Space Wolves 1,500 Point Army List

[Raiden DJ]

Hey I am starting a new Space Wolves army and already have some of the models as well as the codex. Before I purchase all the stuff on the army list I would like to ask if this would be a good and effective army. Any criticism or advice would be appreciated.

++HQ++
Wolf Lord
Thunder Wolf, Frost Axe, Storm Shield, Saga of the Warrior Born.
235 Points

Rune Priest
Chooser of the Slain, Wolf Tail Talisman
115 Points

++Elites++

Lone Wolf w/2 Fenrisian Wolves
Chain Fist, Terminator Armor, Storm Shield.
105 Points

++Troops++
10 Grey Hunters w/Drop Pod
2 Melta Guns, Mark of Wulfen, Wolf Standard
225 Points

10 Grey Hunters w/Drop Pod
2 Melta Guns, Mark of Wulfen
215 Points

10 Grey Hunters
2 Melta Guns, Mark of Wulfen
180 Points

++Fast Attack++
7 Fenrisian Wolves
56 Points

++Heavy Support++
5 Long Fangs
4 Missile Launchers
125 Points

Land Raider Redeemer
240 Points

Total: 1,501 Points

I am not sure if I should make the Wolf Lord cheaper. I am also considering about adding Wolf Scouts and Wolf Guard to this list but am on the fence about that. If I were to include Wolf Guard should I leave them in Power armor and assign them as squad leaders or make a squad of them in terminator armor?

[Raiden DJ]

Also how effective are thunder wolf cavalry. I have never played against them and have only seen them in battle reports. I would assume though they would get shot up very quickly and be a target of enemy fire.

[Kaiserdean]

I don't have my book in front of me, so I can't offer any point values but here are my thoughts.


Personally, I don't like the Lone Wolf. I'd drop that and the fenrisian wolves for a unit of scouts with a melta.

I also think you'll have more success at this lower point level with Rhinos over drop pods.

I would drop the land raider for a smaller heavy, like a vindicator and add a dread if you can milk out the points.

I'd drop the Wolf Lord in favor of the Wolf Guard to beef up your Grey Hunter squads. You'll have to drop a grey hunter but give the WG a power fist and combi-melta and stick them in rhinos.

The Rune Priest is great and I like mine with Jaws and Hurricane.

[Sure]

My Advice:

Get the games in!!!!
This list has everything you need to do well at 1500 points. Is it an "optimized" list? No. However, it seems to have at least 2 answers for most opposing units.

Play lots of games with the list and see what works, what doesn't, and don't give up on the build unless something just doesn't work no matter what you do with it. Give it at least ten games before changing anything.

I say this for the reasons I've already stated AND one other reason: it looks fun.

[Raiden DJ]

Thanks very much. The advice has been incredibly helpful. I have played a couple games and some things have become clear.
-The Lone Wolf is hurts the list. While cheap, I cannot get him into combat nor will may opponents give me a kill point by shooting and killing him, hurting me in the end. I realize I need Wolf Guard in my Grey Hunter squads after failing ld tests to see if I can use counterattack.

[blackarmchair]

Long-time Space Wolf player here (since about a year before their new dex), hopefully I can give you some useful answers:

1) To answer your thunderwolf question: They're not bad if you use them correctly and pick your targets carefully. These guys are not unstoppable man-gods but they do provide something very useful to a SW player: counter-charge. Too often I see SW players put these guys up front and try to shove them down an opponent's throat; remember once you get past the T5 they essentially die just like any other marines. Where I've found them highly successful is in medium-sized groups (about 4) with a few power-somethings and a storm shield or two parked behind some LoS blocking terrain (or maybe your land raider). Their job is essentially to kill any one thing before they die; which is super important for a close-ranged hybrid army. I've found them to be highly successful in this role.

2) Don't listen to the hate; Lone Wolves are pure, unadulterated, awesome! That said, they work best in 2's and 3's. At 1500pts I think you either need to take at least 2 Lone Wolves or just swap them out for a 5-man scout squad with meltabombs and a meltagun (should be about the same price).

3) Rhinos > Drop pods. A rhino is IMHO the most useful unit in the game; it can move troops, contest objectives, tank shock, and for some reason they just decide to be stupidly survivable from time to time. All of this for a 35pt vehicle is gold. Drop pods are gimmicky in that when you want them they're spectacular but when they're not optimal they really gimp you; rhinos let you stay flexible in terms of their deployment.

4) I see you've included a LRR and an angry wolf lord. These are choices I used to take very often and I've had some pretty mixed results from them, I'll cover each separately:

The wolf lord has basically the same role as the small thunderwolves squad does IMHO, if you try to charge your opponent's army with him he will usually die without being of much use and 200+ pts is FAR too much for a suicide unit. That said, if you're going to play the 4x Wolf Lord list all of this changes (although Grey Knights have pretty much ended this list).

The LRR - for me - has only two uses: 1) the AP3 flamers are redonk and 2) the LoS-blocking for your rhinos. Honestly, #2 is the only real reason I find myself wanting the LR; if there were an option for a stripped-down LR with very little in the way of guns or transport for a cheaper price I would take them every game. The reason I've moved away from LR's in general is the nature of the SW dex and the meta. People are very used to LR's, they expect them, they've brought melta and about 50% of the time they get popped really fast. And also, love it or hate it, Space Wolves have BAD hammer units....BAD! Sure, you can dump a quarter million points into WG Terminators or into Ragnar and a billion WG with a priest in a LR but all things considered there is nothing with the points efficiency of something like the 40pt TH/SS termie you find in a 'nilla marines book. In general, LR's just don't cater to wolves' strengths.

Hope this wall of text is helpful!

[Raiden DJ]

Thanks for the assistance! Young Bloodclaws, like me, appreciate it when Long Fangs such as yourself give valuable advice on how to succeed at destroying emperor's enemies!

[Raiden DJ]

Enemies of the Emperor is what I meant. That was a typo! For the Emperor!

[Wolf Brother Hellstrom]

nice balanced list. I agree with black arm chair completely especially the part about rhinos over pods. I tried the drop pod army. it doesnt work. drop pods are good for dreadnought or terminator delivery thats about it. it you do take pods i like the deathwind missile launcher its strength 5 and you be surprised about how many player forget about it not to mention the fact it is great for adding cover to a board. in the same token i have forgotten to use it a few times myself :D

personally i would go with canis instead of the wolf lord. use the extra points to get more wolves. canis running with 15 wolves(actually 17 if you get 2 wolves with canis) is not a only a vicious assault unit that cant be ignored and he makes the wolves init 5, then 4 attacks each on the charge. also they act as a awesome meat shield for your units behind them.

lone wolfs are great. the can soak alot of fire and can be very sneaky by hiding in cover. also can be a kill point for you if he dies. so be suicidal with him. thats the point. ive had lone wolves in terminator armor take out ic's and greater demons alike before biting the dust

[blackarmchair]

Deathwind missile launchers are absolutely amazing, the whole point of a drop pod (aside from delivering a unit up-field) is to be annoying and get in the way. A DW Missile Launcher makes them actually threatening but still not really worth the time to waste anti-tank fire on an AV12 vehicle. The downside is - of course - they can't shoot the turn they land, but they're still worth it.

Canis is nice because he's cheap but beware there's a reason for his cost, namely: he has NO invulnerable save. He's great for mopping up infantry, send him into a MEQ squad and watch him clean house. But he absolutely can't handle anything with a power weapon...so I still prefer a regular wolf lord.

[Wolf Brother Hellstrom]

good point. no canis. give hq the wolfkin saga to beef up wolves and hava go