What changed for T’au Empire in 11th edition

11th edition brought the T'au Empire a broad points cut across its battlesuits and a brand-new army-building layer to get your head around. If you played T'au in 10th, most of your collection still does what it did — but a lot of it now costs less, which usually means you can fit more of it.

Summary

Detachments

The headline mechanical change is Detachment Points. Detachments are no longer free: each one now has a points cost of its own that comes out of your army total, scaling with game size — 2 at Incursion, 3 at Strike Force, 4 at Onslaught. That's a real budgeting decision on top of your unit choices, and it's the single biggest thing to relearn coming from 10th. The T'au also gain a brand-new detachment, the Advanced Acquisition Cadre.

New in 11th: Advanced Acquisition Cadre. None removed.

DetachmentDP
Kauyon2
Mont'ka3
Retaliation Cadre3
Kroot Hunting Pack2
Auxiliary Cadre1
Experimental Prototype Cadre1
Advanced Acquisition Cadre1New in 11th

Points changes

On the units themselves, the pattern is clear: the iconic battlesuits got cheaper. Crisis suits and the Riptide came down noticeably, making the classic "wall of suits" list easier to assemble, while a handful of specialist picks crept up. Three new Crucible characters join the roster with no 10th-edition equivalent. Note that some units are priced per squad size, and a few move differently at each size — so check the tier you actually field.

UnitRole10th11thΔNotes
The Twin LanceCharacters185220+35
Crisis Fireknife BattlesuitsVehicles120100-20
Crisis Starscythe BattlesuitsVehicles11090-20
Commander FarsightCharacters8570-15
Crisis Sunforge BattlesuitsVehicles140125-15
StormsurgeVehicles360375+15
DevilfishTransports8575-10
Ghostkeel BattlesuitVehicles160150-10
Kroot FarstalkersInfantry8575-10
Kroot War ShaperCharacters5060+10
Razorshark Strike FighterVehicles170160-10
Riptide BattlesuitVehicles200190-10
Sky Ray GunshipVehicles150140-10
Sun Shark BomberVehicles160150-10
Broadside BattlesuitsVehicles1: 80
2: 170
3: 270		1: 75
2: 150
3: 255		-5
-20
-15
Firesight TeamCharacters6055-5
Hammerhead GunshipVehicles145150+5
Kroot HoundsMounted & Beasts5: 40
10: 80		5: 45
6: 65		+5
-15
Kroot Trail ShaperCharacters5550-5
Krootox RidersMounted & Beasts1: 40
2: 60
3: 90		1: 45
2: 60
3: 90		+5
0
0
Pathfinder TeamInfantry9085-5
PiranhasVehicles1: 60
2: 120
3: 180		1: 65
2: 110
3: 165		+5
-10
-15
Vespid StingwingsInfantry5: 65
10: 130		5: 70
6: 115		+5
-15
Kroot CarnivoresInfantry10: 65
20: 140		10: 65
11: 130		0
-10
Battlesuit VeteranCharacters—60—New in 11th
Kinband ChampionCharacters—55—New in 11th
Shas'nelCharacters—50—New in 11th
Breacher TeamBattleline9090—
Cadre FirebladeCharacters5050—
Commander in Coldstar BattlesuitCharacters9595—
Commander in Enforcer BattlesuitCharacters8080—
Commander ShadowsunCharacters100100—
DarkstriderCharacters6060—
EtherealCharacters5050—
Kroot Flesh ShaperCharacters4545—
Kroot Lone-spearCharacters8080—
Krootox RampagersMounted & Beasts3: 85
6: 170		3: 85
4: 170		—
Stealth BattlesuitsInfantry100100—
Strike TeamBattleline7070—
Tidewall DroneportFortifications8585—
Tidewall GunrigFortifications9090—
Tidewall ShieldlineFortifications8585—

Biggest increases

Are The Twin Lance still worth it?

The biggest single increase in the faction, up 20 points. That's a real tax, but it's applied to one of the army's standout centrepiece profiles — the kind of unit you buy because you want it on the table, not because the maths demands it. If it earned its place in your 10th-edition lists, the extra 20 won't change that; if you were only taking it to fill points, this is the nudge to look elsewhere.

Are Stormsurge still worth it?

Up 15 points in 11th — now 375 versus 360 in 10th.

Are Kroot War Shaper still worth it?

Up 10 points, which stings more on a cheap support character than the raw number suggests. Its value has always been as an enabler for a Kroot-heavy list rather than a standalone pick, so the answer depends on how committed you are to the birds. In a dedicated Kroot force it still pulls its weight; as a one-off splash into a suit army, it's easier to skip now.

Frequently asked questions

Did the T'au Empire get better in 11th edition?

Broadly, yes — the army's core battlesuits got cheaper, so most T'au lists can field more models for the same points than they could at the end of 10th. Whether that translates into more wins depends on the wider meta and how detachment rules shake out, but on paper the faction came out of the transition in a stronger, more flexible place.

Are Crisis Suits cheaper in 11th edition?

Yes. All three Crisis variants — Fireknife, Starscythe and Sunforge — came down in points, by 15 to 20 each. Combined with cuts to the Riptide and other suits, the classic battlesuit-heavy T'au list is meaningfully cheaper to assemble than it was in 10th.

How do Detachment Points work for T'au in 11th edition?

Detachment Points are a new 11th-edition layer: your chosen detachment now costs points out of your army total, scaling with game size — 2 at Incursion, 3 at Strike Force, and 4 at Onslaught. Every T'au detachment pays the same rate, so it's a flat overhead you budget for before you start picking units.

What is the new T'au detachment in 11th edition?

The Advanced Acquisition Cadre is the T'au Empire's new 11th-edition detachment, joining returning options like Kauyon, Mont'ka, Retaliation Cadre and the Kroot Hunting Pack. Nothing from the 10th-edition line-up was removed.

Is now a good time to start a T'au army?

It's a good moment. The signature units are cheaper, the range is stable, and the shooting-first playstyle is one of the most beginner-friendly in the game. If you've been eyeing the T'au, the 11th-edition points make a starter force easier to build toward — see the Starting a T'au Army guide for a buying order.