The Ravager is the Drukhari’s main gunship, a Raider transport stripped down and rebuilt to hunt tanks. It trades armour for speed and firepower, which tells you everything about how the Dark Eldar like to fight.
What the Ravager actually is
It’s a skimmer built on a chassis almost identical to the Raider, the Drukhari’s standard troop carrier. Where the Raider moves warriors, the Ravager moves pain: it’s a dedicated heavy fire support vehicle with extra plating bolted onto the front and sides.
Three heavy weapons form its punch, usually Dark Lances or Disintegrator Cannons. It also carries sophisticated targeting arrays that feed the crew precise data on whatever they’re about to kill, which matters when you’re relying on a single volley to do the job.
- Built on a Raider chassis, converted from transport to gunship
- Three heavy weapon mounts, typically Dark Lances or Disintegrator Cannons
- Fortified front and side armour compared to the Raider
- Advanced targeting arrays for picking out weak points
Speed over survival
Here’s the thing that says the most about Drukhari thinking: the Ravager, their most common gunship, carries less armour than an Imperial troop transport. That’s not an oversight. Ravager crews would rather dodge incoming fire than absorb it.
The standard play is to hit hard from a Webway portal, destroy the target, and reposition before anyone shoots back. A well-drilled squadron can ambush a lumbering Human or Ork tank and kill it in one pass, gone before the crew realises what happened.
Weapons and wargear
Beyond its main guns, a Ravager can take a long list of optional upgrades. These range from defensive gear like the Night Shield to nastier toys such as the Horrorfex, Torment Grenade Launcher, and Slave Snares.
The exact loadout varies by edition and by the Kabal fielding it, so treat any single list as one example rather than the whole picture.
| Wargear | Role |
|---|---|
| Dark Lance | Primary anti-tank main gun |
| Disintegrator Cannon | Alternative main gun, good against infantry |
| Night Shield | Defensive upgrade |
| Horrorfex | Psychological weapon |
| Torment Grenade Launcher | Anti-infantry harassment |
| Slave Snares | Capture and terror tool |
How it fights and who leads it
Ravager crews are well trained and well briefed on what they’re hunting. Commanders assign specific targets before battle, so a squadron acts like one efficient killing machine rather than three separate vehicles.
That discipline is what lets them pull off their signature trick. Sources describe a well-led squadron appearing from nowhere, destroying even an Adeptus Mechanicus Titan in a single volley, and vanishing over the horizon before the machine has finished toppling. It’s a boastful image, but it captures the idea: the Ravager wins by striking first and never sticking around.
Key facts
- The Ravager is a Drukhari gunship built on a Raider chassis and converted from transport to heavy fire support.
- It mounts three heavy weapons, typically Dark Lances or Disintegrator Cannons.
- It has fortified front and side armour, but still less protection than Imperial transports.
- Its tactics rely on Webway ambushes, single-pass kills, and immediate repositioning.
- A well-led squadron is said to be capable of bringing down a Titan in one volley.
FAQ
What is the Ravager in Warhammer 40k?
It’s a Drukhari (Dark Eldar) gunship built on the same chassis as the Raider transport. It’s rebuilt for heavy fire support, with three main weapons and reinforced front and side armour.
What weapons does a Ravager carry?
Three heavy weapons, usually Dark Lances or Disintegrator Cannons. It can also take upgrades like the Night Shield, Horrorfex, and Torment Grenade Launcher.
Is the Ravager well armoured?
No, and that’s deliberate. It carries less armour than an Imperial troop transport because Drukhari crews prize speed and evasion over surviving hits.