Unit of the Week: Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought

[Xenith]

++Thousand Sons Unit of the Week++

++Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought++

New codex, new discussions about units! As we already have in other faction sections, this is the Thousand Sons Unit of the Week series, where each week we select and dissect a datasheet found in the book, and discuss how we use the unit in-game, favoured loadouts and combos, essentially how to use these units best. What have you found that works, and what doesnt? Please try to stick to the idea of making the unit in question work, as opposed to pointing out other units that might do a better job - we'll get to those in time!

This week, we will be discussing the mainstay of many tournament lists for the past year, the contemptor dreadnought. We mainly saw this with dual volkite culverins, but how would you use yours?

What are you thoughts, and how best would you use the unit?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around?
  
• Will you be running multiples?
  
• What <GREAT CULT>, loadouts, spell relic and Stratagem support do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
  
• Are you buffing this unit, and if so, how?
  
• Are you building as a damage dealer or buff-provider?
  
• Uses in Matched, Narrative and Open Play
  
• How have they fared for you in-game?
  

Over to you.

++Thousand Sons Unit of the Week Index Link++

[Karhedron]

Right now I think the best loadout is dual Volkite. 16 shots at S6, D2 with Mortal Wounds on a 6. Play the "Ensorcelled Infusion" stratagem on them for Ap-1 and you have a unit that can gun down pretty much any target unless they have the -1 Damage ability (target Dreads and Ork vehicles with your biggest guns). Everything else will be shredded by this bad boy.

 

Now if you can combine it with a reroll to Wound, you have some really scary power. Pair it with Empiric Tresspass, Pressage and/or Prescience to really rack up the kill rate.

 

The only drawback is that this is such a popular combo that GW might hike the points in the next field manual update. Or then again they may not. Tzeentch may be fickle but he is a novice compared to the GW devs.

[WarriorFish]

I liked the Contemptor when it had special rules and whatnot for Chaos, made it different and it was fun for it to gobble up enemy models to heal :P Compared to other Chaos forces Sons probably benefit more from the AT potential, though the inbuilt 5++ means less relative gain there. Contemptors are cool but the -1 Command Point stings and all the more so for an army like Sons who use them so much :confused:

[Xenith]

So I used a contemptor with a single volkite last game, and I have to say it ws amazing - for a unit I thought had fallen off the competitive meta. It was against maybe the idea target, orks, but it put in some work. I'll be using the same again tonight, but dual volkite, and see what happens. I think they put out some amazing long range firepower that TS are sorely lacking. 

[Paladin777]

I would agree that Orks (has anyone coined the acronym OEQ yet? If not they should) are it's ideal target, followed closely by GEQ (2+ to wound with poor armor saves). Heck, even targets like sisters and aspect warriors will fail a bunch of saves on that many dice! Edited January 19, 2022 by Paladin777

[Xenith]

Used the dual volkite last night, and it's pretty hardcore - My SOT's had pretty much mauled anything significant before the contemptor could shoot, so it was always into suboptimal targets, but he toasted a Dark angels libby, despite no mortals, then next turn the shot a whirlwind, mostly hitting with exalted rerolls, then lucked out and got 5 6's, burning a hole straight through the thing. We called the game end of my T2, so there was nothing left for it to shoot, but I think it did reasonably well. 

 

I'm definitely going to experiment further with it. 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Xenith

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Relevant to this discussion, GW has just revealed that "all" Volkite Contemptors are 10 points more.  See: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/01/20/four-of-the-biggest-points-changes-from-chapter-approved-2022/  It isn't clear (to me, anyway) if this means that twin volkites will be 20 points more.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Karhedron]

Yes. Do they mean all-volkite Contemptors or all volkite-Contemnptors?

 

Either way, the change seems to have been widely anticipated and is not as bad as some players were expecting. Even if it is 10 points per gun (so 20 points on the dual-volkite build), it is still a good option. It is just no longer a no-brainer.

[WarriorFish]

There I was thinking Rumi had started Sons I'd assume it's 10pts per volkite? These are just the "highlights" so there could be more to the equation for all we know, although it seems unlikely in this particular case.

[Xenith]

I'm thinking and hoping that te volkite contemptor being 10pts more refers to the all-volkite one, the only one you see in tourneys. the 150pts it is now is great, 170 I'd probably drop it, 160 is probably decent. 

[Xenith]

Maybe my dice run hot, but the dual volkite has been putting in some more work agaist some death guard. The orrery was in my list, but it was essentially the same list as my last game VS dark angels, so no tailoring, but it did well. I managed to get morty down to 6 wounds through psychics, and then the volkites took the last 6 from him rolling a massive 5 6's on the wound rolls, then morty getting really unlucky and failing 4/8 3+ saves from the -1AP strat. Volkite also took chunks out of PM units, and a plagueburst. This unit's actually amazing. 

 

Rumour is that the volkites are going up by 10pts per weapon, making the dual volkite model ~170pts without anything else. 

Edited January 25, 2022 by Xenith

[Ahzek451]

I went the extra bit to make my own missile rack and convert one up, so I'll still have some incentive to play one. Even with the volkite increase. Although, I may consider other weapon options as well. Or drop it altogether for more rubrics. 

[Casual Heresy]

I'm expanding the Thousand Sons force I started last year with Hexfire into a full army. I'm adding a Contemptor with chainfist and volkite as a way to use the Osiron model. What are people considering for other weapon options apart from volkite? I'd love to add a second contemptor later to use the 'standard' Thousand Sons Contemptor model.

[Paladin777]

Even after the points hike the volkite is still far and away the best ranged weapon. The only other option I would consider looking at would be the multi-melta if I was hurting for anti-tank, but since the Son's get the 5++ across the board, a helbrute would be a better (cheaper) caddy for that anyway. Edited March 26, 2022 by Paladin777

[Xenith]

Agreed - the volkites have still been putting in work for me even at 170pts for a dual VolCon - they have that anti infantry punch that we just dont have elsewhere (outside other forge world things like rapier carriers), with the rnge to reach out and touch things. They're very swingyand you're likely to do nothing vs things like custodes with 2+ saves and ignore mortals, but against normal infantry, I think you average 5 dead marines, you'll obliterate things like guard and fire warrior units. 

 

Dual lascannon or dual MM contemptor might be an option, but I find the lascannon unreliably swingy.

[Paladin777]

At 5points more than the dual MM (or 35 points less than the dual lascannons) you could have a tri-ectoplasma forge-fiend. Just saying. Not quite as nasty when trying to crack T8, but solid regardless and it doesn't cost CP to field.

 

I'm with you on the lascannons being too swingy, and way too expensive. The range and extra point of strength is definitely not worth the premium over the MM.

[Tichinde]

and once you start buffing them with the +1 str and -1AP you suddenly start to have something serious.