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So,I Have Never fielded a wraithlord in my army (IM SEROIUS,NEVER!)ususally,it`s place was tooken by a fire prism or a falcon full of banshee`s , but now,i`m getting one shipped in off of amazon.com,and i`m thinking,What`s The Best Way To Arm A Wraithlord?
now,I`M thinking,

1x scatter-laser, left shoulder
1x starcannon,right shoulder
2xshurikien catapults,arms
cost is NOT a factor

would this be effective? I plan on playing against mechanized space marines noobs,and i`ve only played a handful of games with my eldar,to deal with rihnos,drednoughts,ARMOR,i plan on a wave-serpent w/TL brightlances full of 9x firedragons and exarch with crackshot to take apart rihnos and such. would this be effective(the wraithlord,not the serpent)

or should I just go the easy way out and go with 2xflamers,the wraithsword and a brightlance?

1) Always take 2 flamers over the catapults. The WL biggest weakness is his limited attacks in CC. The flamers help deal with a nearby horde, the catapults don't. The only time catapults end up better is when you're against a single model, and in that case you should be able to take him in CC.

2) Against Marines, the Starcannon is hands down the best weapon. Take 1, but not 2 (TL isn't worth it).

3) For the 2nd weapon, it's much more of a toss-up. I prefer EML, but BL would work well if you see plenty of Land Raiders.

Two flamethrowers and a Missile Launcher can put the hurt on hordes, and even more elite units thanks to the number of hits. A Bright Lance combined with the Missile Launcher means you have two shots that can wreck armour at a decent distance.

But what about scatterlasers? are they just not worth it? I am going quality over quanity with my eldar,so point cost is not a factor,effectiveness is.

Bright Lance, Missile Launcher and 2 flamers is widely recognised as the most competitive build for a Wraithlord. So if you want goodness, this the way to go.

However, pretty much anything you can give him works, so long as it has some symmetry, so you can go for your own flavour if you want, it just may not be quite as good.

Basically:
- For sheer Competitiveness, go Missile/Brightlance/2x Flamer.
- Actually ALWAYS have 2x Flamer.
- Any combo works in essence though - keep it focussed though (anti-tank/MEQ/GEQ, dont mix).

My personal preference though is a sword (cause they look cool) and a bright lance (cus they zap cool)

FUUUUDGE! wrote:But what about scatterlasers? are they just not worth it? I am going quality over quanity with my eldar,so point cost is not a factor,effectiveness is.

Point cost is always a factor in effectiveness: Can the points I spend here be more effective if they're spent elsewhere?

Scatter lasers can work, but people prefer heavy anti-tank on wraithlords because they are tough. The expensive gun will survive to splat its target, this is a nice certainty to have in an eldar army.

You can run scatter lasers on a wraithlord, but I'm not sure I see the sense in using them as an anti-horde unit. Personal preference *shrug*. If you can see a reason, DO it

I prefer to run them in two ways. Pretty sure this has been covered in at least two identical threads, but meh.

Always take flamers. Gear them to be cheap, or to be shooty. There are very few ways to make use of WLs, so keeping them focused is always a good thing.

If you want something that can soak up shots, drop two flamer templates, lock up infantry, and occasionally pop a tank or two, give the big bastard a sword and let him loose.

If you want a mobile AT platform, take a BL/EML combo, then start shooting. You can work this in a few different ways, it could be reasoned that the WL isn't a great place for the overpriced BL, which performs best on a WS. Try using a SL/EML combo, but I would try to avoid much else; this would be pretty good if you face very few AV13-14 tanks. SL/EML is pretty good when facing a bunch of transports.

You could always throw a S. cannon onto just about any build, because it is cheap; I wouldn't necessarily consider that a wise use of points. If you stick it on a Swordlord, they are not going to use it but once in the entire game, unless you get really lucky. If you stick it on an AT-lord, it could work pretty well in unison with the EML against swarms. 3 S6 shots, and 3 templates is pretty freaking intimidating; that could be an awesome defensive unit.

Just Dave wrote:Bright Lance, Missile Launcher and 2 flamers is widely recognised as the most competitive build for a Wraithlord. So if you want goodness, this the way to go.

Truth.

The only other set up that is worth mentioning is the dual flamer, wraith sword version. 100 points. Take three with the Avatar and banzai up the field.

the best way to arm a wraithlord:

Bright Lance
wraithsword
2 flamers

Nulipuli2 wrote:the best way to arm a wraithlord:

Bright Lance
wraithsword
2 flamers

The lance is such a waste of points...

Reecius wrote:

Just Dave wrote:Bright Lance, Missile Launcher and 2 flamers is widely recognised as the most competitive build for a Wraithlord. So if you want goodness, this the way to go.

Truth.

The only other set up that is worth mentioning is the dual flamer, wraith sword version. 100 points. Take three with the Avatar and banzai up the field.

You know, I've never tried this, but this seems to be a blast to try against. Would it be cheeky to use the FW Avatar and try to use him to give cover saves to the Wraithlords? I've had one for nearly 3 years and he's still in pieces in the original bags he comes in.

If i'm using 1 wraithlord i take 2 flamers, EML and sword.
If i take more than 1 the others get 2 flamers, EML and brightlance.

The sword is useful for hitting vehicles or pesky IC without EW.

Missile/Brightlance isn't worth it. It's very very point-inefficient against light armor, and ineffectual against heavier armor.

The Scatter Laser+Shurken Cannon is more affordable, and doubles its efficiency against AV 11 while also being usable against small infantry squads for sniping.

@Sarigar

That is a great way to run it. Fortune the avatar and have him provide cover to the WL.

The scatter laser/s.cannon is a nice cheap option, but the range differential is limiting.

The reason BL/EML works so well is because you have 2 str8 BS4 long range weapons on a very strudy platform. The flamers are there to control hordes and the WL itself is a counter assault unit lastly. This unit is your transport buster and can take on Heavy tanks.

It really depends on the overall composition of your force. In a Elfzilla list, you take three with BL/EML as your mobile, hard to destroy anti tank units.

In a mechanized list, Wraithlords don't have a place because the can't keep up with the Skimmers.

The best platform for scatter lasers, IMO, is the Warwalker. A unit of three with 2 scatter lasers each is 180 points. That is 24 strength 6 shots a turn. So long as they are in cover with fortune and guide, they are pretty hard to kill and put out staggering firepower. Only downside is that they require a lot of psyker support.

The WS/BL or WS/EML combo is OK, but you are confusing roles on the weapons choices. The sword makes the WL marginally better in HtH but with the BL or EML the WL wants to stay at range, in cover and shoot. It is a mix up of roles. If you are going to run a combat oriented WL, go cheap. Just a WS and run him every turn, seeking to get into combat.

For 155 points, a toughness 8, 3 wound model that can move and shoot, assault decently and puts two stength 8 shots downrange at BS4 is a great buy and the most common load out for what you will see in a tournament.

Everyone's experience is different though, so try out various options and see what works best in your list.

I quite like the simplicty of the starcannon and wraithsword (plus two flamers). I use him to take out heavy infantry and monstrous creatures. Swapping the wraithsword for a scatter laser is also nice. This build allows for good light vehicle destruction (6 BS4 str 6 shots) as well as perfectly acceptable heavy troop and monstrous creature killing.

I do have to plus 1 the Missile Launcher, Bright Lance combination.

Wraithlords are not that hard to destroy for many lists really. At any rate, cover saves for them are a theoretical concept in many games; additionally, paying about 77-something points per missile launcher is rather overcosted, relative to most every other S8 weapon in the game; (contrast Hive Guard/Long Fang efficiency of fire, with their relative durability to boot). 6 Razorbacks, 4 Typhoons, or some variation (conservative estimates), thereof, are enough to average a dead Wraithlord;it's a battle of attrition Eldar doesn't properly win.

The range issue of a Shuricannon/Scatter Laser setup shouldn't be much of an issue; you probably will be advancing forward with said Wraithlords anyway, if only to establish dominance of midfield, or to actually take advantage of the giant fists and flamers you're getting as part of the bargain.

I tend to run mine with ML and either BL or Scatter Laser... But I also went with magnetic weapon mounts for the ability to swap weapons as I need to... The Flamer arms are an "always" option though... I can't really see using the sword, I'm usually trying to fit in more BS4 heavy weapons... Shame you cannot mount 2 of the same weapon without it just being a doubled cost TL weapon, I'd probably use Lances or Scatter Lasers :-)

pchappel wrote:Shame you cannot mount 2 of the same weapon without it just being a doubled cost TL weapon

Agreed! Paying the cost for an entire weapon to only make it TL is horrible! GW really needs to adjust that rule somehow.

The only way I looks at it is for what it's doing for the list, since the heavy slot is packed full of just as good and typically better options...

Anti-Tank fire Sponge - Wraithsword and Dual Flamers for 100pt, move/run him down your opponents throat.

Anti-Tank - EML/BL w/ Dual Flamer, stay at range and pop your shots.

Other combos with one AT and Sword, not a fan since you aren't moving full speed nor are you firing a full salvo. Anti-Infantry loadouts aren't worth it as there is better units for this role.