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I am just wondering why not many people use the plasma, fusion, mult config for crisis suits out there field tested them today and found they absolutely PWNS marines with marker lights. This config is more effective than plasma + MP imo. Since all shots fired effectively negates even termie armors!!! Not to mention handy if enough fusion shots wounds possible hero characters!

Well here is what I have found.

1) They cost the same
2) Plas/MP has longer range and more shots
3) Since Plas/MP has the above advantage its better at killing MEq's in cover (more rolls) and most people will not leave their guys out in the open if they know Fusion/Plas is going to be gunning them down.
4) the MP gives the suits more anti tank (more shots) at longer range then the melta...unless you DS your suits in its going to be harder to get into melta range unscaved

Basically Plas/MP I believe is a more virsitile build than Fusion/Plas due to cover, range and more firepower.

But markerlights are very good at peeling those pesky cover if ya bring two Pathfinder squads, not to mention that handy sky ray? I find that MP just can't seems to kill marines cause of it's low AP.

Sure, but now look at all the extra support stuff you're adding to make those suits viable...that's got to be factored into the cost. And what happens when you run up against a horde army of some sort? The extra range and shot of the missile pod really pays off.

I'm not saying the PR/FB combo can't work, or doesn't have a place, but it's not a versatile as the PR/MP suit. Short range, lower rate of fire...the enemy either has to come to you, or you've got to get to them.

It may be just me, but I've been running Plasma and Fusion ever since I've been playing Tau. Against my opponents, the versatility of Plasma/Missile normally just means one weapon's taking the place of another weapon that could be more effective.

Crisis suits need to have specific roles....generally they are anti-horde/geq, anti-meq, anti-light armour, anti-tank.

With the Plasma/Missile combination, that either takes care of light armour or meq for 62 points.

A deathrain suit can take care of light armour much more effectively for 53 points, and is only slightly worse at dealing with meq in cover.

A Plasma/Fusion can kill meq in rapid fire for the same amount of points (to be fair, only marginally better).

Edit:
Ironically, a missile pod and a fusion blaster have the same effectiveness against Terminators...

Missile Pod: 1/2 x 5/6 x 1/6 x 2/1 = 13.9 %
Fusion Blaster: 1/2 x 5/6 x 1/3 = 13.9 %

That's not ironic. Just coincidental.

Range is the big issue. To make use of plasma/fusion, you have to operate in the 12-18" range. That's dangerous as all get-out.

Things are going to get that close to your units regardless of what you do.

Doesn't mean I want to make it easy for my opponent to do so.

Centurian99 wrote:Doesn't mean I want to make it easy for my opponent to do so.

No you want to bait your enemy into the open towards them and then slag them with low AP fire

I tend to use both:

My suits that have missile pods have missile pods. Twin-linked missile pods. I don't tend to take plasma/missile pods because plasma has rapid fire and I want to USE it.

I usually have a team of 3 Deathrains (twin-linked missile pods + blacksun/drone controller/3rd something for wound spread), and another team of 3 suits that are plasma/fusion split. That team gets up to 12", rapid fires plasma, unloads fusion, and then jumps 6" away.

It works well.

One of my buddies runs Fusion/Plasma suits, usually in 4 teams of 3 in 2000 points (presumably one is his commander's boys). They are usually DS'd into my backfield to destroy tanks or heavy weapons and contest objectives, or towards his lines to wipe out the "oh crap!" units I have flung up that way, like terminators or the ever hated Seraphim.

Generally, it seems to work really well for him, as it gives him a lot of flexibility in terms of quashing threats, since very little can survive that sort of attention, and contesting otherwise remote objectives. It also tends to limit just how aggressive I can be, as I don't want to leave too much unsupported in my backfield for fear of rampaging suits. It is fun for him, I am certain...

Dashofpepper wrote:I tend to use both:

My suits that have missile pods have missile pods. Twin-linked missile pods. I don't tend to take plasma/missile pods because plasma has rapid fire and I want to USE it.

I usually have a team of 3 Deathrains (twin-linked missile pods + blacksun/drone controller/3rd something for wound spread), and another team of 3 suits that are plasma/fusion split. That team gets up to 12", rapid fires plasma, unloads fusion, and then jumps 6" away.

It works well.

^ha ha choice!!! My deathrain units never operate all that well :( guess I just gotta work on my target choices. I also like deep striking twin fusion suits with Target locks to hit their armors in the back. People tend to have habit of keeping armor close together.

The Twin-linked Fusion Blaster with Target Array is amazing. Probably the most effective unit in the Tau army for what it does.

I have seen a guy run a squad of 3 suits with 2 lots of plasma and target lock[?] and gets 12 high strength low AP shots and killed alot of spaze marines

If you have twin-linked fusion blaster can you have another gun as well? How do you represent it on the model (just a fusion blaster in each hand?).

As most others have said, its the range problem. I would be terrified to get suits that close to the enemy....

I have a real problem with taking something twin-linked AND adding a targeting array. Every time I make an army list, I'm short on points and have to pare back. A targeting array just doesn't ever make the cut. Example:

I have a deathrain team (3 suits, twin-linked missile pods) hanging out near by back edge dropping shots at something further up the table.

Ballistic skill of 3, I need to roll 4+ to hit. With 3 suits, I have 6 shots. Statistically, I'll hit 3/6, with rerolls, to give me 4.5/6...or roughly 5 out of 6. Why spend 10 extra points to lower the ballistic skill when you're gonna hit anyway?

I do occassionally use suicide suits behind enemy lines, and I usually take a flamer/fusion blaster combo. That way, I can flame template the vehicle (and any troops in between heh) and fusion blaster the vehicle. Although...twin-linked fusion might work better here; missing on the 4+ would blow.

I would rather drop a firewarrior than a target array to fit 10 points into my army, but to each his own.

For suicide Fusion suits I consider the twin-linking mandatory, otherwise it's a waste (albeit a cheap waste) of a suit. Target Arrays seem to go hand-in-hand with Twin-linking (focus on your strengths - in this case, accuracy), but I can definitely see the arguments for adding other stuff.

@troy_tempest: It really depends on what you're facing. For me, up to a certain point, my Plasma/Fusion suit's most common target were Necron Destroyers and deep-striking Marines/Terminators. Missile Pods aren't going to stop those, no matter how many you throw at them. Sometimes, if they're going to get close, I need to get offensive with my suits.


And for the record, always twin-link before target array. Hitting on a 3/4 beats BS4 any day.

orchewer wrote:And for the record, always twin-link before target array. Hitting on a 3/4 beats BS4 any day.

This depends. A single marker makes dual weapons better. For example...

In a 3-suit team...

______Plas/MP____TL-MP w/TA (+1 BS)
BS3___4.50 hits___5.33 hits
BS4___6.00 hits___5.83 hits
BS5___7.50 hits___5.83 hits (no benefit)

With at least 1 marker to expend the dual weapon option is better, providing both more shots and higher quality shots, and this assumes greater than 12" range so only 1 plasma shot. If you are able to rapid-fire the plasma it is even better (+1.5 hits at BS3, +2 hits at BS4 and +2.5 hits at BS5).