Favorite Fireteams

PanO sure has come a long way.

Last year, suitable answers would have been "Uh... 5 Regulars. Or 5 Fusiliers. Or 2 Hospitallers + 3 Magisters."

Inb4 Kamau Sniper + Fusiliers. I'll be edgy and say Kamau Sniper + Fusiliers + Fusilier LGL. That LGL is great.

 

I've been looking for opportunities to add the LGL to a link... this looks like the best option.

 

"in before"

 

I'm not sure if it's because of meta changes, sectorial changes, or maybe just because I've leveled up as a player – but 6 man link teams rain supreme for me these days. A defensive sniper with link bonuses and switching over to an active turn HMG for the turn flip is absolute king.

Kamau MSR + Kamau HMG + 4 Fusiliers

Bagh MSR + ORC HMG + 4 Regulars

Fusilier MSR + Fuslier HMG + CSU breaker rifle + 3 Fuslier

 

xD

 

I don't know how You can consider lgl for 1 swc in Varuna where any extra SWC can be used on fantastic Helots with light rocket launchers.

After SAA update my favourite link was: 2x BaghMari MSR + regular minelayers + 2 regulars - super strong aro and deployment defence with 3 mines. Although now it is either Kamau MSR in fusiliers or Patsy + Kamau HMG + Varuna Machinist.

 

5 is the maximum but having a 6th potential member nearby allows you to "top up" the link by re-forming it, useful if your sniper got ganked in the first turn.

Personally I've been eyeing a Bolt Haris with MSR and Aquila FTO.

 

Every Helot you buy is -1 Regular Order, since their point cost competes directly with 10 point Fusiliers and 8 point REMs.

So there's very much a sweet spot between having enough Helots, and having too many Helots.

 

Usually I use a core team of Fusiliers/Regulars augmented with the sectorial elites as my deployment zone castle/firebase. Typically I've been finding that I don't like getting aggressive with Fireteams in most cases. Sometimes it's nice to have the Haris+specialist+swc weapon but honestly, I find that getting 3 skirmisher(ish) models or fitting some AD in is a better bet. Haris teams are vulnerable in a way that markers simply are not.

But Bagh Mari/Kamau sniper+HMG is always fantastic. An ORC feurbach or hmg can be good to have if you want the second wound, but the cost is pretty significant.

 

Colbrook hit the nail on the head!

last season I would constantly find myself using my fire team defensively and when my ARO piece died I would just kind of forget about the other 4 members and just use them as cheer leaders
I'm much more aggressive with them these days, relink that "6th" member to reform at a full 5 and going on the offensive.

 

In the days of old-school NCA, relinking with a 6th wasn't an option until you paid the Bipandra premium. It's one of the things that made Acon Regulars so amazinng... That AVA Total was a magical thing.

It's a non-issue now, because every PanO Sectorial can (and should) refill their 5-man line trooper links with 6th bodies.

 

It's also worth considering what kind of problems a LGL can solve compared to helots. Sometimes the best way to dig out a prone guy on a rooftop is to lob a grenade up there.

 

Especially because there’s a forward deployed sensor guy to reveal it first.

 

For Acon right now I'm mostly playing around with lists built around this:

ORC HMG / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 44)
REGULAR Hacker (Hacking Device, FastPanda) Combi Rifle + Light Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 23)
REGULAR (Minelayer, Sensor) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 14)
REGULAR Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
REGULAR Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
BAGH-MARI (Minelayer) MULTI Sniper Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 28)
5 SWC | 129 Points

Meanwhile in Military Orders this is where I start most of my builds:

KNIGHT HOSPITALLER Doctor (Fireteam: Haris, MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, DA CCW. (0.5 | 36)
KNIGHT HOSPITALLER Lieutenant MULTI Rifle / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 35)
KNIGHT HOSPITALLER HMG / Pistol, DA CCW. (2 | 39)
ORDER SERGEANT Heavy Rocket Launcher / Assault Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15)
ORDER SERGEANT Heavy Rocket Launcher / Assault Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15)
ORDER SERGEANT Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
ORDER SERGEANT Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
ORDER SERGEANT Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
5.5 SWC | 181 Points

NCA hasn't changed much, but I can re-fill out of units I was already taking:

FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15)
FUSILIER Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18)
FUSILIER (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
FUSILIER Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
2 SWC | 89 Points

Meanwhile, for Varuna, my (currently very theoretical, as I won't be playing Varuna 'till next season) starting point tends to be:

KAMAU (Multispectral Visor L2) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 32)
KAMAU HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 28)
FUSILIER Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18)
FUSILIER (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
3 SWC | 110 Points

 

Hello,

It is really hard to say which one is the best fireteam in Pano, because you need other tools in order to make it work. And, of course it isn't the same depends of the mission.

For me the Baghmari FFM+Regular Lt+Regular Min/sensor+Baghmari HMG + Regular Medikit is the best fireteam now. Yes, you haven't mvl2, but really don't need others guys as Ilots to close protection thanks to the mines. Better? Worse? They are too many factors.

 

I keep looking at these two links:

Varuna Immediate Reaction Division
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

5
ORC (Varuna Div.) (Multiterrain: Aquatic/Jungle, Stealth) HMG / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 45)
KAMAU (Multispectral Visor L2) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 32)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

3.5 SWC | 107 Points
Occasionally with the LGL in there, but that's painful on SWC.


and

Varuna Immediate Reaction Division
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

3
PATSY GARNETT Submachine Gun, Nimbus Plus Grenades, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 37)
KAMAU Heavy Rocket Launcher, Submachine Gun / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 23)
MACHINIST (Varuna Div.) (CH: Mimetism, Stealth, Aquatic Terrain) Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 17)

1.5 SWC | 77 Points

Sometimes even both in the same list.

The ORC HMG in the Core is there to eat a random crit and keep going (as opposed to the Kamau HMG), while the Patsy Haris has two killers escorting the button-masher to work.