World Eaters
World Eaters
The World Eaters, the XIIth Legion of the Adeptus Astartes, have descended upon Velaraxis with their signature brutality and unrelenting bloodlust. Led by the savage and unstable Primarch Angron, the World Eaters are among the most feared of the Traitor Legions, known for their berserk fury and relentless close-quarters combat. On Velaraxis, their mission is clear: to break the Loyalist defences, seize control of the planet’s vital Nexiumite mines, and slaughter anyone who stands in their way. For the World Eaters, the campaign is not just about military conquest—it is a chance to sate their insatiable thirst for bloodshed.
The World Eaters have turned Velaraxis into a hellscape of endless carnage, with their forces relentlessly assaulting Loyalist positions, mining colonies, and the subterranean tunnel networks. Wherever they march, destruction and terror follow. The toxic atmosphere and hazardous terrain of Velaraxis are of no concern to the World Eaters, who throw themselves into battle with reckless abandon, heedless of casualties. Their greatest asset is their ferocity, as they overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers and unrelenting attacks.
The Role of the World Eaters on Velaraxis
The World Eaters have been deployed to Velaraxis by Horus himself, tasked with breaking the planet’s defences and securing its critical resources for the Traitor war effort. However, their tactics on the planet are less about strategic conquest and more about overwhelming the Loyalist forces through sheer brute force. Angron, their Primarch, cares little for the planet’s long-term value; for him, Velaraxis is simply another battlefield on which to unleash his warriors and feed their bloodlust.
The Butcher’s Nails—implants that drive the World Eaters into a constant state of rage—ensure that their warriors fight with a ferocity unmatched by any other force. The proximity of Velaraxis’ mining tunnels and the claustrophobic nature of many of its battlefields only heighten their effectiveness, as the confined spaces allow the World Eaters to engage in the type of brutal melee combat they excel at.
Objectives of the World Eaters on Velaraxis:
Break the Loyalist Defenses: The primary goal of the World Eaters is to shatter the heavily fortified positions held by the Imperial Fists and Dark Angels. They aim to breach the fortifications around the mining colonies and Nexiumite processing centres, using their overwhelming strength to storm entrenched positions and tear down defensive walls.
Slaughter the Defenders: For the World Eaters, the campaign on Velaraxis is more than a military operation—it’s an opportunity for slaughter. Angron has ordered his forces to kill indiscriminately, revelling in the chaos and carnage they cause. Their secondary objective is to sow terror among the Loyalist ranks, demoralising them through relentless attacks and leaving none alive in their wake.
Seize the Mines: While Angron himself cares little for resources, Horus and the other Traitor commanders understand the importance of Nexiumite. World Eaters warbands have been ordered to take control of key mining operations on the planet, but their brutal tactics often leave little behind to salvage. The World Eaters’ approach to securing these mines is to clear them of all opposition—violently and without restraint.
Subterranean Assaults: Much of Velaraxis’ mining infrastructure is located underground, presenting a unique battlefield for the World Eaters. The enclosed tunnels and confined spaces play to their strengths, allowing them to close the distance with their enemies rapidly. Their assault squads are trained to fight in the tunnels, using their sheer ferocity and heavy chain weapons to carve through whatever resistance they encounter.
World Eaters Combat Doctrine on Velaraxis
The World Eaters are infamous for their unyielding focus on close combat. Their combat doctrine emphasises speed, shock tactics, and the overwhelming application of force. On Velaraxis, these tactics are magnified by the planet’s hostile terrain, tunnel networks, and defensible positions. Where other Legions might approach these conditions with caution or strategy, the World Eaters simply charge headlong into battle, confident that their sheer aggression will carry the day.
Key Tactical Elements:
Mass Assaults: The World Eaters use overwhelming numbers to break through enemy lines. They launch frontal assaults with Tactical Squads, Berserker Assault Units, and Rampager Squads leading the charge. These warriors close the distance quickly, using jump packs, transports, or simply sprinting through enemy fire, eager to get into melee combat. Their effectiveness is multiplied in confined spaces, such as the tunnels of Velaraxis, where their enemies have nowhere to retreat.
The Butcher’s Nails: The Butcher’s Nails—cybernetic implants that heighten aggression and induce constant rage—are a hallmark of the World Eaters. These implants push the warriors into a berserk fury that makes them almost unstoppable in close combat. On Velaraxis, the Butcher’s Nails turn even the most disciplined engagements into bloody brawls. The World Eaters suffer heavy casualties, but their sheer bloodlust often overwhelms enemy forces long before their numbers are depleted.
Tunnel Warfare: The confined mining tunnels of Velaraxis provide the perfect battlefield for the World Eaters’ preferred style of combat. They revel in the close-quarters fighting that the tunnels necessitate, using their chain axes, power fists, and glaives to rip through any opposition. Their Red Butchers—former World Eaters driven mad by the Butcher’s Nails—are particularly effective in these environments, slaughtering their way through entire squads with savage glee.
Savage Morale Warfare: The World Eaters know that fear is a powerful weapon. Their unrelenting brutality often breaks the morale of enemy forces before the battle has even begun. They leave horrifying displays of carnage in their wake, such as impaling the bodies of their enemies on spikes or covering entire battlefields in blood. These acts are designed to demoralise the enemy and encourage surrender—though the World Eaters rarely show mercy to those who do.
World Eaters Strategy on Velaraxis
The World Eaters' approach to the campaign on Velaraxis is straightforward: they aim to overwhelm and destroy the Loyalist forces through brute force and sheer numbers. Their tactics revolve around continuous frontal assaults, with little regard for losses. They target the most heavily defended Loyalist positions, particularly the mining colonies and subterranean strongholds, seeking to break through with relentless waves of berserkers.
In the narrow tunnels beneath Velaraxis, the World Eaters thrive. The close-quarters combat plays to their strengths, allowing them to close the distance with their enemies quickly and engage in the bloody hand-to-hand fighting they excel at. Their focus is less on capturing resources or fortifying positions and more on sowing as much destruction and death as possible, leaving behind nothing but carnage in their wake.
The World Eaters are particularly effective when paired with shock assault tactics, launching rapid, brutal charges before the enemy has time to react. Their use of Red Butchers in the narrow tunnels makes them nearly unstoppable in melee combat, and their Rampager Squads are a constant threat, capable of tearing through even the most fortified defences with their sheer aggression.
World Eaters Strategy on Velaraxis
The World Eaters are a vital part of the Traitor war effort on Velaraxis, serving as the hammer that smashes through the Loyalist defences. While other Traitor Legions, such as the Alpha Legion, focus on sabotage and infiltration, the World Eaters provide the raw power and unrelenting fury needed to break through the Imperial Fists’ fortified positions. Their constant assaults wear down the Loyalist forces, forcing them to expend valuable resources and manpower just to hold the line.
However, the World Eaters' greatest strength—uncontrolled rage and bloodlust—can also be their greatest weakness. Their lack of tactical discipline and disregard for long-term objectives means they often leave strategic positions vulnerable once the slaughter is over. This recklessness can create opportunities for the Loyalists to regroup and counterattack. Yet, for the World Eaters, such concerns are secondary. For Angron and his warriors, Velaraxis is simply another battlefield in their eternal quest for blood, and they will not stop until the ground is soaked in the blood of their enemies—or their own.
The World Eaters are crucial in maintaining pressure on the Loyalists, and their sheer ferocity ensures that Velaraxis remains a planet of constant, brutal conflict, with no end to the bloodshed in sight.