Been Around the Block
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Hey there guys.
Yet another 'starting' thread that I am sure are plenty here.
This time though, it is the Custodes.
Before getting into the actual question, a primer as to why Custodes.
First and foremost, I like the colour scheme, I like the lore, and I like what they are. They are very interesting to me, and really wish I could know more.
Secondly, I have them because I needed an army in 40k that is survivable, and not hated in my meta, they certainly fill this role.
Third, I am hoping to flip them between 40k and 30k.
Finally, these may be a gateway for me to get into a Legion at some point.
So! The question;
What should I avoid with Custodes in order to fulfill the goals of;
A) Having fun for both me and my opponent
B) Don't transition into 'that WAAC guy'
I have done a bit of research with regards to Custodes, though it may be a little out dated I don't know.
The research I have seen comes up with the following;
1) Avoid hetaerian guard because they are bonkers good
2) Avoid vehicle/jetbike spam as they are likely bonkers good
3) Avoid making the super saiyan shield captain with that 3++ re-rollable, -1 to hit dude.
That being said,
I have access to plenty of Custodes with spears, sword + shield, and some banner bearers.
What advice can you give for someone starting out that would like to include the variety of models that Custodes have to offer, while still having friends to play the game with?
Thanks in advance.
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Gore-Soaked Lunatic Witchhunter
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All three of those concerns are dramatically less of a problem as of the Book 8 rewrites; Hetaeron cost a lot more than they did originally, the jetbikes and the tanks are good but not really broken in either 30k or 40k (I know people grumble about the Caladius but it really isn't any worse than using shooty Knights and is a lot easier to kill), and the Praesidium Shields have been nerfed so the Tribune can get a 3++ but can't reroll 1s anymore. Most of the Custodes in 30k (and most of them in 40k, for that matter) are either good but fair, or mediocre, there are very few true duds (40k Galatus, 30k Saggitarii) and very few standout powerhouses.
A brief overview of 30k units:
Shield-Captain: Very similar to taking a Praetor in a Legion list, just bigger. Tribune/Praesidium Shield/Power Gauntlet is necessary if you're planning on fighting Primarchs but is also 270pts, you can get away with spending 215pts on just taking a Paragon Spear in normal games. Very difficult to fit two into a list. In 40k you're usually going to be using Valoris and/or a bike Shield-Captain, foot Shield-Captains are usable but not the best thing in the slot.
Constantin Valdor: Eh. Use him if you like him, but he's overkill the same way a Tribune is if you're not fighting Primarchs all the time. In 40k he's missing in action but I use him to proxy Valoris 'cause he's bigger and shinier.
Hetaeron: They're strong, sure, but they're really not spammable. They've gone up from 95pts/model with shield/Paragon Blade to 105pts/model with a 40pt squad tax, they don't really have any good ways of getting into combat without getting shot, and their reputation virtually guarantees the turn they land or exit the Coronus they'll get shot by every single thing on the table and die. I've gotten one into combat once. In 40k the equivalent are Wardens, which I tend to use over Guard just because the Vanguard detachment is less minimum detachment tax when you need to fit a Vexilla Magnifica into every list anyways.
Aquilon: Much better now than they were. They may have had a 30pt squad tax added in Book 8 but they're 3W so they're not outclassed by Hetaeron in the slot anymore. All their weapon options are good; in 40k the firepikes are 12" range flamers, in 30k they're torrent templates, so the Deep Strike->blasting infantry potential is massive. Good but not broken in both 30k and 40k.
Contemptor-Achillus: Much fairer than he was. 30pts more with the spear, and the spear's rule has been clarified so now a 6 to hit makes that hit a Destroyer hit instead of all his hits. Tough, killy, flexible. Good but not broken in 30k, pretty pointless in 40k since they don't want to make the spear gun not crap.
Custodian Guard: Basic line troops. Pretty much unchanged in Book 8 because they were the fairest thing in the list in Book 7. These are your shock troops; they've got an unfortunate blind spot in that they're only AP2 if you get to charge, so most of the time Sentinel Guard are a better pick.
Sentinel Guard: Line troops with sword/shield, or new in Book 8 powerfists and shields. They fix the AP2 blindspot for sustained combats, the 4++ makes them much more irritating to kill than normal Guard, and the shield barricade means you can't just ignore them and shoot someone else. In 30k Custodian Guard are fair but a little one-dimensional while Sentinel Guard are more expensive but better generalists, in 40k they're the same squad. I think taking a Battalion of Custodians is a trap and they're better centered on a Vanguard detachment rather than burning a lot of points on filling more Troops slots, but you will find shield-armed Guard useful in progressive scoring missions.
Coronus: Fabulous. So great it's 40pts more expensive with no stat changes in Book 8 and still absolutely worth using one or two every time. They give you a lot of anti-alpha strike, some long-ranged fire, they get your infantry places they can't easily go on their own, there's no downside. Except the $130 price tag. If you don't mind that then by all means get one or two, you'll get a lot of use out of them.
Agamatus Jetbikes: Ignore the lances; they're a strong mobile shooty unit with no business charging anything even slightly killy. The upgraded guns are better than the initial lastrum bolter but they're all in the kit and easily magnetized. In 40k they're identical to the Dawneagle bikes except for the guns and the stratagems that don't work on them, the Dawneagle bikes are usually better but the Agamatus bikes work fine if you like the models and want to build a dual-purpose army.
Pallas: I don't think there's a whole lot of point to these in 30k; they're about half a Coronus for about half the price of a Coronus, you could just take a Coronus and help your infantry go places better. In 40k it's got the same sort of ennui most fast gunboats are suffering in the wake of the loss of fire arcs, it doesn't really have a purpose and you should probably take a Caladius with bigger guns instead.
Venatari: I've tried to like them, and I can't make myself do it. The 3+ save is just too much of a downgrade for them to cost the same (or more) as a normal Custodian, both in 40k and 30k.
Saggitarii: Mediocre in 30k, I don't understand why they're still a Heavy Support slot. They moved to Troops in 40k and they feel more natural there, they have a kind of big gun but they're still glorified heavy bolter Devastators most of the time, and in 30k you have to pay another 15pts a model for them to have a meaningful melee weapon on top of that. Uninspiring in 30k, fine in 40k.
Caladius: Decent in 30k, strong armour-cracking main guns, strong infantry-clearing chin gun, and Power of the Machine Spirit to split fire between different targets. The Iliastus turret was knocked down to S7 in the final release for 40k (it was too good an anti-tank gun before that) so it's more fair and less broken now. It's your best long-range fire support in faction both in 30k and 40k, always worth looking at whether you can fit one in a list.
Contemptor-Galatus: Decent in 30k, it's one of the better tarpit-clearers floating around. Anything without meltabombs or chainfists will struggle to hurt it, and with Rampage it'll kill three or four things and send non-Stubborn enemies running for the hills. Kind of pointless in 40k, it doesn't have the attacks to kill small things or the strength to kill big things.
Telemon: Good all-rounder in both systems. It's one of the few Dreadnaughts I feel really comfortable taking gun/fist on and letting it really be an all-rounder, with the BS5/2+ it'll hit things without much support, it has the rate of fire to hit at least a few times whenever it shoots and the hitting power to get damage through, and then it can get to melee and crush tanks on its forehead like beer cans. Good, fairly priced.
If you're in an environment where you see super-heavies a lot the drop-ships are worth considering, but they're not something to plan games around all the time.
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