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Im trying to use Tau more since in the competitive scene i like them more than Orks.

In the new dex, Broadsides can take seeker missiles. Ive never used these things before, and was wondering how effective they could be? I intend to be running 1500-1750pt games with 4 broadsides in 2 groups. Should i bother with the seeker missiles?
Also a bit confused about how theyre used. To me, long as there is a mark on a unit i can whenever i want in my shooting phase choose to just expel the mark for a missile. Is that true, or must it be right after the mark is applied?

You're right about how they work, expend a marker token for a missle from anything that has one. The catch is that whatever fired the missle is stuck firing at that unit whether you want to shoot them or not.

serious? aight screw it just because of that right there.

Whats the point of it if it locks you on the target? Yea if im shooting it anyway so what but more often than not i wont be in range.

There are two ways of firing Seeker Missiles in 6e

1) When the unit is firing, expend a Markerlight Token to 'free' fire any one missile in the unit. This missile is BS5 and ignores cover.

2) Fire the missile as one of the model's allowed weapons-fired. It uses the model's BS and doesn't ignore cover (unless the model ignores cover via Markerlights, etc.).

So, for example: I have a Skyray and 3 Broadsides with Seeker Missiles.

For the Broadsides, you can boost their BS to 4 and Ignore Cover for 3 Markerlight Tokens. This means that all their weapons would fire at BS4 and Ignore Cover, including any Seekers. However, they could only shoot 2 of their 3 available weapons.

Alternatively, they can fire the 3 seeker missiles at BS5 Ignores cover using the markerlights, and the rest of their guns as normal without benefits.


For the Skyray, the best use is to go for the "Ignores Cover, +1BS" route if you have 3 or more Markerlight Tokens. This gives you BS5 and Ignores cover anyways, and if stationary, you can fire all your weapons. This is why, on Turn 1, Skyrays can often demolish anything they're fired at. Pathfinders light up a target, Skyray adds a light or 2 with Networked, and finally, 6 BS5 Ignores cover missiles cause it to explode.

Yeah, they COMPLETELY botched the seeker missile mechanic and it makes me mad on priciple, Ive never used it but if they didnt ruin it i'd give everything seekers!

Missile sides are perhaps the 1 thing that might be worth it. Just dont use a marker light for that until you're within 36" that extra S8 could be that last thing you need to kill w'/e you're shooting at

Close - You use the mark during the Broadside's shooting, after declaring targets but before rolling to hit. If the target unit has marks, you then say "I'm using some of these marks to increase BS/ignore cover/fire a seeker missile using its special rules". Only the seeker missiles from the unit firing may be expended this way - so you can't include your devilfish's seeker missiles in this particular firing action, though they may be used later when the devilfish decides who to shoot. Likewise, your broadsides can't decide to fire their seeker missiles off randomly at a different target while you're rolling for your fire warriors. The seeker missiles are fired like any other weapon the broadside is holding - they may even be fired without markerlights, though that's usually not a good idea.

So, the broadsides can fire 2 weapons at a time - using seeker missiles prevents your SMS/plasma from firing on the turn you shoot the seekers. That's okay when you're using them to shoot at most flyers/vehicles - the s8 is better than an SMS for the most part.

I think, in my experience, that seeker missiles are best off on vehicles, particularly ones that are going to be firing at similar targets/be out of range anyways - like piranhas. Broadsides are just a poor way of including seekers in the army - 1/model that prevents another weapon from shooting is not as great as 2 seekers each on a squadron of piranhas, who can fire both on the move since they're fast.

To each their own, however. It may well work for you - I merely think that for 30 points there are other things I would buy in the codex, like a dual-flamer crisis suit.

with the exception of fliers or a biker group i dont expect anything to get in range of my missile sides normal guns that id want to use a single shot S8 gun on. Infantry? Not wasting it, i'll fire the gak outta them instead.

I wanted it because the only vehicles i ever face are back-end board campers. Deepstriking crisis suits are the best way to deal with them, but thats extremely risky as proper bubblewraps or bad scatters can botch it.

If things like camping russes and artillery are bugging you, then you could always send in some fire warriors with EMP grenades, stuck in a dispod devilfish. Rush that thing right up flat out, and get the fire warriors so close that no blasts can be placed on them. Singular krak missiles won't change the game against the problem backfield vehicles, you need a bit of an ace in the hole versus them.

Devilfish are soooo expensive though and fairly easy to pop (yea 3+ cover after turbo and the +1 cover upgrade helps, but theyre low armor). Also, not 100% sure dont have my book handy but they arent an assault vehicle are they? Firewarriors would get shot off the board before they could charge.

Get a marker beacon down there (either DSing suits or speeding pathfinders), then Drop some nice meltaguns in there from the sky using the beacons to keep from scattering. That's how I do it.

So what I take away from this is that nowhere in the codex does it state the missile is fired "in addition to any other weapons the unit may fire" or that they may fire at a different target? That is so much BS! The unit the missile is launched on doesn't even have control of it, they don't even have to give it launch authorization, the markerlight user calls in the missile support.

Ah well, you can't have everything. I suppose lighting up a unit with pathfinders and then vectoring 4 seeker missiles down on it might be a bit...overpowered.

Hell no its not! It makes the pathfinders an effective anti tank unit 1 turn out of the game! They are one shot pieces of equipment that dont work the way they were designed. I'd honestly prefer that the seekers from the skyray couldnt even be fired manually(its got NML so it would be ok still). Maybe have a special rule(or paid for upgrade) missle barrage, that lets you fire all of them in one turn or something.

No it wouldnt be overpowered because its AP3 which doesnt give you bonuses on the roll to explode it, S8 needs baller dice to pen AV13 and only glances AV14, and its a one time use. And im pretty sure the vehicle facing hit is based on where the missile was launched so its never going to hit rear armor unless he turned around for some reason.

Very very few situations it would be a problem, such as against Flyrants since they have 3+ armor. However if i was facing a nid player that likes nidzilla, i'd take them anyway and gladly sacrifice some of my shooting to send 4-6 missiles up that things butt. However i'd do it after shooting what IS in range first, cuz i probably dont need them all lol.

Seeker Missiles:
On Skyrays, amazing.
On everything else, no.