The Warhammer 40k universe is full of different factions and species for players to enjoy in either its tabletop incarnation or through its many different video game adaptations. One of the newer races to be added to the game is the somewhat more futuristic Tau Empire.
The Tau isn't the most popular faction in the game, maybe due to their aesthetic, but they still deserve some love and attention. This is why we are are going to go over some things that any fan of the Warhammer 40k world should know about the Tau.
10 The Youngest Faction
The Tau Empire is considered to be one of, if not the youngest faction out of the current playable factions in the Warhammer 40k universe. When players or other stations in the game say this, they are talking about the main Tau race and not the other factions within the Tau empire. It is noted in some Imperium files that only around 6,000 years ago the Tau race had only just discovered fire and now in that short amount of time they are technologically on par with other factions.
9 The Only "Good" Faction
The world of Warhammer 40k is very dark, It literally coined the phrase Grim Dark, which has now gone on to become a well-established genre in fiction. Basically everything sucks in the world of 40k and happiness isn't allowed, but the Tau are arguably the only characters in the whole series who have benevolent intentions, at least when they were introduced. They don't seek out war but merely get wrapped up in them and must defend themselves from all sides.
8 Many Castes
The system of governance and society within the Tau empire is vast and very complex. The Tau society is based on a caste system, with many different and separate, but supposedly equal castes. Each have their own duty and role to fulfill within the empire.
The Fire caste are the warriors of the empire, while the Earth caste are the manufacturers and engineers who design the empire's architecture. The Air caste acts as the Tau navy and Water caste act as merchants and ambassadors for the empire. There is also the Ethereal caste who act as the leaders of the empire.
7 Ethereals Were Made Evil Later
While the Tau was introduced as the only really "morally good" faction in the world of Warhammer 40k and stayed that way for a while, but eventually the grim darkness of the universe got into them as well. In some of the novels based around the game and it's various factions, it was revealed that the Ethereals are very much into the hierarchy that the caste system and the greater good has and that anyone who steps outside of it does not get treated well.
6 Diverse Faction
Most of the factions in Warhammer 40k generally stick to being one species, maybe with a few pet demons or beasts added in. Humans even get three separate factions, 4 if you count the Chaos still technically being humans just under demonic influence.
The Tau, on the other hand, has many species within its rank and society. The main ally that they have is the Kroot, a race that makes up for the Taus lack of melee ability with their own.
5 Human Members
Since Tau have many races within their ranks, some of those just happen to be humans. Some humans within the Tau empire that have defected from the Imperium to join the Greater Good. These humans are known as the Gue'vesa, which literally means human helper in Tau and they fight in the Fire caste, even against other humans. They are considered to be some of the lowest scum by the Imperium.
4 The Greater Good
The Greater Good has been mentioned a few times now, but just what exactly is it? The Greater Good (also known as the Tau'va) is the religion/philosophy that the entirety of the Tau Empire and society is built around. The Greater Good provides the foundation which their caste system is made up of and provides the Tau with their main mission. It pushes for harmony and unity amongst all so that everyone can work together in peace.
3 One Of The Best At Range
Inside the tabletop game of Warhammer 40k each faction has its own gimmick that they need to have to provide a reason for them existing in the first place. This gimmick will dictate how the faction plays, as well as it's strengths and weaknesses. From when the Tau was first released, it was obvious that they were powerhouses at range, with most of their units having insanely long-range for their attacks and great damage on top of that long-range.
2 Weak Melee
To counter just how strong they were at range, the Tau Empire needed to trade off some strength in melee range. We mentioned earlier how the Tau Empire has the Kroot to do most of the up close and personal fighting. This is because the standard Tau units tend to have terrible skills in melee combat and will almost certainly get dominated in hand to hand combat by pretty much every other faction. It's so bad that it's become a meme.
1 Meme Faction
From reading this article and each of its entries, one would probably notice that the Tau tend to stand out from the rest of the factions in the Warhammer 40k universe. They aren't that dark or evil and their design has a slightly more anime aesthetic. This has lead to some fans of the game not liking them for not fitting in too well, combine that with their strong range but terrible melee and there is a solid recipe for a meme faction.