Helga the Conqueror:
Helga continues a rather amusing trend of Farrow warlocks that have absolutely stellar kits of abilities, with a terrible pool of models to use them on. Her spell list is fantastic - the only thing she's missing is a damage buff and she sort of has that with her Field Marshal - and her feat looks to be a combination of very powerful (massed slams can cause all kinds of havoc) and very fun. She's also decently equipped in terms of weapons and stats. In any other faction Helga would be a staple warlock.
And there's the rub. Helga is stuck dealing with the albatross of Farrow around her neck, and until they get a better suite of models to work with (in terms of quantity and quality) she's going to feel incomplete. I also feel like her Fury 6 stat is going to hurt her a bit in the long run: she's going to want a little wiggle room with camping, it's relatively inaccurate for her offensive spells, and having a higher stat would help her manage Farrow's finicky beasts more easily.
Meta Bending: 5/5
Helga's meta effects are simultaneously profound and minute.
On one hand, Farrow are still Farrow; they're the weaker half of an already limited faction. Minions in general aren't very common competitively and having the faction split down two halves doesn't help matters at all. Most players probably don't want to spend money on two separate pools of models, so they opt for the stronger Gators. Helga isn't necessarily strong enough on her own to reverse that (especially with Rask and now Jaga-Jaga over there in the swamp.)
On the other hand, if anyone ever plays Farrow competitively from here on out (godspeed noble warrior) then it will be because of Helga. She is the Rask of Farrow: she's extremely good, flexible, and capable. She may be good enough on her own to prop Farrow up into a competitively interesting position (though other Exigence releases will also be needed,) but even if she isn't right now you can damn well bet that she will be part of any Farrow list set you see in the future.
Helga is a very big deal in a meta sense, but she's also going to have almost no impact due to the current state of the faction (and sub-faction.) However, keep an eye on her after every book release; her stock is only going to go up.
Coolness: 4/5
"Pig Valkyrie" is a pretty great design, and the model pulls it off rather well. Helga also seems like a fun model in general to play, with the "playing Farrow" caveat.
Jaga-Jaga, the Death Charmer:
Jaga-Jaga is the other half of the "holy crap look at the Minion warlocks" pair this release cycle. She shares a lot in common with Helga, in a general sense: she combines an excellent spell list (with one of the best non-Purification solutions to enemy upkeeps) with a potentially backbreaking feat to give her one helluva suite of abilities. She also has a decent stat line that is further bolstered by Escort (and potentially Spiny Growth) so she should be reasonably survivable. And she had the good sense to stay in school long enough to earn Fury 7, which is a big help in trying to project her abilities.
There are two smaller knocks against her and one larger knock. The two little knocks are: her lack of an actual damage buff (she has her feat for potential Dark Shroud, but that may be hard to rely on) which may make her list a touch pillow fisted in some match ups, and her total lack of any defensive tech for her army (Posse do not like being shot.) Neither of those issues are dealbreakers for her - most of the time you'll be using your other (Rask) list to handle those match ups anyways - but they are weaknesses that she'll have to deal with.
What may be the biggest knock against her is that her feat relies on living enemy warrior models to work, so it probably isn't going to do a lot against armies that don't have a lot of those models (Cryx, Convergence, warbeast heavy Hordes builds, etc.) I'm not sure how big of a deal that is, but it is something to bear in mind when playing as her or fighting against her.
Meta Bending: 3.5/5
Jaga-Jaga feels a bit odd to me, in the sense that she does some very potent, cool things, but I'm not sure how big of an effect that has on the meta game. I think she's a very effective warlock and you're very likely to see her, but I don't know that she's going to make people start flocking to Gators per se. Jaga-Jaga is remarkable in that she gives Gators an "out" against enemy defensive upkeeps that isn't Rasks gun (or...uh....a Thrullg) which is pretty great. Though I think the biggest concern with defensive upkeeps is something like an ARM buffed colossal and Rask is probably still the go-to warlock for dealing with things like that.
What I do think is extremely likely is that Jaga-Jaga becomes a staple of the Gator warlock rotation, and it gives them a very solid set of three warlocks for 3 list events (Rask, Maelok, Jaga-Jaga.) And even if that's all she does, that is in and of itself a pretty big deal.
Coolness: 3/5
I'm not a big fan of the Gators, in concept or model design, though I do admit that Jaga-Jaga's model is very nice. I also think she'd be a very solid, fun warlock to play, and that's the highest compliment I've ever paid to a Gator warlock, so whomever designed her did something right.
Meat Thresher:
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| Render of 3D model for the Meat Thresher. Actual model expected sometime before the sun burns out. Maybe. |
The Meat Thresher is one of the better Battle Engines PP has come up with. While some Battle Engines do well for themselves by providing an alternate source of boosted attack and damage rolls, the Meat Thresher goes the other way and gives you access to a possible deluge of attacks. And with a little luck, some of those may even have additional damage dice on them! Add in Bulldoze, Ride-by Attacks, and Weapons Platform for a rounded set of rules that should be fun and decently effective on the table.
The Meat Thresher also gets some bonus credit for being probably the single best model in Farrow (at least in it's PC range,) for as dubious a distinction as that is.
Meta Bending: 5/5
See the previous comment about efficacy for it's cost. In a sub-faction so starved for quality models the Meat Thresher stands out as a godsend workhorse (and it would still be decent in other factions, some of which can take it if you're feeling super-punchy.) I can't see a reason not to bring at least one of these in absolutely every single Farrow list, and right now two may be a great way to go most of the time. It's probably not going to change the overall meta, but Farrow lists won't be the same once this model drops.
Coolness: 5/5
Along with it's rules design the Meat Thresher represents PP's ability to go absolutely nuts with their model design now that they have access to 3D modeling. The idea is hilarious and awesome and the render is great. Whenever the model actually does show up, it'll probably be damn impressive on the table.
Sacral Vault:
Efficacy: 5/5
Take everything I said about the Meat Thresher and dial it up a notch. The Sacral Vault uses one of the absolute best Battle Engine mechanics - some currency that allows it to boost it's attack and damage rolls - and like all the best ones it generates it's own boosting fuel. Unlike the best ones, it can also get that fuel from outside sources (since it feeds on souls) and it can make excellent use of those souls.
The two biggest things the Sacral Vault brings to the table are it's gun and it's potential to totally shut down single wound melee infantry. The gun is a big deal in a faction with relatively limited access to boostable ranged attacks, and it brings with it the bonuses of Eyeless Sight and conditional Bone Shaker (though I'm not sure how often you'll want to be spending a soul on that.)
However, the thing everyone is talking about is the fact that the Sacral Vault has Soul Storm, which may be a game changer. The only models that had this rule previously were both small based models that you didn't want out in front of the army (one is a squishy solo and the other is your warcaster.) Soul Storm on a decently durable, Huge based model that you can afford to send out in front of your army is likely to be a much, much bigger deal.
And it has Arcane Vortex as well, just for spite.
Meta Bending: 5/5
The Sacral Vault may be a big deal for Gators, but it's hard to say. Fundamentally, Gatormen Posse are obscenely good, so it's debatable whether it's better to have a Sacral Vault or a third unit of Gatormen Posse. The Sacral Vault brings some very powerful tools to the table but it may or may not be worth losing out on that third unit of melee models, depending on the list. I'm sure it will show up in Gator lists - it's too good not to take somewhere - but how pervasive it will be remains to be seen.
Gatormen have bills to pay, however, so the Sacral Vault can be hired into Circle and Legion armies. The Sacral Vault brings a powerful solution to single wound infantry - unless you have some way to knock Souls off of it, it will always have at least one Soul to trigger Soul Storm since it can generate it's own - and it's entirely self-sufficient, so it may be a profoundly powerful piece in some armies.
This rating is based off the (probably knee jerk) reaction some of the community has had regarding the potential of the Sacral Vault. Even if those fears don't pan out, I'd imagine there will be at least a few builds that make fantastic use of this model (in Gators and otherwise) and I think those builds will have a profound effect on how one needs to approach those factions, since single wound infantry may not cut the mustard anymore.
Coolness: 3/5
I'm admittedly prejudiced against Gator models as I don't really like the aesthetic. I do love the possible size of this model (I tried to find a picture of the render for this monstrosity but I couldn't dig one up easily,) and the idea is pretty cool. I also appreciate how PP seems bound and determined to give each faction at least one model that is a complete nightmare to try and store (unless this one is easy to section off, which may be the case depending on how it's assembled.)
Maximus:
Efficacy: 3.5/5
Maximus is a Doom Reaver solo, and he has all the rules you would expect, along with some of the ones you'd ask for if you were feeling punchy (notably: Unyielding and Relentless Charge.) He's nothing fancy, but if you can deliver him to a clutch of enemies he should chop them up right good, and he hits hard enough that you can throw him into a heavy to soften it up a bit if you need that as well.
Probably the best thing that Maximus has going for him is his cost; he's a very well equipped 2 point solo. Even if he is very straightforward.
Meta Bending: 1.5/5
Even though he's a very solid combat solo, Maximus is also just a combat solo. I don't think he's going to find his way into many other faction lists (though I could be wrong) and that means you're most likely to see him in Farrow. While Farrow lists can provide him with a little support, he's mostly on his own there, and he's in no way beefy enough to offset the current meta issues Farrow face.
Coolness: 3/5
A Doom Reaver/Farrow crossover model is pretty fantastic, and Maximus will certainly be fun whenever you can deliver him. However, I really dislike the model pose, and there's the looming reality that a cheap combat solo is fun, but usually not very effective.
Efaarit Scout:
Efficacy: 3.5/5
See the previous comment about efficacy for it's cost. In a sub-faction so starved for quality models the Meat Thresher stands out as a godsend workhorse (and it would still be decent in other factions, some of which can take it if you're feeling super-punchy.) I can't see a reason not to bring at least one of these in absolutely every single Farrow list, and right now two may be a great way to go most of the time. It's probably not going to change the overall meta, but Farrow lists won't be the same once this model drops.
Coolness: 5/5
Along with it's rules design the Meat Thresher represents PP's ability to go absolutely nuts with their model design now that they have access to 3D modeling. The idea is hilarious and awesome and the render is great. Whenever the model actually does show up, it'll probably be damn impressive on the table.
Sacral Vault:
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| Concept art. Not shown: the fact that this thing is crazy tall. |
Take everything I said about the Meat Thresher and dial it up a notch. The Sacral Vault uses one of the absolute best Battle Engine mechanics - some currency that allows it to boost it's attack and damage rolls - and like all the best ones it generates it's own boosting fuel. Unlike the best ones, it can also get that fuel from outside sources (since it feeds on souls) and it can make excellent use of those souls.
The two biggest things the Sacral Vault brings to the table are it's gun and it's potential to totally shut down single wound melee infantry. The gun is a big deal in a faction with relatively limited access to boostable ranged attacks, and it brings with it the bonuses of Eyeless Sight and conditional Bone Shaker (though I'm not sure how often you'll want to be spending a soul on that.)
However, the thing everyone is talking about is the fact that the Sacral Vault has Soul Storm, which may be a game changer. The only models that had this rule previously were both small based models that you didn't want out in front of the army (one is a squishy solo and the other is your warcaster.) Soul Storm on a decently durable, Huge based model that you can afford to send out in front of your army is likely to be a much, much bigger deal.
And it has Arcane Vortex as well, just for spite.
Meta Bending: 5/5
The Sacral Vault may be a big deal for Gators, but it's hard to say. Fundamentally, Gatormen Posse are obscenely good, so it's debatable whether it's better to have a Sacral Vault or a third unit of Gatormen Posse. The Sacral Vault brings some very powerful tools to the table but it may or may not be worth losing out on that third unit of melee models, depending on the list. I'm sure it will show up in Gator lists - it's too good not to take somewhere - but how pervasive it will be remains to be seen.
Gatormen have bills to pay, however, so the Sacral Vault can be hired into Circle and Legion armies. The Sacral Vault brings a powerful solution to single wound infantry - unless you have some way to knock Souls off of it, it will always have at least one Soul to trigger Soul Storm since it can generate it's own - and it's entirely self-sufficient, so it may be a profoundly powerful piece in some armies.
This rating is based off the (probably knee jerk) reaction some of the community has had regarding the potential of the Sacral Vault. Even if those fears don't pan out, I'd imagine there will be at least a few builds that make fantastic use of this model (in Gators and otherwise) and I think those builds will have a profound effect on how one needs to approach those factions, since single wound infantry may not cut the mustard anymore.
Coolness: 3/5
I'm admittedly prejudiced against Gator models as I don't really like the aesthetic. I do love the possible size of this model (I tried to find a picture of the render for this monstrosity but I couldn't dig one up easily,) and the idea is pretty cool. I also appreciate how PP seems bound and determined to give each faction at least one model that is a complete nightmare to try and store (unless this one is easy to section off, which may be the case depending on how it's assembled.)
Maximus:
Maximus is a Doom Reaver solo, and he has all the rules you would expect, along with some of the ones you'd ask for if you were feeling punchy (notably: Unyielding and Relentless Charge.) He's nothing fancy, but if you can deliver him to a clutch of enemies he should chop them up right good, and he hits hard enough that you can throw him into a heavy to soften it up a bit if you need that as well.
Probably the best thing that Maximus has going for him is his cost; he's a very well equipped 2 point solo. Even if he is very straightforward.
Meta Bending: 1.5/5
Even though he's a very solid combat solo, Maximus is also just a combat solo. I don't think he's going to find his way into many other faction lists (though I could be wrong) and that means you're most likely to see him in Farrow. While Farrow lists can provide him with a little support, he's mostly on his own there, and he's in no way beefy enough to offset the current meta issues Farrow face.
Coolness: 3/5
A Doom Reaver/Farrow crossover model is pretty fantastic, and Maximus will certainly be fun whenever you can deliver him. However, I really dislike the model pose, and there's the looming reality that a cheap combat solo is fun, but usually not very effective.
Efaarit Scout:
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| Illustration of Efaarit and mount from Monsternomicon |
The Efaarit Scout has a lot of the things you'd really want on a shooting solo: AP gun for big targets, Sniper for small targets, Light Cavalry rules for mobility, and a decent pool of damage boxes for a solo. It's not anything amazing, but I can see them being solo shooting solos and flank models.
Meta Bending: 2/5
For as solid as the Efarrit are, they exist in that weird mid-ground where they're not bad, but they're not impressive/powerful enough to really encourage their inclusion. I can see some faction lists including them if the list build supports it, but I don't see anyone re-engineering their lists to get these guys in. I do think they'll be very common in Farrow lists, for what that's worth.
Coolness: 4/5
Combine an "out of nowhere" model idea with some very solid shooting solo rules and you get a very neat, exciting solo release.
Minions Overall Release Rating: 4/5
Minions got some fantastic models out of this cycle: two of their best warlocks (on either half of the faction,) along with two excellent Battle Engines and two solid solos.
The biggest issue that Minions have right now is that they're still working with a stiflingly small list of models in either sub-faction. While the Battle Engines are neat (or, in the case of the Sacral Vault, amazing,) the Farrow really needed something resembling a good "line infantry" unit and both sub-factions could really use some better/more varied beasts. Even the best Battle Engines can't quite replace the efficacy of a good unit of infantry, or the output of a well designed heavy.
The other thing that kind of takes the shine off the Minion releases is how both Battle Engines can be taken in non-Pact armies. It makes sense from a marketing perspective - PP doesn't want to sink all the money into designing and producing these elaborate models to sell them to a fraction of a fraction of their player base - but it does make them feel a little less special. And of course now everyone is going to have to deal with them in more varied, horrible situations, which may be the bigger deal in the long run.
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And that wraps up the faction reviews! I have one more post in the works that will kind of tie it all together, and that will mark the end of my Hordes: Exigence review.
Meta Bending: 2/5
For as solid as the Efarrit are, they exist in that weird mid-ground where they're not bad, but they're not impressive/powerful enough to really encourage their inclusion. I can see some faction lists including them if the list build supports it, but I don't see anyone re-engineering their lists to get these guys in. I do think they'll be very common in Farrow lists, for what that's worth.
Coolness: 4/5
Combine an "out of nowhere" model idea with some very solid shooting solo rules and you get a very neat, exciting solo release.
Minions Overall Release Rating: 4/5
Minions got some fantastic models out of this cycle: two of their best warlocks (on either half of the faction,) along with two excellent Battle Engines and two solid solos.
The biggest issue that Minions have right now is that they're still working with a stiflingly small list of models in either sub-faction. While the Battle Engines are neat (or, in the case of the Sacral Vault, amazing,) the Farrow really needed something resembling a good "line infantry" unit and both sub-factions could really use some better/more varied beasts. Even the best Battle Engines can't quite replace the efficacy of a good unit of infantry, or the output of a well designed heavy.
The other thing that kind of takes the shine off the Minion releases is how both Battle Engines can be taken in non-Pact armies. It makes sense from a marketing perspective - PP doesn't want to sink all the money into designing and producing these elaborate models to sell them to a fraction of a fraction of their player base - but it does make them feel a little less special. And of course now everyone is going to have to deal with them in more varied, horrible situations, which may be the bigger deal in the long run.
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And that wraps up the faction reviews! I have one more post in the works that will kind of tie it all together, and that will mark the end of my Hordes: Exigence review.
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