Centurion
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This article is about the Space Marine Infantry; for the Space Marine rank, see Centurion (Rank). |
Centurions are a type of Space Marine heavy infantry equipped with Centurion Armour. Essentially walking tanks, Centurion units are commonly divided into two types of squads.
Overview
A Centurion Warsuit allows a Space Marine to stride into battle with the firepower of a battle tank and the protection of thick ablative plates of ceramite, making him immune to all but the most powerful of weapons. Named for the Space Marine leaders of old, the Centurion STC design was unearthed in the aftermath of the Age of Apostasy, and after sanction by the Adeptus Mechanicus they found their way into the armories of almost every Space Marine chapter.[3]
Centurions are brutal weapons specialists tactically deployed as line-breakers and besiegers, where haste is less important than durability. The suits themselves do not interfere with the Black Carapace of a Space Marine, and they do not need to be surgically implanted within the warsuit as is the case with a Dreadnought. Battle-Brothers learn to pilot Centurions as part of their vehicle training, and pilots are not chosen from the 1st Company. Instead, they are chosen from the Chapter's Assault and Devastator units. The most frequent explanation of this is that a Centurion's role requires a Space Marine to be fully immersed in a particular style of war, while the bulky exosuits lack the degree of tactical flexibility that the Chapter's Veterans require.[3]
Space Marines are trained extensively to pilot Centurion suits, in particular to deal with a Devastator Centurion suit's enormous recoil and the complexities of using a siege drill under fire while operating an Assault Centurion suit. Only after a Space Marine has mastered operating tanks and aircraft will they be permitted to pilot a Centurion suit.[4]
Types
Assault Centurion
Assault Centurions are deployed when an enemy stronghold must be assaulted head-on in an environment too compact for an Ironclad Dreadnought[3]. The chapter's foremost close combat experts, these squads are solely focused on closing with the enemy and destroying them face-to-face. Once assault centurions have broken through, units of tactical marines will follow into the breach to secure the area.[3]
Assault centurions are armed primarily with two siege drills, each of which is equipped with either a flamer or meltagun, along with a hurricane bolter or ironclad assault launcher mounted on their chests.[1] They share the same weakness as their devastator centurion cousins, a severe lack of speed, which hampers them more due to their lack of long-ranged weapons.
Devastator Centurion
Devastator Centurions are deployed for missions that require Space Marines to bring exceptional levels of firepower, such as siege warfare or bringing the firepower of a tank into confined quarters. Centurion armour suits for these missions are given to Devastators.[1][2] Their only real weakness is their lack of speed, as they are easily outpaced by fast-moving foes. Thus, they are primarily employed to besiege defended enemy positions or to defend their own fortifications or used as mobile firebases to strengthen the advancing battle line.[3]
Centurion Devastators are commonly armed with twin heavy bolters, but sometimes are equipped with twin lascannons or a grav-cannon with an attached grav-amp to increase its power. Their chests are also equipped with either a hurricane bolter (with 3 of the 6 guns on each side of the chest) or a pair of missile launchers.[2]
See also
Sources
- 1: Games Workshop
- 2: White Dwarf 405 (UK) - Space Marine Centurions
- 3: Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition) (E-Book Edition), pgs. 313-315
- 4: Index Astartes: Centurions
