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In the army im working on right now i have 3 vypers and im not sure how i should run them i was thinking behind my jet bike sqaud or runing them around the table like a congo line lol any idea's or tips.

I often use 2 squadrons of them in my lists one of 2 with brightlances for hunting armour and another filled with shuriken cannons, cannon upgrades and scatterlasers depending on points available.

Mainly they're there to make an opponent worry a little, these things are fast, laden with firepower and can take priority for vehicle targeting away from your transports but are very very fragile. Their advantage over the warwalkers is that they can ignore terrain, so trying to keep them out of LoS with terrain until you're in range of what you want them to hit is one option, presenting them as targets making your opponent choose between them, transports, war walkers etc is another. Just remember they dont have the jetbikes assault move and jetbikes wont screen them like people I've watched play try to do

Well, single Vypers are easy KP's for the enemy.
If you give them eml's they can be kept in the back field sniping at the enemy.
The combo scatter laser and shuricannon is also rathe popular but then the Vypers have to get into bolter range.

A simple trick for keeping the Vypers alive is to field a Serpent or Falcon with star engines.
First shoot with the Vypers and the use the star engines to move the Serpent or Falcon so that it blocks (partially) line of sight to the Vypers.

I was really impressed with Blackmoor's list about a year ago that spammed scatterlasers on 3 full squadrons of war walkers and vypers (18 vehicles, 108 shots) but I'm not sure how it worked out for him. But I think the lesson is, spam them in squadrons of 2-3. It feels like you'd need a total of at least 6 vypers in an army to be really effective for a balance of firepower and survivability through numbers.

I'm a fan of the standoff version with just EML, and also the speeder-killer version with a scatterlaser and shuriken cannon--or even just the scatterlaser. I've never tried the dual-cannon version because it just sounds to me like it would be subject to too much counterfire because of how close it needs to get in order to shoot.

EML or Shruiken Cannon for Vypers hands down. It's too fragile a unit for an expensive Bright Lance with BS3, and the versatility and extra range are helpful with the EML.

Well, Vypers are wasted if they carry bright lances.
It would make sense if a Farseer is nearby able to guide them.

EML/Shuriken Cannon combo is the poor man's Land Speeder Typhoon.

It does basically the same job for about the same price, only much less effectively...

Typhoon - 2x Missiles (48" range at BS4)
EML/SCan Vyper - 1x Missile (48" range at BS3)

Typhoon - 3x Heavy Bolter shots (S5 AP4, 36" range at BS4)
EML/SCan Vyper - 3x Shruriken shots (S6 AP5, 24" range at BS3)


The best way to field them is go for maxed shots with 2x cannon or scatter/cannon in squads of 2-3 and chew up infantry/light vehicles (its just another variant on the S6 spam that eldar do well)

Vypers are good to fill gaps in the shooty combat line.
If you put pressure on the enemy with your Serpents, War Walkers, Prisms, and whatnot,
the enemy will be hard pressed to react to this and will usually target the Vypers last.

wow good input that helps me alot I will try some of this ths weekend. Thanks

I like the suggestion of using squadrons in tandem with a tank that can engage Star Engines to get in front of them. It's an idea for using them to escort an assault Aspect: use their Missile Launchers to either trash transports, or try to pin down support squads with plasma missiles, and then nip the Wave Serpent out in front for the cover.

Best use for Vypers is to use them for Jetbike Warlock Conversions.

Instead of the driver and the gunner, you put a magnet on the bottom of a Warlock and presto Jetbike Warlock.

Using squads of 3 with cannon and scatter = 21 str 6 shots. Farseer with guide should give 15+ hits. I'll take that.

I will test the EML version

EML, unless you are really into Starcannons. Shuricannon is optional with EML.

Honestly, a couple extra EML are great I take them everytime. And the models are tres cool of course. Russes are AV13 sideskirts now, maybe Brightlance is OK.

wuestenfux wrote:Well, single Vypers are easy KP's for the enemy.
If you give them eml's they can be kept in the back field sniping at the enemy.
The combo scatter laser and shuricannon is also rathe popular but then the Vypers have to get into bolter range.

A simple trick for keeping the Vypers alive is to field a Serpent or Falcon with star engines.
First shoot with the Vypers and the use the star engines to move the Serpent or Falcon so that it blocks (partially) line of sight to the Vypers.

This was discussed in another post. Correct use of base sticks could put vypers completely out of LOS

Kirika wrote:Best use for Vypers is to use them for Jetbike Warlock Conversions.

Instead of the driver and the gunner, you put a magnet on the bottom of a Warlock and presto Jetbike Warlock.

Yeah, I have an Autarch on a vyper.
Looks much better than on those small jetbikes.

Don't use them or they look nice on a shelf until a new codex comes out. Other than objective contesters. There points are to high for what you get now, plus the whole defensive weapon thing. Stick with Walkers and Falcons.

^ Seconded rcm2216's post.

It's not to say they aren't functional, but comparatively they are lacking.

Make them into Guardian Jetbike attachments = win, for the next dex...just for looks even.

Vypers are the same as SM landspeeders. 10 armor all around.

The one difference is that Vypers are opentopped. Granted it is a big difference. Opentopped can be destroyed by glancing hits.

Still, they are usable. Screen them with GJB or star engine'd vehicles.

Any vehicle can be destroyed by glancing hits.

Nurglitch wrote:Any vehicle can be destroyed by glancing hits.

Which is why Necrons are so awesome in 5th edition!

Nice!

What I'm saying is an one shot glancing hit that adds +1 to result for being opentopped.

Not the multiple hits required to get enough glances to destroy.

Old Man Ultramarine wrote:Nice!

What I'm saying is an one shot glancing hit that adds +1 to result for being opentopped.

Not the multiple hits required to get enough glances to destroy.

Yeah, what he said. One multimelta shot from 2 feet away and your vyper is doomed.

wow alot of people don't use them but i like useing them I always try and ask did the model take out its own point cost. But vypers are like 60/40 so i still like them.

Not to imply a lack of usefulness, but you can use them as mobile cover for eldar vehicles. Keep them cheap, and SMF them and use star engines. Fire Prism moves out of cover to fire, than a 60 pt vyper moves in front of it and either blocks LOS or grants cover (while gaining cover through movement it's self). Use them the same way to block sight on your serpents spearheading that assault. And finally, that squad just loaded out with MB is getting set to charge the transport holding your uber squad? Not if there's a vyper in the way!