Wolf Guard not only act as bodyguards for Wolf Lords, but also as leaders for Space Wolves packs. Each Wolf Guard has the option to be assigned to a different pack from the Space Wolves army, making this Elite choice a very flexible option.However, you must take at least 3 Wolf Guard in your army as a minimum requirement and no more than 10 per Elite choice. Wolf Guard represent the personal bodyguard/retinue of your Wolf Lord, so typically, there won't be many of them -especially when the Space Wolves force chart represents troops drawn from a single Great Company.
So we're going to look at Wolf Guard; both as squad leaders and a unit themselves.
The first thing you'll notice about Wolf Guard is that their equipment is cheaper than everyone elses! Wolf Guard are the heroes of your Space Wolves Great Company, so it's only fitting that they get the best weapons and armour. This also makes them very affordable as squad leaders for your Space Wolf packs, but more on this later.
Boltgun - rubbish!
Storm Bolter - not bad and very cheap
Combi-Weapon - very good considering the points
Plasma Pistol - still not worth it
Power Weapon - Very affordable option.
Wolf Claw - Also very affordable at only 5pts more for rerolls.
Powerfist or Frostblade - Both cheap, both excellent!
Thunder Hammer - a nice upgrade to a powerfist, but not essential.
Chainfist - definitely better than a powerfist and a thunder hammer for killing vehicles.
Storm Shield - a more affordable 3+ invulnerable save
Terminator Armour - 33pt terminators with storm bolter and power weapon? Yes please!
Jump Pack - Wolf Guard cannot join Skyclaw packs, so what's the point? Also expensive.
Space Marine Bike - essential for joining Swiftclaw bike packs
Melta Bombs - take them if leading a squad!
Mark of the Wulfen - The discounted Wolf Claw is more cost effective.
For every five models in the squad, 1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour may take a heavy weapon:
Heavy Flamer - cheap and very cheerful. Short ranged.
Assault Cannon - You love it! And it's more affordable.
Cyclone Missile Launcher - 2 frag or krak missiles per turn. Also more affordable.
WOLF GUARD SQUADSIf you're going to field actual squads of Wolf Guard in your army, you'll want them in Terminator Armour. Otherwise you're pouring your points into an elite unit that dies just as easily as regular Space Marines.
The best way to equip these squads would be in a similar way to Chaos Space Marine Terminators who often come with power weapons, combi-weapons a single chainfist and often a heavy weapon too.
Chaos Space Marine Terminators come with a twin linked bolter, a power weapon and Leadership 10 for 30pts.
Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour armed with a storm bolter, power weapon, They Shall Know No fear, Acute Senses and the Counter Attack special rules come to 33pts each. That's a lot of extra stuff for just 3pts!
Wolf Guard Terminator Squad: 205pts
2 Wolf Guard in terminator armour with combi-plasma and power sword. 1 Wolf Guard in terminator armour with combi-melta and power sword. 1 Wolf Guard in terminator armour with combi-melta and Chainfist. 1 Wolf Guard in terminator armour with heavy flamer and power sword.
This squad is reasonably cost effective with a focus on anti-armour and anti-tank as well as a heavy flamer for hordes of light infantry. Great to deploy by Drop Pod or from a Land Raider.
The squad costs only 15pts more than a comparable Chaos Terminator squad, but their Counter-Charge special rules give them a distinct advantage should anyone be mad enough to attack them in close combat.
For an extra 5pts, you can give one of them a wolf claw to really max-out your Wound Allocation.
WOLF GUARD PACK LEADERSWhen it comes to leading your Space Wolf packs, Wolf Guard are a surprisingly affordable squad leader upgrade.
Remember that their weapons are generally 5pts cheaper and when they themselves cost only 3pts more than a regular Grey Hunter, 3pts is a small price to pay for an extra attack and an extra point of Leadership. The increase in Leadership is almost essential for any Space Wolves pack that will come to rely on the Counter-Charge special rule at some point in a game.
So really, Wolf Guard can be a very cost effective way to achieve a number of otherwise expensive squad upgrades while getting the benefits of another model type for wound allocation, an extra attack and an increase in Leadership.
Wolf Guard 1: 48pts
Combi-Melta, Powerfist, melta bombs
Generally, every squad should have 1 powerfist. So why not save 5pts by giving it to your Wolf Guard? On top of that, you get an extra attack with it because each Wolf Guard has 2 attacks on his profile instead of 1. You also need to buy a combi-weapon if your Space Wolves pack are riding in a transport to make up for the free one you normally get for having 10 men in a squad. Providing you want a 10-man squad of course.
Compared to a Grey Hunter armed with a 'free' melta gun and a powerfist at 40pts, 3pts more (5pts for melta bombs) is a small price to pay for a Wolf Guard with and extra attack in his profile and increased Leadership that benefits the entire squad.
Wolf Guard 2: 53pts
Terminator Armour, Combi-Melta, Chainfist.
For 5pts more, you can upgrade your Wolf Guard to have a suit of terminator armour for better protection and a Chainfist for better anti-tank assault.
Ironically you can have a combi-melta, powerfist and terminator armour for 48pts, but the Wolfguard then takes up 2 slots in a transport and the squad he's with cannot making a Sweeping Advance.
Even so, it's a very close tie between having a Wolf Guard in power armour or a Wolf Guard in terminator armour. Definitely something to play test.
Wolf Guard 3: 83pts
Space Marine Bike, Combi-Melta, Powerfist, Melta Bombs
Building on the great value for points combination already shown for leading Space Wolf squads on foot, but now with a bike. This guy is perfect for leading packs of Swiftclaw Bikers. He's got a Powefist with more attacks and better Weapon Skill than a Blood Claw equivalent and his Combi-Melta is more likely to hit as well.
He's not cheap compared to the Swiftclaw Bikers, but he's a more cost effective leader for them (so they don't end up chasing something they can't hurt for the whole game!) than any of the HQ choices.
Wolf Guard 4: 63pts
Terminator Armour, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist
Wolf Guard 5: 78pts
Terminator Armour, Assault Cannon, Chainfist
Wolf Guard 6: 78pts
Terminator Armour, Storm Bolter, Cyclone Missile Launcher, Chainfist
For every 5 Wolf Guard in your army, 1 may take a Terminator heavy weapon if they are in Terminator Armour. Attaching one of these to your regular Space Wolves packs is a fantastic opportunity. Not only do you get a tough guy in terminator armour leading a squad, but he's got a massive gun as well.
Terminator heavy weapons often come down to personal preference, but I can see lots of people taking the Assault Cannon, especially when the belt-feed model looks fantastically brutal!
Personally, I'm in favour of the Cyclone Missile Launcher, because you get to keep your storm bolter while being able to fire either 2 frag or Krak missiles per turn, making it an all-round more versatile weapon combination for both tanks and troops. It has longer range as well.
Like the earlier Terminator Wolf Guard examples, I'd always give him a Chainfist for clobbering monstrous creatures, ripping apart walkers and cutting through tanks in close combat.
Due to their fantastic value for points and cheaper weapon upgrades, I would always take a Wolf Guard to lead my Space Wolves squads. You just get so much more for your points, even if you're stepping on the 'free' special weapon available to a full size Grey Hunter squad.
Wolf Guard are very much a big part of the Space Wolves army character. They're not Space Marine Veteran Sergeants like their stats indicate, they're heroes who have earned their place in the bodyguard of their Wolf Lord! They lead Space Wolves squads by example and their great deeds, which is made all the easier by their cheaper equipment.
Most importantly, they get powerfists cheap and have extra attacks to make the most of them!
Wolf Guard are also cheap terminators, having more in common with Chaos Space Marine Terminators than the regular Space Marine Terminators. So while they miss out on the Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield combo at 40pts (63pts for them), they have access to an abundance of power weapons, wolf claws and combi-weapons. This means they can wipe out an armoured infantry squad or monstrous creature far more quickly than regular Space Marine Terminators.
But whether your Space Wolf packs will be led by a Wolf Guard in terminator armour or a Wolf Guard in power armour is up to you. Both have their own pros and cons.
35 comments:
November 13, 2009 at 9:06 PM
Having wolf guard as squad leaders definitely gives you a powerful edge, at relatively cheap point costs.
Personally, I love having the cyclone missile launcher, primarily because of the fact that it uses the Relentless rule because of the terminator armor. Being able to function like a normal squad, while shooting long-range missiles on the go is a huge boon!
December 5, 2009 at 7:30 PM
Great guide, thanks a lot.
I think that I did not understand a thing... The 'for every 5 models' rule applies on 5+ models Walf Guard squad or in general for each 5 wolf guard models in the army? In the first case we would not be able to attach the tough guy to the regular grey wolf tactical squad, for example, isn't it?
Sorry for the question, but I'm a newbie :)
Thanks again.
-Davide
December 6, 2009 at 3:07 AM
The 5th model In The Squad may take a terminator heavy weapon if that model is wearing terminator armour.
December 6, 2009 at 3:08 AM
And you can Still attach him to other Squads as clearly stated in the Wolf Guard squad entry in the Codex.
December 6, 2009 at 5:00 AM
Oh, yeah... because you can decide to split the unit just before the battle...
Thanks a lot again :)
January 13, 2010 at 11:51 PM
In the equipment list you mention that a Wolf Claw is a good upgrade for a Wolf Guard, yet when you mention putting a Wolf Guard in charge of a squad, you suggest a Powerfist instead. Any reason for this?
January 14, 2010 at 1:45 AM
Because you save 5pts by giving the powerfist to your Wolf Guard instead of the squad he leads. On top of that, you get an extra attack with it because each Wolf Guard has 2 attacks on his profile instead of 1.
February 17, 2010 at 4:44 PM
Where did the picture at the top come from? It looks like real armor.
February 17, 2010 at 4:45 PM
It's from a short GW movie made in the mid 90s.
March 30, 2010 at 7:43 PM
For anyone who wants to keep points down and just get termie bodies on the table you should always always take one less wolf guard(unless you really want a second cyclone) swap your powersword for a wolf claw. For the price of one standard termie you can have 6 wolf claws giving you rerolls. If you do the mathhammer it works out much better.
April 4, 2010 at 1:40 AM
Just wondering, how do the more 'out there' combis factor up - like twin thunder hammers (extra Thammer attack)or Frost blade + storm shield and such?
April 4, 2010 at 3:31 AM
Not really worth it due to the points cost. While Frost Blade and Storm Shield is a nice idea, to make the Frost Blade worth taking, you'd really want to give it to an Initiative 5 model.
May 27, 2010 at 6:24 PM
Iwas wondering what are the benefits of 2wolf claws. Can you reroll bot hot and wounds since you have 2 or do you still have to choose?
May 28, 2010 at 1:33 AM
Correct, you just get an extra attack.
Dude, you ask a lot of rules questions on here. Go read/buy the Space Wolves codex. lol :)
June 11, 2010 at 2:09 PM
I don't know if this question has been answered before but it's driving me crazy.
Do Wolf Guard if attached to an HQ unit count as retinue/body guards to make the IC an Upgraded Unit?
I can't seem to find that anywhere.
June 11, 2010 at 2:25 PM
They can't be attached to an HQ unit.
So the answer is no and they can't be bodyguard/retinue.
July 20, 2010 at 12:59 AM
Probaly a stupid Question:
But i just bought a squad of space wolf terminators, but i cannot find the cyclone missile launchers, my question is how do u go about obtaining them?
July 20, 2010 at 1:43 AM
Friends, eBay or an online Bitz service.
July 31, 2010 at 5:46 PM
When you buy wolfguard terminators a drop pod and hold them in reserve wouldn't that stop you from 'splitting off' pack leaders for the rest of the army (interpreting that special rule as analogous to combat squad, ie everybody's deployed at once)?
Considering the pricing v. CSM, it just seems over powered if they still have a cost effective way to deep strike plus counter strike etc.
August 1, 2010 at 3:01 AM
Nope, the Wolf Guard 'pack leading' rules are quite clear on this.
CSM is a totally different army that's balanced in a different way. Unfortunately you can never really compared points costs unit for unit, you have to look at an army as a whole.
August 10, 2010 at 3:06 AM
My only complaint with Terminator armour. is that you can't make sweeping advances. After you break your opponent, they can just run away... getting away from you. And your guys are left standing there.
My Guard, give up the armour for numbers. I prefer ten Guard in a land raider, and go after elite troopers. The raider protects them, and they do the rest.
September 6, 2010 at 6:15 AM
Has anyone ever tried a wolf guard leading a squad (i would suggest wolf scouts) equipped with combi-weapon, power fist, mark of the wulfen? Yes it costs 58pts for the model but it would HAVE to be very nasty!?
November 8, 2010 at 11:23 PM
@Brad M: Mark of the Wulfen does not work w/ a powerfist. I'd either drop MotW or drop the fist and add meltabombs.
November 27, 2010 at 12:57 AM
@Brad M: Like Casey said, MoW attacks are made "with claw and fang," so the powerfist is out.
I run a Wolf Guard with my scouts, he has a combi-melta, melta bombs and Wulfen. The squad has meltabombs and a splattering of melta-type weapons.
People cry when I come in 4" from their precious tanks and transports and just blow them up. Granted, blowing stuff up can hurt me, but... so fun! Then Wulfen helps deal with the squad inside once you disable the vehicle, if you can't just pin them inside by attacking around the doorway so they can't disembark.
Btw, Eldar players do cry rainbow.
January 10, 2011 at 1:41 PM
Well, plasma is the Scissor to the Wolf Guard's Paper, so that's hardly surprising.
Morale of the story: Don't exposure your terminators to plasma guns!
January 14, 2011 at 10:28 AM
Just out of curiosity, but do you recommend storm shields on any of the termies (like say in place of a combi bolter/ CC weapon)? they have the 5++ invul save, but any AT fire (and you're going to be lacking tanks at lower point games) would quickly knock them down, as would most power weapons in CC.
January 17, 2011 at 1:22 PM
@Khorne
I think storm shields in general are an ok-choice for normal terminator squads but for wolfguard terminators they cost far to much for what they offer.
If you want to use storm shields (I mean squadwide, not a single for wound allocation tricking) I would suggest using them in combination with p-fists on wolf guard with servo armor. Though it does cost only few points less than the same combo with terminator armor you have the advantages of sweeping advances and can go with a rhino instead of a crusader.
wolfguard in terminator armor should be kept simple and cost effective: powersword+combiweaon (38 pts) or wolfclaw+combiweapon (43 pts) plus 1 or 2 heavy weapons are my favourite options. If you worry about dying to fast to ap1/2 weapons just add some unequipped servo wolf guards (for 18pts a model) to the squad to have ablative wounds.
April 6, 2011 at 11:43 PM
Simply amasing...
April 23, 2011 at 10:46 AM
Are combi-meltas really that useful? Maybe I made an error somewhere but I get an over 44% chance that they either fail to hit or to wound with their single shot (this increases against monstrous creatures with T 7+, I didn't calculate the chances for vehicles though). In that case you are stuck with a 5-point weapon you could have had for free or a worse one if you're a terminator.
July 31, 2011 at 8:09 PM
I don't see much mention of termi assault squads with twin lightning claws. No good or the other options just better?
September 24, 2011 at 5:20 PM
I'm surprised there's no mention of WG squads, besides those wearing terminator armor.
I'm guessing it doesn't make sense to field them, or maybe you didn't feel the need to address this?
November 7, 2011 at 5:56 PM
I think using squads with both terminator armour and power armour wolf guard are the most effective. Wolf guard in power armour often kill just as much as wolf guard in terminator armour. Just add a few terminators for wound allocation and better survival and the shear number of your whole squad should do the rest.
Yesterday during an apocalypse battle I played, I had a crazy Wolf Guard unit in a land raider redeemer: 3 terminators, 1 TH SS, 2 dual claws, 4 wolf guard with PA and power swords led by a Wolf Priest and Ragnar Blackmane... Well, knowing that this game was going to be a survival battle versus Orks and Tyranids with elder as my ally I focussed mainly on Ork, this unit, together with the redeemer ofcourse, really won the game. The unit led by the wolf priest and ragnar had reroll to hit versus infantry, fearless, insane bravodo (+D3 attacks on the charge), furious charge, wolf claws reroll to wound plus an insane ragnar with saga of the warrior.. Really unstoppable, it wiped 2 ork units two times during two multiassaults and later took care of a deathleaper and flyrant unit which were contesting the winning objective.
November 13, 2011 at 11:38 PM
Just want to add an argument against the statement that Wolf guard termies can't go infantry. FALSE! just played a game with a friend, and had a 9 man squad march straight into there forces, bold as brass. Took some casualties (half the squad) but here's where you get tricky. As soon as they crossed the middle ground i had them starting to hug cover for their life. not because they needed the save, but i effectively cut out half the fire he tried to bring to bear on me. Ended up winning the game because the hugged a wrecked chimera so tightly that it was literally true that only one squad (out of seven) could actually had line of sight.
Essentially act as bold as brass, but once your down to about four guys, hug cover as much as possible to limit units. It works.
February 14, 2012 at 11:28 PM
I just recently found your blog and I have absolutely enjoyed all of the reading so far, very nice!
Regarding WG termies, you suggest some very expensive loadouts for condemning the TH/SS combo as pricey.
I clearly say this with a bit of a defensive bias as I run an assault squad composed of 3, 2x WC, and 2 TH/SS, totaling 270 pts.
Its pricey, but I have dominated many assaults against multitudes of foes. Any thoughts on the loadout? Or simply too pricey?
August 2, 2012 at 1:14 AM
Don't know if anyone will read this, but in a german forum where Im one of the top posters I developed the tactic of duel-WG. I'm sure I am not the only one with this idea, and as it seems it's quite effective. Simply equip a Wolf Guard with Termi armour, storm shield and a power fist, and the most opponents will refuse to fight in a challenge, especially if their character hasn't got eternal warrior. Also the Wolf Guard will lol about any captain with the relic blade as it is only AP3 now and the Wolf Guard will kill him with one wound coming through. It's especially effective against Tervigons and Hive Tyrants, as my foot slogging Grey Hunters will almost always have the numbers to get some rerolls^^. And if the Wolf Standart was triggered this turn...well, you see the impications, eh? So what about a new WG-tactics article? Hope I inspired you guys a bit^^.
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