If you play Ariadna or have thought about it, then you realize just how many Camouflage (camo for short) options there are. Camo is Ariadna’s thing, but it can be daunting trying to figure out which one to use, for that sweet camo list you want to build. There are so many options, how are you supposed to figure that out?!
Don’t
worry, the Pride of Rodina, with the help of Straight Outta Caledonia, will help you decide which
one of these beautiful, majestic ‘beasts’ is the right one for you, by
comparing every camo troop in Arianda and each of their camo’ed loadouts!
Note from Peter: This series of articles have been written by Kyle from the Pride of Rodina, I am only adding small commentary from my perspective and of sectorials.
Spetsnaz (Light Infantry)
Strengths
- Marksmanship Lv. 2
- Good at shooting and close combat
- Ambush Camo
- Bit expensive
- A bit vulnerable, for the price
If you’re familiar with me at all, you’ll know how much I love Spetsnaz (if not, check out this article). They’re great and they’re essentially multi-tools. The Spetsnaz are able to deploy two camo markers in your Deployment Zone, within the Zone of Control of each other, but only one is the real Spetsnaz; however, once the Spetsnaz is revealed, the decoy goes kapoots. This is a massive help! Taking a Cateran and want to hide his location? Already taking a Spetsnaz HMG? Deploy the Cateran on a roof, the decoy on a different roof, and the Spetsnaz HMG somewhere else. Your opponent will have to gamble which is the biggest threat (if a threat at all) and try to deploy accordingly. Decoys are great, use them, master them.
That’s just the kind of fun you can have during deployment, haven’t even gotten to the active turn stuff. All Spetsnaz options also excel at close combat, so your opponent will more than likely avoid that, so they’ll try to outgun you. Problem is, your Spetsnaz is also really great at shooting. Use their active turn burst to eliminate the biggest threats and then hide them. Your opponent will hunt them down, with no remorse, so it’s best for you to send them on a goose chase. Spetsnaz are a bit too expensive to gamble on keeping them alive in the Reactive turn, so don’t do it.
HMG (38pts, 1.5 SWC): The bane of your opponent, the Spetsnaz HMG has absolutely no mercy for the enemies of Ariadna. They ultimately excel at eliminating targets with their higher burst, ability to stack mods, and ability to negate the most common mod in the game: the -3 from cover to your BS. They’re great for taking out enemy visor-equipped troops, although it’s not exactly advised.
Sniper (34pts, 1.5 SWC): While arguably not worth taking over the HMG, the sniper still has a sweet niche; eliminating ARO pieces. When you can stack up a -12 on your opponent and shoot at them with BS 15 (most of the time), it’s terrifying. Good bye TR bots. See you next time Sin-Eaters. It can be hard to decide between the Cateran sniper of Spetsnaz, though, especially when the Spets costs 1.5 SWC. The big differences come in the Spetsnaz accuracy, decoy, and Regular Order. Both have their niches, so I’m not going to tell you which is better.
Note from Peter: If you are deciding between playing vanilla Ariadna or Sectorial, I believe Spetsnaz is the main reason why you would go vanilla. They are arguably the deadliest unit in the game. I like to believe they are the reason why Corvus Belli hasn't released Kazak Sectorial yet, making Spetsnaz more than AVA 2 will make them unstoppable!
Tankhunter (Medium Infantry)
Strengths
- Full suite of anti-armor weapon options
- Most loadouts have D-Charges
- Camo Lieutenant option
- Very expensive, SWC wise (even the Lt. option costs 1 SWC)
- Really only effective against extremely heavy armor, otherwise other options outshine
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These troops excel at cracking armor with a variety of weapons. They start in your Deployment Zone, so they can help with the shell game there. Your opponent already dreads the sight of camo in your Deployment Zone, so why not add to the confusion and fear by tossing in some massive anti-armor options? Now what is that camo marker? A Tankhunter, with one of the plethora of options, a Cateran, decoy, Scots Guard of some kind, mine, or a Spetsnaz?
Mostly, Tankhunters will really only be worth their points when going after heavily armored targets, or you should invest in the Spetsnaz or Skirmisher options. However, luckily for you, your opponents will almost always have some heavy armor for you to crack (unless they play Ariadna, than more than likely not). The Tankhunters are some of your best anti-armor options, but the Scots Guards are definitely second and sometimes can be better, since they options worth taking that don’t cost SWC.
Also worth noting, all options besides the missile launcher has D-Charges, so that’s fun.
AP Rifle (25pts, 0 SWC): Very rarely worth taking, when you can take the Scots Guard, SWC-free options instead. Although, a Surprise Shot Adhesive Launcher can ruin even the best plans.
AP HMG (35pts, 1.5 SWC): One of the best anti-armor hunting options in all of Ariadna, especially thanks to camo. It’s high burst, AP ammo, and ability to easily stack mods against your target makes this loadout absolutely fantastic. They work well as backup Spetsnaz HMG’s for when they bite the dust.
Autocannon (34pts, 1.5 SWC): A truly fear-invoking weapon. They’re alright at active turn hunting (the AP HMG is better for that), but this option has a mighty punch to it, thanks to being explosive. They also make good ARO pieces, but they’re a bit expensive for that, when a ML does the exact same job, but cheaper They’re the middle of the road option, or for those who like to gamble on maximum destruction (seriously a potential of 6 AP wounds, that’s brutal!).
Missile Launcher (29pts, 1.5 SWC): One of the deadlier ARO options, the ML excels at out-ranging a target and blasting with a single AP+EXP shot or an EXP blast template. “Nyat Fireteams”, says the Tankhunter ML. While a risky endeavor, nothing is quite as satisfying as watching the expression on your opponent’s face as you react to their Fireteam’s moving by revealing a Tankhunter ML and declaring a shot.
Lieutenant (25pts, 1 SWC): By far, the most secure lieutenant option you can take. Even if your opponent realizes that this specific camo marker is your lieutenants, good luck to them to reach this marker and then even more luck to them to resist being glued or shot. The SWC is a bit of an investment, but you pay for protection. One thing’s for sure, you will almost never (I’ve never had it happen out of the 15+ games I’ve played) go into Loss of Lieutenant with a Tankhunter Lt.
Note from Peter: Tankhunters are just very versatile unit that you will be glad to have, especially the AP HMG option, if your opponent deploys a TAG or lots of Heavy Infantry. Plus the fact the A HMG is 3pts cheaper than a Spetsnaz will let you add a WarCor for 3pts, win win!
Ariadna Scout (Skirmisher)
Strengths
- Marksmanship Lv. 1
- D-Charges (on all except AP Sniper)
- Infiltrating (baby-Spetsnaz)
- Expensive
- All weapons only burst 2
We all know I love Kazaks, but do you know that Scouts are one of my favorite troops in the entire game? Sure, I might be biased, but the Scouts earned their place as one of my favorites.
Scouts are the most versatile skirmishers you can get in Ariadna. While they lack the close combat skills of the S.A.S., they have the ability to complete Classified Objectives with ease, they are excellent for short-mid range shooting (if taking Ojotniks), they excel at eliminating hostiles (thanks to Marksmanship Lv. 1) and they’re handy for board control, with mines or E/Maulers. Every weapon they have can shoot Shock and AP ammo, making quick work of most targets. They’re what happens when you combine a Chasseur and a Spetsnaz into the same troop and they’re fantastic.
One problem with them is how expensive they are. It can be hard spending 30 points on a Forward Observer in Ariadna, when you have plenty of other, much cheaper FO’s, even when compared to other Skirmishers. Another problem is that all of their weapons are burst two, so they can easily be out-gunned.
Ojotnik, Mines (29pts, 0 SWC): While a pretty sweet kit, you already have plenty of mines everywhere else, so you might as take the E/Maulers (for something unique) or spend one point for the Forward Observer.
Ojotnik, E/Maulers (29pts, 0 SWC): There are only four sources of E/Maulers in all of Ariadna: Isobel, Zouaves, Moblots, and Scouts. Isobel pays 0.5 (because of her hacking device) and can’t reach the midfield as easily. The Zouave costs 1 SWC and can easily reach the midfield, but is somewhat vulnerable to be dropping E/Maulers. The Moblot costs 0 SWC and has Infiltration, so can be a nice way of getting E/Maulers up the field, but that’s about all they’ve got going for them. The Scout has the ability to easily snipe targets and use those E/Maulers effectively. Even when they run dry, the Scout still has the ability to hunt targets with ease and drop off D-Charges.
Boarding shotgun (25pts, 0 SWC): The same price as the S.A.S. shotgunner and 6 more points than the Foxtrot one, but this kit includes D-charges, better general stats, and Marksmanship Lv. 1 (yes, the spray template becomes Shock). It’s a highly aggressive, close range hunter that can make short work of light and medium Fireteams or hunt down heavier targets, in a pinch.
Forward Observer (30pts, 0 SWC): One of the deadliest Skirmishers in Ariadna is now a Specialist. This loadout is extremely versatile with its ability to complete objectives, eliminate targets at range, use mines to control the board, and use D-charges for Classifieds. The only problem is it’s not that great for holding objectives, like the Chasseur or Foxtrot who can use Suppressive Fire. However, the threat of being shot by an Ojotnik can still scare most targets away.
AP Sniper rifle (29pts, 1 SWC): You lose the D-Charges to gain a point of damage and some longer range bands, while losing the closer ones of the Ojotnik. It’s kind of a toss up whether it’s better than the Ojotnik, but it does have one advantage: it can easily outrange most targets and impose a -12 on them. While the Ojotniks are fantastic weapons, they won’t be outranging most threats you’ll be engaging. Plus, the extra pip of damage can make a dig difference. It’s arguably not worth it over the Cateran or Foxtrot sniper, if you’re looking for some cheap camo’ed snipers, but it does excel at cracking armor better than those two. If you aren’t taking Scots Guards, Tankhunters, or don’t want to engage heavy armor at close range with your Ojotnik-wielding Scouts, the AP sniper is your best friend, from afar.
Lieutenant (29pts, 0 SWC): An excellent and deadly camo Lieutenant option, but a risky one. Scouts are fairly aggressive hunters, so they’ll want to hunt down enemy troops, but you’ll more than likely want to keep your Lt. safe. It’s a bold move, but could really be an interesting one, especially on the second or third turn when you aren’t afraid of going into Loss of Lieutenant. Also doesn’t even cost SWC! However, if you want to go for the defensive and safe camo’ed Lt. option, take the Tankhunter.
Note from Peter: I think Scouts are very underestimated unit because there are much cheaper Camo Specialists in Ariadna. But once you master using your Camo units I would say you will appreciate the Ojotnik for what it is, a powerful Sniper rifle that can get advantage over any other weapon, you get close if you enemy has long range weapons or you can go over 24 inches if they have short to mid range weapons. In vast majority of scenarios, you'll always be at advantage.
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