Titan Tactica

This guide is designed to show the advantages and disadvantages of various Titans, and Titan Weaponry. There are also guides on how to use your Titan efficiently and how it should perform on the battlefield.

Firstly, the main thing that can be said for all Titans is "Never send it into battle unsupported": Regardless of weaponry or stats, send a Titan into a battle on it's own, and you soon may be taking it off the table. Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield Termies, Melta-Assault Marines, Broadside Squads etc, they can all do some serious damage to a Titan if you don't have a way to deal with it. One of the best ways to deal with this is to buy a very cheap squad, like Conscripts, to stay with the Titan: move them so the enemy will have to take them out, before they can get to the Titan. If the unit gets tied up in combat, leave them. Make full use of your Titan's 12" (possibly 24" of a Warhound) movement and get it out of danger.

Some good units to back up Titans include Conscripts, Tactical Marines, Ork Boys, Guardians. You may also want to take AA support in the form of Hydras, Flakka-Dakka Gunz, and Firestorms.

Secondly, there is also the psycological effect of placing a Titan on the table. Some opponents will see the Titan, and direct all their firepower towards it, ignoring the rest of army trundling to wards him untill it's too late. The high armour values of the Titans means that it should surive the intial volley of firepower it's bound to receive.

Thirdly, while you may take units to help defend the Titan, you will also need units to assist in the Titan's offensive capability. These are usually in the form of heavy armour, as you will want something that can fire while keeping up with the Titan. Leman Russes, Land Raiders, Defilers or even Obliterators, these units' purpose is to find weak points in the enemy units and open them up, at which point the Titan makes the killing blow. Use Las-Cannons and Bright Lances to wear down Power Fields and Void Shields. Personally, I run a Shadowsword with extra Las-Cannons, which beat down the enemy Super-Heavies so my Titans can deal the death blow.

Warhound Scout Titan

The very basic and one of the most common Titans, the Warhound packs a punch while still remaining very mobile. It can take two Titan-Class weapons from a choice of four, and is protected by two void shields. The Warhound is much more mobile than any other Titan, as it can forgo a weapon firing, in order to move an extra D6" for every weapon not firing. This allows it to take firing positions, get out of danger's way etc. You can also use this extra move to get into cover or contest objectives.

Inferno Gun

This is an under-rated Titan weapon, in my opinion. It's a S7 Ap3 Hellstorm flamer with a range of 18". The fact that it ignores cover allows it to flush anything MEQ out of even the hardiest cover. Wounding Marines on a 2+, the Inferno Gun covers a large area, but with an 18" range, it may take some time to get into range, although the Agile rule means that it could get into range just a bit quicker.

Vulcan Mega-Bolter

Most people look at the stats for the Vulcan and think "OMG, 15 shots, must buy must buy etc". These people forget that the Vulcan still has to roll to hit, and although at BS4, this means that an average of 10 shots will hit. This means that it could possibly kill about 8 MEQ per turn...I think I'll stick to the Turbo-Laser. However, this is the only Titan-Weapon in the whole Imperial arsenal that can engage flyers. If you want some anti-flyer support, you could possibly incorporate it onto a Warlord, but on a Warhound it's a bit of a waste of a hardpoint. While I'm sure that there are potentials to this weapon which I don't know yet, it doesn't really pack enough "oomph" in my opinion to spend a hardpoint on it. Best left on the Stormlord to lick huge buttholes

Plasma Blastgun

This weapon has two modes, 1 10" S10 template, or 2 7" S8 templates, both at Ap2. The S10 template is primarily for cracking open vehicles, while the S8 is designed to thin down swarms, covering a larger area. This is a good weapon choice, as said before because of it's multiple fire modes. However, unlike the Inferno Gun, it does not ignore cover, meaning that the irritating anti-tank squad parked in a ruin may survive after a pummeling from the Blastgun. A good all-rounder weapon, and can even take a chance vs heavier armour.

Double Barrelled Turbo-Laser

Save the best until last. This baby lays down 2 5" Destoyer templates per hardpoint. This causes Instant Death to anyone underneath the template, and vehicles are auto-penetrated with an extra +1 to the damage chart, all ignoring cover...what's not to like? If you want superb anti-tank firepower, this is the weapon of choice, although if you find yourself facing a swarm army, it may be worth taking a Plasma Blastgun in conjunction with a Turbo-Laser, but dual Turbo Lasers are one of the most common Warhound loadouts around.

Reaver Battle Titan

The Warhound's bigger brother, the one known to be a troublemaker. The Reaver has twice the number of structure points and void shields than the Warhound, and is able to take an extra carapace weapon, usually an Apoc Missile Launcher. A downside to the Reaver is the Towering Monstrosity rule, giving the carapace weapon a minimum range of 18", and limiting the use of a Titan CCW to enemy Super-Heavies and Gargantuan Creatures only. However this same rule means it is immune to haywire and cannot be locked in combat. You get some, and you lose some.

Vulcan Mega-Bolter You may want to take a Vulcan for some anti-flyer support, although you may consider more powerful weapons on the carapace and leave flyer defence to the support squads.

Inferno Gun May perform a good role on the battlefield, although may take a while to get within range, as the Reaver does not have the Agile rule that the Warhound has.

Turbo Laser Can support the Laser Blaster by providing extra Destroyer shots at vital targets. Also provides you with backup Destroyer firepower should you lose one of your Laser Blasters.

Plasma Blastgun Just like on the Warhound, the two modes are designed for different targets.

Laser Blaster

An even more effective tank-cracker than the Turbo-Laser. You get an extra 14" of range and an extra 5" blast. With a range of 96", it can dominate a large area of the battlefield. Taking a Laser Blaster on each arm will ruin the day of any Treadhead.

Gatling Blaster

A good anti-infantry weapon. Essentially 6 Battle Cannon shots, they can cover a large area, providing you get some good scatter rolls. For this weapon, you may want the shots to scatter far and wide, ensuring they aren't all focused on one area and allowing the maximum distribution of shots. Can also wear down Void Shields

Melta Cannon

The weapon that tries to impress, but fails at the vital point. One 10" S10 Ap1 Blast that rolls 3D6 penetration under the hole, 2D6 anywhere else in the template. This weapon fails in comparison to the Laser Blaster. Although it is almost guaranteed to penetrate any armour, a bad scatter roll means that if the hole is not over the hull of the vehicle, then you'll still be using the half-strength. 2D6+5 for penetration pales in comparison to Instant Penetration. Best left in the Forge World warehouse.

Edit: Actually, I have reconsidered my opinion of the Melta Cannon, and would rank it on-par or even better than the Laser Blaster. This is mainly because of the huge area it covers when compared to the LB, and following RAW, you are always rolling S10 for damage results. If you get a direct hit on a Land Raider, or even a Baneblade, you have a 1/64 chance of not penetrating it. This weapon is also useful in games where you are only allowed a certain number of Destroyer weapons, as the 3D6 penetration certainly makes up for the Destroyer bonus.

Volcano Cannon

A 7" Destroyer Blast with 120" range. Although it has 24" extra range than the Laser Blaster, it can still be unreliable at times. It covers a larger area, but it can still roll a 1 on the damage chart, while you get 3 chances to do critical damage with the Laser Blaster. It also has to be converted, as there is currently no Forge World model for this weapon.

Titan Close-Combat Weapon

Reavers are designed for fire support, not for close combat. The TCCW gives you +3 Destroyer attacks in close combat that can only be directed at Super-Heavy Vehicles or Gargantuan Creatures. Some people may think it's a good choice, until they see the Reaver's WS2. As I already said, the Reaver is not designed for close-combat. Only take this if you desperatly want a durable CCW monster.

Apoc Missile Launcher

The most common carapace weapon, the AML can provide very long range, very accurate fire support. Ap3 means that MEQ are good targets, and, because of ignoring cover due to Barrage, it can prove to be that vital shot to flush a squad out of it's firing positions.

Vortex Support Missile

One of the most powerful weapons of the game, only downside being a 48" minimum range. It's a one-shot 10" blast with 480" range that removes anything under the template, apart from Super-Heavies and Gargan. Creatures. This weapon can remove 78" square-inches of an opponent's army instantly, regardless of stats. This is a good choice for the carapace weapon, as it can remove a vital part of his force. The only downsides are the 48" minimum range, and the fact that it is a one-shot weapon, meaning that once it's fired, you've lost 33.3% of your Reaver's firepower. A good choice, but consider other weapons before taking this.

Suggested Builds

Laser Blaster, Laser Blaster, Double Barrelled Turbo Laser: Makes a mess of any vehicle on the battlefield, laying down 8 5" Destroyer templates at 72". This is my preffered loadout, known as the "Sunburst", although I like to mess around a bit by changing the Turbo Laser with a Vortex Missile, but your experience may obviously differ.

Gatling Blaster, Laser Blaster, Plasma Blastgun: A good all rounder. Gatling Blaster focuses on infantry, Laser Blaster on vehicles, and Plasma Blastgun can go for either due to two firing modes.

Warlord Battle Titan

The largest titan, bar the Emperor. This is the bigger brother of the Reaver, the one that may show up once or twice, doing an incredible amount of damage when it does. This beast can take two Reaver or Warhound weapons on the carapace, and two Warlord-class weapons on the arms. It's protected by 6 Void Shields, and with 9 Structure Points, nothing short of another Titan is going to bring it down quickly. However, all carapace weapons have a minimum range of at least 24", meaning that, RAW wise, taking an Inferno Gun on the carapace is essentially useless. If you're playing against RAW freaks, then you may not be able to use it, although most people should allow you to play it, as the mistake is due to GW's fail in rule checking.

Plasma Destructor

Essentially a Plasma Blastgun with an extra template for both firing modes. Same principles apply to this.

Volcano Cannon

240" Range, 10" Destroyer blast, really packs a punch against any long-range fire support the enemy may have, such as Basilisks, although some may take a Laser Blaster instead due to more shots, because as mentioned before, even a Destroyer can roll a 1 on the damage charts.

Quake Cannon

Incredibly powerful weapon. 2 10" S9 Ap3 Blasts with a 360" range. Best used against groups of MEQ, as anything with a 2+ save may still be there once the smoke clears. Also good for targeting light armour and other small vehicles, such as Hellhounds, Fire-Prisms and Looted Wagons.

Emperor Titan

This is the largest war machine avaliable to the Imperium, this is the one you only hear of in legend, only seeing it probably once in your life, twice if you're lucky. 4000 points, 12 Structure Points protected by 9 Void Shields. It can carry any 6 Warhound, Reaver or Warlord weapons, with 2 additional Emperor-class weapons: The Hellstorm Cannon, Doomstrike Missile Launcher, Plasma Annihilator or Vengeance Cannon. All carapace weapons have a minimum range of 36", meaning that once enemy tank hunters get within this distance, you'll only have the Emperor weapons to protect yourself.

Carapace Weapons

See previous entries for tactica.

Hellstorm Cannon

8 7" Blasts of S9 Ap3 goodness. This weapons is almost guaranteed to cause colossal damage to anything it hits. It's just a hyped up Gatling-Blaster, although troops with a 2+ save still have a good chance of surviving it. This weapons is designed to pummell any MEQ type troop or any other light to medium armour.

Vengeance Cannon

Half the number of blasts as the Hellstorm Cannon, while being Destroyer Blasts with a much larger range than the Hellstorm. This weapon is a must for the Emperor, as it can eliminate any threat before they even get into range. 360" means that it can hang at the back of the army, relatively save from enemy troops.

Doomstrike Missile Launcher

This weapon is the weakest Emperor-class weapon, only 10 Battle Cannon shots fired as an Apocalypse Barrage at 540" range. This weapon, while lacking the Destroyer, low Ap stats of the other Emperor-class weapons, is great for pounding troops hiding almost anywhere on the battlefield...at least anywhere more than 36" away. Taking this weapon means that there's one fewer weapon to protect the Emperor within that 36" danger zone.

Plasma Annihilator

Exactly the same as the Plasma Destructor, apart from you get 6 S8 or 3 S10 blasts. This is also one of the trademark weapons of the Emperor titan, essentially a Plasma Gun the size of a tower block, and just like the Plasma Destructor, this has different firing modes for different roles: anti-armour and anti-infantry.

Weapon Suggestions

6 Vortex Support Missiles, 2 Vengeance Cannons: This beast can hang back and let loose at 360" range with 8 7" Destroyer Blasts, and at 960" range it can instantly remove 417.2 square inches on an enemies' army. Bound to cause a few sad-faces on the receiving end of this salvo!

Vengeance Cannon, Plasma Annihilator, 2 Quake Cannons, 2 Vortex Missiles, Vulcan Mega-Bolter and Volcano Cannon: A good all-rounder, Vengeance and Volcano target enemy armour, Quake cannons and Plasma can wipe out large numbers of enemy troops at long range, and the Vortex can still pack a large punch by removing the enemies' most powerful units. The Vulcan is simply there to pose a threat to enemy flyers.

Any questions or comments? Feel free to contact me - Valkyrie

Categories: Old Warhammer 40,000 Tactics