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The Eldar have leaders that can read the future with a fair degree of accuracy, and if all the craftwords are united and working together this ability would likely become even more accurate. The webway, even in it's state of disrepair would allow them to out maneuver the tau and strike at their weakest. Finally the tau navy is a joke compared to the eldar's. Tau ships are slow and they can't respond quickly to troubled areas.

The war would likely be over before the TAU even knew what was happening.

 Furyou Miko wrote:

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 Iron_Captain wrote:



The Tau are hopeful and growing whereas the more ancient powers are all declining and collapsing. But at the moment, the Tau Empire is about the size of Ultramar and just one of the many thousands of minor Xenos realms in the galaxy

Ultramar consists of 11 worlds. The Tau have 19 named Septs (and probably more)- which all include multiple habitated worlds. It also doesn't include the planets of their allies.

Wow. Hear that? Nineteen systems.

Even if you discount the craftworlds that refuse to have anything to do with the others or have been 'lost', they outnumber the Tau (there are twenty three known craftworlds, if you ignore the lost-but-not-destroyed ones, Dorhai and the Black Library)

They certainly out-tech them. Need I remind you that Eldar have man-portable point-to-point teleporters? Perfect, impossible-to-intercept FTL communications? Lossless squad communications with no possibility of the signal being scrambled or blocked outside the deployment of a few specific abilities that the Tau do not have access to?

Even if you discount prognostication and the Eldars' sheer speed, they have far more advantages than the Tau can even hope to bring to the table.

Some day, if they're left alone to breed and breed and develop, the Tau may threaten the other major players in the galaxy.

The only reason the Eldar aren't ruling the galaxy outright is because they don't have enough bodies to use all their technology.

How big is a craft world? I always imagine them as like space cites, but unless they are the size of planets then the eldar are at a severer population disadvantage. (They would also be kind of coll if they were planet size.) That is what is making me question the eldars ability to destroy the tau. Sure they can win a war with them, but I don't think they have the numbers completely wipe them out.

How big is a craft world? I always imagine them as like space cites, but unless they are the size of planets then the eldar are at a severer population disadvantage. (They would also be kind of coll if they were planet size.) That is what is making me question the eldars ability to destroy the tau. Sure they can win a war with them, but I don't think they have the numbers completely wipe them out.

Craftworlds tend to be very varied in size but all are colossal in scale. Small Craftworlds are often described to be close to large moons whilst others are closer to the size of planets. A lot is made about the size of the Eldar population and how they are outnumbered by the other factions but to put it into prospective each Craftworld has a population roughly equivalent to the number of humans alive on Earth today. Although the actual number of warriors each Craftworld has at their disposal is very dependent on how many are walking the warrior path at that time. They are still outnumbered hilariously by the likes of the Imperium and the Orks but they still possess significant numbers against smaller forces like the Tau.

Brother-Redemptor wrote:

How big is a craft world? I always imagine them as like space cites, but unless they are the size of planets then the eldar are at a severer population disadvantage. (They would also be kind of coll if they were planet size.) That is what is making me question the eldars ability to destroy the tau. Sure they can win a war with them, but I don't think they have the numbers completely wipe them out.

Craftworlds tend to be very varied in size but all are colossal in scale. Small Craftworlds are often described to be close to large moons whilst others are closer to the size of planets. A lot is made about the size of the Eldar population and how they are outnumbered by the other factions but to put it into prospective each Craftworld has a population roughly equivalent to the number of humans alive on Earth today. Although the actual number of warriors each Craftworld has at their disposal is very dependent on how many are walking the warrior path at that time. They are still outnumbered hilariously by the likes of the Imperium and the Orks but they still possess significant numbers against smaller forces like the Tau.

The number of warriors they have at their disposal is almost equal to their population. Pretty much every inhabitant of a craftworld has been trained at least to the level of Guardians.

Also they don't need troops to purge Tau. Eldar wepaon systems are more than capable of simply glassing a planet/ripping it apart with warp weaponry. Hell the gravitational field on a Craft World would be so large they could probably sling asteroids into a planet if they wanted.

 Wyzilla wrote:
Also they don't need troops to purge Tau. Eldar wepaon systems are more than capable of simply glassing a planet/ripping it apart with warp weaponry. Hell the gravitational field on a Craft World would be so large they could probably sling asteroids into a planet if they wanted.

Although I wouldn’t go as far as to suggest the Eldar would use the gravitational field of a Craftworld to sling asteroids at planets (they could but that seems a bit too Orky ) the main weapons on a Craftworld are definitely something to be feared.

You know, this thread is making me notice how alike the eldar and tau are.

nomotog wrote:
You know, this thread is making me notice how alike the eldar and tau are.

Yes, they've both taken some martial arts courses. Sadly the Tau is still a chubby little boy in kiddie Judo while the Eldar is an almost-immortal doing UFC matches in the top three. The little boy has potential, but he needs to grow up first.

Eldar squish the Tau so hard. Craftworlds are basically ships the size of moons, sporting weaponry to match. They achieve total space superiority, isolate Tau ground forces, and let them die on the vine. Tau planets get totally isolated, cut off from all communication and travel between their worlds. The Eldar assassinate all the Ethereals and the Tau then turn on themselves due to infighting.

Ignoring the fact that I doubt this confrontation would ever happen, I too would give it to the Eldar. The main disadvantage eldar have is their lack of numbers, which funnily enough might cease to apply if they were all united against the Tau, one of the smallest players in the galaxy. If the eldar absolutely had to win, they wouldn't be above using their silly stupid psychic super weapons, which the Tau would likely have a tough time countering. In terms of space & ground combat, it really depends on how many webway gates the eldar have in tau space and in what positions they are. If they have many, the eldar would likely run rings around the tau while masking the gates with psychic powers, then take them apart with their more skilled and more numerous warriors. If they only have a few, then things would become more difficult for them on the ground, though the vastness of space would make it less of a problem in the void.

Give the Tau time though. Their whole thing is potential and adaptability. If their empire were to vastly grow in size, then they could easily grow resilient enough to let their adaptability and reproduction come in to play, not to mention their technology! In comparison, the eldar only decline, with their one hope seemingly involving their entire race dying!

Against the Eldar, not having FTL communications would be a terrible weakness - even if the other elements are equal - which they are not.

There are also more Craftworlds than Tau worlds just going by those named in various sources. The perceived difference in numbers is therefore reversed - there are substantially more Eldar warriors and war machines than Tau.

If its total war - remember the Eldar will not hesitate to destroy civilian targets - like entire planetary populations and will take advantage of the Tau desire to protect them.

The only place that the Tau can maybe match them is with warfare on the surface of worlds... and that's situational depending on the targets selected.

Lastly - the Eldar Craftworlds would not be able to be attacked by the Tau unless any are traversing in or near their space.

The only unknown element is the other races that form part of the Tau Empire........

I voted Tau - in the long term at least. In a straight up, line them up against each other battle Eldar would probably come out on top, but the Eldar are a dying race, barely surviving. Tau are the opposite. Young, vibrant and expanding. The Tau are probably the most technologically adaptable race in the Galaxy too (biological adaptability goes to the 'nids of course!).

So yeah, long term? Tau probably win out.

 Aben Zin wrote:
I voted Tau - in the long term at least. In a straight up, line them up against each other battle Eldar would probably come out on top, but the Eldar are a dying race, barely surviving. Tau are the opposite. Young, vibrant and expanding. The Tau are probably the most technologically adaptable race in the Galaxy too (biological adaptability goes to the 'nids of course!).

So yeah, long term? Tau probably win out.

How long term are you thinking here? The question is who would win in a fight, not who would win in a fight in 1000 years time.

It is unlikely the tau would adapt fast enough to deal with the eldar once a conflict began.

Winning the fight in 1000 year is still winning!

It's worth remembering that the Eldar Craftworlds are (correct me if I'm wrong here) pretty spread out through the Galaxy, whereas the Tau are concentrated in their empire. If the two races just decided to go to war on day it would take time for the Eldar to bring to bear enough forces to totally defeat the Tau in one go.

In fact by striking at the closer Eldar the Tau could take the Eldar apart piecemeal before the Eldar had the chance to bring their superior numbers (it feels weird typing those words about the Eldar!) into play.

This would also allow the Tau to adapt their tactics against the Eldar through the initial conflicts to better deal with the Eldar reinforcements.

 Aben Zin wrote:
Winning the fight in 1000 year is still winning!

It's worth remembering that the Eldar Craftworlds are (correct me if I'm wrong here) pretty spread out through the Galaxy, whereas the Tau are concentrated in their empire. If the two races just decided to go to war on day it would take time for the Eldar to bring to bear enough forces to totally defeat the Tau in one go.

In fact by striking at the closer Eldar the Tau could take the Eldar apart piecemeal before the Eldar had the chance to bring their superior numbers (it feels weird typing those words about the Eldar!) into play.

This would also allow the Tau to adapt their tactics against the Eldar through the initial conflicts to better deal with the Eldar reinforcements.

The Tau don't know where the Eldar are and they don't simply have a fleet that could both assault a Craftworld (and its own fleet) and also guard their homeworlds.

Problem is - every important area of the war the Eldar win:

Technology: Eldar Tech is much better than Tau tech.
Communications: Eldar have FTL/instantenous, Tau rely on spaceships to communicate - hugely vulnerable and slow.
Void Warfare: The best Tau ships are about on par with Imperial Cruisers/ Battle Cruisers - they are simply no match for Eldar fleets which include truely deadily battleships even in their Corsair fleets.
Psychic abilities: Although the Tau have some strong psychic client races - they seldom use them, All eldar are psychic and they have some of the strongest in the whole galaxy.
Mercenaries: Kroot may well sell their services to the "stronger" force - the Eldar

 Aben Zin wrote:
Winning the fight in 1000 year is still winning!

It's worth remembering that the Eldar Craftworlds are (correct me if I'm wrong here) pretty spread out through the Galaxy, whereas the Tau are concentrated in their empire. If the two races just decided to go to war on day it would take time for the Eldar to bring to bear enough forces to totally defeat the Tau in one go.

In fact by striking at the closer Eldar the Tau could take the Eldar apart piecemeal before the Eldar had the chance to bring their superior numbers (it feels weird typing those words about the Eldar!) into play.

This would also allow the Tau to adapt their tactics against the Eldar through the initial conflicts to better deal with the Eldar reinforcements.

The Eldar travel through the Webway. The Craftworlds do not actually need to be anywhere near Tau space for their armies and fleets to attack the Tau. To the Tau, it would just be like they appear out of thin air. Also, the Tau would be incapable of locating and attacking a Craftworld because the Tau ability for space travel is highly limited.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

 Aben Zin wrote:
Winning the fight in 1000 year is still winning!

It's worth remembering that the Eldar Craftworlds are (correct me if I'm wrong here) pretty spread out through the Galaxy, whereas the Tau are concentrated in their empire. If the two races just decided to go to war on day it would take time for the Eldar to bring to bear enough forces to totally defeat the Tau in one go.

In fact by striking at the closer Eldar the Tau could take the Eldar apart piecemeal before the Eldar had the chance to bring their superior numbers (it feels weird typing those words about the Eldar!) into play.

This would also allow the Tau to adapt their tactics against the Eldar through the initial conflicts to better deal with the Eldar reinforcements.

The Eldar travel through the Webway. The Craftworlds do not actually need to be anywhere near Tau space for their armies and fleets to attack the Tau. To the Tau, it would just be like they appear out of thin air. Also, the Tau would be incapable of locating and attacking a Craftworld because the Tau ability for space travel is highly limited.

And in the event they did find a craft world they'd be incredibly (wraith)boned.

 Aben Zin wrote:
In fact by striking at the closer Eldar the Tau could take the Eldar apart piecemeal before the Eldar had the chance to bring their superior numbers (it feels weird typing those words about the Eldar!) into play.

This would also allow the Tau to adapt their tactics against the Eldar through the initial conflicts to better deal with the Eldar reinforcements.

How would the Tau strike at "closer" Eldar? The Tau are entirely confined to their region of space. They've barely made it past the Damocles Gulf and even the Farsight Enclaves, which are extremely close by any of the other main factions' standards, are so far as to make reliable communication virtually impossible for the Tau. That's how he was able to go renegade - they can't even rein him in because they can't deal with the distance.

I mean seriously, look at this map and see how easily this distance would be traversed by the other factions:


The Imperial forces involved in the Damocles Crusade dealt with far greater distances, something the Tau simply aren't capable of.

 Aben Zin wrote:
Winning the fight in 1000 year is still winning!

This is being extremely optimistic. The Tau don't have the luxury of a thousand years when the Eldar have access to the Webway and to weapons that can wipe out stars.

In any Tau/Eldar conflict, the Eldar will be the ones to dictate the rules of engagement as they are the only ones who can feasibly attack the other faction within a reasonable time frame. Using the Webway, or even without it, the Eldar will be able to strike at will, whereas the Tau will always be on the defensive.

And yes, the Eldar are able to fight in pitched battles and capable of assaulting Hives, as well as massacring their inhabitants, as seen in Planetstrike (the Scouring of Gnosis, http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Scouring_of_Gnosis).

Spetulhu wrote:

nomotog wrote:
You know, this thread is making me notice how alike the eldar and tau are.

Yes, they've both taken some martial arts courses. Sadly the Tau is still a chubby little boy in kiddie Judo while the Eldar is an almost-immortal doing UFC matches in the top three. The little boy has potential, but he needs to grow up first.

They're entirely different genres though.

Tau are from a Realistic Robot mecha anime like Patlabor or VOTOMS. They're pretty cool, but when it gets down to it, their machines are limited by what passes for physics in 40k and sensible "this could be real" technology.

Eldar, on the other hand, are Psychic Ninja Space Elves, backed up by Wraithknights

HoundsofDemos wrote:
The Eldar have leaders that can read the future with a fair degree of accuracy, and if all the craftwords are united and working together this ability would likely become even more accurate.

The Eldar have only a moderate amount of experience working with each other- fluff has plenty of examples of conflict between craft worlds over different sets of predictions. Arrogant as they are, I have a hard time seeing them settling on one leader.

I think infighting between them is a potential advantage for the Tau that no pro-Eldar person has considered.


Speaking of which, we do have a few examples of Eldar/Tau conflict. Given what happened to Lilarsus, if Ilyanden had the means to destroy planets outright, it would have. Yes, Ilyanden isn't exactly at the height of its power (and never again will be), they failed to defeat the Tau in a weeks-long battle at a colony world- let along a Sept world. (This is mentioned in the Ilyanden supplement).

I think infighting between them is a potential advantage no pro-Eldar person has considered.

Considering that this is Eldar vs Tau + Enclaves, I can't imagine the Eldar will be the only ones with internal issues...

 EmpNortonII wrote:

I think infighting between them is a potential advantage no pro-Eldar person has considered

Probably because the base assumption here is that its all of the united Eldar vs the united Tau.

Anyway, if both sides are committed to total annihilation of the other, the Tau are in deep trouble.

I see the scenario playing out as follows,


1) Sept world X is subjected to several months of harassing raids by Eldar pirates and mobile unit. This draws out Tau forces to mount a counter attack. These raids also disable all Tau communication arrays, cutting the planet off from the rest of the empire.

2) Prior to this counter attack, the resident Ethereal gives a rallying speech to the Fire Caste, which is naturally broadcast planet wide.

3) At this speech, the Ethereal gets assassinated in front of everyone by Pathfinders/Striking Scorpions/Howling Banshees who appear and disappear before the entire Tau populace. This severely demoralizes the Tau forces.

4) At this same moment, an Eldar fleet appears in orbit, including several Craftworlds. The Tau space forces are trivially dispatched by ships larger than most moons and the accompanying fleet. Tau ground forces and civilians are exterminated from orbit, any who flee are cut down by the more mobile elements of the Eldar forces. The Tau are never allowed to fight in a pitched battle, its death by a thousand cuts from a mostly unseen foe(other than the massive planetoid sized ships in orbit)

5) Rinse and repeat for every individual Tau world. And given how many Craftworlds we know exist, they could probably do the above simultaneously to 7-8 Septs.

 Big Blind Bill wrote:

I think infighting between them is a potential advantage no pro-Eldar person has considered.

Considering that this is Eldar vs Tau + Enclaves, I can't imagine the Eldar will be the only ones with internal issues...

Farsight still believes in the Greater Good. At most, that's still just Farsight vs Aun'Va.

The Eldar are going to have at least one arrogant presumed-leader for each Craftworld, and all of them are cocky donkey-caves who think they know better than anyone else... even other Eldar.

 EmpNortonII wrote:

Farsight still believes in the Greater Good. At most, that's still just Farsight vs Aun'Va.

The Eldar are going to have at least one arrogant presumed-leader for each Craftworld, and all of them are cocky donkey-caves who think they know better than anyone else... even other Eldar.

The OP stated:

 raiden wrote:
Assume craftworlds are united, but still as they are, each led by their own council,

For tau, assume they are as they are, save the enclaves are working with/under the main faction again.

It's pretty straight-forward, no?

I think we can assume both factions are united in the sense that they want to wipe the other faction out. And we already have examples of the Eldar working together (Great Exodus, Scouring of Gnosis, etc). They might have big egos but not to the point of not being able to work together.

And you still haven't addressed the Tau's limited ability for interstellar travel. Again, the Eldar will have the initiative here as the Tau have trouble maintaining communications and have no means of power projection beyond their own turf.

It also means the Eldar can easily setup ambushes for any Tau ships. They will have huge advance notice of where they will be. Heck the same Eldar fleet could detect 2 Tau forces light years away from each other, kill the one that arrives first, then go and kill the second one.

Please note, when I say unified, I mean their entire populace/resources, this doesn't mean they follow one 'leader' my apologies, so in fighting could play a part, though it may be less likely in this scenario

 raiden wrote:
Please note, when I say unified, I mean their entire populace/resources, this doesn't mean they follow one 'leader' my apologies, so in fighting could play a part, though it may be less likely in this scenario

Oh, well as long as they're working towards the overall same goal and are at least coordinating a bit, then it wouldn't change the situation that much as the odds are already heavily stacked in the Eldar's favor.

It might also be worth mentioning that the Tau/Farsight Enclave conflict is more serious than any Craftworld Eldar infighting (at least as far as I know, any examples anyone?). The Tau Empire basically considers him a heretic as he's been able to break free from the Ethereal's domination. Basically, the truth about the Ethereal's control could lead to the whole empire falling apart. That's way more serious than any ego issues an Autarch might have.

 EmpNortonII wrote:
Speaking of which, we do have a few examples of Eldar/Tau conflict. Given what happened to Lilarsus, if Ilyanden had the means to destroy planets outright, it would have. Yes, Ilyanden isn't exactly at the height of its power (and never again will be), they failed to defeat the Tau in a weeks-long battle at a colony world- let along a Sept world. (This is mentioned in the Ilyanden supplement).

"Due to Tau tenacity, the conflict continued for several weeks until both sides discovered that the initial raid on Kel'shan was done by the Dark Eldar Archon Andross Klax. Iyanden disengaged, snubbing the Tau's hand of friendship but nonetheless pledged themselves to making Klax pay for the unnecessary Eldar blood he spilled."
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Battle_of_Ka%27mais

The conflict didn't play out until the end. The Eldar disengaged to prevent unnecessary losses. This conflict is at most a minor skirmish, without the full commitment of the Iyanden forces (and it should be obvious why they would use their forces sparingly, after Hive Fleet Kraken). Also, I don't have the supplement available right now but I doubt the Craftworld itself got involved (as in appeared in Tau space and all that).

I should also mention Gnosis Prime had a population of 50 billion and was heavily defended and reinforced with famous IG regiments. The Eldar can strike hard when they choose to do so.
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Gnosis_Prime

The Damocles Crusade also ended in the Imperium's forces withdrawing. Doesn't = the Imperium being unable to wipe out the Tau. It just means they didn't commit enough resources at the time.

The hypothetical scenario we're discussing is different. It has both sides pitting all of their available resources against each other, meaning the factions are willing to shed blood.

 EmpNortonII wrote:
Given what happened to Lilarsus, if Ilyanden had the means to destroy planets outright, it would have.

We have a very specific example of six Craftworlds uniting to wipe out all suns within sixty light years. That is stated in the rulebook. It doesn't mean a single Craftworld (Iyanden) can wipe out planets at will or is even willing to do so, especially over a minor conflict. It's the same reason the Imperium doesn't just go exterminatus on every planet they come across.

However, for this specific hypothetical scenario, we have to assume they at least have the capability to do so. There's also an entire Craftworld (Iybraesil) dedicated to retrieving lost technologies and doomsday artifacts.

Finally, we all know this conflict comes down to the Eldar invading the Tau Empire as the Tau don't have the ability to strike out at the Eldar beyond their own little corner of the galaxy (at least in force). So yea, it might involve a lot of waiting for all the Craftworlds to gather (or maybe they'd just use the Webway) but it still gives the Eldar the initiative to strike as they please.

*Phew* sorry for massive post, wanted to get it all out there. Hope someone at least reads it

Ok after giving it some thought I have to give it to the Eldar, not because I don’t like the Tau because I do or because they are weak because they defiantly are not but because they just have too many disadvantages in this fight.
Probably the most important is that the Tau are located in a fairly small piece of space and their important strategic locations are for the most part very static and easy to locate. It would be like a galactic scale version of shooting fish in a barrel. In comparison thanks to the Webway the Eldar’s Craftworlds can be on the other side of the galaxy safe from any Tau attack even if the Tau could find them. Because of this the Tau would have no idea where the Eldar are coming from and will be stuck defending their worlds without having the ability to strike back in kind.

Speaking of the Webway someone mentioned earlier that the Eldar can no longer create Webway tunnels. This is not entirely true; they have indeed lost the ability to create permanent tunnels through the Warp but they can still create temporary tunnels when needed. During the Eye of Terror Campaign the Ulthwe strike forces would use small portable Webway portals to open small tunnels through the Warp just large enough so that a Wraithlord could walk through without trouble. These devises are not even uncommon as they have been used in the Eldar path series and even appeared in the Daemonifuge comics. So yes the larger things like Wraithknights, titans or super heavy tanks would have to rely on the Eldar ships (as if that’s a disadvantage) to get them to the battlefield if there isn’t a Webway portal nearby but things like aspect warriors or fire prisms would have no problem suddenly appearing out of thin air.

Another important factor is the Eldar war mask. It doesn’t matter if the Eldar in his or her normal life is the nicest and gentlest person you could meet once they put on their war masks and adopt their war persona they become a stone hearted killer. Things like mercy and restraint don’t exist; it doesn’t matter if its men, women or children they will dispatch them with the same cold indifference. The Tau on the other hand will attempt to protect their civilians leaving them venerable and once again on the defence robbing them of any tactical flexibility.

There are many other problems the Tau will have to overcome but some have already been addressed so there really is no need for me to repeat them.

Ok now this part is just for fun so don’t take it too seriously. I know the title is only the Craftworlds vs the Tau but despite what some Black Library writers would like you to believe the Eldar do not make a habit of standing in neat lines politely waiting to be shot. As we all know the Eldar will always try to avoid any unnecessary conflicts (well at least the Craftworlders will) and if this war was to take place the Farseers would have seen it and judged that it was unavoidable and would have made preparations to stack the odds in their favour.
If the two groups were to actually go to war it would go something like this:

Phase 1: What the hell was that?
Many weeks, months or years before the start of the conflict Eldar Rangers start to secretly operate within Tau space. A little industrial accident here a few unimportant missing people (who just so happen would have played major roles in the Tau war effort) here. Oh did that Tau commander just fall accidentally from his balcony oh dear.
Eldar corsair fleets begin to harass the Tau fleets drawing them away from where they need to be.

Phase 2: I have a dream:
Several Ork Warbosses near Tau space suddenly start to receive visions from Gork and Mork telling them to head to Tau space as there is going to be a really good war soon.
The Tau forces that have been protecting the fringes of their empire wake up one morning to find a great big green tide heading straight for them. As they start to fight they are suddenly attacked from behind by a mysteries enemy that seems to vanish into thin air before they can counter attack. The attacks don’t do a huge amount of damage but do distract and weaken them enough for the Orks to batter their way through.
The Eldar fleets continue to follow the Orks just out of sight but only intervene if it looks like the Tau are gaining the advantage.

Phase 3: Who, What, Where:
Finding their Empire suddenly surrounded by a very loud and smelly enemy the Tau turn to their Ethereals for guidance only to find that they have been suddenly disposed of by an unknown assailant. Leaderless the Tau’s cohesion and command structure begins to break down as discipline and moral starts to deteriorate.
Strange aliens start to appear leaving nothing but a bloody slaughter in their wake. In a panic the citizens begin to turn on each other.

Phase 4: A job well done:
As the core of the Tau Empire starts to collapse the separate Orks Waaaghs begin to merge into a much bigger and stronger Waaagh that continues to brutally encircle the now desperate remains of the once proud Tau Empire.
As the final act begins the Eldar simple sit back in their comfy chairs grab a soda and some popcorn and enjoy the show.

Result: the Tau lose a war that they didn’t even know they where fighting.

 EngulfedObject wrote:


I should also mention Gnosis Prime had a population of 50 billion and was heavily defended and reinforced with famous IG regiments. The Eldar can strike hard when they choose to do so.
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Gnosis_Prime

I think that Gnosis says less about how great the Eldar are and more about how incredibly gakky Imperial troops and PDF are.

Just because you don't really hear of it, or it is considered a more dark elder style of thing to do, I doubt very much that eldar scientists (if that's what you would call them?) haven't tampered with or continue to work on biological weapons. Pretty sure with how advanced the Eldar are that they could wipe out every tau planet with just a small canister filled with whatever vile substance they have decided will do the trick.