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I play Orks and I'm trying to figure out the best method for dealing with a SM Dreadnought list.

It seems like Orks have quite a few things that can hurt them, but nothing very reliable.

I've tried lootas, which seem to have a tough time with the Front Armor 13 on some drednoughts, but otherwise are still unreliable.
Rokkits hurt them some
PK's obviously hurt them, but that seems risky because of No Retreat wounds.
Haven't gotten much opportunity to use Planks against them, but that would seem ideal.

What are the best ways for dealing with SM Dreadnoughts?

Power klaws seems to be the only sure way. Problem is getting there, as usual :=)

Maxed out lootas and PKs are probably the best and definitely the most reliable. I know tank shocking with a BW equipped with deffrolla means they will probably just move out of the way but it could help.

First game with my orks I charged a group of boyz into a sm dread. It swatted a few boyz down and then my nob punched a hole through it. Unfortunately he was a little overzealous and the dread exploded, and as the boyz were packed in as we were also assaulting a nearby tac squad the blast killed a lot more boyz. Then we lost the combat and lost more boyz to fearlessness...but the dread was dead! Huzzah!

PK is the obvious choice. Try using a PK with boarding planks that way you avoid any boys dying to explosions.

Vindicator#9 wrote:Maxed out lootas and PKs are probably the best and definitely the most reliable. I know tank shocking with a BW equipped with deffrolla means they will probably just move out of the way but it could help.

Considering any unit tank shocked by a Deff Rolla takes 1D6 S10 hits regardless, I don't think it's too much of a problem if they move out of the way.

Deffcoptas hurt them if you take the coptas in medium numbers (3 per squad per dread)

Rokkit armed killa kanz and deffkoptaz.
PK nob bikers.
Deffrollaz.
Tankbustas.
PK in an ork mob.
Deff Dred with extra cc weapons.
Loota spamming.

Lootas destroy my Dreads every time.

They're much more reliable than Nobz in my experience, because the Dread isn't winning by 2-4 wounds by the time the Nobz with PKs get to swing!

I don't think walkers can sidestep a deffrolla tank shock. Like any other ram, they can brace for it (and take the ram plus d6 hits) or DoG (and take the ram, 2d6 hits, to rear armor). Probably worth the gamble... they still need a 4+ to even glance and the battlewagon hits go off even if it stops it.

Otherwise, helpful anti-dread:
Rokkits from deffkoptas, kans (ditto for kustom mega-blastas), warbuggies, tankbustas
Lootas (can still glance AV13, just need more of them)
Power klaw, both in a mob and from boardin' plank
Ghazghkull on his invulnerable turn
Wazzdakka
Deffdread: if he survives going second, will rip apart SM dreads in CC
Kannons (big guns, battlewagons)

Ork walkers are pretty good against SM dreads, because even though the Ork walkers strike later they generally get more attacks.
Lootas are great against the AV 12 ones at range.
And of course, PKs hidden in boyz mobs, but AV 13 gives them trouble too.
Deff rollas rock their world but the battlewagon often dies in return.

Really though, a squadron of rokkit kans is about the best thing for taking them down. The 3 of them are generally cheaper than a SM dread and get 9 attacks on the charge and have a decent chance of doing something at range to it.

Head to head a SM Dreadnaught with a CC and an Initiative of 4 will blow a Deff Dread away before it even gets to swing, its happend to me.

Big fat tank bustas!!!
You all forgot about them?!

Deffrollas
PKs
Planks
Lootas
Tankbustas
Rokkits
Killakans

Honestly, AV 12-13 isn't a problem for Orks. A Rolla crushes ANYTHING, most Ork units can have PK, Loota fire kills anything less then AV14... heck, even Koptas with rokkits can get behind Dreads and shoot them.

The only armor orks worry about is AV14 all around, and even then there is still Rollas, PKs, and Dread/Kans.

The only dread I see as being a problem is that new blood angels blood-talon dread. if the talons work the way I think they do he might be able to eat 30 orks before their claw can swing. In that case, the only thing that can beat that dread....is another dread.

DeffDreadz and killa-kanz should be able to take on enemy dreads. Also a good dusting of rokkits and deffguns can't hurt.

"Bob!Where's that piece on the dreadnoughts hand"
"Boss took it,but I've got this one!"
"Cool!A dread's underwear!!"
"Lets burn it!"
"Why not!"

Biggest problem with using my own Walkers to kill enemy Dreads is their Initiative.

Letting my opponent hit me first with DCCW is a bit of a gamble.

tastytaste wrote:PK is the obvious choice. Try using a PK with boarding planks that way you avoid any boys dying to explosions.

This is the trick. Boarding planks are the way to go because the dreads can't swing back. I did a number on poor bjorn with a boarding plank at the Irish GT.

Still new to orks so sorry for the misinformation. I will have to reread everything as my punishment.

Let me just add that I do not recommend using ork dreads against SM dreads. The higher initiative of the SM dread will doom the ork dreads utterly. I've had whole units of killa kans wiped out before they could swing against a SM dread.

Rokkits ftw

olympia wrote:Let me just add that I do not recommend using ork dreads against SM dreads. The higher initiative of the SM dread will doom the ork dreads utterly. I've had whole units of killa kans wiped out before they could swing against a SM dread.

No argument there, but in the case of the blood talons (not DCCWS) that dread can wail on yours all day and won't do squat.

I don't recommend charging an ironclad, but if you can get the charge on a vanilla dread you may be able to win.

As people have said though, the best way is to shoot rokkits at it. Charging it should be a last resort (Unless it already charged you)

Rokkits are going to be doing a whole lot of missing unless we're talking 5 Rokkit-Koptas. Keep in mind that many dreads (s'pecially the ironclads) are going to be falling out of the sky in those immobile kill points space marines are always throwing around. Those powerclaws just got a whole lot closer.

powerclaw wrote:Rokkits are going to be doing a whole lot of missing unless we're talking 5 Rokkit-Koptas. Keep in mind that many dreads (s'pecially the ironclads) are going to be falling out of the sky in those immobile kill points space marines are always throwing around. Those powerclaws just got a whole lot closer.

Killa Kans are BS3. They hit with their rokkits well enough!

I run Venerable Dreads in almost all of my lists. Typically I give them a ranged weapon upgrade (assault cannon or lascannon), and replace the stormbolter on the DCCW arm with a heavy flamer. The heavy flamer is specifically to pare down Ork Boyz Mobs before they get me.

The crippler for Dreads in close combat is their two attacks. Sure, I can squish two Orks per turn in CC, but that's nothing. A big Boyz Mob can tie up my Dreads for the whole game! I smoosh up to two heads per turn, and you swing that PK at me til I go down. If I lose the DCCW to a Weapon Destroyed result, I no longer instakill. If I get Stunned or Immobilized, I only have one attack next turn.
Dreads are piss-poor at taking on Horde armies due to the low number of attacks. Heck, even an Ironclad only gets 3, and only if it's armed with dual-DCCW.

I've never lost a Ven Dread to Ork shooting. Ever. EVER. On a 5+ to hit, rokkits don't do jack. Even if you manage a penetrating hit, I demand a reroll on anything lethal due to the Venerable rule.

Orks' best option for dealing with Dreads is to tarpit and whack away with the PK.

olympia wrote:Let me just add that I do not recommend using ork dreads against SM dreads. The higher initiative of the SM dread will doom the ork dreads utterly. I've had whole units of killa kans wiped out before they could swing against a SM dread.

This is generally the exception. For an SM dread to kill all 3 kans before they get to swing if they charge it is highly unlikely. A normal SM dread only has 2 attacks, will destroy on average about half a kan (.59.)

Deff dreads are more risky. About a 22% chance for the SM dread to wreck it, but the deff dread has about double that chance to kill the SM dread either by charging or having extra CCW arms.

Blood angels dreads are another story though with their WS 5 and extra attacks. I'd still be comfortable sending kans against them but not so much a deff dread. Let the boyz deal with the strength 10 dreads and the kans/deff dreads deal with the dual blood talon dreads.

TheRhino wrote:I run Venerable Dreads in almost all of my lists. Typically I give them a ranged weapon upgrade (assault cannon or lascannon), and replace the stormbolter on the DCCW arm with a heavy flamer. The heavy flamer is specifically to pare down Ork Boyz Mobs before they get me.

The crippler for Dreads in close combat is their two attacks. Sure, I can squish two Orks per turn in CC, but that's nothing. A big Boyz Mob can tie up my Dreads for the whole game! I smoosh up to two heads per turn, and you swing that PK at me til I go down. If I lose the DCCW to a Weapon Destroyed result, I no longer instakill. If I get Stunned or Immobilized, I only have one attack next turn.
Dreads are piss-poor at taking on Horde armies due to the low number of attacks. Heck, even an Ironclad only gets 3, and only if it's armed with dual-DCCW.

I've never lost a Ven Dread to Ork shooting. Ever. EVER. On a 5+ to hit, rokkits don't do jack. Even if you manage a penetrating hit, I demand a reroll on anything lethal due to the Venerable rule.

Orks' best option for dealing with Dreads is to tarpit and whack away with the PK.

This. If you charge a Dread with a 30-ork boyz squad w/PK Nob, for all intents and purposes, it's out of the game.