How to play Tau|For Beginners

Hi, this is a quick, indepth, and (hopefully) an informative guide. Here you will learn the basics of Tau, up to some advanced and specific information. All of the credit goes to my contributor, and if you found this guide really helpful you should read his other guide (when it is eventually finished) as most of this was made by him.
To all the more experienced Tau players please do keep in mind that there will be some mistakes in this guide, as it is an overview. If so, please tell us about it.

Introduction

|Tau Strengths:
- A strong tier 1, which can set you up for a strong economy advantage
- Great harass ability throughout game
- Good tier 3 upgrades for damage and HP
- Very good anti vehicle
- Strong vs: IG

|Tau Weaknesses:
- Slowest and weakest rhino in the game
- Weaker in tier 2.5, can be destroyed by races who are strong in this tier
- Low HP on all units
- Requires high micro/macro
- CAN BE weak vs: necron, ork, sm, chaos, eldar

Tau is considered to be almost tied with necrons in strength, and is considered somewhat broken in Dark Crusade. Although, if you don't know what you're doing, tau can suffer lots to other races who can deal damage quickly.


|What You Are Expected To Know Already:
- It is crucial to build listening posts as soon as possible
- Upgrading listening posts improves resources, and is important in tier 1
- Units must be controlled during a fight to use abilities, and retreat if necessary
- DOW is 100% a game of aggression, not defence. Turtling and turrets will rarely win you the game

Unit Overview

Tier 1
Tau Commander
-Recruited at Tau Barracks
-Base Health is 1000
-Heavy Flamer and Commander Fusion Blaster.
-Fusion Blaster is effective against Vechiles and Buildings.
-Heavy Flamer is good against Basic Infantry, and Heavy Infantry at braking morale.
-The Tau Commander isn't good at Melee, and is one of the worst Commanders to use Melee in. Especially in late game, when opponents have more sophisticated infantry. Only use melee to tie up high damage shooting units to save your other army.
-The Tau Commander can deal out a lot of range damage in a short amount of time. Thats why you shouldn't put him in hand-to-hand combat. Instead let him stand behind your Melee infantry. Such as the Kroot Squad.

Fire Warriors
-Recruited at Tau Barracks
-Basic Pulse Rifles
-Long Range Infantry
-Very crap at Melee.
-Good against Basic Infantry
-Try not to get your Tau Fire Warriors too close to Melee units.
-Tau have a high range-you can harass enemy units without them firing back at you.

Kroot Carnivore
-Recruited at Tau Barracks
-Very good at Melee.
-Can be used against Basic Infantry, and Heavy Infantry
-Kroot and Fire Warriors form a very good tandem in Tier 1 Battles. With these you should be able to attack and defend with sophisticated victories every time, as long as you micro-manage well.
-Very weak against Necron, Imperial Guard, and Chaos turrets. You should ALWAYS pair them up with vespids against buildings.
-Can be used as a meatshield to keep the Fire Warriors safe, and let them fire at range, but can also melt down fast so care.
-If you add a Kroot Shaper (Tier 2 Unit) to the Kroot Carnivore Squad their Damage, and Health significantly increases.
-Use the consume ability to increase HP.

Stealth Team
-Recruited at Cadre Headquarters
-Used to capture Strategic Points during the early-game.
-Can be used against Light Tanks, if the Fusion Blasters are equipped.

Earth Caste Builder
-Recruited at Cadre Headquarters
-Builds everything.

Vespid Stingwing Strain
-Used for scouting and harassment.
-Vespid Stingwing Strain can be used to attack opponents unprotected buildings early on in the game, that can give you a huge advantage, because you just harmed the your opponents progress.


Tier 2
Pathfinder Team
-Very weak at fighting.
-A HUGE scouting range.
-Can mark enemy units, and make infiltrate and invisible units.
-Weapon inflicts a slight slowing affect, good for hunting low HP commanders or units.

XV88 Broadside Batllesuit
-Heavy fire support
-Broadside battle suites can entrench themselves in the ground, in order to attain more firepower, and higher accuracy.
-Once the Battlesuit is entreched they are immobilised, but can Uproot themselves in order to become mobile again.

Devilfish Troop Carrier
-Can transport 3 squads of infantry at a time.
-Can be used to transport very SLOW units such as the Broadside Battlesuits, or
-Used to transport Fire Warriors and then harass the enemy. If the enemy opens fire you can always load the Fire Warriors and retreat with ease.
-Devilfish are the slowest and weakest Troop Carriers in the game.

Skyray Missile Gunship
-Can missile barrage a specific loaction [requires upgrade]
-Suffers from low health.
-Has very BIG range
-It has good damage against Light Tanks, and Basic Infantry

Dronge Harbinger and Drone Squad.
-Dronge Harbinger is expensive. Rarely use it, unless it is a long game against an entrentched possition. The drones can tank in a swarm for your other infantry.
-Drong Squad can be used as a meatshield or a scouting unit.
-It can harass Basic Infantry with ease.
-Has the ability to sink into the ground, and then suprise attack the enemy.

Tier 1

Standard Opening

The standard tau start can be effective against all races if managed propely. I strongly recommend to use it for all races, once you have worked out the strategy behind it.

Strong vs: All
Can Be Weak vs: ork, IG


Game Time: 00:00
-Begin building Tau Barracks

- Que up another builder, 2 stealth suits, and jetpack upgrade at the HQ. Set the HQ rally point at the tau barracks so the builder will immedietly leave HQ and build it

- After you have started building barracks, also que up a single generator to buuild afterwards


Game Time: 00:40 (whenever barracks is done)
- Build tau commander, and then que up vespid squad. Your jetpack is likely still being made

- When stealthsuit is finished capping his point, make him jump to next one to capture

- Send builders to build listening post at closest point

- Send tau commander and vespids to enemy base (you can use one jump ability, but don't use both or your commander is asitting duck)
|Tip for vespids: when they arrive only reinforce once. Once you have a second listening post being built, then you can reinforce more. This is so you don't get low on economy


Game Time: 01:30 (whenever army reaches enemy)
- Vespids should focus Generator and Listening Posts. In tier 1, vespids should NOT fight upgraded listening posts

- Tau commander should focus builders, heros, and infantry. He should occasionaly use snare trap smartly, but remember, this delays your tech

- It is very good to send a stealth suit to decap the strategic points once vespids kill the listening post

- If enemy has a strong commander (Chaos, SM, Ork), do not fight buildings next to it, just jump to other end of enemy base and use your much better manuverability

- Do not lose too much HP on tau commander, he is useful in all tiers, and very expensive to rebuild

- Try not to lose ANY vespid models, they are very expensive to replace

- Do not fight with vespids in tier 1, only buy time by attacking buildings. Vespids lose a fight to: SM tacticals, chaos marine, all commanders

- If you are effective at micro, you will not have lost any units, and can now improve your economy. Add another gen or 2, and upgrade 2 or 3 listening posts. When you have all your base points, and have about +90 to +110 req income, get the path to enlightenment. This will be about 7mins into the game

|Specific tip for vs IG: You can judge your enemies skill by the first few mins. If he sends the general to attack your base early, with only 1 or 2 memeber in squad (ie: no commisar/psyker) he is not a good player. Focus the general with TC and spids. Use snap shot ability, and vespids disruption to bring him closer to your base. You can kill the general with these 2 units, and then IG is in a much weaker position. It is good to not go into the IG base with vespids, builders have the best repair in the game, and your vespids will die very fast to building fire. It is good to harass IG outer points and try to hold these. Also, you can focus the enemy commisar and it can die fast like general too

|Specific tip for vs Ork: Don't go into the enemy base, you won't kill anything and will lose all vespids. Only harass outside points and wargh banner. Ork buildings have very low HP, so vespids combined with their ability can kill them fast

Possible Opening Deviation

Fast Capture Build: Instead of 2 stealth suits, add 3
- Effective for maps with lots of points to cap (battle marshes, meeting of minds, blood river, fata)
- Usually reserved for meeting of minds
- It's good to send 1 stealth suit for very early scouting in enemy base, he can decap points and see enemy strategy. Just be careful of skull probes

Kroot Build: Instead of TC, build 1 kroot
- Effective vs Eldar, Ork, SM, Tau Mirror
- On maps with more points, it can be good to have kroot cap closest. This will be good in a mirror if enemy likes to harass with vespids, you will be ready in base for them, and have more points captured
- Kroots effective vs buildings when vespids are helping, listening posts go down in seconds
- This build is effective for an aggressive tier 1
- It is good to add the TC on tier 1 for the extra aggression and to really try to pressure your enemy. Vs eldar, you must be very careful however, one wrong move will lose your vespids to good reaper micro

Low Micro Build / Support Build: No vespids (this is least effecitve build on DC)
- This build willl always go for 3 stelath suits, and usually an eco boom
- Instead of vespids, go for a FW squad, and make him cap the closest point
- After FW is built, immedietly build the tau commander or a kroot (if you are being rushed)
- If enemy uses stealthed units (like snipers) you will be forced to add your vespids later
- If enemy is passive, you can play defensive and upgrade most of your listening posts for eco advantage, and then add a faster tier 2
- However, if you are being pressured, you will need a second FW squad, and will need to make good use of snare traps

Summary List

Build order:
- Select your Earth Caste Builder and build the Tau Barracks. The Tau Barracks allow you to build the Tau Commander, Kroot Squad, Fire Warrior Squad. It is crucial in Tau development.

- Assign the Stealth Teams to Strategic Points. You can do this by selecting the Cadre Headquarters and then right-clicking on the Strategic Point.

- Once your Tau Barracks are built, select your Earth Caste Builder and build one Plasma Generator. Additionaly keep capturing Strategic Points with your two XV15 Stealh Teams. This way you can attain lots of Requisition Points.

- When you finish building your generator, you must choose your build order, standard, or a deviation

- Vespid Stingwing Strains are Heavy Infantry units, that can be used in close combat against scouts/builders. They're extremely effective in disturbing enemy infantry (ability) and destroying enemy buildings. Combined with the Tau Commander you can really harm your opponents morale, if you manage your units well. The flamer is especially effective against Eldar Reapers

- You must build Listening Posts on Strategic Points/Relics. Once they're built you should think about upgrading them, in order to improve your economy. This will stop your opponents Commander just attacking the Listening Post, and then taking over the Strategic Point. Furthermore you should only build Plasma Generators under the upgraded Listening Post to stop the opponent from destroying them. If you lose your Plasma Generators your progress can be distrupted massively

Tier 2

Path To Enlightenment. Game time about 07:00

Tier 2 Counters

Counter to light tanks:
- Skyray, Stealth Suit

Counter to heavy tank:
- Stealth Suit

Counter to heavy infantry:
- Pathfinder + Fire Warrior + Devilfish
- Skyray

Counter to light infantry (such as sniper mass):
- Drone Squad (not Harbinger)
- Good use of vespid disruption + ranged infantry

|Tip vs snipers: send in tau commander to tank the first volley of bullets, then run in with frie warrior behind him, at same time jump with vespids behind sniper and use disruption ablity. They will be focused now by fire warrior + tc and die fast

Counter to tanky tie up unit (such as wraith):
- Kroot, he can have leader, but this is very expensive
- TC (snapshot ability)
- Good focus with fire warrior
- Skyray (for disruption)

Counter to SM 3 commander:
- Use normal build with devilfish
- Watch librarian very carefully
- When he raises arm to cast smite, jump into devilfish to avoid it
- When chapalin uses shout, put that squad into the devilfish
- When GK use ability, go into devilfish and mvoe out of its range
- Stay at range with devilfish, and slowely lower their HP
- Don't be afriad to retreat, SM on tier 2.5 is insanely strong

Tier 3, Which Path?

Game timing: Add tier 3 at around 10mins, if the game is very aggressive on both sides, this can be delayed up to 15mins. If the game is techy, then add earlier.

Mont'ka:
Effective vs: SM
- Considered weaker than Kayon
- Strong tier 4 tanks
- Main strategy to use this with: fast tech. Montka is cheaper than kayon, so you can add it earlier. Mont'ka is good to suprise opponents with crisis when they are only tier 2.5
- Always add flamer on crisis, always


Kayon:
Effective vs: All (except SM)
- Dogs combined with leap and kroot leader destroy infantry and buildings
- Krootox is an insanely good tank unit
- Advanced metalurgy improves HP of Dino significantly, making it a viable relic unit to tank damage
- Optics make fire warrior insanely powerful, in a mass they can kill any infantry


Strategy for making final engagement:
- Send in your crisis/kroots in first
- Crisis should stay close to enemy to make them break morale with flamer
- Use the devilfish to carry infantry closer, but keep the range advantage
- Stun any tanks and focus them with stealth suits
- Spam the missilie barage ability


Strategy killing a well entrentched enemy:
- IG and tier 4 mont'ka tau can turtle effectively, so this should be used
- Engage in the same style as above, but add the ethereal orbital to disrupt infantry
- Dogs can focus heavy weapon teams (or equivallent unit) and turrets
- Use pathfinder to find mines, and focus mines with fire warrior
- If you cannot overpower enemy, you must wait for Big Dino, and let him tank for your army

Final Notes

[StrayThrawn]

How do you play tau? simple. you don't.

[AgentOfCthulhu]

Drone harbringers are straight up broken in single player too. Both in SS and DC. Just put two right outside any place where enemy is turtled up, right click drone icon, and drop a waypoint on enemy emplacement. After that, you just tech up and cap points. AI literally gets stuck overfocused on the neverending drone swarm. Less usefull in PVP, but still fun AF to see a message: "WHERE TF ALL THOSE DRONES ARE COMING FROM"

[Valkyrie]

Just want to add to this. The T'au commander in tier 1 does the exact same damage in melee as he does at range.

[Volstrum]

Step one: beg for forgiveness from the God-Emperor
Step two: do the 1,479,623,987th Imperial Guard playthrough

[Stalenuggets374]

May I add what I call the Double D tactic, or DD. Meaning Dogs and Drones. Hit the Kayoun teachings for some BEEFY kroot dogs, and spam as many drone squads as possible. Combine that horde with with the long range of fire warriors and you have an incredibly annoying wall of death. Can be very easily countered if you're opponent is paying attention, BUT it can easily stomp their guts in.

[LeEspresso]

yeah that's true for soulstorm, in dark crusade vespids / tau commander is a lot cheaper so their t1 is broken

[RahulTheWaffle]

I feel like the power curve of Tau is the opposite of what you've presented here.

They suffer in t1 vs races with strong melee and the ability to gapclose. They're on the defensive against all imperial factions as well as the orks.

T2-2.5 is very strong for them, however, with Devilfishes providing firepower and mobility (aka resilience against gapclose/melee), stealth suits providing reasonable high calibre damage with the weapon and exo, fire warriors gaining a significant increase in firepower, and barracudas coming online.

[Deek29]

I just realized this is an MP guide, i take it back but stealthsuits are still broken in campaign

[Deek29]

Stealthsuits can be totally broken if you use them properly, i literally beat a match against sm in 2 1/2 minutes by jetpacking into their base right at the beginning

[space cowgirl joy]

step one, build nothing but drones asap and set the waypoint on the enemy base