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I'm looking to throw some Multi Meltas in my tac squads for an upcoming tournament. What would be the best way to run them? I was thinking Combat Squad up the Tac Squads so it can always fire, but it's range isn't amazing. . .

If you really want to run them, I'd say either drop pod them in or plonk a combat squad on an objective you really, really don't want that battle wagon/land raider to get near. Other than that missile launchers are more effective due to a longer range.
As you'll know, its difficult to use multi-meltas because of their heavy weapon status and the fact they only are better than the missile launcher withing 12", a range I can either avoid or disembark the next turn just outside and assault you terrain permission. The drop pods can be used to lock down an area with highly effective AT but you'll need a lot to do so.

You know, I think that if multi-meltas came with a points cost for tacs, we'd never take them.

Thanks for the help wizard, thats what I was thinking, why take a Multi Melta when you could plop your combat squad back near an objective and do the same job for a cheaper cost.

Up high in a building, or in difficult ground, near an objective, and hope an enemy drives into range before you get assaulted. Pretty much anywhere it might be harder to get assaulted.

Or, take 2+ them (multiple combat squads) and use them to encourage an enemy to go elsewhere.


-Matt

If you are running Vulkan or podding the MM might be worth it.

If you pod, put a Sgt combimelta, meltagun and multimelta in the unit and CS them in the same squad. Put 5 boltgun guys in the other squad, and deploy so that the 5 bolter guys and Pod are blocking assaults on the MM squad. You'll get the meltagun/combimelta shot the first turn, and if that doesn't do it you have a decent chance of having the MM/MG combat squad left on your next turn.

Of course your army would have to be able to support the position the pod came down in, but that's probably your best way to use a MM tactical squad in a pod.

I would love to do a pod army, since I am going to be running a Salamanders Army, but sadly I have far to many vehicles right now to just waste for pods, so I'll most likely stay with missile launchers.

the best way to use MMs is to NOT put them on Tac squads.


the MM will never get a decent shot off on a tank where your opponent will care if you kill it and here is why.


expensive battle tanks like LRBTs, LRs, Fire Prisms, Hammerheads... rarely will get close enough for you to damage them. they can do their damage outside of 12" and most outside of 24"

Transports like Rhinos, Chimeras, and Falcons, if they are getting into melta range will be transporting something. inside of 12" it really doesn't matter if they get destroyed, they have gotten their cargo to it's destination so it is really a moot point that the transport is dead. you really want to pop those transports more then 24" away from your guys.


the missile launcher is really the best free weapon Tacs can get.

Although the title is a bit misleading, the premise is that the MM is in the tactical squad. Saying that its best not to put it in a tactical squad and that another weapon is better is missing the point of the thread.

Great point Grey Templar, I never thought of that, I will most likely skip them now.

And sorry about the title, I will take that into consideration next time.

He does have a good point about how they compare to other weapons, but its not entirely true that its a "never" situation. a Pod army is a good example of where a MM might be better than a ML.

Something to mention is that wizard12 is wrong about Multi-Meltas only being better than Missile Launchers at ranges less than 12". The AP1 makes the Multi-Melta a better anti-vehicle weapon than Krak Missiles up to its full range of 24".

There's advantages and disadvantages for most units that can carry Multi-Meltas. Dreadnoughts, for example, can move and fire, but can get bogged down in combat easily. Venerable Dreadnoughts have BS5, but they're much more expensive, although also much more survivable at the Multi-Meltas most effective ranges. Land Speeders can move fast, but die to S4 weapons. Attack Bikes are less mobile than Land Speeders. Tactical Squads can have a Melta Gun and need a longer ranged weapon unless combined with Sicarius. Devastator Squads can combine them with Signums for BS5. Land Raiders can have them, and can split fire, but they're expensive.

From the advice I've seen I'm thinking of staying away from them on Tac Squads until I get my pods, thats not to say I won't use them on Dreads, Speeders, etc. Thank you for all of your advice everyone.

Without pods, you are probably best sticking to speeders. I've had moderate success with dreads using MM, but great success with them on speeders. HF/MM speeders are such amazingly flexible and tactically powerful units that they can really help dictate the battle. MM dreads are just too slow to be forcing like the speeders are.

I like to run mms in 10 man tac squads in a rhino. Move up 12 first turn and pop smoke. You now have a big no tank area in the middle of the board. Even if the rhino gets popped, odds are the mm will survive and will now be in cover.

I really want to pick up some speeders, it seems their all the rage in the Vanilla Codex. I use the MM dreads to draw fire away from my predators, most people find 2 MM/ML or MM/PF dreads a bigger threat than 2 Dakka Preds.

They are a bigger threat. However, with sufficient firepower you'll find the dreads will not get targeted first anyways, since the opponent will have time before they become a threat. The predators are a threat first turn, so the proper target priority should be on the predators first, since they are a threat starting turn 1. MM/PF dreads are a threat starting about turn 2 or 3, so this setup of threats is likely going to give your opponent time to deal with the preds first, then move onto the dreads.

Part of threat level is the timing of the threat. A Long range weapon is a threat for a longer time then the short range weapon is, so it could be that even if the long range weapon is weaker, it is a higher priority since the threat level of the short range weapon is zero until it gets in range.

That is completely true, possibly the reason why my predators are not targeted before is the way I tend to deploy.

DooDoo wrote:I like to run mms in 10 man tac squads in a rhino. Move up 12 first turn and pop smoke. You now have a big no tank area in the middle of the board. Even if the rhino gets popped, odds are the mm will survive and will now be in cover.

This is exactly how I use multimeltas in my mech army. Just drive the rhinos to the center of the table, or to an objective, and camp. The AP 1 makes them better than missiles for the same cost. Put them where the enemy has to come to you, and the 24" range doesn't matter.