Horus Heresy: The Care and Watering of Your Horus Ascended
It’s not often that Games Workshop bestows upon us the ultimate big bad in a franchise right out of the gate of a new edition. Here’s the skinny on Horus Ascended, both on the tabletop and the hobby table.
This new Horus sculpt sets the scene for a possible revamp of some of the older and less refined Heresy era primarchs while also giving some flavor to the moniker of “Ascended”. Having assembled Horus Ascended, I can say he is probably the most detailed miniature in the GW range and the most intricate. He is definitely a model intended for experienced resin hobbyists.
Horus Lupercal is the main archvillain of the 30k setting for which it is named for him, hence the Horus Heresy. For any Sons of Horus, Luna Wolves or Traitor Legions aficionados out there this is a must-buy miniature. I foresee this being popular as a painting project, collector’s piece, and a big bad that you pull out for large Apocalypse games.
The Build.
When it comes to the Horus Ascended model, there isn’t much to dislike. The aesthetic to me is spot on. He has all of the widgets, doohickies and detail you would expect on a monster of Horus’s caliber. I appreciated the attention to detail and thoroughly enjoyed the long but satisfying build. The details are truly incredible, and the overall fitment was excellent as I’m sure we received one of the first rounds of castings. That being said this model weighs in at 42 pieces which feel parts-heavy for a character the size of a Contemptor or maybe Leviathan dread. Disappointingly he is still in resin…while great for the experienced modeler I really would have loved to have seen him come out in plastic. Not only would a plastic product be more accessible to enthusiasts but it would have likely kept the cost down and put it into the hands of your local FLGS to sell. As is, I believe this model will only be offered via online sale from Forge World/GamesWorkshop.
As far as construction it was fairly straightforward with a decent set of instructions to aid you. For this author, the build didn’t require more than, super glue, zip kicker (super glue activator), hobby clippers, hobby saw, files, tweezers, and a hobby knife. As with all FW models you will have to remove the casting gates and wash the model in soap and water. Some of the small parts are microscopically tiny, make sure you’re careful not to lose them in the washing process. I opted to magnetize the display base so I could remove Horus and use him as a game piece. I also modified the small Solar Auxilia standard by propping it on a rock that I fashioned from one of the leftover gates because it was very flimsy. By adding the additional support behind it I was able to increase its stability and probably save myself frustration and cursing later on. I don’t think it detracts at all from the look of it and make it seem more like a part of the Horus plinth.
The Rules
Horus is scary to begin with. In his usual 600pt configuration; he is easily one of the better primarchs and only 1 of 4 with weapon skill (WS) 8. On top of that, you see some narrative features in play with his Warlord Trait “Sire o the Sons of Horus” which bestows all allied infantry +1 leadership and stubborn. When you factor in the 400pt upgrade to become Horus Ascended he takes Primarch to a whole new level. At 1000pts you only find him in games of 4000+ pts per side. He comes decked in his awesome armor “Serpent Scales” which confers a 3++ save as well as his usual 2+. This alone makes him insanely tanky and able to withstand a punishing amount of damage before succumbing to wounds. In his “Ascended” version he also gains a 4+ Feel No Pain (FNP) and the ability to come back onto the battlefield via reserves with a single wound left should he die from the “A Dark Fate” ability. Games Workshop definitely gave him a glow up in his “Ascended” variant, rightfully so given his points cost is higher than a Warhound titan.
Horus Ascended can once per game use “The Power of Chaos Eternal”, this is Horus at his absolute peak. It pushes his strength and toughness characteristics to 10 during an assault phase as well as dropping the “Unweildy” characteristic from his weapon. This is exceedingly awesome is you need to crush another primarch or dedicated close combat units that could threaten him before he gets to strike. Finally, Horus has the ability to grant “Corrupted” to units at a cost of 25pts per unit. This gives them fear while also giving them some weakness against power weapons and psychic focus.
Final Thoughts
I really love the addition of Ascended Primarchs. It gives you the opportunity to play with the champions of your chosen legion at their most powerful while also giving GW a reason to sculpt some new models for Horus Heresy. I think the rules writers for Horus Heresy missed a great opportunity to make Horus the centerpiece of any traitor legion. While Horus was most active with his legion, the Sons of Horus, I can imagine the model leading any traitor legion. I also would have liked a support buff or some kind of neat command buff to represent the cunning and ambitious nature of Horus Lupercal. Overall Heresy fans got a great sculpt and some cool rules for big games.
With Lorgar Aurelian having “ascended” rules currently, I believe we could be seeing him next. It wouldn’t surprise me to see any announcement at LVO or Adepticon. That being said I could also make a case for Ascended versions of Sanguinius or even rules for the new Angron Demon Prince model in late Heresy-themed games.
What other major character models are we missing or what Primarchs do you feel need an Ascended model?
