What is the point of melee?

[Pondera the Radio Angel]

Okay, this is something I'm struggling with, and I need some help here. My question is why on Terra would you ever bother using melee combat in an environment filled with guns and tanks and such? First of all, melee does hardly any damage to vehicles, if they can catch them at all. Secondly, I know about "tying squads up". Congrats, while one squad is dancing around, making your melee chase them, those 3 other squads are shooting the hell out of them. And lastly, melee squads can only have so many units attacking a single target at once whereas ranged attackers can have far far more involved in attacking that same single target.

So, help me out here, internet. Is there a point to using melee at all? Or should I simply deploy ranged squads en masse and shoot down incoming melee attackers? Khorne Berserkers won't be swinging their chain-axes are anything if they're long dead.

[Are John]

Powers fists tend to break open tanks like can openers.

[Red Eclipse]

Because Warhammer 40k was made by people who wanted it to resemble medeival times because, I don't know they are into that sort of thing. But people thought it was nerdy and stupid so they added guns and tanks and space ships and tried to make it more appealing. That's why everyone's heard of 40k and screw regular Warhammer.

And why would you even use melee attackers on a tank? Rockets, anti-armor, and lasers only. Every unit has a place and if you don't use it right, it won't be effecient in that role. Like using an axe to destroy a tank or a sniper rifle to destroy a building.

[Synthesis90]

Red Eclipse could have used a little more tact with his reasoning, but it's true.

Games Workshop developed Warhammer 40,000 to be a futuristic science-fantasy game. It uses the principles of science fiction and combines them with dark fantasy for a gothic "Grimdark" stylized far future.

Also to answer your question, melee in Warhammer 40,000 is designed to be an option, not the do all. As with the table top, melee combat is a phase which you use to close with your opponent's best troops or most powerful enemy units and get them tied up so your ranged units can move into range and kill them. It's certainly a game of ranged combat, and no more so than the current edition of the main rulebook, but melee does have it's place and usage.

In previous editions of Warhammer 40,000 you ran into entire armies of melee fighters like Chaos Space Marines with Marks of Khorne or World Eaters Berserker armies, and Eldar Howling Banshees and Striking Scorpion bricks that just annihilated enemy troops, plus those were the days where "Rhino Rushing" actually still worked. (Where you mount your army in transports and rushed them into combat) This doesn't really work anymore because they've made shooting so much more powerful than melee, but I suppose that's the way it should be with guns, lasers, and plasma.

[Inquisitioner]

Overwhelming ranged units with jetpacks & deep strikes or alike tends to be best executed with melee.

[Gralzeim]

Thunder hammers tend to wreck vehicles and structures, too (like the ones Assault Terminators use). And then there's Dreadnaughts, Wraithlords, and so on.

As Jake mentioned, melee is useful for tying up ranged troops. For example, Tau Fire Warrior squads. Strong at ranged, but get something (anything) into melee with the squad and the entire Fire Warrior squad becomes useless.

If anything, some melee units are much stronger than ranged units, to compensate for the fact that they have to close with ranged units.

[Diablowe]

In DoW1, Spaces Marines non upgraded deal MOAR damage with knifes then bolters.

[Gralzeim]

Also of note is that when a melee unit kills infantry (or when a walker kills a walker in melee), sometimes that triggers what's called a 'sync-kill', which is that fancy kill animation you sometimes see them do. Melee units are invulnerable while performing a sync-kill animation, which tends to increase their survivability. Some units perform sync-kills more frequently, as well.

[Inquisitioner]

Originally posted by HeimdallW32:

Also of note is that when a melee unit kills infantry (or when a walker kills a walker in melee), sometimes that triggers what's called a 'sync-kill', which is that fancy kill animation you sometimes see them do. Melee units are invulnerable while performing a sync-kill animation, which tends to increase their survivability. Some units perform sync-kills more frequently, as well.

It also looks badass.. Had no idea they were called sync killed, always refered to em as executions.

[Diablowe]

Execution sounds more badass then sync kills

[Uss Arizona]

From what I can see, Meele is a Diversion to keep a unit from shooting so other units can shoot it without fear of getting shot at.

[Animal]

You don't understand the advantage of melee, because you don't understand tacics learned outside of CoD. An all melee army will dominate any all ranged army. Ranged units can't shoot while in melee and most ranged units are not good at melee. Guess what melee units are good at.

If an idiot is charging his lone zerker squad straight into your eldar chorusline, then they also do not understand tactics outside of CoD.

When assaulting an Eldar Chorusline - Have multiple melee units; Have cheap throw away units lead the charge; Put at least one melee unit on every ranged unit. Cheap units will take most of the damage. Melee units will stop the ranged attacks. Then nothing but seal clubbing.

Units with power weapons can melee vehicles easily. Don't melee a land raider with a unit without a power claw, power fist, lightning claw, demon weapon, etc. Pocket knives only cut ceremite steel if powered or possessed.

Chaos and Orks are my favorite armies for melee. All armies have melee. Some are way better than others.

[Nerevars Goat Univeron]

Chorusline? Cant say I've heard of those.
What I would do, send a wave of hormagaunts in, maybe a carnifex (I'll be using tyranid units cause thats what I play), about 30 strong. Have those tie them up and use my Dakkafex to kill the tied up squad. Rinse and repeat.

[Cirus]

Originally posted by Ciaphas Cain:

Chorusline? Cant say I've heard of those.
What I would do, send a wave of hormagaunts in, maybe a carnifex (I'll be using tyranid units cause thats what I play), about 30 strong. Have those tie them up and use my Dakkafex to kill the tied up squad. Rinse and repeat.

He's referring to shees. Probably one of the most annoying in both DoW1 and DoW2, Khorne Berserkers are also quite good at what they do. Raptors and Assault marines are still the bees knees.

[Brodacious]

Why melee? Necron Lord. Thats why.

[Gralzeim]

Man, when I talked about sync kills I totally forgot to mention one of the coolest ones, the one when a Force Commander kills a Bloodthirster in melee (he'd need help, as he can't solo one at full health without mods, but if he lands the killing blow...well, look it up on Youtube, it's pretty sweet).