It’s Like Tactics: Beast of Nurgle Review

Now if only GW would grace us with a model that was plastic then we would be cookin. Beasts of Nurgle got some serious boosting between codexes, to help illustrate here is a comparison the between new and old.

(Click to Enlarge)

 Compare & Contrast

• Increased number of wounds from 2 to 4
• Attention Seeker
• Slime Trail & It Will Not Die
• Change from Infantry to Beasts
• Increased in cost from 35 to 52 pts

 --More cushion for the pushing--

The most noticable change to Beasts of Nurgle is an increase in the number of wounds. Typically this doesn't really matter, but for Beasts of Nurgle it is huge. Since Beasts of Nurgle have T5 they are immune to most high strength weapons. Just have to avoid those pesky Force Weapons from time to time.

--Who wants to be loved--

--Regenerating Diseased Rhinoceros Pizzle--

The defensive bonuses of Slime Trail A unit that charges one or more models with this special rule is always treated as having a made a disordered charge. and It Will Not Die only enhance Beasts of Nurgle. Slime Trail A unit that charges one or more models with this special rule is always treated as having a made a disordered charge. means a lot for a unit that should be stuck in combat for most of the game, any unit charging them won't ever get bonus attacks. It Will Not Die is one of those annoying powers that make Beasts of Nurgle one of the best tar-pitting units in the game. Even if you lose combat and take Daemonic Instability  A unit with this special rule cannot be joined by a model without this special rule. Units with this special rule automatically pass Fear, Pinning, and Morale tests. A unit that loses an assault must make a Daemonic Instability test. On Double 1s Al Wounds suffered by the unit in that assault phase are returned. On Double 6s remove the entire unit from play as casualties. Otherwise compare the dice roll to the Daemons Leadership value, along with modifiers and for each point the unit fails by remove a model with no saves of any kind allowed. wounds you have a chance to recover, making Beasts of Nurgle that much harder to destroy.

--From Tortoise to Hare--

It is nice to see Beasts of Nurgle actually become Beasts, this change is what makes the unit really tick. Beasts of Nurgle charging by turn two is great and with so few S10 weapons able to cause real damage you should see them make it mostly unscathed. Being a Beast unit also means sticking in cover won't slow you down, and along with being a Daemon of Nurgle Daemons of Nurgle have Daemon, Hatred Daemons of Tzeentch, Shrouded, Slow and Purposeful, and defensive grenades gives added protection. Still, Beasts of Nurgle are not the fastest Beasts of all because they can't Run.

--Ain't no Sugar Daddy--

You might think everything is fine and dandy when it comes to a Beast of Nurgle, but the sticker shock will make you think twice. At 52 points Beasts of Nurgle are a tough sell, and with certain weapons that make Beasts of Nurgle ineffective you have to wonder is it worth the risk? With Grey Knights being the biggest deterrent to seeing Beasts of Nurgle on the tabletop.

Beasts of Nurgle can also fit many army builds. Beasts of Nurgle can lead the charge of a Beasts & Cavalry heavy list. Beasts of Nurgle can babysit scoring units and counter charge incoming threats. With Attention Seeker At the end of the Charge sub-phase in which one or more of your units has been the target of a successful enemy charge an unengaged unit of Beasts of Nurgle within 12Beasts of Nurgle can thwart unexpected charges and give your opponent second thoughts when near by.

Having It Will Not Die is an added boon with how wound allocation works in 6th. Especially against shooting you can rotate Beasts of Nurgle in and out, allowing different models to get get wounds, and then heal them over time.

Beast of Nurgle are no slouches in assault as they don't suffer from similar unit random attack generation. Each Beast of Nurgle has anywhere from 2-7 attacks and with poison makes for a highly effective damage dealing unit. They easily grind any MEQ unit to dust and having T5 means very little attacks back will get through.

Beasts of Nurgle in mixed forces are probably your best bet. Many Daemonic units being beasts, but unlike a Beast of Nurgle they all lack one thing: resilience. A Beast of Nurgle unit can be the final straw to break an enemy or tie up units you rather not have the rest of your army face.

Beasts of Nurgle do struggle against a host of units; namely Instant Death dealers, Grey Knights, Dreadnaughts. Grey Knights pose the biggest problem, because every unit can potential destroy even a large unit of Beasts. Dreadnaughts are another problem because Beasts of Nurgle can't do anything to them, but in return a Dreadnaught blows there puss to the wind. So many characters these days have weapons that cause Instant Death so being aware of what you are charging is very important when using Beasts of Nurgle effectively.

Another sore spot with Beasts of Nurgle is their inability to really hurt vehicles. This was a problem in the last edition because without strength 5 you're only hope is to glance things to death and only if they're AV10. Beasts of Nurgle also don't make great Herald of Nurgle escorts because Heralds lack the speed to keep up.

Since Beasts of Nurgle typically won't have that extra Herald punch they are very susceptible to bad dice rolling. When you have unit with so many random effects you sometimes have too few attacks and your opponent might make a bunch of saves. This can cause Beasts of Nurgle to tar-pit a little too well; being held up an entire game in one useless combat. To avoid this problem means having "relief" assaulter (Slaanesh) is important to break a stalemate.

Regardless of the pros and cons, Beasts of Nurgle cost is always going to be the biggest point of contention. So are Beasts of Nurgle worth it? In comparison is a Beast of Nurgle 12 points more expensive than a Terminator, but is that a fair comparison?

--Ways to play Beast of Nurgle--

Death Star Configuration: 260 pts 5-man Beast of Nurgle unit

Balanced Configuration: 208 pts 4-man Beast of Nurgle unit

MSU Configuration: 152 pts 3-man Beast of Nurgle unit

Horde Configuration: 468 pts 9-man Beast of Nurgle unit

A Word about Allies

Beasts of Nurgle are an interesting ally choice and provide a multi-wound creature that most allies have. In addition, having unit that can counter charge and protect shooty elements is a blessing. Having a unit of Beasts of Nurgle with small model count armies provides dividends by keeping pesky Death Stars away or tying up large units.

Remember unlike other Battle Brothers Daemons ICs cannot join with Chaos Space Marine units under any circumstance.

Final Thoughts...

Overall, Beasts of Nurgle aren't top-tier, but in the right hands can excel. They have enough tricks to force an opponent into a mistake, and at the same time are pretty forgiving. With Grey Knights getting less popular, Dreadnaughts, and Vindicators almost non-existent means Beasts of Nurgle have room to grow. Besides with the meta moving towards force multiplying small arms fire, Beasts of Nurgle might be a unit that can actually stand up to it.