Apinecone

The exalted chariot with flaming weapon maths wise is one of our best heroes in terms of damage. Not had a chance to try it on the table but it seems promising and the armour destiny would be really good for making it far sturdier. I have two lists using it I plan to test out when I get a chance. On the topic of slickblades have people checked the maths on them or is it just the initial sadness of going from 200pts to 230? As while I have only done the quick odds rather than anything in-depth, they still compare very well with our other units from what I see. They are not much more fragile than hellstiders, as while they have a worse save they bring in more wounds per point and are a whole lot sturdier than twinsouls in aggressive form. Their damage is also a lot better than that of hellstiders point for point, clawstiders even with the charge are worse against all targets. The only units that can out preform them are twinsouls with their rerolls (though slickblades do win out against 2+ and 3+ saves) and the dread pageant (best points to damage we have). Unless my maths is really off, while the 30pt jump sucks if they are still a good unit.

Even if you don't charge I would consider the whips a slight step up with their reach, even if the unit only exists to die it is nice to have the utility. If you don't like be'lakor fair enough, I don't like how hard it is to field the keeper under these new points either but I guess we make do. I think keeping a side on slaves for allies and coalition units could help us too. I am adding be'lakor to be something I at least want to proxy at some point. The exalted needs in game testing but there are not many threats I can swap them out for given how points are and they are one of the most efficient threats we have now. Replacing them with be'lakor might work in this list but then I would need to somehow scavenge 80pts and fitting this much in was a real struggle. As I said the pageant is the most efficient unit left in our tomb when it comes to damage, to the point where I feel you need to think why you are not taking them. For the slickblades as I said before I think 2 units of 5 might be holding onto what used to work. 2 units of 5 gives me 2 units I need to activate in combat and more time for the other player to hit me back. Slickblades also still have 2" so with a bit of drifting you should still get most of them into combat, they handle the new coherency rules better most. You are right that I will need to test this list out, it is currently my favourite list idea so far. Yes mask is 135, just defaulted to the old points when typing it out but the total is calculated with the real points. I addressed the seeker bit above but I think trying new ideas is needed there.

I prefer this list but have you considered allying in be'lakor rather than running the second keeper? As be'lakor went down in points he is a more interesting ally and brings a lot more than a second (or probably the first sadly) keeper. I would also run whip hellstriders over the clawspears, you are likely wanting to activate your heroes ahead of them in combat even if you did get the charge and this gives some utility to the list. I also don't like the 5 man unit of twinsouls, they kind of just look like they are there to spend points and don't really match up with the rest of the list. Still trying to find a list I like too here is an idea I want to try out - Lurid Haze Invaders Siggy - 265 General Dex - 280 The Masque - 130 General Exalted Chariot Herald - 265 Flaming Weapon, General, Lurid Haze stuff 2x5 Hellstriders+Whips 270 11 Blissbarb 180 10 Slickblades 460 The Dread Pageant 130 1985pts Battle regiment + 1 drop I don't like that the herald is stuck with the lurid haze requirements but I don't want to balloon my drops or take a hero I don't have any use for just to stick an artifact on them. I know the pageant is a bit out of place but ranged depravity generation and they really are so much more efficient than anything else we have. I also think 10 slickblades might be a way forward, units of 5 feels like an artifact of the seeker cavalcade now you are just giving the other player time to activate and hit them back and wasting the 2" reach they have. While twinsouls with rerolls are better against most targets, slickblades (ignoring the pageant) still do better than anything else we have even witht he points increase.

I have to ask why do you feel blissbarb seekers will be ok if you feel slickblades are too many points? At 220 they are just hugely over-costed, even back at 160 they didn't feel good for their cost and now it just feels kind of sad. Even when you combine the damage of them in both at ranged and in melee it is some of the worst we have. Also if you have access to the models I would recommend trying the pageant. Their biggest issue before now was how slow they felt in a slickblade based list, but if we are going to be using painbringers more now I really think everyone should test them out.

The biggest downside to painbringers is needing the lord of pain not the comparison to hellstriders. Despite some people talking up the new cheaper hellstriders unless the clawspears get the charge they are some of the worst damage in our army point for point. While painbringers are not that much better they are one of our best damaging units against 2+ saves, but lack the weight of attacks against other targets. Though you are really taking painbringers for the rerolls to saves and how well that stacks with the +1 to save command. Hellstriders on the other hand do give much better coverage when it comes to blocking areas because of their bases, so that is what you are weighing up. Honestly I can believe hellstriders are the better choice but it is close and painbringers have the nicer model so that sways me but I haven't had time to put it all to the test.

This is similar to what I was considering - Battle Regiment - Dexcessa 11 Blissbarbs 5 Painbringers 5 Painbringers The Dread Pageant Warlord - Herald on Exalted Chariot - Flaming weapon and 5+ ward Lord of Pain Shardspeaker - Ghost mist 10 Twinsouls Wheels of Excurciation 1950pts in total. I am debating between all three subfactions lurid haze is always good, faultless blades has some merits too and godseekers would let me change up the battalions a little as I wouldn't need a second artifact for the ward. However I like wont have time to give any of this a go in the next week or two so would be good to hear how you get on. I am interested in how syll'esske plays in the table, I always want to like them but they have always been a little disappointing. Looking at my maths I did forget to factor in masque's rerolls, if you can reliably get the wound rerolls she really goes up in value. I would also be interested if anyone has tried the small slaves to darkness monsters, the sphiranx seems interesting to ally in at 95pts. Edit, forgot about the wheels in the list

I have been running some of the damage numbers though pretty roughly so do not take this as gospel. I also need to find some good base line units for comparison to put this into a bigger picture, I am open to ideas here. The best damage to points our best unit is the pageant by a fair margin, even though they can't stack their mortals with the exploding to hits any more. After that twinsouls with rerolls are the best we have against anything with a 4+ save or worse, against 3+ or better it is still slickblades. Hellstriders with claws get close to slickblades if they get the charge off but if not they will do significantly less damage, after that it all goes downhill. When it comes to heroes the exalted herald with flaming weapon did a lot better than I expected only really being outclassed by dexcessa with a couple of rounds of extra attacks and siggy if he gets off a good charge roll. I have found them flimsy in the past but maybe the 5+ ward artifact could help out here. Siggy seems really dependent on the extra attacks from his charge to pull in respectable numbers, though this is not accounting for how he ignores after saves or fights first. On the disappointing side the keeper even at top bracket isn't pulling their weight and the masque also puts really poor damage for their cost really paying for the 6" pile in.

While our units can have other utility I think it might be worth looking at the damage our units do and how that compares when it comes to points, if I have time later I will try to do it myself. It will be sad if I have to say bye to my slickblades for a while as they are some of my favourite models. Though if slickblades don't seem worth it this puts blissbarb seekers in an even worse place as their damage compared really poorly to pretty much everything and got an even worse points increase than slickblades. When it comes to models for future realises even if slaanesh had set the world on fire I doubt we would have got the lrl treatment range wise. Our range feels pretty complete just now so I expect we would fall into category of just getting a new special character or leader and a book no matter what. I just hope the devs can get over the fear the 1.0 slaanesh book has clearly left them with.

Well these changes are just ugly, not much else I can say there. Didn't post last night as what can you do? I guess you just laugh or cry. Now I am trying to pick up the pieces and make a functioning list, though I don't blame anyone who gives up for now, so far I have 3 bare bones ideas and welcome suggestions.

I have been avoiding this discussion on the general threads as I don't really want to be dragged into "discourse" but unique characters will be able to take spell lores. Not to say an faq isn't needed because of rule 27.3.1 but 27.3.4/5 are worded differently from other enhancements. You don't give a wizard a spell lore enhancement, but give your army the effect. Summoned units will need an faq too, but I lean more to yes/maybe. The main question is does the effect of letting every wizard in your army know 1 spell lore spell only apply at list construction or not? I do like the idea of using the epitome to give a keeper flying, I have been considering epitomes for endless spell control but I was running into the fact a lot of the slaanesh spells are just a little meh. If we can add spells to summoned units I can see flaming weapon being a good choice for the exalted bladebringer. Though on a personal note I am still finding list construction hard just now assuming points say about the same. While not having the battalion saves some points, turn two units of warriors into hellstriders eats up so much of that savings. Hopefully I will find the balance but it is hard not to look at a bunch of 300ish pt characters and then wonder where the points went.

The chaos warrior change is really going to hurt but everything else is pretty good. Our battleline situation worries me a little but hopefully everything else will make up for it. So the real question is what will be people's go to battleline from now on? Blissbarbs are nice but die in a light breeze, painbringers are tougher but need a lord of pain to be battleline, so maybe hellstriders are going to return?

Or they will be a way to use small bits of left over points, to give some more list building options.

We would likely have had more info on it if it hadn't been delayed. As things stand it is now in the teaser window for aos 3, and it will take priority. It is a shame as I would also like to know about the twins, but I get why things have ended up this way.

I enjoy playing as slaanesh but it does feel like we are missing a couple of things. Never feels like I have enough points and I do wish we had more sub allegiances and they where a little more impactful(outside of lurid haze). I do still have fun with them and do feel like I can win games, that is always the most important point. It is a little hard to say what I would do differently without seeing how the other player would have changed their deployment and tactics but I was happy with the key plan of going for the quick victory the speed advantage and glutos's spell really helps there. For now I am happy with this set up, I might end up making small changes but given how tight points as it is hard to see how. I don't see it getting me any top tables with this list but given the state of things outside I don't think I will have to care about that till after 3.0 and any changes that brings. Also good too know marbling isn't too hard, will have to look up a tutorial near the time but it is a great effect.

Not posted in a bit but finally got in a game again, I ended up playing this list - As despite them being pretty simple I do just like the godseekers. We played take and hold, my opponent was trying to learn lumineth so had a relatively simple list of mostly spears and bows and some heroes. The game might not be the best of tests for the list though, as everything went great for me plan wise, and a few mistakes from the lrl ended up playing into everything I wanted to do leading to a turn 3 victory. Will just give my thoughts on the units here - Keeper did well, I did risk them a bit on the locus and double turn but it made up for fluffing all my claw attacks and not being able to roll 5+ saves. Retreat and charge then let me get into the back line and start removing sentential, and +1 to hit did help with how glowie all the lumineth are. Glotus did really well his unique spell helped trap a unit of wardens out of position and unable to do anything and his speed helped me run down some dawnriders who got a little too close. Chaos warriors lived, give some look out sir to glutos and annoy me a bit aesthetically but did what I wanted for 90 points. Blissbarbs pulled in some depravity but as we where on the realm of ulgu their vision was a little hampered so I couldn't generate that many, not that I really had any time to spend them. Twinsouls did well, gave me a slightly tougher unit that I just used to bully its way into the centre of the table. Also a big plus to rolling 31 dice. Slickblades didn't get too much action but ran down the rest of dawnriders so my objective was safe and helped me just overrun the last objective holders with their speed. @EnobyI really like the black marbling on your glutos, I am going to have to try that myself when I get to painting my own.