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Advanced detail knowledge in short

By Vultracider Jadison

Find below important things you might learn too late/hard or neglect/forget too easily!

Understand the game so deeply that you will not need any specific guidance on anything anymore and thus get your deserved maximum fun out of this really brilliant game!

Advanced imperial military intelligence just for you!

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Created by

Vultracider Jadison
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Category: Classes, Gameplay Basics, Secrets, Weapons

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

15 Apr, 2024 @ 1:17am

17 Oct @ 8:30am

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Guide Index

Overview

Intro

Game Rule Mechanics

Troop Specialities

Transport Logic of Unit Type: Infantry

Comments

Intro

...and why this game's rules absolutely rule!

HINT Read all in-game short descriptions of all statistics to gain first general game knowledge.

The game features a simple yet complex rule set to invisibly and professionally balance and depict the whole dynamics between one single gretchin creature and titan legion bipeds on the battlefield. It is hard to see through and really understand the game. That is why you also should know below things thus continue reading.

APPETIZER (OPTIONAL) [warning: statement aspects can additionaly include general viewing of WH40K PC turn based franchise or compared specifics therein like Final Liberation] To describe the micro battle-dynamics for this kind of games in a kind of scientific manner ^^, you could say: An infinite number of attacks will finally yield that one attack strong enough - not by accumulation with other attacks but strong enough out of itself - to deliver a full destroy on the affected targettable asset. (Most rule dynamics pick targettable assets with these two results per destroy: (1) Full loss of a player-addressable unit manifestation, (2) hitpoint loss with possible degradation rules (typical: lose shields/manouverability or other "systems"; or infantry body count) per addressable "hitpointed" individual.) This is paradigm-shifting information for a game experience ideology based on average "health decrement per attack"/"healthbar"-thinking.

Lets begin with specific and quick Armegeddon learning:

Game Rule Mechanics

Never forget how many times a weapon is fired in one attack
by every single remaining individual weapon platform in the selected unit!

Try to really understand the headline above this sentence.
What damage is applied to the target? If an attack hits, it enters calculation with this base: The number you see under a unit times the sum of numbers written by the weapons said unit type carries.
Example: Leman Russ Annihilator hexfield unit (when all survive or shooting first) all fire their two Lascannons two times, the perky Leman Russ standard single Lascannon one time and two Heavy Bolters three times! Means every tank there (!) starts six individual attacks and all five tanks together fire 30 individual attacks on the target of which every new/next attack will be directed towards the next to be broken health point of the same target individual - always killing target units whenever all health points of a single unit (unarmored light infantry mostly only got one!) are destroyed.
This makes massive difference! Lesser attacks may be good against a small number of units (tanks, titans) but only many units and/or many attacks will reliably kill many unarmoured units! (i.e. (unarmored) infantry)
Also means: Unit types with only one attack (Leman Russ Destroyer) can not kill more than one opposing unit per attacking unit!
Example: Leman Russ Destroyer squads can only kill 5 units max or Deathstrike squads only 4 because every one of the five/four tanks in a full squad shoots only once on only one individual remaining(wounded)/fresh opposing unit on the target hexfield, until it is dead - and depletes its one existing attack on exactly that unit! (Well, it also seems to be that health points on the same unit will still be affected of one and the same attack... But the attack definitely depletes after a unit is gone due to health point loss. This explains many unexpected battle statistics you might see on the battlefield.)
This also would be one of the few reasons to buy a Leman Russ Punisher with its 8 (eight!) main weapon attacks alone (not even counting the hull front mounted heavy bolter shooting 2 additional attacks... making 10 attacks per tank! 50 individual attempted attacks per full squad attack order on a hexfield!!!) slaughtering unarmored hordes (e.g. infantry or light vehicles)...
This knowledge now enables you to think about detail acquisitions / upgrades like e.g. Warhound Titan with Inferno Gun vs. Turbo-Laser (they have both similar damage output but divided in two and four attacks - has implications on what it does on different targets!) or the very important decision which artillery units to take for which strategy or army composition due to their very different detail effects on target units (see first point in this section): Medusa/Bombard/Basilisk/Deathstrike!!!
This is also the reason why a horde of 50 Gretchins might be okay for a Land Raider, but 100 or 150 Getchins of the same type might already be a little danger: Nothing changed, except the double or triple amount of gretchins now have the same small probability per shot/swing to take a hit point from the Land Raider!
It is almost like in WH40K Final Liberation: In this kind of games every individual small projectile/barrage and swing/punch has a statistical probability to destroy the target. (Here: Target health point.) Abstractly like in a real tank: Besides complex questions like inner or outer equipment-/damage, the only question per shot is whether or not a hittng shot passed the armor ...and therefore (by simple battle logic like in game) incapacitated the crew inside or otherwise destroyed primary armor protected tank operability means. (While in these games a "portion" of average expected destruction-increments per average hit is then subtracted; which results in HP loss; which itself means immediate death for all units/individuals in the game world manifested (by count in statistic (attribute "strengh" in Armageddon) or graphic sprite on coordinate) with 1 HP.) This is a yes/no per shot - and every "no" basically leaves a fully functional unit still on the battle field. (From the perspective of one meaningful attack iteration by game rule set.)

Never forget accuracy and accuracy decrease per hex of weapon platforms / weapons themselves!

Read the in-game info on how accuracy actually works in this game. Not all attacks even hit and enter calculation! This will educate you about and show you the reason for the various abstractly realistic random battle results you get sometimes. They are OK! (no needless/stupid/lazy calculations by designers!) You just have to know it!
The DISTANCE "0" versus "1-1" Question: Zero means the fired infantry arms are considered melee arms so that any own or opposing distance weapons (distance = must contain one range value of at least 1) would be fired first; whereas one to one or any numbers to each other means that this weapon is definitely going before any melee begins, but is individually rivalled only by any counter attacks with higher initiative.
This is why Firedrakes do not counter danger when using flamers on melee-only targets.
Some targets can be shot with considerably lower casualty risk when not too close - or more generally speaking if not in fighting distance to all weapons of the opposing weapon platform at once. (enemy Mortars, Artillery, Demolisher kind of weapons etc.)

Never forget initiative!

Weak units like Land Speeders can finish off weakened heavy units of all kinds big time because they strike first and hit hard! (Missile Launchers!)
Yes =) This is the reason target units do not retaliate sometimes: They never knew what hit them!
And for close assault: No matter the initiative - any ranged weapons still attack first (in the ranged weapons combat phase which always precedes any close combat phase) even if the assault unit will later slash melee first due to higher initiative (e.g. Terminator Assault Squad vs. any unit with ranged attacks) - and the attacker will only be able to assault with the remaining units! (after the ranged round)
Don't get confused: A melee attacker still begins the attack animation first in a fight after rolling higher initiative values, even though the attacked unit with ranged weapons still fires first in every such fight.

Some weapons (not platforms) are "bulky", which intelligently abstracts into them never being harm to an attacker during its attacking round. (They are never part of retaliation.)

Never underestimate the armour piercing capabilities of infantry hand guns!

Bolters of regular Space Marines and other hand guns in the universe are a highly underestimated ranged big caliber danger to mostly all unit types!
Close combat assault weapons are a very underestimated massive danger that often hides behind poor ranged statistics (cheap basic Ork units) - especially when administered by many individuals in a hexfield unit!

Well, in the end we are playing WH40K here...

This should help you keeping your/more units (especially tanks) alive.

Troop Specialities

Space Marines

Important for the last parts of the main campaign and for all marine chapter campaigns:

Land Raiders (transports)

All Terminator units have Land Raider transports: This makes every one of them a medium/heavy tank unit on demand!
(Have a look at the costs and avoid heavy casualties for a full mechanized Cyclone Squad is 1090!)
Transport Land Raiders have +1 movement to normal Land Raiders!

Heavy & Elite Infantry

Terminators with Cyclone Launchers are heavy armored/armed and have Chain Fists: They can slay Titans and other heavy armor!
(You have to realize what they really are: They are heavy gauge armored big machine soldiers who first fire a killing barrage of missiles (!!!) then fire Storm Bolters (!!!) and finally fiercly enter close combat with Chain Swords! These guys are mad! This is clearly depicted in their battle statistics.)
Blood Angels Death Company Squads and Sanguinary Guard are light infantry with much movement but still heavy armor thick almost as Terminators! And they are five more damage outputting individuals per unit! (15 instead of 10)

Ultramarines

All cheaper than the other Marines (-50 or -100) because they lack the advanantages of the other marine chapters.
(there are exceptions in benefit though (e.g. Snipers) so check your acquisitions (money per performance))
Their Land Raider infantry transports have +10 Armor!
Means they are very cheap (just 300!) convertible medium/heavy tank units with Lascannons!!! (Unbelievable!)
Have extremely cheap basic Rhinos: Half cost! (does not apply to unit type called "Rhino (upgraded)"!)
Ultramarines mechanized light infantry got top investment performance if used wisely on the battlefield!

Blood Angels

All +20 Accuracy
Sternguard Veterans (Elite Space Marine regulars) have abnormally more armor than other chatper's Sternguard Veterans. (is good combined with their +20 Accuracy)

Salamanders

All +10 Armor
(with small exceptions (Dreadnoughts))
Salamander Firedrakes facilitate the cheapest Land Raider Lascannon unit!
(also 80 Armor like Ultramarines because basic +10 armor bonus!)

Steel Legion

Mostly important in the first part of the main campaign:

Infantry Units provide unbeatable APC sevices: They only cost 90 per piece!
(Means: Chapest light tank unit for 130 is Hive Militia (40) with Chimera (90)!)

Transport Logic of Unit Type: Infantry

There is one natural forgiving base rule regarding the integer amount of remaining infantry units in percentage and what this means for remaining boardable/existing transports: If you lose only one infantry member, there is no penalty and the transports remain the same.

Example:
9/10 Terminators or 29/30 Steel Legion Infantry will still have the full amount of transports!

Still, this is not true in all cases... (like Hive Militia or some Terminator Squads: They instantly lose one transport with the first dead individual in the unit.)

1 Comments

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OMG My Profile Name Does Not Fi 8 Jun @ 9:23pm

Thank you for taking the time to make this guide!
I recently got the game, and this is one of best guides available for it.

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