The much anticipated balance patch is out. A lot of minor changes across the game, but while Nighthaunt were hit it doesn't look to be very hard.
- the run/retreat and charge subfaction was changed to only apply to a single unit each turn
- harrows were changed to only teleport in your own movement phase
Some tweaks to manifestations as well, but not the big change that I and some others have been asking for - ie mobile manifestations not counting as enemy models for the purpose of blocking movement & deployment.
a bunch of points changes, but nothing too serious in death at least, even for the nighthaunt, who saw some of their combat units go up 10 points and reikenor go up 20 (and he's still a steal imo). My own favorites the bonereapers saw no rule changes & many points reductions. Board favorite the gravelords saw some minor nerfs to torgillius (his gun guns a bit less hard and he can't double up healing on a unit that was already healed by invocation), but remains one of the best sidekick type heroes in the game imo, and a bunch of very minor points adjustments - mostly reductions, though notably mannfred, grave guard, and black knights all went up in points. Grave guard are now at 160 for 10, where mortek guard are at 120 - which very well may be fair for both units, but if it is then that's a pretty strong sign that morteks need adjustments to their rules. Which I already knew, but still.
All in all a relatively restrained initial balance patch - which is imo good and proper, but also probably doesn't go far enough and we'll likely see further shifts in the same directions in a few months time.
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If I can be indulged in some idle wishlisting:
Top 10 Changes I want to see for Bonereapers, not in any particular order:
- Relentless Discipline: usable by any OBR unit - if used by a hero unit it affects all units in a bubble as normal, if used by a non-hero unit it only affects that unit.
- Mortek Guard: re-write shield wall to remove the anti-synergy with Katakros (maybe -1 to be wounded? Or reduce incoming rend? At the very least make it optional instead of automatic)
- Harvester: have harvest affect units in range instead of individual models in range, or increase the range to 6"
- boneshaper: either remove die roll to activate healing or make him a legion subcommander, or both
- soulreaper: needs ground-up re-think, in the mean time further points reduction + make them a legion subcommander
- ossifector: drop him from the game (call the model what it is: a variant boneshaper). Failing that,
at least allow him to take crawlers, & make him a legion subcommander - soulmason: allow him to take 'any ossiarch bonereapers' and a legion subcommander
- Vokmortion, Zandtos, Liege Kavalos - allow them to take a legion subcommander
- Necropolis Stalkers: damage 2
- Teratic Cohort: cannot benefit from Relentless Discipline - mostly for narrative reasons - my understanding is that these guys are outcasts in general for failure but specifically because they were insufficiently disciplined and were re-made into beastly forms to match their wild dispositions. Partially also as a slight nerf due to how much 4e pushes small fast/scouting type units for battle tactic reasons and I don't want a warcry unit to become a defining cornerstone of the faction plays just because it happens to play into that niche.
EDIT: they allowed the ossifector to take a (1) crawler. That's better than nothing for the hero who is specifically supposed to go with crawlers, but he should be able to take any number of them if you're giving him a whole detachment.
A lot of the changes here are in the form of making list construction more flexible, particularly in terms of subcommander heroes, a change I also want to see for every other faction in the game.
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Edit: beat me to it, due to my off topic idle wishlisting. :p
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