Editing Hordes/Tactics/Legion of Everblight (section)

===Warbeasts===

====Lesser Warbeasts====

Okay, so Legion is no longer the special pony princess: now Skorne and the Farrow (of all fucking factions) have lessers too.  That being said, Legion lessers are still the standard by which all others are judged, as they generally combine a useful role, good animus (that they can use effectively themselves, unlike say a Reptile Hound whose animus is mostly a wash on itself), and have the advantage of flexibility when you bring a Spawning Vessel.

Despite what the fluff (and Legion battlebox) would have you believe, the Legion can generally not run herds upon herds of lessers effectively.  Legion fury control is designed to pull large amounts of fury off of a few large targets, not several smaller ones, and so running a herd of Shredders often means you are running an army that has the chance to frenzy and go full retard just by running up the field turn one.  Additionally, while each lesser has 13 health boxes, this is a deceptive amount for a warbeast with base ARM 12: lowly POW 10s have a good chance of taking off an aspect, and most elite melee troopers worth their salt can kill a Shredder outright with little fuss.  Bring lessers as seasoning for your army, not as the main course itself (The one exception to this is eThagrosh Shredder Spam lists, but that is a special case). 

Things change when the Spawning Vessel gets involved.  Since you can spawn a lesser after moving the Vessel effectively acts as a launchpad, dropping a Harrier or Stinger in just the right place at the right time instead of bringing one in your main list to have it slog up the field before ignominously taking a Defender shell to the face and dying.  The vessel tends to be the preferred way of bringing Harriers and Stingers into a battle, since their ideal targets tend to be more situational and they lack the Shredder's all-purpose animus.

*'''Harrier:''' The tactical drone strike of the Legion lessers, the Harrier is essentially a flying POW 10 with the best base defensive stats of all Legion lessers (don't get too excited, as anything that hits it will still probably instagib the thing).  What sets it apart is its animus:
:'''''Animus(True Strike)''''': This is why you take/spawn a Harrier.  True Strike causes the next melee attack made by the model to hit automatically, so not even Iron Flesh-DEF infinity Kayazy fuckheads are safe.  While generally not terribly useful on most Legion warlocks (who are either backline casters, have no melee ability worth mentioning or are Rhyas and desperately need to roll for that crit Decap), this animus makes the Harrier an ideal solo hunter: many priority solos (Eiryss and Gorman, to name just two) cannot reliably survive a POW 10+3d6 attack, and with True Strike their only real defense is to stay as far from the little flying bastard as is practical.  Avoiding a Harrier to the face is more complicated when it's being launched from a Spawning Vessel: with the vessel moving up to 6", a 3" place and a ~1" base, AND the Harrier's SPD 7 there are few places for most solos to hide and still be able to contribute to the battle.  Remember that this is an animus, not a boost, so be sure to cast it before charging if you're trying to attack something outside of your warlock's control area.

:*The Harrier also gets Sprint, which gives it a significant mobility advantage over its counterparts: you can True Strike charge a model outside of control, kill them and Sprint back so that your warlock can reave their fury next round.  You can also kill models contesting/controlling flags and then use the Sprint move to position your Harrier so it is contesting/controlling the flag itself.
:*Beyond its use as a flying, toothy sniper, the Harrier is the cheapest warbeast in Legion with Flight so keep this in mind when trying to meet certain tier requirements.

*'''Shredder:''' If you're bringing a lesser warbeast in your list straight-up, this is probably the one.  Best known for:
:'''''Rabid''''': The Shredder's bread.  For one fury you get +2 SPD, Pathfinder and boosted attack AND damage rolls for one turn.  This ability is as powerful as it sounds, limited only by the Shredder's FURY 2 and dinky single POW 10 bite attack.  Since all rolls are boosted, you ideally want to walk into combat with your target(s) instead of charging so that you can get two attacks instead of one.  A Shredder generally isn't as good against single target solos as the Harrier or as good at going against heavy living targets as a Stinger, but Rabid allows it to attack a wide range of targets with at least some effectiveness.  For many Legion warlocks using the Shredder as a Tenacity caddy this also makes it their de facto melee weapon.
:'''''Animus(Tenacity)''''': The Shredder's butter.  A 1-fury animus that gives the target +1 DEF and +1 ARM.  Not a massive boost, but cheap and spammable compared to most defensive animi (and unlike Spiny Growth, comes in a 2-point package rather than an 11-point one).  Generally best used on models who have a defensive stat that just needs a slight nudge over the bell curve: you'll get more milage out of Tenacity on an Angelius (which becomes DEF 15, a dicey proposition for even some elite infantry to reliably hit) versus a Scythean or Carnivean (where going from 11/18 to 12/19 does not generally shift things very far in their favor, although it's still better than nothing).  This is also a cheap way to shore up the somewhat-mediocre defensive stats of most Legion warlocks, and seeing a Shredder hanging out in the back spamming Tenacity on its warlock is not uncommon.
:*It also has Snacking.  A Shredder rarely lives long enough to actually use the rule, but sometimes the do stars align so don't forget about it.

*'''Stinger:''' Is there a heavy warbeast that needs to get taken down a peg?  Is some low defense, high-ARM caster like the Butcher camping his focus and being a douche?  Spawn a Stinger and give them a face full of POW 12 poison (further boostable, allowing you to roll 4d6 on the damage roll!) dragon wing-wong.  You also get a cute little 6" POW 10 spray, but no one has ever used that in an actual game so you can pretend it doesn't exist for all intents and purposes.
:Of all the lessers, this is the one you're least likely to bring in a list: it has a narrower range of ideal targets compared to its bretheren, and the Suicidal Attack rule on its tail (mark all boxes in the Stinger's Body aspect if it damages a target with the attack) means it has a hilariously low life expectancy even by the low standards of most lessers.  On the other hand, against its ideal targets it's VERY good, so it makes ideal pot fodder for those times where you need to wipe the last half dozen boxes off a Titan but don't want to commit a 9-point warbeast's activation to do it.  Buy a blister with your Spawning Vessel, and keep them on hand when you play against armies with lots of livng multiwound models (e.g. most Hordes factions) or against beefy warcasters who rely more on their ARM than their DEF stats.
:'''''Animus(Lurker)''''': Friendly target gains Bushwhack (can take its combat action before its movement, and then move afterwards) for one round.  Potentially useful (one example: start a turn stuck in with someone, kill them, Bushwhack out of realation range from the rest of the enemy army), but generally not often enough to justify spending the points compared to many other 2-point options in Legion.

====Light Warbeasts====

Probably the most situational section of the Legion bestiary, as none of the below are auto-takes by any means.  Rather, like most lights you're looking for something they bring to the table that you can't get in their larger (or smaller, in the case of lessers) brethren.

*'''Afflictor:''' A flying warbeast with the ability to spawn Incubi when it stabs things. So that's fun.
*'''Naga Nightlurker:''' Exists solely to boost the Legion's access to non-elemental ranged weapons and ability to overcome magical defences. No other reason. 
*'''Nephilim Bloodseer:''' Animus fucks with enemy casting, gives a +2 to Magic attack rolls made against enemies that he's within 5" of, can cast the animus of any friendly faction  warbeast within its command range, ARM 18, Flight, Reach, Brutal Charge. <s>what's not to like? the fact that this fucker's model has yet to be released.</s> They have had a model since August 2014. How outdated is this fucking page?
*'''Nephilim Bolt Thrower:''' One of our best ranged 'beasties, equipped with a FUCKHUEG ballista that knocks enemies backwards. animus grants essentially flight.
*'''Nephilim Protector:''' A defensive light warbeast with Shield Guard, allowing it to pull attacks off enemy models. Kind of runs antithesis to the Legion's balls-out offensive playstyle, so overall not very popular.
*'''Nephilim Soldier:''' A dedicated melee light in a game that doesn't favor this sort of warjack/warbeast design: guess how this is going to go?  The Soldier is good with his sword (POW 14, reach) but doesn't have much of a role due to lacking the volume of attacks to take on hordes of infantry, the raw power to scare heavy targets or the durability to tank.  For 5 points you're taking him for his animus if you're taking him at all.
:'''''Animus(Massacre)''''': Allows the target to charge without being forced, and if the affected model destroys an enemy model with a charge attack they can advance 1" and make an additional melee attack.  A decent animus, mostly hampered by the fact that it's on a warbeast that otherwise won't be contributing much.  This does enhance some of Rhyas' feat turn shenanigans though, and it's worth considering if you're playing her.
*'''Raek:''' Very cheap, and comes equipped with Stealth and various other manoeuvrability boosters; makes an excellent flanking model. Also, its animus grants immunity to free strikes, which some warcasters will adore. The main use for Raeks is to run behind enemy lines with its great speed abilities, and two-handed throw a warcaster of choice into the jaws of your local carnivean (in a list with Abby).
*'''Teraph:''' Probably the worst thing in the Legion point-for-point; not so much a bad model as one which is far outshone by the Nephilim Bolt Thrower and the Ravagore. Its animus is rather fun for ranged support, though, and all of Lylyth's incarnations love it for that alone, so it isn't all bad.

====Heavy Warbeasts====

The movers and shakers of a Legion list: taking 3 heavy warbeasts in a 50-point list is typical.

*'''Angelius:''' A crazy-fast flying warbeast with a heavy assassination focus. Armour Piercing is truly brutal, but you can only use it once per turn, so make it count.
*'''Carnivean:''' The OG Legion heavy (and in Mk I, the '''only''' Legion heavy until the Angelius and Typhon came along).  The Carnivean comes stock with the most powerful melee output of all Legion heavies with 3 base attacks (a POW 18 bite and two POW 16 claws).  Additionally, you get a POW 14 RNG 10 spray attack: while the Carnivean's RAT 4 is somewhat mediocre, it does give you added flexibility for those times when you aren't able to charge into melee, and you can use it on the charge as well thanks to Assault (although generally you should treat it as a nice bonus rather than as something to bank on).  It also comes with an animus that can significantly increase the survivability of 11/18 Legion warbeasts.

:Despite all this though, the Carnivean has fallen out of favor as a primary beater heavy for a couple reasons.  First is cost: at 11 points the Carnivean has a cost that rivals (or exceeds!) that of some character heavies.  Second is a lack of Reach, which reduces its threat range and ability to guarantee the alpha strike: this is exacerbated by the relative fragility of Legion warbeasts, and a Carnivean that gets charged surviving long enough to retaliate is often a toss up even with Spiny Growth up.  This isn't to say that the Carnivean isn't capable of cracking skulls, but you will need to take these factors into consideration when building your list to ensure that doesn't wind up as expensive cannon fodder for the Reckoners and Bronzebacks of the world.
:'''''Animus(Spiny Growth)''''': The Carnivean's selling point over the Scythean, Spiny Growth grants the target +2 ARM and enemy warjacks/beasts damaging the target suffer d3 damage after every hit provided that the affected model is not destroyed.  Good for non-Angelii Legion heavies, as going from 18 ARM to 20 gives them a considerable boost to survivability.  The d3 damage per hit is minor but can quickly add up, especially against warbeasts (who typically rely on volume of attacks over sheer power):.  Additionally, this can soften up the target for retaliation, and many opponents will choose to boost the damage roll rather than buy additional attacks (which can further reduce the overall damage you receive).  In general this animus is most valuable to both versions of Thagrosh (who are able to stack it with their own defensive buffs) and Absylonia (who needs the survivability boost for her warbeasts to make her feat a credible threat).
*'''Ravagore:''' The artillery version of the Carnivean; shoots AOE attacks with decent range and an animus which grants Continuous Fire, and is no slouch in melee. Commonly regarded as one of the more OP things in the Legion book, although it isn't really -- it's just difficult to hide from its attacks because of Eyeless Sight. Its biggest disadvantage is that its attack has the Fire and Corrosion damage types, meaning that anything which is immune to either of those types won't be hurt.
*'''Scythean:''' The Carnivean's slightly underperforming but 2-points-cheaper brother. It comes with one fewer attack base, a weaker animus, and no spray attack. In return, it gets reach and thresher. In general, the Scythean is better at cutting down the masses, while the Carnivean is better with elites. Overall, because of its lower price, it tends to overshadow the Carnivean except with specific casters (Absylonia comes to mind). Despite conceived flaws, it has the potential to make up to 7 attacks (if Blood Bath goes off, which Kallus and Abby can assist with) at one POW less than the Carnivean's Bite. His animus removed models from play and ignores tough. 
*'''Seraph:''' This MkI workhorse did not survive the transition to MkII particularly well, and the major reason is performance for cost.  The Seraph comes with a mediocre melee attack (P+S 14, with Critical Poison) and a P+S 12 gun a D3+1 Strafe (albeit slightly short ranged).  Taken alone this isn't a bad setup, but the cost is the killer: at 8 points, the Seraph faces competition from other heavies in that price bracket (Scythean and Angelius) and its damage output is pitiful by comparison.  It has an excellent animus (arguably one of the best in the game), but even so you're paying quite a bit for a heavy that often struggles to otherwise contribute to the game in a meaningful way.  Generally best taken with warlocks that can buff its ranged output (with pVayl and Incite the Strafe attack becomes very scary, pumping out multiple P+S 14 shots), or when you desperately need those extra two inches of threat range.
:'''''Animus(Slipstream)''''': What makes the Seraph.  At its most basic, this gives a model an extra 2" of threat range, but since this is a place effect you can do some interesting tricks like pulling a friendly model out of melee without incurring the free strikes.  Since Legion lives or dies based on getting the drop on people this is a very strong animus, but you need to decide if it's worth dealing with the unfortunate 8-point warbeast it's stuck to.

====Character Warbeasts====

*'''Proteus:''' In a lot of ways, Proteus is a warbeast of "buts".  It has Herding, but in a faction where Shepherds come in at 1 point each having an 11-point warbeast with this ability is situational.  It has a ranged weapon with Drag, but the range is fairly short (with a threat range that is only slightly longer than his charge range).  It has 5 fury, but it's extremely pillowfisted for its cost which limits the havoc you can cause.  It has Snacking as an animus, but it's in a faction where warbeasts are generally not durable enough to make use of it.  For the most part, you're paying a Carnivean price tag for a grab bag of abilities: it still might be worth it for certain lists, but be very sure that you're getting the most of out of him compared to any equivalent heavy you could be taking for its price tag.
*'''Typhon:''' A three-headed regenerating hydra-thing which spews fire everywhere and throws things by biting them. Very expensive, and even worse defensive stats than most Legion heavies, but not bad if you can keep it healed up and charge it into combat first. Your enemy will at the very least have to pay attention to this thing to keep it from doing too much damage, its healing makes it hard to kill, having three attacks means its deadly in melee against heavy targets, and tarpits will barely even slow it down since it can use it's ranged attack (which are [[Flamer| spray weapons]]) in melee.
*'''Zuriel:''' The result of Saeryn playing mad scientist with the dragonspawn and Rhyas, a heavy 'beast nephilim with two P+S:16 swords and a ROF 2 SP8 POW12 spray that it can fire as a chain attack which cause continuous fire. Can channel for Saeryn and gets Stealth from Rhyas. Also has Flight and Gunfighter. The model is, like PP's models sometimes tend to be, really awesomely posed and I can only imagine what a bitch it must be to assemble. Whoever the fuck thought it was a good idea to have it stand on one leg in some sort of cheap-ass kung-fu flick pose is a genius.

====Gargantuan====

*'''Archangel:''' Something of an odd duck, the Archangel caused no end of [[rage]] when its stats were announced. It isn't quite so bad as that, although its animus came from [[Pyrovore|the darkest pits of crappy wargame design hell]] and should be returned there posthaste. It stands among the game's highest SPD stats for a Huge base and has some impressive hit-and-run capabilities to back that up, but as the Legion is very reliant on things which teleport models (and Gargantuans can't be teleported) instead of just buffing their SPD or movement, it actually has a tendency to move a bit slower than other Gargantuans. It goes very well with Lylyth3 if you really desperately feel the urge to have more than one huge-based model on the table at once.