tau battle suit configurations

i have looked around the net for these but i was wondering what eeryone round here thinks right know i use fireknife but i am looking for another effective combonation

Twin-Linked Burst Cannons are *super cheap* You need to take three weapons, you could do twin linked burst cannons and a flamer or something.

I'll think about it some more and get back to you. I use fireknife too... it's kinda good. I've got a cheapy shas'o with Misslepod, flamer, and target lock. Works well.

Fireknife really is the only effective build right now.

Flamers are useless, if you're that close you're going to wind up dead even with JSJ.

Tau have enough ways to deal with heavy armour, so fusion blasters are out. Piranhas do that role much much better in addition to movement blocking and generally just being annoying.

The special edition weapons are silly. Ignore cover? Pathfinders. Strength 3? Yeah, have fun not causing many wounds. Plasma is strength 6 and always denies armour saves, instead of maybe causing wounds and maybe denying armour.

Missile pods are a requirement, they give the suits long(ish) range firepower and the ability to hurt transports. Plasma is strength 6, meaning it causes more wounds than burst cannons and glance a transport or two, and they're AP2. In and of itself this is kinda meh but it's nice against things like terminators and monstrous creatures.

TL missile pods are not as good as missile pod/plasma rifle, there's a higher chance to gain more wounds rather than a more consistent rate of fixed wounds.

I generally agree with HC above, but a TL-Burst Cannon suit can be as cheap as 40pts. That's 120 points for a squad with, essentially, 3 heavy bolters. It'd work well at mowing lightly armoured troops, or even MEQ's (9 shots, TL @ BS3 is ~6 hits, 4 wounds, 1.3 dead MEQ's)

It'd be fantastic against non-MEQ armies, fun to paint, and at 120 pts.... (TL Burst Cannons and a blacksun filter)

This is something I've often wondered about and been confused by... why are "MEQ" and "non-MEQ" terms relevant? Isn't it all about killing the other dude's models? Sure marines have a 3+ save compared to everyone else's (essentially) 4+... but there are also fewer of them.

(as a side note, how does MEQ = marines? does it stand for something???)

Burst cannon suits are cheap, yes, but they also have pitiful range =\

MEQ - Marine or Equivalent - Units such as Marines, Chaos Marines, Necron Warriors, and anyone else that's T4/3+ save.

18" range on the burst cannon isn't too bad, considering the suits get to jump backwards in the assault phase.

HolyCause wrote:This is something I've often wondered about and been confused by... why are "MEQ" and "non-MEQ" terms relevant? Isn't it all about killing the other dude's models? Sure marines have a 3+ save compared to everyone else's (essentially) 4+... but there are also fewer of them.

(as a side note, how does MEQ = marines? does it stand for something???)

Burst cannon suits are cheap, yes, but they also have pitiful range =\

The significance comes from older versions of the game, where people either played MEQ (look at my T4 3+ armor), or planed to face it. Space Marines were everywhere, Chaos almost as much, and necrons in 3rd. At that time, vehicles died really easily, and a model had to actually be obscured to get a cover, not jsut stand on "area terrain" So as MEQ had tons of AP5 and AP4, other armies never got to roll saves (unless you were eldar).

So the term MEQ doesnt really matter much arymore, since vehicles are now tougher, and all infantry that want can just stick half their unit in cover and immediately gain 4+ invul

I ahve always used MEQ as a generalist term. It just equals T4, 3+ save. If something is non-MEQ, then it is either more fragile (T3, 4+ saves), or tougher (like MC's).

And you just have to look at our league to see that Marines of many flavors still abound...

or burst cannon and missle pod

At that pointcost, may as well do TL-Misslepod and Target Locks (so you can shoot at different things)... take that AR11 things.

Is that really better than fireknife though? not really... You're getting expensive again.

[quote="canadin"]

HolyCause wrote:
So the term MEQ doesnt really matter much arymore, since vehicles are now tougher, and all infantry that want can just stick half their unit in cover and immediately gain 4+ invul

I disagree, there's a big difference between a 3+ and a 4+ save, there's also a difference in that MEQ's have the option to not require use of area terrain, opening up tactical corridors to them that may be deathtraps to others.

It's a benchmark just as worthy of consideration in 5th ed as it was 3rd ed, IMO

ooooh, so it DOES stand for something. interesting. thanks tom!

where people either played MEQ or planed to face it

sounds like list tailoring (which is cheating...) - bring an army that can smash everyone, not just who can do better against one unit type.



well, I can't speak for previous editions of warhammer as I'm not as experienced with them, but currently, MEQ and non-MEQ is rather arbitrary. There is a difference between 3+ and 4+, however there are usually fewer of the 3+ (marines) compared to 4+ (everyone else) due to points cost/squad sizes/FOC limitations, so it balances out.

in the end, bring lots of guns and make the guy roll dice until he doesn't have any models left. that's a basic tenet of fifth edition. lol

or burst cannon and missle pod

I still say do plasma rifles. in addition to being longer ranged, it allows the suits to handle threats more effectively than with just burst cannons - sure against the t3 crowd you do better, but what about t4, t5, or even t6? the latter usually being in the form of MCs which cover is more difficult to get, thus the AP2 helps. Mark also made a good point, it forces marines to change how they do things and instead aim for cover because AP2 shreds them.