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.

I'm very curious to know if anyone had any experience playing or fighting a Dreadnought army in 8th edition yet?
Though I know it might not be very competitive, I am still interested to know how well an army of humanoid tanks can preform in game? Plus roughly how many you can field?

+++ Dreads (Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition) [94 PL, 1998pts] +++

++ Fortification Network (Imperium - Space Marines) ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

**Chapter Selection**: Imperial Fists

+ Fortification +

Skyshield Landing Pad

Vengeance Weapon Batteries
. Vengeance Weapon Battery: Quad Icarus Lascannon
. Vengeance Weapon Battery: Quad Icarus Lascannon

++ Vanguard Detachment +1CP (Imperium - Space Marines) ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

**Chapter Selection**: Raven Guard

+ HQ +

Techmarine on Bike: Combi-plasma, Thunder hammer, Twin boltgun
. Servo-harness: Flamer, Plasma cutter, 2x Servo-arm

Techmarine on Bike: Combi-plasma, Thunder hammer, Twin boltgun
. Servo-harness: Flamer, Plasma cutter, 2x Servo-arm

+ Elites +

Venerable Dreadnought: Missile launcher, Twin lascannon

Venerable Dreadnought: Missile launcher, Twin lascannon

Venerable Dreadnought: Missile launcher, Twin lascannon

++ Vanguard Detachment +1CP (Imperium - Space Marines) ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

**Chapter Selection**: White Scars

+ HQ +

Techmarine on Bike: Combi-plasma, Thunder hammer, Twin boltgun
. Servo-harness: Flamer, Plasma cutter, 2x Servo-arm

Techmarine on Bike: Combi-plasma, Thunder hammer, Twin boltgun
. Servo-harness: Flamer, Plasma cutter, 2x Servo-arm

+ Elites +

Ironclad Dreadnought: Dreadnought chainfist, Heavy flamer, Hunter-killer missile, Ironclad Assault Launchers
. Dreadnought combat weapon w/Heavy Flamer: Heavy flamer

Ironclad Dreadnought: Dreadnought chainfist, Heavy flamer, Ironclad Assault Launchers
. Dreadnought combat weapon w/Heavy Flamer: Heavy flamer

Ironclad Dreadnought: Dreadnought chainfist, Heavy flamer, Ironclad Assault Launchers
. Dreadnought combat weapon w/Heavy Flamer: Heavy flamer

Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)

I've been running them since 8th started almost exclusively.

You can take about 5 per 1000 assuming you're mixing box dreads and heavier dreads.

Your list will be a bit dull if you don't use FW.

Biggest single piece of advice is lots of machine guns. Ranged anti-tank helps, but ultimately you can punch tanks to death. The gap you really need to close is massed infantry.

Top end dreads include an autocannon venerable, a Deredeo, anything that can take four Lascannons and leviathans act as a wonderful fire magnet whilst also hitting hard.

The weakest dread for your points is probably the Redemptor.

changemod wrote:
I've been running them since 8th started almost exclusively.

You can take about 5 per 1000 assuming you're mixing box dreads and heavier dreads.

Your list will be a bit dull if you don't use FW.

Biggest single piece of advice is lots of machine guns. Ranged anti-tank helps, but ultimately you can punch tanks to death. The gap you really need to close is massed infantry.

Top end dreads include an autocannon venerable, a Deredeo, anything that can take four Lascannons and leviathans act as a wonderful fire magnet whilst also hitting hard.

The weakest dread for your points is probably the Redemptor.

Mind if I request a list posting? Personally I was going to go the Space Wolves route with maybe some allied Libby Dreads thrown in, only FW was going to be the dual wielding ranged dreads?

Out of curiosity, what makes the Redemptor the weakest Dread. You posted the need for anti-infantry and it has a ton of guns you can kit it out with. Not saying it's good, but just curious as to what makes it the worst.

Hoodwink wrote:
Out of curiosity, what makes the Redemptor the weakest Dread. You posted the need for anti-infantry and it has a ton of guns you can kit it out with. Not saying it's good, but just curious as to what makes it the worst.

It is only 3+ BS, if it moves half of the shots will miss. Shame!! it had probably the best take all comer guns choice as GW dread. It also has only 3+ WS, so enemy survivability against it in combat is probabily doubled compared to facing Contemptor.

It is T7 Sv3+, and more importantly, no inv save or FnP. So when facing AT firepowers or PF/TH equivalent weapons in combat, the Comtemptor or even Ironclad is better than it in survivability. When it got hurt, its 3 most important statline decreases.

It costs a lot more than Contemptor, Venerable Dread and Ironclad Dread. Also, I forgot if it has "Primaris" keyword, if it has, not abling to be carried by SR compounded the misery

I played something close with my Black Legion:

Failbaddon
Sorcerer
3 Helbrutes
Forge Fiend

At 1000 points.

I love Dreadnoughts and have always tried to use as many as I can. They got partially better in 8th ed, but in my opinion a mostly Dreadnought army is very prone to bad match ups. I played a game against Tau (pretty much all suits) with a ton of fusion blasters and miraculously won by the narrowest margin because of the breakthrough mission requiring them to walk right past me. In any other game, I wouldn't have lasted past turn 3 simply because 3+ armor and 8 wounds don't stand up to melta or lascannons. The toughest model was the Forge Fiend because as a daemon engine it comes with a 5+ invulnerable save and got improved with the feel no pain spell.

My Ultramarine Dreadnoughts didn't fare much better and while they were tough against a good number of things, the moment they faced dedicated AT it's over. The army did better overall because it has a good mix of troops.

So as far as I'm concerned, all Dreadnoughts is good fun but has very varying results based on match up.

Neophyte2012 wrote:

Hoodwink wrote:
Out of curiosity, what makes the Redemptor the weakest Dread. You posted the need for anti-infantry and it has a ton of guns you can kit it out with. Not saying it's good, but just curious as to what makes it the worst.

It is only 3+ BS, if it moves half of the shots will miss. Shame!! it had probably the best take all comer guns choice as GW dread. It also has only 3+ WS, so enemy survivability against it in combat is probabily doubled compared to facing Contemptor.

It is T7 Sv3+, and more importantly, no inv save or FnP. So when facing AT firepowers or PF/TH equivalent weapons in combat, the Comtemptor or even Ironclad is better than it in survivability. When it got hurt, its 3 most important statline decreases.

It costs a lot more than Contemptor, Venerable Dread and Ironclad Dread. Also, I forgot if it has "Primaris" keyword, if it has, not abling to be carried by SR compounded the misery

Yeah basically this, it's a heavy dread without any form of enhanced durability beyond raw wound count. It also has range issues if it wants to operate at max capacity, meaning it has to move and shoot. It also degrades. It also carries a dread close combat weapon baked into it's base cost, not helping it's anti-infantry massed fire role.

At peak performance it has great anti-infantry firepower. Outside of ideal conditions, it swiftly drops off. It's also a standout fire magnet, but unlike the Leviathan can't tank it.

Well, I'm absolutely interested in a Dread-heavy army.
But I will not go with the vanilla Marine codex.
I'll look into BA (or even DA) mixing Dreads with Razorbacks and Predators.

Space Wolves have some pretty decent options, what with Bjorn being an HQ and all.

Some RavenGuard Dread-heavy lists have done well. But they weren't pure Dreads.

Bharring wrote:
Some RavenGuard Dread-heavy lists have done well. But they weren't pure Dreads.

Do you happen to have any list examples? I love dreads and was considering this, but I'm unsure of what such a list should look like.

 Kriswall wrote:
Space Wolves have some pretty decent options, what with Bjorn being an HQ and all.

Yeah I went and converted a contemptor with a sword and a magnetised lascannon or assault cannon to use as a "Captain Dreadnought" with Bjorn's rules.

Haven't used him every time though.

I also preordered Culln.

And made up a librarian.

Bought a chaplain.

I dance around a lot basically.

Jy2 tried an all dreadnought army at bao (look for "the walking dread" to find the original thread), not sure how he did tho. He's probably written some battle reports about it.

shortymcnostrill wrote:
Jy2 tried an all dreadnought army at bao (look for "the walking dread" to find the original thread), not sure how he did tho. He's probably written some battle reports about it.

Looked it up. Autocannons are optimal and all, but that's a really bland list, and it's even a space wolves dread list with no Bjorn!

Oh man I have been running my space marines almost exclusively as dread only lists since forge world brought back the chaplain dreadnought and made it an hq choice. I typically run a 1500pt vanguard detachment with a Chaplain, 2 Ironclads, 2 Venerables, 1 standard dreadnought with 2 twin auto cannons, 1 Redemptor, and 1 Leviathan. Now my local game group isn't crazy competitive but it does have its fair share of cheese, that said this list has gone basically undefeated. I say basically because there have been a fair amount of games that had to be called on time with out a clear victor established. I also want it on the record that I always take Ironhands chapter tactics.

As for the Redemptor I really don't think its that bad for its points. It seems to be the best anti infantry that I got but it does draw a lot of fire, like way more that it deserves. In that way it makes for a kind of distraction carnifex. That said I really do think it could us a higher toughness if just of the aesthetic of the models.

These builds seem fun and good. But do you know what's better than good? Greater good! Greater good has humanoid tanks in a wide variety of styles, many with high mobility and customization opportunity! Deepstrike, infiltrate, or even jump shoot jump your way to a point and bare your choice of weapons against the paper to your scissors. As an added bonus for just 8pts each you can get bonus wounds with guns or saves! So call now.

A detachment of Chaplain Dreds and a detachment of cheap infantry to absorb the fire until they get in range


Character keyword will prevent them from being shot at so you get to charge the enemy at pretty much your full strength

Unfortunately the one HQ Dreadnought that was a must take is now way overpriced.
Bray'arth Ashmantle was a unstoppable monster in 7th but in 8th his points (like most Forge World models) are a joke

I fought against 8 Space Wolf Dreads and a Stormwolf(? Flyer with a Frostcannon). At least three had 3++ saves. One was a Deredeo that shredded whatever it looked at. One was a Contemptor. They rinsed three Guard Superheavies plus Scions, Infantry, the lot. Sad times! Too hard to wound them and if they did they shrugged off the hits.