile Beatstick with 7 Wounds and a 3+/3++/6+++/6++++. Plus unlike Girlyman, an Apothecary can heal him.

===Chaos Daemons===

[[Chaos Daemons]] are one of two armies in the game that can fill multiple Brigade Detachments in a normal match thanks to Brimstone Horrors (the other is Imperial Guard). Plus they can cherry pick the Guard's best units via the Renegades faction, and the Chaos Space Marines best toys and characters due to the Chaos keyword.

===Adeptus Custodes Doombike===

[[Adeptus Custodes]] are very hard to kill in general, but if you're really intent on feeding off your enemy's impotent rage then you can build a nice little Doombike. Take a Shield Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike as your warlod and give him the '''Auric Aquilas''' Relic which gives him a 3+ Invulnerable save (as well as the ability to re-roll failed charge rolls). Next give him the '''Superior Creation''' Warlord Trait which gives him a 5+ FnP. Top that with the '''Victor of the Blood Games''' Stratagem right at the start of the game that allows him to re-roll a failed hit/wound or '''save roll''' per turn!

This results in a highly mobile '''character''' (which means he cant be shot at if hes not the closest target, so with clever positioning as with all characters, it will take an eternity until he even gets hit once) that has 7W, 6T, 2+/3++/5++ with the ability to re-roll one save per turn outside of command re-rolls. Besides that he is extremly mobile, meaning he will extremly hard to outmaneuver by your enemy and he is in an army that already soaks up so much firepower like nothing... ''If'' he is caught in a ''bad fight for him'', he can always disengage using his '''FLY''' keyword. Against Mortal Wounds in the Psi phase he has his Custodes standard 6+ save as well. And with all that, he is very good in close combat and very good at shooting too...!

For about 180 points quite a steal...

Get out of here, [[Smashfucker]], you've been dethroned!

===Autarch Skyrunner===

No, really.

On the opposite end of the Spectrum, [[MURDERWINGS |the Eldar are able to make an obscenely fast character that is less durable than the above, but is more mobile and hits even harder]]. 125 Points (using the Xenos 1 Index - this loadout is no longer available in the Codex) gets you a Jetbike character with 6W, T4, and 4 S6 AP3-, D2 Attacks (Hitting on 2+, Re-Rolling 1's) on the Charge (only S3 when not on the charge) that is immune to Overwatch, has a 3+/4++ (Can be boosted to 2+/3++ if a Warlock Protects them) 16" movement. They also have 4 Shuriken shots, a Meltagun shot (that they can snipe characters with, with the right trait) as well on top of all of this, as well as access to a stratagem that lets them Fall Back and Charge for one turn (for 2 command points). They also can pick a Relic that gives them a blanket -1 to hit with access to a Stratagem that can make that -2 (costs 2CP and lasts for a single shooting or fight phase) with the potential to boost that up to a -3 with a warlock casting conceal or even -4 if 12" away for Alaitoc. You can also make him more effective at shredding infantry with the Blazing Star of Vaul, if you swap out the wargear that gives -1 to hit.

So lets look at how silly the Variants are:

*'''Saim-Hann:''' With the Right Warlord Trait and Novalance, (you lose your -1 to hit, though), but you are now up to 5 S8 AP-2, D2 attacks, D4 on any 6's to wound, 5's if a Warlock casts Enhance on them. Combine this with the Supreme Disdain Stratagem and they also Explode on 5's. Oh and you can advance and charge for 1CP though you are likely reserving that strat for the huge Shining Spear blob with them. Cast Empower on him for a flat +1 to wound and even Imperial Knights are suffering critical existence failure.

*'''Ynnari''': Everything the default Autarch gets but the ability to move twice, charge again, shoot twice or attack twice. As mentioned in the Soup section, these free actions are incredibly powerful themselves, and the Autarch can benefit from the majority of the Bonus actions that Strength from Death can can grant. There's a very good reason why lists at LVO basically spammed these guys. With the Shuriken Catapult and Laser lance hits after charging, and they can easily charge twice per turn.

Looks like [[MURDERWINGS]] didn't vanish, he just ran off to race the Space Elves.

*Celestine do all that, but better

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]] [[Category:Gamebreaking]] [[Category:Warhammer 40000 Tactics]]

List of 40K Cheese

2018-06-01T16:20:23Z

2600:6C52:7C00:297:0:FC9E:E127:7330: /* 8th Edition */

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The history of Warhammer 40,000 is a history of violence. . . well OK yes it's part of the setting, but it's history of 40k's balance is almost as violent as the grim dark future it takes place in. No matter what people will tell you, the game has always had excessive problems with imbalance, min-maxing and blatant bullshit - From the days of [[Rogue Trader]] to modern day 8th Edition, the game has fostered many [[Cheese|cheesy]] units, army lists or deathstars, who have changed the meta and repeatably broken the game - Not through players maximizing their gear or people abusing unclear rules, but by simply being awfully balanced and written.

Fortunately, many of these, if not all of them, are the very concept of "The flame that burn twice as bright dies twice as fast", as they all got their reckoning at some point or another. Being either nerfed to the ground, changed to the core or completely removed from the game, this allowed the next-cheesy thing to step in with a silly hat and a way too small point-tax.

But life will go on. New codices will be under/overpowered and grind the others to dirt, the meta will change to deal with what-ever is the most powerful at the moment, and [[Warseer|the forums will]] be white-hot with [[Rage|rage]] over the unbalance present, but life will go on, and as soon as you accept this eternal struggle for our fun and wallets, you will be at peace.

As time goes on, this list will grow, to encompass more and more cheese as it gets released. If you feel that a unit, model or deathstar needs mentioning in the list, feel free to add to it with your own experiences and knowledge.

== 2nd Edition ==

'''Polymorphine:''' Assassins (and anyone else with the access to the wargear) used to be able to magically appear in the middle of a squad via Polymorphine (killing a troop when you exploded out of his body, leading to such shenanigans as [[Arseplomancer|a Guardsman hiding a dude in power armor on a bike]]). Then Jump Pack over and throw a Vortex Grenade and killing anything on a 2+.

'''Virus Weapons:''' The Virus Grenade was 50 points for a grenade with a 2 inch blast radius. Any model that was hit by the Virus Grenades (partial hits were on a 4+) was not explicitly stated to be immune (Space Marines, Terminators, Aspect Warriors and vehicles were immune) to said Virus Grenade would die on a 3+. So far, not to bad right? The problem with the Virus Grenade was that when a model was killed by it, every other model not immune that was within d6 inches would have to test, dying on a 4+ and recursively requiring every other model within d6 inches to test not to die on a 4+. Thus, a Virus Grenade could become something of a Grey Goo situation where the more enemy models are bunched up, the easier it was to spread out and kill them all. However, the real rage-inducer was the Virus Outbreak stratagem card, which acted like a Virus Grenade template that you just placed anywhere on the board without restriction; the writers went so far as to recommend that players tear up their Virus Outbreak cards from the Dark Millenium set since they hadn't intended on it being so powerful.

'''Wolf Guard Crisis Suits:''' Back in 2nd edition, the Cyclone Missile Launcher required the Terminator to replace his Power Fist with a laser targeter. However, when the Space Wolf codex first came out, it was entirely possible to make your army nothing but Wolf Guard Terminators, and to give each Terminator an Assault Cannon **and** a Cyclone Missile Launcher. Add in the fact that Terminators made their armor saves on 3+ on 2d6 (this game did use save modifiers), and it was possible for them to teleport in, weather most overwatch, fire all missiles and assault cannons, and only have to mop up the remnants from the burning wreckage. When the Space Wolf codex was reprinted, it explicitly banned Wolf Guard Terminators from going with Assault Cannon and Cyclone Launcher.

'''Deathspinners:''' Deathspinners were a flamer template in 2nd edition, that had a "save or die" initiative check. Imagine an entire squad of Warp Spiders with Jaws in flamer form. Yeah.

== 3rd Edition ==
Eldar Exarchs with the unique ability to "Build your own Exarch." You could have a bright lance that shot twice with warp spider pack that allowed you to jump all over the field, then add a Powerfield that gave you a 2+ invulnerable save). This was just one of many cheese custom Exarchs that were possible; however, they were also the only thing keeping Eldar on the table - those customizable Exarchs, though cheesy, were expensive in an army with nerfed and expensive units and weapons. Eldar were largely bottom-tier in 3rd edition.

===3.5 Edition===
In general, 3.5 had 3 specifically cheesy armies, two of which belonged to Chaos.

====Necrons====
Necrons were introduced as a stand-alone codex army for the first time in 3.5. Their release was met with immediate hostility once neckbeards read their codex; here's why:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hod0WtYE4SA|here is a video of their grand debut]
* Warscythes in abundance that ignored all saves and rolled 2D6 for pens.
* We'll Be Back made infantry immune to death as they basically had a 4++ that could be rolled after they failed their 3+ armour save and after your opponent was done shooting.
**Compounding that, the Resurrection Orb that ignored any of the restrictions previously applied to the WBB rule like instant death or bypassing armour saves in CC.
* Veil of Darkness which allowed you to Deepstrike hop a unit all over the board.
* Basic infantry guns that could kill a landraider with a lucky shot.
* The fucking Monolith - immune to anything that wasn't S9/10 and/or ordinance, could deepstrike and never suffer a mishap, fixed your broken troops and could deepstrike in any from reserves. Oh, and Melta/Ordinance rules that gave better chances to penetrate armor? Into the trash they went thanks to ''Living Metal''.
* Necron Pariahs - they lowered opponent's troops Ld to 7 unless better, made psykers piss themselves unless fearless AND had warscythes (see above) and gauss blasters (basically heavy bolters that could kill vehicles too). The only thing keeping tables from being swamped by those murder machines was the "0-1 unit per army" ''limitation''. (Oh and yeah, they lacked ''We'll be back!'' so if you somehow managed to take them down they stayed down. But yeah, good luck with that...)
* Wraiths had the only 3++ save in the game and were proper Necrons unlike today, meaning they too had WBB.
* C'tan being IMPOSSIBLY GOOD! The Nightbringer could use a Bloodthirster as a speedbump while the Deceiver allowed you to reposition your army after deployment.

Necrons earned the title "n00bcrons" for a reason; though they didn't have the sheer quantity of cheese that Chaos had at the time, what cheese they had was prevalent throughout their army and was way too good for the points paid.

====Chaos====
Going into third edition, Chaos was... unremarkable. Bland. Decent crunch-wise, but without the wealth of options to field Daemons/Cultists/Mutants/Fallen/Renegades/... they had in 2e. Pete Haines listened to the players (yes, GW did that back then) and Chapter Approved articles in White Dwarf did provide those variants over the years. Eventually GW decide to bring out a 3.5 Codex updated with all those options and a couple extra added on top... and that's where it went horribly wrong. A wealth of options meant a wealth of possible combinations and some were just... too much. Though not the same level of cheese as Necrons quality-wise Chaos Space Marines got a massive truckload of it, that went from 'strong but expensive' to 'outrageous'. Here's a smattering of what CSM had in 3.5:

''Young cheese'' (things that were a-okay on their own but could combine into ungodly monstrosities.)
* Khornate chain axes: Being one of the only things that could outright modify armour saves, reducing them to 4+ unless worse, across the board - that's right, your terminator's save is no better than carapace armour against them. Ork Choppas did the same on an army-wide level for free back then.
* Unit Champions could take Psy Powers and even Daemon Weapons. Strong, but with only 1 HP it could turn very ugly very quickly both ways.
* [[Possessed]] were expensive but they could ''buy'' their powers instead of rolling for them, which included rending, fleet ''and'' a magical bolt pistol shot, making them point-for-point one of the best assault units in the game.
*The [[World Eaters]] army list in general: Tough motherfuckers full of [[rage|RAEG]] that would murder the fuck out of everything they got their hands upon on the charge, giving the opponent the easy to understand but hard to solve problem of "shoot me before I reach you!" The only thing that kept them from being completely broken was their lack of firepower, jump packs and assault vehicles and the impredictability of their special 'rage' rule that would give them a free "run" move on a dice roll of "1" (tested each turn, roll 2 dice with the ''correct'' wargear) but they had to rush toward the enemy even if it meant disembarking or leaving cover. It would leave them helpless in the open to be shot to death just as often as it allowed them to get into charge range to murder shit, which kept the army manageable (if unpredictable) to play both with and against.

''Aged cheese'' (This is where it started to get really ugly, although those things were still within hailing distance of manageable.)
* Chaos Lords that could out-punch anything, point-for-point.
* Vehicle upgrades that could regrow lost weapons and unimmobilize themselves on 4+, ignore crew shaken/stunned ''and'' grant +1 AV on all sides.
* Bloodletters that wore power armour and wielded power weapons. Basically an evil deep-striking space marine honour guard.
* [[Sonic Weaponry]] - anything with a MoS could exchange their guns for sonic weapons (and get access to the Slaaneshi armoury if they were characters). This lead to [[Rhino]]s, [[Dreadnought]]s, Defilers, Lords, Lieutenants, regular Marines, Chosen, Possessed, Aspiring Champions, Bikers, Havocs, Terminators and ''Predators'' all sporting Sonic Weapons. They weren't as good as they would become in later editions, but they were better than the Bolters and Autocannons they replaced (almost) for free.
* [[Defiler|That enemy crab thing]] gets introduced as both a monstrous creature and a walker, which made it pretty much invulnerable in melee against anything without Power Fists (or equivalent Strength-doubling CC weapons).
* [[Obliterator]]s. Back then they were fucking GOD-TIER - S/T5, two wounds, 2+/5++, loaded with heavy and special weapons, Fearless, deep-striking. Luckily for your opponents you could only take a single squad of up to three of them. Eventually they got FAQ'd down to T 4(5) which made them more vulnerable to meltagun 'Instant Death' but they were still ''hard'' customers and an auto-take.

''Premium cheese'' (The really retarded things that could break the game. Never mind those costed arms and legs in points, unless the opponent knew what was coming and went to great lengths to avoid them, those things were "I-win" buttons.)
* A [[Daemon Prince]] with Power Armour, Wings and the Dread Axe. Tough, moved like jump pack infantry, a beastly statline, 3+/5++ and the really cheesy part: the Dread Axe ignored invulnerable saves and wounded on a 4+ unless better. Combined to the fact the DP was a monstrous creature that ignored armor saves; and you had a tough, fast motherfucker with a truckload of attacks that hit/wounded easily, ignored '''all''' saves and could easily consolidate from unit to unit, remaining locked in CC and untargetable the whole game as it solo'ed the enemy army. (And I wish I was exaggerating...)
* Siren. A Slaaneshi minor psychic power that made a model immune to shooting and blocked line of sight. Spam generously. Worst of all, it combo'd way too well with the Daemon Prince load-out above - hell, this thing could actually take on and defeat a Nightbringer back in the day with some luck.
* Veteran skills - ranging from 1-3 pts. per model, could be taken on any squad (only 1 skill for marked units) with higher costs for independent characters. You could load up whole squads that infiltrated, moved through cover and furiously charged.
* Chosen. Chosen were... absurdly powerful since you could make any member in the squad an aspiring champion, giving them access to the armoury. If they were marked and if you took a chosen squad in a multiple of the number of that God (Slaanesh 6, Nurgle 7, Khorne 8, Tzeentch 9), then the 10 pt. upgrade cost was free! Deathstar of 8 Khornate champion TERMINATORS that could butcher through anything (and I mean anything) with a truckload of [[exploding dice]] S7 attacks ignoring armor saves on the charge coming out of a Land Raider to chain-rape unit after unit, anyone? Or maybe a squad of 6 Slaaneshi Chosen all with Doom Sirens, plasma pistols and power weapons? Or if you prefer, 9 Tzeentchian Sorcerers [[troll|auto-succeeding on psychic tests thanks to the Mark of Tzeentch]] with psychic Heavy Bolters and Lascannons unleashing some next-level mind-bullet dakka (or alternatively turning everything into [[Chaos Spawn|those things]] or threw down templates that wounded on a 4+ and ignored armour and glanced vehicles)? Yeah, it was kinda like that back then...
* The [[Emperor's Children]] Legion list. Sirens, sirens you can't shoot and that will demolish you in CC everywhere.
* The [[Iron Warriors]] Legion list. Remember above where I said only one unit of god-like Obliterators? Well, nope! Take as much as you can! Oh, and you can exchange two Fast Attack slots on the FOC for one more Heavy Support choice! More Obliterators? Well, nope, since they were elite but here came the second best thing: [[derp|the only ones amongst the Chaos Legions]], Iron Warriors had access to both the Vindicator from the loyalist armoury and the Basilisk from the Imperial Guard's armoury. You know, just in case the nine Obliterators ran into some trouble and needed some long- and/or close-range fire support!

Now, you'd think that with that generous amount of cheese, GW would get the message and stop piling it on... But then the world-wide "Eye of Terror" campaign happened and Chaos got another toy to play with - the Lost and the Damned army list. Veteran Chaos players actually rejoiced when it was announced as it meant they could go back to the 2nd ed days of fielding traitor Guard, Beastmen, mutants and other dregs supported by a very small number of traitor Marines. Sadly enough, while it did allow to do that, the army list came with its own rapetrain of cheese:

* The list allowed to take units from the 3.5 CSM and Imperial Guard Codices in various FOC slots; which amounted to taking the best of all worlds.
* A cheap HQ choice (Chaos Lieutenant) that was point for point even more killy than the 3.5 Chaos Lord.
* Mutants could be taken in huge cheap hordes that could tarpit pretty much anything forever.
* Big mutants being awesome dakka blobs with 3 wounds each and great Chaos mark effects - basically, better Ogryns!
* Traitor guardsmen had better stats than loyalists, access to chaos marks, veteran skills here and there (Infiltrate ahoy!) and could wield '[[Bolter]]s'. Yes, said slapdash 'Bolters' had the same "Gets Hot!" rule as plasma weapons which meant you'd lose some traitors each time you fired but it was a very small price to pay to unleash an ungodly amount of dakka.

It's really no mystery as to why Chaos won the Eye of Terror campaign. Games Workshop, concerned with their future revenue streams from Spess Muhreen fanchildren, decided to basically reset the crunch and shift the timeline away from the event while attempting to balance (read: nerf to the ground) what it could in 4th edition.

===Honorable Mentions:===
====Blood Angels====
Blood Angels were tied with Khornate Berzerkers for the title of most killy fuckers in glorious melee. The 'zerkers were just a bit killier thanks to their chainaxes but the BA enjoyed better mobility thanks to being able to equip jump packs everywhere. That almost assured they would get that precious charge bonus of +1S and + 1I (on top of the +1A) from the army-wide Furious Charge, ensuring whatever they got their hands op would be [[rip and tear|brutally dismembered]]. For extra [[lulz]] you had the option to go for a full [[Death Company]] army that would forego any firepower for an army-wide FnP save on top of the [[rage|righteous fury at the death of Sanguinius]]. This said, each mini costed a premium when kitted-out, so it was an army of extremes: when things went right they'd table the enemy in three turns but when they went wrong they'd get tabled themselves in little more time, with few compromises due to the low model count.

====[[Imperial Guard]] Armored Division====
This one deserves an honorable mention as well, even if it quickly disappeared after the arrival of [[Necrons]] and their vehicle-killing Gauss everything and "We'll be Back!" shenanigans. Back in 3rd ed., vehicles were much less prevalent, as were the ways of dealing with them. Most armies had a couple of heavy weapons like Lascannons, some power fist equivalents and a melta-bomb here and there, and it was more than sufficient to deal with the occasional armoured behemoth. This list? It was [[rape|vehicles only!]] HQ? [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Leman Russ]] variant. Troops? Leman Russ variants. Anything else? Leman Russ variants (with the token Infantry Squad in a Chimera). Park together covering the vulnerable rears, point battle cannons and let fly, all guns! Due to the lack of heavy weapons being able to affect the Russ' frontal AV, "all-rounder" armies stood little chance of doing anything.

== 4th Edition ==

* '''Assault Cannon Spam:''' Rending in 3rd and 4th edition Edition was far more powerful than in 5th through 7th. [[Rape|Instead of a 6 to wound ignoring armor saves, a 6 to-hit automatically wounded and ignored armor saves]]. Combine with the fact that Terminator Squads could take two of them at minimum size, and it was quite common to run a lot of them.

===[[Fish of Fury]]===

It has its own page, but the basic gist involved using a semi-invulnerable troop transport as a mobile bunker for the otherwise assault-prone Fire Warriors.

The tactic died when errata changed how skimmers worked.

===[[Imperial Guard]] 500-Point Assholery===
Take minimalist choices for the bulk of your mandatory force org setup. Use the remaining points to buy a [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Leman Fucking Russ]] and absolutely butt-fuck the balance of low-point games. The personification of being [[That Guy]].

===[[Imperial Guard]] Unit Deletion Barrage===
In the 4th edition codex, the Hunter-Killer Missile cost a mere 5 points. Because of this, an insanely common strategy was to load basically every single vehicle you fielded that could fit one with one, and with many guard armies that could be 6-7 vehicles on a 1000-point list at the time. Once loaded, the tactic was simple: find the single most threatening enemy model on the board that could be reliably penetrated with a Krak Missile, acquire line of sight, and hammer the shit out of it with all your Hunter-Killers in one go. Even with guard accuracy being what it is, the fact that you could potentially obliterate a lynchpin unit or pesky independent character meant that this was often used to secure early dominance.

When the 5th edition Tyranid codex came out, this tactic was very often used to flat-out cripple 'Nid players by taking out their [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]]ES and [[Hive Tyrant]]s from standoff range, fucking over attempts to counter.

The tactic ended when 5th edition cranked the cost of HK Missiles to 15 points each.

== 5th Edition ==

===General===
* 5th edition was generally known as "Mechhammer" or "Box Hammer" due to how relatively hard it became to kill vehicles. Compared to 4th edition, the vehicle damage became more forgiving, being consolidated into a single damage chart where vehicles were destroyed on a 5+. Glancing hits subtracted 2 from this modifier, AP - weapons subtracted another -1 from this and AP 1 weapons simply added 1. Hull Points did not exist in 5th, and a vehicle that moved more than 6" in a turn was only hit in 6s on melee (stand still). Thus, most lists gradually became "Parking Lot" builds, where sheer quantity of cheap Rhino and Rhino-equivalents could jam up the board, form armored convoys, or otherwise make your enemy hate your life.
* 5th edition was also known for Musical Wounds. The owning player had to allocate wounds to each model that took a hit, with wounds allocated as evenly as possible: For example, a 5-man Tactical Squad with Combi-Melta Sergeant, 3 Bolter Marines, and a Meltagun Marine takes 9 wounds and needs to make 9 armor saves. You would need to allocate at least 1 hit to the Sergeant, 1 to the Meltagun, and 3 to the Bolters. 3 of the remaining 4 hits could be allocated to the Bolter Marines, and the last one would have to be allocated onto either the Sergeant or the Meltagunner. The problem with this system was that certain "multiwound" units (Most notably: Nob Bikers and Grey Knight Paladins) could be equipped so that each model had a unique loadout. One Grey Knight Paladin would have a Halberd, one would have a Hammer, one would have a Sword, one would have a Psycannon, one would have a Psycannon and Hammer, one would have the Standard, etc. The end result was that versus attacks that couldn't inflict Instant Death on this unit, the unit effectively got its model count's worth of ablative wounds.
* On a tamer yet more comedic note, 5th edition also had the "50% cover rule." If at least half of a unit was considered to be in cover, the entire unit was treated as being in cover. What was viewed as an amusing abstraction could quickly be gamed, either with vehicle squadrons (2 Piranhas, one Disruption Pod) or large units of light infantry. Imagine the rage a Thousand Sons player must have faced versus Guard: A Guard player could get 30 Guardsmen for the cost of 4 Rubric Marines and an Aspiring Sorcerer...and this was before the Sorcerer spent points for a mandatory Psychic Power! By combining squads into a single unit of 30, you could keep 15 models in cover and the other 15 proudly advancing in the open with 4+ saves (or 2+ saves if they use Incoming)...

===Imperial Guard===
Arguably the only army in 5th that got a stratospheric Cruddex buff, the rest getting nerfed into uselessness as [[Robin Cruddace]] hates you:

* This was the first time Guard could field vehicle squads, particularly for Basilisks and Leman Russes allowing players to cover the field in pie plates.
* Master of the Fleet, which subtracted 1 from your opponent's deep strike rolls. Particularly nasty against the above two lists which relied on deep-strike spam to get close enough to shred armies.
* Master of Ordnance, which came with its own pie plate attack.
* [[Creed|CREEEEEEEED!!!!1]]
* Hellhound squads and variants get introduced, especially the bane(wolf) of all MEQs, the banewolf.
* Veterans - particularly melta-vets. They are legend when it comes to vehicle busting.
* Valkyries and Vendettas - fucking hell, where do I even begin? Super fast chimera, identical armour and a shitload of guns; Vendettas take it to the next level with 3 TL Lascannons.
* Hydra flak tank debuts in this list outside of FW and is amazing at taking out bikers and fast skimmers with its super-long range autocannons that bypass Jink saves. Eldar tears flow unstoppably.
* Orders are introduced here as well; they weren't OP per se, but combined well with other buffs to the list for horrifying efficacy.
* Up until the release of the GK codex in 5th, Guard could still take allies with Daemon or Witch Hunters leading to the construction of the infamous Guard leaf-blower list, so named for how fast it removed your opponents models from the board. Mind, when GK came out with their Wardex, this didn't really put too much of a damper on the blower but now they had competition at least.

===[[Space Wolves]]===
The Space Wolf codex became an infamously powerful tournament army due to having ruthless point-efficiency all around. While the Blood Angels got speed and flashy toys, and the Grey Knights would get mass Force Weapons and Psybolt weapons, the Space Wolves were able to look at those armies and shut them down by pure attrition. Notable reasons for the Space Wolf hate include:

*'''Space Wolf Psykers:''' Compared to the other Marine codexes, the Space Wolf Rune Priests caused rage for several reasons.
**'''Good Blastiness:''' Rune Priests got Living Lightning instead of Smite, a Strength 7, D6+1 shot, infinite range gun. Rune Priests could also buy a Chooser of the Slain, a "counter" placed that served as a +1 BS marker when targeting enemies near it. However, the real fondue was Jaws of the World Wolf. Jaws was a 24" beam, and all non-Jump/Jetbike/vehicle models underneath had to take an Initiative Check or be removed outright. No Invuln, no Feel no Pain, no Eternal Warrior, just death. Monstrous Creatures got +1 to the test, but since many Tyranid Monstrous Creatures were only Initiative 1 anyway, Jaws meant that you had a 66% chance of losing a Carnifex, Tervigon or Tyrannofex in one go!
**'''Good Denial/Defense:''' Rune Priests also had access to good defense auras, with Storm Caller acting like a psychic Kustom Forcefield and Tempest's Wrath shutting down Bikes and Jumpers in its 24" radius bubble. Compared to regular Marines, they were arguably more reliable at shutting down Psykers; while a standard Psychic Hood required beating your opponent's Psyker's Leadership on an opposed roll, the Rune Staff would simply stop any incoming power within 24" on a 4+. You could include an allied Inquisitor if you so desired, allowing for a chance to double-deny. And remember that Chooser of the Slain? When it was placed down during deployment, no enemy units could Infiltrate near it.
**'''Njal Stormcaller:''' Njal took the strengths of the Rune Priest and amplified them. Although he didn't get the anti-Infiltration effect of the Chooser, he automatically knew every Space Wolf power, could cast two per turn, and his staff could deny any incoming powers on a 3+. However, his real claim to fame was that as the Stormcaller, you would roll a D6 at the start of each turn, add the turn number, and consult a chart to see the effects. Some were innocent yet annoying enough (the enemy suffers -1 BS for a turn), but the real fondue was rolling Chain Lightning. EVERY enemy unit within 18" of Njal would take D6 S8 AP - hits. At Nova 2011, this Chain Lighting went off against a Dark Eldar Venom Spam list with predictably destructive results.
*'''Wolfwolfwolf:''' This is the edition that saw the introduction of [[Canis Wolfborn]], Thunderwolves and Fenrisian Wolves being their own units. The Thunderwolf in particular garnered a lot of hate at the time since it increased its rider's base Strength and Toughness (in 5th, Bikes and Marks of Nurgle were not counted for purposes of checking Instant Death), meaning you now needed S10 to inflict Instant Death, while you could Instant Death T5 models in turn. Combined with super-cheap wolves to act as rapid-moving bullet catchers and you could get into melee.
*'''Long Fangs:''' Long Fangs were the Space Wolf equivalent of Devasatators. However, while Devastators were considered inefficient and fragile, Long Fangs were the peak of efficiency. Sure, they didn't get regular Bolter bullet-catchers, but when deployed well into your deployment zone while the rest of the Space Wolf army midfielded, they weren't a reliable target anyway. Instead, Long Fangs had a single throwaway sergeant and 1-5 heavy weapon guys as needed; Missile Launchers only cost 10 points, making them the default Heavy of choice. But the real kicker was that Long Fangs had Fire Control; this was the ancestor to Split Fire and superior overall. As opposed to 6th and 7th where Split Fire meant "one model in the unit can shoot at a different target unit," you could divide the Wolves to shoot at two targets however you wanted.
*'''Loganwing:''' Loganwing was and arguably the only viable foot marine list in 5th. See, taking Logan Grimnar let you take Wolf Guard as troops. Back in the day, Wolf Guard were a single customizable unit of 3-10 models, individual models being able to switch for Terminator Armor, Jump Pack or Bike; you could intentionally make your squads smaller by having Wolf Guard detach from their squad at deployment in order to lead another non-Wolf Guard unit. However, the real advantage of Wolf Guard in Loganwing lists is it let you take units each of a Cyclone Missile Launcher Terminator and 4 power-armor bulletcatchers. You would run Lone Wolf Terminators as anti-heavy support, Thunderwolves as chasers, and Long Fangs as support; Logan himself usually joined a unit of Lascannon Long Fangs to either grant them Tank Hunters or Relentless for the turn.
*'''Razorwolf:''' Space Wolves could spam Razorbacks more cost-effectively than other Marines. Compared to Tactical Marines, 5 Grey Hunters were only 75 points instead of 90. Space Wolves didn't get Sergeants, but they instead got Wolf Guard. The kicker of course was that there was no restriction that stated that a Wolf Guard squad actually needed any models. Thus, you could buy 6 squads of 5 Grey Hunters, each with Razorback, buy two units each of 3 Wolf Guard and Razorback, attach them all among the six squads, and have two "spare" Razorbacks. Since Long Fangs didn't need to stay in a transport for the most part, you could also buy even more Razorbacks, points permitting.
*'''Wolf Scouts:''' Wolf Scouts by themselves were unassuming. They could Outflank from their opponent's deployment zone and bring a Wolf Guard alongside. Their real danger came from their usage alongside mechanized Wolves and Long Fang support, as they could be used to eliminate or tie up backfield threats. It was common to equip them with a Meltagun and Combi-Melta Wolf Guard for neutralizing backfield Guard artillery.
* An honorable mention goes to the Saga of the Warrior Born, an upgrade only available to Wolf Lords. If you think this bonus gives an extra attack like the Mark of Khorne, oh you're sadly mistaken for the Wolves outbless the God of War. Rather than +1 attack, the way the Saga of the Warrior Born worked was you kept track of how many models the Wolf Lord killed in an Assault Phase, and the Wolf Lord would gain that many bonus attacks in the *next* Assault Phase. There was no theoretical cap to how many extra attacks you get if you were able to keep your Lord in assaults. In practice, the number of bonus attacks would reset if your Wolf Lord missed an Assault Phase.

===[[Blood Angels]]===
Cheesy for the [[Matt Ward|exact same reason]] as Grey Knights. Here are just a few things they received:

* Deep-striking Landraiders, because that's just great - just fucking great.
* Furioso Dreadnoughts in general. Their FA13 made them immune to Krak grenades prevalent on most infantry; coupled with Blood Talons which generated more attacks every time you caused a wound. With S6 and WS6. Fuuuuuuuuck!
* In addition to regular Furiosos, you could also take a [[Librarian Dreadnought|FLYING. LIBRARIAN. DREADNOUGHT.]] Jesus Christ...
* Death Company Dreadnoughts were also outrageous - taking up a fucking ''Troops'' slot, they were Furiosos with a more offensive focus, their WS and FA lowered by a point in exchange for fleet, more attacks and furious charge and rage.
* Blood Angels Dreadnoughts could also take a Magna Grapple on top of their arm weapons, an S8 AP2 assault 1 weapon with a 24" range that, should it pen a vehicle or wound a monstrous creature, could then drag it closer to the dreadnought.
* Mephiston - basically, a monstrous creature with psychic powers that could take cover. And fly. And reduce his opponent's WS/I to 1.
* The Stormraven gunship debuted in this list - a flying landraider with weaker armour but immune to melta weapons that could transport a squad AND a dreadnought. Oh, and it's an assault vehicle ffs. Given how powerful in CC Blood Angels infantry is as well as just how deadly their dreadnoughts are, getting them where they needed to be in a fast skimmer that was immune to melta weapons AND was heavily armed was the cherry on top of this particular cheesecake.

===[[Grey Knights]]===
Seriously, there's a shitload to explain here for the noobs:

* First and foremost, Psycannons - S7 AP4 rending on models that could otherwise always shoot them.
* Psybolt ammunition, leading to the creation of the much feared Psyfleman Dreadnought, pumping out 4 S8 AP4 twin-linked shots a turn.
* Kaldor Draigo outcreeding Creed and just generally being a monster (unless and until he fought Abaddon).
* EVERYTHING ARMED WITH A FUCKING FORCE WEAPON SERIOUSLY WTF - in particular, Force Halberds. Auto-take, granting all the bonuses of a nemesis force weapon and +2 Initiative, meaning your silver armoured Mary Sues struck before most Eldar units.
* Librarians with a flamer template that removed models from play - not just instant death, they took an initiative test or were removed from play doling out auto-pens to vehicles.
* The only list that could take Assassins or Inquisitors, which both got buffed into the fucking sky.
* The goddamn Nemesis Dreadknight debuted here - absolutely broken if not expensive (MC w/ 2+ save, psychic powers).
* Oh hey, they ''also'' got stormravens - on top of being immune to melta weapons and transporting an OP squad plus an OP dreadnought, the GK stormraven could also take psybolt ammo for its heavy bolters, assault cannons, etc.

People hated the Grey Knights - even longtime GK players hated them. A list that was built to destroy daemon armies (during a time when they didn't even need a special list to destroy them because they were so bad - seriously, it wasn't uncommon for GK players to fight demons without suffering so much as a wound!) got buffed into a list with units that were just flat-out better than anyone else could field. Some GK players took to making lists that used none of the staples mentioned above in order to give themselves a challenge.

== 6th & 7th Edition ==

7th edition came out barely two years after 6th and in many ways could be called 6.5 or so. There were differences of course, such as the reworked Psychic Phase, and shooting phase resolution, but most of the changes were small enough tweaks that it's sane enough to include entries for both editions in here.

===Allies===

A mechanic that got a mixed reception when it hit, and one it was never able to truly shake. Listed below are some of the most infamous examples that resulted from exploiting this mechanic.

*'''ChaosCrons:''' In 7th edition, Chaos Space Marines and Necrons were considered Allies of Convenience, meaning that they were treated as "enemies" for all intents and purposes except you could intentionally target your own Allies of Convenience with Warlord Traits, shooting, charging, or Psychic Powers. However, all other abilities remained in theory able to interact with each other (barring exceptions like the Genestealer Cult ruling stating that Tyranid Allies of Convenience did not cause Shadow in the Warp/hinder Return to the Shadows). However, Anrakyr's special ability "Mind in the Machine" was RAW none of the above and [[cheese|in theory could be used on your own allied Typhon to have it fire its gun twice]]. [[Derp|More amusing however was a Black Legion Spearhead using Turn 1 Deep Strike while triggering Ethereal Interception from Allies of Convenience Deathmarks for a front-loaded alphastrike that required no Drop Pods to pull off]].

*'''TauCrons:''' Necrons had a lot of good mid-strength ranged weapons that could drown enemy units in saves or strip Hull Points off enemy vehicles, but most of their weapons were confined to the 24" range-bracket. Thus Tau were popular for providing longer-range: [[Cheese|The Firebase Support Cadre added 36" threat projection via Tank-Hunting Missile Broadsides and the Riptide was always appreciated]]. However, the real comedy came from the fact that [[Nemesor Zahndrekh]] had the special rule '''Adaptive Tactics:''' Whenever an enemy unit with one or more USRs from a bucket list (Counter-Attack, Furious Charge, Hit & Run, Split-Fire, Stealth, or Tank Hunters) was within 24" of Zahndrekh, Zahndrekh's unit also benefitted from that rule as well. [[Cheese|Many Tau wargear options and abilities made it shockingly easy to acquire said USRs and provide them to Zahndrekh]]; [[Derp|perhaps he thought Puretide was actually a Necrontyr prodigy]]?

*'''TauDar:''' Allies Abuse was not entirely uncommon in 6th and 7th Edition, however the combined cheese from these two Codexes - each very powerful in their own right - resulted in a combination of Cheddar so potent it practically warped space and time. In short, imagine the best parts about both the Tau and Eldar Codexes, and fuse them together into a potent strike force. The even worse part? In 6th Edition, the two Factions were considered Battle Brothers - meaning there was no penalty for taking either one as Allies.

===Admech===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Cult_Mechanicus(7E)#Formations|Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation]]:''' Includes units from Cult Mechanicus, Skitarii, and and Imperial Knights. Everything has Canticles of the Omnissiah, all wargear is free, and nothing Gets Hot. You like winning? Use this formation and literally pay to win.

===Chaos===

* '''[[Heldrake]]:''' The [[Heldrake]] was added to the 6th Edition [[Chaos Space Marine]] Codex as a new unique flier. It could Vector Strike like a Flying Monstrous Creature, was incredibly resilient due to numerous stacked defensive rules, all of those ultimately played second fiddle to the real reason it was so powerful: The Baleflamer. Sure, you "could" give the Heldrake a Hades Autocannon, but as it only hit on 4+s and didn't ignore Marine armor, it was pointless considering both weapons cost the same. Imagine the Inferno Cannon of a Guard Hellhound, able to project a Strength 6 flame template anywhere within 12", but make it AP 3 so even regular Space Marines don't get an armor save. 7th edition brought a series of nerfs to the Heldrake, the most notable one being to limit the fire arc of its Baleflamer to a 45-degree arc, as well as Vector Strikes only doing one AP 2 hit (instead of D3+1 AP 3 hits) versus ground targets. However, the real reason the Heldrake lost its viability was an indirect one; whereas only disembarked troops (and certain unit types depending on scenario) could score objectives in 6th, 7th allowed any units to score while giving Troops Objective Secured.

*'''The [[Screamerstar]]:''' a combination of artifacts and psychic powers that gives a unit of Screamers a rerollable 2++ Invulnerable Save, making them effectively invincible.

*'''[[Magnus the Red]]:''' Magnus the Red is one of the cheesiest units to grace this section. He got a plethora of special rules (including Eternal Warrior, It Will Not Die and Fearless) along with being a Flying Monstrous Creature for even more cheese, but wait! There's more! As befitting the Demon Primarch of Tzeentch, Magnus was a psychic powerhouse. He was the only Mastery Level 5 Psyker in the game, and knew the complete Lores of Tzeentch and Change. He could cast these powers without needing line of sight, and possessed at least two Strength D powers. His Horus Heresy incarnation wasn't much better, becoming able to completely avoid attacks if he had Invisibility cast upon himself and could boost his psychic attacks to Strength D with a 2D6 roll, for even less points than both his 40K incarnation and ''Horus''!

===Eldar===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Eldar(7E)|The Entirety of 6th and 7th Edition Eldar]]''': No really. Eldar were pretty much the pet army of [[Phil Kelly]], and it showed in how their army consistently managed to be the top or damn close to it. To include a few notable crimes against balance:

* '''Battle Focus:'''

* '''Serpent Spam:''' From 6th Edition, the Wave Serpent gained a massive upgrade in power from 5th Edition. Aside from getting a bump to Ballistic Skill 4 (as opposed to 3 in the previous Codex) for a pittance of point-costs, and all Shuriken Weapons gaining the Bladestorm upgrade (6s to wound ignore armor saves), the Wave Serpent's Shield was changed so that rather than capping the strength/removing bonus dice to penetrate it, it would downgrade Penetrating Hits into Glancing Hits on a 2+. However, the real the Serpent Shield could alternately be used "in extremis" as a glorified wave motion gun: [[Cheese|It would fire D6+1 strength 7 shots with infinite range, ignoring cover, and wrecking enemy vehicles]]. [[RAGE|Since the Serpent Shield was wargear and not a weapon, you couldn't destroy it with Weapon Destroyed]]. [[Anal_Circumference|The real fondue was taking a Twin-Linked Scatter Laser for "Laser Lock;" You got 4 S6 shots, rerolling to-hit, and if you hit with at least one, you could reroll to-hit with all other weapons being fired by the Wave Serpent. Thus, the Wave Serpent was transport, anti-aircraft, anti-everything in one go.]] Although Serpentspam got suitably nerfed in the 7th Edition update, it got replaced by the below:

* '''Scatpack Spam:'''

* '''Warp Spider Spam:''' Warp Spiders got a notable upgrade in 6th Edition, receiving a point drop and innate Hit and Run/Deep Strike, while their Deathspinners gained the '''Monofilament''' rule, making them deadlier against low-initiative models and vehicles. Although 7th Edition reworked Monofilament so they weren't innately stronger versus vehicles, they got upgraded in two additional ways: First of all, [[Cheese|Monofilament was changed so they wounded enemy models on Initiative instead of Toughness, and very few models had Initiative greater than 5]]. However, the real issue was Warp Spiders gained the ability '''Flickerjump:''' [[Cheese|If targeted by enemy shooting, the Warp Spiders could immediately move 2d6 inches, and if they ended up out of range/line of sight, the enemy attack was wasted.]] [[RAGE|Aggressively spamming Warp Spiders allowed an Eldar player to win Maelstrom objective games on your turn, after they dropped in to slag any real resistance otherwise.]]

* '''Wraithknights:''' "And you thought the Riptide was Big." The Wraithknight was the penultimate step (after the Riptide) to the reintroduction of Knights to 40k that Games Workshop was going to continue making the game revolve around giant models. It was powerful enough in 6th edition, where it cost like two Wraithlords while having twice the wounds, and extra mobility while sharing the same slot to boot, but [[Cheese|7th edition went and turned them from Jump Monstrous Creatures to Jump Gargantuan Monstrous Creatures, giving them Stomp, Feel No Pain, immunity to Instant Death (only taking D3 extra wounds instead), and the ability to fire an unlimited (rather than two) number of guns, split-fired at different units.]] [[Rage|This came with a point increase that was less than the price of an unupgraded Razorback, still making it cheaper than the Imperial Knight which it was vastly superior to.]]
**Note that despite the rage about the Wraithknight having access to D-Weapons, the most common variant was actually the Forgeworld Skatach Wraithknight. The Skatach cost a few more points than the vanilla one, but rather than having two Wraithcannons, it had two Deathshrouds. [[Rape|Imagine a Nightspinner's gun, but as a Hellstorm.]] [[Cheese|The Skatach became a tournament staple because it had innate cover-ignoring and crowd control that the rest of the Eldar army lacked, while being able to operate at optimal efficiency without needing a Farseer to buff it.]]

===Necrons===

Necrons technically got their codex update at the end of 5th Edition, but 6th really made them shine for awhile. Their 7th ed codex toned down a lot of that in exchange for adding the Decurion.

* '''ScytheWing:''' This was a build that was overpowered at the start of 6th Edition, and would only be slightly reduced in strength as 6th Edition continued. Essentially, ScytheWing (also known as Croissant Spam, 'Cron Air and a variety of other colourful names) was a build based around how many Doom Scythes and Night Scythes could be squeezed into a list - and the 'Crons could squeeze in a lot of these two units. It didn't even have the traditional weaknesses of Flyer-Heavy armies of 6th Edition usually had, as Scarabs and Canoptek Spiders were very easy to hide, minimising the odds of the army being tabled on turn one. As 6th Edition continued and factions gradually got access to actual Anti Aircraft options this died down, but it remained strong for the rest of 6th. 7th Edition finally put the Scythewing to a gradual rest, as changes to how objectives were scored, and the 7th ed codex upping the cost of Nightscythes/making Tesla no longer work on Snapshots put an damper on Necron destruction.

* '''Necron Pimpmobiles:''' The Catacomb Command Barge was infamously durable and only got moreso at the start of 7th. [[Cheese|Due to numerous rulings, taking a Phase Field gave both the Necron Lord AND the Barge a 3++]], [[RAGE|While making a successful Reanimation Protocols would bring back both the Lord, as well as the Barge at full Hull Points]]! Changes to how the Phylactery and Phase Field worked in 7th did a lot to tone the Barge to more realistic levels though it still remained a powerful unit so long as it did not come up against Destroyer weapons.

* '''Stormteks:''' The Storm Harbinger was a "free" swap for a Cryptek, that traded out its Staff of Light for a Voltaic Stave. As opposed to the S5 AP 3 3-shot weapon that the Staff of Light was, the Voltaic Stave was a 4-shot 12" Haywire projector. In 5th edition, this wasn't too dangerous but was annoying for stunlocking enemy vehicles. [[Anal Circumference|When 6th edition added Hull Points and changed how Glancing Hits worked, the Voltaic Stave became better than a Meltagun for tearing apart enemy vehicles; it was common for a Scythewing to run as multiple units of "5 Warriors, 2 Storm Harbingers" for them to drop down and zap enemy units to pieces. The Stormtek was eradicated with extreme prejudice with the 7th Cron codex.

* '''The Decurion:''' The 7th Edition Necrons got largely toned down from how they were at the start of 6th Edition. However, they would go back up to complete cheese in the same book. You see, GeeDubs had this great idea - what if we let people take armies that consisted...of nothing but Formations? Enter the Decurion, a force organization that would forever change the face of warfare for all the 7th Edition Codexes going forwards. This formation offered several, powerful bonuses to the Necrons - with individual formations granting rules like enhanced Reanimation Protocols for example. It would also make every Codex released prior to Necrons suffer from being severely underpowered for the rest of the Edition. The worst part was that every book after the Necrons had Decurions of their own, some more powerful than others but all of them making more traditional forces obsolete.

* '''The Orikanstar:''' The assorted changes to Reanimation Protocols and the introduction of the Decurion were both powerful upgrades for Necrons, but Orikan the Diviner also got a nice buff. Aside from being able to transform to have the statline of a C'tan Shard, his main ability was that he granted all models in his unit that had the Reanimation Protocols rule the ability to reroll 1s on all their Saves. Not just Armor Saves, but all Saves. Combined with Lychguard getting a point reduction and their Shields granting a 3++, this became a notoriously difficult unit to remove, and one whose defenses couldn't be debuffed by a Culexus. However, it wasn't until this unit took Zahndrekh that it became notoriously more powerful: [[Cheese|"Hit and Run" was a common ability used by tournament armies and Orikan effectively gave his unit Initiative 4 for the test, letting what should be a "slow" and frail unit pinball across the map to cap objectives and slay backfield units like.]] [[Anal Circumference|However, it was also common to swap out the Lychguard for Wraiths from a Canoptek Harvest, for extra threat range and the ability to destroy Knights with a pile of Rending attacks]].

===Space Marines===
*'''[[Chapter Master Smashfucker]]:''' Smashfucker is a character build for the [[Iron Hands]] that went through several revisions as 6th and 7th edition came along, starting from 6th ed Codex: Space Marines, getting a proper birth in Clan Raukaan, but ultimately reaching his ultimate form in the 7th edition Space Marines/Angels of Death codex and supplement. Smashfucker was a beatstick, an immovable rock and irresistable force in one that with enough buffs could beat most things into a pulp.

*The [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marines(7E)#Dataslate_Formations|Skyhammer Annihilation Force]], a Space Marine dataslate formation. Two Devastator squads in drop pods that ignore Drop Pod Assault, and two Assault Squads with jump packs. The devs are Relentless on the turn they Deep Strike, and the assault squads can charge immediately.

* [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marines(7E)#Gladius_Strike_Force|Gladius Strike Force]]: Space Marines' detachment-size formation. Anything in a Battle Demi-Company is Objective Secured, and any Drop Pods, Rhinos and Razorbacks taken as dedicated transport have their base cost reduced to 0 if you take two demi-companies.

===Space Wolves===

*'''The Barkbarkstar:''' Fenrisian Wolves were relatively cheap, at 8 points per model for a Beast unit with Marine statlines, but with a 6+ armor save. By themselves, they were mostly an escort of throwaway bodies for a Thunderwolf Lord. However, the real cheese came from the Fenrisian Hunting Pack, which allowed for 5 units of Fenrisian Wolves to be merged together into a blob of up to 75 Wolves. Such a huge unit could gain incredible mileage from stacking buffs on it, but the real piece de resistance was attaching Grand Commander Azrael of the Dark Angels to the unit. Azrael granted the entire unit a 4+ Invulnerable Save, while being able to choose the Warlord Trait that granted the unit Feel No Pain while within 3" of an Objective (the unit was large enough to practically cover the entire map).

===Tau Empire===

*'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Tau(7E)|The Entirety of 6th and 7th Edition Tau]]''': This part is debatable, because Tau had weak troops (not that anyone used them, and Farsight had his Crisis suits as troops), bad leadership, and were bad at "playing the mission" due to generalized fragility (battlesuits are anything but "fragile", but not exactly tough for their points-value), but this was made up for by numerous items detailed below and generally great synergy. That said, minimaxed mono-Tau lists were great at wiping the table of almost any list, making them the bane of the local game store, if not necessarily the tournament scene due to lack of psychic powers/defense from those.

*'''Markerlights:''' The Tau Empire had access to cost effective cover removal and Markerlights, allowing them to do things like increasing their to hit rolls for Overwatch (though they were chiefly used to remove cover). The fact that Markerlights only required a To Hit roll to apply their effects cheesed the onions of many players on the receiving end. Not a game-breaking mechanics per se, but it compensated the only thing holding Tau ''horrendous'' firepower back - their mediocre BS. Oh, and with so many Ignores Cover options (not all of them from Marketlights) it was sometimes faster to just remove marked unit that had no invulnerable without resolving the hits from an actual attack - most Imperial Guard infantry squads, for example, had virtually no chance to survive.

*'''Interceptor:''' 6th Edition brought back Overwatch...as a weakened form of WHFB Stand and Shoot. It also made Interceptor a Special Rule available to some units: A unit with Interceptor could at the end of the opponent's Movement Phase, shoot at an enemy unit that had entered from Reserves. Unlike 2nd Edition, this did not require forfeiting shooting during your prior Shooting Phase, but your *next* Phase. Very few armies got access to this, but Tau could give [[Wat|each and every one of their Battlesuits this ability for the price of a Melta Bomb]], [[Rage|thus letting said Suits shoot in their turn, shoot when the enemy tried to appear from Reserves, then hightail it to safety in the Tau player's next turn.]] Oh, and it combined nicely with the ability to give those battlesuits Skyfire, blasting enemy aircraft from the sky the moment it entered play. Thanks to this, Tau were the only army able to reliably table dreaded Flytyrant list.

*'''Riptide:''' The Riptide was introduced in 6th Edition, as a Jetpack Monstrous Creature. It came with a Primary and Secondary, and was about as tough as a Dreadknight on paper. However, while the Dreadknight was primarily a melee unit (with some gun options), the Riptide mainly existed as a shooting platform that could give Tau the option for the occasional Linebreaker or finisher assault. Its main draw however was the Nova Reactor: You could pick a bonus from four options and roll a D6. On a 3+ you got the bonus, while you lost a wound otherwise. In practice, since one of the four options was to upgrade the Riptide's Invulnerable Save from 5++ to 3++, [[derp|you statistically took less wounds from Nova-Charging your Shields than from your opponent shooting you unshielded.]] In addition, the Riptide's Drones allowed it to be treated as a Unit, thus making it a Monstrous Creature that could be joined by Independent Characters, such as a Buffmander (a Tau Commander optimised to hand out supporting buffs to Units he joins) or perhaps more infamously, a character like a Space Marine Librarian or Eldar Farseer, who got a big meat shield to protect themselves while they in turn buffed the Riptide with access to the Divination table, or Space Marine Captain (eliminating close combat weakness) with Storm Shield that allowed him to tank wounds with 3++ using Riptides T saving Nova reactor of the latter for more dakka. All of this for a relatively paltry sum of points that made it cheaper than a squad of Terminators, and it didn't cost much more due to the inexpensiveness of it's upgrades. As a result, the "Triple Riptide" (or Triptide) became a common 6th Ed build, becoming less prevalent in 7th due to general scoring changes. However, the Riptide would be largely untouched for 7th Edition, remaining a very strong unit that practically made all other options in the same slot obsolete (At least until the Ghostkeel became a thing).
**'''The Riptide Wing:''' And then the Riptide Wing came out for 7th. This Formation simply required you take 3 units of Riptides, with no extra tax. In exchange, the Formation got three obscene bonuses: If a Riptide unit from the Formation was near its buddies, it could reroll the Nova Reactor, it could get +1 BS when shooting an enemy unit shot at by another Riptide unit from the formation in the same Phase, but the real fondue was that once per game, the Formation could perform a Hailfire Attack: Any Riptides that did not move in the preceding Movement Phase could shoot twice in that Shooting Phase. This formation was "no tax" for already-good units while eliminating two of their only real weaknesses (marginal damage without Markerlight support, unreliable Nova Power). That said, the sheer power of the Riptide Wing meant that this Formation was commonly used to support an Eldar army.

*'''Farsight Enclaves:''' This was the next logical step for Tau Cheese. It had access to several very good formations (most notably The Eight, a Formation of Independent Characters unique in that you could take some or all of it's members, who in turn got some of the best relics from this supplement and the OG Tau Empire Codex and allowed you to '''have two unique relics''' in a single army as members of the Eight didn't count for 1 per army relic limitation. Bears mentioning Riptide was also an Independent Character, so even in 7th edition it could be joined by Buffmander) as well as removing a key weakness of the Tau on paper, its weaksauce selection of Troops Choices. Instead of Fire Warriors or Kroot, now you could take Crisis Suits as Troops choices! This allowed for even further Min-Maxing, which capitalised on some of the other problems listed above. Compounding this, in 6th Edition it was perfectly legal to take a Tau Empire Force and a Farsight Enclaves force, and the two treated each other as Battle Brothers (meaning there were no penalties).

*'''The Firebase Support Cadre:''' Introduced in 6th, the Firebase Support Cadre was the OG Formation. Two units of 3 Broadsides and a Riptide teamed up, getting [[Cheese|Tank Hunter and Preferred Enemy(Space Marines)]]. This was a popular Formation for Necrons.

*'''The Optimized Stealth Cadre:''' The last real rage-inducer, the OSC had a Ghostkeel unit and two units of Stealth Suits. Any units from the Formation near the Ghostkeel got +1 BS, Ignore Cover, and automatically hit the Rear Armor of enemy vehicles. The OSC basically said "Flanking? Meh." That said, Stealth Suits were generally seen as a tax for this formation, which was mostly taken for the upgraded Ghostkeel(s).

===Tyranids===

Well, you see, Tyranids had bad codexes back in 6th and 7th edition. They were so bad Tyranid players still hate [[Robin_Cruddace|Threadheads]] guts, but they also had the power to create one list to rule them all...

*'''Flytyrant list:''' aka [[Flying Circus]]. You take 3 Tyrants with wings and Devourers with brainleech worms, 3 Crones, Spore Mines as Troops and Venomthrope to allow them to live through the first turn. The trick is Flying Monster Creatures were able to start on the board in 6th and 7th, but not begin in Swooping mode, therefore being hit not only on 6's. However, they still could Jink, and Venomthrope upped that save to 2+, enabling you to live through first enemy turn, reach to the sky and blast enemy below with impunity, while also being virtually unhittable, and even Invisibility-spam couldn't save from Vector-strike autohits. It was not unheard of for people to outright refuse to play with this list on tournaments. Shield of Baal even introduced formation that was basically this list, but weaker.

== 8th Edition ==

===T'au===

*'''For The Greater Good:''' Your entire army gets shared overwatch and with the T'au sept trait can overwatch on 5+. This is pretty much a 2nd shooting phase, and pretty much ensures that T'au armies will remain static firewarrior gunlines for the remainder of 8th edition

*'''Savior Protocols:''' No T'au player worth his salt shows up without at least 20 Shield Drones these days, and you have to kill every single one of them before you can even hope to scratch their precious Rapetides.

===Eldar/Ynnari Soup===

Ironically, in what may be a case of "is it the army or is it the tournament format," the Eldar did better at LVO 2018 than they did in any 7th edition LVO tournament. Although many other aspects about why they are so powerful are being debated, there is a general consensus on what is problematic:

*'''Hard to Hit:''' The Alaitoc Craftworld grants the "-1 to be hit vs attacks >12 away" bonus that is associated with Alpha Legion and Raven Guard. Unlike Space Marines however, their entire detachment gains this bonus including vehicles; not only that, but Eldar in general have a Psychic Power to grant a -1 to-hit buff, a Stratagem to do the same, and several of their units have such an ability just because. Further making Alaitoc harder to actually hit is the fact that their unique Stratagem can be used on Rangers (which normally get taken anyway to "push back" the deep strike deployment bubble) to make it so you can only hit them on 6s.

*'''Not as Penalized going Second:''' Eldar are currently the only "main" faction (excluding Thousand Sons or other "secondary" factions) with a codex that has a Reserve stratagem that is not dependent on taking a specific subfaction. Rather than having to take Tallarn or Alpha Legion or Jormugandr, any Eldar can Webway Assault without issue. Furthermore, they have a superior equivalent of the Auspex Stratagem, which helps further protect them against Deepstrike. Said stratagem can be used against any DSer and not just those that land within 12", and does not have a -1 to-hit penalty; however, said penalty is moot since it the Stratagem tends to be used by the below.

*'''Dark Reapers are reliable when other units aren't:''' Dark Reapers are the only long-range unit that innately ignores all hit modifiers in the game, while having two firing modes that can either reliably mow down 2-wound models or blow up heavy armor. Their leader is armed with the equivalent of two Guard Mortars, if those Mortars could hit on an unmodified 3+ rerolling ones and had a -2 save mod. Furthermore, a Stratagem exists that lets an Eldar unit make a 7" move after shooting.

*'''Soup and Free Actions:''' Ynnari are infamous for getting extra "out-of-phase" actions, and despite Strength from Death being nerfed so you can use each type of action once (and only once) on your game turn, they give Eldar extra utility in general. However, the real issue with Ynnari is that if you take at least one battleforged Craftworld Detachment, the Craftworld Ynnari gain access to Craftworld Stratagems, including all Craftworld-specific ones. This means if you took an Alaitoc Craftworld Eldar detachment, Saim-Hann Shining Spears in a Ynnari detachment would have access to the Saim-Hann Stratagem, a Biel-Tan Spiritseer could take the Spirit Stone of Anathlan, etc.

*'''The Fondue:''' All of this resulted in a scenario where an Alaitoc army took several small units of Rangers to screen several two Wave Serpents, lots of small Dark Reaper units, and an allied Ynnari detachment which took a block of 10 Dark Reapers. If going second, the Eldar player could hide the Reapers in the Serpents and wait it out; alternately, the large block of Reapers could pop out of a Wave Serpent, shoot twice (the equivalent of 20 Krak Missiles or 40 Starshot Missiles), then Fire and Fade back into the Serpent before they could be targeted. Soulburst could let a Ynnari caster use Quicken to reposition an Eldar unit as well, while a unit of Shining Spears ran inference while acting as the equivalent of Bike Terminators (Protect turning their save into 2+/3++). Wheras in the 2016 LVO (which gave the "Strength 6 Intensifies" meme) where 3 of the top 8 lists were Eldar, 5 of the 8 were Eldar in 8th. Oops.

*'''The Tournament Format itself:''' It's no big secret that the ITC Format and Mission packages heavily favour armies like the Eldar due to how the scoring for missions works. Eldar have always been one of the better armies for "just playing the mission" and over the years they have become very good at this alongside being able to eliminate scoring units very efficiently (Ynnari are effectively a hard counter to MSU lists in general thanks to all of the bonus actions). It's very easy to pick a bunch of Secondary Missions that the Ynnari can very easily and reliably score, and with all the extra actions that the Ynnari get? It's very easy to build up an insurmountable lead. Compare to playing just a regular pick up game of 40k with a list designed to exploit and abuse the ITC format? The lists tend to be far less dominant compared to the armies that are strongest when playing the regular Warhammer 40k format. Would an overhaul of the Format cripple the Ynnari for ITC Tournaments? No, of course not, but it would be disingenuous to ignore the Tournament Format as a reason why the Ynnari were so dominant at the 2018 LVO, especially when combined with the above.

===Imperial Guard===
'''[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Guard(8E)|The Entirety of 8th Edition Imperial Guard]]'''. Remember Eldar and Tau in 7th Edition? Yep, that's the Imperial guard right now. Between blobs of dirt-cheap Conscripts flooding the board (thankfully nerfed into uselessness), and bringing down everything through sheer volume of fire, or deep-striking Scions shoved full of Plasma or Melta as well as the best tanks in the game, and most point efficient troops choice in the game in the Infantry Squad. Like Eldar, Tau and Necrons in 7th, it's pretty bad when the only way to beat them is saying "Fuck you, I'm not playing against Imperial Guard". Or by just bringing Guilliman, who himself has his own entry below;

Now they have a new Codex. Let us see the highlights:

*Bullgryns in general. They changed the wording for slab shields - instead of giving the unit a flat 2+ armor save, they give you +2 to all your save rolls. So if you field A Custode Vexilla, who has an aura that gives 5++ invuln, slab shields improve it to a 3++. So now they are a 2+/3++ unit. And you can take it further, with the psychic power psychic ward they get an additional +1 saves so now they are at 1+/2++ and finally with the 1CP stratagem Take Cover they get an additional save in the enemy shooting phase. Enjoy your 0+/1++ (it is important to note that ones always fail however) Bullgryn-Custode deathstar of doom that requires two Smites per Bullgryn to wear down.

*HQ units can take a Relic that lets them regain spent CP on a 5+ because of course they can. Remember that the Imperial Guard are second to Chaos Daemons in cheapest Brigade Regiments in the game so if you are somehow below 12 CP you are optimising your list wrong.

*Cadians. General Rerolls of 1 for standing still, having a 2 pt stratagem that boosts their hit rate by 1 for targeting one thing of you choice so amazing for Superheavies and 40man boy squads, and then there are the Leman Russes, as not only do they also get rerolls of 1 but also have Pask who for only 10 Points more than a regular Tank Commander can do an additional order, including one for the tanks that allow them to re roll the amount of shots they get with the turret, hits on fucking 2s

*Mordians. One Mordian strategem lets you spend 1CP to give any unit exploding dice on a 6 to hit. This is ANY weapon, so have fun giving it to Mortar Teams or units stuffed full of <strike>Flamers</strike> (Flamers Auto hit) or a Leman Russ Punisher.... They also have an Order that lets units with lasguns target characters directly, pretty much making them the only counter to the Imperial Guard. It's bad when the only counter to an army is to play that army yourself.

*Valhalla can [[Skaven |fire into melee combat without any penalty other than hitting friendly units on a 1 to-hit]]. Flamers don't roll to hit. Or you could just issue the order to a heavy Weapons team and use your Conscripts like Skavenslaves... [[Commander Kubrik Chenkov |Conscript blob died? You can spend 2CP and some reinforcement points to bring them right back]] in an army where you are guaranteed a Brigade detachment for most games. Before it was FAQ'd you didn't even have to spend reinforcement points to do this in Matched Play.

*Vostroya has an order that allows them to shoot any weapon in close combat. They this includes Grenades, Flamers, you heavy Weapons teams...Oh and they can spend CP to add +1 to their hit rolls in the shooting phase meaning that all Plasma Weapons are safe to supercharge.

(<s>Note the last 4 points are army traits, so you can only take one of the four</s>) Two or more Detachments can take different Army Traits. Have fun!

No doubt [[Robin Cruddace|He]] had a part in this.

*crusaders, teamed up with a primaris psyker and ministorum priest, packed into a valkyrie. This combo will have them dumped as far as 29 inches away (though no closer to enemy models than 3 inches)essentially giving you a virtually garanteed first turn charge. Futhermore when buffed by a priest they will have 3 attacks each, rerolling hits on the charge. A full squad will be delivering an average of 27 hits per turn though only S3. They also have significant staying power with psykic barrier adding 1 to all saves giving these guys a 2++ save.if you fail the psykic power you can also use take cover! To get the 2++ from shooting attacks. Use a command point reroll and grand strategist reroll to save the couple casualties you may eventually take or just heal one back next turn with AoF. You can also bring along an inquistor and cast mental fortitude to keep these tough (and expensive) guys from falling back, or use terrify for true rage induction to deny overwatch on that first turn chage you just got. TL:DR: when comboed, thet get first turn charges, kill everything and then refuse to die.

===Space Marines===

====[[Ultramarines]]====
Have all of the best Marine toys plus a number of game breaking Chapter abilities. First all Ultramarine units can literally walk out of Close Combat and keep firing, making assault orientated armies useless against them. Second they can regain any spent Command Points on a 5+ so really can spam those Re-Rolls.This is before we even get into what Rowboat can do to your army... Falling back from combat and still being able to fire isn't as useful as it first seems, firstly there is a -1 to hit penalty for doing so but in most situations you'll have lost enough of the squad in the previous combat for the unit to be nonthreatening. You don't take the blue boys for their chapter tactic, but for the below.

=====[[Roboute Guilliman]]=====
Any keyword '''Imperium''' unit within 12" adds 1 to advances and charges, re-roll hits of 1 and can re-roll failed morale tests, meaning you can spam the '''fuck''' out of stupidly cheap [[Imperial Guard]] Plasma.

'''Ultramarines''' units within 6" re-rolls of failed hit and wound rolls as well. Guilliman himself is affected by his own aura, allowing him to add 1 to charges and advances as well as re roll failed hits and wounds. If all that wasn't enough if your army is battleforged you get 3 extra CP.). [[That Guy |It's not unusual to see him sat in the middle of a pile of Assault Cannon Razorbacks with Lascannon Squads inside, and Stormravens tossed in for good measure. Or sat behind a huge wall of Hellblasters]].

Guilliman himself is a beast in close combat, with a 3++, 9 Wounds and 6 S6, AP-4 3 Damage attacks with 6's adding d3 Mortal Wounds. He also has a Power Fist with no to hit penalty because of course he fucking does. He also revives on a 4+ with 1d6 Wounds back so good luck killing this fucker for good unless you literally send hordes of Fire Dragons or Scions after him. And even then he's just going to get back up and murder whatever downed him next turn.

So for all of this he must be expensive, right? Even Wraithknights must be cheap compared to-[[What |what he only costs 400 points?!]] Yeah. So, barring restrictions, it's possible to take him in [[Fail |500 point games...]], and is one of the few LoW choices that can be. There are countless batreps out there of him taking on entire armies alone and just crushing them.

Basically Ultramarines, and Imperium by extension, shoot better than any other army, fight better than any other army and are all but immune to morale thanks to this unbalanced cunt.

====[[Raven Guard]]====
Anything shooting at the Raven Guard are shooting at -1 to hit if outside of 12", and they can spend CP to allow infantry to Deep Strike just before Turn 1. This pretty much guarantees that you will always be going first with your Aggressors dropping in right next to an opponent without having counted as moved.

Oh and their Warlords are immune to Overwatch so [[MURDERWINGS]] is back, and it's cheaper to do than just taking Shrike.

====[[Chapter Master Smashfucker]]====
Smashfucker is back and broken as ever. Take an Iron Hands Captain on Bike with a Thunder Hammer and Shield Eternal and the Iron Resovle Warlord trait. The result is a stupidly mobile Beatstick with 7 Wounds and a 3+/3++/6+++/6++++. Plus unlike Girlyman, an Apothecary can heal him.

===Chaos Daemons===

[[Chaos Daemons]] are one of two armies in the game that can fill multiple Brigade Detachments in a normal match thanks to Brimstone Horrors (the other is Imperial Guard). Plus they can cherry pick the Guard's best units via the Renegades faction, and the Chaos Space Marines best toys and characters due to the Chaos keyword.

===Adeptus Custodes Doombike===

[[Adeptus Custodes]] are very hard to kill in general, but if you're really intent on feeding off your enemy's impotent rage then you can build a nice little Doombike. Take a Shield Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike as your warlod and give him the '''Auric Aquilas''' Relic which gives him a 3+ Invulnerable save (as well as the ability to re-roll failed charge rolls). Next give him the '''Superior Creation''' Warlord Trait which gives him a 5+ FnP. Top that with the '''Victor of the Blood Games''' Stratagem right at the start of the game that allows him to re-roll a failed hit/wound or '''save roll''' per turn!

This results in a highly mobile '''character''' (which means he cant be shot at if hes not the closest target, so with clever positioning as with all characters, it will take an eternity until he even gets hit once) that has 7W, 6T, 2+/3++/5++ with the ability to re-roll one save per turn outside of command re-rolls. Besides that he is extremly mobile, meaning he will extremly hard to outmaneuver by your enemy and he is in an army that already soaks up so much firepower like nothing... ''If'' he is caught in a ''bad fight for him'', he can always disengage using his '''FLY''' keyword. Against Mortal Wounds in the Psi phase he has his Custodes standard 6+ save as well. And with all that, he is very good in close combat and very good at shooting too...!

For about 180 points quite a steal...

Get out of here, [[Smashfucker]], you've been dethroned!

===Autarch Skyrunner===

No, really.

On the opposite end of the Spectrum, [[MURDERWINGS |the Eldar are able to make an obscenely fast character that is less durable than the above, but is more mobile and hits even harder]]. 125 Points (using the Xenos 1 Index - this loadout is no longer available in the Codex) gets you a Jetbike character with 6W, T4, and 4 S6 AP3-, D2 Attacks (Hitting on 2+, Re-Rolling 1's) on the Charge (only S3 when not on the charge) that is immune to Overwatch, has a 3+/4++ (Can be boosted to 2+/3++ if a Warlock Protects them) 16" movement. They also have 4 Shuriken shots, a Meltagun shot (that they can snipe characters with, with the right trait) as well on top of all of this, as well as access to a stratagem that lets them Fall Back and Charge for one turn (for 2 command points). They also can pick a Relic that gives them a blanket -1 to hit with access to a Stratagem that can make that -2 (costs 2CP and lasts for a single shooting or fight phase) with the potential to boost that up to a -3 with a warlock casting conceal or even -4 if 12" away for Alaitoc. You can also make him more effective at shredding infantry with the Blazing Star of Vaul, if you swap out the wargear that gives -1 to hit.

So lets look at how silly the Variants are:

*'''Saim-Hann:''' With the Right Warlord Trait and Novalance, (you lose your -1 to hit, though), but you are now up to 5 S8 AP-2, D2 attacks, D4 on any 6's to wound, 5's if a Warlock casts Enhance on them. Combine this with the Supreme Disdain Stratagem and they also Explode on 5's. Oh and you can advance and charge for 1CP though you are likely reserving that strat for the huge Shining Spear blob with them. Cast Empower on him for a flat +1 to wound and even Imperial Knights are suffering critical existence failure.

*'''Ynnari''': Everything the default Autarch gets but the ability to move twice, charge again, shoot twice or attack twice. As mentioned in the Soup section, these free actions are incredibly powerful themselves, and the Autarch can benefit from the majority of the Bonus actions that Strength from Death can can grant. There's a very good reason why lists at LVO basically spammed these guys. With the Shuriken Catapult and Laser lance hits after charging, and they can easily charge twice per turn.

Looks like [[MURDERWINGS]] didn't vanish, he just ran off to race the Space Elves.

*Celestine do all that, but better

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]] [[Category:Gamebreaking]] [[Category:Warhammer 40000 Tactics]]