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Looking to start a Tau army in the New Year and was looking for some help on writing an army list so I don't end up wasting my money on anything that's not going to perform.

Ideally I'd want a 1500-2000 point list.

The only things I know I want is a riptide somewhere in the list, so if you can help it would be greatly appreciated! (I don't really know if this is where I should post something like this...)

There are quite a few different ways to build and or play a Tau Army (ethereal bubble, bombs, gun line, heavy mech, etc...) that its hard to tailor a one size fits all list for a player. Most of our units have multiple options on how we can field them creating completely different roles based on what they are armed with. For example the Riptide can be used as an anti-air unit, a mid table bullet sponge, back field fire support , and many more it all depends on what weapons and systems are added to it and how you as the armies owner wants to use it. So the Army should be built more around how you want to play it rather than your playing style being built around the Army you have.

but to answer your question a build that I enjoy and have had success with that will bring you to the 1320 points without weapons swaps, drones or systems purchasing is:

HQ

Commander

TROOPS -

FW x 12
FW x 12
KROOT x 12

ELITES

XV8 Crisis Suit Team (3)
XV8 Crisis Suit Team (3)
Riptide

FAST ATTACK

Pathfinders x 10
Piranhas x 2

HEAVY SUPPORT

Hammerhead
Ionhead
XV88 Broadside Team (3)

That should provide you a good base to start with as it is fairly versatile and leave a lot of points open for you to customize your suits with the weapons and systems how you want it to reach a higher point total as well as leaving opening for further growth.

With that being said I think that a good starting point would be 2 of the Tau Army Battle Forces; for around $200.00 you'll get

24 FWs
6 XV8 Crisis Suits
2 Piranhas
6 Stealth Suits
A metric butt ton of drones

excluding the Stealth Suits (which aren't all that bad just not as good as XV8s and Riptides) all the units within the box set will have a home in any competitive Tau Army. This is also a decent way to start getting a feel for how Tau plays so you plan your builds/purchases around the style you like!

Hope this helps!

I would advise 2 squads of 12 fire warriors, a fireblade, riptide with ion, between 4-6 crisis suits, hammerhead with railgun, Skyray, and 2 squads of 5 pathfinders. That is a solid base to work off. Also when you are building your suits, magnetize their weapons cos it will save you a bucket load of dollar. It's dead easy to do and you can grab them cheap off eBay.

Can I ask, why do you suggest two smaller groups of pathfinders over one larger one??

Two groups, two targets for your markerlights. Besides, a single group is easier to neutralize by, say, locking it in close combat.

Exactly. Couldn't have put it better myself

Not to speak for someone else but the advantage of running 2 pathfinders team is the ability to split marker lights between multiple targets. 5 Shots at BS 3 will allow these 2 teams to place 2-3 markers on two different units per turn. Also Pathfinders are often the first unit targeted by enemies so having them split between different areas of the battlefield creates a target priority issue for you enemy as they will have to commit two different units to eliminate a low point (55) unit. So a lot of the Tau strategy involves drawing enemies to a single location and then unloading on them there (Kauyon ) the pathfinders often serve as the lure in that strategy. Also Tau Fast Attack doesn't have any "must include" units so filling two of the 3 slots with pathfinders is a common tactic.

Pathfinders rarely make it through a game so you'll need to either have an Army that can function later in the game without ML support (twin link, buff commander, volume of fire) or get marker lights from other sources (drones, skyrays, sun shark bombers, etc..). The other thing to realize about marker lights is yes they are GREAT and need to be part of a tau army but every marker light you fire/field is one less shot/attack that your army does so don't go overboard with your lights.

also as SpankingApe stated MAGNETS are a huge part of Tau as you'll probably change you suits weapons a few times before you find the combination that works for you; dont be like this guy and glue all your weapons on the first xv8 team you make

Pathfinders are always targeted from the get go, marker lights put fear in your opponent so they try to wipe them as fast as they can, whether it be with concentrated fire or assault. If you have 2 squads then it provides 2 targets for the enemy to destroy and also means you can marker light 2 targets a turn rather than over marking 1.

Check this list out, I'd love to give it a go

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/556753.page

I made that mistake far too many times, I now have about 20 suits because the first 12 I got I didn't magnetize :( and they are mostly fire knife set up from the 5th edition codex XD

Does anyone know how Shadowsun stands up as a HQ?

Not the best tbh, realistically, if your not running a farsight bomb then people tend to run ethreal/fireblade or a buff commander. Basically a commander with no weapons but gives whatever squad he is attached to bag full of tricks, like rerolls, tank hunters etc etc

If you are looking for an HQ. I would recommend the following build for a buff command:

A Commander (85) with a Command and Control Node (15), Multi-spectrum Sensor Suit (20), Puretide Engram Neurochip (15).

this build will run you 135 points and will make any unit the CDR attaches to shooting death. As long as he doesn't shoot that unit will ignore cover, re-roll all misses and can re-roll to wound on either monsters or tanks. I often have that buff commander join a team of three Crisis Suits with non twin linked missile pods. A Hail of up to 12 S7 AP4 shots at 36 inches can deal with about anything outside AV14.

You can also add a Neuroweb System Jammer (2 pts) and a Flamer (5 pts each) or 2 if you have free points and want that just in case they get too close ability

Slowly piecing together a list - just wondered if anyone has some experience of the sniper drone teams or the new Sunshark/Razorshark flyers??

Sniper drone teams are good, but they are hard to use effectively and fight for heavy slots with broadsides, skyrays and hammerheads. As for the flyers, the only one worth taking is the bomber, mainly because his interceptor drones are good AA.

i several guys who use three marksmen for a makerlight unit (bs 5 4+ save pathfinders) runs about twice the price of 4 pathfinders. for the same number of hits, 3 extra sniping pulse shots, +1 armour, and stealth, (plus majortiy toughness 4) the bomber is good, just little flimsy compared to other fliers, the drones are awesome. the razorshark ain't bad but if you have the points go with the bomber.

Im personally more aggressive with my Commander, bs 5 plus 4 slots for 2 weapon systems and two support systems is awesome when joined with suit teams. stealts when used correctly can be hard to kill (2+ cover in just about everything except out in the open) and with the burst cannon ugrade is quite a thorn in the side. I would suggest pick 2 or 3 of your favorite models/units and design the rest of your army to fit with it. it great for friendly games

Okay - I played a game the other day 'repping' a Tau 1500 point army! Although I won, I feel the army didn't really work too well.

The list was:

HQ

Commander w. Neurowed System Jammer, Command and Control Node, Multispectrum Sensor Suite, Shield Generator, Cyclic Ion Blaster - 162 Points

Troops

Three lots of 12 man Fire warrior teams, with Shas'ui and EMP grenade 3x(142)

Elite

3x XV8 with Plasma Rifles, Burst Cannons, Shield generators - 216

Riptide

2x Shielded Missile Drones
Stim Injector
Advanced Targeting System - 268

Fast Attack

Sunshark Bomber w. TL Missile Pod - 165

Heavy Support

Hammerhead Gunship w. Submuntion, Smart Missile System, Long strike - 175

I think I need to drop the Bomber, and lose a few upgrades here and there, but will now need to fill out the points!!

Any pointers on this list and how to change it?

Okay first things first. You have too many fw's. Lose a squad, 2 full strength squads is enough really. If you don't want to take farsight as allies for crisis troops then small kroot squads with a hound are the way to go for the extra troop choice. Secondly never mix weapons on battlesuits. Your better off with 2 of the same weapon to double their effectiveness than being a master of none. Also emp grenades on the fw's aren't worth it unless they are in a devilfish because they actually stand a chance at reaching an enemy tank. Thirdly, never take drones for a riptide, because they are overpriced and if you lose a drone then your riptide has a chance of running off the board and suddenly 250 has vanished because of losing a 25pt model. Also unless you are running your hbc riptide from farsight with the earth pilot array then you should always go for ion. It's much more deadly and cost effective. I also see a distinct lack of marker lights in this list. Unless you are taking tl weps throughout your list then tau need marker lights to augment their shooting, ignore cover is too powerful not to have. Finally, I find 2 man crisis teams to last longer because they have a smaller footprint so it's easy to jsj them.

Lot of good stuff going on in this thread. I would recommend dropping the Cyclic Ion Blaster from your commander too, given that his buff suite is geared towards not shooting you're investing points into an arsenal for him that can't be used to its fullest effect.

- my 0.02

SpankingApe wrote:
Okay first things first. You have too many fw's. Lose a squad, 2 full strength squads is enough really. If you don't want to take farsight as allies for crisis troops then small kroot squads with a hound are the way to go for the extra troop choice. Secondly never mix weapons on battlesuits. Your better off with 2 of the same weapon to double their effectiveness than being a master of none. Also emp grenades on the fw's aren't worth it unless they are in a devilfish because they actually stand a chance at reaching an enemy tank. Thirdly, never take drones for a riptide, because they are overpriced and if you lose a drone then your riptide has a chance of running off the board and suddenly 250 has vanished because of losing a 25pt model. Also unless you are running your hbc riptide from farsight with the earth pilot array then you should always go for ion. It's much more deadly and cost effective. I also see a distinct lack of marker lights in this list. Unless you are taking tl weps throughout your list then tau need marker lights to augment their shooting, ignore cover is too powerful not to have. Finally, I find 2 man crisis teams to last longer because they have a smaller footprint so it's easy to jsj them.

I prefer the big Firewarrior blobs backed by an ethereal, but they are solid on there own do to weight of fire.

I run alot of mixed load suits, especially the bladestorm simply because it is one of the most effective TEQ killers Tau can field, though the burst-suit actually can out preform it thanks to the extra accuracy and 2 more shots. The real point here is have a plan, for your suits and how you are arming them.

You really don't want/need EMPS on all your FW, tends to be a point waste.

Markerlights are useful thing in Tau lists, but are not actually required. I like to run a marker drone squad and stick drone controller from a commander with them for tough mobile accurate marker lights. Often I don't even use ML since I already have 144 S5 shots. Volume has it's own kind of accuracy.

I won't lie - the Cyclic Ion Blaster was chosen mainly on looks - I just love the way the gun looks on the model, and I put too much emphasis on the looks of my army!!

I agree that I should drop some EMP grenades - one squad managed to take out a tank with them, but the others didn't even get to use them - I just worry that if I only gave them to one squad it would paint a target on their heads!!

I definitely want to keep the three fire warrior squads - Kroot may be a better option in some people's opinion - but as I said a lot of my choices are made on looks, and I just don't really like the Kroot models!!

The sun shark is my main concern - it didn't seem to do enough to be worth it's points? Any replacements/tips??