Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Adeptus Custodes (section)

==Unit Analysis==
Common keywords are {{W40Kkeyword|IMPERIUM}}, and {{W40Kkeyword|ADEPTUS CUSTODES}}.

===HQ===

*'''Shield-Captain:''' Your standard HQ and a fairly good one. For 99 points (with spear) you get a melee monster packing that sweet Custodes statline with 6 Wounds and 5 attacks. He has the Aegis of the Emperor and Inspirational Fighter special rules, the latter being your usual "re-roll of 1 to hit to all {{W40Kkeyword|ADEPTUS CUSTODES}} units within 6" aura. You can gear him with a Guardian spear, Castellan axe, Sentinel blade/Storm shield combo and can always supplement this with a Misericordia.
**'''Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armor:''' The <s>fat</s> <s>TANKY</s> <s>fat</s> THICC version of the previous guy. Same stat line with an extra Wound, but you get the signature Balistus grenade launcher and From Golden Light special rule from the Allarus Terminators (for only 10 points more than the vanilla version at 109 points). You lose the Sentinel blade/Storm shield option, but the Eagle's Eye can fill in for it without making you give up any offensive capability. (Here's the humongous golden terminator daddy you've always wanted.)
**'''Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike:''' This Pimpstodes is a Shield-Captain with the usual +1 Wounds and Toughness bonuses and 14" move from the Dawneagle jetbike. His wargear options are limited to the Interceptor lance and misericordia, but who cares? You will hit harder than any Castellan axe on the charge and you can take the Auric Aquila relic for a 3++ save while looking so goddamn metal. Consider this popular build for smashing and fuckering: [[Chapter_Master_Smashfucker#8TH_EDITION:_CAPTAIN_SMASHFUCKER_GOES_BANANA|Captain-Commander Smashfucker]]
**'''Captain-Commander:''' With WotS, Your Shield-Captain can now be buffed for 1CP to make him a Captain-Commander. This nets him a trait along the lines of WLTs. Thought that VotBG Jetbike Captain was tough before? Hows 2 more wounds sound? Or maybe some double-damage, or bonus attacks on 6s, to really bring the pain. On top of that and for another 1CP you can give him a unique, as in not used by anyone else, WLT from those rightly available to your detachment. This stacks more power behind a single model, but he'll be an absolute bruiser. 
====Named Characters====
*'''Captain-General Trajann Valoris:''' Your [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESBXOOMi7SE&t=2m40s big boss.] With a Shield-Captain’s stat line, 7 Wounds, Ld10 and a 3+ invulnerable save, he is no slouch. His Watcher's Axe is a S:10 AP: -3 castellan axe (whose shooting is also boosted to S5) and his Legendary Commander ability is an aura granting rerolls of 1 to hit and to wound to all {{W40Kkeyword|ADEPTUS CUSTODES}} units within 6" of him. You should take him if you can, since with the new Chapter Approved, he now costs just 180pts, which makes him incredibly cost-effective.
** Oddly enough, Trajann can’t hold his own in combat very well when fighting a character who can reduce their damage intake - Typhus, for example, and Abby (though the fight is completely flipped on its head if you use ‘attacks explode on 4+ against Black Legion’ strat) will destroy him, as will Draigo and Lysander (but that’s due to the fact they hit at S10 and have storm shields). He can take Guilliman with a bit(a lot) of luck but that’s only if he attacks first and uses the MS to attack again, for that you're better off sending your jet bike death star at him to kill his padding and girlyman.
** He also carries something called the Moment Shackle that can do one of the following once per game:
**# Restore d3 wounds lost on the phase it's used (but not if he's been killed). Use it to shore him up if he gets caught in a nasty crossfire, or to ensure that he survives the next round of combat against the enemy's warlord.
**# Allow him to fight a second time at the end of the Fight Phase. A little situational, as unless he's facing your opponent's warlord or something really tough that'll kill you next turn (like a Primarch) his extra round may end up being overkill.
**# Regain up to D3 CP after using a Stratagem, although it can't restore more than the amount used to activate the Stratagem. From Golden Light They Come is an excellent candidate for this- at full blast, it costs 3 CP and you can then plan around your remaining regained CP before the battle has even begun. As an army starving for CP due to how expensive all the good stuff is, this will likely be the option you choose if you don't bring detachments from other Imperial forces, as we have many great 2/3 CP stratagems and mitigating any heavy CP spending is invaluable.
**#* Be warned, however, if using the Moment Shackle for regaining CP, Trajann needs to be on the board to use it. This means if you want the CP back from the Golden Light stratagem, he can't be part of the deep striking unit, nor in reserve or means of transport. Bummer.

*'''Shield-Captain Valerian:''' Character from the Watchers of the Throne novel. Features a Shield-Captain statline, an S7 Guardian Spear, and a once-per-game re-roll to Hit (which is useless in most cases as he rerolls hits anyway), Wound, or Damage. Pending updates promised by Psychic Awakening, also unplayable in literally any army and not simply because he costs '''more than Valoris''' for a single-use ability that every Salamanders unit gets ''every phase'', worse melee, shooting, defence, and no Moment Shackle. Instead, it is because he must be taken in the same unit as Aleya (the new SoS HQ - the two deploy in the same manner as Lieutenants and Armigers).
**Also worth noting that the points cost is meant to be the combined cost, rather than per model, since the power level of the unit (aka, both of them) is 10, the same as Valoris who is 185 points.

*'''Tanau Aleya:''' Valerian's Bff. One of the narrators of the Watchers of the Throne novel, Aleya is essentially a normal sister with the normal character buffs to the hit rolls, wounds, and attacks stats (in her case, this translates to WS 2+, A4, and W5). She is armed with the Somnus Blade, essentially just a normal executioner greatblade. As a Witch Hunter she can re-roll wounds against Psyker units in melee, and as a Psychic Abomination she can't be targeted by psychic abilities. Fairly expensive (as in, 188-points-kind-of-expensive; this is also more than Valoris, if you were wondering) for what she does, and right now still crippled by (in-game) her T3, 3+ save and lack of an invuln making her the definition of a glass cannon.
**Because of the sisters' null rule, Aleya can't protect your golden boys from smite unless they're in front of them. Unfortunately, this directly clashes with the under-10-wounds character rule. This means if you try to use Aleya, she'll need her own bodyguard of Sisters with her due to avoid her getting shot to hell. Which defeats the point of having her. Hopefully GW change her null rule to an aura instead in the Psychic Awakening book, because otherwise she'll be tough to use.
***You could sit a {{W40kKeyword|Aquilan Shield}} unit like a Telemon right behind her and use Shield of Honor on her however weather this is worth using 1CP and a Dreadnought is up to you

===Troops===
*'''Custodian Guard Squad:''' 3-10 custodians. Deep striking is back, so the Venerable Land Raider isn't quite the necessity it used to be. As far as load-outs are concerned, with the new wounding system + how powerful invulnerable saves are now you might want to go for either a mix of both weapons or a full unit of sword & shields. They're very expensive and also need transport if you would prefer to save the CP needed to deep strike but, in return, they will annihilate virtually anything in a golden storm of death if you get them into a fight. With the codex pumping them to a 2+/4++, the shield is no longer that necessary, but still nice if you want to make your opponent cry when they've only killed 1 or 2 models the first half of the game. Against most armies, you'll likely want spears. Against hordes, the sword and board may be a better choice. A good comprise for min squads is 2 spears, 1 shield - max melee potential while still having a 3+ invuln. to fall back to. The biggest weakness these guys have is hordes as they simply get overwhelmed by the number of dice rolls thrown at them and can't kill quickly enough. Once they get there the 2 pistol shots from the sentinel blades are also a lot more useful against gaunts, guardsmen and boys with their weak armor save essentially giving each Custodian 5 attacks in close combat (6 with the vexilla) which makes them better at dealing with hordes than their spear-wielding brethren.
**While your Vexilla bearer has been turned into an independent Character, the Vexilla Custodes banner is still usable via the Index entry. It grants a 6" radius bubble of Morale re-rolls for allied {{W40Kkeyword|IMPERIUM}} units and the unit it's in gains +1 Attack. At 25 points, it's not something you can just toss in without thinking about it, especially since the bearer is reduced to taking a Power Knife (not Misericordia, a ''Power Knife'', so no extra attack) and optionally a Storm Shield, and you can only take one in a given detachment. However, RAW, its Attack buff stacks with the Vexilla Imperius, so if you're building a melee squad and are trying to squeeze every last drop out of it, maybe give this a look.

*'''Custodian Guard with Adrasite and Pyrithite Spears<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' Previously an Elite slot, now Troops. Functionally regular old Custodians with Spears but replaced the bolter with one of two things. The Adrasite is an 18" Assault 1 S5 AP-3 D3 weapon. It's 3 points more than a Guardian Spear, but its more efficient at taking down primaries Grav like units, especially with Aggressors defines the space marine meta. The other, pricier (7 more than a spear) option is the Pyrithite Spear, which is a Guardian Spear with a god damn Melta attached. Great for after piling out of a Coronus to turn that troublesome Knight your opponent plopped down to slag. Just keep them out of sight; they may have Custodian durability, [[Distraction Carnifex|but the threat of BS 2+ Meltas are all but guaranteed to draw most of your enemy's fire for as long as they exist.]] Your are putting more points into a single model, but you get the ability to turn vehicles to slag - something Custodes have very few options for. They are still strong on the move as both guns are assault weapons and you are still Custodians with Spears when it comes to melee. If you don't have a Telemon or Land Raider they're arguably a must take.

*'''Sagittarum Custodians<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' Custodes with guns. Take the basic 40pts Custodian Guard and give him an Adrastus Bolt Caliver instead of a spear. The most recent buffs have finally given a reason to take them over the spears, since they are now combi-weapons the Disintegration beam deals a flat 3 damage. Besides, now that they're troops the Custodes have a dedicated objective holder for a Battalion. Unlike the 30k version, they also don't sap precious Heavy Support slots from Caladiuses or Telemons, meaning they can be used as a backup unit for a gun-line. They are 50 points per model opposed to 49 points base for spear Custodian Guard and not as effective in CC. You want them in the backfield to hold objectives but they can take Misericordias if you expect flank attacks. Better than the Custodian Guard? Not necessarily, but they perform different enough roles and they both succeed. A solid troops choice.

===Dedicated Transport===
*'''Coronus Grav-carrier<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' The new rules shifted it from a Heavy Support pick to a Dedicated Transport, I shit you not. This monster is now fully spammable, and it's only gotten better! Though it lost its FNP save, it's invuln went up to 5++, Gravitic Backwash now inflicts a -2 to incoming charges, it gained Power of the Machine Spirit AND got a massive price reduction on top of all this. In addition to its Twin Lastrum Bolt Cannon (+1S and AP over a regular Twin Heavy Bolter), it's main gun is a bit different now. The Burst mode is now a Twin Heavy Bolter with AP-2 and the Beam mode is now an interesting S7 AP-4 D3 gun that rerolls Wounds against {{W40Kkeyword|VEHICLES}}, as opposed to just being a massively over-costed Twin Lascannon. Can still carry only 6 of your {{W40Kkeyword|INFANTRY}}, but since you pretty much always take minimum sized squads anyways, that's not much of an issue.
*'''Null-Maiden Rhino''': Null-Maiden Rhinos lose the Psychic Abomination rule they had for the eleven minutes they existed in 7th but retain the other familiar features: smoke launchers, a storm bolter, the Repair attempt, and can take a hunter-killer missile. As mentioned above, almost necessary for Vigilators, as their Toughness of 3 isn't doing them any favors (power armor or not). Drop off the ladies, charge with the Rhino first to eat overwatch, and then have the Vigilators charge in to clean up. Also useful for obscuring sightlines and blocking off chokepoints, which helps keep your somewhat expensive, relatively fragile Sisters alive.

===Elites===

The majority of Custodian units are Elites, from Wardens to SuperDreads. Consequently, your main detachment will probably be the Vanguard, for +1 CP. If you want more CPs, better stock up on those £70/$120 10 man Guard squads.

*'''Custodian Wardens:''' Tougher Custodian Guard that get a 6+++ FnP and +1 A and Ld (for A4 and Ld9). You know, because all those invulnerable saves didn't make them tough enough to kill already. They also trade access to storm shields for access to the castellan axes, just in case you wanted an extra unit for tank/big thing hunting. They also have a compulsory Misericordia each, which allows you to make an additional attack using it. Good to finish off that one model on a single wound, without having to waste your more useful attacks.
**After Chapter Approved 2019, the difference in cost between a Spear Guard and a Warden is 3 points- from 49 to 52.  This means you take, at best, 16.67% less damage (less as incoming damage tends to exceed 3 - for example, a lascannon will deal about 6.67% less).  If you go MSU on both, the leadership difference won't matter, so the only other differences are in melee (the Warden has 33.33% more spear swings, plus a misericordia swing) - and you have no good way to get these guys there, so you ''should not'' be looking at these guys as dedicated melee.  Axes have a similar problem - they'll get you more melee bang for your buck against many opponents, but you're still paying more points for more melee output from something too slow to guarantee you melee on your terms. On the other hand...the entire army is dedicated melee anyway and they're no longer that much more expensive than a Custodian Guard squad.
**Check out the Forgeworld Orion Gunship and Coronus Grav-carrier, the vehicles are very expensive but so good that the extra threat per model of Wardens would be worthwhile in them.
**If you already have a Battalion, it may be worth using Vanguard detachments and Wardens instead of Custodian Guard Battalions. Though you increase in (minuscule) points per model and lose access to Sentinel Blades and Storm Shields in exchange for the buffs and Castellan Axes, you do reduce your HQ tax by one HQ, ultimately saving you space and points.
*'''Allarus Custodians:''' Custodians in Terminator Armor...with four wounds each and equipped with balistus grenade launchers in addition to their guardian spear/castellan axe...and can deep strike without needing the Stratagem to do so. Ouch. They're designated character killers, with Slayers of Tyrants allowing them to move up to 3" towards the nearest character when piling in and consolidating even if the character isn't the nearest enemy model.
**These guys can do some surprisingly strong work, since you don't need to pay any CP to deep strike them, and their guns aren't shit.  The key selling point is that the launcher is "free" (i.e. it's baked into their cost), so when they deep strike to get the launcher in range, one 77 point model shooting anything all 3 points of penetration will count against, such as a TEQ, will do the work of two spears at once - which would otherwise cost you more points, since you'd have to pay for someone to carry it.  Take Allarus Custodians if you want an elite unit to disrupt and distract enemies, with deep strike, that can hunt down Characters.
**These guys should really be Dread Host, 2 units deep striking with an allarus captain each rolling 3d6 on the charge discarding the lowest is a pretty terrifying threat particularly if your shield captain has Admonimortis.  
*'''Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought:''' Uber Contemptor dreadnought. It does dreadnought things but with a 5++  and the ability to ignore regular wounds on 6s (Being nearly as tough as some Nurgle followers) thanks to the '''Unyielding Ancient''' special rule. With the From Golden Light They Come stratagem, you can now deep strike these guys right up in your opponent's face and force them to deal with it.
**Your heaviest hitting non-FW melee unit coming in at S14 with its melee weapon, and although your army is hitting with at least S5 ap-2 D1 this is not enough to take big beasties like Magnus down in one or two rounds of melee. Its incredible durability also allows it to play the role of distraction Carnifex (most custodes units can play the role of a distraction Carnifex better than an actual Carnifex), especially as deep striking one of these behind enemy lines will guarantee that your opponent is distracted. Also useful for killing vehicles, since its multi-melta is a far cheaper alternative to bringing along a Land Raider.
*'''Vexilus Praetors:''' Like their Marine cousins, the Vexilla bearers are going it alone as Characters now. Makes a huge difference to the custodes as before your banner had to be part of a unit and the +1 attack only affected that unit, and now you're not limited to one per detachment anymore. They can also keep their weapon now and have the option to take a sword, axe, spear or storm shield. It can be taken wearing Allarus Terminator armor so you can deep strike that aura anywhere you want and also really take advantage of the Vexilla Teleport Homer stratagem. They lose their close combat weapon but get the grenade launcher and can still take a Misericordia. Gloss over the impossibility of the custodian being able to hold a Misericordia, Storm Shield, and the Vexilla all at one time while in combat, this is a setting where green things fix robots by whacking a piece of metal with a spanner. Unlike the Ancients, however, they get a choice of three different Vexillas, each of which costs various points values according to what they do.
**For 20 points, the '''Vexilla Imperius''' allows non-Vehicle Custodes within 6" to make an extra attack. Effectively the old banner but with an AOE effect, thereby making it superior as you can have it affect more than one unit.
**For 20 points, the '''Vexilla Defensor''' grants a 5++ invulnerable save against ranged weapons to all {{W40Kkeyword|Imperium}} {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} within 9". Redundant on your forces due to all the invulnerable saves you already have; on an allied force, on the other hand...well, you can figure it out.
***Those guardsmen begin to look very, very scary when they all have 5++ saves, not to mention 2+/3++ Bullgryns. The best way to add it would be in a separate detachment so that you can still use eg Astra Militarum in your other detachments.
***Take 2 (the Magnifica and the Defensor, upgrading the Magnifica to the relic version and you once again have guard blobs that won't go anywhere. This is a key unit in a guard custodes list arguably the most important one. If you can manage to keep those guard blobs around till the end of the game this would have been with it. 
**For 30 points, the [[Sanguinius|faaabulous]] '''Vexilla Magnifica''' forces the opponent to subtract 1 from all hit rolls in the shooting phase for attacks targeting Custodes units within 6" of the Vexilla. Whether you take this or the 6” +1 attack depends on how you're running your custodes, jetbikes, and spear-wielding units will benefit from the -1 to hit against shooting attacks most, while that squad of 10 storm shield bananas with swords, a 5-man warden squad with a Shield-Captain, or just any Allarus squad will annihilate anything with that +1 attack. Great if they're deep striking in with your Allarus Custodians, if they don't make their 9-inch charge at least they'll have some durability against enemy shooting next turn.

====Forge World====

*'''Aquilon Custodians:''' More traditionally armed Custodian Terminators, bringing a Lastrum Storm Bolter and a Solerite Power Gauntlet, which is a Chainfist with no -1 to hit. They have the option of taking a Solarite Power Claw instead, a +1S Lightning Claw with plus 1 attack, to cut their cost down a bit and can also swap the Bolter out for either a Twin Adrathic Destructor, a strange, expensive Assault 2 S5 AP-3 D3 weapon, or the Infernus Firepike a +1S Heavy Flamer with ''12" range''. And you can load up all 6 of these super bananas with them! Do what every terminator enthusiast has wet dreams about and deepstrike a half dozen super heavy flamers exactly where you want them to be and carbonize your opponent's entire infantry contingent and then proceed to charge their artillery piece to turn it into mulch with their power gauntlets. Oh, and you can still take a Misericordia on each, of course.
**The Aquilons are easily the most versatile and powerful infantry unit available to Custodes. Primaris Marines? Take the gauntlets and eventually some destructors. Hordes? Solerite talons and Firepikes are here for you. They are still quite expensive when fully geared, but they can get any job done if you use them well. With the new strat that doubles rapid fire shots for an infantry unit, their Storm Bolters are probably the better option over Firepikes now. Firepikes roll randomly for shots, but each terminator gets 8 Heavy Bolter Equivalent shots hitting on 2s and cost less in points. For one CP when they drop down, that's 40 shots with a squad of 5. 
*'''Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought:''' Though it may have lost the almighty D in its transition to 40k, the Achilus Dread still keeps its reputation as a melee monster. His shooting weapon, is a 24" Heavy 2 S8 AP-2 d3 D weapon, which means that in a pinch it can also provide some much needed anti-vehicle firepower as it gets close to the enemy; the 2 Lastrum Storm Bolters aren't quite as powerful (a Combi-Bolter with +1S and AP) but the extra shots never hurt, and actually help the Achillus put the hurt on GEQs and MEQs without needing to get up close and personal. You can replace either of the Storm Bolters with an Infernus Incinerator for 16pts or a twin-linked Adrathic destructor for 20pts. Anyway, once in melee this guy an absolute beast: it packs 4 attacks with S14 AP-3 d6 damage, where all damage rolls under 3 count as having rolled a 3. As a bonus, each time the fucker successfully charges, you can choose an enemy unit within 1"; on a 4+ it takes 1d3 mortal wounds. Deep strike it with From Golden Light They Come on turn 2, and it will fuck shit up in no time.
**At 140pts with the dreadspear and 2 Lastrum storm bolters, the Achillus is cheaper than a Venerable dread for a similar profile but much more hitting power.
*'''Contemptor-Exemplar Dreadnought:''' Achillus without a spear (yes, it can be built like that in 30k) with an upcoming weapon hand to boot. As usual it's a somewhat souped-up Contemptor, by default it comes with two normal dreadnought CCWs, but instead of regular Storm Bolters you get the Lastrum variant, which acts like a Storm Bolter (24" rapid-fire 2) firing Heavy Bolter shells (S5 AP-1), they lost their heliothermic detonation rule from Heresy, but that's to be expected since instant death and glancing/penetrating hits are a thing of the past. The Lastrum Storm Bolters can be replaced with normal heavy flamers, or fancy new plasma ejectors which are like plasma flamers (S7 AP-3 D6 auto hitting shots), no Adrathic destructors yet though. Additionally, you can swap out one of the CCWs for a Twin Las-Pulsar. Compared to a twin lascannon, it has 12" less range and only does d3 damage per shot, but compensates by being Heavy 2d3. The Las-Pulser is 60 points but due to the second CCW costing 10 points and the Lastrum Storm Bolter costing 5 it's effectively 45, you should definitely take it as it's one of this army's only sources of long-range heavy firepower, and unlike pretty much every other dread you get no bonus for having two CCWs anyway.
**Note this did NOT get an updated data sheet with the new rules, so while it retains its +2W, +1 Leadership, and better Explosion rule, you can still only have one per detachment. You also can't haul it in an Orion, so if you're planning on taking this as a melee beatstick, you'll likely have to use From The Golden Light They Come to get it where you want it quickly.
*'''Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought:''' The new dread on the block is a sword and board monster. Its Galatus Warblade functions both as a +1S Twin Heavy Flamer and as a 3 Damage Power Sword that gives you D3 extra attacks. Yep, old school ''Rampage'' is back baby! Its shield not only gives it 4++ but also inflicts a -1 to hit penalty on anyone attacking it in Melee. This combined makes it a fantastic candidate for either From The Golden Light They Come or the Dreadnought slot on an Orion, as it will be a dead weight until it can close with the enemy and has no business footslogging across the field.
**With its extra attacks, flamers and high resistance, the Galatus is the Dread you need to deal with hard-hitting units with T6 or less. S7 isn't enough to efficiently deal with monsters or vehicles but okay for everything else, so use it as an anchor to dissuade TEQs from coming too close.

====Sister of Silence====
*'''Prosecutors:''' Imagine a Sisters of Battle Celestian squad with no acts of faith, but who can shut down Psykers by pure genetics rather than a whole lot of faith, and you'll have an idea of what Prosecutors can do. Power Armoured veteran ladies with Bolters and Psyk-Out Grenades. No bolt pistols or option for any special/heavy weapon, but they do have a 7" movement range, meaning you can move around the battlefield as quickly as Eldar. 
**Prosecutors have "Prosecution Protocols," which is a rule the other Silent Sisters do not have, giving them the ability to shoot at Psyker Characters even if they are not the closest unit. This is especially good against Psyker heavy armies such as Eldar, who can hide their warlocks, and more importantly, spirit and Farseers, behind squads of Guardians. 
**These girls are probably most useful for you as Custodians, as they allow you to take down at least a couple of the enemy’s psykers before your custodians get closer and they start smiting 50-100 points per psychic phase. Also helpful for killing said psykers without sending a 5-man Guard squad to chew through bubble wrap for two turns, all the while taking losses from the psyker they guard. Bear in mind, however, that their bolters are just bolters so will utterly wilt against high toughness and/or saves.
**These are the only models in the game we can be fairly confident have law degrees, but hopefully, we'll gain access to [[Adeptus_Arbites|judges]] at some point.
*'''Vigilators:''' A squad of battle sisters armed with what is essentially a guardian spear. This squad has the potential to do some remarkable damage to high-value targets, and not necessarily only Psykers, though the ''Witch Hunters'' rule comes into its own with this unit since it only applies in the Fight Phase. ''This means they are capable of wounding even Magnus on a re-rollable 5+, just over 55%.'' Bear in mind that multiple wounds do not carry over from slain models, so going charging into an Ork mob is still going to get you murdered. The big problem, though, is that they do not have any guns to speak of. That means no overwatch, no pistols for combat, and no way to strike at opponents at any distance, aside from 1 psyk-out grenade for the entire unit.
**Moreso than Prosecutors and Witchseekers, the ladies with swords would do better with a transport vehicle. Since they cannot shoot, they should be kept carefully encapsulated until you need them, so that when they disembark and assault for the first time, they will hit with devastating effect.
*'''Witchseekers:''' Sisters of Silence attempting to take a leaf out of the Sisters of Battle handbook and come to battle armed entirely with Flamethrowers. Their effectiveness is difficult to quantify. When compared to Sororitas Dominions with Flamers, Witchseekers are one point more expensive, but come without bolt pistols or frag/Krak grenades (they have psyk-out grenades instead, which are usually worse). If neither squad has a transport, then Witchseekers do have a movement range of 7", but Dominions get a free move at the start of the battle, and can, therefore, cover the same distance over a six turn game, and Dominions have acts of faith, allowing them to repeat certain actions. Not to knock against the Sisters of Silence though, because they still have their hard anti-psychic benefits, plus the ''entire'' squad is armed with flamers, meaning you can get 10d6 automatic hits if you go full-sized, and they are veterans, so are slightly better at melee ''(though without any actual melee weapons beyond the basic one everyone gets)''. If you're looking for an awful lot of flamers then only Tzeentch can do it better, and as a Custodes player they help out in anti-horde, making them perfect candidates for going for that Malignant Plaguecaster bubble-wrapped in Poxwalkers. Witchseekers in a Rhino can make great objective grabbers - move them forward and hose down important points, then dare the enemy to come close and take it from them.

===Fast Attack===

*'''Vertus Praetors (aka [[awesome|Dawneagle Jetbikes]]):''' A must take. These are easily your most versatile unit. Hurricane bolters will munch tarpits that could’ve threatened your Allaruses or Wardens through sheer volume of attacks, or for long(ish) range vehicle hunting, they can take Salvo launchers. With the {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}} keyword, they can provide excellent anti-air fire, or '''engage flyers in CC''', meaning these guys are better flyer hunters than Heldrakes or other dedicated flyer hunters. With their stupidly fast movement and 'charge on your opponents turn' stratagem these guys will be your bread and butter in a pure Custodes list. With the Custodes’ ObSec rule, these guys can also nab an objective or two from your opponent one the final turn. Oh, and remember that they also get a 4++ if they come in a pure custodes detachment. Make of that what you will.
**Speaking of anti-aircraft, remember how most Flyers can't be hit in close combat by things without the {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}} Keyword? And that said fliers typically have only a generic CCW and a mediocre number of attacks if they do get engaged? Well, abuse this fact to kill fliers in melee. Even with the ability to fall back and still shoot, the average flyer will either have to waste time playing keep-away at the expense of losing opportunities to attack easier targets or let you wail on them in melee with no way to deal meaningful damage themselves.
**With the number of models that can fly and the crap-ton of Anti Air in 8th Edition, you may have trouble deciding between the horde-busting dakka of the Hurricane Bolters and the FU vehicle power of the Salvo Launcher. The solution is to take both. The Bolters act as a screen while the Launchers wreck vehicles. The Melta Missile is like a shorter ranged Plasma Cannon without the 'suicide mode' or an improved Multi Melta (it re-rolls ALL failed wound rolls against vehicles. Put on Shield-Cap for 2+ to hit, rerolling 1s, 3s to wound against almost anything, rerolling 1s and 2s, and followed up by -4 AP and d3 damage. Time to wreck some shit). The flakkburst missile was the only designated anti-flyer weapon you had before these rules. So keep them behind the Hurricane Bolters if possible (although this isn't much of a problem at all with Custodes, even with the -1 to hit, you've still got marine-level shooting and rerolling 1s to hit. Most flyers also have the {{W40kKeyword|Vehicle}} keyword, so don't rule out softening up that Stormtalon with a few Melta Missiles before charging it).
**The interceptor lances on the charge make these units the most reliable wounders in the entire game. The only things they won’t wound on at least a 5+ is a Warlord Titan (heaven forbid you have to fight it in melee) and the newest Titan, the Nemesis Warbringer. Together with your rerolls to wound you will wound 55% of the time, and with strength 6 you will be wounding most things on a 3+ anyway (88%). Combined with an average damage of 2 per hit and ap-3 means that all units in the game fear the arrival of these lightning-fast monsters (even against a Baneblade a single biker will deal 3.6 damage on the charge with rerolls to hit).

*'''Agamatus Custodians<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' The Glorious Dickbikes. A 3-6 men-strong squadron of Vertus Praetors with different guns. Same baseline stats, cost, and interceptor lance, but different tools for the jetbikes themselves. They come with a Lastrum bolt cannon as standard, a Heavy 3 36" S6 AP-2 gun that makes MEQs sweat each time it fires. You can replace it with either an Adrathic devastator (Heavy 2 18" S6 AP-3 dealing 3 damage for 15pts or a twin-linked las-pulser (Heavy 4 24" S8 AP-2 D3 damage) for 40pts.
**The las-pulser is by far the best choice in the list, even if expensive. But overall that's the only reason to take Agamati over Vertus Praetors. Assuming you moved, Hurricane bolters are better than the Lastrum cannon against infantry (and even light vehicles) most of the time and the salvo launcher is better than the Adrathic devastator against monsters and vehicles. However, the las-pulser provides solutions against everything and is very good at taking down MEQs.
*'''Pallas Grav-Attack<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' The Custodian's "Light" Tank, the Pallas is Fast as hell at 16", but that's the only "Light" thing about it. Ok, it's only got 6 Toughness, but it still has a 3+/5++ save, plus no degrading stat line and the Gravitic Backwash rule, which inflicts a -2 penalty on Charge rolls against it. For firepower, it's a Coronus-lite, with the same Twin Arachnus Blaze Cannon, but no Bolt Cannon. Oh, and it has Power of the Machine Spirit. For a meager 100 points. Yeah, you heard that right. 100 Emperor damned points. Unlike the 30K version, it cannot be taken in squads of three though.
*'''Venatari Custodians<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' Jetpack Custodians that can deepstrike. Unlike every other custodian, they have a 3+ armor save, but their default setup equips them with a shield that '''negates AP-1''' and doubles as a power axe. Unfortunately, this falls flat against plasma and melta, but it doesn't matter since AP-2 or better against a 2+ save would trigger your 4++, and an AP-1 would take you down to a 3+ anyway. However, this still leaves them more vulnerable to massed AP0 fire compared to the Custodian Guard. These shields are accompanied by Kinetic Destroyers (Pistol 2 18" S6 AP-2 D2 which deals an additional hit for every 6 to-hit, or you can forgo the gun-and-shield for the multipurpose Venetari lance (S+1 AP-3 Dd3 in melee, Kinetic Destroyer but 12" and Assault 2 at range). And as per usual, they can take Misericordias. Their big benefit is that they're considerably cheaper than the bikes and can kick ass in melee, but this cost is offset by their relative fragility (if you can call something with T5 and 3+/4++ 'fragile'). Generally, you will either run these guys alongside either class of jetbike due to their high movement or have them going down one flank as the jetties go down the other in a good old-fashioned stretch play. Also, don't forget that they can deep strike and so provide support for deep striking termies.
**Don't forget these guys are Infantry, so they can get cover and maneuver around terrain much easier than jetbikes. And because jetbikes will normally draw a lot of fire, Venatari are probably used best to steal objectives and harass your opponent's troops camping objectives.
**While the buckler's AP and Damage values seem underwhelming when compared with the spear's, remember that you can shoot with your 2 shots S6 AP-2 pistols in melee, giving you some extra punch should you choose to stay in combat for some reason. All in all, the spear only makes a big difference if you're planning to hunt down characters and multi-wound infantry. Otherwise, the buckler + kinetic destroyer loadout provides better protection, extra range and slightly more firepower that will never be lost no matter what happens to your flying dudes. And even though the Buckler isn't as good in melee as the Lances it's more than enough to handle GEQ/MEQs.

===Heavy Support===

*'''Venerable Land Raider:''' Still your <del>uber</del>slighty-less-survivable transport with 16 wounds sitting comfortable on a 2+ save and FNP 6+++. Thanks to the buff to formerly twin-linked lascannons and lascannons in general, this is your heavy anti-tank option for when the Vertus Praetors' salvo launchers won't cut it and the Venerable Contemptor's multi-melta isn't long-ranged enough. Given that you will most likely also transport a Custodian Guard squad you may imagine the amount of fire this 500+ points package will attract and maybe even survive. While expensive, bringing them in pairs lets you use their Stratagem to shut down attempts at stacking penalties to hit against them.

*'''Caladius Grav-Tank<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' Remember the Sicaran's infantry-mulching accelerator cannon? Your '''twin Iliastus accelerator''' doesn't have the anti-flyer bonuses and is Heavy instead of Assault, but with ''8 60" shots that possess S7 AP-3 D2'' and the Standard Custodes BS2+, the Caladius has the best range of any Custodes unit thus far and fills the valuable anti-armor niche with good ease. Oh, and you get Power of the Machine Spirit just like the Sicaran does, so being a Heavy weapon doesn't impair you at all. Combine with its W14 3+/5++, the -2 penalty to charge move it imposes to the enemy, and the '''twin Lastrum Bolt Cannons''' (''heavy bolters with S6 AP-2'') that provide extra anti-infantry firepower, and you have a very nasty tank indeed. It also has the FLY keyword with all its benefits and drawbacks, so watch for anti-air weapons. It's also stinking fast at 14" when undamaged, and even when critically damaged its movement never drops below 8", so don't be afraid to zip around the board and fire with impunity.
**You can replace the Iliastus accelerator cannon by a '''twin Arachnus cannon''', a Heavy weapon that can shoot in '''burst''' mode (''8 shots at 36" S7 AP-2 D1'') or as a '''beam''' (''2 shots at 48" S9 AP-4 D3+1D3 rerolling failed to-wound rolls against {{W40kKeyword|VEHICLES}}''), for stronger anti-superheavy fire, and some flexibility when facing down mech/horde armies like Orks with Gorkanauts and lots of Boyz. 
**All in all, the Iliastus generally remains a better all-rounded choice. It is cheaper, has more range, is clearly superior to the burst mode against hordes, has enough Damage to murder heavy infantry and can still do a solid amount of damage against vehicles. The Arachnus cannon only really shines against T7+ vehicles (remember that you don't get the re-roll to wound against monsters or big characters), which is a valuable niche indeed that shouldn't be overlooked. 

*'''Telemon Heavy Dreadnought<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' It's a Dreadnought with almost as many wounds as a Land Raider, and at T8 with 2+/4++/6+++ it’s far tougher than any landraider, or any other vehicle for that matter, especially as it lacks the {{W40kKeyword|TITANIC}} keyword (so it doesn’t give a pair of dingo kidneys about Macro weapons dealing bonus damage to it). Comes default with a Spiculus Bolt Launcher and 2 Arachnus Storm Cannons for  282 points and provides the Custodes with one of the few options they have for anti-armor fire. 
**It can shoot its '''Spiculus Bolt Launcher''' (''24” Heavy 5, S5, AP-1, D1'') twice when it doesn't move; by itself, this makes it a perfect backfield camper for chewing GEQs. 
**The 2 '''Arachnus storm cannons''' (''36” Heavy 2, S8, AP-4, D3'' or in Burst mode ''24” Heavy 6, S7, AP-2, D1'') making them great against vehicles and light infantry. The range was seriously nerfed but the latest rules, making the Arachnus storm cannon less efficient as a long-ranged anti-horde weapon unless you can deep-strike your Telemon in a safe spot where no melee unit will tarpit it. These still provide something you desperately need because as already stated, the Custodes don’t have a lot of ranged anti-armor.
**The other ranged option you can choose over the cannons is 1 or 2 '''Iliastus Accelerator Culverins''' (''48” Heavy 4, S7, AP-3, D2'') perfect for chewing up MEQs (especially Primaris) and light vehicles. Custodes can already reliably beat almost any kind of heavy infantry in combat, making the Iliastus questionable, but it will certainly do that job well if you choose it. With the nerf of the Arachnus storm cannon, this is also your better take if you want your Telemon to stay far from enemy units. The jack-of-all-trade range weapon for your giant Dreadnought, and also the cheapest one.
**The close combat option is to arm it with one or two '''Telemon Caestii''' (''S16, AP-3, D4'') which come with a '''twin plasma projector''' (''8” Heavy 2D3, S6, AP-2, D1 auto hitting flamer/plasma gun hybrids'') which hit like baby [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Adeptus Titanicus(8E)|Inferno Guns]] and if you use two you get an extra attack. The melee weapons got a massive price cut in the rules update (35 pts for a single caestus+projector bundle, 60 for two), so if you want to punch a Knight to death, then the fists are what you choose. The Telemon can serve your army far better as a mobile gun rig rather than a full-on melee beatstick, so if you want a beatstick Dread, take an Achillus, a Galatus or an Exemplar or Venerable Contemptor with dual fists instead.
:*Being a dreadnought, it can be FGLTC'd right where you need it when you need it. Terrifying indeed, and best used by a fisting dread to get stuck into melee as soon as possible. Or you can use FGLTC to protect your big golden boy from turn 1 shooting and then drop him down within 24 inches of an enemy to get him in range of all his guns.
:*Overall, it's an incredibly useful model for a custodes army, and considering it's only 282pts at its max loadout in an army where even a 3-man squad costs 153 points default, there is little reason to not take it considering the firepower it can lay down on anything from GEQs to Knights depending on what you want from it. Whatever you load it out to do, it will do well, but unless your list has a good amount of anti-armor firepower (from Pyrithite spears generally), the best option is to go for the storm cannons.
:**Another take on the melee variant: It's cheaper than any other weapon combo you can give it. On top of that, while it's an expensive combo in terms of CP, you can FGLTC it, then use the Teleport Homer stratagem to get it within 3" nearly guaranteeing a charge against a target, while being able to fire its guns before the charge. Trajann's Moment Shackle can also offset the cost to make it more appealing (assuming it isn't used on Victor of the Blood Games or a full cost FGLTC).

===Flyers===
*'''Orion Assault Dropship <sup>Forge World</sup>:''' Oh yes, it's finally here. The Orion is a beast of a machine. with 22 Wounds and a 3+/5++ save, plus the usual suite of Airborne/Hard to Hit/Hover Jet/Supersonic; it will be exceptionally hard to bring down without some dedicated heavy AA. It's also loaded to the gills with weapons, armed with 2 Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannons (+2S over the regular Blaze Cannon), 2 Twin Lastrum Bolt Cannons AND 2 Spiculus Heavy Bolt Launchers. It also, like every Custodes machine, packs Power of the Machine Spirit and its lowest wound table slot still has a 4+ to hit, so this maelstrom of firepower will be continuing unabated until it finally fucking dies. In addition, it can hold either a full 12 {{WH40kKeyword|INFANTRY}} models, which is a LOT for Custodes, or it can carry an Achillus, a Galatus or a Venerable Contemptor (no Exemplars or Telemons, sorry) by taking up 5 normal transport slots, making this the only way to get your melee Dreads into the thick of it without Stratagems! It's very reasonably priced to boot, only about 100 more than a fully kitted Venerable Land Raider! Loaded up with a Dread, a Shield-captain and 6 Custodes of your choice, this bad boy can blow a giant hole in your opponent's gun-line and fill it back in with your very own creamy golden goodness.

*'''Ares Gunship <sup>Forge World</sup>:''' if the Orion is a Transport and anti-infantry Flyer, the Ares is an Anti-tank in the observed Custodes way. The main reason why you may pick the Ares over the Orion is the '''Arachnus magna-blaze cannon''' the daddy of all Arachnus weapons. The '''burst''' mode is Heavy 3 48" S9 AP-3 D D3, which isn't going to impress anybody for a unit of this grade. And here comes the '''beam''' mode: ''Heavy D3 72" S14 AP-4 D 6+D3''. Now we are talking. It also comes with 2 Arachnus heavy blaze cannon for more anti-vehicle shooting and 2 Infernus Firebombs, which are basically identical to the ones on the Thunderhawk (pick a unit you flew over, roll 1d6 for each model in the unit (3d6 for vehicles or monsters), a roll of 4+ = 1 Mortal Wound), the big difference being you can use them twice per game.
**The Ares truly makes sense as a dedicated {{WH40kKeyword|VEHICLE}} hunter since it can reliably annihilate vehicles like Land Raiders in a single turn if you have a bit of luck. However, you could have a similar amount of firepower from a pair of Caladii, which are also better at dealing with infantry so it isn't as interesting for a Custodes army list as the Orion. It is still quite good for its job, so feel free to take one if you like the miniature and have the points for a specialized unit.