Taurox Prime configuations

[seriade]

Is it worth building any non dakka taurox primes preferably to support 2-3 dakka ones?

[Imperator Deus]

I liked all of the weapon variants in 7th, though admittedly the Taurox Battle Cannon wasn't as good as the other two choices. I haven't fielded any Taurox Primes in 8th yet, so I can't guarantee these opinions, but I'm a big fan of the versatility of missile launchers in Infantry Squads, so I like the Taurox Missile Launcher too. Two S8 Krak Missiles are effective against most tanks/monstrous creatures, and if there aren't any, then 2D6 S4 Frag Missile shots on BS 3+ is not wasted shooting at infantry. If you add two Autocannons to it, you get a pretty good all-arounder, though it gets a little expensive in 8th edition.

 

I think the Taurox Battle Cannon is pretty decent in 8th edition too. D6 shots S7 doing D3 damage at BS3+ is pretty decent even at it's relatively expensive price. If you can spare the points I think you're better off with the Missile launcher, but the Battle Cannon is a very viable discount option too. Some people tell me that the Taurox Battle Cannon isn't worth it because the Leman Russ Battle Cannon is better, but I would argue that with the changes to the wound table, one point higher or lower strength doesn't make that much of a difference in most cases, but one point of BS is still a big deal. If you add to that the extra utility of having that battle Cannon on a transport carrying a unit of Scions that can add some extra fire support depending on their equipment, or at the very least some bubble wrap against assaults and I think they're worth it.

 

In both cases, the Missile Launcher or the Battle Cannon, I would always take two Autocannons rather than the HSVGs. The Autocannons have a high enough strength that they can contribute against heavier targets, and two of them can fire four shots, so they're still capable of mopping up any infantry the main gun didn't kill.

 

In summary in 8th, I think any of the Taurox weapons are a good choice. It just depends on what you want to accomplish and how many points you're willing to spend to do it. 140-150 points for a transport is enough to scare me off for now, which is why I haven't fielded any Taurox Primes yet this edition. Then again I haven't fielded any of my Chimeras either, because I'm a little worried about the 100ish points that they cost, lol!