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So I recently started a World Eaters 40k army to give myself something new and different to play from my loyalist chapter. My friend, who plays 1k sons wants to play a game tomorrow of ~750pts (he's still relatively new to the game). I wanna know if what I have is a decent list. I know I'm gonna struggle, considering 1k sons are quite strong, especially at low point costs and against an assaultly army, but I'm willing to lose if I can have fun.

Battalion Detachment (+5CP)

HQ
Terminator Lord (Khalax Skull Taker)
-Power Axe (Axe of Blind Fury)
-Lightning Claw

Exalted Champion
-Power Sword
-Plasma Pistol

Troops
Khorne Berzerkers (8 man)
-Power Fist/Power Axe Champion
-Plasma Pistol/Chainaxe/Icon of Wrath
-3 Bolt Pistol/Chainaxe
-3 Bolt Pistol/Chainsword

Khorne Berzerkers (8 man) <x2>
-Plasma Pistol/Power Fist Champion
-Plasma Pistol/Chainsword/Icon of Wrath
-2 Bolt Pistol/Chainaxe
-4 Bolt Pistol/Chainsword



This comes out to 797pts. I also have a Helbrute with Power Scourge/Helbrute Fist/Combi bolter, a 10 man Berzerker Squad, a 5 man Terminator Squad, an Exalted Champion with Plasma Pistol/Power Axe, and a Terminator Lord with Combimelta/Lightning Claw. Also a squad of 8 Falen, but that was just so I could have a Vanguard detachment to go with the Battalion. I'm also receiving 20 cultists from the friend I'm playing tomorrow.

If your friend is new, you should be trying to figure out how to throw the game while making it look like you are trying to win.

Anyway, current understanding for Zerkers is to give them Chain Sword + Chain Axe. That gives the best of both worlds for them since they still get an extra attack per model with the Chain Sword, and they get the power of the Chain Axe for their regular attacks. You lose out on some bolt pistols, but eh.

Plasma Pistols are okay, but ultimately probably not worth it compared to just focusing purely on melee destruction. Still, if you are going to include Plasma Pistols, don't put them on your Icon of Wrath if possible. Often times you will want to overcharge the pistols, sometimes out of range of your Chaos Lord. You don't want to fry your own icon of wrath.

I think ultimately part of your problem is that a Battalion is really tough to fit into 750 points when using power armored models as a core. Anyway, if you wanted to keep the theme, I would play something like this

Dark Apostle- The Black Mace (its a low point game, his re-roll all hits is going to be better than the Lord's re-roll 1s for a primarily cc army. He is also cheaper and still has a good save).
Exalted Champion- Power Axe (Brass Collar)

8 Zerkers- Fist, Icon of Wrath, Chain Axe + Chain Swords
8 Zerkers- Fist, Icon of Wrath, Chain Axe + Chain Swords
10 Cultists
Rhino
Rhino

Comes out to somewhere around 650 points which leaves you 100 points to put upgrades on things, etc (or a squad of three spawn). The Rhinos give you a better way to get those Berzerkers up the board a bit faster. The Cultists can stay back and cover any home objectives. The Brass Collar and the World Eater's Stratagem can give you some answer to his massive psychic phase.

I only have what I listed, and even though I want chainaxe/chainsword on the zerkers, I bought them second hand and am using what I got. I don't have Rhinos or Dark Apostle. Eventually when I have money to spend on more, I'll make some squads of proper zerkers, but for now I gotta use what I got. Also, I like doing it fluffy for my warband, and thus would prefer using the Terminator Lord I have in.

Thanks for responding though.

Okay first up you don't have a battalion, you have a patrol, and thus no bonus command points

to fix this; dude make a 3rd troops choice.

if you're receiving 20 cultists tomorrow I take it they're not built? or you could just use them on reception?

no ones gonna have a problem with dual ccw zerkers, the sprue doen't support a loadout, but you'd have to be really nit-picking to have an issue as clear as: no ranged firepower from troops units in this list, hit harder than modelled in melee

GamerGuy

He will bolt you down, if you dont use some sort of tranportation. So Rhinos are a must have.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
He will bolt you down, if you dont use some sort of tranportation. So Rhinos are a must have.

I must not have typed it in, but I had 2 identical Zerker Squads with the 2nd one. If it doesn't say x2 that's my bad. As for rhinos, he also doesn't have anything of the sort, nor anything to counter it. It's one of the reasons I picked up World Eaters. He kept getting slaughtered by the armor in my Loyalist Chapter. And as much as I want dual ccw on the squads, I personally am a stickler for WYSIWYG. My opponent can proxy, but I could never allow myself to. Someday, I'll get the Maelstrom of Gore box and make at least 1 dual ccw squad, but I just spent a bunch and need the money for school. On a different note, the game was played and I won. He wanted to use the open war cards and I played the objective. One squad of Bezerkers survived to the 5th round, and I stayed just out of range of the psychic powers and guns.

The reason everybody is saying take Rhinos is because transports are exponentially more important for melee troops than they are for shooting troops. Its not as important for a shooting unit to be able to be transported because they can rely on their guns to reach out and touch things not immediately next to them. Shooting units are also far far happier parking in cover and shooting merrily away. Melee units on foot are often going to have to traverse open ground, and they are completely worthless when not right in the enemies face. Rhinos solve these problems to a degree by providing you with an extra layer of protection, and Rhinos have superior ground movement speed to an infantry squad of Berzerkers. I know you aren't going to want to hear this, but if you cannot play with Rhinos, you will be far far better served playing either Renegades or Alpha Legion. (these legions support cqc better with or without rhinos. But the differences are more pronounced when the World Eaters are on foot)

1) Alpha Legion. Used to be a stronger choice pre nerf. But they are still going to get you more bang for your buck. The Forward Operatives Stratagem will give you a 9 inch head start, the -1 to hit from outside 12 inches will give you a bit more protection as you slog up the table. You can also now take a Psycher... cough warptime cough.

2) Renegades. Not as overall powerful as Alpha legion, but they give some advantages. Notably your Berzerkers can now advance and charge. This gives them a bit more reach, and more reach more better. Its better to get an extra d6 to make it into melee... because getting into melee is the important thing. Melee Hellbrutes also are big fans of being able to advance and charge. Warp time from a sorcerer on Renegades is also insane... Move +d6 advance, warptime move +d6 advance, 2d6 charge (re-roll with Icon of Wrath). super sonic zerkers are what nightmares are made of. Sounds pretty good doesn't it? A nice fluffy fallen Blood Angels chapter, with the red thirst slipping into worship of Khorne...

The downsides to taking a different legion is that you won't be able to take a Batallion detachment of Berzerkers. But in a 750 point game taking a Vanguard Detachment isn't the end of the world. In larger games you can use Cultists as core for minimal cost anyway. You can also take a sorcerer which means, yes, warp time.

Also not having access to psychic powers is a sad day for melee units and the biggest handicap World Eaters face. Because much to Khorne's chagrin the Chaos magiks help a LOT with melee, It is very difficult to evade a melee unit when Warptime is in effect, and it can make your melee threat radius much longer ranged than your opponents are expecting. Add to that a Daemon Prince with Diabolic Strength is superior to a Khorne prince... hell, I'll bet your Terminator lord would really enjoy a nice dose of Diabolic Strength. And I'll bet your Berzerkers would really enjoy a nice casting of prescience so they can proc Death to the False Emperor on a 5+ and hit on a 2+...

Rhinos aren't really optional for World Eaters. Playing World Eaters without Rhinos gives you no options for crossing the table before being shot and smited out of existence.