This is a great article about building a better devastator unit, which in 6th is kinda still undecided. Well unless everyone gets Flakk missiles all of a sudden, then the choice maybe pretty clear!
This is, of course, a guest post from Kirby at 3++, and I think it’s really good at breaking down the numbers vs the meta.
In 5th Edition, if someone said they were bringing Long Fangs, Devastators or Havoks you could safely assume that they were going to be armed with missiles. It was a no brainer for the most part because they were simply the most points efficient weapon available.
Does this hold true in 6th? The way we go about killing vehicles, and to a lesser extent Monstrous Creatures, has changed quite a bit. The old paradigm might not hold true at all anymore.
It’s all about the numbers
A long while ago, I put forward some 40k theory that said it’s better your unit does something, at any cost, than doing nothing for cheap. For example, if your only Troops choices were the following two units:
5 Space Marines with bolters for 50 points or
10 Space Marines with two lascannons for 225 points
What would you bring? If those were your only two choices, the answer would be to bring the 10 marines with two lascannons by a mile. The first unit, while extremely points efficient, does nothing. It will not advance your position in the game one bit. The second unit, while way overcosted, at least does something. It has a chance to impact the game.
We have established that you would, and should, spend extra points when necessary to bring a unit that will actually be effective rather than one that is points efficient but doesn’t help you win the game.
Let’s look at some easy to compare units then, Long Fangs, Devastators, Havoks. First we will look at them with the old standard loadout, 4x Missile Launchers.
Unit Cost
Fangs: 115
SM Devs: 150
BA Devs: 130
Havs: 155
Results: 4x Missiles =
This will be our baseline. Clearly Havocs are so inefficient as to be unplayable. I know said before that you can play inefficient units, but there has to be a reason to. Obliterators and Predators and Vindicators are pretty efficient so there is no reason to bring a pretty trashy Havoc unit. Same for vanillas. Blood Angels are definitely playable, but Wolves are clearly undercosted. Let’s see what Lascannons are up to…
Unit Cost
Fangs: 175
SM Devs: 230
BA Devs: 190
Havs: 215
4x Lascannons
Wow those are expensive. But look at those stats, they pack a punch. Against AV11 and 12 they are almost a full dead tank better per game, which is a huge difference. But the real selling point is how strong they are against AV13. 2 dead AV13 per game is no joke, if you team can drop two Predators per game you are pulling your weight. These will definitely attract enemy attention, which is why I would say that BA Devs do these the best thanks to a FNP priest nearby. Point for point, the SW are probably better off with Missiles. Vanilla marines shouldn’t bother with these.
Lastly, how about a reason to take Havocs at all? Glad you asked…
Havocs: 155 4x Autocannons
Yep you are reading those stats properly. They are better than missile devs at every light mech killing task. Almost a full Rhino per game ahead. Almost half a Chimera ahead. That is big game, and a reason for this unit to exist. While not as cheap as a Long Fang unit, these actually do more, and like I said above, paying more points for something is fine if you get more value from it. If you’re playing Chaos Marines you could do a lot worse than bringing these. Where I see these shining, though, is as an ally for Daemons. Daemons want can openers, these are can openers.
Conclusions? Space Marines should be playing AV13 heavy support units, or Rifleman Dreads via MotF. Space Wolves can spend an extra 50% points on their unit to upgrade to lascannons to gain around 50% value, so it’s debatable which to bring. Blood Angels gain more than they spend to upgrade to lascannon Devs, so it bears serious consideration. And Chaos? If 4x autocannons are a joke, I’m not laughing.
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of LostSouls.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
