Topic: Thoughts on the Helstorm Battery

[General Blah]

I recently tried a Helstorm Rocket Battery during a 1500 point match with friends. We divided each team into three players with their own armies, and we each made a 500 point list, instead of collectively making a 1500 point army with only 3 heroes total and 1 rare etc.

My team consisted of myself (Empire), and a friend with Wood Elves and another with Chaos. (I know this doesn't make much sense). The other team was Lizardmen, Orcs and Goblins, and Bretonians.

It was much more successful than I presumed it would be based on others' reports, killing about 7 or 8 Saurus Warriors at extreme ranges and a Skink Priest (LV2). Also, it claimed the lives of some Bretonian Knights.

However, I got a 2 result on the Misfire table, which thankfuly scattered 6 inches back from the Battery, which was in the deployment zone the whole game, therefore sending the missiles off of the board.

I only misfired the one time, and, but it did scatter onto my friend's Marauder unit, which killed 4.

All in all I had some great fun with it, but it was also a nervous ordeal. What do you think of this "unreliable monster"?

[Route1]

I have never used one yet, but that is only because I am new to The Empire and haven't built up my army enough.


However, I've been witness to them in games, and they are a real hoard killer. Yeah, they may be random at times, but taking two of them usually cuts down on that.


Personally, I'd rather just take 2 mortars.

[Huntsmen]

I swear by my two Hellstorms. Perfcet for dealing with hvy infantry and even Cav should be afraid. You can open up large holes and weak points and force an opponent to spilit his deployment.

[srpelicano]

They are one of the finest psychological weapons in the game. I use mine mostly to get the enemy to come racing to my lines before getting hit by it.
As far as an effective war machine, it takes excellent guessing and lucky rolls. My battery is either spectacular in a game taking out gobs of enemy soldiers or missing completely. Against horde armies, I have had it destroy unit after unit (or at least take any combat effectiveness they have away) whereas against something like chaos it it will underperform because the targets are smaller.
I have taken one since it came out and have been overall happy.

[vesrian]

I only misfired the one time, and, but it did scatter onto my friend's Marauder unit, which killed 4.

That's what you get for allying with chaos. Probably wasn't really a 'misfire'; the crew knew who the real enemy was.

[Scar41]

In games I've taken them in the rockets are a spectacular success or a complete dud. 

First game I took one (vs. dwarfs) it hit a block of longbeards and a block of hammerers - killing 9 and 11 respectively.

I took a pair to a tournament and didn't hit jack in three games.  Just bad luck with the scatter dice.

Took one in a game last weekend versus Wood Elves.  Scattered a shot on 3 Warhawk riders on turn 1, they failed their panic test and fled the board.  Took a shot later in the game at some eternal guard where his lord was hanging out and killed 14 of 17.  The psychological effect on my opponent was devastating.

Bottom line: Helstorms are great---- when they hit something.

[Huntsmen]

They have other effects tho less noticable. Forcing enemy unit wider apart to avoid scatters making it easier to flank with detachments. Your opponent will also rush towards you which has the advantage of making his traps more vulnerable.

[Sir Lukas von Markov]

havenyt used one yet, but seriously cmon, dropping pie plates with that absurd hitting power, how can you resist against hordes, or anything not full of skirmishers

[wissenlander]

I've never used one personally, but I've seen them do great damage.  The philosophy I've heard several say is that you take two and hope that you get off one really good shot.  If you can do that then they've most likely made up their points, affected the battle plan somehow and if they do destroy an enemy unit in one go then it's a great psychological bonus in later battles.

In a 2 v. 2 battle I played in, Dendo dropped a shot dead center on Wyzer's greatsword unit (with a BSB) and killed close to 20 of them.  Only thing left was the command and the BSB, all of whom paniced and fled off the table in the 2nd turn.

[ZeroTwentythree]

I've used them quite a bit. Usually a pair of them. They're a lot of fun. As mentioned, due to their randomness, they will sometimes be a complete let-down in terms of casualties, but even then they have a psychological effect. But with decent ranging skills, they will still be a potentially deadly weapon in many games. If I can take out a big block of elite infantry that will slice through my own crappy state troops before they make it across the board - I'm sold.

That said, I'm taking a break from the twin linked helstorms and trying some other lists. But they've been a staple of my army for a year or two.

[Caralon]

I like them but have been getting frustrated with the amount of guessing involved.  Many of my games involve combat from turn three on - after that point it is hard to get your money's worth out of the Helstorm.  I do agree with what people here said, in that 2 Helstorms are more than double the usefulness of a single Helstorm alone.