Adeptus Titanicus is going full stride with its new releases, adding more options for both building your list and forging your battlegroup’s narrative. Whether you’re building out an existing force or starting a new one from scratch, there’s something in these new releases for you. Here’s a preview of what’s coming soon to a Titan Legion near you.
Core Set
The Grandmaster Edition is on last chance to buy, and as it’s riding off into the sunset, GW is now offering the Adeptus Titanicus Core Set, which offers a solid starter list at an incredible value. GW was kind enough to provide us with one early, so we’re here to show you what’s in the box. Spoilers: it’s a lot.
What’s in the box?
The new starter set comes with everything you need to hit the ground running, and everything here is useful. It contains:
- Softback core rulebook, updated with the errata and FAQs from Warhammer Community. Corrode: mostly. They missed one or two errata, but the effort was made
- The Titanicus accessories, including dice, templates, battlefield assets, and all the tokens and markers you need
- Two Reaver kits, including one of each plastic weapon sprue
- Two Warhound kits
- Weapon cards for all of the possible configurations
- Two Cerastus Knights
- Command terminals for all included models
In other words, it’s everything you need to get started in Titanicus, and serves as an excellent starting point for a new force or an inexpensive way to expand one you’ve already got, as well as giving you access to a single rulebook with updated rules and a bonus set of tokens and other accessories.
Is it worth it?
In a word: Yes.
In two words: Hell yes.
Readers of our previous columns will notice that this core set is basically exactly what we advise new players to pick up to get into the game. There are a number of reasons we recommend this for getting started:
- Variety of useful options. Reavers and Warhounds form the core of many lists, and having a pair of each is a good start for almost anyone. Additionally, getting one of each Reaver box gives you access to the full panoply of loadout options, letting you build a solid take-all-comers list right out of the gate.
- Incredible value. Even before the release of this new Core Set, our recommended starting point (Warhound box, one of each Reaver box, and the Rules set) would get you most of the way to a solid, competitive roster for less than $300. This Core Set gives you everything in our recommended starter pack plus a pair of Cerastus Knight Lancers for $150. Put another way, you’re paying the same as both Reavers and the Knights would cost individually, which means the Warhounds and the entire Rules pack are effectively free. If you’ve been waiting for a cheaper way to get into the game, you’re not going to do any better than this.
- Better selection than the Grandmaster’s Edition. Simply put, there’s no reason to buy the GME over this box. Two Warlords and 6 Questoris isn’t even a maniple, so you’ll have to make further purchases beyond that. If you want to run a Warlord, nothing’s stopping you from picking one up separately. It might make sense to get a Core Set and a GME if you and a friend want to split it, as $225 is solid value for an Axiom and a handful of Knights (plus the terrain is kinda cool as well), but if you’re just buying in on your own, you want the Core Set.
The only reason you might not buy this is if you are absolutely certain you are going to run more than one Warlord and will never want to run a different sort of maniple, in which case it makes more sense to just buy your Warlords, your other Titan(s), and the Rules set. However, we don’t recommend dual Warlord lists starting out, and once you play a few games you’ll almost certainly want to try out some new strategies anyway.
If you have any interest in playing Titanicus but haven’t bought in yet, this box is for you. And even if you’ve already bought in, this box offers a solid discount, so if you’re planning on buying these models anyway, this is the way to get them.
How do I use this box?
If you’re just getting started with the game: Congratulations! You now have all the models you need to play your first full game of Adeptus Titanicus! Unlike in 40k, where each purchase of a “Start Collecting” box comes complete with a requirement that you buy at least 5 more boxes to fill out your force, you can easily play a game at 1250 points even without buying a single other model.
What follows is a simple list that will work well as a starting point for most legios. Just add some legion-specific wargear to taste and you’re ready to go:
Titan Battlegroup (1235 points)
Ferrox Light Maniple
- Reaver Battle Titan – 320 points
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- Melta Cannon
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- Gatling Cannon
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- Turbo Laser Destructor
- Reaver Battle Titan – 305 points
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- Volcano Cannon
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- Reaver Power Fist
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- Apocalypse Missile Launcher
- Warhound Scout Titan – 220 points
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- Plasma Blastgun
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- Vulcan Megabolter
- Warhound Scout Titan – 220 points
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- Plasma Blastgun
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- Vulcan Megabolter
Household Support
- Cerastus Knight Lancers (x2) – 170 points
We’ve chosen a Ferrox Light Maniple because it allows you to field all of your Titans and doesn’t require any other models. You’ll need the Doom of Molech expansion rules to get access to it, but at $35 it’s worth picking up anyway – the bonus stratagems it contains include some real gems. If you don’t have room in your budget for another book, you could also run this as a Venator with a support Reaver or, if you choose to play with Legio Gryphonicus’s rules, as an Axiom or pure Venator.
The Reavers fill two different roles: the melta/gatling Reaver is an all-rounder that puts out respectable damage at all phases of your gameplay once it can close to within 24”, and the volcano/power fist Reaver can knock down shields and armor at range while packing a serious punch against any enemies foolish enough to get close. You could consider swapping the power fist for a laser blaster if you want some more ranged punch, or the volcano cannon for a chainfist if you want to go all-in on melee. If you go with the Venator option, we recommend taking the melta/gatling Reaver in the maniple to start with – while the extra range of the volcano cannon will help you set up the free shots with less risk, its Draining trait means using it too often will overheat you. The melta’s 24″ range is still respectable on a 4’x4′ board, and if you can manage to get closer its Fusion trait means it has a good chance to deal a critical hit to any piece your opponent might choose to field.
We recommend running your first Warhounds with the plasma/megabolter loadout, as they are solid all-rounders that still take advantage of their maniple’s Knife Fighters trait. You could swap a few weapons out for inferno guns if you want to really get stuck in there, or for turbolasers if you’d prefer to do more skirmishing.
What do I build next?
Expanding from here is a matter of personal taste. After several games, you should have an idea of what playstyle suits you and how you would like to bolster your force.
- An additional box of Warhounds will allow you to swarm and flank your opponent
- A Warlord will bring some serious firepower and would give you a full Axiom Maniple
- Throwing in an Acastus or two is always a good option, as they are probably the most points-effective model in the game right now
However you choose to expand, this is an excellent starting point, and this Core Set makes AT one of the most affordable games to get into that GW publishes. If you’ve been thinking about getting into Titanicus but haven’t taken the plunge, now’s the time to do it. Between this box, the upcoming release of Shadow & Iron, new Titans up for pre-order, and GW’s commitment to giving us monthly updates on what’s coming next, 2020 is shaping up to be the Year of Titanicus, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Warbringer Nemesis Titan
This week also sees the introduction of the first new Titan since Reavers and Warhounds, the AT-scale Warbringer Nemesis Titan. It combines the mobility and lower cost of a Reaver with durability and overwhelming firepower that comes close to that of a Warlord Titan. And at 325 points before weapons – or around 400 fully kitted out – it’s a more affordable anchor for your list that can still get around the table reasonably well.
With the same amount of voids, hull points, reactor, and servitor clades as a Warlord, taking a Warbringer down will require some serious commitment. The Warbringer is able to take any of the ranged Reaver arm weapons (though not the chainfist or power fist), and either a quake cannon or belicosa mounted on its back. It’s likely to excel in its long-range fire support role, although if you’ve magnetised your other weapons you’ll be able to try out some different loadouts.
The full plastic kit contains a mori quake cannon, laser blaster, and volcano cannon, able to provide some serious threat from your backline at a mere 395 total points. Whether you bring one as a support Titan to complement your existing battlegroup, or run one of the new maniples covered in our Shadow and Iron Review, this Titan is poised to be a solid addition to nearly any list.
One thing we’re looking forward to seeing is an Arcus maniple whose Warbringer is loaded to the gills with blast weapons. Want to do something about that group of Knights hiding in terror behind a terrain feature? Fire a belicosa volcano cannon using indirect fire and take them out even when they think they’re safe. Adding insult to injury, it will scatter only on a d6 rather than a d10, making it all the more likely you’ll find your mark even if the hit roll doesn’t go your way.
Warlord-Sinister Psi-Titan
One of the most exotic weapons ever fielded by the Imperium of Man, the Psi-Titans are also striding onto a battlefield near you. Expensive but powerful, the Warlord-Sinister will likely be the focus of any game that it is present in. Check out our Shadow and Iron preview to get an idea of how much carnage they will cause.
Manufactorum Imperialis
Last but certainly not least is the new Manufactorum Imperialis terrain kit, providing pillars and cranes to navigate around, as well as plenty of plastic scatter terrain to restrict movement without blocking line of sight or just more elements to spice up your basing.
We’ll be covering terrain in a later article, as there’s an art to making a good AT board and it’s a tricky one to get just right. The cranes in this kit look great for providing a partial obstruction from hostile fire, and the pillars and tanks are tall enough to block line of sight to some Titans and give 50% cover to larger ones. Our favorite piece is the new miniature Munitorum armored container, which includes doors that open and plenty of interior details, providing plenty of opportunity to go wild and give your battlefield some real character.
And More to Come
These new additions to Adeptus Titancus are going to bring some fantastic new options to the table for beginning players and grizzled veterans alike. Not only that, but the Adeptus Titanicus team has committed to regular monthly updates with their Engine Kill! series of articles on Warhammer Community. We’re looking forward to seeing what exciting new options are coming down the pipe, but in the meantime, we’ll be exploring how these new options work on the table. Let us know what you’re most excited for, and how you’re planning on using these new options!
