Units of the Week: Other FW Heavy Support

[Xenith]

++Thousand Sons Unit of the Week++

++FW Heavy Support++

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 it's a bit different. We're too small a community to really discuss all these options individually without spamming the forum with 1-2 post topics, so lets take all the lesser-sed/owned options together and have a holistic discussion about Forge World/Imperial Armour Heavy Support choices in general, then we can split anything appropriate off into it's own topic.

Please use this space to discuss the following units:

FW Chaos Land Raider Achilles, FW Chaos Land Raider Proteus, FW Chaos Sicaran Punisher, FW Chaos Sicaran Venator, FW Chaos Vindicator Laser Destroyer, FW Chaos Whirlwind Scorpius, FW Chaos Deimos Predator

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]

For me the stand-out unit is the Vindicator Laser Destroyer. It provides the kind of long-ranged anti-tank fire that the Sons struggle to find elsewhere. Taking one its own will not last long but if there are other armoured threats like Hellbrutes and Daemon Engines getting up in your opponent's face, it can get some serious work done.

Sicarans are also tasty in that they provide mobile firepower and also have a 2+ save which is very juicy with AoC. The only problem is that most Sicaran variants favour weight of fire over AP meaning that they are are less effective against Marines/Sisters etc than they used to be. The Venator and Omega probably come out best. The Venator overlaps with the Vindicator Laser Destroyer in my eyes so if I was going for a single Sicaran, I would probably opt for the Omega for its consistency. 6 shots per turn that kill MEQs on 2s or you can overcharge to take out Terminators, Custodes, Gravis and of course, vehicles. Sponsons optional but an extra pair of lascannon attacks isn't bad unless you really need to save the points.

I have always had a soft spot for massive plasma guns, both aesthetically and fluff-wise. In the GrimDark future of the 41st millennium, you take the biggest scariest gun possible, in spite of the risks. You need to kill the enemy before they kill you, half measure just don't cut it!

NMP

Edited May 11, 2022 by Karhedron

[Ahzek451]

I touched on the sicarans in the other thread, but after reading yours a thought occurred to me. The forgeworld book does not include the Arcan and Omega as choices for chaos. Or am I wrong? In both the book and APP it only shows the standard sicaran, venator and punisher as options for chaos/sons. 

[Karhedron]

I touched on the sicarans in the other thread, but after reading yours a thought occurred to me. The forgeworld book does not include the Arcan and Omega as choices for chaos.

Darn, you are absolutely right!

 

I had blithely assumed that all variants were available to both factions but I had failed to check. Please nobody go out and start buying Omegas on the basis of my analysis! 

[Ahzek451]

 

I touched on the sicarans in the other thread, but after reading yours a thought occurred to me. The forgeworld book does not include the Arcan and Omega as choices for chaos.

Darn, you are absolutely right!

 

I had blithely assumed that all variants were available to both factions but I had failed to check. Please nobody go out and start buying Omegas on the basis of my analysis! 

 

Haha well I did the same in my analysis and I didn't realise it until today. Very strange omission from GW. 

[Ahzek451]

Another reason I see the basic sicaran as pretty good is a simple comparison to a predator

destructor.

 

With no upgrades, a sicaran is 25 pts more than the destructor. The sicaran has a heavy bolter and since they cost 15 pts, for sake of argument let's deduct 15 pts.

 

So a sicaran is 10 pts more than a destructor. And what you get: a 2+ save. 3 more wounds. 2" of extra movement. And a similar gun that always has 6 shots instead of 2d3 and an extra point of AP.

 

All that for 10 pts, heck ya. A much better battle tank.

[Karhedron]

A valid comparison although it says as much about how bad the Predator is as about how good the Sicaran is. ;)