# Best weapons for predator



## Spacedcadet (Jan 12, 2010)

Play mainly against tank heavy IG so am getting a pred to deal with them. Twin linked lascannon and side sponson lascannon the best line up? Heavy on the points but don't see the point in taking a bolter when firing at tanks. Last time was facing 7 so should have no shortage of targets.
When firing at a squadron can you fire the twin linked at one and the sponsons at another?


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## piotrasdabadman91 (Nov 7, 2009)

no idea but i want to find out too


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## Spacedcadet (Jan 12, 2010)

Almost forgot. On a drop pod, is it a good option to have a deathwind launcher when landing beside a squad of 40 IG troops? I always heard it was a waste of points but maybe not in my situation. For some reason I thought you could only fire it once, but don't see that anywhere in the codex.

Please advise


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## jesse (Sep 29, 2008)

you can fire it ONCE per turn, except for the turn it comes in
its sounds like it would work in your sitution though
i have used the deathwind launcher on the drop pods that i use when i play codex marines(which isnt often) and they at least distract your opponent for a while.

as for the lascannon predator, you have to fire guns at the same target unless specified in that untis rules(which predators are not a unit with such benefits) 
it is kind of costly but i would have at least one if you face that many tanks on a frequent basis. maybe take a devastator squad instead? i think, emphasis on think that it might serve you better. plus i think it may be cheaper too. i dont know , because there isnt a codex to be seen at my house right now

hope that helps,
jesse


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## Dawnstar (Jan 21, 2010)

Yea, the best option would be for a Lascannon Pred with Las sponsons, which is a lot of points. You would be better off using a Devestator squad instead, as it might be cheaper and would almost definantly be harder to kill


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## Spacedcadet (Jan 12, 2010)

I wonder would a dev squad be worth it. What can I use at range that has a good chance of killing a tank apart from 1 lascannon? I have ML in each tac squad and my sniper marine squad, and 2 dreads an attack bike and landspeeder all have MM.
Another question. . 5 scout snipers or 4 and a ML??


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## Jono (Feb 2, 2010)

If the Russ' are a squadron wouldn't you in theory be able to kill all 3 with 1 las pred??? 
2 side spons shots and 1 TL shot = 3 shots = (with uber rolling) 3 dead russ' in a squadron??


As for arming a pred, Dakka or Las spons/Auto cannon... I cant seem to justify replacing a 2 shot str 7 gun with a 1 shot str 9 gun for nearly as many points as it costs to stick 2 las cannons on the side of the thing and still keep the str 7 auto cannon. As for TL las/ Las spons, for that many points you may as well use a LR as a transport for your marrines instead of a Rhino. LR only comes out slightly more than Pred + Rhino (costs less $$ ££ though) and still gives you las cannon punch and one seriously hard to move home objective holder. Won't die as fast as a pred either


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## ItsPug (Apr 5, 2009)

Manticores and other ordnance like 'Raiders though, as its hard to miss them with their large footprint. I'd say your better going AC/LC as most of my tanks will only have armour 12/10/10. point for point its your best bet, you can almost get 3 AC/LC's for the price of 2 tri-las preds, although you do use all your slots its much more effective.

@Jono

Whoever takes 3 russes in a squadron is just asking for trouble, it should never be more than 2.


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## Chumbalaya (May 17, 2010)

I'm a big fan of the Dakka Pred. Autocannon turret and HB sponsons generates a ton of shots to kill infantry or go after light armor, for only 85 points.

If you want to bust tanks, this works just fine for cheap. Consider LC sponsons to help against armor and keep costs down. Remember that lascannons aren't all that hot against heavier armor. MM/HF or Typhoon Speeders, Rifleman (dual twin autocannon) Dreads, and Razorbacks all work nicely against vehicles.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

I'm personally a fan of the Predator Destructor (autocannon turret) with lascannon sponsons. It's an excellent transport hunter, doesn't break the bank and can be a little bit flexible by gunning down medium infantry or making attempts at heavy vehicles or Monstrous Creatures. About its only weakness is the need to remain stationary to fire all full effect, but that's something that all Predators deal with.

The Dakka Pred mentioned above is really good too, as it can gun down infantry like nobody's business. Personally though, I like most if not all of the units in my army to have a good chance at cracking open a vehicle if need be, so I go for the above variant.


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## Spacedcadet (Jan 12, 2010)

Thanks guys. Think I'll go with the AC/LC set up. I have a LRC to help deal with infantry so I think a Dakka pred is out.

Where does it say you can't fire the deathwind on the turn u land? Have read the drop pod section in the codex over again but can't find any mention. I do remember reading something (thought it was 1 shot per battle) but can't remember where. This might make a big difference wheather I go for it or not.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Spacedcadet said:


> Where does it say you can't fire the deathwind on the turn u land? Have read the drop pod section in the codex over again but can't find any mention. I do remember reading something (thought it was 1 shot per battle) but can't remember where. This might make a big difference wheather I go for it or not.


It's actually in the main rulebook. Vehicles that Deep Strike count as moving at Cruising Speed and only Fast vehicles are able to shoot weapons while moving at Cruising Speed.


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## Kirby (May 16, 2010)

I'll second the use of both Dakka and AC/LC Preds. Whilst in the OP's case the AC/LC Pred is a better bet here. Both of these variants offer up some degree of flexibilty and are very good against their targets of choice (Dakka = infantry; AC/LC = medium/light tanks) whilst not being hugely expensive.

+ AV13 <3


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## Jangalak (Feb 1, 2009)

Hi Spacedcadet, i too have the pleasure of pitting Ultramarines against Armour heavy IG regularly so i would be really interested to hear how you get on with the pred against them.
In the past i have ignored lascannons against the Leman Russ because of that AV14 front armour (which is what i am shooting at nearly every time). On the basis that i would need 3+ to hit (not bad odds), but a 5 to glance and a 6 to penetrate. 
Instead I have tried DP dreadnoughts with Multi-meltas and melta guns, DS termies next to them, or rolling termies in a Raider at them. These have all had varying degrees of success, the land raider option (with a lot of other vehicles flying toward them has been most consistent) but my best tactic of all after a year of trying to take out three Leman Russ per game was to ignore them!
I found that i was getting fixated on them in Obj games (where their slow movement kept them out of my way) and in annihalation games (where there were much easier kill points to be had).
I now feel i have the measure of them in onj games, but am still getting nailed in annihalation by them so I would be really interested to hear how you get on.


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## mercer (Jun 6, 2008)

I've tried a mix of predators over the years and I think the autocannon and lascannon combo is probably the best all rounder.

The all dakka pred is ok but still doesn't fire enough shots to seriously harm hordes. I'd rather pay the extra and get a vindicator. Bad thing also is if it moves you can only fire one weapon, so it's very static. I used to add on a storm bolter for added support when moving but still doesn't do a huge amount.


I tried the full lascanon setup sometime ago. It works well but costing points is what it does which is down to the twin-linked turret. For a extra shot that turret isn't worth it over the sponson cost price.

The autocannon and lascannon is the best for anti tank, and build I think. It does the damage against tanks though the autocannon may struggle but it's not costing as much as the tri-las and does the job unlike the dakka pred which hasn't got enough power.

That's my thoughts anyway.


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## Grinnsira (Jan 5, 2010)

as for squad Russes yes you could hit/take out a squad of 3 with one tri-las pred. If all 3 shots hit, roll to pen. If you got 3 glance or pens then one has to be assigned to each Russ. Roll on the damage table for each one seperately.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Just a head's up - the all-knowing Stelek has decided that we (meaning Blood Angel players) are all morons for fielding Predators.

You can read all about it here.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

I've found all four possible loadouts for a Predator (Annihilator or Destructor with either heavy bolter or lascannon sponsons) are equally useful. My personal preference is the Annihilator with heavy bolter sponsons, purely because it's tactically flexible and the cost isn't as prohibitive as an Annihilator with lascannon sponsons. I've come to realize that, at least in my case, tactical flexibility trumps all other considerations, and the ability to handle any threat at any point makes the configuration shine over the others, such as the classic Destructor (often referred to as the "dakka pred") or the more single-minded standard Annihilator. 

For Blood Angels players, the configurations end up working slightly differently due to the overcharged engines. I think I'd still favor the same Annihilator with heavy bolter sponsons, but the ability to move and potentially put two lascannon shots on a target is also hard to pass up despite not being particularly useful against infantry. The Baal Predator is really the best heavy weapons platform the Blood Angels have, though, since a twin-linked assault cannon is still a viable anti-tank weapon, and heavy bolter sponsons or heavy flamer sponsons rack up quite a tally against infantry as it drives around. As a Fast Attack choice, though, it's sort of out of the considerations, I think-- it's not competing for a spot in the army with other tanks, but with things like Land Speeders and bike squadrons.

-Edit-
Oh, and Stelek is a twit.


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## Chumbalaya (May 17, 2010)

Oh Stelly, always causing trouble.

He does raise an excellent point against Preds in BA mech lists. They're still handy in other marine armies and BA hybrids.


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## SPEEDY (Jun 4, 2010)

I run mine TW/LC + LC/SS now but I always used to run TL/LC + HB/SS in a more blended army.
I find that building an army to fight "an army" never really works out and I try for something a little more balanced so it will handle "all armies"

But in your case I would go a Landraider, they handle tanks pretty good and for some reason always seem to be left on the bord at the end of the day and get the right troops in hand to hand fast.

Another good option that has hit me hard a few times is jump troops and character's with Melta guns and or melta bombs, really ruined my day a few times.


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