Deathwatch

[pretre]

Codexes have been going from strength to strength in this edition of Warhammer 40,000 – from early entries that brought the tactics and diversity of factions like the Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines to life, to more radical books like the recently released Codex: Drukhari, which allows you to fully represent the fractious raiding parties of Commorragh for the first time. Codex: Deathwatch takes a different approach, creating an army that’s focused around making the most of a small, elite pool of units, giving nearly every entry in the army the ability to tackle anything the 41st Millennium might throw at you.

From an increased list of units that can take advantage of the ever useful Special Issue Ammunition and Mission Tactics – a powerful ability for Infantry, Bikers and Dreadnoughts that turns your opponent’s over-specialisation against them – to mixed units of Primaris Space Marines and a dizzying array of Stratagems, you’ll find the Deathwatch codex rewarding whether you’re an existing collector or you’re looking to field one of Warhammer 40,000’s most elite armies for the first time.

Codex: Deathwatch brings Primaris Space Marines fully into the fold, allowing them, for the first time, access to Special Issue Ammunition. For those of you who don’t collect Deathwatch, this special rule allows bolt weapons to adjust their firing profile to suit their target – against tougher models, for instance, you’ll be able to use poisonous hellfire rounds, while units in cover can be dispatched with dragonfire bolts.

Auto bolt rifles, bolt carbines, stalker bolt rifles, standard bolt rifles and the absolvor bolt pistol can now be outfitted with this ammunition, making Intercessors a very powerful choice. Kraken bolts, for example, help compensate for the lower AP of the auto bolt rifle, while a Reiver’s heavy bolt pistol firing vengeance rounds would have an AP of -3!

There’s also a new kind of Special Issue Ammunition to play with – the tempest shell. Available in the form of a nifty Stratagem, appropriately named “Tempest Shells”, they’re ideal for chipping the last few wounds off a vehicle or making a dent in a tougher combatant – at the very least, they make your bolter-wielding units even more versatile.

The Mission Tactics ability allows the Deathwatch to adjust their fighting style dependent on your opponent. At the start of the game, you’ll get to pick a Mission Tactic which corresponds to a Battlefield Role – Troops, Fast Attack, Elites, etc. – and your entire army will gain re-rolls of 1s to wound against that unit. Like Chapter Tactics, Mission Tactics applies to all your infantry, Bikers and Dreadnoughts, so you’ll be able to take advantage of a wide range of units.

In practice, this allows you to really put the hurt on enemy armies focused around one kind of unit selection – but what if they’re using a more balanced list? There are no fewer than four ways to change your Mission Tactics mid-game, allowing you to shift your focus on the fly. The first of these is Adaptive Tactics:

For only 2 Command Points (down to 1 if you use a Watch Master), you’ll be able to provide powerful bonuses across your whole army – you could even use this Stratagem to change your Mission Tactics every turn. If you’d rather not spend Command Points, the Vigilance Incarnate Warlord Trait and The Tome of Ectoclades allow you to change or broaden your Mission Tactics for free.

Combining Special Issue Ammunition and Mission Tactics gives the Deathwatch the ability to tackle any foe effectively. Seeing lots of high Toughness monsters? Use the Heavy Support Mission Tactic and wound them with hellfire rounds. Fighting a mass of heavy infantry, like Plague Marines? Choose Troops, then shred their armour with vengeance rounds.

We’ve not even got into the huge range of Stratagems you’ll have to choose from, or a powerful new Troops choice that lets you form a mixed Kill Team of Primaris Space Marines. Tune in later in the week when we take a closer look at the latter – or get started early and order yourself some Deathwatch Veterans.

The post Codex: Deathwatch Preview – Focused. Adaptable. Deadly. appeared first on Warhammer Community.

[WestRider]

Definitely showing some strong possibilities there!

[VonVilkee]

This might be how I field primaris marines...

[InfestedKerrigan]

10 hours ago, VonVilkee said:

This might be how I field primaris marines...

If they can fit in the Corvus, you can bet your sweet, sweet ass this is how I'm fielding them.

[VonVilkee]

Even with out the corvus I have two of the box sets primaris and this seems like a better "chapter tactic" for them. 

[InfestedKerrigan]

Codex: Deathwatch – Building Primaris Kill Teams

The Deathwatch are one of the most versatile armies in Warhammer 40,000. Thanks to Special Issue Ammunition, Mission Tactics and a vast array of Stratagems, each unit is more than capable of tackling a range of threats.

Codex: Deathwatch was the perfect opportunity to bring Primaris Space Marines fully into the fold of the Imperium’s most elite xenos hunters, with a thematic twist – just as Deathwatch Veterans represent a collection of individuals from a range of Chapters, each with their own skills that contribute towards the performance of a team as a whole, you’ll be able to boost your squads of Intercessors with members from other Primaris units.

When you’re building your mixed units, you won’t just benefit from their weapons – many options also provide special abilities to the squad they join. In this way, you’ll be able to turn each of your Troops choices into a deadly collection of specialists benefitting from a range of stacking bonuses.

Here’s what each Primaris Space Marine role contributes to your Kill Team:

 

Intercessors make up the bulk of your Primaris units and are as solid a choice as they’ve always been – with Special Issue Ammunition, their bolt weapons are pretty scary, and they do a great job at holding objectives.

Reivers are great for short ranged mixed Primaris units. For one, they’ll give the squad access to Terror Troops, while for another, they can provide you with an ever-useful shock grenade, causing nearby enemies to suffer penalties to hit and preventing them from firing Overwatch should you want to make an opportunistic charge.

Aggressors are a great utility choice for Intercessor squads. As well as providing an Overwatch deterrent to anyone that tries to charge you, and some hard-hitting close combat attacks against anyone who gets close enough, these guys allow your squad to fire on the move with greater accuracy:

Inceptors are a superb choice for Intercessor squads, offering you the ability to fall back and shoot as if you could also Fly. This means that should you get charged, you won’t suffer any reduction to your shooting output in the next turn. Nifty!

 

While Hellblasters don’t offer any special rules to your wider squad, they provide the majority of the damage for your mixed Primaris units with their deadly plasma weaponry.

It may seem a little ruthless, but Hellblasters also benefit considerably from having some bodies that cost fewer points in the squad to take some wounds, so you can absorb a bit of damage without losing too much offensive power in return.

There are all sorts of ways you can build your mixed Primaris units – it comes down to which combination of abilities, weapons and so on you like using the most. If you’re taking Assault weapons, an Aggressor is a must, while close-ranged units will benefit considerably from an Inceptor. Here are a few builds you might want to try:

Close Assault Specialists

6x Intercessors with bolt rifles
1x Inceptor with assault bolters
2x Aggressors with flamestorm gauntlets
1x Reivers with bolt carbine

This unit is designed to fight up close and personal, closing in right on enemy lines and unleashing punishing short-ranged firepower. The Aggressors act as a deterrent to any unit willing to charge you while providing some extra punch in close combat, while the Inceptor allows you to engage units in your turn before retreating and laying down fire at the next opportunity. Staying close will allow you to capitalise on the armour piercing power of vengeance rounds as well as the Reiver’s shock grenades.

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Firebase

5x Intercessors with 4x stalker bolt rifles and 1x grenade launcher
4x Hellblasters with heavy plasma incinerators
1x Aggressor with auto boltstorm gauntlets and fragstorm grenade launcher

This unit is designed to sit back on an objective and provide long-ranged supporting fire. The Intercessors will be able to reliably stack up wounds with Hellfire rounds, as well as providing a handy ablative screen for the Hellblasters, while the Aggressor will let you move and shoot, meaning you won’t have to sacrifice mobility when taking more powerful Heavy weapons.

---

Assault Firebase

5x Intercessors with auto bolt rifles
3x Hellblasters with assault plasma incinerators
1x Aggressor with flamestorm gauntlets
1 x Inceptor with two plasma exterminators

This unit is a twist on the above, designed to operate at mid-range. Thanks to the Aggressor, you’ll be able to advance and fire your assault weapons without penalty, while the Inceptor means that getting charged won’t stop you from retreating and firing.

As you can see, with the new codex, the Deathwatch are set to be the ideal army for those who love tinkering with and optimising their lists – or just players that want to make the most of their Troops selections. You’ll be able to pre-order Codex: Deathwatch this weekend, but it’s never too early to start building your Primaris Kill Team – why not kick it off with some Intercessors?

[InfestedKerrigan]

Well [big bad swear word]. That is pretty sexy, regardless of DW grav raider, or Primaris Corvus.

[Frowbakk]

Corvus can carry Jump Pack marines, right? (I seem to recall the option for making a during-deployment diorama)

Should be enough headroom for Primaris Deathwatch.

In Theory.

[andozane]

Isn't the only vehicle that can carry Primaris the special floating land raider tank?

[WestRider]

14 minutes ago, andozane said:

Isn't the only vehicle that can carry Primaris the special floating land raider tank?

Yep. They can't go in Land Raiders or Storm Ravens, so probably not in Corvuses either.

I like the concept, but their example Kill Teams seem kinda sketchy. The third one is OK, but the first one really isn't taking advantage of the Aggressors' buff, and the second, the Aggressor seems like a pretty expensive addition for a marginal increase in utility. The ability to have ablative dudes with Hellblasters is worth it alone, tho, and I'm sure there are possibilities beyond that.

[VonVilkee]

 I'm glad the only addition hell blasters bring is their firepower. That said these mixed squads are really starting to replace regular marines...

[InfestedKerrigan]

3 hours ago, Frowbakk said:

 

In Theory.

Theoryhammer only goes so far. 

[pretre]

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Deathwatch are an army of unparalleled flexibility – and their Stratagems are no exception.

Well placed to take full advantage of these Stratagems thanks to their strong Troops slot, the Deathwatch can fill out Battalion or even Brigade Detachments without losing tactical flexibility. What’s more, you’ll also be able to recoup lost Command Points with the Lord of Hidden Knowledge Warlord trait:

We’d recommend structuring a Deathwatch army around two Battalion Detachments – that’s six Troops and four HQs. This’ll give you a hefty 13 Command Points to spend on Stratagems, with the Lord of Hidden Knowledge Warlord Trait giving you several more across the game, depending on which Stratagems you use (and how well you roll).

We’ve talked about how Special Issue Ammunition and Mission Tactics allow you to tailor your strategies on the fly, and how your Primaris Space Marines can be assembled into Kill Teams to fulfil nearly any battlefield role. Deathwatch Stratagems are designed with that same spirit of flexibility in mind. You’ll be able to benefit from both a unique Stratagem for each xenos race, as well as a series of Doctrines that provide extra offensive bite against specific Battlefield Roles.

Anti-xenos Stratagems

There’s nothing worse than spending a couple of turns trying to winnow down a unit of Necrons, only to watch them make a successful Reanimation Protocols roll and waste all of your hard work! With Overkill, you’ll be able to ensure your foes stay down.

With a couple of flamers – from Aggressors, combi-weapons or any other option you choose – you’ll be able to cripple charging Orks and buy some extra space for the rest of your army. Even if you don’t prevent a charge entirely, reducing the distance they can move when they do so can be crucial in stopping key units from being swarmed.

Everyone knows that, when fighting Tyranids, it’s a good idea to shoot the big ones first – but what if your opponent is cleverly keeping their synaptic web up with a Tyranid Prime, a Neurothrope, or a Broodlord? With this Stratagem, you’ll be able to excise them with ease.

When fighting against Aeldari, pinning down units that can fly can be very tricky – whether you’re looking to peel some jetbikes off a key objective or just want to slow down a Raider packed with Wyches before it reaches your lines. This Stratagem lets you stop enemy flyers in their tracks and creates a considerable bubble of threat around your units.

An elite army like the Deathwatch can be vulnerable to the focused tactics of the T’au – where concerted markerlights can leave a unit vulnerable to a devastating combined attack. With this Stratagem, you’ll be able to thwart your opponent’s efforts to pin down your favourite units.

Even if you’re not fighting xenos, you’ll find the various doctrine Stratagems invaluable. Essentially, for two Command Points, you’ll be able to add 1 to your wound rolls against your chosen Battlefield Role:

As all these doctrines are different Stratagems, you’ll be able to use several in a turn across various different units in your army – handy!

You’ll be able to take advantage of these Stratagems very soon, as the codex goes on pre-order tomorrow. If you can’t wait, you’ll want to add a Watch Master to your force – get one online or at your local store.

[WestRider]

Dude. Those look really cool. I'm getting excited about the possibility of putting my DeathWatch on the table again!

[Lord Hanaur]

Death Watch look super cool.  Still sounds like a tiny model count army (and for some that will be welcome).  Still sounds like a face-smashing good time.  Could not BELEIVE the punch of the Death Watch when they dropped in on me the few times I played against them in 7th Edition.  Sheesh.

[generalripphook]

It all costs a lot of CP tho. 

[VonVilkee]

12 minutes ago, generalripphook said:

It all costs a lot of CP tho. 

 But they can mix other slots into their troops... I'm envisioning 6 support characters and 9 troop units... With the new faq triple battalion generates 18.

[VonVilkee]

Just now, VonVilkee said:

 But they can mix other slots into their troops... I'm envisioning 6 support characters and 9 troop units... With the new faq triple battalion generates 18. At 2k