The Fire Warrior — The Unsung Heroes of the T’au Empire
“WE ARE THE FIRST TO LAND, THE LAST TO FALL”
Shas’La T’au Kais, Strike Team Alpha
In an Empire dominated by the sleek curves of Crisis Suits and the pounding footsteps of Stormsurges, it’s easy to overlook the humble Fire Warrior.But whether you're suppressing flankers from cover or blowing the doors off a bunker at 10”, two units stand as the unshakable backbone of the T’au army: Strike Teams and Breacher Teams.
Strike Teams: Cold Precision and Suppressive Fire
The Strike Team is your disciplined, methodical, long-range infantry. They’re the kind of professionals who wake up at 0400 to do target drills before breakfast and re-fold their sheets tighter than a Cadian command tent.Armed with pulse rifles and backed by Suppression Volley, they’re finally bringing more to the table than "standing still on a back objective and hoping not to die."
STRIKE TEAM STATS
Move: 6”
Toughness: 3
Save: 4+
Wounds: 1
Leadership: 7
OC: 2
Pulse Rifle:
Range: 30”
Type: Rapid Fire 1
S5 | AP0 | D1
At 15”, you're firing twice with Str 5. Not bad for a humble rifle that looks like it came out of a drone assembly line.
Suppression Volley – Special Ability
“After this unit shoots, select one enemy INFANTRY unit it hit. That enemy unit is suppressed until the start of your next turn. Suppressed units suffer -1 to Hit.”Translation: You now mess with elite infantry. Very decent for a guy wearing paper-thin armour and a helmet made out of repurposed drone casings.
Guardian Drone Support
Strike Teams can bring a Guardian Drone:
When being shot, your opponent subtracts 1 from the Wound roll. That’s right. The little floating buddy now passively protects your squad, even without a save roll.
T’au Breacher Teams: The Greater Good’s Loudest Knock at the Door
When the T’au Empire says "We come in peace," they really mean it… right up until you don’t agree. Then the Breacher Teams show up with a boarding shield in one hand and a close-range pulse blaster in the other, and the only thing being negotiated is your life expectancy.
Diplomacy With a Detonator
Breacher Teams are the T’au’s version of a SWAT team—if SWAT teams were bred in a Fire Caste training dome and told to never, ever use the word “subtlety.” They specialize in urban warfare, ship boarding actions, and what the T’au call “zero-metre diplomacy.” (It’s a lot like regular diplomacy, but with more plasma discharges and broken doorways.)
Trained from a young age to operate in high-stress, close-quarters combat, Breacher Teams are the bold edge of the T’au’s usually standoffish doctrine. While most T’au forces prefer a "shoot-you-from-over-there" approach, Breachers relish the opportunity to get up close and ruin someone's cover save.
Strike Teams may have cool heads, but Breacher Teams are the blunt force trauma of the Fire Caste. They’re equipped with pulse blasters, weapons so dangerous at close range that even Space Marines occasionally reconsider whether charging them is worth the effort
BREACHER STATS
Move: 6”
Toughness: 3
Save: 4+
Wounds: 1
Leadership: 7
OC: 2
Pulse Blaster
Range: 10”
Attacks: 2
Ballistic Skill: 3+
Strength: 6
AP: -1
Damage: 1
Keywords: Assault
They lost the old variable profiles, but this new version is deadly and reliable—and best of all, simple. Just get close. Pull trigger. Problem solved .Breach and Clear – Special Ability Each time this unit makes a ranged attack against an enemy on an objective marker, you can re-roll the Wound roll. That’s right: free wound re-rolls when targeting objective holders. Which, let’s be honest, is where 90% of units want to be.
Guardian Drone Support
Like Strike Teams, Breachers can bring a Guardian Drone: Your opponent subtracts 1 from Wound rolls made against this unit when shooting. Perfect for helping your shock troops survive just long enough to do their job
Strike or Breach? Why Not Both.
With the T’au Empire often leaning into Mont’ka fast attacks or Kauyon bait-and-punch tactics, it’s refreshing to see basic infantry with meaningful utility again. Strike Teams give you suppression and mid-board firepower. Breachers give you objective-trading lethality and serious threat projection at 10”. Both benefit from drones that make them tougher than they look.Add in the Guardian Drone’s passive -1 to Wound, and suddenly these once-frail infantry squads are feeling just durable enough to play the game.
Final Thoughts
In the grim dark of the far future, where titanic walkers and railguns rule supreme, it's the boots-on-the-ground Fire Warriors that still do the real work. So next time you’re fine-tuning your T’au list, remember: Don't just max out on Crisis suits. Don't forget your drones. And absolutely do not underestimate the power of a humble Breacher Team behind a Guardian Drone, storming objectives like it's the last can of recaf in the galaxy.
STRIKE. BREACH.
WIN
FOR THE GREATER GOOD
Next Week On Rogue Fireblade!
Well we have just talked about the brave foot soilders of the tau empire join me next week as we go into an in depth look into there leaders on the groud yep thats right its the Etherals and the Cadra Fireblade next so if you dont want to miss out make sure you sign up to never miss out until next time keep up the good fight for the Tau”va
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