It’s been two weeks since the Leagues of Votann made their Battle Report debut with a clash against the Ventrillian Nobles, and today they’re back with the final mission of their Crusade – a grand battle with the hated Orks. Nobody knows their ins-and-outs better than our extra-tall Grimnyr himself, Si Grant, so here he is to talk about his top experiences playing with the newest faction in Warhammer 40,000.
Over the course of the Leagues of Votann campaign we’ve been showcasing on Battle Report, my Crusade force – the Oathband of the Grudgekeeper – has become quite the powerhouse. Its Supply Limit has now hit 100 Power, enabling us to play a Strike Force battle for the campaign’s tenth and final game, and many of the units have earned enough experience to accrue formidable Battle Honours.
Having been playing with the Leagues of Votann for a while now, I’ve discovered quite a few nasty combos across the army. To celebrate the end of our Crusade series on Battle Report, these are my top five tips to give your Oathband a Guild-approved edge in their first games.
5. Refuse To Die
As you’ll soon discover, your Einhyr Hearthguard shrug off damage during even the worst of times. The combination of their Exo-armour ability and the faction-wide Void Armour will see to their safety.
With their 2+ Save, simply sticking your Hearthguard in Light Cover means your opponent will have to hit them with AP -3 or better to even scratch the paint. If it looks like even that might not be enough to keep them alive, you can always drop a command point on Overcharged Shield Crest to take the edge off any high-Strength attacks.
4. Stay in Touch
Re-rolls to hit are always handy – but when you take into account the devastating effects of the Eye of the Ancestors, they’re even better, increasing your chances of automatically wounding your hated foe. This is where your Kâhl’s Kindred Hero ability comes in.
Crucially, the aura’s 6" range can be hugely extended with the wonders of Kin science. Your units of Hearthkyn Warriors and Hernkyn Pioneers can all be upgraded with Multiwave Comms Arrays, enabling your Kâhl to guide them from up to 24" away.
3. There’s No Substitute for Experience
More specifically, I’m talking about Experienced Eye – the Warlord Trait unique to your League’s High Kâhl.
In order to field a High Kâhl, you’ll have to promote your Kâhl to the Votannic Council – or in the case of the Greater Thurian League, you can include Ûthar the Destined in your army instead.
Whatever your League of choice, the upgrade’s totally worth it. Not only will you be able to dish out two Judgement tokens each turn using Grim Efficiency, but you can include both a High Kâhl and a Kâhl in the same Detachment, thereby avoiding the Hero of the Oathband limit of one. Why include both? Because the only thing better than using Grim Efficiency twice per turn is using it THREE times!
2. Go Beserk
One combo you’ll find especially brutal is to equip your Cthonian Beserks with concussion mauls. These massive hammers may be hard to swing, but when they hit home, they more than make up for it.
With this penalty, your Beserks will usually be hitting on a 4+. It’s no biggie, though – simply drop one Command point on Cyberstimm Infusion and you’ll have re-rolls aplenty.
Of course, if your target just so happens to have been cunningly prepared for this onslaught with three Judgement tokens, every hit your Beserks land will automatically wound. With 3 Attacks apiece as standard, that’s enough outgoing damage to threaten a mighty Imperial Knight!
1. Deliver Judgement, Magna-rail Style
First things first – magna-rail weapons are pretty horrifying.
The key here is that, when a hit roll against a unit with any Judgement tokens activates the Eye of the Ancestors, it also counts as an unmodified wound roll of 6 – exactly what you need to turn your magna-rail weapon from an anti-tank gun into an anti-EVERYTHING gun!
And for context, check out the murderous profile of the heavy magna-rail cannon that can be mounted on the mighty Hekaton Land Fortress.
As a final gift of wisdom from the Votann, I’ll leave you with a sneak peek at the unique ability of Ûthar the Destined…
That’s right, you can simply make your heavy magna-rail cannon’s hit roll into a 6… which if the target has any Judgement tokens, also makes your wound roll into a 6. That’s two 6s for the price of one, and means that unless they have a 2+ Save, they can look forward to suffering 8 to 12 Wounds – which, of course, will be spread throughout that unit should any models be slain!
I’ll leave you to work out the rest of the combos in the codex. Just remember – the ancestors are watching, so do them proud!
Thanks, Simon! See how the Leagues of Votann get on in the last battle of the campaign – and their preceding battles against the Astra Militarum and Tyranids – over at Warhammer TV. Meanwhile, Citadel Colour Masterclass returns with an in-depth tutorial for painting vibrant red armour – perfect for the Kin of the Ymyr Conglomerate. Get access to all of this – and much more – by subscribing to Warhammer+ today.
