Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hello. I am getting back into Warhammer 40k. I played Eldar and IG a very long time ago (4th edition probably), but spent all my time painting and modeling so I didn't exactly play more than a couple times. I'm interested in starting a Tau army. 1000 points to get me started. I got myself a codex and have just been playing around on paper. I have the list in a pdf, but it basicly consists of:
-2 HQ
-Commander Shadowsun
-Aun'Va
-3 Troops
-Fire Warriors x9
-3 Elites
-XV8 Crisis Team x3
-XV25 Stealth Battlesuits x3
-XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit
-Battalion Detachment
I was also looking at switching the XV25's and XV95 with an XV88 Broadside and 3x TX4 Pirahnas. Please let me know if it's a good set to start with or any suggestions on a good 1000 pt starter army. Thanks.

I actually swapped out the stealth battlesuits for a full squad of Pathfinders with 2x Rail Rifles and 1x Ion Rifle. Has the same PL, but adds a couple more guns to the fray.

I'd swap out aunva for a cadre fireblade, if you want an ethereal just go for s standard one.

Pathfinders bring a lot of markerlights but they are very brittle. Id recommend keeping the stealth suits, with a ghostkeel in there you can do a bit of stealth synergy. If you want more markerlights I'd suggest going for firesight marksmen.

In terms of what's good for tau right now most people tend to go riptides and shield drones. That being said there are lots of good option in the codex and it depends how you want to play the game.

Also, be sure to check out the chapter approved 2019 book as some points values have changed since the codex released.

Thank you. I will look into the Chapter Approved book and doublecheck point values. I took out the Aun'Va and put an Ethereal on a hover drone since it comes in the get started box anyway. I also put the stealth suits back in there. I was also able to add an extra fire warrior with the extra points so all 3 squads are 10 models instead of 9.

If you are doing PL, make sure that you have markerlights on your troops.

What weapons are you thinking for your crisis suits?

I was planning to do a Fusion Blaster and a Cyclic Ion Blaster for the weapons on the crisis suits. I modified the list a little from before. I added some Pirahnas to add some movement speed to the army. All I've gotten so far is a Start Collecting box, so I have time to change it around if it's not set up very well.

I'm worried more about points than I am PL, but I do have Markerlights with the units that can have them.

My thoughts are this. if you have short range weapons on the crisis suits, and I am no longer a fan of deepstriking, you now have a list that wants to run forward. You will need lots of sheild drones to give protection until you can deliver the damage. A unit probably wants to be dedicated to one role, controlling hordes, controlling elite units or controlling vehicles. Cyclics are nice all around weapons.

Your new list is shaping up. The ATS and the fusion blaster on the ghostkee/crisis suitsl is not good synergy. But the ATS and the ion raker/blaster is good synergy. Maybe make the ghostkeel all fusion, and the crisis suits all ion, or the otherway around. Also if you are running shadowsun, take her command drone over a sheild drone (re-rolling ones with out needing a markerlight is very nice.)

Thank you for the advice. I changed the Crisis suits to have twin CIBs and twin Fusion Blasters with a Fusion Collider on the Ghostkeel. So the Ghostkeel will be antiarmor and the Crisis squad will be more of an all rounded elite. The synergy makes a lot of sense. Single role versus trying to spread the abilities thin.

I'd go a little further with the crisis suits. The entire unit should be the same purpose, so maybe CIB or MP or PG, at 1k just magnetize the suits so you can swap everything in and out and figure whats best.

I'm thinking about my suits now and maybe going back to the original fireknife configuration has merit (plasma rifle and missile pod). Which I would do as PRx2 and MPx1.

Well, what I meant was twin CIBs and ATS on the Crisis squad and all Fusion with Velocity Tracker and Shield on the Ghostkeel. So all the Crisis suits will be the same. Anti light armor/infantry. I'm not 100% on the wargear options for the Ghostkeel that would best suite the role.

I changed the list around based on what people have said and through my own research. I think it's a pretty decent setup for a lot of the 1k point range games I've seen. 58 PL, 1000 points

Vior'la Sept

-1x Ethereal on a Hover Drone
-Honour Blade
-Gun Drone

-1x Commander in a Coldstar Battlesuit
-2x Fusion Blasters
-1x Supernova Launcher
-Shield Generator
-Precision of the Hunter

-2x Fire Warrior Strike Teams
-1x Shas'ui w/Pulse Carbine and Markerlight
-2x Fire Warriors w/Pulse Carbines
-7x Fire Warriors w/Pulse Rifles

-1x Fire Warrior Strike Team
-1x Shas'ui w/Pulse Rifle and Markerlight
-9x Fire Warriors w/Pulse Rifles
-1x Turret w/Missile Pod

-1x XV95 Ghostkeel
-2x Fusion Blasters
-1x Fusion Collider
-2x Stealth Drones
-Shield Generator
-Velocity Tracker

-1x XV8 Crisis Suit Squad
-1x Crisis Shas'vre w/Iridium Armor
-2x Crisis Shas'ui
-2x CIB's
-ATS
-3x Shield Drones

-1x XV88 Broadside
-1x Shield Drone
-2x High-Yield Missile Pods
-2x SMS
-Velocity Tracker

I can still change it around slightly, but to me, it looks decent and fun. If anybody has any further advice, I'd love to hear it before I get it all put together. Thank you guys for the help so far. I'm in the air about swapping the shield drone for a marker drone on the Broadside and swapping the backline turret to SMS instead of missile pods. Or I could take the drones and turret out of the Strike teams, since they don't do much anyway, and add in a squad of Vespid Stingwings.

Don’t mix fire warrior weapons, just keep them all pulse rifles!
The far better gun.

30 inch range with 15 inch rapid fire vs 2 shots at 18 inches.
If you’re having marker lights you want the fire warriors standing still and not advancing with carbines.

So something like this? 61 PL, 998 points

Vior'la Sept

-1x Ethereal on a Hover Drone
-Honour Blade
-Gun Drone

-1x Commander in a Coldstar Battlesuit
-2x Fusion Blasters
-1x Supernova Launcher
-Shield Generator
-Precision of the Hunter

-3x Fire Warrior Strike Teams
-1x Shas'ui w/Pulse Rifle and Markerlight
-8x Fire Warriors w/Pulse Rifles

-1x XV95 Ghostkeel
-2x Fusion Blasters
-1x Fusion Collider
-2x Stealth Drones
-Shield Generator
-Velocity Tracker

-1x XV8 Crisis Suit Squad
-1x Crisis Shas'vre w/Iridium Armor
-2x Crisis Shas'ui
-2x CIB's
-ATS
-3x Shield Drones

-1x Vespid Stingwing Squad
-1x Vespid Strain Leader
-7x Vespid Stingwings

-1x XV88 Broadside
-1x Shield Drone
-2x High-Yield Missile Pods
-2x SMS
-Velocity Tracker

Took out some points from troops and had enough for a Vespid squad.