Plasma Cannons or Heavy Bolters?

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**ServiceGames**

So, I'm putting together a couple of Long Fang (Space Wolf Devastators) Squads. One will be missile launchers as a long range sniping option. Plasma Cannons or Heavy Bolters for the second squad?

Thanks in advance!

SG

**Insectum7**

Plasma Cannons are great multipurpose weapons. Excellent anti troop, excellent anti-multiwound-elite and anti-vehicle when overcharged. Nice and cheap, too. They are my current go-to weapon for Devs.

If I'm running two squads, I'll do one squad with 3 Plasmas and a Heavy Bolter for the Hellfire Stratagem, and one squad with 3 Plasmas and a Missile Launcher for the Flakk missile Stratagem. Mind you I use vanilla marines, so I pack the squads with extra bodies, too.

**Galef**

Have you considered 2 of each? That would give you some versatility and depending on your opponent, you can allocate saves to the least effective of the weapons.

Facing Hordes? Take saves on the PCs first
Facing Heavy Infantry? Take saves on the HBs first

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**Daedalus81**

PC at the current price are really hard to pass up. It's 5 points more than a plasma gun for 12" and D3 shots.

**Marmatag**

Have you ever considered posting this in the right forum?

**Vaktathi**

ServiceGames wrote:
So, I'm putting together a couple of Long Fang (Space Wolf Devastators) Squads. One will be missile launchers as a long range sniping option. Plasma Cannons or Heavy Bolters for the second squad?

Thanks in advance!

SG

PC's are super versatile, and on average are basically as good against most hordes as HB's are. Given that GW insists on making them as cheap as possible, its hard to not go with the plasma cannons.

**Niiai**

PC and HB perform vastly different roles. HB is long ranged suport vs light infantery. Your army is already good vs infantery on the most part. Also, vs some targets, T3, the S5 is bot much better then the S4. If you are going rocked launchers, you already have the anti horde option.

Go plasma. Plasma is the sole reason 2W models are bad in this edition, and you are one of the few armies that can take them. In fact, I would recomend plasma and combi plasma on any potensial GH squad. Oveloading plasma is good vs tanks as well. Long fangs have some reroll shenanigans do they not.

Even if you go lascannons over ML would I stil take plasma. (Lascannons are good in 8th edition and I think ML are not so good this edition.)

Only take the bolters if you have a very concrete plan with them. As in you have no other horde controll, but SW usualy has that under controll.

**Slayer-Fan123**

The thing to keep in mind is cost.
3 Plasma Cannons are what, 48 points? That's 5 Heavy Bolters. Compare 3D3 shots to 15 and decide what you already have covered in your army.

**Insectum7**

When you can get Storm Bolters for 2 points to pump out 4 shots at 24, (or Intercessors to fire with AP-1 at 30") the anti-infantry role is usually filled. Heavy Bolters are the choice when there aren't other choices on a unit.

**tneva82**

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
The thing to keep in mind is cost.
3 Plasma Cannons are what, 48 points? That's 5 Heavy Bolters. Compare 3D3 shots to 15 and decide what you already have covered in your army.

Not fully relevant comparison though as you can't buy just 5 hb's and that's it.

**Martel732**

"Go plasma. Plasma is the sole reason 2W models are bad in this edition"

Incorrect. There are many such weapons. Dissy cannon, autocannon, even now Kellermorph pistols.

**Niiai**

Dissy cannons are just DE plasma cannons. Always has been.

**Slayer-Fan123**

tneva82 wrote:
Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
The thing to keep in mind is cost.
3 Plasma Cannons are what, 48 points? That's 5 Heavy Bolters. Compare 3D3 shots to 15 and decide what you already have covered in your army.

Not fully relevant comparison though as you can't buy just 5 hb's and that's it.

But some units can buy 2-4, which is relevant when you buy multiple units that have that option.

**Karhedron**

ServiceGames wrote:
So, I'm putting together a couple of Long Fang (Space Wolf Devastators) Squads. One will be missile launchers as a long range sniping option. Plasma Cannons or Heavy Bolters for the second squad?

Definitely Plasma. Long Fangs get a built-in ability to reroll 1s meaning you can overcharge with minimal risk of killing your own men. You can also get stratagems to ignore negative to-Hit modifiers and reroll all failed wounds. That makes Plasma a serious threat, even against T8 targets.

Given that every basic Marine comes with a bolter that just got better thanks to "Bolter Discipline", I just don't see the point in a 10-point heavy bolter. Use your bolters to kill hordes and use the plasma cannons to take down the big targets.