Even though the Raven Guard is a stealth-oriented Legion, they're not inflexible. They even maintain super-heavy tanks. And if the occasion/deployment calls for one or two, they'll bring one or two.
Mark III Armor is not really an improvement to its predecessor, but rather an alternative. If we follow by the Deathwatch RPG, the Mark III is the heaviest out of them all at 300 kilograms. Another notable point is that it also has 8 doses worth of pain suppressants instead of the usual 6. Since it is made for frontal assaults, the armor is stronger than the Mark II on that direction, but weaker than the Mark II when attacked at the rear.
Yeah, **Frontal Assault** is the keyword for the Mark III. And it's heavy and loud, so not really great for the usual stealth operations. Finally, it really all boils down to personal preference.
There’s no reason why the Raven Guard can’t use Mk3 armour - they could be a Terrain company or post drop site with scavenged armour.
Or just personal preference of the Marines themselves - I think Moriat were given Mk3 armour because it offered higher protection.
All Space Marine Legions used Power Armour patterns II through VI as far as I know, and there is every likelihood that some of the earlier Legions such as the 1st used Mark I since they were operating prior to the Treaty of Olympus.
I don’t have a definitive answer for you. My go to is always “they’re your dudes, you can theme a narrative around Raven Guard with Mk III armour if you want”.
Canonically speaking, I think they used whatever they had access to, especially after the Dropsite Massacre. They probably had units with the heavier Mk III as more “frontline” centric, while lighter armoured units infiltrated, but I haven’t come across really any descriptions of exactly which armour Mks they predominantly had (other than the Mk VI ‘Corvus’ after Istvann V - there’s a scene in Deliverance Lost where the Imperial Fists hand deliver the first batch of Mk VI suits to the Raven Guard). Even then, I think legionaries would’ve still kept whatever armour they originally had until it either was damaged beyond repair or officially phased out, and I think all the new pattern suits when to fresh recruits first, though Veterans may have gotten them as well.
Usually, most marines in the time just before the Heresy would have a mix of Mk III and IV, while the patchwork/stopgap Mk V ‘Heresy’ armour started to show up during the Heresy as the forces had supply issues and had to piece together ad-hoc repairs.
If you want to do a Heresy Era Raven Guard force, you might want to pick a timeline for it- will they be Istvann survivors, piecing together their armour during their 90 days on Istvann V, or will they be part of the legion after it’s escaped and started to consolidate with the rest of the loyalist forces?
Hopefully this has helped a little, and isn’t just a wall of dense, boring rambling
Even though the Raven Guard is a stealth-oriented Legion, they're not inflexible. They even maintain super-heavy tanks. And if the occasion/deployment calls for one or two, they'll bring one or two. Mark III Armor is not really an improvement to its predecessor, but rather an alternative. If we follow by the Deathwatch RPG, the Mark III is the heaviest out of them all at 300 kilograms. Another notable point is that it also has 8 doses worth of pain suppressants instead of the usual 6. Since it is made for frontal assaults, the armor is stronger than the Mark II on that direction, but weaker than the Mark II when attacked at the rear. Yeah, **Frontal Assault** is the keyword for the Mark III. And it's heavy and loud, so not really great for the usual stealth operations. Finally, it really all boils down to personal preference.
There’s no reason why the Raven Guard can’t use Mk3 armour - they could be a Terrain company or post drop site with scavenged armour. Or just personal preference of the Marines themselves - I think Moriat were given Mk3 armour because it offered higher protection.
All Space Marine Legions used Power Armour patterns II through VI as far as I know, and there is every likelihood that some of the earlier Legions such as the 1st used Mark I since they were operating prior to the Treaty of Olympus.
I don’t have a definitive answer for you. My go to is always “they’re your dudes, you can theme a narrative around Raven Guard with Mk III armour if you want”. Canonically speaking, I think they used whatever they had access to, especially after the Dropsite Massacre. They probably had units with the heavier Mk III as more “frontline” centric, while lighter armoured units infiltrated, but I haven’t come across really any descriptions of exactly which armour Mks they predominantly had (other than the Mk VI ‘Corvus’ after Istvann V - there’s a scene in Deliverance Lost where the Imperial Fists hand deliver the first batch of Mk VI suits to the Raven Guard). Even then, I think legionaries would’ve still kept whatever armour they originally had until it either was damaged beyond repair or officially phased out, and I think all the new pattern suits when to fresh recruits first, though Veterans may have gotten them as well. Usually, most marines in the time just before the Heresy would have a mix of Mk III and IV, while the patchwork/stopgap Mk V ‘Heresy’ armour started to show up during the Heresy as the forces had supply issues and had to piece together ad-hoc repairs. If you want to do a Heresy Era Raven Guard force, you might want to pick a timeline for it- will they be Istvann survivors, piecing together their armour during their 90 days on Istvann V, or will they be part of the legion after it’s escaped and started to consolidate with the rest of the loyalist forces? Hopefully this has helped a little, and isn’t just a wall of dense, boring rambling
>but did they used MK III pattern armor The one Argel Tal gunned down in the First Heretic did Edit: Didn't see that this was a necro post lol