The new Tau Railgun 40k rules can seriously dish out a lot of punishment with the AP and Damage being pushed to new heights- check it out!
When we said these dish out the damage we weren’t kidding, on average a Railgun can deal 11 wounds (some of them being mortals) at Strength 14 with no Invulnerable saves allowed (and -6 AP). Oh yeah, and if it’s on a Hammerhead it can reroll the hit roll…
Talk about “from downrange”, if you were hoping for Tau to get some serious firepower their new 40k codex, it looks like GW heard you! Warhammer Community unveiled the new Tau weapon profile, some Hammerhead 40k rules, and even a new stratagem. Let’s first look at what we know about the codex then hop into the new rules.
New Tau 9th Edition Codex Cover
It’s about to get even better with Codex: T’au Empire on the way early next year. How early? We’ll get to that, but it’s close enough that we’ve been able to get some markerlights trained on the cover so you can see the beautiful art right now. Codex: T’au Empire will arrive in early 2022, and with the Genestealer Cults and Adeptus Custodes codexes also landing in the same period.
We’ll see how they do the release, but we expect those other two codex books (for Custodes and GSC) will come out a little early, and then Tau with Darkstrider, new Pathfinder kits, etc. Still, with how strange the releases have been, we’ll have to see.
Either way, it’s good to have this confirmed for all Tau players out there! As of right now, it looks like the Darkstrider is going to be the only ‘new’ mini they get, but there there are plenty of new Tau rules changes on the way for Warhammer 40k.
Tau Railgun 40k Rules
There are a few things to break down here. With an AP of -6 and the ability to ignore invulnerable saves, your payload will be making it through almost any kind of energy field, daemonic protection, or battle plate that might stand in its way.
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Once that shot hits home, it delivers eye-watering damage with the potential to knock out vehicles and large monsters in a single shot.
With a giant range, ignoring Invulnerable saves, S 14, and D3+6 Damage, this will blast stuff off the table. Then not to mention you also just suffer 3 mortal wounds for the heck of it! This can easily take out all light vehicles in a single shot and nearly kill (or bracket) the majority of models in one go.
With such a powerful single slug, connecting with each shot is crucial, so the Hammerhead has an advanced targeting array that pairs well with the new Markerlights rules.
Well, if you were worried about actually hitting with this… Worry no longer as you already get to reroll a hit and then who knows exactly how the new Markerlight rules will play out. Then, if you were worried about this being only effective against vehicles, it also can deal tons of damage to infantry too!
New Stratagem
The Hammerhead is shockingly effective at turning single targets into smoking wrecks, but what if the enemy is coming in numbers? Faced with smaller foes, Hammerhead pilots can load short-ranged Submunitions.
This isn’t the best against smaller units, but against hordes, this will most likely dish out the full 8 Mortals. For 1 CP this makes the Hammerhead so much more versatile!
We don’t want to get too hyped or worried about the Hammerhead Railgun yet as we haven’t seen the points and everything else in the book. However knowing GW, they may put some major restrictions on a gun this strong. Maybe one per detachment or just a really high points cost.
Here’s all the latest on the upcoming rules updates and points changes for Warhammer 40k.
- RUMORS: New 40k Points Changes In Chapter Approved 2022
- RUMORS: New 40k Core Rulebook & Rules Changes on the Way
- RUMORS: New Primaris Space Marines 40k Rules & Minis
- New 40k Chapter Approved GT 2022 Missions
- New 40k Grand Tournament 2022 Secondary Objectives
- Warhammer 40k Balance Updates & Rules Changes
- All The Tau 40k Rules So Far
- New Chaos Space Marines Rules & Rumors
- Eldar Release Rules & Rumors
- Adeptus Custodes 40k Release Latest
- Genestealer Cults 40k Rules & Rumors
All the Newest GW Model & Rules Previews For 2022
What do you think of the new Tau Railgun 40krules? Are you excited about the new book meow?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Joined: 2019
Socials: @paschbass
Bio: Dark Eldar Dracon and Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the third edition in 1998. He also loves camping because you can only paint so much! He joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the main daily writer since 2020.
Maybe one day, he’ll finish converting all his Ad Mech models and turn into a true tech enjoyer, complete with sad and happy robot noises!
