Incredibly, the Tau Empire codex has been leaked, revealing all the new detachments, rules, and datasheets for 10th Edition Warhammer 40k.
All The New Tau 10th Edition 40k Codex Rules Are Here!
We’ve barely seen any previews for the new 10th Edition Tau Empire codex rules that come in the Kroot Hunting Pack Box set, but the rules have already leaked online. This has sent shockwaves throughout the gaming community, providing tantalizing insights into the future of the competitive 40k meta.
Tau 40k Detachment Rules
Four new Detachments for the Tau have been revealed, each with several enhancements and six stratagems. We have already seen some rules for the Kroot Hunting Pack and Retaliation Cadre. However, Mont’ka and Kauyon were relatively unknown until now.
- Kroot Hunting Pack
- Retaliation Cadre
- Mont’ka
- Kauyon
This is the one detachment we saw some rules for, but it’s all about making your battlesuits hit harder! Starflare Ignition System is really strong, especially after you can bring them on from any table edge. Then, you can get some grenade mortal wounds shenanigans going, which is always fun.
If you’re a fan of filling the battlefield with high-tech combat walkers – like a certain red renegade – the Retaliation Cadre is just what the Ethereals ordered. Its Detachment rule exemplifies the daring of these Bonded Heroes, delivering a high-stakes, close-range playstyle where battlesuits descend upon enemy units and blast them to pieces.
Have you ever wished your burst cannons could hit Strength 6, or even AP-1, to really mow down infantry? Consider those wishes answered, as BATTLESUIT guns get extra Strength and Armour Penetration depending on how close your pilots dare to advance.
The Retaliation Cadre specializes in close-range combat, using their powerful battlesuits to take out enemy units with daring and precision. The Cadre’s Detachment rule encourages a proactive and strategic playstyle, where you can surprise your opponents with bold maneuvers and calculated risks.
If you can get within 6″, you’ll get +1 strength and -1AP of all your weapons!
As you would imagine, the stratagems also focus solely on battlesuits. Shortened Blade lets you drop within 3″, meaning you can guarantee the +1 S, -1AP; however, for 2 CP, it’s probably only done once. Torchstar Gambit is also super annoying for your opponent, as you get to make a normal move after shooting for only 1 CP. If you get within 6″, do this, wipe a unit, and then jump back into cover.
Getting Lethal Hits (and possibly Assault) on your entire army for three turns is super strong. With this, you’ll want to get a lot of shots, and even if they are lower strength, it won’t matter if you can roll those 6s.
Pinpoint Counter-Offensive is pretty awesome for 1 CP. You get to re-roll all hits against that unit for the rest of the battle. There are plenty of cheap stratagems here to increase your power, but even some nice defensive ones.
This one is a little strange, as you get no benefits until the third battle round. However… Sustained Hits: 1 or 2, for your entire army is very strong. It really just depends on whether you think you can make it through the first two rounds without benefits to make the Sustained Hits worthwhile.
Two of these have the same restriction as the detachment rule but, again, are very strong. We’ll have to see how the combos work out, but they do have some powerful stratagems. Photon Grenades should help you stop the enemy from getting charges off and hopefully keep you alive until the power of this detachment kicks in.
New Tau 10th Edition 40k Codex Rules For Kroot
Hobbyists had also seen some of the new Kroot rules, but now there looks to be nine datasheets for them in the 10th Edition Tau Empire Codex.
- Kroot Farstalkers
- Kroot Hounds
- Krootox Rampagers
- Krootox Riders
- Kroot Carnivores
- Kroot Lones-Spear
- Kroot Flesh Shaper
- Kroot War Shaper
- Kroot Trail Shaper
Well… if you go all Kroot, they get very similar rules to the Sisters! Depending on how damaged they are, they will get +1 to hit and +1 to wound. They also have pretty bad armor saves, so a 5+ against shooting is quite nice. Nomadic Hunter pushes their movement to 10″, which should let you get into combat quickly.
Finally, Borthrod Gland lets you score criticals on a 5+, which should let you get off plenty of sustained hits.
If you have a huge unit of 20 Carnivores for two CP, you can revive them, but without characters. A trap well-laid will probably see a lot of play since their AP isn’t great, and if you can get a single hit in the shooting phase, you can get huge AP buffs for only 1 CP.
They are decently tough, good in combat, and can scout. Their Repeater Cannon should be in Rapid Fire range a lot with a 36″ range and basically has the damage output of an autocannon. However, the strength really comes in with Kroot Packmates because you get a free shooting attack in the opponent’s turn!
The new melee version of the riders is quite strong. With seven (plus some sustained) attacks in melee, Lance, and Impact hits! If you have a unit of just three, you should get off a few mortals before the combat even starts and force a battle-shock test.
The Loping Pounce ability grants an extra burst of speed by allowing charges after they Advance. At their absolute limit, a pack of these hounds can rocket forwards up to 30” in a single turn – a turn of speed some Aircraft struggle to match.
30″ is no joke! We assume this means they can move 12″, advance 6″, and charge 12″. It’s hard to say exactly, but that’s what the absolute limit means to us.
They’re even handy for capturing objectives, as the Hunting Hounds ability bumps their OC characteristic to 1 when accompanied by a Character. Now if only there were a Kroot Character who could keep up with them…
They will be an independent unit, but you’ll want to keep them close to your units and characters, as they will get buffed up.
The Carnivores are decent troop options, and you can take 20 in one unit, which is awesome. While their weapons aren’t the strongest, with Scouts and Stealth, they have a lot of options. They also have sticky objectives, which really increases their efficiency.
He’s great for leading a big unit, as they get sustained hits from one-on-one melee attacks and an FNP, not to mention Infiltrators.
Others opt for the Kroot long gun, a pinpoint accurate rifle that fires heavy rounds over extreme ranges. Experienced Lone-spears can even pick individual soldiers out of crowded fortifications, striking down medics and weapon teams to remove daunting obstacles from the path of the kinband.
With Precision and three Damage, there’s a chance you can snipe off some characters with this model. However, the next rule makes the long gun awesome even if you don’t kill characters.
Whatever they use to fight, their shots also serve as guiding beacons to their fellow Kroot, marking priority targets for destruction and guiding attacks to their prey – whether at range or in close combat.
This is a pretty wild rule, and if you don’t move with your Lone-spear, you will be hitting on a 2+ (since the gun is heavy). Then, all your Kroot get to re-roll hits against that unit, both in shooting and in melee! We expect a couple of these in most armies, as this rule seems super strong.
This has the free CP ability, a free unbreakable once per game, and decent melee. Overall, the Kroot are looking quite nice.
New Tau Empire Codex Datasheets & 40k Rules
Probably the biggest change to the army was breaking up Crisis Suits into multiple different datasheets.
The new Codex: T’au Empire splits Crisis Battlesuits into three distinct datasheets based around classic configurations,* and veteran T’au commanders might recognise a few names from lore of yore…
The Sunforge configuration melts down heavy targets with twin fusion blasters, Fireknife battlesuits mix and match plasma rifles and missile pods to crack elite troops, and Starscythe teams choose from a buffet of burst cannons and flamers to wipe out massed hordes.
Instead of one giant datasheet with a bunch of options, you now make totally different styles of units. Let’s hope you have those suits magnetized! However, this also means that in one army, you can have three of each of these! So, theoretically, you can have nine units of Crisis Suits in your army.
They’re all still Crisis battlesuits, but now they get custom abilities that really help out their chosen roles. Take the Crisis Sunforge Battlesuits, for instance – their Sunforge ability helps to mitigate the low rate of fire on their fusion blasters by giving powerful re-rolls against their ideal targets. With the Retaliation Cadre Detachment rule in play, you’re firing Strength 10 shots at AP-5, each dealing D6+2 damage – with a re-roll on both Wound rolls and damage!
Talk about spicy! The rerolling wounds are quite strong. Then, when you add in the fact that you get to reroll the damage, this is honestly a wild rule!
Luckily, the Riptide is still here with all the guns you could really ever want!
10th Edition Tau Points
We won’t comment too much on the points because they have been changed a ton for the last few codexes on the actual release day. So, these are good to look at, but it’s hard to say how close these actually are to the real points. These could be spot on, or they could be way off; it’s tough to say.
Missing Tau Datasheets
Based on the available information, it appears that there are some exclusions for Vespid in the Devilfish transport, and there might be some missing datasheets in the leak. It’s worth noting that the Warhammer Community article mentions 38 datasheet cards in the new Kroot Hunting pack box, and there seem to be only 35 sheets in the leaked rules.
It is likely that the missing datasheets from the leak are Vespid, Tactical Drones, and Pathfinders, as Pathfinders and Vespid are mentioned in other datasheets, and drones are present everywhere. The absence of Vespids is a future-proofing measure in case a rumored plastic Vespid kill team is released and they are added back into the faction at a later date.
In the wake of the leaked rules, speculation and analysis abound within the Warhammer 40k community. Players are dissecting every detail, theory-crafting new army builds, and theorizing how these rules will impact the meta.
The Future of Competitive Warhammer 40k Tau
While the leaked rules offer an exciting glimpse into the future of Warhammer 40k Tau, it’s important to remember that they are subject to change. As Games Workshop continues to refine and balance the ruleset, players can expect further updates and adjustments leading up to the official release of the Tau Empire Codex after the Kroot Hunting Pack Box Set.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the leaked 10th Edition Warhammer 40k Tau Empire codex rules have ignited a firestorm of anticipation and speculation within the gaming community. With promises of advanced technology, superior firepower, and unprecedented tactical depth, the Tau Empire stands ready to assert thier dominance on the tabletop once more.
All the Latest Warhammer Rules & Model Rumors
What do you think about all the new 10th Edition Tau Empire Codex rules for Warhammer 40k so far?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
