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im currently debating with myself whether i want the traveler in a barge, or an overlord with the scythe and MSS in a barge. I love the traveler's "mind in the machine" ability, but i also know how incredible MSS and scythe overlords can be, what's your opinion?

If it helps, my list is mainly foot immortals, a lith, heavy destroyers, scarabs, a stalker, and 2 annihilation barges (court varies depending on which HQ i decide on)

On a Command Barge, I would say he is one of the better HQ's.

I've heard a lot of opinions. Same people say hes the worst, others the best... but it's all what you build your army around. Mindshackle scarabs are nice, sure, but regular lords can take those as well. Anrakyr is like an assassin on his barge in that he can potentially destroy 3-4 vehicles in 1 turn if you're lucky enough. Once the barge is gone though, he's pretty much a free kill.

I've given him a shot and will ultimately be dropping him. It's not that Anrakyr is a bad character, it's just that he gives you some things that you have to decide whether or not you would take otherwise and whether they are subsequently worth paying for. For 65 points more than an Overlord with Scythe you get:

1. a Tac Arrow
2. Mind in the Machine
3. Phyrrian Eternals

Of the three, I tend to think that only Mind in the Machine is really worthwhile. The Tac Arrow in general is so unreliable. I also find myself boosting Overlords around so much that they don't have an opportunity to use them. The 4+ cover is just too good to pass up for a shot that will miss 33% of the time (though it feels like more than that). Phyrrian Eternals is a very "meh" bonus. I certainly wouldn't pay for this if a normal Overlord could upgrade at 10 or so points to add it. I have no intention of assaulting with my Immortals unless dire circumstances arise.

Which leaves us at Mind in the Machine. This is only worthwhile when you are playing against vehicle heavy builds that actually have guns worth taking over. Rhino spam doesn't fear this. It also prohibits pivoting, so opponents can manipulate movement to prevent damage. Finally, there are armies without vehicles which instantly invalidates this. All in all, you are paying 30 points for a Tac Arrow that you likely don't want and 35 for a worthless bonus and a situational power. Anrakyr isn't bad, however whether or not these bonuses are worth the points is very much up for debate.

I love Anrakyr.
My record with my anrakyr-led wraith wing is 7-2-0.
He's situational, but in those situations, he's amazing.

Mind in the machine is one of those abilities that, even though it won't always come in handy, is amazing more often than it isn't. The tachyon arrow is meh, and usually I'll forget to even use it in a game.

As far as Eternals goes; I love it for the fluff, but I don't hate counter attack/furious charge on a 170 point 10 man squad with MeQ stats.

One day, I might drop him to tweak a few more points, but for the loose change that he costs over a normal OL, he's not going anywhere soon.

I think Anrakyr is fantastic. My local meta is all mech'd up marines, so Anrakyr is the grim reaper on my tables. Just about every game he manages to can opener a transport, and then immediately turn some nearby autocannons or flamestorms on that unit. I find it very easy for him to gain his 165 points back. (also, I start to drool sometimes when I think about IG dropping their own pie plates onto their infantry blobs)

However, I have attempted to use his Tachyon Arrow 4 times, and have yet to hit anything with it. Nevermind failed pens, I mean that Anrakyr couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. But that's just insanely bad luck rolling.

And Pyrrhian Eternals is a ho-hum upgrade. It's free, so I take it, but I'd never pay points for it.

I like Anrakyr a lot, but I wouldn't be heartbroken if I had to replace him with a normal overlord.

I like Nemesor more...

Ultimately from a competitive standpoint, no he isn't worth it.

It's not as much the cheapness of his wargear package as it is the things he excludes you from taking.

No Mind Shackle Scarabs has been pointed out, but if you want a CCB Lord he really benefits from the defensive save upgrades. Once the Barge is destroyed or Anraykr dismounts, he's a lame duck comparatively.

His unique abilities don't outweigh the better options for the standard Overlord. Tachyon arrow is miss more than hit, Mind in the Machine is irrelevant in too many games. His Immortals are decent but ultimately building around a Phaeron can give you the same thing.

To tell the truth, if I used him it would be on foot, in a Troop squad, perhaps his Eternals, with a Chronometron Cryptek to grant rerolls to his Mind control and Arrow, not a Barge.

Halfpast_Yellow wrote:To tell the truth, if I used him it would be on foot, in a Troop squad, perhaps his Eternals, with a Chronometron Cryptek to grant rerolls to his Mind control and Arrow, not a Barge.

I'd second that. Though, one could make the argument of taking a regular Overlord, give him an Arrow, and attach the Chrono Cryptek to him. Otherwise, Anakyr sounds like a fun character against vehicle lists.

His ability is awesome.

You can have him use it when your rising in a vehicle that moved flat out.

This means that you can move his command barge flat out to the enemy, then control their vehicle to take back shots on their other vehicle. That alone makes him worth the points.

I had the tachyon arrow kill a Land Raider. I just shot it on a lark :-)

I think he's fantastic. Don't discount his S8 charge as well.

loreweaver wrote:I had the tachyon arrow kill a Land Raider. I just shot it on a lark :-)

I think he's fantastic. Don't discount his S8 charge as well.

The tachyon has a decent chance of destroying a LR. The AP 1 means you get a +1 on the dmg roll, giving glances a chance to destroy the vehicle, and a STR 10 means you pen 1/3 of the time.

Are those great odds? Well, no. The fact is no weapon has 'great odds' of destroying a vehicle. There are to many variables that get in the way, such as rolling a 1 on the dmg chart. Even a TL MM on a open-topped AV 10 vehicle only has a ~58% of actual destruction.

So while that tachyon arrow may not seem like a good shot, its nearly on par with a broadside shot.

Tac arrow has an 11.11% chance to kill a LR, or 19.75% with a chrono. On the flip side it has a 40.74% to pop a Ravager, or
over 70% with a chrono. I would definitely suggest using it with a chrono.

Also, IMHO if your going to roll Pyrheans, you got to go hard. 10 with Tesla, and a Lord with MS/WSS/RO is a pretty nasty little assault unit. Not world beaters, but strong enough to take on most bog standard troop FOS assault units.

I agree with ShadarLogoth. I take a unit of 10 Pyrheans with either a 90 point lord or a Cryptek and march them towards an objective that's not in my deployment zone.

They almost always get there to at least contest it. They're pretty hardy.

Although, one Necron v Necron game, I had them assault a unit of beat up warriors (The Orb Lord had died even), 4 warriors total, they assaulted, going first, with their 20 S5 I3 attacks, killed 0 warriors. The warriors hit back, killing one Immortal and they ran away. (didn't get swept, but still ran).

I was like... *wow*

It was hilarious. Me and my opponent had a good laugh at my expense :-)

loreweaver wrote:I agree with ShadarLogoth. I take a unit of 10 Pyrheans with either a 90 point lord or a Cryptek and march them towards an objective that's not in my deployment zone.

They almost always get there to at least contest it. They're pretty hardy.

Although, one Necron v Necron game, I had them assault a unit of beat up warriors (The Orb Lord had died even), 4 warriors total, they assaulted, going first, with their 20 S5 I3 attacks, killed 0 warriors. The warriors hit back, killing one Immortal and they ran away. (didn't get swept, but still ran).

I was like... *wow*

It was hilarious. Me and my opponent had a good laugh at my expense :-)

That's awesome. I assaulted a group of grots with 5 seraphim and a Cannones once and it went about like that. Got to love the dice sometimes

Out of curiosity, how do you guys mark your eternals anyway? did anyone bother and build a model? or just point at one unit and say "these guys are better"

Beside the lack of mss, my only other problem with anrakyr is his 3 up armor with no upgrades, is there anyone here with a good experience with him on foot once his barge got knocked out?

I've found that he goes down pretty easy, but the Ever-Living means he keeps getting back up to constantly annoy my opponents. Generally he's best used as a mobile can-opener, and should be kept away from anything that is above-average in CC.

EDIT: I just point at a unit and say "these guys are better".

I only run one unit of Immortals (... ya ya ya, I know) So I say "Those are Anrakyr's dudes"

Anrakyr should always be in a Barge, he only dies easy when the Barge goes down ( which, due to a few successes, seems to happen around turn 2 for me now O_O )

Given how much damage Anrakyr on a CCB can cause in such a short amount of time, most opponents (who have experienced said destruction) will place him quite high up on their list of priority targets. Which I think is fine, given that the CCB should get a 4+ cover save from boosting, and thus taking some pressure off of the other heavy hitters like Destroyers.

Anrakyr is a good hq option for mostly one thing. Think of how many Draigo wings are out there in the tournament scene. You have to expect that at a tournament you will meet a draigo wing in at least one game. Anrakyr can make the storm raven turn on the palladins and mindsrtike missile them to death. Not only is that ironic but it's your best chance of getting rid of the pesky psykers. it is situational but the situation in which it is good will happen regularly.