Alongside the awesome Kill Team Annual 2023, four kill teams previously available only in boxed sets are getting their standalone release this Saturday. We saw what they can do in Warhammer 40,000 earlier this week, but let’s see how they perform in their true home: the killzone.
Fellgor Ravagers
Taller and tougher than ordinary men, the warp-tainted beastmen of the Fellgor Ravagers are born fighters with a brutal streak. Their unique Frenzy ability allows each operative to fight through an otherwise fatal wound, staying on the board even when they’d normally be incapacitated.
They can’t hold objectives or grab loot, but this Frenzy is perfect for one last assault. An operative’s Frenzy will only run out when their activation ends or they take another particularly nasty hit – at close range or from shooting – which forces your opponent to commit extra resources to taking them down.
With berserk resilience shoring up their otherwise lacklustre armour, the Fellgor Ravagers are exactly the kind of aggressive, close combat-focused kill team you’d expect from their feral appearance. Tac Ops that reward kills in close combat and operatives deep in enemy lines only reinforce this, making sure any game they’re in is fast, bloody, and satisfyingly savage.
Hearthkyn Salvagers
In contrast to the beastmen, Hearthkyn Salvagers are careful and considered on the attack, prioritising objective control over mindless violence. Their slower speed means they need to take full advantage of special abilities to avoid being beaten to the punch, with operatives like the Hearthkyn Lokâtr shutting down enemy attempts to deploy beyond the bounds of their drop zone.
Once battle is joined, the salvagers can lock horns with the best of them. Any casualties they take only feed their Grudges, and those operatives that strike back have plenty of advanced weapons and gear to make sure the subject of their ire regrets it.
Inquisitorial Agents
The wide variety of missions Inquisitorial Agents are expected to undertake necessitates a flexible mindset using the right tools from an expansive arsenal. Nowhere is this more evident than with their deceptively simple faction ability – Inquisitorial Mandate – which allows them to have 30 operatives on their roster rather than 20.
For most kill teams, this wouldn’t be very useful, but Inquisitorial Agents can replace half of their operatives with a selection from some of the Imperium’s most elite fighting forces. After all, you don’t need to pick which operatives you’re taking until after you see your mission and opponent, so getting to tailor your troops to the task is a huge advantage.
The variety of things to choose from extends to their play style, as their tactical ploys feel as though the player was an Inquisitor themself, aiding their henchmen from behind the scenes with a deeply tactical feel that rewards careful planning.
Hand of the Archon
All aeldari are agile, highly trained fighters who make the average Guardsman look like a child playing with sticks, and the Drukhari chosen for their Archon’s inner circle are the cream of the crop. It takes an uncommonly trustworthy Kabalite to be chosen as a Hand of the Archon.
Rather than going all-in on sheer violence like the Fellgor Ravagers, the Hand of the Archon use the terror of their assaults as a tool, with operatives like the Crimson Duellist debilitating any enemies unfortunate enough to see one of their own comrades slaughtered.
Excessively gory kills aren’t just for the benefit of the audience, however, and like all Drukhari the Hand of the Archon are invigorated by the suffering of their victims thanks to the Power from Pain ability. Spending the Pain tokens generated only powers up operatives further, turning one seemingly insignificant kill into an avalanche of stylish bloodletting.
Which of these kill teams will you be adding to your collection? Head over to the Games Workshop webstore this Saturday and pre-order your favourites (or all four).
