Grave Guard - Shields or Greatswords?

[Justinian]

Title pretty much says it all. What have people found of the two set ups? Any preferences? 

[inunn]

I went with the great wight blades and in finding that they're pretty fragile.

Just an anecdote but once I got charged by a unit of my brother's high elf dragon blades and my unit of 10 grave guard were wiped out straight away. But then I summoned them back and chopped them up pretty easily, so swings and roundabouts.

Ive started to think that because they're pretty fragile anyway, I should keep them away from really dangerous enemy units and just use them to chop through the enemy rank and file. In this kind of use the shield would be good, but if you want them going up against other 'elites' who have rending weapons then there's no point in having a shield.

So depends on how you want to use them.

[Countmoore]

Personally I would always go with great wight blades over the shields.  The bonus to wound is always in effect whereas the shield is only useful against rend -

You want these guys to be chewing their was through elite(ish) infantry who would mostly have a rend -1 anyway which negates the shield.  We have better options to deal with chaff.

 

[deynon]

Against enemies with rend "-" are better

Against the ones with rend  "-1" the ones with blades are a bit down compared to the ones great blades.

Against the ones with rend "-2+" are the same.

The choice is related about the enemies you send them against and the support you can provide with the list. If the guard is benefitting by  the Lord of night general trait with the 5+ extra save it can meet more vicious enemies in moth case bat it would be better the one with great sowrds.

The usage of such unit is related to different  conditions, there is not a best choice to begin with, only the judgement on the field to which enemies make them fight against.

[Mirbeau]

If you want to take them with shields, using them as Tomb Guard might be better. Otherwise I'd echo the calls for the great-blades above. Up to you though, I have a few and I modelled them with shields, simply because I think they look better.

[NoobhammerN8]

I always take them with great weapons and field at least twenty. They perform best if you have a wight king as your general, giving them more attacking power and if he is kept nearby they get a 6 or 5+ ward depending on if you can choose the command trait. I had them in that configuration and they ate a celestant on dracoth and a knight questor in one turn and then my opponent decided to charge them with ten liberators and they finished them in one round of combat as well. Not a cheap option, but if you focus on making them resilient and send them at the right targets they make a good heavy hitting squad.

[Justinian]

I was thinking a unit of 15 with a necromancer for VDM and a necrotech to give them more mobility and rerolling ones to wound means more potiential double damage.