If you’re a fan of gnarly creatures and heroic derring-do, then you’re in for a treat with the new episode of Hammer and Bolter coming to Warhammer+ today. Spearheading the second three-episode run is Fangs – and there are no prizes for guessing upon which planet events take place.
Viewers in Australia will unfortunately have to wait a few more days for this episode, but rest assured that it’s coming – and worth the wait. And, of course, Fangs isn’t the only new addition to Warhammer+ this week. Check out what else is going live today.
It’s not just its extreme environment that classifies the Chapter planet of the Space Wolves as a death world – its native fauna is among the most dangerous in the galaxy. Ignoring the monstrous herbivores such as the shaggy ice mammoths that wander the frozen tundras, any of which could easily flip a battle tank, Fenris is home to an aberrant quantity of alpha predator species.
Living among such fearsome beasts not only provides the Space Wolves with ample opportunity to prove themselves as peerless hunters, but serves to test the Chapter’s aspirants to their limit and beyond as they fight to earn a place among the fabled Sky Warriors. Here are just a few of the apex predators that make Fenris so inimical to human life.
Great White Bears
Often referred to as snow bears on account of their silvery pelts that blend in with their wintry surroundings, these enormous creatures often hunt their prey during heavy blizzards. By the time they take terrifying shape from out of the storm, it’s far too late.
Wrath-badger
Yes, even the badgers on Fenris are deadly! Not much is known about these diminutive creatures beyond their relentless capacity for violence. If the fearsome reputation of the honey badger of ancient Terran legend is anything to go by, it’s far more ferocious than its size suggests.
Ice Troll
These towering brutes stand as tall as a Dreadnought, and they can pull apart even a fully armoured Space Marine with ease. Ice trolls have even been known to gather into large hordes under the leadership of an alpha beast, becoming a grave threat to the tribes of Fenris – something to which Harald Deathwolf can attest.
Fenrisian Wolf
Individually, a Fenrisian Wolf can pose a threat to almost any living creature on Fenris, but they are rarely alone. This fact, combined with the hyperintelligence and instinctive pack-hunting capabilities they display, has led many Imperial scholars to name them among the deadliest predators in the entire galaxy. Working together in perfect unison, a pack of Fenrisian Wolves is far more lethal than the sum of its parts, and can overcome any land animal on Fenris – no mean feat considering what they’re up against!
Sea Dragon
These enormous serpentine drakes only emerge during the fiercest storms. The tribespeople of Fenris are expert seafarers and often take to the seas in terrible conditions to hunt them. Though each hunt always proves costly, sea dragon hides are highly sought after as watertight cladding for huts and longships alike.
Kraken
The largest and most feared of the Fenrisian sea beasts are the kraken. Each time Fenris draws near to the Wolf’s Eye, the system’s sun, tectonic upheavals force these enormous, betentacled monsters of the deep to rise to the surface, where they can devastate an entire fleet of longships in a matter of minutes.
All that and we didn’t even mention the ice wyrms and fyre drakes of the Asaheim Mountains, nor the doppegangrel – a chameleonic species of predator that only Lukas the Trickster is known to have slain. In short, unless you happen to be a genetically engineered superhuman, don’t go there – you’ll be eaten alive before your blood can even freeze from thermal shock. To see some of Fenris’ ferocious fauna in action, subscribe to Warhammer+ today and give Fangs a watch. Of course, you’ll also be able to catch up on all the previous episodes of Hammer and Bolter and Angels of Death, as well as Battle Report, Loremasters, and Citadel Colour Masterclass, with more new content added every week.