40K Apocalypse: The ‘Other’ Marines Faction Focus
Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Deathwatch and Grey Knights are all getting rules for Apocalypse, too – check out some of their special new toys!
This faction focus is going to be a little different that previous ones because we’re going to cover a handful of armies in one go. The Adeptus Astartes come in many different flavors so it seems fair to let each one shine on it’s own. We already know what they can do in general, but this time we’re going to look at these 5 different chapters and what they each bring to the tabletop that makes them unique.
First up – being marines, they all have access to the same special rule – And They Shall Know No Fear:
The three First Founding Chapters (Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Spaces Wolves) all have access to the full array of Primaris units on top of their own unique chapter specific units (more on those later). So if you’re looking for a wide variety of units to call down they have you covered. The Deathwatch can call in Primaris Units, too and they also have access to the new Repulsor Executioner if you want to bring some more firepower. As for the Grey Knights, well, they still aren’t bought in to this whole ‘Primaris’ thing apparently.
Blood Angels
For the Blood Angels, The Sanguinor is perfect for Apocalypse. It’s lore says he only shows up in the most dire of circumstances and Apocalypse seems pretty dire! Thankfully he’s got a few abilities to help out with the fighting. Aside from Deep Striking and being a Terror Troop, The Sanguinor also has Aura of Fervour which adds a bonus attack to Blood Angels Light and Dreadnought units within 6″ of this warrior.
When it comes to Command Assets, the Blood Angels will bring the Descent of the Angels with them:
All your Flying units get an extra 6″ to their move and add 1 to their Attacks. I’d just like to point out that Inceptor Squad’s shooting attacks are particularly effective thanks to this stratagem:
Dark Angels
The Deathwing Knights are going to be a rock solid option in Apocalypse thanks to their super durable 3+ save. Couple that with their ability to Deep Strike in and be a serious threat, they are sure to draw some enemy fire!
And if you’re like me and wonder why the Dark Angels are part of this Adeptus Astartes preview and not the Chaos Marines preview, it’s because they have a secret. That secret is their Secret Agenda:
Space Wolves
What would a Space Wolves army be without Wulfen? At least 10% less hairy is what! But these fierce warriors do more than shed hair on the battlefield.
Not only do they have an Ignore Damage (6+) rule, they get a bonus attack for taking damage AND can help units with an additional +1 to wound rolls made for attacks by friendly Light Space Wolves units.
Space Wolves are all about those Epic Sagas and A Deed Worthy of Saga is a good reflection of that. If you’re looking to mark an enemy Character, Heavy, or Super-heavy for termination then this Saga is perfect for that.
Deathwatch
The Deathwatch have a batch of nasty tricks up their sleeves but we’re going to focus on one of their most unique units – the Corvus Blackstar.
“The Corvus Blackstar is an exemplar of the tactical flexibility for which the Deathwatch are renowned. Not only can it be equipped with weaponry that specialises in destroying enemy infantry, vehicles or aerial targets (such as with a twin assault cannon, twin lascannon and two Blackstar rocket launchers respectively), but it can bomb units it flies over with its Blackstar Cluster Launcher ability and transport up to 12 Deathwatch models too! Talk about an all-rounder…”
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For 15 Power Rating it BETTER pack a punch. And it does. Plus you’re paying for that transport capacity, so you might want to plan on how you’re going to use that. Maybe drop in a unit and get to purging with their Command Asset – Death To The Alien!
Grey Knights
Few units in the game will hit as hard as a Grand Master in a Nemesis Dreadknight. Check out those SAP/SAT stats! And you’re probably going to want to spring for the Dreadknight Teleporter option…
With the ability to Deep Strike this unit where you need it and provide the Rites of Battle, he makes for a great commander option.
Finally, if you’re needing some anti-Daemon support the Grey Knights are an obvious option. With the Daemon Hunters Command Asset, they will smite those Warp Creatures all day long (or at least for one really effective turn).
That’s it for the “Other” Marines. Apocalypse is up for Pre-Order now and stores should have it on shelves this weekend!
For the Emperor!
