Designation Force

The engine is target designation. Previews describe Scout Sentinels equipped with signal flares that mark enemy units within a short range, reported as within 12 inches, and friendly units then gain an extended detection or targeting benefit against those marked enemies, with reporting citing a +3 inch boost to detection range. In practice this is about seeing and reaching threats your gunline otherwise could not, using fast, cheap recon models to pull distant or hidden targets into your kill zone. The detachment's value is positional rather than a raw damage buff: it rewards pushing scouts into good vantage points early. Confirm the exact designation range, what the benefit is, and how many units can exploit it in the printed Faction Pack, previews sketch the shape but not every number.

The supporting stratagems reinforce the recon identity. A Long-Range Scout-style effect grants Infiltrators, letting your designators start further up the board so they can mark targets from turn one. A Sump-Smog Screen-style effect grants cover to the designating unit and to units behind it, protecting your fragile scouts and the gunline sheltering in their wake. Use the infiltrate effect at deployment to seize key sightlines; hold the smoke screen for the turn the enemy tries to shoot your exposed markers off the board. The theme is protecting the eyes of the army so the guns keep firing accurately, without your designators, the detachment stalls. Verify CP costs and exact wording against the pack.

Enhancements lean into scouting and target-marking, improving your recon characters' ability to designate, survive or reposition. On a detachment whose whole payoff runs through a handful of fragile spotter units, the best enhancement is usually the one that keeps a key designator alive or lets it mark more reliably, since losing your markers switches off the army-wide benefit. Attach it to the scout or Sentinel-supporting character you plan to push forward, and keep that model in cover. As always, previews describe the theme rather than the full slot, so check the printed Faction Pack for the exact enhancement names, effects and points before finalising your list.

Scout Sentinels are the stars, cheap, fast walkers that infiltrate, spot and designate, with Armoured Sentinels offering a tougher variant. Pair them with sniper and scout infantry that thrive on marking priority targets, then stand a heavy gunline behind them, Leman Russ tanks, artillery like Basilisks, and infantry heavy weapons, to cash in the designation benefit at range. The detachment is explicitly a support package: it makes the rest of your army shoot better into the right targets, so it wants a solid codex core doing the killing. This makes it a natural 1-DP partner for a shooting-focused codex detachment. See the army hub for unit options.

Take Designation Force if you enjoy positional play, screening and information warfare, and already run a gunline that benefits from reaching or hitting priority targets. It is a strong 1-DP splash beside a tank- or artillery-heavy core, adding reach and board control that heavy Guard lists often lack. Skip it if you want a straightforward brawl or a low-model-management game, it asks you to push and protect fragile scouts every turn, and rewards players who think about sightlines. It suits methodical commanders more than aggressive ones. Confirm the current rules and points in the Faction Pack, then head back to the Astra Militarum guide to slot it into a list.