Editing Last Stand - Lord General (section)

==Tactics and Strategy==

* '''On the Power Swords and Melee Builds (and Ogryns, too):'''
**Planning to run a close-combat General? Congratulations - you're about to try something that takes some serious balls. But then, you're Imperial Guard - this isn't new to you. Start by using Ogryns as minions; they're tough as balls and will keep the heat off of you and on them, where it rightly belongs. From here, the choice is between your Inspired Sword and your Protective Sword - and both are amazing in their own right. The Inspired Sword will bolster the damage of both you and your Ogryns, whereas the Protective Sword, due to a meaty defense boost, will keep you in the fight. In general, the Inspiring Sword is a better choice for strictly melee builds; the damage is close to double and though Clear Out is quite useful, the Inspiring Sword's special attacks functionally make up for the loss. On the other hand, the survivability boost is nothing to sneeze at, and can result in you surviving that much longer. What wargear you take is up to you, but consider Duelist Honors; the massive +40% attack boost is significantly higher than the +30% of the Medallion Crimson, though if you're feeling bold you can use both at the same time for a relentlessly dickish amount of damage that can eclipse a melee-focused Space Marine Captain. Sadly, though, your Ogryns will suffer for it. It's worth leaving the commissar at home with melee builds, as melee pathing in DOW2 is atrocious, and they're yet another body to get stuck behind when trying to get shit done.

* '''On Guardsmen - [[THIN YOUR PAINTS|ADJUST YOUR LOADOUTS]]:'''
**If you're going to use Guardsmen (and there's plenty of valid reasons to do so), it goes without saying that you should ''always'' use a weapon with Wargear Package (the Bolter, Flamer, Grenade Launcher, or Plasma Gun). If you do not, you are dramatically undercutting these units' primary purpose on the battlefield. Each has a very narrow, but very unique role: The Bolter improves damage against most targets and makes your Lord General more survivable. The Flamer gives you area-of-effect damage and ignores cover, making it the bane of light infantry, especially when all three flamer cones overlap. The Grenade Launcher has blast damage, indirect fire, long range, and knockdown, making it one of the best choices overall, but poor in close-combat, whilst the Plasma Gun gives you the only really dedicated anti-armor minion. Guardsmen benefit immensely from the Sergeant, the Ursidae Trophy, and the Commissar - It is generally good form to use two of these together in order to maximize their potential (with the Commissar and Sergeant getting top billing, though the Trophy has its supporters), though many forces are serviced just fine by using only one - after all, one can make up for the loss of the Sergeant/Ursidae Trophy with the likes of Refractor Field. Take Aim! should be used if you are using Plasma, due to the manifold effects of damage stacking, and a Turret of your choice should be used to round out the lot.

* '''On Catachans - No Need for Wargear Package:'''
**Catachans eliminate the need to use Wargear Package weapons, and strip away much of their appeal - they have a host of built-in advantages (detector capability, grenades, knockdown), do plenty of damage, and you're only hindering yourself if you take a bolter or flamer when using them. Instead, go with your other weapons: The Deadly Sniper Rifle, Vostroyan Shotgun, and the Power Swords. The lone important exception to this is the Grenade Launcher - it continues to provide knockdown, blast damage, and Blind Grenade Barrage - so it's still a valid choice, if somewhat underpowered compared to the others. All of them offer very unique advantages to the Catachan squad itself - because the Catachans provide both knockdown and periodic area-of-effect damage, the Sniper Rifle shines nicely for dealing with targets they aren't quite so equipped to handle, such as Zoanthropes and Wraithguards. The Shotgun offers similar damage-spiking through Solid Slug, but does area-of-effect damage rather than massive single-target damage slowly - meaning that it helps them wear down smaller targets quicker and provides excellent damage against bigger ones when the situation merits, though solid slug can be pricey to spam repeatedly. Because Catachans are solid in close-combat, the Inspiring Sword and Protective Sword both have very important uses - the Inspiring Sword lets you buff your Catachans to hilarious levels, and give truly unpleasant surprises to heavy melee units like Wraithguards and Dreadnoughts, who were convinced your guard unit was easy prey - and because of the fact that Catachans can knock foes down, makes the General much more likely to chase down enemies. The Protective Sword works the other way, protecting your men from threats that try to overwhelm, like Hormagaunts and Banshees. Clear Out quickly gets rid of these threats, whilst your survivability raises as part of the bargain.

* '''On Storm Troopers - Ability Use Is Key:'''
**When you use Storm Troopers, throw out any thoughts of using them as a primary damage force. They come pre-armed with Hot-Shot Lasguns, and actually do pretty good damage individually - sadly, you only get 4 of them per squad, not counting the Sergeant/Commissar - meaning that getting the most damage and performance out of them in combat actually requires attaching both. Whilst this can be effective, and indeed, there are builds based around making this happen, it is a woeful use of the Storm Troopers' true power: Rather, their true potential comes from the mobility boost via retreat, and the massive ability cost reduction they provide. In one stroke, this makes every important ability that costs energy - Refractor Field, Take Aim!, High-Powered Shot, Blind Grenade Barrage, Solid Slug, and most importantly, Rocket Run and the Heavy Turret Armors - infinitely more viable by simple virtue of making them cheaper to cast. Paired with the Sniper Rifle (for energy regeneration), Vostroyan Shotgun (for versatility), and a decent turret, this can provide a solid formation for an ability-heavy Lord General, and is the favored config for many high-tier players.

* '''On Achievements:'''
**''A Trail of Blood Behind Him'' (Which unlocks the Duelist Honors) is easy enough. Kill 2500 enemies as the Lord General.
**''Unshakable'' (Which unlocks the Black Plate) is a challenge that largely boils down to managing your resources, as the Lord General is not powerful enough to take down enemies up-front in most cases. If you need a turret, deploy it when you need it. If you need troops, make sure that you equip the ones best suited for the build and be sure to bring a Sergeant and a Commissar when possible, as keeping them alive will be your top priority.