Best Tactical Squad loadouts

[tahrikmili]

What do you think are the best weapon loadouts for the Tactical Squads? Which Heavy and Special weapons make good combinations?

 

I'm in the process of re-arranging my Tactical Squad loadouts and thought I'd ask what your favorite loadouts are.

[Fah Uhl]

I prefer a lascannon-melta kombo. I usually split in combat squads, and therefore have a long range and short range threat against vehicles. Slightly pricy, but pretty effective. I don't really like plasmaguns because of it's lack of threat agains heavy vehicles. My melta always misses, but hey...

[I am Legion]

My never-fail formula is:

MM, Flamer, Combi-Flamer+PF

MM, Meltagun, Combi-Flamer+PF

MM, Flamer, Combi-Melta+PF

 

Lascannon, Flamer, Combi-Flamer+PF - This squad would be split in combat squads inside a razorback with HB or Assault cannons.

 

These combos work great against any situation. I use the first three in everygame, all of them in rhinos.

[Commander Proteus]

I prefer to use 2 of the heavy weapons, in various combinations. The special weapon, more than the heavy determines the use.

 

Plasma Gun+Heavy Bolter-This is my mobile infantry killer. Combat squad or keep it together, and lay a hail of fire onto a mid-range target. Not great for an assault unit, but workable with numbers.

 

Plasma Gun+Missile Launcher-This is the unit I take for sitting on my rear-most objectives. The ML gives range and tank hunting, while the Plasma can help mow down infantry, either at range, or close up. Potentially great to combat squad on the same objective.

 

Flamer+Missile Launcher-Basic, all-comers tactical squad. Free weapons, so upgrade the sarge. This usually merits a powerfist and a rhino.

 

Meltagun is slightly hard to stick with a heavy weapon, unless its a MM, but I don't take tactical squads for strictly anti-armor. I have a tri-las predator for that.

 

-Proteus

[tahrikmili]

Thought I'd share what I equipped mine with too.. A Multi-Melta and a Meltagun. This is not optimal for me though, I'd rather have a Missile Launcher and a Meltagun as I believe this is the most point effective solution, but all my Missile Launchers were used in the Devastator Squad so I settled with what I thought was the best alternative.

 

The Missile Launcher + Meltagun combination can threaten infantry, soft armor, meq, teq and armor all at once so I love it. Multi-Melta and Meltagun is more anti-armor specific and could have trouble against infantry but I'll just have to rely on my faith in the Emperor's holy Bolter ;)

[HERO]

MM, Meltagun, cbM and a PF.

 

Or Plasma Cannon, Meltagun, cbM and PF.

 

Combi-Flamers are cool, but I normally find heavier weaponry much more desirable.

[Deathwing]

I find the plasma cannon-flamer combination works well for what I use my tac squads for.

 

Either to hold an objective from enemy infantry or to take objectives from enemy infantry. The plasma cannon is great for smacking around transports or troops who have just disembarked and the flamer is a perfect pre-assault weapon for those cases where charging in is better than rapid firing.

 

I prefer to leave tank-hunting to other units and think that the tac squads should focus on clearing the enemy off of objectives and then holding it. No sense wasting the bolter shots (and against most tanks, krak grenades work just as well as a single meltagun).

 

Though now that Proteus mentions it, the heavy bolter-plasmagun combination sounds very good for a camping squad in a rhino or a fire support squad for a more assaulty unit.

[Giga]

I run these two tac squads in most of my lists:

 

Tac Squad Red:

Power fist

Flamer

Missile Launcher

Rhino

 

Tac Squad Yellow:

Chainsword instead of boltgun on sergeant

Flamer

Plasma Cannon

Razorback

 

There are some variations at times, like in vulkan lists I might usually give the tac squad red a combiflamer too, and in other lists I might give tac squad yellow a plasmagun.

[Koremu]

Here's something I wrote earlier;

 

Personally I just have a selection of Specialist and Heavy Marine Models anyway, and by design my Sergeants don't wear definitive squad markings, so I can field more or less whatever combination I want. However, if you want my thoughts on Special/Heavy combinations in Tactical Squads, it comes down to this;

 

You either want total synergy, or complete diversity. Don't try to make a compromise.

 

What I mean by this is that you should pair a Special and Heavy weapon so that they always, regardless of target, want to do a similar thing. A total synergy setup example is Plasma Gun + Multi-Melta. The two weapons have the same range banding (and, for further synergy, the same range banding as the Bolters), and get significantly nastier within 12" (again, as do Bolters), always want to do similar things (stand still and shoot mostly) and have similar power against similar targets.

 

A total diversity setup would be something like Meltagun + Heavy Bolter. They are best used against different targets, at different ranges, with different movement requirements.

 

Both of these squad setups are good because both have no or few situations in which you are faced with a dilema of which of the two to use. The synergistic method makes use of the "all alpha strike, all the time" simplicity (it is in fact my prefered Objective Camping squad), which the diversity one has a wider variety of options, and is my prefered reaction force.

 

Sergeants, of course, also fall under this rule. Either make them work completely with the Squads focus, or completely cover the Squads weakness. Don't try and do both, because you'll either fail or overspend to do it.

 

 

For the record, all of the above is a grotesque oversimlification, but as a general principle it's true. Just don't expect it to be 100% infaliable.

 

The point about Transports cannot be stressed too highly. The humble Rhino is the biggest force multiplier available in the game.

[ShinyRhino]

I run Missile/Flamer most of the time. Good all-rounder setup for tournaments.

I tried the Multmelta/Melta/Combimelta squad, and hated it. The mismatch of ranges hamstrung the unit.

I recently ran a Missile/Melta squad, and really liked it when combat squadded. Missile ws able to hang out on an objective and hit most everything on the board, while the Melta hopped in the Rhino and shot at armor and TEQ.

I also like the idea of Heavy Bolter/Plasma, though haven't run it myself, yet.

[minigun762]

As Chaos we tend to leave the big guns at home, but if I played Loyalists I'd go with 1 of these 3.

 

1) Multi-Melta, Plasmagun, Power Fist Sarge, Rhino/Drop Pod = Midfield holder. Max range = 24", effective range = 12" and able to take a charge thanks to Power Fist. Zoom up to midfield and lay claim to the center of the board.

 

2) Missile Launcher, Meltagun, Power Fist, Rhino = Mobile anti-tank squad. Best used up close and personal to get max effectiveness out of the Meltagun/Power Fist, but the Missile Launcher gives you some options if you're fighting Skimmer vehicles that you'll never catch.

 

3) Plasma Cannon, Plasmagun, Heavy Bolter Razorback = Static dakka squad. This is a good squad to camp an objective with. I'd probably combat squad the unit into 5 guys/Plasma Cannon and 5 guys/Plasmagun. First squad sits and fires the Cannon while the other squad moves forward to try and get into rapid fire. Razorback can work as a transport, a gun platform or a simple LOS blocker.

[avatar8481]

MM, Flamer, Rhino. No sergeant upgrades. They park their bunker in midfield and wait for the enemy. They only get out if they have to (i.e. popped transport).

[Warp Angel]

Defender: Plasma cannon, flamer, power fist, razorback.

 

Their job is to sit back, hold an objective at long range, and provide EFFECTIVE anti-elite (terminator, monstrous creature, etc) support at range, take shots at clumped enemy infantry, and use the flamer to do a number on horde armies. The razorback assists in this role or acts as a mobile support unit for the rest of your army. If needed, you can make half the squad mobile by combat squadding or after sufficient casualties. Variant: Plasma gun instead of flamer, power sword instead of power fist.

 

Hunter: Multi melta, melta gun, power fist, rhino.

 

Their job is to advance to the middle of the table and control space and/or take objectives in enemy territory. Two melta weapons makes them a legitimate threat to mechanized armies, and their aggressive deployment ensures that your opponent ignores or bypasses them at their peril. They allow you to dictate how your opponent moves and deploys their troops. Still fairly effective when combat squadded. Variant: Flamer instead of melta-gun. Never dump the fist.

 

Generalist: Heavy bolter, flamer, power fist, razorback.

 

Able to fulfill the hunter or defender role against horde and infantry based armies, it suffers badly against vehicles and elite units. It benefits as being inexpensive and makes a good supplemental scoring unit. Variant: Missile launcher instead of heavy bolter, rhino instead of razorback, power sword or cc weapon instead of power fist.

 

For the record: Against AV12, you will get a glance or pen with a ML 1/3 of the time you fire it. This means you can't rely on a couple of tactical squads with missile launchers to be effective anti-armor. A multi-melta may have shorter range, but gets the same number of glances or pens and a higher number of effective results due to the AV1, even at greater than 12". At less than 12", it's king. The ML also allows more units the ability to make saving throws against your wounds than a multi-melta or plasma cannon. The heavy bolter has weight of fire and range in it's favor, and ignores the armor saves of most non MEQ units, but it's far lower S means it's not nearly as useful against MCs or vehicles. The ML often doesn't even hit as many targets in a turn as a HB does.

 

Outside of a devastator squad, I recommend avoiding missile launchers.

[GreatEscape_13]

Well, I for one do not use any plasma in my squads. My Crimson Fists force is set right after the Rynn's World massacre, so lives of marines are few and too precious to be using plasma choices.

 

The loadouts that I find the best are as follows:

 

Lascannon + Flamer. Either combat squadded or more likely reactive to the foe/mission/position as needed.

Multi-melta + Melta. Good for objective sitting as they can deter enemy armor from heading their way.

Heavy Bolter + Melta. I usually combat squad with this choice, one for fire support and the melta with a PF sarge to go close.

 

Cheers.

[Koremu]

Unless I can think of a genuine reason to use a different Heavy Weapon, I would always take a Multi-Melta. If nothing else, it's a great deterrent against Tank Shocks trying to push you off a objective.

[Captain Antonius]

I have three different squad setups in my 6 tactical squads:

 

1) Heavy Bolter, Flamer (anti-personelle, soft)

 

2) Heavy Bolter, Plasmagun (anti-personelle, hard)

 

3) Missile Launcher, Meltagun (anti-armor)

 

My sergeants are armed for fluff...1 veteran with PF and bolt pistol, 1 veteran with PF and plasma pistol, 1 veteran with bolter and powersword, and 3 "newly promoted" sergeants all with bolt pistol and chainsword. Nobody gets meltabombs. If they have to assault a vehicle, kraks are gonna have to be enough to get the job done.

 

I mainly face off against horde type armies, so #1 type squads get alot more action than my #3 type squads. I do like having weapons that don't blow up in your face, so my 4th company goes through alot of heavy bolter rounds and not so many plasma containers. I think that lascannons and plasmacannons are better served in the Devastator squads than with the tacticals. I am gonna need as many shots as I can get with those big boom sticks with the way my dice have been rolling lately. No need to keep em locked away in a rhino or trying to get to cover under fire. Tacticals are the bread and butter of the Space Marines, use them....Tactically!

 

Anyway, that's how I do it. Are they successful? For the most part, they are. I try not to combat squad them too much, as it makes them much easier to kill off, but I have had some success moving the sarge and the special weapon and laying down cover fire from the heavy weapon.

 

Hope that helps.

[minigun762]

Unless I can think of a genuine reason to use a different Heavy Weapon, I would always take a Multi-Melta. If nothing else, it's a great deterrent against Tank Shocks trying to push you off a objective.

 

Thats not bad logic at all really. The nice thing about the Multi-Melta is that it matches up very well with the basic Bolter and Plasmagun. It stops you from trying to take sniper shots from across the board.

 

I think the Plasma Cannon has some real backing as a competitive choice, sure its not free but its almost most and it works against most anything, which is very useful in jack of all trades squads like Tacticals.

[templargdt]

My standard tactical squad is Powerfist, Combi-flamer, meltagun and plasma cannon in a Rhino. 5 point plasma cannons are stupidly cheap, you pay 25 per in a devastator squad. I find this setup lets me take on a number of threats effectively.

[HERO]

MMs and PCs are the best choice for Tactical's Heavy Weapon slots. They offer the greatest amount of threat vs. high armor and terminator-class infantry.

[OIF Knight]

MM and FL personally. I only roll with 1 tac sqd (my cappy is on a bike) which is in a rhino and is primarily used to hold my tank line until my reserves come in, and bring in my deep strike termies with a teleport homer.

 

Free special and heavy weapon, esp MM and FL, can't go wrong in my opinion. If you rely more heavily on your tacticals than I do, by all means invest in something more useful. I just don't rely on my tacs for much, therefore I keep em cheap.

[Bannus]

Outside of a devastator squad, I recommend avoiding missile launchers.

I can see why you say that - but I just cannot agree.

 

The simple fact that the missile launcher 1) is one of two 48" heavy weapons available to Tactical Squads and 2) has effective rounds against both soft and hard targets, means I find it a very flexible "middle of the road" weapon. No, it doesn't do anything very well, but it can do anything fairly well. It can pick off 3+ targets, take out lighter armored vehicles and bathe hordes with shrapnel out to 48" makes a good weapon. Don't get me wrong, I like to include other "dedicated" heavy weapons in the mix....but the missile launcher has its place.

[Fetterkey]

I use squads with meltagun, combi-melta, and lascannon, and am currently in the process of determining which transport (Rhino or Razorback) is superior for these units.

[DarkGuard]

I currently use two squads at the moment.

 

One of them I have to copies of in the list, and is the simple flamer, free heavy weapon, power fist and rhino. The rhino gives them much needed mobility to take objectives, the flamer and heavy are both free, and flamers can do a lot of damage to infantry (less to heavy infantry), especially when teamed up with the bolters in the squad. I say free heavy weapon because I change them on the list I used, multi-melta if I use Vulkan, missile launcher/heavy bolter if I don't use him, although leaning more towards heavy bolter at the moment. The power fist gives me something substantial in combat.

 

The other config I have is plasma cannon and either flamer or plasma gun. Plasma cannon has a good range and can threaten a whole range of targets while being cheap. The plasma gun is expensive but the range helps and again it can threaten many targets, while the flamer is just free. These guys will usually have a Razorback, again it's weapon depends on what list I am playing (heavy bolter or lascannon). This unit sits on any objectives in my deployment zone and provides covering fire, very handy to have. They also tend to be overlooked quite a bit, which certainly helps them in keeping objectives.