CeleFAZE

I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, it definitely encourages running multiple smaller units, on the other hand it sort of runs counter to the benefits of the seeker cavalcade battalion. Combined with the removal of the battleline status, it's a pretty significant departure from where they stood previously in our repertoire. The -1 to hit on the charge I've heard the hellscourges provide now does offer way more than that option had previously though, so I'm happy to see that our toolbox has been made broader, even if our battleline options (and ability to reduce drops in an efficient way) have narrowed significantly.

My hope at this point for a new tome is some way to make hellstriders battleline, and for more dedicated mortal units. There's a great opportunity for the Syll'Esskan host to get codified as something baseline, with an ability that allows for slaanesh marked mortal S2D units to gain the hedonite keyword, and for buffs from slaanesh marked S2D to treat hedonites as slaanesh S2D. Order has some major power pieces that aren't tied to anything beyond the Order keyword, and it's really irritating that Chaos (and maybe Destruction, though I'm less familiar) is so bogged down with multiple keyword restrictions by comparison.

The only FAQ I'm aware of allowed the S2D battalions to be used in god allegiance armies, nothing about changing keywords, unfortunately.

I'd love to see hellscourges made more useful.

I think the Lord of Pain might have either a spell or a command ability we don't know about yet. The punch out tokens include two "paragon of depravity" tokens that I don't recall being the name of any existing abilities...

I think there's an additional buff from the Lord of Pain we haven't seen rules for yet. Notice the two "paragon of depravity" tokens there... makes me think he's got a command ability that might do something special.

I've toyed with the idea of running some kind of weird Slaaneshi gunline with 6 enrapturesses to snipe out enemy heroes and make magic a risky gamble, but it would make the list really vulnerable to return fire and 24" is out of range for some of the more punishing spell builds that I'm aware of.

We already have both a 5+++ with the viceleader, and a 4+++ on the masque, so it could really be anywhere on that spectrum. I'm hoping the "cause as much pain as possible" is some hint to an aura that allows other units to generate depravity, but I'm expecting we're just going to get a beatstick hero with a reroll 1's aura, which we have zero need for.

Generally the hand is seen as the best, for that reason: it helps keep you up on brackets and allows you a handful of extra depravity from incoming damage. Combined with the two healing spells you can stay in the fight just a bit longer. However that list that placed second recently used the shield, so I think there may be some potential for the other options in the shooting-heavy meta, though I don't feel an immediate need to rebuild or magnetize my existing keepers.

I'm expecting that the DoK will be rolled into umbraneth, which will be a book that does the multifaction thing (like LoN, GSG, Ogors, Orruks, Cities, Skaven, etc...), since there's a definite precedent for it. We can probably assume they'll still be separated for buffs and command abilities, with maybe faction rules for running "pure" armies of one or the other. Though they might surprise us with something completely different.

You're going to need battleline choices, though you actually get three with the start collecting box (2 units of 5 warriors, one of knights). From there you're probably going to be best served with ravagers for summoning cultists, though you'll get some amount of use for them in cabalists as sacrifices, and despoilers gives some additional possibilities for the monsters, but will require at least one daemon prince to make use of most of the bonuses.

Slaanesh can work with this, though unfortunately keepers aren't as worthwhile as they used to be. If you want to go Godseekers you could run something like: Keeper 380 Keeper 380 Keeper 380 Bladebringer on exalted chariot 220 Bladebringer on exalted chariot 220 Seeker chariot 120 Seeker chariot 120 Seeker chariot 120 That's 8 models at 2000 points. For objectives you'll still have to keep some daemonettes on hand to summon, but whether or not that brings it into horde territory is up to your personal definition.

I would imagine despoilers S2D would be the way to go, with healing and line of sight shenanigans. I've been tempted to run something to the effect of: Allegiance: Slaves to Darkness - Damned Legion: Despoilers LEADERS Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince (210)- General- Command Trait: Radiance of Dark Glory - Sword- Artefact: Diabolic Mantle - Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince (210)- Sword- Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh Be'Lakor (240) Chaos Sorcerer Lord on Manticore (260)- Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh- Spell: Mask of Darkness UNITS 20 x Chaos Marauders (160)- Axes & Shields- Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh 20 x Chaos Marauders (160)- Axes & Shields- Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh 5 x Chaos Warriors (90)- Hand Weapon & Shield BEHEMOTHS Soul Grinder (210)- Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh Soul Grinder (210)- Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh Soul Grinder (210)- Mark of Chaos: Slaanesh ENDLESS SPELLS / TERRAIN / COMMAND POINTS Soulsnare Shackles (40) I'm not sure if Slaanesh is the optimal mark here, but it's mostly on account of how I've converted all my stuff.

I plan on running the hellstriders alongside seekers and/or knights, as I definitely recognize both of those have more punch, though the former is comparatively fragile (though can get my drops lower). From what I've heard the list was: KoS x2 Bladebringer on exalted x3 10 Daemonettes x3

So, something occurred to me back when warriors and hellstriders were v the same points, and despite a slight difference I find myself coming back to the idea: has anyone considered a large block of hellstriders as a tanky and mobile anvil for a Slaanesh list? They don't generate depravity, but for 330 points you get 30 wounds with a 4+ save that jump up to 5 attacks each after dealing a single casualty in a preceding combat phase. Running in a lurid haze Invaders army they could potentially have a 3+ save as well, which is nothing to scoff at, and with a 6" pile-in from their battalion they can manage to get a fair number of bodies swinging in a given phase. I still only see use in the claw spears for loadout, but I think this might have some potential.

Mortal heavy lists without marauders run into the issue of our best mortal battleline unit (hellstriders) having no synergy with S2D faction buffs. So you're basically left with warriors and knights. Warriors will stand up to some punishment in units of at least 15, but even at that size they're not going to dish out any appreciable hurt. Knights on the other hand are okay defensively, but will mill around accomplishing nothing in combat if you don't kill on the charge with lances, or will be outclassed by daemonettes if you go with ensorcelled weapons. I've been contemplating running paired units of knights and hellstriders, to pin down enemies the knights need an extra turn to reach, and to provide something that actually gets stronger the longer it's in combat to contrast the lance knights ineffectiveness past the first round. Here's hoping the Lord of Pain gives us something to help make our mortals shine.

I haven't tried it myself and don't have more than secondhand knowledge of the rules, so I can't say for sure on the legion. It seems pretty good, but you miss out on the exploding 6's to hit, which would be a pretty significant tradeoff. Be'lakor however I'm considering using as an ally in tournament lists for sure, mostly as insurance against CoS bridge lists in tournaments.

There's basically 4 things I could see you using those for: 1. Summoning. Seeker chariots are really points efficient for summoning and can do enough work that they're not a terrible option to have in your toolkit. 2. Run 3 x 1 for battleline in a godseekers list. You could use the last one as a bladebringer to put them all in one list. 3. Run them all as bladebringers. Offensively they're not as efficient as a BB on exalted chariot, however on a wounds per point defensive level they're actually more efficient. This opens up potential combos like running them in a Syll'Esskan host, lining them up within 12" of Syll'Esske and throwing a wheels of excruciation across them. That's an average of three wounds dealt to each, doubled to 24 depravity on turn 1. The wheels literally cannot kill them outright, and regardless of how many wounds they take they don't diminish in effectiveness. Could definitely be a thing. 4. Run them in a Legion of Chaos Ascendant list. Since they have the daemonette keyword Belakor can bring back whole-model casualties. Hopefully that gives you some ideas to start. I'd be happy to hear how any of those work out.

Yes, since the least part of the ability requires you to measure distance from "this model" he would need to be on the board.

My meta has been lacking in some of those, so I can't speak from experience with all of them, but you should be able to keep up with most of those. Most of those crumble if you kick out their support pieces, which shouldn't be terribly difficult. Godseekers from aqshy can have two flying keepers, or in your case a flying keeper and bladebringer, which can do some work. What may give you problems potentially is CoS, but their effectiveness varies tremendously depending on which city it is, and how much shooting they bring. Also maybe seraphon? I didn't have the opportunity to play them before everything shut down, but just like with CoS having strong casting, teleportation and good shooting gives us issues.

I haven't done much with regular seeker chariots, so I can't comment on their effectiveness, but the ability to retreat and charge is great, especially with the mortal wounds and the extra little bit of depravity from that many charging Godseeker units. I've been considering picking some up myself, if only for the days I don't want to deal with high model counts on the board.

Are you running normal Godseekers, or Scarlet Cavalcade Godseekers from Wrath of the Everchosen? Also, do you prefer using beasts of chaos (depraved drove battalion is required for the Slaanesh keyword), daemons, or mortals? All three can work on their own, but generally you're going to be most optimal with a force that's primarily daemons with some mortal units. Due to the way depravity generation works you're going to want a lot of heroes. I try to run 6 when I can, but usually not less than 4. Some people go as low as 3 that I've seen, but since you need a hero alive on the board for summoning that's a risky choice. Some must-pick choices: 1-3 Keepers. At least one is a must- have for the command ability. They're great sources of depravity and do a lot of work. Also the only reliable source of locus after the nerf. You might not field three to start, but having the model for a third is useful when you get the ball rolling on depravity. 1 Contorted Epitome. Our best caster. Rerolls to cast and dispel, great for handing out "strikes last" debuffs and has a useful unique spell. Useful choices that largely depend on playstyle: 1-2 Bladebringers on exalted chariot. These do a lot of work and don't degrade in effectiveness as they take damage. Good unique spell that can be cast multiple times in a turn. 1-3 units of 5 hellstriders with clawspears (cheap, fast and sturdyish battleline) 1-2 units of 40 marauders with axe & shield. Charge a minimum of 9" in Godseekers, and put out a tremendous number of attacks. They lose their rend once they're less than 20 models and die to harsh language, so get them in combat ASAP. Also battleline. 1 Sorceror Lord on Manticore. Excellent unique spell, good support for Slaanesh slaves to darkness units. 1-2 Infernal Enrapturesses. Helpful for sniping out support characters, especially if your opponent is running heavy on magic-hate. Really fragile, however. 30-60 daemonettes. Either field them in big mobs, or summon as needed to flood objectives with weight of numbers at crucial times. 5-15 seekers. Fastest cavalry in the game, decently killy for taking out backline shooting or support threats. Very fragile. Good choice for summoning. The Masque. Surprisingly resilient, and decently killy. Makes for a good designated survivor for summoning purposes. Generally our choices are strong, but I would avoid fiends for now. I would also keep in mind that the general's handbook will be out in a month or two (though COVID-19 might delay that), and so our point costs may change significantly enough that these choices will be better or worse.

I actually utilize hellstriders quite a bit in my godseekers lists. Regular seeker chariots just have a difficult time justifying their points, as they're more points than hellstriders and the amount of depravity you get for having multiple chargers just isn't actually enough to build around. I'd much rather spend those spare points towards another keeper. It's also worth noting that ironically the seeker cavalcade battalion that's "supposed" to be good for godseekers actually allows units to bypass charging to pile in from 6", which is kind of anti-synergistic. Overall hellstriders' role is to be cheap battleline that's durable enough to hold objectives. That's something that fits any of the hosts.

They can be included with Epicurean Revelers, but it doesn't actually do anything for them. Only Daemonette keyword units. The only way I could see to use them is in a major anti-caster skew build, alongside a couple of epitomes, enrapturesses, and maybe an allied curseling. Something like: Keeper Epitome Epitome Enrapturess Enrapturess Hellstriders x5 Hellstriders x5 Hellstriders x5 Fiends x3 Fiends x3 Allies: Curseling Spells: Mesmerizing Mirror

Mostly as others have pointed out the marauders benefit from the teleportation spell, which is S2D only. However, if you're running Slaanesh allegiance you can use the Lurid Haze Invaders host, which gives you a guaranteed turn 1 setup 9 inches from the enemy at the end of your movement phase with d3 units, which is roughly equivalent, or better if you're facing tough anti-magic armies. I suppose it's worse in a total commitment battleplan, but you still get a +1 save command ability which is pretty incredible on its own. The other thing to consider with Slaanesh marauders is that the allegiance has basically no buffing spells to speak of, so you're going to need to rely on other S2D pieces to support your dudes. Also nothing your marauders do will generate depravity (beyond being in enemy territory for Invaders, but that's a negligible amount). They'll do a lot of work though, and put a threat in your opponent's face on turn one that can lock down critical defenses so you can move into position and get where you need to go. In short slaves to darkness doesn't really give slaanesh marauders bonuses you can't get some amount of elsewhere, and with seraphon in the meta it's probably not a safe bet to bank on a strategy that hinges on a single, difficult to cast spell.