Who's you favourite loyalist Primarch?

[Wildeybeast]

So, for those of us who prefer our primarchs with a little less heresy in their blood, here's the vote.

I'm nailing my colours to the mast from the off. Corax. Dude has mega cool lightning claws and whip for weapons. He has mad ninja skills. Isn't a glory hog like the rest, yet could beat all the loyalists in a fight. Has super smarts that let him figure how to upgrade the astartes creation process. Isn't emotionally stunted like the rest of them. Oh and he can turn INVISIBLE.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

Rogal Dorn easily for me he is the epitomy of what a primarch is suposed to be. he is well respected a genious when it comes to defensive construction and lets face it he is one of the last loyalist primarchs to disapear/ be killed. So while everyone else has died or gone off to find themselves he is kicking traitor faces and stopping a black crusade... seriously cant get any better then that. hell look at the whole perturbo thing he answered the question honestly and if started off the anamosity between the brothers.

[ElectricPaladin]

Sanguinius.

I'll come back later and wax poetic about why, but I need to defrost some chicken for dinner.

[sangrail777]

Sanguinius.

Humility, loyalty, empathy, the belief that humanity can be so much more and appreciation for the arts. Below the angelic surface lies bitter rage, sorrow, regret, suppressed thirst for blood. He is the ideal, even his own sons try to shield him from wrongs, because no one would want to see him fall. He is the spirit of the emporium, a visual manifestation of the righteousness and glory the emperor bestows upon humanity. Horus couldn't or wouldn't even try to turn him ( looked upon erabus's attempt with contempt/hatred and jealously). The chaos gods wanted him, for a symbol. For that's what he is, a symbol of righteousness, of glories to come, a banner of hope and the epitome of the holy right to do whatever the f$&k you think is right.

[AnEnemy]

Leman Russ. Your Primarch didn't have any tanks named after them did they? Oh? Well...I'm sure they're nice.

[Deadlift]

Sanguinius.

I'll come back later and wax poetic about why, but I need to defrost some chicken for dinner.

I went with Sanguinius too, without doubt one of the the most noble of the primarchs. Paid the ultimate sacrifice for his father and his beliefs. Loved his legion like a true father despite their flaws. Vulcan and Ferrus are a very close second and third.

[Wildeybeast]

Leman Russ. Your Primarch didn't have any tanks named after them did they? Oh? Well...I'm sure they're nice.

This made me chuckle.

Edit: Now I'm more awake, I'm going to make a more eloquent case for Corax and explain why he's far nobler than Sanguinius. may contain spoilers.

Humility. Whilst Sanguinius wanders around looking like an angel, being Mr Perfect and admired by his brothers, Corax has to hide in the shadows, his way of war looked down on with scorn by several of his brothers who see it as unmanly or even cowardly. Never once does he rankle at this unjust portrayal, never on e does he complain. He knows he has the love and respect of his father and that the Imperium needs his way of way. It's what he was created for and he accepts his place gladly and without the need to seek constant reassurance and love from his father.

When his legion is massacred in front of his eyes, he doesn't enter a berserk rage or a howling bloodthirst, he doesn't throw his life away in futile gesture so desperation. He weeps. Not even for the loss of his own sons, but for the sheer senselessness of it all, for the loss of everything the Imperium could have been. He weeps with pity for the fall of his brothers and their sons, even as they murder his own sons. When Angron finally corners him, he accepts his inevitable death with calm resolve, intent on fighting as a Primarch should.

Once he escapes the horror of Istvaan, he searches his own soul for his own weaknesses, seeing how he could have turned into Curze, how his own potential for treachery made him afraid to kill Lorgar and Curze. He seeks to rebuild his own legion not for his own sense of loss, but so he can serve the Emperor again and bring justice to his foes.

He is the truest of the Emperors sons. Selfless. Humble. Stronger than most of the rest, yet never feels the need to flaunt it. Emotionally aware enough to see his own weaknesses and failings. Unflinchingly loyal, even through all he suffers. From his earliest days he sought to protect the weak form the strong, to oppose and end tyranny in all it's forms. A champion of the people. What more could a Primarch be.

Oh, and did I mention he can turn INVISIBLE?

[ACE01]

Sanguinius.

"It should have been him" - Horus


That is all.

[Anggul]

He is the truest of the Emperors sons. Selfless. Humble. Stronger than most of the rest, yet never feels the need to flaunt it. Emotionally aware enough to see his own weaknesses and failings. Unflinchingly loyal, even through all he suffers. From his earliest days he sought to protect the weak form the strong, to oppose and end tyranny in all it's forms. A champion of the people. What more could a Primarch be.

I think the thing that makes him one of the best is that he's the least like a son of the Emperor. The Emperor is a disgusting creature, a genocidal psychic construct with the sole purpose of eradicating all other sentient life so that mankind is the only species left to rule the galaxy. Corax is, as you say, quiet and thoughtful. He's still a horrible creature, because all of the primarchs are due to being made of the Emperor and devoted to his will, but in terms of the good of mankind he is, as you say, the most good and thoughtful.

Vulkan and Sanguinius are pretty good too. At the very least we know that the Salamanders and Blood Angels are known for actually caring about the people and wanting to protect them rather than just carrying out their mission because that's what they're told to do (or worse, like the Iron Hands, despising humans and thinking them weak despite being created for the purpose of protecting them). We don't really know much about Khan yet, he's only recently being touched upon. I feel he's had next to nothing said about him so far, so it will be great to be able to see him as one of the primarchs rather than just a guy in the background who happened to be involved.

[Wolfshade]

Sanguinius - he is the bestest eva!

[bfmusashi]

Vulkan. He's an unkillable kill machine that builds other kill machines and saves the children, but not the heretic children.

[Kirsten]

Corax, but it was very close, could easily have voted Ferrus, Sanguinius, or the Khan

[Megad00mer]

This made me chuckle.

Edit: Now I'm more awake, I'm going to make a more eloquent case for Corax and explain why he's far nobler than Sanguinius. may contain spoilers.

Humility. Whilst Sanguinius wanders around looking like an angel, being Mr Perfect and admired by his brothers, Corax has to hide in the shadows, his way of war looked down on with scorn by several of his brothers who see it as unmanly or even cowardly. Never once does he rankle at this unjust portrayal, never on e does he complain. He knows he has the love and respect of his father and that the Imperium needs his way of way. It's what he was created for and he accepts his place gladly and without the need to seek constant reassurance and love from his father.

When his legion is massacred in front of his eyes, he doesn't enter a berserk rage or a howling bloodthirst, he doesn't throw his life away in futile gesture so desperation. He weeps. Not even for the loss of his own sons, but for the sheer senselessness of it all, for the loss of everything the Imperium could have been. He weeps with pity for the fall of his brothers and their sons, even as they murder his own sons. When Angron finally corners him, he accepts his inevitable death with calm resolve, intent on fighting as a Primarch should.

Once he escapes the horror of Istvaan, he searches his own soul for his own weaknesses, seeing how he could have turned into Curze, how his own potential for treachery made him afraid to kill Lorgar and Curze. He seeks to rebuild his own legion not for his own sense of loss, but so he can serve the Emperor again and bring justice to his foes.

He is the truest of the Emperors sons. Selfless. Humble. Stronger than most of the rest, yet never feels the need to flaunt it. Emotionally aware enough to see his own weaknesses and failings. Unflinchingly loyal, even through all he suffers. From his earliest days he sought to protect the weak form the strong, to oppose and end tyranny in all it's forms. A champion of the people. What more could a Primarch be.

Oh, and did I mention he can turn INVISIBLE?

Respect, Sir. Victorus Aut Mortis.

[Psychosplodge]

Leman Russ, because space vikings...

Corax and Vulkan are close second.

[Angelus Mortifer]

Sanguinius, for all of the comments already mentioned. Ultimate sacrifice, the knowledge and understanding of the great attributes of his Legion and their weaknesses, which create the constant struggle within as well as without. Likewise, also actually giving a sh*t about humanity when possessed with and granted such power as to be a Primarch, and for controlling 1/20th of the greatest warmachine ever created by humanity.

He is a relatively complex character too, when many of the others are not (even though for some, their on-dimensionalness is exactly what they're meant to be). I can say so much about what I like about him. He is also the only one with an obvious mutation which, given how mutants are considered within the Imperium, is interesting seeing as he is "arguably" the most celebrated Primarch throughout the Imperium.

[Wildeybeast]

Respect, Sir. Victorus Aut Mortis.

Victorus Aut Mortis indeed.

Also, Anggul makes a great point about him being least like the Emperor. He always thinks before he kills and his method of warfare is about minimising casualties. Admittedly he once cares about casualties on his side, but the RG method of war reduces collateral damage. He is the scalpel where others are the anvil or the hammer. There's also an interesting section in Ravens Flight where he seems to realise the Emperor isn't all he's made out to be. His commitment to the Emperor never wavers, but he doesn't view him with the blind devotion some of the others do. I won't spoil the line for you, but it sums up perfectly just how self aware Corax is compared to most of the others.

[BrotherAlpharius]

I found this even tougher than the Traitor Primarchs. What I find interesting is that for the traitors I voted Kurze even though my main chaos force is Alpha Legion and my second is Plague Marines and I don't like the Night Lords.

For the loyalists I play Space Wolves but Leman Russ doesn't even make it into my top three. For me it's a close run between Sanguinius, Corax and Vulkan. I went with Sanguinius because he was there at the climax of the Heresy and made the ultimate sacrfice. I'm really hoping the Khan is going to be an interesting character. Prospero Burns kept the barbarism and savagery of Russ but hinted at hidden depths, however the viewpoint of the central character meant that we didn't see anything of the true Russ.

The one I want to like more but can't is Ferrus Manus. A friend said to me, "It doesn't really matter - he's not in it for long." and I replied, "He's not, but I want to give a damn about that fact, I want to feel that his loss is a tragedy and I just don't."

[oni]

I will never understand why so many people like Sanguinius.

Roboute Gulliman all the way... He only rebuilt the Imperium after the Heresy and set forth the foundation of nearly every Space Marine chapter galaxy wide... No big deal really.

[Mouser]

I will never understand why so many people like Sanguinius.

Roboute Gulliman all the way... He only rebuilt the Imperium after the Heresy and set forth the foundation of nearly every Space Marine chapter galaxy wide... No big deal really.
That is true, without Gulliman, we probably would have a good, united Imperium in the year 40000 instead of the **** hole it turned out to be. So he wins my favorite loyalist.

[Chris22]

Dorn turned the Imperial Palace into an impregnable fortress. Without his efforts there and his unmastered knowledge of siegecraft, the Palace would have fallen, and the Heresy would have had a much different ending. And his personal flagship predates the Imperium.

[King Damo]

Corax, I'm totally not biased in any way. Now if you excuse me, I have some Raven Guard to paint. Not biased at all.

[ElectricPaladin]

Allow me to try to explain my love for Sanguinius.

Of all the primarchs, he has always struck me as the most compassionate. He is the one who has genuine tears for a lowly sergeant killed on Planet Murder. He is the one who - again and again - eschews pride and glory in order to protect his family and his people. He's the one who dies defending the Emperor even though the full extent of the Emperor's manipulations have been laid before him - and he doesn't do it out of fear or selfishness. He does it because he is a man who keeps his promises, because Horus's selfishness and madness have also been made clear to him. He does it for the little guy, for the mortals on the planet around him.

Sanguinius always struck as the primarch who would just be the best bro. The one you'd most want to kick back and have a beer with. Sure, he'd be a bit stiff and formal - not at all a party animal like Leman Russ - but he's the one who's got your back. He's the one who'd spot you a twenty, give you a ride, fight for you when you can't fight for yourself.

He's the most human.

And this makes the fall of his sons - the Blood Angels - all the more pitiful. Of all the chapters, I always saw the Blood Angels as the ones who want to be the most heroic, and because of their flaw, have the hardest time doing it.

[Dyermaker14]

Had to vote for Russ. If memory serves, diddnt he rip the head off a titan at one point?

I agree that Russ was under developed in Prospero, however I don’t think that makes him a flat character. I like the fact that he seems to not take himself as seriously as the rest. His challenges with the Emperor where extended beyond physical combat to include drinking and the like. His rivalry with Johnson was punctuated by laughter and camaraderie (on his part anyway). However, he is able to switch from a jovial fun loving leader to a cold hearted executioner. Look at the way he pursues Magnus. I find it interesting that he is capable of exhibiting such different character traits. I hope they take time to another heresy era wolves book to further develop his character.

[Bigred]

Poor Ferrus,

Even in death - he doesn't get any love...

[Kurdice]

First off i think so far the traitor primarchs are way more fleshed out (or more interesting?) but that being said i like the Lion. Not for just general "Badassery" but i like the kind of tragic figure he cuts. That you can be a tactical genius and uber powerful but can be destroyed by doubt and mistrust.

[Adjudicator]

Leman Russ - The primarch to lead a legion of legion killers. pretty ****ing hardcore. plus i think he just enjoyed it all alot more - drinking, feasting, generally being raucous. id have him round for tea....

[Sitnam]

I'm a big fan of the Gorgon and his quest to be the strongest. I wish he got more air time in the books, the best source for him pre-Heresy is from the Primarchs anthology.

While their personality is much different from Ferrus I like Vulkan and Sanguinius from what I have seen of them.

[pgarfunkle]

Voted for Sanguinius for all the reasons that have already been said and more. However for second fav it's tied with Russ, the Lion, Guilliman. I like Ferrus for the fact that before his death he began to question his Legions attitude towards machines and flesh but before he could do anything he was killed but there's not been enough about him so far. I'm also looking forward to reading about the Khan

[Demonus]

Poor Ferrus,

Even in death - he doesn't get any love...

But apparently twice as much as the Khan LOL.

I voted Russ as Magnus is my favorite Chaos Primarch, and Russ broke his back like so....with his knee.


*edit*
post 666 hehe

[MisterCyto]

This seems like a loosely worded question. imho Alpahrius (Not so much Omegon) and Magnus were loyalist as far as I'm concerned. They did "wrong" for the Imperium, whereas the others actively fought against it.

*Spoilers*

I say Alparius and not so much Omegon because one was kind of forgetting the mission at hand; and I say Magnus because ruining your father's hobby to warn him about a major betrayal of a couple of billion Imperials doesn't constitute heresy imo.
And then of course there's The Lion.... totally loyal....

But if I had to pick one from the list, probably a tie between Ferrus, Corax and Dorn. I like them fir their very contrasting personalities and could never choose between them,.

[Sitnam]

But apparently twice as much as the Khan LOL.


Problem with Khan and Ferrus is that they haven't gotten a lot of airtime. The only IH-centric stuff we have from the HH series are short stories, and Ferrus died early on to where having a book dedicated to him and the Iron Hands (like pretty much every other Primarch has gotten or will get) is unlikely. Though a novel featuring the Iron Hands dealing with the loss of Ferrus could be good.

Khan on the other hand just now had his first book serialized and it'll come into novel format soon, so maybe that'll boost his personality. But the 7 other loyalists have had more time to gain a fanbase.

[iheartgrimdark]

Voted for Russ, I love the richness of the Rout in the HH novels and the tales of him on and off the field of battle are sweet but I would have liked to have had more info on the Wolf King in the HH series. The Night of the Wolf is an interesting bit of insight but would like to see a story from his personal perspective. Would also like to learn more about the Kahn and his dudes, too. Seem like a funny old bunch from the HH novela I read.

[Wildeybeast]

This seems like a loosely worded question. imho Alpahrius (Not so much Omegon) and Magnus were loyalist as far as I'm concerned. They did "wrong" for the Imperium, whereas the others actively fought against it.

*Spoilers*

I say Alparius and not so much Omegon because one was kind of forgetting the mission at hand; and I say Magnus because ruining your father's hobby to warn him about a major betrayal of a couple of billion Imperials doesn't constitute heresy imo.
And then of course there's The Lion.... totally loyal....

But if I had to pick one from the list, probably a tie between Ferrus, Corax and Dorn. I like them fir their very contrasting personalities and could never choose between them,.


They and their legions both end up as servants of Chaos, ergo traitors. Simplez.

[Ttonto77]

The Lion
All the loyalist primarchs have quite a bit of nobility and greatness about them. However my personal favorite will always be Lion Eljonson. Theres something to be said about a primarch who's values are based upon knighthood and honor.

[Griffotronmachi]

I like Guiliman and the Ultramarines with the Lion being a close second. I like the Roman inspired themes that have influenced the creation of the Ultramarines through the Horus Heresy books.

[Stucarius]

Rogal Dorn no question. He is everything a Primarch is supposed to be. There are some other great ones but honestly you have to put Dorn at the top with Sanguinius, Gillaman and Corax following.

Remember this should be the best not just the "coolest". That would likely by Russ and Sanguinius in a tie with Corax later. The Lion almost does not even count as a loyalist he is so tainted.

[euansmith]

Plus he has the coolest name and sharers it with the maddest German bagpipe band in the world.

5588

[Jerry Toppins]

The Lion. Why are these keyboards always so small? Doesn't anyone consider the finger size of Astartes?

[LordRex]

I just finished The Unremembered Empire and it got me liking Guilliman more than I used to.

[Overcaffeinated]

Vulkan is definitely my favorite. He is likely the most physically powerful of his brothers, he's a master craftsmen, has a heart of gold,and could likely win any staring contest.

[Tynskel]

I am alpharius!

[bfmusashi]

There are no loyalist marines, only Alpha Legion infiltrators who are unaware of each other.

[GlynG]

I voted for the Khan after listening to Scars recently. He stands up to his father against the Empire, does his own thing, laughs at battle and is ultimately loyal. I'm surprised he's doing so badly!

[Mr.Pickelz]

Leman Russ, Who else can say that they punched the emperor in the face and walked away still alive? Whose hand has slayed a legion(s)? Of whom did stand against Guilleman's book writing craziness and never give in?
Who gets the job done, no questions asked? Even those nutty chaos fanatics fear the wolfs' howl, and rightly so.

[Callum]

Vulkan, because:
1: He beats up lizards in volcanoes
2: after beating up lizards in volcanoes, he makes suits out of the lizards he beat up
3: None of the other primarchs to date have ever beaten up a lizard in a volcano

[Wolf Lord Zig]

As you can tell by my handle mine is of course Russ himself. The fluff with He and his Wolves are just awesome!

[dodicula]

In case anyone else needs convinving, here are some facts about Rogal Dorn and his glorious legion:
http://warhammercheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/10/25-facts-about-imperial-fists.html

[The Emperor's Champion]

This poll is waaaay further off than the Traitor one.

Poll Says:
Russ
Sanguinius
Lion
Dorn
Corax
Guilliman
Vulkan
Ferrus
Kahn

In Reality:
Guilliman
Vulkan
Russ
Sanguinius
Dorn
Corax
Ferrus
Kahn
Lion

Best to Worst:
Roboute Guilliman
Konrad Curze
Vulkan
Alpharius Omegon
Leman Russ
Sanguinius
Magnus The Red
Rogal Dorn
Corvus Corax
Fulgrim
Ferrus Mannus
Mortarion
Jaghatai Kahn
Angron
Perturabo
Horus
Lion El'Jonson
Lorgar

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

no not really i would say the poll is reflective of the community.... i know me personally i despise the ultra marines i think their primarch is a weakling i believe guillimen is a traitor and that dorn/ russ should have killed him when he imposed himself as the sucessor to the emperor and forced the codex astartes. While the BA scars and fists bloodied themselves killing traitors gurlyman was off picking flowers instead of protecting the palace as he was ordered to.

So yes this poll is acurate most people don't like the ultra marines... I know i have to fight a Red vs blue game atleast once a year to settle the score and put the smurfs in their place. The other thing that's funny is when everyone talks about how uber they are they forget since gurlyman spawned 2/3 of all sucessors then that would mean the majority of chapters to fall to chaos since the heresy ended are of gurlyman gene seed :)

[SuperDann]

Even though I am an avid Dark Angel player, Russ still stands out to me as my favourite loyalist primarch to date. Abnett did a fantastic job of him in Prospero Burns, and I love that his whole Barbarian King thing is just a façade, and that deep down he is so much more than that.

[The Emperor's Champion]

I could explain why you're embarrassingly wrong, but I just don't care enough.

[Kernbanks]

The Lion hands down... the nobility of King Arthur's court and the tragedy of Shakespeare in one... not to mention he's just sleeping it off so he can come back to kick some serious *** in the future

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

And yet the poll speaks for itself looks like edgar allen in the corner repeating nevermore is ahead of the smurf so keep your delusions the poll says all that needs to be said gurlyman doesnt even break 10%

[daboarder]

I can only assume ECs joking right? I mean its a poll asking what people's favourite primarchs are... there is no right answer.

[Aspire to Glory]

Leman Russ? Really?

Russ: "Hey, Allfather... I totally support this Edict of Nikea thing. Psykers are dangerous and unpredictable. But mostly, I'm a bully and I hate nerds."

years later

Sanguinious: "Um, Russ, I noticed that your legion still has... Um... Psykers..."

Russ: "No. Uhhhh... Those are RUNE priests. It's different."

years later

Emperor: "Magnus has been practicing psykery."

Russ: "Say WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT? The nerve!"

[Aspire to Glory]

I could explain why you're embarrassingly wrong, but I just don't care enough.

Go troll on /tg/ jerkoff.

[DavidDraper]

Corax. It was always. Corax.

[AlexRae]

Leman Russ is the best there is at what he does. And what he does ain't very nice, bub.

He takes his team and wipes out legions. All whilst teaching lessons to these berserkers and pious blowhards.

He da bes

[Dalleron]

voted the Lion cuz he's the Primarch of the chapter I play. Why would i vote any other.

Probably vote Russ after that.

[AffetheKing]

What's all this talk about Johnson being a Traitor or just trying to get on the winning side about? Always thought that's just fan fluff.

[Sitnam]

I think it is just fans looking into his actions to harshly. I feel he is loyal, despite my disliking of him from "The Lion" and "Savage Weapons"

[Reaper45]

Russ and Dorn are co #1's for me. Ferrus/Corax/Vulkan would be my #3. I want to like the Khan but I just can't seem to.

[AffetheKing]

I think it is just fans looking into his actions to harshly. I feel he is loyal, despite my disliking of him from "The Lion" and "Savage Weapons"

So, where are These Actions documented? Is ist from the Horus Heresy books?

[Dalleron]

The Gav Thorpe book Angels of Darkness hints that Jonson was waiting to see who would win, and that he didn't trust his own legion. All fuzzy second hand rememberances from me, i read that book a while ago.

[Cactus]

I voted Dorn. I want to vote Robert but I like Dorn's style better. I want to vote the Kahn, but there just isn't enough printed about him yet. Plus, his first name is often, "the."

[Aspire to Glory]

The Gav Thorpe book Angels of Darkness hints that Jonson was waiting to see who would win, and that he didn't trust his own legion. All fuzzy second hand rememberances from me, i read that book a while ago.



ADB put that rumor to rest in a short story.

[Dalleron]

Where might this short story be? I like to read as much of the DA stuff as I can, being my boys and all.

[Overlordgaz]

It's a toss up between Corvus, Vulkan and Russ for me