Topic of the Week: Devastators

[Lost Nemesis]

My utmost apologies about not getting this posted up earlier this week, I've been having a bit of a frantic time here at home for the past month or so.

Let's thank Mr. Biscuit once more for this week's topic. I'll make sure to get them up more on time next week!

Devastators.
Heavy weapon bearing defenders of he imperium, do they still impose their will on te enemies of the emorer as ever before, bringing death to the furthest regions of the tabletop, or are they better left for the shelf. If the former, then how should you equip them, have lascannons finally become to expensive for what they do?, or would you prefer the anti anything with a freaken save build bristling with four plasma cannons. Are heavy bolters a better option than missile launchers? Who am I kidding who could deny the raw power of a unit totting four plasma cannons.

[ForgedInTheFurnaceOfWar]

To my way of thinking, the unit has gotten better in 5th edition. As it has always been, the missile launcher is the best weapon for the points in the squad. An 8 man squad will cost you 2 points less than it did in 4th edition. And for those 2 points you gain 1 model with better BS and better leadership. Seems a pretty good deal to me.

I would field them like this: 8 marines, 4 missile launchers.

Here's the catch, devastators don't mix well with tanks. So, if you decide to go the devastator route, you need to be fielding an all marine list - no tanks! Bikes, jump infantry, space marines, scouts, and terminators all fit well in together with devastators. Mix in tanks and the tank will die too quickly to your opponents guns.

So this is clearly not a unit for every army list, in fact you'd be better off designing the army list around the devastators. Just like you'd design a list around predators if your playing MECH.

This opinion is only for space marine devastator. The other codex's all have worse devastators and I would not recommend building a list around them.

[Mr. Biscuits]

I somewhat agree with that, I do use armoued support with mydevastators, but only some and not tanks. I find great successs in drop podding in two tactical squads bristling with melta and a dread with a multi melta supported by three footslogging devastator squads, if only for shock value. 1 unit 3 plasmacannons 1 heavy bolter, 1 unit 4 missile launchers, and last but not least my last decastator unit 2 missile lanchers 2 lascannons. Sadly I can't do this in larger point games as some of the missile launchers in that setup are borrowed frrom my tactical squads.

[Emerald Cat]

I've come to rather like fielding 10 man Devestator squads with 4 Missile Launchers combat squaded down to a pair of 5 mans with 2 launchers each.

It lets you split your fire more effectively to put down the mech heavy world that 5th ed has become and more often than not 2 missiles is more than enough to stop a transport, and you always have the option to fire the second two if not.

As a result you end up with small pockets of twin heavy teams that overlap fields of fire and with good deployment and 2 of these squads you should be able to put at least 4 missiles, Krak or Frag, anywhere on the battlefield.

[Chirality]

It's been years since I've fielded a Devastator squad. I've always been partial to the mechanized lists. When I did use them in 4th ed. I had the 4 x ML setup with a full 10 man squad.

They do seem slightly better in 5th ed. so I may have to try a footslogger list just for the fun of it. If I were to field them again today I'd probably stick to 8-10 marines and either go the 4 x ML route or 4 x plasmacannon. Although, for a slightly cheaper setup if you're going after horde the 2 x plasmacannon, 2 x heavy bolter option is nice.

[==Me==]

Devastators suffer from competition with the other awesome Heavy Support options and much more effective options that fill their role.

Static heavy weapon units don't fit in with a marine army, marines in a gunline is just not as effective as a mobile, mech, or DP army.

They can't finish the enemy off with cover so prevalent, just GtG and they just can't flush them out.

And what Devastators can field, other units can do better and for cheaper. Tank busting? MM Attack Bikes or Speeders. Infantry killing? Predators, flamers. Objective camping? Tacticals, Predators, etc.

I'd say they're better than ever with the signum and combat squads, but compared to other units and the way 5th edition works they just don't stack up as well.

[Mr. Biscuits]

It's been years since I've fielded a Devastator squad. I've always been partial to the mechanized lists. When I did use them in 4th ed. I had the 4 x ML setup with a full 10 man squad.

They do seem slightly better in 5th ed. so I may have to try a footslogger list just for the fun of it. If I were to field them again today I'd probably stick to 8-10 marines and either go the 4 x ML route or 4 x plasmacannon. Although, for a slightly cheaper setup if you're going after horde the 2 x plasmacannon, 2 x heavy bolter option is nice.

I actualy do a bit of an in the middle there, I used to use two heavy bolters two plasma cannons after building that out of the devastator kit, but recentlly I bought the plasma cannon devastator to get the extra one, and i really love the plasma cannonns. They make a mess of just anything, any infantery squad heavy armoured or light, and transports and light veichles too.

[MadLarkin]

In a small game used a 4 ML build and I gotta say they did awesome. I combined them with a thunderfire cannon, 2 drop podding dreads, a full drop podding tact and a razorbacked min tac squad 2 land speeders and a predator and I obliterated a marine army. The sheer number of templates between the devastators and thunderfire cannon was inspiring, the dread and landspeeders had MM's for anti-tank w/the other dread with a assault cannon the enemy never knew what was coming.

I think devastators can work with vehicles, although I can see how they would really shine in an all infantry list.

[Mr. Biscuits]

On a side note, does combat squadding devastator squads work for anyone, whenver I use a ten man one I can usually keep them out of harms way and worst case scenario I just have 5 extra bullet shields.

[xanosaucy]

In a small game used a 4 ML build and I gotta say they did awesome. I combined them with a thunderfire cannon, 2 drop podding dreads, a full drop podding tact and a razorbacked min tac squad 2 land speeders and a predator and I obliterated a marine army. The sheer number of templates between the devastators and thunderfire cannon was inspiring, the dread and landspeeders had MM's for anti-tank w/the other dread with a assault cannon the enemy never knew what was coming.

I think devastators can work with vehicles, although I can see how they would really shine in an all infantry list.

Glad to hear this worked really well for you, I was actually considering trying this later on during the week. I couldn't bring myself to pay 150 pts. for 5 guys but the versatility of these missle launchers convinced me.I wanna play them as a 5 man footslogging/objective holding squad.