Devastators?

[ElectricPaladin]

I've got some spare plasma cannon guys - and a spare sergeant who I gave a badass power mace and servo skull to - and I'm planning to use them to build my first devastator squad. The thing is, I'm not sure how devs fit into my list. I like mechanized lists, I like vehicles, and I like mobility. Devastators seem like the opposite of all this: static and with no particular reason to ride in a transport. That said, I'm sure they can be powerful, and I'm not sure what else to do with those plasma cannons.

So, teach me how to devastate. What is their utility? Do they have a place in a mechanized list, or are they overshadowed by more mobile vehicular heavy weapons? Is there a clever way to make them particularly effective, or are they just a blunt instrument? What else should I do to make my Devastators effective?

Thanks in advance.

[Kawauso]

I love Devastators and their equivalents.

Now I know Long Fangs are different in many respects, but my Space Wolves are the only 100% mechanized SM army I have so I feel that's the easiest example to use.

I field them with a Razorback kitted out with a weapon that compliments their abilities (in this case a TL lascannon, since the squad has 2 plasma cannons, 2 lascannons and a missile launcher; the Razorback obviously supports any endeavour the squad undertakes to knock out heavy armour). Now since regular devs can't split their fire figuring our the armament for a Razorback might prove a little tricky.

I think the best bet in the case of a vanilla Dev. squad would be to give them a razorback with a weapon that does something their weapons cannot. For example if your devastators are primarily going after light vehicles and light/heavy infantry (as a plasma cannons would suggest) then something like a TL lascannon may not be a bad bet. It lets you take pot shots at vehicles from considerable range either in support of the rest of your army or defense of your Devastators. That last part is important, because if you take a Razorback (in keeping with your affinity for mechanization), then the transport's primary objective is to defend the Devastator squad (unless it's seconded to another squad).

There are a number of ways it can do this. The most obvious is through fire support: either the Razorback augments the firepower of the devastator squad (though since all the weapons in that squad are firing on the same target the help is often unneeded) or attempts to take down potential threats to your heavy weapon squad from a distance.
The Razorback can also be great for providing cover. Since your Devastators have a pretty small footprint, it's fairly easy to use the Razorback as a mobile wall to shield them from incoming fire. Used in conjunction with terrain this can allow you to control fire lanes, giving your Devs line of sight to their targets while minimizing the effects of incoming enemy fire.
Finally the Razorback is pretty clearly great at offering mobility. It may not seem like it but this can be important for Devastator squads, too! Over the course of the game it's possible that your Devastators can run out of viable targets and slogging their way to a new position on foot is pretty time-consuming. It's also possible that some threat may be barreling down on them and they need to be able to get the hell out of there. In both cases the Razorback enables you to reposition your unit relatively quickly - and thanks to snapshots in 6th this is now less detrimental to the squad than it was in the past (unless they're all using plasma cannons, alas. )

All of this to say that Devastators can be perfectly at home in a mechanized SM list.

Beyond that the only piece of advice I would have is: make sure all the weapons in your squad can fulfill the same role. You don't necessarily have to have 4 of the same heavy weapon, but they should all fulfill the primary role of the squad with more or less equal effectiveness.

[Aegwymourn]

Devastators are tricky to play but when you use them successfully they are tremendously rewarding. Don't forget that tactically a unit of Devastators with Plasma Cannons will make your opponent react in a very different way than say a unit with 4 Lascannons. You can certainly use this to your advantage once you get the hang of using them. I personally have never been a fan of the Razorback squad, but it can be used very effectively working in tandem with the Devastators. Also if you end up with 50 spare points I highly recommend boosting the squad size up a bit. Nothing is more irritating than having to chew through 3-4 bolter marines to get to the juicy plasma cannons.

[spaceman91]

i have devs in every list i write because they may not be mobile but they are so damn helpful. mine weather its my long fangs or standard devs, i always play them the same ( this may be the wrong way to do it ). put them up high with good fields of fire. My devs run like this: 2x plasma cannon 2x missile launchers. my long fangs run: 2x lascannons 2x plasma cannons and a missile launcher. Im sure that someone is gunna tell me im wrong but it works for me.

[olberon]

im running a 5 man devastator (5x lascannon) and chuck them in a droppod, to be honest havnt plad them yet but when i do i drop the pod where it hurts the most and thats behind my enemy that way i hop to hit em where it hurts the mo

[Xenith]

im running a 5 man devastator (5x lascannon) and chuck them in a droppod, to be honest havnt plad them yet but when i do i drop the pod where it hurts the most and thats behind my enemy that way i hop to hit em where it hurts the mo

You cannot take 5 lascannons in a devastator squad.

[olberon]

indeed its a typo ... should be 4

[Psychosplodge]

Find a spot with good firelanes, and watch a squad a turn vanish in plasmary death... it's a glorious sight...

[Liazardman]

I have used a couple Dev configurations. If you want your devs to be mech look into the razorback. Also keep in mind the weapon ranges. There is little point in Las-Plas on the Razorback if you are giving the unit PCs since plas cannons are useless on the move due to snap fire. Another thing to remember is fire points. IRRC the razorback has 3 so 4 heavy weapons is a waste of points. Also Sarge can make 1 BS5.

Depending on what your list needs PC might work well with a TL HB Razor just because the vehicle isnt as great of a threat and a lower priority target. If you want mobile Fire throw a TL Lascan on it and give the squad HBs, Now you've got 9 shots from inside and you dont suffer as much for relocating. I personally prefer to park 4 HB devs in a place where they have good LOS near an objective since my friends tend to play foot armies or DE vehicles that can be severely punished by mass S5 AP4 shooting.

PCs work great and threaten a lot of things But I find they are also a high priority target. If you run mech and they get popped theres a lot of fire going into them which is both good since it can take the heat off other units and bad because at high 40s/model with the transport its as more than a squad of terminators, and it also loses all of its hitting power if it needs to relocate

[thelion]

plasma cannons? oh those are fun, but with dev sqds i try to put them in a good spot and give them a razorback even if they never get in it it makes a great extra heavy wepon for them. and hey O if he is playing SW he can have 5 heavy wepons in a long fang sqd