Editing Markerlight (section)

== Getting Markerlights ==

Yeah, we told you why and how markerlights are [[awesome| the goddamned center of your strategy]]. Now it's time to explain how you're going to get them out onto the battlefield to light up your life. (Note: This is limited to units and wargear from the base Codex, so if someone wants to add the Forge World stuff later, please do so.) Now with Forge World love.

=== Troops ===

Fire warriors do have access to markerlights, but they're permitted only one per squad. By upgrading one Shas'la to a Shas'ui (squad commander) he is allowed to take a markerlight and target-lock package deal, in total costing 34 points (9 for the Warrior, 10 for the Shas'ui upgrade, 15 for the markerlight and target-lock). One markerlight per squad might seem pointless, but it's the target-lock you want to look at. Your Shas'ui can now fire at another unit on the table seperate from his own unit's current target, effectively chaining his markerlight for another squad to fire at or to launch a desperate seeker missile. Not the most reliable tactic, but it's important to remember, especially for low point battles (500 or less).

=== Elites ===

Crisis suits don't have access to markerlights of their own, but they do have the option to take up to 2 drones each, meaning a squad of 3 Crisis suits can have up to 6 markerlights firing at BS2 (BS3 if you take a drone controller, though to be honest there are better ways to use that item). This choice is helped by the low cost for Crisis suits (22 points each), meaning you just got a 146-point (66 for suits, 72 for drones, 8 for controller) deep-striking blob of markerlights ready to drop wherever you want it. Alternatively, Stealthsuit team commanders can gain access to the marker light and target-lock combination the Fire Warrior Shas'ui can get, except with them you can have 2 per team and a higher degree of survivability. Having not tested this out yet, I can't speak to the effectiveness of this tactic, but Infiltrate, a 3+ Armour save, a 4+ cover save and a stimulant injector on your Stealthsuit Shas'vre commanders makes for a much more durable and [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX| aggravating]] target than some poor sap in the rank and file.

=== Fast Attack ===

Pathfinders. Pathfinders are the main source of markerlights in your army, and you need to remember a few facts about them: one, these guys are appreciably squishier than your Fire Warriors; two, they have (usually) inferior standard weapons without special drone support; three, they're scouts, meaning you can, and will, move them about before the battle begins. Seriously, these guys are the third squishiest unit in your army (the squishiest being the Kroot and Ethereals) and you are going to want to keep them behind cover and out of charging distance. Don't worry about them using markerlights on enemies in cover though; as long as you can draw line of sight, you can hit with a markerlight as your opponent gets no cover save against it. Also, they're infantry, so if you want them to move about the battlefield you are going to need to get them a Devilfish so they aren't arriving a day late and a dollar short. Next up, drone squadrons: how do they do in comparison to Pathfinders? Not badly; while they've got a higher base cost, worse leadership, lower BS, and can't take both a weapon and a markerlight, they've got better armour (4+), higher Toughness, higher Initiative, can deep-strike, and are counted as jetpack infantry (jump-shoot-jump), meaning if they do get in combat you might actually get lucky and pull them out without getting completely fucked by a lone Guardsman. You've also got the Sun Shark Bomber, a flyer with pulse bombs, two unique drones and a '''NETWORKED''' markerlight. Why did I highlight 'networked'? Because you can fire it and the unit that fired it can benefit from it. Duh. This is especially useful for a high-speed bomber as you can use it to reduce the scatter of your bombing run, take out opposing fliers with ease or just assist the efforts of the footslogging masses below; this gives your relatively average flyer a wealth of tactical versatility, something the Tau already have in droves, but should never pass up. This thing force-mutiplies itself, and considering how the game is becoming more flyer-heavy, this is a good way to make sure that your flyers retain their aura of danger. You've only got an AV of 11 on the front though, so don't get too carried away.

=== Heavy Support ===

For a section entitled Heavy 'Support' there are not many markerlights here—only 2 sources, and neither of them can put out a decent volume of markerlight hits. First up we've got the Skyray Missile Defence Gunship, a modified Hammerhead that carries 2 networked markerlights and 6 seeker missiles, and that's it's selling point. This thing is the producer of first turn Macross Missile Massacres, as it can deliver its entire payload on the first turn provided you have enough markerlight support, and if you play with a group of people who allow you to have infinite seeker missiles on your Skyray, then this is a cheesetastic hate machine, providing missile storms every turn that will cause [[Butthurt Marines|much hurt in the butt]] of your opponent. Granted, the only people who offer that rule have something to gain from it as well, so be careful lest your glee turn rapidly to pain and tears, but it's fun while it lasts. Another fun tactic is to give your Skyray a velocity tracker (which grants it Skyfire), meaning that its networked markerlights allow it to fire two BS5, S8, AP3 missiles at enemy aircraft, leading to fun times. (As of 6E, the velocity tracker comes as standard.) The other source of Heavy Support markerlights are the Firesight Sniper Drone teams, which consist of 1 controller and 3 Sniper drones. The controller is equipped with a pulse pistol, a drone controller (meaning your sniper drones fire at BS5) and a markerlight, letting him help his less accurate footsoldier brethren in a variety of ways. You can have up to 3 marksmen in a sniper team, but at 13 points each, it's an expensive method of getting markerlights. They are well-suited to mop-up duty, letting their drones shoot first, then hitting the remains of the enemy squad with their markerlights for any other units to clean up what they don't shoot dead.

=== HQ ===

There's a reason this section is left for last. Most of the markerlight strategies for your HQs are built off of the strategies that your other units use. For example, both Darkstrider and the Cadre Fireblades have access to markerlights, but Darkstrider is basically just a souped-up Pathfinder, and the Cadre Fireblade is just a souped-up Fire Warrior Shas'ui (he even comes complete with his own target-lock). A unique method for HQ markerlighting comes from the XV8-05 Crisis Battlesuit Commander. What you're probably going to do if you want to flood the table with BS5 markerlights is to take him with a drone controller, 2 Shas'vre bodyguards, and 6 marker drones, and then attach him to a drone squadron made of marker drones, making for a total of 14 (as the commander won't be able to join both his bodyguards and the drones) BS5 markerlight hits dropping out of the sky into your opponent's backyard. A good way to make your opponent shit bricks.

Now Forge World has given the Tau new ways to get markerlights in the HQ section. Commander R'alai and his Blacklight drones and the XV84 crisis suit.

R'alai is a pretty good HQ choice but not for markerlights. You can read more him on main Tau Tactic page. But he does come with two blacklight marker drone. Don't get excited all they are are markerdrones equipped with a blacklight filter. They ain't even networked. In short get R'alai for R'alai and accept the drones as a free bonus. If you want more markerlights you are better off getting somewhere else.

The XV84 Crisis suit is a signature sysyem crisis suit. For a flamer and a plasma pistol you get a networked markerlight and a target lock. Before you slap this in your commander or his bodyguard that it is a weapon system and the muti-tracker only let's you use two weapons. It's not a bad system but needs a unique suit build to get the most out if it. A body guard armed with this system, shield generator, stim injector and your favorite suit weapon might be the best way to go. Makes for a useful whipping body that still fires two weapons a turn.