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So i just bought a riptide and im not sure what secondary weapon it should have, it will be upgrade to have a stimulant Injector, Early Warning Overide and Velocity Traker and the main gap in my army i need to fill is anti air and anti av-14, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would go for fusion blasters. Since the tide can fire three weapons you can use ripple-fire to fire two fusion blaster shots and 3 ion cannon shots into whatever needs to be not alive. Also, the fusion blasters are a hell of a lot more reliable on the tide than the Ion cannon when fighting av14. The Nova Ion Cannon has a 20.37% chance of inflicting a hullpoint before markerlights and comes with a 44% chance to take a wound, (though you can easily save that wound) and not be able to use the weapon. If it fails on the gets hot you can't even fall back on a regular fusion blaster because of the ordinance rules.

If you need anti-AV14 then obviously the fusion blasters, and remember that the one thing the Riptide can handle in melee is non-walker vehicles. Try your hand at Smashing that rear armor - you don't get locked in combat, they don't even fire overwatch, unless it takes you into bad positioning there's no risk.

Also FYI you're listing too many secondary systems, you can only take two.

Actually the riptide even has the fear special rule so you can do nasty things against some walkers, though you shouldn't since you are better off just shooting them in the face.

SMS, if only because Riptides are usually more than 18" away from their target.

If he needs av14 hunting he will want to be within 9" with a fusion blaster. Just remember that if the target is a land-raider expect your model to die in assault soon. The points trade for that isn't a bad move. If you can thrust your way to safety after doing it prepare to watch some marine players have conniptions that their terminators are now sitting ducks for your riptide. This works best with infiltrate and some large terrain.

Ventiscogreen wrote:
Actually the riptide even has the fear special rule so you can do nasty things against some walkers, though you shouldn't since you are better off just shooting them in the face.

Walkers don't have a Leadership and therefore don't suffer anything from Fear.

Your right. Nvm. It is still funny to bitchslap a terminator squad that got unlucky dice.

I'd actually urge you to choose SMS. Crisis teams make better fusion platforms because:

a) you won't always want to be aggressive with your riptide's position

b) crisis deep striking with 6 fusions are more effective at actually removing your target.

c) ripple firing SMS is huge for late game removal of hiding troops.

But of course magnetization is always recommended.

The problem with deep striking 6 crisis suits with fusion blasters is that they are within assault range with only 6 shots to their name. That is if they don't suffer a mishap. A riptide has the bonus potential to soak the enemies entire shooting phase. Don't forget that the Riptide can ripplefire his fusion blaster and then smash the tank for a s10 ap2 hit. Doing that to a non transport vehicle puts you way ahead of your enemy, while doing it to a landraider trades slightly positive and dismounts terminators.

FBs on an anti-Air Riptide makes for nice 18" buffer around the unit. With flyers being av12 at best ripple-fire Fb makes them very nervous.

i almost always take the SMS. Reason being both range and number of shots, since my riptides almost never fire at vehicles the SMS cant at least glance anyway (directly anyway).

Nova charge that thing now you got your main weapon plus 8 TL shots. Even on the HBC riptide i was having situations where the ripple fire was better than my supergun since same number of shots, no gets hot, and rending would be pointless since my target had cover (and due to LoS i couldnt get enough ML support to ignore it).

Did nobody think to note that the riptide CAN take VT, EWO and SI at the same time?
Riptides can only choose two systems, not three.

Lanlaorn wrote:If you need anti-AV14 then obviously the fusion blasters, and remember that the one thing the Riptide can handle in melee is non-walker vehicles. Try your hand at Smashing that rear armor - you don't get locked in combat, they don't even fire overwatch, unless it takes you into bad positioning there's no risk.

Also FYI you're listing too many secondary systems, you can only take two.

BoomWolf wrote:Did nobody think to note that the riptide CAN take VT, EWO and SI at the same time?
Riptides can only choose two systems, not three.

Yes, someone noted that. It's tangential to the original question though so...

I take the Fusion Blaster, especially on my AA HBC Riptides. Twinlinked Skyfire Fusion is pretty awesome. I also like it for the Synergy being S8 AP2/1 with the Overcharged Ion Accelerator. A Ripplefired TLFB is pretty awesome, but that being said there are many times I wish I had an SMS as well.

Both are valid options that need to take into consideration what your list needs.

Yeah, if you're taking multiple tides and have limited AA elsewhere, one of them should be IA+Fusion+VT+Stims. But if you only have one; I think the SMS is a better all purpose weapon. There are other sources of fusion (Crisis, Piranhas) and there are going to be times when 3 jetbikes or a single enemy Crisis suit or 4 scouts or 5 Dire Avengers; whatever, is going to be sitting on a rear objective, 27" away and out of LoS to everything in your army except the ripple firing SMS. It happens all the time. That's my point.

As to the separate debate on the 6 fusion unit, we now live in a world where (scoring!) Imperial Knights are common. You need a way to deal with one, and you need to be able to deal with it quickly before it pins your army in a corner and ruins your chance of winning; even if you kill it eventually. I run TWO of these units. IKs are a top tier codex on their own but are also a top-rate ally. Of course if your meta doesn't include any, YMMV. But if you play in a few GTs a year, they're going to be prevalent. This is to speak nothing of Baneblades, Land Raider Spam and Necron AV13 wall. All of which are part of the meta now.

The defense rests.

So in my 1000 point list the riptide will be my only real anti vehicle option, though i will have a lot of strength 5 shots, at 1500 points my list will have 3 krootox to my kroot blob and 12 vespid, it isnt until 2000 points that ill have 3 fusion plasma shield crisis and a longstrike hammerhead, ill probably go with velocity tracker and stim injectors then, ok so i had a game not that long ago against a guy at my local gw and he had a flying daemon prince and a heldrake along with 3 obliterators so which one would be best verses him?

 Vespid wrote:
So in my 1000 point list the riptide will be my only real anti vehicle option, though i will have a lot of strength 5 shots, at 1500 points my list will have 3 krootox to my kroot blob and 12 vespid, it isnt until 2000 points that ill have 3 fusion plasma shield crisis and a longstrike hammerhead, ill probably go with velocity tracker and stim injectors then, ok so i had a game not that long ago against a guy at my local gw and he had a flying daemon prince and a heldrake along with 3 obliterators so which one would be best verses him?

From a competive stand point I see issues with your list, but as to the heldrake, you will want the TLFB really. Against one you need every successful pen to have an effect, thanks to 5++, IWND, AV12 and 3HP.