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I've seen a few Deathstar units mentioned on Dakka (Farsight, Loganwing, wraithwing to name a few). But I only see them for certain armies, for example I've yet to see a DE or BT or IG one mentioned. So is there a deathstar set-up for every army, because it seems unfair on those without otherwise

There is not really a deathstar for -every- army as it stands, nor do they all need one. The imperial guard for instance, completely lack a deathstar setup, but make up for it by having pieplates up the wazzoo.

The orks have Nob Bikers, both flavours of eldar can use the Harlequin/Farseer/Archon star, grey knights have Draigodins or Death cultists.

Black Templar can get assault terminators + hq in Land Raider, just like all MEQ can.

For IG, I guess Ogryns+Lord Komissar is kind of a death star, though not a good one.

Part of the problem is that the deathstar needs to be not only powerful, but resilient too. So no, DE (outside of Harlequins) and IG don't really have anything that can cover both.

 Jidmah wrote:
Black Templar can get assault terminators + hq in Land Raider, just like all MEQ can.

For IG, I guess Ogryns+Lord Komissar is kind of a death star, though not a good one.

also BT termies can still take FC or TH, there's nothing quite like str 5 LC

 Mitranekh the Omniscient wrote:
I've seen a few Deathstar units mentioned on Dakka (Farsight, Loganwing, wraithwing to name a few). But I only see them for certain armies, for example I've yet to see a DE or BT or IG one mentioned. So is there a deathstar set-up for every army, because it seems unfair on those without otherwise

DE currently have more death stars than anyone in the game (well tied with Eldar), but it's likely they will all go away with the new Eldar codex. Seer Council, Invisizoo, Dark Harliestar, Grotstar, Wraithstar (although there is a version of this one with Tau rather than DE)

Part of the problem is that the deathstar needs to be not only powerful, but resilient too. So no, DE (outside of Harlequins) and IG don't really have anything that can cover both.

I completely disagree. Dark Eldar/Eldar have a number of deathstar units. IG can put together a nasty blob (with the help of SM or Sisters characters) or an Ogryn-star.

http://rhetorical40k.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/army-building-eldardark-eldar-deathstars/

As to the OP's question, it depends on what you define as a deathstar. If you are talking a 400+ unit, then yes, every army can come up with something. Whether or not it is worth taking is another question entirely.

tau have none. Eldar had harlequins but we will see how they fare with possible changes to fortune(or putting it on a random table, man that would be stupid) and such.

 zephoid wrote:
tau have none. Eldar had harlequins but we will see how they fare with possible changes to fortune(or putting it on a random table, man that would be stupid) and such.

Tau have the farsight bomb. Which is definitely a deathstar.

The imperial guard don't have any. The closest you can get is a squadron of executioners, but that's absurd. There isn't THAT great of firepower, and it's a single dude with a chainfist against being wiped out in a single charge.

I saw an IG player field a huge, gigantic blob of lasgun wielding psychopaths led by Yarrick. Does the death star have to be resilient from saves/toughness/wounds, or could it be resilient from sheer weight of numbers and fearlessness? Because that unit seemed pretty Death Star-ish to me. (Lord knows I thought 'It's a trap!' more than once during that game...)

 Ailaros wrote:
The imperial guard don't have any. The closest you can get is a squadron of executioners, but that's absurd. There isn't THAT great of firepower, and it's a single dude with a chainfist against being wiped out in a single charge.

How can you not consider a 50 man power blob with 2 or sometimes even 3 HQ's a Deathstar?

Meh, anything that can be wiped out by a few blasts from a torrent weapon isn't really that deathstarey.

Plus, you're talking about spending a LOT of points on not much killing power. You can't really be a deathstar if your opponent can just ignore it and laugh off what little damage it does.

Really needs to have the proverbial planet-killing laser, it it doesn't really count.

You cannot do a pure IG deathstar worth anything. You can definitely sink points into single unit but that is not really deathstar like.

DA+IG can deathstar pretty well with a 50 man blobb(Power axes/lascannons/plasma)+Azzy+primaris+DA libby (infravisor) you can get ~30 ablative wounds, prescienced, 5 lascannons, 5 plasma guns, and the unit is pretty nasty in CC with Azzy+5 power axe sarges. With some luck they will either be relentless or 5+ FnP. The best part is the whole unit gets a 4++ invulnerable save and nightvision.

The bad part is if there is a vindicare assassins and barrage sniping make this thing fail hard.

 Ailaros wrote:
Meh, anything that can be wiped out by a few blasts from a torrent weapon isn't really that deathstarey.

Plus, you're talking about spending a LOT of points on not much killing power. You can't really be a deathstar if your opponent can just ignore it and laugh off what little damage it does.

Really needs to have the proverbial planet-killing laser, it it doesn't really count.

I agree, Just because theres the power blob doesnt mean its effective. That many models takes up a lot of space(unless you bunch up and let blast weapon have a field day with the blob) which means a lot of things will have range and will be able to fire at the blob without it having a crap ton of lasguns firing at once. I find it hard for all the lasguns to get in range before my opponent assaults. I play chaos marines very often and they challenge A LOT. Well if you have a commissar you are forced to have a sergeant accept that challenge because if you decline your opponent should have your commissar sit out of the fight which means your blob loses the leadership bonus iirc? which means that giant blob will most likely get over run and all those guys will DIE lol But if you choose to keep excepting challenges then thats great your super expensive giant blob managed to tie up a space marine squad for the entire game.

Also on a side note I believe lasguns cant wound anything T8 or above, or is it 7?

The ogryn death star has a miraculous save of 5+ I dont see that lasting long, yes t5 is nice and 3 wounds is great but anything causing ID will drop the squad easily.

 Ailaros wrote:
Meh, anything that can be wiped out by a few blasts from a torrent weapon isn't really that deathstarey.

Plus, you're talking about spending a LOT of points on not much killing power. You can't really be a deathstar if your opponent can just ignore it and laugh off what little damage it does.

Really needs to have the proverbial planet-killing laser, it it doesn't really count.

Take azrael for invulnerable save cheese and fearlessness, camp that objective like a god.

Kain wrote:camp that objective like a god.

Yeah, that's not exactly my definition of a deathstar...

 Ailaros wrote:
Meh, anything that can be wiped out by a few blasts from a torrent weapon isn't really that deathstarey.

Plus, you're talking about spending a LOT of points on not much killing power. You can't really be a deathstar if your opponent can just ignore it and laugh off what little damage it does.

Really needs to have the proverbial planet-killing laser, it it doesn't really count.

Man, it's a staple in some of the most competitive lists around today. I don't know much more you can say for it then that. It kills plenty, but more importantly, it's extremely hard to kill and scores.


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 Ailaros wrote:

Kain wrote:camp that objective like a god.

Yeah, that's not exactly my definition of a deathstar...

I think most people would consider 10 TH/SS Terms+HQ as a Deathstar. Try running 10 TH/SS Terms up against an Azrael Power Blob sometime. See which "star" ends up putting out more death.

Spending several hundred points for a few power axes and a couple of meltaguns hardly "kills plenty". Plus, I'd question how "competitive" of an environment they're really being played in if their opponents can't figure out how to kill a few dozen guardsmen. The opponents at my local store could run through over a hundred guardsmen in a single game without much extra effort, much less a few dozen thrown into one of the game's biggest points sinks.

Tyranids? Maybe swarmy+guards, or carnifexes... but not really a true deathstar.

 tankboy145 wrote:
Also on a side note I believe lasguns cant wound anything T8 or above, or is it 7?

The can't wound T7. You would be hard pressed to find anything above T8 besides tyranid biomancers.

The ogryn death star has a miraculous save of 5+ I dont see that lasting long, yes t5 is nice and 3 wounds is great but anything causing ID will drop the squad easily.

Which is also true for nobz(5++/FNP), who are pretty much the very definition of a death star. When accompanied by independent characters, ogryns have a decent chance to beat most units in combat. Neither they nor the characters are very point efficient though.

 Ailaros wrote:
Spending several hundred points for a few power axes and a couple of meltaguns hardly "kills plenty". Plus, I'd question how "competitive" of an environment they're really being played in if their opponents can't figure out how to kill a few dozen guardsmen. The opponents at my local store could run through over a hundred guardsmen in a single game without much extra effort, much less a few dozen thrown into one of the game's biggest points sinks.

With a four plus invulnerable save and fearlessness you could eat your way through a wall faster than you can get through an azrael blob.. These SOBs can walk off a deathstrike missile or volcano cannon.

CSM doesn't really have a viable true deathstar. A good mini star, yes. But not a true ball of death kind of deathstar.

Eldenfirefly wrote:
CSM doesn't really have a viable true deathstar. A good mini star, yes. But not a true ball of death kind of deathstar.

Abaddon+A full squad of tzeentch or nurgle termies makes for a damn good wrecking ball. Albeit hideously expensive.

 JGrand wrote:

Part of the problem is that the deathstar needs to be not only powerful, but resilient too. So no, DE (outside of Harlequins) and IG don't really have anything that can cover both.

I completely disagree. Dark Eldar/Eldar have a number of deathstar units. IG can put together a nasty blob (with the help of SM or Sisters characters) or an Ogryn-star.

http://rhetorical40k.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/army-building-eldardark-eldar-deathstars/

As to the OP's question, it depends on what you define as a deathstar. If you are talking a 400+ unit, then yes, every army can come up with something. Whether or not it is worth taking is another question entirely.

What I mean is a unit that will be able to massacre anything it gets in range of e.g. Farsight bomb shooting down stuff, Loganwing in combat, and be able to take it usually too, usually with a high points outlay (I don't know them all but circa 4-500+pts


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The azrael blob is a new one on me, does require allies but I wouldnt like to get too close I've seen Azrael kill a Carnifex in one round of combat more than once. IG could possibly call Ogryns and lord commisar a star but its not that amazing in all honesty because of low initiative and no inv saves, though its a credible threat. As for CSM Kain is right the Abbadon+termis is scary as hell, but it is probably too expensive for anything below 2000 or 2500pts

 JGrand wrote:
I completely disagree. Dark Eldar/Eldar have a number of deathstar units.

Not to single this one particular comment out, it was suggested a few times - but I don't class the Harliestar as a deathstar. It's too easy to take out with template weapons which ignore the all important cover saves. When 6th first hit this was devastating as template weapons weren't all that popular, but now that we have Heldrakes, people who rushed in and bought tons of Daemon Flamers, Tau suits that can take 3 templates each... you get the idea.

Are there any other DE deathstars I'm missing?

Being nigh-invincible is not a quality a deathstar unit has to have. Most good death stars have that quality, but a lot of them have some sort of weakness. They are mostly defined by high damage output combined with high cost. Even paladins die in droves when hit by high-strengt AP2 weapons from an angle where Draigo isn't standing.

After all, the real death star had a fatal weakness, too.

Came to this thread hoping to see the Royal Court Disco Inferno.
...
Am sorely disappointed.

no

 Super Ready wrote:
...Tau suits that can take 3 templates each... you get the idea.

Tau can take 3 template weapons on a crisis suit, but you can only ever fire 2 of them.