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So just the other day I picked up my box of Deathstorm and the leviathan books. I'm finally cracking in to them now that studying for finals is over and I am kind of unsure what I want to do with the models.

I'm planning to use the kit as a start to a new Blood Angel army and an expansion to my current Tyranid army.

I'm pretty new to the game, so things that look and sound good to me often times are not worth the points.

I'm liking the formation bonuses to the Tyranid (Added stealth/shroud and preferred enemy as long as broodlord is alive) but I am unsure if the required units are worth it.

Anyone more experienced who also has the box have any thoughts or input?

I think the tyranid formation is pretty solid, all the preferred enemy is good and the making ruins dangerous is fun too. The Blood Angels stuff isn't quite as good.

ya that's kind of what I was thinking too. Really the only Tyranid Unit im concerned with in the formation is the Warriors; I'm not really a fan of units that have really varied wargear.

But ya blood angels will just be built to however I think they will be most effective as a standard unit

I don't have the box but thanks to leaks I have all the formations and special unit data.

Frankly, the Warrior unit kills the Tyranid Formation to me. 170pts can net me a five-bug brood of Warriors with Deathspitters. A few more points and they all get Rending Claws. If they didn't have the Venom Cannon in the Phodian whatevers then it MIGHT be worth it as a Close Combat objective holder or a Hormagaunt support unit running every turn they're not in combat. As they are, too many points for too small a brood. If you could add more Warriors then that'd be a different matter.

The Beast is fine with a classic gameplay style. I remember running that loadout back in 4th and doing well with it, but the game has changed since then and it's subpar. Better use as a Dakkafex.

The Children are likely the only way Genestealers are going to make a common reappearance but even then, only in friendly games. Still squishy, but Go to Ground plus Stealth means a 5++ in open ground, 2++ in ruins which is really good. Dominion casts off GtG to allow the unit to assault when something comes near them. It can deny an area or hold a mid-field objective Turn 1 very well and is worth taking.

For the Blood Angels, Captain Karlaen and Squad Alphaeus is very good. Free Preferred Enemy (going off Vanilla Codex point values) on Alphaeus and in a set-up I had planned on using to Deep Strike means it is an auto-include for me. Plus Karlaen's modifications to Reserve rolls means a DS Blood Angel list moving forward in points levels is not only possible but easy to manage. An Assault Squad army nearly builds itself.

Raphen kills the formation again though. Too many random guns and, depending on codex wording, it's possible to equip two pistols, possibly giving dual hand flamers and still keeping the +1 attack for two CC weapons. Five-man squad is again too small moving forward in points and 5 base attacks at Initiative 1... I'm just not feeling it. Not when the Specialist Weapons aren't used in conjunction with full Bolters since the DC has Relentless. Just seems like a crappy build for a unit that has so much potential at a similar cost.

The Dreadnaught is fine. No paragraph about that one. It needs a Drop Pod to get in combat though. With the nerfs to Magna Grapple and Blood Talons, it's not as good as it used to be but oh well. New codex changes things and we gotta deal.

Haven't played in ages, but with the Dreadnaught strength of Zero, he won't be doing much in CC.

As for the Death company are they not scoring now, at least with this formation. Maybe they will be scoring next week in the new codex but as of now they are scoring since in the current codex they are not scoring. So there is something there until the new codex comes out and maybe become scoring in there.

Why does the Dreadnought have strength 0???

And do the Death Company have a rule that means they can't hold objectives?

I checked, there is no strength value written in his stats.

Taffy17 wrote:
Why does the Dreadnought have strength 0???

And do the Death Company have a rule that means they can't hold objectives?

From what I am told DC are not scoring according to the old codex. Could be wrong going what others have told me. As for the Dreadnaught, he has no Strength mentioned. Oversight? Not a typo since there is nothing there, so my guess it's an oversight and should be FAQed soon just like how the CSM Helbrute was FAQed to be 100 points and not 105 as in the English codex.

Death Company were not scoring, but I don't see such a restriction on DC Dreads and the Rule that says so is 'Black Rage', also not present on Raphen's Death Company. So, unless it says so in another part of the book, Raphen's Death Company is scoring because it is a specific unit entry and the Dreads have always been scoring. This might change once the new codex drops.

The Dread having no strength is obviously an oversight. I can't imagine a single person ever claiming they're anything but normal Dreadnaught strength because of it.

Dreadnought with no S (Cassor the Damned) is obviously an error, because he has two Blood Talons (one for each arm). On the referenced page, this is a melee weapon with Sx2 AP2, Type: Melee, Shred, Specialist Weapon.

This is also a weapon unique to a BA dreadnought, and it's kind of a feature of the model -- combi blood talon + storm bolter and blood talon + meltagun.

Until errata is printed, I would use S6, same as for a regular dreadnought.

The other neat stuff for the guy is magna grapple, searchlight; and rules are furious charge and rage. He also ignores Crew Shaken and Crew Stunned.

Which makes it superb -- two S12 AP2 Shred attacks on a model that also has range attacks, and is 140 points.

Here is the fluff on Blood Talon (please forgive typos, I didn't proof after I retyped):



Edit:

All of the old (5e) Blood Angel death company dreadnaught were S6; regular dreadnought was 1 blood fist, and furioso and dc dread were 2 blood flists, with one having a built-in SB and the other with a built-in meltagun. Which is consistent with Cassor (with the obvious wargear item change of blood fist --> blood talon).

Interestingly, old DC dreadnought was WS5 (Furioso WS6).

Talys wrote:
Which makes it superb -- two S12 AP2 Shred attacks on a model that also has range attacks, and is 140 points.

Strength multipliers max out at 10... otherwise you wouldn't be able to even wound anything (see the to wound chart ).

Are Death Company not scoring or can they just not have objective secured.

The Dreadnought sounds like a type/oversight

Everything except for flyers and flying monstrous creatures are scoring.

There are only 2 ways to even have access to Objective Secured. The first is to use the standard FoC in the main rulebook. The second is to use the Skyblight Tyranid formation.

Everything is not scoring. Until the new codex drops, Death Company absolutely can not score. It is in their rules as an exception to the standard rules. Just because this rule is likely only gonna last another week doesn't make it any less true.

 SharkoutofWata wrote:
Everything is not scoring. Until the new codex drops, Death Company absolutely can not score. It is in their rules as an exception to the standard rules. Just because this rule is likely only gonna last another week doesn't make it any less true.

Or, about 4 days Many FLGS will sell it on Friday.

Prepare to be swarmed by Dakka folks asking about Death Company Terminators and Descent of Angels.