Overdron vs Xeodron

It really depends on what you're going for. I'd say the overdron is used more often because it's closer to the traditional heavy-gunner TAGs (i.e. the ones with MULTI-HMGs), but if the enemy hides properly, there really isn't much the overdron can do.

Enter the Xeodron. Someone hiding mid-field that you really need dead? Super jump into the air and shoot at them out of cover. Need a big, mobile beast to bully in a smaller-scale game or something with tighter corridors? Xeodron's guns are good from 0-16" or 8-24" and it also has a heavy pistol for 0-8" emergency combat. If you're playing recon or any board 3' x 3' or less, I'd say the xeodron is probably the best pick. Spend a turn with him jumping around the board shocking soft infantry off the board, then hide him behind a building or throw him into suppression mid-field with someone else watching his back.

Ideally, get both of 'em if you can experiment with them in your meta. Heck, try running both in a list with the overdron doing the heavy lifting and the xeodron hunting soft targets with a red fury. If you can only buy one... I'd say overdron. There are other units that can hunt hard to reach models and shock infantry units (not as well as the xeodron, imo, but they get the job done), but no other unit in our roster can field so much firepower for as cheap as the Overdron can. Reserve deploy him again an enemy MSV2 sniper or other unit and use albedo to put him at a -6 or otherwise make it impossible for him to ARO back as you pick off other targets. Twin heavy rocket launchers for when you're strapped for points and want to template people to death with fire and twin plasma snipers for 200% more badassery and overkill.

"But it's 12 more points, I can buy another unit for that many poi--"

Shut up. Do it.

 

I think that ppl usually go for Overdron, but i use more the Xeodron.
Like @0rph3u5 said, Overdron is for long range superiority and Xeodron is for flanking and taking out light targets (but the k1 option can take out the big boys).

In my lists i use unidron link for long range and to kill heavy targets, thats why i go for Xeodrons, i like to advance with it, while an Overdron must be at the deployzone.

 

I've found that an Overdron in ARO will either demolish my opponent completely, or lose its FtF on the first attach and fail all its armour saves and die. There isn't a lot in-between.

Remember that the Overdron's HRLs benefit from Fatality L1 (in the current ITS rules) which means you are shooting DAM 15 fire templates at people, ignoring cover for saves. Or you can shoot hit mode for tasty DAM 16 if they step out of cover for some reason. The higher damage makes it likely they will fail the first save.. and then the second save with fire ammo.. and then be a pile of ash. Bonus points if you set up where the ARO shots can catch extra targets with the template so they can't dodge.

That said the one time I took the HRMC profile it deleted everything on its side of the board that it could reach. Needs more testing though.

The Xeodrons can be really good too though. Red fury is so very very nice, especially when you run the Xeo as your datatracker. We're a bit strapped for good datatracker options in Onyx, so I recommend it if you need something tanky to run up the field.

 

If using Xeodrons - remember those tasty Blitzen AROs. Can even afford to fire them off in active turn in order to FtF defensive pieces of the enemy that outrange your primary kit.

 

I play both quite regularly, sometimes (rarely) in the same list. The Overdron is great if you want to shit out templates or HMCs at long range fire support, or have a heavy long range anchor to bust out templates at range (HRLs).

Xeodrons I use quite a lot in Onyx, not so much in vCA. I like to use them as a relatively cheap anchor to lock down parts of the table. They've got a lot of wounds and are harder to remove than their points cost would suggest. Plus you can super jump and catch a lot of hiding models on obscure angles to win the order war as the game progresses.

 

It depends on the rest of my list. If I bring a defensive Unidron fireteam with 2 Missile Launchers, then I won't bring the Overdron. If I go with an offensive Rodok Fireteam, the Overdron is the ARO piece.

As for why to bring an Overdron, simply because of Albedo: it's a deterrent to the enemy's MSV hunters, forcing them to smoke and ignore the Overdron even if you are not going first (otherwise, it's just a "save 1 order from White Noise"). A Riot Grrrrls!!!! fireteam can be totally negated by an AROing Overdron in turn 1, specially if you are playing Generic and had a Speculo in engagement range...

The Xeodron is more of an assault piece, and it usually is a contest between 1 Sphinx and the Haris of Samaritan + 2 Xeodrons in my lists.

 

Both TAGs and all their load out have merit:

Overdron
Overall I'm more likely to take an Overdron and I advocate them as the easier to use tag of the two, they don't require any sort of finesse they don't have a range of tactical options to choose from, they are just point and click gun platforms for targets 16"+ away, keep them as your reserve and deploy to counter enemy tags, armour or link teams or MSV units, beware smoke and eclipse smoke and keep them supported by a guard to deal with enemy tricks to get within it's good range.

6
OVERDRON Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon / . (2 | 74)
STALDRON Flash Pulse / Knife. (0 | 0)
The HMC-odron costs the most points but offers serious assault worthy firepower with it's currently damage 16 burst 5 AP, and being that the range drops down to +0 over 32 it's a pretty safe bet for all occasions, as long as it's flanks are supported advancing up board and then going on suppression is an excellent tactic which can lock down almost anything.

OVERDRON 2 Plasma Snipers / . (2 | 69)
STALDRON Flash Pulse / Knife. (0 | 0)
Probably the most powerful active turn shooting piece in the game and it can choose between damage 16 pin points or damage 15 splash and as it's a split between normal and BTS saves there are very few things that can ignore it, also works a treat for counter sniping, as it's looking to engage at a minimum of 16 it can just nestle in a high place under the protection of your list slinging templates at the unwise.


OVERDRON 2 Heavy Rocket Launchers / . (2 | 57)
STALDRON Flash Pulse / Knife. (0 | 0)
I'll confess I've never used this one but on paper it's probably the best, the circular templates are usually situationally more effective, it's fire to help your other units deal with ODD (it would help against tohaa symbiote armour but frankly the others by virtue of firepower and saves rolled are as good or better) but it's also 12-14 points easier to squeeze into a list which is it's own merit.

Xeodron
Basically big superjump HI with more vulnerabilities, the main weapons aren't anything to scream about but the Blitzen gives them a nasty edge against things higher up the food chain. Likes being close in and has a heavy pistol for close encounters but is therefore also more vulnerable to hackers.
The Haris option is ridiculous, risky and hard to use but also fun.

XEODRON Red Fury, Blitzen / Heavy Pistol. (1 | 59)
STALDRON Flash Pulse / Knife. (0 | 0)
Currently a shock spitfire, which is always nice good for mid range combat, and paired with the pop up attacks can do a nice number on line troops.

XEODRON K1 Combi Rifle, Blitzen / Heavy Pistol. (0.5 | 59)
STALDRON Flash Pulse / Knife. (0 | 0)
Meh, K1 makes it a better armour hunter when paired with the ability to jump up and possibly deny cover or attack from a different angle but i find it situationally less useful than the multi especially somewhere else in your list there is probably an umbra or unidron also be packing K1

XEODRON MULTI Rifle, Blitzen / Heavy Pistol. (0.5 | 58)
STALDRON Flash Pulse / Knife. (0 | 0)
This is more like it, damage 14 AP/shock or DA, that heavy pistol for close encounters and a nice EM2 sting in the tail from that blitzen. It fulfils the role of other elite heavy infantry

 

Completely different TAGs.

Overdron is a fire support piece. Any of its weapon complements make it a deadly active turn killer from long range that gets even better if you can target something with a MSV on turn 1.

Xeodron is a on-your-face HI that happens to have a bigger sillhouette. Very difficult to dislodge when holding a objective midfield ( while in cover and suppression ), but it does play the assault role - its weapons are all short ranged.

What to use? Depends on what else you want on your list. For a overdron you will want to have things that can push midfield to grab objectives, while for Xeodrons you will want range to deal with enemy pieces that could pin them down with range modifiers.