While the Tempestus Aquilons and Vespid Stingwings have been battling in the ruins beneath the Massif Ballistus, other forces have broken through the perimeter on their own missions to seize control of the Great Gun. Unlike the rest of the operatives currently on Volkus, these new players are more of a brutal blunt instrument – but the Imperium’s salvation may come from the smallest, most unlikely place.
The battle for Volkus continues in Kill Team: Brutal and Cunning, the first major expansion for the new edition. Hordes of Orks hidden within the system’s asteroid ring are taking advantage of the battles between the Imperium and the T’au Empire to launch their own raids on Hive Fassilius and the Massif Ballistus, spearheaded by the infamous Wrecka Crews.
As the best of the best, these boyz are larger and stronger than the typical Ork. Coupled with ‘eavy armour, they are durable beasts with the damage output to match, and their love for explosive combat gets them all Tanked Up and ready to fight.
With so many Imperial troops off fighting the T’au Empire, few are left for the dishonour of guard duty – including regiments of abhumans spurned by their own comrades in the Astra Militarum. Ratlings in particular are notorious for their light-fingered antics and breathtaking disregard for private property, but their skill as snipers is undeniable – as is the raw power of the Ogryn brutes* who hang out around them.
Brutal and Cunning contains a full team of 10 Ratling operatives, armed with wickedly accurate sniper rifles and an assortment of powerful kit, from the heavy tankstopper rifle to the Bomber operative’s explosive arsenal. They even come with a dutiful Battlemutt whose barks warn its friends of incoming enemies – a vital warning considering the relative frailty of the average ratling.
Despite their stature, ratlings are remarkably agile and constantly repositioning to avoid danger and line up the perfect shot. Every enemy activation is a chance to Scarper into a better position, keeping Ratlings one step ahead of the opposition and making them a difficult foe to predict.
This being Kill Team, of course, both new teams come with oodles of build options. Each Ork can be built in two or sometimes three ways for a range of specialists and weapons, or basic Breaka Boy Fighters. Likewise, the Ratlings can be built as special operatives or as Ratling Snipers. Additional cosmetic options abound.
This new expansion includes the Compound Siege terrain upgrade, designed to enhance the terrain found in Kill Team: Hivestorm with breachable compound walls, bunker sections, and firing ports. Brand new missions found in the Brutal and Cunning Dossier book use these new terrain options to stage exciting asymmetric sieges over fortified defensive zones. One squad sets up to defend, as attacking operatives on the other side destroy sections of wall (with pop-out pieces to expose the damage) and surge into the breach – making for quite a shake-up in the overall dynamic of Kill Team missions.
This terrain plugs right into the existing Killzone Volkus ruins so you can swap them in and out whenever you want to use them. To top it all off, Kill Team: Brutal and Cunning comes with a set of datacards for each faction and a token sheet for them both, tailored for their unique mechanics.
We’ll have more from this expansion very soon, including deep dives into the new kill teams and their fascinating rules, so stay with us here at Warhammer Community. In the meantime, head back to the Warhammer Day Preview Show hub to see everything else we’ve shown off today.
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