Tau HQ Tactics

There are two HQ choices for the Tau army, The Commander in the very able XV8 battle suit, and

Commander

The Tau commanders are hardened veterans that have shown exceptional tactical ability. In game terms the Tau commander are very able fighters. With ballistic scores of four and five they will hit the targets with at least the same regularity as a Space Marine. For this reason I recommend that you choose weapons that are not twin linked. I highly recommend the 'Multi Tracker' support system to capitalize on the commanders excellent BS score and at least one Shield Drone to protect your points investment.

Watch out for their low initiative value of 3. This will mean that they will be striking last against most foes in close combat, but then that is what the I4 Kroot are for.

Both commander options wear Crisis Battle suites. I have detailed the pros and cons of these suites in the Elite Crisis Battle Suite Teams section.

Shas'o

The Shas'o commander is the best skilled of the two commander options. The extra 25 points is well worth the additional scores you get and I would recommend that choose this commander for games as small as 500 points.

Shas'el

The Shas'el is the poorer brother of the two commander options. If you desperately need to loose 25 points to make your army legal then it is an option, but not a good one. I recommend that you choose the Shas'o commander and loose the 25 points elsewhere.

Shas'vre Bodyguard

The Shas'vre Bodyguard have the same stats as the upgraded

Elite Crisis Battle Squad member and what I have written there applies here too.

All the Bodyguard have access to the Battlesuit wargear list. This is well worth thinking about if you are fighting a known opponent with a specific weakness (cheesy army killers).

Independent Character

Instead of taking a bodyguard the commander can be an independent character. This is useful to minimise the points cost and due to his extra manoeuvrability he will be able to fortify failing troops.

Ethereal

Ethereals can not have a bodyguard. If you find that your Ethereal is being targeted, upgrade him with one or two Shield Drone.

The Ethereal's extra weapon skill and attacks are hampered by their low toughness and no saves.