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Lately with the new codex I've been messing around with good combinations for HS slots. I've been leaning towards taking 3 landraiders but then I don't have have enough points over for one dread but I want two so...

You guys think having 2 dreads with autocannon/heavy flamers and a defiler is worth having over another LR and a dread and some demons or a small termi squad?

Also, what are your favorite heavy support choices and why? How do you guys rate the Land Raider?

There seems to be a few combinations, but I'm not sure on the point effectiveness on the metagame vs godzilla'nids, mech eldar/tau, and SAFH.

1) 3x 2 Obliterators
2) 8 CSM with 4x Autocannons, 8 CSM with 4x ML, and 2x Oblits
3) 2x 2 Obliterators and 6 CSM with 4x Autocannons

Well a land raider is cheaper then 3 obliterators plus can give a ride to some guys. the heavy support choices are really going to come down to what you need.
there really isn't a bad heavy choice

vindi's are the cheapest entry
havocs are a good way to get a special weapons squad if your elite spots are used up
defilers have a battle cannon and can fleet if there are no targets
oblits not as good but still great
land raiders would be great if you have a pay load you want to deliver.

I think i will run a mix of all of them.

It's easier to stop a LR. Also, it doesn't come on the board in Escalation until one rolls for it.

yes and you can only fire 1 las cannon on the move.

Possessed Vindicators are the bee's knees!

Oblits are the way to go for competetive and Landraiders for fun. Oblits can dish out some serious hurt and stuck in hard cover thier like tics on a dog. Keep them at max range so very little can shoot back and slowly advance them in the late rounds to claim objectives ect.

Has anyone had any success with 4 spec. weapon havocs in rhinos? It seems like a good idea in my mind, but I get the feeling they'd be easily thwarted

Why would you take Havocs for specials when you could take Chosen and save your HS slots for other things?

good point. I forgot chosen could do that >_>

maybe take both for 27x hyper-melta-madness?

Tegeus: If one were to do a shooty Chosen (max plas or melta), what would supplement it better:
1) 3x 2 oblits
2) 2x 4ac (8 havocs) 1x 2 oblits
3) 3x havocs with max plas/melta

Shooty Chosen could be the analogue of infiltrating las/plas squads.
Then I'd go for

2) 2x 4ac (8 havocs) 1x 2 oblits

In previous SM/CSM codecies, the conventional wisdom was that lascannons for havoc squads were too expensive--and that was right. It was better to put them in tac squads. But with the new codecies that require 10-model tac squads, everybody seems to have gotten in the habit of overlooking lascannon havocs so much that they haven't gotten a second look.

The buy-in for a CSM squad to have las/plasma is now 185 minimum.

The cost for a unit of 6 chosen to have las/plasma is a bit better at 158.

But chosen pay the same as havocs for heavy weapons. So the rock-bottom deal is actually a unit of 5 havocs with las-plasma for 125 (140 with the 6th model).

A viable alternative to the 185 point tac squad is a unit of havocs with 2 lascannons at 190 for 8 models. More firepower at longer range.

Not that chosen aren't a better deal in a lot of ways (like infiltrate). But if the extra heavy slots are available, or if you need your elite slots for something like terminators, then small squads of havocs with a few lascannons are, I think, a viable replacement for the old 6-man las/plasma.

Problem is that Preds and Oblits are so much better than the havok las/plas squad...

Preds are vulnerable to single-shot kills and shaking (unless possessed, when they have BS3). The cost is comparable to havocs for comparable firepower. In an army where a pred would be the only tank, havocs would be better for that reason.

Oblits are a bit cheaper and more mobile, but very vulnerable to certain things like especially falcons. When I play Eldar I always turn my falcon guns on the oblits first, and can reliably kill 2-3 per turn. I do think that oblits work well in conjunction with havocs, because there's not going to be enough cover to accomodate 3 units of havocs. But I definitely think that 1-2 oblit units and 1-2 havoc units in an army is a stronger choice than just 3 units of oblits.

The BS 3 isn't that significan on the Pred...The TL lascannon more than makes up for the reduced BS...And a pred will likely spend at least half the time it's in game shaken, so overall you're gaining more firepower with the posession.

Why do people advocate 2x oblit? Is it cost?

Scoring-wise, models are scoring as long as half of the _wounds_ remain. Oblits have 2 wounds, so the odd vs. even debate is a non-starter.

It's because it gets fewer lascannons tied into one squad's target and costs less.

Personally I think if you're taking fewer than 3 squads of oblits, you ought to consider taking 3 per squad. E.g.

1 x 3 oblits
2 x havocs

Or something.

I think the Obliterators are better in a lot of ways...compared to havoc's.

-fearless
-deepstrike
-2+save...5+inv
-move (claim) and shoot...
- now the got a plasmacannon and a multi melta....

The only downside compared to havoc's:: the can get instant killed...

And how many lascannons do you want to give your havoc's? 4? thats about 140 points only for the lascannons! No way....

Agreed, 4 lascannons probably never worth it, but...

The cheapest las/plasma squad in the list is 5 havocs with las/plasma @ 125. It's cheaper than 2 oblits. 6-8 havocs with 2 lascannons is also a good value.

5 las/plas havocs are not bad... but it will cost your Heavy support slot..In that case its better to get 5 las/plas chosen... Infiltrating chosen can be deployed after an enemy has deployed his big tank..in this case you can inflitrate them in a direct firing line.