Alright, so in an effort to get rid of all these “I’m new to the Daemonhunters, now what should I do?” posts, I’ve attempted to put together a bit of a Tactica. Feel free to add your own views and tactics here – it should be an ever-growing list that (hopefully) gets pinned to the board. Everything here follows GW & LO’s rules on copyrighted information, so I ask that everyone follows that rule on any replies. Disclaimer: This is all based purely on my experiences and opinions with Daemonhunters. If you disagree on a tactic, then say so and give your version, but please don’t tear me apart for it. We all play our own ways, and we all play very different opponents. Let it go at that. On a similar note, I’m a Puritan player, so a lot of my tactics and opinions will be slanted that way. If anyone wants to type up their tactics for Daemonhosts and/or Radical armies, send them my way and I’ll include them here.

To play a Daemonhunters army is a difficult task. You’ll have a fair amount less models on the table than most other armies. This means that you have to use everything to the fullest of its abilities, and that the loss of every model really hurts. But you have a lot in your favor – thanks to the Deepstriking rules on much of your army, and Orbital Strike, you have the ability to ruin everyone else’s battle plan, leaving them easy pickings for a quick-striking DH force.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Puritan or Radical?
A: Everyone has their own opinion on which is better, but the truth is that both make for fun and challenging armies. Puritan armies are a noble force of the Emperor, and are allowed to include Grey Knights. Radical armies are more sinister, as they include Daemonhosts. This brings up an important point: You can never include Daemonhosts and Grey Knights in the same army. Choose whichever one appeals to your sense of style and tactics more. Neither one is more powerful than the other, they just have very different styles of play. Note: Puritan armies do not NEED to have Grey Knights, nor do Radical armies NEED to use Daemonhosts, so you can leave both at home if you like.

Q: Do I need an Inquisitor/Inquisitor Lord to take an Assassin in my army?
A: Yes. No way around it. You need either an Inquisitor or an Inquisitor Lord to be able to field any kind of assassin. No exceptions of any kind! GW has clearly stated many times, that Codex: Daemonhunters REPLACES Codex: Assassins (as in, Codex: Assassins is NO LONGER VALID). This applies to a DH army AND to other Imperial armies – no matter what army you play, you cannot have an Assassin without an Inquisitor!

Q: Can my Justicar take a psycannon?
A: No, sorry. Although the FAQ states that “Justicars/GK Heros” can take wargear from the Daemonhunters armory, that doesn’t include weapons. GW has been consulted many times by a lot of different people, and the majority answer is that Justicars may only have the Nemesis Force Weapon/Stormbolter combo. Don’t be so sad though, that means you have a high-S power weapon guarding your heavy weapon squad!

Q: Can I ever get Grey Knight AND Space Marines in the same army?
A: In fact, yes! A base-SM army is allowed to induct DH allies (including GK), as long as they follow the rules on DH codex page 21. See the sections on Army Building for more details on how to use them.

The Daemonhunters Army List

I’m going to go right down the list in the DH Codex and give you my experiences and opinions on all the entries, along with some ideas on how to use them. The squads and equipment I’ve laid out are just ideas. Vary the guns and gear a bit, and it should work much the same.

HQ

1) Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Lord
This is the only HQ choice available to Radical armies. That said, I wouldn’t take one of these guys in a Puritan army. He has the same strength and toughness as a standard human, which in an army of superhumans is a bit depressing. He’s also the least expensive of the three HQ choices, making his appearance in small forces a lot more common. Unlike the Elite Inquisitor, this guy MUST have a retinue. But since he also has a higher maximum retinue size, you can build a nasty unit right around this guy. The Inquisitor Lord is very versatile, and when tooled up for his role, can make your opponent cry. But he can only be effectively tooled up for one job – trying to make him an all-around Character will end up wasting you a lot of points when he fails at one or both of the jobs you’ve given him.

Weapons: Obviously, his role decides what weapons to give him. For a shooty Lord, I prefer either a psycannon (if you can afford it), a combi-weapon, or a plasma pistol (if you want to risk the overheat on an expensive character). For an assaulty Lord, you have more choices. A Daemonhammer is essential for Daemon-heavy foes. A Force weapon or pair of Lightning Claws (my fav) lets the few hits you’ll score do more damage. If you need to save costs, just a power weapon is fine. Whenever you buy a CC weapon for him (with the exception of the LC pair), also buy him a pistol for the extra attack – usually just a bolt pistol will do.

Wargear: Lord’s come with power armor, which is good enough for a shooty build. Auspex is a must for a shooty Lord (no targeter is needed, warrior henchmen come with them). An Assaulty Lord gets a bit more gear: Usually Artificer armor & some kind of Invulnerable Save item (Icon or Refractor, up to you). For fighting Chaos, give him Sacred Incense, and possibly Grimoire of True Names.

Psyker Powers: Despite the possible combination of Consecrated Scrolls & Familiar(s), I’d suggest only taking one psyker power if any. Holocaust is a great anti-horde power, but only if your Lord will see CC. Scourging is decent, and if you have a pair of LC claws, allows you to have a shooting attack that you normally wouldn’t have. Destroy Daemon is the best anti-Daemon power, followed by Banishment then Sanctuary. Hammerhand isn’t that good – it acts like a powerfist without the ‘power’. Word of the Emperor can be useful – you’d rather charge the foe than have them charge this already-expensive squad!

Shooty Henchmen: For a Shooty Lord, I’d suggest 2 Sages (ALWAYS!), 1 Mystic, 3 Warriors (1 Plasma Cannon & 2 Heavy Bolters; OR 3 Heavy Bolters; OR 3 Guardsmen with melta or plasma weapons are the typical builds), and 0-3 Acolytes (combi-weapons OR plasma pistols).

Assaulty Henchmen: For an Assaulty Lord, I’d suggest 1 Familiar, 0-2 Heirophants (Only worthwhile against Daemons), 3 Acolytes (aside from being wounds, you can give them power weapons for a cheap(er) kick than Warriors), 3 Warriors (1-3 Combat Servitors, 1 Guardsman with a Flamer for pre-charge).

Transports: If you’re making an Assaulty Inq, give him a Rhino or Chimera. A Land Raider for this unit is going overboard.

2) Grey Knight Grand Master (GM)
If you’re fielding a Puritan DH army, there’s no better HQ for you – there are very few HQ’s better than this in the game. Although massively expensive, he gets a force weapon, a whole list of nasty special rules and more. That said, if you’re playing a game under 1500 points, I’d downgrade this guy to a Brother Captain, or take an Inquisitor Lord as my HQ. This guy is a close combat beast, through and through. Beware: every low-AP weapon the enemy has will point at this man, so you can’t march him. The GM can (safely) be used in two basic ways: Deepstrike(DS) him onto the enemy, or load him into a Land Raider/LR Crusader and deliver him manually. Either way, a turn out of combat with this guy is a turn wasted.

Delivery: Deepstriking, especially with the GK’s special DS rule, is awesome, and my choice of delivery. Considering the cost of the alternative, I don’t see any other viable way of getting him to the fight. Despite his awesomeness, DO NOT Deepstrike the GM without support! Even a GM + Bodyguard are vulnerable. I try to include 1-3 units of Teleport GK and in bigger games a second Deepstriking GK Terminator squad. These guys work like all other Deepstrikers, so DS them near cover, not in front of the enemy’s firing line. The other method is buying a Land Raider/Land Raider Crusader for the GM to ride in. This is more expensive & probably safer than DSing. For more on LR/LRC’s, scroll down to the Heavy Support section.

Wargear: Every GM that I’ve ever used I’ve given Icon of the Just. It improves his inherent Invulnerable save by a little – not much for the price, but essential for this guy. Bionics is a much cheaper (but much less guaranteed) way of protecting your GM. Combining the two is a good way to make this expensive unit live longer. That said, I’d suggest going light on other wargear for a GM. He’s expensive (and kicks enough ass) already. Sacred Incense & Grimoire of True Names are essential if you’re fighting Chaos. Teleport Homer is useful if your army has a lot of DSing units – it lets the GM call down support to him, making one unit behind the enemy’s line into a horde behind the enemy’s line!

Weapons: Since his Nemesis Force Weapon actually counts as a Force weapon, I would NEVER drop it in favor of an alternate weapon (although it can be worthwhile to mastercraft the NFW). For a gun, I usually leave his stormbolter alone. Some people like the combination of a psycannon on terminator armor, but I prefer to spend the points elsewhere. An incinerator is a bad idea – it’s a waste of his higher-than-other-GK BS.

Psyker Powers: I tend to not take any for my GM – they’re all useful in specific situations, not all-around. If he’s going to be fighting Daemons a lot, Banishment or Destroy Daemon (my fav) are useful. Holocaust is handy against horde armies.

Bodyguard: Always give your GM a bodyguard of GK Terminators! If you can’t afford it, downgrade to a Brother Captain & bodyguard (more on that later). It doesn’t have to be a full bodyguard – in fact, I prefer 3-5 myself. A GKT Bodyguard can only have one special weapon, so choose wisely – either choice is useful, depending on your preferences. The rest of the bodyguard gets the standard loadout of NFW/SB, or can upgrade to a Thunderhammer & Stormshield. I’d suggest sticking mainly with the standard loadout – high-S power weapons that strike with Initiative are a GREAT thing – for most of them, with one or two TH/SS combos for the big baddies. You can buy Holocaust for the squad – if you also buy it for the Hero, that’s two shots in one turn! Devestating tactic against some armies, but expensive. My own GM’s bodyguard consists of 2 GKT with NFW/SB, 1 GKT with NFW/Incinerator, and 1 GKT with TH/SS.

3) Grey Knight Brother Captain (BC)
If you can’t afford the GM, but want a pure-GK army, well, this is your man. He’s a mid level HQ point-wise and ability-wise. The downside is fewer wounds than either other HQ choice! I use him in place of my GM in games under 1500pts.

Use: The BC’s NFW is NOT a force weapon, he has few wounds wound, and he attracts just as much fire as the GM does on the field. What this means is that the BC should be used carefully. Look at the GM entry for ideas on loading him out. Icon & Bionics are a good safety net. A mastercrafted NFW is less useful than on a GM, but still a possibility. I wouldn’t want to toss this guy against a GD/DP unless I had to, so the only anti-Chaos wargear he usually gets is Sacred Incense. Holocaust, if you need a power. Same as the GM, ALWAYS give him a bodyguard. If this is a REALLY small game we’re talking about, drop the bodyguard and join him to a PAGK unit on the field – it’s better than letting him walk around alone.

Inquisitor Tocamada mentioned a good point: A GM’s Force weapon is negated by the Collar of Khorne (which most Khornate players use on their characters). In that situation, a BC would be better – you wouldn’t waste the Force weapon, and you’d be able to buy two more GKT with the points you’d save!

Elites

1) Ordo Malleus Inquisitor
These guys are great in both Puritan and Radical armies. Cheap as all hell, multi-wound, no minimum henchman rule like the Lord, and still has access to all those nifty weapons and wargear.

Use: There are two basic ways to use an Elite Inq: same as you would use the Lord, or join him to another unit. If you can’t afford a Lord but still want to make an Inquisitor firebase, this guy works just as well – I used to use two squads, each consisting of 1 Inq, 1 Plasma Cannon, 2 Sages, and 1 Mystic in my old army. The only place I’d say he’s weaker in is anti-Daemon – having fewer wounds and fewer attacks isn’t a big drop, but against a GD/DP, you’d need them. Other than fighting Daemons, he’ll perform much the same but for fewer points than the Lord.

The alternate use of an Elite Inq is joining him to another squad to take advantage of their protection, while he provides high leadership and an extra kick (remember all that wargear?). Joining him to a squad of GK – not so bright. He’s got the same basic stats as a human, remember, so he’ll be the weakest member. But joined with a squad of Inquisitional Storm Troopers, the Inq shines! To join him, he CANNOT have a retinue of his own. The best way to join him to a unit of ISTs is to outfit him similar to the squad he’s joining. If the IST squad is anti-tank, then give the Inq meltabombs & a combi-melta. If it’s a skirmishing unit, give him power armor, power weapon, & a bolt pistol. I used to put them with a squad of ISTs in a rhino, and give him only a bolter and teleport homer. He’d drive as far as he could into the enemy, and then call down the Teleport GK to throw a wrench in things. Joining an Inq to a squad of ISTs works well when you also give the squad the Veteran Sergeant upgrade – TWO inexpensive models with access to the DH armoury in one squad. Inq & Vet with power weapons, bolt pistols, and power armor, 8-strong squad of IST with 2 flamers, and a rhino make a great (and cheap) assault squad.

2) Daemonhosts
Daemons trapped inside a bound human, they cause the Inquisitor who owns them to be excommunicated from the Imperium and branded a Radical. Multi-wound, hard hitting, and very random, these guys are the powerhouse of a Radical force. Note: Using Daemonhosts means that you cannot have GK or GK vehicles in your army!

Uses: Too random to really depend on in a battle, but that also means that the enemy can’t anticipate what they’ll do – a big advantage. These guys tear things up in close combat – the problem is getting them there. They cannot join other units or take transports for protection, but they can Deepstrike like GK. I’d also suggest keeping them away from your own models, as some of their psyker powers also affect friendly models.

3) Grey Knight Terminators (GKT)
Very powerful, cool models, and amazingly expensive. I prefer to pass over the Elite GKT and only take a GK hero & bodyguard. In larger games, a unit of these guys can be useful.

Uses: Same as with a GK Hero & Bodyguard, these guys’ll tear up the enemy in assault, but need to get there safely. Again, either Deepstrike or give them a LR/LRC – DON’T MARCH THEM! These guys are led by a Brother Captain, with the same stats as the HQ choice BC. He can take wargear, etc. Use the same tactics with them as I outlined in the GK Hero entry. Feel free to mess with the BC’s weaponry a bit, as he doesn’t have the free Force weapon the GM does – I sometimes like a chainfist in place of the stormbolter for some anti-armor.

4) Death Cult Assassins (DCA)
Awesome models, great in assault, inexpensive, multi-wound. But they’re fragile, and hard to get to combat. Note: You CANNOT have an Assassin in your army without also having an Inquisitor.

Uses: What do DCA do best? Kill rank-and-file troops! These girls will tear apart anything in close combat, provided they can strike first. That means avoid tooled-up Characters. Their strength is too low to hurt enemy tanks, so avoid those as well. Because of the power weapons, these girls are great for fighting 3+ save models (SM, CSM, Necrons). Toss them against a powerfist-loaded terminator squad and watch your opponent’s jaw drop (“But… that squad cost 300 points!”)! The downside: Low save, low toughness, and PERMANENTLY independent. That means you can’t join them to a unit for protection or buy them a transport. But what they can do is infiltrate! Deploy them into cover, wait for the enemy to close, jump out, shred, repeat. Alternately, march them behind a vehicle. It’ll block LoS (even in the new 4th rules), and give whatever’s inside the transport a great additional CC kick when they reach the enemy lines.

5) Officio Assassinorum Operative
This category covers all four types separately, but some basics first. All four have the same statline. All four are specifically geared towards different things, so if it performs badly for you, you might be using the wrong one. NONE will survive concentrated fire, so NEVER march any of them across the field (use the same tactics as the DCA’s above). You can only ever have one type of assassin from this category in your army! No combining temples, and no multiples of any one temple. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, you CANNOT have an assassin without also having an Inquisitor!

-Vindicare Assassin (sniper)
I’d rank him third out of the four Temples. He gets some nice special rules like his stealth suit (functions like shrouding for GK) and marksman (allows him to ignore the usual independent character rules, very useful), and best of all, he gets three special rounds that can each be used once per game. BUT, this assassin is NOT good at killing Characters! Concentrate on removing squad leaders and heavy weapons teams. And unless you’re using a special round, stay away from Invulnerable-saved models – the rifle’s low AP value is much better used against armor saves than Invulnerable saves. Because of his slow rate of fire, he will rarely make his points value back, so beware when you buy him.

-Culexus Assassin (anti-psyker)
I’d rank him last out of the four Temples. He’s only effective against psyker-heavy armies. Keep this guy away from your combats – he lowers the leadership of ALL models near him – with the 4th rules on fearless, that’ll even effect GK now! If you’re fighting an army that has medium to low amounts of psykers, leave this guy at home.

-Callidus Assassin (anti-HQ)
I’d rank her first out of the four Temples. She has three amazing skills that allow her to deploy mid-battle, flee doomed fights, and disrupt enemy deployment, and two amazing weapons. She’s meant to tear up HQ/Characters, and she does it well. All that coolness aside, she IS the most expensive of the four, she has a low save and toughness, and she will NOT win you friends. If you were going to call anything in this army cheesy, it would be this girl – not even the GM compares!

-Eversor Assassin (anti-troop)
I’d rank him second out of the four Temples. He gets a pimped out pistol, an insane CC weapon, a huge charge distance, and after he dies, he gets to place a template of damage to signify the toxicity of all the drugs in his system. This guy is the lawnmower to the enemy’s horde. Plus, he has the coolest model of the four Temples (I want a skull helmet too!)

Troops

1) Grey Knights
These are among my favorite rank-and-file models in the game, and definitely my favorite Troops choice. They’ve got better firepower than a standard Tactical Marine, deal more damage in assault than any other Imperial army, and best of all – Fearless! BUT (and what a big BUT this is…), they’re almost double the cost of a standard SM, and they die just as easily.

Uses: Out of all the types of GK in the DH army, the power armored kind (PAGK) is my least favorite. They can’t take any kind of transport (including speed boosters like bikes and packs) other than a Land Raider (too damn expensive), and despite their special rules, still fall to heavy fire. With the upcoming new edition, you’re unable to properly meatshield your PAGK with cheaper troops. What about the Deepstriking option, you ask? That upgrade makes them into FA choices, which is no good for the HQ + 2 rule. So how do I get them to the enemy? I don’t!

I only use PAGK when the enemy is going to come to me, and then I toss 1-2 psycannons into each Troop squad. They’ve got the firepower of twice their number of marines (minus heavy weapons), and some rules that keep them from being ‘psykered’ to death or shot at longer ranges. So I’d take my first turn or two with them getting into some cover – the edge of a forest or a building’s windows/doors is a good choice – so they can still target the enemy when he gets in range, but it becomes doubly hard for the enemy to do the same (cover save + shrouding). And when the foe closes on your positions, let him assault you in cover (true grit!), or charge out and take advantage of the new 4th rules concerning assault weapons. In any situation where I need to get to the foe, and there isn’t an insane amount of terrain in use, I’d prefer to take a unit of Stormtroopers in a transport.

Upgrades (other than Deepstriking, that’s in the Fast Attack section): Psycannons are great for mobile firepower (variable ranges makes for a great weapon, imo), but very expensive. Only use them if you know you’re going to get use of the range – if you’re defending an objective, for example. Incinerators are better used on FAGK squads – how often would a defending GK unit be in that kind of range in their own turn? If you don’t know what you’ll need to do with the unit, one of each weapon is a possibility.

Justicars: Meltabombs if your enemy is attacking or has a lot of vehicles (they’re more effective on FAGK, but can be useful here too). That’s it. In a DH army you’re ALWAYS on a tight budget.

2) Inquisitorial Stormtroopers (IST)
Unless you’re really psycho about having nothing but GK models in your army, these guys are the best DH Troops choice in my opinion. They may have the stats of a Guardsman, but they have the COST of a Guardsman as well, something desperately needed in a DH force.

Uses: These guys have a lot of possible roles, with a short list of special weapons (flamer, grenade launcher, plasma gun, & meltagun) and transports (rhino, chimera, non-GK Land Raider) available to them. Also, they can take a Veteran Sergeant who has full access to the DH armory. Did I mention that they can buy transports? Nine times out of ten, I put them into a Rhino or Chimera (depending on the task at hand).

My favorite role for IST’s is tank hunting: Give the squad a Rhino and 2 meltaguns (possibly a Vet with combi-melta as well). Toss an H/K missile onto the Rhino. Drive around the enemy’s flanks, hit the sides or rear of enemy armor columns if possible. If not, the meltaguns can pop even AV14 with luck (more so if within the meltagun’s bonus range).

Another good role is the doormat: Give the squad a Rhino and a Vet with TP Homer. Drive them to wherever you’d like your troops to come down, disembark (behind the transport gives you cover for the incoming troops too), and use the TP Homer. Using multiples of this squad can really confuse the enemy and give you alternatives as to where to bring the heavy hitters in.

A third common role is as a mobile firebase: Chimera with multilaser or HB turret, HB sponsons, squad with plasma weapons. Get the Troops into cover asap, and park the Chimera hull-down nearby for support/pull-out. You have 3 heavy bolters and 2 plasma guns worth of firepower on incoming troops, and a quick escape if your foe is CC-heavy.

If you’re afraid of your IST getting assaulted, especially when they’re using one of the builds that includes a transport to get them closer faster, then giving the Veteran some assault kick is an option – a power weapon, and possibly power armor. This’ll toss a nice CC boost into an otherwise weak unit. For example: the anti-armor unit usually drives up to a tank, pops it, and drives away. But if it’s a transport you pop, you’ll have some rather unhappy enemy troops right next to you. If your squad contains a power weapon (or two, if using the Elite Inq idea from way above), the enemy is in for a surprise! But remember, IST are NOT meant to hold the line for you. They’re merely there to fulfill the special roles that PAGK cannot.

3) Transports
On transports in general: *Always* include extra armor and smoke launchers on your transports (and all vehicles, for that matter). They may not be used every game, but can potentially save your ass in a bad situation. And for their very low cost, not a big hit on the bank.

-Chimera
Middle of the pack, cost-wise. This is basically a light tank. It can lay down a good deal of firepower (even more, considering the new 4th rules on moving and firing vehicles). I prefer a multilaser turret (for the higher S) and the hull-mounted heavy bolter (for the rate of fire). If you’re fighting a horde army (especially ‘Nids), a heavy bolter turret and hull-mounted heavy flamer or heavy bolter could definitely cause significant damage. Note: the lasguns on the side are ALWAYS lasguns – they’re mounted to the vehicle, not weapons ports. GW has stated this in FAQ’s and emails. So sticking a unit of IST’s with Hellguns into the Chimera does NOT mean that you have 6 Hellguns sticking out the sides – sorry.

-Rhino
Cheapest of the three DH transports. Good for throw-away IST units (armor hunting, objective claiming, etc). Don’t forget the option to toss another stormbolter and/or a hunter/killer missile on – it gives you extra firepower where the enemy least expects it.

-Land Raider
Ah, the Land Raider. Subject to endless debate over it’s usefulness vs. it’s cost. My opinion: there’s never a time in a DH army that a Land Raider is useful – I’d rather take the Grey Knights Land Raider/LRC discussed later. Since you can only put ISTs or Inquisitor(Lord)s into these, their usefulness is rather low. Although, if you have a massively tooled up Inquisitor Lord (the anti-daemon Lord build comes to mind), this transport would let him get where he needs to go and cause a lot of damage on the way.

Fast Attack

Only one choice here:
1) Grey Knights Teleport Squad(FAGK)
One of the greatest tools in the DH army! I’ve never fielded less than one squad of these, and all attempts at using three squads have paid off. Very few enemies can cope with the randomness and damage these guys cause, especially when used in en masse in conjunction with GK Terminators.

Uses: There are a few things you must be aware of to properly use FAGK. One, they need support to be used properly. Don’t DS one squad by themselves away from any fire or infantry support, they won’t survive. Don’t DS them far enough away from the enemy that the FAGK take more than one turn to reach them – they can’t survive concentrated fire they always draw. Don’t worry about getting so close that the enemy charges first – the combination of True Grit & the new 4th rules on a model’s reach in CC guarantee that anything shy of a Greater Daemon or Monstrous Creature will regret charging you.

Justicar: Meltabombs, always – you never know when you’ll have the opportunity to DS behind the enemy’s artillery line. Mastercrafting his NFW is an option, as FAGK always see a lot of combat. Possibly a hrefractor field (especially if you DO Mastercraft his weapon). Nothing else is that useful (or cost-effective) on a model with his stats and save.

Squad Upgrades: For FAGK, I’d suggest keeping as many standard NFW/SB loadouts as you can. They lose the S bonus and True Grit when you upgrade them – a bad thing considering the amount of CC they’ll likely face. I’d say one special weapon or less per unit. My favorite is the Incinerator – cheap, and potentially devastating. A lot of people don’t agree with that – you can only get one shot off, or less if the enemy charges you before you get in range. I wouldn’t ever do this, but a lot of people like one of each special weapon in their FAGK squads, for versatility.

Two special notes about FAGK: First, always take the largest possible units you can. Two minimum sized squads will die faster than one maxed squad. Second, in a DS-heavy army, consider giving Teleport Homers to some or all of your GK Heroes and Justicars. This allows one successful landing to be followed by a LOT of scatter-less follow-ups.

Howling Coyote mentioned this: One or two incinerators in FAGK squads against armies with 4+ or worse armor saves can sometimes wipe out entire squads without even having to charge.

Heavy Support

This section is where the DH really lack. Granted, they have 5 choices for Heavy Support (compared to 1 FA or 2 Troops choices), but all five are very expensive and/or hard to use.

1) Grey Knights Purgation Squad
This unit gives a great mental image: The Emperor’s Finest, working to purge and burn the daemons from the galaxy! In gameplay, they act like a SM Devastator Squad, except with less-effective weapons. I like them, and have used them on occasion, but there are better (and cheaper) choices for fire support.

Uses: A Purg squad works much the same as a Troops GK unit, except they can take twice as many special weapons. They have the same special rules (Shrouding, Aegis), and the same disadvantages (no transports, expensive, fragile). The best way to use them is to take advantage of their weapon range & shrouding – few enemies will be able to hit back at the distance you’ll be shooting them from. If there’s terrain, use it. The edges of a forest or windows in a building will let you combine Shrouding & a cover save. Granted, this all assumes you’re using psycannons. Which you should be. Four incinerators is a waste in one unit, even when facing an army that comes to you (you won’t want to be close enough to use them all, you’ll either get charged, or charge and be short a few high-S attacks).

Justicars: Auspex & a targeter. Why no psycannon of his own? GW has clearly stated that you CANNOT give weapons to a Justicar, just wargear. So no 5-psycannon Purgation squads, sorry (if you NEED another psycannon or two here, buy Elite Inquisitors with psycannons, and join them to this unit). But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – that means your heavy weapons team is guarded by a high-S power weapon – good against deepstrikers and other strangely-deployed units (wolf scouts come to mind) that would try to have their way with the team.

2) Orbital Strike
NOT a guaranteed damage dealer, but GREAT for destroying what little sanity the foe has left after dealing with the other DSing troops. At a relatively small points cost, this can sometimes be useful, but they won’t always gain their points back (come on, Strike’s have a rule called “(In)accuracy”.

Uses: Orbital Strike comes in three flavors, each of which is used differently. All three types use the big template & all three have secret deployment (scares the hell out of enemies not knowing where this’ll come down):

-Barrage Bomb:
Cheapest of the three, lowest damage dealt. Only really useful against low-T and lightly armored foes (but then again, who wouldn’t want to toss an ordnance template against a unit of Nids, Orks, or Guardsmen?). This Strike is best used to block the path of oncoming foes, letting them come to you. Place it on a bridge or a mountain pass, and watch the fun ensue.

-Lance Strike:
Medium cost, highest damage. On the chance that it hits something, it’s instant-kill on most things in the game. Good at taking out armor (but not as good as the Melta Torpedo). I like to place this on terrain smack in the opponent’s deployment zone. It may not actually HIT anything, but it WILL cause him to move all his troops – closer to you. And since when is making your opponent waste a turn redeploying his heavy weapons teams and light vehicles a bad thing?

-Melta Torpedo:
Most expensive of the three, medium strength, bonus against armor. This is THE anti-Guard weapon. It’ll instant-kill everything they can field, and will DESTROY their armor section. Place this Strike where you know the enemy will deploy his artillery, for example. Same as with the Lance Strike – making the enemy waste a turn moving is priceless, and if you hit, then you’ll do a lot of damage. Alternately, make use of the odd AP value of this melta weapon. Unlike every melta in the game, this one does NOT negate Terminator armor. What that means, is that you can run your GKT through this Strike and not be (too) worried. Target this Strike on the objective you need to take and hold, for example, then DS your GKT squads onto the objective. Only other Terminators can come inside and contest that objective with you safely.

3) Grey Knights Land Raider/Land Raider Crusader
I don’t like Land Raiders much. There, I said it. Too expensive in this army. But they DO cause a lot of damage. If you don’t want to risk losing your GK Hero to the Warp with DSing, this is the way to go.

Uses: All Raiders are great for soaking up damage – and because of their reputation, the enemy WILL shoot them a lot. Some armies will be able to tear it apart with shooting (Armored IG, Tau, Eldar/DE), and some will be able to literally tear it apart in assault (‘Nid Monstrous Creatures/’Stealers, Dreadnoughts, GD/DP’s), but no one will likely be able to do it before you dish out a lot of damage. Always put extra armor and smoke on these guys (mandatory on the LRC). I’d think about using Blessed (when fighting Chaos) and Psycannon Bolts. A Dozer blade let’s you make your own path to the fight. Adding on the optional stormbolter or H/K missile gives you some extra firepower as well. A good tactic with these guys is to use them as cover for multiple units – the squad inside, and another unit or two (assassins come to mind here) marching behind it. As long as you can stop the foe from flanking you, he’ll have to take out the Raider to get at the guys behind it.

As for which one to take… LR: Great anti-tank firepower, low number of GKT model capacity. I’d leave this guy at home, or if you do buy one, don’t use it to drive Termies around, use it just as firepower. LRC: Great anti-horde firepower, good close range anti-armor (multimelta), and a higher capacity for GKT’s. if you’re going to take a Raider, take this one. Delivers your prized assault troops to the foe, gives them a bonus when they charge, and is almost impossible for many army’s to stop when it’s en route.

5) Grey Knights Dreadnought
I love Dreadnoughts. Especially GK Dreads, as they provide the cheapest heavy support that the DH army can buy. Remember, a Dread falls easily to heavy fire, and taken by itself makes a target for every anti-armor weapon on the table.

Uses: If you’re only taking one of these guys, give him a TL-Lascannon. Even against ‘Nids – the TL-Lascannon works great against TMC’s. If you’re taking multiple GK Dreads, you can vary the equipment some – Plasma Cannon or TL-Autocannon are good choices to replace the TL-Lascannon. Whenever I use GKD, I keep them far from the front lines – they’re more valuable as fire support than CC in an army of high-S weapons. Therefore, I usually drop the CCW/Stormbolter arm for a Missile Launcher. They’re great against armor AND hordes. Conversely, if your GKD get into combat a lot, keep the CCW arm and upgrade the Stormbolter to an Incinerator – this makes for a great pre-charge kick.

For upgrades, I always give them extra armor (more time spent shooting) and smoke launchers (in case of bad positioning or no LoS one turn). Blessed is good when fighting Chaos forces, and against any armies that have psykers that regularly mess with your vehicles. Probably my favorite upgrade for the GKD is a Hunter/Killer missile. High-BS, TLLC, ML, and H/K missile makes for a fearsome anti-armor unit. If you want to keep the CCW/SB arm, adding on an H/K missile is a good way to maintain that anti-armor power.

4. Inducting Allies

One of the major perks of building an Inquisition army is inducting troops. At the moment, there are 3 possible choices (IG, SM, WH) and a 4th choice once GW finishes the codex (Alien Hunters). Needless to say, I can’t go in depth on nonexistent armies or on each unit choice of other armies – look to other FAQs for that. But what I *can* do is offer suggestions on how to mingle DH with another army for better results. Note: you can only induct from one army at a time. That means no using DH to mix IG and WH, for example. No exceptions.

Inducting Imperial Guard Allies into a Daemonhunters Army:
If I was going to induct any other army into my Daemonhunters, this would be the one. They give us the numbers and the heavy weapons that we lack, while depending on the core DH units for the CC kick.

Troops are the core of every force, even inducted ones. I would add two Infantry Platoons as a start, while ignoring the Armored Fists choice (they’re basically IST). Infantry Platoons let you take many heavy weapons, which are their biggest draw. I prefer Lascannons (anti-armor) or Missile Launchers (versatility). One in each squad of the Platoon is the best way to go (what would you use a heavy weapon-less squad of IG for in this army – especially with the new anti-meatshielding rules in 4th?). Two Platoons set up this way give you a minimum of 6 heavy weapons in only two FOC choices!

Next, I would take Sentinels & a Leman Russ. The Sentinels I would give either the multilaser or lascannon patterns, or a mix thereof. They give you great flanking and armor hunting ability. The Russ, use like any other tank. Protect it’s sides and read, and let it blast away at the enemy. NOTE: The IG armory has a vehicle upgrade called “Improved Comms”. This upgrade is priceless in a DH army that uses a lot of Deepstriking. If you induct any IG vehicles, DEFINITELY take this option once.

Inducting Space Marine Allies into a Daemonhunters Army:
Inducting Space Marines is a tricky thing. First of all, if you induct SM, you *CANNOT* have ANYTHING that has the ‘Grey Knights’ designation in your army. No Dreadnought, no GK Land Raiders, no FAGK, and most importantly, no Grand Master! This is a huge disadvantage to a DH army. But in return, you CAN use your Daemonhosts, and have access to all sorts of heavy SM weapons.

Because of this disadvantage, I wouldn’t ever suggest having a base-DH army with inducted GK. That limits you to IST as your core troops choices, and an Inquisitor Lord for an HQ. It also limits the amount of inducted Fast Attack & Heavy Support choices you can take from the SM army. If you want SM in a Daemonhunters army, I would instead suggest building a Space Marine army, and then inducting DH allies (additional rules for that on pg 21 of the DH Codex). This let’s you build a normal SM army without odd restrictions, and then induct the CC power of the DH army. NOTE: This also allows you to have GK in an SM army – it’s the ONLY way!

Inducting Witch Hunters Allies into a Daemonhunters Army:
Apparently the Codex: WH states that a DH army can now induct WH/SoB allies much the same as they can induct IG or SM support. I can only think of two useful ways to do this, although I’m sure there are other ways I just haven’t heard about yet:

Inducting Battle Sisters squads: They have the stats of regular humans, but with the armor of Space Marines. And they’re cost is similar to that of IST. That makes them a lot more likely to survive the battle. This is basically an inexpensive way to add bodies to your army.

Inducting Seraphim squads: Same as above, except they have jump packs & Deepstrike! The only use I’ve seen of inducted Seraphim is anti-armor. Give them inferno pistols, meltabombs, and the like, and go tank hunting.

5. Army Building – Puritan

Puritan armies are forces that include Grey Knights and therefore exclude Daemonhosts. They are the Emperor’s Shining Justice, and will go to any length to destroy the daemons of the Warp. Playing a Puritan army means you’re fielding less models than almost any other army in the game. Your base troops will have more CC power than any other base troop choice in the game, and better-than-average shooting power (ignoring the lack of heavy weapons, that is). Your army can be a mix of Grey Knights, Inquisitors, Assassins, Stormtroopers, and inducted support. This gives you a LOT of choices as to how to build your army. I’ve included a few ideas to get you started (all around 1200-1400 pts, giving you room for wargear and upgrades):

HQ: Shooty Inquisitor Lord & Retinue
Elites: Callidus & Death Cult Assassins
Troops: 2x 9 IST in Chimera, Vet with TP Homer
Fast Attack: 2x 7 GK
Heavy Support: Lance Strike
For ranged support, you’ve got a tooled up InqLord, two units of IST, and a Lance Strike. For assault, you’ve got 2 units of FAGK and multiple CC assassins. Use the IST to call down the FAGK. March the Assassins behind the Chimeras for protection, and when they call down the FAGK, assault with both the GK and Assassins at once.

HQ: GK Hero & 4 GKT Bodyguard
Elites: Ranged Inq & retinue
Troops: 2x 7 GK (1 psycannon)
Fast Attack: 10 GK
Heavy Support: GK Dreadnought (TLLC & ML)
This list is an example of a mainly GK army. You could easily drop the Inquisitor and add more GK – maybe a purgation squad, or another FAGK unit – and make a Pure-GK army.

6. Army Building – Radical

Radical armies are forced to omit Grey Knights. While this is a huge blow, you get Daemonhosts instead. This army will contain a lot of assassins, Inquisitors, & IST. I just want to point out that a better way (imo) of playing a radical DH army is by having a base-IG or base-SM army with DH as allies, as outlined in the final section.

HQ: Assaulty InqLord & Retinue, transport
Elites: Eversor & Death Cult Assassins
Troops: 3x 10 IST, Rhino
Heavy Support: Melta Torpedo
This list has a fully tooled-up combat HQ, and three very mobile troops choices. The Melta Torpedo will help with enemy armor. The Eversor can be marched behind any one of the vehicles for protection. The Daemonhosts will do what they do best, trash the enemy’s game plan.

7. Army Building – Inducting

If you want to make your DH army better balanced, inducting support might be your thing. There are three lists in this section, one with inducted IG, one with inducted SM, and one with inducted WH:

HQ: GK Hero & 3 GKT Bodyguard
Troops: 2x 5 GK (1 psycannon); 2x Inducted IG platoon (1 lascannon, 2 missile launchers)
Fast Attack: 9 GK
Heavy Support: Inducted Leman Russ Battle Tank
This list has a LOT of heavy firepower, thanks to the IG, and a fair amount of CC force as well. Troop GK protect the Guardsmen and Russ, HQ and FA units Deepstrike where needed.

HQ: Shooty Inq Lord & retinue
Elites: Death Cult Assassin; Daemonhost
Troops: 10 IST; 9 IST & Vet in Rhino; 2x 10 Inducted SM; 10 Inducted SM in Rhino
Fast Attack: Land Speeder Tornado
Heavy Support: Predator Annihilator
This list provides decent firepower from the DH side, and a LOT of firepower from the SM side. The Daemonhost & DCA are close combat beasts, supported by the marines in the Rhino.

HQ: GK Hero & 3 GKT Bodyguard
Troops: 5 GK (1 Psycannon); 10 IST in Rhino; 10 Inducted Battle Sisters in Rhino
Fast Attack: 2x 8 GK; 8 Inducted Seraphim
This is a fast army. Two out of three troops are in Rhinos. Three Deepstriking FA choices, and a Deepstriking HQ.

8. Army Building – As Allies

This is another place where the Daemonhunters shine, as allies for an existing Imperial army. In my opinion, there are three main reasons to induct DH: You fight Chaos a lot, you want a relatively evil army that includes Daemonhosts, or you want to include an Imperial Assassin in your army. Since everyone has their favorite army list for their choice army already, I’m not going to give examples of IG or SM or whatever armies with inducted DH, just the various DH forces you can induct and why.

Anti-Chaos:
If your army fights a LOT of Chaos, you may want to induct some Grey Knights to give you a hand at destroying those foul daemons. If you know you’ll be facing a lot of Daemons, induct a GK GM & Bodyguard. Against Daemon packs, PAGK do well. Max Volumenz pointed this out: Inducting GK into your army to fight Daemons means that the enemy benefits from the Daemonic Infestation rules in the DH codex. So if you only induct one or two units, you’re giving your foe a huge advantage. It may be smarter to instead induct an Inquisitor/Lord, assassins, and/or IST instead.

Close Combat Kick:
If your army needs a CC boost, picking up a few units of GKT are a great solution. An Inq Lord with assaulty retinue also works, for a substantially smaller price. Just inducting a unit or two of PAGK is a relatively cheap way of adding a lot of power to an army (especially IG).

Radical Army:
The best way to make a proper Radical army (imo) is to have a base-SM or base-IG army, and induct an Inquisitor Lord and Daemonhosts. Fluff-wise, this is as if the renegade Inq Lord took over the troops (as they tend to do), because the troops believe that the Inq Lord is still sanctioned by the Inquisition. Build the army however you like it, and add in 1-3 Daemonhosts and an Inq Lord. In an IG army, tool the InqLord up for combat. In an SM army, tool him up for whatever your army is lacking. NOTE: There is a chapter of loyalist SM called the Relictors that use Daemon weapons (rules in a past issue of WD). Using a Relictors army list with Inducted Inquisitor Lord & Daemonhosts is a great way to make a fluffy AND powerful army!

Assassin
With the release of Codex: Daemonhunters, there is only ONE way to include an Assassin in your Imperial army: Induct an Inquisitor & Assassin. You cannot induct an assassin unless you also induct an Inquisitor Lord! Since you need to have him there, why not tool him up for something specific? As above, if you’re inducting into an IG army, tool the Lord up for assault, and into an SM army, whatever you’re already lacking. NOTE: You can instead induct a WH Inquisitor Lord & Assassin (they have the same assassin choices) instead of a DH Inquisitor Lord & Assassin if it fits the fluff/regular enemies of your army better. They have different weapons, wargear, and psyker powers, so check out the Codex or the WH forum for ideas.

9. Where to start?

Now what?

Since all armies in Warhammer 40K have the base requirement of one HQ & two Troops choices, start with that. At the same time, you have to decide what army to play – there’s no sense buying a Grey Knight Hero if you want to have a Radical army!

Paint the figures you buy, and play a few small games against friends with them. Hopefully, you’ll figure out what tactics suit you best. If you favor fast moving armies, I’d suggest buying more FAGK and IST’s in transports. If the Daemonhosts caught your eye, then make sure to have a good Inquisitor Lord and decide whether you want to play a Radical DH army, or a different army altogether with inducted DH. Add on another Troops choice or two. Then, depending on what play-style you like, add a couple of units from each FOC choice. Overall, keep the HQ to less than a quarter of your total points, and the Troops to at least 1/3 of the total. This’ll keep your army roughly balanced while still giving you a LOT of room to work.

Good luck!