Arming an Ultramarines Devastator Squad. Some Questions

[CMDR_Welles]

I have a small Ultramarines army project that has sat fallow for far too long. I'm planning to work on it as a break from my Death Guard army. 

I already have built:

Captain w/Power sword and Combi-Grav
10 man Tactical Squad w/Missile Launcher and Flamer. Sergeant w/Power sword and Bolt Pistol

10 man Tactical Squad w/Missile Launcher and Flamer. Sergeant w/Power sword and Bolt Pistol
Predator (fully magnetized)
Rhino
Rhino
Whirlwind (fully magnetized)

Stormtalon (fully magnetized)

I have enough to build a 10 man Devastator Squad, and I've got two Lascannons, a Heavy Bolter, and a Missile Launcher. I "might" have another Lascannon or Heavy Bolter somewhere in my piles of shame, but as of yet, I've not found it.... I'm torn as to what to arm the Sergeant with however. I'm probably going to be giving him a Power sword so he is in line with the other Sergeants. Since the entry for a Dev Sergeant says he can only replace his Boltgun, does this mean he cant take a Power sword and a Combi-weapon?

I'll probably add in my Primaris marines from the Dark Imperium as well. But I havent even started on those. Thought I would get the Devastator Squad up and running first. 

Any input is appreciated



And yes, I know 10 man squads arent well liked, but as an old schooler, the thought of MSU units sticks in my craw...  

[robofish7591]

Personally, I usually just give my devastator sergeants a bolter or storm bolter since they should be hanging back and shooting.  A power sword wouldn't be a bad call though, since it gives them some bite if they get charged.  Also, yes the way I read the entry sounds like you get one or the other, I checked the FAQ and didn't see anything about it either.

 

As for the heavy weapon load outs, I would probably go with a heavy bolter, and either three las cannons or two las cannons and a missile launcher (depending on the bits you can find).  You will definitely want to take the heavy bolter so you can use hellfire shells, since it is one of the good stratagems we have.

[Captain Idaho]

I also wouldn't bother with a close combat upgrade on a Sergeant in a Devastator squad. You got bigger problems generally if the unit has been charged.

 

Thanks to Hellfire Shells, a Heavy Bolter is a great asset to a Devastator squad. Lascannons are also good and missile Launchers not bad if you are up against infantry and vehicles in equal measure. However, points really do need to come down to make the Missile Launcher a great choice over the Lascannon.

 

Unfortunately, Grav Cannons just don't cut it because of points and Multi Meltas won't get past the performance of a Lascannon due to range and Strength. And for more points? Again another choice that needs looking at.

[Prot]

Flakk Missile is huge. I personally value the Missile over the Lascannon for that reason. It's fantastic against Eldar flyers, and very good against most armies with any use of a 'fly' key word. With the FAQ we know we can toss the fat baby for a second shot at D3 Mortal wounds. (the same is true of the Heavy bolter as well.)

 

I always try to use 2 ML per list, somewhere in the Dev squads.

[Brother Captain Ed]

Prot beat me to it.

 

I usually build dev squads to be Missile Launcher, Heavy Bolter, and 2 Lascannons. Then I try to get lascannons elsewhere in the list (Dreadnaughts, Razorbacks, etc) to make sure I can still nuke a knight if my devs go down.

 

Also, people really hate Hellblasters. So much so that they will often shoot them instead of the devastators, even if the devastators are more dangerous. They are a good investment in general.

[Prot]

Your recollection of Hellblaster treatment made me laugh...so true. People despise them and since all of them hold a heavy weapon, they're the biggest honey pot you could put out there. People can't resist shooting at them, even a squad of 5. 

[CMDR_Welles]

Thanks for the input everyone. I definitely feel better about the 2 lascannon, Heavy Bolter, and Missile Launcher loadout now. 

Foregoing the melee option on the Sergeant, would a Combi-Plas or Combi-Grav be worth taking to add some more firepower at range?

[Prot]

I honestly never put a thing on mine. Once the numpties are dead, the Sarge goes before the heavy weapon dudes. 

[CMDR_Welles]

I honestly never put a thing on mine. Once the numpties are dead, the Sarge goes before the heavy weapon dudes. 

 

I hadnt thought about him as an expendable. Good point. 

[h0U5e]

I can justify a 2pt Storm Bolter on the Serg (Guilliman bubble) however he gets removed before any heavy weapons. Once he has used his signum on the marine who pops the cherub his job is done. I use the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant on my Ancient that sits with the Devs so they auto pass morale anyways and don't benefit from the extra point of LD.