Niiai wrote:Wow wow wow wow wow wow there horsey.

You are OUTFLANKING sniperrifles? That my you young padavan is a very very bad idea. Say they come in on turn 2 (50%) then they can't shoot before turn 3.

If you are outflanking scouts with characters etc be shure to go for close combat attack. If you want to shoot with them give them sniper rifles, bolters and a rocket launcher and sit them in cover. Also do not give woolthooth neclase to that wolf priest unles you also give him melta bombs.

Maxwell80 wrote:If they do pay them attention then it takes the heat off of my wolf guard

Niiai wrote:Skycapt44 I am a dyslextic with english as my second language. That is like asking a person in a wheelchair to take the stair because eveybody else can do it.

Thanks for the questions. Scouts are still good, but these days they are less unique and suffer from a more competitive FOC. They are still a good unit however and definitely still have their uses. Whilst not as durable, powerful or unsubtle as some other units, Wolf Scouts are still better than their Codex-Scout cousins and are a great unit to intimidate and distract. They're unlikely to win the game for you, but when used correctly they can really put your opponent on the back foot and attack those troublesome units who remain just out of reach of your main force.

Wolf Scouts have always been a great unit for hunting enemy tanks, particularly those who like to sit back and shoot from afar (Manticores, Predators etc.). With the more heavily mechanised environment of 5th edition, they have even more targets to choose from, making for some happy scouts. As-well as hunting these sorts of tanks, Wolf Scouts should also be used to target the likes of Lootas and Pathfinders, who'll likely stay just out of reach of your army but still cause you lots of problems. The likes of lootas and manticores can often be left isolated as the rest of the enemy advances, as such they can be perfect targets. Similarly, Scouts also benefit from the focus on objectives within 5th Edition. Although unable to claim an objective, Wolf Scouts are very effective for contesting them last-minute or shifting any small enemy squads (I'm looking at you Jet-bikes) off an objective.

Whilst having the strengths and intended use described above, Wolf Scouts are - above all - a great distraction. Keep them relatively cheap but still deadly and your opponent will have to make the tricky decision on whether to destroy this small, seemingly insignificant unit or to leave them to wreak havoc amongst his lines. As such I'd advise using small 5-6 man squads of scouts, rather than the full-sized 10-man squad. This maximises them as a neglected distraction, still cheap but also very capable of causing havoc. If you have 2 squads of scouts appear behind the enemy then he has to face the difficult decision on whether to ignore or target them. If you have a large, more expensive, squad appear behind the enemy then this decision is already made for him.

Combine cheap but none-the-less deadly units such as Scouts and Landspeeders with more valuable units such as Rhinos, Vindicators and HQ's and your opponent is faced with a lot of targets, a lot of threats and a lot of thinking to make. If you can make your opponent panic then you have the upper-hand and then some. As such, the way you use Wolf Scouts is very important. If coordinated to threaten the enemy just as your main force draws into optimum range, then your opponent is facing even more threats at even closer range. Similarly, Wolf Scouts are best used to threaten and force the enemy into traps and pincer movements, placing your scouts behind the enemy and your more intimidating units in front. Also, whereas a small unit of Grey Hunters may struggle to remove an enemy of an objective, your small unit of scouts appearing behind them can really change the situation to your advantage. Scouts can also be used to help threatened Long-Fangs, Drop-Pod Dreadnoughts who may find themselves a bit isolated and many other circumstances more than those which I have described.

Other than their use (see above), one of the more important things about Wolf Scouts is too keep them cheap. As I have mentioned above, Wolf Scouts are a great cheap but threatening distraction. As a distraction you need your opponent to think twice about needing to target them and if he does then it's not a significant loss to yourself. This means that small squads of 5-6 scouts is usually best, keeping you free of responsibility and your opponent full of questions.

However, Wolf Scouts are still relatively weak, both in strength and toughess. They are by no means a poor unit that can't harm the enemy, they just aren't as good as a normal Space Marine. They are however better than a normal (Codex) scout and many other enemies.

Wolf Scouts do however have relatively few viable builds, being focussed on hunting enemy tanks and staying cheap, choices such as Power Weapons and Sniper Rifles are less powerful (snipers also contradict the Outflank rule). With Wolf Scouts you should almost always have a meltagun: a deadly, but still cheap weapon that can really make your opponent sweat. On top of the meltagun you'll likely want some kind of back-up should it miss or fail, further increasing the threat the Wolf Scouts pose. For example a Plasma Pistol can really do some damage against both rear-armour and MC's and Meltabombs are tasty too.

You MAY want to also give your scouts some extra close-combat or anti-infantry punch such as a Heavy Bolter or MotW. Wolf Guard may also be added to scouts to provide some relatively cheap but extra-punch such as another Plasma Pistol or Combi Weapon as well as close-combat defence. However, this does increase the cost of the scouts and make them more note-worthy for your opponents guns.

Note: Try to equip your scouts with a Bolt Pistol/CCW rather than a Bolter as they may be unable to defeat the enemy at range or close combat but they can at the very least tie them up. Also, generally the kind of units open to being attacked by scouts (such as Path-finders, Snipers and Devastators) are often weaker in Close Combat anyway.

My preferred build for Wolf Scouts is: 5x Wolf Scout - Meltagun, Plasma Pistol - 100pts

1. This is a small, very cheap unit that can work wonders, forcing your opponent into difficult decisions and threaten enemy vehicles and support squads alike. At 100pts it doesn't matter if they're destroyed or late but they are a tasty addition and threatening little blighters.
2. Add a Wolf Guard with Combi-melta and power-weapon for extra good-times at only 133pts.

So yes, Wolf Scouts are good if still fragile. Their ability is less amazing with the amount of out-flanking in 5th Edition, but in small, cheap but still threatening squads they are a great addition when used properly and are a great 'noose' unit for trapping the enemy and his armoured support.

purplefood wrote:Yay! That was my question...
I play a decent amount of guard so my Wolf Scouts usually pull assassination duty.
Heavy weapon teams or CCS are the prime targets.
Tanks are a good secondary.
5 scouts, flamer, bombs and 2 power swords just in case.