Firstly, there are a lot of changes. Some a obvious, some are subtle. Some are actually pretty good!
So here's a quick run down of all the various units, explaining what's changed and what I will probably be fielding in my army lists in the future.
And after this post, I will begin updating ALL of the Space Wolves Tactics articles for each unit in the Space Wolves Codex.
Wolf Lord
For 5pts more than before, they come with a Belt of Russ for a 4+ Invulnerable Save and get access to some new Relic Weapons. Helm of Durfast (re-rolls to hit), Armour of Russ and Black Axe of Death, along with the Fangsword of the Ice Wolf are all right up there on my shopping list! The Wulfenstone is waaaay too expensive for what it does.
Meanwhile, Warlord Traits are a bit worthless and unreliable. Helm of Durfast (re-rolls to hit) is what you really want anyway.
Wolfguard Battle Leader is a poor man's Wolf Lord like before.
Ragnar, Njal, Ulric, Lukas, Logan Grimnar
All overpriced and pointless in taking. The standard HQ equivalents are just so much better and more reliable.
I shed a tear for Logan Grimnar. He's lost his High King abilities, has no skills to pass to the unit he joins and has not 18" +1 Attack bubble anymore. He's a fat bloke riding a sled. And he's a Lord of War, which puts you at a disadvantage, because your opponent gets to roll on the 'anti-Lord of War' Warlord Traits table.
He's not bad on the Stormrider actually, but he's only good at charging in.
Is he worth 250pts for a hard man on foot? Maybe... But the standard Wolf Lord is looking like a better choice.
Rune Priest
Considerably cheaper and by far the most sensible HQ choice, like before. Space Wolves psychic powers have been toned down considerably. But we'll probably end up taking Biomancy and Divination anyway.
Wolf Priest
Went up 10pts and got Healing Balms which give 6+ Feel No Paint to the unit they join. It's ok I guess. Good for leading a big mob of Blood Claws, but I feel that there are better HQ choices for your points.
Bjorn the Fell Handed
Good as he always was, without throwing away Victory Points. A bit cheaper too. And he can take a Drop pod.
Murderfang
Oh hell yes! Take him and give him a drop pod. 'Nuff said,
Dreadnought
Much the same as before. Now has access to a Great Claw, which is a Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon with Shred. Not bad for 5pts.
Venerable Dreadnought upgrade is only worth taking if you want to pay even more for the Ferisian Axe + Blizzard Shield combo. But it's a lot of points to give a Dreadnought a 3+ Invulnerable save, which is essentially what you're paying +50pts for in total.
Lee thinks its awesome and that you could Drop Pod a Venerable Dread, Murderfang and Bjorn all together. I'm not sure if they'll just drown in Krak Grenades. Although there's no question that Murderfang is an awesome choice.
Iron Priest
Now that a Thunderwolf Mount gives you +1 Wound, an Iron Priest riding one, accompanied by Cyberwolves isn't a bad choice. But for the points, I still don't feel that he's a great Elite choice.
Wolf Scouts
Lost "Behind Enemy Lines" skill, making them rather redundant. But they can take Sniper Rifles and Camo Cloaks. I'd only field these as Sniper Scouts now... if at all.
Arjac Rockfist
Still awesome. Slightly cheaper. But can now only join packs of Wolfguard.
Wolfguard in Power Armour
Combi-weapons are now 10pts each, making each Wolfguard 28pts.
This makes them a very expensive Melta-Suicide squad in a Drop Pod. But I honestly cannot see any other way you would run this unit, because Grey Hunters and Blood Claws fulfill their other possible roles far better.
Wolfguard in Terminator Armour
Same as before, but cannot have a Chainfist AND a Storm Shield (more on this under Lone Wolves). The good news is that they can take a Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield for just +15pts - Hooray! And they can also now Teleport into battle.
But don't forget that you can buy them a Drop Pod from the Fast Attack section!
Lone Wolves
A lot cheaper, but they now concede a Kill Point. However, they no longer take up an Elite slot in your army. The real kick in the nuts is that they cannot have a Chainfist AND a Storm Shield. This is the same for Wolfguard Terminators and Wolf Lords. And it seems to be because Games Workshop only modelled these options on the Left Arm.
So now I'm thinking that Lone Wolves either need to take a Thunder Hammer (or Wolf Claw) & Storm Shield for survivability. But that makes them rubbish tank hunters. Or we can try an interesting Wolf Claw and Chainfist combo. But that leaves them without a 3+ Invulnerable Save, making them more likely to die. I shall ponder upon this.
But if they're in Terminator Armour, a Lone Wolf can now Deepstrike. or you can buy him (and his ablative Wolves) a Drop Pod from the Fast Attack section.
Grey Hunters
Are you going to give your Grey Hunters close combat weapons for +2pts each, making them 1pt more expensive than before? That's the big question.
Wolf Standard is now 1 per Detachment - and you'd only take it for the extra attacks if you were following a crazy close combat character into the thick of the fighting. Mark of the Wulfen is gone. We now have to pay for our second Special Weapon once we reach 10 models in a unit.
And the Wolfguard Pack Leader and his weapon options are more expensive than before as well.
I'm contemplating sticking with the 8-man squad of old with a Melta Gun, led by a Wolfguard with a Combi-Melta (and possibly powerfist) and leaving it at that. But being able to buy 2 more models and give 1 another Melta Gun for 2 melta weapons in a squad is just too tempting.
The Wolfguard Pack Leader can take Terminator Armour too, but cannot access Terminator Heavy Weapons.
Blood Claws
Cheaper than before to the point they're actually tempting. However, the need for 15 to access a second Special Weapon causes issues. I'm tempted to run them as poor Grey Hunters to help balance out the points increases and bring a Melta gun and Wolfguard Pack Leader with Combi-Melta to the front. Although Blood Claws only have BS3.
15 Blood Claws led by a character in a Stormwolf sounds awesome, but it's a huge investment in points.
Drop Pods
Can now be taken as Fast Attack choices, safely dropping your Wolfguard Terminators and Lone Wolves into the thick of it. Or you can buy an extra drop pod (or two) to ensure that your first wave of drop pods in an all-drop pod themed army is substantially large enough to cause a lot of damage on Turn 1.
Stormwolf/Stormfang
The new flying transports. A bit pricey, although it has some nice weapon options. The only downside is that the model is so long that the Multi-Melta sponsons will never really get into short weapons range. Especially with their 45-degree fire arc. Missile and lascannon upgrades look like the best option, because of the high strength and range.
Swiftclaws, Stormclaws, Thunderwolves
All cheaper, especialy Thunderwolves. An unbound Thunderwolf Cavalary army will do very well thanks to the points reductions. And it would actually be worth getting Harald Deathwolf, Canis Wolfborn and even Logan Grimnar on Stormrider to lead it!
Long Fangs
Slightly more costly. But not by much. They can take a Wolfguard Pack Leader, but there's no point. They can also buy Flak Missiles, but at an additional 10pts each it's not really worth the cost.
All the Vehicles
They're exactly the same as before.
CONCLUSION
My biggest concern for the Space Wolves is the increase in cost for combi-weapons and the difficulty in fielding Chainfists - the two most reliable weapons we have for tank hunting.
Meanwhile, Grey Hunters are considerably more expensive, pushing me in the direction of Blood Claws to keep the body count and Melta weaponry, but essentially swap Bolters for extra attacks in a charge. It could work if all I want it Melta weaponry. But they're going to need to be joined by a character to make sure they get shot at!
There's some bizarre logic in this. But basically, a number of models will get shot and killed. And I'd rather that 6 Blood Claws got shot and killed instead of 8 Grey Hunters, who are a far better investment throughout the length of a game. Especially if I position the Blood Claws so that only their Melta guns are the important weapons they're firing.
This is all theoretical for now. But maybe we'll just have to take the extra costs for Combi-weapons on the chin to get the Melta we need. And give Combi-meltas to our characters for a mere +5pts to get the job done.
Speaking of characters, I was actually looking forward to fielding a Wolf Lord in Terminator Armour with a Storm Shield and a Chainfist. The same goes for the Lone Wolves.
The only question is whether I choose to play it safe with a Thunder Hammer (or Wolf Claw) & Storm Shield for survivability, or go kill crazy with a Wolf Claw and Chainfist combo?
Although my Wolf Lord will probably just end up with the Helm of Durfast, Armour of Russ and the Black Axe of Death (or Fangsword of the Ice Wolf), because it's an easy choice.
Either way, there may be some magnetising ahead...