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 keep hearing people talking about Ripiteds like they're the best thing since sliced bread. So what's the catch? What exactly makes a Riptide so good?

T6 2+ armour? No idea what could be good about that.

The durability, cost and markerlights combine to form a problem is the short answer.

They're monstrous creatures with the firepower of a tank, and vehicles are much easier to kill than MCs, couple with that that they aren't correctly pointed for their abilities (they're too cheap) and can be equipped for most battlefield roles and you have a very, very strong unit.

If they'd been Walkers, they'd have barely seen table time, but as MCs, nearly all the downsides go away.

To put it simply: It's a very shooty, durable, and maneuverable weapons platform. And it's priced fairly well.
Look at what you get:
1. T6
2. 2+, 5++
3. Highly maneuverable
4. Puts out a lot of firepower, has multiple firepower options
5. Has a lot of useful upgrades
6. Monstrous creature
7. Ability to make it's stuff even better (Nova charges)

 Azreal13 wrote:
They're monstrous creatures with the firepower of a tank, and vehicles are much easier to kill than MCs, couple with that that they aren't correctly pointed for their abilities (they're too cheap) and can be equipped for most battlefield roles and you have a very, very strong unit.

If they'd been Walkers, they'd have barely seen table time, but as MCs, nearly all the downsides go away.

There you have it. Basically, the game has an internal 'fiction' about what MC's and tanks should be able to do and what their respective weaknesses are. Riptide combines best aspects of both a tank and a monstrous creature, thus it 'breaks the fiction' and since it is not overly expensive for its capabilities, it also breaks the game.

You know my honest opinion from facing them is that they are the best distraction any army can put out.

After my first time playing one I have learnt to keep it on a short leash but not concentrate fire into it, the first time I played one I spent turn after turn rattling every round I had into it and coming up short while his fire warriors and pathfinders wiped me out bit by bit.

Yes a Riptide of itself is powerful and can kill but it really works best as a massive bullet magnet while the little guys get to work.

The only reason they arent completely broken as all hell (not denying theyre strong at all, dont get me wrong theyre pretty strong) is because their main gun has no twinlink option and theyre stock BS3. If they had either twinlink or BS4/5 they would probably be ridiculously broken. Buffmander in 6th ed was slightly balanced because of the insane cost to do it but it was still nasty and now that tactic is gone.

Biggest reason people cry about it is its a T6 monster with 5 wounds, 2+ armor, 5++ invul (3++ if nova charged, usually not though), and Jet Pack so its mobile as hell. While i admit the ion accelerator is a bit underpriced (would be fine if it was only AP2 via nova charge, ap3 otherwise) its shooting isnt as powerful as most of the army. But it simply does not die, so its reliable to exist the entire game.

I find it amusing though that people always get this mentality to "KILL THE RIPTIDE! KILL IT!!" when thats exactly what i bought the damn thing for anyway. I purposely send mine to die because he eats a TON of fire before he does - the damage the rest of my army does in the time it took you to kill that thing vastly outweighs what the riptide can do on its own.

They have FNP too, right?

I play nids and wish I had a MC half as durable as a Riptide.

Giant shas'vre rides in a suit that can vaporize spaceships in near orbit, what's more to say?

The best strategy I have with my Daemons has always been to just ignore Riptides and play the mission... Although, in a kill point mission, a Nurgle Prince with a Balesword will make short work of one.

Mavnas wrote:
They have FNP too, right?

I beleive they just buy it but the price is ridiculously low.

35pts for FNP on a riptide, 15pts for any other model that can get it at all (suits).

You'd be amazed how much that 35pts actually hurts. i find myself having a lot of 100pt gaps between a finished list and what i got because i have a riptide with FNP preventing me from buying a hammerhead or something (since elites are full so no suits). Yes i can add more firewarriors but blind firewarrior spam is a bad idea, and when im going for fishwarriors but either dont have the model or the points for a third fish, im not bringing more warriors

then don't get FNP. bring an Ethereal instead.

Thier other big advantage is the upgrades that can be strapped to them. Interceptor on a large blast AP2 weapon or skyfire on a novacharged heavy burst cannon makes for scary, scary tactical firepower.

 House Griffith wrote:
To put it simply: It's a very shooty, durable, and maneuverable weapons platform. And it's priced fairly well.
Look at what you get:
1. T6
2. 2+, 5++
3. Highly maneuverable
4. Puts out a lot of firepower, has multiple firepower options
5. Has a lot of useful upgrades
6. Monstrous creature
7. Ability to make it's stuff even better (Nova charges)

all this plus can buy FNP on top of all the other advantages........they are soo very hard to kill them you have to try and ignore them but thats not easy - especially if there are multiples.

MCs are balanced around the opponent having a window of time before they reach "critical threat mass." Every other "Artillery" MC is heavily costed compared to a vehicle equivalent that can have more than a meaningless Hp tick taken off with one shot.

The riptide gets to be good at everything while bring crazily mobile and comparatively cheap. It has essentially no downside.

It's "imba" because it's THE FUTURE. The other races are all too clingy to their old stuff

It serves the same purpose of a Wraithknight (and Warithlords, but those are at a lesse extend): divert your firepower while Tau stuff kill yours. Riptides have lesser Toughness, but the invulnerable save more than makes up for it

Perhaps something for another topic, but I don't believe any Riptide-sized models should have 12" jump movement.

Big models should have to sacrifice speed and manoeuvrability for their increased durability and weapons.

Getting the best of both worlds just seems fundamentally wrong.

 vipoid wrote:
Perhaps something for another topic, but I don't believe any Riptide-sized models should have 12" jump movement.

Big models should have to sacrifice speed and manoeuvrability for their increased durability and weapons.

Getting the best of both worlds just seems fundamentally wrong.

Riptides don't move 12". They move 6" and can do a 2 or 4d6 assault move.
Wraithknights move 12".

rigeld2 wrote:

Riptides don't move 12". They move 6" and can do a 2 or 4d6 assault move.

So, we instead have a 3-story model that can mode-shoot-move. Not sure that's much better.

 vipoid wrote:

rigeld2 wrote:

Riptides don't move 12". They move 6" and can do a 2 or 4d6 assault move.

So, we instead have a 3-story model that can mode-shoot-move. Not sure that's much better.

At least the damn thing cant hide, move, shoot, then run back into hiding.

I had the blood rage to kill the riptide, the real ticket to bringing it down is to leave it until last..like dessert. It can't score, chances are its going to kill itself anyways and theres no sense is trying to chase it around...its like jethro tel with his tights on fire mobility wise....is it broken? hell no, i've brought it down with basic guards popping lasgun shots at it(luck).

I found that a power axe to the face was enough.

The downside is the Riptide doesn't have fearless nor does it have great initiative. Unlike a wraithkight which can survive a round of assault due to T8, assaulting a Riptide to tie it up basically takes it ut of the game. even with weenie units, it doesn't have the WS or the attacks to do much in CC

But the riptide has a far better weapon for the support options in the codex and is much cheaper. The Wraithknight almost needs to be in melee to do enough to influence a game. Once you have a MC that requires to get close to the enemy, it stops being so OP since almost every army has a plasma gun equivalent that is what was used to kill MCs before the riptide came around. Plasma really doesnt work on a model that can out-range you and kite you all day long.

Oh, the Riptide is about the be completely overshadowed by the Dreadknight. I used to use the Dreadnought as a comparison for the Riptide Chassis, but now there is going to be no comparison.

For 225ps I get a 4W T6 2+/4++(Sanctuary) with a Master Crafted Force weapon Striking with 5 S10 attacks on the charge at I4. And it has a 6 S7 Rending Shots at BS4 or a S7 Rending Pie Plate and a S6/AP4 Torrent Flamer. And it moves 12" and has a 30" shunt.

And using its guns and abilities really doesn't hurt it. The Dreadknight was definitely brought to the same level as the Riptide and Wraith knight.

 Zagman wrote:
Oh, the Riptide is about the be completely overshadowed by the Dreadknight. I used to use the Dreadnought as a comparison for the Riptide Chassis, but now there is going to be no comparison.

For 225ps I get a 4W T6 2+/4++(Sanctuary) with a Master Crafted Force weapon Striking with 5 S10 attacks on the charge at I4. And it has a 6 S7 Rending Shots at BS4 or a S7 Rending Pie Plate and a S6/AP4 Torrent Flamer. And it moves 12" and has a 30" shunt.

And using its guns and abilities really doesn't hurt it. The Dreadknight was definitely brought to the same level as the Riptide and Wraith knight.

Oh wonderful.

We were running a bit short of overpowered units.

 Zagman wrote:
Oh, the Riptide is about the be completely overshadowed by the Dreadknight. I used to use the Dreadnought as a comparison for the Riptide Chassis, but now there is going to be no comparison.

For 225ps I get a 4W T6 2+/4++(Sanctuary) with a Master Crafted Force weapon Striking with 5 S10 attacks on the charge at I4. And it has a 6 S7 Rending Shots at BS4 or a S7 Rending Pie Plate and a S6/AP4 Torrent Flamer. And it moves 12" and has a 30" shunt.

And using its guns and abilities really doesn't hurt it. The Dreadknight was definitely brought to the same level as the Riptide and Wraith knight.

That better be rumor milling. Dreadknights are nasty enough as it is, only reason they arent complained about as much as riptides/wraithknights is because GK are FAR less common than tau/eldar. Dreadknights are the only thing in that army that actually scares the bejebus out of me, the rest i can deal with. Literally never had any issues with GK armies that didnt include a DK or two.

And to the guy complaining about Riptide movements compared to its size: DKs are roughly the same size and are 12" and WKs are HUGE and move 12" - riptides are on average slower than these two with a possible 1-6" increase if their assault-movement rolls well. Without me rolling really well on the assault move or using my nova charge for a 4D6 assault move, things that move 12" catch my riptides reeeeaaally fast.

 Vineheart01 wrote:

 Zagman wrote:
Oh, the Riptide is about the be completely overshadowed by the Dreadknight. I used to use the Dreadnought as a comparison for the Riptide Chassis, but now there is going to be no comparison.

For 225ps I get a 4W T6 2+/4++(Sanctuary) with a Master Crafted Force weapon Striking with 5 S10 attacks on the charge at I4. And it has a 6 S7 Rending Shots at BS4 or a S7 Rending Pie Plate and a S6/AP4 Torrent Flamer. And it moves 12" and has a 30" shunt.

And using its guns and abilities really doesn't hurt it. The Dreadknight was definitely brought to the same level as the Riptide and Wraith knight.

That better be rumor milling. Dreadknights are nasty enough as it is, only reason they arent complained about as much as riptides/wraithknights is because GK are FAR less common than tau/eldar. Dreadknights are the only thing in that army that actually scares the bejebus out of me, the rest i can deal with. Literally never had any issues with GK armies that didnt include a DK or two.

And to the guy complaining about Riptide movements compared to its size: DKs are roughly the same size and are 12" and WKs are HUGE and move 12" - riptides are on average slower than these two with a possible 1-6" increase if their assault-movement rolls well. Without me rolling really well on the assault move or using my nova charge for a 4D6 assault move, things that move 12" catch my riptides reeeeaaally fast.

The entire scan for that book was out and showed the dreadknights

The are now cheaper and fun things. the HPC now has multiple firing modes and just generally got better (though no more freebee rerolls to hit and wounds(?) off the NGS