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After deciding to build an Iron Hands Army, I knew that I wanted to have a relatively strong tank force. However, I'm finding the amount of options incredibly overwhelming. If someone could please explain what some of the tanks are for (Anti-Air, horde thining, MEQ munching, TEQ Hunting and Tank Busters etc.) their best loadouts and general strategies for them I'd really appreciate it. Thank you

As there are far, far too many tanks and vehicles to even think about making such an all inclusive list, I'd say here are the top choices:

#1: Legion Sicaran Battle Tank- sure, it got a points increase with the last round of nerfs, but fast tank, great armor, even better options, and an awesome main gun make this the tank of choice in 30K. Best all around tank in 30K.
#2: Legion Sicaran Venator Tank Destroyer- one of the cheapest, best ways to get a S10 AP 1 into your army, and it's on the excellent Sicaran chasis
#3: Legion Malcador Assualt Tank- The only Super Heavy vehicle in the Heavy Support slot. Customization allows for just about any battlefield role. Can take Armored Ceramite, and a Flare Shield.
#4: Legion Spartan Assault Tank- "The Chariot of the Primarchs", it's a Land Raider that can carry 25 models and take a Flare Shield. It's high point cost and giant "Shoot Me!" Bullseye make it #4 on the list.
#5: Legion Glaive Super Heavy Special Weapons Tank- when you absolutely, positively, need to draw a 48" long, 1" wide, S8, AP2, Primary Weapon, Ignores Cover, Heavy Beam, Deflagrate, Haywire beam that kills everything along it's patch, this is the tank to use. Unforunitly, it's high points value and Lord of War choice means you can only take it in games over 3,000 points, and you start to get into Titan territory at those points.

After this, it's all about what Legion you are playing, what RoW you have, how you want to play, etc. etc.

Technically you can take the Glaive in a 2500 point game if you give it 0 upgrades.

Also, one thing worth considering: the best tank in the Heresy is the Mechanicum's Ordinatus engine. For funsies, take one in a Leviathan painted up Iron Hands and use the Leviathan's allied detachment for more Iron Hands.
Just say the IH legion shard you are playing captured it or was gifted it in gratitude for some monumentous task. You could even put a Forge Lord in your allied detachment. I think a Ordinatus painted up Iron Hands would be coolio

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Technically you can take the Glaive in a 2500 point game if you give it 0 upgrades.

Also, one thing worth considering: the best tank in the Heresy is the Mechanicum's Ordinatus engine. For funsies, take one in a Leviathan painted up Iron Hands and use the Leviathan's allied detachment for more Iron Hands.
Just say the IH legion shard you are playing captured it or was gifted it in gratitude for some monumentous task. You could even put a Forge Lord in your allied detachment. I think a Ordinatus painted up Iron Hands would be coolio

If I understand the RoW properly, as I don't play Alpha Legion, you can only take a model/unit that is available to another Legion. An Allied detachment can't take a Lord of War choice. You would have to field a Mechanicum primary detachment with the Mechanicum Ordinatus, and an allied detachment of Alpha Legion.

 Tamwulf wrote:

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Technically you can take the Glaive in a 2500 point game if you give it 0 upgrades.

Also, one thing worth considering: the best tank in the Heresy is the Mechanicum's Ordinatus engine. For funsies, take one in a Leviathan painted up Iron Hands and use the Leviathan's allied detachment for more Iron Hands.
Just say the IH legion shard you are playing captured it or was gifted it in gratitude for some monumentous task. You could even put a Forge Lord in your allied detachment. I think a Ordinatus painted up Iron Hands would be coolio

If I understand the RoW properly, as I don't play Alpha Legion, you can only take a model/unit that is available to another Legion. An Allied detachment can't take a Lord of War choice. You would have to field a Mechanicum primary detachment with the Mechanicum Ordinatus, and an allied detachment of Alpha Legion.

That is what he said, except I am not sure where you are getting Alpha Legion from - he specifically stated Iron Hands.

You can do this without taking the Leviathan FoC, which is not considered tourney legal usually, at 3000pt. That is the "normal" 30k game size anyhow.

Also, how has no one mentioned the Falchion? Which clocks in at 625pt, right at the 2500pt threshold for a LoW!

Str D AP2 120" TL Large Blast (5") with the ability to toss on a Neutron Wave Capacitor, which gives it Shock Pulse! When playing with the current D rules, Feedback won't factor in often and forcing an enemy tank to snap fire is huge (1/6th chance). See that Typhon sitting there looking all menacing? Now it can't fire that big scary gun next turn! Stuff like that is very valuable. I would say this fits into a list you don't want to run the Venator in, perhaps if you just are overloaded on heavy slot choices. Those slots fill fast!

I will second Tamwulf on the strength of the new Malcador rules - because they made them Super-heavy squadrons. That is kinda awesome, especially if you take a Squadron Command Tank.

Spartan is definitely the "best" though - it has solid shooting, excellent durability, and delivers death stars reliably. Hard to not think it top dog.

Heh, missed the Iron Hands part, and that it was the Leviathan optional Force Organization chart. My meta uses the Crusade Force Organization Chart exclusively. I was thinking he was referring to the Alpha Legion and the Coils of the Hydra RoW.

The Falchion is a good tank, but it's gun is a one shot Primary weapon that requires line of sight, and if you hit with it, there is a 1 in 6 chance (~17%) that nothing will happen. You also get cover saves vs the weapon. It's base cost is over 500 points, and requires more points to be feasible (upgrade the gun, upgrade to Space Marine Crew, Armored Ceramite). It also has the chance to strip a hull point off itself due to feedback (~17% chance if it doesn't wound or penetrate armor). All of these things push the Falchion down the list of "good tanks". As it's also a Lord of War choice, and you only get one LoW, it really gets hard to justify it when there are other, better LoW choices out there (like just about any Primarch).

The Spartan is too expensive and too mediocre for what it does. It's a Land Raider with extra carrying capacity. Adding that Flare Shield puts it at 350 points, and you'll still want to add Armored Ceramite. Frag Launchers, and probably a pintle mount weapon. The Flare shield is nice, but only works against attacks on the front arc. It's not a super heavy vehicle, so one penetrating hit, and it could go bye bye. This is why I called it the Chariot of the Primarchs, because it's the only vehicle big enough and cheap enough outside of the Super Heavies and Storm Eagle/Kharybidus Drop Pod that can carry a Primarch and his retinue, or more than 5 Terminators. By then, you are dumping about 1,000 points into a single vehicle and it's passengers. It makes for the biggest target on the table, and it doesn't have the durability to withstand an entire Legion shooting at it. I have only ever seen a Spartan last past turn 2 because it was a multi player, 20,000 points per side game, and there were much bigger threats on the board than a Spartan and the Primarch/Retinue it was carrying. Also consider what the Spartan will do after it drops off it's passengers. 4 Lascannon shots, not even twin linked, are nothing on a battlefield filled with D weapons and template weapons of S10. Don't get me wrong, it's a good tank, I ranked it as #4 on my Top Picks, but if I am not using a Primarch, I don't take one. There are better options for points and rule of cool on the table then an extra long Land Raider.

 Tamwulf wrote:
Heh, missed the Iron Hands part, and that it was the Leviathan optional Force Organization chart. My meta uses the Crusade Force Organization Chart exclusively. I was thinking he was referring to the Alpha Legion and the Coils of the Hydra RoW.

The Falchion is a good tank, but it's gun is a one shot Primary weapon that requires line of sight, and if you hit with it, there is a 1 in 6 chance (~17%) that nothing will happen. You also get cover saves vs the weapon. It's base cost is over 500 points, and requires more points to be feasible (upgrade the gun, upgrade to Space Marine Crew, Armored Ceramite). It also has the chance to strip a hull point off itself due to feedback (~17% chance if it doesn't wound or penetrate armor). All of these things push the Falchion down the list of "good tanks". As it's also a Lord of War choice, and you only get one LoW, it really gets hard to justify it when there are other, better LoW choices out there (like just about any Primarch).

The Spartan is too expensive and too mediocre for what it does. It's a Land Raider with extra carrying capacity. Adding that Flare Shield puts it at 350 points, and you'll still want to add Armored Ceramite. Frag Launchers, and probably a pintle mount weapon. The Flare shield is nice, but only works against attacks on the front arc. It's not a super heavy vehicle, so one penetrating hit, and it could go bye bye. This is why I called it the Chariot of the Primarchs, because it's the only vehicle big enough and cheap enough outside of the Super Heavies and Storm Eagle/Kharybidus Drop Pod that can carry a Primarch and his retinue, or more than 5 Terminators. By then, you are dumping about 1,000 points into a single vehicle and it's passengers. It makes for the biggest target on the table, and it doesn't have the durability to withstand an entire Legion shooting at it. I have only ever seen a Spartan last past turn 2 because it was a multi player, 20,000 points per side game, and there were much bigger threats on the board than a Spartan and the Primarch/Retinue it was carrying. Also consider what the Spartan will do after it drops off it's passengers. 4 Lascannon shots, not even twin linked, are nothing on a battlefield filled with D weapons and template weapons of S10. Don't get me wrong, it's a good tank, I ranked it as #4 on my Top Picks, but if I am not using a Primarch, I don't take one. There are better options for points and rule of cool on the table then an extra long Land Raider.

AV14, Melta-immune, Flare shielded 6HP tank with a dozer blade at 375pt is fantastic. It has decent shooting and can deliver a charging unit reliably. I don't prescribe to the "Chariot of the Primarchs" concept because of the point you made. It delivers Red Butchers or some other similar unit. Keeps the overall cost down and you want to spread out target priority. Usually at 3000pt, it is another Spartan and a nasty LoW tank or some such. I would rate it very high, though it did take a small hit with the price hike. Still, its a beast.

And yea, the Falchion isn't the best, but it is a decent choice. Plus, its gorgeous. Really though, hard to compete with the Typhon in overall power-to-cost ratio. Thing is an absolute beast.

Khaldor Draigo is the best Tank in the game. >_>

SJ

 em_en_oh_pee wrote:

 Tamwulf wrote:
Heh, missed the Iron Hands part, and that it was the Leviathan optional Force Organization chart. My meta uses the Crusade Force Organization Chart exclusively. I was thinking he was referring to the Alpha Legion and the Coils of the Hydra RoW.

The Falchion is a good tank, but it's gun is a one shot Primary weapon that requires line of sight, and if you hit with it, there is a 1 in 6 chance (~17%) that nothing will happen. You also get cover saves vs the weapon. It's base cost is over 500 points, and requires more points to be feasible (upgrade the gun, upgrade to Space Marine Crew, Armored Ceramite). It also has the chance to strip a hull point off itself due to feedback (~17% chance if it doesn't wound or penetrate armor). All of these things push the Falchion down the list of "good tanks". As it's also a Lord of War choice, and you only get one LoW, it really gets hard to justify it when there are other, better LoW choices out there (like just about any Primarch).

The Spartan is too expensive and too mediocre for what it does. It's a Land Raider with extra carrying capacity. Adding that Flare Shield puts it at 350 points, and you'll still want to add Armored Ceramite. Frag Launchers, and probably a pintle mount weapon. The Flare shield is nice, but only works against attacks on the front arc. It's not a super heavy vehicle, so one penetrating hit, and it could go bye bye. This is why I called it the Chariot of the Primarchs, because it's the only vehicle big enough and cheap enough outside of the Super Heavies and Storm Eagle/Kharybidus Drop Pod that can carry a Primarch and his retinue, or more than 5 Terminators. By then, you are dumping about 1,000 points into a single vehicle and it's passengers. It makes for the biggest target on the table, and it doesn't have the durability to withstand an entire Legion shooting at it. I have only ever seen a Spartan last past turn 2 because it was a multi player, 20,000 points per side game, and there were much bigger threats on the board than a Spartan and the Primarch/Retinue it was carrying. Also consider what the Spartan will do after it drops off it's passengers. 4 Lascannon shots, not even twin linked, are nothing on a battlefield filled with D weapons and template weapons of S10. Don't get me wrong, it's a good tank, I ranked it as #4 on my Top Picks, but if I am not using a Primarch, I don't take one. There are better options for points and rule of cool on the table then an extra long Land Raider.

AV14, Melta-immune, Flare shielded 6HP tank with a dozer blade at 375pt is fantastic. It has decent shooting and can deliver a charging unit reliably. I don't prescribe to the "Chariot of the Primarchs" concept because of the point you made. It delivers Red Butchers or some other similar unit. Keeps the overall cost down and you want to spread out target priority. Usually at 3000pt, it is another Spartan and a nasty LoW tank or some such. I would rate it very high, though it did take a small hit with the price hike. Still, its a beast.

And yea, the Falchion isn't the best, but it is a decent choice. Plus, its gorgeous. Really though, hard to compete with the Typhon in overall power-to-cost ratio. Thing is an absolute beast.

The Spartan has 5 hull points, and not being a superheavy means it's vulnerable to shaken/stunned/weapon destroyed/immobilized/exploded. Superheavies are functionally immune to most of the damage chart and resistant to the effect that remains. The Malcador is actually what you are describing - 6 Hull Points, Flare Shielded AV14, with move through cover (better than a dozer blade) and cheaper than 375. It's also a superheavy so its resistant to the damage chart.

Whoops. Yes, 5HP. But the thing that makes the Spartan an all-star is that it can transport dudes. And it does have Extra Armor base, so it does bump stunned down to shaken, so it can still shoot even... just not well.

And those Laser Destroyers are nothing to scoff at at S9 AP1 TL. Sure, its only one shot, but TL BS4 isn't missing often and AP1 helps you pop enemy armor. And with PotMS, it can shoot two targets if need be. And moving 25 models (or equiv in Bulky / Very Bulky) is a major selling point. It may not have the firepower of a Malcador, but the Malcador cannot transport, so comparing them is an apples-to-oranges scenario.

 em_en_oh_pee wrote:
Whoops. Yes, 5HP. But the thing that makes the Spartan an all-star is that it can transport dudes. And it does have Extra Armor base, so it does bump stunned down to shaken, so it can still shoot even... just not well.

And those Laser Destroyers are nothing to scoff at at S9 AP1 TL. Sure, its only one shot, but TL BS4 isn't missing often and AP1 helps you pop enemy armor. And with PotMS, it can shoot two targets if need be. And moving 25 models (or equiv in Bulky / Very Bulky) is a major selling point. It may not have the firepower of a Malcador, but the Malcador cannot transport, so comparing them is an apples-to-oranges scenario.

Just curious, what's your Top Tanks List look like? And what Legion do you play?

 Tamwulf wrote:

 em_en_oh_pee wrote:
Whoops. Yes, 5HP. But the thing that makes the Spartan an all-star is that it can transport dudes. And it does have Extra Armor base, so it does bump stunned down to shaken, so it can still shoot even... just not well.

And those Laser Destroyers are nothing to scoff at at S9 AP1 TL. Sure, its only one shot, but TL BS4 isn't missing often and AP1 helps you pop enemy armor. And with PotMS, it can shoot two targets if need be. And moving 25 models (or equiv in Bulky / Very Bulky) is a major selling point. It may not have the firepower of a Malcador, but the Malcador cannot transport, so comparing them is an apples-to-oranges scenario.

Just curious, what's your Top Tanks List look like? And what Legion do you play?

World Eaters, which may explain my love of Spartans. Not a lot of ways to get that many raving maniacs into combat.

The Typhon rates high. With that 7" Ignores Cover S10 AP1 gun that reaches out to 48" on a very durable chassis, it is hard to ignore. Very quickly erases squads.

The Sicaran Venator is a solid anti-tank vehicle. I rate that one high too, even though it is highly specialized. S10 AP1 Ordnance 2 is great - you will pen reliably. Shock Pulse is outstanding against scary stuff (like the Typhon or dual Turbo Warhounds, etc).

For non-World Eaters, the Land Raider Proteus with the added TL Lascannon is nice for a camping Breacher Squad. Really a good choice for Imperial Fists, imo.

And I really love the Malcador. It has a cool look on top of a slew of options and it can be deployed in a squadron. That is just damn solid. I figure as time goes on, it will start cropping up more and more. Especially with Iron Hands, I would think.

For 3k, 2 Macharius Vanquishers with No Upgrades goes a Long way
It Fires a Reliable AP3 7" Blast AND can fire a S8 AP2 Armourbane Anti-Tank Shell as well (Both shots have Twin-Linked)
Plus its a Super-Heavy with 6HP (and you have 2 of them....)

Dracosans are amazing fun, especially with the demolisher cannon.
Leman Russ's in generall are pretty great, ESPECIALLY with the SA's inbuilt buffs
A poisoned hellstorm Malcador with a tank commander to give 'em preferred enemy (infantry) is just silly: a Poison (2+), AP: 2 hellstorm template (with torrent, IIRC) with PF(I). my god.
Most baneblade varients tend to be fun


Sicarians and Spartants are generically good.
Scorpius Whirlwinds are amazing
Medusa's are good fun
Vindicators with PotMS are great.

etc.

 Brennonjw wrote:
Dracosans are amazing fun, especially with the demolisher cannon.
Leman Russ's in generall are pretty great, ESPECIALLY with the SA's inbuilt buffs
A poisoned hellstorm Malcador with a tank commander to give 'em preferred enemy (infantry) is just silly: a Poison (2+), AP: 2 hellstorm template (with torrent, IIRC) with PF(I). my god.
Most baneblade varients tend to be fun


Sicarians and Spartants are generically good.
Scorpius Whirlwinds are amazing
Medusa's are good fun
Vindicators with PotMS are great.

etc.

Oh yea, going outside the Legions - the Demo Cannon Dracosan and the Chem Infernus Malcador are gross.

The Typhon is one of the manliest tanks available to the Legiones Astartes. You just point it at something and erase it and everything remotely near it.

My friend who runs Iron hands with Ferrus runs him in a Land Raider Achilles. It ticks most boxes. Twin-linked Multi Meltas for tanks and a QUAD MORTAR. Ridiculous. It also is a crazy Iron hands like tank with -1 on the vehicle damage table and with an iron father or ferrus inside it's fixed on like 3+? I think.

Typhon is A+ man. As far a big LoW tanks go it's the BEST bang for your buck. s10ap2, no cover saves - epic.

Are you specifically wanting to know about super-heavy tanks? Iron hands tanks with Ferrus get It Will Not Die, which is boss.

Spartans with gorgons are very good.

Sicarans and Venators are just better with IWND than in other legions, plus you can take Casterman Orth to make them BS5 and get tank hunter

Loads of choices with IH man.

My 2 cents