The Riptide Battlesuit

The Riptide Battlesuit is the T’au Empire’s answer to Imperial heavy armour: a towering XV104 that pairs raw firepower with surprising speed. It’s the suit that broke the back of Imperial lines at Mu’gulath Bay, and it’s still a staple of T’au armies on the tabletop.

What is the Riptide Battlesuit?

The XV104 Riptide is a heavy battlesuit built by the T’au Earth Caste. It’s roughly twice the size of a Crisis Suit, but it moves like something much lighter, easily outmanoeuvring the clumsy walkers of the Imperium.

It first saw action during the Third Sphere of Expansion at the Battle of Mu’gulath Bay, where it tore through entrenched positions and heavy tanks. Production is slow, though, because the dense nanocrystalline alloy armour is hard to make in the quantities needed. That’s why only veteran XV8 Bodyguard pilots get to fly one.

• XV104 designation, built by the T’au Earth Caste
• Twice the size of an XV8 Crisis Suit
• Debuted at the Battle of Mu’gulath Bay
• Rare, reserved for experienced pilots

Weapons and defences

Riptides usually carry a Heavy Burst Cannon or an Ion Accelerator. The burst cannon shreds infantry, while the ion accelerator cracks tanks, especially when supercharged. Both are backed up by twin Smart Missile Systems and either twin Fusion Blasters or twin Plasma Rifles.

For protection, it has a Riptide Shield Generator and thick armour that can shrug off krak missiles and grenades with barely a scorch mark. It also has a Nova Reactor, an experimental dark matter power source that gives the pilot a burst of extra energy when they need it. It’s not the most reliable system, but it’s incredibly powerful, and it fixed the problems of early prototypes that were either too slow or dangerously unstable.

• Heavy Burst Cannon or Ion Accelerator as main gun
• Twin Smart Missile Systems, plus twin Fusion Blasters or Plasma Rifles
• Riptide Shield Generator for extra protection
• Nova Reactor: experimental, unreliable but powerful

On the tabletop

In 10th edition, the Riptide is a tough, mobile fire platform. It has Toughness 9, 14 wounds, a 2+ save, and a 4+ invulnerable save. It moves 10 inches and has Objective Control 4, so it can hold objectives while pouring out damage.

Its main gun is either a Heavy Burst Cannon (12 shots, S6, AP-1, D2) or an Ion Accelerator. The ion accelerator can fire standard (6 shots, S9, AP-2, D3) or supercharge (6 shots, S10, AP-3, D4) but supercharging is hazardous. Secondary weapons are twin-linked, so they reroll wounds: twin fusion blaster (melta 2) or twin plasma rifle.

Notable pilots and variants

A few named characters have piloted Riptides. Dassan is one, and O’Vesa is another. The suit also has two heavier cousins: the XV107 R’varna and the XV109 Y’vahra, both of which trade some speed for even more firepower.

• Dassan: known Riptide pilot
• O’Vesa: known Riptide pilot
• XV107 R’varna: heavier variant
• XV109 Y’vahra: heavier variant

Key facts

• The XV104 Riptide is a heavy T’au battlesuit, twice the size of a Crisis Suit.
• It first saw action at the Battle of Mu’gulath Bay during the Third Sphere of Expansion.
• Standard armament: Heavy Burst Cannon or Ion Accelerator, plus twin Smart Missile Systems and twin secondary weapons.
• It’s protected by a shield generator and powered by a Fusion Reactor and a Nova Reactor.
• Only veteran XV8 Bodyguard pilots are allowed to pilot one.
• In 10th edition, it has T9, 14 wounds, a 2+ save, and a 4+ invulnerable save.

FAQ

Related reading

• Wraith Constructs
• Craftworld Eldar
• T’au Septs
• The Burst Cannon
• Drukhari
• Aeldari