As with the previous Forged in Fire and Blood Debt field guides, the Northern "army list" received more than a few changes post-testing during layout that were never reviewed for canon, balance, costing, or other errors. Blood Debt in particular continued to get updates introducing additional power creep almost every time any other faction got a correction.

Typos abound, as the copy was never double-checked before being released even though the Pod people responsible for layout had the material right in front of them to cut+paste. As per usual the Pod chose to appeal to the player-base to find necessary corrections, while at the same time continuing to promote further snap-decision changes that resulted in a re-release to "fix" the subsequent problems beyond the initial release.

The "fixed" edition appeared barely two weeks later, yet was still full of errors primarily caused during layout, because the fans largely chose not to spend their own time hunting for those errors.

• There was an error, or multiple errors, on almost every single datacard, many of which remained uncaught in the re-release.
• Model and variant swaps remain largely broken, as the datacards were completed without checking to see how the combat group option lines were affected, and the necessary changes not made.

• Variants intended for specific factions remain on a number of datacards while the option lines to swap for that model were removed from their corresponding combat groups.

• Several models intended to counter an issue with another faction were cut in favor of keeping "Rally" and "Rideback" inspired models, plus an untested Gear-Strider inserted as a spur of the moment idea.
• Lack of art for multiple new models, which in all likelihood will never be inserted as the previous book, Blood Debt, had gone nearly eight months with a similar lack.

• A model cut from this book in favor of the Scimitar was used to plug an art hole in the most recently "fixed" Blood Debt field guide.

• Large and physically $$$ costly but new models have already gotten art and sculpts along with being included in the latest Beta rules revamp.

• Core models present since the origins of Heavy Gear, specifically included in this book to cover legacy options, did not make it into those same Beta model lists.

• The models or variants were largely balanced against other factions, and avoided unnecessary power creep for the most part, but some players continue to apply their own local meta to every situation regardless of actuality, rendering the process futile.
• Special rules abound throughout this book for multiple factions, in a similar fashion to those created for NuCoal in "The Perfect Storm."

All in all, a rather typical product with which to end the Blitz!-era of Heavy Gear.

This review replaces an earlier version taken down to address a publisher response; which to date has been the ---only--- publisher response to any Heavy Gear product review on DT-RPG.

"Dream Pod 9 wrote: Mr. Alexander S. also known as Alexander S. was hired by Dream Pod 9 as a writer for the Northern Army list and is just venting. He's not happy that he was removed from the project, for unprofessional behavior and failure to understand why you can't just go and make an existing player's army invalid or remove a model option that has been included in a box set of miniatures for years."

• As turned in by the test group and editor the book was internally coherent, and all swaps worked.
• What few unnoticed or unintended errors occurred in that version, later pointed out by players on release, could have been easily fixed had the changes in the as published version not been made.

• Apart from those small oversights the completed draft covered legacy army lists and models from all previous Heavy Gear Blitz! products for the Northern forces.

• At the end of October 2013, the test team had a lengthy discussion on how best to cover existing physical model boxes along with the changes mandated by the developer and publisher.
• This process and the rationale behind it was pointed out to the publisher on at least three different occasions, as this was a complaint voiced for every previous field guide that was finally avoided as drafted.
• Ignoring objective reality in favor of subjective reality the publisher "fixed" those perceived holes, in many cases by duplicating existing combat group options or faction model swaps.

Further commentary on DP9 and their past practices may be found in an unmoderated form on the [Misc. Miniature Games] forum of DakkaDakka.