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So cruising through the FW site I noticed that they're selling Corvus armor in full squads.

Since the early days when I started playing I always loved that art from the front of the Rogue Trader book that showed a bunch of Imperial fists, all in Corvus armor.

From a fluff perspective was there any legion that favored or was given an exceptional amount of this pattern of armor? I am considering dabbling in 30K and would love to do a whole army of beakies, but would like to stick somewhat to the fluff.

I know Raven Guard seem like the obvious choice, but not sure if this is correct and or if there were others.

You are correct, The Emperor gave the Raven Guard lots of this type of armour after Istvaan.

 More Dakka wrote:
So cruising through the FW site I noticed that they're selling Corvus armor in full squads.

Since the early days when I started playing I always loved that art from the front of the Rogue Trader book that showed a bunch of Imperial fists, all in Corvus armor.

From a fluff perspective was there any legion that favored or was given an exceptional amount of this pattern of armor? I am considering dabbling in 30K and would love to do a whole army of beakies, but would like to stick somewhat to the fluff.

I know Raven Guard seem like the obvious choice, but not sure if this is correct and or if there were others.

Raven Guard and Dark Angels as well made notable use of Corvus armor, although the Angels less so.

Raven Guard first tested the Armour.

When it went into production it was named after their Primarch, "Corvus".

That's cool, I don't really care for Raven Guard as a 40K army, do they have any neat/different rules in 30K or has their army list not actually been covered yet?

Are there any armies that I would specifically not be using Corvus armor with?

I believe book 3 covers the Raven Guard.

The average legion was over 100,000 marines. I have no doubt that some form of prototype armor was issued to some part of each legion at some point. Don't feel limited just because the Raven Guard happened to have tested the armor that would specifically go on to be known as Corvus armor.

well only one i can think of is Death guard liked a slightly older but more durable pattern against the high toxic environments they where sent to. it was well adapted and tough, perfect for them.

fitting there Legions role very well.

Death Guard used modified Mark 2's with custom Air filtration systems, Some of their veteran sergeants used Mark 4's, Also with air filtration systems.

Khonsu wrote:
Death Guard used modified Mark 2's with custom Air filtration systems, Some of their veteran sergeants used Mark 4's, Also with air filtration systems.

Agh, must of miss read somthing then, but they did I seem to read like the mk3 suits where more used than other legions, the hevey frontal protection it provided. Unless I'm miss reading things.

Not total phase into like other designs where intended, mk3 never was, but was a version more favored due to there roles and tactics.

 jhe90 wrote:

Khonsu wrote:
Death Guard used modified Mark 2's with custom Air filtration systems, Some of their veteran sergeants used Mark 4's, Also with air filtration systems.

Agh, must of miss read somthing then, but they did I seem to read like the mk3 suits where more used than other legions, the hevey frontal protection it provided. Unless I'm miss reading things.

Not total phase into like other designs where intended, mk3 never was, but was a version more favored due to there roles and tactics.

You're actually correct they also used many suits of Mk3(also modified), I didn't bring that up since Mk3 was pretty scrace iirc.
Since they were the ultimate Infantrymen they used these suits more than the other legions.(Due to improved frontal armor and durability)

Khonsu wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:

Khonsu wrote:
Death Guard used modified Mark 2's with custom Air filtration systems, Some of their veteran sergeants used Mark 4's, Also with air filtration systems.

Agh, must of miss read somthing then, but they did I seem to read like the mk3 suits where more used than other legions, the hevey frontal protection it provided. Unless I'm miss reading things.

Not total phase into like other designs where intended, mk3 never was, but was a version more favored due to there roles and tactics.

You're actually correct they also used many suits of Mk3(also modified), I didn't bring that up since Mk3 was pretty scrace iirc.
Since they were the ultimate Infantrymen they used these suits more than the other legions.(Due to improved frontal armor and durability)

Scarce yes in the scale of x million suits of MK2 made, and many more spares produced but if anyone made 30K Death Guard could include suits where MK3, even MK 4 parts upgraded older suits and such.
take little bit of work but make a interesting squad.

Sons of Horus, id guess as the best Armour available, as War master not hard to get some of the new stuff first, more likely to get experimental stuff fresh from martian forges.
and id take a strong guess that Salamander and Iron hands Armour is going to be upgraded or modified versions in development. ie like Gorgon pattern terminator.
Two of the greatest smiths in galaxy are not going to sit idle.

Most of the Traitors were equipped with Mark 4's and 5's prior to the heresy by Horus, The sons are usually shown with Mark 4(which is a great armor mark, Best looking imo)

The Imperial Fists were also gifted with some of the best gear available once they were made the guardians of Terra.

They all used it. Even those who turned got their hands on some. The Raven Guard were the first to use it but after it went into general production, they all used it.

 EVIL INC wrote:
They all used it. Even those who turned got their hands on some. The Raven Guard were the first to use it but after it went into general production, they all used it.

Reread the OP he didn't ask who used it, Everybody used it, That's a fact.
He asked who favored it.

my inner pedantic nerd is surfacing...

More Dakka, it was Crimson Fists on the Rogue Trader cover, mate...

as for the armor, just go with the Legion you like the most...
since the Legions were so huge, you could just say that a specific Chapter in the Legion received MKVI armor...
it would be a nice homage to the old days of Rogue Trader and Epic Space Marine, when everyone was shown in MKVI...

personally, i would go with Space Wolves...
i love the old stormy sky grey tone to the armor, with the red wolf head emblem...

cheers
jah

 Tannhauser42 wrote:
The Imperial Fists were also gifted with some of the best gear available once they were made the guardians of Terra.

And what they managed to rescue from mars during the raid lead my signound to secure some if all was taken 12,000 suits of latest armour and some 24,000 weapons before the traitors reached it and was forced to withdraw

 More Dakka wrote:

Are there any armies that I would specifically not be using Corvus armor with?

According to Extermination the designs were first shared with the Salamanders and Iron Warriors, both were unenthused about it, wanting it to be revised into a heavy assault suit ala Mk3.

Since no-one else has mentioned it the Alpha Legion also liked the armour, somehow having developed their own variant of it prior to the Heresy at which point it was officially only in use by the Raven Guard.

Sons of Orar are primarily equipped with it.

 Gashrog wrote:

 More Dakka wrote:

Are there any armies that I would specifically not be using Corvus armor with?

According to Extermination the designs were first shared with the Salamanders and Iron Warriors, both were unenthused about it, wanting it to be revised into a heavy assault suit ala Mk3.

Since no-one else has mentioned it the Alpha Legion also liked the armour, somehow having developed their own variant of it prior to the Heresy at which point it was officially only in use by the Raven Guard.

i had that thought after posting, too...
if i were going with one of the turned Legions in MKVI, i would definitely go Alpha Legion...
their scheme is awesome, and looks really good in the big MKVI poster from Forge World...

cheers
jah

While I have no citation for it, simply due to the age of mk VI suits, you may find them in the vaults of the salamanders, even if they don't love them.

They do seem to hold onto things a long time (oldest rhino, Nocturne's Hammer ) so it might be possible they have a bunch of suits in a closet somewhere.

FM Argos

 jah-joshua wrote:

 Gashrog wrote:

 More Dakka wrote:

Are there any armies that I would specifically not be using Corvus armor with?

According to Extermination the designs were first shared with the Salamanders and Iron Warriors, both were unenthused about it, wanting it to be revised into a heavy assault suit ala Mk3.

Since no-one else has mentioned it the Alpha Legion also liked the armour, somehow having developed their own variant of it prior to the Heresy at which point it was officially only in use by the Raven Guard.

i had that thought after posting, too...
if i were going with one of the turned Legions in MKVI, i would definitely go Alpha Legion...
their scheme is awesome, and looks really good in the big MKVI poster from Forge World...

cheers
jah

Yeah, Pre Heresy Alpha Legion have a good color scheme. Purple-blue and bright green looks good and "pops" as an army.

Fists, scars or BA are also a good choice, according to the original fluff while the raven guard got it first mkVI was first produced en mass for the loyalists by the emperors manufactories during the siege to replace the mkV heresy armour. I believe FW have retconned this to sell more beaky armour to heresy players.

The Corvus armour went into production just as the Civil War on mars kicked off. After that point, Mars was blockaded by the Navy, so no more stuff was getting to Horus' legions, and none was going to the Loyalists.

Obviously other forges throughout the galaxy were still churning the stuff out, though.

Corvus armour was specialised for recon and covert ops work, which is why the raven guard liked it, but in addition, any legion which had a large-scale re-equipping after Istvaan would likely have a decent proportion in it.

The other force which had a lot of the stuff was the 'Defenders of Terra' - the Fists, Blood angels and White Scars; the fists secured a large number of suits of armour during a raid on mars, and these would have been prioritized for the defenders of the palace rather than shipped out to far-flung warzones.

Beakie is really ugly imo, I don't get the Hype.
Mark IV though is a whole different story...

jareddm wrote:
The average legion was over 100,000 marines. I have no doubt that some form of prototype armor was issued to some part of each legion at some point. Don't feel limited just because the Raven Guard happened to have tested the armor that would specifically go on to be known as Corvus armor.

hate to be that guy but the average wasn't 100,000 marines, raven guard were the smallest legion pre istvaan and they were about 85,000 (HH book 3), almost all the others have been said to be around the 150-180,000 mark, and until the prospero book retcons the retcon, thousand sons are 85,000 + as they are no longer the smallest legion.

also worth noting for some of you, mk7 armour was used in the heresy too, I was surprised to see it in the old old white dwarf and it doesn't seem to have ever been retconned.

 Formosa wrote:

jareddm wrote:
The average legion was over 100,000 marines. I have no doubt that some form of prototype armor was issued to some part of each legion at some point. Don't feel limited just because the Raven Guard happened to have tested the armor that would specifically go on to be known as Corvus armor.

hate to be that guy but the average wasn't 100,000 marines, raven guard were the smallest legion pre istvaan and they were about 85,000 (HH book 3), almost all the others have been said to be around the 150-180,000 mark, and until the prospero book retcons the retcon, thousand sons are 85,000 + as they are no longer the smallest legion.

also worth noting for some of you, mk7 armour was used in the heresy too, I was surprised to see it in the old old white dwarf and it doesn't seem to have ever been retconned.

It was in the HH, but used specifically by the Emperor's Children.

No they had were allowed the palantine aquila, mk7 was mentioned as used only by the loyalists at the end of the heresy, so my guess (as it doesn't say specifically who) is that the fists got a bunch from mars in that raid, but that may have been indirectly retconned, as those suits appear to be corvus that the raven guard were given.

Interesting non the less though.

There's a rundown on the history of armor types available on Lexicanum.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Power_Armour#Mark_3_.22Iron_Armour.22

The simple answer to the question is that the Raven Guard all had it, it sounds like most Traitor Legions had it, and it sounds like other legions had access to it in limited supply after the drop site massacre.

To stay true to the fluff, you might want to have a backstory explaining how the legion came by the armor. Like, for instance, to say it was issued after losses that occurred after X battle.