The forges of Mars blaze hotter than ever, and with the red glow of industry casting long shadows across the battlefield, the Mechanicum marches into Warhammer: The Horus Heresy with an armoured host that would make even the most hardened Princeps weep with joy. If you were planning to stroll into the next Magos conclave without a new war machine at your side… reconsider. The embarrassment alone could short out your cogitator.
Let’s take a closer look at the new engines of destruction and the war-scarred novel that accompanies them.
Karacnos Assault Tank: The Mechanicum's Siege Solution
When the Triaros Armoured Conveyor isn't busy shuttling troops, the Mechanicum finds new and inventive ways to turn it into a mobile death engine. Enter the Karacnos Assault Tank—a brutal reinvention loaded with mortar tubes, belching lingering radiological death across the battlefield. Sponson-mounted lightning locks provide ample defense against would-be flankers, while its heavily armoured hull ensures it can endure even the most punishing counterfire. In both aesthetic and function, the Karacnos is the epitome of Mechanicum doctrine: cold, efficient, and devastatingly lethal.
Krios Battle Tank: A Retro-Futurist Powerhouse
A staple of the Mechanicum’s armoured ranks, the Krios Battle Tank wields ancient and esoteric technology that feels appropriately alien. Its lightning cannon—an anti-infantry nightmare—can reduce entire squads to sizzling shadows. For those feeling particularly cruel, the irradiation blaster offers a more intimate and insidious alternative.
Prefer to hunt tanks? The Krios Venator configuration swaps out its main armament for a pulsar-fusil—a tank-killing weapon that trades range for raw penetrative force. Either way, the Krios brings mobility and firepower in equal measure, and it's hard not to appreciate its rounded chassis and tracked elegance.
Thanatar Calix Siege-automata: The Big Gun with a Fist to Match
It wouldn’t be the Mechanicum without a towering murder-bot—and the Thanatar Calix Siege-automata doesn’t disappoint. Packing a Sollex heavy-lascannon for vaporizing enemy armour and a shoulder-mounted graviton ram for crunching closer threats, the Calix is essentially a walking artillery piece with fists. Compared to the brute force of a Leviathan Dreadnought, the Thanatar Calix doesn’t just compete—it dominates. Mechanicum players looking to anchor a flank or obliterate key targets will find this siege-automata indispensable.
Ursarax Cohort: Flesh, Steel, and Fury
While the Thallax remain a fan-favourite for shooty automata, the Ursarax Cohort offers something more visceral—literally. Built from what's left of a human core, these twisted creations are less robot and more reanimated rage with a jetpack. Armed with lightning claws or power fists and propelled by Utan jump boosters, they bring terror to the enemy lines at breakneck speed. Fast, vicious, and unsettlingly alive, Ursarax are the Mechanicum’s answer to close combat—a blend of old flesh and new war.
Farsight: Blade of Truth – A Return to the Fire Caste’s Brightest Flame
Shifting gears from forge-world brutality to high-concept sci-fi drama, Phil Kelly’s latest novel, Farsight: Blade of Truth, delivers a crucial missing piece in the enigmatic Commander’s saga. Bridging the narrative between his early defiance and his return during the Second Agrellan Campaign, this story thrusts Farsight back into the crucible—this time against the devouring swarms of the Tyranids.
Armed with newer T’au tech and burdened by the ghosts of his past, Farsight must protect the planet he calls home while grappling with his legacy. Available soon in hardback, eBook, and audiobook formats, this novel is essential reading for fans of the T’au Empire or anyone intrigued by one of the galaxy’s most divisive heroes.
Final Verdict: Praise the Omnissiah (and the Black Library)
Between the siege-heavy brutality of the Karacnos, the retro-future charm of the Krios, the monstrous force of the Thanatar Calix, and the savage grace of the Ursarax, the Mechanicum receives a suite of units that both diversify and reinforce its role on the battlefield. Whether you're a Heresy veteran or just now embracing the red robes of Mars, these models bring narrative depth and raw power.
Pair it with a dive into the T’au’s ideological firestorm with Farsight: Blade of Truth, and you’ve got something for both the battlefield tactician and the lore lover.
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