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Im trying to make a good firewarrior squad but i have no idea on what would be ideal. Its not going to be in a devilfish. How should i make it?

Ummm..... as a long time tau player, I will tell you this... Fire warriors are not good, not in the sightest. There is only one function that I have found appropriate for them beyond the standard mandatory 6 in devilfish, and thats giving 6 emp for a last ditch effort to kill a vehicle. Other than that, refrain from using them, or you will regret it...

If you're not putting 6 in a devilfish you're doing it wrong.

Keep 6 Fire Warriors in a Pathfinder Devilfish. Have them hide there and make the vehicle score.

You're asking about firewarrior strategy, not firewarrior tactics.

I'd get two squads of twelve. Give one all carbines to go on the advance and the other all rifles to stay and guard objectives for instance. But don't trust what I say as I haven't had a proper Tau game yet!

Tau Firewarriors just get eaten alive. They really stink. Sure they have a great gun. But they die so badly its not funny.

I bring 2 squads and I put them in devilfish. Generally I bring 9-12 of them. and will hop them out on rare occasions to shoot the crap out of something board up again and run.

I wish they werent so terrible but they are.

OP:

I despise Kroot. I'm a purist whether I take Farsight or not. Depending on point level, I typically have one of three configurations with my firewarriors.

1. Squad of 12, Shas'ui with a hand-held markerlight, pulse rifles
2. Squad of 12, Shas'ui with a hand-held markerlight, hard-wired drone controller and either two gun drones or two network markerlight drones, pulse rifles
3. Squad of 12, Shas'ui with a hand-held markerlight, drones dependent on points, with 3/4 pulse rifles, 1/4 pulse carbine.

For a mechanized list, 6 firewarriors are fine, but the only devilfish I ever really approve of are the ones that the pathfinders are getting out of and passing off to firewarriors.

Firewarriors provide volume of fire or onion layers depending on how you want to play them. 12 firewarriors rapidfiring 24 STR5 shots at BS5 needing 2+ to hit and 3+ to wound against marines is 4-5 dead marines. While pathfinders are awesome, they can't split their markerlight fire on multiple targets, and 6 markerlights on something at range is typically overkill, unless its a smoked landraider; then you're spending three to remove cover, and spending two more to make your broadside team BS5 too.

As Tau, my firewarriors sit in cover and throw markerlights downrange until units close in close enough for me to apply those pulse rifles generously - sometimes I throw in a couple of pulse carbines on the off-chance of causing a pinning test.

Alternatively, those firewarriors serve as an onion. I castle up in a corner and wrap my army in multiple layers of firewarriors. Whatever survives to get through to me and assault piles into the outermost firewarrior squad and eats them. In return, they get rapid fired by the next inner firewarrior squad and anything else inside my castle that I need to contribute - and if they survive, they assault into another firewarrior squad.

The obvious weakness is in taking objectives, but regardless of the army I play, I play to table people, not to take objectives. You can shoot an enemy off an objective easily enough, especially with markerlight support, and you'll learn quickly about your own objective placements - marching firewarriors across the entire board is a waste of time, and putting them in devilfish defeats the purpose of the vehicle-less mostly static lists I prefer to employ....so objective games come down to nabbing anything close mid to late game and denying the enemy theirs with firepower.

You can onion just as well with Kroot; I just dislike them from a fluff perspective.

I tried the Onion tactic against the guy who won our 'ardboyz... (blood angels)

He could not get to my Broadsides for about 2 extra turns...

if you really want them to damage deal then you'll want to do a mass FOF (mines bigger than normal including 24 rifles, 11 carbines with a few markerlights along with 3 warfish and a Railhead. it's a lot of points but so far nothing thats eaten that's lived barring termies and they lost about 6 or 7 members and a wounded leader.

Generally in games of below 2000 pts (thats when I run this) then it's just min units in DF. So much more point effective until you can dish out obscene amaounts of damage that they'll be almost guaranteed dead.

Well, I also happen to be a huge fan of plasma/fusion suits, so terminators are a gleeful sight on the table for me.

Although people quickly crap all over Firewarriors, they aren't that bad. I like them being used in mini-pathfinder configuration with 2 Marker Drones and a shas'ui w/markerlight.

Tau vehicles are so ludicrously overcosted for what they do that I've found myself going back to a more mobile infantry approach - if you ever want to feel like you're playing a 2000 point game with a 1500 point army - play mech tau.

Seriously 120 points for a AV12 skimmer that shoots 7 S5 shots? It wouldn't be so bad IF the devilfish had something worthwhile to transport, but it really doesn't. The 7 shots, (if something's within 18" and your only moving 6") are all well and good, but you've already got TONS of s5 or better shots in a tau army.

Compare the AV12 skimmer to 2 Chimeras with multi-lasers, heavy bolters, and stubbers. That's 9 or 10 shots per vehicles at Str. 4, Str 5 and Str 6 for the same cost. In addition, they are transporting melta vets. They also synergies well in that they provide the IG with a nice mid-strength, long(ish) shooting attack that most of the infantry lack.

Or better yet, compare to a Vendetta. 130 points for three twin-linked lascannons, an AV12 fast moving, scouting skimmer that can (once again) actually carry something worthwhile.

Tau players have a love affair with their tanks and I don't get it.

Dashofpepper wrote:OP:

Alternatively, those firewarriors serve as an onion. I castle up in a corner and wrap my army in multiple layers of firewarriors. Whatever survives to get through to me and assault piles into the outermost firewarrior squad and eats them. In return, they get rapid fired by the next inner firewarrior squad and anything else inside my castle that I need to contribute - and if they survive, they assault into another firewarrior squad.

How do you deal with Doom of Malatai when you castle up? All your layers of Firewarriors take Ld test at 3d6 and suffer casualties.
Also, not forgetting your layers of models being tank shocked, and opponent opening up a path into your broadsides. I think bubble wrapping is an outdated technique already, not quite useful in 5th Ed or against the newer codex.