Warmachine: Optifex Directive 101
Is this the Convergence of Cyriss’ equivalent of the Choir of Menoth? Not quite, but the Optifex Directive still an essential unit.
When the Optifex Directive was first shown, many people made comparisons to the Choir, comparisons that turned out to be only skin-deep. Here’s why.
Yes, it’s a small, cheap unit of dudes who support your jacks. But instead of faction-defining, near game-breakingly awesome buffs like “don’t shoot me bro,” or “hit everything harder”… these guys bring a number of situational problem-solving abilities.
Once per turn, each member of the Directive can choose one of the three following actions (unlike the choir, they don’t all have to choose the same one):
All-terrain – gives out Pathfinder to a single model. Speed 4 heavies are mighty unhappy if they get bogged down in rough terrain, so for casters other than Axis this can be a lifesaver. Yeah, it’s the same cost other warmachine armies would pay for Saxon or Rhupert to do the same thing for a whole unit, but the optifex are non-character and can affect any model that’s a Construct.
Weapons Modulation – single model’s weapons become magical for a turn. What’s that hymn you sang, oh Choirboys of Menoth? Can’t shoot you with non-magical weapons? Hrrm, guess this optifex will have to give Prime Axiom magic guns so he can drag in two of your heavies and kill them. Again, situational, but if you’re wanting to play against Menoth, you need this ability. Convergence casters don’t all have magic weapons, so if you’re looking to deal with the odd incorporeal solo and didn’t bring Angels, this ability can also help.
Repair – If all of these guys choose to repair, you’re looking at on average putting another 8 points of damage back on one of your heavies (or on your warcaster, since three out of the five Convergence casters are repairable constructs). True, this requires your opponent being kind enough to do some damage to a hard target without concentrating enough to finish it off, but one or two turns of repairs can really swing the attrition in your favor.
All of these abilities only work on faction Constructs (which is nearly everything), and must be base to base. The optifex have Iron Sentinel, so if they’re b2b with a jack, they’ll be slightly harder to kill. Stack that with cover from a wreck marker, and they may just hold a zone against snipers. But they’re still only single wound models, so watch out for electroleaps or AoEs targeting the jack. And they’re also weak-willed fleshy creatures, so that last remaining model in the unit may turn tail and run after his buddies get crit consumed by Hyperion’s gun.
One unit of optifex directive is definitely a sound investment. I’ve seen people advocating two or even three units in a single list, but I think they’re crazy. These guys are good, but it’s easy to spend too much on support and not enough on killers.
