The new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy kicks off with the Saturnine boxed set, which gets you a really solid starting point for an army. But where do you go next?
The WarCom team have been plotting how to incorporate these miniatures into their existing armies, and are here to share their thoughts.
First, you’ll want to brush up on the new way armies are built in this edition, but maybe you want a few more tips before you dive in – Josh from the Warhammer TV team is here to give you a quick rundown of the basics.
Adding to Saturnine
Let’s look at what we have to work with: a Praetor to fill our High Command slot and unlock an Apex Detachment, a Centurion to fill a Command slot and add extra Auxiliary Detachments, loads of Space Marines that can be built as basic Tactical Marines or Veterans if given the included disintegrator weaponry, six hulking Saturnine Terminators in Heavy Assault slots, an Araknae Quad-Accelerator Platform, and a powerful Saturnine Dreadnought. By fitting those into a basic Force Organisation Chart, our army looks something like this:
This army gives us plenty of Transport slots to fill if we want to chauffeur our Space Marines around the battlefield in Rhinos or drop them from the heavens in Drop Pods. We also have a spare Support slot – the ideal home for one of the new Rapier Carrier batteries.
You’ll then want to fill some more Command slots. Champions, Heralds, and Esoterists are all great options to further customise your army, and each brings unique abilities to the table in addition to unlocking a Detachment.
With a new officer or two we now have plenty of room for extra stuff. Almost all of our existing units are made up of infantry, so a great place to go next is an Armoured Support Detachment made up of tanks like the Predator and Kratos.
Having a few tanks around is a great way to stall large amounts of basic troops whose guns won’t even scratch an armoured hull. With four Armour slots available you can stack up on Predators with lascannons for anti-vehicle firepower or take a bunch of Scorpius Missile Tanks to launch anti-infantry missiles over dense terrain.
Warhammer Community recommendations
As it happens, we have lots of eager Heresy-playing types who loiter around the Warhammer Community office, so we gathered up some ideas for things they’d add to their own Saturnine boxed sets.
Eddie
With so many of the MkII Space Marines slogging it across the battlefield on foot, Eddie’s White Scars will be adopting a Land Raider Proteus or three in an Armoured Fist Detachment to safely transport his infantry up the board at speed. Jetbikes are a staple in the Khan’s armies and a Scimitar Jetbike Squadron equipped with multi-meltas is a must-have for some anti-armour punch, while the army’s long-range capabilities will be improved by a dependable Deredeo Dreadnought.
Joel
As an avid Raven Guard fan who prefers the sleek lines of MkVI Corvus pattern power armour for his existing miniatures, Joel plans to split his Saturnine box between the Salamanders and Iron Hands to create a wider Shattered Legions-themed force. To bump up his XIX Legion quotient he’ll be using the MkVI Assault Squad box and the Melee Weapons Upgrade Set to add a Veteran Assault Squad* or two, while using a Spartan Assault Tank in Salamanders colours to transport his Saturnine Terminators.
Andy
As a Paladin of the Dreadwing, Andy is planning on adding to the Saturnine Terminators by loading up on the most esoteric weapons he can find. He’ll be using Volkite Culverins and Plasma Cannons from the Heavy Weapon Upgrade kits to upgrade his MkII Space Marines – which are fully cross-compatible – while expanding his motor pool with a Sicaran Venator or two for that snazzy neutron laser. Finally, for a bit of manoeuvreability, a few Proteus Land Speeders will add that retro charm to the force.
Rob
Rob’s Iron Warriors make heavy use of Allies, and the new rules for Allied Detachments make it easy to add contingents from other factions entirely. He’ll be adding an Ursarax Cohort to his existing Thallax Cohort and Castellax Battle-automata, with only a single Magos needed to support all three utilising the Prime Slot in the Allied Detachment to unlock one unit through the Logistical Benefit Prime Advantage, and the Magos’ Officer of the Line (2) special rule to unlock two Auxiliary Detachments.
What will you be adding to your Horus Heresy army? Have a dig through the Warhammer webstore for ideas while you wait for pre-orders to go live on Saturday, and if you’re not sure which Legion you’re leaning towards right now, take our Legion picker test now to see which one is right for you!
* A new unit found in the Liber Astartes and Liber Hereticus books!
