Vulture Loadout and Tactics

[Atrotos]

Hey Everyone,

I've just bought my second Vulture off a friend and I'm interested in knowing what the community thinks works best with this awesome unit. For those of you that don't know Forgeworld has released a free (yes FREE) rules update for all their old entries on their site. (Navigation: Forgeworld.co.uk > Downloads > WH40k > Imperial Armour vol. 1 Rules Update)

Currently I run one Vulture in my Inquisitorial Strike Force. This list looks roughly like this:

--CCS with Straken, 4 Meltas and a Priest w/ Eviscerator

in Vendetta

--Grenadiers, 3 Plasmaguns, Bastonne w/ Plasma Pistol

in Vendetta

--Grenadiers, 3 Meltaguns, Demolitions, Sarge w/ PW and Plasma Pistol

in Vendetta

--Inquisitor Lord w/ Plasma Pistol and PW, 3 Warriors w/ Plasmaguns, Surgeons, Servo-skull

in Valkyrie w/ Multiple Rocket Pods (dedicated transport)

--Callidus Assassin

--Vulture w/ 4 Multiple Rocket Pods


Now I want to add a second Vulture. This list could use more ranged anti-tank and so I'd like my 2nd Vulture to have some AT potential. The best loadout for this seems to be 1 twin-linked lascannon and six hunter killer missiles @ 160 points. This has huge Alpha Strike potential due to the fact that all the missiles can be fire at once. However it invalidates the Heavy Bolter and the missiles are One-Shot-Only.

The twin-linked Punisher cannon loadout has some AT potential but is mostly anti-infatry which the other Vulture already covers. The cool factor is there but it doesn't seem very efficient.

[Honda]

When I field my Elysians from IA3, I usually take 3 Vultures and give them twin autocannon and the six hunter killers each.

Reasoning: Your still IG (i.e. BS 3) and so if you really want to ensure that you knock out a heavily armored vehicle or two, it's best to side on too much vs. too little. Besides, if you have any HKs left, they can always find their way to a high value HQ target.

The MRPs are nice, but get you closer to return fire. I prefer to keep my Vultures at stand-off distance (>36 inches).

Hope that helps.

[DarkLink]

The MRPs are nice, but get you closer to return fire. I prefer to keep my Vultures at stand-off distance (>36 inches).

You also need to pop transports before you can really make use of MRPs, too. So against mech heavy armies autocannons can be quite a bit better. And it's not like Guard lack for large templates elsewhere.

[Atrotos]

When I field my Elysians from IA3, I usually take 3 Vultures and give them twin autocannon and the six hunter killers each.

Reasoning: Your still IG (i.e. BS 3) and so if you really want to ensure that you knock out a heavily armored vehicle or two, it's best to side on too much vs. too little. Besides, if you have any HKs left, they can always find their way to a high value HQ target.

The MRPs are nice, but get you closer to return fire. I prefer to keep my Vultures at stand-off distance (>36 inches).

Hope that helps.

I think the BS 3 no longer matters as much when it's twin-linked (twin-linked BS 3 is better than BS 4). I like the autocannon. It's cheaper and it's more shots but it means the Vulture will be limited in how many targets it can engage. An autocannon can't hurt a land raider but a Lascannon still works against a rhino. With such an elite setup I have to ensure most of my models can take on all targets.

Still experience trumps theory so I'll try your setup this weekend.

BTW: IA8 should have some great options for Airborne Guard. I cannot wait!


You also need to pop transports before you can really make use of MRPs, too. So against mech heavy armies autocannons can be quite a bit better. And it's not like Guard lack for large templates elsewhere.

I purposefully posted the rest of the list so you guys could see that I don't play a regular guard army. My force has no templates other than the Demo Charge and MRPs. The 4xMRP Vulture is my insurance against horde armies.

You're right about the Vulture being useless against Mech forces. Right now I keep it in reserve so it'll come on after transports have been opened up. I could swap one pair of MRP's for a twin-linked Missile Launcher some anti-troop capability for some anti-tank potential.


Thanks for the advice guys.

[TSINI]

I hardly ever leave home without a vulture in my force, mainly because its such a cool piece of kit and as its the old all-resin one, it was damn expensive too.

My experiences have been thus:

My Turn x: vulture enters play via deepstrike, (or board edge)

enemy turn x: vulture destroyed


Its armed with twin lascannon and MRPs, mainly because these came with it, but secondly its a multi-purpose vehicle. seeing it only ever gets to fire once, i can specialise it for anti tank or anti infantry.

But i do want to get another, this one i want the twin punishers, it looks awesome, and will be a good killer of gribbly nids

[Atrotos]

TSINI your Vulture shouldn't be going down so quickly. AV 12 is fairly good for a fast skimmer and the fact that it gets a chance to shoot no matter what (coming in from reserve) should mean that it also gets a chance to reduce the amount of fire coming back at it. What does the rest of your list look like? Does the Vulture stick out as a primary threat? My opponents always tend to target my Vendettas first leaving the Vulture to do whatever it wants. Oftentimes I'll simply zoom over and park it in front of a land raider full of guys - skimmers dodge rams on a 3+ and your opponent usually won't risk getting out and assaulting it. This can really slow down an armored assault.

Also the 4 MRP set-up is slightly better than the twin punishers. It can get you more hits, soak up 'Weapon Destroyed' results and allows you fire all your weapons while going fast. Because the Vulture's weapons are the most lethal it's a model that really benefits from a specialized role. My 2 cents.

[Tynskel]

TSINI your Vulture shouldn't be going down so quickly. AV 12 is fairly good for a fast skimmer and the fact that it gets a chance to shoot no matter what (coming in from reserve) should mean that it also gets a chance to reduce the amount of fire coming back at it. What does the rest of your list look like? Does the Vulture stick out as a primary threat? My opponents always tend to target my Vendettas first leaving the Vulture to do whatever it wants. Oftentimes I'll simply zoom over and park it in front of a land raider full of guys - skimmers dodge rams on a 3+ and your opponent usually won't risk getting out and assaulting it. This can really slow down an armored assault.

Also the 4 MRP set-up is slightly better than the twin punishers. It can get you more hits, soak up 'Weapon Destroyed' results and allows you fire all your weapons while going fast. Because the Vulture's weapons are the most lethal it's a model that really benefits from a specialized role. My 2 cents.



Yeah, but... We are talking about Forgeworld at this point... functionality is not very good in forgeworld.

But the Models look great!

And the Twin Punisher Cannons LOOK AWESOME!!!!!!

[Atrotos]

Yeah, but... We are talking about Forgeworld at this point... functionality is not very good in forgeworld.



So, so true but I think the Vulture escaped Forgeworld's demented rules-writing and is actually a very effective choice - especially for someone running an AirCav themed force. Unlike say, Hector Rex, Malcador, Tank Hunter, Minotaur etc you aren't shooting yourself in the foot by choosing Forgeworld.

I literally lose sleep thinking about what the new Elysians in IA8 will look like. Will FW take the time to to write decent rules for their awesome models or will the Elysian army list go the way of Chaos renegades - inferior in every way to the regular codex?

[Tynskel]

So, so true but I think the Vulture escaped Forgeworld's demented rules-writing and is actually a very effective choice - especially for someone running an AirCav themed force. Unlike say, Hector Rex, Malcador, Tank Hunter, Minotaur etc you aren't shooting yourself in the foot by choosing Forgeworld.

I literally lose sleep thinking about what the new Elysians in IA8 will look like. Will FW take the time to to write decent rules for their awesome models or will the Elysian army list go the way of Chaos renegades - inferior in every way to the regular codex?

Forgeworld tries really hard to not be broken. They are not trying to compete with games-workshop, really they are more just trying to enhance the hobby. I doubt that the Elysians will be very competitive, however, I betchya, like the old Elysian rules, that they will be really fun!

[TSINI]

TSINI your Vulture shouldn't be going down so quickly. AV 12 is fairly good for a fast skimmer and the fact that it gets a chance to shoot no matter what (coming in from reserve) should mean that it also gets a chance to reduce the amount of fire coming back at it. What does the rest of your list look like? Does the Vulture stick out as a primary threat? My opponents always tend to target my Vendettas first leaving the Vulture to do whatever it wants. Oftentimes I'll simply zoom over and park it in front of a land raider full of guys - skimmers dodge rams on a 3+ and your opponent usually won't risk getting out and assaulting it. This can really slow down an armored assault.

Also the 4 MRP set-up is slightly better than the twin punishers. It can get you more hits, soak up 'Weapon Destroyed' results and allows you fire all your weapons while going fast. Because the Vulture's weapons are the most lethal it's a model that really benefits from a specialized role. My 2 cents.


Lol, i think its a combination of bad luck, and situation.

my list is normally (for a 2000/2500 point game)

an infantry blob (command squad, platoon comand, 2 infantry squads, conscripts, 2 heavy weapon teams, penal legion, veterans)

battle tanks (battle tank, vanquisher, executioner, medusa)

and a fast attack element (salamander scout, stormtroopers, cyclops, chimera for s troopers or vets, vulture)

i think one problem is - even though i have 2 valkyries, i hardly ever field them, making the vulture an obvious target.

in a 1 on 1 game, i think its probably because the vulture gets too close to the enemy - and in range of small high strength shots (the last game i fielded it, it needed to be close to use the MRPs, and it was taken down by a zoanthrope)

in larger (apoc-esque) games its probably because theres just more fire power at everyones disposal, it's been destroyed by hydra fire a few times, and a squad of attack bikes once.

I never considered that 4 MRPs would soak up weapon destroyed results better than 1 twin punisher, damn thats a glaringly obvious thought too. maybe i'll have to get the old magnets out again and try out some different gun fits.

and as for effectiveness, i can see that by specialising it, it would stand a much better chance at actually doing some damage - more shots/templates = more chance of killing everything.

some good thoughts here guys, nice thread atrotos.

cheers, TSINI

[Atrotos]

In a mixed/balanced list such as yours vultures are very vulnerable due to their short range. They have to operate independent of your long-range firebase. In a mobile list such as mine however I can concentrate all my fire on one part of the opponent's army completely neutralizing all threats in that sector. I win easily against tyranids because it's so simple to eliminate zoanthropes and monstrous creatures from one corner leaving threats from the opposite corner out of range.

Last week I played against a list with 6 zoanthropes and 2 tyranofex's in it (the only things that could hurt AV 12 at range). Not a single one of those models fired a shot. 1st turn I mauled the MC's and 2 Zoies leaving the other four Zoies out of range. 2nd turn 9 twin-linked lascannons make short work of the rest of the Zoanthropes due to Instant Death. The rest of the game is spent with his griblies chasing my planes - I lost one model (marbo).

My point is the vulture will never work in isolation. Use it in conjunction with other fast units to bring overwhelming firepower down on one sector. Focus on the targets that can shoot back early in the game (these will be relatively few in many armies) and then spend the rest of the match hunting down scoring units or units that are isolated.

Drawing units out: The vulture makes for an excellent baiting unit. Often the enemy will attempt to engage your planes in close combat (you will have neutralized his ranged potential ). Leave the Vulture close to his 'castle' under the pretense of making the most of the vulture's short range. He will leap on the opportunity to take out this pesky unit because although vultures are not very lethal they do inflict a large number of wounds which scares opponents. Place valkyies with plasma vets or a CC capable unit 8 -12" behind the vulture. On his turn he will charge your vulture likely doing nothing to it (6's to hit) and you will be able to disembark, shoot and assault the now exposed unit overwhelming it.