I didn't keep track of stuff too closely or take pictures during my first game of World Eaters using the new codex and Index Hereticus, but this is more an article for my reactions to the units, upgrades, etc.1
Well, the World Eaters smashed and overwhelmed the Aeldari alliance of Drukhari, Harlequins, and Corsairs. Tempest of War cards again proved to be great fun. Forgot to play the mission card for a couple of turns, this game there was a warp storm going on potentially causing mortal wounds to units holding objectives. A poor berzerker did get zapped for a mortal wound, psychic energy blasting out of the purple crystals we use as objectives and causing the nails to bite deep.
I won the roll off both for being defender and going first, which was mostly responsible for me pulling ahead on points. The primary rewarded points for holding 1/2/more objectives than the opponent, which I scored every turn due to the objective placement. I did exploit this advantage in deployment zone, but offered to rearrange the objectives when the game began due to the obvious advantage. My opponent said he placed them deliberately and was thus cool with it, and intended of course to kill and sweep my World Eaters off of them. That isn’t what happened, as Khorne would have it. I got a secondary to perform an action at the end of the movement phase with an Obsec unit that I got first turn, as an added bonus.
I managed to forget my cultists at home, so after cutting the chainfist on the terminator champion and a couple of plasma pistols from the chosen, I brought a fifth unit of 5 Berzerkers. The first turn I didn’t even use any CP, and due to the upgrades and buffs in the army along with conservative use of CP the low number wasn’t a huge problem.
Terminator lord with Gorefather: Managed to not roll any 6’s to wound in 2 combat phases, wiped a couple of skyweavers and provided some rerolls aura. This game he didn’t really matter too much, I’m sure with better rolls he can really shine. 6” heroic intervention did allow him to join a combat a turn early, which he bounced off of the first combat, then ripped them apart the next turn. He had 7 attacks on the charge, and the -1 to hit from Gorefather doesn’t matter, since harlequins have -1 to hit anyway. He bumped up to 8 attacks on the charge after wiping the skyweavers, but didn’t get to fight again before the game ended.
Daemon prince utilized jump to reposition and maximize his aura. The mantle of traitors allowed me to snipe out his rerolls aura to core anywhere on the table, so he alternated between havocs and Berzerkers. He killed a shadowseer in combat, the mantle allowing him to use Skulls for the Skull Throne for free to get 2 CP back. My opponent charged and killed him out of deep strike with a solitaire. I think the mantle is a great choice for him, as he should be able to kill at least one character in a game. His aura along with the lord’s allowed the dark apostle to skip dark zealotry, as well as something in the Aeldari army that turned off auras. +1“ advance and charge aura is an autoinclude for me as a warlord trait.
Dark Apostle was outstanding. I used Wrathful Entreaty to keep the chaincannon havocs in wanton destruction, and also used illusory supplication on them while in cover. Both powers are just great. His warlord trait (eternal vendetta) was good, I marked a troupe of 8 and fragged them with the havocs turn 1 (2 lived and ran). This is a really versatile ability and will be useful every game.
Havocs were meh to badass. Meh was 4 krak missiles bouncing off a voidweaver. Better was frag missile fire turn 1 blasting a troupe apart with exploding 6's and re-roll 1's aura from the terminator lord. Badass was chaincannon havocs just blasting away with wrathful entreaty on turns 2 and 3. Turn 1 they were out of range and I didn’t want to leave cover. With illusory supplication they tanked a bunch of shooting from a couple of voidweavers and death jesters, losing just the champion. They also charged and fought, dealing a few wounds to the solitaire after he wiped the prince. It was nice to have long range with the missile launchers, as they at least had targets every turn.
Red Butchers with the black rune were tough! I dropped them mid table turn 2 to engage multiple targets, and their combi-bolters did serious work. They blasted the enemy warlord to death, then endured most of the Aeldari shooting and charges from 2 troupes, a death jester, and a shadowseer. 8 were cut down and the last 2 fled from failed morale and combat attrition. I interrupted to fight twice, but despite decent rolls the harlequins passed the vast majority of their invuln saves. This pile of enemy units was then immediately both shot to death and charged by multiple units. It was a rout, and pretty much signaled the end for the Aeldari alliance. Black rune autoinclude on terminators in a brick of 10, my friends.
Berzerkers were great. So many attacks. In wanton slaughter and with fury of Khorne, even a 5 man unit puts out just a bloody fountain of hits and wounds. I’m glad I forgot my cultists at home and brought a fifth unit. Having a second wound at long last on my Berzerkers feels like such a victory in and of itself, like the Nicolas Cage Con Air hair blowing in the wind meme. They’re not hard to kill, but even 2 or 3 pose a fairly big threat to Eldar infantry. Only one unit was wiped, after chopping through a unit of wyches during my turn.
Chosen were great. I used daemon shells and relentless devastation to shred a unit of incubi escorting drazhar in turn 2, which allowed me to hang back with them those extra 6” and deny drazhar the charge during his turn. Used fury of the first to rapid fire a few more wounds off drazhar in turn 3 before charging and killing him. The black mace bounced off his invuln save but the rest of the unit just cut him to shreds. I forgot about their special rule after wiping the incubi, but it likely wouldn’t have mattered. Their 3rd wound is such a sweet bonus for them.
Really fun game against my buddy, we had a blast but things tipped in my favor fairly quickly. My opponent didn’t feel like any of my units or combos were particularly cheesy or unfun, but both the black rune and armor of contempt are effective at neutering a lot of damage. He certainly could have picked stronger abilities than he did, although most of his upgrades and combos were really good. Mortal wounds are something my army has no defense against, which really hurt the terminators in particular. Exploding hits on pistols really do matter, at least against filthy knife ears.
The army is so fun to play. After all this time, it finally feels like chaos space marines have arrived. Every unit felt like it pulled its weight, though I only used the master of executions to screen out his solitaire from deep striking in my deployment zone.
I know the World Eaters codex will totally change things, but for now this is very satisfying. Also sharing units with my Word Bearers will allow me to try all sorts of things. I only wish we were earlier into this edition. Still, no complaints other than loss of jump lords.
