Would you recommend using Vorax?

[Nomadic Thunder]

would anyone consider using vorax instead of castellax?

 

Thinking about using some Vorax in Zone Mortalis missions with irad cleansers and bio corrosive rounds for some shooting before combat...

[Noserenda]

Sounds like a question for the Tactics forum tbh...

They definitely have their uses though, especially with the nonsensical grenade nerfs.

[Guiltysparc]

I always thought they would be awesome with a praevian in my world eaters list.  Give them the bio ammo, scout the unit up and create a sort of mid way thread between my tank-bound assault units and drop pod leviathan.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Not really. Vorax have a couple of issues holding them back. 

 

Firstly they're outclassed by Arlatax in the same Fast Attack slot. The Arlatax comes with frags standard, 3+ armour/5+ invul (going down to a 6+ in melee), and a 6+FNP. 4 wounds, either a S9 AP2 Shred claw or a S7 AP2 Armourbane scourge that grants Rampage. It also is a Jump MC so it can get around even through dense terrain very easily. It also comes with a plasma blaster and 3-shot S6 AP4 claw cannons (one of which you lose when you take the arc scourge), although you rarely use the guns due to BS3. 

 

Vorax have native BS4 but only S3 rotor cannons (the Poison upgrade is nice but expensive, and it also drops the range to 15") and a single lightning gun/irad-cleanser shot. You have to pay for frags (should be included but hey). Their melee output is okay against infantry (S6 AP2 attacks with Rending), but unless you rolls 6's Dreadnoughts are gonna rip you apart. 

 

The biggest thing holding them back is no invul and 4+ armour. They really should have 3+ armour, it makes zero sense. As such, heavy bolters, autocannons, heavy flamers and even stuff like volkites/massed bolter fire does chip away their wounds fast. There are also things like WE Inductarii who with S6 AP4 can and will beat you in melee, while having a 4+ or even 3+ FNP against your attacks back (as you don't ID them). Scout and Fleet do help them gap close, but its nothing like a jump pack. Also in ZM with Rending on everything S4+, a lot of guns start becoming egregious. 

 

I feel like with a few changes (3+ armour and frags standard), they're a lot more viable. I'd also give them Infiltrate instead of Scout. They're a great harassment unit against backfield units (they wreck artillery and static vehicle units quite reliably), but under any serious attention they will melt.