why do you use the NDK

[Lucian Kain]

I Like the Nemesis Dread Knight...So,what general situations do you find it most valuable.

I'm trying to justify 3

and 3 Storm Ravens

And 3 Ven dreads/Techmarines OSR's

and 6 Terminator squads

Although unreliable and quirky in game, I love the idea of elite troops calling in support from Orbital Strikes,the fluff and images it congers wreak of haveing the upper-hand in an otherwise dire situation

[Duck]

I also have a love for our Dread Knights. I run two in my list and equip them with the teleporter and great sword. I typically jump them across the table on the first turn to get them into CC as fast as possible.

Though there are some REALLY nice ranged weapons they can take, (I'm looking at you heavy incinerator!) I didn't have the points to spend on them. I also feared shooting them right out of assault range. :x While having weapons like the heavy incinerator and psycannon can be nice, personally I prefer them in melee and gear them as such.

[Wildcard]

I got 2 NDK, basic loadout is teleporter, greatsword and heavy psycannon or incinerator, depending a bit who of my friends i am playing against.

While i find them to be a bit risky to go alone against khorne berserkers or nob squad with klaws, i've also noticed that when working as a pair they are golden. Jumping side by side they can bring good amount of firepower / threat to the enemy on range, ws5 str6 (or 7) re-rollable hits and wounds (is it total of 8 attacks if both go for the same target?) there are few squads that don't have to fear them. And then there is the possibility for them to go to different parts, if there are 2 vehicles that just needs to be opened :) ..not to mention the benefit of shielding the lower wounds one with the one who has more wounds (to get the 4+ cover save against ap2)

Other reason is that, when going in pairs on the edge on the enemy flank, enemy has to direct a lot of resources to deal with them, and this leaves my main force rather free to move unhindered to the optimum distance :)

[Duck]

I got 2 NDK, basic loadout is teleporter, greatsword and heavy psycannon or incinerator, depending a bit who of my friends i am playing against.

While i find them to be a bit risky to go alone against khorne berserkers or nob squad with klaws, i've also noticed that when working as a pair they are golden. Jumping side by side they can bring good amount of firepower / threat to the enemy on range, ws5 str6 (or 7) re-rollable hits and wounds (is it total of 8 attacks if both go for the same target?) there are few squads that don't have to fear them. And then there is the possibility for them to go to different parts, if there are 2 vehicles that just needs to be opened :) ..not to mention the benefit of shielding the lower wounds one with the one who has more wounds (to get the 4+ cover save against ap2)

Other reason is that, when going in pairs on the edge on the enemy flank, enemy has to direct a lot of resources to deal with them, and this leaves my main force rather free to move unhindered to the optimum distance :)

I typically use them to give my interceptors a cover save, I never thought of using them to give each other one too if need be! That's a good idea ^_^

[plawolf]

I typically use them to give my interceptors a cover save, I never thought of using them to give each other one too if need be! That's a good idea ^_^

They can't give each other cover saves. One can shield the other, so if you want to shoot at the second one, it would get a cover save, but if you just shoot the one standing in front, he gets no cover save.

I think they are a decent unit, but the problem is they compete with the psyrifle dread for the heavy slot. I think any 1k+ GK list needs at least two psyrifles, so that only leave room for a single Dreadknight, yet as has already been pointed out, dreadknights work best in pairs.

If you bump one of your psyrifles to venerable to open up a slot for the second Dreadknight, that ups the points cost quite considerably, and unless you are playing really big games, they would just become too much of a point sink.

Plus the models for them are ridiculous.

If they had a cooler model, and have the Dreadknight in FA or elite, you will probably see them a lot more on the table.

[Thiazi]

i use it because i love the model. I know its a sin to admit that but i do.

Normaly i run ith with the teleporter and fist. The weapons are nice but i cant justify the extra cost.

[Demonus]

Yup i think if they were FA when equipped with a Teleporter they would see mor use. I personally love the model, although Id prefer it without the GK baby strapped on the front. Id love to get a second one to use in pairs, but they are pricey point wise and $$ wise, and I have far too many army men as it is with 6 armies =P.

[DarkLink]

Dreadknights lack firepower, CC punch and durability for their points. They can make up for it in speed, a little bit, but competitively I doubt it is ever worth taking more than one. And if you have the points, take Interceptors.

You have to buy the Teleporter, otherwise you'll be too slow to do anything significant. The Heavy Incinerator is nice, and is really the only gun that's worth it. Stacking on guns gets too expensive. Likewise, the Greatsword/Hammer isn't worth it, as you're making the model more expensive for little real gain in CC.

Take one, and keep it cheap, and send it after things like Long Fangs and rifleman Dreadnoughts in the backfield. It likely won't live to the end of the game, but it can disrupt your opponent's fire support and force him to hold back a turn or two to deal with the Dreadknight, so it can be worth it. Interceptors can do the same, and do it a bit better as they have Psycannons to kill tanks, but they're more expensive as well.

Any more investment than that, and you're limiting your other options too much to maximize your competitiveness.

[Igmar]

I play a foot Palidin list, and it's nice to have them for a quick response to a threat and croud control. I have both of mine equiped with the teleporter, sword, and incinerator, sure they're as expensive as a land raider, but they almost always do their jobs and make their points back, or at least draw a good portion of the anti-tank firepower from my Palidins, which is a good thing in itself.

[Bean]

They can't give each other cover saves. One can shield the other, so if you want to shoot at the second one, it would get a cover save, but if you just shoot the one standing in front, he gets no cover save.


This is not true. Let's say you have ten interceptors and a dreadknight. If you can obscure 50% of the Dreadknight (remember that it's an MC) with a sufficiently small number of Interceptors and get the rest of the Interceptors obscured behind the dreadknight (at least half) then each unit will get a cover save from the other.

I'm not sure that it can actually be done, given the relative size of the models and the massive base of the Dreadknight, but presuming that the geometry works out, it's entirely legal.*




I think they are a decent unit, but the problem is they compete with the psyrifle dread for the heavy slot. I think any 1k+ GK list needs at least two psyrifles, so that only leave room for a single Dreadknight, yet as has already been pointed out, dreadknights work best in pairs.

If you bump one of your psyrifles to venerable to open up a slot for the second Dreadknight, that ups the points cost quite considerably, and unless you are playing really big games, they would just become too much of a point sink.


This, I generally agree with.



*Apparently, this was finally addressed in the FAQ, so this is not longer accurate.

[thecactusman17]

In the event that two intermingled units would give each other a cover save, only the models further away (starting with the closest model in each squad) get the save. Rulebook faq. So only your DK would get the save.

[Bean]

In the event that two intermingled units would give each other a cover save, only the models further away (starting with the closest model in each squad) get the save. Rulebook faq. So only your DK would get the save.

Ah, didn't realize they'd addressed that in the rulebook FAQ.

[Sinistermind]

i love them when fielding paladins, depending on points level if you can fit 2 with teleporters and then draigo/paladins the opponent will want all of his S8+ weapons shooting at paladins for the insta-kills so that fact adds to survivability

[Transgressor]

Love this guy. He always dies a horrible death but he gets to mess stuff up pretty good before he goes.

Primarily though I use him as a distraction with the teleporter. He gets in a position where the opponent has to turn and deal with him or suffer badly for letting him run around in his backfield.

[Omit]

In a recent game I had my dreadknight with teleporter tie up a unit of grey hunters with a power weapon wolfguard, I was a little bit disappointed that it took him four turns to finish them off, but at least he didn't take any wounds.

[PhatCat]

The only dude I know with Dreadknights uses them at such a low point level (2 at 1K) that they are very challenging. Maybe the word I'm looking for is "douchey" rather than challenging, I guess. At normal point levels, they are still solid. A T6, 4W terminator cheaper than any Tyranid MC? Good deal to me.

[DarkLink]

"Cheaper than any Tyranid MC" isn't really that impressive. 4 wounds, even with toughness 6, is not very tough. Without a 4+ invulnerable, heavy weapons still wound on 2's and commonly ignore armor.

In 5th ed, the guns in general aren't very good. No one runs lots of foot infantry, and the Dreadknight isn't very good at popping tanks outside of assault. Since it can't do much at long range, and the personal teleporter is crazy expensive, it's always going to be a bit of a struggle to justify a Dreadknight. They have their place, though, and if 6th ed nerfs transports then they'll become much more competitive.

[Lucian Kain]

Awesome replies,For aesthetics I want 3, each one with a sword and two of the same ranged weapon,treating them all as sword,teleporter,Incinerator regardless of having 3 different twin-linked looking units.I like this hobby for the artistic side of it but would like to make a list that isn't too hamstringed at the same time