Aeronautica Imperialis - Legions of the Horus Heresy
Legions in the Skies: A Review of Legion Traits for Aeronautica Imperialis
In my Faction Review of the Adeptus Astartes, I concluded with a concept close to my heart—splitting a Legions Imperialis Space Marine aircraft box between two players. The idea is simple yet elegant: both players construct air wings simultaneously, each painting their craft in the proud colours of their chosen legion—one loyalist, one traitor.
Before diving into legion-specific rules, players can focus on learning the basics. And once they’ve mastered movement, shooting, and objectives, they can then layer on the thematic flavour and mechanical depth of the legion traits. The result is a beautifully balanced game, driven by tactics, not imbalance—your manoeuvring, target prioritisation, and mission savvy will make or break your victory.
 |
| Blood Angels and Emperor's Children |
And what better backdrop than the Horus Heresy itself? A galaxy-spanning civil war brimming with iconic grudges: the siege-craft of the Iron Warriors pitted against the indomitable Imperial Fists, the noble strikes of the Dark Angels facing the terror-fueled Night Lords, or the proud Ultramarines clashing with the fanatical Word Bearers. These aerial duels bring the wars of the Legions to life on the tabletop.
Below is a detailed review of the Legion Traits—with insights into which aircraft best showcase each trait and how they shape the skies of the 31st Millennium.
Loyalist Legions
Dark Angels – Ravenwing Veteran
This upgrade mirrors the standard Veteran ability but can be applied to any number of aircraft. Though it’s a bit expensive, it could significantly improve the reliability of your first Firing Phase, potentially giving you the advantage for the rest of the game. I find it particularly effective on aircraft armed with Hunter-Killer missiles.
Rating: ☆☆☆
White Scars – Swift of Wing
I love this upgrade—it feels like a classic jink mechanic from the Aeldari or Necrons. It offers a huge positional advantage, allowing greater mobility and survivability. It’s effective on all aircraft, but especially potent on Xiphon Interceptors. This gives a real feel for the hit-and-run tactics of the sons of Chogoris.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Imperial Fists – Aegis Pilot
An outstanding upgrade. The extra Structure Point significantly improves the longevity of smaller, more vulnerable aircraft like the Xiphon. It synergises well with Techmarine and Armoured Cockpit upgrades, allowing fighters to thrive in long engagements. This gives a real feel for stubborn nature of the sons of Dorn.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Blood Angels – Master of the Skies
One of the best upgrades available for the points. Aeronautica rewards good prediction and positioning, this trait helps disrupt your opponent’s plans and makes it easier to achieve Tailing Fire. I love this upgrade on all aircraft, but it is outstanding on the Xiphon, which can leap from minimum to maximum speed in a single move.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Iron Hands – Iron Father
A direct upgrade from the standard Techmarine, offering superior damage repair. The more Structure Points your aircraft has, the better this performs. This is a natural choice for the Thunderhawk, where its cost is justified by survivability. Less valuable on lighter aircraft.
Rating: ☆☆☆
Raven Guard – Shadow Bird
A cheap and thematic upgrade that grants Stealth. While its value is limited outside of missions involving ground targets, it's affordable and can find situational uses. Of all upgrades, probably the least universally useful.
Rating: ☆
Ultramarines – Alaris Pilot
Being able to change your Ace Manoeuvre after seeing your opponent’s final positions is powerful. Aeronautica is all about dominating the Movement Phase, and this trait lets you counter-react dynamically. Again, it’s especially valuable on Xiphons.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Space Wolves – Peerless Hunter
This adds extra firepower in Tailing Fire, an opportunity that doesn’t always present itself, but when it does, it’s brutal. A Xiphon with this upgrade can increase its Short-Ranged Firepower from 0 to 2 with Lascannons or Hunter-Killers, gaining shots where none would normally be allowed.
Rating: ☆☆☆
Salamanders – Tempered Plating
Combines Ceramite Plating with the ability to ignore extra damage from one weapon per game. It's a niche upgrade and mostly only relevant against high-damage weapons like Turbo-Lasers or in matchups against Iron Warriors. Best used on Thunderhawks.
Rating: ☆☆☆
Traitor Legions
Sons of Horus – Warmaster’s Chosen
This nuanced upgrade lets you re-roll the initiative roll, which can be game-changing in the right turn. The best place for this is on your most durable aircraft—the Thunderhawk makes a prime candidate.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Night Lords – Anguish Engines
This is very cheap and highly situational. In missions with Handling penalties (e.g., Dense Clouds or Extra Damage rules), it shines. In a normal game, it’s almost irrelevant. Equip your whole flight if you’re going into one of those missions.
Rating: ☆☆☆
Iron Warriors – Hullbreaker Missiles
Enhances the Extra Damage of missile attacks. It’s an aggressive and powerful upgrade, especially on aircraft with missile payloads. It's a bit costly across multiple aircraft, but extremely effective when used correctly. Keep it mainly for Xiphons and Storm Eagles.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Emperor’s Children – Phoenix Pilot
This combines the Veteran upgrade with enhanced Ace Manoeuvre access, allowing a Xiphon to use all 8 options, or letting a Thunderhawk pull off some rare moves like the Stall Turn. A unique and highly thematic upgrade for the sons of Chemos.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Word Bearers – Possessed Pilot
Movement is key in Aeronautica as you position your aircraft to attack or avoid attacks from enemy aircraft. This upgrade adds unpredictability and can catch opponents off-guard. One moment they are not in range and the next they are. It is best used on aircraft with Short and Medium-range weapons, particularly the Fire Raptor with Heavy Bolters.
Rating: ☆☆☆
Alpha Legion – Sacii Pilot
Allows redeployment after initial positioning, disrupting enemy plans. Very useful for creating a refused flank or a concentrated force of aircraft. This could be especially valuable in transport missions or for repositioning Xiphons into coordinated strike formations.
Rating: ☆☆☆
World Eaters – Red Hunter
Grants a short-range accuracy boost for a single Firing Phase, which can lead to a big damage spike. Best used on Fire Raptors armed with Heavy Bolters to maximise the benefit. Not universally useful, but it has its place.
Rating: ☆☆
Death Guard – Shroud of Barbarus
After moving, this upgrade allows you to completely negate incoming fire, though you also skip your own attacks. This is ideal for Thunderhawks or Storm Eagles making risky transport runs where survivability is the priority.
Rating: ☆☆☆
Thousand Sons – Corvidae Initiate
You get both Infra-Red Targeting (ignores Night Fighting and Bad Weather at Medium range) and the ability to ignore firing penalties between altitudes once per game. Very niche, but interesting in the right scenario.
Rating: ☆☆
Whether you're a veteran of the skies or just starting your journey into Aeronautica Imperialis, the addition of legion traits breathes new life into every sortie. These upgrades don’t just tweak stats—they bring each legion’s unique character and battlefield philosophy into sharp focus. From the lightning-fast strikes of the White Scars to the dread-soaked manoeuvres of the Night Lords, every engagement becomes a rich narrative moment. Whether you're playing matched missions or crafting your own Horus Heresy campaigns, these traits give you the tools to forge unforgettable duels above the battlefields of the 31st Millennium. So, pick your colours, ready your squadrons, and let the skies burn.
I hope you enjoyed this review and found it useful. If you have any questions, please drop them in the comments below, I love to hear from you all.
Return to my home page.
If you're enjoying the content, feel free to hit that follow button at the top of the page. It really helps and keeps you updated!
No matter which aircraft you choose or how you build your force, remember that the skies are a dangerous place. Strategy, positioning, and quick thinking are key to survival. So, gear up, plan your moves carefully, and always watch your six—because in Aeronautica Imperialis, the enemy is never far behind.
Comments
Post a Comment