Combat Patrol: Drukhari

 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. The Drukhari are up this time around and they have a brand new box to get budding archons into the fight. Let’s look at the contents of this new boxed set so you can think about joining up with the Dark Kin to raid real space for fun and profit.

(Photo Courtesy of Games-Workshop.com )

So, in this Combat Patrol box (which retails for $140 US/£85 UK) comes with 18 minis. This is a well-balanced box containing a mix of older Drukhari kits along with some of their newer offerings. It’s a rock solid core to build an army around and you as a new player will get a lot of mileage out of these units. Let’s look at the individual units and go from there.

What’s in the box?

Ten Kabalite Warriors- These are the standard “troop” units of the Drukhari kabals and they come ten to a box. They come with a full variety of weapon options and upgrades at  $36/£22.50  Note: These kits are now sold out online, so this may be the only way to get these minis for now. I would expect to see a new version of these kits soon, with different options.   

Five Incubi- These are a newer plastic kit containing the hard-hitting close combat Drukhari elite. They retail for $55 US/£32.50 UK and come with all the standard options available in the kit.  

One Raider- This is the standard Raider kit that has been around since the Drukhari were refreshed around the fifth edition. This kit is the same age as the Kabalite Warriors. It retails for around $48 US/£30.00 UK. This model comes with all available options.    

One Ravager- The Ravager is an up-gunned version of the Raider kit. It has extra weapons and can bring a ton of firepower to the table. Since it is an up-gunned Raider, it can be built as a Raider instead, (enterprising modellers can magnetize the kits and be able to field either version as needed). It retails for around $55 US/£32.50 UK. This model comes with all available options.    

One Archon- This is the leader of the Drukhari Kabal and comes equipped according to the codex. He retails for $29 US/£17.50 UK. Like the Kabalite Warriors, this Kit is no longer available for sale online from the US web store and is inaccessible from the Game Workshop website, so it’s possible a new Archon kit is coming. That is speculative.    

Looking at the price points, we’re at a projected individual cost of $223/£135 UK. Those are serious savings (if the projected price points line up). At the time of publication, however, a lot of kits from the Drukhari range are out of stock online temporarily or are being removed. This makes it hard to speculate on the availability of additional units and what will be available for the budding warlord.  

It’s a solid starting point for a new player getting into the army. The units are the core of an army and you will probably play them week in, week out in some capacity. It also gives you a jumping off point to pick up additional Kabal forces or to expand into one of the other aspects of the Drukhari army.

A 25 PL army is the suggested starting point for the 9th edition, and this starter is flexible enough to let you play strategically. If you opt to build the Ravager as a gunboat, it’s a heavy hitter at this power level and will draw a lot of fire. The Raider can move around your units, either getting your Kabalites into position to grab an objective or to put your incubi in the spot to maim an opponent’s unit. These units are fragile, they hit very hard, but they can’t take much of a punch. Be warned.  

Army Expansion

So, what should get with your first combat patrol? Honestly, other than the Archon, this is a box you could do worse than grabbing a 2nd of. Doubling all the units in the box is a solid start to the core of your army. This section is going to be a little more complicated because the entire range seems in flux on the website, so availability will influence what you can expand with. Until the range stabilizes, I am going to refrain from making specific suggestions on expansion, if only because things may change between now and a couple of weeks from now.    

That’s our breakdown, and if it turns out you want to 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 engage the hobby your way.