Horus Heresy: Liber Imperium Adeptus Custodes – The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Everything you wanted to know about Adeptus Custodes in the new Horus Heresy 2.0 Age of Darkness Liber Imperium. With a fist full of Meridian Blades, we’re going to dive in to the Good, the Bad and the Ugly newest Horus Heresy offering!
Space Marines got you down? Is Saturday night the least shiny night of the week? The boys in gold are back and ready to “illuminate” the Emperor’s foes in Games Workshop’s latest Horus Heresy Index, Liber Imperium. So tag along as we breakdown the Custodes and talk about the “Good”, the “Bad”, and the “Ugly”
The Good
Custodes are back! But are they better than ever? That is the real question. While they were absolutely brutal in Horus Heresy 1.0 to the point where many events proposed an across the board 25% points hike on Custodes they are more in balance with the other Space Marine and Mechanicum codices this time around. You could say that Adeptus Custodes are paying for the sins of last edition.
Solid State Lines
The Adeptus Custodes have always been the pinnacle of Imperial genetic technology. Given immense strength, stamina, reflexes, and diplomatic skills the 10,000 friends the Emperor created to listen to him complain about his kids are just as burly and resilient as the last edition. Jokes aside Custodes haven’t changed much. They for the most part have the stats from last edition with one or two major differences; an extra wound on a few units and now movement 8 on all infantry save Terminators.
Meridian Blades and a Plethora of Instant Death and AP1/2 Weapons
If the current meta of umpteen Dreadnaughts has been keeping you up at night, Adeptus Custodes may have a solution. Between the Nemesis rule that marks a target and gives the golden boys +1 attacks, +1 to charge rolls and never needing to roll higher than a 4+ to score a hit and their already prodigious stat line, even common units like Guardians can tie up a dreadnaught and make engaging priority targets hard. The real magic is storming up to a Contemptor with units armed with Meridian Blades or Paragon Blades. The instant death rule doesn’t necessarily KO a contemptor outright but each failed save against your Instant Death weapons means you’re going to be putting D3 wounds onto the Contemptor. With a little luck and a little strategy you shouldn’t have much trouble downing those pesky Dreadnoughts, terminators or hard to crack infantry. Imperial Fist warders can still be problematic as they mitigate so much damage…but they do that to everyone.
On top of the mighty Meridian Blades there is also a good amount of high strength shooting and low AP weapons that will make getting around Terminators and tougher units a breeze. The inclusion of the Str 8 AP 2 guardian Axe, tradiontally found on the 40k Allarus Termiantors and Custodian Wardens has finally made an appearance. They are brutal at removing T4 units by doubling them out or just knocking around anything armored. Solarite power gauntlets are back in all of their glory. Take advantage they are still beastly.
Misercordia
Someone had the very bright idea over at the Games Workshop Rules department to give the Mizacordia, Instant Death. Thats right…any Custodian worth his salt is going to be carrying around an instant death can opener. While it doesn’t have AP…failed saves are going hurt that much more when you miss a 2+ on a terminator or a 3+ on Sunkiller’s squad. Keep in mind most units who can take this weapon are still WS5 and rolling up to anything short of a dedicated close combat squad could score you some kills.
Excellent Troops/Infantry
Custodes troops come in 2 flavors now. With Sisters of Silence leaving the Talon’s of the Emperor over creative differences you’re options are now Custodian Guardians (Spears and Lance Weapons) and Custodian Sentinels (Sword and Board). Custodian Guards tend to have more range and with their accessibility to Adrathic and Pyrthite spears they can be equipped to deal with just about any unit type. Custodian Sentinels have more close combat oriented loadouts, including Solarite Power Fists and Solarite Talons which will do pretty well against their intended targets. I recommend at the very least including a couple of Solartite Power fists into Sentinel squads to win hard fights against things like Dreadnaughts or durable Terminators.
Tribunes
Tribunes are terrifying. Think of them as a marshal build a bear that can just about destroy any other generic HQ. While they come with a mountain of special rules, the big get is Eternal Warrior which prevents them from being Insta-Deathed. The big downside is that a Tribune can only be taken in 3000 point games or above. Another notable pieces of terrifying wargear is the Teleport Transponder Array which allows the Tribune and 3 additional Legio Custodes Infantry Units to deep strike. The last thing any opponent wants to see is a flash of golden light and a Tribune and Terminator/Hetaeron Guard hitting their lines. Go pickup your Ixion Hale model, you’ll be needing him
The Bad
Points Hikes
Anyone who played last edition knew this was coming. The points hikes set out to address some of the unit issues from last edition and limit the number of units you can bring to the party against the likes of the Space Marine Legions and Mechanicum.
Constantine Valdor
The Liber Imperium leaves Constantine Valdor somewhat middling. He will definitely not be an auto include but he is fine. On a happier note he did pickup the “Primarch” keyword. Doing some quick math I think he is pretty good at slapping around some of the less burly Primarchs that aren’t considered Close Combat specialists. His stats are pretty good and he even comes with at 3++, and can take down most named characters other than Primarchs, no problem. I think Custodes will still be effective at fighting a legion Primarch but it will be a team effort with either a Tribune or Valdor and a contingent of Hecteran Guard or Terminators. Constantine is also lacking a special Warlord trait. It feels like an oversite or a miss but you’re forced to take the single Custodes warlord trait or a generic from the core rules. On the upside his armor gives Custodes units within his vision 10 leadership, this is pretty significant for morale checks and gives Adeptus Custodes units a high possibility of passing pinning which can be devastating.
Venatari
I have many fond memories of flying Venatari up the board and conquering opponents backlines. Horus Heresy 2.0 has changed them a bit and sadly its for the worse. They are incredibly expensive while filling the same role as the Agamatus Jetbikes though less effective. The difference is the Jetbikes just happen to do everything better including durability. Venatari have the lighter armor variant which only gives them the +3 armor save. They come standard with a pistol and buckler. The pistol is decent shooting with the same profile as an autocannon while the bucker mitigates certain types of shooting attacks. The other option is to swap to the 2 handed lance which is Str 6 AP2. If its between a squad of Agamatus Jetbikes or Venatari…I’m taking Jetbikes the every time.
No Psychic Defense
One of the best parts of the Horus Heresy 1.0 custodian rules were the inclusion of the Sisters of Silence. They allowed you some great defense against Psychic abilities which the Custodes are inherently bad at and they acted as a points dump. Adeptus Custodians are expensive and for that reason I’d often find myself with stray points left over that could quickly and easily be filled with Sisters of Silence. Right now this is gone. As both are considered agents of the imperium they can ally together but they can’t be included in the same detachment.
The Ugly
Invulnerable Saves
For an army that is elite and low model count durability counts for a lot. With the new Liber Imperium the standard the 5++ from Horus Heresy 1.0 is gone and has moved to a 6++. While some units did get additional wounds there are few things out there that can double out a Custodian. However there are plenty of instant death weapons floating around that you’ll want to avoid as your chance of making a save has gone from 33% to just 16.6%
Unit Diversity
One of the best parts of the Horus Heresy 1.0 custodian rules were the inclusion of the Sisters of Silence. They allowed you some great defense against Psychic abilities which the Custodes are inherently bad at and they acted as a points dump. Adeptus Custodians are expensive and for that reason I’d often find myself with stray points left over that could quickly and easily be filled with Sisters of Silence. Right now this is gone. As both are considered agents of the Imperium they can ally together. But they can’t be included in the same detachment.
No Rites of War or Anything Like It
I was disappointed to see that Custodes didn’t get a special Rite or War or rules for a few of their different Shield Hosts. Rites of War add so much flavor to armies to help give them themes and units to build around. I think this is one of the big misses in the book. At the moment Custodes are relegated to being just Sassy space marines with more menacing stats.
No Special Reaction
Like the Rites of War the special reactions given to the Space Marine Legions added depth, and complexity to the armies. It gave them a trick up their sleeve for defeating typically doing what they do best. And Custodes don’t get one.
Heresy Era Custodes Are Still Mostly Resin
Resin is my chief complaint about Horus Heresy. Not because I find it hard to work with myself or hard to use or transport. I dislike GW’s resin releases for 3 reasons:
- It acts as a gate keeper for people getting into the hobby. There is a scarcity that accompanies resin releases. There are only so many produced by hand in Nottingham and once those are gone its typically months before they get released again.
- Its intimidating for new gamers and often times requires additional specialized tools to work with. I’ve been on the other side of a table where a new gamer is handed a resin kit and encouraged the build it. The looks of horror and confusion generally follow.
- Its bad great for your health. Its bad for your spouses health, your kids health and of course your pets. Don’t breathe the dust, wear a mask and if possible do it outside away from anything else with lungs.
Final Thoughts
Custodes are as brutal and effective as they were in 1.0 with enough weaknesses to make them palatable for Legion and Mechanicum players alike. Their “basic” troops are on par with most other legions specialist terminators and infantry and will have no problem mulching just about any of them. Not only are they tough but their general stat-line reads like a special character for most other armies. M 8″, T5, WS5, BS5 2+ save, 6++ they come stock at Initiative 5, meaning they will likely kill whatever is in front of them before they get to attack.
Your lists will probably be infantry heavy. The boys in gold are the beating heart of any Custodes list and you’ll want lots. The things that keep other armies up at night will find the Custodes dreaming of gold polish and marble floors. They do have access to some fun vehicles, the Paladus and Agamatus Jetbikes are notable. They move exceedingly fast and have plenty of punch to knock out things your infantry can’t get to or wants to avoid.
Primarchs, always a danger
Tabletop Challenges
While impressive, Custodes will struggle against Legion armies that incorporate Primarchs. Most of the adjacent armies outside of the Space Marine Legions have this problem and very few answers to it. Custodes are in a good spot as they have Valdor or a Tribune who can stand up to a Primarch. If they are accompanied by some back such as Hetaeron Guard or Aquilon Terminators. Though the cost to drop a brutal close combat specialized Primarch could be problematic. Custodes may also struggle with Mechanicum unless they employ some deep strikes.
One of the major ways to defeat custodes is mass fire. Mechanicum not only have mass fire but much of the worthwhile weapons are also low AP. Anytime a custodian guard has to fall back to their 6++ they’re going to struggle. Custodes also have a distinct lack of effective Transports. The Coronus Grav Carrier is durable and fast but it doesn’t have Assault which makes dropping off those terminators risky. There is a real chance they will get lit up as they wait until the following turn to engage in close combat.
So here we are, likely at the end of the major rules releases in 2022 for Horus Heresy. What a year for gaming in the Age of Darkness.
