DREADNOUGHTS

DREADNOUGHTS.

These can do all things, be it anti-tank (close and long ranged), anti-infantry (horde and TEq) can be survivable (with smoke, extra armour and Venerable) and gain a form of mobility with the use of a drop pod.

They can perform many differing roles, so they can usually justify a place in your army.

Loadouts;

Short mêlée Dread Anti-tank

1] Multi melta, Heavy flamer (compulsory). 

Short mêlée Dread All rounder

2] Assault cannon, Heavy flamer (optional). 

Long mêlée Dread Backfield

3] Twin linked Las cannon, Heavy flamer (optional).

Long shooty Dread

4] Twin linked Las cannon, Missile launcher. 

Short shooty Dread

5] Assault cannon, Missile launcher.

As you can, the Dreadnought can be tailored to any task you have in mind.

1] Foot or Pod. Near useless against Daemons and less useful against Tyranids.

2] Foot or Pod. The Assault cannon kills men and Armour well. It doesn’t need the Heavy Flamer like 1] does, the Storm bolter is more harmonious with the AC. 

3] Foot. Without the same venom as the above two have in killing Armour, or the AI shooting the AC brings, means this configuration can be used as a back field defender. The LC gives it the reach to contribute anywhere, whilst keeping the DCCW means should anything reach your fire base or objective, you can hammer them in close combat.

4] Foot. Long range AT fire power and being able to move 6” and fire both weapons means it can follow you force as it covers the table top.

5] Foot. The short range of the AC and it’s flexibility, which also characterises the ML, means this Dread can tackle up to AV 13 and infantry, but will be advancing across the table top to do so.

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Venerable, should you take it?

It allows you to ask your foe to re-roll the damage results. There will be times that he’ll roll Destroyed again, but that is only 2/6. Those are good odds in your favour.

Considering that we pay one third of what Ultramarines would for it, shows that it is extremely good value (though I think UM is too expensive). 

For the price of two Neophytes, you can really extend the longevity of your Dreadnought.

It’s cheap!

It works best on Dreads who have kept their DCCW. With smoke and extra armour, even with the re-roll of Venerable, the Dread will still be unable to shoot whenever the get glanced. Being able to still move and assault 12” means that your Dread will still manage to tar-pit units, smash tanks and help your Infantry.

With AV 12, the Dreadnought isn’t that hard, though having the same armour on the sides is a nice touch and let’s it wade into the fighting without fear of being flanked. Venerable allows it to keep moving and assaulting.

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Venerable skills;

Furious Charge gives +1 Initiative on the charge.

This means you get first strike against other Dreads, Wraithlords, Trygons and Mawlocs. It’s not bad and your local game could mean it is very useful, but generally I would say no.

Tank hunter gives +1 to penetration rolls.

Even your s10 DCCW gets the bonus because it is not a buff to strength. 

Against AV 14;

ML and long range MM penetrate 1/6

LC 2/6

MM with MELTA 26/36 or 72% (instead of 58%)

AC 8/108 x 4 = 30% (instead of 15%)

That makes it worthwhile but not the most urgent of upgrades to take.

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Heavy Flamers, worthwhile?

It’s 8” template can seem too short compared to the nice 24” of the Storm bolter. And it costs a Neophyte.

However, all it needs is one whoosh and whole squads of Aspect Warriors can disappear. One flame from it will kill 2 Marines from 9 consistently. That’s 30 pts from one shot. I have killed 14 Ard boyz in one well placed flame. That’s 14 Neophytes worth!

Should you be charging a horde of Boyz, Hormagaunts, etc. the Heavy Flamer will kill far more of them with a single shot than will ever die to the bludgeonings of it’s fist.

So on Dreads that will be in the thick of it, like 1] and 2] they become a mandatory choice. Even 3] will benefit from being able to seriously dent any backfield marauders.

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Multi melta versus Assault Cannon.

The most common types of Dreadnought are the Multi melta and the Assault cannon armed ones. They just fit the Dreads in your face roll. So which one to choose?

Multi melta;

One shot (poor against infantry) Powerful (insta-kills 2+ save, multi wound t4 things).

+1 to damage rolls means even glances can result in Destroyed.

Within MELTA range, it is the most powerful Anti-tank weapon in the game.

Specialised.

Assault Cannon;

Multiple shots (excellent against 4+ save infantry) Rending (killing TEqs) gives it flexibility to hammer all Infantry.

Multiple rending shots actually means this gun is also better against Armour than a Las cannon.  

Flexible.

Considering that the AC is cheaper and more flexible, it is a safe bet. I prefer the MM because I feel Crusader squads already can take out Infantry well and so I want to be better against armour.

I do take lots of Crusaders though. If you are light on Crusaders, the AC variant becomes more sound as it helps against infantry.

Either choice is a good one.

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Drop Pod or Foot?

If you are using a Foot army, your Crusader squads will benefit greatly from having the Dreadnought alongside them.

With Mech, they’ll be left behind and won’t be effective for two turns if you run them to keep up. However, a shooty Dread can happily move it’s 6” per turn and fire to full effect. That makes Podding much more necessary for either short mêlée Dread to be of use.

You can Pod in either Shooty Dreads, preferably behind the foe so you can rip into rear armour. This can make for a terrific diversion tactic. The foe now needs to re-arrange his Armour. In combination with a Pred attacking from the front, the Dread forces a dilemma upon him. Podding a Shooty Dread can also negate a foes speed. You have now occupied  the once safe backfield that his, say, Falcons were zooming around in. The Shooty Dread has the reach and the positioning to make for a hard time. Shooty Dreads are still worthwhile in assaulting tanks, the 6” assault giving them good mobility and s6 attacks work reasonably against AV 10.

You can also Pod in the mêlée Dreads. What they lose in terms of a ML (which gives terrific reach straight into the rear armour, and even ML penetrate AV 10 fairly consistently) they swap for speed. They can rush from tank to tank, having an effective 12” of move each turn, with assaulting. The strength that the mêlée Dread has is, even if he gets Stunned or Shaken, he’ll still be effective because of being able to assault with such power. That s10 means tanks will consistently be taking damage rolls.

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So how does that compare with 3 deep striking Land speeders?

The Speeders have an advantage with 3 MM shots. But you wont be bringing them as a squadron and so will turn up willy-nilly. The Speeders have the benefit of being 3 AV 10 units, and so require at least three units shooting at them to take them out, whilst the Dread can be taken out with but one shot.

It really is a preference and local game choice to make. Both are good but are of more use in different circumstances. It is up to you to play both and see what suits you and brings success and your particular opponents.

Dreads can also tar-pit Devastator squads and join your Crusaders once they have crossed the table. A Death-wind Pod is great against infantry and with decent positioning you force the foe to deal with what was essentially just an envelope to deliver the Dread.

HOW I USE MY DREADNOUGHT WITH CRUSADERS.

Dreadnoughts can kill, quite reliably, 2 models a turn. Whether a Mega-armoured Warboss or a grot. 10 Crusaders can kill 10 boyz on the charge quite comfortably. They struggle against MegaNobz, however. 

10 Crusaders shoot dead 3-4 boyz. The HF could net another 3-4 boyz.

An AC will kill another 3 - but IMO you don't need that. You want a gun that can take out AV10 up to 14 reliably AND kill a Mega Nob one shot. That means a MM - unlikely for just a glance with melta rule & +2 damage versus most Ork Vehicles  . This complements the Mg and PF the Crusaders bring.

The quality of Dread kills is complimented by the quantity of Crusader kills. A Dread will get tar-pitted by grots. Crusaders will, in effect, get tar-pitted by MegaNobz. Together, they cover one another's backs.

2 Melta shots from the duo is a good way to insta-kill MegaNobz & open transports for the assault. You have 3 DCCW and 2 PF attacks on them as well. That tank has got to open sooner or later!  

The Crusaders RUN everyturn. The Dread chooses between the MM shot and RUNNING/Smoke in T1. The Crusaders do seem to get ahead of the Dread but that seems inevitable with wanting a good return from the optional RZ move and wanting to shoot the MM. The Dread will never be more than a turn away though.

*This is also where my Vindi choice comes in. As you can see the Dread has a great future with the Crusaders. With the Vindi getting the heat, that allows A] The 3-las-Pred to target anti-tank threats unmolested, further improving tank survivability, and B] Gets the Dread that much closer to his goal of cc, which provides cover against anti-tank shooting....  What a tricksy mind that hobbit has.... 

*I know MegaNobz are not an optimal Ork choice but they are quite good and have a good range of equivalents: Terminators, Wraithguard, Tyrant Guard/Warriors, Death Company and so on.

I hope I have shared something useful/ what was wanted to be heard.  

HOW IT CAME TO BE.

It all came about from Game1 versus my brothers Orks. 1500pts. I took the EC and an AC HF Dread. I didn't have them especially near my squads. My entire force was annihilated, with a Weirdboy & Mob left standing.

The Initiates did well against the boyz but the Warboss & Nobz just powered through me. Eventually, after me dilly-dallying, the EC fought the retinue and killed the Warboss.

I realised that Crusaders trump Boyz but are trumped by Nobz. The EC, a mere "level 2" character could kill the Nobz and the "level 3" Warboss. Hmmm.

On another part of the table the Dread had duffed over a mob of Trukk boyz, Burna Boyz and a Battle Wagon. Maybe more, I can't quite recall. He seemed colossal to both my brother and I. He was "in" - as far as I was concerned, for future lists.

A couple of things I noticed about the Dread. He was a legend! His shooting then charge would break 10 Ork Mobz and he'd run them down. But his cc wasn't "that" good. Sure he'd kill 2 a turn but pfff, who couldn't? It was apparent that his potential wasn't being reached against boyz. I had charged him into the Battlewagon when the tide was going against him. I figured he'd kill more in the explosion than he could with his own fist and I was right.  I didn't like the AC though. It had a hard time getting through armour, so it got voted off the island.

Game2.

It was apparent the Crusaders needed an IC. I had three offence squads. I included a Castellan with poLC. The Castellan & EC both lead a squad. This left a squad and the Dread and they were put together. Friends ever since