Speed is a weapon, and the Vanguard Veterans of the Deathwatch wield it with lethal skill. Equipped with jump packs that carry them over battlefield obstacles and enemy lines alike, these warriors specialise in the rapid decapitation strike — plunging from above to slay a xenos leader-beast or overwhelm a weak point before the foe can bring its strength to bear. In the confused first moments of a Deathwatch assault, it is often the vanguard who strike the decisive blow.
Their tactics favour aggression and momentum. A vanguard squad hunts for the synapse creature directing a tyranid swarm, the command node coordinating a necron phalanx, or the champion holding an alien warband together, and falls upon it with sudden, savage force. Armed with close-combat weapons and specialised sidearms suited to their prey, they trade the staying power of heavier troops for the ability to appear exactly where the enemy is most fragile. Once their target is dead and the foe reels in disarray, they leap onward to the next threat, ever mobile, ever hunting.
Order of battle
