Codex Tau Empire: Picking it apart.

[Mr Mystery]

How do?

Decided this was best placed here, rather than news and rumours.

To kick off, I'm going to go with Kroot Carnivore Squads, as they missed out on the general frothing (and understandably so with all the new toys).

So, no longer a slightly ill fitting HTH unit. Kroot rifles no longer grant an additional attack, and they're down to S3. Not the best start for them I'll grant you. So what's the point in them?

Well, they remain dirt cheap, and still make for a half decent, point for point holding unit. They retain infiltrate, but only get Stealth in Forests.

But, they have a real diamond in the rough... Sniper Rounds. I didn't see them covered in the rumours, but my word they are nice! For just a single point per Kroot (though you have to upgrade the whole unit) they gain a 24", Heavy 1 Sniper Rifle. That's right folks, for a piddling 140 points, and some careful deployment, you bag a 20 strong unit with rending, precision shot guns that will take a lot of winkling out. Where they miss out on range, their exceptionally low points cost makes them for my money the best sniper unit in the game! More numerous than Pathfinders and Scouts. They may not be quite as survivable, but in the right cover (granted no guarantee of that occurring) and the difference is reduced. Where your traditionally sniper unit lives in perpetual fear of those weapons that ignore their cover save, the number of Kroot you can have in a single unit means that fear is lessened.

Whilst not exactly a unit or tactic to build your army around, I can think of few situations where a unit of 10 can't be slotted in! Plus, they can now benefit from Marker Lights. Bit of sneaky infiltration, and a handful of Markers, and they can comfortably out snipe all comers. Pathfinders getting up your nose? See how cocky they are when you strip them of their cover save.... You can even move up into position, and use the Markers to boost your Snapshot BS!

For me, one of the standout units in the book!

[gcsmith]

How do?

Decided this was best placed here, rather than news and rumours.

To kick off, I'm going to go with Kroot Carnivore Squads, as they missed out on the general frothing (and understandably so with all the new toys).

So, no longer a slightly ill fitting HTH unit. Kroot rifles no longer grant an additional attack, and they're down to S3. Not the best start for them I'll grant you. So what's the point in them?

Well, they remain dirt cheap, and still make for a half decent, point for point holding unit. They retain infiltrate, but only get Stealth in Forests.

But, they have a real diamond in the rough... Sniper Rounds. I didn't see them covered in the rumours, but my word they are nice! For just a single point per Kroot (though you have to upgrade the whole unit) they gain a 24", Heavy 1 Sniper Rifle. That's right folks, for a piddling 140 points, and some careful deployment, you bag a 20 strong unit with rending, precision shot guns that will take a lot of winkling out. Where they miss out on range, their exceptionally low points cost makes them for my money the best sniper unit in the game! More numerous than Pathfinders and Scouts. They may not be quite as survivable, but in the right cover (granted no guarantee of that occurring) and the difference is reduced. Where your traditionally sniper unit lives in perpetual fear of those weapons that ignore their cover save, the number of Kroot you can have in a single unit means that fear is lessened.

Whilst not exactly a unit or tactic to build your army around, I can think of few situations where a unit of 10 can't be slotted in! Plus, they can now benefit from Marker Lights. Bit of sneaky infiltration, and a handful of Markers, and they can comfortably out snipe all comers. Pathfinders getting up your nose? See how cocky they are when you strip them of their cover save.... You can even move up into position, and use the Markers to boost your Snapshot BS!

For me, one of the standout units in the book!

Don't forget, it doesn't say replaces ammo, so they could choose whichever ammo they want I guess.

[Mr Mystery]

Fair point!

Pending FAQ, which may say it is a replacement, just gone up further in my estimation!

Plus, there is the argument that with Kroot, your opponent may leave them be in favour of higher value targets! Well. Until you start dropping value targets (like Crypteks, and Necron Lords. Or perhaps you know.... Exarchs and that!) Also, just checked Storm of Fire. Yep, unless sniping, Kroot get the extra shot as well..

Right, over to the others to offer analysis and thoughts on the other units!

[Mr Mystery]

Also worth noting Kroot Rifles are AP5 in close combat. Doesn't quite make up for the loss of S4, but does give them a decent boost against light infantry assaulting their position.

[Subexarch]

Krootox don't ruin the infiltrate anymore either. So now you can have 3 infiltrating or outflanking autocannons as well. Hounds have acute senses, so if you include a few of those you can re-roll your outflank rolls too. Kroot are a truly interesting unit now.

[Serenapth]

Just got my codex, had a good read through and yes this kroot trick looks fun. Add a shaper too (but not necessary, for the +1 ld) for under 90 points.
Dont get how the hounds will work on a charge, as the main unit don't get the charge through cover so will they pull the hounds back?
Like the mass markerlight fun too, lots of BS+fun vs the AirCav nonsense.

There is however one bug i can't seem to find the answer to, what do EMP grenades do? I played Tau on the first book (full kroot merc list) so never got to use them and can't find what they do in the new codex. Are they Haywire grenades by another name.

[The Zipster]

They are Haywire grenades.

So now that the new Codex has a couple of shiny new flyers, does the Barracuda and the Remora drones have relevance still or are the new flyers better.

[ElectricPaladin]

Standouts for me, so far:

1) Tau missile spam is ridiculous. They might not have the penetration (AP) of krak missiles, but if you kit out a broadside squad correctly and field it with an Ethereal, you could be putting out 40 7/4 missiles at 36'' and another 12 5/5 missiles at 30''.

2) Small changes to the way sniper drones work - the fact that they are jet pack infantry even though the controller is not and the fact that their guns are now rapid fire - make them very versatile and very deadly. Their stealth rule and mobility means that your opponent will want to close with them to kill them, but closing with them is a bad idea because once you get to 24'', their sniper rifles start doubletapping. And, by the way, they are BS 5 now.

3) Pathfinders have ridiculous weapon options now. Rail rifles are 30'' 6/1 Rapid Fire. Ion rifles have two modes, both at 30'': 7/4 Rapid Fire or 8/4 Heavy 1, Gets Hot, Blast. I foresee very small pathfinder units being used as mini devastator squads, as well as an ion rifle or three in a large team intended primarily to mark targets (so the team can contribute meaningfully while getting out of their transport and setting up those Heavy 1 markerlights). Ion rifles are better, IMHO, because they are more versatile. They can threaten light vehicles and scare several kinds of infantry. If your meta is full of 3+ and 2+ opponents - like mine - those rail rifles are still good, though.

[gcsmith]

Standouts for me, so far:

1) Tau missile spam is ridiculous. They might not have the penetration (AP) of krak missiles, but if you kit out a broadside squad correctly and field it with an Ethereal, you could be putting out 40 7/4 missiles at 36'' and another 12 5/5 missiles at 30''.

2) Small changes to the way sniper drones work - the fact that they are jet pack infantry even though the controller is not and the fact that their guns are now rapid fire - make them very versatile and very deadly. Their stealth rule and mobility means that your opponent will want to close with them to kill them, but closing with them is a bad idea because once you get to 24'', their sniper rifles start doubletapping. And, by the way, they are BS 5 now.

3) Pathfinders have ridiculous weapon options now. Rail rifles are 30'' 6/1 Rapid Fire. Ion rifles have two modes, both at 30'': 7/4 Rapid Fire or 8/4 Heavy 1, Gets Hot, Blast. I foresee very small pathfinder units being used as mini devastator squads, as well as an ion rifle or three in a large team intended primarily to mark targets (so the team can contribute meaningfully while getting out of their transport and setting up those Heavy 1 markerlights). Ion rifles are better, IMHO, because they are more versatile. They can threaten light vehicles and scare several kinds of infantry. If your meta is full of 3+ and 2+ opponents - like mine - those rail rifles are still good, though.

Rail rifles work best in my opinion with a outflanking squad to clear back field

[Mr Mystery]

Sadly, still not that convinced by Skyrays and Vespid.

Vespid did get a boost in range which helps massively, but they remain quite expensive. In the right list they'll do well. They ought to prove a threat to MEQ's and remain good at mopping up survivors. However, they share once of the best populated and most competitive slots in the list. Given they're up against Pathfinders, Drones, Piranhas and both flyers I think they'll remain an uncommon sight on the field.

Skyray... It's effective anti-air, and does provide some measure of infantry support. A nice choice for smaller armies I'm sure, but once the points limit goes up, it doesn't do anything other units can't. It has its place, but its rather niche in my opinion.

Sniper Drones... Not quite sure what to think of them. They're ok, but given my praises of Kroot, I think they're sidelined in terms of sniping.

[gcsmith]

The problem with sniper drones, they fill the spot where we have our best anti air... I love jeremy Vetock, the book is filled with choice and variability and made previously always crap units "Ethereal" good.

[Serenapth]

[QUOTE=The Zipster;294990]They are Haywire grenades.

But where does it say that EMP grens are Haywire, i checked the armoury and unit pages but cannot see what they are. Can anyone provide a page ref?

[The Zipster]

Page 96 under Support Systems.

[SonicPara]

Skyray... It's effective anti-air, and does provide some measure of infantry support. A nice choice for smaller armies I'm sure, but once the points limit goes up, it doesn't do anything other units can't. It has its place, but its rather niche in my opinion.

The Skyray is the second best Heavy Support option behind the Hammerhead. With Broadsides being gutted and Hammerheads and Skyrays getting far cheaper, the tanks have taken over.

In the case of the Skyray it is more accurate with Skyfire BS4 Markerlights and Seeker Missiles (you CAN dumbfire them without markerlight support), more survivable with AV13 as before, more agile as a skimmer, and a more universal fit due to its support capabilities that stem from the Markerlights. Add in the dirt cheap options for SMS or the very solid new Heavy Burst Cannon and the Skyray is fantastic.

The true star of Heavy Support is the Longstrike Hammerhead though; expect one in nearly all tank-focused Tau armies from now on.

[ElectricPaladin]

With Broadsides being gutted...

Gutted? Really?

Strength 8 is nothing to sneeze at. Light vehicles will evaporate and heavy vehicles will take glancing blows, which will eventually kill them.

I agree that hammerheads are better - they have always been better - but I think that "gutted" is a bit of an overstatement. Yes, you now need rail cannons for Strength 10 shooting. Strength 8 will still scare a lot of things on the board.

[SonicPara]

Gutted? Really?

Strength 8 is nothing to sneeze at. Light vehicles will evaporate and heavy vehicles will take glancing blows, which will eventually kill them.

I agree that hammerheads are better - they have always been better - but I think that "gutted" is a bit of an overstatement. Yes, you now need rail cannons for Strength 10 shooting. Strength 8 will still scare a lot of things on the board.

Anything S8 is good against the heaps and heaps of inexpensive S7 and the positively free S5 that the Tau have will blow off the table much faster than a single S8 shot per turn. For glancing AV14, the chance of a glance is extremely low and coupled with most AV14 vehicles having 4 HP means that your expensive S8 Broadside unit may, if lucky, glance one AV14 target to death per game; keep in mind that the chances are against you here.

Expensive S8 Heavy 1 fills a niche that the Tau don't need filled. Sure there are worse units in the game than a S8 Broadside but in the context of their army book there really aren't many.

For heavy AT, a Hammerhead is a better (and cheaper if taking 2+ XV-88s) alternative. For anti-air, the Skyray is outrageously superior.

[Panxer]

Sky rays have skyfire = happy Panxer. Skyray + Aegis+Quadgun+Riptide+Remora Drones=sky is covered

I'm not so hot on the Broadsides anymore. Despite their size, they are still open to instant death. Yeah they have cool new missiles, but the heavy rail riffles are kinda "meh" to me when everything else is S7 and meltas are 18" now. They're not bad, but what Ion cannons and Railguns do now w/ markerlights, unless you kit them w/ missiles, they're kind of a waste (IMO).

-Bombers and Fighters are kinda whatever to me...thats why we have Remoras.

-Tetras, Remoras, and Sensor towers are going to make this soooo killer...

-Kinda miffed that the Ethereal doesn't make the unit he's joined fearless anymore.

-T5 +1Commander is BOSS! No more instant death (unless from IG artillery)!

-Pathfinders are only worth the rail rifles to me now

-My riptide is going to be the bullet magnet that allows the rest of my army to flank and kill by a thousand cuts from XV sniper missiles and plasma.

I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, but this is going to be really really fun again.

[gcsmith]

Sky rays have skyfire = happy Panxer. Skyray + Aegis+Quadgun+Riptide+Remora Drones=sky is covered

I'm not so hot on the Broadsides anymore. Despite their size, they are still open to instant death. Yeah they have cool new missiles, but the heavy rail riffles are kinda "meh" to me when everything else is S7 and meltas are 18" now. They're not bad, but what Ion cannons and Railguns do now w/ markerlights, unless you kit them w/ missiles, they're kind of a waste (IMO).

-Bombers and Fighters are kinda whatever to me...thats why we have Remoras.

-Tetras, Remoras, and Sensor towers are going to make this soooo killer...

-Kinda miffed that the Ethereal doesn't make the unit he's joined fearless anymore.

-T5 +1Commander is BOSS! No more instant death (unless from IG artillery)!

-Pathfinders are only worth the rail rifles to me now

-My riptide is going to be the bullet magnet that allows the rest of my army to flank and kill by a thousand cuts from XV sniper missiles and plasma.

I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, but this is going to be really really fun again.

Pathfinders are glue which holds your army together, marker lights are essential - at least in my own opinion - to gluing an army together.

[Panxer]

Yeah that's why Tau jesus invented Tetras. A 60pt, Heavy 4, BS4 markerlight platform on a fast open topped skimmer equipped base with a dispod. Pretty sweet.

[Mr Mystery]

How do people feel about Ion Weapons then?

I kind of like them, but by type I'm a definite 'reckless gamer' in that I gladly accept risk with greater reward. In Pathfinder units, I do think they're mildly misplace. Rail Rifles have the stopping power, as AP1 is not to be sniffed at, and given the rest of units equipment, Ion Rifles to my mind need to be in a dedicated disruption unit. Again great in principal, and definitely have their place, but given thy are fast attack, possibly going to be rarely seen. Which is a shame, as the models are awesome!

[Panxer]

Oh, please don't think that I don't like pathfinders... Rail rifles have always been my favorite since the firewarrior game on PS2. I just don't think that they are (as a markerlight unit) very efficient compared to the tetra... I love the new weapon options, but at BS 3 and 5+ save... I feel I can do better... If you want to use them, then YEAH! Use 'em! I'm just jazzed at what the Riptide does... it's made my army into the bull that I never realized it could be...

[Panxer]

Sorry, this thing double tagged.

[Uncle Nutsy]

I just had a good read through the new dex and I am happy. It's pretty easy to go crazy with all the ion weaponry we have now.

But what I can't figure out is, do the attached drones use the vehicles' ballistic skill or their own?

[ElectricPaladin]

I just had a good read through the new dex and I am happy. It's pretty easy to go crazy with all the ion weaponry we have now.

But what I can't figure out is, do the attached drones use the vehicles' ballistic skill or their own?

Their own. Sadly.

[Mr Mystery]

No controller, own BS.


Huhuhuhuhuh. BS.... Huhuhuhuhuhuh!

[Uncle Nutsy]

I think twinlinked fusion/twinlinked plasma or twinlinked burst cannon/twinlinked missilepod will be the go-to setup for suits now.


had another question come to mind. Are the suits now carrying built-in drone controllers (because of the ability to take drones), or do you still need a controller?

[gcsmith]

Oh, please don't think that I don't like pathfinders... Rail rifles have always been my favorite since the firewarrior game on PS2. I just don't think that they are (as a markerlight unit) very efficient compared to the tetra... I love the new weapon options, but at BS 3 and 5+ save... I feel I can do better... If you want to use them, then YEAH! Use 'em! I'm just jazzed at what the Riptide does... it's made my army into the bull that I never realized it could be...

Problem is, not all of us can use forgeworld in competitive events.

[eldargal]

There is a FAQ up (https://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m3130063a_Tau_Empire_v1.0_APRIL13.pdf), not seen any mention. It is brief:

ERRATA
Page 32 - Warlord Traits

Replace the introductory paragraph with:
When generating Warlord Traits, a Tau Warlord may eitherroll
on one of the Warlord Traits tables in the Warhammer 40,000
rulebook, orroll on the table presented on the right.

Page 95 - Drones list

Add the following note to Missile Drones

* May only be taken by models equipped with Broadside
battlesuits.

[Gir]

I think twinlinked fusion/twinlinked plasma or twinlinked burst cannon/twinlinked missilepod will be the go-to setup for suits now.


had another question come to mind. Are the suits now carrying built-in drone controllers (because of the ability to take drones), or do you still need a controller?

Drone controller lets the drones use the controllers BS. You don't need one to take drones.

[Panxer]

Just realized that there are no target arrays BS+ to vehicles or suits... Booo! How are mah tetras supposed to be uber effective when they shoot no better than pathfinders? Waaaa!

[Mr Mystery]

Simple. Use another Marker Light to raise their BS by one :)

[Neelam]

I foresee many fun shenanigans with Darkstrider and Pathfinders.

With his rule, pathfinders will be IDing Marine characters with their rapid fire rail rifles . Toss in the Grav-drone and they will be a very hard unit to assault .

The neuroweb jammer is a must take imo 3pts for ruining blob-guard / orks/ nids /cultists day.

[Renegade]

I foresee many fun shenanigans with Darkstrider and Pathfinders.

With his rule, pathfinders will be IDing Marine characters with their rapid fire rail rifles . Toss in the Grav-drone and they will be a very hard unit to assault .

The neuroweb jammer is a must take imo 3pts for ruining blob-guard / orks/ nids /cultists day.

What you think flamers templates are for!? They be flame bait, toastie flame bait.

[Wildeybeast]

There is a FAQ up (https://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m3130063a_Tau_Empire_v1.0_APRIL13.pdf), not seen any mention. It is brief:

Bah, I put this in the news and rumours thread yesterday.

[ElectricPaladin]

What you think flamers templates are for!? They be flame bait, toastie flame bait.

Flamers are pretty short range. Pulse carbines have 18'' of range, rail rifles and ion rifles (a pathfiner squad can have up to three) have 30'' of range. Getting close enough to drop that template on the pathfinders is going to be hard. You could use something that deep strikes, but hey... if I force you to use one of your deep striking units to take out some pathfinders, you're not using that unit to take out, say, my sniper drones, or counter-strike my deep-striking stealth team, or whatever. Which means that while I'll miss the markerlight support, I've won a significant victory by forcing you to take out a non-aggressive unit rather than blunting one of my aggressive units.

You may have killed some pathfinders, but you've just handed me the tempo of the game.

[Renegade]

Flamers are pretty short range. Pulse carbines have 18'' of range, rail rifles and ion rifles (a pathfiner squad can have up to three) have 30'' of range. Getting close enough to drop that template on the pathfinders is going to be hard. You could use something that deep strikes, but hey... if I force you to use one of your deep striking units to take out some pathfinders, you're not using that unit to take out, say, my sniper drones, or counter-strike my deep-striking stealth team, or whatever. Which means that while I'll miss the markerlight support, I've won a significant victory by forcing you to take out a non-aggressive unit rather than blunting one of my aggressive units.

You may have killed some pathfinders, but you've just handed me the tempo of the game.

It is for this reason the one deploys a Hellhound and/or Bane Wolf, perhaps even Eradicators if I want to put something AV14 to the task of weeding out annoying units.

Then there is always out flanking Sentinels, or good old Alrahem for getting cheap SWT to annoying positions.

Those that play Guard have been face the similar situation for as long as I can think back. Its an easy kill point, and with IG, that is something not to be sniffed at.

[SonicPara]

Just realized that there are no target arrays BS+ to vehicles or suits... Booo! How are mah tetras supposed to be uber effective when they shoot no better than pathfinders? Waaaa!

Use Marker Drones instead. Take a drone squadron, upgrade all eight of them to Marker Drones for free. Attach them to a BS5 character with minimal weapons and the support system that makes the unit twin-linked if the wearer doesn't fire and a drone controller. Jump-shoot-jump in and our of cover with eight BS5, twin-linked Markerlights.


It is for this reason the one deploys a Hellhound and/or Bane Wolf, perhaps even Eradicators if I want to put something AV14 to the task of weeding out annoying units.

Hellhound or Banewolf will get mulched immediately by the surplus of S7 that Tau have now; you need to bring AV14 in. Tau have exactly three ranged weapons that can destroy AV14 in a single shot, those are: Hammerhead's Rail Cannon at S10, Riptide's Nova-Reactor overcharged Ion at S9, and the Fusion Blaster at S8 melta. That's it. Hammerheads are prone to missing with the single roll of doom, the Riptide's S9 weapon takes effort to get to, risks blowing up in his face, and risks missing as well due to BS3 (lolwat?), and Fusion Blasters only have a 9" threat range when dealing with AV14.

By making the Broadside S8 Tau have moved from the most dominant ranged force against AV14 to struggling to deal with AV14. I know Glancehammer 40K 6th Edition punishes investments in heavy tanks but against Tau they are nearly godlike. Only easier matchup for AV14 would probably be Orks.

[ElectricPaladin]

Use Marker Drones instead. Take a drone squadron, upgrade all eight of them to Marker Drones for free. Attach them to a BS5 character with minimal weapons and the support system that makes the unit twin-linked if the wearer doesn't fire and a drone controller. Jump-shoot-jump in and our of cover with eight BS5, twin-linked Markerlights.

The trouble is that this character will have to be a Battlesuit Commander, so you're looking at a starting investment of 85 points.

That said.

It's not a bad idea for sufficiently large games. And there's nothing saying you can't also field a boosted-as-all-heck bodyguard unit and use them seperately. Frankly, I think that the "Marker'el" might replace the "Pos'el" (back when positional relays let you control reserves, fielding a cheap shas'el with a positional relay was a common strategy) as a secondary Crisis HQ.

Additionally.

Since the bodyguard shas'vres can all take two drones each, you could theoretically field up to eight marker drones as part of a mobile firebase/marker unit. A deathwind (twin-linked missile pod, for you shas-come-latelies) shas'el with drone controller and two drones, three deathwind shas'vres with two marker drones each. This unit can drop 8 twin-linked missiles on a unit as well as up to 8 BS 5 markerlights to help mop up whoever survives.

[Tynskel]

Best Marker Unit in the game:

Commander JerkFace™
Iridium Battle Suit, Onager Gauntlet, Command and Control Node, 2 Marker Drones, Drone Controller, Shield Generator, Stimulant Injector

Drone Squad
12 Marker Drones

That's right, 14 re-rolling to hit BS5 Markerlights, guarded by a 2+ armor, 4+ invulnerable, Feel No Pain, T5, 4 Wound, Commander with 1 str10 AP1 close combat attack.
By the way, they are all Jet-Pack Infantry, which means they can hop in and out of cover!

[Tynskel]

The trouble is that this character will have to be a Battlesuit Commander, so you're looking at a starting investment of 85 points.

That said.

It's not a bad idea for sufficiently large games. And there's nothing saying you can't also field a boosted-as-all-heck bodyguard unit and use them seperately. Frankly, I think that the "Marker'el" might replace the "Pos'el" (back when positional relays let you control reserves, fielding a cheap shas'el with a positional relay was a common strategy) as a secondary Crisis HQ.

Additionally.

Since the bodyguard shas'vres can all take two drones each, you could theoretically field up to eight marker drones as part of a mobile firebase/marker unit. A deathwind (twin-linked missile pod, for you shas-come-latelies) shas'el with drone controller and two drones, three deathwind shas'vres with two marker drones each. This unit can drop 8 twin-linked missiles on a unit as well as up to 8 BS 5 markerlights to help mop up whoever survives.

I am not sure how you do your maths, but you can only get 2 bodyguards. That means, including the Shas'O, you only have 6 Marker Drones.

[ElectricPaladin]

Best Marker Unit in the game:

Commander JerkFace™
Iridium Battle Suit, Onager Gauntlet, Command and Control Node, 2 Marker Drones, Drone Controller, Shield Generator, Stimulant Injector

Drone Squad
12 Marker Drones

That's right, 14 re-rolling to hit BS5 Markerlights, guarded by a 2+ armor, 4+ invulnerable, Feel No Pain, T5, 4 Wound, Commander with 1 str10 AP1 close combat attack.
By the way, they are all Jet-Pack Infantry, which means they can hop in and out of cover!

I'd skip the onager gauntlet, shield generator, and stimulants. His strength will come from his mobility. His job is to support the rest of your army's firepower, not get into fights on his own. Use those points to boost your crisis team troubleshooters.

[ElectricPaladin]

I am not sure how you do your maths, but you can only get 2 bodyguards. That means, including the Shas'O, you only have 6 Marker Drones.

Oops. Derp. In the old codex, bodyguards could be 3 suits.

[Tynskel]

The idea of the stimulants, and shield generator, are to make sure that he can deal with anything that would try to take out the drones. Put the Shas'O in front, to receive fire. If serious firepower comes, look out sir! The gauntlet is for discouraging chargers.

[Renegade]

Hellhound or Banewolf will get mulched immediately by the surplus of S7 that Tau have now; you need to bring AV14 in. Tau have exactly three ranged weapons that can destroy AV14 in a single shot, those are: Hammerhead's Rail Cannon at S10, Riptide's Nova-Reactor overcharged Ion at S9, and the Fusion Blaster at S8 melta. That's it. Hammerheads are prone to missing with the single roll of doom, the Riptide's S9 weapon takes effort to get to, risks blowing up in his face, and risks missing as well due to BS3 (lolwat?), and Fusion Blasters only have a 9" threat range when dealing with AV14.

By making the Broadside S8 Tau have moved from the most dominant ranged force against AV14 to struggling to deal with AV14. I know Glancehammer 40K 6th Edition punishes investments in heavy tanks but against Tau they are nearly godlike. Only easier matchup for AV14 would probably be Orks.

The Bane Wolf and Hellhound are however fast vehicles, the Hellhound being a threat to anything within 30inches (move+weapon range+template), while the Eradicator is good against SM as well as everything else.

If I wanted to be nasty, there is always the Colossus, which is a SM killer.

While I can see hat was being said being annoying for a lot of armies, there are other things in the Tau codex that I have seen that are a lot worse for IG.
Those Kroot that have sniper shots, fast jump infantry, and a bucket of other things.

Just be happy that Tau FW don't have S3 AP- for their basic weapons, trust me.

[Uncle Nutsy]

Best Marker Unit in the game:

Commander JerkFace™
Iridium Battle Suit, Onager Gauntlet, Command and Control Node, 2 Marker Drones, Drone Controller, Shield Generator, Stimulant Injector

Drone Squad
12 Marker Drones


Fun, but the build I prefer for dealing with blobarmies.. like a full squad of boyz or hormies is Iridium Battle Suit, Command and Control Node, 2 Marker Drones, Drone Controller, Shield Generator, Multi-spectrum Sensor Suite.

Two body guards with twinlinked burst cannons

Drone Squad
12 Gun Drones

Point at blob, remove blob. If not removed, it's guaranteed to be pinned. Nobody can pass that many leadership saves. And if the unit gets charged, overwatch from hell. With 32 twinlinked shots, 24 of them being twinlinked, you can rest assured that any charges will be stopped cold before it starts.

[DrLove42]

I played agame against someone playing the new dex today.

SMART MISSILE SYSTEMS.

Jesus. These things shredded me. I'll definently be upgrading my existing Hammerheads to have them from now on

I like a Farsight Bomb. But have one of the suits take no guns, but have the two upgrades that let you reroll misses Combined with pinpoint accurate deep strike and a big unit of guys in the squad you can all but guarentee death for a unit

[Uncle Nutsy]

I foresee many fun shenanigans with Darkstrider and Pathfinders.

With his rule, pathfinders will be IDing Marine characters with their rapid fire rail rifles . Toss in the Grav-drone and they will be a very hard unit to assault .

The neuroweb jammer is a must take imo 3pts for ruining blob-guard / orks/ nids /cultists day.

I'm having fun with giving firewarriors scouts and outflank. :P

[Tynskel]

Hmmm... I have always found the Smart Missile System to be good. Now that it is twin-linked, it is just better.

Don't forget to use the Forgeworld Command Battlesuits. BS5 SMS missiles + other guns = w00t!

[Uncle Nutsy]

don't forget about the dual twinlinked burst cannon hazard suits now.

[Tynskel]

yeah, that's really what you want, if you are interested insane firepower.

[ElectricPaladin]

How do people feel about Ion Weapons then?

I kind of like them, but by type I'm a definite 'reckless gamer' in that I gladly accept risk with greater reward. In Pathfinder units, I do think they're mildly misplace. Rail Rifles have the stopping power, as AP1 is not to be sniffed at, and given the rest of units equipment, Ion Rifles to my mind need to be in a dedicated disruption unit. Again great in principal, and definitely have their place, but given thy are fast attack, possibly going to be rarely seen. Which is a shame, as the models are awesome!

I think ion weapons are great. I think rail weapons are great. Both have a place on pathfinders, depending on what else you've got. If you decide to completely eschew broadsides in favor of hammerheads, pathfinders with rail rifles are a good idea. You won't have the volume of AP 1 shooting that comes with a full trio of broadsides to help you whittle down heavy infantry once they're done popping vehicles. If you decide to go with broadsides in addition to your requisite hammerhead, you probably want to go with ion rifles. They're a lot more versatile, with their two firing modes, and can wreck light infantry and even scare heavy infantry: sure, Space Marines will get their 3+ save against the blasts, but if they fail, they've been doubled out.



Expensive S8 Heavy 1 fills a niche that the Tau don't need filled. Sure there are worse units in the game than a S8 Broadside but in the context of their army book there really aren't many.

For heavy AT, a Hammerhead is a better (and cheaper if taking 2+ XV-88s) alternative. For anti-air, the Skyray is outrageously superior.

Something I just realized in favor of broadsides: markerlight independence.

Broadsides carry nothing but twin-linked weaponry. Twin-linked high yield missile pods, twin linked railguns, twin-linked plasma rifles (never saw the appeal, but whatever). Twin-linking pretty much cures the BS 3 blues. Broadsides might occasionally need markerlight support to hep them foil cover, but they're not going to need it to hit. With three shots in the unit (more if you're spamming tons and tons of missiles), they also don't need to hit with every shot.

Hammerheads, on the other hand, are markerlight hungry. With one shot only, you're going to want to make sure that you have the markerlight tokens to boost the BS. And then you're almost always going to want to ignore cover - because who leaves their expensive tank sitting out in the open? - because you don't want that one penetrating hit to get 4+ed or 5+ed away.

I think both have a role in your army. Certainly, hammerheads are for AV 14... but there isn't a lot of AV 14 on the board these days. They're also for buying submunitions and dropping 6/4 pie plates on the units that fall out of the transport the broadsides wrecked (with marker tokens to ignore cover from the wreck). Broadsides are for everything else.

[Panxer]

I take it back. Pathfinders might be pretty sweet. Here's why. Rail rifles. 3 of them per squad. S6AP1 Rapid Fire Rifles. And that beacon thingy that allows deep strike units to not scatter if placed within 6". This is good and cheap...the only problem is that it takes up a fast attack slot which I would rather take up with Tetras and Remoras; but otherwise I could see that being a very powerful support system of possibly 9 AP1 weapons per army on top of everything else within the swarm...

[TheCreator]

I have a question, what's the point of shield drones?

[ElectricPaladin]

I have a question, what's the point of shield drones?

Place them so they are between your unit and the unit that is likely to shoot at them.

Shield drones are cheap and have a 4++ save.

If the shield drones make their save... yay! If they don't... well, who cares. It was a 12 point drone.