Bridgehead Strike

This detachment reframes the Scions from disposable objective-grabbers into a genuine core. Previews indicate that with a Militarum Tempestus Officer as your Warlord, Tempestus Scions gain BATTLELINE and a boost to Objective Control, so the models you drop actually hold ground rather than just harass. The signature effect rewards the deep strike itself: Militarum Tempestus units that arrive from Reserves get a bonus to hit the turn they land, reported as +1 to hit on the shooting that follows a drop. That flips the usual weakness of arriving units, that they cannot move-and-shoot efficiently, into a strength. Confirm the exact Warlord requirement, keyword grant and to-hit value in the printed Faction Pack before you rely on them.

The detachment's tricks are about arrival and accuracy. The one to know is a Priority Drop Beacon-style effect that lets an officer deploy from Reserves as early as turn one, compressing your alpha strike into the opening turn instead of waiting. Use it when you have a clear target the enemy has left exposed, an isolated character, a backfield gunline, a lone objective holder, and want to punish it before they can react. Because Scions are fragile, only drop when the shooting will pay for the squad; a wasted turn-one deep strike that fails to kill leaves your troopers stranded and dead next turn. Hold any re-roll or accuracy stratagem for the volley that matters most. Treat CP costs and timing windows as provisional until confirmed in the pack.

Enhancements here support the drop-and-strike identity, buffing your Tempestus characters so the squads that follow them land harder or survive the counterpunch. On an elite, low-model detachment, the highest-value enhancements are usually the ones that improve the reliability of your key shooting turn or keep the Warlord officer alive so the BATTLELINE and to-hit benefits keep flowing, lose that officer and the detachment's engine sputters. Put your best enhancement on the character you intend to commit forward, and keep them screened by the Scions rather than exposed alone. Check the pack for the exact enhancement list, their points and any restrictions, since previews describe the theme more than the fine print.

Tempestus Scions are the heart of the detachment, hot-shot lasguns and cheap special weapons that punch above their toughness the turn they drop. A Militarum Tempestus Officer (Tempestor Prime) is effectively mandatory as your Warlord to switch on the BATTLELINE and Objective Control benefits, and a Command Squad adds special-weapon density. The Taurox Prime gives you a mobile, non-Reserves element to hold the midboard while your Scions rain in. Support the strike force with a cheap Guard backing of officers and infantry if you want board presence, though a pure Tempestus list is a viable, fast, glass-cannon build. Browse options on the army hub.

Take Bridgehead Strike if you like precise, aggressive play and can stomach a fragile army that lives or dies on good target selection. It is ideal as a 1-DP splash to add a deep-striking scalpel to a heavier gunline, or as a full-theme list for players who want speed over resilience. Avoid it if you prefer a forgiving, grind-them-down game, Scions punish positioning errors harshly, and a mistimed drop can lose you a quarter of your army for nothing. It is a rewarding but demanding pick for improving players. Confirm the current rules and points in the Faction Pack, then return to the Astra Militarum guide to build around it.