so my local hobby shop has had the promotional copy for like a month now so ive basically memorized the new codex and ive played with it many many times, sometimes without the codex. So here are most of the changes. comment on them especially if you are tau.

commanders are now 1+ but my friends let me ignore it for small games like combat patrols

ethereals can have honour gaurds which are a firewarrior troops choice with +1 BS. They count as a troops choice but not the compulsary choice. so you cant take them and a squad of kroot, even though it is 2 troops slots.

battlesiuts can now have 2 flamers for only 6 points so 3 crisis suits, 6 flamers= many many dead tyranids. the following are special issue (one per army)

airbursting fragmentation projectors are basically an ordance blast guess 24" range bolter i think u actually guess the range again. its not ordnance just blast size

cyclic ion blaster low strength but decent AP range is decent too

stimulant injector gives the wearer feel no pain

iridium armor plates AMAZING 2+ save but only D6" rather than 6" for assault phase move

command and control node (commanders only) if within 12" of wearer then the unit may use his LD i think

thats all i can think of BUT

Support Systems (non specail issue)
these take up a hardpoint

targeting array (i will use this alot) (same as old rules but for battlesuits)
target lock
multitracker
advanced stabilization system: slow and purposeful rule (i use this on my broadsides)

and theres more

DRONES

there is gun, shield, marker and sniper

gun drones are the same

shield drones have the same toughness as wearer (so they work now)

marker drones (i luv these things) they have targeting arrays and [networked markerlights] ill explain later

sniper drones are a heavy support choice they have t- arrays, t- locks (i think), rail rifles and stealth field generators. they then have a spotter with a networked markerlight and a t- array so if a BS4 markerlight hits you get 3 BS4 rail rifle shots. SADLY you can only have one choice per army. HOWEVER each team costs alot for 3 drones and a spotter, and you can have up to 3 for 1 choice so thats nine sniper drones per army it is a MUST in my army. they cant be taken with drone controllers

Vespids are simply 3-10 guardsmen with jump packs, better Initiative, lower LD and higher Toughness and they reroll dangerous terrain checks. armed with short ranged high strength very low AP assault weapons
make sure they have a strain leader highly improved for LD and they can benifit from markerlights if the leader is alive (note that the strain leader isnt included in the 3-10 restriction allowing 11 vespids including the strain leader.

for some very odd and confusing reason the human auxilaries arent in the new codex????????

then the sky ray missile defence ship I will NOT use this alot. 2 networked markerlights and 6 seeker missiles. it can be given either smart missile system or drone pair for same as smart missiles in the old codex or burst cannons for a the same in the old codex

and pirahnas are okay, if a bit expensive, but get this fast with a front armor eleven so bolters dont kill them! they have a burst cannon and a pair a drones. You can upgrade the burst cannon to a fusion blaster for a few more points i wouldnt pay the price normally but you never know. Very expensive and 1-5 per squadron they are just okay. i recommend them against guard "pinning check here here and here and the markerlights bring your LD down."

markerlights have changed, one thing is unless its a networked markerlight, you cant guide a squad with a markerlight if the firer is in that squad so for example, a firewarrior squad can tgive their shas' ui a markerlight and have him hit and use the shot to upgrade his sqauds BS.

Markerlight hits can now:

add +1 to an entire sqauds BS
OR
be used to fire 1 seeker missile
OR
can be used to lower LD for morale checks for casualties
OR
be used to lower LD for pinning checks to help pin with sniper drones against marines, or gun drones against guard

the last two can be stacked to lower LD by more than 1 or can be divided throughout the next turns so if three hit a certain sqaud you can decide to make it -3 fo rthis turn or -1 fo rthe next 3 turns. i will have more in a bit

k so some edits are:

markerlights also can be used to negate cover saves(making 5+ a 6+, and a 6+ is negated entirely

cyclic ion blasters are also rending

the vehicle upgrades are changed

same costs but disruption pods i thimk have gotten better cuz they give the vehicle hull down on a 4 or more

you can only have to seker missiles per tank, not 4 any more

devilfish can now be given smart missiles on the wingtips

kroot, kroot hounds, and krootox are now rolled into one choice with 10-20 kroot, 0-12 hounds, 0-3 krootox, and thats good because i dont have any more room in my fast attack choice for kroot hounds (now initiative 5) and kroot do not have the consolidation rules anymore so they can sweeping advance.

and heres some points costs

iridium armor
cyclic ion
air frag projector oh it uses an ordnance template
marker drones they are very expensive (i would still buy them)
ion cannons price was halved this option should be considered
t- array for battlesuits still a deal
burst cannons costs less now i think
flamers

ummm theres more im gonna see the codex today so ill have more when i get back



now for special characters

Commander Shadowsun

she wears an experimental XV22 stealth, with 2 fusion blasters and a multitracker and advanced target lock (only she can use this, it allows you to fire each weapon at a different target) she aslo has a command and control drone (im assuming its the same as a command and control node), and 2 shield drones Okay i guess oh and only armies of 1500 or more


Aun' Va

One of the oldest of the Tau, he is the Master of Undying Spirit. He is an ethereal so that would give him inspiring presence right? Well its actually better its like extreme inspiring presence or something like that. Which is better any tau unit in LOS becomes stubborn now i think (now you have to be in LOS of the ethereal to get the LD bonus and theres a bit more. Now youll wanna give him an honor gaurd right? Wrong, he already has these 2 guys with honor blades and WS5 and i think even Initiative 5 too. These guys are amazing. Now Aun' Vais T3 S2... hes not to good i think hes got a couple wounds on him but other than that keep him safe but oh wait whats that thing around him...its a....its a.....wait its around his guards too....It looks like a shield generator giving him T5 and a good save if i remeber correctly AND HIS 2 HONOR GUARDS!!! But if he falls its Ultimate Price of Failure (its actually better), every unit in your army (not kroot or vespids)(in LOS of Aun' Va) must take a LD test. AND they get furious charge. AND the entire enemy army becomes a preferred enemy (to anyone who was in LOS). These two upgrades combined dont sound so bad with stealth suits or even some other units. Oh he and his guards count as a single independent character despite the fact that there are 3 of them. and again another only in 1500 pt army or higher, I willl use him alot

Hmm I don't think your allowed to post points cost.

ahah i was just looking at the codex 30 minutes ago. And i played with Aun' Va in a campaign about 3 hours ago. they have a lower initiative but a good strength and they have cover saves but i dont know if they count as being in cover for assaults

the paradox of duality is what give them the T5 and reroll 4+ cover. did i mention they get to counter attack? and the paradox which Aun' Va has counts as an aditonal close combat weapon. k thats all for now and y cant i show the pts cost

Are you just going to keep posting until you've put the whole Tau Codex on here?

no but i cant search for some tau without this question everywhere so im deciding to cure the disease of unknowledge

Hey tell me what do u think of this non power armor defence force idea
against tyranids, orks, dark eldar, eldar, basically any mass charges.

HQ
Shas' o cyclic ion blaster, air frag projector, iridium armor plates, hard wired; multitracker, target lock, stim injectors about 175pts i think

Ethereal with 2 marker drones 110pts

Elites

Crisis Team (3) 153pts

Shas' ui 2 flamers (its posible you just use two templates), drone controller 2 gun drones

Shas' ui 2 flamers, drone controller 2 gun drones

Shas' ui 2 flamers, drone controller 2 gun drones

Stealth Team (6) Shas' vre with bonding knife, 2 marker drones 255pts

Troops

Honor Guard (12)(BS4 not 3) shas' ui with bonding knife, 2 marker drones 219pts

Fire Warriors (12) shas' ui with bonding knife, 2 marker drones 195pts carbines

Fire Warriors (12) shas' ui with bonding knife, 2 marker drones 195pts carbines

Fire Warriors (12) shas' ui with bonding knife, 2 marker drones 195pts

Fire Warriors (12) shas' ui with bonding knife, 2 marker drones 195pts

Fire Warriors (12) shas' ui with bonding knife, 2 marker drones 195pts

Fast Attack

Pathfinders (8) shas' ui with 2 marker drones, bonding knife 171pts
devilfish APC 80pts

Heavy Support

Hammerhead railgun, burst cannons 140pts

Total: 1999