Unit of the Week: Land Raider Achilles

[Jolemai]

Welcome to part two of the Blood Angels Unit of the Week Series!

Following the release of the 9^th edition Supplement, there is no better time to discuss all the units we have access to. Each week a different unit will appear, with the idea being that we discuss how best to use that model on the battlefield. Where part one will focus on the unique BA units and part two will focus on BA units that are new to this edition of the Codex, part three will discuss how to get the best use the generic units from the past that are still with us (and that many of us have in our armies still), and part four will discuss the Legends units that we still own and love. Finally, part five will be dedicated to the reinforcements from Forge World.

Note, this isn't to lament any nerfs, etc, from previous editions; the rules are as they are so try to unlock its potential for those who wish to use them all the same. Similarly, this thread is only for using the option being discussed; it matters not if you feel something is a better choice as such comments aren't constructive to the topic and shall be removed.

Without further ado, here's this week's entry:

Land Raider Achilles

What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use your Achilles?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the beta rules affect your list(s)?
• Will you be running multiples?
• How are you buffing this unit? Will it babysit anything? Will you make use of it's transport capacity?
• What Wargear Options do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
• Stratagem synergy or note?

Over to you

Please note that Land Raider, Land Raider Crusader, Land Raider Helios, Land Raider Proteus, Land Raider Prometheus, and Land Raider Redeemer will be discussed elsewhere

Edited January 25, 2022 by Jolemai

[Jolemai]

Should you want your model on display here (or on another thread from the series), then submit a photo here please.

[BloodyB]

A really well armed tank, and actually possessing the durability one would expect a Land Raider to have.

 

The guns on this thing can deal some damage given half a chance, picking up an entire Contemptor's worth of Volkite or four Multimeltas. The quad launcher can deal with virtually any foe, so pick whichever tickles your fancy. I prefer Volkite, but mainly because I don't lack for Melta coverage. Plus mortal wounds are fun to hand out.

 

The survivability of the Achilles is tremendous, a 5++ is just such an improvement for any vehicle. Necron Doomsday cannons, demolishers and cheeky first-turn Lascannon shots can all be turned aside more reliably thanks to it, and the number of times it comes up is something. Even stopping just a third of those shots can put a serious drain on your opponent's anti-tank resources.

 

For me, this vehicle is a great option for stubborn fire power, but the small transport is a bit of a downer. 6 guys isn't prohibitive by any stretch, but it doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room either. You can't go far wrong with a Tactical, Devastator or Assault squad, all add to the Achilles's versatility, a Tac or Devastator squad can be given a free taxi to an objective that will reach their safely, while an Assault squad can be delivered straight to your opponent's door with the additional fun of an awful lot of ancient weaponry. Sadly, Centurions and Terminator squads cannot ride in this, at least not before taking some casualties. A squad isn't needed for this tank to do some damage, but I like to make the most of any noble machine-spirit willing to ferry my poor l'il space marines to war.

 

On the whole I like this tank, it is still overcosted, and the lack of <CORE> is still a problem. But generally, this tank shows how good the Land Raider could be with an invul (hint-hint Geedubs).

[Majkhel]

I agree that 5++ goes a looong way towards showing what a Land Raider should behave on a battlefield.

I believe it's cost should go down around 80pts - currently volkite-armed Achilles costs the same as 2 dual-volkite Contemptors. We need to factor in the CP cost of the Contemptors obviously, plus Achilles is T8 has +2 Sv and SmokeScreen, but Contemptors have Duty Eternal and dish out more pain.

[Jolemai]

I make use of a Rapier Quad Mortar a fair bit (it's the same gun, but an artillery piece like a ThunderFire Cannon). As it's often placed out of sight, I normally use the Thunderfire shells but at times when it sees something, those Scatter shells are delicious - with this tank I'd reverse how I use this weapon (so primarily doing the 4 STR 8, Damage 3 shots) and I'd initially look to complimenting this with the multi-meltas (unless my meta decided otherwise).

 

Oh, an I'd probably have a Tactical Squad with plasma inside as I run Firstborn, although I can see the value of keeping any assault-orientated squad safe until T3.