Obliterators guide

[The Prophet]

A lot of people seems to agree that taking some obliterators to battle is a good idea, and some that they are even the best heavy support choice for CSM because of their flexibility. This variety of ways to use them makes me want to ask you guys a lot of questions, since I believe that you have all the answers.

 

1. Why are most people taking them in squads of two?

2. How many oblits do you use in a list of 1000/1500/2000/etc pts?

3. Which ones of their weapons do you use the most? *

4. Which targets do you see as primary? *

5. Which units do you use in combination with your obliterators?

6. Do you teleport them? Or how do you deploy them? *

7. Are you moving them around or standing still somewhere?

8. What is your best advice on how to field obliterators?

 

* I’d be great if you also give your ideas on how to field them differently against different types of armies, for example if you use lascannons against tanks when facing IG and plasma cannons for killing MEQ.

 

I would really appreciate some answers to these questions!

[Moonsword]

Plasma cannons are effective for killing just about any sort of infantry if you don't mind the risk of Gets Hot!, and they're the only efficient way to getting rid of them in groups that Obliterators have. If they're not in reach of the flamers and they're infantry, I'd go with the plasma cannons and save the twin-linked guns for shooting at single targets when the lascannons or multimeltas won't do better for the job. (Generally, armor is the main offender here, but T4 characters or loyalist bike squads are also excellent choices. Kill it dead, don't just singe it!)

[Corpse.]

A lot of people seems to agree that taking some obliterators to battle is a good idea, and some that they are even the best heavy support choice for CSM because of their flexibility. This variety of ways to use them makes me want to ask you guys a lot of questions, since I believe that you have all the answers.

 

Good enough to make me multi-quote (I rarely m-q).

 

1. Why are most people taking them in squads of two?

A. Easier to hide, and two of one type of weapon is enough to kill most targets and otherwise not waste shots. Easier to deep strike and so on. When moving oblits that move slower and have large bases with any good gun you need its harder to get 3 guns on target after moving around a immobilised rhino then 2. But not worth sacrificing taking a predator when you take just 1 obliterator for a heavy support slot.

 

2. How many oblits do you use in a list of 1000/1500/2000/etc pts?

A. Depends on the theme and consistancy of the army. A melee army would have a few while a shooty army would have about 6, 2:2:2 or 3:3+some other Heavy Support. Talking shooty army, in 1000 3 oblits perhaps while in larger games in 2000 would see 6.

 

3. Which ones of their weapons do you use the most? *

A. Lascannons since most of the time I dont use lash for more then closing the distance to get into melee whenever I do use it. Being able to round a corner or move a rhino that was hiding them to pop three shots at something is very useful when a predator would get slapped and stunned many times before I got a chance to fire it. Great if you have bad luck with getting to go second.

 

4. Which targets do you see as primary? *

A. Vehicles and large creatures, normally the most expencive targets or targets bunched together for plasma weapons.

 

5. Which units do you use in combination with your obliterators?

A. Noise Marines, terminators deep striking when it comes to combos. They enforce a strong point in the unit they hang near. Obliterators come with guns that noise marines dont really have in abundance, and guard them from melee from time to time while hanging out with terminators its a good deal packing a few oblits as well.

 

6. Do you teleport them? Or how do you deploy them? *

A. Normally I abuse their ability to hide behind a rhino or terrain. I deep strike them when I take terminators though, as a deep strike army they are ferocious.

 

7. Are you moving them around or standing still somewhere?

A. They stand still if they are forced to. Out of lines of fire that could instant kill them.

 

8. What is your best advice on how to field obliterators?

A. If they can fit lots and lots of roles for the army you pick then take them. Otherwise in a mecha force where they do little more then act like a havoc squad, then its better to just take havocs for the ablative wounds when hit with high ap+str weapons.

[Zhukov]

1. Why are most people taking them in squads of two?

Easier no hide compared to 3, 1 is an easy kill points, and 3 is also too many times overkill.

 

2. How many oblits do you use in a list of 1000/1500/2000/etc pts?

1000: 2. 1500+: ussually 3x2, but sometimes 2x2 in 1500.

 

3. Which ones of their weapons do you use the most? *

Lasscanon.

 

4. Which targets do you see as primary? *

Transports.

 

5. Which units do you use in combination with your obliterators?

Standard units: Flying Princes, Berzerkers and Plagues in rhinos. Sometimes Termicide.

 

6. Do you teleport them? Or how do you deploy them? *

No almost never. Ussually behind/in cover or sometimes behind a rhino .

 

7. Are you moving them around or standing still somewhere

Depends, ussually moving forwards. At least trying to move them in such a way that I have targets the next turn too. Sometimes moving them in such a way that the enemy cannot target is possible too, but that depends on if you want the enemy targeting them yes or no too.

 

8. What is your best advice on how to field obliterators?

In pairs. Use them in combination with other 'competative' choices in the dex and they do fine.

[Hellios]

WHen I take Oblits I normally put them in reserve as I like to gamble but normally get good reserve rolls and DS scatter :lol: and then I bring them down where they can take down a unit thats going to cause me pain or where they can best help my overall battle plan :D

 

As for weapons it depends what they land near to, and what I want to kill. Against single large targets (MC) I often use rapid firing plasma guns, against vehicles (if I'm within 6) I use melta-guns (12 Multi-meltas) further away Lascannon. If I've bundled units up with Lash of Submission such as MEQ or terminators then Plasma cannons. I never have deepstriked them next to a huge unit of light infantry... but if I did I would imagine that I would flame them :D

 

I normally use a single unit of 3 (but for me its not an important unit and I couldn't afford 4) and in the situations I have put them in such as deepstriking next to a DP I have found that I needed all 3 of them to take down the sucker :P although against vehicles they are generally overkill.

 

If you do deepstrike them... try and put them somewhere they will be spared from the majority of return fire.

[Citizen Snips]

Depending on the game and how many point I usually run with 2 or 3. Either split all 3 up, put them all together for big games, or run 2 one man squads for smaller games.

 

I find them to be best at mid range firing. My most used weapons have got to be the multimelta, plasma cannon, and twin linked plasma rifle. I used to use them as cheap lascannon models, but the quality of las has gone downhill, so I switched them to deep strike mid rangers.

[Lord Humongous]

1 - The main advantage of taking them in units of more than 1 (besides being able to field more of them) is that blast (and template) weapons do more damage when fired en masse by one unit that the same weapons fired from many different units, since you calculate who gets hit by a single unit before rolling any wounds. Units of 3 oblits end up costing a lot, and are overkill on many targets.

 

2 - As many as you like. I use 3 in games 1500 points and up, mostly because that is how many models I have. Its typaically 1 solo, and one unit of 2. My 3rd heavy is a Landraider.

 

3 - Lascannon, to take out tanks / MCs. But the other guns get a fair bit of use as well. PC blast gets used a couple times each game, either with lash to cluster the enemy up, or just targeting a natrually bunched up unit (such as one that is clumped inside a blown up transport, or that used deepstrike and did not run). Melta weapons come in handy- even if you don't get the extra penetraion, the bonus for AP 1 is nice, as long as the target is AV 12 or less. The only one I don't often use is the flamer and the twin plasma gun.

 

4 - Typically anything that can really hurt my assault units (IE, pie throwing tanks); the oblits are there to give my berserkers a chance to do what they do best.

 

5 - Lash prince (for cluster up / cover removal and pushback) and berserkers (who assault the dudes in transports they pop / claim objectives once the field is safe for them)

 

6 - No. I almost always deploy them in an elevated position with cover. In Dawn of War deployment, I'll walk them on the board, and then have them run into cover on turn 1 since they aren't likely to shoot much anyhow. Its not like difficult ground slows them down any, so getting them into woods and ruins is nice.

 

7 - Almost always moving them. Often its not vary far, just enough to line up a shot. Sometimes (usually in DOW, or if there's a lot of area terrain) they will end up marching a fair ways onto the board, or even occasionally running because they have nothing good to shoot at.

 

8 - Just use em. They need 4+ cover and protection from assaults if you want them to stick around, neither is hard to provide. If you've played any other shooty army, its pretty easy to figure out what they should be shooting at, and when. Coming from WE's, it only took me a few games to catch on.

[The Prophet]

Thanks for all the answers, it's a great help to have all these different strategies in mind when gaming.

 

How about more ideas on what to target when facing different armies? I agree that when facing IG, it's a good idea to pop those leman russes and medusas. But what do you choose to target when facing an army with both nasty weapon equipped vehicles and transports filled with angry enemies for example? Or when facing a myriad of different tyranids?

[Corpse.]

Priority may differ a bit depending on what the enemy has as an entire army but heres the basics.

 

Marines in general: Large targets that can be taken out relatively easily like rhinos and other such transports, knocking a land raider thats charging forward with a full package and other things like characters, daemon princes(chaos) and low armor high value targets like defilers and dreadnoughts that are in your way (you want melee or they are near charging/has lash+defiler etc) and of course vindicators with their cannon in tact.

 

Tyranids in general: If he has little synapse with critters who rely on synapse then go for synapse, otherwise genestealers and all the big critters are your prime targets, and normally the ones that can charge a turn sooner then the rest of his force.

 

Necrons: WBB models like immortals, lords, all their jetbikes, warriors and even C'Tans if they do get too close for comfort (or your a melee army and it must die) and if no other targets then the monoliths are fine enough.

 

Eldar: Transports if nothing else, they rely on speed and dont let them have it. Normally Dark Reapers and other specialists they use but the avatar and wraithlords/wraithguard should die asap.

 

Thats the theme, keep it rolling along, vehicles/large targets or expencive high damage troops are your primary targets in most armies as a general rule with heavy weapons.

[Lord Humongous]

To clone what Corpse said about Nids, I pretty much dissected a nid army earlier this week using such tactics (and a big whack of luck) in a 1500 point game.

First turn my 2 +1 oblits all had wide open shots on his flyrant, scored just one wound.

Second turn, tyrant was hidden but I lashed him into the open and finished him off; my berserkers took on some encroaching gargoyles to stop them from tying up the lash prince or oblits. His flanking broodlord came on the wrong board edge, so at that point I'd dealt with anything dangerous that could get in my face before turn 4.

Third turn, I lashed a unit of genestealers FORWARDS to clump them up around the last bit of synaps (warrirors) and finished that off with oblit plasma, havoc launchers, and bolters.

Forth turn, I took out the broodlord and retinue (lash + 2 plasma did it), and 5th turn the oblits finished off the carnifex my LR had been plinking at.

 

I should add that the game was still a tie, since I didn't contest the enemy objective. The game ended on turn 5, before I could exploit my safety to move in.

[IronWinds]

1. Why are most people taking them in squads of two?

2. How many oblits do you use in a list of 1000/1500/2000/etc pts?

3. Which ones of their weapons do you use the most? *

4. Which targets do you see as primary? *

5. Which units do you use in combination with your obliterators?

6. Do you teleport them? Or how do you deploy them? *

7. Are you moving them around or standing still somewhere?

8. What is your best advice on how to field obliterators?

 

1. If you field 6, 3 two man squads better than 2 3 man squads.

2. Probably 2, 4-6, 6-9, but I love them.

3. Lascannons and Plasma. I miss autocannons, they were so good against skimmers. Anyways las for tanks, plas for troops. If you DS you'll love meltas and multi meltas.

4. Expensive stuff. Obliterators are the bane of expensive units. They can knock out 2+ sv units easily, they can knock out tanks, etc. Their true power is in killin expensive stuff. I also miss heavy bolters, orks hated it when they got shot by 6 HBs.

5. None... ok if I DS I like to DS near a squad with an icon. In Apoc I like to put them in super heavies they can shoot out of, or in bunkers :lol: .

6. Depends. Many games they walk. Against some armies and in apoc I like to have them teleport to provide close range support for my marines.

7. Depends. If there is a giant tower/bunker they can chill in, guess where they are, if not they hike a lot.

8. As fire support units.

[The Prophet]

Thank you all for the great answers! Now I will hopefully make more clever use of my obliterators.

 

/The Prophet