Tau Analysis: Elite Choices

The Tau Elites section has always been the most difficult section to use, as it has so many great units and you want to take all of them.  While now one can take way more elite choices (6 in a standard battalion org), the big models can no longer be fielded in squads, so they continue to suffer somewhat(though I suppose lots of other units which lost their squadron capabilities have as well.

Battlesuits in General

Battlesuits still fill the same dynamic Fire fighting role as they always have, filling gaps in the line, eleimnating key targets with massive firepower having both high speed and durabilty.  Because of thehir FLY keyword, they can jump out of contact with the enemy and still fire and nearby drone squads can be used to selectively absorb the enemy’s scarier firepower.  The smaller suit (Stealth/Crisis) weaponry allow for them to fire while advancing, so they can move quickly to take objectives and disrupt an enemy’s maneuvers.  The larger suits wield heavier weapons, slowing them down if trying to fire effectively.

               

Despite their elite status, their best natural ballistic skill is a 4+ to hit, meaning they are reliant on markerlights to ensure their maximum effect.

Elite

Stealthsuit Battlesuits are all now fast to make of for the loss of the assault phase jump pack move, but these guys can advance and still fire without -1 to hit, so are even faster. Camouflage field now subtract 1 from ALL to hit rolls against this unit (shooting and melee) so they have some decent resiliency. Homing Beacons now allow battlesuit units to set up within 6” of an enemy unit when deepstriking instead of the usual 9”.  (I’m using old edition common terminology to describe this to avoid confusion with new wording).  They have a high power level cost for a 3 model unit(6), but I think it’s worth it.

Ghostkeel Stealth Battlesuit-  Continues to be my favorite unit for my army theme (stealthy, direct-firepower force with lots of flyer support).  They have amazing firepower, can gain up to a -2 to hit in the open (-3 if cover allows!!) and a 12” move.  They cost 12 Power Level each, so they are pricey. Also, their cyclic Ion Raker was a faster shooting high strength weapon in the last edition, which made it pretty good at killing everything.  Now, this weapon is still good, but only causes a single point of damage (like assault cannons) so it’s not AS universally useful as it has been.  It is still DARN GOOD though.

                     

Crisis suits (and bodyguard)- now can wield a 3^rd weapon if desired which can be cool, have a nice 8” move and have T5 and 3 wounds each. Bodyguards can also take wounds for a Tau CHARACTER.  Crisis suits come with a BIG point cost, with 3 models costing 11 PL base.

Riptide Battlesuits Still a potent force (and I think they MIGHT be a touch tougher than they used to be ;) ).  They resemble other faction’s dreadnought type units.  These have always been super-dreadnoughts of this class, being about twice as tough and costly as other faction dreadnoughts.  The same still holds with these units also being TWICE as fast. (this was also true previously since jump packs essentially doubled their movement.  Nova Reactors now AUTOMATICALLY force a mortal wound when used, so it MIGHT not be an “ALWAYS use” item, but it might still be. Both main weapons are potent in their own right.  (the more common Ion Accelerator having a smaller volley of better AP shots that have the ability to inflict multiple wounds with some “gets hot” style risk). Given hot Drone SAVIOR PROTOCOLS work, these units work great with drone nearby, as their Toughness is used to make the to wound roll, but the wound itself can be assigned to a nearby Drone unit.  This makes these already tough monsters hard to land decisive hits on.

FarSight Marksmen: Previously, these attached to the sniper drones, but are now a separate entry in the army list. This is interesting and allows them to play like they were originally lay when they were first created (playtest rules had the drones acting as a separate unit that used the Marksmen’s BS to spot targets. They are in the coveted Elite section of the army, which means they won’t really compete for a spot unless you’re looking for a way to fill out the last few points in your army list.costing  (PL1).


Next time I'll hit the Fast Attack and flyers in the Tau Arsenal.