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 hate Heldrakes.
From the bottom of my heart.
I hate them as much as that splinter that lodges under your fingernail. Or the guy that takes the last piece of pie before you get to it. Or the dice that decided to roll 5 1's on your terminator saves.

This hate stems from a simple experience - I.CAN.NOT.KILL.THIS.THINGS!

Usually, I face 2 of them. 1 with a Baleflamer and 1 with the Hades (for whatever reason he insists on taking the Hades - I don't get it). I don't need to tell you what these things do to any Power Armour, let alone if the time comes when 2 Baledrakes enter the field.
My list currently runs 2 Mortis Dreads with Autocannons - sometimes, depending on points left, it's 1 LC Dread in there.
These two, together with a Pred Annihilator, usually getting Prescience, regularly fail to stop even ONE Helldrake. Even if I manage to strip a hullpoint or two off it, it usually just magically makes it IWND-roll and keeps truckin'.
I can't even force a jink on one with its 5++ in the last 3 games I faced them.
Anyway, I'm getting to the point of cramming even more AA into my list as I tend to get more bikes.. The last thing I need is an entire bike squad eradicated by an errant template.

2 Mortis Dreads and an Aegis /w Quad manned by a Scout Squad SHOULD be able to do something, right? RIGHT? That's 420pts dedicated to stop one 170pt model from doing something... which will cause an avg. of 3hp per turn and shoot it down.
But am I going overboard with this?

Dunno, my math shows you should expect 2.3 unsaved hullpoints from 2xMortis+Quadgun. And, at least against Helldrakes, 1 autocannon (2 shots) = 1 lascannon (1 shot), either should expect an /average/ of 0.4 unsaved hullpoints per twinlinked gun (lascannon pulling ahead slightly due to the rare Crash! or Explodes!)

Usually I'd be saying, "Sicaran", but against Helldrakes, I'd look up the Fire Raptor. It puts out pretty impressive firepower to take out aircraft, while still strafing the field. It's also more likely than immobile Dreadnoughts to get into the Helldrake's rear arc.

Of course, an even better approach is to play around it. It's got a narrow firing arc now, so if you've got a squad of naked marines on the table, you can project a cone where the Helldrake would have to stop to flame. Make sure that's obstructed, and it can't touch you - terrain, transports, TDA units, preds, etc. String your bikes out horzontally and sideways - that screws up the angle on the torrent (45 degrees total, so 22.5 left and 22.5 right), so it'll have to angle, and possibly be forced off the board.

I'd guess that trying to kill it is a trap. Try thinking of it as a 3ish use 170pt Orbital Bombardment that you can play around. Bait it out of position, trick it to have to choose either to hover or fly off the board, or expose its rear. Firing shots into its AV12 5++ armour is exactly what your opponent wants.

Sage advice.
Blocking all approaches with non-flammeable units is difficult though.. marines are not agile enough to evade him and Rhinos are not durable enough to survive 2 rounds of being shot at usually.. bikes - yes, they can and should.
Nothing however stops his Drake to fly in with an angle from his table corner - which would put the bikes like that exactly under the template.
I'm bringing my Raptor next game though - even with Isstvan 5 so I can deep strike right where I want him, blow all missiles and the cannon into his rear.
12 TL S7 AP4 to the front and 4 S8 AP2, 6 TL S6 AP3 to the rear should be able to finally bring the beast down. And if that fails... well... I need to play other games

Sicaran with sarosh will grant it skyfire, tank hunter and interceptor on its main gun for 1 round of shooting. Each shot will have a 32.9% chance of at least glancing (taking invuln into account).
Take your 2 mortis dreads and it should be overkill on that baleflamer.
Also taking a couple of stormtalons with skyhammers and ac should help.
Means you'll be taking units which are as good (better in the case of the talons) against ground targets as they are against his air, unlike the quad gun.

Yep, I'm toying with the Sicaran idea for a while now.
Since I already run an Int-Chaplain for my Assault Termies, I can combine that with the Raptor.
Only thing preventing me for now is a) the cost and b) the high pitched whine from my opponents when I place both down on the table

The new dread FW put out has skyfire and interceptor when it doesn't move. It should bring some drakes down.

What no Storm Guppies?

Yeah seriously storm talon shreds my helldrake.

 Desubot wrote:
What no Storm Guppies?

Exactly what all of us DA players have been saying for a while.

I find lascannon > autocannon on the Mortis dreads. 4 twin-linked lascannons will hurt them, I promise.

Play Deathwing. Laugh at heldrakes.

Otherwise, try the new dread (Deredo?). He gets rid of Heldrakes very fast.

The helldrake nerf makes them more ignorable, imo.

A Deredo tickles my fancy indeed.. But I want to wait for the FINAL rules before I succumb to experimental overpoweredness