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Dev squads are great units in my opinion. Their role can change depending on the game, and I think they are very good units. my problem is what to equip them with. Devs have 5 weapon options. Heavy Bolter, Multi-melta, Missile launcher, lascannon, and plasma cannon. I play blood angles, so these are the only options in my codex. You vanilla players might have additional weapons, but I will focus on these 5.

First it might seem silly to take 5 more guys in your squad, but it is worth it when your dev squad is under fire and you have to start taking away units you put lots of points into. 10 men also gives you the ability to break up into combat squads if you want to, to split up your fire.

HEAVY BOLTER:

Good anti-infantry weapon. Its AP is enough to instantly kill 5 of the 8 core units of the non-imperial armies in the game. I would only take them if I put four together in a squad. 12 S5 shots would be frightening to most people. Range is good, price is cheap, and it serves the role well as an anti-infantry weapon. i could go either way on this weapon, so take it if you play horde armies or gun line armies.

MULTI-MELTA:

Good anti tank weapon. Low AP is good for the extra point on the Damage Table. Not good for anti-infantry unless facing terminators, mega nobz, or other 2+ units. Range is bad at 24'' and melta range will be impossible. If a vehicle is within melta range from your devs, they are not doing they job correctly. Good weapon but short range makes this weapon a meh in my books.

MISSILE LAUNCHER:

Great weapon. Has lots of range that is very helpful in a dev squad. Not so helpful in a tac squad, but essential in devs. It is a good anti-tank at S8 and a good anti-infantry at S4 AP5. The range of the weapon is very good and that with the relatively low cost makes this a must in a dev squad.

LASCANNON:

Great waste of points. Not that much better than M Launcher IMHO. Same range, 1 more strength, 1 more AP. The extra AP doesn't matter when going up against tanks, and the extra point of strength is only good that is can cause a penetrating hit to AV 14. The m launcher has two different fire modes and i don't think that 15 more points is worth it.

PLASMA CANNON:

Good all around weapon. Will kill most infantry in your way, wound on 2's, and no armor saves. OK against vehicles but unless central hole is over the hul,l your out of luck. Gets hot will only kill your marine 5% of the time according to mathhammer, and the good parts about the weapon are very good. I would have to recommend this weapon even though it is slighty pricey.

Thanks for reading! please leave comments and suggestions.

Devs can certainly have their uses, but I generally find myself taking other options in the Heavy Support slots. It's kind of hard to argue with the value of a naked Pred, coming in at 30 points cheaper than a naked devastator squad. Either that, or I'm running LRCs to get some assault terminators into close combat...

That being said, there are times when vehicles are just not practical. The local meta has vastly shifted in my area to become anti-vehicular kings, mainly due to the rise of Mech-IG popularity. In this instance, a squad of devastators have much higher probability of survival, especially if kitted out to a full squad.

I agree that the multi-melta is meh. Short range kills it. If it were not a Heavy weapon, and you could shoot with it on the move, I would have a drastically different opinion.

Missile launchers seem to be the MVP of the squad, as cheap, reliable, and effective heavy weapons. The rest of the weapons really only cater to certain metas (Lascannon for mech/tank spam, plasma for MEQ, Hbolter for Horde) and are not nearly as useful in the same variety of situations as the missile launcher can be used for.

Don't forget a significant advantage to a devastator squad over other squads: the sergeant's signum. You can declare that one model in the unit has a BS of 5 for the shooting phase, making a Lascannon suddenly more viable. Use it, and often. Don't forget about it like most folks do!

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
Don't forget a significant advantage to a devastator squad over other squads: the sergeant's signum. You can declare that one model in the unit has a BS of 5 for the shooting phase, making a Lascannon suddenly more viable. Use it, and often. Don't forget about it like most folks do!

I am not familiar with this rule as playing blood angels it is not in my codex. What codex is it in? I just checked the vanilla codex and it's not in their either.

i really appreciate this thread. dont agree with the lascannon

bellumdominus wrote:

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
Don't forget a significant advantage to a devastator squad over other squads: the sergeant's signum. You can declare that one model in the unit has a BS of 5 for the shooting phase, making a Lascannon suddenly more viable. Use it, and often. Don't forget about it like most folks do!

I am not familiar with this rule as playing blood angels it is not in my codex. What codex is it in? I just checked the vanilla codex and it's not in their either.

Look closer, it is in the vanilla marine codex

Dev squads can be useful in some builds, but suffer from overcosted HW's. Missile launchers are probably the best bet because of a decent cost

I find this a good way to run them, got the idea from a friend,

5 Devestators, 3 w/ bolters 2 w/ plasma cannons mounted in a rhino camping in the back of the field. This way you can make use of the 2 fire points on the rhino, and give your Devs better protection.

I would say that your dual plasma cannon loadout is the most effective way to run them because they retain mobility while staying somewhat cheap and filling a firepower role that Marine lists don't typically have.

I still would not take a Dev squad, but if I had to, this is likely one of the least sucky options for doing so.

Dedrith wrote:I find this a good way to run them, got the idea from a friend,

5 Devestators, 3 w/ bolters 2 w/ plasma cannons mounted in a rhino camping in the back of the field. This way you can make use of the 2 fire points on the rhino, and give your Devs better protection.

I hate to be that guy.... but if you want you could run Sterngaurd with the same role, plus the ammo options for just a little more points. I think it's like 5 or 10 more.

In large games my third Elite slot is a 5 mane SG squad with 2 PC.

First, that guy is right, sternguard are good for the two heavy weapon out of a rhino role, and better at everything else, but elite slots are at a premium, especially with all the dreadnought goodness available in this group. But Two LasCannons in the Sternguard is great.

Second, it has been hinted at but not outright stated, Devs need a rhino or drop pod, because you don't have to start them in it, but if you roll Dawn of War deployment you don't want to be walking onto the field.

I think the ML can't be beat for its ability to instakill multiwound t4 models, put templates on hordes, and it is so cheap for how good it is. Missile Launcher!!