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Hey all! So I was looking into possibly getting a Tau Barracuda from Forgeworld. It definitely seems like it's the consensus best Tau Flyer when compared to the codex ones, but I was wondering if the changes in 7th edition should deter me at all. I was thinking of running it with a full load of Seeker Missiles and a Skyray on the ground to help it fire them off.

Has anyone used the Barracuda in the new rules? How has it fared?

The new rules didn't really change much regarding the barracuda.

Its a decent unit rule-wise and amazing model-wise, but it wont win you any GT.

Better jink, outside that nothing change far as i know.

That thing has Agile, which provides a +1 to your jink save. It can also take D-pods, which adds +1 cover. Since they are not worded the same, they stack and provide you with a 2+ cover save if you jink (4+ base now rather than 5+)

Ran against another tau player and he has one. I had to dump markerlights via snapfire on that dang thing to strip its cover because it was literally immune to anything i shot at it, and thanks to his own markerlights it kept killing crap lol. Broadsides SMS was the only thing that he couldnt jink, but i needed a 6 to glance with it

edit; would also like to point out its not a gamebreaking ship, even with the 2+ jink. its just a very good one without being cheesy strong. i think its AV11 and 2HP is the reasoning for it not being broken, as its guns are nasty.

The barracuda is great, get one. They are both useful and fun. Their main weapon (the ion cannon) wreck light vehicles (also known as flyers ) and the TL missile pods add more fire power. It also has two burst cannons which get the auto-targeting special rule, meaning they ignore cover and cover bonuses from jink, flat-out, or supersonic. They can take seekers, which ads a little extra fire power, and still can get the rest of the tau vehicle upgrades. They aren't all that heavily armoured, but they are relatively cheap.

It's been said. AV11 and 2HP isn't fantastic, when you consider that if your meta is playing with FW flyers, some of the others out there can quite easily kill AV11/2HP, i.e. Fire Raptor, Avenger Gunship, etc.

Basically, anything with massed Str 6/7 shots is going to down it.

I don't think anyone else is using other FW flyers, the local meta is definitely forge world friendly but flyers haven't entered the game quite yet (hopefully my bringing one doesn't set off a chain reaction).

Thanks to everyone who responded, definitely sounds fun to use which is exactly what I want out of it (and the Tetras and R'Alai I'll most likely order along with it).

Try proxying for a game if you don't just want to buy it (the model is pretty cool, so you may want to get it anyway). Remora teams are pretty good as well, being cheap flyers that can hide behind terrain ( they are only on a skimmer stand), and they are quite surviable for 10/10/10 2HP with shrouded. They are also great harassment vehicles. My favorite way to play tau FW flyers is via deepstrike (as they all have it).

 Co'tor Shas wrote:
Try proxying for a game if you don't just want to buy it (the model is pretty cool, so you may want to get it anyway). Remora teams are pretty good as well, being cheap flyers that can hide behind terrain ( they are only on a skimmer stand), and they are quite surviable for 10/10/10 2HP with shrouded. They are also great harassment vehicles. My favorite way to play tau FW flyers is via deepstrike (as they all have it).

Agreed on the Remoras. My 7th book still hasn't arrived yet, but did they clarify what mode deepstriking flyers arrive in?

 Enigwolf wrote:

 Co'tor Shas wrote:
Try proxying for a game if you don't just want to buy it (the model is pretty cool, so you may want to get it anyway). Remora teams are pretty good as well, being cheap flyers that can hide behind terrain ( they are only on a skimmer stand), and they are quite surviable for 10/10/10 2HP with shrouded. They are also great harassment vehicles. My favorite way to play tau FW flyers is via deepstrike (as they all have it).

Agreed on the Remoras. My 7th book still hasn't arrived yet, but did they clarify what mode deepstriking flyers arrive in?

I think you can choose? I'll have to check.

You can choose when coming form regular reserves, no reason for it to be different for DS.

So for Deep Striking the Barracuda, do you usually go aggresive and go behind enemy lines to get Ion shots on rear armour, or should is it easier to find an open area to try to plan moves for the next turn?

As a marine player I think.the baracuda is excellent, my mate's one.regularly minces my world eaters, and yep as they said above it made me get a fire raptor and now the arms race has begun

 Tarnag wrote:
So for Deep Striking the Barracuda, do you usually go aggresive and go behind enemy lines to get Ion shots on rear armour, or should is it easier to find an open area to try to plan moves for the next turn?

I think this applies for flyers that deepstrike in general (I play Elysians, our flyers can Deepstrike). You want to place your Deepstrike such that you meet the following criteria:
1. Reduce the chance of mishaps (flyer bases are huuuge, and I don't think flyers are exempt from mishaps)
2. Align for the best shot on weak armor
3. Make sure you still have a second round of shooting after you fly 18" regardless of which direction you turn, if you turn

So, to answer your question, both. Typically, this means either coming in from the far corner of your board edge with as tight of an angle as you can (side armor shots, usually, unless the battle has shifted some already) or deep striking in at a 90 degree angle to the approach direction of both armies. Typically flyer weapons have enough range that you can zoom the minimum 18", get shots off, zoom another 18", get shots again. Angles are your best friend. Flying in straight lines means you'll run out of targets eventually. Make arcs so that you're looping around to always keep targets in range.

If you don't already, pick up a copy of the X-Wing miniatures game and play a few games. That'll get you in the mindset of thinking one turn ahead, and anticipating where your opponent is going to move so that after both of you move, you're still in firing arc and range. Then start expanding to think two, three turns ahead.

Can't the Barracuda unleash like a tidal wave of gun drones on enemies? Doesn't it have like 14 gun drones in its rack and can dismiss them all at once? Or is it maybe 12? I don't really remember but I think it could be useful in a GT if you make a list specifically designed to swamp your opponent in little flying robots!

That's the tiger shark. It's the super-heavy, and it comes with 14 gun drones. It's not all that well armed, however.

Nor is it very effective give that you can just buy drone squads for FAR grater numbers at the cost, and they got deepstike anyway.

SH tau choices are terribad, get used to it. (even the orca, properly costed and all, but LoW status for THAT? not enough to justify giving the enemy the anti-LoW bonuses of escalation, after all it still counts...)

 BoomWolf wrote:
Nor is it very effective give that you can just buy drone squads for FAR grater numbers at the cost, and they got deepstike anyway.

SH tau choices are terribad, get used to it. (even the orca, properly costed and all, but LoW status for THAT? not enough to justify giving the enemy the anti-LoW bonuses of escalation, after all it still counts...)

Manta?

Even with its massive 30 HP and impressive assortment of guns, its still AV12 with no other defensive mechanisms. for the price tag of 2000 points, you can expect the other side to be able to nuke it quickly enough.

 BoomWolf wrote:
Even with its massive 30 HP and impressive assortment of guns, its still AV12 with no other defensive mechanisms. for the price tag of 2000 points, you can expect the other side to be able to nuke it quickly enough.

Yeah, I was joking, hence the laughing emoticon. I've taken one down before - it's so big, you're essentially in range and have LOS to it anywhere you are on the board...

 BoomWolf wrote:
Nor is it very effective give that you can just buy drone squads for FAR grater numbers at the cost, and they got deepstike anyway.

SH tau choices are terribad, get used to it. (even the orca, properly costed and all, but LoW status for THAT? not enough to justify giving the enemy the anti-LoW bonuses of escalation, after all it still counts...)

Tigershark AX-1-0 isn't that bad. And it can target Invisible stuff with its D-weapon

 Vector Strike wrote:

 BoomWolf wrote:
Nor is it very effective give that you can just buy drone squads for FAR grater numbers at the cost, and they got deepstike anyway.

SH tau choices are terribad, get used to it. (even the orca, properly costed and all, but LoW status for THAT? not enough to justify giving the enemy the anti-LoW bonuses of escalation, after all it still counts...)

Tigershark AX-1-0 isn't that bad. And it can target Invisible stuff with its D-weapon

How?

Because it isn't a blast weapon

Yep, one of the two non-blast D weapons in the game.

Oh, wow. I clearly don't play enough Apoc games to know that non-blast D-weapons are rare...

But why would you want to fire your Tiger Shark's AX 1-0's main weapon at an Invisible target (Unless you have markerlight support, I guess.)

Markerlights are one thing (and some formations create auto-hit markerlights, so they combo well)

But as D weapons are no longer "you're dead jim", the single-shot profile of the tigershark is very unimpressive.

I mean...even a regular tank has a decent chance of survival now.

 Enigwolf wrote:
Oh, wow. I clearly don't play enough Apoc games to know that non-blast D-weapons are rare...

But why would you want to fire your Tiger Shark's AX 1-0's main weapon at an Invisible target (Unless you have markerlight support, I guess.)

when the enemy casts Invisibility on an Eldar Revenant/Phantom Titan and you have 2+ AX-1-0 with Titan Killer bonus rule on it