Editing Last Stand - Tau Commander (section)

==Accessories==
The Tau Commander has a number of useful accessories - some bringing back fond memories of [[Shas'o Kais]] from [[Dawn of War: Dark Crusade]], and much of it all new. It's these items that form the meat-and-potatoes of the Tau Commander's playstyle, as with these a Shas'O can serve as either a front-line slugger, ranged fighter, or support soldier.

*'''Photon Grenade''' - ''Level 1''
**Ability: Photon Grenade (25 Energy; Project a photon grenade at the targeted location. Photon grenades temporarily disorient and confuse enemies, causing them to attack random targets or walk around aimlessly for a short time)
***An old Tau favorite, and a wargear option you start with. Photon Grenade allows you to, for 25 energy, launch a grenade that induces the ''Confusion'' status. At a glance, this seems very similar to the Eldar Farseer's Runes of the Harlequin ability, but it costs more, has a slower start-up, and, perhaps most notably, has a blast radius, which means it can confuse a whole crowd of clustered enemies. Even better, it also effects vehicles, and even the wave 16 clones! Extremely useful for disrupting enemy attacks, the Photon Grenade is an excellent early upgrade and works extremely well as a support option.

*'''Snare Mine''' - ''Level 1''
**Ability: Snare Mine(10 Energy; Places a Tau snare mine at the targeted location. When an enemy moves near it the mine detonates, slowing the target and other enemies nearby)
***A classic from the first Dawn of War - and one you start with, no less - Snare Mines let you place, for 10 energy, a mine that, when triggered by an enemy getting too close, explodes, slowing the enemy considerably for several seconds. Compared to the Mekboy's similar Booby Traps ability, the Snare Mine costs less, only places one mine, and each mine has a blast radius. However, unlike Booby Trap, Snare Mine's effect lasts quite a while, and effectively immobilizes those effected by five seconds (they ''can'' still move a bit (and attack), but their movement is pretty much crippled). Better, it effects vehicles whereas Booby Traps do not. Absolutely worth your time and one of the most versatile wargear options the Tau Commander gets.
***Note that there is a rare occurrence where the Commander may stop responding to inputs for a few seconds after he launches the mines, so it's better to place them when you are not in immediate danger.

*'''Energy Core''' - ''Level 2''
**+25 Energy
***The first unlock you get at level 2, and also the first passive accessory, the Energy Core improves your energy max by 25, letting you use more abilities before running out. How useful this is primarily depends on the user; many prefer the more-ubiquitous Ion Battery ability, though it sees quite a bit of use with players using more energy-hungry abilities, such as Fragmentation Missile Pod.

*'''Stimulant Injector''' - ''Level 4''
**Traits: Resuscitation (When the Commander’s health slips below 20 he automatically revives 100 health. Resuscitation can only trigger once every 30 seconds. If an attack is powerful enough to lower the Commander’s health to 0 from above 20 it will bypass the injectors and be fatal)
***An incredible survivability tool unlocked at level 4, this nifty little wargear allows the Tau Commander, once every 30 seconds, to restore 100 health automatically if he tips below 20 health. This may be only a small buffer if you truly get screwed, but it can keep a player in a fight for an almost embarrassingly long time considering how early it becomes available. Extremely common with many Tau Commander players, and with good reason.

*'''Ion Battery''' - ''Level 6''
**Ability: Ion Battery (10 Energy; Places an ion battery at the targeted location. The ion battery quickly resupplies the energy of nearby allies)
***An incredibly useful item unlocked at level 6, the Ion battery allows the Tau Commander to, for 10 Energy, plunk down a battery that rapidly recharges the energy of all allies (the Tau Commander included) in a wide radius. This is an incredibly handy upgrade, allowing for rapid recharging of abilities for not only the Commander, but his teammates - Sorcerers, for example, love Ion Batteries something fierce, and every Lord General loves the ability to use Sniper Shot, Solid Slug, and Take Aim! more often. This wargear tends to have a very harsh rivalry going on with the Energy Core; many players agonize over which is the better choice. Uniquely, the Ion Battery is the only wargear not effected by Coolant Injectors.

*'''Fragmentation Missile Pod''' - ''Level 8''
**Ability: Fragmentation Missile Barrage (30 Energy; Fires a large salvo of fragmentation missiles at the targeted location, dealing damage and knocking back enemies)
***Players who remember the Missile Barrage of the [[Skyray Missile Gunship]] in [[Dawn of War]] will be pleased to learn that they can fit a smaller version of this ability on their crisis suits. For 30 energy, the Crisis Suit can fire, after a small delay, a barrage of frag missiles that rain destruction down on a wide radius and from a very long range. This does huge damage and excels at destroying mobs of enemies though it can be tricky to aim. Unfortunately, the missiles themselves are not very good against vehicles, though the warheads can still cause a bit of damage. The warhead scatter tends to be somewhat random, but it's nonetheless a strong ability and a favorite of many a Shas'O. Benefits heavily from Coolant Injectors and either Ion Battery or Energy Core. Note that this weapon is capable of friendly fire, so be careful firing off at an ally surrounded by enemies, unless he or she is beefy enough to shrug off the damage with armor.

*'''Coolant Injectors''' - ''Level 10''
**Trait: Cooled Systems Cooled Systems (Decreases the cool down of abilities by 5 seconds and the cost by 5 energy)
***One of the most subtle - and useful - passive accessories for the Shas'O, the Coolant Injectors reduces the energy costs of every ability - Except Ion Battery - by 5 energy, and reduces their cooldown by 5 seconds. This allows the Crisis Suit to more frequently fire off its jets, and renders many abilities much less costly; Skyray Missiles only cost 35 Energy under this upgrade, Missile Barrage 25, and even Drones cost less. It cannot be understated just how incredibly useful this upgrade is; many players consider it a must-have.

*'''Anti-Armor Missile Pod''' - ''Level 12''
**Ability: Anti-Armor Missile (15 Energy; Fires a salvo of anti-armor missiles at the target. These missiles deal high damage to single targets with high armor)
***This shoulder-fired dingus is unlocked at level 12. Costing 15 energy a volley, the Anti-Armor Missile Pod fires off a trio of anti-armor missiles that are extremely effective against enemy heavy armor and vehicles. One of the more unilaterally fun weapon options, it gives Shas'Os using anti-infantry weapons some serious anti-vehicle punch. It's often compared to the Lord General's High-Powered Shot, and with good reason; they're both uniquely good priority target killers, though spreading it across three warheads does have its disadvantages. Note that the Anti-Armor Missile Pod does have a blast radius (albeit a ''very'' small one) and IS capable of friendly fire, so be careful when firing on targets trying to melee your allies, but timed properly you can wipe out those three Zoanthropes sticking a little too close together. Flanking enemies in melee before taking the shot will usually remove the danger.

*'''Targeting Cluster''' - ''Level 14''
**+25% Accuracy
***This accessory, unlocked at level 14, increases the accuracy of the Crisis Suit's ranged weapon by 25% (of its current value). This is ''worthless'' for the Airbursting Fragmentation Projector and Flamer, which will generally always hit what they are firing at, and of questionable value for the Burst Cannon, but is a magnum upgrade for the Plasma Rifle and Fusion Blaster, making them infinitely more reliable and, in the latter case, much more worth using. It actually amplifies both weapons DPS considerably due to how big the accuracy buff is. Combine with Networked Weapon Interface and Command armor for a truly rapetastic damage output. If you're going to use the Plasma Rifle or ''especially'' the Fusion Blaster, strongly consider using this!

*'''[[Markerlight]]''' - ''Level 18''
**Abilities: Mark Target (5 Energy; Mark a target using the markerlight - Marked targets receive additional ranged damage and will be the target of Skyray Seeker Missiles when the Sky Ray Barrage is activated), Sky Ray Barrage (40 Energy: Drops a seeker missile on any targets marked by either Markerlights or Marker Drones)
***YES. Unlocked at level 18, the Markerlight lets you mark targets for 5 energy, which seriously increases the ranged damage they take and lasts for an incredibly long period of time. Even better, it also lets you call down Smart Missiles from an outside-of-map Skyray, dealing massive area-of-effect damage to anything unfortunate enough to be in the area - on every single target currently marked with a Markerlight. This includes units marked by you, by a Marker Drone, and by other Tau Players and their Marker Drones. Yes, this is exactly as fun as it sounds, and can reduce the entire map to a moonscape. Even better, Mark Target is free to cast if you have Coolant Injectors. Note that the Skyray Barrage costs a ton of energy, however, and can easily kill both yourself and your allies, so be aware of this.

*'''Nano Technology''' - ''Level 19''
**Traits: Nano Machines (Increases the health regeneration of the Tau Commander and any allies nearby by 1.0/second)
***[[Meme|NANOMACHINES, SON]]. Unlocked at level 19, this accessory grants you a 1.0/sec regeneration boost, and grants it to nearby allies too. In essence, a weaker, but wider-ranging, version of the Space Marine Captain's Larraman's Blessing Commander Item. A decent survival upgrade, especially for Tau that will be working in close-support with allies, but is generally outclassed by Stimulant Injectors.

*'''Advanced Drone Controller''' - ''Achievement Unlock: Kill all Three Doppelgangers on Wave 16 of Bloodied Coliseum within 5 seconds of one another''
**Grants an ability based on the equipped Drone. This ability costs a different amount of energy depending on the drone.
**Ability (Shield Drone): EMP Field (25 Energy; Locks down all Shield Drones and any enemy under their radii; anything locked down cannot attack, move, take damage, or use abilities for the duration)
**Ability (Heavy Gun Drone): Overdrive (15 Energy; For a short time, all Gun Drones gain boosted damage and massively increased rates of fire)
**Ability (Marker Drone): Self-Destruct (10 Energy); All Marker Drones violently explode after several seconds, causing immense damage to anything close by)
***The single hardest piece of wargear ''in the entire game'' to unlock, but totally worth your time and patience once you get it - especially considering that it works with multiple Tau Commanders at once. What order your Commander can give depends on what drone you have equipped; when engaged your orders will effect all drones of that type on the field (so if you have a Heavy Gun Drone, the order will go to ''all'' Heavy Gun Drones deployed). This makes the Drone Controller extremely potent with multiple Tau Commanders, and opens up a number of very versatile tactical options. These effects are covered under the individual drones.