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Why does it seem just about everybody picks rokkits over big shootas? i mean, it doesnt seem like they'd be better at killing, one shot at BS2 is kinda bad, i mean its S8 and you can hurt vehicles and stuff but i don't see its advantages.

also, all instant death does is eliminates ALL the wounds a model has, so basically besides being an easy roll, it does nothing extra against plain old infantry, right?

i mean its S8 and you can hurt vehicles and stuff but i don't see its advantages.

The advantages are that it's S8 and can hurt vehicles... which is where Orks can struggle. They do just fine against light-armoured infantry.

That being said, I tend to max out on big shootas just because I like rolling dice, and leave the heavy stuff to the Power Klaws.

What Insaniak failed to mention is the most important fact:

Rokkits statistically kill more MEQs than Big Shootas.

A Big Shoota will statistically cause on average .22 failed saves in a single round of shooting vs MEQs.

A Rokkit will cause an average of .27 failed saves in a single round of shooting vs MEQs.


Once you factor point cost into the mix (and the fact that a Rokkit is cheaper than a Big Shoota), by point ratio the Rokkit is way out ahead. Plus it can also take on Vehicles (something the Big Shoota cannot) and occasionally cause instant death.

Although the Rokkit has a much shorter range, given the fact that Orks tend to keep moving forward that negative is generally worth the positives.


Since most tournaments (or random pick-up games) tend to feature a preponderance of MEQ armies, any good Ork general should heavily favor Rokkits over Big Shootas.


I hope that helped!

Posted By yakface 08/11/2006 1:03 AM

What Insaniak failed to mention is the most important fact:

Rokkits statistically kill more MEQs than Big Shootas.

A Big Shoota will statistically cause on average .22 failed saves in a single round of shooting vs MEQs.

A Rokkit will cause an average of .27 failed saves in a single round of shooting vs MEQs.


Once you factor point cost into the mix (and the fact that a Rokkit is cheaper than a Big Shoota), by point ratio the Rokkit is way out ahead. Plus it can also take on Vehicles (something the Big Shoota cannot) and occasionally cause instant death.

Although the Rokkit has a much shorter range, given the fact that Orks tend to keep moving forward that negative is generally worth the positives.


Since most tournaments (or random pick-up games) tend to feature a preponderance of MEQ armies, any good Ork general should heavily favor Rokkits over Big Shootas.


I hope that helped!

I still don't understand how one Rokkit can cause that many "failed saves".

It's a 1/3 to hit... then a 5/6 to wound... then a 2/6 chance of them failing their save vs. MEQ's right?  

So:   .33 x .83 x .33 = .09 chance of a kill vs. MEQ's per Rokkit?

Rokkits are AP3.

MEQs don't get a save.

Your shooting should concentrate on killing enemy Tanks that will screw you up all game if you don't deal with it.  Things like Predators w/ Heavy Bolters or Leman Russ's, Defilers, etc can really ruin your day.

Rokkits kill them and since Ork shooting is so terrible you need TONS of Rokkits.  Every one of my footslogging mobs that isn't a Burna Boy mob has 3 Rokkits.

Rokkits RoKK!!!!

And so do Cyborks for that matter!

The main reason I take all Rokkits is that Big Shootas are only good against things that my Orkz can take out in hand to hand.

Rokkits are good at killing things that my orkz can't take out in hand to hand, or can only do with great difficulty, like vehicles.

I normally always pack one or two units of big shootas. I use them to worry tornado squadrons & devvy squads lurking at the back of the board.

Posted By dakari-mane 08/14/2006 6:23 AM
I normally always pack one or two units of big shootas. I use them to worry tornado squadrons & devvy squads lurking at the back of the board.

Statistically 3 Big Shootas will get 1 Glancing Hit vs. a Land Speeder, where 3 Rokkits will only get .83 Glancing Hits. 

The problem is that for the points saved (9 points saved for 3 Rokkkits vs. 3 Big Shootas) buys you another Ork Boy and the fact that the Rokkits are better at killing everything else from AV11 to AV14 and as Yakface already pointd out Rokkits are better at killing MEQ's than Big Shootas are.

I totally agree with that, rokkits are the orcs best friend, you dont have much to take out armor with at range, close combat is really the best way for orcs to kil tanks, but against fast vehciles and skimmers, that can be an unreliable tactic. if you have hordes of rokkits in your army then statistically, you will hit enough times to damage any vehicle in the game. plus it is an assault weapon for orcs, that is awesome.

Yakface's math was correct, but one thing you need to consider when determining your liklyhood of killing an MEQ, is the perponderance of heavy cover in most games in this eddition. most MEQ's you will be shooting at will be very likely to have some kind of cover save, it is rare that anyone will stand a unit in the wide open in front of ap 3 weaponry, therefore reducing the effectiveness of the rokkit vs infantry. but, your boys should be chopping them to bits in HtH, if you are relying on your shooting to win the day as an ork, you are a little off the mark to begin with. the rokkit shots into infantry are just icing on the cake and a softening up technique, their real value is against vehicles.

one tactic a buddy of mine uses is all rokkits in his infantry and on his truks, and some power claw equiped death coptas to seize objectives and to assault tanks. it works very well for him as you have multiple options that are manueverable and effective.

Hope that helps.

One thing to note about MEQs is that Orkz are actually still very good at killing them in close combat as well.

The main reason to take rokkits is the vehicles.

As has been pointed out if marines are in cover then big shooters are better.

If the land speeders are over 30" away then the rokkits are going to have a very hard time of it & even if they are just within 30" you are going to have more than a little trouble bringing any volume of fire to bear. Big shooters dont have a problem with this as they have an effective range of 42". Its even possible to tag the speeders before they get their DK's in to range.

Personally I think you'd be foolish not to have a few units of em.

But hey each to their own

 

Well, you also have to consider trukks and traks with rokkits, or alternatively, a mass wave that would require the speeders get in range or stay behind cover all game.

That, and the fact that it doesn't matter if Big Shootas are slightly better against marines in cover. Rokkits are insurance against the things you can't kill. Unless you are playing a shooty ork list, you are going to kill ten times the amount in close combat that you would ever be able to by shooting.

Kult of Speed solves all your problems!

Getting boyz into hth easily. Having lots of guns (get 6 trukks to shoot one target for example), fast, the ability to block los and enemy counter charges with a humongously large trukk.... etc.

Also really fast bikes that can get into hth in turn one.

Sorry for the super newb question, but what exactly is an MEQ? And I agree as far as I can unsderstand, Rokkits are the way to go, along with Burnas.

MEQ = Marine or Equivalent, ie, anything with T4 and a 3+.

The Dakka Jargon Glossary in Dakka Discussions should be required reading for all posters (and lurkers).

Ok, thanks. I didd't know there was a technical jargon forum, thanks for giving me the heads up!