Anti Tank

[Sircyn]

What are you guys finding successful for anti tank solutions?

 

I've been struggling with vehicles my first few games and would like any opinions or experience you've got in dealing with enemy armour.

 

• I've found mining laser/grenade launcher neophytes can't be relied upon at all, even to deal with transports, fetch and carry or do general admin tasks. They do okay at sitting on objectives and waving flags.
• Acolyte mining weapons shred vehicles but the guys carrying them evaporate into a red mist if the enemy so much as blinks at them. Are they worth a chimera?
• Genestealers suffer from causing only one damage per hit and there is the opportunity cost then of not ripping the guts out of enemy infantry units in brutal psychically buffed multi charges.
• The Patriarch is good at damaging the big stuff, but he has to take his stealers with him as he is too fragile to leave alone, there aren't enough of them and he has to get into tic-tac breath range to do his stuff.
• Aberrants cost a fortune, need a transport and are fragile. I feel like I'd be better off with tooled up acolytes to do the same thing.

This makes me think of turning to the Imperial Guard (I sold my Tyranids yonks ago). What useful options have you experience with?

 

 

[mmimzie]

The first thing to note is that for the price abberants/patriarchs/acolytes with drills are all about the same in terms of cost effectiveness in terms of breaking through high toughness models.

 

On the same note one of the best anti high toughness weapons for its cost is the Las Cannon heavy weapons team, who is only slightly more cost effective than the above, but mode out very moist paper towels. Which means out anti high toughness stuff is pretty good. And its draw back being getting it into melee, and being about 2.5 times tougher than a heavy weapons team member.

 

The reason you struggle is because with out dedicating a 3rd of your army to specifically anti armored. You simple just won't kill super tough stuff very quickly.

 

As such you have a few options.

 

Patriarchs are amazing. Work well any the below options to act as a force multiplier via might from beyond.

 

Genestealers are our jack of all trades unit. They are best suited to killing infantry, but are still pretty okay against tough stuff, and with might from beyond a unit of 13 stealer and patriarch can kill a knight in one turn.

 

Acolytes (10-15 !fully loaded with heavy weapons) and aberrants are much more cost effective against against heavy stuff, but suck abit compared to stealers against armor. Again backed by a patriarch or a primus and magus (patriarch is better except for the ambush roll) will do amazing things.

 

Trucks are a durable none ambush options. Loaf them up with a demo caste and neophytes equips to your liking. Even with out heavy weapons you have twin auto cannon, a demo caste, and a heavy stubber. Taking mining lasers and grenade launchers and you have a strong mobile unit. Mind you this unit isn't as strong as ambush stuff, but it's more reliable, and can start doing damage from range while it closes in.

[Raktra]

A Brood Brother heavy support detachment of lascannon heavy weapon teams is a solid option. Up to nine cheap lascannons is nothing to sneeze at, plus it's a bonus command point.

[Sircyn]

Thanks guys,

 

I really regret giving my Lascannon teams to my renegade guard now!

 

I've gone away and painted my 8 Aberrants, I'll put them and a Primus in a Chimera or Ambush them. I'll also run a decked out acolyte squad in a Chimera, as I play power level it matters not how tooled up they are. The charging transport will hopefully suck up any overwatch fire for them. I already run two big genestealer squads with a Patriarch too. I'll try to squeeze them into the elite detachment for the +1 CP. With two characters and four units, I'll have to see if I can get away with making use of the aura abilities more efficiently than I have in the past. I found it's very easy for units to spread out of range in smaller games.

 

l'll be running a Battalion worth of Guard, for two conscript blobs and associated characters, but this means I can sneak some Scions with Melta and Plasma in, I figure they'll synergise well with Cult Ambush. At this point I've probably spent my 100 PL.

 

At that 100 CP level I'll have for anti big stuff/vehicle:

 

• 8 Hammer Aberrants
• 10 Acolytes with 2xSaw and 2x Drill
• 15 Genestealers
• 15 Genestealers
• Patriarch
• Primus (for his buffs to one of the above)
• 10 Scions with four special weapons. I'll likely split them into fives to get an extra plasma pistol in.

I'll let you know if this seems enough. I have good odds of facing a knight in my next game, which while scary at least gives me one big thing to worry about rather than multiple flamer touting transports I overkill and then get roasted by the next one.