Devastator Squad

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When you really need to kill something hard... Accept no substitutes.

A Devastator Squad is a type of Space Marine Squad. Devastators purpose can be put in simple terms: blow shit up. Devastators function as the heavy weapons specialists among Space Marines. They serve as tanks hunters, artillery experts, and just plain shooting the crap out of the enemy with bolters. Common weapons include heavy bolters, lascannons, and missile launchers. In Codex-Compliant Chapters, after a Scout receives his Black Carapace and becomes a full battle-brother, he will be assigned to a Devastator Squad. This allows the new battle-brother to bond with his Power Armor and learn its strengths by lugging heavy weaponry around, while keeping him from having to directly engage the enemy before his close-combat training is more complete. Additionally, the Ninth Company of Codex-Chapters will be entirely formed of Devastators.

Among the Space Wolves, the role of Devastator Marines are held by the Long Fangs, Space Marine veterans who have grown "long in the fang". This isn't just a turn of phrase; Space Wolves canines will grow longer as they get older. Most Space Wolves want to Rip and Tear, so the long-range heavy weaponry goes to their old folk who've learned some self-control by then. The Black Templars have never been big on Devastators, preferring instead to run charging toward the enemy screaming a litany of curses while swinging power and chainswords at them. That said, they recognize the usefulness of Devastators and so will usually assign the job to Initiates and Neophytes. Blood Angels use devastators in much the same way as other codex chapters, except that after scouts are properly inducted they first become assault marines, only after working out their aggression do they get to move into the ranks of devastators. Being a long range support unit they have to be able to control the red thirst enough so that they don't break ranks and run headlong into the enemy. This doesn't always go as planned.

On the Tabletop

There won't even be a corpse left to purge.

A Devastator Squad is a Unit of four Tactical Marines with Heavy Weapons (much like the options available to Tactical Squads), and a single Sergeant, who likes to pose in the light from all the explosions his squad are bound to make in his wake. They start out with four Heavy Bolters, and can then be further upgraded from there.

The standard Heavy Bolter is by no means a bad choice - Just a limited one. 3 S 5 AP 4 hit per model isn't so bad, but it's not really all that great against hordes as it might seem like it should be, and is certainly lackluster against tanks, though some lighter machines might feel the pain eventually. They are also marginally more powerful with the Imperial Fists Chapter Tactics.

One of the most used choices are the Lascannon laser squad of pew-pew. It won't kill any tank in one hit, but it can bang them up severely, especially if you have several team lighting up one tank. With S 9, AP 2 and a range from hell, it's essentially a sniper team with really, really big laser rifles. If you see a squad of three Crisis Suits, feel free to heap the pain on them, too.

Two lower points of S but with a Small Blast template and Get's Hot, the Plasma Cannon is a weapon that sorely needs a role to fulfill that can't be handled by the Lascannon, who does more damage and is more accurate, while not blowing the hell up. If you encounter Termies or similar played by a player who for some reason doesn't space his units out, feel free to plow the fucker of the table.

Then there's the Multi-melta... Eh. Heavy 1 24" is very annoying and very hard to use. Melta is really better in Drop Pods or other fast delivery methods, not on slow-ass marines. You can alternatively use them as a deterrent unit to keep an armoured column the fuck outta dodge.

Last but not least the good ol' Missile Launcher. Sporting Frag and Krak missiles, it can put a dent in light vehicles and hordes alike, though it doesn't shine in either roles (Due to AP3 you won't blow up vehicles, and AP5 isn't too great). But has the advantage of being versatile. For two meltabombs it can be equipped with flak missiles, though they aren't a very good choice.