Signature Tau XV8 Crisis Suit Configurations in 6th Edition

A staple of all Tau armies are the XV8 Crisis Suit teams. Both in the 4th Edition and in the new 6th Edition, a wide selection of options are available to customize the load-out of Crisis Suit teams to different needs (Tau skipped the “no-armoury” age of 5th Edition).

XV8 Crisis Suits get to pick a combination of three weapons and/or support systems (formerly Battlesuit Support Systems).

With nearly 20 weapons and systems to choose from, the list of possible XV8 Crisis Suit configurations is nearly endless (even more so if you mix different load-outs in a single unit).

Despite, or because, this wealth of options, a few “signature” configurations have proven popular and very useful for Tau players using the old Codex.

Lets see how these translate to 6th Edition.

---

General Changes to the Tau XV8 Crisis Suits

First up, what are the general changes to Crisis Suits.

1. Cheaper: XV8 cost 3 pts. less per suit. Hooray!
2. Build-in systems: Multi-Tracker (and Blacksun Filters) are now standard, saving you both points and one of the three “slots” to configure your suits. This clearly encourages combining different weapons, such as the Fireknife, over the more single-minded combinations, such as the Deathrain.
3. Cheaper plasma: Plasma rifles for XV8 got a nice point-drop, both as a single weapon and twin-linked.
4. Pricy missiles: Most other weapons actually got slightly more expensive, notably the Missile Pod, but also Flamers, Fusion Blasters and Burst Cannons (those clearly needed a nerf!).
5. Context: Not a change to the XV8 per se, but many of the new additions to the Tau army in 6th Edition. Str. 7 missiles, to name one example, are far more freely available throughout the Tau army, even after the ninja-FAQ nerf to Missile Drones (you can already see this isn’t going to end well for the humble Deathrain).

---

#1 – The XV8 Fireknife

The Fireknife – Plasma Rifle and Missile Pod – is a generalist load-out, which has remained surprisingly popular despite both the widespread trend on 40K 5th Edition to specialize units and the added cost of not buying the discounted twin-linked weapons for the XV8. What made the Fireknife popular is that it covers both light vehicle killing and most of the Tau armies’ AP2 needs.

The 6th Edition both vindicates the Fireknife and puts and end to it. Vindicate, because 3 bare-bones Fireknife suits are now a full 30 pts. cheaper, dropping from 186 to 156 pts. Ending it, as the in-build Multi-Tracker opens up an extra “slot”. Tau players will use this slot to change the “classic” Fireknife. There’s no telling what load-out will prevail (if any one configuration will).

Two version will likely be frequent on the table:

1. + Advanced Targeting System: This is both the cheapest way to fill the free equipment-slot, and an option that lends itself well to playing with “old” miniatures, if you don’t want to start converting. It keeps the cost of a 3-suit-unit easily below 200 pts., even if you add a drone or two, and more precision shots are sweet for a unit still low in numbers and RoF.
2. + TL-Plasma: As the plasma rifle is the one weapon that got a lot cheaper (and XV8 still only have BS3), twin-linking the plasma rifle is the best Fireknife-upgrade available for 5 pts.

---

#2 – The XV8 Deathrain

The Deathrain had a place in 4th and 5th Edition being cheap and throwing Str. 7 suppression fire at your opponent, so your Heavy Support was free to target more interesting targets.

The Deathrain didn’t a multi-tracker, giving you a free third slot for something cheap. I’ve seen Targeting Arrays, though it was a bit overkill on top of twin-linked pods, and Blacksun Filters. Flamers were also a good option for the later game-turns, as Tau armies had few of those.

The new 6th Edition Codex for Tau will make Deathrains a rarity for three reasons:

• Missile Pods (and Flamers) got more expensive, negating the point-savings on the XV8. 
• Deathrains don’t use the (now free) multi-tracker.
• Str. 7 missile-spam is much easier to get elsewhere with the new Codex.

What to do with “old” Deathrain miniatures?

If you didn’t model them with Flamers, fielding them with some of the (cheaper) new support systems, such as Early Warning Override, might yet get some mileage out of them.

In the long term, the Deathrain is ripe for decommissioning.

---

#3 – The XV8 Helios

The Helios suit-configuration in the old Codex was a close-ranged, hard-target killer with (usually) a Plasma Rifle, a Fusion Blaster and a Multi-Tracker. An even more single-minded version was the Sunforge suit with twin-linked Fusion Blasters.

For both, the idea was to get in close-and-personal, often deep striking, and kill tough targets.

The Helios, with a Plasma Rifle on top of the Fusion Blaster was likely more versatile, taking down elite-infantry as well as high-AV tanks. The Sunforge… well… some people don’t like Broadsides (and the old kit, admittedly, was a pain to build).

Though it may seem counter-intuitive for Tau to equip crisis suits in ways that perform best under 12″, a modified Helios may well turn out to be the secret XV8 champion in 6th Edition.

• Precision deep strikes are now a lot easier for Tau.
• Missile Pods don’t need to be on Crisis Suits.
• Cheaper plasma.. really!

A Crisis Suit team that drops into the main pressure-points on the Tau lines (‘crisis’), bringing the killing power to take on elite infantry, monstrous creatures, walkers and others nastiness may well be the way forward for XV8 units.

As the Multi-Tracker is now standard, and a Crisis team up-front may not live forever, twin-linking either the Plasma Rifle or the Fusion Blaster is surely the best adaptation of the Helios. I wouldn’t bother with things like Vectored Retro-Thrusters (as Tau lack Initiative), though I could be wrong.

Overall, as Plasma Rifles got cheaper (and Fusion Blasters pricier), and  infantry became more prevalent and vehicles less so, the TL-Plasma Rifle + Fusion Blaster seems a tempting load-out.

---

What do you think?

How do you plan to use the XV8 Crisis Suits in Warhammer 40K 6th Edition.. if at all?

Share your opinion and leave a comment!

Z.