Editing Defiler (section)

==The Drawbacks==
The Defiler is a mighty vehicle and in all seriousness one of the overall most-flexible options Chaos has; it's as ubiquitous for the traitor legions as the [[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Leman Russ]] is for the [[Imperial Guard]]. However, the Defiler has a number of very notable drawbacks on the tabletop. First and foremost, it's a very big vehicle, and a very obvious one at that - the model is roughly as long as a [[Land Raider]] and a lot taller, and this means Ordnance and blast weapons are less-likely to miss the damned thing. It also means that its vulnerable side (its back) is much larger than those of other vehicles.

Secondly, the Defiler's being Demonically possessed means its WS and BS are only 3 - average at best compared to the good accuracy of most Marine units and vehicles. Whilst every non-battle cannon weapon the Defiler can mount is twin-linked (ergo reducing the problems it may have with accuracy), the close-combat weapons it has are not so fortunate, causing the Defiler to rely on [[Dakka|volume and sheer force]] to damage enemies in [[Choppa|close-combat]] (it will miss about half the time on average, but will fuck up whatever it hits when it does).

Thirdly, the Defiler, due to its very large size and middling accuracy, is surprisingly vulnerable to being [[Tarpit]]ted. This is because even with its considerable melee punch and fleet, it is particularly large and vulnerable to being tied up by expendable dick units like [[Tarpit|Conscript Squads]] <s>(especially if they're used by a certain general who can replace them for free)</s>, Termagaunts, Scarabs, or Kroot which force it to spend valuable time mulching them as opposed to doing its valued job of raping vehicles and commander units. Take care to make sure that the Defiler is kept out of melee range of tarpits unless it's actively trying to get stuck in or it has melee support that can clear the way. With those new [[Necron]] Scarab rules, you should <s>probably</s> definitely avoid leaving your Defiler anywhere near a horde of those little vehicle-eating buggers. Also, if it meets a terminator squad with a chainfist or two it's probably going to get its shit pushed in. Hammernators can also take it down over the course of a couple of turns - but if it does engage them, [[Tarpit|it will actually be keeping them from hammering the rest of the army to bits]].

Fourthly, it has awful armor, at least for the cost. No really, 12/12/10 is just crappy for a 195+ points vehicle, especially in this day and age. Even with 4 hull points and a 5++ save an enemy with moderate firepower can down the thing in a single turn without focusing much firepower on it. Also because the battle cannon is ordnance so if you actually do use it the other guns you put on it will be shooting at BS1; making them of very dubious usefulness. And you didn't spend 195 points for a poor man's Leman Russ battletank that's a bigger target, can't be taken in squads, much more fragile, and significantly more expensive. Its ranged firepower is also very...schizophrenic to be charitable. Even disregarding the effects using the battlecannon will have on your accuracy; the heavy flamer is an extremely short ranged weapon meant to kill infantry; the Battle cannon is a long ranged weapon optimized for killing MEQs and the reaper autocannon is a mid ranged weapon meant to kill light vehicles (though with two shots at 195 points you're probably better off investing in a forgefiend). What's worse is that you can't really make the ranged weapon loadout more focused since your options to replace the heavy flamer is a havoc launcher; though swapping out the autocannon for a lascannon isn't the best build either (again, you'd be paying 195 pts for one shot). The most "focused" ranged build would have the havoc launcher and heavy bolters to maximize on mulching infantry but at the end of the day, for the price you're paying it's still not very stellar anti-infantry firepower.
 
The Defiler's ranged firepower is extremely weak for a model of its size, fragility, and points cost the current meta having been left far behind by power creep. If you're just using the battle cannon, you are paying far more points for something that the Imperial Guard can have three of per heavy support slot from a platform more effectively able to use it that's also more compact (and thus easier to hide) and has AV14. This is a terrible usage of your points and the Battle Cannon is not particularly stellar to begin with, being at best "okay" against vehicles and in a meta with cover and invulnerable saves out the ass everywhere you'll get pretty disappointing results shooting against infantry. The other guns can't really be used with the battle cannon due to the ordnance rules, and if you're just using them you're paying a ton of points for very little dakka. In melee, the Defiler is let down by bad WS, most of the things that the Defiler would want to be in assault with either being able to zip away before the Defiler can ever touch it, being able to tar pit it with sheer numbers, can reduce it to dust with haywire grenade spam, or would strike first with what is quite possibly a D-strength or Armorbane weapon and promptly punch the Defiler's head straight out its ass. Defilers are not a waste of your heavy support slot, but it is best to wait until the next codex and hope that someone in GW decides they need to sell more defilers and give them 6e wave serpent esque buffs.

'''8th Edition'''

8th Ed brings with it much needed changes for the Defiler that are probably going to improve it a lot. Under the new vehicle rules it has 14 Wounds, Toughness 7 and 3+/5++ armour save, putting it around a Leman Russ in survivability (Lemanators have T8 but 12 Wounds), and can move 8", not bad for an enormous angry space crab. Changes to twin-linked and template weapons are also going to help. Twin-linked has changed in that it's been removed, so now all twin weapons are just two of those weapons. With templates gone, Twin Heavy Flamers have 2D6 attacks, all of which auto-hit. Literally you'll be able to insta-scorch entire squads of dudes and then, because units can now fire all their weapons AND fire them at different targets entirely, you can lay waste to some other shit with your other weapons, and they'll be -1 to hit instead of snap firing.

The Defiler's options now include being able to replace the Twin Heavy Flamers with a Havoc Launcher or a Defiler Scourge, and replacing the Reaper Autocannon with Twin Heavy Bolters or twin Lascannons. This gives the Defiler some really good flexibility to deal with almost anything it can face. The Havoc Launcher really is shit but the Defiler Scourge now lets you deal three additional S12 attacks dealing 3 damage each, while the Defiler Claws now hit at Strength 16 and do D6 damage each, giving it a good defense against MC or Terminator tarpits, while rocking Heavy Bolters and Heavy Flamers will lead to hilarious [[RAGE]] from swarm players who try to charge it. Of course, changes to 8th now effectively negate tarpitting as any unit can simply walk out of combat, requiring your opponent to repeatedly get hit with a ton of heavy flamer attacks every turn if they want to keep it tied down.