Just like the Iron Hands, the NERF bat hit the Custodes pretty hard. Check out why they are good in 40k still, even if they are not point and click.
Adeptus Custodes units might have changed, but the changes aren’t all bad. Take a look at the new way Custodes can operate on the tabletops now!
The Caladius Isn’t Nerfed: It’s Repurposed
You might be familiar with the triple Caladius list that was destroying enemy lists in the shooting phase. The Caladius was an awesome armor-popping option for its heavy 8 cannon with states: S8 AP-3 D3 damage. However, after there was a rise of these things popping up all across Imperial Soup lists, they got tweaked a bit. As it turns out, they didn’t get NERFED into the ground. They actually just got repurposed. Costing a bit more and having a slightly weaker cannon, there’s still a use for these guys and the points change didn’t make them overcosted… Just more “fair”.
With a new gun profile for the Caladius Twin Illiastus Accelerator cannon being: Heavy 8 S7 AP -3 2D- it actually turns into a Primaris melter. With all of the new Primaris units out there and becoming increasingly popular (and being two wounds), the Caladius is great for hunting down the Marine hotness. Beyond that, it’s also a bully to any kind of medium armor out there. The key point about the Caladius is that it’s not really a Knight/armor hunter anymore.
A Good Option To Pair With Your Caladiuses
Now that Caladiuses are elite/infantry hunters, you probably don’t need three in a list. You can run three Pallas as screens and still have room for two Caladiuses in a detachment.
The next great option to roll with if you want to stay ranged-focused are Tank Commanders. Grabbing a Battalion of Guard with three Tank Commanders leading the way is never a bad choice. Especially if you take the Vigilus Battle cannon relic (aka the Vigilizer) for 3 flat damage on each shot.
Now it comes down to picking your Regiment. It’s really up to personal preference but Catachan and Cadians are the two top contenders (with similar abilities given orders/Regimental Doctrines).
If you take other stuff in your list and you’re tight on points, we’ve seen the Skorpius Disintegrators do work in the meta as well. They hit on a natural 3+ and can be paired with a Battalion of Rangers that ends up being cheaper than what the Imperial Guard can put out. You skip out on orders but you also gain your Canticles of the Omnissiah which can be very beneficial if used correctly.
Assuming you’re taking a few Caladiuses as your elite hunters, you can bring three Disintegrators for Knight hunting at just 348 pts. Make sure you bring the Ferrumite cannon as well, as its profile is: Heavy 3 S8 -3AP 3 flat damage. That’s nine thunder hammers you’d be putting downrange!
You Might Want to Bring the Ares Gunship
Pew, Pew, Pew, Zaaaaat!
If you’ve got the hobby $$$, you might want to pick up an Ares Gunship. This thing is essentially a flying Knight at 415 pts with a -1 to hit modifier (-2 if it’s near the Vexilla). You’ve got different profiles of shooting for this unit but if you’re trying to crack open Knights, you’ll want to use the Beam profile at 6+D3 damage per shot. Even if you don’t kill whatever you shoot at, you’re going to be crippling it.
RIP Telemons?
The Telemons were a solid option but just turned into slow chunks of armor after the rules update. They lost their range and their points went up, making them just a worse version of a Space Marines Leviathan. If you’re sticking to an Adeptus Custodes themed list, you can bring one Ares Gunship for the cost of two of these guys and it’s so much faster and potent. (Telemons clock in around 280 with double stormcannons now).
They are not bad, they are just more situational… Like, say walking two of them up the table if you have something else to distract your opponent’s fire with.
That’s just the heavy hitters, new changes to troop choices may make Custodes battalions worth taking as well.
What do you think about the Custodes changes? Have you found a new purpose for your Caladiuses? What are you going to replace your Telemons with if anything?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures. Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including the Adepticon Team Tournament and American Team Tournaments, and is on a first-name basis with almost every major company in the space.
He’s all gaming all the time. With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. He advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1908s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
