confirmed tau rules

Fire Burst: If the unit doesn't move in the movement phase they can fire an extra shot with their induction rifles and carbines in the next shooting phase.

Hammerhead Ace: Sha'ng's Hammerhead has BS5. He dies if the Hammerhead is destroyed but doesn't give extra victory points.

Adquired Target: Markerlight don't cause wounds and there are no saves against them. Place a token close to the unit for each hit. Before any unit shoots, if the target has any token you can spend them to gain the following abilities. A Unit can't use the tokens of their own markerlights:
- Precise +1BS for each spent token (can spend several)
- Strafe (Cost 2 tokens) The shots gain Ignore Cover rule
- Seeker Shoot a seeker missile for each spent token.

High Speed Deployment: Can disembark during movement even if Swooping. A Solarshark that moves before their drones disembark can still move immediately.

Defender of the Greater Good: The Stealth Shas'ui and Shas'vre of O'Shaserra unit gain Oathbound Protector (all Look out Sir rolls for a independent character joined to a unit with this rule automatically succeed)

Failure is not an option: All Tau units with a miniature withing 12 use the Ethereal's leadership for Fear, Morale, Pinning and Regroup checks. Killing the Ethereal gives an extra victory point.

Infantry Warrior: Can only join Firewarrior or Pathfinder units.

Great Invocation: Aun'Va can invoke two elemental powers per turn.

Invoke the Elements:
At the beginning of the Movement Phase, choose one of the four elemental powers. The ethereal and all non-vehicle friendly Tau Empire units gain that power until the next movement phase of the Ethereal. The power ends if the Ethereal dies:
-Calm tide: Stubborn.
- Firestorm: All induction weapons get an extra shot against targets closer than half their range. Doesn't affect induction bombs.
- Stone Toughness: Feel no Pain (6+)
- Zephyr's Grace: Can make snapshots after running.

Supreme Loyalty: As long as Aun'Va is alive, all friendly Tau Empire units can reroll any Fear, Morale, Pinning and Regrouping failed tests.

Blade Master: In a challenge, Aun'Shi must choose an style each turn before any rolls are made: - Patient Blade: reroll any missed saves, - Lethal Blade: Rending

Afterburners: Can use Turbo Boost as if it was a jetbike.

Oathbound Protector: all Look out Sir rolls for a independent character joined to a unit with this rule automatically succeed

Nova Reactor: Declare your use of the Nova Reactor at the beginning of each movement phase. If you use it, roll a die. 1-2 the Riptide suffers a wound without saves. On 3+ you gain one of the following benefits (your choice) until the next movement phase:
-Nova Shield: Invulnerable save 3+
-Propulsor: Can move 4d6
-Chain fire: Can fire the twin-linked fusion blaster, twin-linked plasma rifle or twin-linked missiles twice
-Nova charge: Can use the nova charge profile of its weapons.

Tactical Fall-Back: Shi'Vre and his unit can consolidate after firing Overwatch.

Drone Turret: Recon Drones embark on a Devilfish as a passenger but they don't count for the transport capacity.

wah... does that mean that using a Ethereal and the fire burst rule allows you to fire 4 shots at rapid fire range? Pew Pew Pew Pew wont be much left after that amount of fire...

The tau does look like it is now back, owning the shooting phase as it should be! I like the tactical fall back rule, that can put the opponent out of range.

Fusion Blasters and Smart Missile Systems are getting 6" boost to their range if I heard correctly, I guess it balances it out between the loss of STR on the Broadsides.

Yay, I have a reason to field my ethereal again.

@Pax, Fireburst comes from Fireblade right? I'm hoping they removed the mandatory requirement to field a Battlesuit Commander, if not, we won't be seeing 48 shots coming from a single firewarrior squad.

But if firestorm buffs all units, I can't see why I need a Fireblade.

All my 72 firewarriors are able to shoot a total of 108 shots at 30" or 216 shots at rapid fire range.

On a side note, European customers were informed by GW stocks were delayed until mid-April. I really hope it doesn't affect UK or anywhere else for that matter. The codexes weren't affected though.

I believe that only fireblades squad gets it. If army wide a bit too op la

Looking good! I've always thought a fire warrior based army backed up by some pathfinders, armor and fast attack would make an interesting and strong army. Will we see you guys bring your Tau armies out soon?

maybe, but one thing good lan u can now make a non crisis suit army since there is a non hq suit character now

That's right! And exactly what I need - a new army!

and the ethereal is kinda cool now mix him with your firewarrior hq guy that squad will shoot 40 S5 shots at rapidfire range. Give some path finder tokens if you want to make sure they dont stay there after all that pulse shots

Oh you bet I'll try a list with Fireblade and Ethereal, I'm considering Aun Va but he just keeps giving me the image of a Space Pope.

Maybe something like this, if points allow

Fireblade Cadre
Ethereal

1 Team of Crisis Suits
2 Teams of Stealth Suits (6 or 8 )

5-6 Teams of Firewarriors
0-1 Remote Sensor Tower

1 Flyer, probably the fighter, the bomb rules leaked doesn't seem worth it
1 Team of Pathfinders ( I might need to buy a new box if it comes with so many things)

1-2 Hammerheads
1 Team of Broadsides (Skyfire, maybe)

The lists gonna be good against CC deathstars (hopefully) but because they removed Targetting Array, markerlights are so much more important now. I'm still leaning towards no devilfishes while I'm still in UK.

Looking at the markerlight rules, it seems like you can add BS more than BS5 now. Additionally, and I might be reading between the lines, but there's no mention of markerlights removing after each turn or when can it be used. This would suggest markerlights could be used for overwatching shots or possibly stacking markerlight hits for later turns. Too good to be true but that's what the leaked pics of the rule suggests.

The skyray if its true would make a potent anti air platform and a good support platform for light anti tank duty. Im not too sold on the broadsides yet. But yea the fighter will be mowing down spacemarines like nothing s6 ap3 8 shots

The slight problem with skyrays is that it requires another unit filled with markerlights, shooting at the flyer within range in order to benefit from the unlimited range of seeker missiles. That would be assuming a unit or the skyray itself is near the flyer.

Broadsides essentially fills the anti-air/anti light-medium tanks roles by themselves without needing too much markerlight support.

What's arguable would be that Skyray's networked markerlight is rumoured to be heavy 4, whilst it is also a cheaper option but tough to crack (AV 13 front and 4 HP).

A couple more leaked pictures have been found and shown in Faeit's blog. Let's just say drones are why they removed Targetting Array, Skyfire and Interceptor is available for all the battlesuits as separate options.

Interceptor is, I think an answer to all who likes to deepstrike CC deathstars in front of my army. Can't believe I'm going to actually spill some BA blood. People are still playing BA back home, right? or have they jumped to DA now? Hahahah.

A little leak from gw

While the Pathfinders are primarily equipped as scouts they also have access to a lot of new Tau technology, which they use to great effect on the front line. Rail rifles and ion rifles are common upgrades for Pathfinders, enabling them to take on more heavily armoured foes, while their experimental drones augment their abilities. The grav-inhibitor drone, for example, can slow an enemy assault by firing a high-powered graviton wave at them.

Rail rifles are STR 6 AP1 Heavy 1 Sniper, Ion rifles probably has STR 7 AP4.

Drones are Pulse Accelerator, increase pulse weapon range by 6"; Grav-inhibitor, decreases D3 charge distance; Recon? Drone, has burst cannon, gives devilfish Locator Beacon and Positional Relay, former like Homing Beacon, latter is letting reserve units come from the table edge within 6" of it.

Tons of brainstorming for strategies and tactics are ongoing can be found in Advanced Tau Tactica if you're interested.

There is a review on the codex on bos.

The Sky Ray is beastly! I love this tank. It comes standard with a Velocity Tracker and 2 Networked Markerlights, which is why I think we will see it so often. It can choose to light up a flyer, and then another harder hitting unit can shoot it at BS3, often twin linked. That is pretty savage, and the Sky Ray is durable and cheap. It can also take Smart Missiles for free, which really shores up it's lack of punch when it blows its Seeker Missile load. I predict we'll see a lot of the following in Heavy Support: Broadside Team, Hammerhead, Sky Ray. That gives a really solid mix of units, AA options, and versatility. 

That means u can opt to shoot both network markerlights on a flier giving the missiles bs5 also the infamous tau seekers no longer needs a markerlight to fire.

There are 3 skyfire units in the tau codex making 5 options for AA duty...

I see 6 themed tau builds in this codex

Typical mix cadre tau
Linemen firewarrior tau
Recon ranger tau
Mecha tau
Mechanized tau
Kroot n allies horde tau - the weakest of them all unless u add in FW goodies

Also gunline tau is quite scary... at first I assume other tau units can snap fire at an enemy unit if its 6" from the enemy when the enemy charges another tau unit which is ok but unlikely to happen....

but I reread the rule its 6" from the unit being charge! Meaning if you make a gunline its very likely the unit beside the one going to be charge will fire its weapons at 15" if there were 3 interlocking units lined up thats 72 shots (unlikely all will be in range probably about 50++) will be in range will shoot at snap fire. Which can be upgraded to 5+ snapfire. There is a catch tho if the unit assist another it cannot snapfire at another unit the same turn...

I wouldn't strike out an army with kroots being the weakest build. Kroots and Vespids both now can use markerlights.

Kroots also has the option to exchange their ammo for sniper types (1 pt each). A blob of kroots can potentially be deadly against any high toughness units.

Vespids are now I6, their weapons got a 6" boost too which is not too bad.

The many times I've played Tau, it has always been only that one unit who is able to successfully charge against me costing me a guarantee loss, there's rarely two simultaneous charges on the same turn. Even then, you need to consider now that every unit is able to Volley Fire/Supporting Fire, and I always had 5 or 6 units near enough to pull a lot of overwatch against a person.

Sniper Drone Teams have gotten better although its role has kinda switched, since the Spotter is BS 5, he grants it to his sniper drones too, carrying 48" pulse snipers with rapid fire. Though, you can add more spotters and drones instead of getting two more teams.

It's possible to see Sniper Drones but hard to consider when the HS slots are more enticing.