Photo courtesy of Games Workshop
Games Workshop have recently given Slaanesh players some new love in the form of a gorgeously updated Keeper of Secrets and a couple of brand new unique Characters. Today, we’re going to be looking at one of these new characters: Syll’Esske, the Vengeful Allegiance (hereafter just Syll’Esske).
THE MODEL
It goes without saying that the model is totally gorgeous. Lorewise, Syll’Esske is actually two different entities that end up working together and fighting as one. You have a mixture of a Slaanesh Herald known as Syll Lewdtongue and a mortal gladiator known as Esske. Syll took a distinct liking to Esske and worked directly with him to eventually elevate him to Daemonhood for She Who Thirsts.
Now they fight as one, hence the name Syll’Esske. The model does an excellent job of portraying this. Syll isn’t riding Esske so much as she is simply standing on top, a subtle way to demonstrate that they’re two parts of a whole rather then Esske simply being a mount and therefore Syll’s inferior.
There’s a lot of intricate detail in the new Slaanesh models, and Syll’Esske doesn’t disappoint. Esske is covered in tattoos and jewelry, and Syll is poised like a ballerina in mid dance. Any collector looking to add some new models to their Chaos or Slaanesh collection will definitely want to pick this one up. If you want to read more about Syll’Esske’s lore, you can check out the Warhammer Community page here. https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/04/24/slaanesh-the-lore/)
THE RULES
Okay, so Syll’Esske is beautiful, but do they pull their weight on the tabletop? The short answer: Yes, Syll’Esske is one of the best tools that Games Workshop have given Slaanesh players for some time. The long answer is a little more detailed. First, let’s look at Syll’Esske’s stat line.
Photo courtesy of Games Workshop
There’s a few things that jump out here. Syll’Esske’s statline is fairly similar to a Demon Prince, except they lose a few points of Strength and a slightly worse save for 4 bonus attacks and a slightly improved movement value. The Strength value looks concerning, but looks can be deceiving.
For one, Syll’Esske has the Herald ability to broadcast +1 Strength, which affects them as well, so realistically Syll’Esske is Strength 5, already a large improvement. They also have the Demon Prince ability of broadcasting a re-roll 1’s to hit aura. So, they’re super accurate since they hit on 2+ and re-rolls 1’s, just like any other DP, and they makes your other demons stronger.To really get the full picture however, we need their weapons and other special abilities.
Photo courtesy of Games Workshop
So much for their Strength being a concern! Syll’Esske is swinging at Strength 8, AP-3, flat 3 damage. Your typical Slaanesh Demon Prince makes 7 Strength 7 AP-2 Damage 2 swings, which means Syll’Esske is literally one step higher on their Attacks, Strength, AP, and Damage. Although you can obviously run a Herald with your Demon Prince to close the Strength gap, Syll’Esske doesn’t require the Herald as that effect is built in.
But that’s only half the package. They can also opt to swing with his whip, which roughly doubles their attacks at the price of lowering the quality of them heavily. However, if you just need to kill Ork Boyz or Genestealers or any other low durability unit, the flexibility is a welcome option.
Syll’Esske turns the dial up to 11 with their Deadly Symbiosis ability, as this allows you to make use of all 8 of your Axe swings and all 16 (or so) of your whip swings every combat. This means that Syll’Esske is pretty much guaranteed to kill whatever they charge, and with good movement and charges they can easily wipe two units a turn.
Obviously, any Slaanesh Demon player will really want this model in their collection, as it’s easily the best payoff to playing Slaanesh Demons. But, what if you are more of a Chaos Space Marine player? Well, you probably still want Syll’Esske, especially if you use Warp Talons, Maulerfiends, Mutilators, or Possessed. For one, he’s still a total lawnmower, so regardless of any potential synergies Syll’Esske will bring the pain in spades.
However, Syll’Esske’s abilities all just specify SLAANESH DAEMON, which means they will affect any Chaos Space Marine unit with both of their aura’s, as long as they have the right Mark and are also a Daemon. Strength 5 Warp Talons? Yes please! However, there’s a little extra crunch. If you take Syll’Esske as an Auxiliary Detachment, they will gain the Slaanesh Locus.
You won’t have access to any Stratagems, but they will gain the Locus of Swiftness, since an Auxiliary only prevents you from getting Stratagems. This makes them broadcast an aura that enables SLAANESH DAEMON units to Advance and Charge. Warp Talons getting Warp Time and Advancing twice and charging will make combat on the first turn. If your Mutilators fail their charges, they can Advance to compensate for their poor movement and charge stuff next turn. The possibilities are almost endless!
That wraps us up for our breakdown. Syll’Esske is a very powerful model, and even though we don’t have their points cost, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re going to want Syll’Esske to add to your collection if you happen to be a devotee of The Dark Prince, regardless of if you play Chaos Space Marines or Chaos Daemons proper. If you want to read more about the other rules and releases for Slaanesh, you can read about them here. https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/04/23/slaanesh-the-new-datasheets/
Want to polish up your tactics, and painting? Want to know how to save money on miniatures? Come check out our FREE guide by clicking here!
