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What's the best tactic for Chaos Space Marines against a Tyranid Swarmlord with Bone Swords?

shoot him

 Exergy wrote:
shoot him

Yep, shoot him til he looks like a squashed roach.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

jdjamesdean@mail.com wrote:

 Exergy wrote:
shoot him

Yep, shoot him til he looks like a squashed roach.

Or get 25+ Zombies into combat with thim

Wait, do you mean a HT w/Boneswords or the Swarmlord (Bonesabres)? Actually, it makes little difference-just never let them get into combat, only more so with the Swarmlord because his blade parry will make it near impossible to kill while it keeps nipping wounds off of you. I did tarpit him with Grots once, but don't expect that to be reliable, especially with other Nids around.
For CSM, I'd go with Oblits, Noise Marines or Chosen, but anything with decent ranged weapons will do.

Mince him with autocannon Havoks backed with a quad gun, or tarpit him with zombies.

Demolisher cannon comes to mind.

 Afrodactyl wrote:
Mince him with autocannon Havoks backed with a quad gun, or tarpit him with zombies.

he has a 3+ save
lascannons or missile launchers work much better



if you want to try and combat him, go for MoS character on a bike with the murder sword and a sigil of corruption. You will both strike simo(unless you are in cover and he assaults) you both inflict ID on each other, the swarm lord hits on 3+ wounds on 3+, the Slanesh lord hits on 4+ wounds on 2+. Both characters have a 4++. He has 6 attacks you have 4. Hopefully get him into a challenge where you have rerolls for guys watching(cultists maybe)

he will do 1.33 wounds on average, you will do .833 wounds. Any wounds that get through the save will ID. With rerolls it goes in your favor considerably.

Plasma guns, lots of plasma. He dies quickly. Or missile launchers, they work too.

I had insane luck for a sorcerer that was in a challenge with him, but the sorcerer was able to keep himself invisible the whole time and my buddy just couldn't hit on the 5+ that requires

lots of shooting. once he engages in close combat, its over. but what is your army going to do once his 18" synapse range goes away and his Feeders are now under Rage?

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
lots of shooting. once he engages in close combat, its over. but what is your army going to do once his 18" synapse range goes away and his Feeders are now under Rage?

blight grenades so they dont get bonus attacks for charging?

 juraigamer wrote:
Plasma guns, lots of plasma. He dies quickly. Or missile launchers, they work too.

Basically this, high strength, low AP shooting.

Just don't try and muscle him out through CC. You'll nearly always lose.

5 plasmagun-carrying Chosen.

1 turn of rapid-firing.

That will usually be enough ti finish a Swarmlord. Ass a lascannon or melta shot if he has anything left after that point.

Now if he has Iron Arm or FNP you may need to bring in more firepower. Havocs with autocannons are also good. If you can, fire from cover so he will be slowed when charging you should he survive.

Keep Abaddon as far away as possible, Swarmlord is going to want to prove his "Alpha", so use Abaddon to kite while your army shoots him to gak.

BTW, if you play a guy who doesn't make Swarmlord a target you should win. Be VERY VERY afraid when the nid player WANTS you to shoot Swarmy.

 Exergy wrote:

 Afrodactyl wrote:
Mince him with autocannon Havoks backed with a quad gun, or tarpit him with zombies.

he has a 3+ save
lascannons or missile launchers work much better



if you want to try and combat him, go for MoS character on a bike with the murder sword and a sigil of corruption. You will both strike simo(unless you are in cover and he assaults) you both inflict ID on each other, the swarm lord hits on 3+ wounds on 3+, the Slanesh lord hits on 4+ wounds on 2+. Both characters have a 4++. He has 6 attacks you have 4. Hopefully get him into a challenge where you have rerolls for guys watching(cultists maybe)

he will do 1.33 wounds on average, you will do .833 wounds. Any wounds that get through the save will ID. With rerolls it goes in your favor considerably.

Except he also makes you reroll your successful invulnerable saves and has the biomancy table. Assault is not the way to try and kill the swarmlord with CSM.

The best bid (though this will be countered a lot by cover saves, FNP and bodyguards) is to just pump out as much high strength shooting as possible

It's safe to assume the Swarmlord will have FNP, because he will either roll it himself or some Tervigon will cast it on him. Likewise, odds are good he will have Iron Arm and/or It Will Not Die, because he's going to get 4x rolls on the biomancy table. Finally, he's most likely going to have at least one Tyrant Guard with him, and sometimes even a Tyranid Prime. With 5 wounds, high toughness, cover saves, and lookoutsir, it can be a challenge to shoot him to death but that's really the only option. Combat against him just doesn't work. You can actually slow him down by putting stuff you don't need in the way, to buy more turns of shooting, but good luck trying to kill him in the assault phase.

1- Shooting (missile launchers, lascanons, high strength low AP)
2- tarpit/speedbump (limited utility, but sometimes all you got... transport vehicles, combat squads, etc..)
3- close combat (good luck, you'll need it... really, this is not a solution)

-Myst

Shoot it. A lot.

If he has Tyrant Guard attached to him, just shoot him some more! Any heavy weapon will suffice.

Killing an MC is like killing a vehicle as most anti-armor weapons/items are high strength and low AP. So Krak Missiles, Lascannons, plasma, and melta can really do a number on MCs. If you do get into CC with an MC, grenades are also a good option. Krak grenades are going to give you a better chance than most to wound (excluding nurgle poison blades). Power Axes, Power Fists, TH, and Melta Bombs are also a good option. A lot of people forget that you can use grenade against MCs and I even forgot it when I charged a group of IG veterans with a Hive Tyrant, killed half the vets, then the other half throw melta bombs at me and killed my tyrant.

Be aware that any swarmlord, or almost any walking hive tyrant, is going to have an escort of Tyrant guards or Primes. Don't count on it going down easily.

Like squashing any Tyranid (except for the one with the 2+ save), Missile Launchers make them turn into a ichor and carapace mess.