Tau Battlesuits

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**radiohazard**

Why is it that the XV8 is always the most difficult thing to try and incorporate into an army?

I mean it's all well and good for someone to say that the Fireknife Configuration (Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Multi-tracker) is a good all-rounder, which it is, but it sucks against horde armies.

Deathrain (TL Missile Pods, TA or TL) is brilliant against Light Vehicles and Mid armour troops, but they suck against MEQ and Terminators.

So I have a question for the Tau players and anyone that is in the know - what configuration do you use?

I have a commander with Plasma Rifle, Fusion Blaster, Missile Pod and HW Multi-Tracker and he seems to well due to versatility.

Normal XV8's don't have this versatility.

Any comments?

**Doombot001**

My commander is armed w/Airburst, Plasma, and Missilepod. My old one was w/Cyclic Ion Blaster and Plasma and he kept dying. As soon as I switched out, my Shas'O hasn't been killed yet.

My normal config is 2 suits w/Twin Missile Pods and 1 w/Missile Pod and Plasma. They normally do well and are a great thorn in my opponents side. These guys are my Anti-Armor units.

My other team is Flamers and Fusion Blasters w/one suit w/a Burst Cannon and Flamer. So far this team hasn't done squat cause they either keep dying before they can do the job, or they mishap Deepstriking.

I try and have my suits dedicated to one specific task. I have one suit w/a Fusion Blaster and Missile Pod but haven't really used it. My thinking is if you make the suits a Jack of All Trades, they'll be a master of none.

**radiohazard**

Thas the problem with the Fireknife. The commander I use is really effective mainly because I only use the Fusion blaster for close range punch and IC killing. Vehicle kills are a bonus.

**gameandwatch**

I found that role specific suits seem to be the only true option to XV8s, with their BS they simply seem to suffer greatly with multitasking. I have never liked fire-knives, they are expensive, and have drastically different weapons. That said, I love both missle pods and plasma rifles and am figuring ways to fit both of them in, right now using a deathrain squad and plasma unit attached to an HQ.

Two loadouts that to my surprise I have had more success than any other are Firestorms and what I call "objective bombs"

Firestorms are burst/missle/multi and are great at multitasking transport destruction and troop destruction. This synergies well because they can pop transports from afar, and then eat up the troops inside. Have worked great for me, very reliable.

Second group aka "Objective bomb", or Thunderblaze are a team leader with twin flame/missle/ HWMT and either one or two more suits that are twinflame/missle
and twinmissle/flame(if there are two more, otherwise ijust run the twinflame. Even against MEQs, with the pos relay and pathfinder fish, you hit extremely accurately very close, or close enough but behind cover to hit next turn, and every weapon ignores cover, and almost hits automatically, and almost all hits reroll wounds.

Its not uncommon for me to whipe out an entire 10 man marine squad or kill a 20 man ork, or imperial, or tyranid squad with this. if you dont use the pos relay, and manage to save these guys for last with an outflanking kroot unit, then you have a crisis group which either destroys or severly cripples the rear objective holders, and a kroot unit to either mop and take over, or simply take over the objective. As well, with the missle pods on both or all three suits, you now have long ranged access to the rear armor of the enemies tank line...

**radiohazard**

I'm thinking of using 1 3 man Deathrain squad and two Fireknife two man squads. Or maybe the Fusion plasma build.

Not sure.

Firestorm sounds good.

**mattv2099**

I use one 'el fireknife and 9 'ui fireknives. That's between 30 and 40 shots per turn. Easy to wax an infantry squad or two per turn. Trick with these guys is to keep them all together and focus their fire at the same targets and use pathfinders to increase their BS. Along with a couple of Hammerheads you've got some deadly anti hoarde. use your pirhanna and devilfish to block and slow down enemy units.

**radiohazard**

I just had a look at the following page and the guy who wrote it makes some good points:

http://www.librarium-online.com/forums/tau-empire/153486-xv8-depth-guide-updated-5th.html

I do disagree with one:

Blade storm - Plasma rifle, Burst cannon and either Targeting array or Multi tracker.

The author of the article says that the CIB is better here than the Burst Cannon. Well Duh!!! Problem is a Tau army can only have one CIB.
To me the Bladestorm is a good configuration - cheap, has a singular role on the battlefield (unlike the Fireknife) and it is a very good support suit for the Firewarriors, whose soul duty it is to destroy infantry and take objectives.

Any comments???

**Archonate**

Seems best to give that CIB to a high BS character like the Shas'o. Might as well dedicate him to anti-infantry.

**radiohazard**

Archonate wrote:Seems best to give that CIB to a high BS character like the Shas'o. Might as well dedicate him to anti-infantry.

I'm going to add a Shas'el to my army with a CIB, Plasma Rifle, Targeting Array and HW MT. 100 points of infantry killyness.

**warboss**

i've fielded the CIB for the past 5 months and haven't killed anyone with it. the local meta is 90% marines and i've never rolled a 6! that's luck, not bad rules though. personally, i think the suits are overpriced and overrated but they are the soul of the only anime 40k army. i field a squad of 3 and a commander for a grand total of 4, with the squad all being pg/ml variety. somehow, the most experienced tau warriors with a dozen years of combat experience have the same skill with ranged weapons as the firewarrior who just fell off the turnip gravfish. the suits should probably be cheaper by 5 points or get bs4 for the same price, imho.

**radiohazard**

I agree Warboss. I think keep the same pts and up the BS to 4. Personally I think you are not running enough suits, but this is down to personal preference.

**Doombot001**

Hmmmm....

Talk about the CIB's got me thinking. My new Shas'O has the Airburst, Plasma and Missile Pod. This isn't going to change.

But what if, for the second HQ slot I take a Shas'El w/CIB, Plasma, and Burst Cannon? Archonate and radiohazard seem to think this'll be a good anti-infantry Crisis Suit. Thoughts?

**Archonate**

I think giving the Airburst to the Shas'o is a waste of his high BS. The CIB has the most potential in his hands because more hits = more chances to roll 6's. I'd give Airburst to the Shas'el personally.

**warboss**

the way i see it is that you can count on the shaso to not deviate more than anyone else in the game. 1/3 of the scatter dice is "hit" so two thirds deviate... if you think that up to 2" of deviation is acceptable (i do), then you'll be within that another 50% of the time (so another 1/3)... basically, you have a 2/3 chance of putting the template within 2" of where you want.

**radiohazard**

Doombot001 wrote:Hmmmm....

Talk about the CIB's got me thinking. My new Shas'O has the Airburst, Plasma and Missile Pod. This isn't going to change.

But what if, for the second HQ slot I take a Shas'El w/CIB, Plasma, and Burst Cannon? Archonate and radiohazard seem to think this'll be a good anti-infantry Crisis Suit. Thoughts?

Hmmm - I'd use that config on a Shas'o. CIB, Plasma and Burst is good on a Shas'o because of his BS 5. The Shas'el needs a TA to be effective here. The whole 8 shots from the CIB and Burst Cannon at BS 5 against a low armoured infantry unit is just sick. Against MEQ, 6-7 Shots, with up to two ignoring Power Armour isn't too shabby either.

But I can't stress this enough - only the Shas'o should have a 3 weapon suit config. The Shas'el should only ever have 2 weapons and a TA.

I might actually have two Shas'o in my army now, just for a Sunfire Config (PR, MP and FB with HW MT) to take out light vehicles at range and MEQs close up and a Thunderblade (PR, BC, CIB with HW MT and possibly some Gundrones) to wipeout infantry.

Shas'o in Sunfire Class XV8 = 124
PR, FB, MP, HW MT.

Shas'o in Thunderblade Class XV8 = 123
CIB, BC, PR, HW MT.

They are not that expensive points wise and they do get the job done.

BTW - I coined Thunderblade.

**CatPeeler**

I absolutely swear by twin flamer / missilepod. It's a dirt cheap (6 points for twin flamer!) loadout and is stupidly effective. It all boils down to making your opponent roll a bucket of saves.

Against a typical tactical squad, each suit should hit 5-8 marines. I run my shas'el alongside a trio of elites, so that usually means between 20-30 hits (my personal best is 36 against a full squad of ten), of which 15 to 22 will wound. Against MEQ that translates to 5-8 dead, without any support from the rest of the army. Even if you can't spare any other fire to polish 'em off, that unit of four suits + drones has a pretty good shot at wiping them out in assault.

The primary target for this type of attack, obviously, is any tightly-clustered chunk of infantry. These can be units which failed to destroy a vehicle in assault, units which just tumbled out of a wrecked/destroyed transport, anything that just deepstruck in, or horde units.

When I'm playing my Tau, you know what makes my whole week?

a) Assault unit charges warfish

b) Assault unit eats faceful of flechettes

c) Assault unit fails to roll enough 6's to hit, doesn't immobilize/destroy vehicle.

d) Warfish backs up, unloads 7 dice O' dakka.

e) crisis suits pounce, incinerating whatever's left of the nicely-packed assaulting unit.

*contented sigh*

Best of all, if there's nothing within flamer range, you're almost guaranteed to find a target for 6-8 missiles.

**Doombot001**

My Crisis Suits aren't magnetized so I have to go with what I put on them. Except the CIB Plasma Rifle commander. I'm thinking I'll put on the Burst Cannon and have him be the 2nd HQ Shas'O as you mentioned, radiohazard. Thanks for the idea!

I think it goes w/out questions that they'll have multi-trackers cause I love shooting at things with more than one type of weapon. I like the idea of having gun drones accompany him, but every single game I've played with my CIB Commander, he's died. Even WITH gun drones. Maybe have shield gen in addition to gun drones?

My Airburst Commander does pretty well. I'll shoot the airburst, then pick off any surviving troops with either missilepod or plasma rifle...depending on what army I'm fighting. I usually have him run solo (I try to stick to his theme I've created for him).

I'm getting really excited about adding the Burst cannon to the CIB commander though....lovin it.

**radiohazard**

Doombot001 wrote:My Crisis Suits aren't magnetized so I have to go with what I put on them. Except the CIB Plasma Rifle commander. I'm thinking I'll put on the Burst Cannon and have him be the 2nd HQ Shas'O as you mentioned, radiohazard. Thanks for the idea!

I think it goes w/out questions that they'll have multi-trackers cause I love shooting at things with more than one type of weapon. I like the idea of having gun drones accompany him, but every single game I've played with my CIB Commander, he's died. Even WITH gun drones. Maybe have shield gen in addition to gun drones?

My Airburst Commander does pretty well. I'll shoot the airburst, then pick off any surviving troops with either missilepod or plasma rifle...depending on what army I'm fighting. I usually have him run solo (I try to stick to his theme I've created for him).

I'm getting really excited about adding the Burst cannon to the CIB commander though....lovin it.

NP dude.

Shield Gens are expensive and generally not worth it. Using a bodyguard however is