Horus Heresy: Things to Come in 2024
With an eye toward the future, what will 2024 bring for Horus Heresy?
Well, my dear dozen readers, I’m back from my holiday vacation. Christmas was had, good cheer was brought, and gifts were gifted. Generous to a fault, my family, in all of their haste to complete their holiday shopping were good enough to stop by a multitude of hobby shops and pluck whatever Horus Heresy boxes from the display were available. My Vth Legion army will benefit greatly from the additional Sky-Hunter Squadon, Assault Squad and MK3 Tactical marines. In 2023 I more or less finalized my Custodes army and got a significant amount of Mechanicum built and painted which leaves only a closet and garage full of Legion models to start on.
And in my holiday grinchness, I sat sated. That was until Warhammer Community decided to drop one final message with some sneak peaks for 2024. There, at my kitchen counter, in the red glow of my laptop, I sat with visions of a Solar Aux Tercio dancing in my head.
I’ll remind readers of the impending releases with GW’s graphic from Warhammer Fest 2023.
It seems we’re seeing Games Workshop trying to tighten up their release schedule and make up for some lost time in 2023, as recent announcements echoed some of the delayed releases from last year.
The Lost Company Emerges from the Woods
In all of their splendor, there they lay, backlit in a hue of red, spinning in space. The first, though vague, images of the plasticized Solar Auxilia. I’ve always wanted to paint 200 Troops and more than a dozen tanks and it seems as though I might get my opportunity sooner than later. If you’re keen on commanding your own Tercio stay tuned as Solar Auxilia will enter the fray in a big way in 2024.
We have our first look at the one of the Lasrifle Section troops with Vexilla.
And then we have… this thing. It’s most definitely a Sentinel, and the feet match the heavy sentinel that is iconic to the Solar Auxilia and saw a recent release in 6mm epic scale. It doesn’t have a distinct silhouette that matches anything from the current range, but it has distinctive markers that scream Solar Aux. The feet are identical to existing Solar Auxilia models, and you assuredly can see the welding mask type helmet on the profile of the rider. Beyond that, I can only assume that this is a Sentinel, and there may be a Heavy Sentinel as well.
Its not exactly the heavy sentinel that was released in Legion Imperialis, and it doesn’t exactly look like anything else in the current Forge World range. It seems we’re looking at something newish, maybe a new adjacent?
If I were a betting man, and I am, my assumption is that we’re going to see something further for this army coming up at the Las Vegas Open (LVO). Perhaps a major announcement, video and army box contents at Warhammer Fest or Adepticon. Whenever we get it, I’m sure I’ll be going into financial ruin to build a worthy force as one can not have enough non-legion armies for Horus Heresy. If you’re on the fence about hopping on the proverbial Baneblade checkout some Solar Auxilia lore and origins below at Warhammer Lexicanum:
All About Solar Auxilia
The Solar Auxilia is a unique take on an Imperial Guard-type army and is entirely exclusive to the Horus Heresy setting. Presently they have Mechanicum syndrome -meaning, they are rarely seen due to their entire line being resin or hybrid kits from Forge World. With the upcoming plastic rerelease, we should also be expecting Malcador tanks, heresy era Leman Russ, Auxilia Command Squads including a Marshall, Aurox Transport or Dracosan Transport, and a half a dozen various infantry and support units. We’ve yet to see the iconic Solar Auxilia Ogryn but assuredly they will be part of the wider eventual release. GW doesn’t exactly skimp on iconic models…though they do take their sweet time. I’d expect an army box on release to help players get all the Solar Aux essentials.
Command Squads
I’m actually incredibly jazzed to see this box coming out. Not only because I’m confident that the sculpts will be awesome but more so for the kit bashing and character creation opportunities. If the 40k command squad box is any indicator of what is to come, we’ll be getting a hefty box with a cornucopia of customization options, weapons, widgets, greebles and doohickies to add to our plastic dudes-men.
I’m expecting a 5man Command Squad with an absolute tsunami of bits to accompany them. I’m curious, though, if the box will come with a specific sculpt for a build-a-bear Praetor or Centurion, or will we be left with what was offered in the Age of Darkness box and the specific HQ for the various legions? Also, from the look of it, the banner bearers standard looks big enough to accommodate those awesome banner transfers from the Forge World legion decal sheets. What a time to be alive! However it turns out, I think the Command Squad box will be an automatic purchase for many legion players looking to add unique characters to their collections.
Final Thoughts
Well reader, as we step into 2024, I think we have a lot to look forward to in regard to Horus Heresy. The game is still alive and kicking, and we’re well on our way to another roadmap of releases, which will undoubtedly fuel my online wargaming conspiracies and other gems of wisdom.
What are your must-haves for 2024? Alongside the upcoming Solar Auxilia release which models and updates are on the top of your wish lists?
