# How well do Dark reapers perform?



## Kalaron (Aug 4, 2009)

Hello, i have a few question about Dark Reapers: 


How good they perform overall? Or do you field them vs some armies like SM or alike? How do they perform vs IG? and vs Tyranids?

Second question, do you use the exarch? it is worthy the points for it? If you use it, do you spend points on any skill? And last, what weapon do you use him with? EML? or just stay with the Reaper Launcher? or the Tempesrt Launcher?


I was thinking to use the exarch with EML and use the skill fast shot. I know it increase the cost for a lot, but having the chance to fire twice the EML with his BS 5 i believe it will be worhty.

I ask because i have the model atm and i don't know if i should glue it with the Reaper Launcher or with the EML.

Any advice is welcome.


PD: Is it a way to be able to not glue the weapon and use any kind of magnetic thingy to be able to swap the weapon of the Exarch? Can this be done? Anyone know a page were i can read how to do it?

Thank you.


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## Concrete Hero (Jun 9, 2008)

The Army List section is for army lists only


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## bishop5 (Jan 28, 2008)

They're good defensive troops and very adept at killing Space Marines/Necrons (T4 3+ Sv)

I wouldn't bother with them against Guardsmen however as you'd struggle to kill enough to make your points back before something killed them.


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## Kalaron (Aug 4, 2009)

opps. My mistake... i ut this on the wrong forum part. 


Thank for moving it.


My apologize.


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

In general I would say: far too well. They are so OP in 5th ed.


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## steelwraith (May 12, 2009)

as a long term eldar player, i would rate the reapers as a 3 out of 5

pros - good BS, good save 3+ , excellent range and anti infantry firepower.

cons - low mobility , priority target , useless in h-h , high points cost

in general they get 1-2 rounds of effective firing then they either get mashed by long range hvy bolter or ML blast templates (or similar) or jumped by assault units and ripped apart in h-h

some of the cons can be compensated for by positioning and supporting them with another unit, but over all they cost to much for what they do and how long they are effective for.

the exach is a handy upgrade for them, definatly enhances their killing power, but does nothing to mitigate their weaknesses, or enhance the unit overall.

PS ; BLUE TACK


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## Siphon (Jan 17, 2009)

I'm not a fan of them in 5th. 

As noted above they have some very nice pros and some equivalent cons, but...

Forgot to mention the super abundence of cover saves in 5th, which means that awesome AP3 you were counting on to kill MEQ is pretty worthless since pretty much anyone and anything can get a 4+ cover save. Since you have heavy weapons you can't even move to the side to shoot and negate the cover save. These guys are a great concept, really hurting in 5th due to the ease of getting cover saves. I would pass on them personally.

If you must have them, a small squad of 3 with Exarch is the way to go with crack shot, not fast shot. This way you can at least ignore the cover saves that every single unit will have against you.

Just my opinion.


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## Calamari (Feb 13, 2009)

Crack shot and the Tempest Launcher makes me cry. My friend uses two squads of three Reapers and an Exarch with that set up. 4 AP3, cover ignoring templates put massive holes in my squads. They are expensive though so I would stick to squads of three unless you have points to play with.


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## Khorothis (May 12, 2009)

I'm not into Eldar, but I thought I had to add that cover saves aren't an everyday event, though it really isn't that hard to get some, but its still situational, and most units cannot afford to remain hidden in cover forever. And more often than not you'll be able to simply shoot someone else instead. Or just shoot the same squad, theres a nice chance he'll fail his cover save. Don't make cover saves look like 2+ invulnerable saves.

As I've said, I'm far from having even a basic understanding of the Eldar, but the Dark Reapers don't look too bad to me. They're Thousand Sons on steroids, and I love Thousand Sons. I'd definately use either one big squad or two smaller ones. Their lacking CC capabilities can be circumvented by always destroying the nearest/greatest threat to their existence (well no shit Sherlock), and not putting them too close to any table edge (mainly the ones on the sides) helps them survive surprise outflanking Plasma guns/Genestealers.

Thats my noobish 2 cents on the topic.


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## Stella Cadente (Dec 25, 2006)

darklove said:


> In general I would say: far too well. They are so OP in 5th ed.


I think you mean
"OP, when playing on an open board with only the eldar getting a hill with heavy cover on it while playing someone who has no idea what there doing"
in that situation there very overpowered, otherwise there just meh, not great, not bad, just another average unit in the game.


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## VanitusMalus (Jun 27, 2009)

I use to love Dark Reapers I started using them way back in 3rd edition. If you want to utilize them now in a game. Take an exarch with the tempest and crack shot. Try and find the most advantageous area to set them up in and take out any cowering in cover. If your opponent isn't utilizing cover then just blast whatever because outside of T6 MC or a vehicle they can pretty much kill anything. I personally think they are a great unit if utilized for what the do best, long range killing. 

Also to say a unit is crappy just because they aren't good at everything is a very silly opinion. The point of varying units is to have strengths and weaknesses. No unit is great at everything.


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## Siphon (Jan 17, 2009)

Who said they were crappy?


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## sooch (Nov 25, 2008)

Wait, what makes them useful against mech again?


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## Siphon (Jan 17, 2009)

sooch said:


> Wait, what makes them useful against mech again?


No one said anything about them being useful vs Mech.


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## Wolf_Lord_Skoll (Jun 9, 2008)

Thats the point he is trying to make :wink:


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## Siphon (Jan 17, 2009)

Ohh....you sly dogs you.:biggrin:


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## Truthteller (Sep 2, 2009)

Dark Reapers are OK troops. With an Exarch they can really punish MEQ especially if they are foot-slogging. BUT they are a Heavy choice. Eldar have lots of other very good heavy choices and that usually squeezes them out of the lists I see.

That said a friend of mine plays a unit of 3 plus Exarch (no tempest launcher) and uses them as an area denial group. It works well sometimes, but against a mech army they are a waste of points.

TT


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## Orochi (Jan 28, 2009)

Give the Exarch a Eldar Missile launcher (defeats the point of being a reaper if you give him the tempest) and fast shot. Thats 2 BS 5, str8 ap3 shots a turn.

The model now costs something like 80 points however. For 1 wound and T3...thats alot of risk.

At least with the new 3+ save they acquired they no longer become the reason people take Autocannons to tournements.

Reapers are good, but they contest heavy support with Fire prisms (for big games) and Wraithlords (for small games). However, if you know your opponent will come at you or take lots of heavy footslogging weapons, Reapers may just be what you're looking for.


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## Kalaron (Aug 4, 2009)

Thank guys


I was thinking that EML + fast shot and Tempest Launcher + crack shot are the 2 modes for the Exarch. I Worked hard yerterday and was able to put a magnetic thingy between the legs of the Exarch and so now i can swap the 2 weapons (the EML or the Tempest Launcher).


Take care.


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## Might of the Emperor (Feb 1, 2009)

Honestly, I have put them to good use, you just have to have them in a commanding position over the field. With their range, there should almost always be a target for them to take apart. As far as mech is concerned, that is where synergy comes in. Have another unit destroy the transport, then the reapers massacre whatever gets out.


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## Winterous (Mar 30, 2009)

Orochi said:


> Give the Exarch a Eldar Missile launcher (defeats the point of being a reaper if you give him the tempest) and fast shot. Thats 2 BS 5, str8 ap3 shots a turn.


How does it defeat the purpose of him being a Reaper?
2 S4 AP3 blasts which can go over cover, with Crack Shot they can re-roll to wound and ignore cover.
How is that even vaguely defeating the purpose?

I think that either that build, or the Fast Shot and EML are the two best ways to have him.
Both cost 77 points for the model *shudder*, but both are good.

Tempest molests MEQ, simple, what it's good for; and because it's a blast, it also does very well against regular infantry.

The EML adds a LOT of versatility to the unit though, not only can he take out transports quite easily (two Krak missiles at BS5 is good), but he gets two S4 AP4 blasts as well, which don't use Multiple Barrage, and also cause pinning!
Depending on how clustered a unit of MEQ is, either is good, if they're close then using Plasma is gonna do you better, but if they're spread out then Krak is more worth while.


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## Vrykolas2k (Jun 10, 2008)

I love the Dark Reapers; I take a full squad of 5, give the Exarch a Missile Launcher, Fast Shot and Crack Shot.
Most Marine players will rely on being able to assault them, but if the missile launcher takes out their silly little Rhino, they have to continue to slog through 48" of Reaper Launcher and missile fire.
Assault marines are a bit more dangerous, but with two S8 missiles and a bunch of S5 launcher hits, well, they get chewed up pretty well.
Nids and orcs, pretty much the same thing.


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## Winterous (Mar 30, 2009)

Vrykolas2k said:


> I love the Dark Reapers; I take a full squad of 5, give the Exarch a Missile Launcher, Fast Shot and Crack Shot.


Don't waste the points on Crack Shot as well, what use do you get from it?
Re-rolling to wound, and ignoring cover saves, great.
In any case where Crack Shot would be useful, Fast Shot will be either almost or MORE useful, as you're doubling your shots.

The only circumstance I can think of for using Crack Shot over Fast Shot to advantage is against people with 4+ armour and a really good cover save.


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## Vrykolas2k (Jun 10, 2008)

sooch said:


> Wait, what makes them useful against mech again?


Giving the Exarch a missile launcher.


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## Vrykolas2k (Jun 10, 2008)

Winterous said:


> Don't waste the points on Crack Shot as well, what use do you get from it?
> Re-rolling to wound, and ignoring cover saves, great.
> In any case where Crack Shot would be useful, Fast Shot will be either almost or MORE useful, as you're doubling your shots.
> 
> The only circumstance I can think of for using Crack Shot over Fast Shot to advantage is against people with 4+ armour and a really good cover save.


Like I said, I take both.
I'm used to fighting lots of scouts... every SM player here takes one or two squads of scouts.


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## Siphon (Jan 17, 2009)

Vrykolas2k said:


> Like I said, I take both.
> I'm used to fighting lots of scouts... every SM player here takes one or two squads of scouts.


Can't use both at the same time. That's at least 10 points wasted every turn. Better to pick one you like and purchase and use only that one.

I prefer crack shot over fast shot. Assuming you ignore the armor save of the target, if the unit you are shooting at has a cover save of 4+, you will hit 5/6 of the time and ignore that cover save. So, once you wound, you wound, no saves.

With fast shot you hit twice 5/6 of the time, but one of those statistically will be saved everytime. You have a pretty good chance to have both saves made or both failed.

I would rather have the one always not saved, then have the extra chance at an unsaved wound and an extra chance of all being saved.


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## Winterous (Mar 30, 2009)

Siphon said:


> Can't use both at the same time. That's at least 10 points wasted every turn. Better to pick one you like and purchase and use only that one.
> 
> I prefer crack shot over fast shot. Assuming you ignore the armor save of the target, if the unit you are shooting at has a cover save of 4+, you will hit 5/6 of the time and ignore that cover save. So, once you wound, you wound, no saves.
> 
> ...


With one of the two Reaper Launchers that's very true, especially for the Tempest Launcher 
But with the Missile Launcher, Fast Shot DOUBLES the effectiveness of te weapon, which is FAR more worthwhile than re-rolling to wound and ignoring cover, if not ONLY for the extra punch against vehicles.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Ugh, I wish people would realize that just because you're not using something every turn doesn't mean that it's going to waste. Using that logic, we should stop giving Tactical Sergeants power fists or whatever since they won't be embroiled in combat from turn one.

Taking both Fast and Crack Shot is fine. It allows you to choose which to use each turn.


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## Someguy (Nov 19, 2007)

To be honest, my instinct with these guys is to dismiss them. T3 infantry standing on the ground, who can't move and fire. If you can keep these guys alive then you are winning anyway and don't need them, or maybe you are playing against weak opponents who field MEQs against you without transports.

These guys are only good in a very narrow set of circumstances that often doesn't happen at all before they die. I don't think it's likely that you would ever take a falcon, fire prism or wraithlord and wish you had taken reapers instead. The prism in particular seems to be a better way to do the same thing from a cheaper, tougher, mobile platform.


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## buddy999 (Mar 1, 2008)

Say what u want about cost and mobility,1 good round from these guys and its happy days,definitely geared towards meqs,2 by 3 man squads with exarch,yes please


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## NecronCowboy (Jan 8, 2009)

The way I play is to obtain a clear advantage by engadging the enemy with more effectiveness than he is engadging me with. That way it's like we are playing a game where I brought more points than he/she did.

One way to do this is with mobility, if I can move a large part of my force to your flank, then I might have more effectiveness in use.

Dark reapers have a 48" range, which not only can cover the entire playing area from a central position (mobility), but will also be out of range of just about every unit the enemy has (with a few exceptions).

If fortuned, the 3+ save turns into better than a terminator save.

Of course you are going to need to keep these guys in cover.

With that said I do not use these guys, as I'm building an army for tournament play, so I don't use any low AP weapons. I prefer to beat armor saves by forcing more wounds by using shuriken weapons and scatter lasers. That way I can take on horde armies while also not losing a lot of effectiveness due to MEQs that have cover saves.

A 40 point war walker with two shuriken cannons doesn't have the range that a dark reaper does, but has just about the same effectiveness against MEQ for about the same price as a dark reaper. If a reaper is shooting at MEQs in cover then the war walker is twice as effective.

So for me I can't find a reason to take them, but when I build a defensive Eldar army they might be something I decide to take.

EDIT: One thing I would like to add is that a unit of dark reapers will draw fire from MEQ armies, and they will also probably stick to cover until the threat is removed, which could be a good thing for you.


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## Vrykolas2k (Jun 10, 2008)

Katie Drake said:


> Ugh, I wish people would realize that just because you're not using something every turn doesn't mean that it's going to waste. Using that logic, we should stop giving Tactical Sergeants power fists or whatever since they won't be embroiled in combat from turn one.
> 
> Taking both Fast and Crack Shot is fine. It allows you to choose which to use each turn.


I suppose some people just don't like versatility...
Hmmm...
And there are people who say that power fists and power weapons are a waste of points.


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