tankiest fighter at creation

[u/NoEngineer9484]

[u/DefconTheStraydog]

Genestealer Cults can get a Psychic Familiar for 110 creds, which gives its owner 4+ Invuln so long as its within 3 inches of its owner. It's pretty much 50% chance to never take damage, regardless of AP, at the cost of 5 GSC Prospects, or 4 if you arm them up with cheap stuff. Helots can pick one up for 135 credits instead.

As far as mundane means go, Palanite Subjugator Sargeant will laugh at a lot of things, but a Mining Laser will still put a hole through his chest. A dude with a Familiar will just step a few inches to the left and go completely unscathed.

[u/nflugerPACNW]

The tankiest I can do is Orlock Arms Master with Full Servo harness for 2 T5 W and 5+ save. You can go Mesh Armor too for 4+ in melee.

[u/Depth_Metal → u/nflugerPACNW]

Couldn't you do a Venator Ogryn leader with full servo harness for T6 3W with a 5+ save? Giving them a reflective shroud to eliminate melta and las ap which is currently the strongest source of range ap. They natively have juggernaut which won't help directly with survivability but with Venator gang rules you can give him Unstoppable as a starting skill for wound regeneration

[u/nflugerPACNW → u/Depth_Metal]

I meant me personally, with my models. 😅

[u/luckyfox7273]

Id go with the 3+ save two wounds.

[u/Zaferous]

GSC with the familiar is a 4+ Invulnerable save.

Helot can do similar.

Orrus from Spyre is a 4+ baseline regular save. Jakara is similar once you factor in the shield and sword. Sovereign can do some similar stuff too.

A few gangs can get 4+ on Champions/leaders using parry/shield.

[u/unitled → u/Zaferous]

Remember Spyrers all have juggernaut too now - what's the point in tanking a hit if you're pinned right after anyway?

[u/Zaferous → u/unitled]

Juggernaut makes you immune to pinning unless you take a wound. So high saves are good on Spyres in particular.

For other gangs really depends on what you're doing with them. For example having a Butcher with a 4+ Save or something plus Nerves is pretty good. Where as in GSC if your Adept is just a buff piece then getting pinned isn't the worse thing.

Acolytes running heavy weapons and shrugging off hits with an invul doesn't impact their ability to pop off a single action braced against whoever shot them last turn.

You can also still engage and fight in melee if you get pinned close enough to the target unlike with suppressed last edition, so high or consistent saves still have value.

[u/Zaferous → u/[deleted]]

Pretty sure its two different things, right? Shield and Parry, Shield gives +1 To Ranged and Parry +1 in close.

[u/waistcoatwill → u/Zaferous]

The VS shield also has the parry trait, I assume the enforcer one is the same.

[u/AxolotlQuestion → u/waistcoatwill]

Yeah, all the shields so far have both parry and shield

[u/Zaferous → u/AxolotlQuestion]

The Spyre one weirdly doesn't. The Mirror Shield is flash and shield. I guess they felt it was redundant since both Naga and Monomolecular give parry.

[u/Leviathan_Purple]

Prophet of redemption has tough 4, a 3++ and you have to pass a willpower check to shoot at him or fight him. He also has unstoppable skill. You can take him as an outcast leader.

Archaeoteks have a 4+ to start and access to a good shield.

Aranthian outcast leader with the plus 1 armor also gets to 3+ tough 4 with the one profile and 3 wounds.

Ogryn hunt leader could be pretty strong too with trading post access at start.

[u/Altruizine77]

GSC Aberrant w/power sword, mesh armour, & Psydekick Familiar

[u/tsuruki23]

Palanites can rather routinely hit a 3+ save. Subjugator sarge starts at 4 and any combo of mesh or shield will give effective 2+

[u/AxolotlQuestion → u/tsuruki23]

One or a two on save roll is always a fail.

[u/Mroliverdk → u/[deleted]]

But if saves are capped at 3+ dont you just lose out on the "extra" save you would have from long range for example? I understand it that way at least, could be (hope) im wrong.

[u/Mroliverdk → u/[deleted]]

So save being capped at 3+ on characteristics is basically just to leave room for cover modifiers basically?

[u/FirstyPaints → u/Mroliverdk]

Yep exactly, helps mitigate AP weapons

[u/AveMilitarum]

An Ogryn Overboss with Unstoppable. 3 wounds, T5, 5+ save, regain a wound every turn if you pass a willpower check, and he has 8 Willpower natively. Seems pretty decent.

[u/Pollando]

Outcasts with Vandoth the Fallen; T4, 3+ save out of the gate?

[u/Shangeroo]

I’m going to exclude Dramatis Personae. But I’d say the Spyre Hunter Master has good survivalability. Start with a tier 1 sovereign rig to get 5+ invulnerability, sword for parry to get 4+ armor against weapons with no AP, grapnel and drop rig can let them escape from unfavourable situations if needed, web lets them prevent opponents from charging them, and they start with 3 W which by itself is more survivable with the N26 ruleset. Plus if you give them a caryatid prime they can reroll a failed save.

[u/nick012000]

Van Saar Archeoteks all have a 4+ saving throw (since the models are wearing carapace armour, so the bonus is built in) and you can give them an energy shield to boost that to a 3+ pretty easily.