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I am thinking of taking 3 Shadowweavers but I wonder if 3 Dark Reapers would be a better choice. I already have 2 BL WW and 1 Fire Prism in my Heavy Support.

My list has
Farseer
2x 7 Warp Spiders
1x Fire Dragons in Serpent
2x DA 5-man in Serpent
Ranger

Well first of all, 3 Dark Reapers will never be a good unit. 3W @ T3 is ridiculously easy for any enemy to take out even with a 3+ save. That being said, you can't really compare Reapers and Shadow Weavers anyway as they perform the exact opposite of roles.

Based on what you already have you have more need for the AP3 punch with the anti-tank back-up than even more horde busting, but you should be taking at least 5 Reapers, not 3. 8 would be a better number though.

I"m somewhat with Mimicry here.

Shadowweavers are great at killing infantry, but you've got 2 serpents, 2 sizable squads of spiders, and Rangers who are also equally great at killing infantry. Your only anti-MEQ/TEQ is your WWs, and Fire Prism which can potentially be taken out with a couple lucky shots.

Reapers, as Mimicry mentioned, provide a fantastic way to deal with MEQ as well as backup for your anti-tank. You DO have a good amount of anti-tank and low AP weapons, however they're all on vehicles meaning they can disappear VERY quickly from lucky shots.

I think the Reapers are the right choice out of those two options due to the fact that they take a few more shots directed at them in order to get rid of them reliably. Just be sure to make use of their 48" range, as they are very susceptible to spammy infantry fire, due to T3. But you definitely need more than 3 of them. I'm a fan of 5. lets you take 2 casualties before taking morale.

So 5-8 Dark Reapers? Exarch with EML and Fast shot?

leohart wrote:
So 5-8 Dark Reapers? Exarch with EML and Fast shot?

With Starshots.

Just going to prefrace this by saying that I use a unit of 5 reapers with startshot fast shot exarch on a quad gun in one of my main lists.

I would be very careful of bringing this squad without some sort of tanking unit, I use a tau commander with shield drones and they are still very fragile.

They are T3 3+ and with upgrades a pretty expensive unit.

On the other hand shadow weavers are 90 points t7 3+ and can take a warlock for 35 for a 2+ cover save behind an aegis or 3+ in area terrain.

Dark reapers are a very good unit, but you have to understand that they are super expensive and for the points super fragile, so to be effective you will have to play very defensively with them. Make sure they are in cover away from everything else. Also attached spiritseers will very much help them survive againts armies that don't ignore cover.

You seem to have your anti-tank pretty well covered with the rest of your list, so the focus should be anti-infantry, as many other posters have said. That being said, both units have their bonuses.

1. Shadow Weavers are tougher, have great range, and are cheaper than Reapers

There are really two options for running the reapers for straight anti-infantry:
1. All with Starswarm Missiles only: 2 shots each at S5/AP3
2. Exarch with Tempest Launcher and Fast Shot, the rest with Starswarm: limits your range to 36" as a unit, but provides 3 blast templates that are still AP3

I've found that if everyone has Starswarm, you need more bodies than 3. With the Tempest launcher, I keep the squad at a minimum since you're really just paying for the Tempest Launcher. In your list, I guess I'd recommend the Shadow Weavers, unless you're willing to upgrade the squad to about 5.

Reapers are expensive and squishy, but they are great for taking out infantry and tanks alike. Especially with all the skimmers and new Eldar players out there with Jetbikes: goodbye jink.

10 Dark Reapers. All with Starshot for 2 firing modes. Exarch with Night Vision and Fast Shot. Farseer with Perfect Timing (to ignore cover) and some defensive powers. ADL with QuadGun manned by said Farseer. This would ruin the hell out of a unit it shoots at...

...but is it just me or would all that be WAY too espensive to be viable?

 RancidHate wrote:
10 Dark Reapers. All with Starshot for 2 firing modes. Exarch with Night Vision and Fast Shot. Farseer with Perfect Timing (to ignore cover) and some defensive powers. ADL with QuadGun manned by said Farseer. This would ruin the hell out of a unit it shoots at...

...but is it just me or would all that be WAY too espensive to be viable?

Only about 600 points, lol.