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I don't understand, why would you take Tau Pathfinders they die so easily, they can't be much use?

Markerlights.

/Thread.

They're the best support unit in the book. I usually take out pathfinders very quickly because without all the marker light nonsense, everything else in the army is far less effective. I played against tau at a tourney and my opponent told me after the game that I'm the first person to ever take out his pathfinders, most people just ignore them. He said the best way to slow down a tau gun line is to remove the support system. I would've won the game on points but he tabled me on his last shot of the final turn. I was playing space wolves who have less than a 20% win rate against Tau in tournaments and it came down to a dice roll because of my target priority.

I use the mark O Mander over pathfinders. 100x more reliable. And I dont give up first blood every time I go second.

cause 5/6 shots hitting is so much better than 3/6, especially when your firing 26 shots from a full Fireblade squad, even better if you strip their cover save as well.

The other day I was playing against guard and I stole the initiative, got 3 marks on a basilisk, stripped its cover and improved my railheads BS to 4 and blew it up turn 1 with nothing he could do about it

They are the cheapest markerlight unit - 11/markerlight. If you're in need of points, they become interesting.

I rather tetras, though.

It's basically because they're T3 models with a 5+ Save and no way of improving their cover save (Stealth etc) Pathfinders are just too weak and easy to kill, not to mention static and you're better off taking the commander with Marker Drones

 ALEXisAWESOME wrote:
Markerlights.

/Thread.

This, no other reason.

 GoDz BuZzSaW wrote:
It's basically because they're T3 models with a 5+ Save and no way of improving their cover save (Stealth etc) Pathfinders are just too weak and easy to kill, not to mention static and you're better off taking the commander with Marker Drones

add an aegis.

i used to use pathfinders for ML but sadly in a meta of ignores cover, they die way too fast. I rarely ever had a game with a pathfinder alive by T3, and usually when i did it was because i was utterly crushing my opponent.

I switched to buffmander + crisis MP blob + 6 markerdrones. More expensvie but dead fething killy, tanky as gak, and 6 guaranteed lights for my broadsides/riptides to light something up lol.

Occationally i bring PF now if i have points left over i cant allocate to a useful unit (usually FOC limitations). But i never ever take their special guns. Why would you paint an even bigger bullseye on a squishy units head that already has a massive bullseye as it is?
Really wish Firewarriors could take one Rail or Ion rifle per 10 models, as they would actually get to use the weapons more than once. Even if it costs more for them, i'd take it.

azazel70820 wrote:
I use the mark O Mander over pathfinders. 100x more reliable. And I dont give up first blood every time I go second.

Mark'o is actually getting less marks per point spent.
More mobile and durable, but not as many marks per point unless you got TONS of drones, and by that point-you cant even use all the marks.

Which is why i use the crisis suit blobs rather than drone blobs. That way the cost per light isnt as painful since im getting a dead killy 36" range mobile as hell unit on top of the ML use.

I saw the straight up Mark'O tactic and went "....why the hell would you spend that much and an HQ slot for that?" lol. never once done that outside a suit unit buying markerlights instead of guns.

Better question-why do it with FA drones, when you can do it with troop crisis suits that carry missiles, and a buffmander that doubles as the mark'o.
If you gonna do it, do it big.

 BoomWolf wrote:
Better question-why do it with FA drones, when you can do it with troop crisis suits that carry missiles, and a buffmander that doubles as the mark'o.
If you gonna do it, do it big.

If you do it your way your buffmander/Mark'o is essentially tied to 1 squad. The great thing about the buffmander is that it can move from squad to squad buffing where necessary. Where as the Mark'o is only there for drones and does it very well. I personally use a double CAD farsight+tau and use both types of commander.

 cheapbuster wrote:
I don't understand, why would you take Tau Pathfinders they die so easily, they can't be much use?

I use two units of them, with their drones from Devilfishs. they outflank with Railrifles and are my assassins. they do WORK. then they go to ground and get their 4+ or 3+ save against what can see them since the Devilfish obscures them as well. and thern they go wreck tanks the next round. Their drones help keep these stone cold killers alive so no trouble there.

Ive MAYBE used their Markerlights once or twice since the Codex came out but mostly they are there to rip[ units to pieces.

 ALEXisAWESOME wrote:
Markerlights.

/Thread.

Short, sweet, and spot on.

markerlights, the drones, heavy weapons on a non-suit unit, any questions