Terminator Synergy

[glayvin34]

I'm fairly new to the gaming part of WH40k, and I wanted to ask the community what they typically pair Terminators with to make them effective. I typically play 1500 pt games so I don't really want to use a LR because they are so expensive and tend to crowd out redundant units I had planned for my list. I considered using drop pods for my termies but that requires other drop pod backup, and I've had a terrible time using drop pods for my other squads, particularly when compared to rhinos.

 

I was considering having footslogging terminators follow my Dreadnought around, but it seems like they could spend several turns just walking around and being avoided while the Dread blasts away with some 48" weapon, and I do not want that to happen with a 200+ point squad.

 

Is there a good use for Terminators outside of a LR or DP? Or should I just drop them from this list?

[Koremu]

You cannot Drop Pod Terminator Squads. There's simply no way to legally buy a Pod for the Squad, and they can't use anyone elses since they are DTs (side note: you can Drop Pod Terminator Characters in regular squads with a Drop Pod of their own).

 

It's a Land Raider or use Teleportation. The latter doesn't work very well for Assault Termis (can't assault out of Deep Strike), but teleporting a shooty Terminator Squad in to turn the tide of an enemy push works wonders, especially when coupled with a Teleport Homer on the Tactical Squads.

[minigun762]

I was considering having footslogging terminators follow my Dreadnought around, but it seems like they could spend several turns just walking around and being avoided while the Dread blasts away with some 48" weapon, and I do not want that to happen with a 200+ point squad.

 

Nothing wrong with shooty Terminators walking. You have atleast a 30" effective range (24" + 6" walk) and all your weapons are good at mowing down enemy infantry. Look at the Grey Knights "Water Warrior" tactica and you'll see the benefit of mobile S4 Dakka. In my book, the Assault Cannon or Cyclones are equally effective in this role so use whatever you prefer.

 

Park them in cover and you'll have a hard unit to dig out or walk them behind your Vindicator/Dreadnoughts or Rhino squads to provide more firepower and a counter-assault force.

[glayvin34]

Park them in cover and you'll have a hard unit to dig out or walk them behind your Vindicator/Dreadnoughts or Rhino squads to provide more firepower and a counter-assault force.

 

That's a good one, to use them as part of the firebase for counter-assault and/or toss more bolts at 24". I always envisioned them leading the assault because of their armor saves and PFs/LCs/THs. I'll have to try parking them and see what happens.

[kaiserstole20]

I use 10x shooty terminators with 2x CML and Lysander. Lysander adds a lot to the unit and helps make them viable footsloggers. The CMLs give them more range so they can start blasting from turn 1.

[spjaco]

The first game I ever played I made the mistake of letting my opponent start off with and maintain a piece of critical terrain (hilltop).

Oh sure I pounded it with everything, to include an orbital bombardment, but I held my Termie's in reserve. I then made some really bad reinforcement roles, allowing his reserve termies to deploy before mine and tear up two tactical squads. Then time was up and I had to head home.

In short, I hope to use my terminators as a shooty force, dig them in behind something solid, and use them to blast the heck out of the enemy. Now if he parks himself on a piece of critical terrain again, then they will be sent in, along with about two tactical squads, at least one assault squad, and a dread (if one is available with ccw). At least one Dread with heavies and a Devastator squad will provide cover.

With the command squad following behind the termie's of course :o

[Banville]

Just remember that Terminators are the bullies of 40K. They suck versus other Armies' elites in a direct match-up. Use them to hammer the opposition Troops. To this end I'd recommend shooty Termies over Assault if you don't have a 'Raider to roll them around in. A Dreadnought with an Assault Cannon works well with a shootie Termie Squad. Two Dreads with Assault Cannon flanking a squad of Termies are quite capable of taking an entire table quarter on their own. They also frighten the bejesus out of opponents into focusing a disproportionate amount of firepower on them leaving the rest of your army relatively unmolested.

[Frosty the Pyro]

If you dont go shooty (which I acutaly preffer), you can try bringing shrike or Khan for fleet or outflank.

[Ryjak]

Tactical Terminators paired with a footslogging Dreadnought should be an effective combination... I've been thinking of fielding two ML/Lascannon Dreadnoughts with a squad of Terminators toting an Assault Cannon. The Dreads can pop transports while the Terminators can blast infantry, and in an assault, the Terminators can crush things with their powerfists, allowing the Dreadnoughts to run down the survivors. I'm pretty sure Terminators can grant Dreadnoughts a cover save without interfering with their firepower as well.

 

Banville, since you have tried this general set-up before with good results, what exactly do you take?

[minigun762]

Tactical Terminators paired with a footslogging Dreadnought should be an effective combination... I've been thinking of fielding two ML/Lascannon Dreadnoughts with a squad of Terminators toting an Assault Cannon. The Dreads can pop transports while the Terminators can blast infantry, and in an assault, the Terminators can crush things with their powerfists, allowing the Dreadnoughts to run down the survivors. I'm pretty sure Terminators can grant Dreadnoughts a cover save without interfering with their firepower as well.

 

Sounds like a good play there Ryjak.

Have you thought about the TL AutoCannon instead of the LasCannon? Cheaper and generally a better "transport buster as it eats up Rhinos and Wave Serpents better.

Hell dual AutoCannons would be quite the pairing.

[Ryjak]

I always forget about the TL Autocannon, mostly because I don't have the approriate Forgeworld arms for them, but that would be a viable route as well. Two Dreads with dual Autocannons 'escorted' by Tactical Terminators would threaten all but the hardest units, and require serious effort to neutralize.

[Brother Tual]

10 shooty termies and GOI libby - Hardcore and fast - you cant beat it as a 'bully' unit

[Banville]

I've taken just that. Two Dreads with Assault Cannon and Heavy Flamers flanking a unit of Termies with Assault Cannon. The thing about termies is that they die to dedicated assault specialists and/or weight of fire. There's very little you can do about an opponent targeting them with everything in their army but the dreads can be used to counter threatened assaults by the likes of Banshees, Bloodletters etc. Assault Cannons even with the rending nerf are still very viable especially when used in a block.

 

Use a "refused flank" set up and concentrate your forces on one side of the table. Use your static fire elements, such as Devestators, to anchor the area around the middle of your table edge. Use the Dreads and Termies at the other end of your army so that they roll into one point in your enemy's line. To counter them he's going to have to drag units across your field of fire. If he doesn't counter them, two dreads (preferable with Heavy Flamers) and a unit of termies is going to squish anything it hits.

[cleen X]

The assault termies are good if you stick them in a land raider crusader, they can assault out of it and if you give them thunder hammers there is not much they can't kill! I've seen this tactic used to kill of two carnifexes, they can take out tanks to. Use the assault termies to hit enemy elites, honour guards are usefull for killing of enemy troops even though there are cheaper thing that can do that to.

[DevianID]

My latest 1500 forey into blood ravens runs 10 termies with 2 cyclones, and 2 venerable dreads with multimeltas and extra armor. The approach is very 'Watery' as mentioned... read the 'Way of the Water Warrior' over in the inquisition forum! That is a fantastic resource.

 

For me, the multimelta and cyclones are more useful than the assault cannon, as the s8 can instant gib ork nobs, which is very important. The cyclone also have a longer range, which means you can actually hit the fast eldar, and the multimelta is ap1 which is important for upgrading results.

[Joshta]

Termies not in a land raider are very vulnerable to assault, by things they shouldn't fight. A unit of CC slanesh terms will wipe the floor with a Assault Termie squad. The land raider just gives them so much more lasting power then the footsloogging. I'd just hate to see my elite awesome termies not be able to get in on a winning battle because they are so far away, or they are outmatched OR they are shot to death. 40pts a piece means they are not FODDER

 

Shooting terms are different as they can't shoot in a LR and they can when they are walking.

 

So IMHO, footslog shooting terms, transport assault terms via Land raider .

[Ryjak]

As you mentioned, they need to be on foot to fire. So if they don't have a dedicted ride in the first place, sometimes you might want to Teleport them on instead of walking them on. When's a good time to teleport Tactical Terminators onto the battlefield?

 

On the plus side, it's pretty easy to add Teleport Homers to your army.

[Gornall]

I always wanted to try something like 10 Shooty Termies with either Assault Cannons or CMLs with Lysander and a GotI Libby (Tiggy for giggles?) and just bounce around the board wrecking face. Yeah it's like 800+ points, but it'd be hilarious for a casual 2000 point game.

[Joshta]

Don't wanna be the annoying guy that keeps repeating himself but.... If you have your Assualt Terms walk, they are going to get pw'd by a variety of uber units! Mainly, anything that has I5 and no AS is going to bring fear into your life and your probably going to spend a lot of time waddling away from them.

 

There are a bunch of great ways to utilize assault terms. If you have them walk, they are still going to be awesome. BUT at basic speed your going to be dramatically increasing their K2, in essence your limiting their span of dominance by increasing the distance between you and your not dead opponent. And deep striking is NEAT but your more susceptible to things like fast transports just moving away, and an entire turn of shooting and assaulting before you have a chance to control your awesome men. The best real argument there is against not using Assault Terms with an LR is that you can double the size for the same price, you might fair better against some armies then if you had a LR. Just be careful cuz highly mobile armies will just run circles around anything that walks at normal speeds. I have a tau buddy that would laugh at me if I came at him with some of deepstirking terms, as he would just run away.

 

 

However, SHOOTING TERMS do not need a transport, in fact its more or less stupid to have a transport for them.