Today we look at the Warhound Titan's Plasma Blastgun in its rapid fire mode. The overload mode of this weapon will be covered at a later time. This is one of the most popular options for the Warhounds as well as a classic often shown off in the books.
Range 72" - S8 - AP2 - Primary Weapon 2, Massive Blast
Range: At 72 inches the Plasma Blastgun in rapid fire mode is able to hit practically anything on a standard table size. In Apocalypse on larger tables this is still a quite respectable distance and will often keep your Warhound out of range but all of the most long range of weapons. This often means the ability to fire from safety and relative impunity.
General Effectiveness: The Plasma Blastgun is easily one of the most effective and versatile loadouts of any of the Titan weapons out there. However, this review will focus on just the rapid fire mode, and even then it is quite a versatile weapon. This gun is the bane of infantry squads, especially when the Warhound has the luxury of range to work with (shorter range is where the Vulcan Mega-Bolter shines) and the seven inch blast makes this weapon able to kill squads in droves since it can effectively target more than one unit in a sense. Couple that with the fact that it can fire two shots in this mode and there will be a lot of wounds going around. Even elite infantry has to worry about this weapon at AP2, meaning invulnerable and cover saves are the only real hope of survival. This is also why Monstrous Creatures will dislike it since it has a high strength and excellent AP value on it, allowing it to easily cause wounds that will stick. At S8 it will also be able to instant kill most enemies in the game. And furthermore, due to the S8 of the weapon it's able to damage light and medium vehicles with ease. While the weapon lacks the sheer stopping power of a D weapon, it is very powerful and in rapid fire mode can handle all but the toughest of vehicles. Its ability to kill infantry in large piles and light to medium armor is extremely useful and allows the Warhound to serve in multiple roles.
Effectiveness Against Titans: The Plasma Blastgun is a weapon that is designed to be able to tackle any battlefield threat due to its two firing modes. However, in the rapid fire mode, it struggles against other Titans. While it is capable of glancing or penetrating other Titans at respectable odds, the rapid fire mode will often rely upon the void shields being stripped off and having the opportunity to hit the other Titan on the side or rear armor. Using the Plasma Blastgun in rapid fire mode against another Titan should only be done in more desperate circumstances where the volume of dice seems to be more advantageous.
Recommended Deployments: In its rapid fire mode this weapon is best used against enemy infantry, Monstrous Creatures, and light to medium armor. The weapon can kill hordes with a terrifying efficiency and also has a very strong change of making wounds stick to Monstrous Creatures. This is one of the few weapons that Warhounds can safely take in pairs and still maintain battlefield versatility and tackle even Titans (when one or both are used in overload fire). However, like most of the Warhound's weapons, it would do better paired with a weapon of a different type. Pairing the Plasma Blastgun with a Turbo Laser raises the sheer destructive force of the Titan and allows it to tackle anything in the game. Pairing it with the classic Vulcan Mega-Bolter makes the Warhound able to deal with infantry at any range with comparative safety and means that it will also be able to shred Monstrous Creatures and light to medium armor even more effectively.
Summary: The Plasma Blastgun is a deadly addition to any Warhound Titan's arsenal. Second only to the Turbo Laser in its versatility (and only due to the fact it is not a Destroyer weapon), this gun is fearsome in either of its firing modes. In the rapid fire mode reviewed here, it is extremely capable of slaughtering infantry squads and often landing quite solid wounds on Monstrous Creatures that will stick. The large size of the template at seven inches also means it will be deadly accurate and can cover multiple units per shot. It's capable of tackling light to medium armor with ease in this state and can even damage other Titans if used correctly. It is a powerful weapon that also gives the Titan range and the security of knowing it can handle anything facing it.
Please comment below to discuss the Plasma Blastgun in rapid fire mode. Review of the Plasma Blastgun in overload mode will be coming at a later date.
I really enjoy these write ups. It's nice to see the math!
ReplyDeleteThe math really does help in terms of decision making. Even without the need to do decision making when considering arming your Titan when you buy it (assuming you won't be doing magnets), it's good to have those odds loosely in your head when you're on the table. It helps to think about how likely you REALLY are to do some damage against certain enemy types.
DeleteVenator is armed with one of these guns, and now seeing the numbers I can see why she's killed so much in droves with this gun alone. I actually fire it in rapid fire mode almost exclusively. I think of all the shots she's taken, only two have been in overcharged mode with it. That will be an interesting Collegia Titanica when the time comes.