Tau Empire

Fireblades are the most grizzled and seasoned Fire Warriors of their cadre, whose skill at the Fire Warrior’s art leads them to eschew battlesuit technology. They are excellent field leaders and their long experience has taught them exactly where to place shots to maximise damage.

An absolute colossus of a machine, piloted by graduates of the Ves’oni’Vash, the KV128 Stormsurge is designed as an extreme heavy-weapons platform. Not as manoeuvrable as a Riptide, instead relying on thick armour and devastating loadouts, these hulking, squat ballistic suits are capable of changing the course of a battle in seconds with a decisive volley of astonishing firepower. Fitted with thrusters to counter recoil, bristling with pulse weaponry and missile pods, the Stormsurge is the T’au Empire’s Titan-killer.

Light reconnaissance units, Pathfinder Teams are the eyes and ears of their Commander in a way no drone can yet emulate. A Pathfinder’s foremost role is not to engage the enemy, but instead to operate ahead of their comrades, close to their foe, to accurately scout the enemy.

Swift and deadly, T’au Commanders pilot battlesuits of intimidating size and power. Of course, simply piloting a huge battlesuit doesn’t automatically make a troop into a Commander – more than anything, it’s the strategic nous and ability to adapt to unpredictable situations that stands this pilot out from the others.

XV104 Riptide is the pinnacle of the Earth caste’s battlesuit development. It stands twice as tall as the XV8 Crisis suit, but its movements are more like those of its smaller cousins than the mechanical stiffness displayed by Imperial walkers with their crude servo-motors.

Equipped with the latest XV25 Stealth Armour these troops are the ‘lone wolves’ of the T’au army, operating independently of other formations.