IG and CSM changes from 3.19.1 Retribution to Elite 2.1+

[sawbladex]

Hey, thinking of playing around using elite, and I found the 3.19.1 Retribution to Elite 2.1 http://dawnofwar.info/index.php?page=el ... gelog_full.

While I know Elite 2.1 is now out of date, I would like to get at least a sense of the changes to Chaos Space Marines and Imperial Guard compared to the retail.

... this is largely to mean I don't lose games/mess up due to misapplied knowledge from the 3.19.1 Retribution.

[Vapor]

I recommend skimming the codex:

http://dawnofwar.info/index.php?page=elite/codex

The big changes to Chaos:

New units (raptors, land raider, terminators, Nurgle predator, chosen plague marines)
Heretics are cheaper but squishier (in vanilla form)
Noise marines only have one model with the sonic blaster (total dps unchanged)
Havoks with autocannon buffed
Havok lascannon does more dps
Bloodletters do power melee instead of heavy melee
Plague marines only have 3 models (same overall stats) and their death explosion doesn't heal themselves
Chaos abyss (nuke) is way shittier

I won't do IG because fuck IG

[sawbladex]

Thanks.

Some of those things wouldn't have come off in the codex.

I assume that the other noise marines are equipped with dev bolter or weaker weapons. (retail versions heavy weapons team having no lasguns makes them do stupid things.)

Of course, part of the problem is that there isn't a particularly good retail codex currently. :3

[Swift]

For Guard (I believe these are the changes):
-Pop for sergeant and commissar reduced from 3 to 1.
-Baneblade had a slight health nerf of around 250hp and auto fires the main cannon, which had it's damage cut a lot, the demolisher does less damage but the heavy bolters have increased damage.
-Nice new portraits for the ugly squads (not balance, but it means you don't wretch when you see the HWT)
-New Kasrkin squad which perform a variety of roles such as anti heavy infantry, anti infantry, anti vehicle (depending on the upgrades) and are a really beastly squad.
-Bane Wolf power cost from 40 to 60 because 40 was unreasonably low.
-Extra armour removed from vehicles in exchange for upgrades that make sense, such as stomp on sentinel giving 100hp and stomp, removed from Chimera, Leman Russ no have an expert tank crew upgrade which increases health and I think increases turret damage (?).

The are more, but I am not an IG player.

[Torpid]

Yeah, the noise marines without sonic blasters have bolters now. IIRC they actually do more dps now than they did before and the splash is more concentrated at a higher dps so they bleed models faster, the downside being that the silencing effect itself is restricted in AOE and so you may not always shutdown every model in a squad which makes them slightly less effective vs big ranged units (even though they bleed them faster) and much less effective vs suppression teams on an angle.

The HWT members bug out way less often now, they're essentially fixed.

Changes to IG units:

Guardsmen squad leader upkeep/pop cost reduced (guardsmen commissars are still equivalent to tactical marine sarges)
Sentinels no longer start with stomp, instead they must purchase it for 15 power and it grants them +100 hp when they do so too.
Sentinels start with 700, not 750 HP.
The Sentinel missle launcher now costs 80/25 instead of 130/40 (the price of the stomp upgrade was knocked off), the fragmentation missles themselves travel faster but do less damage.
Heavy weapon team's spotter models now have lasguns and so don't run into melee with foes when the squad is told to focus on a particular target.
Heavy weapon team can no longer shoot while repairing.
Heavy weapon autocannon does more damage.
Heavy weapon team can no longer purchase a sergeant in T2 and instead they may purchase a refractor shield upgrade which grants suppression and knockback immunity to the whole squad as well as reduced ranged damage received by 50% for the lead model of the squad.
Catachans cost 350/30, have 7 models by default not 5, have reduced ranged dps, 'ol reliable is now called 'ol unreliable and does less damage, catachan smoke bombs no longer reduce outgoing damage and now break suppression.
Artillery Spotters were added as a t1 unit costing 280/30 and serving as a hard ranged blob/set-up team counter (tip, fire the mortar behind enemy units to knock them out of cover/towards you)
Assault kit stormtroopers now have fragmentation grenades which they can throw from a considerably long distance.
Ogryns have had their reinforce/initial req/upkeep costs reduced.
Ogryns have increased health regeneration when in combat.
Ogryns Bone 'ead leader now costs less (130/25? instead of 130/30?)
Chimera costs 300/60 instead of 300/70.
Manticore costs 300/90 instead of 300/100.
Kasrkins were added serving the function of absolutely butchering heroes/light infantry from absurdly long range in the late game. They also are effective vs walkers with their melta guns, blobby squads with their GLs and HI with their plasma guns.
Leman Russ battle tanks now have an additional upgrade which increases their health by 100 and increases their line of sight by 15.
The BEYNBLADE has a weaker demolisher cannon and its main cannon fires automatically and faster but does considerably less damage per shot. The bolters on the baneblade do more damage now, encouraging defensive VP camping (since they eventually suppress too). It also has 500 less hp.
Extra armour upgrades to leman russ battle tanks, sentinels and chimeras were removed.
The guardsmen-built las-turret now has an additional upgrade which costs 50 req/10 power and grants 50% extra damage and HP, taking it up to 60dps and 425hp from 40dps and 350hp

Hero changes:
Inquisitor -
Assail no longer immobilises the inquisitor
Purgatus had a cost reduction from 200/50 to 200/35
Servo skull is added as a fourth accessory for the IQ. It increases her sight range significantly and gives her an ability equivalent to the global "farsight" of the farseer.

Lord Commissar (Commissar Lord doesn't exist in W40K) -
The standard T2 power fist was replaced by a Xenos Power Claw (which is a homage to Commissar Yarrick who took the power klaw of the ork warlord Ugulhard after said Ork used it to sever Yarrick's arm at the elbow. Yarrick then proceeded to use the klaw as a prosthetic limb)
The Emperor's Wrath does 30 less damage per missle, so 150 instead of 180.
Aura of discipline procs passively now, instead of upon being hit and it heals a percentage amount not a base amount making it very strong alongside ogryns.
The carapace armour now causes the LC to gain suppression immunity after executing a unit as well as granting 3.5 extra hp regen for the LC.
Bionic eye heals the squad that is executed.

Lord General -
All retinue members can be re-purchased for half price after they've been bought once and die.
Carapace armour is cheaper.

Global changes:
Bunkers have had cost decreases all round. They cost less to drop down initially and less to upgrade, being 100 req/75 red and 100 req/25 power respectively.
The commissar flare has a longer cooldown (not sure about the specifics)
Creeping Basilisk Barrage doesn't do as much damage.

[Swift]

Hero changes:
Inquisitor -

She lost here hat. Low level Inquisitor's now look ugly as you have to level up to get the thing back.

[Indrid]

IG Bunkers will no longer get +250 HP when upgraded in 2.3.0 also.

[viggih]

Lord Commissar (Commissar Lord doesn't exist in W40K)

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[Nuclear Arbitor]

commissar lord also abbreviates to CL which is the same as chaos lord and the chaos lord was there first.

[sawbladex]

Hero changes:
Inquisitor -

She lost here hat. Low level Inquisitor's now look ugly as you have to level up to get the thing back.

I assume that refers to the rank system?

Also, haven't played that much of actual multiplayer in general, but can your units "dress down"/mix and match?

[Swift]

I don't think so, but I am not entirely sure what you mean.

[Torpid]

No you can't, if you are level 60 you can't voluntarily choose to look like a lv 1.