Warhammer 40K: Space Marine Unit Guide – Heavy Tanks – PRIME
Today let’s continue our in-depth look at the massive roster of Space Marine units and how to use them. Today we talk Heavy Support!
If you haven’t heard, Space Marines have a brand new (well OK, newish at this point) Codex with a truly staggering amount of units. Such a massive roster (and that’s just the units in the main codex) can be overwhelming. Luckily Marines are overall a fairly forgiving army. Still, skill is required to make an excellent list. We looked at Marine HQs and Troops, and some elites and more elites and, Throne, even more elites, and fast attack, and infantry fire support units, and battle tanks, today let’s continue our deep dive into the army and its datasheets, taking a look at the massive roster and how to best use them.
Land Raider 
The Land Raider is a heavy Space Marine battle tank/transport. It has impressive stats, with S and T 8, 16 wounds and a 2+ save. It has the expected BS 3+, but a slightly slower than average movement at only 10″. It has 6 attacks but with WS 6+ this won’t do much good. Its stats degrade as it takes damage. It is armed with a pair of twin lascannons and a twin heavy bolter. In addition, it can take a storm bolter, one multi-melta, and one hunter-killer missile. It can transport 10 infantry models, with larger models counting as two and centurions counting as three. It cannot transport Primaris Marines.
The Land Raider has a decent amount of firepower, with 4 lascannon shots plus additional weapons. The upgrades to the multi-melta and heavy bolter have really helped it out, and it significantly outclasses other older tanks like the Predator. However, like many older tanks, it is now a bit undergunned, with the Gladiator Valiant having better anti-tank firepower. Of the heavy tanks, it is likely the best at pure anti-tank firepower. It’s also a tough beast, with the Land Raider and its variants being one of the most resilient non-titanic vehicles in the game. It lacks an invulnerable save but is far harder to kill than pretty much any other Marine ground vehicle.
All of this however comes with a steep cost. A Land Raider with a multi-melta will run you 310 pts, that’s 60 pts more than a Valiant, which as we’ve said has better anti-tank firepower. It’s also almost the cost of 6 Attack Bikes, which more than double the anti-tank firepower. It’s not that it’s overcosted, it just does a lot. One of the things you pay points for is the transport capacity. The Land Raider is, however, not a particularly good transport. It’s slower than other Classic Marine transports and doesn’t really want to get close in anyway. Marines advancing on foot are about as fast. It’s the only class of vehicles that can transport terminators and centurions, but terminators are better off deep striking.
Overall the Land Raider is just on the cusp of being good but misses the mark. It’s pretty tough, has pretty good firepower and can transport things. It’s decent at all of these, but not amazing at any one of them. You can get better anti tanks units and better transports. And without an invulnerable save it can still get wiped out by enemy anti-tank (those 6 Attack Bikes will take it down in a turn on average) . It pays a ton of points for doing all of these things and so isn’t points efficient at any one of them. It’s not the worst choice, and if you have some plan to use it to transport centurions, it can work out, but most of the time it’s better left at home.
Land Raider Crusader
The Crusader is a variant of Land Raider that time has left behind. It has the same stats as the basic Land Raider. For weapons, it is armed with a pair of hurricane bolters, and a twin Assault Cannon. In addition, it can take a storm bolter, one multi-melta and one hunter-killer missile. It can transport 16 infantry models, with larger models counting as two and centurions counting as three. It cannot transport Primaris Marines.
The Crusader is another tank that used to be very good and is now underwhelming. Its weapons put out 36 shots, which seems like a lot. However, these are almost all low S low to no AP anti-infantry guns. The Marine army has, as I’ve said before, just a ton of anti-infantry weapons. A Crusader will run you between 285-320 pts. For 235 you can get a much cheaper Gladiator Reaper which has significantly more and better anti-infantry firepower. Indeed there are any number of more points efficient anti-infantry units, such as a simple unit of Intercessors. ‘
Like the basic Land Radier, much of what you pay for is the mix of guns, transport, and durability. The Crusader has a higher transport capacity than the basic Land Raider, but still isn’t a very good transport, in a game where transports in general aren’t great. This is a tank better left on the shelf.
Land Raider Redeemer
The Redeemer is the final variant of Land Raider in the core Marine book. It has the same stats as the other Land Raiders. It is armed with a pair of flamestorm cannons and a twin assault cannon. In addition, it can take a storm bolter, one multi-melta, and one hunter-killer missile. It can transport 12 infantry models, with larger models counting as two and centurions counting as three. It cannot transport Primaris Marines.
Pretty much all the things I’ve said about the other Land Raiders are true here again. The flamestorm cannons are nice MEQ killers, with AP -2 and D2, but are short-ranged and random. Unless you really need to transport things that only a Land Raider can, you’re better off not taking one. If you have to take one, the basic version is likely your best bet.
Repulsor
The Repulsor is a heavy Primaris transport/main battle tank. It is effectively the Primaris version of the Land Raider. Indeed it has very similar stats, with M 10″, S8 T8, 16 wounds, but only a 3+ save. It is armed with a staggering array of weapons, including a heavy onslaught Gatling cannon, an Icarus ironhail heavy stubber, an ironhail heavy stubber, 2 krakstorm grenade launchers, 2 storm bolters, a twin heavy botler, a hunter-slayer missile and auto launchers. It has a large number of additional weapons options, most importantly it can swap its twin heavy bolter for a twin lascannon and its heavy onslaught gatling cannon with a las-talon. It can transport 10 Primaris Marines with Gravis armor taking up 2 slots.
The Repuslor has a truly massive amount of guns. In a pure anti-infantry loadout it can put out over 52 shots a turn, making it in sheer number of shots one of the most deadly anti-infantry tanks in the game. With a more mixed load out it can throw out 4 lascannon shots, on par with a Predator but less than a Land Raider or Valiant, while still getting over 30 anti-infantry shots. At 315-345 pts it has the same issue as other heavy tanks of being deadly but not particularly efficient. It’s got enough extra shots and other bonuses, that is likely worth it over any of the Land Raider variants. But for anti-infantry duty the 100 pts cheaper Reaper is likely a better option.
It does of course have a transport capacity. It is one of only 3 Marine tanks that can transport Primaris units and the only one that can transport more than 3 Gravis models. If you really need to get a large unit of Aggressors or Eliminators across the table, this is one way to do it that can work out. Overall the Repulsor is a big investment and one you should think about before taking. It’s never going to be the most points efficient killing unit in your army, but it does have a role in certain builds.
Repuslor Executioner 
The Executioner is a longer-ranged variant of the Repulsor. It has the same stats as the basic version. It is armed with two fragstorm grenade launchers, a heavy onslaught gatling cannon, a macro plasma incinerator, a twin heavy bolter, a twin icarus iron hail heavy stubber, and auto launchers. It can swap its macro plasma incinerator for a heavy laser destroyer and take 1 ironhail heavy stubber and 1 icarus rocket pod. Its Aquilon Optics give it +1 to hit with its heavy laser destroyer or plasma incinerator. It can transport 6 Primaris Marines with Gravis armor taking up 2 slots.
The Executioner is a bit of a muddled mess, but can be quite deadly. With the right loadout, it’s getting over 50 shots a turn, which is quite impressive. The option to take a heavy laser destroyer seems to make it a decent anti-tank option, but this isn’t really the case. The laser destroyer caps out at 12 damage, and it is more likely to get you 4-5 damage. For anti-tank vehicles, the Land Raider, regular Repulsor, or Valiant are all better options. Armed with a macro plasma incinerator however it makes for a very deadly anti-infantry unit. In particular, the heavy bolters and incinerator can chew through MEQ, while the multitude of other guns can tank down more MEQ or go through swaths of lighter infantry. It’s very deadly in this role.
Clocking in at 355-375 pts the Executioner is the most expensive single model in the codex. As deadly as it is, it just isn’t really worth its points. You are also putting a ton of points into one model that can be killed before doing anything. Yes, it has a transport capacity, but it’s a horrible transport. It is slow, it has a low transport capacity and it doesn’t really want to get too close. While this was a tank that briefly ruled the tabletop, it’s currently one that you’re better off leaving to rule the shelf.
Join Us Next Time For The Transports
