Tau stealth suits

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**4M2A**

I've seen a lot of hate for stealth suits on the intenet and until recently I agreed that crisis suits were much better. But once I started looking at it I don't think stealth suits are really that bad. A large unit can give you 18 S5 shots and only cost 180 points. This is about the cost of a unit of crisis suits but has more wounds, is harder to shoot at and is a lot better at killing most troops.

So why do people seem to dislike them so much?
If you do use them how do you get the best results?

**kenshin620**

Well I guess its that you're like using eldar except a lot less WS and BS and CC abilities. Instead you get short ranged assault guns and jetpacks (that makes markerlights usable right?)

So its pretty much a complete anti infantry unit since 2 fusion blasters doesnt do much. I mean it can do its work brilliantly with 6 suits and 2 drones. But as you said thats 180 points for just 6 suits. 18 Fire warriors can pump out twice as many shots at rapid fire range. So I guess thpoints spent on some low T jetpack burst cannons doesnt look too appealing when you could get some more crisis suits, fire warriors, broadsides, etc

**Kroot Loops**

Generally the problem with stealth suits is that the army has an abundance of str 5 ap5 weapons, fire warriors, SMS, Gun Drones, Burst Cannons on Hammerheads, while crisis suits are your platforms for plasma, missile pods, fusion guns, and flamers. I actually like Stealth suits, but for a competitive list, they don't usually make the cut.

The other thing about stealth suits is their stealthfield doesn't help them out a whole lot. The average roll for night vision is 21". 18" range +6" jump puts you at 27", which is good, but then the enemy moves 6" towards you before testing, putting you back at 18", which is bad. They are great at plinking away at heavy weapon squads in the backfield that can't move and shoot though.

**4M2A**

True about having a lot of S5 guns already. I usuallly find them useful as I lack anything good at killing horde armies, but then that may be because I keep my FW in their Dfish all game. FW seem a bit fragile for anything other than holding objectives whereas stealth suits have a higher T more armour and have jet packs.

Combined with Marker lights they could work. 18 S5 BS5 shots doesn't sound bad.

**Kroot Loops**

stealth suits are still T3 aren't they? It's been a while, so i could be wrong.

I sometimes run a silly expensive unit for fun games, six stealth suits all with targeting arrays. it lays down a pretty nice volume of fire.

**Jaon**

They have a very precise use, which other units can do better. I would fear for the lives of a tactical marine squad If I had 6 stealth suits knocking on their doors, but against a horde of orks, wounding on a 2+ and passing armour, your going to be killing close to 10 orks. Along with the expected ranged back up tau require to function, you have stopped the 20 man ork squad.

**Acardia**

I think the biggest issue is that they are 1) over priced, 2) compete with crisis suits which currently define the army and their tactics.

**Backfire**

Kroot Loops wrote:stealth suits are still T3 aren't they? It's been a while, so i could be wrong.

They're T3, though they do have 3+ save.

I use Stealth suits sometimes, though purely for fun. They seem to work about 50% of the time. They're pricey and fragile and limited in what they do, and use up a precious Elite slot.

But they are fun!

**Corndoggy**

I have been using stealth suits in Kill team games quite a bit recently. They really seem to shine in this particular game type, as there is not as many rock hard units to give them trouble (not in our Gaming group anyway)

As to using them in regular games, the fact that they take away a shiny crisis slot seems to be the main reason people don't want them...

**qlmaX5**

The biggest plus for stealth squads is that you can choose between them Deep Striking or Infiltrating, and they can support units like Tanks and Broadsides with markerlights. Instead of thinking "they are using an Elites slot that could be used for a couple Crisis Battlesuits", it's better to think of them in a "maybe I could surround a building that houses an objective or a commander with Fire Warriors and Kroot, and lay down a huge amount of markerlights from inside the building with a Stealth squad and two squads of Pathfinders.". They don't have enough uses for something so expensive points-wise, but what they are meant to be used for they excel, and with a few tweaks to the Codex, they could have an even more potent support position.
In my tau force I use a squad of four Stealth Suits with a (networked) markerlight drone to take out tanks or weapon emplacements. (i.e. Defilers with a Seeker missile)

**Iur_tae_mont**

Yes, the 18 S5 ap5 shots is awesome, but we got enough S5 AP5 shots. Might as well give a Devastator Squad bolters. If you like stealthsuits, whatever turns you on. I'd rather spend the points/ elite spot on Crisis Suits

**orchewer**

I normally ran them for lower point games. If they're the lynch pin of your army, you're doing something fantastically wrong, but against the right target, they work pretty well.

6x Suits each with 2 Gun Drones is an obscene amount of out-flanking firepower.

**=I= White-Wolf**

The best success I've ever had with stealth suits is deep striking 5 of them with fusion blasters right near a tank and melta'ring it up, works really well against guard with all there manticores and leman russes

**QuietOrkmi**

Breaking the Stealth Suits Down...

For 240 points I kill 8 orks or about 3 marines. For 180 points I kill 6 orks or 2 marines.

I understand they have the point efficiency of a Fire warrior but the ability to create an extra front against assault armies should not be over looked.

Theoretically, CC is not an issue because the enemy force can only assault when their target is within a total of 12". Even if they deep strike, they will be 1" away, allowing you to move 6" followed by another 6", thus leaving you 13" away.

At a max range of 24", you have a 3+ armor save against most things and a 50% chance of not being hit in the first place. With this in mind, this places stealth suits in the realm of terminators level survivability.

**Shrubs**

The problem with them is that you pay the same price per S5 shot as almost any other Tau unit (10 pts) but the unit doesn't really add anything to the army. It's not a bad unit but it's not great either.

This ATT article lists some of their uses.

**QuietOrkmi**

Shrubs wrote:The problem with them is that you pay the same price per S5 shot as almost any other Tau unit (10 pts)

True... but it is a very mobile platform...

but the unit doesn't really add anything to the army. It's not a bad unit but it's not great either.

Creates an extra front, and cannot be hit by long range weapons (37"+ range) and at max range of their weapon (24") their is a 58.333% chance of avoiding being hit.

Of course I would not take more than 1 team as crisis suits are the work horse of most tau armies... unless you are taking 9 broadsides