Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Orks(8E)

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This is the current Edition's Ork "tactics". 7th Edition Tactics are here.

Why Play Orks

Because everyone loves them and, of course, because green is best. If you want a melee horde with an awful lot of noisy but inaccurate shooting, crazy gadgets, and makeshift giant war machines, the Orks have got you covered.

Pros

  • "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!!!!!!"
  • Gone are the days of always striking last. Orks' biggest weakness in close combat just went up in smoke because we can hit first if we charge.
  • Instead of furious charge pretty much everything has +1str so you don't lose your punch after the charge and warbosses get an impressive str12 with a claw.
  • Can you say 121 attacks on the charge? Ghazghkull can say 151. If you cast Warpath, that's 181, from 29 boyz an a Boss Nob. (Alternate take: math hammer is fun and all, but with the new rules for who gets to fight, it will be a very unique situation that a full mob of 30 boyz reach their destination unmolested and all get in close enough to fight. That said, you can reasonably expect 40-60 attacks per round. Remember to ask to borrow your opponents' dice) - not so unique with Da-Jump
    • For extra stilton with your cheese, take an understrength (8 boys and a nob) unit as an aux detachment -1 CP, at the end of your movement phase join that with a 29+1 nob boys mob (chapter approved stratagem 1 cp) + warpath, ghaz, greentide, choppa and you have 236 attacks........ Fun but ultimately extra 24 attacs are not worth CP when you get 212 from those units charging separatly at the same target. If 212 A will not kill it 236 will likely not do it too.
  • 'Ere We Go! is like old Fleet on a charge. As of core rules FAQ 1.1, You MUST reroll both dice, not just one of them
  • Quantity over quality in firepower makes for great overwatch performance if you happen to be on the other end of a charge.
  • Unmatched Leadership for troops and all units near said troops due to the new Mob Rule. Fearless is back, ladz!
  • Extremely point efficient troops, possibly the best point for point in the game again.
  • Almost all our guns are Assault, meaning we can Advance (run) and still shoot them at -1 to hit.
  • Since our accuracy is already in the can, a -1 to hit isn't that big of a deal.
  • Template weapons are gone, their new rules are abysmally poor at dealing with the enormous amounts of bodies Orks can churn out. It's a good edition to field hordes. The Green Tide rises.
  • No need to keep your 30 Boyz spread exactly 2 inches from each other at all times anymore because, again, templates are gone.
  • You can farm command points like there is no tomorrow. It is relatively easy to go for a full brigade detachment in 2000p games, giving you a juicy 12 command points.
  • Ghazghkull has an invuln save again!
  • Conversion opportunities: Most of your mechanical units can be customised or even scratch-built out of almost anything you've got lying around and still fit in, and you'll always have uses for all those spare parts on sprues.
    • Orks are probably the most customisable army in 40k. Google converted orks and you can get pages upon pages of beautifully converted models that just looks simply astounding. Most players who a converted ork army will just love you for putting in that effort. Be prepared to be the center of attention for 1-2 minutes.
    • Converting ork models, especially vehciles, could potentially save you hundreds of $$$$. GW charge through the nose, and you could go around this by turning that childhood truck into an ork trukk. As long as you put actual effort into it, and are willing to put at least some money into the conversion, and not just turn a coke can into a deff dread by adding sprues to it - people won't mind.
    • GW has a tournament rules that states that at least 50% of an model must belong to GW kits to be eligible for play. So keep that into consideration when converting.

Cons

  • Still no new codex ;(.
  • 5" movement across the board for most infantry. "WIY AINCHA ADVANSIN, YA GIT!"
  • Abysmal Ballistic Skill, Orks only hit on 5's and 6's. "OI! YA FORGOT DA FLASH GITZ, YA GROT!", Orks are supposed to be able to make up for this with volume of fire, "DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA" but are totally unable to do this on the table top.
  • Template weapons are gone, so the only way you could actually hit something reliably in the shooting phase is gone too. Burnas still auto-hit, but they're now D3 to every other flamer's D6 hits. Skorchas (your proper flamethrower) are effective, but are also expensive and limited to Kombi-weapons and vehicle mounts.
  • Your opponent will hate you if you actually use the literal buckets of dice at your disposal.
  • Looted vehicles still have no rules outside of Counts As and the cuckoo crazy world of Open Play.
  • Units can now resolve Overwatch as many times as there are units charging you until one of them finally makes contact, so footslogging units of Boyz can be at a bit of a disadvantage if you somehow keep failing charges despite 'Ere We Go!
  • Requires very large numbers of models to play properly, so prepare to sell a kidney or two.
  • Some units still ridiculously overpriced for what they do. This is a thing for most armies if it's any consolation.
  • Many over costed wargear options. Currently if you start taking extra gubbinz and dakka you are just stopping yourself from taking more boys (which actually help you win games), this is a big design flaw for the army.
  • Rather weak buffs from characters in comparison to crazy things other armies have. They are not terrible but rather low mid leven in comparison to things like rerolling to hits or to woulds. "EH? MOOV, ADVANS, DAKKA, CHARJ? FANK GORK AN MORK FER DA WARBOSS. "
  • Exactly 3 sources of Inv saves in entire book (still better than 7th edition). Kustom Force Fields, which got nerfed and are hard to use with bigger assault units (and still do not work in CC), Ghazgkhull, and Badrukk. In the meantime everyone else gets tons and tons of inv saves.
  • Rather limited number of reliable sources of mortal wounds witch is only real counted to inv spams.
  • Fairly limited tactical options. There are two ways to play Orks right now. either massive blobz of boyz or dread mob. Period. Most special units are situational and are mostly support to deal with particular targets, but either way you need a lot of boyz (60 to 90 in maxed units minimum) or a lot of walkers to have a chance of winning.
  • Commander Farsight acts as a pretty serious hard counter to Orks.
  • Serious lack of anti tank. Orks really struggle against some of the tougher, high wound models in the game. An if you face tanks with fly you are screwed basically as you cannot tie them up to deny shooting.

Faction Keywords

The core shared keyword here is, of course, ORKS. The other major one is the wildcard <CLAN>. Apart from a few special characters with predetermined clans (and Flash Gitz because they're showoffs), this keyword is entirely up to you for each unit. Making sure they're all in the same <CLAN> will allow the boyz to share any special rules and benefits based on that <CLAN> keyword.

Special Rules

In general, all your units have these. Exceptions are noted below, the biggest of which are: All Flyers and Lords of War, most Heavy Support, and Gretchin.

  • 'Ere We Go!: A unit with this rule can re-roll failed charge rolls. You must reroll both dice, not just one of them as of core rules errata/FAQ 1.1
    • Also, remember you can only reroll a die once - so no using a Command Point reroll to fix a charge that failed after an 'Ere We Go! reroll.
    • Some Mathhammer: Since 'Ere We Go! is so critical to Orks this edition let's work out exactly how likely a given charge range is, especially at that crucial 9" range following a deep-strike(or to avoid flamers), compared to regular chumps like Space Marines.
Chance of a Successful Charge:
Range 3" 4" 5" 6" 7" 8" 9" 10" 11" 12"
Gits 97.2% 91.7% 83.3% 72.2% 58.3% 41.7% 27.8% 16.7% 8.3% 2.8%
Orks 99.9% 99.3% 97.2% 92.3% 82.6% 66% 47.8% 30.6% 16% 5.5%


  • This gives us a pretty clear usage guideline: Orks are great at the middle-range charges, with your 80%+ "good" charges reaching two extra inches, but the 9" deep-strike charge is still pretty tough. You are almost twice as likely to make it, but it's still only an even 50-50 shot. Don't forget that a 9" charge will also circumvent overwatch fire from most flamers (overwatch is always fired when you initiate the charge, and fails if you're out of range), so it may occasionally be worth risking it in normal play as well. For Orks, a 9" charge is a risky but viable play, only a little tougher than a 7" charge for a regular army, rather than the desperate gamble it is without a reroll.
  • Mob Rule: A unit with this rule may use its model count in place of its Leadership stat, and may also inherit the Leadership of any ORKS unit within 6".
    • Essentially, as long as a unit either is, or is near, a large mob of boyz it is almost immune to morale due to having Ld 30.
    • It's about time Orks got this back, they were hurt a lot in 7th edition by their crappy morale rules.

Power of the WAAAGH! Discipline

This is the only psychic discipline table your Weirdboys can use. You can either roll randomly, or choose one. Don't forget every psyker also automatically knows Smite.

  1. 'Eadbanger: WC 6. Targets the closest model within 9". If you can beat their Toughness on a D6, they die instantly.
    • Amazingly effective if you can get into position - with the loss of Eternal Warrior, there is no defense against this unless your opponent has T6 or more.
    • Particularly good for avoiding wound negation effects like Nurgle's Disgustingly Resilient. Unfortunately as it only hits the closest visible enemy model within 9" it is very hard to effectively do right and it is mostly useless. Skip it.
  2. Warpath: WC 7. A friendly ORKS unit within 6" increases its Attacks stat by 1 until your next Psychic phase.
    • You're all about high body count units; this gives you +1 Attack per body. It shouldn't be necessary to explain why this is amazing.
  3. Da Jump: WC 7. A friendly ORKS INFANTRY unit within 6" is removed from the table, and set back up anywhere more then 9" from enemy models. The unit counts as having moved for the purposes of any other rules, e.g. firing a Heavy weapon.
    • Put any infantry unit you like in charge range of anything on the board - and with 'Ere We Go!, you have a solid chance to make the charge too.
    • You can also use this to pull ranged units like Lootas out of melee if they get caught. They count as having moved, but it's better than using a Fall Back move and not being able to shoot at all that turn.

And since everyone gets Smite, here it is for reference.

  • Smite: WC 5. Targets closest enemy unit within 18". Inflicts D3 mortal wounds, or D6 mortal wounds if the WC roll was more than 10. It is very good especially if you have multiple weirdboyz. It will nicely circumvent those pesky inv saves, and since you have preciously little in lines of mortal wound sources it is quite effective. If there are no good da jum (for example everything that should be is in CC) targets always use this (there are very few instances where there are no good targets for Warpath).

Warlord Traits

There are currently no faction specific warlord traits for Orks. We got one from Chapter Approved! They inherit these from the generic list in the core rulebook:

  1. Legendary Fighter: If the Warlord charges in the Charge phase add 1 to their Attacks until the end of the Fight phase.
    • As your boss will likely be getting stuck in with the lads, you probably want this. An extra PK swing is nothing to scoff at, and Ghazghkull with this bad boy has an impressive 7A on the charge.
  2. Inspiring Leader: Friendly units within 6" of the Warlord add 1 to their Leadership.
    • Mob Rule will generally make this utterly pointless there is little to no difference between Ld 30 and 31.
  3. Tenacious Survivor: Each time this Warlord loses a wound, on a 6 he doesn't lose it.
    • Ignoring one wound in six isn't fantastic, but it's one of your only defenses against mortal wounds. Might want this if your opponent can produce a lot of them.
    • Only consider this trait if you don't plan on running Painboyz in your army - Dok's Tools makes this trait useless.
      • RAW, they stack. You get two 6+ ignore rolls. Dok's Tools explicitly doesn't stack with itself (because of how it's worded, having multiple Painboys in range of one unit doesn't get you more rolls), there's nothing to say wound ignore rolls don't stack in general.

The new one from Chapter approved is:

  1. Might is Right: Grants your Ork Boss +1 Strength. May seem minor at first, but this applies BEFORE you grant the x2 Str from a Power Klaw or Killsaw. This means that any attacks your boss lands will be at strength 14, which means you can wound a Rhino at a 2+, rather than a 3+. This is awesome. If your enemies got a transport thats annoying to crack, just plant your boss next to a squad of Boyz, get your can-opener ready and charge in. On the other hand it is relatively situational in comparison to +1A on the charge or extra stacable 6+ save.

Stratagems

There are currently only two, and both are crap, but hopefully with full codex that will improve.

  1. DAKKA! DAKKA! DAKKA!: Use this Stratagem before an ORK INFANTRY or BIKER unit from your army shoots in the shooting phase. Each hit roll of 6+ grants an additional shot with the same weapon for 1CP. Decent but resoundingly meh and preatty useless for 1 CP. Orks are already strangely unable to pump out a lot of shots bar a few units so the "another shot for a 6+" instead of just another hit is not amazing. A unit that can reroll misses will be the likely candidates for this stratagem. This basically makes it a tankbusta specific stratagem, even one more additional hit for a rokkit or squig could be totally in theory worth the CP. A 30 mob of shoota boys, flashgits, lootas and a gorkanaut (A GORKANAUT AINT INFANTRY YA GIT!) could also see some use out of it but for 1CP you shouldnt expect much to come of this. After doing some math and testing it is really meh. Maxed Lootas for example would get only 2,5 extra hits from this provided they rolled 3 on number of shots. 30 shoota boyz get extra 3,3 hits (assuming all models have shootas). Maxed unit of Tankbustas will get extra 1,38 hits from orks and one or two extra hits from squigs. This strategem is just not worth spending CP on unless someone farmed for them so much he struggles to spend all of them during the game.
  1. Mob Up!: Use this strategem and one friendly ork infantry unit that is less than 10 10 or less models may combined with one ork infantry unit that has at least 10 models. They must share the same datasheet, so no combining kommandos and stormboyz. Costs 1cp. Could be useful combining two injured ork boy units later in the game to keep up that Mob Rule leadership, but it's very situational. There is no specified limit to how many models are allowed in a unit using this strategem, meaning you can use it to create a giant, overstrength unit over time. This can help distribute psychic powers like Warpath (this is actually one of only 2 legitimate uses of this strategems) and Da Jump (but since it requires time to do you probably better just run forward) over more models in a single use, and makes conga-lining to support characters easier. Still it is relatively situational as it requires a lot of game turns (wich are limited) and a lot of CP's. One use that could be worth spending CP is VP denile in games where killing units give VP, sice when you combine more units enemy gets only single VP for all those units. In close match games it can help a lot. Overall nothing major. If diferent units could be combined or if it could be used prior to starting the game it would be much better.Just take a mob of 30 Boyz, grab a bunch of 10-count units of Boys, place them beside each other during set-up, and laugh as your 100 model Boyz unit steamrolls everything in its path. This is a complete waste of time, models, and command points from a strategic standpoint, but what would a REAL Warboss do?

Wargear

Relic

Eadwoppa's Killchoppa: Our only current relic choice thanks to Chapter Approved. Replaces a Big Choppa (which just went down from 9 to 7 points each, yay). S+2 AP -2 D3 Dmg. Each roll of a 6 to wound inflicts D3 mortal wounds instead of the regular D3. A great weapon for a Warboss as it gives you a lot of offensive potential without the -1 to hit that the PK gives. Those mortal wounds will scare other characters. Ooga Booga. Nice thing especially on a budget. Still Zagshark claw is waaaay superior and if you bring Ghazzy his Kustom Claw is gold even without mortal wounds.

Infantry

Choppy Weapons

  • Big Choppa: A slightly better Choppa with S+2 AP-1 D2 in exchange for the free attack. It is quite nice especially as it does not confer -1 to hit of PK and S6 (for nob) or S7 for Argosa AP -1 is quite decent for maiming things that are not TEQ or vehicles.
  • Choppa: The Orky Chainsword, free attack and all. Your bread and butter, and what makes both Stormboyz and boyz so good.
  • Power Klaw: Still our Swiss Army Knife. Will rip and tear gits of all sizes, doing the exact same as before at the same point cost. Initiative is gone, so enjoy striking first with Strength 10 if you charged. The con this edition is that a PK reduces the user's to hit roll by -1, but Orks hit on 3s this edition as opposed to on 4s previously, so the difference is minor. It is quite expensive but quite worth it for heavy duty which as usual in Ork book is in high demand NOT AS OF THE CHAPTER APPROVED. It's now down to 13 points a claw, almost halving the price. This means the amount you can field at once is almost doubled. No more having that one Nob with just a big choppa! Outside of Tankbustas this is most effective way to open vehicles and TEQ units. Drop in point is awsome but smurfs got it better as always. Still we are army that can potentially mass field PK. Meganobz are especially happy about this as this makes them that much viable.
  • Killsaw: Trades out the 1d3 damage of the Klaw for a flat 2 damage and an additional point AP (Boosting the total to -4). It can only be equipped to Warbosses, Meks, or Meganobz, so it takes a bit of effort to get the most use out of it. In general, stick to the Klaw unless you have a way to get your Mek/Meganobz into melee with an armored vehicle quickly.

Shooty Weapons

  • Big Shoota: An Assault 3 Bolter with S5. Not as good as a deathspitter anymore.
  • Kombi-Weapon with Rokkit Launcha: With the new rules for Combi-weapons, this allows these weapons to see a lot more use as they don't have to be so tightarsed about their anti-tank weaponry.
  • Kombi-Weapon with Skorcha: New Combi-weapons rules help here too, especially since the auto-hitting Skorcha isn't affected by the -1 to hit for firing both weapons. And, since the Skorcha part also ignores your Orky BS5+ it is one of more effective shooty weapons in our army. Skorchas are also vastly superior to the not-so-great Burnas. Also due to being assault weapons models carrying them can actually effectively burn things after running. If you run tho forget about shoota part. Still it will hit on 6+ without moving so better rely on scorcha.
  • Kustom Mega-Blasta: The Orky equivalent of Plasma. Orks of course only fire on maximum charge, so you'll always be taking mortal wounds on 1s to hit. S8 AP-3 D D3 means this packs a fierce punch. But Rokkits are same S one less AP, give you reliable 3 wounds instead of D3 and will not wound your models. On the other hand Kustom Mega-Blastas are much cheaper. Its bigges downside is one shot on BS 5+.
  • Kustom Mega-Slugga: A Plasma Pistol by any other name. As above, but Pistol class so you can shoot it in melee.
  • Kustom Shoota: Essentially an Assault 4 Shoota. It is very cheap at 4 points and with 4 shots you will usually hit at least once co good one for orky shooting.
  • Rokkit Launcha: The prime anti-anything necessary with S8 AP-2 D3, pricey but very good if it hits, wich is not an easy thing with BS 5+. Tankbustas special rule helps here tremendously.
  • Shoota: Basic Bolter-tier gun. Free assault 2 S4 AP0. Not that great but with 30 boyz and nob with kustom shoota you still get 62 shots still gets us on average 20 to 21 hits. Still on boyz it is vastly better to go slugga/choppa.
  • Slugga: It's a Bolt Pistol. Always remember to shoot in CC. Hitting on 5+ is not that great but those few free wounds are always good thing.

Vehicles

Choppy Weapons

  • Deffrolla: Battlewagon hits on 2+ in close combat with this? With AP-2? We can run over guys again! With this it might be decent idea to stick a Battlewagon in CC after emptying with something that is not dedicated vehicle killer. It will be stuck but it will be protected from shooting.
  • Dread Klaw: Like your standard Power Klaw, but it always does 3 damage and doesn't impose a hit roll penalty. Each one adds one extra attack increasing Deff Dread A output at expense of its mediocre shooting.
  • Grabbin' Klaw: Hits only once, but at -3 AP and D3 damage.
  • Kan Klaw: Like a Dread Klaw, but it increases your Killa Kanz strength by 3 instead of doubling it and no extra attacks.
  • Killsaw: The Orky chainfist. Units that can equip a pair get a bonus attack if they do. Expensive but even better can opener than PK.
  • Klaw of Gork (or possibly Mork): A huge Klaw for your Gorkanaut (or possibly Morkanaut). Comes with 2 attack profiles:
    • Crush: Sx2 AP-4 D D6. Hits like a tonne of bricks.
    • Smash: Doesn't boost the Naut's strength, only has an AP of -2, but it does cause 2 guaranteed wounds per hit. Which is handy, since it lets you make 3 hit rolls for each Attack.
  • Mega-choppa: A Stompa's go-to carving weapon. Like the Klaw of Gork (or possibly Mork), it comes with 2 attack profiles:
    • Smash: Double's a Stompa's strength. Has a -5 AP. Causes 6 wounds per hit. Double S is inconsequential as there is nothing with T10. 6 wounds guarantee are nice if you need exactly that but more attacs are usually better. So you might want to use it for -5AP mostly.
    • Slash: Only user strength, with a somehow lower AP than a Power Klaw (-2 as opposed to a klaw's -3), does D3 wounds per hit instead of the Smash's 6, BUT it lets you make 3 hit rolls for each Attack.
  • Spinnin' Blades: D3 hits for each attack with this weapon, at +1 strength.
  • Wreckin' Ball: Gives S+1 and AP-1 for a whopping 3 points. Can only hit with this weapon a maximum of 3 times, which is the maximum amount of attacks a Trukk can make, the unit most likely to have one anyway. At 3 points a pop these are not bad to throw onto any Trukks you're running if you've got some floating points to spend. Can help you actually deal damage if you decide to slam a Trukk into an opponent's shooty vehicles. Puts it up to S7 in the first wound threshold which wounds most Space Marine vehicles on a 4+ and reduces their armor save to a 4+. If you charge a Dreadnought though don't expect the Trukk to survive the 'Dread's turn to fight. Frankly since trukks die so fast it is probably better to get that extra grot.

Shooty Weapons

  • Bubblechukka: Distilling the Orks' random table FUN* down to a single weapon. Roll 4d6, then take it in turns with your opponent (you first) to assign the results to the weapon's Strength, AP, Damage and number of shots. You reroll the dice and do the assignments every time you fire it. Still more useful than last edition. Note that you have to pick the target you're shooting before you know the stats of the weapon, which makes this thing a risky affair. Its total lack of reliability is quite terrible and with orks (or Grots in some cases) typical BS expect enemy to allocate number of shots to 1.
  • Kannon: Your day to day cheap as chips Kannon. Shells come in familiar Frag and Krak varieties, although the Frag equivalent is S4 rather than 3.
  • Kustom Mega-Kannon: A giant D6 shot overcharged plasma gun. Mortally wounds itself on hit rolls of 1, because Orks don't fire plasma guns on low power. Probably one of better choices for Mek Gunz.
  • Lobba: Similar to other races' Mortars, Heavy D6 indirect fire. The Lobba, however, has an above average Strength of 5 that should help offset your gunners' terrible BS (even if it's still AP0). Ignoring line of sight helps with positioning it tremendously.
  • Smasha Gun: Wounds if you equal or beat their T on 2d6 instead of rolling normally. Obliterates T6 and below, becomes ineffective at about T9 and up (and obviously can't hurt anything with a T>12). Statistically, compared to a regular D6 roll, this works out at the same wound probability vs T10 as an S5 weapon (6+ on 1d6, 16.67%) - but conversely, against T4, you've got better odds of wounding than a 2+ on 1d6 (~91% compared to 83% - it's halfway to the 97% chance for 2+ with a reroll) and you're at better odds than a 3+ on 1d6 against T6.
  • Traktor Kannon: D6 rather than D3 damage against FLYERS. VEHICLE FLYERS killed by this weapon automatically Crash and Burn (or equivalent), no rolls required. Not as awesome as is previous edition but still can be useful in flyer rich environment.
  • Zzap Gun: 2d6 Strength, rolled on every shot. Normally does 3 Damage, but if you get an 11+ on the Strength roll, it inflicts four mortal wounds instead - three to the target and one to itself. If you're feeling lucky, consider keeping a Mek with a heavy weapon nearby to fix the damage (buy him a snazzy shoota so he can join in the long-range blasting).

*Individual definitions of FUN may vary.

Unit Analysis

HQ Units

  • Warboss: Rocking double the wounds he had in previous editions, this Orky beat-stick is a sidegrade from his days of 7th edition. Automatically comes with a shoota that pumps out double the number of shots that a standard one comes with (though he still hits on a 5+...) and can smack his opponents around in melee with a 2+ WS, a high strength value (which is automatically increased to an 8, thanks to the fact he comes with a Big Choppa by default) and the option to replace his melee weapon with a Power Klaw (Because every Ork Warboss deserves to hit at Strength Fucking 12.) Can take options from the Shooty Weapons, Choppy Weapons and, naturally, an Attack Squig (which you should always take - two additional S4 AP-1 attacks might not sound like much, but Attack Squigs cost 0 points - you're missing out on free stuff if you don't take one). Comes with the WAAAGH! ability (which is written as Waaagh! in the book), which allows friendly ORK INFANTRY to charge in the Charge Phase, even if they'd already advanced, provided they're within six inches of him. Additionally, he has the Breakin' Heads rule, which allows nearby units of the same <CLAN> to count as having passed a failed morale check at the cost of suffering D3 Mortal Wounds. This is mostly inconsequential as anything in range of this ability is also in range for Mob Rule, and can at the very least borrow the Warboss's Ld8 (if they don't already have a better Leadership from a big mob of nearby Boyz, which they should). It might save you in a rare edge case with small units of multi-wound models (Bikers and the various Nobz) that took both massive casualties and a terrible morale roll in the same turn, but generally it's useless on anything that's not a unit of Gretchin. try having your last 30 man unit lose 15 guys in a turn, you'll love this rule! If you are left with only one unit of boyz you are screwed either way.
    • This guy is an absolute beast in melee. With initiative gone, this Ork can cause intense amounts of damage on the charge without having to hope that he survives the enemies' swings first. Get this guy into melee and watch him strip off wounds left and right from any model unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of his Power Klaw (which has the potential to cause a maximum of 12 wounds). Unfortunately his "command" abilities are pretty weak compared to characters from other factions.
    • Bone stock, 5 of these guys are 275 points and already have big choppas 340 points because you need to pay the points for that big choppa and kustom shoota (you can replace the kustom shoota with a shoota to save 4 points per warboss bringing it down to 320). 400 points with power klaws and shootas. In a brigade detachment that is a lot of hurt for a very appealing price.
  • Warboss in Mega-Armour: Like the big man above, only with a slightly reduced movement speed, an additional Wound and a sweet 2+ save. You are forced to buy a Power Klaw though (he comes with one by default), so no skimping on the points.
  • Warboss on Warbike: Another variant of the Warboss, this one is tooled out with a big Warbike, granting this beast of an Ork an additional Wound and the obligatory +1 to Toughness. The bike comes armed with a pair of Dakkaguns, allowing this Warboss to spit out six S5 shots per turn to the footslogging Warboss' four S4 attacks, and has a Movement Speed of 14". Comes with almost the same options and abilities as the other two Warbosses, except when he buys something from the Shooty Weapons list it's in addition to his default Dakkaguns rather than a replacement for them. His mobility is his strong point, allowing him to keep up with massed Bikers (who are terrible so why bother) and also precisely place himself between several footslogging units to maximise the number of Boyz affected by his WAAAGH! Can keep up with Stormboyz and gives them a max (12+6+12) 30" range on the charge.
  • Weirdboy: A bit of a weird one (ya see what I did there?) in this edition, the Weirdboy has the same base Strength as a Nob, and comes armed with a staff that mimics the stats of a Big Choppa that causes D3 wounds. Has a relatively low Leadership in comparison to the Warboss, and an even lower armor save, which means keeping this boy out of the direct front is a very good idea. Comes with the Waaagh! Energy rule, which adds an additional point to psychic tests for every 10 friendly Ork models within 10". Be careful with this, however, as any result above a 12 will cause the Weirdboy to suffer from Perils. If you run multiple Weirdboyz, keeping them next to a Painboy might be a good idea. 4W prevents their first Perils from killing the Weirdboy, and you'll get the Dok's Tools 6+ to ignore any suffered wounds as well as having the Dok fix them up again on a 2+ if they do get hurt. This would allow for maximising the WC bonus from boyz around them to make absolutely certain that powers will go off (and make Deny the Witch very hard, or even impossible, to pull off). There is no Warphead option, sadly, so every Weirdboy can have only one power and Smite. Never take 'Eadbanger as your first or second choice, Warpath and Da Jump are just too good to pass up on.
  • Big Mek: A Nob with an obsession for gears and sparky bitz. Comes with twice the Wounds from the previous edition, a higher Strength and an automatic armor save. Can replace its Slugga with anything from the Souped-Up or Choppy Weapons lists, or a Kustom Force Field or Shokk Attack Gun. Additionally, he has access to the Orky chainfist: the Killsaw. Comes with the Big Mekaniak rule, which allows a friendly Non-FLYING VEHICLE within 3" of the Big Mek to regain D3 Wounds at the end of the movement phase (a step above the regular Mek's 1 Wound repair). Giving the Big Mek a Grot Oiler automatically increases this roll by 1 once per battle. A vehicle may only be repaired once per turn. No longer has access to a Git Finda, meaning this Boss is stuck at a BS of 5+.
    • Shokk Attack Gun: Proof that GW doesn't understand statistics or that none of the rules creators actually play Orks. No longer has the random table to roll on. Instead, this gun fires D6 shots at a Strength of 2d6 and an AP of -5. Any roll of an 11 or higher makes each shot cause D3 Mortal Wounds per hit. No longer has a chance of accidentally vaporizing your Big Mek. On paper these changes seem nice; unfortunately this weapon is a prime example of the victims of template removal. With BS5+ the Big Mek will, on average, only end up with one hit each time he fires, and that hit may not even give you a good chance of wounding. If you take this you have a serious gambling problem. Skip it with bleeding heart.
    • Kustom Force Field: Still here, still a 5++ against shooting, only now units must be entirely within 9" of the Mek to benefit from it, meaning this upgrade will probably benefit smaller units more often than larger ones (bearing in mind that a 9" bubble measured from the 1.5" base of a Big Mek means you have an effective radius of approximately 22" - almost 2 feet of board space. Just make sure you advance your Mek first when slogging with Boyz so you know how far you can move the units inside it). If the Big Mek catches a ride in a transport, the benefits of the force field ONLY benefit that transport. Also there is small ambiguity. It is not clear if "entirely" means all the models in the unit or entirety of their bases as well. It's not ambiguous, ranges are always measured using bases (except for units with specific exceptions like the T'au Hover Tank ability, which measure from the hull). You get all of the models in a unit entirely inside the field, or it doesn't protect any of them. You may want to bear this in mind when removing casualties - killing off the one or two guys outside the field will let you make that 5++ for the remaining wounds. Overall nerfed somewhat but also a lot cheaper.
  • Big Mek in Mega-Armour: A heavier, slower, more armoured version of the Big Mek. Comes with an extra wound, a Kustom Mega-blasta and the option to take the Tellyport Blasta. Unless you absolutely need tellyporta blasta there is little reason to take him. For CC you got warbosses and for protecting your assets with KFF normal one is quite enough provided some bubblewarping is done. And evy armored one will be a little easier to position with +1M.
    • Tellyport Blasta: Firing assault range 12" D3 shots at a S8 and AP-2, this thing has an interesting way of instantly killing its victims. Any model that is wounded, but not killed by this gun, is instantly killed at the end of the shooting phase if the Ork Player rolls higher than that model's current wounds on a D6. It is quite nice albeit somewhat situational having a little bit of extra dred for those super beefy characters that were already wounded but cling to their wounds at a virtue of inv save or other shenanigans.
  • Big Mek on Warbike: Same as a normal Big Mek, except with the movement and guns of a Warbike. Comes with 1 additional toughness and wound. This Big Mek comes with the Big Biker Mekaniak rule, which means that he can only repair friendly Ork Non-FLYING VEHICLES within 1", and only if he didn't move more than 5" that turn. Also doesn't have the ability to take a Grot Oiler. Mostly useful for precise positioning of KFF and slightly longer base. M limit on foxing vehicles makes normal one waay superior in that duty (and he can actually ride in those vehicles).

Special Characters

  • Ghazghkull Thraka: Clan GOFF. The Prophet of Gork and Mork himself, the Beast of Armageddon has returned to being an HQ choice. Sadly his model is still massively undersized. We need Ork triumvirate (Ghazghull, Zogwort, and one other for example famed Demon-Killa). He comes with a statline similar to that of a Warboss, except he carries an extra toughness, two more wounds, an extra attack and isn't slowed down by his Mega Armour. Comes with a pair of Big Shootas, Stikk Bombs and a Klaw that always causes 3 wounds and hits on a 2+. Additionally, being the Prophet of Gork and Mork means he gets a 4++ invuln save. Comes with Great Waaagh!, which does the same thing as a regular WAAAGH!, except that it grants the Orks who benefit from it an extra Attack as long as they charged that turn and Ghazzy is 6" from them when they fight. Like all buff auras this ability works on the big guy himself too, giving him +1A on the charge. This is the second best buff in the Ork army after the WAAAGH!!! banner. It is still medium weight due to working mostly on big hordes of boyz and only on the charge instead of all the time, however. Relative to named character abilities in other armies it is decent but not great (rerolling to wound in CC would be vastly superior for example).
  • Kaptin Badrukk: Similar to Flash Gitz, doesn't have a <CLAN> keyword. Does have FLASH GITZ though. He's a buffed up Flash Git, and gives all nearby Flash Gits rerolls on 1s to hit. With decent stats and a 3+/5++ save he can actually fight in CC reasonably well but, of course, you do not want him there. You want him running with Flash Gits shooting stuff. His extra-super-duper-cool-gun Da Rippa is very potent indeed, essentially being a Plasma Cannon with +1 Damage that always rolls a 3 on its number of shots. Flash Git standard BS4+ and a 24" range is not very impressive, but Heavy 3 with S7 AP-3 and 2 wounds per shot is impressive indeed, and of course the gun can be Overcharged to bump it to S8 and 3 Damage. Rather than outright killing Badrukk on a 1 to hit, Da Rippa instead inflicts D3 mortal wounds. Fortunately with 6 wounds Badrukk can tank it, and he also brings up to 3 Ammo Runts, each of which lets him reroll one die every time he makes a hit roll (so exactly enough for his three shots if you happen to roll a triple one - but remember any single die can only be rerolled once, so no using all three on that one die that you can't stop getting a one on). As a result overcharged mode can be used pretty safely. As Ammo Runts count as separate models now they can actually participate in fights (albeit extremely poorly) but more importantly they can soak up wounds if need be, so Badrukk can tank 9 wounds (6 of his own plus the 3 runts). If you do sacrifice Runts, however, look out with that Overcharge. Sadly, he doesn't get the same Gun-Crazy Showoffs rule Flash Gits get that lets them shoot twice on a 6, although he does make them better at it. Maybe a bit pricey at 96 points with all three Runts (i.e. he costs almost as much as 4 regular Flash Gitz) but if you're bringing a decent sized unit of Flash Gits already, considering how many dice they roll that reroll on 1s may be worth it.
  • Boss Zagstruk: Clan GOFF. This one is little strange. He is Stomboyz character as before. He has 6W and 7A (6 standard plus choppa) 2 of which can be made with vulcha claws (S8, AP-3, d3 damage) so pretty decent considering number of attacks and hitting on 2+. As all stormboyz he move 12" and can charge after advancing while risking mortal wound. He is only T4 but he has 4+ save and 5+ Cybork body (not stackable with Dok's Tools) making him reasonably survivable. Nearby Stormboy units pass their morale automatically (totally redundant in presence of Mob Rule). Overall decent character, but his rule for supporting Stormboyz could be better.
    • It might be good idea to take multiple small Stormboy units with him instead of one gigantic blob forcing enemy to split fire (and potentially waste shots) while retaining ability to ignore morale and gain better maneuverability. If you can, take at least 3 Stormboy units and Zagstruk apart from your main army to form an Outrider Detachment and gain 1 "free" Command Point.
  • Boss Snikrot: Clan BLOOD AXE. The git you take if you want to be kunnin'. Can infiltrate like Kommandos, and if they're Blood Axes it gives them re-roll for melee hit rolls of 1, which at their 3+ WS is pretty close to giving them an extra attack. Also, it makes close enemy units add 1 to their Morale tests, decent, but not all that awesome. At 6 attacks with -1 AP and 2 Damage, he's not threatening enough to go alone, unless he's hunting lone and weak characters or shooty units (and one-wound models waste his 2 damage attacks anyway). In cover, he gets +3 to his save, which becomes 3+, pretty good if you fail that first turn charge (not likely, but possible), but otherwise he should be in melee, because he lacks ranged weapons apart from Stikkbombs. Can be decently useful by himself, but his calling in life is to be a force multiplier for a Blood Axe Kommando unit, really. However, he is an extremely cheap HQ, at only 69 GIGGEDY points, useful if you want to try taking as many detachments as possible. Sadly, since he is a unique character, he cannot be spammed. Take him and some weirdboyz if you want to limit the HQ Tax.
  • Zhadsnark Da Ripper (Forge World): Clan EVIL SUNZ. Upgraded Warboss on a bike. +1M, +1W, +1A; his unique PK 'Da Pain Klaw' hits on 2+ unlike a regular Warboss' 3+, is AP -4 instead of -3, and deals a mortal wound to INFANTRY and MONSTER targets on a 6 to hit, in addition to any other damage; and his warbike (Da Beast) is equipped with Big Shootas instead of Dakkaguns giving him double range over a Warboss on warbike. Additionally, he always Advances 6" rather than having to roll for distance when Advancing, which gives him an impressive 21" move. He has no wargear options of course, so no Attack Squig. But still, all that with Warboss abilities for one point less than a regular Warboss with Power Klaw. Guy is a deal. On the down side; in 7th this guy was an awesome boost for Warbikers, giving them Skilled Rider and making them Troops. All of this is gone. He does not help Warbikers in ANY way. Even his WAAAGH!!! only works on INFANTRY (So he does not even benefit from it himself as a footslogging Warboss does). So officially any hope of making a playable biker based army is dead, at least until the full Ork Codex arrives (and maybe longer :().
  • Ork Mek Boss Buzzgob (Forge World): Clan GOFF. A Big Mek with better BS, Wounds, A, and LD. No wargear options, but he comes with a Kustom Force Field and Mek Arms as an alternate melee weapon (they hit 3 times per attack, but have no S modifier and no AP), and he has two Grot Oilers accompanying him for twice as many repair boosts/ablative wounds. His cost is slightly higher than a normal Big Mek with a Big Choppa and Grot Oiler. There is nothing really fancy about him, he's just a straight points-for-stats upgrade. If you were going to bring a KFF Big Mek anyway, consider spending the extra 20 or so points to get Buzzgob instead.

Troops

  • Boyz: Boyz before Toyz is once again the defining Ork creed, as Boyz have received some serious buffs. The biggest change is that they now always hit on a 3+ instead of a 4+ in melee, and they are now always Str 4 instead of 3. Sadly, we've lost 1 inch of movement in the process. With Mob Rule returning us to fearless in an edition where Morale checks are absolutely brutal, big mobs of Boyz will simply shrug them off and form the basis of your army, as they damn well should. Couple this with Initiative values being gone and always striking first in combat if you charged, it's time to fucking Waaaaaaaghh lads. Ork Boyz' new special rule Green Tide also boosts big mobs, giving +1 Attack if the boy mob in question numbers more than 20 models. In short, the only reason not to run your Boyz in mobs of 30 is when you want to put them in a Battlewagon.
    • Shootas: Received a nice buff; since Shootas are Assault weapons, you can now Advance (run) and still shoot at the cost of -1 to hit. Snapshots for Boyz, basically. On the other hand, Shoota Boyz will now always only have 2 attacks instead of 3 if they charge. In an edition where Boyz want to get stuck in, this could pose a problem. On the other hand, a big mob of Shoota Boyz still has the greatest Overwatch in the game.
    • Sluggas: The loss of the extra Attack on the charge hurts, but everyone else has lost it too. Still, 3 S4 attacks that hit on 3s for 6 points is an absolute steal this edition. Buff them with a Nob with a Waaaagh Banner to give them 2s to hit and watch whatever you charged melt away under your glorious Green Tide.
      • Here's how you get 121 Attacks. Take a mob of 29 Boyz and one Boss Nob. This gives you 61 base attacks. Green Tide gives everyone +1 attack for a total of 91 attacks. Give them all Choppas for another bonus attack and a total of 121 attacks. What was that about 8th edition being faster to play? Psst, don't forget you can fire your slugga pistols during combat now. They will not doo much but everything counts especially if charge was lazy and you are unable to bring all boyz into contact.
        • Most optimised boyz unit: As above take 29 and a Boss Nob with Choppas. Couple that with "Green Tide". Next throw in Ghazghkull. Ghazzy now adds another attack to the boyz thanks to his Great Waaagh! rule. Then throw in a Weirdboy and have him cast Warpath. Calculations: 2 Attacks a Boy base. 3 Attacks with Nob. +1 Attack for Choppa. +1 Attack for "Green Tide". +1 Attack from Ghazghkull. +1 Attack from Weirdboy's "Warpath". That is 29 * 6 = 174 attacks for your Boyz, and another 7 from the Nob for a total of 181 attacks. Probably not the best from a strategic standpoint, but it's all too worth the look on your opponent's face when you throw an entire bucket of dice onto the table with this or when you ask him to put the dice into both your hands because they are both to small to pick up HALF THIRD (tested and I have preatty big hands) of your roll :).
  • Gretchin: The same old dirt-cheap distraction units that they've always been, but with a couple of small changes. They don't get 'Ere We Go! or Mob Rule, so Runtherds are near compulsory if you want them to last more than a single turn. A Runtherd is only cost-effective if you have multiple large units of Gretchin, as they cost almost as much as another unit of 10 Gretchin, so don't worry about buying one unless you've got quite a few Gretchin scurrying about in front of your army (and a force org slot spare for an Elites choice as well - thanks for that by the way GW). Their most pleasing change this edition is Surprisingly Dangerous in Large Numbers, a new special rule that nets them +1 to all hit rolls if the unit has 20 models or more. Yes, you can get Grots with Space Marine levels of accuracy, and that is awesome; However, they are still Grots, and can only take an S3 Pistol, so they're only really good for peppering enemy infantry with shots (hopefully bringing a few down) before the Boyz show up and actually get shit done.
    • Gretchin are one of the few Ork units that really needs to be concerned about morale. Basically they can be taken either in MSU 10 grot units that will die if the enemy sneeze in their general direction (mostly to park them on backline objectives and fill those troop slots for command point farming second only to what IG can do), or in vast hordes supported by one or two Runtherds for cheap bodies (but don't go too overboard on this - they're only half the cost of Boyz, so always weigh up the value of just grabbin' more ladz instead of muckin' about with Grots)
      • Put 20 grots in an open topped battlewagon with a deff rolla and charge in. The rolla will hit on 2s, and In the shooting phase, your grots will hit on 3s!! Annoy your opponent!! Fun but not worth battlewagon price.

Dedicated Transport

  • Trukk: Lacks 'Ere We Go! and Mob Rule. Only T6 and a 4+ makes it squishy, even for a light vehicle. It is overpriced in comparison to other factions' basic vehicles that have vastly superior stats and are similarly priced (and usually more useful). Ramshackle reduces the damage of incoming shots to 1 on a roll of 6, but that's not to be relied on (although it is amusing to see your rubber Trukk taking 1 damage instead of 6). Consider these entirely disposable. With changes to rules and the horde focus of the Ork army, this transport is extremely limited in what it can carry. Tankbustas can only be transported as a smaller unit (a maxed unit of Tankbustas doesn't even fit into a Battlewagon, 15 tankbustas + 6 squigs). Trukkboyz are mostly gone too, as a 12-strong unit of Boyz doesn't benefit from much of what Boyz have to offer (diminished Mob Rule, no Green Tide bonus) and they can no longer trade up to 'Eavy Armour for some extra survivability - and the Trukk is expensive enough not to be viable as a throw away objective grabber. Same capacity problems with Nobz and Ammo Runts but if you take Kombi-Skorchas you can do without the Runts. Frankly Nobz, small units of Tankbustaz and Burnas seem to be only units that can be effectively used in Trukks. And why on earth would you take Burnas? After they deposit their passengers they can be useful for tying up an enemy unit in melee for a turn (they might even get lucky and kill something if you put a Wreckin' Ball on there) and still have a good chance to survive assuming you didn't go after a dedicated melee unit.
    • Alternative take: Ten Tankbustas and two Bomb Squigs in a Trukk is a very effective fast attack unit. Ten 5+ rokkits with rerolls (plus or minus a few if you took Tankhammers and Pistols) and the two 2+ rerollable squig shots will make a mess of most light and some medium vehicles (but not anything in the Land Raider/Monolith class), and you can also use the Trukk to soak Overwatch before you charge if you're bringing Tankhammers and Rokkit Pistols.
    • Big Trakk vs. Trukk. Forgeworld Imperial Armour introduces us to the Big Trakk. Double the price of a Trukk with 5 more wounds and some cool rules. The Big Trakk is basically the mid way point of a Trukk and Battlewagon. Holds the same number of models, has Ramshackle - but with 5 more wounds and can fire Heavy weapons without penalty. If you want a fire platform for shooty ladz (Tankbustas, Burnas, Flash Gits or even Lootas) I say take a Big Trakk. If you want something to move Nobz or something cheap, pick Trukks.
  • "Chinork" Warkopta (Forge World): Thought the Trukk was squishy? Think again. With only T5, 8W and a 4+ save to speak of, the Chinork lacks 'eavy armour of any sort. There's three reasons you might want one. Firstly, because you want to deep strike ten ladz for whatever reason. Secondly, because of the sheer SPEED - 16" plus 8" advancing gives a 24" movement, impressive. Lastly, because of all the dakka one of these things can take. Considering how fragile it is for its cost, though, it'll be painful when it dies just because someone looked at it funny - be very careful with your glass cannon. Chapter Approved changed the cost from 155pts to 74pts, making it virtually as cheap as a trukk. A much more worthwhile take, assuming your enemy doesn't have a strong anti-air presence.
    • Deffguns: Gets two of these for free. You know, the weapons Lootas get.
    • Rattler Kannons: can swap the Deffguns for two of these. 2d6 24"R S5 AP-2 D D3 shots apiece. Sounds nasty. Two of them will generally average three saves for anything T4 or T3, which sounds meh, but AP-2 and D D3 means that could leave a mark; just be careful what you aim at.
      • Nice, but the issue is that you have to move in order to use them. Moving means your heavy weapons hit on 6s, which is an unusual problem for an ork, given all our assault weapons.
    • Bigbomms: you get two of these for free. Drop them on units you move over, deals a mortal wound to each model in the unit (max 5) on a 5+.
      • Can also take two Skorchas, Rokkits, Kustom Mega Blastas, or Big Shootas. Sadly the Skorcha will be out of range if you deep strike (8"R, must deep strike >9" away), but given that you can move it 24" then fire Skorchas at full effect, you're obviously going to deploy it normally if you take these. Big Shootas if you like the idea of rolling 6+4d6 S5 shots from one transport.

Elites

Small note on Elites: It's now extremely easy to fill up an Ork Detachment relying on Elites, since you can simply fill the slots with Painboyz, Nobs with WAAAGH! Banners, or Meks.

  • Mek: Restores a lost wound to one non-FLYING VEHICLE within 1" at the end of each Movement phase (multiple Meks can't repair the same vehicle in one turn, so no stacking). Once per battle an accompanying Grot Oiler can assist to repair two wounds instead of one, and otherwise serves as an ablative wound. Particularly handy around any of your VEHICLES that might hurt themselves with Zzap Guns and Kustom Mega-blastas, but also good for keeping any of your Trukks, bikes or Dreads running. Basically a Big Mek on a budget but since he only heals one wound he is not worth the slot he takes.
  • Painboy: <CLAN> INFANTRY or <CLAN> BIKER units within 3" ignore wounds suffered on a 6+ thanks to Dok's Tools. This sounds like a nerf to FnP (and it is a nerf especially in the absence of any decent sources of invulnerable saves), but keep in mind that the Painboy can now buff multiple units, rather than just the one he joined before, and that this save applies to any and all wounds - including mortal ones - not just those that would normally allow a save. Note that these Dok's Tools auras are explicitly worded so they don't stack with each other or with most of cybork bodies, although they will stack with other wound ignore abilities (that are few and far between). On top of that with how Dok's Tools work if the weapon is multiwound you need 6+ for every wound unlike with armor save or inv. He can also now attempt to heal a multi wound model within 1" of D3 wounds on a 2+ (save those CP rerolls for when you get a 1 and accidentally kill your own Warboss). You want this guy in your big 30+ Boy mobs.
    • After some playing his 6+ wound ignore is not worth his cost. It limits movement of big blobs because they have to conga-line to him, and 6+ is nothing fancy. It is better to take another squad of Boyz. His ability to heal characters is also not that great as he has to be very close, and he is quite pricey in comparison to Ork characters that are relatively cheap (excluding Warbike mounted ones and Mega-Armoured ones). As he is atrociously expensive on a Warbike, the only conceivable reason to take one is with some Meganobz, a Mega-Armoured Warboss or, preferably, Ghazgkhull - Ghazzy is a huge investment, so the Painboy combined with his already high survivability (2+/4++) can make sure he stays on the table.
    • His healing ability is still very helpful near an overcharged Weirdboy or against snipers (I fail to see how it helps against snipers). Since Weidboys have 4 wounds Perils of the Warp will not kill him, then a Painboy can heal him and he is good as new. So combo of two Weirdboyz and a Painboy might be actually viable.
  • Painboy on Warbike: Same as above, except with 14" Movement, T5 and 5 wounds. Pretty great to use with Bikers or Nob Bikers due to the extra wounds they now have, or for keeping up with Stormboyz or positioning properly to give 6+ to 3 units of boyz. This dos not make him worth his extortionate points cost however - he's more expensive than a Warboss on a bike with PK.
  • Runtherd: Gives GRETCHIN one of two 3" auras: Ignore failed morale tests in exchange for killing D3 models in the unit, or reroll 1s to hit in the Shooting Fight phase. Don't turn up your nose at supporting a literal throwaway unit; having this guy *KRUMP* gits who would otherwise take a bunch of other morale casualties with them will make your bubblewrap units last much, much longer. Don't forget that if you're paying attention you can stick this guy in next to multiple bubble-wrapped power units for a sort of deathstar lite. At 26pts he is equal to ~9 grots, so not that expensive either. To be worthwhile you need at least 3 units of grots around him.
    • Alternative take is that he can buff crews of cannons making them hold off enemies for one extra turn with some luck. Handy if you are going for Ork gunline. YOO WOT? GUNLINE? WOT ARE YA, SOME KINDA PANSY 'UMIE OR BLUEBERRY? YOU'ZE SHOULD BE KRUMPIN' GITS PERSONAL-LIKE ALONG WIV ALL DA DAKKA!. But seriously rerolling 1s on 4+ grot shooting with for example 6D6 worth of plasma shots is nothing to sneez at. The Grot Lash is only effective in the Fight Phase!
  • Burna Boyz: Overall a rather meh unit. Only Warbikes are worse. They only have D3 hits, compared to every single other fucking flamer in all of 40k having D6. Thanks a bunch, GW. And this is after GW in their sneak peaks used Burnas to illustrate how D6 hits on flamers will be awesome. (I feel like it's worth noting that, unlike the previous edition, you can use the burna in shooting AND as a power weapon in the same turn. This mitigates the lower number of hits somewhat). They are AP-2 melee weapons as well as a flamethrower, but that comes at a steep cost as they have only 2A per model in comparison to Boyz potential 4 and clock in at more than twice their price. Despite that high price relative to other Orks, however, it should also be noted that Burnas cost 0 points (well, essentially you're buying a Boy for 6 points and then spending 8 points on the Burna), with a final cost of 14. Most other armies pay 7-15 points per flamethrower on top of the cost of the guy carrying it, and can't take entire squads of them. On the other hand other units with Flamers usually have some ablative wounds to protect them, along with armor and other fun stuff. These guys are designed and costed to be taken in huge numbers, but are not very effective due to short range and relatively low damage output in comparison to other things in the Ork list. If you want a Flamer squad to kill things rather than annoy them, you'll want some variety of Nobz with Kombi-Skorchas. Overall there's always a better choice than Burna Boyz available for less - for example, more Boyz. A maxed unit of 29 Boyz with a Nob+PK is still 5 points cheaper than 15 Burna Boyz.
    • The old standby of packing a Trukk with these boyz and treating your opponent to a drive-by BBQ still works, and if you're feeling flush with points you could even do it with a bigger unit in a Battlewagon with a Deff Rolla before following it up by running the survivors over. Either way, resolve their shooting early on so you can use that Shooting phase's CP reroll if you get a 1 for the whole squad's number of shots.
    • Burna Boyz are functionally carrying a Power Stabba (Ork cost: 3 points) in melee and a weaker Flamer for shooting; by Imperial Guard standards, the weaker flamer is "worth" 4 points to an IG flamer's 7, making each Burna Boy "overcosted" by 1 point.
      • The comparison above to base Boyz ignores the fact that Burna Boyz are clearly intended to ride a Battlewagon (or Trukk) with their buffers, unlike Boyz. If you take anything in a Battlewagon on top of the base unit you won't get the Green Tide bonus. Without that, Burna Boyz will always do at least' the same points per wound on any target, on average (i.e. assuming 2 shots are rolled), after taking into account both shooting and charging (the Burnas do 6x the shooting damage against any target and 0.67x-2x the melee damage, depending on the target, and the Burnas can shoot and charge after advancing with a Warboss on hand, unlike base Boyz).
      • As for Nobz, "equivalent" Nobz are carrying squad-wide Power Stabbas (which hit at S5, not S4) and Kombi-Skorchas (although you can't usefully fire the shoota part after advancing - subtracting 2 from all hit rolls means you have a 0% chance of hitting). That's nearly triple the cost (39 points vs 14; roughly 2.79x the cost) per Ork, which will only sometimes be worth it; under worst-case conditions (advance, shoot, charge an IG Commander: T3 Sv5++) you're looking at 1.625x the combat output of the Burna Boyz (+1A in melee and +1.5 average attacks at range, after advancing so no Shoota shots), while under ideal conditions (shooting a Land Raider after not advancing, then charging it: T8 Sv2+) you're looking at 7 1/6 times the shooting output and triple the melee output, i.e. 5.08x the total average output.
  • Tankbustas: Rokkits do a flat 3 damage as opposed to other faction's D6 damage anti-tank missiles, making Tankbusts a little more predictable damage-wise. Tankhammers no longer have a statline, and are now suicide bombs. Rokkit Pistols will help the squad in melee with vehicles thanks to the new Pistol rules. Tankbusta Bombs can still only be thrown one at a time (but that's now a universal thing for Grenade weapons), and basically equate to a Rokkit Launcha with D3 shots and D6 damage. Still stuck with the Orky 5+ BS, but Tank Hunters lets them reroll misses against anything with VEHICLE (also works in melee, but you'll get most benefit from it while shooting). You can get two Bomb Squigs for every five Boyz, buffed to D6 damage as an anti-tank weapon. Their deaths don't count for morale either, unlike Boyz who blow themselves up with a Tankhammer. Interestingly enough squigs count towards your model count, so a maxed unit is 21 models (15 Tankbustas + 6 squigs). That makes this unit more suited to riding in a Battlewagon (or getting teleported by a Weirdboy) than a Trukk since you really want those bomb squigs to be there.
    • Pair of Rokkit Pistols: You can have one of these for every five Tankbustas in the unit, and they effectively cost nothing (they're 12 points, but so is a Rokkit Launcha). Halves your range, -1S and D3 instead of 3 Damage - but they're Pistol 2 instead of Assault 1. Gives you a lot more firepower if you're intending to get in close, for example if you're also bringing...
    • Tankhammer: Two per squad. Make one attack roll in melee; if you hit, deal D3 mortal wounds to the target and blow yourself up. Go out the way every Tankbusta wants to - making the biggest boom possible. Boyz with Tankhammers also cost you just 15 points each instead of 17, but of course they won't be contributing to any shooting - and unlike most suicide units you still suffer the morale penalties when they die.
    • Bomb Squigs: Effectively a single-shot Rokkit that inflicts D6 damage instead of 3, has slightly shorter range, and can't hit units with FLY. 10 points each. Doesn't sound that great until you realise that the Squig has BS2+ and rerolls 1s thanks to Tank Hunters, giving it a 97% hit rate. Annoyingly their suicide bomb is an Assault weapon not a Pistol, so you'll want to use these before you charge or they'll be restricted to a single S3 AP0 melee attack (which does at least still hit on a 2+ with a reroll).
    • Do not bother with either Tankhammers or Rokkit Pistols. They are designed for CC which Tankbustas should not be in. They should be riding in their transport or running and shooting stuff. Take maximum bomb squigs you can.
    • These guys have great synergy with Da Jump - the 21 model unit gives the Weirdboy +2 (pretty sure they only give +1 as squigs are not orks) on his warp charge roll, and then he can redeploy them in cover in easy rocket range of anything you need dead. Always good for repositioning within your own lines, but be wary of making completely suicidal jumps into the enemy army - Tankbustas aren't a cheap unit, only trade them like that for something that's actually worth killing.
  • Nobz: Actually worth taking now, especially with a Weirdboy using Da Jump. They've received some minor buffs. Nobs now hit on 3's instead of 4's, are always S5 instead of only on the charge, and gained a 4+ save. The most interesting changes are their new wargear. Nobs now have access to the brand new Power Stabbas. That's right, orks now have Power Knives. Potentially giving the entire unit AP-2 for cheap so they can hit like marines with power axes. They also gained the special rule Keepin' Order, which adds another layer of Morale defense on top of Mob Rule. If a model would flee within 3 inches of the Nobz, on a roll of a 6+ the model does not flee. It's a nice little bonus, mostly useful on units with low model counts like Bikers or Burna Boyz. But even then Mob Rule will probably make this buff obsolete.
    • Kombi-Skorchas are awesome now. Full squad of Nobz with Power Stabbas and Kombi-Skorchas is a scary (albeit pricey at over 300 points) thing. Put them in a Trukk and use them as you would use Burna Boyz in 7th. With added Trukk survivability this is even better. But have another Trukk in reserve as enemies will desperately try to shoot it down. Than see your opponent cry when 10D6 S5 AP-1 auto hits burn his units. Skorchas eat almost anything; TEQ and MEQ both melt like snow in the Sahara, and even heavy vehicles suffer from it - your only issue is, as always with Flamers, range. Enemies will try to charge them from outside Skorcha range, depriving you of Overwatch (it's a normal ranged attack at the start of their charge, so you can be caught by your short range here too), but it is a long charge at 9+ inches so there is a good chance they will fail and than WOOOSH. And even if they succeed you have S5 AP-2 Power Stabbas to fall back on.
  • Nobz on Warbikes: T5 and now 3 fucking wounds. Sadly lost their cover saves completely. Also has Keepin' Order. Deadly especially to vehicles or monsters but very squishy. Do not go near any kind of infantry, especially big squads or dedicated CC units. They will just destroy them outright.
  • Nob with WAAAGH! Banner: The banner gives <CLAN> units within 6 inches +1 to hit in the Fight phase, meaning damn near everything in your army will be hitting on 2's. Absolutely brutal on Slugga Boyz. The banner hilariously almost doubles as a Big Choppa in close combat. The Nob is a character, so be sure to keep him bubblewrapped, as his save is pretty lackluster. Also has Keepin' Order.
    • Take one. Always! If you have a free Elites slot somewhere take a second one, as this guy will be the prime target for any enemy sniper.
    • Funny enough this ability works on walkers and vehicles. Putting one of this guys inside a Stompa and then disembarking when it is about to charge some poor fella is almost mandatory.
    • Note that this ability explicitly doesn't stack (as it affects ORK units within range of "any WAAAAGH! Banner"), extra banners just let you extend the buff to other parts of the battlefield.
  • Meganobz: 3 Wounds, T4 and a 2+ save (but still no zoggin' invulnerable). Gained a wound, lost 2" movement and no more Slow and Purposeful! A 2+ save is nice, but now we're back to modifying saves again they are a little more threatened by AP-2/AP-3 weapons than they previously were by their AP3/AP4 counterparts in 7th. They also gained some nice new wargear buffs. Kombi-Weapons can now fire both guns at the same time, at the cost of subtracting 1 from all To Hit rolls (but do bear in mind that this is particularly bad for Orks, halving your already low chance of hitting anything), and it's now possible to replace the Shoota and PK with 2 Killsawz which gives an additional Attack. Also has Keepin' Order.
    • As for now best loadout is PK and Kombi-Skorcha. This provides decent shooting, a nice charge deterrent, and your usual workhorse PK.
    • Actually Meganobz kind of suck pretty bad, mostly due to how cost ineffective they are. They are quite expensive by themselves, but they are so slow (one of the slowest units in the game now) and are such huge fire magnets that they need to be in a transport, which really needs to be a Battlewagon (i.e. another 200+ 150ish points) due to transport capacity and durability concerns; a Trukk only holds 6 Meganobz at most, and there's a significant risk of it getting destroyed and killing 1/6 of them instantly. Speaking of durability concerns, their 3W and 2+ without inv melts almost instantly under dedicated AP fire. With 3A per model (4 with killsawz) and hitting only on 4+ thanks to the penalties from their weapons, their damage potential is not that great either. This is not true; their damage potential puts them among the top 5 Ork units against Terminators, Rhinos, and Land Raiders among other tough targets. They absolutely suck against hordes, and aren't amazing against monsters/vehicles either. On average you need 5 or 6 4 of them to kill a Rhino in one turn. Tankbustas or Lootas do the same faster, at range, and for far less points. Not sure where this idea came from. It'll take over 500 points of Lootas to kill a Rhino in one turn, on average. For Tankbustas you need about 230 points, and for Meganobz with 2 Killsawz you need about 235 points. They will fare decently well against TEQ, but if the enemy charged or rolls some decent 5+ inv saves the Meganobz are just dead, period. They can be effective with enough support but buying a Painboy, Big Mek+KFF, Weirdboy with warpath, WAAAGH! Banner and Warboss/Ghazghkull just to make them worth their points is the opposite of optimal. That said, with all of that stuff they are 2+/5++(against shooting)/6+FNP 5A on the charge hitting on 3+ with ability to regain wounds, which is quite scary. Still not cost effective sadly. PK and killsaw cost reductions help but not to a pont of making them good.
    • Alternative take: Meganobz with 2 Killsawz are among the most points-efficient ways for Orks to deal with regular TEQs or vehicles with high toughness. (However they do suffer against invulnerable saves, that much is true). Whilst the power klaw and combi-skorcha loadout is undoubtedly the most well-rounded, it costs more points than taking two killsawz and underperforms hugely in close combat when you consider the points you've paid for that model. Skorchas are nice and all but S5, AP-1 really isn't that impressive if you're terminator-hunting or tank-hunting. In fact 4 hits with a Skorcha isn't even likely to net you any damage against a unit of Terminators, or a Rhino. Each Meganob with two killsawz is comfortably killing at least one Terminator per combat phase, and doing two to three damage to a Rhino. On the other hand a Meganob with a power klaw isn't likely to kill even a single Terminator every time it fights and will probably only do one to two damage to a Rhino. The killsaw not only seems to be a better choice against those targets but it's also one of the best choices in the entire index. The other nice thing about Meganobz is that when the Terminators hit you back they're going to struggle to do the same kind of damage due to the fact that they get fewer attacks (they get 2 or 3, you're getting 4), and most of their weapons are doing 2 damage per wound which won't kill a Meganob outright.
      • The inv save issue can be solved by putting a Big Mek in Mega Armour with a KFF. Expensive beyond all belief, but there would be no doubting how killy your MANs become.
  • Kommandos: Kunnin' ladz that can be set up anywhere more than 9" from the enemy. With 'Ere We Go!, they should be able to get that first turn charge. Otherwise they're normal Boyz, with a Slugga to try and get some lucky shots before the charge (and, if the combat drags, to shoot again next turn at point-blank range), and a Choppa to get 3 attacks each. The unit is made of 5-15 Kommandos, and up to two of them can swap their Slugga for a Rokkit Launcha, Big Shoota, or a Burna. You can must also replace one boy for a Nob for extra muscle, nasty melee weapons, and a lil' morale help. Of particular note here is the fact that making the squad larger doesn't let you take more wargear options - if you want to spend the points on extra wargear (in exchange for losing your Mob Rule morale protection), you're better off taking three units of five Kommandos (and therefore getting up to 6 special weapons and 3 Nobz, instead of 2 and 1 respectively) than taking a single large squad. This does, of course, mean they'll take up three of your precious Elites slots - but there's nothing stopping you grabbing those three squads with Snikrot as an HQ to make a separate Vanguard Detachment just for them (don't forget your bonus +1CP!). Snikrot and 3 units of 15 Kommandos clocks in at 204 points though (279 243 if you want PKs for the Nobz), so you'll have to make them count. They are good at overwhelming units with low model counts, thanks to their lame (no AP) but numerous attacks. Try to infiltrate them into cover, too, because they gain an extra +1 Save from it and reach a decent 4+ (though the ability is kinda wasted on such a melee and suicidal unit as this). They're also good at tying down backline artillery units with great firepower but lame melee (and no FLY, otherwise they'll just retreat and shoot you), or just annoying and distracting your opponent while the rest of your army closes in. That said, because of their maximum 15 unit size and limited wargear options, they can't take care of big targets, unless you go for Blood Axes and take Boss Snikrot, who makes them re-roll 1's in combat (at WS 3+, that's close to giving them an extra attack) and is pretty good at bashing himself. Last, but not least, they have great models: they look like a terrorist and counter-terrorist team at the same time!
    • Rokkit Launcha: Can provide some heavy ranged punch, but at BS5+ you'll need a lot of them - and they're expensive at 12 points each. Probably better placed on other units; trying to make infiltrating Tankbustas out of Kommandos will cost you a lot of points and likely produce poor results.
    • Big Shoota: Trying to turn a pistol-armed melee squad into a fire support team may not be the best idea. Does at least give the squad some kind of effective ranged weapon, and it even fires enough shots that you might hit something. Not too pricey at 6 points each either, but...
    • Burna: You should almost always take two of these, because they cost zero points (the recent FAQ hasn't changed this despite being an obvious upgrade for Kommandos from their base wargear). Upgrades your two base attacks to AP-2, and you don't have to give up your Choppa so you still get a third hit with that at AP0. Also great for Overwatch if you mess up the charge. Does mean you lose two Pistol shots and, with 8" range, the Burnas will never be able to shoot the turn you infiltrate. Think of them as swapping your pistol for a free Power weapon, the flamethrower bit is just a bonus.

Special Characters

  • Mad Dok Grotsnik: Clan DEATHSKULLS. One of the only special characters in the game who isn't an HQ, because he's a complete zoggin' loony. He's a Painboy with T5, a 4+ save and personal 5+ FNP. Of particular note is the fact that his Super Cybork Body stacks with his own Dok's Tools aura, so Grotsnik himself gets two rolls at 5+ and 6+ to ignore wounds. He is, however, One Scalpel Short of a Medpack, so keep him in a mob (or out of charge range) unless you want him to go charging off by himself. Unlike regular Painboyz he can't bring a Grot Orderly with him, or be mounted on a bike. Points-wise he's a little more expensive than a regular footslogging Painboy (74 vs 65/68 with Killsaw), but still cheaper than a Painboy on a bike (115). All that extra cost is in personal durability, not improving his aura or melee ability. Worth the spend if your opponent is bringing a lot of snipers, and you don't want your Boyz having their 6+ FNP picked off quite as easily. Otherwise the extra points are wasted, as the Painboy won't be getting shot through the 30+ Boyz in front of him.

Fast Attack

  • Stormboyz: Slugga Boyz that can move 12 inches, Advance and Charge in the same turn with an Orky downside. For 8 points. Where do I sign? Can be taken in huge mobs now so Leadership isn't an issue. They are our best fast unit now. Take them! Take two units!! Then Charge the enemy on turn one and see if they can kill all of them before the rest of the boyz catch up. If you're bringing Boss Zagstruk along, take minimum size units instead - he makes them immune to morale so you don't need to rely on Mob Rule, and having multiple small units lets you gate damage and charge multiple enemy units more easily to tie all of them up at once.
    • Notably, only boyz get the "green tide" rule, so other than for morale, there is little incentive to bring a full mob of 30 Stormboyz, as they will not get the extra attacks.
    • Fun thing is they can assault flyers now, so Traktor Kannons and Lootas are not necessary to get rid of them any more. Accompanying Orky rendition of Rocket Man (Rokkit Boyz?) optional.
  • Deffkoptas: They are very expensive now, at over 80 points per model with Rokkits and slightly less with Big Shootas. They still have alternate deployment, and interestingly enough are VEHICLES. They are the fastest Ork units with M14" and the ability to always Advance 6" rather than rolling for it. Aside from that they have 4W and 2A that can be multiplied by their Spinning Blades up to 6 (D3 hits per attack). Decent unit but on the expensive side for what it does.
    • Kopta Rokkits: The default main weapon, and by far the most expensive at 28 24 points.
    • Kustom Mega-blasta: Only 9 points, one less shot than the Rokkits with D3 rather than 3 damage but one extra AP. You may also blow yourself up.
    • Twin Big Shoota: The middling option at 14 10 points.
    • Bigbomm: Each Kopta can buy one of these for no points (which is probably why the Kopta itself costs so much), so you probably should do that. Once per game it can be dropped after moving over the target in the Movement phase, delivering up to 5 mortal wounds to the unit (one dice per model in it, capped at 5) on a 5+.
    • Spinnin' Blades: Your default option, costs nothing. 2D3 attacks at S5.
    • Killsaw: Massively Relatively expensive at 28 15 points, but your Kopta will hit extremely hard in melee - if it hits.
      • Keep in mind that this is one of the few units that can actually keep up with the Wazbom's KFF. In the event that your enemy denies you the deepstrike, runnning the Blastajet alongide your koptas means they actually have a chance to do some damage. Just don't rely on it, these things are still overpriced and do little to compensate for it.
  • Warbikers: In 8th Warbikers can be described in one word - DISASTER. They are almost twice as expensive as before. They gained one Wound and WS3+ but lost their Jink save and have no Smoke Cloud rule. They are 14" Movement and Dakkaguns are now 3 shots each (with two of them on every bike); unfortunately with 6 shots at BS5+ on average it is exactly almost the same as 3 shots with rerolls (3 with rerolls can't hit more than three shots, can it?). On top of that Warbikers are again capped at 12 models. They are terrible. Unable to perform well in CC or in shooting, which puts them dangerously close to the enemy. Their 2W are easily negated by multiwound weapons. Only use for them can be taking an MSU to bubblewrap a character on a bike, but for that they are too expensive. Just take Stormboyz.
    • Alternative take. Warbikes in MSU are decent objective grabbers. Fast, decently durable and can shoot a model or two here and there. At around 80 points per 3 models (including nob without upgrades) they are durable enough not to be easily killed by cheap objective grabbing units and are fast enough to grab late game objectives. They are better in that regard than similarly priced Deffkoptas (more wounds, multiple models), albeit they are slower and cannot ignore terrain or units that are in their way.
  • Warbuggies: This model no longer spontaneously explodes on the battlefield if the enemy looks at it funny. Though, compared to other vehicles it might as well be made of plastic. T5 and 5 wounds with a 4 up save. The real secret is that these aren't actually vehicles - they're closer to cavalry, with 2 boyz riding them into battle, considering its 4 attacks and WS3+. Though the guns are what make these distractions mobile vanguards useful. Take the Twin Big Shoota to annoy kill infantry and the Rack of Rokkits if you wish to mildly disturb threaten vehicles. The buggies can also arrive as reinforcements from a board edge thanks to Outriders, and dive straight into the enemy's back line. Received a points drop in Chapter Approved 2017.
  • Wartrakks: Warbuggies that trade 2" Movement for one more Wound, at a cost of 5 extra points. Received a points drop in Chapter Approved 2017.
  • Skorchas: Wartrakks that trade their Twin Big Shootas for a (surprise surprise) Skorcha. Their points costs and abilities are identical to Wartrakks (other than the gun, of course), the only reason they exist as a separate unit rather than a wargear option is to force you to take an all-or-nothing approach to arming them with Skorchas. Still, Skorchas are awesome now - and the Wartrakk's high Movement enables them to position well for a barbecue. Remember that Skorchas are Assault weapons that auto-hit and have great Overwatch performance; so you can freely Advance close to the enemy, flame them, and then do it again if they try to charge you. Basically the only problems they have are being shot at (especially dedicated anti-vehicle weapons, which will pop them extremely easily) and being charged from more than 8".
  • Grot Tanks (Forge World): A weird unit - their Movement stat is a 2D6 that changes every turn, which can cause issues given their relatively short-ranged weaponry. An invulnerable save of 6+ isn't great, but better than nothing at all. As for your weapons, the Grotzooka is the only one that's different from other vehicle guns - with Heavy 2D3 and +1S over a Big Shoota, it has the potential to be a better anti-infantry choice than the Big Shoota if you can get within the 18" range. Note that they can only be taken if the detachment also has a Big Mek.
    • Grot Tank vs Kanz: If you want Grotzookas in your army, I recommend Grot Tanks over Kanz. Grot tanks are cheaper, have a 6+ invulnerable (which is actually more important that you think), and are statistically faster. Now for the cons - they can't melee (why would they), they have wonky movement (but you can re-roll if you REALLY need to), and they suffer from morale (which Kanz also do). All in all, Kanz main boon for Ork armies is that they provide a great weapon platform and a decent killy unit. This edition already has amazing melee options for Orks, so use the Grot Tanks for weapons platforms instead.
  • Grot Mega Tank (Forge World): With a wide variety of guns to choose from and better stats than the normal Grot Tank, the Grot Mega Tank looks good on paper but is brought down by classic Orky randomness. Every Shooting phase, you need to roll a d6 - on a 1, you can't shoot at all, and on a 6 you gain +1 to hit at the expense of firing all your guns at only one target. And it has the same random movement stat as its smaller counterpart. Pass.
    • The mini grot revolt can be easily put down by "Kommisar Kommand Point". The Mega Tank can also bring more firepower when compared point-for-point to Grot Tanks, with enough slots for you to bring a skorcha and a couple rockits to balance out your other dakka. T6 W9 vs. T5 W4 per tank is also nice too, without worrying about morale tests. Also, unlike the tanks, you can hit with the Wreckin' Ball in CC on a 5+. Most importantly, you don't have to take a Big Mek in order to field the Mega Tank. Movement is a problem, but if you can get it close enough and park it in cover, you have a surprisingly effective fire platform.

Heavy Support

  • Big Gunz: Lacks 'Ere We Go! and Mob Rule. The cheaper stuff split off from the Mek Gunz selection, you now get a maximum of six to a unit instead of five. They do suffer a bit from being the cheaper version though, as they've only got 3 Wounds to the Mek Gunz 6. Although the guns only appear to cost 8 each, remember that you have to buy two Grot gunners (2 points each) and the actual gun (15 or 18 points) for each chassis. In practice these work out at either 27 (Kannons) or 30 (Lobba/Zzap Gun) points each.
    • Kannon: Cheap and effective, with your standard D6 S4/1 S8 Frag/Krak rounds. It's one of the few sources of S8 shooting in the index, and ludicrously cheap too.
    • Lobba: D6 S5 hits that ignore line of sight and an impressive 48" range, but doesn't have AP any more.
    • Zzap Gun: No longer the prolific murderer of its own gunners that it used to be with the loss of its even worse version of Gets Hot, but still with its random 2d6 strength. If you roll 11+, you don't roll to wound and inflict 4 mortal wounds instead - three to the target, and one to the gun. You can't absorb these with the crew any more (it's explicitly the bearer that takes the wound, and that's the gun platform), but you can keep a Mek nearby to fix up the damage instead. Much, much better than it used to be; sub-11 Strength shots no longer have any kind of Gets Hot, and even if it does hurt itself you get 3 mortal wounds out of it - and it only takes one in return, so it'll never kill itself if your Mek keeps it on at least 2 Wounds.
  • Mek Gunz: Lacks 'Ere We Go! and Mob Rule. As above, don't forget you need the points for Grot gunners and the weapons to go with each 15-point chassis. Totals are 34 and 35 for the lowly Traktor Kannon and Smasha Gun, all the way up to 48 and 53 points for the much shootier Kustom Mega-kannon and much more random Bubblechukka.
    • Bubblechukka: Punishingly expensive and still random as all hell. You can always hope for that one 4d6 roll that gives you Heavy 6 S6 AP-6 and 6 Damage (Don't forget to slap some blue paint on it for luck), but never forget half of the roll assignments are up to your opponent. The roll to determine the stats of the weapon only occurs after a target has been picked so it's very tricky to ever get this right!
    • Kustom Mega-kannon: Pricey but fantastically lethal - and in proper Ork fashion only mostly to other people. If you're taking a battery of these, keep a Mek nearby to fix the guns when they inevitably overheat (and no deflecting the wounds onto the gunners any more, the weapon specifically states the bearer, i.e. the platform, suffers the wound). Now even cheaper with the Chapter Approved.
    • Smasha Gun: Above-average odds of wounding anything T7 or below (and not a bad shot at wounding T8), AP-4 and D6 Damage. Not too shabby.
    • Traktor Kannon: The orkiest anti-air gun you can ask for. Fires at S8 and AP-2, and it's fairly decent due to dealing D3 wounds. Unless it's against flyers, because then it deals D6 wounds and airplanes shot down by it automatically "Crash and Burn" (or equivalent), no roll required. Unless you really want the extra wounds and larger crew, just take a regular Kannon instead - It's got the same stats, D6 damage against everything, and is much cheaper.
  • Battlewagon: Lacks 'Ere We Go! and Mob Rule. Your go-to vehicle for ferrying 20 Boyz (or 10 Meganobz) to the fight in safety and then running stuff over. Don't forget to consider whether or not you want an 'Ard Case on it - it'll be more durable, but your boyz can't shoot out of it to pass the time on the way to the fight. More of a sidegrade, this is the one option that doesn't cost any points - you can just exchange Open-topped for +1T. Unfortunately the Battlewagon is so expensive only a Boss with more teeth than a great white is going to be able to field this thing. At roughly 200 points when kitted up with a Deff Rolla and some minimum Dakka (180 with just the Deff Rolla, 281 with all the snazziest bitz - although a desperate Boss could grab a taxiwagon with no weapons save for a basic melee attack for 161) the Battlewagon is a super durable taxi with a little offensive capability. They still are pretty close to the top of the hill of "hard as nails transports", however at 200 points you are going to be losing out on potentially whole other squads of boys/nobs/trukks etc just to make sure whatever is in this thing survives. On a good note, The Deffrolla hits on 2s, and at full strength that's six S8 AP-2 attacks. Its rules lets it shoot all its weapons at "normal" BS of 5+ but according to FAQ this do not transfer to its occupants. Every weapon on the 'Wagon is an optional extra:
    • Choppy bitz: You can buy all three if you want, but to be honest using the Deff Rolla for all of your attacks is usually your best option leaving the other two as dead weight. If you buy choppy bitz, don't buy a Killkannon. Killkannons bring down the transport capacity. Choppy battlewagon should be used to ferry models, and turn into a dead killy moving obstacle afterwards.
      • Deff Rolla: You know you want one. It's AP-2, and any attacks with it are at +2 to hit. 19 points isn't the cheapest, but compared to the cost of the 'Wagon it's not expensive either.
      • Grabbin' Klaw: You can only make one of your attacks with this each Fight, it's using your base WS of 5+, and it's only marginally better than the roller in damage terms. It is only 5 points though.
      • Wreckin' Ball: The cheapest melee weapon at only 3 points. You're limited to only making three of your attacks with it though, and since your WS is 5+ you aren't that likely to hit anything.
    • Big Gunz: You get space for a Killkannon and one of the other three if you want them. They're all Heavy, so you can't shoot them if you Advance. Mobile Fortress lets you ignore the -1 to hit for firing while moving normally (unfortunately FAQ clearly stated that this ability is not transferred to its occupant so Lootas and Flash Gitz are still at -1 to hit when firing from a moving Battlewagon).
      • Killkannon: A hybrid of both Kannon shell types - D6 shots with S7 AP-2 and 2 Damage. It's a little shorter ranged though, and expensive at 27 points. It also drops your transport capacity from 20 to 12, so you'll probably want to avoid it if you're planning on, for example, bringing a full mob of Tankbustas along for a ride.
      • Kannon: You know what this one does by now. D6 S4 Frag shells, or single S8 hits.
      • Lobba: Long range S5 indirect fire. Good for splattering those sneaky gits trying to abuse line of sight to avoid a proper fight.
      • Zzap Gun: No longer the total liability it used to be. If you're using a Kannon and find you only ever fire the S8 solid shot, you might want one of these instead.
        • Battlewagon with Supa-Kannon (Forge World): Transport capacity is now reduced to 6, but now you have a big gun thats dead killy. 60' Heavy 2d6, S8, AP-2 and Damage 3 (DAMAGE 3 !!!) - dead killy. Its kinda a better Ork Vindicator. This thing was made to bring down anything big.
    • More Dakka: You can buy up to four of each of these, and they're Assault so you can shoot them at your full 5+ to hit (or 6+ if you're Advancing).
      • Big Shoota: Cheap dakka.
      • Rokkit Launcha: Some anti-vehicle punch. A bit pricey if you want all four of them.
  • Deff Dreads: Lack of Mob Rule is almost completely irrelevant, as even if organised as a 3-model unit in your Detachment they always operate as individual models on the field (as per Dread Mob). Their Leadership of 7 is only relevant for things like psyker powers that attack it, same as all other individual models. They are prime example of DISTRACTION CARNIFEXES for Orks. Keep them away from large groups of basic troops as they will either tarpit the Dreads for eternity or straight up kill them. Their preferred targets are vehicles and monsters, with some flaming of anything that happens to be in range on the way in. Each Dread comes with two Dread Klaws and two Big Shootas as standard for 131pts, and can freely replace one or both of its Big Shootas with any combination of these:
    • Kustom Mega-blasta: 3 extra points per gun for some S8 plasma goodness. Better AP than the Rokkit Launcha, but you wound yourself on 1s and it's D3 rather than 3 flat Damage.
    • Rokkit Launcha: 6 extra points per gun, your alternative S8 firepower option. Flat 3 damage to the Mega-blasta's D3 and no wounding yourself on 1s, but one less AP.
    • Skorcha: Some close-range firepower for a close-combat Dread that wants to get round its shitty BS5+. Pricey at +11pts, but probably worth it if you're up close and personal. Frankly due to BS5+ this is the best option as it both works as a Charge deterrent and can bbq some enemies on his way into CC.
    • More Dread Klaws: These only cost 15 points each if you're buying extras. Effectively you're paying 15pts to give up a gun and gain +1A.
    • Most optimised build seems to be 3 claws and a skorcha on the attack, or 2 claws and 2 skorchas for a more defensive build. This completely ignores BS 5+ and gives him decent firepower while still retaining enough attacks to tear through a lot of wounds on multiwound models.
  • Killa Kans: Lacks 'Ere We Go! and Mob Rule. Unlike Deff Dreads, these little guys don't split up on deployment so their Leadership of 6 and lack of Mob Rule can see things go very wrong very fast, especially as casualties that Explode will always wound their squadmates. Your only Leadership options are things like a Warboss' Breakin' Heads (which the Kans can at least absorb the wounds from without losing a model) or a Hail-Mary 6+ from Nobz' Keepin' Order. They are, however, as versatile as ever in melee and at range, with their great (for Orks, anyway) BS4+, decent selection of weapons, and three S8 AP-3 3 Damage melee attacks per Kan. They also get +1A if there's more than two in a unit, thanks to Scrag 'Em. The lack of 'Ere We Go! should not be forgotten though - you'll be used to having those rerolls on all your other units, and these little guys might just fail a charge on you if you don't set things up right. Have a Command Point handy. Each Kan has a Kan Klaw, and a Big Shoota which it can replace with one of the following:
    • Grotzooka: Still decent for mowing down infantry at range with 2D3 S6 shots per Kan, but the lack of AP will force you to rely on sheer volume of shots against Power Armour equivalents.
    • Kustom Mega-blasta: As with the Deff Dread, S8 plasma goodness. Better AP than the Rokkit Launcha, but you wound yourself on 1s and it's D3 rather than 3 flat Damage.
    • Rokkit Launcha: As with the Deff Dread, your alternative S8 firepower option. Flat 3 damage to the Mega-blasta's D3 and no wounding yourself on 1s, but one less AP.
    • Skorcha: Your BS4+ isn't terrible, so you don't benefit from automatic hits as much as most Orks units, but if you're going to keep these guys in close for melee you might want to pack a Skorcha for guaranteed hits. Especially helpful for Overwatch if they get counter-charged, but very expensive (they're +11pts compared to the stock Big Shoota).
      • Kanz no longer have a min squad size of 3 and because of the Speartip Detachement losing Heavy Support slots doesn't really matter. Having units of 1 Kan means you don't have to worry about damage spilling over or morale. Grab a Big Mek with a KFF to fill the HQ slot for an invul.
  • Morkanaut: Lacks Mob Rule, but nobody cares because it's an individual model and doesn't take morale tests. The halfway house between a Deff Dread and a Stompa. Dead 'ard edition with a built-in Kustom Force Field. While the weapons loadout is quite nice, the Gorkanaut's Weapons are more hard hitting (and less risky for the bearer). Both 'nauts suffer no penalty from firing heavy weapons after moving. They can still carry 6 regular infantry models. They are somewhat high in points value, but their high amount of wounds and a solid 3+ armor save makes them quite durable. With the KFF the Morkanaut and every (complete) unit within 9" gets a 5+ invul save (from shooting) - you could say it is a more buffy, Orky Imperial Knight.
    • Can't stress enough how major the KFF is for an ork army. If you run a low model army/transport heavy army - you want a Morkanaut with Kff. It should also be noted that the Meka-Dread also brings a KFF and are 100 points cheaper- but seeing how Morknauts are bigger and provide a larger 9' KFF bubble, the Morkanaut could still be more cost effective (all depends on how big the sizes are, further complicated if you convert your models).
    • Economical Consideration: The Stompa is only around 10 bucks more expensive than one of these models. So - unless you are restricted either by points or by detachment - it may be better to go for a Stompa
      • Food for thought: If there's any one unit in the whole 'dex you're thinking of scratch building, it's the Naughts. All of the above considerations still apply, but if you're set on including one in your list, get creative.
  • Gorkanaut: Lacks Mob Rule, but nobody cares because it's an individual model and doesn't take morale tests. The halfway house between a Deff Dread and a Stompa. More dakka edition with its Deffstorm Mega-shoota.
  • Lootas: Lootas are still a solid choice. Same range as before and S7 AP -1 is quite decent, and on top of that they deal 2 damage. With enough of them and a decent d3 roll for number of shots (can be rerolled with Command Point) they can smash most vehicles on 4s.
    • After some games many people are a little disappointed in Lootas. They are still decent but their AP-1 is usually only negating cover which their enemy often have due to fact that they are shooting at long range. This means most of their preferred targets will get a 3+ save, negating 2/3 of those hard-earned wounds. They of course can still sit on an objective in the back and shoot stuff, but with how easy deep striking is they will be prime targets for enemies' deep striking TEQ or MEQ and they will not survive this experience
  • Flash Gitz: Don't have a <CLAN>. Has FLASH GITZ instead. Has a straight BS4+ on Orks and three S5 AP-2 attacks each along with the special rule Gun-crazy Showoffs, - each time they attack in the shooting phase, you roll a D6. On a 6, the unit must shoot a second time targeting the closest enemy unit. Note that this isn't optional, and that it must be aimed at the closest unit, not the closest valid target - if the Flash Gitz can't see the closest unit, or can't shoot it for some other reason (e.g. it's in melee), then the ability fails. Not to be relied on, but it's a funny rule. Don't forget these guys are Nobz, so they have 2W and S5 3A each and can charge after they shoot their weapons; if you need to finish a unit don't be afraid to charge these guys in, they're still Orks. Consider taking some Ammo Runts, they occupy vital space on transports but for a measly 4 points it could save a git from a lascannon - and given that a max size unit is 10 models, you will have space for a couple even in a Trukk.
    • Fun to Da Jump behind your enemy and into cover, but at 27 points apiece and 6+ armour... OK maybe don't do it. Better to spend some points on a Trukk or a Wagon to keep your expensive investments alive.
  • Meka-Dread (Forge World): Lacks Mob Rule. Must take either a Kustom Force Field (5++ for all ORKS units entirely within 9"), a Mega Charga (Once per battle increase your Movement by 8" for one Movement phase, but take a mortal wound and can't Advance or Charge that turn on a D6 roll of 1), or Rokkit-bomms (an extra weapon). Interestingly, these seem to be free - a Kustom Force Field costs 20 points in Xenos 2, but has no points value in the FW index. The Mega Charga and Rokkit-bomms have no points listed anywhere. Also, both the Mega-Charga and KFF are listed as abilities rather than equipment. This makes a Meka-Dread a good choice for a big bubble of KFF that's cheaper than a Morkanaut by almost 100 points with not much of a decrease in durability and a good companion for other normal Deff Dreads or a Killa Kan wall. Like most heavier vehicles it can fire Heavy weapons on the move with no penalties, and Fall Back without losing the ability to shoot or charge. Also has an unusual wound ignore mechanic in Ramshackle Monster: It ignores wounds on a 4+, but every time you fail the roll it gets worse by 1 - decreasing to 5+, then 6+ before it stops working altogether after three failed rolls.
    • Rippa Klaws: The basic weapon loadout is a pair of these, for +1 attack. You can lose that extra attack to replace one with a gun.
    • Big Zzappa The new and improved Zzap gun, only bigger and killier. Three shots all with the same 2D6 Strength roll, at AP-4 and 4 Damage. This bigger Zzap gun only overloads on a 12, in which case every shot that hits ignores its normal damage and inflicts 3 mortal wounds. The Dread then takes a single mortal wound.
    • Rattler Kannon: 2D6 infantry-shredding shots on tap whenever you need them.
    • Rokkit-bomms: Powerful, but you have to give up your KFF/Mega-Charga to bring them.
    • Shunta: Not the best stats for anti-vehicle fire, but decent. It does prevent VEHICLES Advancing next turn if you wound them though.
  • Squiggoth (Forge World): A bit more limited than the Trukk in what it can transport, but it hits really hard in melee and can take a bigger beating with its 18 wounds. Units embarked on the Squiggoth as well as the Squiggoth's own gun can fire their weapons normally from it if it's got an enemy 1" or less away (i.e. in melee range with the Squiggoth), but can't target that particular enemy. Stampede! inflicts D3 mortal wounds on a 2+ to every unit within 1" at the end of a Charge as of the Forge World FAQs.
  • Lifta Wagon (Forge World): Everyone's favourite weaponised tractor beam now automatically hits its target D6 times, rolling 2D6 per hit. Each roll that equals or exceeds the target's Strength inflicts a mortal wound. The wagon itself can fire Heavy weapons (i.e. the Lifta-Droppa) while moving without penalty, and has access to the same melee and small gun options as the Battlewagon (Deff Rolla/Wreckin' Ball/Grabbin' Klaw, and up to two from the following: Rokkit Launcha, Big Shoota). Less shots, less damage and a higher price tag than the Supa-Kannon Battlewagon, but you don't need to roll to hit with an Ork BS5+ and it inflicts mortal wounds.
    • The effectiveness of the Lifta-Droppa damage output is limited by its number of hits. It can't do enough damage to threaten enemy vehicles, and it lacks the output to deal with any substantial hordes. Unless you are going against an elite heavy army with expensive 1W models, this thing is more of a point sink then a boon. Be very cautious if you intend to employ this.
  • Big Trakk (Forge World): A cheaper, squishier and shooty-focused Battlewagon. Comes with a reduced transport capacity of 12 (which it will likely give up more or all of to get even bigger guns), Grot Riggers (recover 1 Wound per turn on a 6+), and two Big Shootas. The two default Big Shootas can be individually replaced with Skorchas or Rokkit Launchas, or the pair and six of your transport capacity can be sacrificed for one of: Kannon, Lobba, Zzap Gun, Supa-Skorcha, Big Lobba, Killkannon, Big Zzappa or Flakka Gunz. Alternatively you can go all-in and replace both default Big Shootas and all of your transport capacity with a Supa-Kannon. Whatever choice you make there, you can also add on up to two Grot Sponsons, and up to two weapons from this list: Rokkit Launcha, Skorcha, Big Shoota. Keep in mind that it's movement profile is 14"/12"/10" compared to the 12"/9"/6" of either a Trukk or Battlewagon, making it the fastest transport in this army(besides the "Chinork" at 16", but T5 8W is kinda worthless compared to T6 15W). If you really need a transport that can rocket across the table even after losing 14 wounds in a turn, this is your go-to.
    • Supa-Kannon: A Big Trakk with Supa-Kannon costs 191pts; just 26 less than a Battlewagon with Supa-Kannon. The Battlewagon is significantly tougher, so much so that it's difficult to recommend ever taking this unit when the Battlewagon equivalent is a mere 26 points extra. The upsides to the Gun Trakk are a smaller profile, 2" more speed, Grot Riggers, the ability to buy Skorchas along with Rokkit Launchas and Big Shootas as backup weapons, and the option to buy Grot Sponsons.
    • Supa-Scorcha: For all of the pyromaniacs that inhabit our planet. 4D3 autohits with 24" range S6 and AP-2 is sweet. Equip it with two additional Skorchas, put 6 Nobz with Kombi-Skorchas in it and just be happy watchin' gits do da burny dance. Frankly this thing is rather pricey in that setup, but it's extremely effective at both killing things and attracting a lot of attention. Most enemies knowing what it does will try desperately to kill it, ignoring other stuff that is closing the distance. Not a great DISTRACTION CARNIFEX because it's both too points-intensive to just throw away, and actually very effective at killing things - it's entirely justified in attracting the amount of incoming fire that it does - but you can count on your enemies' guns being pointed in the Supa-Skorcha's direction rather than elsewhere for a turn or two, and if not? Be happy the Flametrukk will definitely kill any kind of infantry or light vehicle nearby.
    • Flakk Trakk: Slap a set of Flakka Gunz, two Grot Sponsons and pair of Big Shootas on this thing and fill the sky with lead for 178pts. You even get to keep 6 transport capacity if you want to ferry a Character or a few Meganobz about.
    • Big Zzappa: The only way to get one of these fantastically killy guns on the table besides a Meka-Dread, all for 153pts. Heavy D3, AP-4 and 4 Damage with 2D6 Strength, inflicting 3 mortal wounds per hit if you roll an 11+ (and then one more mortal wound to itself). You probably won't hit anything with it at BS5+ though.

Flyers

Flyers don't have 'Ere We Go! or Mob Rule.

  • Dakkajet: Your basic fighter, with the standard flyer abilities Airborne, Hard to Hit and Supersonic. Either 12 or 18 S6 AP-1 shots (depending on whether you spend the teef for the two extra Supa Shootas - which you always should, anyway) that hit on 5s as usual if you split them, or 4s if they all target the same unit thanks to Dakka Dakka Dakka.
  • Burna-Bommer: Anti-infantry firepower and, with the bombs, mortal wounds too. You get two Burna Bombs, and can drop one per turn on a unit you fly over. You roll a D6 for every model in the unit they drop on (capped at 10), inflicting a mortal wound for every roll of 5+, or 4+ vs INFANTRY. The Twin Big Shoota gets +1 to hit thanks to its Grot Gunner. Try to make sure the Bommer is over the enemy when it gets shot down, as the 3 mortal wounds from its 4+ Explosive Demise will be very unpleasant for anyone within 6". These planes are probably more focused on attacking heavy infantry such as TEQs against GEQs you're better off bringing a dakkajet.
    • Skorcha Missiles are only 20 points extra, and give you another set of shots that ignore cover. Well worth a look.
      • The Blitza-Bommer is better suited to deal with both infantry and vehicles, but the inclusion of Skorcha Missiles and a Twin Big Shoota means this is able to do more damage after it's bomms are gone. Plus, if you can maneuver this into the proper position, the Burna-Bommer can do a lot more damage after being destroyed.
  • Blitza-Bommer: A Bomber that's a little more focused on attacking vehicles. Its guns are still anti-infantry (with the Grot Gunner giving it a +1 to hit with the Big Shoota), but its Boom Bombs count VEHICLES and MONSTERS as three models when working out how many dice they get to roll for mortal wounds - and they inflict mortal wounds to all targets on 4s, while Burna-Bommers' Burna Bombs require 5s for non-INFANTRY. Bomb squadrons of smaller vehicles for maximum pain.
  • Wazbom Blastajet: Your anti-tank plane. Can move and fire Heavy weapons without penalty, and can target one enemy unit each Shooting phase to receive +1 to hit it with the Smasha Gun thanks to its Mekbrain-enhanced Weapon-sights. Comes equipped with the aforementioned Smasha Gun, two Wazbom Mega-kannons and a Stikkbomb Flinga as standard for a total of 143 points.
    • Tellyport Mega-blastas: You can replace both Wazbom Mega-kannons with these for 12 extra points. Less range, AP and damage, but you can't wound yourself and also get the instant kill rolls on targets you do wound.
    • Kustom Force Field: You can swap out the Stikkbomb Flinga for one of these, which is generally a great idea - a 14pt upgrade for a massive durability increase (also spread to any accompanying planes, and friendly infantry you happen to be flying over), at the cost of an S3 anti-horde weapon that will probably spend most of the game out of range.
    • Supa Shootas: You can drop 20 points on a pair of these if you feel the need for even more dakka which, let's face it, you probably do.
      • The unique nature of the Smasha Gun means that it performs like a buffed S7 weapon on anything except T6. This is important for 2 reasons; the first being that this makes the Smasha gun great at crushing both medium and heavy armour and isolated elites. The flipside of this however is that this gun actually performs slightly worse than the Wazbom Mega-Kannons and other S7/S8 weapons on things like transports and light vehicles. Keep this in mind when designating shots, as you may want to let your Nobs+PKs deal with them rather than wasting the shot. See below for a quick bit of Mathhammer:
Chance of a Successful Wound:
Toughness T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8
S7 83.3% 83.3% 66.7% 66.7% 66.7% 50.0% 33.3%
S2D6 100% 90.9% 81.8% 72.7% 63.6% 54.5% 45.4%

Lords of War

  • Stompa: Lacks Mob Rule. Has FORTY WOUNDS. That's as many as four tens. And that's terrible. As previously, a Stompa can put out a ridiculous number of shots, but due to BS5+ only a few of them will actually hit. But still, it can dish out up to 48 (most of them are random rolls so on average probably closer to 25-30) shots d6 of which hit automatically. It can also Fall Back (moving over INFANTRY models as long as it finishes up more than 1" away) and then still shoot and charge as it pleases. 40 wounds, T8 and 3+ save looks nice but this thing will be a BIG fire magnet. Orks within 6" get morale rerolls, but it is again mostly redundant thanks to Mob Rule. A Stompa can still transport 20 models. Where it really shines, however, is in close combat. It has WS 3+ and can freely split its four attacks between single S20 AP-5 6 Damage "Smash" hits for 2s to wound and no saves against virtually everything, or triple S10 AP-2 d3 Damage "Slash" hits against big groups of smaller things ("smaller" being relative here, this still hits at S10) where that much force is better spread across more attacks.
    • Having actually played with a stompa... It's very MEH. Thanks to BS5+, most of your shooting attacks will miss. 40 Wounds also seems like a lot, but remember, even bolters can wound on 6s now! Unlike Gorkanauts and other, smaller vehicles that have changing stats, the Stompa loses effectiveness very quickly. Overall, it's a big transport that will ensure you get a unit or two to the enemy, but on its own it is a horrible waste of power/points. Get a Gorkanaut or Morkanaut if you actually want to get stuff done.
      • People keep bringing up this "bolters wound on 6s" thing as if it's bad for large units, and it's not. That's a 4% shots-to-unsaved-wounds conversion rate, wasting 96% of their potential firepower. You should be absolutely ecstatic that your opponent is that stupid. Doesn't make the Stompa's cost justified, but it isn't really a point against it.
    • As for el stompy being good in close combat: S20 is pointless, since there are no T10 units currently outside of FW stuff. If you opt to Slash, you're doing the exact same damage as any imperial knight does with its titanic feet... Srsly, the fucking STOMPA doesn't get a mighty foot attack but those imperial gits do?! Sad times.
    • Stompa has to few attacks to be viable for its points. GW needs to double its A characteristic and than it will be worth taking.
    • Psycho-Dakka Blasta! lets you risk exhausting your ammunition supply (making the weapon useless for the rest of the battle) to fire the Supa-gatler twice, or even three times per turn. Some probability calcs in the table below, assuming you spend a CP every time you fail a roll to avoid exhausting the gun. Remember the third shot is cumulative with the second shot (which is accounted for below, the 3 shot rows include the probabilities for both rolls in sequence), and that you can't use a CP on both rolls because you're limited to one per phase. With a CP reroll ready, firing twice is an acceptable risk - but 2d6 extra Supa-gatler shots at BS5+ isn't always the best use of your CP in that Shooting phase, so only do it if your CP wasn't needed for something more important. Only push for the third shot on the last turn or just before the Stompa dies, as it's very likely to disable the gun even with a reroll.
Psycho-Dakka Blasta! per-turn usage:
Successive turns of shooting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Cumulative expected CP spend, 2 shots 0.17 0.33 0.5 0.67 0.83 1 1.17
Cumulative P(Out of Ammo), 2 shots 2.78% 5.48% 8.10% 10.66% 13.14% 15.55% 17.90%
Cumulative expected CP spend, 3 shots 0.72 1.44 2.17 2.89 3.61 4.33 5.06
Cumulative P(Out of Ammo), 3 shots 49.07% 74.07% 93.27% 99.55% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
  • Kill Tank (Forge World): Seems nice and cheap for its T8 and 24 wounds at only 215 365 pts plus wargear, which will probably bring it up to about 300 420+ pts. Only a 4+ save though. Transports 12 ladz, has a pseudo-open-topped rule that lets ladz inside fire but hit on sixes. Ignores penalties for heavy weapons thanks to mobile fortress. The main gun is either a Bursta Kannon or a Gigashoota. The Kannon is a 36"R S10 AP-4 D2 heavy 2d6 creature that'll vaporise whatever you hit. The Shoota is a 48"R S6 AP-1 D1 heavy 6d6 monstrosity that will likely be getting a lot of hits - the kill tank hits on a 4+ if you have 14 wounds or more remaining. Should average seven wounds against T4 or T5, a little under nine against T3 or less. Along with saves at -1, expect to be removing three or four MEQs, or twice that many GEQs, each time you fire. Perhaps not the most points efficient weapon, but think of the feeling of firing all that dakka. It's cool, but the Chapter Approved price 150% price increase makes it tough to justify - even if it was undercosted before.
    • Can also take two Big Shootas, Skorchas, Rokkits, Kustom Mega Blastas, Twin Big Shootas, or Twin Rokkits. Comes with a Twin Big Shoota default. Reinforced Ram gives it +2S on the charge and deals D3 mortal wounds to the charged unit on a 2+, which coupled with the 8 S8 attacks and the WS3+ makes close combat a friendly place to be for the Kill Tank. Grot Riggers make it regain a single wound on a 6+ each turn, which is neat, I suppose. All in all it's your cheap super-heavy (though not in money terms, FW being who they are), but since you're an Ork player just do as the Orks do; scratch-build one out of plasticard and spare parts like a true Mek would.
      • On the theme of kustom building this yourself, a 1:35 Stürmtiger kit will cost a fraction of what the Forge World Kill Bursta does, and forms an excellent base to work from (because it's the real tank the Kill Bursta's design is cribbed from). A few pieces of plasticard armour and gubbinz from your bitz box, and you'll have a unique Kill Tank of your very own. If you've got enough spare gun barrels, you could glue a bunch together and make a Gigashoota to turn it into a Kill Blasta instead; or even magnetise the guns and make both.
  • Kustom Stompa (Forge World): Same base stats as the vanilla Stompa with the addition of a few extra goodies. Comes equipped with a Mega-Klaw instead of a Mega-Choppa (A crappier Mega-Choppa without the ability to "Slash" and only deals 4 damage, but gains an extra 4 attacks if you decide to equip two Klaws), a Gaze of Mork (A Zzap Gun on steroids that fires a single Strength 4d6 AP-4 6 Damage shot. Packs a nasty punch, but good luck hitting anything with it), a Repair Crew (Basically a free Mek that heals one wound at the end of the turn on a 5 and heals D3 wounds on a 6) and everything else the vanilla stompa gets. It also comes with a few extra options for weapon load outs, including Lifta Droppas, Klaws, Grot Sponsons, extra Supa Rokkits and even a nice Belly Gun for blowing up infantry and light vehicles (2d6 Strength shots at strength 8 AP-2 and dealing 2 wounds is not bad for an ork weapon, even better when it becomes 4d6 against INFANTRY units. Though it does mean you wont be able to use the Stompa as a transport). Lifta Droppas are now actually useful for once, and can now be used against ANY unit with a toughness of 12 or less. They deal D6 automatic hits, with each hit dealing a single mortal wound every time the player manages to roll 2D6 equal to or more than the enemy unit's toughness. Good for nearly every situation, great for ripping apart Battlesuits, TEQs and flyers, and are the stuff of nightmares for any characters that happen to have the misfortune of being directly in line of sight of your Kustom Stompa. Equip a Stompa with two of these babies and watch as he proceeds to tear the limbs off your friend's Chapter Master like a giant green child torturing a spider. The only problem with the Kustom Stompa is that it's more expensive than the already very pricey Stompa. Time will tell if this increase in cost is justified.
  • Gargantuan Squiggoth (Forge World): Ever wish your Battlewagon was bigger, 'arder, greener, killier and even more expensive? Well, here you go. Transport capacity 20, two Twin Big Shootas, two Supa-lobbas. You've got the option to buy up to four Big Shootas, and also to replace one or both Supa-lobbas with a Killcannon or Big Zzappa. Absolute murder in melee with 8 attacks and an AP-4 D6 Damage melee weapon, and all of its guns can still shoot when it's in combat (except at the unit it's fighting) like the smaller Squiggoth. All for the low, low price of 450-500 points with guns, and don't forget you need to buy a unit to ride in it too (if you're going mad on points, try fifteen Tankbustas and 5 Bomb Squigs, fifteen Lootas, or two squads of ten Flash Gitz). Stampede! inflicts D3 mortal wounds on a 2+ to every unit within 1" at the end of a Charge as of the Forge World FAQs, rather than just on a 2 as originally written.

Tactics

  • Ghazzy and about 30-60 boys with nobs and PKs will brutalize anything from dreadnoughts, carnifexes, to other swarms of nasty bugs. You get +1 attack for da choppas another from Ghazzy nearby and yet another for any unit with 20 or more models and the sheer amount of strength 4 attacks will overwhelm anything. Your nob can sit back and pummel things in safety with his Power Klaw for turn after turn, adding the finishing touch to whomever is hanging onto their last wound. New wounding mechanics gave the green monsters sooooo much potential. It is time the universe got a proper ass whooping!
    • Did I mention this is only 625 points? Plenty of room for some shooty gitz, or maybe a few big ass monster trucks to give everyone a ride to the fist fight.

<<If you really want to WAAAGH! have a Wierdboy cast Warpath on a unit for another +1 attack to one of your units.>>

  • With how brutal 30 Boyz are, Da Jump is awesome - deepstrike without scatter is a massive thing. Just put a Weirdboy somewhere safe in the middle of your advancing line; as he gets +1 on warp charge rolls for every 10 Orks within 10 inches, that unit of 30 boyz gives him +3 - and with a second unit (because you WILL have a second unit of 30 boyz) you can easily reach the +5 bonus you need to guarantee successfully manifesting the power. You've got a significant chance of exceeding 12 and getting Perils, but the Weirdboy has 4W and consequently the first Perils of the Warp can't make him explode (and the power still works if you don't die). Enjoy the look on your opponent's face when you place 30 Boyz 9" from him next to your infiltrating Kommandos. Then you can charge turn 1 and drown them in bodies before they even shoot once. Probabilities posted up in the 'Ere We Go section put a 9" charge at 47.8%, giving you a reasonable but not guaranteed assault. In a flanking position they will be without various auras like Ghazz +1A or +1 to hit from a Banner, but 121A will make a dent in almost anything and force the enemy to concentrate EVERYTHING on this unit regardless of what is running at him from the other side of the table. This tactic can be used to assassinate key characters (if your opponent didn't bubblewrap them enough), destroy or tie up key enemy positions, and so on. And if the enemy did castle up? Good for you, as with proper placing and 3" pile in you can tie up additional units without risk of overwatch (bear in mind they will be able to hit you in that turn but if you survive they are deprived of their shooting unless they have FLY). On top of that getting rid of 30 Boyz is no small task. Don't forget that you can use this to objective grab - watch the look on your opponent's face when you draw a card for a specific objective and your ladz just show up there immediately from the other side of the table.
    • Fun trick is to cast Warpath on those guys before casting Da Jump (requires two weirdboyz), giving them 5A on their charge. 151 S4 A anybody? Melted daemon prince turn 1 oh that was beautiful :D.
    • If boyz are teleported in front of the enemy (because they want to charge something at the front or the enemy has placed their forces well) it is rather easy to conga-line them into reach of support characters. Particularly a WAAAGH!!! Banner and possibly a painboy, although you'll lose the attacks from the Boyz in the conga line.
    • The newest strategem for Orks, "Mob Up", doesn't place a cap on how big a unit can become (or prevent you from combining with the same unit over and over again for that matter). Theoretically, you could create one giant mob (40, 50, 60+)from a bunch of smaller mobs and drop it in behind enemy lines, assuming that time permits (or you're just using open play). Not amazing, but worthwhile in the late game when most of your opponent's units are crippled, as they probably won't hold up well against a literal green tide of choppa attacks.
  • It seems second viable (after hordes and hordes of boyz) list building strategy is good 'ol Dread Mob. Ork walkers are relatively point efficient while being quite tough and killy. Healthy mix of Gorka/Morkanauts with Deff Dreads and maye some killa kans for shooting cover as well as some support (WAAAGH!!!! banner and mix of Big Meks and Meks for healing) can work pretty nicely against anything that is non-horde army. And if points allow some Meka-Dreds or even stompa can be icing on this cake.
  • Never underestimate the fact that your transports have access to melee weapons. Your opponents will fuck up a whole lot more when they realize that your Battlewagon charged their gunline and is winning. How do you prepare for a trukk-fucking? If only Battlewagons would be cheaper they would be awsome.
  • The newest point drops to the Chinork & all melee weapons means that it is actually viable to deepstrike multiple 10 Nob squads with Killsaws simultaneously into enemy lines, without having to scrape together a lifetime supply of teef. The Chinork at basic loadout is now only 80pts (2 less than a freakin' Trukk), and PKs and Saws are almost half-price. Drop you new anti-tank squads in turn 1, then fly over their elites while crunching out mortal wounds. Can't deepstrike? No problem! Run a Wazbom Blastjet with a KFF and move as close as you can to their frontlines. Then just drop you Chinorks alongside. Still a bit squishy, but if played properly, it can give you a reliant amount of anti-armour for a good price. Fill in the blanks with squads of boyz, stormboyz, or another horde take to krump squads of infantry, and you have yourself a well-rounded list.
Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles
General Tactics
Imperium (8th)
Chaos
Eldar
Necrons
Orks
Tau
Tyranids