40K: What is Wrong With Walkers?
Pimpcron explores the reasons why Walkers don’t seem to be as great as they should be.
Hey guys and gals, talking oozes and sentient gases! Pimpcron is here with another question: What’s wrong with walkers? Walkers like Dreadnaughts have been a long-standing icon of 40k and one of my personal favorite models. But you don’t see them that often in competitive settings because compared to other things, they’re just not that great. Why is that?
They are Vehicles . . . But Not Quite
Dreadnoughts tend to have all of the downfalls of regular vehicles, with almost none of the benefits. They are generally Armor 12 in the front with rear armor being 10 just like your typical vehicle. Which is okay I guess, but that armor value is not much to write home about. And they still suffer the same rear-armor draw back as regular vehicles; so they are still scared of outflanking units. But the big drawback I find between Walkers and regular vehicles is that they only move as fast as infantry and disregard shooting to run. Possibly 1 inch. So when a normal vehicle abandons all shooting, they usually are going 18” where the Walkers will only go 12”. MAX. That footslogging aspect of Walkers makes them a poor choice in my opinion.
I think Contemptors are pretty nice though.
What About Close Combat?
Walkers do fair better in close combat with your typical troop than vehicles do. But only if they are kitted out right. They have a Weapon Skill which helps defend attacks, but many regular troops carry anti-vehicle grenades stock. And if you didn’t swap out the Powerfist for a shooting weapon, then you have to make getting into close combat at least a partial priority or you’re not getting the full use out of your points you spent. And what about the number of attacks Walkers get? One? Two? Three? To me that seems a little low when you think about how many Krak grenade attacks your opponents will get against you or how many Powerklaws are in the unit you are facing. A nice part of close combat with Walkers is that they aren’t required to do failed combat Leadership checks and you can use your front armor.
And I’ve always had a problem with basic Walker attacks (without a Powerfist) not having any AP. Like, if an Imperial Guard Sentinel stomps on someone in close combat, it’s not at least AP 5 or 6 or something? You mean to tell me that all of the cloth that Dark Eldar wear can withstand being stomped by a big metal Chicken-kicker foot?
They Tried To Fix It
I know that Walkers were granted Hammer of Wrath, and vehicles now have Hull Points which arguably make them a *little* more durable. (Or maybe not, depends on who you ask) But I think one of the best examples of them trying to improve Walkers is the Maulerfiend. Some of you out there just gasped. It has 12” movement that ignores Difficult Terrain, has a 5+ Invulnerable Save, and It Will Not Die. But the downfall is when it gets Immobilized, being a strictly-close combat Walker. And the Venerable Space Wolf Dreadnaught with the Axe and Shield has a 3+ Invulnerable save which is a nice touch in durability. And now we see things like the Skitarri’s Walker rules increasing their walking and charging distance, I’ve seen first-hand what a pain for the enemy that can be.
This photo is my only constructive suggestion for fixing Dreadnaughts.
But How Could They Be Actually Fixed?
Any number of things could be tweaked to make Walkers better in general. They could have some AP in close combat even without a Fist. They could all be given the option for an Invulnerable save of some kind. They could ignore difficult terrain. Be given Shred or Hatred. Since they are venerated, legendary warriors, they could give a Leadership buffing bubble to those around them. The sky is the limit. But I seriously feel that compared to other options, Walkers in general aren’t really worth the points for the output you get from them (besides in friendly games for fun).
Agree or disagree? What thing would you do to walkers to make them universally more effective?
Want to witness my slow descent into madness first-hand? Check out my blog at www.diceforthedicegod.com
