Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Combat Patrol: Death Guard

 The new combat patrol format of entry level products for Warhammer 40,000 has given us some interesting choices so far in how to construct an army for new players, but the new box for the Death Guard is a different sort of animal.  For the first time we are getting an entry level product built around a Special Character.  This is the first time I can recall seeing one of these style products built around a special character that didn’t come in a two faction ‘starter’ set. Let’s take a look at what’s in the box and where you can go from here.


(Photo Courtesy of Warhammer-Community.com)


So, in this Combat Patrol box (which retails for 140$ US/
£85 UK) comes with 39 minis. This makes it the most model count heavy of the combat patrols so far, which has its pros and cons. First up, let’s do a breakdown of what comes in the boxed set, the price breakdowns for the individuals, and then see about where you might want to expand your collection. Buckle up, safety first.

What’s in the box?

  1. Thirty Poxwalkers- This is a brand new multipart plastic kit showing up for the first time. The last iteration of these were easy to build and came 6 to a box for 15$ US/£10 UK, and we don’t have a current price point for these. I would not be surprised if these were 35$ US/£22.50 UK for a box of ten.
  2. Seven Plague Marines- This is the standard Plague Marine Squad that has been available since the kick off of 8th edition. They retail for 50$ US/£30 UK and come with all the standard options available in the kit.
  3. One Biologus Putrifier- This is a character model that is very popular with the Death Guard. he retails for around 30$ US/£20.00 UK.
  4. One Typhus, Herald of the Plague God- This is one of two iconic Death Guard special characters and is included in this boxed set. He retails for 40$ US/£25 UK.

Looking at the price points, we’re at a projected individual cost of $225/£140 UK. That is a tremendous savings (if the projected price points line up). However, there is a bit of conversation to have about picking up two of them.

Two boxes would give you a horde of 60 Poxwalkers, two squads of Plague Marines, two Biologus Putrifiers, and then you have Two Typhuses (Typhusi?). The first three seem like rock solid choices for this edition of Warhammer. All of this for less than 300$ US/£200 UK retail is a fantastic price point for the new player getting into the army, or a starter for a second army.

However, there’s a question of what to do with Typhus the 2nd. Typhus is a special character with his own warlord traits and special rules, and the game is explicit about not being able to run more than one of them in a game. Can you do other stuff with him? Sure, you can grab a box of Blightlord Terminators and convert the second one into one of the other Nurgle Terminator characters. There are two primary ways of looking at this, and both of them are less than ideal.

There is the perspective of “You got such a good deal on this box that whining about what is essentially a free mini is childish.” This perspective is stupid and counter intuitive to the hobby as a whole and I hate it. The other perspective is “Hey, maybe i can trade this to someone else who is getting into Death Guard or wants a cool model to paint.” I like this perspective better, but we still have the problem of having a model you can’t use in your starter set right out of the box, (if you bought two Combat Patrols).

Army Expansion


So, what should get with your first combat patrol? (This assumes you have your codex and your datacards and dice and all the other cool shiny kit that goes with them) Well, you have a couple of directions to lean into. My first recommendation is to honestly grab another Combat Patrol (assuming you can find one at your local retailer). Doubling up on the things in the box is not going to be a bad call and I don’t see a situation where you wouldn’t want to have a solid core of the Troop Units in this box..

Serious Reccs though are probably something along the following:

Chaos Rhino- This is a rock solid transport that will let your slower moving Plague Marines get around the table and onto objectives in the mid to late game. If you end up with two combat patrols, I would get a Rhino for each squad.
Blightlord Terminators- These are extremely versatile elites choices with a host of weapon options for you to kit out. They allow you to tailor your army to deal with specific problems that the rest of your army struggles with, and can be extremely resilient for your opponent to deal with. Also, the box will give you enough spare parts you might be able to convert your spare Typhus into something else, giving you more versatility.
Bloat Drone/Plague Crawler- Both of the Death Guard specific vehicles are also expansion choices for a new player. Each does a specific battlefield role very well and the kits are fun to assemble. They are likely going to be chock full of new rules for you to explore with the new codex and honestly, buy the one you like more and get some games in with it.

Honorable Mention: The new Miasmic Malignifier terrain kit. I mean, I still don’t know exactly what this does, but it is a thing for the army and could be useful. I don’t necessarily recommend it right out of the gate because it’s rules are not proactive, and you have to remember it’s there. I prefer stuff I can move around and shoot at my opponent’s models with. Your Mileage May Vary.

That’s our breakdown, and if it turns out you want to try and get one, i would be sure to check out our good friend www.ministomp.com if you don’t have a local shop of your own to support in these trying times. That’s us out for the day, have fun, stay out of trouble, and find a way to engage the hobby your way.

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