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Is it viable? I'm talking in games between 500 and 1000 points, are stealth suits viable at all or are you better off just spamming XV8's?

Not viable. They add nothing to your list and should be replaced by crisis suits or more fire warriors.

I just have the 3 from the battle force and have no idea what to do with them! Are there Any situations on which they're a decent pick?

TurplePurtle wrote:
I just have the 3 from the battle force and have no idea what to do with them!

Paint them nicely, put them on your display shelf, and hope that the next codex gives them a role.

Are there Any situations on which they're a decent pick?

No.

Not really. Having T3 and LD8 makes every wound a threat to them. Their weaponry is only really suited to taking out weak horde infantry, but need to be close to do so.

I hope they get stronger in the next codex, but I'm just not a fan right now.

If anything, they should be used in larger point games. If then, one squad, tops.

They are decent for marker mules, and this role got a boost with the new stealth and shrouded buffs. I don't think they are totally awful, but crisis suits and fire warriors come first.

 Dr. Serling wrote:
They are decent for marker mules

They're terrible for markerlights, because the only way to get a useful amount of them is through marker drones. And marker drones are way too expensive compared to just buying more BS 3 guns. The only markerlight units that you should even consider are pathfinders and Tetras, and even then it's questionable whether you really want them or not.

TurplePurtle wrote:
Is it viable? I'm talking in games between 500 and 1000 points, are stealth suits viable at all or are you better off just spamming XV8's?

They're kind of viable as a unit that outflanks to claim Linebreaker and can be annoying to kill with easy 2+ cover saves, but are overall not particularly efficient.

Linebreaker only matters at the end of the game. Crisis suits are more durable and better equipped for that task.

I agree with the easy 2+ cover saves and i played against my friend in a 500 pt game, they were very good. Then again I was playing DE. Also yes decent at marker lights but not the suggested method

The big issue with Stealth Suits is that they don't really add anything to your army. Fire warriors bring more S5 fire for their cost with longer range (and more wounds per point) while also being scoring, and there are significantly more efficient markerlight or fusion blaster platforms than a stealth team.

Personally, I love them. I take a three man squad with a fusion blaster on my team leader for all my sub-1k point battles. I infiltrate them in into positions that will either get me a tank melta hit or a hit on something else juicy like a warlord. They have been deciding factors for me in over half my games. They have blown up transports nicely with the 2 bursts and the FB, and even gotten me an instant death on an enemy warlord with the FB.

Yes they die. I have only had 1 battle where they lived to the end. But they become such a pain for the enemy that I think of them as well worth it when my opponent has to focus 200-300 points of units trying to kill just the one 100 point unit. Just be careful with distances and they become a great distraction in the enemy rear or flank. The stealth+shrouded is great when you keep them in cover and it is what makes this unit worth it.

Anyone who claims stealth suits to be useless hasn't given them a fair chance on the battlefield.

I run them 3xsuits with a drone controller each, netting me 6 gun drones.

This becomes a very scary unit in smaller points games, especially against hoard armies that have very little firepower.

9x strng 5 ap 5 shots hitting on 4's
6x twin linked str 5 ap 5 hitting on 5's PINNING shots

9 wounds with a 2+ cover in area cover.
and they infiltrate.

thats 150 points for 15 of the same fire warrior shots, albeit at 18'', and a reduced # of wounds, AND they don't score.1

I wouldn't run it vs another shooty army. But it works fantastic early game to tie up enemy troops and let your pie plates go to work and suits get into range, at a low points investment.

It can be hard to kite troops but it is very doable, with an 18 inch shooting phase and a 6' move in the assault phase it's very possible to wreck entire squads without getting charged, very early in the game.

I can't suggest the melta as previously stated, it's very cheap at 2 points but I feel its just a bit of a tease, if it were 18'' like the rest of the guns id windmill slam it everygame without fail.

With such a limited codex army like Tau we can't afford to not use all of our viable options, with THAT said would I ever bring these guys into a tournament where I didn't have a good feel for the metagame? No, I'd take two more broadsides basically at the same points cost.

Their narrow-ness makes them a "bad" unit in general, but they can be effective in certain games, and honestly they are a lot of fun to use, very unique to Tau. We all know we want to use our massive amount of gun drones SOMEWHERE.

Honestly when a new codex comes out, if they could bump up the range on the melta or give them two hardpoints and let me flamer template I could see them being run very often.

But all you need is 3 wounds against T3 and anything that ignores cover will force you to use the drones 4+ save. The problem is that its an expensive unit that you put close to the enemy and hope they don't focus enough fire to cause a morale check.

They aren't bad as long as you're going against a weak horde army with little shooting.

I've had success with fielding them at 1500 points, but they are too expensive in lower point games. Like Isean says - they are a great backfield outflanker with a FB.

When I've been most successful with them I've fielded 5 with a VRT 'El joined for hit n run tactics. Since they can't really be shot to death I find they get assaulted quite a bit and the T3 is ridiculously weak in those situations.

Stealthsuits can work, their problems are lack of durability and lack of range. I use a three-man squad in smaller games since they can take fire fairly well and carry a decent amount of S5 firepower and a Relentless Markerlight, but they do tend to be a bit expensive and use an Elites slot better used for Crisis suits in larger games.

Give 'em all drone controllers, stack in as many gun drones as you can and you have the same cost per shot as a firewarrior with better armor, better accuracy on the gun drones because of twin-link, better mobility and a better cover save. Awesome at anti-horde, good against heavy infantry due to sheer volume of shots.