How to handle SM Dreadnoughts

[Warboss_Gunnutz]

The title says it all.

I played a long, brutal game with a great friend last night, and I almost had him beat early in the game. (I lost my focus on what I was doing though, and didn't take advantage of the opportunity when he was weak. My fault entirely.)

Once he began to build dreadnoughts, I found them almost impossible to kill. Once he upgraded them to lascannons, I was toast. Warbosses, nobz, tankbustas, slugga/shootas..even killa kans couldn't do it effectively. They killed so many models so quickly that I was unable to take them down fast enough to prevent him from reinforcing them with more. Not to mention their deepstrike ability, which really screws up a frontline defense.

Any tips on how to kill these *#$%@$ with Ork abilities?

Thanks!

[JediNeophyte]

In beta, Dreadnoughts were overpowered by a fair bit and still are IMO. Your best bet is tankbustaz or small shoota boy mobz with rokkit launchaz in late-game. Lascannons aren't very good against a full mob of tankbustaz, so sit at range and pop the dreads with rokkitz, then when it closes to melee drop da tankbusta bommz on it.

If you have the resources, my favorite tactic is to attach my Big Mek to a Tankbusta mob. You now have a bunch of rokkitz, a tankbusta bomb, a superstikk bomb, and the tank zzzappa. The Big Mek is also decent enough in CC against vehicles.

[Entropius]

If he's seriously spamming dreads, you want rokkits on everything that can carry them. STAY OUT of cc with the dreads if you can--they're invincible while they're doing finishing moves, which take quite a while for them them to do.

You're not helpless against infantry either if you make lots of rokkits--just melee them.

For support you probably want tanks, since he will, if he's smart, make lots of heavy bolters to kill your mob of infantry.

If the dreads don't have lascannons, wartraks with rokkits can be effective as well.

[Vertigo]

Dreads can be countered, dollar for dollar, by Orks without too much trouble.

1) Orks can carry LOTS of rokkits, and rokkits can be upgraded twice for damage (and the upgrades are CHEAP!).

2) You've got THREE extra anti-armor abilities: The Big Mek's Kit gives you two: a seperate stun and bomb ability. Add to that the TBs bombs. A Big Mek and 2 TB squads can virtually insta-kill the first Dread you see using these abilities. The rest you handle by dancing with rokkits until your abilities recharge.

So, yeah, stay out of CC, which is easy to do against a dread. Pound with Rokkits until dead. Stun and bomb from close range, but don't fall into CC.

You may feel like you are taking some losses taking them down. That's OK, because every Dread killed costs the SM player over 400 Power and lots of time. He won't be able to keep cranking them out for long before he runs short on juice.

Dreads ALONE are easy. If they are supported, things get a lot harder, as they should. Only your use of combined arms can defeat his use of combined arms.

[Svensta]

Yep, the strategy is pretty well documented.

1. If playing against marines, spam rokkits to every orc not a Slugga.
2. NEVER, EVER engage in Close Combat. No choice? Sic the BM on them but prepare to build a new one, and rokkit them constantly while he dies for you.
3. The Warboss can hurt them adequately as well, but dies quick when outnumbered.
4. Shootaz = useless. Big Shootaz = Slightly less than useless.

Double Post

Other thought: If he upgrades to Lascannons, give up entirely on Kans. Lascannons aren't nearly as powerful as the autocannon vs. infantry, so it's rokkit spawn from hell time. If he goes for the anti-infantry aspect, roll out the Kans. They stand up decently in CC (give them some support) and build out faster and cheaper than Dreds. They also TIE UP the Dred from slaughtering your boyz. Don't send 2 kans against 5 Dreds though. Even numbers and you have a shot (again with support). If they have the advantage, your lower armor/hit points will doom you in short order.

Another: Doc's fighting Juice can give a slugga squad time to tie up a Dred in CC so you can rokkit spam him. (if you are already out of Kans)

[Tumbler]

Another: Doc's fighting Juice can give a slugga squad time to tie up a Dred in CC so you can rokkit spam him. (if you are already out of Kans)

Wow I completely forgot about this. I really need to make it a point to use that stuff. If you link this to a tankbusters squad that means no kill annimations for the duration of the juice, which means the TB's can do what they do best on that dread, H2H!

The key to killing a dread is not letting him use kill animations. Put him in combat with something he can't kill right away, like a big mek, or a killa kan ideally, and let rip the rokkits.

Can someone confirm, Fightin Juice makes all members of the squad unkillable for a certain amount of time? They still take damage but don't die until Fight'n Juice wears off. Anyone know how long that time period is?

[Svensta]

That's precisely what Juice does.

And yeah, his killing animation DOES take forever.

[SoundWave]

the only time that the big mek is worth throwing into HtH with a dread just to tie him up is when your warboss is out as you should want your mek to tie up their commander.

[Vertigo]

the only time that the big mek is worth throwing into HtH with a dread just to tie him up is when your warboss is out as you should want your mek to tie up their commander.

Why would you every want to put the BM into CC, ever? He isn't really going to hurt the Dread much, and he'll take a lot of damage...

[Augustus]

Why would you every want to put the BM into CC, ever? He isn't really going to hurt the Dread much, and he'll take a lot of damage...

That's the point - if the dread is busy duking it out with the BM, that's time he isn't spending throwing your boyz and bustahz around (which makes his invulnerable). A preoccupied dread will go down pretty fast under rokkits.

[SoundWave]

i love how you reply to my post when i'm not the one suggesting throwing your big mek into HtH with a dread. I said the only time you should ever try that is when you already have a warboss out as he can tie up their commander while the big mek takes a dread(which i think it can with upgrades)

[Svensta]

Maybe you are thinking in reverse, Soundwave. I've never had a BM (mind you NOT using his Zzap skill) win in CC against a Dreddy. A fully upgraded BM with a unit of sluggas is a good choice to sic on commanders while the WARBOSS (when upgraded) is a fit match for a Dreddy. Mind you, orkie stuff always takes ferocious damage, the Warboss gets pretty beat up and the BM/unit gets hammered too.

[SoundWave]

i only said the big mek as he is the anti-vehicle HQ of the orks. he has the super stikk bombs and the zzap thing, i'm almost positive he could take a dread, tho i dont get teh warboss out enough to even have a clue of how tough he is.

[Gong]

i only said the big mek as he is the anti-vehicle HQ of the orks. he has the super stikk bombs and the zzap thing, i'm almost positive he could take a dread, tho i dont get teh warboss out enough to even have a clue of how tough he is.

in the world of discussing strategy in public forums, please don't write something unless you have actually tried it and know what you are talking about. big mek will get owned in CC by a dread. due to custom FF, he is far too critical to your army to throw him away like that. i know you're just trying to help out, but please.. until you have more general experience under your belt or have personally experienced whatever you are going to write about, don't do it. Orks are already tough enough for most people to play without having bad advice being thrown at them.

[ramza85]

yeah yeah, anti the dread all you guys want...
All the plans above will work prefectly and solve the problem...
It may seem easy but we are missing out the supporting troops that MIGHT be there to anti your anti-dread plan...

i always make sure i disturb my opponent power supply early..
well you noe wat they say, prevention is better than cure...
against SM, make it a point to stop the dread from appearing...
even if it does, go for his power supply first...

like wat Vertigo said your opponent juice will run short,
so make it run out...
beside the generator is easier to take out than dreads...
So?
Side-track for the generator!!

[SoundWave]

in the world of discussing strategy in public forums, please don't write something unless you have actually tried it and know what you are talking about. big mek will get owned in CC by a dread. due to custom FF, he is far too critical to your army to throw him away like that. i know you're just trying to help out, but please.. until you have more general experience under your belt or have personally experienced whatever you are going to write about, don't do it. Orks are already tough enough for most people to play without having bad advice being thrown at them.

you really need to stfu, i was NOT the one to say throw your big mek at the dread, i did however say the only time you should do that with him is when you have your primary HQ out, the warboss. and a big mek with a squad will very badly damage a dread, and with support WILL destroy it.

[Gong]

you really need to stfu, i was NOT the one to say throw your big mek at the dread, i did however say the only time you should do that with him is when you have your primary HQ out, the warboss. and a big mek with a squad will very badly damage a dread, and with support WILL destroy it.

if you are that far up the tech tree, you should already have several Doks and at the very least some shootaz with rokkits, if not Tankbustaz. it's much better to use fightin' juice on a squad of sluggaz and have them tie up the dread while you destroy it with actual anti-vehicle weaponry. Big Mek gives your army a massive improvement in survivability thanks to his Kustom FF. you should be using him to annihilate infantry squads (which generally pose no significant threat to him). If you put him into a fight with a dread, he is going to come out dead or badly wounded before the dread is destroyed. It just isn't worth it to put him up against a dread. Even if he survives it, he's going to be an easy target.

[Vertigo]

i love how you reply to my post when i'm not the one suggesting throwing your big mek into HtH with a dread. I said the only time you should ever try that is when you already have a warboss out as he can tie up their commander while the big mek takes a dread(which i think it can with upgrades)

Woah, chill. You just happened to have the last post on the matter, and hence was easiest to quote. I'm not picking on you or anything. No offense intended, honest.

Anyways.... Here's my take.

The BM is critical due to it's various abilities. While it's a good fighter, to me his abilities (FF, Super Stikk, teleport) that make him valuable. I don't count on or need his basic combat power. This means I protect him from harm as much as possible. So, without good reason, I'm not going to let a Dread attack him.

I don't see that's there's much point of "tieing" up a Dread with a BM. First, there's no guarantee that the Dread will attack the BM anyway. It depends on how good the SM player is, and the situation of the game. Given that, the BM is better put to use attacking soft targets.

It may also be far preferable to let the Dreads kill some cheap Sluggas rather than hurt the BM. When a BM gets hurt bad, it becomes a focus target. That forces you to attach it to a squad, which limits flexibility. The alternative is to loose Sluggas, but the BM is more important. Depending on the situation, the killing animations can actually work in your favor. Example: when you have to stall until Rokkits arrive.

Lastly, my typical preferred solution is just to run away from Dreads, always. I always micro squads away from heros and walkers. It's nice to actually do a little dancing AS Orks, for a change.

[Stymie_Jackson]

Lastly, my typical preferred solution is just to run away from Dreads, always.

Datz not runnin' awayz, datz a taktikul witdrawel

[Smay]

The BM can do more than teleport zaap and superstikkbomb. Don´t forget his Mega Blasta which is pretty effectiv against vehicles. The Mega-Blasta (Page 41 in the manual) can be researched in the Pile O Gunz. You will also need a relict for that.

[Vertigo]

The BM can do more than teleport zaap and superstikkbomb. Don´t forget his Mega Blasta which is pretty effectiv against vehicles. The Mega-Blasta (Page 41 in the manual) can be researched in the Pile O Gunz. You will also need a relict for that.

It's a must have sure, but comes very late in the game. The BM gets good firepower vs. infantry with weapon upgrades, too.