Fortunately, paying an extra 10 points for your Commanders isn’t such a big deal. All things considered, it won’t make a significant change to the way in which T’au players build their army lists at the moment. XV46 Vanguard Void Battlesuit - The XV46 Vanguard Void Battlesuit is a newly developed T'au Battlesuit that was designed by Earth Caste mechanics of the T'au Empire out of a need for a specialised battlesuit to explore space hulks. They incorporate many advanced and miniaturised technologies in their armour, and are armed with an array of powerful short-ranged weapons and potent defensive systems to aid them in their exploration role. Ejection System (Special Issue) - An Ejection System provides the pilot of a Battlesuit a chance to escape catastrophic damage by ranged fire to his Battlesuit by ejecting the pilot at the last second. The pilot then has to fend for himself on foot. For example, an Enforcer Commander armed with three Cyclic Ion Blasters and an Advanced Targeting System now comes to 159 points, which is certainly still worth it. A Coldstar Commander armed with four Fusion Blasters is 180 points, which is starting to look a little pricy, but it’s probably still worth a look. Ruby Modine turned in an amazing performance as Lako’ma, showing all of her resoluteness and dedication to her mission – she’s a fanatic, a true believer of the T’au mantras, while Kelseth is a jaded, weary veteran of war. He is familiar with her kind and it saddens him. But he also recognizes himself in her – his youthful, warrior self – and while he is still determined to accomplish his ends, he tries to get through to her, to free her from the tyranny of zealotry and expose the emptiness of conquest. Perhaps, with Lako’ma’s final act of violence, Kelseth may have penetrated through her righteousness with his wisdom. Perhaps…

As fans of Battlefleet Gothic will know, T’au Empire fleets are frequently joined by ships from an allied race known as the Nicassar. These semi-nomadic ursine xenos are powerful psykers, and were among the first to join the Greater Good, but the T’au are careful to keep the Nicassar off the front lines. After all, if there’s one thing the Imperium hates more than aliens or psykers, it’s psychic aliens.

Ben Jones – Adeptus Custodes – 3rd Place

Monat - 1 Shas'ui armed with a Flamer, a Fusion Blaster, a Shield Generator and a hard-wired Drone Controller However, there are those XV8 pilots who have lost their team members and operate alone. These embittered Monat pilots often choose to undertake dangerous missions where the risks are extremely high, and will often be deployed to undertake tactically vital missions which they are not likely to survive; such sacrifices are sometimes necessary in pursuit of the Greater Good. XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit The largest stealthsuit in operation, they are considered the pinnicle of Tau stealth technology

It goes without saying that Shield Drones are one of the most powerful assets in the T’au arsenal. Indeed, the entire 8th edition T’au meta was built around this humble little Drone and the defensive capabilities that it offered to the faction. XV89 Crisis Battlesuit - The XV89 Crisis Battlesuit is intended for assaults against heavily-fortified enemy positions and thus is outfitted with heavier Iridium Armour plating for enhanced protection compared to the more standard Crisis Battlesuit variants. Known battlesuits range from the XV88 Broadside Battlesuit intended for heavy fire support and armed with weapons more similar to those found on the main battle tanks of other intelligent species, to the lightweight XV25 Stealthsuit which is designed for infiltration and sabotage operations. The mainstay of all T'au Battlesuits, however, is the versatile XV8 Crisis Battlesuit and its multiple derivatives, which are capable of carrying a wide variety of weapons and support equipment to optimise them for fighting in any tactical situation or role. The XV86 Coldstar Battlesuit, or simply the XV86, is a rare mark of XV8 Crisis Battlesuit that carries many wholly unique support and weapon systems. Designed for operation in a void environment, each XV86 is fitted with integrated interface armour.

Sometimes you will switch between both options as needed depending on what the game demands. How Does This Faction Handle Enemy Hordes? The XV81 Battlesuit was designed in an attempt the counter the high casualty rate amongst T'au Commanders, whose zeal in battle often led to them being exposed to enemy fire whilst in support of their troops.

Puretide Engram Neurochip – Commander Puretide was undoubtedly the most gifted T'au Commander of all time. The T'au were unwilling to lose his tactical and strategic brilliance, and upon his death, his mind was scanned and his accumulated memories committed to a massive hologram program on his birth world of Dal'yth Prime. A sliver of that genius has been crafted into several bio-chips. When surgically implanted into the brain of a Fire Caste commander, the bearer can access much of the wisdom of Puretide himself from the Puretide Engram Neurochip; drawing upon a great reservoir of tactical acumen. XV25 Stealthsuit - The XV25 Stealthsuit is a relatively recent development of the T'au Earth Caste and shares many of the same features of its predecessor in the T'au armoury, the XV15 Stealthsuit. The XV15 Stealthsuit is currently being phased out of use by the Fire Caste and is being replaced by the XV25, which will serve as the new standard for all T'au stealth forces in the years to come.

Vik Vijay – Tau – 2nd ✪ Place

Below is a list of the most common available weapon systems that an XV8 Crisis Battlesuit can be armed with. It is possible for an XV8 to be armed with multiples of the same weapon. XV22; an experimental stealthsuit worn by Commander Shadowsun. The XV22 is a much more advanced system than the XV25 in current use. Currently in field testing stage The T’au have a narrow selection of very efficient units which can be built around to allow the army to “punch up” against stronger forces. There are some options to consider beyond these in more casual games, but right now any serious competitive army will need to build around these concepts and combinations. Crisis Battlesuits