is ravenwing viable?

[Skilgannan]

Hey all,

 

I've just done a weekend of total hobby. I painted mostly ravenwing units. I am however thinking is ravenwing a viable list and what sort of tactics do you use? I've never run a ravenwing list before so would be useful to get others input on what's good and what not.

 

Thanks

 

Tim.

[Master Avoghai]

RW is viable, totally.

 

There are 2 sort of tactics depending on the banner you'll use in the command squad.

 

- Banner of devastation : Keep your standard bikes within 6" from the banner. Use your 12" move to stay within 18-24" from enemy units in order to prevent being charged and shoot at him until he's dead. When he's dead, shoot again...

Use AB with MM and typhoon to take care of the tanks. Giving meltas to the bikes could be helpful in case of tank heavy army.

Never send the command squad with banner of devastation or your standard bikes in CC unless it's for killing a weak unit). Instead, use a RWBK squad to harass the enemy using hit and run.

 

- Banner of Fortitude : this banner allow you more flexibility due to 12" radius. You'll need less standard bikes as it's a more aggressive strategy. Try to get 3 RWBK (2 command squad and one RWBK or 1 command squad and 2 RWBK). This will be your spearhead. Try to attack on one side and to protect your banner from shooting. Progressively eradicate the enemy's flank unit after unit. Grenade shoot, plasma shoot, charge. Hit and run if necessary.

Your standard squads will be equiped with melta for tank hunting. As well as AB.

 

In both strategy, keep your AB in reserve for 2 reasons :

1/ They won't give the first blood

2/ They will be a pain in the back of your enemy : it's never easy to have a moving AB in your deployment zone while you're attacked in the other front.

[Chaplain Lucifer]

Avoghai has good tips. Ravenwing is one of the most effective DA builds even with jink nerf.

[Skilgannan]

Thanks for the replies peeps. Does AB mean attack bike?

 

I will give both a try when i get the models for them. Would the Battleforce  be a good purchase? 

 

Many Thanks

 

Tim

[Master Avoghai]

It is indeed cos you'll find everything you need (bikes, AB and typhoon) with a 20% discount.

 

AB is Attack Bike, yes ;)

[Skilgannan]

Thank you for your help.

 

Tim 

[shabbadoo]

It is indeed cos you'll find everything you need (bikes, AB and typhoon) with a 20% discount.

...meaning there is about a 20% discount built into the standard price of the battleforce box.  Get the battleforce box itself at an actual discount, and it makes for a very good savings.  Get them if you can find them, as they are no longer available (even direct from GW)er avaialbe  You can also usually get the three Ravenwing Bikes from the Dark Vengeance starter set for about $15 (or less, depending on the bids) on ebay, and the riders are easy to modify with other bits.  This route might be better, if you desire more modern looking biker models (i.e. they have better sculpted hands and everything else overall), and you can then get the newer Land Speeder too, which also comes with the heavy flamer option (the Dark Angels (Ravenwing) Battleforce does not).  The newer Land Speeder model also fits together better than the old version, and it is the older version that you get in the Dark Angels (Ravenwing) Battleforce.  Overall, you would pay less for 6 ebay bikes (about $30), an attack bike (about $22, if you find it at 20% off), and a Land Speeder (about $24, if you find it at 20% off), or about $76 + taxes/fees/shipping. 

 

Whatever option you choose, you will do well enough either way.  If you don't go with the battleforce option, I would suggest getting an extra set of the starter set Ravenwing Bikes, and swap them for the bike portions of your Attack Bikes so that the bikes all look the same style-wise (and trade/sell the three extra older style bikes).  I have already set aside the models to do this myself, but that project lies further down the road.

[Skilgannan]

Thanks. I'll prob be getting the battleforce as it's my birthday in a couple of months so I'll pester the wife in getting it for me.

[SvenONE]

As others have said RW is without a doubt our strongest wing.  One tactic I employ I learned from a cursed traitor and his rhinos full of plague marines.  Basically you use the shooting phase to turbo-boost/flat out a vehicle to obscure or screen your forces.  We have an advantage to this tactic which is the fact we have the Darkshroud.

 

For one, don't ever buy the Assault Cannon for the DS, you'll hardly ever use it with the fire it's going to draw.  After your bikes have shot, move your darkshroud in front of as many of them as possible, remember that the Darkshroud model is huge, so it's pretty easy to do this.  It can also move over all other models because of the Skimmer rule, as well as moving 18" because of the Fast rule.  Now, you're providing them with a 5+ cover save for being shot at through an intervening model, as well as providing them with a +1 from Stealth.  So you have the same 4+ you would have in the open had you opted to jink, so those twinlinked shots will go a little further.  You of course have the option of jinking should you elect to, giving you a 3+ jink instead.  

 

The Darkshroud will laugh at all the shots that come its way when IT jinks, enjoying a comfortable 2++ save.  The simple fact that your opponent will be dedicating fire to it is well worth the point cost.

[Larhendiel]

also if you have points add a lvl 2 librarian with telepathy hoping to get invisibility and give him Lions Roar which appears to be our portable 24" plasma cannon (it does not have "one use only" like all others combi-weapons)

[Komrk]

also if you have points add a lvl 2 librarian with telepathy hoping to get invisibility and give him Lions Roar which appears to be our portable 24" plasma cannon if you don't want friends (it does not have "one use only" like all others combi-weapons)

Fixed

[Brother dean]

also if you have points add a lvl 2 librarian with telepathy hoping to get invisibility and give him Lions Roar which appears to be our portable 24" plasma cannon (it does not have "one use only" like all others combi-weapons)

That...   That is evil...    And I was 23 points under 1500.   I gotta try this.

 

(needs combi bits!...)

[SvenONE]

I'm actually rather positive is still 1-time-use, it's just Mastercrafted and Assault instead of Heavy.

[Prot]

^What he said. It's in the FAQ.

[Caldria]

Prot - the FAQ addresses Azrael's Combi-Plasma: The Lion's Wrath, which is with the regular plasma gun combi component.

The Lion's Roar which is the Relic is with the plasma cannon combi component (which is not addressed in the FAQ), which does not say one-use only. Although, I don't know myself if I'd ever use it with unlimited uses - Dark Angels already suffer from a ton of prohibitive/lacklustre/uninspired rules, so I'd say just treat the Lion's Roar in the same way. So I'd probably see the Lion's Roar plasma cannon component as one use only myself.

[Brother dean]

I do feel that that flies in the face of RAI.  As 6th expressly said in the BGB that the Secondary weapon will only fire once but 7th changed that.

[SvenONE]

Well I stand corrected, had to check the codex when I got home.  Lion's Roar isn't one time use, shows how often I use it.  I've used Azrael (Lion's Wrath, hence the mixup) far more than I ever used that. 

[Prot]

Why do I recall that someone pointed out to us that some FAQ had it spelled out as one use?

 

Am I imagining this? I used to use it (at Lucifer's advice) as a multi use weapon. Then I did up a batrep using it this way and someone said they had.... I think it was an electronic version of the updated rules that said it can't be used this way. I wish I could remember the details... Maybe I drank too much paint last night... I dunno.

[Brother dean]

Redundant post is redundant.

[Ultra Magnus]

I am surprised, given how notorious GW is for shoddy proofreading and editing, that you would all jump on what is clearly a typo. 

 

From the flavor text for the Lion's Roar:

 

"It is similar to the combi-weapon born by Grand Master Azrael, although the single shot plasma blast it fires is accompanied by a devastating roar...."

[Larhendiel]

It depends what version you have in paperback version pfg works from inside of vehicles and lions roar isn't one use only, in digital version afaik pfg does not work from inside of vehicles and lions roar is one use only

so I paid 60gbp for collectors ed of our dex and then I paid 50gbp for main rulebook, 110 pounds for inconsistent books with spelling errors and hardly any players support whatsowever

[Ultra Magnus]

Larhendiel I totally agree with you. GW's twin sins of horrible quality control and an unwillingness to quickly and clearly communicate rules discrepancies are maddening and turn everyone into contract attorneys. I think in this case the accompanying text clearly makes the RAI clear, regardless of addition.

[shabbadoo]

Still, people shouldn't play it as unlimited use, as they surely are not paying the points for a 24" range Assault 1 plasma cannon. Beyond bad form to play it as anything but the one-shot weapon we know it to be (though no doubt somebody will argue the "one-shot" bit of the description surely means that it "only" fires one plasma blast shot *each time* it is fired, of course ).

[Chaplain Lucifer]

As said before. If you use paper codex and Faq the lion roar is multishot, if you use electronic version its single shot. Like many other stuff there is a differenxe between electronic and paper. No need to de rail this thread further. Just use what you thing its apropriate. Now lets keep this about Ravenwing.

[SnakeChisler]

There’s a load of spare biker parts in the command box as well, I bought both at the same time and I’m very glad I did mostly coz you get a load of pistols/arms etc..

 

My bikers aren’t glued on to the bikes either and a load have magnetized arms best thing is some forward planning on how you’d load them out, I’ve also magnetized the attack bike and speeder though to be honest I’ve never used the HB on the Attack Bike but swapping round the Speeder from Typhoon to twin HB to Twin Multi Melta is useful.

 

Anyways the Bikers look cooler having 1 hand with a pistol in it and from the box set I’d recommend these options

 

6 man with 2 melta AB with MM Speeder with Typhoon (or twin HB or Twin MM)

3 man x 2 with 2 melta each squad AB with MM Speeder with Typhoon (or twin HB or Twin MM)

Arm options I have some flamer arms to sub in and some Plasma arms as well as a power weapon

 

Which is the best loadout Depends on your local gaming group + points in the game really