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I run between three and five heavy weapons squads in a normal list. I also run a full squadron of armoured sentinels.

My favorite teams are autocannons and lascannons.

Now. After choosing what weapons I would like to run, I come across a simple question. Do the sentinels get the lascannons and teams get autocannons? Or do the heavy weapons teams get the lascannons and sentinels get lascannons?

Sentinels have many things about them that make them better. They can move and shoot, a huge plus. They are essentially immune to frontal attacks by enemy small arms fire, and have to be taken out by heavy weapons. They won't ever fall back, and if needed they will be invincible to any enemy infantry without special strength increasing close combat weapons. Ect. ect. ect.

Now I realize I've only given support to the idea of sentinels having heacy weapons. None of the above makes the decision of their weaponry any easier. So which is better on a sentinel, and which is better saved for the heavy weapons? Does anyone have any experience between the two?

Thanks

Well, when it comes to orders you can give them to heavy weapon teams and not sentinels. You could argue that the weapon team with the right orders could help make up for the BS3, with the hvy 1 lascanon. The sentinel with the autocanon gets two shots. Figuring which is best requires math hammer at this point. Personally I do fluff. although I love my AC sentinels, in the detached scout roll I envision las, or energy weapons as preferable. You only have what you carry in detached elements. Autocanon ammo would be a limiting factor to the length of engagements so I tend to favor the lascanon. From a scout fluff stand point that is. Now, if you picture your army as well supported front line troops with the endless bounty of the departmento munitorum, load them up the autocannons. Oh, and please don't bring up varied fuel consumption rates for heavy lascanon use. I would hate to have to rebuild my desert rat force.

Give your Sentinels the Autocannons to keep them cheap. Give your HWT's the LC's so they can benefit from CCS orders.

I think Sentinels are a bit underutilized, they are nice in a couple roles.

Since the current guard codex came along, sentinels have gotten relatively much worse. Now that you can take practically infinite HWSs, and now that they've got cheaper, and infantry squads have gotten stubborner, and you now have more long-range options in the codex, sentinels just seem dumber, especially their ridiculously overcosted armored option.

As for what to take, there are reasons to take other options, but the further I go, the more I'm inclined to take lascannons and pretend like nothing else exists. Heavy bolters and multilasers don't have the strength to really threaten vehicles and cover is so prevelant this edition, that both of them lose effectiveness quickly, despite three shots apiece. Meanwhile autocannons don't have the strength to handle AV much above AV10, and don't have the shots do be a mediocre horde weapon, and missile launchers lack the strength to really handle AV12+, nor the AP to be as effective as their single-shottedness requires. This basically leaves lascannons. Expensive, but able to handle anything outside of hordes.

I've only ever fielded lascannon sentinels, and, with one exception, would only ever field them this way. Same with infantry-borne weapons...

yeah, personaly I'd just keep the sentinels cheap with AC, if ur using scout sentinels then theres a half decent chance you will be shooting at side or rear AV so AC can be effective there, also effective at engaging medium/ light infantry if you can shoot into the back of their cover (ie, no cover save). AC's never realy benefit from CCS orders unless your plaving against MC's so I'd keep the las in the HWT's.

personaly, the only good way to use the armoured sent is to run it into an enemy unit to tar-pit it so your choice of weapon is not as important, though funny results can be had with plasma cannons. however, if your going for competitive take something else cus sents in general are nerfed.

to put this in perspective; eldar war walker is 30 points to the scout sentinel's 35 points and the eldar version gets more and beter weapons.

Thanks for the responses guys. I think I'm going to go with Autocannons. I too usually run them with lascannons, but I just bought two new heavy weapons squads boxes and have the ability to use lascannons in bulk as heavy weapons teams.

I know they are not the most effective use of points, but I personally love them. They have done great things for me and generally don't fail me.