Talos Tactica.

So in my short time as a denizen of the Dark City, I have come to realize that the Talos is possibly the coolest model GW ever produced. I want to use one in my 500 point DE starter, but I've reached an interesting dillema. How to arm the bloody things. My list has AI in the form of a Warrior Squad in a Raider, and a Wrack Unit serving as CC support, but I feel like I need more than two AT weapons. Should I take the Heat Lance on the Talos? Or should I go Liquifier Gun to deal with Marine Armor? I've never played a non marine army, and I have no idea what to do? Can someone more experienced give me some ideas for using Talos, as a single unit, or in an army? Also, is one enough, or could I go for more than one and not be overly redundant.

I would go haywire blasters and liquifier myself. Gives you reliable glancing AT at 30" range, good MEQ killing up close and you loose nothing in the form of attacks. Cheap as well!

I'd keep the SC and give the thing a Liquifier as well.

Ive mon-keighed with a few setups, but as a beatstick and deterrent the SC and twinlink liquifier are all it seems to need. Never found the haywire as useful in my local gaming scene, and the heatlance is unnecessary.

I agree that a twinlinked liquifier is definitely a must. I reckon the Splintercannon is good, especially if you need AI. That said, imagine if the only enemy unit you can reliably charge is a rhino or such with one HP remaining, possibly packed full of melta-toting guys. You can't therefore charge the transport without taking a faceful of high strength,low AP death. At that point you would be wishing you spent 5 points on ye olde twinlinked Haywire and could get stuck in to those yummy marines! I have been in that situation before and was loving my Talos' duality at that point, let me tell you!

A rare but valid situation; I however find my lists and local opponents don't require such added redundancy. the 17+ darklance shots already in attendance usually pound that rhino.

usually.

Haywire blasters are cool for taking hull points off, but the chances of killing a vehicle with it in only one shot are very low. Leave those to the scourges who can take 4. If you're going to give the taos an anti tank weapon give it the heat lance. That being said I prefer mine with just the splinter cannon. I agree that a twin linked liquifier is to good to pass up.

In 5th I was all about Chainflails and Heat Lances on my pain engines.

Lately, with the whole no assaulting from portals thing, I've been going the Splinter Cannon + Twin-Linked Liquifier route. Part of the hope is that I'll be able to pick off a 1 to 2 man squad and earn an easy pain token.

I've varied alot with my Talos loadouts, I've slowly converted to using two of them.

I originally was in the chainflail/heat lance crowd, then the increased range and almost guaranteed hull point of the haywire blaster. Over time, I generally found that the biggest problem I had with my Talos was the lack of a pain token. So the thing to consider is that you either need a Cronos to dish a token to him or you need to setup to be infantry hunting instead of tank hunting, because you don't get pain tokens from vehicles.

With that in mind it pushes either the heat lance, or the splinter cannon. In most cases, more shots from the splinter cannon is preferrable, and the temptation of shooting a vehicle with the heat lance isn't there.

As far as liquifier over chain flails, I'm still on the fence about it but the liquifier may be the better option. In most cases, the chain flails under perform for me, and that doesn't even account for the times that I opt to use a smash attack with the Talos, basically a D3 attacks + 1 for charging. My problem with the Liquifier is more a mental hurdle; I still want the Talos to be in close combat, a Liquifier means you are potentially putting yourself out of assault range, or you maybe should have been assaulting the previous turn. But the deciding factor that I am having the problem with in game is that if I am close enough to liquify, then that squad is going to die regardless of the D6 ap roll, if I roll low and well to wound, a bunch of guys die, if not the Talos can assault and kill a bunch of guys.

Hope it helps.

MC's are Relentless, so is there any reason why I shouldn't take a Heat Lance for vehicle popping, and Chain Flails to finish it off, or charge the occupants?

+1 to Xzandrate's advice it's very spot on.
Would point out liquifiers are good for over watch to but rarely does any one charge the Tallos
Aside from builds I would say don't forget to hug terrain as much as possible and don't be scared to go to ground if you need to. You want your opponent frustrated when they try to kill it. They commonly give up to soon.
Also 2 is really a good idea for redundancy and a cronos can help keep get them pain tokens quickly.
Aegis is also lovely with the Tallos

You can't go to ground with a Talos. They are fearless. Other than that, good stuff. I always pair my two engines (one of each) together at over 1500 point levels. As you say, the Talos/cronos tag-team is brilliant, like seeing Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetti in their Rockers heyday!

Seshiru wrote:

....Would point out liquifiers are good for over watch to but rarely does any one charge the Tallos....

Precisely why I take the liquifier, for 5 points I get a serious deterrent and a nice clear out weapon to boot. At T7 it can weather shooting to get it close enough to liquify and assault. At least in my local scene.

My buds that I pay with use a lot of drop pod tactics. Seeing a talos and/or cronos in your deployment is a pretty good deterrent. And if it doesn't deter them it'll get those pesky deep strikers off your back the next turn (usually).