Rounding out the section here are the Solid Image Projection Unit, a neat combination of a 4+ invulnerable save and a once per turn “reduce Damage to 0” effect, Ohr’tu’s Lantern which buffs your markerlight rolls, and The Kindled Blade, which seems to exist just to give Fireblades something unique to take and which you will probably not ever want. XVx3 – Designates a battlesuit of any mass class that has not entered mass production and has been assigned permanently to its pilot. 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. Sa’cea ends up pretty middle of the road overall – you’re going to feel like it’s doing good stuff for you, and if it’s your favourite Sept you’re going to have a great time in narrative play, but it’s probably not quite where the top competitive builds will come from. Dal’yth

Next on the fancy toys list are some Commander upgrades, allowing you to boost the AP of their guns and add some mortals on 6s with the Seeker of Perfection trait and boost the wound rolls of two of their guns (as long as you’re within half range) via the Overdrive Power Systems Relic. Both of these look very usable – the trait is behind the generic Precision of the Hunter option for a murder Commander, but some lists absolutely want two, so go wild, while the relic can slot onto pretty much any build nicely thanks to the increased range.All T'au Battlesuits represent the pinnacle of the advanced technologies that have been developed by the Earth Caste, and often wield powerful heavy weapons which are complemented by Battlesuit Support Systems and varying types of T'au wargear -- tools that allow them to defeat any foe and master any situation. A pilot ensconced in a battlesuit can weather some of the harshest conditions the elements can muster, glide through the void, and annihilate foes he could never hope to vanquish otherwise. But let’s have a look a some practical example of the updates. How do the points updates affect a couple of key T’au units?

The advancement of T'au Battlesuits has mirrored the rate at which the T'au have expanded across the galaxy. The earliest prototypes were field-tested during the early stages of the First Sphere Expansion, and although they were successful, the going was slow. In 576.M39, improvements in anti-gravitic motors were combined with relatively new T'au Battlesuit technology at the time to form the first T-Series Battlesuits, which helped the Fire Caste complete the annexation of the Tash'var Sept.Those aren’t your only choices here, of course, with Shadowsun and Farsight both being available as named alternatives (and both have to be your warlord if you take them, or one of them does if you take both). Farsight is the easier one to cover – he rules. He’s a souped up Crisis Commander with their (very helpful) buff, an actual melee profile from the Dawn Blade (now with a sweep option), a super plasma rifle and a minor melee buff for a nearby CORE unit. Being real – he’s 5pts more than a Crisis Commander with two plasma rifles and a shield generator, so if you’re running Enclaves, just take him. 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. Only the greatest heroes of the Fire Caste stride to war in these mighty armoured machines, and they are the pride of the caste as well as one of the most important symbols of the T'au Empire. Battlesuits can easily lay down a withering hail of fire to destroy both infantry and armoured vehicles, and possess the resilience and speed to shrug off heavy fire. Though the armies of the T'au rely on their skimmer-tanks and the airborne gunships of the Air Caste for long range support, the battlesuits of the Fire Caste are considered to be the most efficient of all their many killing machines. Only the Hammerhead railgun gets to ignore invulns, but all flavours of rail weaponry hit hard and do automatic mortals as soon as they wound, helping push through defences.