Elysian Tactics - Veteran Squads
Elysian Veteran Squads have a large range of equipment, and unlike infantry squads can take an attached heavy weapon team in addition to three special weapons. And they can take a Heavy flamer as well.
I addition to this they can also take a vox and breacher charge, or even swap out the lasguns for shotguns. While such a range of options makes veteran squads very versatile, it can also make them rather costly, considering they already cost 2pts more each than a standard drop trooper.
While in isolation they are good value, there are also a lot of reason not to take them.
For starters they die just as easily as a standard trooper, they have no extra armour or abilities that keep them alive longer. In standard guard armies veterans are often bought with transports to keep them alive longer and provide extra mobility. However in an Elysian force our only transports are flyers, which get a bit pricey to use just to transport veterans around. Now a lot can be said for a squad of veterans with 3 meltas in a Valkyrie, as Valkyries are maybe the only Guard option remaining for a turn 1 deep strike equivalent when they start on the table and use their grav shute insertion, but that is a lot of points.
But really command squads can do it better, and special weapons squads can do it cheaper, both of which are also elite choices.
In an Elysian force the Elite slot is the most crowded slot we have, and in fact has more options than the heavy, fast attack and troops slots combined. And with Drop trooper squads unlocking battalions and brigades for more command points, in many situations they are the better option .
Really the only use I see for a Veteran Squad is taking one or two squads for long range fire support to make the most out of their BS3. They have all the same weapon options as standard squads, except they pay extra for plasma and melta due to their BS3. I feel this is the one place where grenade launchers are a decent option as they retain full effectiveness out to 24" unlike rapid fire weapons, and are cheap. Similarly this is the one place where I think missile launchers are a decent option, as they also cost the same but take advantage of the better BS of the Veterans. And missile launchers are much more resilient than in a heavy weapon teams due to the number of bodies in the squad.
So in all I don't really plan to field many Veteran Squads, as other units perform better in each role.
So, now I have nearly covered all the different options, and next time I will talk about Sniper Squads and the Officer of the fleet, leaving just the flyers to go after that as far as unit types go.
I addition to this they can also take a vox and breacher charge, or even swap out the lasguns for shotguns. While such a range of options makes veteran squads very versatile, it can also make them rather costly, considering they already cost 2pts more each than a standard drop trooper.
While in isolation they are good value, there are also a lot of reason not to take them.
For starters they die just as easily as a standard trooper, they have no extra armour or abilities that keep them alive longer. In standard guard armies veterans are often bought with transports to keep them alive longer and provide extra mobility. However in an Elysian force our only transports are flyers, which get a bit pricey to use just to transport veterans around. Now a lot can be said for a squad of veterans with 3 meltas in a Valkyrie, as Valkyries are maybe the only Guard option remaining for a turn 1 deep strike equivalent when they start on the table and use their grav shute insertion, but that is a lot of points.
But really command squads can do it better, and special weapons squads can do it cheaper, both of which are also elite choices.
In an Elysian force the Elite slot is the most crowded slot we have, and in fact has more options than the heavy, fast attack and troops slots combined. And with Drop trooper squads unlocking battalions and brigades for more command points, in many situations they are the better option .
Really the only use I see for a Veteran Squad is taking one or two squads for long range fire support to make the most out of their BS3. They have all the same weapon options as standard squads, except they pay extra for plasma and melta due to their BS3. I feel this is the one place where grenade launchers are a decent option as they retain full effectiveness out to 24" unlike rapid fire weapons, and are cheap. Similarly this is the one place where I think missile launchers are a decent option, as they also cost the same but take advantage of the better BS of the Veterans. And missile launchers are much more resilient than in a heavy weapon teams due to the number of bodies in the squad.
So in all I don't really plan to field many Veteran Squads, as other units perform better in each role.
So, now I have nearly covered all the different options, and next time I will talk about Sniper Squads and the Officer of the fleet, leaving just the flyers to go after that as far as unit types go.
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