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I'm relatively new to the 40k universe and my question is very fluff related.
I've started collecting Space Wolves since I like the look of them and the lore I've read so far.
The question I have is how will the SW react to the reinforcements of the Primaris marines?
How will they fit into their packs? As far as I understand, every SW must start their career as a Blood Claw then earn the ranks of Grey Hunter, Long Fang, Scout and so on.

For example. According to the Dark Imperium box, a Primaris Intercessor marine has the same type of pack markings(a black mark over a red field) as a Grey Hunter, a seasoned warrior.
I have a hard time seeing the Grey Hunters or any other SW accepting that these fresh out of the pod marines will have any other rank in their packs other than Blood Claw(if they are even accepted as SW).

I pre-ordered a Dark Imperium box since I think the box itself and all the models look awesome. I'm thinking of painting the Primaris marines as their own "reinforcement chapter" and not accepting them into my SW packs.

I'm asking the more seasoned SW commanders here, what are your thoughts on this? How will you handle these new marines?

As a SW general I would make the call to have the Primaris operate as a separate unit within the chapter, determining their own breakdown of ranking within their own self-contained packs. I imagine the wolves to be wary, but nonetheless respectful of the Primaris should they prove their worth in battle. I imagine that the Primaris will not mingle with the other marines in terms of squad composition for the purposes of ranking though.

I would think that Space Wolves would think of the Primarii(?) as fresh fish, at the best. Maybe after several battles they'd earn their honor, but only then.

My personal Space Wolves refuse to accept them for the time being, but they are an extremely special case. I'm using a force built out of the 13th Company combo-kits back during the Eye of Terror campaign, so my justification is either A: I may just use them as 13th Company, as in-universe the EoT campaign 'just ended', or B: that they are a standard Great Company trapped on the other side of the Warp Rift with no support- so no Primarii, and damaged armor replaced with captured Chaos wargear- effectively a M41-era 13th Company.

At least the former idea has great support from the Horus Heresy boardgame plastics to reinforce that they are Horus Heresy-era marines- especially a few Wolf Guard in vintage Cataphractii armor, and maybe a single Contemptor with some converted Chaos armor plate replacements, even though that violates the 'no vehicles' fluff of the original 13th co.

Personally, if I do include Primaris in my collection, it won't be with my wolves. Just doesn't sit right with me at the end of the day...

 Aetare wrote:
As a SW general I would make the call to have the Primaris operate as a separate unit within the chapter, determining their own breakdown of ranking within their own self-contained packs. I imagine the wolves to be wary, but nonetheless respectful of the Primaris should they prove their worth in battle. I imagine that the Primaris will not mingle with the other marines in terms of squad composition for the purposes of ranking though.

How would you handle their ranks? Would it be like the other packs, everyone starts from the bottom and work their way up. From an Intercessor to a Hellblaster? Or can an SW Primaris marine start their career as a Hellblaster?

And let's say they prove themselves in battle, would they eventually be accepted to the rank of Blood Claw? Or will a Primaris marine always be separated from the original SW ranks?

Some intreasting Primaris Marine Lore from Dark Imperium.

the Ultima Founding was split in half, half the Primaris Marines formed new chapters. the other half formed a group that was basicly a Legion called the unnumbered sons, that where deployed in every form imaginationable, sometimes in strike groups of 5, sometimes in multiple chapter sized groups etc. the unnumbered sons (also known as Grey Shields) where the ones gifted to various active chapters.

this means by time gulliman gifted Primaris Marines to say... space wolves, the Marines would have proven themselves in battle.

I'm leaning towards accepting the reinforcement to fight along side my SW, but not accept them into the chapter.

Wolves better accept them, because eventually theyll be the only marines in the army

Instead of including outsiders just have any primeris be wolves that took the upgrade.

The lore is frankly way to thin but any new recruits would be treated like blood claws and thrown in the deep end, if they survive they'll find their place.

BrianDavion wrote:
Some intreasting Primaris Marine Lore from Dark Imperium.

the Ultima Founding was split in half, half the Primaris Marines formed new chapters. the other half formed a group that was basicly a Legion called the unnumbered sons, that where deployed in every form imaginationable, sometimes in strike groups of 5, sometimes in multiple chapter sized groups etc. the unnumbered sons (also known as Grey Shields) where the ones gifted to various active chapters.

this means by time gulliman gifted Primaris Marines to say... space wolves, the Marines would have proven themselves in battle.

Interesting!
Still, I'm having a hard time figuring out how they would be incorporated into the SW chapter.

The Primaris Marines already have their own Power Armour, just jam them in the Blood Claws - if they got skills they'll prove them.

It's not like the Space Wolves don't already have a guy with advanced skills in the Blood Claws ranks.

hobojebus wrote:
Instead of including outsiders just have any primeris be wolves that took the upgrade.

The lore is frankly way to thin but any new recruits would be treated like blood claws and thrown in the deep end, if they survive they'll find their place.

Well, maybe. I agree that they would have to start off as Blood Claws if they ever would be accepted as SW. But they would basically only be bigger Grey Hunters or bigger Blood Claws for example. They wouldn't be Intercessors or Hellblasters.

I don't have a hard time figuring out how to reinforce SW with fresh super marines, that's not the problem. The problem is how to(or if its even possible) include specific ranks of Primaris marines into the SW chapter, e.g Intercessors or Hellblasters.

If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

thats my feeling too, Gulliman also could hedge his bets by quietly bringing in instructors from the various chapters to teach them of their linnage, the real weird chapters are gonna be the ones who are descended from a partiuclar legion but have diverged CONSIDERABLY from their original herritage

 Galas wrote:
If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

Wasnt Wulfen the long lost 13th great company? In other words already Space Wolves.

Mleander wrote:

 Galas wrote:
If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

Wasnt Wulfen the long lost 13th great company? In other words already Space Wolves.

sure but they where massivly mutated etc. which is seen as a abd thing. almost any other chapter would have been horrified and screamed "purge them all" the space wolves reckongized and accepted their common ancestory

 Galas wrote:
If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

Wulfen were wolves before they changed they share the same gene father and heritage, even separated by 10 millennium they are still one and the same.

These new guys are not fenrisians so far as we know, they don't share their experience fighting trolls, kraken and wyrms on the ice Fields so they can't ever be true wolves.

Mleander wrote:

 Aetare wrote:
As a SW general I would make the call to have the Primaris operate as a separate unit within the chapter, determining their own breakdown of ranking within their own self-contained packs. I imagine the wolves to be wary, but nonetheless respectful of the Primaris should they prove their worth in battle. I imagine that the Primaris will not mingle with the other marines in terms of squad composition for the purposes of ranking though.

How would you handle their ranks? Would it be like the other packs, everyone starts from the bottom and work their way up. From an Intercessor to a Hellblaster? Or can an SW Primaris marine start their career as a Hellblaster?

And let's say they prove themselves in battle, would they eventually be accepted to the rank of Blood Claw? Or will a Primaris marine always be separated from the original SW ranks?

Separate ranking system, starting with intercessor but never leading into the ranks of the blood claws. Separate command structure still at the disposal of Grimnar.

BrianDavion wrote:

Mleander wrote:

 Galas wrote:
If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

Wasnt Wulfen the long lost 13th great company? In other words already Space Wolves.

sure but they where massivly mutated etc. which is seen as a abd thing. almost any other chapter would have been horrified and screamed "purge them all" the space wolves reckongized and accepted their common ancestory

True. Maybe one could justify the Primaris marines as the 14th Company or maybe just The/1st Reinforcement Company?

Another thing is they can't use the gene seed from dead new marines as it lacks the canis helix, there'd never be more than one generation.

hobojebus wrote:
Another thing is they can't use the gene seed from dead new marines as it lacks the canis helix, there'd never be more than one generation.

what makes you think it lacks the Canis Helix?

hobojebus wrote:

 Galas wrote:
If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

Wulfen were wolves before they changed they share the same gene father and heritage, even separated by 10 millennium they are still one and the same.

These new guys are not fenrisians so far as we know, they don't share their experience fighting trolls, kraken and wyrms on the ice Fields so they can't ever be true wolves.

I don't think they were wolves, But marines with the curse of the Wulfen.

From warhammer40k.wiki
"The Wulfen are Space Marines of the Space Wolves Chapter who have succumbed to the Curse of the Wulfen and transformed into savage, malformed lupine mutants. Within every Space Wolf's gene-seed is the specific genetic sequence known as the Canis Helix which invests the Space Wolves with the acute predatory senses of the Fenrisian Wolves native to their homeworld of Fenris. When Aspirants undergo the beginning of the physical changes that will transform them into superhuman Astartes during the brutal trial known as The Blooding, not every candidate is able to overcome the feral Curse that the activation of the Canis Helix unleashes within them, and they suffer the horrible fate of transforming into one of these fell creatures."

BrianDavion wrote:

Mleander wrote:

 Galas wrote:
If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

Wasnt Wulfen the long lost 13th great company? In other words already Space Wolves.

sure but they where massivly mutated etc. which is seen as a bad thing. almost any other chapter would have been horrified and screamed "purge them all" the space wolves reckongized and accepted their common ancestory

The 13th company were Wulfen before they chased the Sons into the warp, on top of that one of the Wolves' current Wolf Lords is a Wulfen himself, Bran Redmaw the Curs'd Lord. Still, not all Space Wolves actually accepted their return.

Amusing that Harold Deathwolf was the one to reject the hairy sodds considering his moniker is Lord of Wolfkin.

BrianDavion wrote:

hobojebus wrote:
Another thing is they can't use the gene seed from dead new marines as it lacks the canis helix, there'd never be more than one generation.

what makes you think it lacks the Canis Helix?

Well if they are made using smurf gene seed they'll lack it, do we have confirmation they used actual space wolf gene seed?

hobojebus wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

hobojebus wrote:
Another thing is they can't use the gene seed from dead new marines as it lacks the canis helix, there'd never be more than one generation.

what makes you think it lacks the Canis Helix?

Well if they are made using smurf gene seed they'll lack it, do we have confirmation they used actual space wolf gene seed?

yes. the gene seed of all 9 loyalist legions was used.

hobojebus wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

hobojebus wrote:
Another thing is they can't use the gene seed from dead new marines as it lacks the canis helix, there'd never be more than one generation.

what makes you think it lacks the Canis Helix?

Well if they are made using smurf gene seed they'll lack it, do we have confirmation they used actual space wolf gene seed?

I think I read somewhere that Cawl used gene seed from all founding chapters. Can not confirm it though.

Community page, about a month back claimed the Primaris Marines emphasised the best of each chapter's geneseed - and its quirks.

 Dakka Wolf wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

Mleander wrote:

 Galas wrote:
If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

Wasnt Wulfen the long lost 13th great company? In other words already Space Wolves.

sure but they where massivly mutated etc. which is seen as a bad thing. almost any other chapter would have been horrified and screamed "purge them all" the space wolves reckongized and accepted their common ancestory

The 13th company were Wulfen before they chased the Sons into the warp, on top of that one of the Wolves' current Wolf Lords is a Wulfen himself, Bran Redmaw the Curs'd Lord. Still, not all Space Wolves actually accepted their return.

Amusing that Harold Deathwolf was the one to reject the hairy sodds considering his moniker is Lord of Wolfkin.

Yes okay, still. They were already Space Wolves, they had/have the canis helix like every other SW.
I think we have gone a bit off topic. The thread is about how you would incorporate let's say for example a squad of Primaris Hellblaster into the SW ranks. I can't figure out how it would be possible w/o dropping the rank of Hellblaster and start as a Blood Claw.
But then they wouldn't be Hellblasters anymore.

Even if they have the right gene seed they still won't be fenrisians and we know how the wolf brothers turned out.

Mleander wrote:

 Dakka Wolf wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

Mleander wrote:

 Galas wrote:
If Space Wolves accept Wulfen, they are gonna accept Primaris Marines.

Wasnt Wulfen the long lost 13th great company? In other words already Space Wolves.

sure but they where massivly mutated etc. which is seen as a bad thing. almost any other chapter would have been horrified and screamed "purge them all" the space wolves reckongized and accepted their common ancestory

The 13th company were Wulfen before they chased the Sons into the warp, on top of that one of the Wolves' current Wolf Lords is a Wulfen himself, Bran Redmaw the Curs'd Lord. Still, not all Space Wolves actually accepted their return.

Amusing that Harold Deathwolf was the one to reject the hairy sodds considering his moniker is Lord of Wolfkin.

Yes okay, still. They were already Space Wolves, they had/have the canis helix like every other SW.
I think we have gone a bit off topic. The thread is about how you would incorporate let's say for example a squad of Primaris Hellblaster into the SW ranks. I can't figure out how it would be possible w/o dropping the rank of Hellblaster and start as a Blood Claw.
But then they wouldn't be Hellblasters anymore.

My point was that the Wolves' reaction to the Primaris Marines will be mixed, same as their reaction to just about everything, they'll argue long and hard then something will demand their attention and they'll forget the argument. The Primaris Marines will join them in the situation and the Wolves will act as if they've always been part of the chapter.
The Space Wolves already have a Blood Claw with skills beyond most Wolf Guard, they have no issue forcing units and individuals to start in the Blood Claws and earn their way out.