Land Raiders, how viable are they?

[Ultramarine vet]

So I know there is a lot going on with primaris marines, but I myself am not into them. I am pro firstborn marines.

[Chaplain Augustus]

1) Land Raiders are super fun but only if you're not playing in a super competitive environment.

2) A single raider full of terminators is rad but now you have two points intensive units in one place. Dangerous.

3) If you wanna double up you will need to do two things:

a) screen the tanks from assault.

b) saturate with other nasty armour to force your opponent into making bad decisions.

Achieving both of those things effectively after spending 1200ish points on all your awesome is challenging.

All that being said I'd do it. 40k should be crazy fun from the grim darkness of the far future. Hopefully you have a group who can appreciate the awesomeness and build equally fun lists.

[Ultramarine vet]

1) Land Raiders are super fun but only if you're not playing in a super competitive environment.

2) A single raider full of terminators is rad but now you have two points intensive units in one place. Dangerous.

3) If you wanna double up you will need to do two things:

a) screen the tanks from assault.

b) saturate with other nasty armour to force your opponent into making bad decisions.

Achieving both of those things effectively after spending 1200ish points on all your awesome is challenging.

All that being said I'd do it. 40k should be crazy fun from the grim darkness of the far future. Hopefully you have a group who can appreciate the awesomeness and build equally fun lists.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, is how expensive the unit and the "transport" are together. I'll probably want to field some predator tanks and whatnot so I don't make them an incredibly easy target choice. I think it'll be a whole lot of fun. Lol. Edited April 9, 2020 by Ultramarine vet

[Kallas]

Land Raiders can work with Ultramarines: their Chapter Tactic allows them to Fall Back and shoot with a -1, and you can have a Warlord Trait to negate that -1. Run some relatively cheap troops inside (Tactical Marines, cheap Company Veterans, etc) and they can be effective.

 

I'm particularly a fan of the Land Raider Helios, which has less transport capacity but has a 72" 2d6 7/-1/1 ignore LoS gun on top instead of the Twin Heavy Bolter.

[ThirtySixNights]

They simply don't have the firepower of the similarly priced repulsors, and they can't fall back and shoot. So most chapters really see no use for them..

 

However, I'm having sporadic luck with the land raider crusader in their home chapter. (If you don't know, that's a shame but it's the Black Templars.)

 

With a few CP invested you can do the following with it.

 

- a 27" charge threat range (-1CP - The emperor's will)

- preventing overwatch and -1 to hit in CC (-1CP - Shock and Awe)

- massive 6" pile in and consolidate (-1CP - Devout Push)

- Prevent a unit falling back on a 2+ (-2cp - Tenacious Assault)

- 4++ save (Relic - The Aurillian Shroud)

- 5+++ save (Litany of Divine Protection)

 

Combined with a huge crusader squad, you can potentially wrap and tripoint many units with the huge charge/advance and massive pile in and consolidate and if you can't do that, lock em in combat with a strategem.

 

With the effective 24" range of the crusader, it's the perfect tool for the task. There are not many armies that can take out a 2+,4++,5+++ 16 wound model, and then not be severely disrupted by 16 models clogging up your castle.

 

It's weaponry is also absolutely beyond superb for taking out screens.

[mathaius]

What would you guys put inside a LR that isn't too points intensive?

I was thinking maybe a footslogging Vanguard Vet squad plus a chaplain or maybe a Sternguard for some close ranged firepower? Heck, maybe even 2-3 min sized tac squads to taxi towards midfield objectives.

I'd really like to field one too (I have a Godhammer and a magnetized Crusader/Redeemer) but i'm absolutely stumped on what to put inside without butchering the rest of my list to make it fit.

[WarriorFish]

Land Raiders do have a bit of trouble in getting locked in to combat, being expensive only makes this worse. Putting combat troops inside is an obvious solution (or part of), aside from the classic nature of it. One thing that has been done before and is likely better now is Scouts. Cheaper, but hitting just as hard and with extra attacks with their CCWs there's also no special weapon slots to miss if you want room for a supporting character (larger transport variants aside).

 

Alternatively a way to deploy some Tactical squads will work. Not the greatest threat in the World, but they should be able to protect the Land Raider from immediate charge risk as well as provide some threat of their own. Both choices as Troops should find room in a Battalion

[Terrified Templar]

Its not the cheapest option but you can't go wrong with assault centurions, they're tanky, punchy and with hurricane bolters and flamers they are pretty shooty as well. As for ensuring that your land raider survives to make it to enemy lines I'd say investing in some invictor warsuits supported by scouts but since you want old marines you got drop pods, scouts, jump infantry and terminators. Basically you're going to want things that can, screen, tie up or destroy things in an enemy list that can really hurt your land raider. 

[The Neverborn]

I tried Land Raiders in early 8th before the army books in a Deathwing build, it kinda of worked but only because I used Azreal to give them 4++ and re-rolls. That's gone now. But I did have some success.

Over the last 3-4 editions I've used them intermittently and here's my cliff notes.

1) 1 and raider and 5 terminator is better than 10 terminators, for a long time it was rough the same points. But I expect that has changed

2) Land Raider crusader is king. God hammer and Pyro used to suffer massively from LoS in pre 8th rules but that's really as restrictive now. But for what ever reason crusader works best in 9 out of 10 situations.

3) Land Raiders work best in small games. 1 land raider will have great return in 1k. If you could get 2 in probably even better, they start suffering, even if you take more in anything over 1k points and it just gets worse.

4)They require more thought than other transports and tanks. Should be obvious but you can get isolated.

5)They're not great unit, generally if you're using them you need to be much better than your opponent. When I use land Raiders and terminators. I'm generally trying to handicap myself against a newbie.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Battle Brother Abderus

[Psilence]

Whenever I see folks talking about land raiders it makes me think of “Way of the Water Warrior”.

 

Very much outdated, but worth a read.