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

==Allies==

===Officio Assassinorum===

Regarding the Callidus, Eversor, and Culexus: Meh. They don’t bring anything major.  The Callidus is a good CQC character hunter, but the Custodes don’t need more character hunters, especially a CQC one. The new rules for the Eversor make him more viable as a horde blender. The Eversor may be a decent distraction Carnifex among other Imperium armies but as most custodes units can play the role of distraction Carnifex better than an actual Carnifex, this guy will likely be quite low on your opponent's threat register. A6 is nice for helping out in anti-horde, but just don't expect him to delete entire squads at once. The Culexus plugs the DTW hole nicely, but taking it subtracts from your CP total (a big no-no for a Custodes army), and if you’re going for a null unit, the Sisters of Silence are a better, and fluffier, bet. You could also, you know, take an actual psyker instead?

However, the Vindicare, when used in the correct way and against the correct target, can help the custodes. For starters, he is insanely cheap for what he does, at only 85 points (this is good for custodes). He won't plug your anti-horde hole, but when you are going up against armies where character are vital lynchpins without which the army unravels at the seams (Nids, Guard) he is incredibly effective - Creed may be a tactical genius, but even he won't survive a headshot from a Vindicare! The Deadshot rule is useful for showing the middle finger to the guy who bubble wrapped Calgar in conscripts, and Headshot means whatever he wounds will go down for good. His rifle is insane against {{W40kKeyword|Infantry Character}}s. Finally, the priority threat neutralized stratagem will allow you to gain a command point for every character he picks off, giving your golden banana men a few more points to play around with and meaning that you don't NEED to always build for a battalion against character-heavy lists.  There is, however, a limit to his usefulness: against the big bads like primarchs, Greater Daemons, and [[Swarmlord|Da Schwärmführer]] he will have pretty much no effect, and Nurgle units' Disgustingly Resilient rule will wreak absolute havoc with your damage output. Also, as your entire army is likely to be swarming up the table as fast as they can, he might be left vulnerable to your opponent deep striking behind you.

===Astra Militarum===

Now we’re talking! The guard brings something that your golden boys desperately need: cheap, expendable bodies that can hold objectives (something that is a major limiting factor to the Custodes) and A LOT of them. This means your Golden boys can get up the field and get stuck into combat, with a guard Battalion providing you with the cheapest 12CP available in the game. Need I say more? For best results, combine 3 or 4 30-man guard squads with a Vexilla Defensor each to give your blobs a 5++. And suddenly your opponent shits themselves. Also, the guard brings another vital lacking component: anti-armor. LONG RANGED anti-armor, so much of it that I can’t possibly name it all. But when you have a Custodes melee Death Star, supported by your pick of a Baneblade, a Shadowsword (for Custodes with anti Titan firepower), Basilisks, a Manticore or two, or, if you’re feeling lucky, a Deathstrike (because The Golden Pimp Bananas with nukes in support is too much fun), your opponent will be trembling. Even if you wanted to be a cheapskate, a trio of Russes with Pask will still do the anti-armor job nicely. As discussed later on, you can also take IG Psykers to plug that gaping Psychic hole. All in all, the Guard plug (nearly) every single plot hole with the Custodes’ crunch, making this one of, if not '''the''', best alliances you can run as a Custodes player. Just... try not to be [[that guy]], ok?

===Space Marines===

A very fluffy mix, as Guilliman goes nowhere without Custodes and his [[Primaris Space Marines|Pimp Marines]]. You've also almost certainly got some lying around, so that's another plus. The main upside to the Marines is their being an extremely versatile jack-of-all-trades force with no equal. Need an easy source of mortal wounds? Librarians. Need Plasma? Hellblasters. Need a lot of low-strength firepower? Intercessors or Tactical Marines or even scouts. Need a game-breaking unit that'll lose you all your friends? Chaplain Dreadnought/ Leviathan Dread/ Spartan Assault Tank/ Astraeus Gunship/ Thunderhawk. Need a melée beatstick that'll also give you extra CPs, make your units get up the field in record time and allow you to re-roll all failed hit and wound rolls, all for just 350pts? [[Roboute Guilliman|Grandpapa Smurf]] is your man. The list goes on and on, as the Space Marines are capable of fulfilling any role, making them arguably the best ally currently in the game. The only downside is that they cost a lot relative to the Guard, so they are not a good candidate for character screening duty. Also, as you're burning points like there's no tomorrow when building a Custodes army, you might find it difficult to include all the Marines units you want to, so prioritize what your army needs most of all.

===Grey Knights===

Budget Custodes with Psychic powers. That’s it. If you want more expensive sisters of silence that can hit back in the psychic phase and (just about) keep pace with your golden boys in combat, here you go. Psychic powers also grant the Knights a versatility and surprising mobility, allowing them to be the hammer to your Custodes' anvil against any foe that thought your shiny silver and gold army couldn't maneuver their way out of a paperbag. The Knights are also all equipped with at least a storm bolter, so don’t underestimate the dakka they can bring to bear at short to medium range. 

Plus, visually, their silver armor will contrast nicely with your golden bois. It's a match made in a jewelry store.

===Imperial Knights===
An interesting and complementary mix that will render your name mud before the day is out, as the Custodes are excellent character hunters and are capable of controlling objectives with their (very) fast Jetbikes, but lack dedicated anti-vehicle weapons, while knights are excellent at hunting down vehicles but lack the shot output to deal with hordes. This combo will struggle to rake in the command points that other armies do, but your army will be effective whatever enemy is thrown at it, and it gives you an excuse to paint your knight gold and red (go on, you know you want a golden banana knight). Incidentally, these Banana Knights are kinda Canon - No, seriously, the first drawings of the Custodes and Golden Throne by John Blanche (praised be his name) had a pair of titans standing guard in the background, yeah? And The Beast Arises series also confirmed these Warhound titan guards to be canon. Therefore, is it too far to stretch the mind that the pimpstodes have a couple of knight suits lying 'round the Emprah's dusty old house? They do have access to tech that [[Blood Ravens|most people]] can only dream of (Jetbikes, hover tanks with cannons as long as they are, disintegration guns welded onto power spears, etc.). They also use the [[Mary Sue|Contemptor Chassis as their most common type of dreadnought]].

Also, the Knights (sorry, ''Questor Imperialis'') finally got their codex, so the weird keywords and stratagem stuff that was plaguing them prior to that has been fixed. The knights have also got some of the sickest models in the game (so it gives you an excuse to buy and paint them), and FW is going to keep releasing additional experimental (and, eventually, official) rules for their Custodes models, opening up even more customisation options to very specifically tailor your army list to whatever you’re fighting (even though it’s considered incredibly bad “sportsmanship” to only build your list once you know your opponent’s). In short, it’s a good time to have a Custodian or a Knight army, it’s an even better time to have the two together in a single force.

([https://www.shapeways.com/designer/comradequiche/creations?s=0#more-products| Plus there's cool Custodes Knight conversions on Shapeways]).

===Adeptus Titanicus===

Ok, let’s get one thing straight. If you bring a Custodes + Titan combo to any game, be it Apocalypse, Tournaments (good luck finding one with a point limit high enough), or even just a casual beer-and-pretzel game at a friend's house, your name will be worse than mud within two minutes, and you will automatically be regarded as [[That Guy]] forevermore. Regardless, if you don't mind losing ALL your friends, and have this sort of money to throw around (i.e. if you're a drug lord), then this is THE most rage-inducing, unfair, game-breaking alliance currently in the game. Custodes-Titanicus is everything good about the Custard Knights combo turned up to 11 and then some. Titans, the most powerful, durable, expensive (in points and dollars) units in the game, providing fire support for the strongest fighting army in the game. Strap the Apocalypse missile launchers, Volcano Cannon, and Plasma Annihilator to a warlord titan, bring Valoris and a sprinkling of Jetbikes and Superdreads along for the ride, waltz into your gaming club, proclaim yourself as having brought Custardes and a Titan, and expect LITERALLY NO-ONE to fight you (which means you win by default!). However, if someone is dumb enough to go against you, expect to destroy them in well under four game-rounds. It also gives you the chance to paint a titan gold and red, and come on, you just know you want to do that.

===Adeptus Mechanicus===

Much like the Ultramarines before Ward fucked them over, in that they’re good at everything but not the best at anything. Cheap bodies for screening/objective holding, anti-horde duty, heavy firepower, you name it, they can do it, but with nowhere near the ability of other forces (IG, SMs, SOSs, etc.). Personally, my experience is that they’re best when with war machines (duh), so maybe bring Cawl and magi with either 3 Dunecrawlers (armed appropriately according to your enemy), or Cawl and two Magi-Dominus in a SCD when you’re running the Custard Knights or Titan team-up. Otherwise, don’t bother.

===Sisters of Silence===

Do it. Just do it. You have no reason not to - VERY fluffy, they plug the DTW hole, they make almost no impact on your points tally as a Custodes player, and a Talons force is nearly identical to a pure CustardPimp army in both aesthetically and in play-style. As for how to use them, do you need to be told? Have them hunting psykers, or as bodyguards for Valoris when playing against Aeldari or smite spammers (for obvious reasons). 

Another view is that sisters while incredibly fluffy are not as effective as other options unless you're against armies relying heavily on psychic powers such as Thousand Sons or Eldar. Against an army not relying as heavily on their psykers you have bolter bitches without the faith. Guard make a much better combination with Custodes as they give easy access to both numbers and anti vehicle fire, Marines also give more flexibility and options such as vehicles, psykers than the sisters. As a Custodes player since the changes to smite psychic power is not going to be your biggest problem against most armies. You lose because loads of dice being thrown at your small number of models hurts, tarpitted because sometimes you can't kill quickly enough or because units that deal multiple damage can reliably remove your models such as the Riptide. Guard and Marines will tend to be more flexible and effective options. Unless GW make the Sisters work better alongside Custodes with the Talon of the Emperor changes coming in psychic awakening it's arguably better to go with Guard or Marines.

With the release of War of the Spider, Sisters of Silence can now be taken in a detachment of Adeptus Custodes without the Custodes losing any benefits such as Sworn Guardians or The Emperor’s Chosen. The Sisters do not gain those abilities.

===Sisters of Battle===

Just take Sisters of Silence.

===Deathwatch===

Another interesting mix. Between their inbuilt Bolter Discipline, Mission Tactics and Special Issue Ammunition, along with easy access to rerolls, the deathwatch boasts some of the most reliable anti-infantry shooting in the game, the humble Boltgun becoming an instrument of enormous damage in their hands. The frag cannon also provides flexible anti-armour/-infantry, and you can take four in a single five-man squad. The fact that it’s an assault weapon and hits harder the closer you get to the target helps out hugely with providing close-range fire support for your golden boys. Their main problem, like GKs and SMs, is a high price for a standard MEQ defense. You will pay around 40 points for a single marine with a Frag Cannon, and their relatively fragile defense means they will wilt in the face of heavy firepower. On the plus side, [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|if they’re attracting high amounts of dakka, then your golden boys aren’t]], and you have ways of protecting them (transports, storm shields, cover, etc).

===Inquisition===
Some interesting options, focused on helping your CP starved army generate more CP and giving you Anti-Psyker/Psyker support, to make best use of them you must spend 1CP on the Inquisitorial Mandate stratagem:
*Hector Rex - Deny the witch - '''Psychic Mastery''' warlord trait: knows 3, casts 3 and denies 4 (with +1 within 12"). Powers should be: '''Mental Interrogation''' to generate CP, '''Terrify''' to bypass overwatch, and '''Dominate'''/'''Castigation'''. Tanky (2+/3++), can deep strike, and he is BRUTAL vs daemons. At 100 points and 1CP, probably the best option unless you are really short on points.
*Basic Inquisitor - Cheap CP farming - '''Mental Interrogation''' psychic power, '''Esoteric Lore''' warlord trait and '''Seize For Interrogation''' stratagem; switch the bolt pistol for a '''Boltgun''' and take the '''Blackshroud''' Relic. If you want some support swap '''Mental Interrogation''' for '''Terrify'''. All that for a mere 55 points and 1CP.