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So I've been thinking about the Elites, Fast Attack and Heavy support options of the Tau Codex and I've written my thoughts on my blog. I feel that all Tau options would be viable if only there wasn't something painfully more viable in that slot.

The gist of it is:

Stealth suits are okay, but are outdone by fire warriors and XV8 suits. The former in terms of firepower versus infantry, the latter in terms of survivability and damage output versus everything.

Pathfinders are the king of Fast attack, with sunsharks lingering behind at a large gap.

Hammerheads with Ion Cannons are the leaders in heavy support, although everything else is kinda useful (skyrays I've been very impressed with.)

Personally i must say there is none really outright *bad* choices in the Heavy support for Tau, some might need a bit more support than others but you have your cheap missiles, tank and snipers.

Fast Attack is the opposite with a lot of holes with units that is better left alone than being seriously considered. ( Flyers are useless imo, Pathfinders are great and Pirhanas are worth consideration )

Elites arent bad, but Stealth suits is quite situational and require a army tailored for them, Crisis suits is mostly "hole fillers" while the Riptide is basically "spam these to win" tho you might have more use out of a crisis suit team imo.

I agree with that overview.

I kinda see fast attack as the Tau graveyard. Pathfinders are so integral to playstyle that it's almost a shame not to take them.

sad isn't it?

although a sniper team or two can definitely do the role of pathfinders, though it may be more expensive.

I wonder if Stealth teams would be more useful if they all came with markerlights or their Shas`vre came with networked markerlights. ( I actually agree having them as Troops )

I hoped for better flyers, but currently you use 2 small squads of pathfinders and find something else to deal the hurt. Tetras from forgeworld should just been offical to begin with, or those hazard suits, that would be awesome.

But a "Elite" troop choice might been a bit overpowering to the Tau that already have a heavy supportive force.

Dracoknight wrote:
I wonder if Stealth teams would be more useful if they all came with markerlights or their Shas`vre came with networked markerlights. ( I actually agree having them as Troops )

I hoped for better flyers, but currently you use 2 small squads of pathfinders and find something else to deal the hurt. Tetras from forgeworld should just been offical to begin with, or those hazard suits, that would be awesome.

But a "Elite" troop choice might been a bit overpowering to the Tau that already have a heavy supportive force.

Stealth suits are really a small, expensive fire warrior squad.

They can move a bit faster, but think about it: 6 burst cannons is 24 shots. 12 pulse rifles are 24 shots.

The only difference is one costs 180, the other costs 108.

But, for 76 points, we get a 3+ save, a 2+ save in cover, jetpacks, infiltrate (and thus outflank), oh and for 10 extra points, two extra fusion blasters.

If Stealth suits all came with markerlights, even at a 5 point upgrade, and were troops, they'd replace kroot methinks.

Stealth teams would be great with a full compliment of drones like they used to have. Taking that away from them while also not letting them all have fusion means they will forever languish behind crisis suits. The 2+ cover save is nice mind, but t3 w1 is really bad, as a fire warrior behind an aegis gone to ground has the same profile. As stealth teams are, however, they should be troops like was said above to make an all suit army possible. Missed opportunity there in my opinion.

For fast attack I am liking pirranas with melta as a combo drone unit. Taking a drone controller commander to go around with the gun drones while also having 5 fusion guns at that price point works out well. Frgsnwntr pointed that one out to me, as gun drones are 12 points at the cheapest so 120 for 10 drones and melta on a crisis comes out to 26 points per melta on a 2 melta suit, so the 5 melta pirranas come to 130, meaning the pirranas are pointed the exact same as the efficient crisis suits. Thus, if you want gun drones and melta they are the way to go.

As for pathfinders, my biggest gripe with them is their armor profile. Versus flamers or other tau smart missiles their 5+ armor gets melted out quickly. Offensively they dish out great damage with markers and carbines, but for 3 points more, or 1 point when attached to suits, a marker drone is relentless, bs5 with a commander, t4 with a 4+ armor. I will play test 30 pathfinders at some point to give them a fair chance, but for now I am all about crisis led marker drones.

DevianID wrote:
Stealth teams would be great with a full compliment of drones like they used to have. Taking that away from them while also not letting them all have fusion means they will forever languish behind crisis suits. The 2+ cover save is nice mind, but t3 w1 is really bad, as a fire warrior behind an aegis gone to ground has the same profile. As stealth teams are, however, they should be troops like was said above to make an all suit army possible. Missed opportunity there in my opinion.

For fast attack I am liking pirranas with melta as a combo drone unit. Taking a drone controller commander to go around with the gun drones while also having 5 fusion guns at that price point works out well. Frgsnwntr pointed that one out to me, as gun drones are 12 points at the cheapest so 120 for 10 drones and melta on a crisis comes out to 26 points per melta on a 2 melta suit, so the 5 melta pirranas come to 130, meaning the pirranas are pointed the exact same as the efficient crisis suits. Thus, if you want gun drones and melta they are the way to go.

As for pathfinders, my biggest gripe with them is their armor profile. Versus flamers or other tau smart missiles their 5+ armor gets melted out quickly. Offensively they dish out great damage with markers and carbines, but for 3 points more, or 1 point when attached to suits, a marker drone is relentless, bs5 with a commander, t4 with a 4+ armor. I will play test 30 pathfinders at some point to give them a fair chance, but for now I am all about crisis led marker drones.

are you running ethereals per chance?

My thing is this, for markerlight support:

Ethereal, 2 drones ML
3 FSM, 9 Sniper Drones
ADL/quad gun

The FSM have drone controllers which make the ML drones BS5 as well as the snipers, that's 5 BS5 markerlights on any target, as well as 8 sniper shots and 4 S7AP4 shots.
It's a bit of a letdown against flyers, because you lose all that lovely BS5 when you use the quad gun against a flyer, but you should have a FW squad or two nearby, and they can get a soldier to man the quad gun in place of the sniper drone.

While that unit seems interesting, my heavy support slots are crowed with long strike, a sky ray, and salvo sides. Each of those have been amazing so dropping one really would change the entire list. Instead I run a commander with a drone controller in a crisis team with 8 marker lights. Still bs5, but 8 relentless marker lights.

DevianID wrote:
While that unit seems interesting, my heavy support slots are crowed with long strike, a sky ray, and salvo sides. Each of those have been amazing so dropping one really would change the entire list. Instead I run a commander with a drone controller in a crisis team with 8 marker lights. Still bs5, but 8 relentless marker lights.

Well hey, I'm not about to tell you how to run your list.

This isn't army lists. I can offer you a suggestion and it isn't the BE ALL AND END ALL ONLY WAY TO PLAY TAU BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T PLAY IT THIS WAY YOU'LL LOSE.

Ahem. You'll note my sarcasm and distaste for Armylists on dakka.

I considered the 8 ML drone idea, but I kinda figure the units that need markerlight support are my elites sections. My hammerhead is BS4 and is running an ion cannon, so can only really get ignores cover out of it. My Skyray makes its own BS5.

I just don't like broadsides for their price in dollars.

I find the 8 ml drones good because they're in a squad of double-mp tl crisis and accidentally have ignores cover and twin-linked from the commander sitting there with his isgnature systems.

That said, I have pathfinders filling my FA too, although with skyrays in the list too, I'm happy enough making two larger squads in place of three smaller, and freeing one slot, but why bother?