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Need help with best load out for CSM tac squads


CptSlambo

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Hey there looking for advice on what the best load outs for tac squads are. I'm assuming that the true answer is it depends on what your fighting. The kits I've noticed have multiple melee weapons for marines so it seems they are pushing a mixed load out. I'm scared that if you mix bolt pistols cc weapons with bolters your not gonna have enough of either or. Also going to assume that plasma gun is gonna pretty much be an auto include in almost every situation. Finally what is gonna he the best heavy I'm thinkin its gonna be the reaper chain cannon in almost all situations. Any feedback would he great thank you.

There is no "best loadout", it depends on many factors:

What Legion/Renegade Chapter are you playing?

Want your CSM to shoot?
Want your CSM to fight?

If you're tailoring, then it depends on what you're up against.

Generally speaking, 2 Plasmaguns and a Combi-plasma or 2 Chain Cannons and a Combi-plasma are two solid compositions.

Others depends greatly (again) on your Legion.

For my Scourged, small MSU-units with heavy weapons (Lascannons or Missile Launchers) are solid.
For my Red Corsairs, small MSU-units with only a powerfist to get those CP's are solid.

My World Eaters refrain from CSM altogheter due to having Berzerkers instead, and my Thousand Sons can't take CSM even if they wanted too. 

 

Its just marketing pics, you don't need to mix melee and bolter CSM's they are just showing off the box contents. What do you need them to do? melee? mid range shooting? do you want to be mechanized with transports? just need something to objective camp? They can do many things. 

It all depends on the other factors likes other have mentioned, I tend to arm my CSM to cover certain roles in my army list depending what I'm doing with them. If I'm going anti infantry I'll run a chaincannon and/or plasma. If want them for more heavier stuff I'll take a missile launcher or a lascannon. I rarely use them with chainswords as chosen just do it so much better.

In casual games, 2 squads is doble 2 plasma in a rhino works well, or a single heavy weapon - lascannon or missile launcher (really you want th lascannon) to park on an objective and take pot shots. This probably works well with the scourged, who can reroll that one shot.

 

In ITC games I keep them bolters only so I don’t feel tempted to have when poke their heads up, and hide them in cover on an objective.

Don't really think chainsword marines are worth taking, they are mediocre in melee and outshined by a lot of our other units. I also think MSU really is the way to go with standard marines, they aren't massive damage dealers no matter how you equip them so you won't really be pouring stratagems into them. 5 man is the way to go, keep them small so losing a single squad isn't a big loss and you don't have to worry about moral at all. 

 

The loadout micahwc suggested is exactly what I'll be going for, 3x squads with plasma and another 3 with reaper chaincannon. Melta/flamers are sadly just not as good as plasma, so I skip those. Heavy bolter is nothing compared to the new chaincannon, so I'd skip that, though there's nothing wrong with taking other heavy weapons for backfield objective guarders, I just think the chaincannon is one of the best heavy weapons for marine squads because it doesn't suffer too much from move and shoot. 

 

Only thing I haven't decided on is taking combi-plas on the aspiring champions or not. It's a debate between keeping the squads overall pretty cheap, or giving them a bit more of a punch. 

 

Only thing I haven't decided on is taking combi-plas on the aspiring champions or not. It's a debate between keeping the squads overall pretty cheap, or giving them a bit more of a punch. 

 

I find combi-bolter + chainsword on the aspiring champions to be a nice balance. 4 shots in rapid fire or beta bolter and 3 attacks for anyone that get's close, all for 2pts.

I play Black Legion, planning on MSU with chain cannons and undivided icon for a total of +2 leadership, and a combi-bolter and maybe chainsword on the champ. For more mobile units replace cannon with plasma gun, and combibolter with combi-plasma. Take advantage of that legion trait if I need to hoof it somewhere.

If they're small units, I wouldn't worry about the icon. It's just 5 points but that adds up across several units and those points are needed elsewhere. A 5 man unit needs to take 3 casualties before it risks losing another to a Moral roll of 6. It just doesn't give enough utility for the points in MSU, even if it's cheap.

 

I'm going to run 5 Marines with a Combi-Plasma and Chaincannon in pairs mounted in Rhinos equipped with extra Combi-Bolter and a Havoc Launcher. Once they're out of the Rhinos it can be a screen and/or harras soft targets and/or soak overwatch, and the Marines can either work together as a pseudo-10-man squad or split up if needed; when working together the squad can only lose half of its number to shooting+moral and your opponent will need to target them a second time to remove them, so that's where they gain survivability. You get the extra Champion in the two squad setup so I figured it would be a waste not to take the Combi-Plasma for the extra bit of bite. I play Chaos Marines so I want to put Marines on the table so I'm going to equip them to do some work.

I'll be running 5 mans with chainreapers and a combi-bolter on the aspiring champion. I don't think combi-plasma is the best choice in a chainreaper squad, that unit wants to find a good position and sit back at around 24" range. With the beta bolter rule the bolters are fine not moving and sitting back as well. I'll save combi-plasma for 5 man marine squads with a plasma gun as they do want to move up to the rapid fire range. 

Thanks for all the great feedback. I should have specified that I was going black legion. I'm more of a fluff player and not all that competitive I'm kinda looking at building an army mostly around marines random vehicles and abby. Any further advice would be much appreciated.

I am considering either:

 

2x5 w/Plasma

2x5 w/Chaincannon

 

Or

 

4x5 w/Chaincannon

 

Probably no upgrades on champion, or if I do then maybe combi-plasma in the plasma squad (I'll likely use the shadowspear champion and just say his pistol is a combi-plasma, if I'm not lazy I'll try to kitbash a bolter onto its side) and combi-bolter in the chaincannon squads.

As mentioned, 5 man reaper/c.bolter or 5 man plasma/cplasma seem best.

 

If you plan to use a squad or two to sit on backfield objectives, then 5 man with a longer ranged heavy weapon can be worthwhile - lascannon is the best, autocannon the cheapest while still being good, misdile launcher is generally pretty poor by comparison but can be a good choice against flyers specifically when combined with the flakk misdile stratagem.

 

If you're playing red corsairs, the subfaction most inclined to run CSMs in the first place due to their legion trait, then it can be worth tunning one or more larger squads to take advantage of their outflanking/recursion stratagem. 20 man with two plasma plus combi plas, or two chaincannon plus combi bolter seems best here. Otherwise all bolters and mark of slaanesh for cacophony can be worthwhile, but I'd sprinkle in a few chainswords, maybe take a power weapon or fist on the champ, and grab the mark & icon of khorne to help land long range charges when you walk back onto the board via the stratagem.

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