Best way of equipping crisis suits?

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**CREEEEEEEEED**

As the title points out, my question is, what is the best way of equipping crisis suits? I'm getting a squad soon and I want to give them shield gens, missile pods and burst cannons 'cause it looks cool, but I feel that it may not be the best way to go. Please help if you have anything useful.

**Peregrine**

CREEEEEEEEED wrote:
I feel that it may not be the best way to go.

It isn't. Always take two of the same gun, and shield generators are rarely worth their very high point cost.

**A Town Called Malus**

The best loadout for crisis suits is entirely dependent on what you want them to be doing. As Peregrine says, mixing different weapon systems isn't ideal. This due to the fact that it can lead to situations where one of the weapons is not being used effectively.

For example if you had missile pod and burst cannon and shot an AV12 vehicle, your burst cannon is wasted as it cannot hurt it.

Some systems can work with others (the Cyclic Ion Blaster could be used in a unit with missile pods as it's basically a shorter ranged pod with an extra shot) however it still risks losing some firepower in certain situations (such as being over 18" away in the CIB case).

For taking out elite infantry, the go to is dual Plasma Rifles, often with advanced targeting systems to allow sniping of heavy/special weapons.
For light vehicle/MC hunting there is dual Missile Pod with target locks, where splitting fire can allow you to finish off a weakened vehicle without wasting the whole units shooting.
Heavy vehicle hunting is dual Fusion Blasters (again, often have target locks to maximise potential targets, especially if the opponent keeps tanks bunched up such as squadrons of Leman Russ).
Anti-Horde would be dual burst or dual flamer. You could also combine them into dual burst with a flamer on the third hardpoint for wall of death overwatch whilst maintaining the range of burst cannons in your own shooting. Add gun drones for more burst fire, pinning and twin-linked overwatch shots.

**Nilok**

My personally favorite with my army is my Deep Striking Scalpel squad.

I normally take a Buffmander to maximize their effectiveness and load them up with two dual plasma suits and a dual fusion with target lock (add target locks to the plasma suits and gun drones for everyone to threaten three units a turn).

This unit design is for taking out problematic units in my opponent's army that my Kroot Snipers or Fire Warriors can't handle with more reliability than my Hammerheads or Riptides. By Deep Striking, they can go after their critical backfield targets that Missilesides sometimes can't reach and their jump move can (hopefully) move them away from danger.

This units usually gets about 5-6 wounds that ignore cover/armor for taking out an elite unit and 2 Melta tank hunter shots for a vehicle.

**tau tse tung**

I use Missle Pod and Plasm rifle combo most, Give them a shied generator and their set for most battles i find.

**CREEEEEEEEED**

Thanks for responding so quickly. I've looked at what you guys have said, and then looked at what I need to do more efficiently.
What I have concluded is that I shall take double fusion with target lock , two double plasma rifles (one will be 'vre for leadership and 5+ precision) with advanced targeting system and loads of gun drones, closely resembling the scalpel squad.
I already have a bodyguard team, (both have plasma, missile and shield) so can I move my buffmander over to this three man squad, or do you have to keep the bodyguards with the commander?

**sudojoe**

There's no restriction on the bodyguard team. They can be their own unit separate from the commander. You just don't get any use from the sworn protector rule.

I second what's already been said above. double weapons are the way to go.

In smaller points games, I sometimes go with 2 crisis with double plasma and one with target lock double missle pods. It gives the unit some flexibility and double coverage when I'm restricted in how many other support units I have available to me.

I tend to use my crisis suits in and out of cover alot. sure I get to take dangerous terrain checks but with 3+ armor I don't fail too many of those. It makes it so I almost never take any shield generators but I guess it could be helpful if your table lacks terrain or you have double heldrake bale flamer action alot.

**Nilok**

If you do take drones, remember to take a drone controller on your commander to insure their shots hit.

**sudojoe**

My done controller commander is usually with a group of marker drones. It's just the way to go since 6th!

bs5 markerlights are just so useful. (my pathfinders just die so often I can't get them to survive)

Can drop this though if you are using tetras.

**maceria**

The best way to equip them is magnets. Then play around with different setups to dial in your particular tactics.

**Jefffar**

I tend to save shield generators for the HQs only, the mook suits are not worth the investment.

Crisis suits are offensive platforms that work best when tailored to a narrow range of threats. Go with two of the same weapon optimized for what you intend for the suits to kill (I generally go with Fusion or Plasma due to my meta and the fact that I have enough anti-infantry and ranged light vehicle killing elsewhere in my list).

Other gear I base on the role. Nothing wrong with leaving a slot empty if you don't have a specific goal on a suit. If you think your suit is likely going to be operating within the assault range of your enemy, a flamer on the third slot gives you great overwatch threat, alternatively the upgrade to BS2 if you want effective overwatch with those low AP/high strength weapons. Vectored retro thrusters help bail you out of combat too.

As I use my Crisis Suits primarily offensively, I don't feel much need for survivability upgrades (Stim Injectors is probably better value for the money than a shield generator if you must), velocity trackers or early warning overrides.

If you are thinking horde control, a burst cannon armed suit in a unit with max gun drones puts out an obscene amount of strength 5 shots.

Against more elite armies, the precision shot generator is an awesome addition, especially on a suit that has been upgraded to a character with a pair of fusion guns. Two strength 8 AP 2 shots that hit the model you want on a 5+ is a great way for removing super nasties.

There is a popular build involving twin fusions with a target lock in a unit of other weapons. The Fusion suit pops a vehicle while the other suits go after infantry. Personally I don't like to split the fire of my units. I want to kill the target I am aiming at instead of wounding two targets.

**CREEEEEEEEED**

Well the new viewpoints have given more food for thought. When buying double of one weapon, does that make it twin linked, or was that FAQ'd? I don't have magnets, but I will try and do something for flexibility. If all double weapons does is make it twin linked and my buff mander gives twin linked, why bother? If that is the case I'll probably put a burst cannon on each to compliment the drones instead of the double weapon.

**Nilok**

It was in the old FAQ where it was clarified that it does not count as Twin Linked and that you can indeed take two of the same weapon. While that part of the FAQ disappeared, there was never a restriction added to prevent you from taking two of the same weapon like the 4e book.

You can either take two weapons, paying the full cost for each, or you can take a Twin Linked weapon which takes up two slots, but at a slight discount from two weapons.

From my experience, Twin Linked Crisis Suits have never been that useful, especially with a Buffmander to do the job for them, and leaves their last weapon/support slot open. You are almost buying another weapon in points, but you're not getting anymore possible firepower from it, just reliability for your current shots.

**CREEEEEEEEED**

Cool, thanks for the info, I'll also check with the guy who runs my local GW, just in case.

**A Town Called Malus**

Yeah, there is never a reason to twinlink over just taking a second gun.

Your average number of hits and wounds either way is the same but the dual weapon loadout has a damage potential twice that of the twinlinked loadout. Add in markerlight support and it becomes even more in the dual weapon loadouts favour, as most of the lost wounds comes from missing with 50% of your initial shots thanks to BS3. Increase that to BS5 and you dish out serious hurt.

Only time I twinlink is with suicide melta suits. If I'm dropping a single suit then it's twinlinked fusion and then another fusion, if it's a unit then I equip one with twinlinked fusion and another fusion and the others with dual fusion and target locks.

**BoomWolf**

Incorrect, you twinlink when you need to go budget for some reason. it tends to be around 10 points cheaper than dual wielding counterparts
Also, as they are cheaper the per-point durability is slightly higher, so if you are really short on bodies-its a thing you MIGHT want.

The go-to is dual wield, but its wrong to say there is NEVER a reason to twin-link.

Even mixed guns have perks, mainly when you got lower point games and you need fewer suits to cover multiple roles. so you can go back to the burst/plasma plasma/missile and fusion/plasma setups.

**Jefffar**

Twin-link is also better for overwatch as the way the rules are worded, it may not be possible to use two weapons for overwatch.

**Nilok**

Jefffar wrote:
Twin-link is also better for Overwatch as the way the rules are worded, it may not be possible to use two weapons for overwatch.

Check some of the other threads about multitrackers/MC and Overwatch, the restriction for only being able to shoot one weapon is also limited to the Shooting Phase. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Last time, it was generally agreed it should be played as counting Overwatch as a limited shooting phase so Space Marines can't fire 2 guns and toss a grenade, while Suits and MC can fire two guns.

If you want to bring this back up, start a thread in YMDK.

On-topic
You can use suicide suits, but I find them very tactically limited. They have their use, but they are very much a do or waste your points and can be a serious risk to giving up objectives in Maelstrom of War missions.

**throwoff**

Missile pod and plasma gun will troll MEQ's all day long.
Double Burst Cannons will hugely upset blobs.
Fusion/Plasma or dual fusion will wreck TEQ's day.

Basically magnets(!) unless you only really play against one enemy.

I don't play Tau myself but my brother does, as he almost only fights my Marines he went for Plas/Missile and they are nasty buggers. He stuck a drone controller on one and then 6 gun drones which work brilliantly as both extra shots and ablative wounds.

**NauticalKendall**

I tend to run 2 squads with plasma/ missile combo, or Fusion/ missile combo. if I want them to have a bit more durability throw on the stim injector as its cheaper than shield generator but that's not often outside of APOC. I double up their weapons when I need them for a more specialized approach.

I find missiles and plasma allow me to deal with threats long range, and close range, and any armor save.

idk how many times I've been saved by having some AP2 nearby when about to be charged by something beefy like a dreadknight or a blood thirster. OR been able to glance a vehicle to death with missile.

**IHateNids**

when I ally in Tau for some beta-strike I take a squad of three toting 6 Plasmas between them. Add dual plasma DC commander and 8 gun drones and you've got aunit which can seriously troll anything going

**CREEEEEEEEED**

I've built them now, two with plasma and missile, one with double fusion. I think I'll give the fusion target lock, but I'm not sure about the other two, if anyone can help, it's much appreciated.
(Edit)
I built all six gun drones.

**Xenomancers**

I've only played my friends tau a few times but each time I have I've taken a few squads of suits. Twin linked misslepod and flamers is a very versatile unit. TL fusion plasma is also very good.

**A Town Called Malus**

CREEEEEEEEED wrote:
I've built them now, two with plasma and missile, one with double fusion. I think I'll give the fusion target lock, but I'm not sure about the other two, if anyone can help, it's much appreciated.
(Edit)
I built all six gun drones.

If there isn't anything worth putting in the slot then you can just leave it open. It saves points. Otherwise the cheapest option is Advanced Targeting Systems, for precision shots. Can allow you to take out special weapons from squads (with missile launchers, meltas or plasma guns being main targets due to their High AP and, in the case of missiles and meltas, ability to ID your suits).

**BoomWolf**

I found myself often putting ATS on my fusion suits if I can spare the points.
Gives them something to do if my opponents took me by surprise and brought no tanks-they try to pick off weapon carriers/hidden ICs and such.

**Sir Arun**

There are two ways to play crisis suits:

1) Deepstrike them

2) Deploy them alongside your gunline (or flank) and JSJ.

For 1) - Dual Fusion and a backup flamer. In a unit of three, make sure one guy has vectored retro thrusters and some drones so you test on I4 before falling back. Option 2: replace dual fusion with dual rapid-firing plasma rifles if you know what youre doing.

For 2), Dual Missile Pods for light to medium vehicle hunting or dual plasma rifles