TOP 10 UNITS IN WARHAMMER 40K
8TH EDITION DARK IMPERIUM
To help you kick ass in the 41st millennium
Thanks for taking the time to download our guide to the top 10 units to watch out for in warhammer 40,000 Dark Imperium. TOP 10 UNITS IN WARHAMMER 40K 8TH EDITION DARK IMPERIUM
Obviously there are many more units we could have added and we're sure that as the game evolves more and more awesome units will start to shine.
However, with us writing this only 3 days after the game was officially released these 10 units are already standing out from the crowd and we would be shocked if they didn't continue to be big players far into the grim dark future of this edition of the game. (Well at least until the official FAQ's come out)
With that being said we really hope you enjoy your guide and look forward to A Riptide wing - one of the most powerful units and hearing your feedback on it. formations from the 7th edition of warhammer 40,000
Whenever a new edition of "competitive warhammer 40,000 comes out players you can expect 3 things. will 1) That people will claim the game is ruined and it always isn't as good as the last edition. find 2) That plenty of new miniatures will come out causing everyone to spend lots of money buying the the new models. overpowered 3) That some people will rise to the top quickly after and finding the overpowered and "broken" units which "broken" they will make incredibly powerful army lists with. (Often just using the same units over and over units" again, or combining them to devastating effect)
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In order to give you the best chances at your local tournaments, or to destroy your local players while ruining your friendships at the same time we've created this guide to give you a head start with the new edition.
So without further delay. Here's the list.
Number 10 - Pox Walkers
These undead bad boys are going to really ruin your opponents day.
At only 6 points a model you can field 100 of these walking death for just 600 points! While most cheaper troops have to concern themselves with running away, the walking dead of the Grim Dark are immune to all morale tests ensuring they have to be destroyed for your opponent to regain board control.
Add to this the fact that they're disgustingly resilient and your opponent is going to have a hard time removing that many zombies off the board.
4-24 shots from a manticore may sound scary until you realize that 1 in 3 shots against these guys always fails because of the disgustingly resilient rule. Add the fact that they increase their ranks everytime they kill an enemy model in the fight phase and you've got a true army of the undeath to
A Poxwalker - one of the hardest to kill "plague" your opponent with. (Excuse the infantry units in 8th edition 40k pun)
Now this would be terrifying enough.
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But there are multiple ways to boost the Poxwalkers to really make them shine (glisten?)
Nurgles gift from Typhus and the lord of contagion is ensuring these guys are causing mortal wounds on a 4+ every turn! So the longer your opponent is bogged down in close combat the more models they're losing.
And with most models having less close combat attacks in this edition killing mass infantry in the fight phase is harder than ever!
Typhus also boosts nearby Poxwalkers strength and toughness by 1 making them even harder to kill and more likely to damage the enemy.
"There are Add to that the fact that Typhus cannot be targeted while he is surrounded by Poxwalkers and you've got multiple ways a nasty little combination to really control the board. to make the Let's see you opponent contest an objective when Poxwalkers they can't get within range of it, and can't remove the troops holding it. shine"
Lastly there is the forgeworld character Necrosius the Undying who allows Poxwalkers to reroll 1's on their disgustingly resilient roll! Between him and Typhus those Poxwalkers aren't going anywhere, leaving your opponent about as helpless as one of the Un-named extras from the Walking Dead TV show.
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Number 9 - Storm Raven Gunship
This is like the Thunderhawk Gunship's little sister. While it may not be as powerful as its older sibling this little bird is not to be messed with.
With Toughness 7 and 14 wounds this little flyer is not easy to kill.
Add minus 1 to hit due to its hard to hit rule, and the fact you can't hit it in close combat unless you used a flyer and you've got a unit that is really survivable.
While not dying is all well and good, but if you really want to stand out in the far future of warfare you need fire power and this Beauty has plenty.
Standard outfit includes twin assault cannons with 12 Strength 6 shots, twin Heavy Bolters with 6 Strength 5 shots and 2 storm strike missile launchers giving you some Strength 8 stopping power with a decent Armor penetration and 3 Damage each!
That would be badass enough, but this beauty can also take twin hurricane bolters in addition adding a further 24 Rapid fire shots within 12 inches.
That's a crazy 44 shots a turn!
Suddenly those 100 Poxwalkers aren't looking as scary to take out.
But the real secret to this units success is all about its ability to drop 12 marines and a Dreadnaught whoever you want on the battlefield.
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Of course that could always be 10 devastators and a terminator captain allowing them to reroll 1's to hit giving your more firepower than your opponent can handle right where you need them to be.
Not to mention a kick ass Dreadnaught to secure some objectives, dish out some more shots and destroy troops in Close Combat.
All things considered we're likely to see more and more of this flying transport as the competitive scene evolves.
Number 8 - Ratling Snipers
After years of being looked down on in the most recent edition (Im sorry I couldn't help it) it looks like the humble Ratling Sniper is back!
They really beefed up these guys for 8th edition.
First let's look at the not so obvious, they have an ability that lets them shoot and then move.
Now with sniper rifles being heavy weapons the darlings normally take a -1 penalty to shooting if they move. However as this movement happens after they shoot, they are able to fire and then reposition enabling them to move without the -1.
They also have a nifty ability that lets them increase their cover save by +2 instead of +1 effectively giving them a 4+ save.
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On top of all this they have the ability to infiltrate providing they set up 18 inches away from the enemy. With the Sniper raiders effective range of 36" there shouldn't be too much you can't target with them.
Of course the real meat is the fact they hit on a 3+ "They have and have the ability to shoot characters. In 8th edition you normally can't target a character unless it's the an ability closest visible unit to your shooting unit. that lets
So Ratlings have an incredible advantage in the fact them shoot that they are incredibly mobile snipers with a decent and then save (when they're in cover) who can shoot enemy move." characters.
Add the fact that wound rolls of a 6 trigger mortal wounds that can't be saved against and these little guys are truly a force to be reckoned with.
But the real scary part is a squad of 5 only costs you 35 points! You can field 50 of these guys for only 350 points enabling you to deal an average of 5-6 mortal wounds a turn!
This is enough mortal wounds to kill most characters, and with each character being around 200 pts or so, the Ratlings pay for themselves by turn 2!
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Number 7 - Sniper Rhinos
This is the first instance in this list of players using things to really break some rules and it's a big one.
When we first heard the term Sniper Rhino all sorts of things came to mind. Tanks sneaking on tip toes behind the enemy lines, waiting patiently to fire their storm bolters at the enemy…
But it turns out that sniper rhinos is a reference to a "Shoot your tactic that will allow you to shoot your enemy enemy characters even if they're not the closest target. characters By using two rhinos either side of your shooty units even if they're (like the Dreadnaught we'll be discussing later) you not the closest can create a firing lane to ensure that the only target target" your troops can see is the character you want to shoot at.
This enables you to shoot your enemy characters without relying on Snipers to do the job. After all a Lascannon is a little more effective at killing character than a sniper rifle.
Add to this the fact that rhinos are really hard to kill and can move your troops all over the battlefield and suddenly it looks like rhinos or their razorback brethren are an auto include in most lists in 8th edition.
Of course if you're not playing Astartes of some kind and don't have access to rhinos, chimeras or alternate cheap transports will work just as well.
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Number 6 - Taurox Prime
Speaking of cheap transports the Taurox Prime got a HUGE boost in the latest edition. So much so that it warrants it's own mention.
Obviously you can use the Taurox Prime to "Snipe" characters as with most other cheap vehicles. The thing that really sets the Taurox apart however is the firepower.
The standard loadout isn't too terrible, but the real power comes in the form of the twin autocannons pumping out 4 strength 7 shots a turn at AP -1 and doing 2 damage each! That's a potential 8 damage a turn at Strength 7.
On top of that you have the newly updated Taurox missile launcher option. While the battle canon is still impressive, the ability of the missile launcher to either do 2d6 strength 4 hits or 2 strength 8 hits is a little more versatile and situationally effective.
"Need to kill Need to kill lots of infantry? The Taurox missile launcher has you. lots of infantry? Need to put 2-12 damage into a knight? The Taurox The Taurox Missile Launcher still has you.
missile Add to this the ability to place 10 Tempestus scions launcher has armed with melta wherever you want and you've got a serious versatile threat for your opponent to deal you." with!
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Number 5 - Rifle Dreads
One of the most powerful aspects to an army in almost every edition of 40k has been the Rate of Fire. In short, if you fire more bullets you have a high- er chance of winning (duh)
In the Grim Dark firing lots of STR 7 weapons is generally how this has been done in the past.
Now with the survivability we're seeing of most vehicles it seems like the "Rifle Dread" is here with a vengeance.
Get yourself a venerable dreadnaught and slap on a pair of autocannons on each arm and suddenly you've got yourself 8 Str 7 shots every turn doing 2 damage each!
Add a toughness of 7, 8 wounds and a one in six chance of ignoring any wound it receives (including mortal wounds) and this is one scary force for your opponent to deal with.
Three of these and a captain gains you an extra command point and re-rolls of 1's to hit. More Dakka for the Emperor! Not to mention the fact it's still not terrible in close combat either.
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Number 4 - Roboute Guileman
You knew it was coming. We all knew it was coming. The Golden boy of the Grim dark and of the imperium itself there was NO WAY this guy would fail to hit this list.
He buffs the entire imperial army with bonuses to advancing, charging and re-rolls of a 1 on both hit rolls and morale checks.
Which by itself would almost make him an auto include.
However it doesn't stop there.
This guy does even more for Ultramarines, allowing them to reroll all missed hits and wounds!! Suddenly those rifle dreads are looking even more scary!
His buffs aren't the only reason to take the lord commander of the entire human race. He has an awesome ranged attack which is pretty much an improved heavy bolter than can shoot 6 times at half range with 2 damage a shot.
But he really shines in close combat. With two profiles, one designed to annihilate troops, and the other designed more for bigger creatures and vehicles this guy can really go toe to toe with almost anyone in the game. He dishes out Mortal wounds, and if you're using him as your warlord he can have 7 attacks on the charge doing 3 damage each!
We've literally seen this guy rip chunks out of a reaver titan in close combat and bring it to its knees (with a little help from Roboute's incredibly buffed friends)
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If all that wasn't enough to make him an auto include in your Imperium armies if you take him as your warlord you gain 3 extra command points, you know the things you only get if you take 5 units normally.
This guy is going to be turning up in army lists everywhere you see Space ma- rines, or Astra Militarum, or in fact any Imperium.
Number 3 - Dark Angel Dark Shroud/Changeling
These are both incredibly powerful units. However of the two of them, there is no way the Dark Shroud won't get an FAQ soon. (If it hasn't already by the time of printing this)
On launch these two units both have the ability to reduce your opponents hit roles by 1. Which we've seen many times before is a game changer.
Reducing your opponents chance to hit by 16.66% is insane. You're literally reducing the effectiveness of their entire army.
Whatever else they can do is almost irrelevant. Despite the fact they are both resilient and competent in their own right.
But what makes the Dark Shroud particularly scary is the fact that at the time of writing this guide the -1 stacks!
If you take 6 of these vehicles for 828 points you can ensure almost your entire army is forcing your opponent to reduce their hit rolls by -2 or -3!
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Your opponent will be reduced to tears as their primaris marines require a 6 to hit with their fancy Bolt Rifles, and Imperial Guard riflemen have completely forgotten how to shoot.
This is a devastating force to bring against an opponent and until the FAQ comes out we can definitely expect a few of these on the board.
With -1 being such a huge benefit anyway you'll probably be seeing these units on the board even after the rules change.
Number 2 - Imperium/ Renegade Knight
Almost everytime we see a game featuring a knight on one side of the table and not the other we can accurately predict who will win the game.
The Knight is a force to be reckoned with in this edition of the game. Yet despite cries of "unbalanced" we feel this is actually a symptom of a well balanced game.
Between it's 20+ wounds, 5+ invulne able save and massive damage output from its weapons it's not hard to see why this vehicle truly is a Lord of War.
And this is why it's so powerful. It actually doesn't take much skill to use effectively, (of course mastering it is another matter entirely)
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Meaning your opponent needs to bring 400-500 points against the knight all at once as soon as possible and even that is only a fair fight, and not a guaranteed destruction of the knight.
There is an argument that the Ork, Tao and Eldar equivalents of this unit are just as powerful, and truthfully they probably are. It's just at the time of writing this guide we've not seen enough of them used to know if they have a significant competitive edge over the Knight.
In summary, unless your opponent is combining a considerable amount of their force to ensure the destruction of your knight it's going to pick apart the weaker troops.
In fact we have already noticed that many tournament lists are just variants of multiple titans and one other unit....
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Number 1 - Magnus the Red
He ruled the battlefields of 7th edition with his exalted sorcerers or his cohort of Dae- mon princes, and it appears he stills rules the battlefield in 8th only this time he's bring- ing knights as his retinue.
This guy is everything you want to see in a game of 8th.
He dishes out up out up to 15 mortal wounds in the psychic phase, he has a move- ment of 16 inches and is a force to be reckoned with in close combat.
As your warlord he can have 8 attacks on the charge doing 3 damage per attack with an Armor penetration value of -4 few units or vehicles can stand up to his onslaught!
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His invulnerable save and 18 wounds are more than enough to keep him alive long after he has single handedly crippled your enemies army, allowing you to walk vic- tory after victory.
The really scary part about magnus in 7th edition however (in case the rest wasn't enough) is that one of his psychic powers allows him to take a second movement in the psychic phase.
This means manus can clear 32" towards your opponent on his first turn, allowing him to charge into close combat with almost anything you want to see get annihilated.
This is truly one of the simplest and most devastating things you can do in 8th edition.
Without a doubt you will see this guy turn up time and time again in your tournaments and not so friendly games at your local store.
Next Steps
So there you have it.
10 units to watch out for in the new edition of the game.
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Written and compiled by Adam Lyons
Adam is a father of 3 boys and has been playing in the Grim Darkness of the far future for 27 years. He used to work for the Games Workshop retail store at the Plaza in London and when he isn't being a marketing consultant for companies around Europe and the US he is playing as many different games as he can get his hand on.
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