Life without Melta?

[weeble1000]

Actually the question I ask is: Why are plasmas so expensive!

No crap. I might take some at 10 points, but at 15 points they are way overpriced. If you put plasmas in a command squad, you're risking a lot of point loss from Gets Hot! unless you add in a 30 point medic. But that's just throwing good points after bad since Feel No Pain on a T3 5+ model is useful for little more than preventing Gets Hot casualties.

[DarkLink]

Actually the question I ask is: Why are plasmas so expensive!

The problem is, last ed plasma was the way to go. Thus, plasma was expensive.

Now, melta has taken plasma's place as the king, yet the points cost remains the same. Plasma is overpriced, and melta underpriced. It would be more balanced if they switched the costs, I think.

I have a couple of meltaguns in my army and have the worst luck with them. In the last couple of games I played with the army I've failed all my rolls to hit with the things lol. The best example was after failing to hit a russ with the meltagun the tactical squad assaulted and managed to blow it up in hand to hand lol

Last pair of games I played, I got around a dozen shots in with BS 4 meltaguns over the two games, all within 6" of an easy target (side armor of a Vindicator, par exampla). I caused a single Immobilized result, and two stunned results.

[Earthen]

Last pair of games I played, I got around a dozen shots in with BS 4 meltaguns over the two games, all within 6" of an easy target (side armor of a Vindicator, par exampla). I caused a single Immobilized result, and two stunned results.

thats just terrible luck definitely not the standard result youd get though, haha.

Running a one dimensional army is never a good idea.

Unless you play... vulkan multimelta snipers of DOOOOM!

DUN DUN DUNNNN!



Id have to agree though, you really need upwards of 20 lascannons in an army to make an all las force worthwhile. Alot easier to pick and mix a couple of weapon types, say autocannons and meltas, or lascans and meltas, etc.


@ OP
Fluffwise, the firelords without meltas? really? thats like... the most burninating, incinerating, immoliating weapon in the game. And the firelords arent going to use it?
damn.

As SM, you really do need a couple meltas in the list. theres just not a good way around it unless youve got alot of reliable STR10 floating around

[EmperorEternalXIX]

Actually the question I ask is: Why are plasmas so expensive!

Because people cried about the overpowered ability of the Space Marines to have 6 BS4 plasma guns in an army in 4th edition.

With the current meta game there is no more need for this restriction.

[Aldramelech]

As an IG player, I am not a fan of 'going to the enemy' so for me, Vets in a Chimera with meltas is not appealing at all.

I like to hang back with Lascannons, and use Creed to twin link the cannons against vehicles. Its so awesome!

Agreed. I don't want the enemy anywhere near 6" to me. Playing against Orks mostly that would mean Ive lost!

[RocketRollRebel]

Tanks just got so much tougher that melta weapons have replaced las cannons and Missile Launchers as the top AT weapons of the last edition. So really to be competitive you need to be packing some sort of lance/melta weapon.

The best roll for plasma these days is en mass in a squad shooting at things like 2+ save MC's, MEQ and Terminators. But even with that said I still don't run much plasma these days and I was pretty guilty of Plasma spam back in 4th ed.

[Lord Azaghul]

Tanks just got so much tougher that melta weapons have replaced las cannons and Missile Launchers as the top AT weapons of the last edition. So really to be competitive you need to be packing some sort of lance/melta weapon.

The best roll for plasma these days is en mass in a squad shooting at things like 2+ save MC's, MEQ and Terminators. But even with that said I still don't run much plasma these days and I was pretty guilty of Plasma spam back in 4th ed.

I still take one or two in my guard army, but its usually in my PCS along with a flamer/melta, and one spare wound. Its part of my all comers list/set up - to take out light armour, termies, and any thing an a squad. The plasma guy still managed to kill himself ever other game.

[EmperorEternalXIX]

I used to be a huge fan of plasma, but it seems to be less versatile now.

For one thing, it can kill you. I know, I know, my marines have a save...but you know what? It's still not worth the risk, mainly because of one other factor: when it DOES overheat, it also DOESN'T shoot. When you already add in the possibility of a miss and its short range hot zone of 12" and the fact it's used against really tough big stuff primarily, this all adds up to some bad outcomes.

I would never go within 12" of a monstrous creature with a meltagun and expect to get the job done and survive unscathed, but with a plasma gun there is so much more that could go wrong and the monster is just as unpleasant afterward because of the fact that 3 wounds or no wounds a carnifex is a carnifex is a carnifex and it's going to operate at full effect without any issue unless I kill it.

For me the burns are not the issue, it's the fact that the gun utterly misses whenever that happens. Just about any other way to represent this rule would be better, as it quickly gets crazily worthless when you realize it is most effective in the 12" danger zone but can kill you or fail you in a variety of ways.

I'm not saying it should have no downside, but man, is it aggravating to watch your elite troops with these venerable weapons clumsily fail to shoot a giant monster ten feet in front of them.

[Chumbalaya]

If plasma weren't the most expensive it would have a place, even making it 5 points cheaper brings it back into the field as a viable option.

[Lord Azaghul]

One 'get around' for the guard is to use 'bring it down'. But it isn't always an option, and has already stated -using a med pack isn't really worth the points.