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Why do they need to bombard a planet so much in the first place and then drop a bomb?
Is it not easyer to just drop the bomb? Or they just do that to soften up the planet for the Exteminatus bomb?

I think they normally bombard the planet anyway, but Exterminatus will destroy anything that could survive, and eliminates all opposition on the planet.

There is more than one way to skin a cat/Exterminatus a planet full of Xenos/Heretics. The commander do'in the 'sterminatin decides the method.

In the case of an Inquisitor calling for Exterminatus, a Space Marine chapter will oblige with exactly one bomb. Inquisition War's Jaq Draco ruminates on this, but as UselessSage said, in other situations it may be different.

a proper Exterminatus has several stages.


1st is the conventional bombardment. this is designed to do most of the killing, eliminate any fortified underground bunkers that can actually survive the rest.


then it's Clyclotronic torpedo time. the Torpedos penetrate deep into the Crust to cause massive seismic activity, further disrupting the planet.


then the Virus Bombs are dropped. the Virus eats away all living matter, basically causing almost instantanious decay. the Virus then eats itself to remove any lingering traces.

as a result of the Virus Bombs, the atmosphere is filled with flammable corpse gas.


then, a single shot is fired at the planet. either a bombardment cannon or a Lance Strike will do. this ignites the Corpse Gas and bascially burns the Atmosphere away, covering the planet in a firestorm. usually, there is very little atmosphere left as the rapid expansion of the flame will push much of the gases beyond the gravitation reach of the planet to be blown away by solar winds.

Grey Templar wrote:a proper Exterminatus has several stages.


1st is the conventional bombardment. this is designed to do most of the killing, eliminate any fortified underground bunkers that can actually survive the rest.


then it's Clyclotronic torpedo time. the Torpedos penetrate deep into the Crust to cause massive seismic activity, further disrupting the planet.


then the Virus Bombs are dropped. the Virus eats away all living matter, basically causing almost instantanious decay. the Virus then eats itself to remove any lingering traces.

as a result of the Virus Bombs, the atmosphere is filled with flammable corpse gas.


then, a single shot is fired at the planet. either a bombardment cannon or a Lance Strike will do. this ignites the Corpse Gas and bascially burns the Atmosphere away, covering the planet in a firestorm. usually, there is very little atmosphere left as the rapid expansion of the flame will push much of the gases beyond the gravitation reach of the planet to be blown away by solar winds.

Actually, what you've described is total overkill and a complete waste of the Emperor's munitions. Any of the three methods you've described, lance bombardement, virus bombs and cyclonic torpedoes, is sufficcient to exterminate all life on the planet.

Virus bombs, as you point out, turns all living organisms on the planet's surface into goo, which is then ignited, burning away the planet's atmosphere, making the planet unable to support life. The few poor sods who survives the virus either die to the firestorm or suffocate when the atmosphere is gone.

Lance strikes is the blunt way of doing things, place a battlefleet in orbit and blast the planet until everything's dead.

A single cyclonic torpedo (depending on what mark is used) is enough to obliterate a planet, scattering it, as you put it, to the solar winds. I ripped this image from Lexicanum:

I believe that with the virus bomb, a preliminary bombardment would be ideal to make sure that any sort of epicly awesome bunkers/fortifications were breeched.

But the crust penetrator....I'd only see more than one going in case there was heavy defence in the system. Only one would need to get thru.

While a single Clyclonic Torpedo is usually sufficient to kill a planet it won't always work. depending on the size of the planet in question.


Clyclonic Torpedos are the only thing used against Tomb Worlds(Virus bomb being pointless) in which case the planet needs to be ripped apart.

Grey Templar wrote:a proper Exterminatus has several stages.


1st is the conventional bombardment. this is designed to do most of the killing, eliminate any fortified underground bunkers that can actually survive the rest.


then it's Clyclotronic torpedo time. the Torpedos penetrate deep into the Crust to cause massive seismic activity, further disrupting the planet.


then the Virus Bombs are dropped. the Virus eats away all living matter, basically causing almost instantanious decay. the Virus then eats itself to remove any lingering traces.

as a result of the Virus Bombs, the atmosphere is filled with flammable corpse gas.


then, a single shot is fired at the planet. either a bombardment cannon or a Lance Strike will do. this ignites the Corpse Gas and bascially burns the Atmosphere away, covering the planet in a firestorm. usually, there is very little atmosphere left as the rapid expansion of the flame will push much of the gases beyond the gravitation reach of the planet to be blown away by solar winds.

Thats alot of effort just to clear a planet of life, somebody get these guys a death star.

It's more realistic

and more Grimdark.


Whats more scary?

a Planet who's crust has been reduced to ash and dust, or just a planet that ceases to exist(o look, another asteroid field )

Also, preliminary bombardment has the happy consequence of eliminating any anti-missle defense or shielding various portions of the world may have. Afterall, what's the point of sending one cyclonic torpedo if it's just going to get shot out of the air?

Also, can't find it now while I'm at work, but there's a comunique that appeared in a white dwarf which was basically an Administratum official berating his subordinate for wasting the Emperor's resources in using a large asteroid as Exterminatus.

DMajiko wrote:Also, preliminary bombardment has the happy consequence of eliminating any anti-missle defense or shielding various portions of the world may have. Afterall, what's the point of sending one cyclonic torpedo if it's just going to get shot out of the air?

Also, can't find it now while I'm at work, but there's a comunique that appeared in a white dwarf which was basically an Administratum official berating his subordinate for wasting the Emperor's resources in using a large asteroid as Exterminatus.

Ask and the Emperor provides!

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Rocks_Are_Not_Free!

I think that Grey Templar is correct. Exterminus is supposed to be complete overkill. Nothing should have a chance to survive. Remember that Virus bombs will not completely kill an entire planet. Tallarn was virus bombed and its people survived and fought off the Iron Warriors (Of course it was turned into a barren wasteland, but life still existed).

I always assumed there were different methods rather then a combination, with Cyclonic Torpedo being the favored method and Virus Bombs being an older and frowned-upon method.

I've also heard of "Atmospheric incendiary bombs" which set the atmosphere ablaze and thus the planet is incapable of sustaining life. That seems like the most efficient method for long-term results imo short of simply making the planet cease to exist with Cyclonic Torpedoes.

I think Lance strikes and Melta Torpedoes are used more for orbital fire support for ground forces, I imagine wiping a planet dry with those would take quite some time.

The planet I believe is rendered pretty much uninhabitabal, as it has been made extremely unstable my cyclonic topedoes, which will destroy anything underground. The planet it dead, and sometimes will actually break up due to the massive damage to the structural integrity by the torpedoes and bombardment.

Atmospheric incindiary bombs won't wipe all life.

Plants could survive and after a few(hundred)years there might be a breathable atmosphere again.


the combination of conventional bombardments and Virus bombs ensure that NOTHING survives, down to the last single celled organisim.

there is Exterminatus for you

TyraelVladinhurst wrote:
there is Exterminatus for you