Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Cyclops Demolition Section

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. I want to like these a whole lot! I'm just a little torn and not sure quite where I sit with the star rating though!

Background.

A remote controlled explosive made for destroying buildings. Except its now in a war zone. And targeting enemy tanks, apex xenoform, and titans alike. Brought into position by a transport and then controlled by the Operator, these are literally deadly when played right.

Strengths.

I totally adore the concept here. I almost gave 5/5 stars just for the remote controlled aspect. There needs to be more of this in the game. It reminds me of Rogue Trader days to be very honest.

I digress. The S=10 hit with AP=1 and brutal means you are going to be causing a serious headache. This alone means it is worth taking.

Weaknesses.

The obvious counter point to what I just wrote is that the Cyclops unit explodes. Thus making it a literal one hit wonder. In turn, this makes the price tag questionable. But what the heck. Take them anyway. Rule of cool applies!

Builds.

3 Cyclops and 1 Operator  (105 points).

Go all out here. Take a flying transport to get them where they need to be and use that remote control when you are ready. This is a unit that has so much potential! Of course, they're going to be targeted before they get into charge range, but you can hopefully take care of that with a bit of tactical acumen?

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Valdor Tank Destroyer Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Others may disagree, and might be right to, but I like this one!

Background.

The neutron laser is a relic from the dark age of technology of the Imperium. Each Valdor tank is therefore something of a unique treasure and expensive to produce. Named for the golden boy, this tank was rolled out to the Auxilia primarily and is still a comparative rarity. 

Strengths.

It is a mobile neutron laser beam! You get ordnance 2 at S=10. It will be killing things. And that my dear reader is the entire point of this tank and I'm not sure I need to write much more in the strengths other than I like the aesthetic of the tank as well!

Weaknesses.

Its a Malcador chassis. Would prefer AV=14 on the front like a Leman Russ, but we can't have everything. 

Builds.

Valdor, Sponson Lascannon, Flare Shield (290 points).

A mobile neutron laser beam, with a las cannon for luck, and a flare shield to take the incoming shots. I'm not taken with the pintle weapons overall, but the dozer blade and hunter killer missile can be taken to taste. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Armoured Battery

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars. rounded down. More tanks! But they're not quite worth the points cost.

Background.

Medusas? Basiliks? Sure, that's the name you give to tanks when you have ran out of famous primarchs. Clearly the Angron and the Sanguinius tanks never made it beyond mechanicum testing zones.

Strengths.

The main weapons on these tanks are the earth shaker cannon and the medusa mortar. Both are okay, with the medusa probably being slightly better out of the two. 

Pintles are available along with extra tanks here to make up a full squadron of three.

Weaknesses.

There's really not much to write home about here overall. The points cost is just not really justified to my mind when there are other tanks to invest in. That said, they are nice artillery tanks and look good on the battlefield when massed in number and I do like that aesthetic. 

Builds.

Medusa with hunter killer mission (210 points).

Nothing wrong with the medusa mechanically, but the points cost isn't right. 

Basilisk with pintle multi-laser (210 points).

Not worth the points cost here in my opinion. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Malcador Heavy Tank Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Tanks!

Background.

What did Malcador ever do for the Imperium of Man?He had a tank named after him, of course! These heavy tanks are an ancient design and were pressed into hard service during the Heresy by all sides. 

Strengths.

Alongside plenty of customization (did you say lasers all around?), there is a fine choice of main weaponry as well. The battle cannon comes as standard and is generally okay. The two las cannons are great at tank killing. But I think the winner is the Vanquisher battle cannon on the front. 

The heavy bolt gun replacements are equally fun, with a large array of possibilities that are all tempting - probably except for the heavy flamer. 

The side mounted heavy bolt guns are similarly tempting to replace. Again, the heavy flamer is not so much attractive to me personally, but the others are interesting enough. Just take a pintle heavy flamer if you must. You will probably want a flare shield to round it all off, and a dozer blade to taste. 

Weaknesses.

There's certainly a debate to be had here of the Malcador versus the Leman Russ. The points cost here is not quite as efficient, with the front armour differential being a case in point. Note also that the vanquisher is much better situated on the Leman Russ, so you might just want the lasers after all. 

Builds.

Malcador with battle cannon, hull mounted autocannon, and side mounted autocannons, flare shield (250 points).

Probably the baseline entry.

Malcador with two front mounted gravis lascannons, hull mounted las cannon, side mounted las cannons, flare shield (295 points).

When you like lasers and hate enemy tanks sufficiently to want them destroyed on your turn. 

Malcador with Vanquisher battle cannon, hull mounted las cannon, side mounted auto cannons, flare shield (270 points).

Strictly the Leman Russ is better here, but I still like it. I'm biased. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Rapier Battery

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Who doesn't love the quad launchers!

Background.

This is a portable heavy weapon. The rapiers are essentially and all-terrain rugged weapons mount, and they come with the requisite gunners needed to operate the tech. There's nothing fancy here. These are simply the guns that won't tire and advance and reposition happily. 

Strengths.

There are four weapons to choose between here.

The multi-laser is baseline and adequate at S=6. 

The Gravis heavy bolter battery is sweet at a longer range and heavy 8, albeit at the price of S=5. However, the twin linked should not be overlooked here either.

The laser destroyer is plain bonkers. Its ordnance 2, and will kill stuff. If it hits. 

The quad launcher is great and can be upgraded with incendiary shells, shatter shells, or splinter shells in addition to the frag shells baseline. There's lots of different effects here, but I'm a fan of the splinter shells thanks to their rending. 

Weaknesses.

Not many weaknesses realistically. The BS=4 competes with the best, and of course this can be increased within your tercio. 

Builds.

3 Rapiers with Laser Destroyers (180 points).

The tank destroyers.

3 Rapiers with Quad Launchers, Splinter Shells (195 points).

Upgrade to shatter shells for +30 points.

3 Rapiers with Gravis Heavy Bolters (105 points).

So much firepower here. And the points cost is very reasonable indeed. There's a wealth of firepower coming out of this that is going to land wounds nicely. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Tarantula Sentry Battery

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Criminally under-rated by most - or perhaps very over rated by me. Same thing really. I could almost give them 5 stars. That is, if I ever saw an entire army based on maximum Tarantulas. I'm still waiting. 

Background.

Do you remember the movie "Aliens"? The special edition? They deployed some of these beasts and they stopped so many aliens it was embarrassing. Then they ran out of ammo. And things got more interesting. There's no real difference here except that they don't run out of ammo! 

Strengths.

They are cheap heavy bolt guns, or las cannons, or hyperios missiles. Take your pick. I genuinely love them all. And I'm really not sorry about my love for tarantulas. 

I regard them alongside Vindicators as being the most criminally under-used in 30k by everyone able to take them. 

Critically they have both Fearless, and Firing Protocols in the FAQ - remember these rules! 

Weaknesses.

BS=2 is not great. But this is where your BS+1 gift from other parts of the Tercio come in to play. The fact that you have to target the nearest thing is also a little sad, but they are automated. You just have to get used to positioning them appropriately. But more than this - hear me out - they can actively control lanes on the battlefield. This (as an Alpha Legion player) never gets old for me. They are a denial unit that doesn't really strike that much fear, but what it gives you is board control when you need it. Don't overlook this. I've won games because of tactical positioning of these things. I've forced heavy tanks to take other routes rather than be exposed to las cannons that they don't want to waste fire power on. I've then taken care of those tanks by other means whilst holding where I needed to elsewhere. They're insanely good once you start thinking of them as board denial units, rather than stupid non-moving low-BS lascannons. 

Builds.

5 Tarantulas, Lascannons, Searchlights (205 points).

I know you're going to look at the price tag and think otherwise. But 10 las cannon shots per turn for this amount of points is solid enough to consider. The search lights will help and all you need to do is figure out which "lanes" on the board you want to control with them. Or maybe just put them on top of buildings. They're really good. 

5 Hyperios Tarantulas, Searchlights (130 points).

Insanely cheap. They have heavy 3 each, and skyfire. You control the skies with these. Make no mistake. This is a force to be reckoned with. Expand to 9 Sentry guns if you're playing a larger game and this will be such a serious counter to other armies that you will end up laughing even if you have no friends left.

9 Tarantulas, Searchlights, Augury Scanners (205 points).

Maximum heavy bolter action. This unit really discourages troops in a board controlling way. Each is shooting out 8 shots at S=5 every turn. That makes 72 shots per turn. Simply disgusting. Do you see why I like tarantulas yet? They are really under the radar for almost every player, but could actually be an entire tactic in and of themselves. Please don't overlook tarantulas any longer!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Artillery Command Section

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars but rounded down here. Worth taking and reasonable rules for the cost.

Background.

Who are you going to call when you need a firing solution for your big guns? Probably the Artillery command section. Happily, they can also defend should things get a bit ... dicey?

Strengths.

For me, the real benefit of this unit is the option to take a cognis signum. Take it. 

The command vox and the vexilla are probably going to be standard as well.

Everything else is subject to taste. I can see a defensive role for this unit, but really, that +1 BS is going to serve you much better than anything else. 

Weaknesses.

T=3. All the same problems that other mortal units have and some commonalities with the other human troops. 

Builds.

5 Troops, Command Vox, Auxilia Vexilla,Cognis Signum (95 points). 

This is the standard build to my mind. Hide them safely behind some screens and grant +1 BS where it matters. 

10 Troops, Command Vox, Auxilia Vexillia, Cognis Signum, Augury Scanner, Refractor Field, Power Weapon (155 points).

A more expanded unit meant to get stuck into some surprise defensive work. The main surprise is when they survive against infiltrating Astartes.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Leman Russ Assault Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2.5/5 stars. Rounded up but only just. Expensive.

Background.

Slower moving. Heavier weapons. Shorter ranged. Executioners. Incinerators. They mount weapons typically seen in the space marine legions rather than the regular army. 

Strengths.

The demolisher cannon is great. To be honest, so is the plasma cannon and the macro-saker. Can't really go too wrong depending on the battle field role that you have in mind. 

I like the cheap extra Leman Russ tanks that you can add here, and those are worth the cost. 

Weaknesses.

AV=10 to the rear is a significant issue here.

The points cost for the initial tank is also not worth it, so you should make up for this fact through buying MORE tanks. 

Builds.

3 x Leman Russ, Plasma Cannon, auto cannon on hull, dozer blade (585 points).

Same price for different primary weapons here of course. I like the dozer blade due to the shorter range on the weapons and the probably real need to move into position. I can see a case for a front mounted las cannon, perhaps a pintle multi laser, and hunter killer missile. But honestly the points cost doesn't quite justify it against the strike squadron which is where I'd be more tempted to place the missile. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Leman Russ Strike Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. Beware of the rear armour value, otherwise fantastic. 

Background.

These are the vanquishers, executioners, and exterminators variants of the noble Leman Russ Battle Tanks. Named after the primarch thanks to his fury, I can't help but think there should have been some Angron Tanks somewhere. Or at least Horus Tanks. Or Sanguinius Tanks. Or Ferrus Manus Tanks. Let alone Perturabo Tanks. Seriously people. Does no one like those other primarch? Even charismatic Horus?

Strengths.

The Leman Russ is solid. The price point here is worth it. There are multiple upgrade options. Fundamentally, the "naked" version works, but for no additional points, the quadruple las cannon is excellent. I'd really be tempted by the Vanquisher battle cannon though. Can't beat the co-axial autocannon to my mind. And it is a cheap upgrade. AV=14 on the front is icing on the cake.

Weaknesses.

Beware of your facing and orientation with the Leman Russ. The rear AV=10 is a serious concern that can lead to being very exposed by the more cunning legions and foes. 

Builds.

Leman Russ, Two Turret Mounted Gravis Lasannons, front multi-laser, hunter-killer missile (160 points). 

An excellent laser tank!

Leman Russ, Vanquisher battle cannon and co-axial autocannon, front autocannon (155 points). 

Very little not to like here!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Armoured Command Section

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️
2.5/5 stars. Rounded down. Solid, but not worth the points cost. 

Background.

Tank commanders! They regard themselves as being the creme-de-la-creme, but the regular line troops are not so secretly laughing at them. 

Strengths.

Fundamentally, the Leman Russ tank is a good choice. The battle cannon comes as a fixed standard, but the heavy bolt gun can be upgraded to different things (but honestly, you don't need to do that - even if multi lasers seem tasty - which they are), and you can also get a handy pintle mounted gun if you want one - this is largely personal choice territory. 

The key things that this tank can take that the regular tanks cannot are the flare shield (plausibly a solid option) and the cognis-signum (almost an automatic include depending on your set up for the tercio). 

Weaknesses.

There is no real reason for having a 50 points increase in the Leman Russ price tag for next to nothing. Sure, you get BS=4, but that's about all there is to write home about. BS=4 is not worth 50 points. Not sorry. And you're stuck with the battle cannon. 

Builds.

Command Section, Cognis-Signum (220 points). 

Not worth the points overall in my humble opinion. This is just the build that I would go with - no more, no less - if you wanted to take one. Its a fluffy choice. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Expurgator Cadre

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up - just. A very reasonable entry for the final unit in the Sisters of Silence army list.

Background.

Purge with fire. Keep the knowledge of what you did secret. Or, you know, take to the open field with those heavy flamers. 

Strengths.

This is the equivalent of a heavy weapons squad for the Sisters of Silence. There are four main options, the default heavy flamers (reasonable enough), adrathic destructors (excellent), snare cannons (okay, but you should take the other options for the slot), and Vratine missile launchers (good). Take some compression tanks for the heavy flamers if needed and you have a nice squad that can be taken for a ride in an Acquisitor to get into position for a solid turn of firepower output. 

Weaknesses.

T=3.

Builds.

Expurgator x5, Heavy Flamers with Compression Tanks, Mistress with Power Sword (120 points).

Take a transport and go flame some stuff.

Expurgator x5, All with Missile Launchers, Augury Scanner (170 points).

A backfield unit. 

Expurgator x5, All with Adrathic Destructors, Mistress with Power Sword (195 points).

This will need a transport but is massively effective when you get in range to shoot. Yes, this unit is expensive, but it is worth it when you get to blast things. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sanctioner Cadre

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. Love this unit and I'm not sorry!

Background.

Snipers on the open field. And executioners when working alone; seeking to take out those psykers whom the Sisters have earmarked as being too dangerous to take in alive.

Strengths.

Think of this as a cheap sniper squad, and you have the right idea. They come armed as standard with nemesis bolt guns which they fire with BS=4 and therefore makes them highly attractive. These can be swapped out for Vratine Nemesis Bolt guns which gives you access to psy-shock at the cost of a pip in strength. If you're facing a psychic army like certain builds of Word Bearers, Thousand Sons, and similar, you're just going to make your friends cry. I'd be tempted to slot in an augury scanner to round out the unit, and if you're feeling that they're going to be too far forward, then take a power sword on the Mistress for a bit of added self defence. 

Weaknesses.

T=3.

Builds.

Sanctioners x5, Augury Scanner (95 points).

The base build. Can't go too wrong with this as the battlefield role is clear, obvious, and the points cost so very attractive.

Sanctioners x5, all with Vratine Nemesis Bolt Guns, Augury Scanner, Mistress with Power Sword (130 points).

Your anti-Thousand Sons build. And look at the points that it clocks in with. Still very attractive!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Telemon Heavy Dreadnought

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars, rounded down. Not as good as it should be. 

Background.

Hand crafted by the Emperor himself (well - at least one part of the armour is), the Telemon is an exceptionally rare beast. Only the most remarkable Custodes gets to be interred, and the order would sooner the dreadnoughts remain unoccupied than some lesser Custode pilot it. Truly a waste of resources!

Strengths.

With 8 wounds, this is a dreadnought much like a Leviathan but with bonus durability! The stat line is seriously impressive - and intimidated.

The best part are the ranged weapons. The accelerator with S=8 and AP=3 is the pick of the bunch to be honest. That's not to say the rest of them are bad, they're just too short range. Except for the default bolt launcher which is still nice.

The melee weapons are deadly to say the least. S=10 and AP=2 is excellent. Even nicer is the sunder rule, just a pity we miss out on brutal to be candid. 

Weaknesses.

The movement rate is 6. I'm going to repeat that. The movement rate is 6. It is just too slow to get where it needs to be, sorry. And the weapons range is too short. This is not a unit that is realistically going to see much play, even though the model is epic and cool. I mean, play the model, but just don't expect much?

Builds.

Telemon with Iliastus Accelerator Culverin (390 points).

Expensive. Slow. But nice range and melee potential. The main problem is that the core of your army will get there first. 

One Day Painting Challenge Outcome: Iron Hands Heavy Support Squad

It was a long day with lots of things in between the painting and drying cycles. But here is the final product! What do you think?

The painting recipe follows the standard approach that I take with Iron Hands. I don't want them glossy like the Raven Guard recipe that I use, so I have a black undercoat followed by Eshin Grey base coat. Then washes are applied with a combination of nuln oil and black. Highlights are in greys and the trim done in silver.

The decals come from a mixture of Alpha Legion (the "X" on some shoulder pads) as well as cogs from mechanicum decals which I think work well. I've even sneaked a Word Bearers decal on the top of the tank hatch that one of the marines is standing on just for flavour! Although the red eye lenses could do with more work, I am very pleased with this outcome overall! 

One Day Painting Challenge: Iron Hands Heavy Support Squad

Welcome to the "One Day Painting Challenge" that I've challenged myself to complete! The idea is simple. Take a squad. Paint it up. And complete it in one day. The main issue with this kind of challenge is allowing sufficient drying times between layers to ensure the next one is nice and smooth. But let's get to the subject of the challenge itself. 

This is a Horus Heresy Iron Hands heavy support squad. I have assembled them with autocannons from the plastic kit upgrade range. The miniatures themselves contain a mixture of parts from Forge World resin Mk 3 armour, the same in plastic, Forge World Iron Hands upgrades (torsos, legs shoulder pad), and a single head from the character heads produced very recently for a bit of variation. The bases are custom with a lot of grit, some cork, a sawed in half tire, and spare tank bits. 

I want to go a bit beyond just the paint job. I want to also have time to apply decals in select places on the miniatures - although I completely lack the dedicated Iron Hands decals, so this might be interesting. Time for the undercoat!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2/5 stars. Just. It simply is not as good as a regular contemptor from the space marine legions. 

Background.

The Custodes' Contemptor. It is the same technology as the Astartes Legions in the main part. Here, it is designed to reap infantry rather than any other target. This is both a strength and a significant weakness.

Strengths.

The stat line is great. WS=6 is very strong in the game. Indeed, this alone means that it will be more than a match for any other contemptor on average. 

The warblade has S=8 and instant death so will readily chew through space marines. But that's about it. The incinerator is good enough with S=6. 

Weaknesses.

The major problem here is that this contemptor does not have a fist. The blade is categorically not as good as a fist since it lacks the brutal rule. For this reason alone, I have awarded 2 stars out of 5. It is fundamentally not designed to take on vehicles and as a result the range of targets within the game that it can handle is not as wide open as regular contemptors -- even if it can handle those explicitly. Don't get me wrong, it is still deadly, but the 2 stars is simply because of the lower threat range compared to regular contemptors. 

Builds.

There are no upgrades here, hence no build to select between. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Caladius Grav-Tank

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars, rounded up. Although expensive, these grav tanks have a solid place in this army.

Background.

Hailing from the dark age of technology, this grav tank combines the anti-gravity technology of a bygone age with the ability to bring a strong weapon to the middle of the battlefield. 

Strengths.

If you are going to take this tank, then you will want the Arachnus Blaze Cannon upgrade. Seriously: this is just a beast on the battlefield. It has lance and is a bit like a lascannon otherwise with exoshock in play as well. This is incredible and has the potential to wipe a tank off the battlefield every turn. Combined with the movement rate of 16, I regard the points cost as worthwhile here even if it is slightly on the pricey side. 

Weaknesses.

The armour values leave something to be desired with 13 on the front and sides, and a mere 11 on the rear. You will need to carefully watch your positioning. 

Builds.

Caladius Grav-Tank with Arachnus Blaze Cannon  (260 points).

Yes it is slightly on the expensive side considering its defensive capability. But the offensive capability will leave your opponents weeping when played correctly. It might also leave you with few friends. So maybe only take one of them. Two at most. I mean, three is great of course. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sagittarum Guard Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️

1.5/5 stars, rounded down. Not useful.

Background.

Sentinels on the walls of the palace itself. These Custodians practice long range and precise application of firepower to destroy the foe.

Strengths.

I need to be a bit brutal here. There's not much point in this unit. You are effectively exchanging your custodian spear for something resembling a heavy bolter. The only up side is the one-shot disintegration shot. This is totally worth while and the only reason it gets 1.5 stars rather than a flat 1 star rating from me.

Weaknesses.

By and large everything about this unit is not useful. This is a melee army fundamentally, with some fast moving high AP units to help out with knight killing when absolutely required. These Sagittari are just not worth it. 

Builds.

3 Sagittari, 1 with Vexilla and Destructor (185 points).

I suppose if you just have to field this unit in second edition, then it will look something like this. Maybe with extra bodies if you must. Its just too expensive for what it is doing and I've never once seen them played.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Krios Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars, rounded down. The rules are reasonably good overall.

Background.

A battle tank that is swift and deceptively skeletal in appearance. Its armour is essentially provided by overlapping power fields and its true origin is unknown. What is known is that it falls outside of the STC constructs and therefore doesn't appear outside of mechanicum forces. 

Strengths.

The main strength of the tank comes from its primary weapon. There are two variants. The first is the lightning cannon which I see as being well able to handle marines and other lighter tanks. The second is the pulsar fusil which is more of a terminator killer overall. 

Other worthy notes here are the movement rate of 16 which makes it incredibly fast and easy to position.

Weaknesses.

Watch out for the rear armour of 10!

Builds. 

3x Krios, Lightning Cannons (375 points).

In all honesty, the "naked" version is great. I actually don't think the pulsar fusil is quite worth it. Add some hunter killer missiles to taste. The triple tank version is very nice and can take out many targets that you set your sights on short of those all round armour=14 tanks. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Karacnos Assault Tank

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are great!

Background.

Designed to scour the area ahead of organic life, the Karacnos is basically a Geneva Convention violating assault tank. Once the path is cleared, the Mechanicum will eventually come back to sweep up the remains. 

Strengths.

The main weapon here is just insanity made real and well able to chew through almost any infantry in the game. With no less than a 7 inch pie plate, it is also radiological, shell shocks, crawls, and barrages. Among the other no less impressive rules and a whopping 60inch range. 

Armour of 14 on the front is similarly impressive combined with 5 hull points. 

Weaknesses.

Rear and side armour of 12 are not that impressive, but with barrage and the 60inch range, you can just relax and shoot that pie plate most of the game long. If bothered, the lightning locks and shock ram help in a tight spot. 

Builds. 

There is only one upgrade option: hunter killer missiles. These are probably not the best option for the tank, but you might like them depending on what else is in your army. Overall then, this unit is worth the points cost so long as you treat it well and try not to make it a bigger target than it already is through tactical positioning.