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Hi guys,
Out of curiosity, has anyone been playing / playing against the Solar Auxilia ? How well did they behave on the battlefield ? I've heard a lot of good stuff about them, and it's hard to judge by myself and there are very few SA players around !
Thanks !

Well, you have the cheapest bodies around. With the option to spit out St6 shots. Russes can rumble around with vanquishers and plasma blasts which can do lots of heavy lifting. You can also put out some melee hurt with storm axes, but you will have to hit on 5s and get punched first.

They have an okay toolbox but this is an astrates world and they are just humans so you're gonna take a loooooot of causalities.

A couple guys run them locally, they seem to have fun(I haven't played against SA yet) & opponents don't seem to have complaints against them. But that's probably due to them being NOT astartes.

I've played a few games so far and got stomped but only because I haven't learned how to play them yet.
There's a lot of potential for some pretty fun and interesting lists though. The Charonite Ogryns are very very fun.

I suspect they might do well against stuff like Fury of the Ancients, as theres only so much a bunch of Dreadnoughts can kill each turn?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I suspect they might do well against stuff like Fury of the Ancients, as theres only so much a bunch of Dreadnoughts can kill each turn?

Sweeping advance is where a lot of the kills will come from.

Even so, if memory serves, that’s still a single unit at a time.

Duffing up 20 Marines and duffing up 20 Solar Auxilia thanks to Sweeping Advance isn’t the same thing, when you consider points concentration and what is then left in need of a good kicking?

Contemptors can also kick out a lot of fire power.

Both arms armed with a Gravis Bolt Cannon kicks out 12 strength 5 AP4 48" range shots that hit on 2+ and are twinlinked. Add on a Havoc Launcher as well for a 3" blast with strength 5 AP5 at 48" range and also twinlinked.

Not too bad for 185pts.

 stonehorse wrote:
Contemptors can also kick out a lot of fire power.

Both arms armed with a Gravis Bolt Cannon kicks out 12 strength 5 AP4 48" range shots that hit on 2+ and are twinlinked. Add on a Havoc Launcher as well for a 3" blast with strength 5 AP5 at 48" range and also twinlinked.

Not too bad for 185pts.

does tend to assume though they come loaded for dealing with squishies.. Though in a full on FoA list maybe having one for squishy stuff isn't a bad idea as such anyway

Indeed, with this load out like that contemptors seem dreadful for the SA ! But I don't know how common is this load out? Kinda cheapish though
How are you SA players feeling the templates nerf ? I believe templates used to be your principal source of killing power

It is a very cheap load out, and while it will struggle against armour values, I think the sheer weight of firepower it kicks out will even make Marines pause for thought.

I am tempted to get at least one with this load out, as a mobile fire support for a blob of advancing Tactical Marines

 stonehorse wrote:
It is a very cheap load out, and while it will struggle against armour values, I think the sheer weight of firepower it kicks out will even make Marines pause for thought.

I am tempted to get at least one with this load out, as a mobile fire support for a blob of advancing Tactical Marines

If you are advancing up with the infantry, would you still want double guns? Seems like you’d be more likely to end up in situations where the fist would be nice to have. Still cheep, and you can spring for the extra points to get a HF in the fist if you are worried about hordes.

I always envisioned the double gun dreads as more of backfield support, not advancing. YMMV.

(grain of salt, I’m pretty much totally theoretical with current 30k advice)

Advancing allows the Contemptor Dreadnought to keep the target in view, being held back makes it easier for enemy units to hide. Plus advancing with a unit means the unit can help stop the Contemptor Dreadnought being swamped in melee.

Last game I used a similar tactic and it worked a treat. Contemptor Dreadnoughts are great mobile fire support rigs.

From personal experience so far:

FOA isn't scary for SA, but terminators and massed PA is.
That has to do with the list and it's toolset moresoe than the strength of the units in question.

For one: Tools to deal with contemptors are tools that actually work for SA on the field, that being leman russes with vanquisher cannons, about the only leman russ that works in the codex and is due to the prevalence of contemptors always worth a buy.
For two: even if you forgoe vanquisher leman russes you can still easily outline a FOA list, by the mere fact that SA rifle sections are comparativly dirt-cheap competent infantry AND have the pinch ability to shoot at S6 making it possible for them to scratch of the last wounds off a contemptor.

Overall SA have some serious issues with their list building and some serious strengths aswell, therefore as i see it so far from limited experience.

Not Online!!! wrote:
From personal experience so far:

FOA isn't scary for SA, but terminators and massed PA is.
That has to do with the list and it's toolset moresoe than the strength of the units in question.

For one: Tools to deal with contemptors are tools that actually work for SA on the field, that being leman russes with vanquisher cannons, about the only leman russ that works in the codex and is due to the prevalence of contemptors always worth a buy.
For two: even if you forgoe vanquisher leman russes you can still easily outline a FOA list, by the mere fact that SA rifle sections are comparativly dirt-cheap competent infantry AND have the pinch ability to shoot at S6 making it possible for them to scratch of the last wounds off a contemptor.

Overall SA have some serious issues with their list building and some serious strengths aswell, therefore as i see it so far from limited experience.

I'd say mixing in some of the plasma russes would solve PA and 2+ armour rather nicely.

Also, Cyclops could be a fun way to screw with dreads. Brutal 2 with instant death standard. If I'm understanding it right that's effectively 2d3 wounds off a dread.

I've done fairly well against a Mechanicum army in my latest game. Focusing on armour and artillery does wonders while cheap Troops can secure objectives.

cody.d. wrote:


I'd say mixing in some of the plasma russes would solve PA and 2+ armour rather nicely.

Also, Cyclops could be a fun way to screw with dreads. Brutal 2 with instant death standard. If I'm understanding it right that's effectively 2d3 wounds off a dread.

On paper it may, until you realise that you only get 50% of the time AP2. Also S7 isn't enough to trigger instant death, ergo you'd need brutal which atleast the german version of the rules isn't something the plasma exe has. That is ontop of having the 200pts price tag, slower movement speed and no flanking rule makes it ... iffy tbh. But then again most tanks suffer in 30k from beeing too vulnerable / having too few hullpoints or comparativly to dreads being just overpriced quite substantially.

Also, if that plasma gun were the solution we'd be seeing a lot more of them ontop of predators, because those are cheaper and have more firepower... yet we don't there either.

The goliath i never really checked out i have to admit, but i have an inkling that my distate for them has to do with them eating slots rather ineficently.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Gert wrote:
I've done fairly well against a Mechanicum army in my latest game. Focusing on armour and artillery does wonders while cheap Troops can secure objectives.

Troops, even with tight formation right now, are absolutly a star of the list imo. The same can't be said about veletarii though.

Not Online!!! wrote:

cody.d. wrote:


I'd say mixing in some of the plasma russes would solve PA and 2+ armour rather nicely.

Also, Cyclops could be a fun way to screw with dreads. Brutal 2 with instant death standard. If I'm understanding it right that's effectively 2d3 wounds off a dread.

On paper it may, until you realise that you only get 50% of the time AP2. Also S7 isn't enough to trigger instant death, ergo you'd need brutal which atleast the german version of the rules isn't something the plasma exe has. That is ontop of having the 200pts price tag, slower movement speed and no flanking rule makes it ... iffy tbh. But then again most tanks suffer in 30k from beeing too vulnerable / having too few hullpoints or comparativly to dreads being just overpriced quite substantially.

Also, if that plasma gun were the solution we'd be seeing a lot more of them ontop of predators, because those are cheaper and have more firepower... yet we don't there either.

The goliath i never really checked out i have to admit, but i have an inkling that my distate for them has to do with them eating slots rather ineficently.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Gert wrote:
I've done fairly well against a Mechanicum army in my latest game. Focusing on armour and artillery does wonders while cheap Troops can secure objectives.

Troops, even with tight formation right now, are absolutly a star of the list imo. The same can't be said about veletarii though.

I use plasma on my preds, and my russes. It's wonderfully fun and usually racks up a good number of kills on PA or termies. You don't have to kill the whole squad, just whittle them down till they can't kill a guard squad a turn.

Once you get even elites down to 2 or so models a unit of storm axes or even just las rifles can often finish the job. Having that last heroic model charge get halted by a tercio's worth of overwatch is also amusing.

 Nevelon wrote:

 stonehorse wrote:
It is a very cheap load out, and while it will struggle against armour values, I think the sheer weight of firepower it kicks out will even make Marines pause for thought.

I am tempted to get at least one with this load out, as a mobile fire support for a blob of advancing Tactical Marines

If you are advancing up with the infantry, would you still want double guns? Seems like you’d be more likely to end up in situations where the fist would be nice to have. Still cheep, and you can spring for the extra points to get a HF in the fist if you are worried about hordes.

I always envisioned the double gun dreads as more of backfield support, not advancing. YMMV.

(grain of salt, I’m pretty much totally theoretical with current 30k advice)

I would even argue that a Dreadnought loses potential when equipped without a single cc weapon. Then you might be better off with a tank.

Most things are just too expensive.
E.e. the Rapier is only 5 points cheaper than the Marine version with the same weapon options.

The Leman Russ Demolisher costs 200 points.
The Vindicator has the same main weapon, but in the hull instead of a turret. Has one point of Armour less in the front and a Kombibolter instead of a Heavy Bolter. But has better BS and speed. And you can give it a pintle mounted multi-melter.

With pintle mounted multimelter it's still 60 points cheaper than the Leman Russ. You get 3 Vindicator for the price of 2 Leman Russ.

A Basilisk costs 200 points and has not even rending or breaching. A scorpius is at 120 points 80 points less and 5 times as useful.

The Thunderbolt has 6 Weapons plus option for rockets. But is only allowed to fire 4 because it is an aircraft.

Artillery command doesn't make any sense as there is no rule for them to take over weapons or spread effects of equipment to the other squads.

Tank commanders can do this using Cognis Signum, but 200 points is just too expensive. The only consolidation being that the tank is near useless anyway, so it doesn't matter wherther it shoots or not.

Only advantage is the high morale. But having leadership better than the Marines feels wrong.

Overall it seems a very bad list in comparison to Marines.

The best way seems for me to take Rapiers with Laser and some with Heavy Bolters, Lot's of Infantry, Veletarii with Volkite and probably the odd tank.

Please convince me that I'm wrong.

cody.d. wrote:

I use plasma on my preds, and my russes. It's wonderfully fun and usually racks up a good number of kills on PA or termies. You don't have to kill the whole squad, just whittle them down till they can't kill a guard squad a turn.

Once you get even elites down to 2 or so models a unit of storm axes or even just las rifles can often finish the job. Having that last heroic model charge get halted by a tercio's worth of overwatch is also amusing.

Well, but even then sadly what brumbaer brought up still stands. The plasma leman is too expensive and bount to the field.

And arty beyond the scorpious has been severly nerfed. Altough i regard the rapier as a still ok choice even with quad launcher, if only for the ammo types and the possibility to pin an enemy unit or 3.

Also yeah, what is up with the artillery command , you'd never use it or the signum since you can't join it into a squad or arty in the first place.

They bungled the pricing on the Assault Russes by massively overvalueing the standard Demolisher Cannons. +50 points for both Dracosans and Malcadors? Seriously, did they forget what they did to them?

Malcadors can fire all weapons like in ye olde days.

 Gert wrote:
Malcadors can fire all weapons like in ye olde days.

can verify the malcador is surprisingly for once ok.

That suprised me severly.

but not the bc one nothing can save the BC

Tanks have the issue that it's easy to tech into killing them

stratigo wrote:
Tanks have the issue that it's easy to tech into killing them

you meant to say, anything heavier than s7 is a massive threat to tanks in most forms, due to the oneshot / low wound count, whilest contemptors and other dreads still get against many AT weapons atleast a ++ if not their 2+ sv. (also for some reason half the weapons ontop of a contemptor are better than tank equivalents). Whilest it is basically a requirement to get rid of dreads.
Ergo if you can remove dreads you can remove tanks. If you can remove tanks you can't necessarily remove dreads.

So casual anti tank fire power will do alright, but a single 10 man lascannon squad slags the heaviest tanks that lack a flare shield (And iron warriors still slag those)

People don't necessarily tech into shooting to kill dreadnoughts, and melee isn't the way to kill an armored list

They also have the chance to whiff utterly. Sort of the nature of AV vs T.

But Dreads do sort of require certain weapons to kill them. A lot of shots to strip off the wounds but high enough str and ap to get past their toughness and save.

Vanquisher cannons feel like one of the best options available to Solar honestly. Twinlinked with co-axial, 2 shots wounding on 2s with brutal 2. A very solid ranged profile for taking chunks out of any dread.

If Solar had plasma guns I'd suggest them but curiously the SA are a little short on weapon options you can bring enmass.

cody.d. wrote:
They also have the chance to whiff utterly. Sort of the nature of AV vs T.

But Dreads do sort of require certain weapons to kill them. A lot of shots to strip off the wounds but high enough str and ap to get past their toughness and save.

Vanquisher cannons feel like one of the best options available to Solar honestly. Twinlinked with co-axial, 2 shots wounding on 2s with brutal 2. A very solid ranged profile for taking chunks out of any dread.

If Solar had plasma guns I'd suggest them but curiously the SA are a little short on weapon options you can bring enmass.

Until you realise that the actual workhorse infantry is the command tercio... That squad has as much specials as it wants and a ++ and 2 W..

Iow if doctrines weren't that powerfull i can imagine that you'd see 3 full command tercios.

Not Online!!! wrote:

cody.d. wrote:
They also have the chance to whiff utterly. Sort of the nature of AV vs T.

But Dreads do sort of require certain weapons to kill them. A lot of shots to strip off the wounds but high enough str and ap to get past their toughness and save.

Vanquisher cannons feel like one of the best options available to Solar honestly. Twinlinked with co-axial, 2 shots wounding on 2s with brutal 2. A very solid ranged profile for taking chunks out of any dread.

If Solar had plasma guns I'd suggest them but curiously the SA are a little short on weapon options you can bring enmass.

Until you realise that the actual workhorse infantry is the command tercio... That squad has as much specials as it wants and a ++ and 2 W..

Iow if doctrines weren't that powerfull i can imagine that you'd see 3 full command tercios.

I stand corrected. Yeah the command tercio does let you stock up on every special weapon imaginable. And free meltabombs? Yes 12pts plus weapon is a high price for a very squishy model but you could still pump out some good firepower.

The heavy voltike would rip through them in short order though.

Could be fun to spam them with arvus.