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I just played in a doubles tournament and my biggest problem was in killing Eldar Falcons.

I was playing Sisters of Battle with a Grey Knights partner, and we couldn't stop an Eldar Falcon to saver our armies. (their were 3 eldar players out of 24, and a Dark Eldar player, and 2 or 3 Ork players and I only played one MEq out of six opponents.  I love playing in our area. (the 'Boston' Battle Bunker))

Any help is appreciated.
-mercutio

Assuming the Falcons you refer to have a holofied and Spirit Stones:

Although Falcons are a huge threat, I don't think that there is much that can be done to stop them (other than just getting lucky). I tend to treat the situation more like a Monolith when I'm playing Orks: Ignore it if at all possible, take easy steps to minimize the damage it can cause, and shoot it if no other suitible targets are present.

The reason I say this is that you can very easily fire every single Heavy Weapon at a single Falcon and still stand a pretty good chance of doing little to no damage to it.

Certainly, if there are ANY other enemy vehicles in LOS/range of your AT shooting, they are generally the better target as you can *actually* expect to destroy that target within reason. Even though the Falcon can deliver deadly cargo into your lines and even though the Falcon has a tremendous ability to destroy vehicles too. . .I don't see the alternative.

Shooting everything you have at a target that is nigh invulnerable is a sure recipe for disaster. You can always hope to get lucky, but in general, the vast majority of your firepower has been effectively wasted. You've also failed to reduce the enemy's other guns meaning you are still facing the same amount of enemy fire on the next turn.

However, if your AT shooting has no other valid targets that turn, then by all means, fire at a Falcon. If you manage to stun a Falcon, then in your following shooting phase you should shoot at that Falcon with every weapon in your army that can possibly hurt it. A stunned Falcon gives you a one turn "chance" to really take it out.


So, in short, my policy for "dealing" (if you want to call it that) with Falcons is essentially this:

1) Ignore where possible. Focus on the rest of the enemy army (for general target priority).
2) Take simple steps to minimize the damage you will suffer from the Falcons (move troops away that can be charged by the embarked enemy unit, keep your vehicles turned to minimize side/rear shots from the falcons; all of this *only* if it doesn't majorly affect your overall strategy).
3) Fire at the Falcon with units that don't have another suitable target.
4) If a Falcon is stunned, on the following turn that Falcon *does* become a priority for the entire army. Everything that can fire at it, should.

If you ignore falcons with a GK/Sisters force you will be annihilated. You must shoot them until they are shaken and then ignore them. Dish out exactly enough shots to get them shaken.

Once you get lucky and stun it, do like Yak said. But the main way to beat falcons is to not waste shots trying to kill them when you can only glance, but to prevent them from shooting where possible - they'll kill 2-3 GKs a turn per falcon and that includes terminators, which you simply can't afford.

I second the advice to shoot until shaken. Shake every one that you can, if you get lucky and stun then focus fire next turn.
If you get luckier and destroy, thank your good fortune.

bump

Bump? Bump!? What is this, the EoT? If you're going to bump a thread, at least come up with some creative way of doing it. Offer some insight. Offer some question. Do something. But to just say bump? This is Dakka, and we're better than that, damnit!

 

I say no need to bump. Everything that can be said about the subject has been said.

 

Seriously though, there aren't any magical tricks to killing a Falcon with a Holofield/Spirit Stone. They are, simply put, the most difficult vehicle in the game to reliably destroy.

 

 

SaimAlendryelII wrote:

I was playing Sisters of Battle with a Grey Knights partner, and we couldn't stop an Eldar Falcon to saver our armies...

Well, unfortunately you had almost the worst match up in the game.  Sisters and GK are infamous for their impotent Anti Tank qualities, and a mobile tank like a falcon that is also moving may never even present you with a shot. Tough questions, with those armies you probably just have to put up with it.  Yak covered it exceptionally well (as always).

That said, how to really blow it up? GO FIRST AND SMOKE IT BEFORE IT MOVES!  To do this play an army with artillery and the emperor's Tarot.  Namely, Mother Green, IG, skimmer hidey range armies dont do well vs IG because of the massive whallop of heavy weapons they bring with ablative wounds, furthermore if they play the hidey game, nail em with the artillery.  But the key is, if you go first, you can pen them, unfortunately thats hard to do. And if you are determined to keep playing vs Eldar with Sisters and Grey Knights you may well be in for a lot of frustration...

Good luck!