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So I've played a few games now of 7th with the new Ork Codex. There has been a lot of hype surrounding Trukk Boyz and Taking the Ard Boyz upgrade. I have a single squad of 12 Ard Boyz made up ready to play converted out of the old Metal Ard Boy bodies (Love those torsos I really wish I still get my hands on some more of these) and some Black Ork heads. I loved converting these models and had a lot of fun doing it and would be happy to run a few games with them. The big question is are Ard Boyz really worth it over standard boyz?

I can understand that with the new Mob Rule the extra armour would come in handy but for the points would it be better to just field more regular boyz? A standard trukk boy squad as I run them has the following:

1x Nob, Power Klaw Boss Pole
11x Slugga Boyz
1x Trukk, Big Shoota, Ram
TOTAL 147pts

The same squad with Eavy Armour comes to:
TOTAL 195pts

That is a difference of 48pts so for every 3 Ard Boy Trukk squad you take you could almost get another Trukk Boy Squad giving you an additional 12 bodies to field and 2 more Objective Secured units as well? Now what I have found over my years of playing 40k Orks with a fast vehicle army is that when a Trukk Blows the guys inside that survive are basicly left in 1 of 2 places. The first is with effective support range of the rest of my army. From here they can still possibly make a charge and get stuck in and do some work on my opponents forces. The second place is end up is stranded in my deployment zone. When this happens I tend to use these guys as my objective holders. So the real question is are the Ard Boyz worth it? Is it better to have some resistance or is it better to just take more guy?

Another truck of boys hands down. The truck makes the boyz valuable once it's gone they are a couple shots away from ld checks. Adding more value to the boys inside the truck just increases the target priority of the truck.

If it was a land raider I would tell you "yes, upgrade them to 'ard boyz".

I would only consider the upgrade on a battlewagon with a mek for repair and a painboy.

I played Orks in 4th, and picked this codex/supplement up so stoked and am pretty underwhelmed. Hope I can build a list I like soon enough. BUT to answer your question, I would say 60/40 no/yes.

I say no - because ask Tau players, 4+ saves suck. IF you get to combat you're going to be going 2nd most of the time, gotta figure (these are rough/guessing numbers) if you charge a marine squad you lose 1-2 from overwatch, and at LEAST another 2-3 from the combat itself even with the 4+ save... If your power klaw knob doesn't clean up you're gonna be in trouble. IMHO, it's not that cost efficient, at 66% the cost of another slugga boy on a model by model basis, to increase your save 33% to something that any of the top 2 tier shooting armies would be ignoring anyways.

I say yes - because you actually get saves from some things, which is a nice change of pace for orks lol

If you want better saves, maybe try meganobz in trukks followed by a Ghazghkull codex Big Mek Biker with a mega FF (gives 4+) and avoid anything that has AP 2 in combat like you don't have an invul save because... oh... we don't..... sadness lol.

I was struggling with this very decision. I feel heavy armour is effective just not cost effective. 4 points per boy is just much too expensive, should have been 2 points really. I mean IG vets get Grenadier doctrines that provides 4+ save for just 20 points per squad. Doesn't seem fair here that orks have to grossly over pay. The only time it might be ok to field ard boyz would probably be in a group of 17 plus nob and boss in a battle wagon.

In fact, if you factor in those points, it becomes comparable in price to a tactical squad or grey hunters squad and isn't nearly as versatile or durable. I would even consider shoota boyz in trukks instead of sluggas... Take out a few before charging in with massed shooting so you have less attacking you first in hand to hand.

Old codex was a big no with no questions asked.

This codex, not so clear cut.


With the change to the Mob Rule USR for orks, heavy armor is not a bad investment for truck boyz.

Gaining a 4+ save now helps you in a lot of situations.
Before, it just made it so that you lost a few less boys to bolters and standard marine melee. Now it saves you 1-3 boyz every time you make a leadership check and you have the option to take it on every truck squad instead of just one.


I think on truck squads, it can definitely be worth it. Foot mobs are better without it cause your definitely trying to hoard it up.

My last game I used 2 Trukk Boyz with Eavy Armour and both the Trukks blew up first turn. The Boyz las test a lot longer due to Eavy Armour. 1 lasted until turn 4 and one to turn 5. The amount of saves I made made is well worth it. They contested and got me objectives. If the didn't have the 4+ they would of ran off the table or died to mob rule by turn 2.

Eihnlazer wrote:
Old codex was a big no with no questions asked.

This codex, not so clear cut.


With the change to the Mob Rule USR for orks, heavy armor is not a bad investment for truck boyz.

Gaining a 4+ save now helps you in a lot of situations.
Before, it just made it so that you lost a few less boys to bolters and standard marine melee. Now it saves you 1-3 boyz every time you make a leadership check and you have the option to take it on every truck squad instead of just one.


I think on truck squads, it can definitely be worth it. Foot mobs are better without it cause your definitely trying to hoard it up.

A couple good points. I wanted to add that the new vehicle rules will wound half your squad if trukk explodes. Six boyz.. Save maybe three if 'ard. You still get put at nine boyz on average, a pinning check for truck and then likely a ld check if the statistically average amount of ard boyz die. Once you are below ten you are talking about running on four of six results on mob rule dice. 'Ard boy upgrade makes destroying the truck too high priority.

Almost a third truck of regular boyz for two trucks of ard boyz.

 Rismonite wrote:
Another truck of boys hands down. The truck makes the boyz valuable once it's gone they are a couple shots away from ld checks. Adding more value to the boys inside the truck just increases the target priority of the truck.

If it was a land raider I would tell you "yes, upgrade them to 'ard boyz".

I would only consider the upgrade on a battlewagon with a mek for repair and a painboy.

This.

Trukks are too vulnerable even with the requiring a 6 to pop them rather than a 5 without heavy guns. Its the reason my MANz missiles will never have any fancy upgrades like planks, more than 1 killsaw, more than 3 models, or other upgrades on the trukk. Keep it cheap, and the opponent doesnt want to shoot it because it isnt worth much. I almost always get my trukks across the table because my opponent is dealing with my bikers that turbo'd into his face for a 3+ jink, but because theyre about to assault something tasty and important he HAS to kill them.

I say armor for battlewagon boyz because youre already dumping ~310pts into them if you take the proper upgrades (nob with klaw bp, planks, ram, 2 Bigshootas, and riggers) why not dedicate 80pts more to make them survive the inevitable BW explosion, or survive their fight against the common marine? Be surprised how much that 4+ armor helps against units that arent toting powerfists or swords....only one model out of 5-10 with it is not enough.