most overpowered unit of all time?

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Tailessine**

Evening all
I browse these forums a lot, and there is always a healthy debate about which units are particularly powerful or weak for each codex. Currently it seems wraith units, scatbikes and grav centurions are pushing towards being overpowered. However, for those with a longer memory (i started in 2nd edition) have there ever been units even more overpowered, crushing everything beneath them for a totally inappropriate number of points? Units or characters only please, otherwise we know virus bombs take the biscuit!

**HoundsofDemos**

Nob bikers in 5th edition were pretty tough

**Resin Glazed Guardsman**

I would say anything that should be labeled as a walker masquerading as a MC.

**Mallich**

Pyrovores, back when shoddy rules meant that (RAW-only) they blew up everything when they died.

**vipoid**

I'd say the Wraithknight.

HoundsofDemos wrote:
Nob bikers in 5th edition were pretty tough

I faced them quite a bit, and I never had a problem dealing with them.

Sure they were tough, but they also cost a ridiculous number of points.

**Orock**

Demon princes with lash

**Ashiraya**

Wraithknight takes the cake I think.

Sure, scatterbikes are murder but at least they can't kill land raiders. Thanks to Stomp there is nothing a WK won't kill.

**Eldarain**

2nd Ed. Space Wolf Terminators with Cyclone and Assault Cannon.

**Vaktathi**

Most OP unit of all time? That's a hard one.

I'll set aside character wargear combos for now since that can have all sorts of weirdness. There's a lot of things that also aren't necessarily inherently broken on their own, but when paired with another unit (often through Allies) become so, or through other benefits like Formations.

Currently, we do have a grip of many of the most overpowered units that I can ever recall. Necron Wraihts, Grav Centurions (and indeed, in many ways, Grav on anything that isn't a Tac marine...), Wraithguard, Wraithknights, Scatterbikes, etc.

6E had it's share of things like the previous Wave Serpent incarnation and Flyrants & flying psyker DP's (which still have the same issues)

In 5E we had Nob Bikers, Paladins, Vendettas and absurdly undercosted Long Fangs and SM armies "all Vulkan all the time!" to drop 20 twin linked meltas onto the board.

in 4E there were Holo-Falcons & Harlequins, 3.5E Daemon Princes, Daemonbombs, then Lash Princes, etc

**Hawky**

According to Typically-Wardian, it surely would be a guardsman.

According to me, Smashbane (Iron Hands chapter master with thunderhammer on bike -> T5, W4, A4, 2+Sv, 4++, FnP, IWND, Eternal warrior iirc)
He's not unkillable, but really tough nut to crack.

**vipoid**

Ashiraya wrote:
Wraithknight takes the cake I think.

Sure, scatterbikes are murder but at least they can't kill land raiders. Thanks to Stomp there is nothing a WK won't kill.

Scatterbikes can also be killed without Grav or D-weapons.

**GAdvance**

the Wraithknight is literally immortal compared to the majority of peoples armies AND is undercosted for about a quarter of it's price AND is ultra mobile AND it can take cover in a building by dipping it's toe into the side

It makes 2nd ed space wolves terminators looks rubbish

**Vache Glace**

3.5 Chaos Daemon Princes that ignored armour and invul saves and could not be shot at were pretty OP

Virus Bombs could wipe out your entire board turn 1 with some lucky rolls

The 'HeroHammer' days of old where the game devolved into which HQ would die first.

Flyers at the advent of 6th especially those that were Errata'd to be such (I'm looking at you Necrons). Especially when there were so few things with skyfire

Lash Princes made a mockery of anything that was footslogging

Current scatterbikes and a few of the new SM formations (blegh)

the Daemons 'mini-dex' Flamers and Screamers

In truth, GW hasn't made anything that has been 'overpowered' to the point where every single person that ran it won all their games and there are no other viable options. Codex to codex balance is still far off but there had not really been a Jace the Mind Sculptor or Affinity for 40k.

**Selym**

Most powerful unit of all time?

BFG's biggest ships. Planet killer weaponry.

Oh, you mean 28mm 40k?

Erm...

Whichever unit was key to defeating me last. Yeah, sternguard.

**Tannhauser42**

Warlord titan.

At least, it's supposed to be.

**Selym**

It's probably more balanced point-for-point than several things. Though, I have not looked at its rules yet.

**vipoid**

Vache Glace wrote:

The 'HeroHammer' days of old where the game devolved into which HQ would die first.

Days of old?

**Selym**

vipoid wrote:
Vache Glace wrote:

The 'HeroHammer' days of old where the game devolved into which HQ would die first.

Days of old?

In Ye Olde Olden Dayes, there were things before this so-called "Seventh Edition".

We all know this isn't true. There has only been one edition of 40k. This one. All of the new rulebooks are definitive improvements over the previous ones, creating one single edition over many years that has only been getting better.

-A GW representative.

**Arkaine**

Belakor.

My Titan is invisible. Have fun.

**Selym**

Arkaine wrote:
Belakor.

My Warlord Titan is invisible. Have fun.

Ftfy

**ThePrimordial**

Either the new Warlord or the Tau'nar.

**Vector Strike**

Wraithknight, for sure.

**Gunnvulcan**

Warlord titan is insane. It can take on like 5x its points with relative ease.

**ionusx**

Gunnvulcan wrote:
Warlord titan is insane. It can take on like 5x its points with relative ease.

yeah but it can be tanked by a ta'unra and potentially killed by one too. a 1250 point model shouldnt be slayed by a 400 point model

**Ashiraya**

The Warlord is 2,750 points.

**Lukash_**

Of all time, I'd say the old Heldrake. Currently, it's Necron Wraiths.

**Lythrandire Biehrellian**

The leaked upcoming revenant titan. Same cost, can only be hit on 6's in melee (5+ for other superheavy level units) gains d6 hammer of wrath hits when it charges with the jump pack (it gets to roll 4d6") it gets to run after shooting all of its weapons (12" I might add) and its missile launcher is now skyfire, interceptor, strength 8 ap3 reroll armor pen.

Still only 900 points. It. Is. Absurd.

**ZergSmasher**

The Eldar Wraithknight takes the prize IMO. That thing is stupidly tough, plus it get all the benefits of GCs (FnP, stomps), and jump infantry, and has ranged Strength D attacks. And it is way undercosted for what it does. Should probably be 350-400 points.

**Silverthorne**

Holofalcons win for all time. I used to run three in an Alatioc list. Loosing even one was unusual. The firepower wasn't great, but they were unkillable.

**HandofMars**

2nd edition Space Wolves 20-man terminator squads, each with assault cannon and cyclone. 2nd edition Exarchs with -6 to hit them. Virus and vortex grenades.