Warhammer 40K: New Battleforce Boxes Announced
The Holiday Battleforces for Warhammer 40,000 have been announced. There are six to choose from — which one are you going to get!?
There’s a lot of options on the 40k front for the Battleforces to pick-up this holiday season. I’m not quite sure which one I want the most! Let’s take a look at each impressive boxed set.
That’s a lot of things to choose from! We’re going to need a closer look.
“In this box, a Captain and his entourage of Bladeguard Veterans lead a balanced heavy infantry force of 10 Intercessors, 10 Assault Intercessors, and five Heavy Intercessors. Meanwhile, a fast and agile Storm Speeder Hailstrike is perfect for flanking enemy forces, or taking down hard targets when built either as the Hammerstrike or Thunderstrike variant.”
This is one of those boxes where I see it and I want it. Do I need more Primaris Marines? ALWAYS. Gah…Who am I kidding, this one is the one I getting, right? You can always use more Marines — that’s why GW keeps pumping out kits for them, right?!
But seriously, this one is a solid start. You’ve got two 10 man squads you can split into 5-man squads if you need to. You’ve got some heavy hitters and a pinch of speed, too. Where you go from here is really up to you. Plus, it’s Primaris Marines so you can really add this to ANY Space Marine collection.
“The fierce eyes of a Sister Dogmata command this force, which is composed of five Celestian Sacrosancts, 10 Battle Sisters, an Immolator armed transport, and a mighty Exorcist tank. “
This one seems a little light on the model count but heavy on the burniation. Much like the rest of these battleboxes, it’s a great starting point. You’ll probably want another squad (or two) of Battle Sisters and probably some more HQ/Support options. Another Exorcist isn’t uncalled for either. This is a great seed force and how you grow the rest of the army is up to you.
“Five speedy Pteraxii, five stealthy Ruststalkers, and three Serberys Raiders make up the core of this battleforce, supported by the Ironstrider Ballistarii’s powerful cognis lascannons. Behind them marches a unit of 10 Skitarii Rangers and their Tech-priest Manipulus commander, ready to examine whatever it is that the Talon has recovered.”
This box is a mash-up of a lot of different units and that’s the beauty of it. You’ll get to dabble with various new Ad Mech toys to figure out which route you want to expand from here. I actually think this box is perfect for veterans who might not of picked-up some of the newer units. You’ll still get your Skitarii Rangers (for new players) but it’s a box with some of the “weirder” options out there. Not a bad start at all. Check to see if you can still score a Start Collecting box from your FLGS.
“The Plaguefester Warband is the definitive image of an unstoppable Death Guard army, with a Champion and Icon Bearer leading seven Plague Marines and three Deathshroud Terminators. Three Myphitic Blight-haulers and a Plagueburst Crawler cover their march, crushing resistance with the hellish firepower these war engines are feared for.”
Look out for this rumble in the jungle (or is it a plague forest…I forget which type the Gardens of Nurgle are). This battlebox actually seems rather elite in it’s picks. A trio of Blight-haulers is a surprisingly effective firing base — if you can get them in position. The Plagueburst Crawler is tough and lobs death at any range (depending on how you build it). And again, the core of the army is the Plague Marines and Deathshroud. This is a good starting point for sure.
“A Psychomancer cryptek leads the force, with a unit of 10 Necron Warriors and three Scarab Swarms making up the durable centre. The real killing work falls to a Lokhust Heavy Destroyer, three Ophydian Destroyers, five Flayed Ones, and two huge Canoptek Doomstalkers. Many of these units recently received the CORE keyword as part of the Balance Dataslate, and enjoy a new lease of life.”
Umm…yes. After the change from the Balance Datasheet, this battleforce box is looking pretty spicy. Enjoy the updated Core units in the box and use it as a freshly awoken Necron force. You’ve got lots of room to grow with some solid options you’re going to find a use for all the time.
“While five Nobz, 20 Boyz, and 10 unfortunate Gretchin (with their long-suffering Runtherd handler) storm across the battlefield in search of heads to split, Da Boss speeds into combat aboard his Deffkilla Wartrike. A Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun has a jolly old time teleporting Snotlings into people from behind the front line, while a Dakkajet screams overhead to strike enemy forces.”
This one is a strange mix, but it’s not bad overall. You’ll probably want more Ork Boyz and probably some more ways to get them into combat (battlewagon/trukks, etc.) but it’s a good start. You could add some Nob Bikers to ride with your Warboss. You could add in some buggies, too (even if they did get nerfed a bit). The Gretchin are just here to take up space as no one wants to waste time shooting at them…until they sneakily steal that objective. This box has some room to work with.
All of these battleforces are going to be available in December – which one(s) are you eyeing?
