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So, I just bought/assembled a squad of bullgryns.... and promptly fell in love with the models. Their sheer size and heroic poses are awesome. So, my question is how to use them. I plan on running a five man bullgryn squad, with three having the slabshields and two having the power mauls. The last model I will assemble as nork deddog, because ogryns. Any help would be appreciated!

The most important thing of course, is making sure they get into combat.

They're bully units in that matching them up with the best assault units (wraiths, assault terminators, melee fexes, etc) is usually a bad idea but anything less than that is probably going to be hurting if they can get the charge.

For this, I have tried CRASSUS ARMORED ASSAULT TRANSPORTS and Gorgons, but that is an awful lot of points to get them into combat. And the problem with the Chimera is that it can't carry enough of them.

I will say that a Commissar or Priest is a must, and they really appreciate psychic buffs to get the most out of their abilities (luckily, between you, your battle brothers, and the inquisition you can get a lot of psykers).

I'll also say to keep them apart if you see something that can instant death them and breach their saves, but if you're about to enter small arms fire range and don't see any significant instant death dealing threats; feel free to stand together for that armor bonus and charge in.

Overall they're not super-optimal, but they're fun to use.

What exactly do they do? I haven't gotten the new codex yet.

 Arbiter wrote:
What exactly do they do? I haven't gotten the new codex yet.

There ogryns with a three plus armor save when in btb contact, along with s4 grenade launchers. They can be upgraded to a power maul and brute shield, which confers to them a 5+ Invuln.

 BlackTemplar1 wrote:

 Arbiter wrote:
What exactly do they do? I haven't gotten the new codex yet.

There ogryns with a three plus armor save when in btb contact, along with s4 grenade launchers. They can be upgraded to a power maul and brute shield, which confers to them a 5+ Invuln.

It can go down to a 2+

Throw azrael in a blob of 10 of them, watch your opponent never kill them ever.

 Scipio Africanus wrote:

 BlackTemplar1 wrote:

 Arbiter wrote:
What exactly do they do? I haven't gotten the new codex yet.

There ogryns with a three plus armor save when in btb contact, along with s4 grenade launchers. They can be upgraded to a power maul and brute shield, which confers to them a 5+ Invuln.

It can go down to a 2+

Throw azrael in a blob of 10 of them, watch your opponent never kill them ever.

How does it get to 2+??

That's how I interpreted it if there are two in base contact with one?

 Scipio Africanus wrote:
That's how I interpreted it if there are two in base contact with one?

It specifically states "If a model is in base contact with one or more models with a slabshield from the same unit, it adds +1 to your armour save." This means that there is only a flat rate of +1 to your armour save since it does not say it is cumulative with each slabshield giving a +1 armour save for every model in base contact only that if there is 1 or more that there is a +1 bonus to armour save. So no they cannot be 2+ armour save toting Bullgryns.

 Grimskul wrote:

 Scipio Africanus wrote:
That's how I interpreted it if there are two in base contact with one?

It specifically states "If a model is in base contact with one or more models with a slabshield from the same unit, it adds +1 to your armour save." This means that there is only a flat rate of +1 to your armour save since it does not say it is cumulative with each slabshield giving a +1 armour save for every model in base contact only that if there is 1 or more that there is a +1 bonus to armour save. So no they cannot be 2+ armour save toting Bullgryns.

Which is unfortunate.

 Kain wrote:

 Grimskul wrote:

 Scipio Africanus wrote:
That's how I interpreted it if there are two in base contact with one?

It specifically states "If a model is in base contact with one or more models with a slabshield from the same unit, it adds +1 to your armour save." This means that there is only a flat rate of +1 to your armour save since it does not say it is cumulative with each slabshield giving a +1 armour save for every model in base contact only that if there is 1 or more that there is a +1 bonus to armour save. So no they cannot be 2+ armour save toting Bullgryns.

Which is unfortunate.

This disadvantage could have been offset if they just let you switch out the grenade gauntlet for the power maul while keeping the slabshield at the same time. Unfortunately, as is they're just extremely expensive mobile cover for tanks with mediocre counter-melee capabilities.

 Grimskul wrote:

 Kain wrote:

 Grimskul wrote:

 Scipio Africanus wrote:
That's how I interpreted it if there are two in base contact with one?

It specifically states "If a model is in base contact with one or more models with a slabshield from the same unit, it adds +1 to your armour save." This means that there is only a flat rate of +1 to your armour save since it does not say it is cumulative with each slabshield giving a +1 armour save for every model in base contact only that if there is 1 or more that there is a +1 bonus to armour save. So no they cannot be 2+ armour save toting Bullgryns.

Which is unfortunate.

This disadvantage could have been offset if they just let you switch out the grenade gauntlet for the power maul while keeping the slabshield at the same time. Unfortunately, as is they're just extremely expensive mobile cover for tanks with mediocre counter-melee capabilities.

Which is why I ended up giving them a make over much like their regular versions.

You'd think the unit that shows up in every game where the IG is a playable faction would make the Ogryn more usable.

Well, I just used them against dark eldar, and three with a priest held up a huge wych squad with no casualties! They then proceeded to take on a couple trueborn squads and a wrack squad, along with that special character with the 2+ armor and the ap 2 sword, without taking a single wound. So yeah, im pretty happy with them.

That sounds like some truly out-there rolling!

 BlackTemplar1 wrote:
Well, I just used them against dark eldar, and three with a priest held up a huge wych squad with no casualties! They then proceeded to take on a couple trueborn squads and a wrack squad, along with that special character with the 2+ armor and the ap 2 sword, without taking a single wound. So yeah, im pretty happy with them.

does sound like epic rolling.

But still, wyches are either anti tank or tarpit units, no one expects them to kill anything with a toughness value, particularly if that toughness is 5 or higher. Truborn are shooting units, no one expects them to do anything but die in combat.

Now Drazhar(the only Special character with AP2) is tough, but not nearly worth his price without enough attacks or survivability to really make a dent. Still he should average 2 wounds a round against ogryns. He isn't competitive at all.

Wracks are also pretty good here, with their posioned attacks, a squad might drop an orgryn.


I wouldnt rank that up there to mean ogryns are great. Without the luck of the charge each time and some great rolling, 10 grots can beat 3 squads of terminators

Well this tactic may not be fool proof, but it worked quite well against DA, in fact my "Yarrick Bomb", as I call it, defeated 5 Deathwing Terminators in Assault. So what is this bomb?

Take Commissar Yarrick for the key stone figure, his 4++ and ability to come back after death on a 3+ make him one of the hardest humans to kill. Next, ensure you use him as your warlord, his Draconian ability ensures the bomb will never fall back. Lastly his power fist gives a hint of AP 2

Next take a Ministorum Priest. His war hynms allow either reroll of your own failed saves (inv, armor), or reroll all to wounds you failed. This is amazing as it makes Yarrick even harder to kill.

Finally, take a squad of bullgryns with power mauls and bucklers ( cant recall the smaller shields name). This makes them hit at S7, and they have a 5++ with 4+ armor, reroll failed saves &/or reroll failed to wound rolls (from the priest).

The only thing missing is a means of transportation, in that game there was plenty of building so I opted to keep em on foot and it worked quite well. In any other scenario I'd recommend taking 2 taurox's (as the bomb counts as 11 models technically). Keep the priest in the seperate transport (itll force your opponent to choose between killing Yarrick, or the Priest).

Any ways hope that was helpful, its probably not the best use, but it worked well for me, like I said, I killed a squad of Death Wings termies in assault so it must have some legitimacy (despute how expensive they are)

Deathwing Terminators are hardly the end-all of Assault units.

It's a fine idea, but I don't think it has the strength to be a truly competitive unit. I do find it cute when I see IG/AM players trying to build a deathstar.

Drazhar isn't the only DEldar with AP2 in assault. Huskblades are AP2 and instant death, Lelith is AP2, and Incubus Demiklaives have a +1 S and AP2 mode.

Great tactic I have seen is called the "Pillars of Awesome"

Put them on your shelf and put another shelf on top of them.

 Kain wrote:
Drazhar isn't the only DEldar with AP2 in assault. Huskblades are AP2 and instant death, Lelith is AP2, and Incubus Demiklaives have a +1 S and AP2 mode.

Just to be 'that guy', Lelith isn't AP2, she simply ignores armour.

We have one guy uses them as mobile cover. Just marches em up the field. I find it hard to bolter them to death in small games. None of us are hyper-competative though, so... salt.

They seem like they'd be most use in small games, but they would severely limit your body count. I usually end up smashing Repentia or Penitents into them. Goes either way.

 Kain wrote:
Drazhar isn't the only DEldar with AP2 in assault. Huskblades are AP2 and instant death, Lelith is AP2, and Incubus Demiklaives have a +1 S and AP2 mode.

I was thinking that Drazhar is the only SPECIAL character with AP2, as none of them are packing huskblades. Forgot about Lelith being FAQed to AP2, from just "ignores armor saves" What a buff if she has FC and goes against a vehicle!


Still Lelith doesnt have a 2+ save, so the one the guy was describing must have been Drazhar.

 Exergy wrote:

 Kain wrote:
Drazhar isn't the only DEldar with AP2 in assault. Huskblades are AP2 and instant death, Lelith is AP2, and Incubus Demiklaives have a +1 S and AP2 mode.

I was thinking that Drazhar is the only SPECIAL character with AP2, as none of them are packing huskblades. Forgot about Lelith being FAQed to AP2, from just "ignores armor saves" What a buff if she has FC and goes against a vehicle!


Still Lelith doesnt have a 2+ save, so the one the guy was describing must have been Drazhar.

Yeah, what Drazhar is, is the only guy with a 2+ armor save in the entire army.