Tau Empire XV104 RIPTIDE BATTLESUIT

Product Information

From my point of view, this Codex passes the crucial test for any 9th Edition book – it’s extremely clear that the writers wanted Tau to feel cool and understood how best to use their mechanics to accomplish that. This Codex looks like a total blast to play with – it’s loaded with cool options, the majority of the units feel like they’re good at their job and are aggressively priced, and the suite of mobility and defensive tools you have access to means you should be able to plan then execute some really exciting stuff on the table. I’ve been tinkering with some army lists while preparing this review and there are a lot of things I’d be excited to try out, and the internal balance seems good enough that there are very few clearly “wrong” choices. This aspect has grown on me over the course of the review, which is generally indicative of a good amount of depth – so very positive. Ethereals are now priests (though without the keyword for some reason), getting a Chaplain-style list of Invocations they can use, which we’ll cover further down. In addition, they all get the Inspired to Greatness ability, which lets them designate a nearby CORE or AUXILIARY unit to be able to Shoot while Actioning, a very good fit for the new GT missions, can share around their impressive Leadership stat, and for the two Named ones can be brought in an army from any non-Farsight Sept. All good stuff, and there’s definitely some use cases for them. Subfactions In place of their old elemental auras, Ethereals now get six Invocations to choose from that they can activate in your Command Phase. Basic Ethereals know two and can activate one on a roll of 3+, but both Named Characters know three and can chant two on rolls of 2+, and adding the Humble Stave to a basic Ethereal gets you the double chant and 2+ rolls. The investment to get to the better version is minimal either way, and if you’re making space for an Ethereal in your list you will almost always want to – especially because two of these really stand out.

Support systems (worth mentioning): RT can take two. ATS -1 AP, 20pt cost. Auto include for HBC, and really amps up damage of SMS, but at 20pts, you should only take it with HBC. VT +1 to hit against fly, 10pts. Decent these days with a AIA against Drukhari raiders. CDS reroll misses in overwatch, 10pts. Really good on either primary weapon, and cements the supremacy of SMS in overwatch. Absolutely murderous with HBC, and does activate when firing FTGG. EWO shoot at deep striking unit within 12in, 10pts. Limited by the fact that it is 12in max range. Drone controller +1 hit to Sept drones, 5pts. Pretty good for remoras and for Shielded missile drones, but takes up a slot for the others. XV26 Battlesuit - Little is known about this battlesuit other than that it exists, is piloted by a single T'au, and is designated for void and atmospheric operations. Her'ex'vre was then transcribed phonetically into Low Gothic as the designation "XV," which forms the foundational prefix of Imperial nomenclature for the different types of T'au Battlesuits. Numerical designators applied to a type of battlesuit generally consist of one or two numerals placed after the XV prefix. The fact that this trait really rewards aggression and lets you boost up Vehicles and Drones much more easily than many other Septs can combine to make this look like one of the most promising choices here. If I (Wings) were a betting man I’d say it’s between Farsight and Tau Sept to create the first big breakout build here, and I’d lean maybe 60:40 towards the red ones. Custom Septs This prompts some very interesting choices for the competitive T’au player. For the cost of two Shield Drones, 30 points, we could take three Marker Drones. For the cost of four Shield Drones, 60 points, we could take six Gun Drones. The more we spend, the more we save, so to speak.

Tau Empire Wargear, Points, & Secondaries 40k Rules

As implied in our introduction, Tau bring together two archetypes with a lot of appeal – units with an anime sensibility, and a style that is, for want of a better word, more “realistic” than most others in 40k. Nobody’s interested in performing the Sacred Rites of Initiation to power up a piece of barely-understood technology, and nobody is diving into melee swinging a gigantic power fist (well, ok, nearly nobody – we’ll talk about relics later). Instead the Tau fight with powerful, long-ranged guns, utilising graceful anti-grav transports and tanks as well as piloted battlesuits, stuffed full of sleek future tech. In a universe full of Lord of the Rings analogues fighting with swords, they’re powered by science and a rational desire not to be within chopping range of the other creepy weirdos in the galaxy. T'au Battlesuit size comparison, from left to right: Fire Warrior in Combat Armour, XV25 Stealthsuit, XV8 Crisis Battlesuit, XV8-05 Enforcer Crisis Battlesuit, XV88 Broadside Battlesuit, XV104 Riptide Battlesuit, and XV02 Pilot Battlesuit That’s obviously bad news, but the good news is the price is pretty attractive (80pts for a Strike Team, 85pts for Breachers) and a combination of upgrades to their basic kit and the array of buffs you can apply makes them pretty dangerous. Strike Teams tote pulse rifles, one of the nastiest basic infantry guns in the game at RF1 36” S5 AP-1. As discussed in stratagems, you can easily push this as far as AP-3, can get two shots at full range, and can apply hit boosts or re-rolls in multiple ways, so these can hit with some reasonable force. Finally, there’s The Be’gel Hunter’s Plate (I truly cannot tell if the pun here is meant to be “bagel hunter” – does anyone know if there’s a good bagel place near Warhammer World?), handing out a neat +1 to saving throws and a 5+ to ignore wounds. Need a guy to live a little longer? Then give him this, and he will. An Enforcer Commander with this is incredibly tough, starting from an effective 1+ save with damage reduction and a feel no pain, meaning they can tangle with almost anything and come out alive. Prototype Systems

Sa’cea are The Sneaky Ones, another time honoured subfaction archetype, and get a pretty standard trait for that – they count as in Dense Cover outside either 12” (INFANTRY) or 18” (VEHICLE, which now includes bigger battlesuits, no more MONSTER in this book), and if the opponent does manage to get in their face they’re excellent at point-blank volleys, with their VEHICLEs and BATTLESUITs not taking the -1 penalty for shooting heavy into combat. The value of this style of trait fluctuates wildly, but it’s plausibly OK in this faction, as they can throw down a lot of hulls and expect to get some actual significant resilience from it early game. It’s likely to struggle to compete with Tau or Farsight simply because what Tau need help with is reliably clearing people off objectives rather than a boost in a long-ranged slugfest, but it’s at least meaningful. It is of note that some battlesuits may have a secondary operational role, and so a rare third numeral may be included in its designation. Please note that the recently introduced XV104 Riptide, XV107 R'varna, and XV109 Y'vahra Battlesuits are uniquely named, for their three numbers are meant to be read as 10-4, 10-7, and 10-9 respectively; with 10 being the mass class and 4, 7, and 9 being the designator of their tactical role.

Detachment Rules

One of the strongest aspects of the Shield Drone is its 5+ Feel No Pain save. Gun and Marker Drones don’t have this ability, meaning that when we pass off wounds to a Gun or Marker Drone using the Saviour Protocols ability, the Drone itself takes one mortal wound and is slain. With a Shield Drone, of course, we have a 33 percent chance of ignoring the mortal wound entirely. This is a fantastic ability, and it has saved my bacon on more than one occasion, but are we better off spending fewer points and simply taking more Drones? Happily, that leaves me with the role of just slamming together something I think looks efficient and effective. I’ve generally gravitated towards either Tau Sept or Farsight Enclaves, so since we’ve already had the Outer Enclaves, let’s see what the Tau traditionalists can do. I’ve probably written too much about this subject, but I can’t get enough of this book. I have been having a blast playing with the new Codex and these great units. I hope you guys can see past the lies of the Farsight Enclaves and embrace the truth that is the Outer Enclaves. The reliance on marker lights in Tau is hard to justify to me as a player, due to how easy it is to just kill off units like Pathfinders. The Enclaves trait was a requirement for any list that I would make moving forward purely because I can get use out of it for the entire game. You’ll notice that my Crisis teams are unique in the way that I built them, showcasing that the new book is encouraging them to have mixed weapons. I’ve invested in them because I expect these units to live, and I need them to live so I can deal with different problems. Crisis Teams: Good news Tau players – they rule. Faster, deadlier and tougher and with a whole host of support, Crisis teams should take their rightful place as a core part of Tau armies everywhere.

The other two probably won’t do much. Storm of Fire lets a unit Action while shooting, a good effect but one that every Ethereal just gets one free use of at baseline, so not something you need more of, while Unifying Mantra is a morale aura that’s similarly not going to be needed much when an Ethereal is already there, as anything in range to benefit is also in range to get Ld10. Ultimately, these pay off for you – it’s very likely that you’re only ever going to want to bring one Ethereal, and there are enough good choices here to fill out that Ethereal’s slots and have them add serious value. Good stuff. Secondary ObjectivesOnce the enemy is visible, well, the pain begins – Skyrays come out and start dropping markers and missiles, the Broadsides burst through a wall and blow something into tiny pieces, and Longstrike himself can commit if the opponent’s short on big guns, or something vital needs to become dead. From a strict optimisation point of view, right now the Stealth Suits should be a two-model Crisis Bodyguard team with minimal equipment just so Longstrike can act with impunity, but I like still being friends with people I play Warhammer against afterwards so that’s out. By all means do it in tournament lists, but don’t expect me to like it when I write it up in Competitive Innovations. The Tau XV104 Riptide kit is a pleasure to build and contains parts for all of the various options that are included in the Tau codex. If you’re a fan of smaller battlesuits the Elite slot also has you covered, and here I want to hand over to Vrekais to talk about one of his vary favourite units.