Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I was thinking earlier today about cultists, I have some but almost never use them. So i was wondering what would some good strategies to use with cultists? I already know about the aegis shooters strategy and the meat shield one, I'm looking for unique strategies that would suprise people but are actually good

I wondered the same, I haven't used them other than sitting on objectives and being cheap.

What are the Aegis shooters and meat shield strategy? Simply putting them behind an ADL? Using them as cheap wounds for a lord/warpsmith/warlord? Or something more complex than that?

I tried them as Zombies once, but it didn't overwhelm me. They are easily outplayed with SNP and were again only objective sitters. And that only marginally better than vanilla cultists.

They are pretty good in the Helcult formation. Also, I regularly use them as a delivery system for my Chaos Lord. Other than that, they are just cheap extra wounds.

Also: Put them in as allies to a Tzeentch Daemons army, give them Mark of Tzeentch and then throw the 4++ blessing on them. Your opponent will weep.

yep those are the only three ways ive ever played them, and ive only been impressed with one strategy, the Helcult

Yes they can sit back on objectives, but they wont stand up to much, and if its too close the your table edge, it is very likely they will run off.

Extra wounds? Sure, but I think that role is better filled by a unit that adds something to the fight other then 10+ wounds (marines and a tank or something) Sure they are cheap, but you'll be removing them by the handful each turn

The Helcult gets me hot (dont worry, i made my FNP ) Two units totaling 20 - 70 fearless models. I like to walk it midfield and make my opponent choose: Chew through all them cultists or try your luck on armor 12 with a +3 cover. Just make SURE you kit out the helbrute so your opponent HAS to deal with it (i like fist w/ flamer and TL Las or Plas Cannon). Its alot of headache for about 250 pts

Dude in all the games youve played me youve used cultists.

They are reasonable with autoguns against non meq enemies while camped in cover.

 Alienoid wrote:
I was thinking earlier today about cultists, I have some but almost never use them. So i was wondering what would some good strategies to use with cultists? I already know about the aegis shooters strategy and the meat shield one, I'm looking for unique strategies that would suprise people but are actually good

Cultists are totally awesome. Wait, you don't play Necromundia? Nevermind.

 Alienoid wrote:
I was thinking earlier today about cultists, I have some but almost never use them. So i was wondering what would some good strategies to use with cultists? I already know about the aegis shooters strategy and the meat shield one, I'm looking for unique strategies that would suprise people but are actually good

I don't -play Chaos, but the Helbrute Cult Formation looks good to me. And I hear nothing but good about Zombie Horde>

give them a rhino or a landraider and use them to secure objectives

Use them in the same way the Tyranids use Termagants. Against assault based armies, throw them in front of tanks in a bubble wrap. Against Riptides and Wraithknights, or even Dreadnaughts, tarpit them for X amount of turns. I'm sure there are Chaos characters with Fearless, right? A Lord of some kind of something that has Fearless. Add one to the squad in a Khorne loadout to deal with Challenges specifically, max out the cultist squad, you have a unit that is just going to be a big blob of annoying. Keep the Lord in the back of the blob so he doesn't accidentally die and ruin the tarpit, but it would work as both shield and pause button for a big part of the table.

What about luscious the eternal in a 35 man squad? It goes around and challenges people and if they don't accept it destroys them and if they do accept they get destroyed

depends on what you're challenging. Despite being one of the best astartes duelists fluff-wise, 3+/5++ and ap3 doesn't do him any favors on the table top.

Helcult all the way. I've seen decent success from the zombie mode, but they seem to slow for that. Plus, the Helcult formation just looks awesome and can make your Helbrute pretty boss

Don't forget that Cultists from the Helcult formation do not have Objective Secured, which can be a big downside.

You can infiltrate blobs of them but often it'll only give you a 6"-ish extra move (you can rarely hide a big group of cultists out of LOS so you must deploy 18" away iirc)

You can line them up near a psyker who has rolled Sacrifice, to make Heralds out of them. Seems pretty fluffy to me.

You can bubblewrap the rear of your Brass Scorpion.

I've played a lot against GK, and small groups of cultists have often taken out Paladins, so while this is just anecdotal, it has made me start believing they have special powers beyond what their stats tell.

They have 3 attacks on the charge, so with the right strength modifiers they can be pretty brutal through the weight of dice you throw out.

They're awesome distraction units and objective grabbers. Plus if you can't be bothered to pay for troops, 100pts gets you your two base unit. Buy, field, and forget.
Every cultist shot at is another one of your important, more-than-4-point models that isn't taking a bullet. Not to mention that if your opponent can't bring himself to use his nice weapons on cultists, then they get away with all kinds of shenanigans like grabbing objectives or being used as tarpits.

Slotting a cheap Lord with BBoS in them can be a great way to force your opponent to make a hard choice.

I've seen a list that uses them to get a Dark Apostle w/Black Mace into CC, that many little models with 3 attacks and hatred on the charge can do a surprising amount of damage vs enemy infantry. Plus a Dark Apostle with the Black Mace can smash his fair share of xenos.

The Helcult is definitely smexy as Slaanesh, as mentioned definitely worth using as a huge distraction.

I'm bringing a Helcult-centric cultist horde list to my next 1000pt tourney, and am super stoked to field it. 90 cultists, 3 Lascannon Helbrutes, and the groan of irritation from my opponents becomes music to my ears.

As playing Crimson Slaughter, I like the idea of a 35-man blob with my Chaos Lord and Sorcerer with Balestar of Manon in it who can buff the squad with a 4++.

Also yes, Helcult. Love it.

 Exergy wrote:
give them a rhino or a landraider and use them to secure objectives

No! Do Not! Give them a transport!!! they are really good at one thing in particular and that is dying so a transport for them is a literal waste of points

I like to use a twenty man blob with a chaos lord (no particular marks) as a back field objective holder. but thats just me

I found that using them as bubble wrap for a ML 3 sorcerer rolling on slaneesh powers is pretty fierce, if they throw a large group of guys at you then you just make them have seizures and hit themselves, if there is no one around then you can buff your own units, or you could make a unit take a bunch of leadership tests

Right! Crimson Slaughter cultists can potentially do decent works against xenos or Guard since they cause Fear as well!

Alienoid, I like that idea and may try it for my next match.

laughingcarp it works very well to put them behind an aegis if the enemy moves toward you and put the sorcerer in base contact with a quadgun, even though you are snap shooting it still works great because of twinlinked

Cheers for the tip Alienoid!

Another idea for the OP:
I've successfully used min-sized units of cultists as backfield screens. Your opponent have melta drops in reserve? String lines of cultists around your important vehicles. Yeah you don't have the footprint to deny a DS, but you can definitely make it riskier and make mishaps more likely. Also, if & when they land, you have something to charge the offenders with and tie them up for a few turns if not actually hurt them.
10 cultists with CCW/Pistols can take on crisis fusion drops, tie up SM drop pod marines (unless they have flamers lol), and are a great way to throw your models off the field vs burrowing 'Nids.

 Alienoid wrote:
What about luscious the eternal in a 35 man squad? It goes around and challenges people and if they don't accept it destroys them and if they do accept they get destroyed

I have played 35 man blob with Abaddon leading, it works out ok. Just run them instead of shooting their autopistols since that extra 1-6" can make all the difference in subsequent turns.

Give them a Fearless character and just tarpit the hell out of something big and scary, like a Riptide.

EDIT: Or another MC, whatever floats your boat.

JubbJubbz wrote:
depends on what you're challenging. Despite being one of the best astartes duelists fluff-wise, 3+/5++ and ap3 doesn't do him any favors on the table top.

yeah, more often than not anythign that accepts is going to tear him open and then break the cultists

35 man squad with Abaddon or a juggerlord. Walk around killing stuff.