One year later, are the Primaris Marines hot or not? Or are they so good in Deathwatch that you have no other reason to take them in regular chapters?
After the Deathwatch codex was released, Primaris became some heavy hitters with the special ammunition in their beefed up bolt guns. So now that we have Deathwatch Primaris and mainline chapter Primaris, let’s compare the two.
Primaris in the Beginning
There was a mixed emotion about Primaris in the Warhammer community. Some welcomed them with open arms, others didn’t want anything to do with them. But one thing is for sure…they were totally over-costed. Back in the days of the Index, Primaris were released and they were very solid on paper.
What made them bad was their points value. They were worse than regular tactical squads. However, with Primaris being “Space Marine Space Marines”, they’ve got a nicer selection of bolt guns with some AP value to them. Once Dark Angels got their codex, a squad of 10 Hellblasters didn’t seem so bad.
Even after all the support with new units and a point reduction, there still weren’t that many Primaris units spotted on the tabletop. Then Deathwatch Happened.
Deathwatch Primaris
Virtually being only a FEW points more than regular Primaris and gaining access to the most badass ammunition the Imperium has to offer put these guys on top of the Primaris food chain. As a Deathwatch player, you’ve got complete access to customize your guys in just about any way you want. On top of hating Xenos with a fiery passion from the Emperor, you’ve got the ammunition for almost any problem.
Regular Primaris Still Viable?
One trade-off to having all the answers at the tip of your bolt gun is that you don’t have as much of a selection of units that other chapters do. So are Regular Primaris still viable? The short answer is absolutely.
Regular Primaris are still a few points cheaper than the Deathwatch counterpart. Plus you have a bit broader access to vehicles and Scouts. The Deathwatch gets a Corvus Blackstar and other armies can get Stormravens and Stormtalons. On top of that, you’ve got stratagems that don’t hate on Xenos. Your stratagems can be used more frequently and in more situations.
Even though Primaris Deathwatch gives insane buffs to each other with their model abilities, it’s hard to beat a well-placed 10 man Hellblaster squad screened by scouts. We are sure to see more Primaris support in the future that should only make them more useful.
What do you think about Primaris after the Deathwatch Codex? What more support do you think the Primaris will get? Do you use an All-Primaris army? Let us know over in the comments on our Facebook hobby group
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
