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Ok what is the best load out for assault marines flamers or plasma pistols, what should the Sgt have Lighten claws, thunder hammer/ storm shield, power weapon, power fist?

Another question what is the best Load out for Vanguard too, Half with power weapons and storm shields or just plan chainswords??


-=Edit=-Corrected the title to accurately reflect the contents of the thread. - Lorek

StarGate wrote: Ok what is the best load out for assault marines flamers or plasma pistols, what should the Sgt have Lighten claws, thunder hammer/ storm shield, power weapon, power fist?

Another question what is the best Load out for Vanguard too, Half with power weapons and storm shields or just plan chainswords??

Most people just disregard Vanguard as too expensive. They'd rather take Assault Terminators if mechanized or Assault Marines as jump infantry.

As for the Assault Marines, I feel that 2 Flamers + Power Fist is the way to go. Its cheap and effective. Jump packs give you a good chance of lining up those templates properly and the Power Fist helps against big things.

Don't forget that Flamers work well against MEQs. Statistically 3 Flamer hits = 1 Plasma shot.

Plasma Pistols?

Those are never worth it, ever...

StarGate wrote: Ok what is the best load out for assault marines flamers or plasma pistols, what should the Sgt have Lighten claws, thunder hammer/ storm shield, power weapon, power fist?

Another question what is the best Load out for Vanguard too, Half with power weapons and storm shields or just plan chainswords??

The Sergeant needs a power fist, as power fists are Dreadnought insurance.

Plasma pistols are too expensive and hit or miss.
Flamers are nice to soften up hordes, but you must make sure after using the flamers that you can charge the enemy.

Vanguard is too expensive for what it can achieve. Leave it home.

Personally, I don't put flamers in assult squads. I gave my sargent a power weapon and plasma pistol, while the rest of the squad remained plain. My second squad is also standard, simply because I wanted the option of fielding a 10 man assult squad. In either one, I field my chaplain with a jump pack.


Vor my vanguard, I used 3 powerfists and 2 guys with plasma pistols. I created thsi squad purely for the modeling challenge. I use them to assult tanks and they work fairly well at that.

well I can do flamers , but what about thunder hammers? and storm shields, for the sgts?? In stead of power fist?

StarGate wrote: well I can do flamers , but what about thunder hammers? and storm shields, for the sgts?? In stead of power fist?

I have no experience with that loadout, but I feel as if they are better if you want to spend the extra points.

StarGate wrote: well I can do flamers , but what about thunder hammers? and storm shields, for the sgts?? In stead of power fist?

SS seems wasted, I'd rather have a bullet sponge AM take a hit then risk it on my Power Fist and a TH really doesn't offer that much extra over a Power Fist.

If you think the Hammer looks better then the Fist, then thats a valid option but I still stand by my first choice.

For the price of the Thunder hammer and stomr shield, i feel as if a pair of lightning claws would be much more effective. TH and SS would slow a unit down, whereas the lightning claws would make him faster in close combat, I would think.

brother_zach wrote:For the price of the Thunder hammer and stomr shield, i feel as if a pair of lightning claws would be much more effective. TH and SS would slow a unit down, whereas the lightning claws would make him faster in close combat, I would think.

Thats true if you want to focus on killing infantry, however the nice thing with a Fist is that it works well against armor and MCs.
Claws are a specialist weapon whereas Fists are all-purpose.

minigun762 wrote:

brother_zach wrote:For the price of the Thunder hammer and stomr shield, i feel as if a pair of lightning claws would be much more effective. TH and SS would slow a unit down, whereas the lightning claws would make him faster in close combat, I would think.

Thats true if you want to focus on killing infantry, however the nice thing with a Fist is that it works well against armor and MCs.
Claws are a specialist weapon whereas Fists are all-purpose.

Very true indeed. I was considering that from my experience, assult marines should always be kept in reserve and deep striked cloose to an enemy target. Starting off in deployment has never worked for me.

I see the assult marines as having the ability to pop tanks, but I would never build them with that purpose in mind. The only exception would be my vanguard, and that is only because I had the extra bits and wanted to test my painting and modeling skills. But, in all fairness, they work decently in battle.

My best idea for kitting out assault marines?

Not to take them.

imweasel wrote:My best idea for kitting out assault marines?

Not to take them.

I would have to politely disagree with you. My 5 man squad of assult marines with a chaplain equipped with a jump pack make for a deadly unit. I do not equip my assult marine sargent with a power fist like many players do. Instead, I give him a power axe. Combined with the chaplains power weapon, the squad makes for a deadly first strike.

Understand too that I use my assult marines as a "bully squad". That is, I only drop them next to targets that I know they can win with in close combat (Fire warriors, under strenght tactical squads, and dying imperial guard). The rest of the game they can serve as light tank hunters or light flanking units.

Then that's probably the best use for them. I'd still consider it ~250 points wasted.

I myself am in the camp of 'never take this unit' unless I know I'm playing some sort of horde, in which case 2x flamers + sergeant combiflamer + Cassius combiflamer is actually quite useful. In a Land Raider.

Never tried packing a land raider with assult marines. Bad as it sounds, I scrapped my land raider from my list. It was getting blown up far too much for 250 points. I went to a las predator instead, seems to kill more than the land raider and I don't lose 250 points if something goes wrong.

I've tried to stay away from making a heavy list like many space marine players do. For the longest time, I favored infantry over vehicles, but I've had to tweek my list with 5th edition's forgiving mechanized rules.

I don't say many things with absolute confidence, but I am absolutely confident that Tyranids will either make you mech up or eat your infantry alive.

sourclams wrote:I don't say many things with absolute confidence, but I am absolutely confident that Tyranids will either make you mech up or eat your infantry alive.

I'm very aware of this and I've reflected these trends with my Guard. Having almost "finished" my space marines, I'm putting them on the back burner right now.

ZacktheChaosChild wrote:Plasma Pistols?

Those are never worth it, ever...

Yes they are!! You just don't know how to use them.