How to play T'au Empire

A mobile mech gunline built on shooting and target-saturation. T'au don't fight in melee; they spot priority targets, stack accuracy buffs, and delete enemy units at range before they close.

Army rule: For the Greater Good: in the Shooting phase an Observer marks a visible enemy as Spotted and a Guided unit shoots it at +1 to hit, also gaining Ignores Cover if the Observer has the Markerlight keyword. Chain a cheap markerlight Observer like Pathfinders into your hardest-hitting unit each turn to both hit more and ignore the new defensive cover bonus.

Strengths

Premier ranged firepower with long reach, deep strike, and mobile battlesuits
Markerlight Ignores Cover is a major edge in 11th's cover-heavy meta
Recon and stealth detachments let units shoot from concealment and extend detection
Strong accuracy-stacking reliably removes a key enemy unit per turn

Weaknesses

Very weak in the Fight phase; nothing improves melee survivability
The new cover rule hurts shooting armies by default, so T'au lean on conditional Ignores-Cover tricks
Fragile infantry; killing the Observer/markerlight pieces sputters the engine

Signature combos

Markerlight Observer marks a target, then the hardest-hitting Guided unit fires at +1 with Ignores Cover
Pathfinder Teams as the cheap markerlight triggers
Stealth Suits and Ghostkeels shooting while concealed
Battlesuit Commanders and Crisis Suits deep-striking in to get Guided and delete a target

Gameplan

Play a controlled, reactive gunline: hold back, use mobility and deep strike to dictate range, and remove one priority enemy unit per turn via the Observer chain. Score from range and with expendable bodies, committing firepower decisively when you can stack Guided plus Ignores Cover.

Playing against T'au Empire

Force the Fight phase by threatening and executing charges to pin their shooting, use terrain and the Hidden rules to stay out of detection, and kill or screen off Pathfinders to break Ignores-Cover and accuracy buffs.

Next steps

Browse all T'au Empire datasheets → · What to buy → · General tactics →