The Best Weapons of the Astra Militarum

[The Catachan Devil]

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ATTENTION - URGENT  TRANSMISSION FROM THE ADEPTUS ADMINISTRATUM.

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In this article I will address the best weapons both in regards to effectiveness and efficiency Vs different unit types. Weapons that appear on both the effective and efficient list will be deemed the 'most optimal' weapon vs this unit type.

 

The efficiency has been deduced by finding the cheapest way of taking said weapon and dividing the points of the chosen unit by the damage output. To get around the issue of one-shot weapons I divide the efficiency value by the number of rounds of shooting I can do with a weapon (up to a value of 5). 

 

The effectiveness was calculated from the amount of wounds caused from the selected weapon/s from the minimum size of unit chosen .

 

 

Key:

GEQ = Guard EQ (T3 5+)

EEQ = Eldar EQ (T3 4+)

OEQ = Ork EQ (T4 6+)

MEQ = Marine EQ (T4 3+)

TEQ = Terminator EQ ( T4 2+/5++)

T7V = T7 Vehicles EQ = (T7 3+)

IKEQ = Imperial Knight EQ = (T8 3+/5++)

 

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Top 10 Anti-GEQ Weapons

1. Vulcan Mega Bolter
2. Punisher Gatling Cannon
3. Wyvern Stormshard Mortar
4. Twin Heavy Flamer
5. Heavy Bolter
6. Hellhammer Cannon
7. Baneblade Cannon
8. Tremor Cannon
9. Storm Eagle Rockets
10. Chem Cannon

Top 10 most efficient Anti-GEQ Weapons (and unit)

1. Heavy Bolter - HWT
2. Mortar - HWT
3. Plasma gun - SWT
4. Flamer - SWT
5. Grenade Launcher-Frag - SWT
6. Wyvern stormshard mortar - Wyvern
7. Lasgun - Infantry squad
8. Autocannon - HWT
9. Twin Heavy Flamer - Chimera
10. Missile Launcher-Frag - HWT

The most optimum anti-GEQ weapons are: Heavy bolters, (twin) Heavy flamers, and Wyvern Stormshard Mortars 

 

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Top Anti-EEQ Weapons

1. Vulcan Mega Bolter
2. Punisher Gatling Cannon
3. Wyvern Stormshard Mortar
4. Twin Heavy Flamer
5. Hellhammer Cannon
6. Baneblade Cannon
7. Tremor Cannon
8. Chem Cannon
9. Heavy Bolter
10. Storm Eagle Rockets

Top 10 most efficient Anti-EEQ Weapons

1. Heavy Bolter - HWT
2. Mortar - HWT
3. Plasma gun - SWT
4. Flamer - SWT
5. Grenade Launcher-Frag - SWT
6. Wyvern stormshard mortar - Wyvern
7. Chem Cannon - Banewolf
8. Autocannon - HWT
9. Twin Heavy Flamer - Chimera
10. Missile Launcher-Frag - HWT

 

The most optimum Anti-EEQ weapons are: Heavy bolters, (twin) Heavy flamers, Chem cannons, and Wyvern Stormshard Mortars

 

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Top Anti-OEQ Weapons

1. Vulcan Mega Bolter
2. Punisher Gatling Cannon
3. Twin Heavy Flamer
4. Wyvern Stormshard Mortar
5. Heavy Bolter
6. Hellhammer Cannon
7. Baneblade Cannon
8. Tremor Cannon
9. Chem Cannon
10. Storm Eagle Rockets

Top 10 most efficient Anti-OEQ Weapons

1. Heavy Bolter - HWT
2. Mortar - HWT
3. Flamer - SWT
4. Plasma gun - SWT
5. Wyvern stormshard mortar - Wyvern
6. Twin Heavy Flamer - Chimera
7. Grenade Launcher-Frag - SWT
8. Autocannon - HWT
9. Punisher Gatling Cannon - Leman Russ
10. Lasgun - Infantry Squad

 

The most optimum Anti-OEQ are: Heavy Bolters, Wyvern Stormshard Mortars, Twin Heavy Flamer, and Punisher Gatling Cannons.

 

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Top Anti-MEQ Weapons

1. Vulcan Mega Bolter
2. Hellhammer Cannon
3. Baneblade Cannon
4. Chem Cannon
5. Twin Heavy Flamer
6. Punisher Gatling Cannon
7. Tremor Cannon
8. Deathstrike Missile
9. Wyvern Stormshard Mortar
10. Storm Eagle Rockets

Top 10 most efficient Anti-MEQ Weapons

1. Heavy Bolter - HWT
2. Mortar - HWT
3. Chem Cannon
4. Plasma gun - SWT
5. Meltagun - SWT
6. Twin Heavy Flamer - Chimera
7. Flamer - SWT
8. Wyvern stormshard mortar - Wyvern
9. Demolition Charge - SWT
10. Autocannon - HWT

The most optimum anti-MEQs weapons are: Heavy bolters, (twin) Heavy Flamers, Chem Cannons, and Wyvern Stormshard Mortars

 

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Top Anti-TEQ Weapons

1. Volcano Cannon
2. Vulcan Mega Bolter
3. Hellhammer Cannon
4. Baneblade Cannon
5. Tremor Cannon
6. Deathstrike Missile
7. Quake Cannon
8. Magma Cannon
9. Stormsword Seige Cannon
10. Storm Eagle Rockets

Top 10 most efficient Anti-TEQ Weapons

1. Meltagun - SWT
2. Lascannon -HWT
3. Plasma gun -SWT
4. Missile Launcher-Krak - HWT
5. Demo Charge - SWT
6. Heavy Bolter - HWT
7. Deathstrike Missile
8. Autocannon - HWT
9. Melta Cannon - Devil Dog
10. Storm Eagle Rockets - Manticore

The most optimum Anti-TEQ Weapon are: Storm Eagle Rockets

 

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Top Anti-T7 Vehicle Weapons

1. Volcano Cannon
2. Hellhammer Cannon
3. Baneblade Cannon
4. Quake Cannon
5. Tremor Cannon
6. Vulcan Mega Bolter
7. Magma Cannon
8. Stormsword Seige Cannon
9. Meltagun
10. Meltacannon

Top 10 most efficient Anti-T7 Vehicle Weapons

1. Meltagun - SWT
2. Lascannon -HWT
3. Plasma gun -SWT
4. Missile Launcher-Krak - HWT
5. Demo Charge - SWT
6. Melta Cannon - Devil Dog
7. Autocannon - HWT
8. Volcano Cannon - Shadowsword
9. Mortar - HWT
10. Heavy Bolter - HWT

The most optimum Anti-T7 Vehicle weapons are: Melta Cannons, Meltaguns, and Volcano Cannons.

 

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Top 10 Anti-IKEQ Weapons

1. Volcano Cannon
2. Hellhammer Cannon
3. Baneblade Cannon
4. Vulcan Mega Bolter
5. Tremor Cannon
6. Lascannon
7. Quake Cannon
8. Magma Cannon
9. Stormsword Seige Cannon
10. Storm Eagle Rockets

Top 10 most efficient Anti-IKEQ Weapons

1. Lascannon -HWT
2. Meltagun - SWT
3. Plasma gun -SWT
4. Missile Launcher-Krak - HWT
5. Heavy Bolter - HWT
6. Earthshaker Cannon - Basilisk
7. Storm Eagle Rockets - Manticore
8. Demo Charge - SWT
9. Autocannon - HWT
10. Volcano Cannon - Shadowsword

 

The most optimum Anti-IKEQ weapons are: Lascannons, Storm Eagle Rockets, and Volcano Cannons.

 

 

 

 

I hope this is of help to everyone, 

 

Best regards,

 

TCD

Edited July 20, 2017 by The Catachan Devil

[FallenSoldiers]

Thanks! There's only one flaw... you left out a guardsmen's BEST AND MOST VALUABLE WEAPON...

 

His -unwavering- faith in the Emperor!

[Shamansky]

Wyverns are not that effective any more. They lost ignore cover and became almost ineffective against anything siting in terrain.

 

What were the criteria for weapons to get into these charts? I'm asking cause i'd like to know how effective Eradicator nova cannon is?

Edited July 20, 2017 by Shamansky

[march10k]

...also the griffon mortar and the avenger bolt cannon?

 

/edit/  It's be great to see a table with all of the available weapons ranked by both efficiency and effectiveness against the targets you chose.  I notice that plasma isn't listed anywhere....Given that overcharged plasma has the same profile as long range melta, and plasma guns are cheaper than melta with two shots at half range, I've got serious questions about your methodology...

Edited July 20, 2017 by march10k

[The Catachan Devil]

...also the griffon mortar and the avenger bolt cannon?

 

/edit/  It's be great to see a table with all of the available weapons ranked by both efficiency and effectiveness against the targets you chose.  I notice that plasma isn't listed anywhere....Given that overcharged plasma has the same profile as long range melta, and plasma guns are cheaper than melta with two shots at half range, I've got serious questions about your methodology...

 

 

Purposefully left out the forgeworld weapons. Though I likely will compile them in at some point. This list took a while to do you see.

 

 

And with this issue of plasma, it's a lot of ifs and buts really so to maintain consistancy across all weapons I've used the profiles of everything at max range. The Plasma is not 'overcharged' as losing models over 5 turns is less efficient. I will be incorporating these minor oversights along with the forgeworld weapons at a future date. 

 

Also due to baneblades variants not even meltagun crack the top ten vs vehicles. High competition is also the reason why you aren't seeing plasma on the effective lists.. 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2017 by The Catachan Devil

[The Catachan Devil]

Wyverns are not that effective any more. They lost ignore cover and became almost ineffective against anything siting in terrain.

 

What were the criteria for weapons to get into these charts? I'm asking cause i'd like to know how effective Eradicator nova cannon is?

 

Effectiveness was literally the average damage it would do to the given target. The lists above are the top ten weapons vs the enemy unit EQ. 

 

 

I tried to upload the spreadsheet that I had and it was just a garbled mess. If you tell me what target unit type you want to assess it's effectiveness against, let me know & I'll look on the spreadsheet. 

 

At a quick glance it's less effective Vs infantry than a Wyvern and equivalently effective vs armour. Leman russes aren't great this edition. 

Edited July 20, 2017 by The Catachan Devil

[micahwc]

Looking forward to the forgeworld one. Specifically heavy quad launchers. 

[The Catachan Devil]

Looking forward to the forgeworld one. Specifically heavy quad launchers. 

Would it be helpful if they were in there own list or incorporated into the Astra Militarum list above?

[micahwc]

I think separate if it's not too much trouble, that way if people have forge world stuff they can look at the appropriate list, and if they don't/can't use forge world they can use the regular list. 

[USNCenturion]

With orders you should literally never lose a model to overcharged plasma. The one or two times you do, you should not care because you should have more sources of plasma.

 

Plasma always.

Edited July 20, 2017 by USNCenturion

[march10k]

This!  Not only is "max range overcharged plasma" precisely equal in effect to "max range melta." and, actually, it's effective range is longer than the multimelta that has the same nominal range, because it doesn't suffer a -1 for moving and shooting.  At the max range of the melta weapon that it shares a slot with, it gets two shots instead of one.  And it's dirt cheap, melta is expensive.  The order that saves you from mishaps has the added bonus of making the plasma gun marginally more accurate.  To be fair, you could give the same order to the melta, but I'd rather reroll ones to wound on that weapon, or run run run to get into range, or do something else with a melta unit's order.  And plasma will always be supported by orders, it's a very basic planning factor, but I'm perfectly comfortable running melta without orders support, because there's no chance of a mishap.

[duz_]

Impressive work Catachan! :tu:

 

Wyvrens would certainly benefit from ignores cover. Tried to dislodge a 5 man tac squad in cover last weekend. I think I claimed 1 from 7 wounds. :(

[mmimzie]

Cool stuff dude

 

I think I would have tackled this different.

 

1. You should have included command squads. I know you have to pay for a command for each, but even account for the commander in the units cost the command squad always comes out on top. Though not taking into account the command would be fine to but you could put a star next to it pointing out commander wasn't Mathed in. The not mathing in the command is worth whole as players who habe a list with a commander for thier Las gun squads (covered next) will likely want to take thier command squad as well.

 

2. Las guns(on a phone it hates lasgun) with a company commander effecting two units is the best GEQ slayer within its 12" range and accounting for flamers within 8" range vs Las guns at 24" is pretty unfair to the weapons.

 

3. You should probably just triplicate out all of these list with ranges 24", 12", 6" . Which will help put it into context. 12" range is significant because scion and rough riders can take advantage of these ranges.

 

I think doing these few things will put the list into context such that folks growing can use it to weigh against what they think they want to take. Everything at max range or in overcharged is kind of meh.

 

As said by other commands can protect from plasma overcharge, but better than that of you add in 1/6th the cost into the model shooting the plasma you'll notice its actualy worth it just to let your plasma dudes die for the damage overcharged plasmas do. If you math it out its actually more worth while just bringing more plasma and letting dudes die than using an order to reroll 1's to keep them alive.

 

The flamer and melta ranges also are important to take into account. Flamers and meltas will struggle to get into range in one turn due to 9" restrictions, and will only make thier range by being put on scout sentinels or with valkyrie transport support.

[Shamansky]

 

I tried to upload the spreadsheet that I had and it was just a garbled mess. If you tell me what target unit type you want to assess it's effectiveness against, let me know & I'll look on the spreadsheet. 

 

At a quick glance it's less effective Vs infantry than a Wyvern and equivalently effective vs armour. Leman russes aren't great this edition. 

 

I think the main target for Eradicator is infantry of any kind. I've never used it before 8ed. Because why should I take this if i can have two-three wyverns instead with re-roll of every roll? But now they cut of 'ignore cover'. And you know, shooting 10 pathfinder in cover with two wyverns for more than one turn is irritating. Those markerlights just don't die because of bonus to save rolls from cover. That's why i plan to use those nova cannons as my main 'little sneaky bastards' cleaner. 

[NatBrannigan]

The Lasgun is the best weapon. Under all circumstances and against any target.

 

Second is the Bayonet.

 

Anything else is just Gravy.