Wolf Scouts.. Why should I field them?

[Sons_of_Medax]

Hey All,

 

So last week, I picked up the Space Wolves Codex. This is my second Power Armour army following my Raven Guard list. I've got to say that I'm really impressed with the Codex, it seems really strong with a lot of possible combinations from the 'awesome' to the downright nasty. To be honest even though I've immersed myself in the book for the last week, I've only just today written my first list and even still I'm sure it will be the first of many. My aim is to make a competitive 1750pt list - I want this army to win me tournaments.

 

So after nutting out the initial list, I was looking at the Battleforce, and to me it looks like a fairly good buy, with the exception of the Wolf Scouts. Now, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of scouts generally. However from what I can tell around here there are a lot of big fans of the unit. Could someone please tell me why? I'm not saying they're bad by any means, however I just feel that I would rather spend my points on Lone Wolves and Wolf Guard. The ability to only take one special weapon limits their options a bit for me. I couldn't really find a reason to field them at 1750pts, but maybe you all can convince me as to why I should take them?

 

Cheers,

 

Sladie

[Branek Icefang]

They are fluffy for some great companies, and space wolves are nothing if not fluffy! But seriously, Wolf Scouts are useful because of Behind Enemy Lines. Even a small squad arriving behind the enemy firebase can seriously screw with their head. They actually are quite good skirmishers, but dont commit them to a combat which will likely be drawn out. Shock and Awe my man, Shock and Awe. its what they do and they do it well.

[Grey Mage]

5 Wolf Scouts- Meltagun, Powerweapon- 100pts.

 

They walk in off the board edge, melta something in the rear armor, assault if that fails. Or walk right up and start butchering any heavy weapon teams in the backfield. Playing against gunlines like tau? Well their command squad is out of the game for atleast two turns now, or one of their units is likely to evaporate.

 

The ability to just come right in, shoot, and assault, for a measly 100pts is well worth it.

 

Want more power versus armor and heavy infantry? Consider taking a pair of plasma pistols instead.... makes it 115pts with the meltagun, but gives you two more tank busting shots if you need them...

 

And of course, you can add a WG to them for some extra CC potential if your feeling really mean :P. A powerfist one a pack leader, with a combi-melta perhaps, is a good buy for 33pts.

[CainTheHunter]

I am running mine with a Wolf Guard, but I am taking Thunderhammer/combi-melta instead of PF, because I like the look of it. I am running 7 models pack - together with WG, and thinking about expanding them... I have also power weapon and mark of the wulfen on them. So far they manage to get out when I need and where I want - last game they took out a Tau Hammerhead on Turn one and dispatched a large Kroot unit twice of their numbers. Because they are fully grown space marines with WS,BS 4.

[Simo429]

my first time using them on sunday and it was funny to see my opponents shocked looked when I said WS4 BS4

 

'but they're scouts!!!'

 

wolf scouts to use their proper term

[CainTheHunter]

my first time using them on sunday and it was funny to see my opponents shocked looked when I said WS4 BS4

 

'but their scouts!!!'

 

wolf scouts to use their proper term

 

 

Oh yeah - the Tau player also said that now he understands why everybody hates being assaulted by Wolf scouts :)

[Natanael]

When I run my scouts, I run them either 5 w/ Meltagun or 7+WG w/ Meltagun, PF, Combi-melta, PW. Cheap, very effective and really a fear-factor for many opponents. They tend to move away from any board edge =D

 

- Natanael

[Frontline989]

I think the best thing about wolf scouts is that people don't see them as much of a threat. Besides the special weapon they think of them as a squishy unit which they are against things like termies or nobs but against most other things they can certainly hold their own. I give mine a MG, PP, and WG w/ WC and they can slice and dice quite nicely. With 2 CCW and counter attack that's 3 ws 4 str 4 attacks each w/ a 4+ save. Not a bad assault unit vs things like lootas or IG artillery.

[Aeddon]

my first time using them on sunday and it was funny to see my opponents shocked looked when I said WS4 BS4

 

'but they're scouts!!!'

 

wolf scouts to use their proper term

Had something like that in a game last night except he was also surprised that they could have a second PW as well.

 

him>"alright so I need 3's to hit..."

me>"no you need 4's to hit...oh and you just took four wounds from my power weapons"

him>"huh? how did you get two power weapons into that unit?"

I show him my codex

him>"but they're scouts?!?!?!"

:RTBBB:

 

Love my Wolf Scouts! Most of the time they are the best use of points in my list!

[Grey Mage]

I love it when people do that, like were a C:SM clone or something.

 

"Why is there an assault termy in your TDA squad?"

"Because I paid 63pts for him?"

[CainTheHunter]

I actually had to show my codex once to prove that they indeed are able to show up wherever I want on the roll of 3+. The guy said - wow, that's cool, that's really cool!

 

I love it when people do that, like were a C:SM clone or something.

 

"Why is there an assault termy in your TDA squad?"

"Because I paid 63pts for him?"

 

 

Last apoc game, allied ultramarine player asked about how I managed to get CML termie in my LongFang squad :P

[Alba]

Think i'll be using these fine chaps in my next game!

[RunningWolfFenris]

Once again, really glad I read this... I hate Scouts I always have, so I dismissed them (I used to play SM). But WOLF Scouts on the other hand actually are useful for something other than dieing. I think I'm gonna use the melta/PW setup and surprise people who leave shooty stuff on the back edge of the board

[Simo429]

since I took my oath of a game a week (see my thread in the army list section to see how Im getting on) i have tried many different combinations and wolf scouts are the ones that have had the biggest impact first time round

[Adarul Greystalker]

The melta/power weapon setup is indeed the best option in my opinion. I run it with a combi-melta/power fist wolf guard in practically any game size. One thing you may not have noticed is that in the FAQ, the wolf scout entry is changed so that you don't have to exchange a weapon for the power weapon. You just get it. This means that you can take a wolf scout with a meltagun, power weapon, and close combat weapon, preventing you from losing a close combat attack by taking the meltagun.

[Grey Mage]

On the down side if you lose one, you lose both... wich sucks.

[Simo429]

cant believe it took me so long to heed the advice never leave the fang without them

 

tonight 2 squads of 5

1 melta

1 plasma pistol in both

 

1 squad took out a defiler

the other imobalised a vindicator which was out of range of everything

they then took out a dreadnought while the first squad wrecked the vindicator

 

at that point they were out of the fight pretty much because they were out in the middle of nowhere but they certainly did their job and again I had the

 

'scouts arent meant to be that good' look from my opponent

[Branek Icefang]

cant believe it took me so long to heed the advice never leave the fang without them

 

tonight 2 squads of 5

1 melta

1 plasma pistol in both

 

1 squad took out a defiler

the other imobalised a vindicator which was out of range of everything

they then took out a dreadnought while the first squad wrecked the vindicator

 

at that point they were out of the fight pretty much because they were out in the middle of nowhere but they certainly did their job and again I had the

 

'scouts arent meant to be that good' look from my opponent

 

Like I said, shock and awe. No matter how many times they get slaughtered by them, your opponents will always forget we take hardened veterans and make them scouts. None of this recruit crap!

 

Space Wolves do the only sensible thing, take soldiers you know you can rely on and give them the most dangerous, most difficult missions. Afterall, when infiltrating an Ork Base to blow something up, when rigging a canyon with explosives to destroy an armored column, when assassinating a rogue official, when gathering information that could save the lives of hundreds of space wolves, who would you send? A recruit. No. A hardened veteran who loves nothing better than hunting down his target and killing it in the middle of a base without raising the alarm? HELL YEAH!

[Requiem of the Wolf]

cant believe it took me so long to heed the advice never leave the fang without them

 

tonight 2 squads of 5

1 melta

1 plasma pistol in both

 

1 squad took out a defiler

the other imobalised a vindicator which was out of range of everything

they then took out a dreadnought while the first squad wrecked the vindicator

 

at that point they were out of the fight pretty much because they were out in the middle of nowhere but they certainly did their job and again I had the

 

'scouts arent meant to be that good' look from my opponent

 

Like I said, shock and awe. No matter how many times they get slaughtered by them, your opponents will always forget we take hardened veterans and make them scouts. None of this recruit crap!

 

Space Wolves do the only sensible thing, take soldiers you know you can rely on and give them the most dangerous, most difficult missions. Afterall, when infiltrating an Ork Base to blow something up, when rigging a canyon with explosives to destroy an armored column, when assassinating a rogue official, when gathering information that could save the lives of hundreds of space wolves, who would you send? A recruit. No. A hardened veteran who loves nothing better than hunting down his target and killing it in the middle of a base without raising the alarm? HELL YEAH!

Remember Brothers...Not all Wolves howl when they Hunt.

Its nothing more then the flavor text for the scout armor...but it is a perfect example of what they are capable of. I just wish there was more use for them in my current game situation. =( The army's they would be useful they are normally not needed,and the armies I need an edge on they don't do the job well enough.

[Rocknar]

Wolf scouts are the one of the most effective units in my list second only to my wolf lord(who averages 3 units killed a game). it comes in on the opponents table edge and kills the most annoing long range fire that my opponet has. And even if it does not kill a whole unit it keeps them off your Grey Hunter long enough to get with-in the 12" kill zone they need to be effective. I never leave home with out them.

[n00b in need]

the only problem i have with our scouts is that we don't get them on bikes =(

coming from C:SM and loving my scout bikers, i sometimes miss them, they would be sooo bad ass with Behind Enemy Lines.

i have always thought though that it must be because of the bonus to the ws and bs, and maybe scout bikers with Behind Enemy Lines would be over powered and yes we have Swift Claws but i miss my scout move =(

[Branek Icefang]

Remember Brothers...Not all Wolves howl when they Hunt.

Its nothing more then the flavor text for the scout armor...but it is a perfect example of what they are capable of. I just wish there was more use for them in my current game situation. =( The army's they would be useful they are normally not needed,and the armies I need an edge on they don't do the job well enough.

 

One thing to remember, which incidently won't seem to have any bearing on your use of wolf scouts.

 

Logan Grimnar lets us take our WG as troops, but doesn't stop us from taking Grey Hunters and Blood Claws.

 

Wolf Guard as troops mean heavy duty objective holders (termi's) or heavy duty objective takers (PA with weapons) and less elite slots used means...... more wolf scouts!

 

Seriously, the amount of people I meet who never think of using Grey Hunters and WG as troops with grimnar, supported by wolf scouts and some armor is ridiculous.

 

A couple of Land Raiders, 2 packs of terminator armored WG, 2 packs of Grey Hunters (or PW WG in a rhino), A couple of Vindicators, Logan and some wolf scout backup will decimate almost anything provided you are samrt about using them.

 

Remember, Wolf Scouts really need to be supporting friendly units to benefit, a charge of BC or GH from the front and WS to the rear can devastate anything short of Monstrous Creatures, and it generally isnt advisable to charge them anyway.

[Freman Bloodglaive]

I remember having some fun with them in fourth, but when you have three dreadnoughts plus Bjorn it's hard to find enough slots for them.

 

If only we could get Masters of the Forge... but then where would I put all my Long Fangs?

[NealSmith]

I love these scouts... but... You still have to make the rolls!

 

Played a game last night. Scouts come in right behind a LR. Pop the meltagun and... miss! OK, I'm thinking... I've got 5 guys with Melta bombs... No problem!

 

In the ensuing melee, the LR didn't move the turn before so auto-hits, I glanced one time... Haven't seen so many 1,2,3's ever!

 

The good thing is that they attracted the attention of a Terminator Squad who ended up not killing them outright and were run over by my Wolf Lord and his WG pack! :)

[jeremy1391]

has anyone tried the pain in the rear 7 men 2 power weapons 1 mark of the wulfen WG with a frost blade ?

 

on paper this unit looks sweet with 6 power weapon attacks and 4 frost blade attacks and the d6 MOW attacks... this would put the hurt on a lot of things if your opponent is playing defensively ...