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So, I was making a new list for my DE today (While in a very boring lecture), and found myself with 45 points "free". So, I started thinking how I could spend it. Would I buy some Blast Pistols for my Hekatri, or would I upgrade a haemonculus to an Ancient? Maybe I should add another Trueborn to one of my units. Then I looked to see if there was anything that I could drop.

Long story short, I got to wondering how many points I was spending on stuff other than extra bodies. So I counted. I spent 599 points on various upgrades. That is about 30% of my army. I mean, a lot of it is spent on stuff (Like Blasters) that is "essential to the war effort". Stuff that (like the second splinter cannon on my Venoms) massively increases the viability of the units. I feel that the list is fairly tight, with maybe on or two things that are somewhat less effective, but so few points are spent that way that I cannot afford much else.

Who else finds that costs tend to creep up on you? how do you deal with it? Do you set yourself Limits?

I would like to hear what Dakka thinks about upgrades, and how much is too much.

Upgraded equipment is important to me as a gaurd player. It helps even the playing field a little bit, knowing my infantry are a bit squishier than average.

I never really set any particular limit for upgrades, I've just gone with what I felt was best and then let the chips (or dice, ha) fall where they may. I'm probably a bit too liberal at about 20-25%, costs start to creep up after that third hull-mounted lascannon. Haha!

With my Space Wolves, I really only care about 3 or 4 units in my 10-man Grey Hunter squads - the Wolf Guard leader, power weapon, Wulfen and (depending on the situation) Meltagun. Everyone else is there to die so they don't have to. Sure they're costing me another 68-78pts (including the Wolf Guard), but without those upgrades, the unit wouldn't be half as powerful.

Also, I added up my average 2000pt army list, and over 25% was invested in upgrades (about 66% of those were split between my Wolf Lord and Terminators however, which skews the result severely).

Long Fangs are upgrade Heavy =P

With Guard I use a good Bit, Melta galore.

With DE not so much

Orks umm not so much

Eldar, yea kinda varies on the squad

I feel that it mostly depends on the army. I also think that upgrades (or at least some of them) are necessary to make your army viable.

For example, DE. Sure you could probably squeeze another unit of warriors in if you don't take any blasters or second splinter cannons, but that one unit doesn't add the overall firepower and anti-tank (actually it doesn't add any anti-tank) over 4 units with blaster and second splinter cannon (I'm tired and it's off the top of my head, but I believe that the points for a five man in a venom is roughly equal to the upgrades for four units...).

Space wolves: a unit of scouts without melta is probably not worth taking 90%+ of the time. For space wolves, having melta really enhances their anti-tank and high armor saves...without Melta there aren't any ap1-2 weapons in most SW armies.

Eldar: other than vehicle upgrades and Warlock upgrades, there are very few options at all, and most of them are not worth taking. (Yes I know that this is probably mostly due to the age of the codex)

Those are just examples off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are others. My main point is that you have to be careful and selective while taking upgrades. Sometimes you need the upgrade to make the unit/vehicle worth taking at all, and sometimes you can do without.

Exarch upgrades, warshout, bladestorm etc

Yeah...and most of the exarch upgrades aren't worthwhile/often taken. No one takes upgrades on fire dragons, for example.

However most take them on Dire Avengers; Howling Banshees;Scorpions; and I take it on the dragons if I have a few points for crack shot ...

Necrons only real "upgrades" are useless (d fields), so the only upgrades you get are the ones on the lord, so there aren't really that many.


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Necrons only real "upgrades" are useless (d fields), so the only upgrades you get are the ones on the lord, so there aren't really that many.

My foot guard 1500pts list uses an impressive 700pts of upgrades. Granted, this includes Straken, Al'Rahem, three commissars, and all the melta, plasma, and power swords throughout the army. So 40%-50%.

Orks- not much

DE - Some, but i'll not pop for agonisers on everyone just because

Necrons - We get upgrades? The Lord i'll usually fully kit out. The only other unit i'll upgrade is Scarabs taking Fields.

jdjamesdean@mail.com wrote:Long Fangs are upgrade Heavy =P

With Guard I use a good Bit, Melta galore.

With DE not so much

Orks umm not so much

Eldar, yea kinda varies on the squad

Yeah but they have to take a weapon, so I didn't count compulsory choices.

do you consider dedicated transports to be upgrades? cause with 6 or 7 trukks in a list that adds up to a lot plus nob and powerclaws that means roughly 2/3 of the squad is upgrades or only 1/3 if you don't count transports.

This post has made me reconsider bosspoles though, I haven't used them very often, and could go far for another meganob. hmm

18% of my standard tourney Deathwing list is spend on upgrades, mostly cyclone missile launchers, meltas for my bikes, and heavy bolters for my predators.

vercingatorix wrote:do you consider dedicated transports to be upgrades? cause with 6 or 7 trukks in a list that adds up to a lot plus nob and powerclaws that means roughly 2/3 of the squad is upgrades or only 1/3 if you don't count transports.

This post has made me reconsider bosspoles though, I haven't used them very often, and could go far for another meganob. hmm

I didn't, since they give up a KP they're basically their own unit.

orks actually I'd say take alot of upgrades...

if i take a BW bash list

with 20 boys w/ nob pk and bp the nob bp and pk are all upgrades totaling 40 points out of 160 so 25%

battlewagons I take w/ 2 big shootas, red paint, rollas and plates 135 where BW are 90 base so 33% cost is upgrades

a common ork unit is a deff kopta with tl rokkti launcher and buzz saw 35 point model with 35 poitn upgrade thats 50% cost in upgrades

nob bikers are even worse... heck 6 nobz cost 120 points add bikez, painboy, 3 pk's, a boss pole, waagh banner, big choppa, and kombi skorcha adding in cybork bodies to all the nobz thats 315 in upgrades totals 435 points ... 72% of the cost is upgrades.. though for toughness 4(5) with a 4+ cover/armor and 5+ inv ... plus feel no pain and more attacks than should be needed to kill just about anything you're up against

I'd put orks at all said and done though in the 21-30% category since some models like burnaz or lootas are fairly straightforward