Does anyone use the Baneblade anymore?

[Oddnerd]

Hi fellow IG players, I'm curious to know if and when higher level IG players use this big clunker. I like the Elite mod teams decision to make the main cannon an actual attack and not a stupid activated ability, but otherwise I am not sold on it.

I used to get it whenever I could, but ever since I made the switch to 1-2 leman russes I haven't looked back. Russes are faster, which is huge for survivability, generally more useful than a huge HP value against many of the dangers a tank faces late game (like nobs and terminators). The russes also seem much more effective against late game units. They have a main cannon that is great on its own, but they also can upgrade to either excellent AV lascannon or amazing anti SHI or HI executioner. I know the BB has better heavy bolters, but more piercing damage just doesn't call to me at this point in the game... my other units provide plenty of piercing damage - at this point in the game I want something to crack open tanks and fend off Nobs/terminators/others of that sort. As for the demolisher - the single most terrifying anti-vehicle weapon in the 40K roster is now dealing psychic damage (0.1 x dmg vs vehicles). I just can't find an occasion to use this, other than as a luxury that lets me show off how 1-sided the game has been when I play really well.

Do any more experience IG players have opinions on the matter? Is there a common niche for the BB? I certainly don't see it anywhere close to as often as the nearly mandatory land raiders of the astartes factions. Any advice would be great.

[Sturnn]

In team games 1 and more Lemmans are imho better plus Lemmans have damage resistance (not sure about BB). BB is just one big target, especially vs Eldar and its global.
Everytime when I play vs. >1 IG I have hard time with this Lemman Russ spam

[Impregnable]

IMO it can use a req decrease of about 200 or 100 at least to make it less expensive considering its current relatively poor cost efficiency but as other people didn't seemed to agree so I decided not to press the issue. And I don't really care because I don't use it that often and IG can do without it in most situations.

However, it is not like it doesn't have any niche to fill in. I like how it performs in 2 v 2. That is probably the best game mode it can be in. With 2 people around it is easier to cooperate with each other to make most of the baneblade and maps are not so big or not so small but just adequately sized for a baneblade to move around to have some impact on the game. Also the level of firepower in 2 v 2 is just not strong enough to overwhelm baneblade in a matter of seconds if managed well so you do have some respond time compared to how it quickly banishes in 3 v 3 due to insurmountable firepower that is involved in it. Well supported baneblade sitting on central vp can be a nightmarish scenario for certain faction or hero combinations that lacks tools to deal with it in 2 v 2 and that is why I believe that mode is the best niche for using baneblade.

In 1 v 1 it is nigh impossible to use it without sacrificing many advantages you can get for not getting it so just forget about it. It is too expensive and slow to build nowadays for that sort of short timed matches.

In 3 v 3 you can use it but there are some severe limitations to keep in mind. I strongly not recommend to use it if one of these factions are in the enemy team. IG, Ork, Eldar, Nid. Well, if you ask ain't that like 4 out of 7 factions we currently have in dow2 then, I would say that is right and exactly for that reason you shouldn't try to use it unless you are trying to put the nail in the coffin or solidfy the advantage your team may currently have. So basically its main role nowadays in 3 v 3 game is line defender and a bait. Unless situations seems so good that you are 100% sure there is no risk of baneblade getting destroyed, don't use it as line pusher give that job to Leman who does it way better and safer. It stays at the back and be used to keep the line just in case defensive perimeter starts falling apart when getting counter pushed and in this way it will keep the advantage you have in your hands safe when things get flimsy.
As a bait, it is the most yummy bait in the history of dow2 so don't question its usefulness as a bait . I mean its slow and bulky and freaking dangerous when left alone so you cannot ask for a better target for focus fire. If not properly countered, it will almost turn any battle into its team's favor but no one is stupid nowadays to allow that to happen so it is a good bait. They will throw nukes on it and super heavy melees and anything of high power to kill it in a one go and people need to exploit that to wipe such high value units and make them use nukes on baneblade rather than your other valuable troops. In the end, when you have baneblade around, your other troops are much more safer so try to exploit that as best as you can.

Now will talk about in detail why it can't do these 2 jobs properly against those 4 factions mentioned above. To tell you the truth, it is somewhat usable if only one Nid or Ork is present in enemy team along with rest of the team being Chaos, SM, GK. There are times that ork or nid player spawns on the exact opposite starting point and they have to come all the way to the other side to use their advantage on it or that player is forced to have army composition that doesn't help against baneblade thx to the effort of your teammates. In these niche scenarios, baneblade can still do its job properly but once you have more than two nid or ork players on enemy team or you see addition of an eldar or ig, just don't use it for it will be a huge waste of resources.
For IG and Eldar, baneblade is a piece of cake unless you are playing a very badly losing game. A single Eldar or IG player can shut down baneblade for all enternity and turn it into a colossal pile of burning tin can in matter of seconds. IG is infamous for making baneblade useless. LC flare and smoke shell from artillery spotters constantly shut down its dps. Slow hulking tank is a delicious target for anti armor kit stormtroopers throwing melta bombs that combos well into manticore strikes. Unfortunately baneblade have that rear armor hit unlike LRR thus manticores become even more serious threat and it is too large and slow to avoid strikes. Lemans equipped with Vanquisher will hugely out range and harass baneblade all day long and will even chase it down if baneblade gets low on hp. LC execute buffing or LG buffing av troops like lascannon or auto cannon Heavy weapon squads, melta stormtroopers, ogryns hurts beyond imagination. Also that inqy running amok with invulnerability plus inferno pistol really gets on your nerves. To tip it off, oh hack I even saw a guy dropping a bunker in advance behind the narrow passage where baneblade should retreat back into so once it completes, it cannot move backward properly and eventually swarmlord chewed on the tank with delight. Eldrich nuke explains it all for eldar. They will nuke it and get the huge chunk of hp ripped off with a simple click. Then, an eldar player can have that evil smile across one's face thinking of what to use to handily destroy this symbol of hope for enemy team. Usually wraithguards will do it in in seconds and will do it even better with doom and guide from farseer. Infiltrating avatar with clock of shadows from warlock to surprise the crap out of enemy player and giggle like a maniac as our fiery godly friend take that symbol of hope down to hell in such a elegant fashion is a fun option to consider. If you are looking for a baneblade hell where all these mighty vehicles' machine spirits go to, you can combine above IG and Eldar factors together. Eldritch into manti + some av shots will even insta kill LRR so in case of our cute little bane boy, it is a unavoidable dead end.
Orks and Nids have fun times with baneblades too. Orks can use that stikkbomma stun bomb and combo into Rocks, massive rocket barrage from tank busters and usually hide da boys nobz or use yer choppas + ard boys nobz can easily finish the job. Mekboy can buff nobz further with suppa tuff beam and weridboy warpath or throw can close the distance for nobz faster if our bane boy refuses to die. Warboss has power claw, kommando nob has that awesome rocket launcher and mekboy has very hard to notice av gun so ork heroes aren't mucking about either. Nids can have some words with our bane boy with hulking swarlord and fexes with scary venom cannons. If that boy refuses to talk, we can force a face to face meeting with zoan snare and ripper swarm slowing and surely that won't be a pleasant encounter for our poor baneblade.

However, Baneblade can become that MVP of the battle if the enemy team doesn't include above 4 factions. Without above 4 factions' support, teams consisting solely out of GK, SM, Chaos can have a very very bad day trying to take down well supported baneblade. Usually for these factions, no amount of ranged damage is enough to win in a pure shoot out with a supported baneblade so will require some close inspections with melee hard av units. Problem is that these guy's nukes doesn't really help that much vs vehicles and heroes somewhat lack that punch in av to kill it in a quick fashion so case like d cannons, any hero with cc ability, avatars, GUO or some purely high level of dps laying about makes killing with units alone difficult. In order to do sth about that eleven barrels of hell is to stun it with sth and put down a nuke and try forcing your way in with both melee and long range av. Of course, this scneario does not include enemy using nukes of their own to decimate your ranged av arsenal or all of your melee av units and heroes involved in the rush getting all wiped in exchange of a baneblade who may not even die if he is lucky. Chaos suffers the worst and SM + GK combination will be better off in facing baneblades but no guarantees in killing it if there is subjugating Chaos Sorcerer with chains of torment or Inqy around with two nasty cc or avatar, guo, d cannon ready to fling your melee units away into to infinity and beyond.

In short, don't use it in 1 v 1, love it in 2 v 2 and use it against pure SM, Chaos, GK combination with good support in 3 v 3 and thanks for reading this lengthy answer for a seemingly short question .

[Dark Riku]

I use it all the time in 3v3 Demolisher cannon is great to wipe units with, especially the setupteams.

[[EL] The Emperor]

Yes I happen to use the Baneblade in almost all of my 3v3 games if its feasible (which is most of the time). The thing about the Baneblade is that it is a moving fortress but it should never be used offensively in any circumstance.

It is honestly one of the best tanks in my opinion because of how well it fits into the Imperial Guard late game play style! Set it up right on a contested victory point, place down a repair bunker, and then support it with masses of Imperial Guardsman.

If you do it right you can hold off two players at one time the only real threat to you is a well placed nuke, or Eldar players.

I hope that helps!

[Atlas]

The baneblade is nice in that it is a more efficient use of population. Idk about orks or nids nullifying BB to the level earlier described but a BB ultimately forces a team push on its position which is nice

Why don't LRs have rear arnor hits?

[Oddnerd]

Why don't LRs have rear arnor hits?

Well in the original tabletop game they have the same armour value on all sides. They have no weak points.

[Skyward Sorceror]

Well the only time you REALLY use a baneblade is when Leman Russes and Kasrkin squads can't quite get you through the enemy lines. I myself have not played any online games as of yet that warrant a super-heavy vehicle being used (METAL SLUG, Yeah I said it.). I have to admit the Baneblade also makes a very nice tanky target, and it's demolisher cannon can do some nasty work used right (Assuming the guy isn't paying attention to his men).

[bibotot]

If you are in a supply surplus, then it is definitely better to grab a Baneblade. If the fighting has launched you into a more destitute position, use Leman Russ instead.

I would always buy the Baneblade if I have the resources.