Dread's, how do you kit them/use them

[War Angel]

so... im trying to get a feel on how many people use each of the varriation of dread's. not just venerable ironclad and ol' faithfull, but the weapon kits and vehical upgrades. (does any one have an ironclad with two hunterkiller missles?) also, how many of each type people prefer to drop as compaired to walker's.

 

im really asking this because with the new codex, my mind's been wondering off on to some crazy idea's for dread's... (i think its venerable's that can take auto cannons on both hands?? that would at least LOOK awesome...)

 

so lemme hear what you guys got

[greatcrusade08]

so... im trying to get a feel on how many people use each of the varriation of dread's. not just venerable ironclad and ol' faithfull, but the weapon kits and vehical upgrades. (does any one have an ironclad with two hunterkiller missles?) also, how many of each type people prefer to drop as compaired to walker's.

 

im really asking this because with the new codex, my mind's been wondering off on to some crazy idea's for dread's... (i think its venerable's that can take auto cannons on both hands?? that would at least LOOK awesome...)

 

so lemme hear what you guys got

 

Twin Auto cannon is called Mortis dread.

 

Brother Taul from Ultra forum uses two ironclads both with twin HK, he fires them all when he lands the two in pods on turn one.... (he has a 3rd pod with a tac squad for latter turns).

 

I usually use basic dreads with assault cannon and heavy flamer, at 125 points they are cheap enough not to matt if taken out, and they are very handy against horde armies.

 

GC08

[Hfran Morkai]

Space Wolf Ven dread, hard to kill, cheap good number of attacks plasma cannon and heavy flamer. PLasma cannon on a bs5 model is insane and no gets hot!

 

My new SW army is geared around drop pods as the ability for second turn assault is too good for a dread

[War Angel]

thanks for the reply's

[Jackelope King]

I run a pair of standard, run-of-the-mill Dreadnoughts with plasma cannons (affectionately named Killhamed Aiieee and Dr. Henry Killinger) as the "guard dogs" for my firebase (which consists of 1-2 Thunderfire Cannons, a Razorback with Twin-Linked Lascannons) and a Sternguard Squad with 2 Plasma Cannons). Even assault-happy armies like Tyranids and Orks hesitate to launch an assault at the the firebase when they know they have to fight their way past two dreads to do it, and when their only other option is to try to catch up to the fast elements of my army (a Land Speeder Storm full of Shotgun Scouts, a full Bike Squad, a Tactical Squad in a Rhino, and a pair of multimelta Attack Bikes), their decisions aren't looking too good.

[minigun762]

If I was Loyalists, I'd have to go with the AutoCannon/Missile Launcher/Plasma Cannon combo. Any 2 of those weapons working in unison would be great for busting open transports and providing anti-infantry firepower. Sure you might not be taking out Land Raiders with them, but any other vehicle out there is fair game, not to mention MCs and light/heavy infantry. The upside is that they can move and fire both their weapons, making them a better buy then Predators in my opinion.

 

 

Chaos has the crappy drawback of having insane Dreadnoughts, so we're much more limited on what we can use. The main choice for us is 2x DCCW, basically creating our own version of the Blood Angel's Furioso. Other contenders are Missile Launcher/DCCW and Heavy Bolter/DCCW and some rare times PlasmaCannon/DCCW. The rest of the weapons are just too dangerous if they get turned on us (who wants you to fire 2 TL'd LasCannons shots at your own tanks?)

[Giga]

I have an ironclad with heavy flamer and meltagun (both twinlinked thanks to Vulkan) in a drop pod. His purpose is to cripple an enemy unit and annoy my opponent, all in hopes he would draw anti-tank fire thus allowing my rhinos and land raider with th/ss termies to advance in relative safety.

 

So far the dread is doing a great job.

[Allerka]

I picked up the autocannon arms from Forgeworld (pretty cheap, only ran like $15 before shipping), and stuck them on a normal dreadnought. The twin-linked helps counteract the worst of my rolling, and throwing four S7 shots at something usually does some damage. Only used it in one game so far, but it did fantastic against other Marines, and actually lived through the whole game (usually my dreads are dead by turn 2, they seem cursed into uselessness when I try to melee them).

[Grendelsbane]

I like the idea of the dreadnaughts...but man almost without fail if I take them they get pwn'd.

 

I've tried to use them as a firebase, but their armor isn't that great so they usually get hit and at minimum stunned taking them out of the action. If I try to make them close combat well then they get pwn'd when the hidden powerfist cracks him open like an egg.

 

They seem good for the points, but they never seem to last for me.

[Sternguard sergeant McColl]

Well the way I see it you have two options with dreadnaughts:

 

The Hunter: Dreadnaught in drop pod, can be venerable, ironclad or normal, with short range but deadly weaponry. I run Ironclads in my pods with 2x HF. Yes I'm giving up the MG but two (twin linked thanks to Vulkan) heavy flamers on rear armor do suprisingly well against armor, in the very least the immobilize or stun so i can run up and whack the tanks next turn. DO NOT be expecting them to survive, but instead maximize the punch they deliver. Certain defensive upgrades Iwould avise are Assault launchers, EA on normal dreads (Being stunned while right next to a LR really sucks)

 

The ranger/ Watchdog

This dread is built to threaten away any units that would dare attack your firebase or objectives. usually with LC/ML but twin AC's is viable. Venerable helps here for the additional BS and WS. I've had a lot of luck using a Mobile LC vanilla dread in smaller point value games. Moving a destroying transports one by one. DO NOT expect thios dread to survive either

 

 

In summary dreadnoughts are not going to be even near one of last things left on the table at the end of the battle. They are a fire magnet and for good reason, knowing this we can use it to our advantage. Use them to cause tension on the enemy in hopes he slips up, or force him to redeploy or change tactics, force him to play on your terms with dreadnoughts. Popping a LR, clearing a home objective, or downing transports are a great way to cause a ruckus.

[waaanial00]

I run a surprisingly good Dread configuration: Melta and Missile Launcher in a Drop Pod. It is my little ace in the hole when it comes to shooting a tank up in turn 1 and I then use it to go attack some infantry which I dont like.

 

Usually I pair it with a standard Ironclad with Assault Launchers, stops me from attacking at I1 if I move through cover (which no one expects me to be able to do effectively) and denys those annoying Power Fists the extra attack if they get the jump on me.

 

Dreads simply dissapear if charged by MC's or get shot at by multiple Melta Guns so I have learnt to either take them in drop pods or leave them at home. Even long range dreads benefit from drop pod deeployment as they get a chance to essentially pick where they want to deploy after the enemy has.

 

Dont discount the stock AOBR dread, he is a steal at 105 points and can still wreck a tank at 12" better than most single shot weapons and can be used as an effective tarpit unit. Give him a drop pod and you are away.

 

Wan

[Gornall]

Dont discount the stock AOBR dread, he is a steal at 105 points and can still wreck a tank at 12" better than most single shot weapons and can be used as an effective tarpit unit. Give him a drop pod and you are away.

 

This. I run this dreadnought and while he has yet to actually hit anything with the MM, the sheer amount of threat he poses is enough to draw plenty of enemy fire. He's generally dead or tied up the turn after he drops, but his sacrifice is worth it as the rest of my army pretty much gets a free pass for that round and can advance without worry. I'm toying with the idea of popping smoke when I land instead of taking the MM shot unless I just can't pass up the juicy Hammerhead within double dice range.

[Giga]

I'm thinking of replacing my ironclad with meltagun and heavy flamer in a drop pod, with a venerable dread with a plasma cannon and a heavy flamer. The idea is to use him to either support my objectives-holding tac squads, or to advance forwards and help out against MEQ armies (of which there are many at my LGS).

 

Apparently, lots of people at my club love to put sternguard squads in droppods and to then land them near my tacticals that are guarding objectives. Having a venerable dread with a plasma cannon, a heavy flamer and a dread CCW nearby might surely dissuade them from doing this, I'd wager.

 

What say you?

[Chucku]

Good replies!

 

My experience with Dreads has been mixed. It probably has to do with my play style as I tend to push them into places they probably shouldn't of gone and they get chewed up.

 

The last one I used was a firebase protector with PlasCannon, DCCW and Heavy Flamer. It provided Gets Hot-free Plas fire support while guarding against breakthrough and flanking units. Was okay at that, too, but as folks have mentioned, they're fire magnets and it was hard to keep intact beyond the first two turns. Points wise it wasn't a deal either -- 140pts including Extra Armor (my dreads must be able move unless they're dead or immobilized).

 

I finished an IronClad conversion a couple of weeks ago, still to be painted, but it looks like a worthwhile Drop Pod escort or suicide piece. I'd have a hard time reconciling the loss of the Meltagun for twin Heavy Flamers, though, but I'm open to being convinced. The Seismic Hammer is awesome but I'm tempted by the Chain Fist for my second one - yes it's I1 but you only need to use it in assault versus vehicles - in other cases I believe you can use your I4 DCCW (until it gets blown off, some how this always seems to happen to me...).

 

BTW, I picked up the FW TL AC arms but their AP4 is annoying to me as it allows most worthwhile targets their best armor save. I also can't abide losing the excellent DCCW for two sets of TL ACs that costs a base 5 pts more than two Predators armed with similar armament (-TL), either.

[minigun762]

BTW, I picked up the FW TL AC arms but their AP4 is annoying to me as it allows most worthwhile targets their best armor save. I also can't abide losing the excellent DCCW for two sets of TL ACs that costs a base 5 pts more than two Predators armed with similar armament (-TL), either.

 

The value of the TL AutoCannons isn't so much against infantry (typically TL Heavy Bolters will do better) but against light/medium armor which includes almost all transports.

 

As armies are going more and more mechanized, being able to take out their transports is more and more important and the AutoCannon really shines in that department.

The fact that you can kill medium infantry and threaten MCs is just a bonus.

Take a look at how effective Ork Lootas are and you'll get an idea of what alot of S7 shots can do.

[Chucku]

BTW, I picked up the FW TL AC arms but their AP4 is annoying to me as it allows most worthwhile targets their best armor save. I also can't abide losing the excellent DCCW for two sets of TL ACs that costs a base 5 pts more than two Predators armed with similar armament (-TL), either.

 

The value of the TL AutoCannons isn't so much against infantry (typically TL Heavy Bolters will do better) but against light/medium armor which includes almost all transports.

 

As armies are going more and more mechanized, being able to take out their transports is more and more important and the AutoCannon really shines in that department.

The fact that you can kill medium infantry and threaten MCs is just a bonus.

Take a look at how effective Ork Lootas are and you'll get an idea of what alot of S7 shots can do.

 

I can see their import against Armor 10 & 11 vehicles, though it seems like a niche capability. I generally like weapons that can crack light armor and has a good chance of nailing 3+ or better saves. Just a play preference of mine. I wouldn't want to stare a bunch of S7 hits down, even in PA, that's for sure.

[Gornall]

The value of the TL AutoCannons isn't so much against infantry (typically TL Heavy Bolters will do better) but against light/medium armor which includes almost all transports.

 

As armies are going more and more mechanized, being able to take out their transports is more and more important and the AutoCannon really shines in that department.

The fact that you can kill medium infantry and threaten MCs is just a bonus.

Take a look at how effective Ork Lootas are and you'll get an idea of what alot of S7 shots can do.

 

Yeah... this is why I love missile launchers and my combi-pred. They can reach out and touch transports, leaving my opponent to slog. I hadn't thought about 2 TL Autocannons, but that does sound like fun.

[asugradinwa]

I think venerable dreadnoughts are a waist of points personally so I never take them. Paying 60 points for a reroll and +1 to WS & BS isn't a bargain in my book.

 

I play salamanders so I'm pretty bias on the effectivness of ironclads. Armor 13 is that magic number that most people start to say to get frustrated with. I've run 2 ironclads with heavy flamers and melta guns in drop pods. The problem is that too many armies I face have too many meltas. Or if they don't have meltas they have MC's, wraithguard, or are necrons. Because of this Meta game change I've noticed those dreads don't seem to last very long. So I've moved on to.....

 

A 120 point multi melta/storm bolter/extra armor dread

 

I still get the reroll on the melta, have a 24 inch range, can move forward if shaken, and don't give up another kill point with a pod.

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

I love the AoBR Dreadnought in small point games. It has yet to be completely destroyed. Even has a Wraithlord kill in hand-to-hand.

[DarKHaZZ13]

i still go with the classic assult cannon and power fist with storm bolter

[Chucku]

I've lost respect for the Dread's stormbolter as of late. Especially in the fire-base guard role it's nice to rush up to a group of flank-marching Kroot or Genestealers and douse them in cleansing Prometheum before wading into the fray....

[Marlow]

I have been running Tri-Dread list of late. Two classic (Ass Cannon & SB) and the tird with Plasma Cannon & TL-Auto Cannon.

 

The Plasma Cannon has been working really well for me. Last game I vaporised a whole Havok Squaud with one blast!

I have been real lucky with most of my scatters either staying on target or landing on another unit. :rolleyes:

[Borinar]

We should look at the dreadnought upgrades:

 

TL Heavy Flamer- I don't use this upgrade (though free) but if taken with a Heavy Flamer DCCW you could have a cheap Ironclad.

TL Heavy Bolter - To be honest i think this should be the base dread weapon since for 5 more points you can get an AC and that the MM is just a better choice since it is free, but if you have enough anti tank and need more troop killing yet only have 5 points to spare...

TL Auto Cannon - When taken dual TLAC's or TLAC/ML can be a nice fire base for light armor.

Plasma Cannon - My personal favorite, low cost and no over heat taken as a Ven weapon upgrade decent hit ratio, good for heavy infantry light armor. (I have yet to scatter onto myself before assault)

Assault Cannon - Mathmatically a better choice for anti armor over the TL Lascannon for the cost, great for anti troops if taken with a HF (which is still cheaper than a TLLC) and if dropped in someones face range is not an issue.

TL Las Cannon - Since the price hike of 5th ed. i dont use this piece any longer, i think a dreadnought has better things to do than go heavy tank hunting, especially since they took that upgrade away.

Missile Launcher - Rarely use it myself i like keeping my DCCW however, if you dont plan on using the dread as CC it makes for a nice range weapon to add to your rear lines.

TL Auto Cannon II - Taken with various other upgrades can make for interesting combos of anti troop/light armor hunting fun for all.

Storm Bolter vs. Heavy Flamer - If you have points to spare and your Dread is geared for close range work HF is a good choice.

[Giga]

Well, I've been testing out my plasma cannon+ccw+heavy flamer+drop pod dreadnought. Gotha say that, as long as the pod doesn't scatter way off its target, it's rather effective at decimating one enemy unit AND even surviving a turn or two afterwards.

[Allerka]

I love the AoBR Dreadnought in small point games. It has yet to be completely destroyed. Even has a Wraithlord kill in hand-to-hand.

Then you, sir, are incredibly lucky. Every time my Dreads get even close to CC they explode violently before getting to do anything (or they totally wiff and go down to the first tap from a power fist).