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Hey, I have recently found that normal space marine devastators get really expensive really fast, so is taking plasma cannons and lascannons worth the points? I'm not looking for a tournament style list just if I should rely on other methods for tank killing.
Thanks!

Are you talking about vanilla marines?

I'd say the only weapon worth taking on Devs is a ML. Anything else is just too expensive really!

BA devs are actually not bad at all.

C:SM ones though are a bit overcosted.

I don't think Lascannons are worth the premium over MLs. I only bring one of them if I have extra points I need to spend. Not a fan of any of options under a 48" range.

I can be dependant against some armies they work well. In general however they are not worth the cost

Devastators are not worth the cost i believe a dev squad with 4 MLs, which is the best loadout, 170 pts. i can do a lot better with a Predator for less.

That said i am extremely fond of using plasma cannons (i have 6) bwecause nothing says feth you to Heavy infantry like a plasma cannon

You could have bumped your other thread, there's no need to make duplicates.

captain collius wrote:I can be dependant against some armies they work well. In general however they are not worth the cost

Devastators are not worth the cost i believe a dev squad with 4 MLs, which is the best loadout, 170 pts. i can do a lot better with a Predator for less.

That said i am extremely fond of using plasma cannons (i have 6) bwecause nothing says feth you to Heavy infantry like a plasma cannon

You're right...the OP should probably state what flavor of Devastator. BA Devs with 4 MLs are only 130.

Are there alternative squads for vanilla marines that do just as well or better?

Some people have suggested to me that a squad of 3 ML's and 1 las, plus a sergeant with signum would work well. Thus allowing the sergeant to give the lascannon a BS of 5 each turn. It's more expensive but it gives a little more variety over just ML's.

5 sternguard with 2 lascannons.
Add pedro to make them scoring!

Some use squads of Attack Bikes as mobile devastators.

I made one topic about this before check the opinions of other guys here

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/442513.page

On topic, ML,HB,MM are only 15 pts might as well go full Mls or HBs. Only use MMs on a tank hunter squad on a drop pod to destroy LRs and other MEQ vehicles.

Other than that, I bought a combat squad to make all weapon upgrades available on the dev box. Heres what i got dual Hbs 1 LC 1 PC. Good combo?

Diabolical13 wrote:I made one topic about this before check the opinions of other guys here

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/442513.page

On topic, ML,HB,MM are only 15 pts might as well go full Mls or HBs. Only use MMs on a tank hunter squad on a drop pod to destroy LRs and other MEQ vehicles.

Other than that, I bought a combat squad to make all weapon upgrades available on the dev box. Heres what i got dual Hbs 1 LC 1 PC. Good combo?

You can't fire heavy weapons on the turn you deep struck so your MM tactic will not work. HBs are close to useless so the ML is indeed the only viable choice. A single LC can sometimes be worth it to be used in conjuction with the signum

^typo...I think he meant "You CAN'T fire heavy weapons on the turn you deep struck"

Meaning to say deepstrike near a transport/MEQ vehicles then use some other range fire to atleast shake or stun the vehicle.
During the next turn finish of the vehicle with the MMs. But i hvae to say that 4 HBS work very well against other MEQs like chaos. They only fail me on a swarm list that preety much i have to use 2 PCs 2 MLs.

Diabolical13 wrote:Meaning to say deepstrike near a transport/MEQ vehicles then use some other range fire to atleast shake or stun the vehicle.
During the next turn finish of the vehicle with the MMs. But i hvae to say that 4 HBS work very well against other MEQs like chaos. They only fail me on a swarm list that preety much i have to use 2 PCs 2 MLs.

...At which point they will move away.

If they're fast vehicles, they can probably just move out of your range.

If they're slow vehicles, they can move out of melta range, pivot, and present you with their front armor so you have to try and penetrate it with just 1d6

Or they could assault you.

Or shoot you.

Or do literally anything to thwart that strategy. Deepstriking heavy weapons isn't a good idea.

Btw, I have extra bits to make either a PC or an LC.
I currently have 2 HBs 1 LC (just need one for the dev squad to signum on) 1 PC and an extra ML to change one of the weapons on the devs (I can also use some of these on tac squads too). What you guys suggest i put on my tactical marines? PC ,LC , ML?
On another note, example my LC shot at a tank wrecked, can i direct fire on another squad using HBs or in other words split fire?

I prefer 4x Missile Launchers.

For fun, I once ran 4x Plasma Cannons. Completely destroyed a unit of terminators after I had popped their transport. Fun times!

kronk wrote:I prefer 4x Missile Launchers.

For fun, I once ran 4x Plasma Cannons. Completely destroyed a unit of terminators after I had popped their transport. Fun times!

Yea, I can take a decent chunk out of a group with two, I took two normal marines w/ botguns to save points though. Yes I agree, it is fun.

YES.

I run a four-heavy-bolter Devastator squad and a four-missile-launcher Devastator squad in my Dark Angels army in 1,500pt-plus games. They have never let me down, either in their ability to scare the enemy into shooting them and ignoring the lascannons/plasma cannons in my Tactical Squads, or in their ability to utterly massacre infantry and light vehicles from halfway across the battlefield.

Dayvuni wrote:

kronk wrote:I prefer 4x Missile Launchers.

For fun, I once ran 4x Plasma Cannons. Completely destroyed a unit of terminators after I had popped their transport. Fun times!

Yea, I can take a decent chunk out of a group with two, I took two normal marines w/ botguns to save points though. Yes I agree, it is fun.

As I'm almost done building an entire company of marines, I have two Dev squads I hardly use. One squad is the standard 3xML 1xLC, but the second is 2xHB and 2xPC. I find it's very effective against infantry of all kinds, from Orks to Terminators. It's totally worth it when you score those perfect PC hits that wipe out most of a marine squad in one go. If it wasn't so pricey point-wise, I would run both those squads all the time for fluff's sake.

AnomanderRake wrote:YES.

I run a four-heavy-bolter Devastator squad and a four-missile-launcher Devastator squad in my Dark Angels army in 1,500pt-plus games. They have never let me down, either in their ability to scare the enemy into shooting them and ignoring the lascannons/plasma cannons in my Tactical Squads, or in their ability to utterly massacre infantry and light vehicles from halfway across the battlefield.

If you could would you take the bolters or the missile launchers? or 1/2 and 1/2?

Devastators with missile launchers are good value in Blood Angels, 130 points is a fair price. They're okay value for 150 points in Codex Marines. They're overly expensive at 170 points for Dark Angels, though of course that will change when they get a new book.

I always come with one or two devastator squads with 4 missile launchers. 150. I just find them safer than other options.

If I want lascannons (which I normally do), they go on the Tactical squads. They are a much cheaper upgrade at 10 points.

bubbinski wrote:I always come with one or two devastator squads with 4 missile launchers. 150. I just find them safer than other options.

If I want lascannons (which I normally do), they go on the Tactical squads. They are a much cheaper upgrade at 10 points.

Yes, while that is a much cheaper and safer option I neutralize the effectiveness of 4 other marines (combat squads) that option defiantly has some outlying cons but with the points it probably is the best.

If you deploy devastators correctly they are a very powerful and worthwhile unit.

Smitty0305 wrote:If you deploy devastators correctly they are a very powerful and worthwhile unit.

Are you suggesting drop pod in tactical location? Or just good 12" starting point?

Dayvuni wrote:

bubbinski wrote:I always come with one or two devastator squads with 4 missile launchers. 150. I just find them safer than other options.

If I want lascannons (which I normally do), they go on the Tactical squads. They are a much cheaper upgrade at 10 points.

Yes, while that is a much cheaper and safer option I neutralize the effectiveness of 4 other marines (combat squads) that option defiantly has some outlying cons but with the points it probably is the best.

If you look at it like that, the combat squad makes the bolters useless. IMO though, I see it as a lascannon with 5 wounds.

Whenever I ran Dev squads, I just gave them 4 ML's. Boring? Yes. Good all-around? Yes.

If I want exotic things like lascannons of plasma cannons, I gave them to the combat squads because the price there is so much more reasonable if not just dirt cheap.

BA Dev's are a good choice at 130 with 4ml's.

Vanilla marine Dev's are definitely a solid meh at 150pts for 4 ml's.

I would rather spend another 30pts and take 2 tml/hb speeders...

BA devs also have the option to have a couple deploy together with a ML scout group and a sanguinary priest, giving you a nice scoring firebase with FNP. This makes them better than just the superior costing would indicate as well.

Codex marines can't even do that and pay 20 more points for 4 MLs. Sternguard bring much more efficient heavy weapon access on infantry should you want it, and have better duality to boot. Avoid, avoid, avoid. Take Predators or Speeders, which in comparison are criminally undercosted.