Unit of the Week: defiler

[Wolf Lord Loki]

What is there to love about the first of the daemon engines?

 

I've never quite used its massive claws but I do like the intimidation factor it brings. I like it can wander off by itself and I don't have to worry too much about it

[Special Officer Doofy]

I personally think it's a terrible model. I got stuff to convert some up for DG (dune crawler legs, extra DI bloat Drone bodies and helbrute bits like a power scourges). I was happy when they got the points drop, and then we could at least use a strat to give them DR. I'm glad I waited and pushed them back in my hobby que until the 9th edition codex came out. Went up in points, can no longer get DR, and doesn't get our legion trait (because of terrible rules writing). I'm sure chaos space marines will get blanket legion traits that apply to everything like loyalist marines got with their new codex/supplements, which will effectively make DG defilers the worst ones in the game. Huge swing and a miss for me. No thanks! Edited December 24, 2021 by Putrid Choir

[Jorgend Lupus]

Yes, like Putrid Choir said, the lack of Legion trait adds insult to injury : the model is ugly, and it's too expensive points wise... I sometimes field one in friendly games if I go for Inexorable or Poxmongers, but he never sees the table for competitive games (but I could see him with the Epidemius daemon engine circus, though)...

 

I converted mine so it looks like a scorpion because I can't stand the clumsy robot spider look, and the main reason why I played it a couple times in 9th is because I like the conversion ^^

 

Defilers also pose a problem in the structure of our army : like Rhinos (who at least have an utilitarian purpose), they give the opportunity for your opponent to use his dam2 weapons : not great...

[Plaguecaster]

I converted mine using tyranid parts, that huge fantasy spider some drone parts and the miasmic malignifier, looks far better than the horrible gw kit

 

The lack of legion rules and DR is a massive pain and wish GW would stop being stupid and let everything in our damn army benefit from our actual army rules like everyone else. Still field a couple in a walker and infantry heavy force twin Las option is expensive but nice to bring some extra long range anti tank weapons which most of our force is lacking. though if I reddid the rules would give them both access to our full legion rules as well as twin entropy cannons and plague spitters as it would be that hard to let more of the older units get access to plague weapons

Edited December 25, 2021 by Plaguecaster

[El_Dicko]

I’ve considered converting up the top of one or just proxying my nurgle soul grinder, for a daemon engine list but it’s not hard to find other stronger things to spend the points on. As plaguecaster said I guess it might be worth it to bring some range but if im already running 3+ fart carts and 3 bloat drones I have a lot of fast anti tank anyway eh? On the other hand my malignifier is sitting unused on sprue and that conversion sounds great. I’ve been playing around with Epidemius lists, but the defiler costing more than a PBC is not encouraging

[Plaguecaster]

There will be a chapter Approved hopefully in the new year with points change

Hopefully the defiler gets a much needed points decrease and buff

[Plague _Lord]

I for one... like the model. I's a shame gw has no plans of remodelling it to modern standars as that could be awesome.

 

As for rules I think it's not really bad just poorly costed. I don't own the model but the melee build seems decent if not highly competitive.

[Special Officer Doofy]

Putting them in an army of all -1 damage just screams shoot me with all your multi damage shots T1. That's the downside to every DG unit without the new DR (so the copy and paste stuff).

[Wolf Lord Loki]

I managed to get hold of an old plague hulk and converted that up to be my Defiler.

 

Your right about the design- it's odd and doesn't really fit any designs before or after

[Iron Sage]

I have one very heavily converted and plaguified and I love that model with a plague flail. I agree that if you don't add greenstuff and such to make it really horrible, it looks wrong, but I like my model.

 

As for it's rules, it suffers from the stupid "I am not a Primaris line vehicle" and it lacks our legion traits. It is still good, but heavily overcosted due to the aforementioned and you can only use it in friendly games because of that. But in friendly games it's a cool unit choice I think. I use one now and then, but of course, you have to sacrifice something since it costs a bit too much for super competitive play.

Edited December 26, 2021 by Iron Sage

[40k nut]

I always field a defiler with my Deathguard force. I run him with reaper auto cannon and flail.

People aren't used to seeing one on the table and totally underestimate him. I run up the table first turn (advance move). I put him on a flank and advance, up onto an objective. He stands there shooting with decent firepower. If the enemy gets close he charges into combat and munches both infantry and armor with ease. 

Eventually the opponent will realize he is a threat and focus him down very quickly.

He is a distraction carnifex. If he doesn't die too quick I have had games where he  single handedly held an area of the board; letting the rest of my army spread out and go elsewhere.

[KingYertle]

Nothing much to add that hasn't already been said but I do find it amusing that the model is so ugly that there isn't a single photograph of it in the codex (despite a death guard painted one being included in the 8th edition codex).  Actually, I just realize none of the Chaos Bubonic Astartes Vehicles have photographs! (with the exception of a Hellbrute in one of the dioramas).  Its almost like they are not really intended to be part of our army and were only included to pacify legacy collections....

 

However as a long time IG player, the worst part of the Defiler is that its Dd3 "Battle Cannon" become a D3 "Defiler Cannon" while my 25 year IG collection gets no assistance despite being absolutely unplayable all edition...  

[Tokugawa]

Nothing much to add that hasn't already been said but I do find it amusing that the model is so ugly that there isn't a single photograph of it in the codex (despite a death guard painted one being included in the 8th edition codex). Actually, I just realize none of the Chaos Bubonic Astartes Vehicles have photographs! (with the exception of a Hellbrute in one of the dioramas). Its almost like they are not really intended to be part of our army and were only included to pacify legacy collections....

 

However as a long time IG player, the worst part of the Defiler is that its Dd3 "Battle Cannon" become a D3 "Defiler Cannon" while my 25 year IG collection gets no assistance despite being absolutely unplayable all edition...

And the new "Cadian supplement" listed a D3 LRBT barrel as a relic, which hints…