Dread v Raider

[gil galed]

So I've decided I'll purchase a GK army, it is something along the lines of 7x PAGK (+psycannon) , GKT 5 man squad and then stern, now my question is in 1500-2000 point GK list would I suffer not running LR's? It would be alot cheaper for me to buy say 3 lc/ml dreads off say eBay than 1 more lr to complement the one I already have, or should I really be running another raider? On that note if I did run 2-3 dreads with lc/ml would it be better having a godhammer lr or a redeemer / crusade?

 

Ty

[jeffersonian000]

I've been playing 2-3 Land Raiders with my GK, and I'm liking the ability to transport while still retaining firepower. I've even been allying my GK's with Space Marines just to gain access to Redeemers so I could give those a try. The only benefit I can see with going with Dreadnoughts is the point savings you would gain from not taking 1-2 Land Raiders, yet this comes with a problem of reduced mobility and heavy firepower that 2-3 Dreads just do not bring with them. I would say that if you do include a Dread in your army, make it 2 and support them with a Land Raider in the third heavy slot.

 

Of course, that's my opinion.

 

SJ

[number6]

Most of the games I play use 2-3 dreadnoughts for heavy support. Works out just fine for me, though it requires a different overall tactical approach than relying on land raiders.

 

Land raiders give you additional mobility and speed, but at the cost of fielding more boots on the ground. Losing a land raider hobbles your list in a way that losing a dreadnought does not.

 

And while raiders are undeniably more resilient than any dread, they're still just 1-wound models that a single shot can eliminate.

 

Also, smart tactical play with dreads should keep them alive. Even in 5th edition, I've rarely lost all my dreads by the time the game ends. (Only twice so far.) I use them as long range fire support -- TLLC and ML every time -- not assault support. It's always when you attempt to multi-task your dreads (i.e., hoping to use a DCCW to aid in support), that dreadnoughts truly get risked and are more likely to be popped. Kit your dreads for anti-armour, keep them in the back and near terrain, and you should do well with them.

 

In the end, neither choice is really better than the other. It's up to your own personal playstyle preferences.

[Apostolos]

I favor the land raider over the dreadnought, not saying that dreadnoughts are the lesser choice, I just enjoy the play style of the raider better. I will say if you do decide to go with a land raider you will have to reach the decision of which type to field, crusader or basic. I used to play a basic one just like it were a dreadnought, sit back and fire the lascannons all day. This got boring fast and I also did it with 3 of them @ 1500pts. Not that it means that you will win ever time, objective based missions will be difficult to win doing this, but it just makes for an uninteresting game. So I tried the crusader and was shocked at what I was missing! With the new rules you are sending a ton firepower at them while moving 12". My favorite combo is 8 knights with 2 incinerators inside a crusader, this comes to 500 points even and is a force to be reckoned with!

 

I would say that at 1500 points 2 crusaders just feels the best to me. The advantages of a LRC are many, the obvious is transportation and mobility, but they also provide mobile cover as well. I found myself missing the lascannons at first but realized that I assault vindicators with S6 knights jumping out the front when i lose the multi-melta!