Horus Heresy: Biggest FAQ Winners and Losers
The Horus Heresy got a giant set of FAQs WOW! Here are some winners and losers from the recent Age of Darkness drop.
On 12/5 I awoke to something I didn’t think I’d honestly see for awhile, a slew of FAQs that were aimed at addressing rules issues, balance and overall changes to Horus Heresy. While minimal balancing was done to the points cost and abilities of impacted units, there are some important rule clarifications that call out vague wording and core game rules changes that are worth reviewing. With that in mind, here are some winners and losers from the recent FAQ drop.
Armigers – Loser
This was a fix that was long in the making as the original release saw Armigers without critical wording of “vehicle”. From a rules standpoint this insured they could not be affected by things like Haywire, Detonation, Armourbane (X), and Battlesmith (X). With that in mind, there are new tools out there to deal with these fearsome walkers more so than previously. I don’t think that this change is a death sentence for the much-loved Armigers as hordes of these are still a critical mainstay in Knight armies. If anything, it makes victory with a Knight army a much steeper climb. This is a sensible change that needed to happen.
The Meta – Winner
Not much has shifted with all of the new rules coming out. There were no significant mentions or disruptions to most factions. While I anticipated that things like Custodian Guards, Stone Gauntlet and Contemptors would surely be hit with a nerf bat in the first FAQ, the FW Specialist games division must feel that they are working as intended. In some ways, this is great. If you have invested in these armies and units, your investment is safe for now. The only faction that seems to have been taken to task was the Ultramarines and Fulmentarus Terminators and probably Alpha Legion because again, they won’t take Fulmentarus Terminators anymore.
Fulmentarus Terminators – Loser
Nothing made me happier than typing the above, “Fulmentarus Terminators – Loser.” But all joking aside the hard-boiled terminators from Ultramar had some major changes that have left them less fearsome. If you have played against Ultramarines in the last year and a half you’ve no doubt run into a wall of Plasma Rockets coming from out of sight which have caused havoc on your would-be advance toward Ultramarine lines. Savy Ultramarine players would often deploy these in the back of their army behind walls of tanks and troops which made getting to and engaging with this unit a monumental challenge. Fulmentarus Terminators have lost the no-line-of-sight shooting that made them a headache for many armies. While not entirely toothless, they will now be more susceptible to incoming fire. Opponents of Ultramarines will have the option to remove these with high-strength shooting or volume of fire. For those blueberry players out there wringing your hands, you should be asking which is better another Kratos or a squad of Predators.
Psyker Shooting Reactions – Winner (everyone but Thousand Sons)
Reactions are now limited to non-special rule attacks. This means that psyker shooting attacks and other attacks, such as Battlesmith can no longer be used as part of a reaction. This is highly impactful to our friends in the Thousand Sons, who have relied on using psychic abilities to disrupt game mechanics or punch above their weight in terms of unit removal prior to getting charged.
Reaction in the Assault Phase – Winner
Knowing is half the battle, and knowing if your opponent made a charge before deciding whether to allocate a reaction to the charging unit can be game-altering. This small but significant change allows players to really optimize against their opponent’s charge phase and make more efficient decisions in selecting their reaction targets.
Rylanor the Unyielding – Winner
In the land of Dreadnaughts, the Weapon Skill 6 Dreadnaught is King. Rylanor had a glow-up this FAQ as he will now be able to stand toe to toe with the Custodes dreadnaughts and dunk on pretty much every other Legion’s Contemptors. Couple that with base attacks of 4; you’ve got a bonafide elite killer. If you run into Rylanor in the wild, you better start praying for 5+ to hits.
Knight Vestal Covenant – Losers (everyone who was using them for FNP)
Prior to this FAQ there was a trick in which a Custodes army could utilize a detachment of Sisters of Silence to grant FNP to a unit by attaching a Knight Vestal Covenant to it at the start of the game. It was an easy way to make a hard army even harder by adding a 5+++. Overall I think this is a positive change for the health of the game though it means we’ll probably see fewer sisters until we get a wide release of their missing units.
Legion Caestus Assault Ram – Winner
If you ever had dreams of owning one of these, now is the time. Coming in hot with an improved transport capacity of 16 along with the updated Misericord special rule which allows embarked terminators and primarchs to charge on the turn that they disembark. This stout flier may be a must-have for delivering your vanguard to where they are needed most going forward. Here’s to hoping Forge World has plans to release a plastic kit, as the resin version is a bear to assemble,
Warlord Titan – Winner
With a price equivalent to that of a used 1998 Civic, I better be able to fire this thing from Turn 1 to Turn 5 or until it’s destroyed. Warlord Titans now have Night Vision.
Final Thoughts
After reviewing the new FAQs and looking for major changes, I found nothing that was going to turn the game upside down or topple the current meta. Overall this FAQ was fairly tame, it didn’t have the teeth and nails of your typical 40k FAQ that flips the entire game on its head and shakes meta like a Magic 8-ball. I believe that the rules clarification and sensible changes that were made are positive for the health of Horus Heresy. There isn’t an army out there that is now unplayable or downright awful. Everyone still has plenty to work with thanks in part to many of the best units being useable across the 18 different marine legions. Looking forward, I foresee more changes coming in late 2024 with another FAQ that might be aimed more at game balance and points adjustments, however, I wouldn’t expect it soon.
