Helios

The Hyperion towers over the vanguard as one of the most formidable weapons in the Retribution’s arsenal, armed with an incomprehensibly powerful starburst weapon capable of annihilating anything in its blast. The Helios, housing the largest field generator in any myrmidon, has the power to reshape battlefields; the monumental forces it wields push and pull opponents wherever it chooses. Originally kept within Ios’ borders to defend the nation and especially House Shyeel, these machines have recently been added to the Retribution’s righteous cause.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Field Dependent
• Template:Dual Attack
• Template:Force Barrier
• Template:Force Fields
• Template:Force Gate
  • Template:Broadcast Power
  • Template:Distortion Field
  • Template:Repulsor Field

Weapons

Tractor Beam
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		12			3			Template:-			-
Template:Force Grip
Inferno Fist (x2)
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				4				21
Template:Open Fist Template:Continuous Fire Template:Flame Burst

Theme Forces

• Template:Defenders of Ios
• Template:Forges of War. Helios gains Shield Guard in this theme.
• Template:Legions of Dawn. In this theme Helios can ignore friendly Dawnguard models when determining LOS, and it can advance through friendly Dawnguard models if it has enough movement to move completely past them.
• Template:Shadows of the Retribution

Thoughts on the Helios

Helios in a nutshell

A weak main gun, no secondary ranged weapons, and average stats all over - that's what you see on a superficial look on the Helios. However, there's always more than it meets the eye. The Helios is a defensive support colossal capable of achieving high DEF vs ranged attacks. The Tractor Beam is unique among Retribution myrmidons in that it is the only non-magical weapon, and it does no damage. Helios can hold out in melee with very high P+S fists and the ability to set fire to many things, though with its average MAT you'll often want to boost. An overall badass

Combos & Synergies

There are a few casters out there, who can pump up its DEF, most notably Kaelyssa and Ossyan. Why bother DEF on a colossal? Because Helios can get to DEF 14 against shooting on his own - that is a feature unheard of among huge based models in Warmachine. Anything higher than that is plain infuriating. Casters who can shore up its ARM (via Deceleration and the like) can ensure that it remains a tough nut to be cracked with ranged fire, even if the enemy beats its DEF.

• Adeptis Rahn - Polarity Shield along with the Tractor Beam and the other movement tricks of him makes landing close combat attacks against the Helios truly a challenge.
• This colossal works superbly with other units, who can push the enemy around (Battle Mages, Artificer, Magister, Aspis, just to name a few). It is another option that Retribution has to control the battle field except this one doesn't go down easy.
• The Gorgon's Polarity Cannon deserves special mention. Its Kinetic Grip, and the Tractor Beam can keep all but the most elusive brawler jacks/beasts at an arm's length away.
• The Helios can support a surprising number of jacks with Broadcast Power. It will probably be an anchor model for your battlegroup, and can ease the focus burden on your caster. With Power Up, most of your jacks can fully boost a single ranged attack of theirs.
• Griffon swarm is a thing again with Helios. Special mention to the Legion of Dawn theme, where it can fuel the marshalled Griffons too. If you have doubt about its efficiency, read the theme force description.
• Goreshade4's field marshal ability demands focus on your jacks to work - the Helios helps him out marvellously.
• It needs to see its targets to reel them in with the Tractor beam. Kaelyssa's Phantom Hunter, Ghyrrshyld's Mage Sight, or Issyria's feat can help that.
• Helios's ability to hand out focus is especially potent on marshalled jacks. Thanks to Helios and Arcanists it is quite possible to have marshalled jacks fully loaded. This is especially potent in Legions of Dawn for the Flank bonus and access to the second marshal, the Dawnguard Scyir.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Helpless at range against targets who have Stealth and/or Incorporeal and/or resist pushes.
• No ranged damage output to talk about (and not particularly scary in melee either for a colossal)
• Disrupted jacks won't get focus from Broadcast Power
• Beware with Precision Strikes - if they knock out your Generator in melee, you cannot push them out neither with Repulsor Field, nor with tractor Beam.

Tricks & Tips

• Poltergeist's push from Distortion Field is optional. Your enemies with ROF2+ weapons, or with reload will likely to come closer, because they count on being pushed away on a miss. If you have units to counter-strike, then just leave them where they are.
• Just like with the Storm Strider, watch out for the rule interaction with Repulsor Field and Rhyas' feat. Once the Helios is being damaged, the attacker is placed in B2B with the target, then it is pushed away 1". Be on the lookout, as you can easily give a free inch of threat range to a rampaging Scythean, or even for Rhyas...
• Remember, even having Spell Piercer on the Tractor Beam you cannot push models that aren't lost Incorporeal, as being able to damage them still not circumvent their resistance for pushing.

Other

Trivia

• The rules were published in Warmachine: Reckoning (2015.06) but the physical model wasn't available until 2017.01
• At one stage the Helios had the cheapest points cost among the Gargossals.