This time round we have a number of the vehicle units, from artillery to walkers and a few in between. There are a few things to mention about vehicles these days, a lot of them have lost the squadron ability that use to enable you to take multiply units in one slot, usually 1 - 3 models per slot. Now it’s just one model for one slot, which is a shame. Secondly with the way points work, all of them are going to come equipped with hunter killer missiles. These one shot weapons are not actually that bad, even with the 50/50 chance of missing. With all the missiles you’ll have on the table you’ll be able to do some serious damage to something.
First up we have the old favourite, the Basilisk. This is still one of the best artillery units in the guard, even if it’s taken a little hit this edition. While the weapons profile is good and is one of the main reasons to take the gun, the earthshaker ability is going to prove very useful against certain infantry units. Any negatives to movement for combat units or fast units is going to cause you opponent problems. Two inches can easily be the difference between a successful charge and a failure, or getting to an objective or not. Having several of these on the table will give your opponent multiple issues to deal with and can throw a whole game plan in to disarray. These have always been popular units and I don’t see that changing.
The Deathstrike is an icon of the imperium and last edition it really got the treatment it deserves, now it’s not quite as good but still useful. You have to have placed a target marker, which means that you’re not firing turn 1, which is when it would have been most useful. Even when it does hit the 2d6 shots is very swingy, as 2 shots isn’t going to do much but 12 (or more with blast) is going to wreck most units. I really like the fluff for this unit but on a competitive table this is not going to do what you want it to, one for the fun and fluff games still i think.
My poor old Wyvern is up next and this has taken a major nerf as far as i can see. Loosing both shots and AP, something the host of special rules can’t make up for. For the points it still seems that mortar heavy weapons teams are better. The only good point to the weapon and the only reason you might take one is the suppression rule. Just hitting a unit will add a -1 to the hit roll, which could make a difference to some units and keep a few more of your guardsmen alive, however, i still think that it is outclassed by other units.
Lastly for the Artillery we have the Manticore. This is one of the weapons that out performs the wyvern. While you have less shots you have a much stronger profile and with the furious barrage rule meaning you’ll be re-rolling most of the time, means that you’re more likely to actually kill stuff. Definitely one of the better artillery pieces and probably the one we’ll see most often on the table.
Next up are some other tracked vehicles, that fill a variety of different roles.
The Hellhound is back to its original single profile, having lost the devil dog and bane wolf versions. The weapons still exist and while the flamer and melta versions are still good, the chem cannon is still the weakest of the lot. In general you’ll see the hell hound more than any of the other versions but i still think that you will not see many of them on the table top, as there are many other units in the game that can do the same job either better or cheaper than the hell hound. The only use for this is going to be taking advantage of the flush them out rule to remove cover from a unit that you need to hit hard.
Hail Hydra! Ok, so another fan favourite that’s not always lived up to the hype. This time around it is very good at taking out flyers, re-rolling hots and wounding on a 2+ (and re-rolling wounds!) means that flyers are going to be in for a rough time. The low number of shots and AP means that you’re highly unlikely to actually take down any flyers in one turn or even two, even a perfect round of shooting will not kill an Valkyrie. These are also useful against ground targets, elite infantry especially, so they have some versatility if there are no flyers, which given the current rules is likely. I think these are nice unit but don’t think that they will be making a comeback any time soon.
The new kid on the block, the Rogal Dorn is up next. This thing is a beast of a unit and has some decent firepower but not the best. While tougher than the Leman Russ its not as versatile, with fewer weapon options. As a centre piece to the army it is a good model but I’m still not sure it’s better than taking a leman russ with change. The ablative plating ability is going to come in useful for nullifying a big hit that might take the tank out. While i want to like this model i just don’t think its as good as the russ and while i can see one being played as a centre piece, the Russ is still the go to tank.
There has always been some discussion about which sentinel was best, now however they have taken on different roles and no longer try and compete for space in a list.
The Armoured sentinel is tougher but slower and is now rolled up to perform the role of hunter, with the hunter-killer ability to re-roll wounds against vehicles and monsters. There is no difference in the weapons available now, so plasma cannons are no longer exclusive to armoured sentinels. These are one of the few units that can still squadron properly, with up to three being able to be taken in a single slot. You’ll find these hunting in packs, focusing on singular high profile targets. Three lascannons and three hunter killer missiles will do significant damage to whatever they hit.
The Scout Sentinel is now a very different beast from its armoured brethren and will be used in a different way. Being quicker but weaker it will not be able stand up to much punishment, however it’s not supposed to. What the scout is supposed to do is spot for the artillery. The Daring recon rule means that artillery can or-roll 1’s and don’t suffer the penalties for shooting indirect. This means that you can get artillery hitting on 2’s indirectly. Although you can take these in packs of 3, they will most likely be used individual spreading around the board keeping as hidden as possible from all but the artillery target. If you’ve got an artillery heavy list you will have 3 of these minimum, maybe more by doubling up some units to add some durability.
Next is the sole flyer in the codex, the Valkyrie.
The Valkyrie has taken a serious nerf this edition that is to the new flyer rules. Not being able to swap between hover and flying is quite an issue, doubly so with the changes to grab chute insertion. You can no longer drop troops in where you need them, now only troops with deep strike can use this ability and only at the end of your opponents movement phase. This means that your only option is the Scions and even then they have a round of shooting to survive. While it is still useful for non deep striking units, I don’t see it being much better than a chimera. While i want to love the Valkyrie it really struggles to find a use at the moment.
Now the last on this rather long list of vehicles, isn’t actually a vehicle at all but I didn’t really have anywhere else to put it. The Aegis Defence line is back after a little break with some significant changes. It no longer comes with any weapon platforms and is purely a defensive fortification. The rules are reasonable as well, granting cover as well as a 4+ invulnerable save plus it enables you to shoot at enemy unit in engagement range of the fortification and also means that you can ignore desperate break out tests. All in all it could be useful but i think that points would be better spent elsewhere.
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