The Assault Marine advances toward the charge and the sky. Agility, Combat, Ferocity and the Signature set are Primary — the jump-pack reach and the melee fury that define the tier. Brawn and Shooting sit Secondary. His skill path leans hard into verticality and the blade, the twin virtues of a fighter who decides battles in the drop.
The Captain advances as the host's finest blade and its will. Combat, Ferocity, Leadership and the Signature set are Primary — the full commitment to the charge and to holding the line's nerve as the Thirst rises. Agility, Brawn, Savant and Shooting sit Secondary, the rounding of a warrior expected to answer any threat the battle brings.
The Centurion advances as the host's heavy anvil. Brawn and Shooting are Primary — the warsuit's crushing strength and the twin heavy weapons it brings to bear. Combat, Ferocity and the Signature set are Secondary. Slower than the winged tiers, its advancement bends toward staying power and firepower rather than the leap.
The Chaplain advances as the host's spiritual iron. Combat, Ferocity and Leadership are Primary — the preacher who fights at the front and drives the black-clad brothers into the charge. Brawn, Shooting and the Signature set sit Secondary. His place is nearest the lost, and his skills are built to lead them where their fury will do the most harm to the enemy.
The Death Company knows only the killing. Brawn, Combat and Ferocity are Primary — raw strength and unbroken fury, all a lost brother has left. Only the Signature set is Secondary, and Shooting and finesse are locked out entirely. There is no room in the curse for patience or precision; the black-clad marine advances toward one thing, and it is the enemy in front of him.
The Dreadnought advances as a walking engine of war. Brawn and Combat are Primary — the sarcophagus's overwhelming strength and the fists that crush armour like foil. Ferocity and Shooting are Secondary. The interred hero fights as it always did, only larger and angrier, and its skills bend toward the melee the Furioso pattern was raised for.
The Librarian advances first through the mind. Savant and the Sanguinary Discipline are his Primary sets — the learning of the psyker who reads the battle and the witchcraft through which he bends the warp to his will, drawing the powers of Baal and the universal Smite. Combat, Cunning, Ferocity, Leadership, Shooting and the Signature set are all Secondary — a broad but shallow spread, for his true weapon is the power he masters, not the blade he carries.
The Lieutenant mirrors his Captain's path. Combat, Ferocity, Leadership and the Signature set are Primary, marking a battle-leader built to fight at the front and steady those around him; Agility, Brawn, Savant and Shooting are Secondary. A second commander cut from the same cloth, ready to carry the host if the Captain falls.
The Marine advances as the disciplined heart of the host. Combat, Shooting and the Signature set are Primary — the balance of bolt and blade that keeps the line steady while the winged tiers leap ahead. Brawn and Ferocity are Secondary. He is the Codex spine the Chapter still keeps, even as the Thirst pulls the rest of the force off it.
The Sanguinary Guard advances as the winged killing edge of the host. Agility, Combat, Ferocity and the Signature set are Primary — the vertical leap and the relentless blade in one fighter. Brawn and Shooting are Secondary. Everything about his advancement bends toward the descent and the charge that follows it; he is built for nothing else.
The Sanguinary Priest advances as keeper of the gene-legacy. Savant is his only Primary — the deep learning of the warrior-apothecary who tends wounds and reads the curse in his brothers' blood. Combat, Ferocity, Leadership, Shooting and the Signature set are Secondary, the marks of a priest who still takes his place in the fighting line.
The Scout advances toward stealth and speed. Agility and Cunning are Primary — the forward fighter who screens the advance and seizes ground before the host arrives. Savant, Shooting and the Signature set are Secondary. He learns the craft of the killing edge early, and grows into the transhuman warrior the Thirst will one day claim entirely.
The Techmarine advances as the host's artificer. Brawn and Savant are Primary — the strength to wield servo-arm and siege tool and the deep craft-lore of the Machine God's servant. Combat, Shooting and the Signature set are Secondary. He mends the walkers and the armour, and fights in the line when the work is done.