Space Wolves
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Wolf Lord - As the Space Wolf equivalent of the standard Space Marine Captain or Chapter Master, a Wolf Lord has a long legacy of pride and honour to live up to in the name of the lost Primarch, Leman Russ. While the Wolf Lord himself has improved in value with some handy additions to his basic wargear with only a minimal points increase to compensate, players do need to keep in mind that the indomitable warlords of the past are no longer attainable with the removal of Sagas as actual model options. Compared to a Space Marine Captain, the Wolf Lord gains an extra attack and has his own preset "Chapter Tactics" at a cost of 15 points more; while Acute Senses and Counter-Attack are certainly useful in their own way, if you want to build as strong a combat character as possible then the Black Templars and Iron Hands still do it best in that regard. The inability to purchase a form of Eternal Warrior anymore as opposed to that becoming an easily obtained option for Codex: Space Marines does give Chapter Masters in particular the edge over Wolf Lords in general with all the Strength 8 characters or Monstrous Creatures running around, but the Wolf Lord still has access to some of the best options available for a Space Marine. The prices on all of the wargear choices have been brought in line with the Space Marine codex, including slight decreases to options such as the Frost Axe and Frost Sword unique to Space Wolves.
The comparative value of a Wolf Lord to a Captain or Chapter Master is debatable for foot, jump and bike type configurations, but the Wolf Lord still has an inherent advantage with access to the awesome Thunderwolf mount - made more impressive by the general improvements given to Thunderwolf Cavalry squads. The mount itself is slightly more expensive but it too has seen some nice benefits with the new codex, namely that it actually increases the Wounds characteristic of the rider by one in addition to all of the other usual benefits; one thing to keep in mind is that it makes all of a riders' attacks Rending, not just those with a standard melee weapon. Yikes! This is the value of a Wolf Lord in the new codex; you can still make an absolutely terrifying melee character but at a significantly lower cost than in the previous codex despite similar or superior effectiveness. A pretty standard build for one is a Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Runic Armour and Thunderwolf mount, making him effectively Strength 10, Toughness 5 with 4 Wounds, a 2+ armour save, 3+ invulnerable save and a whopping six AP2 attacks on the charge. Alternative builds make use of his handy Initiative 5 and the Rending special rule provided by the Thunderwolf by using a Wolf Claw, Frost Sword or even the Fangsword of the Ice Wolf - Helfrost for 5 points more than an otherwise identical Frost Sword gets a thumbs up from me! The lack of Eternal Warrior hurts, but with Toughness 5 and such awesome saving throws, good luck getting rid of a kitted out Wolf Lord that is still less expensive or the same price as equivalent-priced Captains or Chapter Masters that do far less damage! Also, be sure not to forget that you can now hide a character riding a Thunderwolf in a unit that doesn't consist entirely of Thunderwolves, opening up a lot of new potential combinations.
As an aside, any Wolf Lord build featuring either a Storm Shield or a Belt of Russ has received a 10 or 20 point discount, respectively, over the previous codex, and that doesn't include the lowered cost of most of the other wargear options - hooray! The various relics available to a Wolf Lord also serve to spice up their many different builds and partially make up for the loss of Sagas and unique equipment like the Wolftooth Necklace - unless you count the Warlord Traits, of course - with the Helm of Durfast being a particular favourite for combat-oriented Wolf Lords, despite it also providing a buff to ranged weapons. The Fangsword of the Ice Wolf is just as expensive as the old Frost Blade but adds in the truly nasty Helfrost and Rending special rules, making a Thunderwolf-riding Wolf Lord dish out at least six Strength 6 AP3 attacks on the charge which can easily deal with most characters and Monstrous Creatures due to those two aforementioned special rules. Similarly, the Black Death is a much improved version of a Frost Axe and yet it only costs a handful of points more, while the Armour of Russ is an awesome wargear option for Wolf Lords designed specifically to win challenges. The Bite of Fenris and Wulfen Stone can be a bit more situational and expensive for what they provide, but the former in particular is still hilarious with the Helfrost effect. Overall, it's difficult not to recommend a Wolf Lord for Space Wolf players looking for an equally damaging and durable Warlord to lead their hunting packs as you can customize them to whatever you need at an affordable price.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.
Ragnar Blackmane - While they didn't update his horribly outdated model, Ragnar's rules have at least been tweaked for the better; a deserving change for one of the longest-serving characters of the army. His profile remains identical and yet he has received a 45 point price drop, while his optional Fenrisian Wolf companions are a few points cheaper per model as well. Of course, this doesn't come without sacrifices; he no longer always hits on a 3+, nor does he deny psychic powers directed at himself or his unit on a 5+. However, his predetermined Warlord Trait gives him the same Saga as he had previously, albeit with a crucial tweak; he re-rolls failed to-hit rolls in a challenge rather than adding a bonus number of attacks in a combat based on how many unsaved wounds he inflicted in the previous rounds' combat. His unique Frost Blade has gained both the Master-crafted (this is obviously worthless in a challenge as he re-rolls all to-hit rolls in those anyway) and Rending special rules while otherwise remaining the same, while he also received the Rage special rule which means he will have more attacks on the charge than previously - arguably the most important round of combat for an assault unit, anyway. He now re-rolls a single failed saving throw in each Assault Phase and provides his Furious Charge buff in each turn rather than just one, though it no longer applies to all units within 12" - it only affects himself and any unit he joins - while he also doesn't provide the +D3 boost to attacks for charging to his unit.
Overall, I would say that Ragnar has improved as his own combat capabilities are generally either better or at least similar to his previous incarnation, while he is far cheaper, slightly tougher - the re-roll on a failed saving throw is awesome - and provides more consistent buffs to his unit. You no longer are forced to launch an assault with him - although usually you would want to anyway - though this does come with the downside that he now must issue and accept challenges all the time, albeit with the bonus that he re-rolls all failed to-hit rolls in said challenges. In the 90 points that you pay for Ragnar over a generic Wolf Lord, I would say that he is worth the price if you were to kit a Wolf Lord out in this specific configuration as Ragnar does provide better support abilities for your units without having to pay for the expensive Wulfen Stone, though generally speaking he doesn't compare well to Thunderwolf or Bike-mounted builds. Ragnar is still quite nasty in a challenge and against standard units, but it really highlights how good a Wolf Lord is where you can pay slightly more for something that is just so much more powerful overall. There is also the issue of Ragnar being on foot whereas the best Space Wolf assault units are usually mounted; he can of course join Wolf Guard Terminators, but the cost of the necessary transport does add up. At that point though you may as well take a better equipped Terminator-armoured Wolf Lord seeing as a 2+ armour save and 3+ invulnerable save are hugely important in close combats nowadays.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? No.
Harald Deathwolf - Many players were doubtless pleased with the return of Harald to the official codex, and it helps that he has decent rules to boot. Identical in almost every way to a Wolf Lord mounted on a Thunderwolf - and thus he is a nasty and tough character regardless of what else he has - Harald is decently equipped with a Frost Axe and Storm Shield, providing him with six Strength 7 AP2 attacks on the charge while also making him incredibly survivable with four Toughness 5 wounds, a 3+ armour save and 3+ invulnerable save. His predetermined Warlord Trait is perfect for a list featuring Fenrisian Wolves and Thunderwolf Cavalry in any kind of numbers, providing both himself and those units with Stubborn and Furious Charge - though the latter only applies to units that begin their Assault Phase within 12" of Harald. Providing Stubborn to all Thunderwolf and Fenrisian Wolf units is awesome, especially when combined with Harald's unique special rule "Lord of the Wolfkin" that allows those same units to use his Leadership of 10, unless theirs would be higher (if his has been negatively modified).
The aptly named Deathwolf also possesses the Outflank special rule which can be used to great effect with any number of Space Wolf or allied Imperial units, though often you may want to make the most of how tough and mobile Thunderwolf Cavalry are when joined by characters anyway. Another added bonus is that, per his Mantle of the Ice Troll King, Harald himself cannot be wounded by Pyromancy psychic powers and any type of flamer weapon listed in the rulebook, meaning with good placement you can use him to make his unit utterly immune to Heldrakes and other template weapons if he is the closest model to what is firing at his squad. In fact, Harald may very well be the most valuable Thunderwolf character in the codex; if you compare a Wolf Lord to Harald with the exact same equipment, both are priced identically, though Harald gains Outflank, the Saga of the Wolfkin Warlord Trait, Lord of the Wolfkin special rule and Mantle of the Ice Troll King relic all for free. While I have argued in the past that these kinds of value-packed characters are great if you want that specific load-out but generally those load-outs are subpar, this isn't really the case with Harald; about the only thing he really lacks is a 2+ armour save, while exchanging his Frost Axe for a Thunder Hammer would have made him far scarier in combat. Still, I just can't complain about this character at all; he is a really good deal for his points and is absolutely mandatory in a Thunderwolf themed list.
Competitive? Yes.
Canis Wolfborn - If you want a character that just mows through entire units of anything from Space Marines to Guardsmen one phase at a time, Canis Wolfborn is your best bet by far. While his stats are more in line with a Wolf Guard Battle Leader on a Thunderwolf as opposed to a similarly mounted Wolf Lord, Canis does still have 5 Attacks base; add in Rampage as well as two Wolf Claws and you have yourself a living meat-grinder. With Strength 5 base, Canis strikes at Strength 6 due to his Wolf Claws, while he will at minimum have 8 Attacks and a maximum of 10 Attacks on the charge provided he and/or his unit are outnumbered in the close combat. That he has Shred from his paired Wolf Claws and re-rolls all failed to hit rolls on the turn he charges because of his unique Born of the Wolves special rule ensures he will rack up the kills in record time, cleaving anything short of a 2+ armour save into pieces at the Initiative 5 step. Like Harald, Canis also possesses the Saga of the Wolfkin, though he doesn't make quite as good use of it due to not providing "wolf-type" units with his Leadership value which, admittedly, is a slightly less impressive nine. While his Born of the Wolves special rule does apply to Fenrisian Wolves and Cyberwolves rather than any other unit, you are generally better off putting him with Thunderwolf Cavalry or other units anyway as they can actually protect Canis decently well.
The main issues I have with Canis are that he gets stopped in his tracks by 2+ armour saves unless he gets lucky with Rending rolls, unlike Harald, and doesn't have such nice support abilities as his slightly more expensive counterpart either. He lacks an invulnerable save and thus relies on his Toughness 5 and 3+ armour save, though with only 3 Wounds he will often be a lot more vulnerable than your standard Wolf Lord. He is doubtless a better unit-killer than Harald, but generally that isn't an issue for Thunderwolf Cavalry anyway; they struggle against the heavily armoured, similarly priced units which Harald is perfect at dealing with due to his multitude of AP2 attacks and 3+ invulnerable save. I also wouldn't exactly call Canis a value purchase as he is a whopping 55 points more expensive than a similarly equipped Wolf Battle leader, gaining one extra Attack, Rampage, Born of the Wolves and Saga of the Wolfkin to justify the increased cost. This is in direct contrast to Harald Deathwolf who is priced identically to a Wolf Lord outfitted just like him, yet Harald also gains a multitude of really cool and useful rules to make him impressively points efficient. I just don't really see the value of Canis as he doesn't fulfill a required role in the context of Thunderwolf Cavalry, is too easy to kill compared to other potential Warlord choices, and is generally over-priced for what he does. That he has Rending does mean he can deal with 2+ armoured units to an extent, especially as he re-rolls all failed to-wound rolls, but considering he is base Strength 6 this often means he won't get those re-rolls often anyway and thus reduce the chances of rolling 6s to-wound.
The kicker is that a Wolf Lord equipped similarly costs exactly as much, loses out on Rampage and the guaranteed Warlord Trait as well as the situational Born of the Wolves rule (in terms of application for units other than Canis), but gains an extra pip in several stats - including both Weapon Skill and Wounds - while he also has a 4+ invulnerable save to protect him against inevitable AP3 or AP2 attacks. Of course, a Wolf Lord is usually better served taking one of the other special melee weapons, but I digress. As for whether Canis is better than he was, he will usually have more Attacks than he used to, but the loss of both the Wolftooth Necklace and Wolftail Talisman do hurt his offensive and defensive capabilities for melee and psychic powers, respectively. His price remained the same and he gained re-rolls to hit on the turn he charges while also providing that benefit to Fenrisian Wolves and Cyberwolves, so I will say that he is probably at least slightly better than he was. I'm just not sold on Canis as a competitive choice regardless of that fact, unfortunately.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? No.
Rune Priest - If you are a Space Marine player of some sort then it is likely that either the Rune Priest or the Dark Angel Librarian will be at the top of your generic psyker list, the latter being a better overall option but the former at least proving superior to the standard Space Marine codex equivalent. While a Rune Priest doesn't come stock with a Psychic Hood like most other Space Marine psykers, he does instead gain the Adamantium Will special rule due to his Runic weapon - either an axe, sword or staff - that otherwise functions just like a Force weapon. It is the fact that a Rune Priest can take both Divination and the Space Wolf exclusive Tempestas psychic disciplines that makes him more valuable than a Space Marine Librarian. While Divination is no longer the be-all end-all of psychic disciplines as it was in 6th Edition, it nonetheless complements Space Marines - or, in this particular case, Space Wolves - quite well, whereas the Tempestas discipline is decent enough and an interesting choice. Unfortunately, Rune Priests do lose out on Telepathy which is just so darned brutal in 7th Edition and definitely still a very good reason to employ a Codex: Space Marines Librarian instead.
All things considered, a Rune Priest is still a fairly standard Space Marine psyker with all the usual equipment choices you would expect, while the always handy Psychic Hood is a cheap upgrade and the native Adamantium Will is helpful to a degree. They help your army out considerably with the many Blessings available from Divination while making for a semi-decent combat character due to having three Weapon Skill 5 Attacks base with a Force Weapon. Compared to the previous codex incarnation, the Rune Priest has dropped a whopping 40 points in cost and pays far less for his many upgrades, particularly upgrading to a Mastery Level 2 psyker, though obviously he has seen some hefty penalties compared to the 5th Edition version. Psychic defence is nothing like what it was, while being able to freely pick powers such as the over-powered Jaws of the World Wolf - now a still nasty but heavily gimped power - made him incredibly nasty in certain match-ups. Rune Priests do at least have access to more options now - especially with regard to their psychic powers - while their wargear is generally cheaper to purchase, making for an overall superior unit.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.
Njal Stormcaller - The obligatory super-psyker Space Marine character, Njal has been heavily weakened in his newest incarnation, serving as a confusing exception when placed against the other named characters in the codex that all either improved or stayed roughly the same. Before I delve into why this is the case with Njal, let me preface this by saying that he has seen a huge points drop of 65 points, while his actual stats have been improved considerably; he is now Ballistic Skill 5 and has 3 Wounds to boot. The Terminator Armour upgrade is now a free exchange, while he is a Mastery Level 3 psyker that has access to Biomancy, Daemonology, Divination, Telekinesis and Tempestas, making him even more versatile than a Rune Priest. His unique staff is now an actual Force Staff with the associated Strength bonuses and AP value, while also granting him the Adamantium Will special rule as well as the ability to re-roll one failed Deny the Witch roll per turn. His bird, Nightwing, now functions as a light shooting attack that inflicts D6 Strength 3 AP- shots at a 24" rather than adding D3 Strength 3 attacks in close combat, while Njal can also re-roll a single failed Psychic test per turn providing he is trying to cast a Tempestas power. There are some good changes here with the inclusion of a Psychic Hood and the improvement of his Saga of Majesty (now a Warlord Trait) to affect units within 12" rather than 6" making him a solid all-rounder HQ choice, however, it is difficult not to be astounded by what he has lost in return.
Firstly, he no longer shuts down your opponents psykers by stopping their powers on a 3+ if they are cast within 24", with his current psychic defence proving to be poor in general - to really stop psychic powers at all, you need lots of warp charge dice which Space Marines simply aren't great at generating. While Njal is more versatile in regards to his psychic power selection, he doesn't know nearly as many powers as he used to, nor does his bonus to casting from the Tempestas discipline really make up for what is a truly mediocre set of powers. Nightwing no longer blocks Infiltrating units within 18" of a predetermined point on the battlefield similar to a Servo Skull, and nor does it provide a boost to Njal's Ballistic Skill when firing at a unit within the point's line of sight. One of the more pertinent reasons behind Njal's high cost and value was his Lord of Tempests special rule that used to have some pretty sizable effects on any given match such as destroying vehicles and reducing the Ballistic Skill of enemy units within 24" - the comparatively pathetic re-roll to cast one Tempestas power per turn is a laughable imitation. When you compare Njal to Tigurius or even Ezekiel, he falls short on so many levels that it is just sad considering how good he used to be.
The two main uses for Njal were psychic defence and his Lord of Tempests rule; the former is better served with multiple Mastery Level 2 Rune Priests due to the extra psychic pool die, while the latter has been effectively removed entirely. He might be a better combat character and more survivable overall, but generally there's little reason to use him instead of two - or even just one - cheaper Rune Priests in a 7th Edition context. If a Space Marine army of any kind wants a super-charged psyker to lead their forces, Tigurius remains the king of the field, especially as he is a far superior support character compared to Njal despite being decently cheaper. Still, I would be lying if I said he wasn't at least valuable compared to one Rune Priest - though typically you don't want upgrades on your psykers anyway as they don't need them - equipped similarly to him. He basically pays 35 points for a helpful predetermined Warlord Trait, the ability to re-roll one failed psychic test per turn when using Tempestas powers as well as re-roll one failed Deny the Witch attempt per turn, access to Biomancy, an extra - albeit weak - shooting attack, and a slightly improved Runic Stave. All in all, I would refrain from saying he is terrible but I'm just not sold on him when compared to someone like Tigurius or just one or two Rune Priests - Space Marine psykers really don't need the kind of wargear Njal has, while his psychic abilities aren't really all that beneficial in practice; this is the same issue I have with Canis Wolfborn. The less points you spend on your psykers while getting the most warp charge points, the better, as ultimately they are really what determines the success or failure of psykers in 7th Edition, and Njal does nothing to stymie that core issue.
Change? Weaker.
Competitive? No.
Wolf Priest - While the Wolf Priest might appear to be the Space Wolf equivalent of a Chaplain at first glance, a deeper study of their profile reveals that they do have some distinct differences. The base stats are the same while the presence of a power maul and 4+ invulnerable save are all expected inclusions, but the differences tend to make themselves apparent from there. The Wolf Priest is not a Zealot and thus does not confer the Hatred special rule on any unit he joins, though he does still give a unit Fearless at least. Instead, he fulfills the role of a minor Apothecary by providing any attached unit and himself with a 6+ Feel No Pain "save", though what really sets the Wolf Priest apart is that he provides both himself and his unit with Preferred Enemy of a single unit type - selected at the start of the game. Not only does this allow you to tailor one of your units' damage output to deal with certain units based on what your opponent has in abundance, it also easily fills the void left by Hatred as re-rolls of 1s to-hit and to-wound for both shooting and combat - in all rounds of a melee, too, rather than just the first - is just so much better in almost every way.
While I'm generally not a huge fan of Chaplains because Librarians are generally better support characters overall and their benefits are strictly combat-centric, while Fearless is also mostly unnecessary for Space Marines, the fact that a Wolf Priest provides a unit with Preferred Enemy against a blanket unit type actually serves to make him a truly worthwhile option. Providing Long Fangs or allied Imperial Fist Devastators with Preferred Enemy (Vehicles) makes them even more crazily efficient in their role as Devastators, while giving Preferred Enemy (Monstrous Creatures) to - for example - an allied regiment of Centurion Devastators armed with grav cannons. The potential uses for a Wolf Priest in both a Combined Arms detachment and Allied detachment are awesome, where the Feel No Pain (6+) is just an added bonus that serves to make the Wolf Priest far more valuable than any other Space Marine Chaplain. As far as comparisons go, the Wolf Priest is 10 points more expensive than he was prior with an unchanged stat-line and special rules, though his Crozius Arcanum now functions differently in addition to him providing a unit with Feel No Pain (6+). In a 7th Edition context, doling out Preferred Enemy is stronger than it was before - Preferred Enemy in 5th Edition was identical to the current Hatred special rule - so I can confidently say he has received a not insignificant buff. Of course, you may want to skip this guy for the next person on my list, though that is through no fault of the Wolf Priest himself.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.
Ulrik the Slayer - If you thought Wolf Priests were good then Ulrik may as well be the star of the HQ slot as he is just stupidly cheap for what he does in comparison to his generic counterparts. For 35 points more than a stock Wolf Priest, Ulrik gains +1 Weapon Skill, +1 Ballistic Skill, +1 Wound, +1 Initiative and +1 Attack to his stat-line, bringing him in line with a Wolf Lord. He exchanges his Bolt Pistol with a Plasma Pistol, while he also gains both the Fear and Monster Hunter (courtesy of his Warlord Trait) special rules to the fray. Instead of just providing Preferred Enemy of a certain unit type to the unit he joins, Ulrik shares Preferred Enemy of all enemies with any friendly Space Wolf unit within 6" of him, while also giving those same units within 12" the Stubborn special rule. To top it off, he doesn't lose any of the wargear and special rules that Wolf Priests are natively equipped with, meaning he still has the power maul, 4+ invulnerable save, 6+ Feel No Pain roll for himself and his unit as well as the Fearless special rule. By the Great Wolf!
If you add a Plasma Pistol to a Wolf Priest, Ulrik gives you all of those incredible stat bonuses and support abilities for just 20 more points. There may as well not be a reason to include a Wolf Priest outside of putting one on a Bike or taking a Jump Pack, as even though Wolf Priests are quite useful for their points, Ulrik is just far too good to pass up if you want similar abilities to what the generic equivalent provides. Ulrik is vastly improved over his previous version as well with a hefty points decrease of 35 points, the addition of an extra wound, providing the new and superior Preferred Enemy to units within 6", causing Fear, while also giving Stubborn to all Space Wolf units within 12". While he no longer provides a +1 bonus to the Weapon Skill of a single friendly character and the modern version of Monster Hunter is inferior to what he used to provide (in close combat, anyway), Preferred Enemy in a bubble more than makes up for any ability he lost.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.
Wolf Guard Battle Leader - I feel the only reason this character exists from a game design perspective is to provide Space Wolf armies with a budget Warlord and mandatory HQ choice in smaller games of the 250-1000 point range, as really, there's no reason to take one instead of any of the other generic characters. A mere 10 points gets you a Librarian with an almost identical profile, better standard equipment and the addition of psychic potential - both casting and denying - while a Wolf Lord is just 55 points more, gaining a 4+ invulnerable save, significant boosts to the stat-line and - confusingly - also pays less for a 2+ armour save via Runic Armour. If you want a dedicated melee character then you should always spend extra to get the most powerful variation you can without being excessive, which is why Space Marine players rarely take Captains over Chapter Masters. It is in close combat that the stat boosts truly make the most impact and it comes as no surprise that this is where Wolf Guard Battle Leaders try to ply their trade as well, meaning there's little incentive to field any. Now to be fair, the Battle Leader has dropped a hefty 20 points from the previous codex which makes him far more valuable than he used to be, but the cold hard truth is that you really can't do that much with a two-wound dedicated melee character that quickly reaches Wolf Lord points limits when fully outfitted despite being patently inferior.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? No.
Bjorn the Fell-Handed - As the oldest "living" loyalist Space Marine that was ancient even by the climax of the Horus Heresy; he is the only remaining warrior dedicated to the Imperium's defence that fought alongside the Primarchs. While he was a choice to ignore in the previous codex, I am glad to report Bjorn has received a more respectful profile worthy of his lineage and history, even if I still don't think he is quite worth his excessive points cost. He allows friendly units within 12" to re-roll failed Morale and Pinning tests, provides you with a +1 bonus to Seize the Initiative rolls, and comes equipped with a very helpful 5+ invulnerable save to complement his good armour values. His Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill 6 make him a very reliable melee and ranged combatant, while Initiative 3 and 4 Attacks base as opposed to Initiative 4 and 3 Attacks is a trade-off I welcome in almost every scenario. He also comes equipped with a Strength 10 melee weapon with the Master-crafted and Shred special rules, making him quite a bit scarier than your typical combat-focused Dreadnought.
It helps that he is a Venerable vehicle with front AV13, side AV12 and rear AV10 in addition to 3 Hull Points, with the 5+ invulnerable save ensuring he should survive a bit longer against enemy shooting. The tweaked vehicle damage chart and Venerable special rule practically guarantee Bjorn will never suffer an Explodes result, but he is still very vulnerable to death by attrition through massed glancing hits as a 5+ invulnerable save can only get him so far when Wave Serpents obliterate his side armour through massed Strength 6 and Strength 7 shooting. At the very least, Bjorn has access to a Drop Pod as a Dedicated Transport, always has an in-built Heavy Flamer and can exchange his stock Assault Cannon with any one of a Helfrost Cannon, Plasma Cannon or Twin-linked Lascannon - the former two are free, the third costs only a handful of points. Despite being Ballistic Skill 6 I would preferably skip the Plasma Cannon as you simply don't want to risk overheating on an expensive character vehicle that has no innate method of regaining hull points, though generally the chances of this actually affecting Bjorn are admittedly slim. Really any of the weapons are decent with the new Helfrost Cannon proving to be quite scary due to its mixed weapon profiles and titular special rule, though my general preference is with the Assault Cannon as it best suits the aggressive play style Bjorn's rules encourage.
Sadly, that's really the extent of Bjorn's good aspects. If we look at a Venerable Dreadnought with similar equipment, you end up with a model that loses out on one attack, Master-crafted on the melee weapon, a point in both Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill, the useful Warlord Trait, the 5+ invulnerable save and the bonus to Seize the Initiative rolls for a total of 65 points. Considering that vehicles - even one as tough as Bjorn - are hilariously vulnerable in 7th Edition and Bjorn is thus very likely to give up the Slay the Warlord secondary objective in many matches, I'm just not truly sold on the Fell-Handed Dreadnought in comparison to the standard Elites choice - units that are already of questionable use in 7th Edition despite all the indirect buffs they received. Despite a 55 point drop, the loss of the 5+ "save" against psychic powers, the removal of his "Living Relic" special rule - which admittedly hurt Space Wolf players just as much as it hurt them - and exchanging a re-roll to see which side got to choose their deployment zone as opposed to Seize the Initiative attempts also served to take away some of the flavour of the character. Ultimately, however, he is at the very least better for his points than he used to be; the losses are minor at best considering how large the points cost decrease is, though I just don't think it is enough to save Bjorn in a competitive sense.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? No.
Summary!
Most of the choices here range from good to exceptional, with Ulrik and Harald Deathwolf being the stand-outs because of their sheer value. While choices such as Njal Stormcaller and Canis Wolfborn are more situational than anything else, I can't justify the thought that any of them are necessarily "bad" - they just aren't that good when juxtaposed against their direct competitors.
Thank you for reading the first part in my Space Wolf Unit Overview series! I've been itching to cover all of the new 7th Edition codices and I feel releasing articles in this manner is the best way to accomplish this as quickly as possible without sacrificing too much on quality or quantity. I hope you found some benefits or uses from this article and wish you all a happy day!
I really enjoyed reading this matey, as a space wolf player myself I have been looking forward to your review of our new codex, thanks for this and all the hard work with all your reviews, keep up the great work :)
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff all around. Thank you for all SW articles :)
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