Hi,

I'm comprehensively going through the Steel Legion list and getting models to use everything on it (potentially multiple times each...) just so I have that spice of variety. But the Vultures seem to stump me, how would I use them?

They're fairly expensive, but scouts and skimmers and very fast so have good reach across the field and seem great for taking and holding or contesting multiple objectives at the end of the game. So all seems great so far. But that ability is not unique them - Valkyries can do the same AND come with the fairly decent 8 Storm Troopers for 50pts more.

I'm somewhat loathe to take more and more formations whose primary purpose is to hide at the back and rush for an objective in turn 3. I already have the small manticore (fire turn 1, march into their half for breaking hold the line turn 2, fire turn 3) or bombard or basilisk or valkyrie formations to do that.

They are really expensive to use as Scouts for putting up screens or as sacrificial lambs and the guard list already has sentinels and rough riders who can do that job way cheaper (and covering more ground for the rough riders as there are 6 of them to a formation).

So. Why should I take Vultures? What do they offer me that can't be provided by something else in the Steel Legion list?

Thanks!

I don't play IG and have never played against vultures, but I've heard that they're great if you like to play with deathstrikes. You first send the valkyries forth and blast away shields of enemy titans and then retain and shoot with the deathstrikes.

This of course all depends on your opponent not being able to take one or the other formation out before you get to activate them.

Vultures are great if you have deathstrikes and shadowswords as Borka says, they're also good for starting on overwatch and covering your entire deployment zone with 8 AT2+ shots which can discourage early air-assaults

They're also good for taking down targets of opportunity, warhounds, storm serpents, void spinners, blasting all the chimeras in a mech company....

Due to their speed, they will definitely become a target for artillery and airstrikes so try to protect them, and using them sooner rather than later is usually sensible

Secondly, I wouldn't be moving manticores closer to the enemy.... fire two in turn 1, one in turn 2 and two in turn 3, they are so fragile and easily broken, putting them in harm's way is just a way to get them broken and/or destroyed

_________________
Just some guy

My hobby/painting threads

Army Forge List Co-ordinator

With my extremely limited experience (2 games, woo!) the vultures are starting to sound like they fall into deckbuilding trap from CCGs. Good but only if other cards (units) also turn up to help out. If you need other cards (units) to make your favoured card good (and can't guarantee or stack the deck to get those cards) then it's probably not a good card (unit).

It seems everything good about the Vultures is predicated on the 8 AT2+ mssiles acting in concert with other units, after that, how should they be used?

Couldn't similar results be achieved with Valkyries and their 8BP (per formation) rocket pods? Or is it the range advantage that makes the Vulture the better option for this?

well, vultures have a 120cm range rather than 30cm and while an 8BP barrage is nice and all, it lacks the concentrated tank-killing power of the vultures, vultures also have a 45cm shooting attack after they fire their one-shot missiles, rather than 30cm of valks

I've used vultures quite a bit and a double followed by shoot can hit almost anything on the table pretty hard, they are very good for shooting up engines of vaul, gunforts, warhounds, and most 5+ save APC type vehicles (rhinos, razorbacks, preds, falcons, battlewagons, speeders, vypers etc etc) they can also pop up and hit the other side of the table without needing to get into harm's way

that being said, they're probably not as good a choice as they are pretty fragile, a stormtrooper formation needs 3 times as many blast markers to break and is far less vulnerable to being engaged, but they fulfil very very different roles

_________________
Just some guy

My hobby/painting threads

Army Forge List Co-ordinator