Drukhari Hero Loadouts

[Daddy Pudding]

Archon:
=Blade of Lazaerek
=Zoat Hide
=Dusk Blade
=Axe of Blind Fury
=Concealed Weapon System
=????? (Movement Implant or Adamantium Vest Weave)

Succubus:
=Blade of Lazaerek
=Zoat Hide
=Dusk Blade
=Axe of Blind Fury
=Concealed Weapon System
=????? (Movement Implant or Adamantium Vest Weave or Anti Overwatch)

Haemonculus:
=Movement Implant
=Zoat Hide
=???
=??? (Maybe uncreator gauntlet?)
=???
=???

So here's what I'm thinking for the heroes. The Archon I feel was the easiest to build, just going for a heavy hitter lord, toying with the extra movement to never worry about getting to/avoiding combat again at 6 movement. Or possibly going for a respectable 7 armour for him to survive longer.

The Succubus is a bit harder, mainly because her armour is so low, the +2 will only make her 5, so I'm not sure if its worth it, and the same argument for the +1 movement, but could the avoiding overwatch really help her? Usually i throw venoms out to tank overwatch.

The Haemonculus I am stumped with. I dunno whether to give him some combat items so he can fight too, or just give him some armour items so he can sit i the front lines to give others around him the damage resistance. Normally I'd give support heroes the +6 influence/research items, but the Drukhari past mid game really don't need them. And the vehicles can heal themselves, so I'm not sure on the gauntlet. He actually has surprisingly good single target damage, able to chunk off even a Ctan, so perhaps adding in some damage stuff might not be pointless, since his healing is a free action.

Also I am aware the Drukhari use their transports a lot, so the extra movement items might not be the best, but my thinking is I can clear those transport spots for other units that are slower, and if the transports die/cant move, the heroes I invested in aren't sitting duck.

So what do you all think?

[Howell-Barrex Soldier Ja'kala]

The Sightless Helm is pretty decent on the Haemonculus as it works on both his pistol and his special attack and the Entropic Locum is nice for how cheap it is

[TemplarGR]

First thing to get out of the way: No +armor item should be given to any Drukhari hero (unless early in the game you got it for free). All 3 Drukhari heroes have pathetic starting armor values (well ok, Archon has a liiiiitle better, but not by much, at 4, the others have 2). Due to the way armor calculations work, it won't do much to save them ( i mean, how many units have less than 2 armor penetration?), a waste of influence and item slots. Archon is the only one who i could consider giving him armor items, but in that case i would give BOTH, not just the Adamantium Weave Vest. Then he would reach 7, which is respectable, but still not dependable for a 6hp hero. And i need the 2 slots for better things.

Second observation regarding the "Ultra Wideband Auspex" (overwatch protection): It is not only to avoid overwatch when you approach an enemy, it is also to avoid overwatch when you escape, or need to make a tactical maneuver in general. Many things can go wrong, even if you are careful. It is invaluable for squishy heroes with low hp to avoid overwatch, it is the most critical thing to keep them alive. Granted, the Archon has his 67% invulnerable resistance ability for 1 turn, so if you want to tank overwatch with him, you should avoid giving him the item. I personally give it to the other 2, except the Archon, for this reason.

As for the heroes:

1) In my opinion the Archon shouldn't be treated like a pure combat hero, he is more of a combat/support kind of hero, somewhere in the middle. In terms of combat he is more of an assassin kind of hero, he is not good vs infantry and "chaff" units especially because he has a low number of attacks, but they deal great damage with great penetration, especially against organics (his sword trait, instant death, gives +8 damage if the target is infantry or monster). So i am not sure getting him the Axe of Blind Fury is worth it much. I am giving him almost the same items you do, in the ????? i choose +1 movement, and in place of the Axe of Blind Fury i pick Powered Gauntlet for +25% melee damage. The point being that i want to use him for assassinating important units like other heroes or big monsters. The movement is for being better able to position for the kills. Other than the assassination of important targets, i keep him mainly to soak some overwatch at times when early in the game, and later (when it becomes lethal for him to soak overwatch) i am just keeping him as a supporter.

2) Succubus too, is like an aggressive version of the Archon. She too is not a pure combatant, she has buffs too, BUT while the Archon is more reserved as a hero, more tactical, Succubus is all-in, she is offense, offense, offense. Again, i disagree with Axe of Blind Fury on her, i don't need to clear chaff with her, and she can clear most infantry just fine without it. I want her to kill serious targets, i let Wyches/Hellions/Incubii around her to clear lesser infantry. So again i give most of what you give her, but no Axe of Blind Fury, instead i give her the +1 movement AND the anti-overwatch, because i need her to pick any target she wants, with impunity, and slaughter it. Again, no armor item on her, it won't help her nearly as much as avoiding overwatch and combat drugs. And movement. The point of her is to end the fight swiftly and retreat, not to tank.

3) The Haemonculus hero is easier to equip. He is not supposed to fight much. His damage vs organic targets is respectable because his weapons are poisoned. BUT he is very squishy and very slow, it is very easy to lose him if you are not careful. The damage to the Cthan happened because one weapon is poison 3 and the other poison 5..... But he only has 1 attack of each, so don't get too excited about clearing infantry with him. Again, like the other two, he is good at killing heroes and monsters. No, Haemonculus should mainly be used for support. So again, he needs the Ultra Wideband Auspex to avoid overwatch, you never know what might hit him, it is better to be sure. He needs the Zoat obviously. He needs the +1 movement because he is extremely slow otherwise. Those are the "musts". The rest are flexible depending on your playstyle. I personally give him Tantalizing Icon for the influence, since Drukhari are influence starved. I also give him Dimension Key so i can have him teleport where i need him, if the need arises. And i also give him the Faolchu's Wing for some +5 movement when i need to flee or support a crucial unit that is far away. If in early game and i am behind in science, i give him the scroll of magnus first.

As for the transports, unless it is the Tantalus, i have no trust to move heroes with them. I have lost transports with heroes in the past, full with items, and it sucks..... Beefy transports perhaps, but the normal ones, no way.... I may move a hero inside one to save him or heal him, but only if i am sure it will be safe and only if it seems like the best course of action.

[TemplarGR]

Originally posted by Howell-Barrex Soldier Ja'kala:

How is a hero with 75% feel no pain and 9 hp squishy?

Relative to early units, he is not that squishy, but in the late game it is nothing, with the amount of damage available. He needs to be at least lvl 5 to have 75% feel no pain (and the right ability of course).

He is a hero, so he gets 50% hero damage reduction, so his effective hp are 18. With 75% feel no pain, his effective hp become 72. Well, at lvl 5 he should have +20% hp, so let's say around 86.4 effective hp. BUT he only has 2 armor, so against pretty much the majority of units late game, he will have no armor protection. He is also a single model.....

So yeah, will he get one-shoted often? Not really, unless it is very late game and everyone has super heavies everywhere. BUT many mid-late game units could take him out in 2-4 hits, and the enemy rarely has only 1 unit to comfront you.... So yeah, he is squishy.

[TemplarGR]

Originally posted by Howell-Barrex Soldier Ja'kala:

yeah that's true it just feels weird calling the Drukharis 3rd (2nd for AP 8+ weapons) tankiest unit squishy.

Drukhari as a faction overall are not meant to be tanky, because they have lots of speed and damage. If they were also very tanky, they would have been overpowered, broken, and basically pay to win....

Also, he is not really the 3rd tankiest. If we are talking level 5 (since that's how we calculated Haemonculus for his +25% fnp), AND combat drugs (of which Haemonculus doesn't benefit much from since he can only get from 75% to 83% cap), Tantalus is tankier, Cronos is tankier, Archon with his Shadowfield active is tankier, Wracks are tankier (equal effective hp BUT 6 models instead of 1).

And those units are tankier if isolated. If we count that buffs (Haemonculus and Cronos) are meant to be shared, then it gets even worse for the Haemonculus. Because Haemonculus can only get 83% feel no pain resistance max, same as everyone else, and since with buffs and combat drugs pretty much everyone can reach the 83% cap, Incubii would be tankier, Scourges too, a Succubus would come very close, and also Archon and Cronos would increase the gap with the Haemonculus.

So yeah, not as tanky as you think, in the lineup, especially for being only 3 movement (slower units are easier for the enemy to trap and hit, faster units can afford to be squishier)

[Howell-Barrex Soldier Ja'kala]

Ah I didn't know the other types of damage reduction had a cap

[Stardustfire]

funny how ppl in all deldar threads count the drugs as a given with there TEN turns CD...

[Howell-Barrex Soldier Ja'kala]

Originally posted by Stardustfire:

funny how ppl in all deldar threads count the drugs as a given with there TEN turns CD...

They also have a 10 turn duration and cooldown while active

[TemplarGR]

Originally posted by Stardustfire:

funny how ppl in all deldar threads count the drugs as a given with there TEN turns CD...

Have you actually PLAYED the Drukhari? Because i see you commenting on many threads about them, and you have false information about how they play.

Combat drugs are essentially a permanent boost, as long as you remember to re-activate it and pay the 20 influence every 10 turns. 10 turn cooldown, 10 turn duration, 20 cost, so 2 influence per turn per unit. It is like Orks units that have permanent influence upkeep, no biggy.

[Howell-Barrex Soldier Ja'kala]

Could you imagine how awful it would be if combat drugs actually were only 1 turn though (or how tedious it would be if it was 1 turn active and cooldown so you had to go through and apply combat drugs to every unit every turn)

[Stardustfire]

well i only used the drugs a few times, and the units i used them on never lived long enove to see it was 10 turns working i admit.

[Daddy Pudding]

Originally posted by Stardustfire:

well i only used the drugs a few times, and the units i used them on never lived long enove to see it was 10 turns working i admit.

The moment you get the feel no pain ugrade for them, thats when the combat drugs become amazing. That upgrade has spared my Wytches god knows how many times.

Eventually, getting the extra damage and move fro, cover becomes icing on the cake. But the damage resist is amazing for the units.