How’s the impulsor in 10th?

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

Is the shield generator still the go to upgrade?

[HeadlessCross]

With the lessened AP values you can be safe going for an offensive tool, but I prefer not to risk it. 

[Helias_Tancred]

I still prefer the shield generator with it's 5+. It usually saves a shot or two that allows my impulsors to live another round and be a pain to my opponent as he shoots them again and not my lancer, or dreadnought, etc.

 

 

Edited October 23, 2024 by Helias_Tancred

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

2 minutes ago, Helias_Tancred said:

I still prefer the shield generator with it's 5+. It usually saves a shot or two that allows my impulsors to live another round and be a pain to my opponent as he shoots them again and not my lancer, or dreadnought, etc.

 

 

Yeah I was thinking the shield was still the way to go.

hopefully distract from my stormraven and dreads for another turn or two.

[AutumnEffect]

The gun options are pretty mediocre.
If you have just one Impulsor then the shield is definitely go-to.

If you have two or more then giving them the Comms Array could have some play since you'll likely have quite a few units under the 6" umbrella to proc some 5+ rolls to get a free CP.

I wouldn't fault anyone for not bothering though and just sticking to the shield.

[Karhedron]

The Impulsor definitely has some play. Combined with a squad of Hellblasters and a Techmarine, it gives some pretty mobile firepower. The Impulsor can eat the MWs from any overheats and then the Techmarine can heal it back up.

 

The other option is to use it as a staging piece for a melee unit (preferably one that can Advance and Charge but this is not essential). Turn 1 you move the Impulsor forward, preferably into a position where it is out of LOS from serious shooting. Then the squad inside provides a charge threat against any enemy getting too close. Most players prefer a cheap squad like Assault Intercessors with a Captain but some people go for Bladeguard Vets led by a suitable Character.

[Tacitus]

On 10/22/2024 at 10:44 PM, AutumnEffect said:

The gun options are pretty mediocre.
If you have just one Impulsor then the shield is definitely go-to.

If you have two or more then giving them the Comms Array could have some play since you'll likely have quite a few units under the 6" umbrella to proc some 5+ rolls to get a free CP.

I wouldn't fault anyone for not bothering though and just sticking to the shield.

Remember you can only get one- so if you get the automatic 1 from Calgar (etc.) you're done.  Its still the shield dome, but the missile, and the AA Skytalon (for 8 shots, not necessarily for AA) have closed the gap, but they're still behind.  This was likely supposed to replace the various Rhino variants (Hunter, Stalker, Razorback, Whirlwind) but we're still "paying" for the transport option by having less potent shooting which makes them not worth taking as a gun platform instead of a shielded transport. 

[Orange Knight]

Now that it allows 7 models, I think it's pretty great.

 

Ultimately there are only two units that it really works with in the core range of models.

 

Bladeguard Veterans and Hellblasters.

 

For the Bladeguard it's a cheap delivery vehicles that works well.

For the Hellblasters it's an open topped transport that allows them to fire after moving them around.

 

Of course you can also use it with the various chapter exclusive options like the Dark Angel companions.

[Karhedron]

I commonly see the Impulsor used to stage a cheap squad of Assault Intercessors alongside a character, commonly a smash Captain. While units inside cannot charge after the Transport has moved, some detachments have the option to Advance + Charge meaning that units getting out get a 3" disembark, 6" move, D6" Advance and 2D6" Charge for an average threat range of 19.5". The whole lot comes in under 250 points and gives 2 scoring units and some decent melee output with the chance to dump some once=per-game MWs onto a tough target.

[Tacitus]

20 hours ago, Orange Knight said:

Now that it allows 7 models, I think it's pretty great.

 

Ultimately there are only two units that it really works with in the core range of models.

 

Bladeguard Veterans and Hellblasters.

 

For the Bladeguard it's a cheap delivery vehicles that works well.

For the Hellblasters it's an open topped transport that allows them to fire after moving them around.

 

Of course you can also use it with the various chapter exclusive options like the Dark Angel companions.

Don't forget the Infernusators.  I suspect eventually Devastators will cross the Rubicon (I think they're still making at least one elemental specialist squad for each element, but its taking too long so they'll just cross the Rubicon for the Devs to get it over and done with while trickling out the specialists) and the Primaris Devs with a new name will then be riding in Firing Deck 6 all day long.   But for now,  its an alternative Land Raider Redeemer - a little over half the price for more but weaker flamer shots.  Also overlooked, but I haven't seen it yet: two Eliminator with Las Fusil units in a Shield Dome Impulsor running around.  I suspect its just too expensive for not enough Las power, but its got some potential.  6 S9s  with a 5++ vs 2x 3 S12s. 

[Orange Knight]

I like that Las Fusil idea. It would be a speedy elite hunting vehicle if used like that.

 

I don't know if we'll see another Devastator variant. I feel that GW have taken a unit that had a lot of weapons options but didn't do anything particularly well, and made individual units that specific things better. Infernus Squad, Hellblasters, Heavy Intercessors, Eradicators, Desolators - they basically cover all of the profiles with some slight differences.

 

You could be right of course. But GW also have to plug some really obvious gaps in the range - characters on bikes being a key one.

[Karhedron]

4 hours ago, Tacitus said:

Also overlooked, but I haven't seen it yet: two Eliminator with Las Fusil units in a Shield Dome Impulsor running around.  I suspect its just too expensive for not enough Las power, but its got some potential.  6 S9s  with a 5++ vs 2x 3 S12s. 

 

It is about 250 points. For that price you can get almost 2 Predator Annihilators which will give you the same number of lascannon shots at full strength on a sturdier platform. Alternatively you can get a LR which is way more durable and has 4 lascannon shots (at full strength) while having more transport capacity.

 

1 hour ago, Orange Knight said:

I don't know if we'll see another Devastator variant. I feel that GW have taken a unit that had a lot of weapons options but didn't do anything particularly well, and made individual units that specific things better.

 

I think you are right. The one option that really seems to be missing so far is a lascannon squad for long-ranged tank hunting. Perhaps GW are happy to leave anti-tank to the Eradicators and encourage people to take tanks with lascannons if they want long-ranged AT firepower.

[Cenobite Terminator]

I think now that they can transport seven Marines they have some value ferrying them around.

[Tacitus]

19 hours ago, Karhedron said:

 

It is about 250 points. For that price you can get almost 2 Predator Annihilators which will give you the same number of lascannon shots at full strength on a sturdier platform. Alternatively you can get a LR which is way more durable and has 4 lascannon shots (at full strength) while having more transport capacity.

But without the 5++  They trade 4 really big shots for 6 sorta big shots, and 1T for a 5++. There's a fair bit of overlap, and much of it prefers the Annihilators.  For as long as the Annihilators last.  Some areas lend itself more towards the Impulsor:  Aggressors, Centurions, small-to-mid Monsters.

 

Quote

 

I think you are right. The one option that really seems to be missing so far is a lascannon squad for long-ranged tank hunting. Perhaps GW are happy to leave anti-tank to the Eradicators and encourage people to take tanks with lascannons if they want long-ranged AT firepower.

They just had a paradigm shift, so we're all waiting to see what happens.  They were dropping Elemental (Grav, Flame, Las, Plas, etc) Flavor of the Month (Hellblasters, Eradicators, etc) units, but they just changed up the S/T bands of Tank/Anti-tank.  Some factions were hit harder than SM and they're probably evaluating that more than they're working on more new releases.

[CCE1981]

Impulsors are great depending on what you put into them.  I love putting a 5-man squad of Infernus Marines.  Drive-by Flamethrowers that jump on objectives is pretty huge.

 

[Karhedron]

The buff to Infernus Marines in the recent data slate is going to make drive-by BBQs even more attractive.

[CCE1981]

It’s a buff they really didn’t need, don’t get me wrong, I’ll take it but it is unnecessary.

Like seriously it roughly doubles their effectiveness.

Edited December 13, 2024 by CCE1981

[Karhedron]

I have hardly ever seen Infernus Marines run, certainly not in a competitive setting. I think they could do with a tune-up.

[DemonGSides]

Yeah the lack of AP definitely hurt them.  In the right detatchment (AKA Firestorm) they were fine, but now they are downright fun.

I still think a droppod of them might be how I'd run them over 5 in an impulsor.

[Tacitus]

14 hours ago, DemonGSides said:

Yeah the lack of AP definitely hurt them.  In the right detatchment (AKA Firestorm) they were fine, but now they are downright fun.

I still think a droppod of them might be how I'd run them over 5 in an impulsor.

Yeah, I'm leaning towards 5 Intercessors, a Captain and a Lieutenant in the Impulsor.  Drive 12, Advance D6, Disembark 3+, Shoot up to 24.  5/6/7 x4 bolt rifle shots with lethal hits, plus an Aux GL plus the Impulsor's weapons, sticky cap, jump back in.  Do the same thing with the second Impulsor, while a couple Land Raiders or Stormravens are running around with Terminators or Aggressors (and Redemptors) to beat up the hard targets, making it even harder to find anything to shoot up the Cent Devs and/or Ballistus Dreads plinking from my back line.  

[Happy-inquisitor]

Has anyone had much luck using impulsors in Firestorm Assault Force as drive-by shooting platforms? Use their mobility to jump out of hiding to get within 12" and the firing deck to unload firepower.

 

I am thinking of switching out the passenger load depending on what I am facing. Hellblasters vs mech lists and some monster lists - intercessors with an inquisitor for hordes. Strangely I did the unit crunching and the intercessor loadout does pretty well into targets with damage reduction.

 

Clearly an Infernus squad would be very nice in there but I don't currently own one as my Crimson Fists have been shelfware for a while.

 

Edited February 25 by Happy-inquisitor

[Tacitus]

Most of the units you want to put in there lose the reason you want to put them in there.  Desloators have two "guns" and Impulsors only let you choose one.  Intercessors lose their double-dakka.

[TheNicronomicon]

5 minutes ago, Tacitus said:

Most of the units you want to put in there lose the reason you want to put them in there.  Desloators have two "guns" and Impulsors only let you choose one.  Intercessors lose their double-dakka.

They’re not ideal if you want to keep the unit in the hovertruck, but if you’re using them to simply ferry a unit where you need them to be it’s not *as* bad. Hellblasters are still the best synergy and it’s not close. It’s a real shame about Desolators—they’d have a lot more play if they worked well in an Impulsor—but they can fire off a round on the way to objective you want to hold (or cover you want to hide behind) before you move the Impulsor off to score somewhere else. 

[Happy-inquisitor]

I don't really expect Impulsors to last that long on the table - so when I am thinking of drive-by I am more thinking about the ability to either protect the squishy contents or get them somewhere else next turn. With the 12" range on the detachment bonus mobility is at a premium in Firestorm Assault Force and rapid moving to objective grab is always a thing. This looks to me like a nice flank harassment tactic, they are definitely not sturdy enough to shove up the centre of the table and hope to still have them next turn.

 

I agree the obvious passengers for many reasons are Hellblasters.  The second most obvious look to be Infernus but I don't currently own any.

Having said that I have and intend to use Inquisitors and a 2d6 torrent with Dev Wounds is far from the worst anti-infantry. As I understand the rules interaction that weapon is treated as a weapon of the Impulsor when the inquisitor is embarked so it gets the detachment bonus and can even benefit from Oath of Moment. Inquisitors can of course only embark if they are leading battleline infantry who can embark - hence Intercessors. 

[Tacitus]

7 hours ago, Happy-inquisitor said:

I don't really expect Impulsors to last that long on the table - so when I am thinking of drive-by I am more thinking about the ability to either protect the squishy contents or get them somewhere else next turn. With the 12" range on the detachment bonus mobility is at a premium in Firestorm Assault Force and rapid moving to objective grab is always a thing. This looks to me like a nice flank harassment tactic, they are definitely not sturdy enough to shove up the centre of the table and hope to still have them next turn.

 

I agree the obvious passengers for many reasons are Hellblasters.  The second most obvious look to be Infernus but I don't currently own any.

Having said that I have and intend to use Inquisitors and a 2d6 torrent with Dev Wounds is far from the worst anti-infantry. As I understand the rules interaction that weapon is treated as a weapon of the Impulsor when the inquisitor is embarked so it gets the detachment bonus and can even benefit from Oath of Moment. Inquisitors can of course only embark if they are leading battleline infantry who can embark - hence Intercessors. 

I'm not as convinced they'll blow up like you are.  Especially if you switch to Infernusators.  Hellblasters are already ASSAULT and S7/8.  Infernusators Pyreblaster is strangely NOT ASSAULT so it gains ASSAULT from the Det.  And it's range 12" and S5 so it pumps to S6 (Now wounds Gravis equivalents on a 4+ barring Strats etc) all the time.  You have to give up the Battleshock test but Oh No! it wasn't going to do much anyway.  I think running a couple Impulsors with Shield Domes and Infernusators isn't a bad tactic.  They're not going to be as high up on the threat list as some other things - all five will get to blast something if just the one corner of the Impulsor is within 12.  Pack in a Techmarine or (Hillariously) a Librarian for the 6th weapon that gets to shoot.

 

It picks up a lot of the slack built into the Infernusators.  If 1 (the Impulsor) can shoot they all can shoot which may not be true if the squad is deployed.  Watching the Impulsor fry itself with a Hazardous Psychic Weapon would be entertaining - alternately the Techmarine can hop in and out to fix the Impulsor getting Lone Operative for being next to the Impulsor during the repair.  And if you've got Dreads and/or Gladiators etc running around they're likely to be the higher threat choice for your opponent buying your Impulsors time to run up the sides and around the rear to shoot the squishy backfield objective holders and devastator types.