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Spicy New Tau Railgun 40k Rules & Hammerhead Abilities Revealed!

new-tau-railgun-rulesThe 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

Tau Codex

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

Railgun 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.

Railgun Rules 2

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

Tau Stratagems

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.

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 writer headshot profile bio

Travis Pasch

Job Title: Head Writer & Editor

Socials: @paschbass 

About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.

Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.

Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!