Best for Bjorn

[Karhedron]

A new edition brings the opportunity to evaluate everyone'e favourite cybernetic legend. We normally bring Bjorn for his aura and his stonking counter-charge punch in melee and I don't think 9th edition will radically change that. But there is nothing stopping the old guy from getting some shots in on the way into the fray so what armament suits him best?

The default Assault Cannon is not a bad choice. It gives Bjorn some horde clearing potential while his claw excels at trashing large targets. The ability to fire both assault cannon and heavy flamer in melee means tarpitting Bjorn is likely to be costly for the enemy.

The Helfrost Cannon just doesn't impress me much. The dispersed mode is weaker than the Heavy Plasma Cannon and the Focused mode is only a single shot. Maybe I am underselling it but Helfrost isn't floating my boat right now.

The Heavy Plasma Cannon is decent but I would rather take one on a Ven Dread to accompany Bjorn. That way you will be able to reroll any pesky 1s since Bjorn can no longer benefit from his own rerolls. Or better still a Macro Plasma Incinerator on a Redemptor.

The Multimelta is all the rage in 9th edition and for +5 points, this is definitely my pick. The short range is not too much of a problem as you will probably want Bjorn marching towards the enemy anyway.

Twin Lascannons were the popular choice in 8th but are not quite so shiny in 9th. At +20 points, they are a pricey upgrade. Their killing power is similar to the MM but you pay a lot for the extra range which Bjorn won't need a lot of the time.

Overall I think the Multimelta is the best weapon for Bjorn in 9th edition with the Assault Cannon taking second place if you want extra horde control. What are other peoples' thoughts?

[Lord Ragnarok]

But Dangit! I like the way my FW plascannon looks on Bjorn! 

 

Is tarpitting still a thing for 9th?

[Karhedron]

But Dangit! I like the way my FW plascannon looks on Bjorn!

When in doubt, the Rule of Cool beats all tactical considerations.

 

Is tarpitting still a thing for 9th?

Yes, its just less effective than it used to be, at least against vehicles. But someone could feasibly seek to tie a Dread down with chaff infantry. It would need to either kill them all to get at something tastier or withdraw from combat and lose the chance to shoot or charge a better target.