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Given the price reduction for sniper rifles and the fact that they get Precision Shots now, I'm wondering if they might be worth fielding. My thought is to run a vet squad with 3 snipers, a las cannon, and possibly Forward Sentries. I'd put them near a CCS so that they could Split Fire most of the time. Any opinions on whether this would be a useful unit? I'm asking before trying them mostly because I don't want to assemble snipers if they're not going to be at all useful.

I love sniper vets but prefer to put an autocannon in the squad and order them pinning and use them to harass infantry units, i will have to try the split fire lascannon. Dont forget foward sentries and if you want grenadiers, i always buy grenadiers just in case my buddy gets the infiltrate csm warlord trait.

No, they were garbage in 6th and they're even worse in 7th now that every unit scores (and no, "objective secured" doesn't matter because if any enemy unit is close enough to contest their objective then the sniper vets are dead). If you absolutely must have sniper rifles take ratlings instead.

 The Home Nuggeteer wrote:
I love sniper vets but prefer to put an autocannon in the squad and order them pinning and use them to harass infantry units, i will have to try the split fire lascannon. Dont forget foward sentries and if you want grenadiers, i always buy grenadiers just in case my buddy gets the infiltrate csm warlord trait.

Vets with camo, autocannon, and sniper rifles is my mainstay gunline unit. You've basically got four weapons that are always in range of an enemy. They're great against MCs especially if you order Bring It Down. Snare mines are surprisingly good at negating assault units, I was gleeful when my sniper vets survived a charge from a massive unit of hormagaunts. And holding them one turn is all that I needed from them.

Yeah, I can see how the autocannon would synergize better with the sniper rifles (and saves a lot of points too). Really was mostly thinking of the lascannon because I've been trying to find a way to use one in a vet squad and get that sweet sweet BS4.

I'd not put them on Vets, as I'm not convinced they're the best use of a BS4 Special Weapon slot, but I think there's definitely some mileage in sniper SWS, taken in multiples.

At just 36 points, they give you dirt cheap scoring, could be fairly nasty en masse, and in a foot-list, also throw up some interesting target priority questions for your opponent. Do they kill the SWS (and probably waste shots overkilling them) and leave the Platoon Infantry and PCS unharmed, or leave them alone and give you half a dozen small, easily hide-able scoring units?

It's not so important now that everything scores, but if you want Snipers, these guys or Ratlings are the way to do it.

To be honest I would use 3 plasma guns, lascannon and forward sentries. I've been using that squad since the new codex came out. The lascannon adds ap2 to the plasma guns so use the lascannon turn 1-2 to pick off armor and once the enemy really closes in on you then start harassing them with plasmas. The ap2 will really help pick off teq and meq units as well as monstrous creatures.

 Paradigm wrote:
I'd not put them on Vets, as I'm not convinced they're the best use of a BS4 Special Weapon slot, but I think there's definitely some mileage in sniper SWS, taken in multiples.

At just 36 points, they give you dirt cheap scoring, could be fairly nasty en masse, and in a foot-list, also throw up some interesting target priority questions for your opponent. Do they kill the SWS (and probably waste shots overkilling them) and leave the Platoon Infantry and PCS unharmed, or leave them alone and give you half a dozen small, easily hide-able scoring units?

It's not so important now that everything scores, but if you want Snipers, these guys or Ratlings are the way to do it.

A strategy that Sun Tzu would be proud of. I love this strat. 36 point objective secured is awesome. They're not particularly deadly, but they are great at attracting enemy attention.

I still love sniper vets though. They're so cheap.

I have been using them, and I'm happy with the results. I run them sniper rifle x3, with heavy bolter team, forward sentries.

The main reason I run two squads like this is to deal with monstorous creatures and such. Great harassment unit too.

What about running vets with 3 snipers and heavy bolter team w/ forward sentries and harker that 3 sniper rifles two heavy bolters and on e rending and can move and shoot harker, just and idea. and its not that many points like 141, same as vets in a chimera w/ weapons

 sassyyp wrote:
What about running vets with 3 snipers and heavy bolter team w/ forward sentries and harker that 3 sniper rifles two heavy bolters and on e rending and can move and shoot harker, just and idea. and its not that many points like 141, same as vets in a chimera w/ weapons

Except with the chimera you get two heavy bolters, not just one. Also AV12 and 3 hull points. Harker is useless with the new codex. 55 points for a relentless heavy bolter? Get an armored sentinel with an autocannon and save 10 points.