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One of the most overriding questions I've had about 8th Edition has been how the new edition will change how Warriors of Chaos play. Now that I've had a chance to sit down and study the new rulebook in depth, here's what stands out to me.
-Chaos Knights seem to have lost their edge in a serious way. I'm not actually sure they're a viable unit due to the Steadfast rule. If you could realistically afford a unit of 10, then they start to be better, I think, but since units with more ranks are functionally Stubborn, I'm not sure what point there is to having a heavy cavalry unit thats job is to be able to smash through in one turn of brutal, overwhelming combat.
-No longer being able to pack a "golf bag" for Warriors changes some things, as well. One of the strengths of the army was that you could give Warriors a two-handed weapon of some description and a shield, and use either the hand weapon and shield or the halberd/greataxe as the situation warranted. Since any special weapon must be used in favor of a hand weapon now, there's a distinct change in the flexibility that has been a staple of Warriors of Chaos.
A couple things on the weapons do stand out to me, though. With the reworking of the Frenzy rules, GW clearly doesn't want you passing out shields to your Warriors of Khorne. I still think the point of armor the shield provides is worthwhile since the unit still fights with the same number of attacks as any other god's unit with two hand weapons; however, the "parry" bonus is lost on the Frenzied units. It'll remain to be seen whether two hand weapons or halberds will become the weapon of choice for Warriors of Khorne, or if shields will still prove to be a viable option for them.
-Great weapons most certainly have lost their edge with Warriors of Khorne (and everyone else, really, but greataxes on berserkers has been a very popular option), since everything always fights at its Initiative. Passing out the great axes wastes the Initiative 5 that has made Warriors so deadly in protracted combats in the past, and means that they'll be forgoing striking first most of the time in the new rules if they're wielding great weapons. Halberds clearly have become the superior weapon for the mortal servants of the ruinous powers, as two-handed implements go.
-Warriors of Tzeentch under the current (7th) rules are lackluster at best. However, with a shield in 8th Edition, they're actually a fairly tough nut to crack, and put up as good a fight as any other Warriors of Chaos. A 3+ armor save followed by a 5+ ward from the shield is nothing to sneer at. While magic has been seriously altered, I think the Lord of Change is on the rise with mortals.
-Forsaken. Forsaken have been a terrible unit, largely because they're slightly overcosted. Thematically, they're very cool, though, and given the changes in how charging works, their higher move value might actually mean they'll find a place in Warriors of Chaos armies now. Their lower armor compared to Warriors seems less problematic when you consider that most things have lost a point of armor due to the change in shield rules, to boot. Since Knights seem very iffy under the new rules, Forsaken might actually fill that gap nicely, as they're not appreciably slower.
-Marauders. Marauders in general have never been particularly impressive to me. However, the emphasis 8th Edition has placed on huge units may change their utility from simply being cannon fodder to being a valuable line unit. Marauders might actually be able to use the Steadfast rule to their advantage, and hold enemy units in place so the Warriors can get an advantageous charge. As it's currently stood, having a unit of Marauders that was much more than a one-turn flail/great weapon missile hasn't amounted to anything, so it'll be worth seeing if the Marauders will function as they've really been intended to under the new rules. Overall, I do think they're much more viable as a main line unit, though.
-Marauder Horsemen. Marauder Horsemen may actually take over some of the Chaos Knight duties, oddly enough. They're cheap enough that you can afford to bring a unit of 10, and with flails, they hit just as hard in the first round of combat as the Knights (albeit with one less attack each.) Given the heavy hit the effectiveness of cavalry seems to have taken in the 8th Edition rules, relatively inexpensive horsemen might be able to skirt around the inherent disadvantages cavalry face (namely, the Steadfast rule.) Keep an eye on Marauder Horsemen, I think-- they may become a staple of competitive armies.
-Chosen. Chosen have always been an excellent unit. A lot of the same changes that effect basic Warriors units apply to them, but due to the army composition changes, you can actually field MORE Chosen than you previously could. However, I'm not sure that they're going to be worth bringing over "basic" Warriors. The 8th Edition rules seem to heavily favor large units, and you're flirting with 300 points for a unit of 10 Chosen in a lot of cases-- not something that's necessarily cost-effective under the new rules. Rather than being an infantry version of a death star unit, the Chosen may be relegated to a supporting task, or possibly even replaced as a staple special choice by Forsaken, which I really think may shine under the new rules.
Overall, I think the new rules are hit and miss for Chaos generals-- our character allotment has changed quite a bit, and unlike some armies who can spam 40-point Heroes, we're still looking at 150-200-point Exalted Heroes. The consistent strength of units of Warriors will likely come to the fore even more, I think, to make up for what's ultimately a diminished number of highly effective characters. Finding a replacement for Chaos Knights, who I really don't see being effective under the new rules, will also be a challenge, as the role they played in virtually every Chaos army was relatively vital.
Please, feel free to chime in, fellow Chaos Lords-- I'm curious what the community at large thinks about how the new edition will change our armies of the blasted north.
-Chaos Knights seem to have lost their edge in a serious way. I'm not actually sure they're a viable unit due to the Steadfast rule. If you could realistically afford a unit of 10, then they start to be better, I think, but since units with more ranks are functionally Stubborn, I'm not sure what point there is to having a heavy cavalry unit thats job is to be able to smash through in one turn of brutal, overwhelming combat.
-No longer being able to pack a "golf bag" for Warriors changes some things, as well. One of the strengths of the army was that you could give Warriors a two-handed weapon of some description and a shield, and use either the hand weapon and shield or the halberd/greataxe as the situation warranted. Since any special weapon must be used in favor of a hand weapon now, there's a distinct change in the flexibility that has been a staple of Warriors of Chaos.
A couple things on the weapons do stand out to me, though. With the reworking of the Frenzy rules, GW clearly doesn't want you passing out shields to your Warriors of Khorne. I still think the point of armor the shield provides is worthwhile since the unit still fights with the same number of attacks as any other god's unit with two hand weapons; however, the "parry" bonus is lost on the Frenzied units. It'll remain to be seen whether two hand weapons or halberds will become the weapon of choice for Warriors of Khorne, or if shields will still prove to be a viable option for them.
-Great weapons most certainly have lost their edge with Warriors of Khorne (and everyone else, really, but greataxes on berserkers has been a very popular option), since everything always fights at its Initiative. Passing out the great axes wastes the Initiative 5 that has made Warriors so deadly in protracted combats in the past, and means that they'll be forgoing striking first most of the time in the new rules if they're wielding great weapons. Halberds clearly have become the superior weapon for the mortal servants of the ruinous powers, as two-handed implements go.
-Warriors of Tzeentch under the current (7th) rules are lackluster at best. However, with a shield in 8th Edition, they're actually a fairly tough nut to crack, and put up as good a fight as any other Warriors of Chaos. A 3+ armor save followed by a 5+ ward from the shield is nothing to sneer at. While magic has been seriously altered, I think the Lord of Change is on the rise with mortals.
-Forsaken. Forsaken have been a terrible unit, largely because they're slightly overcosted. Thematically, they're very cool, though, and given the changes in how charging works, their higher move value might actually mean they'll find a place in Warriors of Chaos armies now. Their lower armor compared to Warriors seems less problematic when you consider that most things have lost a point of armor due to the change in shield rules, to boot. Since Knights seem very iffy under the new rules, Forsaken might actually fill that gap nicely, as they're not appreciably slower.
-Marauders. Marauders in general have never been particularly impressive to me. However, the emphasis 8th Edition has placed on huge units may change their utility from simply being cannon fodder to being a valuable line unit. Marauders might actually be able to use the Steadfast rule to their advantage, and hold enemy units in place so the Warriors can get an advantageous charge. As it's currently stood, having a unit of Marauders that was much more than a one-turn flail/great weapon missile hasn't amounted to anything, so it'll be worth seeing if the Marauders will function as they've really been intended to under the new rules. Overall, I do think they're much more viable as a main line unit, though.
-Marauder Horsemen. Marauder Horsemen may actually take over some of the Chaos Knight duties, oddly enough. They're cheap enough that you can afford to bring a unit of 10, and with flails, they hit just as hard in the first round of combat as the Knights (albeit with one less attack each.) Given the heavy hit the effectiveness of cavalry seems to have taken in the 8th Edition rules, relatively inexpensive horsemen might be able to skirt around the inherent disadvantages cavalry face (namely, the Steadfast rule.) Keep an eye on Marauder Horsemen, I think-- they may become a staple of competitive armies.
-Chosen. Chosen have always been an excellent unit. A lot of the same changes that effect basic Warriors units apply to them, but due to the army composition changes, you can actually field MORE Chosen than you previously could. However, I'm not sure that they're going to be worth bringing over "basic" Warriors. The 8th Edition rules seem to heavily favor large units, and you're flirting with 300 points for a unit of 10 Chosen in a lot of cases-- not something that's necessarily cost-effective under the new rules. Rather than being an infantry version of a death star unit, the Chosen may be relegated to a supporting task, or possibly even replaced as a staple special choice by Forsaken, which I really think may shine under the new rules.
Overall, I think the new rules are hit and miss for Chaos generals-- our character allotment has changed quite a bit, and unlike some armies who can spam 40-point Heroes, we're still looking at 150-200-point Exalted Heroes. The consistent strength of units of Warriors will likely come to the fore even more, I think, to make up for what's ultimately a diminished number of highly effective characters. Finding a replacement for Chaos Knights, who I really don't see being effective under the new rules, will also be a challenge, as the role they played in virtually every Chaos army was relatively vital.
Please, feel free to chime in, fellow Chaos Lords-- I'm curious what the community at large thinks about how the new edition will change our armies of the blasted north.
