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Killer Klaivex
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Dark Eldar Review
As a Dark Eldar player for a good six years, I've had a fair bit of experience with the old spikey space elves. I must admit, this latest update has filled me with equal amounts of joy and fear, joy that I finally have up to date rules and models, and fear, because now I'm five times more likely to run into someone who actually knows how to play against them in a tournament. As such, I'm now conducting an in depth analysis of all the units in the Dark Eldar codex, evaluating their many uses, overall competitiveness, and possible tactics.
The original Dark Eldar strategy was based around the fact that Dark Eldar, unlike the many horde or MEQ armies, were fast, and fragile. A glass hammer. The analogies were numerous, but they all revolved around one simple fact:- Dark Eldar could dish out tremendous amounts of firepower, and were incredibly mobile and flexible, but this came at the price of armour and durability. They were incapable of soaking up large amounts of return fire, and as such, you tended to either win big and absolutely massacre a foe, or lose big, and be tabled. The original army builds in 4th edition focused around either a Wych based combat army, or a Warrior based ranged force. The rules upgrades in 5th edition rendered the Wych Cult forces impotent, with the new importance placed on holding objectives. This left only the warrior based ranged force, which usually revolved around a trio of Ravagers maxed out with disentegrators, Dark Lance Sniper squads, and Sniper Boats, with the occasional Reaver Blade, Incubi unit or Wych Squad thrown in for added effectiveness.
However, the new codex has seen considerable overhauls given to old units once considered worthless, such as Hellions, or Scourges, not to mention many new units. In order to consider their overall competitiveness, I intend to see how many of the following boxes they tick. The more they qualify for, the better I would consider the unit to be.
-Is the unit capable of multi-tasking and performing two or more of the following functions (anti-tank firepower, anti-vehicle firepower, combat capability, fast movement, objective holding).
-Is the unit priced effectively for what it does in comparison to other similar units in the DE, or other codexes?
-Is the unit capable of performing cohesively within the Dark Eldar combat doctrine of Fast and Fragile?
-Does the unit have a wide range of wargear options, and are they cost effective?
By analysing the various units in line with this methodology, I can then produce a concise summary for each unit according to the following blueprint:-
Unit Name: (X)
Optimal Function/s: (X/X)
Cost Effectiveness: (Bad/Average/Good/Excellent)
Tactical effectiveness: (?/10)
Overall competitiveness: (Uncompetitive/Usable Competitively/Very Competitive)
I'll be producing this in several installments, which I shall upload into this thread when completed......
HQ
I'm going to start with the basic HQ, and move onto special characters at the end.
Archon
The Archon is the same price as he was in the last codex. However, he's had the pleasure of gaining 1 WS, BS, and Ld, as well as all the new army wide Power from Pain and Night Vision rules. As such, just like before, he's quite the combat monster, capable of great destruction if equipped right. As such, that's the first thing to examine about him.
Now, it's pretty much a given that your Lord is a combat monster. As such, fitting him out for a ranged weapon would be wasting his potential by far. What weapon you tool him out with much depends upon exactly what role you intend for him to be playing, and exactly what targets you want him to take down. He can function as an Independent character attached to a Incubi/Wych/Wrack squad, or you can tool him out with a retinue as a unit in his own right. Now as Haemonculi supersede his effectiveness in terms of being attached to a Wrack squad, we can rule that one out as the most effective combination. Similarly, the Succubus would be the superior option when attached to Wyches. Therefore, to use him effectively, we have the following two roles:-
-As a booster to an Incubi Squad. Incubi are an exceptionally effective combat unit, and capable of ripping apart most enemy combat squads. However, they suffer from a lack of Invulnerable saves, which makes enemy HQ choices with power weapons and invulnerable saves a real threat. Adding a Archon tooled up for HQ hunting can finish off the unit, and give it the extra power and durability it needs to go toe to toe with crack enemy combat units such, Close Combat Terminators with Storm Shields.
In terms of Equipment, the first thing you need to do is give your Archon durability in the form of the Shadow Field. At 5 points more than in the last codex, its pricey, but considering the trend of SM characters with high invulnerable saves, it is absolutely essential. The Huskblade, giving the Archon Instant Death power weapon capability is the next piece of equipment in line. The Djin blade can backfire, the Venom Blade meaningless against high armour saves, and the standard power weapon fails to deliver enough punch. The Electrocorrosive whip is an excellent way of minimising the damage from power fists and monstrous creatures, but generally speaking, the Huskblade has more in the way of practical use. Adding a Phantasm Grenade Launcher gives him and his Incubi squad offensive and defensive grenades. With a Shadow Field,Husk Blade, and Phantasm Grenade Launcher your Archon is at 150 points. If you're looking to save points, you could leave it there, but Ghostplate Armour, Haywire Grenades, Soul Trap and Combat Drugs cost 35 more points combined, and finish off your Archons kit by giving him a spot more durability, some anti-vehicle power, and a slight combat boost. The result is that at either 150 or 185 points (depending on how much you're willing to spend), you possess an HQ capable of going toe to toe with any tooled up Space Marine hero. His only weakness is that he'll be wounding primarily at Strength 3 (bar a lucky combat drugs roll). The Husk Blade goes some way towards counteracting this however, ensuring that he only needs wound an enemy hero or monstrous creature once in order to remove them. When combined with the Soul Trap upgrade, you can also ensure that once he's killed an enemy monster/SC, he becomes even more dangerous than before! In comparison to the Space Marine codex where heroes are regularly 200 points a shot, he's also more than reasonably priced for the HQ-Hunting role.
(Note! This is not the Incubi analysis, rather an analysis of the Archon when accompanied by Incubi!)
Unit Name: Archon(with Incubi)
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability/HQ hunting
Cost Effectiveness: Good
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive
Archon's Retinue
The second possible option for your Archon is as a single unit combined with a retinue. However, with 4 different unit types available for the retinue, I'll examine each one and their synergy with the Archon first, before considering the Archon's loadout.
Medusae
The Medusae have absolutely no hand weapons whatsoever. Their sole contribution to the unit comes from their flamer template attacks, which hit from a randomised strength 2 to 7, and a randomised (D6) AP. It's an assault weapon, and very similar to the Liquifier guns carried by the Haemonculus. It has the potential to do tremendous damage or none at all. However, at 15 points a model, the Medusae are cheap enough to ensure that taking the maximum two possible for the retinue would be the wisest decision. As assault flamers (effectively), they fit perfectly with the concept of the Archon as a combat unit, and cost little enough to be worth maxing out on them in a retinue.
Lhamaeans
Lhamaeans weigh in at 10 points apiece, and bestow a 2+ poison attack on any poisoned weapons the Archon has. They also possess the ability to wound on a 2+. Now my initial thoughts are that they're a waste of time. Odds are, your Archon will be tooled out with something of the power weapon variety making her ability pointless, and at only 1 baseline strength 3 attack at 10 points she's of no aid to the combat herself.
...then I looked at her profile again. She has a pistol and combat weapon, bringing her up to 2 attacks. And she wounds on a 2+, making her strength irrelevant. This means that for 10 points, you get a model with 3 attacks on the charge, that wounds on a 2+, and, after accumulating her first pain token, will have feel no pain. She also has the standard WS 4 and Initiative 5 for DE. Suddenly, not so bad looking after all, eh? If she were 15 points, she probably wouldn't be worth it, but at 10, if you're looking for a few more models to fill out your retinue, she seems to be worth the points cost to grab a couple of them.
Ur-Ghuls
Ur-Ghuls are essentially the Chaos Beasts that came with Beastmasters in the last codex. They have Feel No Pain and Furious Charge already, making the addition of pain counters to the unit meaningless to them. They hit with 4 attacks at Strength 5 on the charge, then slide into 3 attacks at strength 4 if the combat keeps going. You can get more Ur-Ghuls than any other model in a retinue, up to five. Their lack of power weapons means that when attacking a MEQ from the charge, they'll hit twice, and do roughly 1.3 wounds, which the MEQ will then have a good chance of saving. Ultimately, the Ur-Ghuls are there to make up numbers and spam regular attacks. At toughness 3 and no save however, they're not built for long combat, and at a costly 15 points apiece, will be the first casualties you take in your retinue. To summarise, adding one or two to make up the numbers and soak up a wound or two might prove to beneficial, but generally speaking, Ur-Ghuls aren't worth the points expenditure.
Sslyth
The Sslyth, at first glance appear to suffer from Ogryn syndrome, in that they're High Toughness and Wound troops without power weapons that are far too costly to ever consider taking. However, a closer examination challenges that view to an extent. Sslyth start the game with Feel No pain already, meaning that combined with their toughness 5, it takes a Strength 10 hit to kill them outright. This renders them immune to most Power fist attacks. 4 Strength 5 attacks on the charge means that they're initially dealing out just as much damage as the Ur-Ghuls would be, only with a Toughness of 5, a 5+ save, and 2 wounds make them considerably more durable. Now were that all, I'd still be inclined to slate them as a waste of points. However, there's a small fact overlooked by most people, that being the fact they carry Shardcarbines as well. Shardcarbines are poisoned AP5 guns with an 18” range and 3 assault shots. With the addition of this gun, the Sslyth go up from being an uncertain unit, to being worth their points cost. Now whilst this in no way means that they fill a particularly effective role, they aren't the massive points sink 'ogryn syndrome' unit they initially appear to be.
In conclusion, the retinue has the potential to deal out many decent strength attacks, but suffers from a complete lack of power weapons. Theoretically, the Archon would have to fill this gap, and so the traditional loadout as detailed in the Incubi Squad description above would seem to suffice. The optimum retinue size to me would appear to be 2 Medusae, 2 Lhameans, the single compulsory Ur-Ghul, and 1 or 2 Sslyth on board the regular Raider. With 1 Sslyth, the retinue comes to exactly 100 points, with the assumed 70 points with a raider with Flickerfield, and the 150 odd for your Archon, you appear to spending 320 points on a unit that's quite simply not nearly as effective as other potential combat variations. The problem is, the retinue will find it difficult to stand up to any kind of dedicated combat unit with power weapons, and considering the large numbers of points involved (nearly half to a third of your army depending on points cost), it seems to be nothing more than a points sink when there are other units that could achieve far more for similar points cost. By comparison, you could throw a Lord with 4 Incubi in a Venom with a second splinter cannon for the same points cost, and gain a unit capable of smashing pretty much any opposing unit with multiple power weapon attacks.
Unit Name: Archon(with Retinue)
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 5/10
Overall competitiveness: Usable Competitively
Succubus
The Succubus is the Wych Version of the Lord. She costs five points more, has a slightly worse 6+ save, loses 1 BS and 1 Ld, and gains 1 WS and 1 Initiative. She also gains the Wych 4+ Invulnerable save in close combat and combat drugs. Now initially, this would appear to make her the superior choice to the Archon for a regular combat monster, but then one notices a very important fact. Simply put, the Succubus lacks all the interesting wargear options that the Archon possesses, and instead gets to choose between the various Wych squad upgrades. She has the standard wych options of Razorflails, Shardnet and Impaler, and Hydra Gauntlets, however, none of these are power weapons, and in good Wych tradition, tend to focus on removing enemy attacks or increasing/enhancing the users own. Venom Blades and standard power weapons are on option, but as per usual, should be ignored when better options present themselves. The Agoniser and Electrocorrosive Whip are identically priced options at 20 points apiece. Both are Power weapons, with the Agoniser allowing you to always wound on a 4+ (getting around that annoying Strength 3), and the Whip halving wounded enemies strength for that combat. The only other options are Haywire Grenades and a Blast Pistol for tank-busting capabilities.
To be frank, the Succubus is...underwhelming. She lacks all the cool options of the regular Archon, which tend to make her essentially nothing more than an upgraded Wych Squad Leader. As such, should you choose to take her, that would be her optimum role, but unlike a kitted up Archon, she's unlikely to leave a swathe of destruction across the battlefield. Her only redeeming feature is that she's a cheap Wych army HQ choice, coming in at only 90 points with an Agoniser and Haywire Grenades.
Unit Name: Succubus
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 5/10
Overall competitiveness: Uncompetitive
Haemonculus Ancient/Haemonculus
The only difference between the two types of Haemonculi here is the upgraded points cost and profiles. Both have exactly the same wargear options. The Haemonculus Ancient has +1 WS, BS, Wound, Initiative, Attack, and Leadership for an additional 30 points. As such, I intend to analyse them as effectively the same unit, with a small note on the end with regards to the value(?) in upgrading.
The Haemonculus is the cheapest of all HQ units at 50 points base. You can choose 1-3 as a single troops option allowing you to spread them throughout your force. When considering the number of weapon and arcane wargear options, this is a significant factor. It allows you to further customise certain units in your army to multi-task depending on how you equip the Haemonculus. Not only this, taking even a single Haemonculus opens up the option of taking Wracks as a third troop type. To top it all of, a Haemonculus also gains a pain token at the start of the game, which will then be then conferred to any unit he's attached to. The usefulness of this last point can't be emphasised enough, as it pretty much allows you to grant Feel No Pain to any unit you want straight off the bat. To that extent, even without any other upgrades, the Haemonculus can be seen as allowing you to pay points for pain tokens pre-game.
Now how you upgrade your Haemonculus is thoroughly dependant on what unit you want to attach it to, and how you'd like to enhance that units effectiveness. Now generally speaking, you can kit out a Haemonculus for the following roles:- Shooting Augmentation (So attached to Warriors, Trueborn, and possibly Wracks), Combat Capability(with Wracks, Grotesques, Wyches, Beastmasters), and Combat Augmentation (with Incubi, Wracks, and Beastmasters). Each Haemonculus can take two pieces of arcane wargear, as well as a combat weapon, meaning that depending on the role you envisage for you should tool them up appropriately.
-Shooting Augmentation:- This is where you're looking to have your haemonculus function from a distance and augment your shooting units. Now one possibility is placing him with four Blaster equipped Trueborn in a Venom, or with twenty Warriors on foot, thus giving them the Feel No Pain token. In such a capacity, the Hex-Rifle and its ability to bypass Eternal Warrior/ kill multiple wound models is invaluable. The Dark Gate is also a possibility if joined to a trueborn unit, as you can detach him from the squad as soon as in range to select a different target to fire it at. Alternatively, it functions as a strength 10 weapon to help bust a vehicle. However, any further upgrades would be wasted, as neither units objective is to get into combat generally speaking.
-Combat Capability:- This is where you tool up your Haemonclulus specifically to defeat enemy units in combat. It can be crossed to an extent, with Combat Augmentation, and perform both roles adequately. Generally speaking, the idea is to combine the scissorhand, which grants +1 attacks and makes them poisoned, with a huskblade and animus vitae/soul trap. The result is to turn the Haemonculus into a relatively accomplished Close Combat with power weapon capabilities, that might otherwise be lacking in a Grotesque, Wrack or Beastmaster unit. It also has excellent anti-HQ potential if attached to a Wych squad.
-Combat Augmentation:- The idea behind combat augmentation is that the Haemonculus should be capable of softening up a foe at close range before another unit does most of the combat damage. To this end, a Liquifier gun is a must have, combined with a Shattershard/Orb of Despair/Casket of Flensing. The Haemonculus is then given an Electrocorrosive Whip or Mindphase Gauntlet to help debilitate an enemy unit. By doing this, you can soften up a crack unit of terminators or the like sufficiently that another combat squad, can deal the coup de grace. But in this case the Haemonculus aids the combat more indirectly, helping to soften up the target unit, rather than taking such a direct part in the combat himself.
Of course, it's fully feasible to mix the Combat Capability and Combat Augmentation roles together, and equip a Haemonculus with say a Liquifier, an Electrocorrosive whip, and an Animus Vitae, or a huskblade, soul-trap, and Casket of Flensing. The Haemonculus is a very customisable unit, allowing you to upgrade appropriately depending upon the role you seem them playing. The Haemonculus ancient is a definite possibility, but as one of the selling points is their cheapness, the upgrade would only appear to be worth the points cost, if you're planning on tooling a Haemonculus out purely for Combat Capability. In a role more to do with augmentation, it would be seem to be a waste of points that could be better spent on other upgrades.
Unit Name: Haemonculus
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability, Combat Augmentation, Shooting Augmentation
Cost Effectiveness: Good
Tactical effectiveness: 9/10
Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive
Elites
I'm reviewing Wracks as a Troops choice rather than as an Elite, simply because most people will take them in that role, and it breaks up the numbers a bit.
Incubi
At 22 points, Incubi have been reduced in cost since their previous incarnation. For those 22 points, you a fleet combat specialist with a 3+ armour save, WS and Initiative 5, 2 attacks base, and a power weapon that lets them strike at strength 4. To compare, a Space Marine squad of 5 Vanguard Veterans with power weapons costs 200 points, as does a squad of 5 Space Marine terminators. Ork Burnas are 15 points a model and Striking Scorpions/Howling Banshees 16. Considering Incubi take the armour save from the Scorpions, the power weapon from the Banshees, and add a considerable stat increase to boot, 22 points is an amazingly good price to pay. They've also gained the fleet and power through pain rules. If you can get them into combat, once they've Feel No Pain as well, they're a particularly deadly unit.
The main role Incubi possess is that of a battering ram unit. They're hard enough to take down all but the hardest of combat squads, and all they need to do that is a hero of their own. The high Initiative ensures they strike first, and due to their relatively low points cost, they outnumber the likes of terminators virtually two to one at the same points. In short, they're capable of rolling up a line with ease. They can munch through the likes of tactical marines without pausing for breath, and are equally capable of going hand to Nobs. They may have some difficulty with the likes of swarms, or monstrous creatures, but that's where the upgrades come in(well for swarms at least).
One Incubi can become a klaivex for 15 points. He can be upgraded to have his uber weapon, the demi-klaives for a further 20, and he has two abilities available for purchase on top of that for ten and fifteen points respectively. He can also take an awesome AP3 Flamer for another 15. The problem is, all these upgrades combined equal out at 75 points, more than another three Incubi! Now one of the upgrades, that gives the Klaivex preferred enemy against characters is pretty worthless, with such a high WS(6), he'll be hitting on 3 or 4 plus the whole time anyway. The other upgrades however, all 65 points worth, are good enough to be worth considering taking, however, they strike me as the sort of thing you'd do with leftover points. If you're attaching a hero to the unit anyway, the Klaivex is an unnecessary luxury.
You'll rarely be taking more than 5 or so at a time, as they they work better in small units due to their elite nature. If you have a two units of five instead of one big unit of ten, not only do you have the option of taking Venoms, you have the ability to threaten two sections of your opponents line instead of just one. If both units are on opposing sides of the battlefield, it forces an opponent to make some tough decisions on where to put his uber-combat unit to take them on.
As such, Incubi can be put into two roles in which they excel, small raiding units, or HQ hunting. In both cases, Venoms are the optimal transport, small, and cheap. A unit of 5 Incubi for disruption amongst an opponents force, or a unit of 4+Archon for comprehensive HQ hunting seem to be the most efficient method for deployment.
Unit Name: Incubi
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability/HQ Hunting
Cost Effectiveness: Excellent
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness:Very Competitive
Grotesques
Grotesques are the second DE unit out of 3 appearing to have Ogryn syndrome at first sight. High Strength, Toughness, Wounds and Attacks. They weigh in as much as the Sslyth though, at 35 points apiece. So! What's unique about them in comparison?, you may well ask. Well, they start off with Feel No Pain, like the Sslyth. They also have the option of taking a single Liquifier gun per unit, and their squad sergeant (metsaphorically speaking) can take a few of the Haemonculus weapon options. Unfortunately, GQ continues its usual trend of 'High wounds and toughness models aren't allowed power weapons'. As such, you have a choice between a few poisoned weapons, which are pretty irrelevant when you already possess Strength 5, and the Flesh and Mindphase Gauntlets, to help remove characters if you somehow manage to score a wound on them.
Not only that, but due to their rampage rule, you really need to have a Haemonculus with them to ensure their effectiveness. Unlike virtually every model in the DE army, GW also opted to remove the Fleet rule, meaning that they either have to crawl across the battlefield, soaking up fire all the way, or buy a Raider. If I'm going to be completely frank here, so far in this review, this strikes me as the most pointless unit of the lot. It's not speedy, not lethal, and is classic 'Ogryn Syndrome'.
The only way I can think of running Grotesques would be in a Raider with a Haemonculus tooled up for anti-HQ. The Grotesques would act as a bodyguard unit, soaking up all the inevitable power fist attacks. However, any sort of half decent combat unit will quite simply tear holes in Grotesques.
It's as simple as that really.
Unit Name: Grotesques
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability
Cost Effectiveness: Bad
Tactical effectiveness: (2/10)
Overall competitiveness: Uncompetitive
Mandrakes
Mandrakes have changed considerably. Gone are the fun rules of running 3 models across a table and popping out from any of the points. Instead, they've been forced to conform to the standard Infiltrate rules. They also have Fleet, Move Through and Stealth to help them on their way. They also have a 5+ Invulnerable save, making them as durable as regular Daemons of Chaos. At strength 4 with 2 attacks base, and absolutely no upgrade options, they seem at first to be a bit of a dud unit.
However! To an extent, that's because people have this mental picture of them appearing behind enemy lines and chewing up Devastator squads, Crisis Battlesuits and so on. The truth is, if you throw them at any hard unit, they're not going to do so well. However, if you're preapred to attach a haemonculus, they can be relatively decent shock troops. They become capable of shooting an Strength 4 AP4 assault 2 weapon that pins. They'll also be fleet, and possess Feel No Pain. In this regard, they're excellent for mixing it up with lighter infantry units, from Fire Warriors, to Ork Boyz, to Imperial Guardsmen. You might think that not infiltrating is wasting some of their potential, but with the huge preponderance of transports in 5th edition, odds are keeping them back may not have such an ill effect after all. And of course, should it look like Infiltration would actually be a good idea, you're no obligation to deploy them with the haemonculus, as an independent character, you can quite simply deploy him with another unit.
Not only this, with the new emphasis on objectives, Mandrakes are an excellent way of denying them to an opponent. With the stealth rule, and the possibility of Feel no Pain, combined with infiltrate, they give the option of storming and contesting a foes objective with relative ease. This isn't to say that Mandrakes are best unit around, far from it, but they have their potential uses. It's just a shame how overcostedf they are, 10 or 11 points would be far more appropriate. They have a fair number of tactical possibilities, and some potential, but are simply too overcosted for what they do to seriously contest competitively. However, nonetheless, they're not nearly as bad as they might first appear.
Unit Name: Mandrakes
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability/Contesting Objectives
Cost Effectiveness: Bad
Tactical effectiveness: 7/10
Overall competitiveness: Usable Competitively
Harlequins
The Harlequins in the DE codex are identical to those in codex Eldar. Like in Codex Eldar, they're pretty fast. They ignore difficult terrain, and have fleet. They're also fairly survivable, with a 5+ save and the Shadowseers Veil of Tears powers. Add in Furious Assault and Hit and Run, with the Death Jesters ability to pin enemies, and you actually possess a plausible combat unit. At 22 points with Razor flails to grant them all rending, they seem like they fit in perfectly. But then, stop. Think a minute. What other unit costs 22 points a model? Incubi fall in at identical points cost, but are all armed with power weapons, 3+ saves, pain tokens, and the ability to take transports.
Harlequins are actually a decent combat unit. But as far as I can see, you would NEVER take them. Why? Because there's a far better alternative in the same Force org slot. It's not even just a simple case of power weapons vs rending, the Incubi have the other options already listed, that Harlequins do not. Harlequins are good, but Incubi do the exact same job, and do it better. Harlequins would be mildly more effective at taking down monstrous creatures, but with the options of huskblades, and so many poisoned weapons, monstrous creatures are rarely going to be troublesome for Dark Eldar.
So to conclude, there's nothing wrong with taking them, as they are a good unit. They're just outclassed by costing the same number of points as a better unit that does the same thing. For that reason alone, they're completely uncompetitive.
Unit Name: Harlequins
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 7/10
Overall competitiveness: Uncompetitive
Kabalite Trueborn
Kabalite Trueborn are quite simply Veteran Warriors. The only difference statistically between the two is that they possess +1 Attack and Leadership and cost three points more. However, their most useful function is quite simply the astounding number of special and heavy weapon slots they have at reasonable prices. This allows them to be outfitted in several different effective configurations, the two most effective of which I shall now detail:-
-Blastboat configuration:- Simply put, you take four Trueborn, equip them all with Blasters, and place them on a Venom for an instantly effective anti-tank unit. Four shots at Strength 8 with the lance effect at 18 inch range is deadly. The strategy is very similar to that of melta-vets for IG. In total, it comes to 163 points, or, with 5 Trueborn, 175 exactly. Pricey for such a fragile unit, but extremely effective nonetheless. You zoom the unit forward, then take potshots at passing tanks. Simple, and doesn't require much in the way of tactical brilliance, but exceedingly effective.
-Shardboat Configuration:- Something that not many people have actually noticed yet, is that any Trueborn squad member can trade in his splinter rifle for a Shardcarbine at +5 points. Shardcarbines allow Assault 3 poisoned shots at AP5 within an 18” range. Therefore, a squad of five Trueborn in a Venom with a second Splinter Cannon upgrade, plus two splinter cannons themselves, and three shardcarbines is a unit capable of pumping out an absolutely shocking amount of firepower. You get 4 shots from each of the splinter cannons as assault weapons, and 3 from each of the Shardcarbines, resulting in a whopping 13 shots straight off the bat! That's without even including the 12 from the Venom! Such a unit costs exactly 160 points. So again, pricey, but capable of extreme damage.
Indeed, I see the Trueborn as representing Dark Eldar strategy at its finest. The amount of firepower is overwhelming, and the army is speedy, but suffer from an inability to take much in the way of damage back. It still suffers from the old 'glass hammer', or 'fast but fragile' adages, and this unit, being one of its most competitive, is where those old sayings prove the most accurate. You'll have to be tactical about where you move them, and prioritise your targetsa right, or your Trueborn will be easily shot out of the sky and crushed. Nonetheless, a cost effective, and competitive unit by far.
Unit Name: Kabalite Trueborn
Optimal Function/s: Shooting Capability
Cost Effectiveness: Good
Tactical effectiveness: 9/10
Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive
Hekatrix Bloodbrides
What the Trueborn are to Warriors, the Bloodbrides are to standard Wyches. The points increase is identical, as are the stat increases, that is to say, 3 points in exchange for +1 Attack and Leadership. However, instead of gaining more in the way of special weapons, Bloodbrides can take one set of their special weapons per every three squad members, as opposed to every five. The Squad Sergeants upgrades are identical to those from the original squad as well. So to wit, a Bloodbrides squad is basically a slightly souped up wych squad. You'd use Bloodbrides in exactly the same situations you'd use Wyches, and they should perform just as well, just theoretically a little better. So you'd launch Bloodbrides in full squads of ten in a Raider with a Syren with an Agoniser, and three of their special wych weapons. You might choose to tack on Haywire Grenades for a spot of anti-tank.
Unfortunately though, Bloodbrides aren't significantly different from Wyches to be worth occupying an Elites slot as opposed to a troops slot. They're one of the dud units you get a feeling were thrown in at the last minute to make the codex seem bulkier than it is, or to allow GW to sell a Wych veteran upgrade kit at some point. Or, just to counterbalance the fact Warriors had veterans and wyches didn't. Tactically, they're as good as Wych Squad is, which is pretty good, but ultimately, being judged against their fellow Elite slot members, there are other far more useful units available.
Unit Name: Hekatrix Bloodbrides
Optimal Function/s: Anti-Monster/Anti-HQ
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 6/10
Overall competitiveness: Uncompetitive
Troops
Kabalite Warriors
Gone are the days of Sniper Squads, and cheap Raider squads. The first thing that jumps out and hits you in the face, is that Warriors are expensive now. They've gone up from 8 points to 9, and no longer have the cheap heavy weapon options of yore. However, much of their perception of becoming 'expensive' is solely due to increase in cost of heavy weapons and raiders. Think about it. In that single point increase, they've gained Night Vision, Power from Pain, and poisoned weapons. Pretty damn good eh? For a single point that is. However, the increase in heavy weapons cost and transport means that warriors are now viable in the following three configurations:-
-Sniper Boat Configuration:- Tried and tested from the days of yore, you kit out a warrior squad with a dark lance, stick it on a raider, and have it hang at the back of the battlefield with a night shield. However, dark lances are now more expensive for warriors, and you need a minimum of 10, meaning that with both shields, a sniper boat now weighs in at a pricey 195 points. Sniper Boats allow you some extra tank busting capability, freeing up Elite or Heavy support slots for other things, and by hanging around at the back of the battlefield with both shields, tend to be out of range of a lot of enemy weaponry. This often results in them staying untouched until the end of the game, where they're in a perfect position to nip out and claim an objective or two with the troops squad inside. More expensive than they were before, but still a perfectly viable tactic.
-Mini Blastboat Configuration:- Like their Trueborn allies, you stick 5 Warriors in a Venom, add a Blaster, and send them out tank hunting. With a Venom with dual splinter cannons, it costs 125 points, but gives you a fair boost in anti-infantry, and anti-tank in one go, along with another objective holding unit. If you have a few points to spare, upgrading a Sybarite with a Blast Pistol brings the unit up to 150 points, but enhances its effectiveness once again. I can honestly see Mini-Blastboats being one of the more effective troop choices, as it gives you two blaster shots, and 12 splinter cannon shots from the Venom. 3 or 4 taken together in a 1500 point list along with a pair of sniper boats gives excellent anti-tank capability, and multiple targets an opponent has to try and hit on top of everything else. This is a fast, relatively cheap, and effective way of fielding warriors.
-Shardsquad Configuration:- 20 Warriors on foot, with two splinter cannons. Costs exactly 200 points, and gives you a large squad of groundpounders to hold an objective. It also gives you a veritable hail of anti-infantry firepower, that's often lacking in other sections of the DE army list. The most expensive of the Eldar configurations, but tactically effective nonetheless
Warriors are still viable, but its no longer the case that spamming them with heavy weapons is an easy way to win. Dark Eldar armies are going tor equire far more in the way of synergy to work effectively now, and I think that's represented well in the Warrior choices.
Unit Name: Kabalite Warriors
Optimal Function/s: Ranged Capability, Objective Holding,
Cost Effectiveness: Good
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive
Wych Squads
Wyches are the same mono-purpose unit they've always been, I feel. The strategy behind them remains basically the same as its ever been. Wyches are mainly effective against powerful heroes, monstrous creatures, and hard hitting combat units. They tie them up with a 4+ invulnerable save, and utilise a Hekatrix with an Agoniser to dish out most of the damage.
The most effective upgrade of the three available seem to be the Hydra Gauntlets. They allow you to spam more attacks, whereas the Shardnet/Impaler will be wasted against regular combatants, and razorflails only allow you to re-roll a single models attacks and wounds. If specifically tooling to beat HQ and monsters, the Shardnet is a possibility, but if you're planning on using the squad as a multi-purpose unit, the Hydra Gauntlets are the optimum choice. Haywire Grenades could be considered a staple, as they allow the unit to double as one for tank busting, giving your force much greater versatility. A basic squad of 10 wyches on a raider, with Haywire grenades, 2 Hydra Gauntlets, a Hekatrix and Agoniser weighs in at 230 points.
As such, I personally wouldn't take more than one squad at 1000/1500 points. They're not specifically suited to tying up regular tactical squads and the like in combat, and whilst they can perform such a task adequately, its a slight waste of points when you could spend the points on another unit that can perform the task better. They're far too expensive to be feasible for spamming in large quantities, considering their weakness against enemy firepower, insuitability for holding objectives, and overall lack of tactical flexibility.
Unit Name: Wyches
Optimal Function/s: Anti-Monster/Anti-HQ
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness:- Usable Competitively
Wracks
Wracks are the new troops choice most people are talking about as being the best thing to happen to Dark Eldar since the Shadow Field. Well, let's see how they hold up to close analysis...
Toughness 4 troops with Feel No pain from the start of the match. Check for survivability. 2 poisoned weapons, giving them 3 poisoned attacks on the charge, along with up to two liquifier guns. Check for assault potential. A squad sergeant capable of getting power weapons. Check for anti-MEQ abilities. Can be taken as troops as long as you have one Haemonculus. Check for Objective holding. No anti-tank capability it seems. And not fleet, so transport seems a must. No real ranged ability, so no good for sitting on your own objectives at the back of the field. At 10 points a model, as cost effective as the Warriors, and probably moreso than the Wyches.
It seems that Wracks give the Dark Eldar some shock troops with a bit of ooomph to them. Tactically, keeping them on your side of the field would be a mistake, with no ranged firepower, and you'll have to be sure to avoid any rock hard combat units or walkers. Nonetheless, at their cheap price, definitely viable. I would advise against maxing out solely on Wracks, as their sole function appears to be the storming of your opponents objectives. One or two squads per game would appear to be sufficient.
Fielding them in squads of ten on a raider with two liquifier guns would seem to be the optimum delivery system. As shock troops, it would be wasteful to do things in half measure(aka, squad of five in a venom), and would greatly reduce their impact. In terms of upgrades, an Agoniser would be the best, as with only Strength 3, eithe rof the Gauntlets, or an electrocorrosive whip would be wasteful. If you're giving him a hex rifle, you have the wrong idea about their role on the battlefield altogether. A scissorhand would be cheaper effective weapon, but at 15 points to the agonisers 20, you might as well go the whole hog and buy the agoniser. As they already possess Feel No Pain, and have Poisoned weapons, attaching a haemonculus would strike me as being a spot wasteful. Gaining Furious Charge means little when you're already wounding on a 4+.
A unit of 10 plus 2 liquifier guns and upgraded Acothyst with Agoniser weighs in at over 200 points, making Wracks the most expensive troops choice, even if they're possibly the most effective one. So as with the Wyches, a squad or two, and no more, or you risk having nothing to work with at range. On the whole though, an excellent shock troops unit.
Unit Name: Wracks
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability, Enemy Objective holding
Cost Effectiveness: Good/
Tactical effectiveness: 9/10
Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive
Fast attack
Hellions
Hellions haven't caught much publicity in this edition, mainly because of the excitement over Wracks. Yet a close examination actually shows them to be relatively good units, and definitely worthy of more attention than they've otherwise received thus far. Let's run the analysis.
Hellions can be taken as troops in the new edition with the inclusion of Baron Sathonyx. So, objective holding? Check. Firepower? They have Splinter Pods, which allow Assault 2 poisoned shots with 18 inches. That means in terms of basic weaponry, they're virtually as good as two warriors. So Check. Combat ability? They have combat drugs, and their hellglaives give them 2 base attacks at strength 4. So 3 strength 4 attacks on the charge. So Combat unit check. Against MEQs? Well, their Hellarch can take a phantasm grenade launcher, and an agoniser. So check. Special weapons? None. Mobility? Well, they're jump infantry allowing a 12” move, and deep strike. So check. Anti-tank? None. Durability? Only a 5+ armour save, making them relatively fragile to enemy fire. Points cost? 16 points apiece. Considering that's basically 7 points for a better combat weapon, an upgraded splinter rifle, and to be jump infantry. That's decent cost effectiveness. Not amazing, but fair.
Hellions are actually fairly versatile units. Their only two real weaknesses are a lack of special weapons, and low armour save. The latter can be rectified by attaching a Haemonculus at the start of the game. Conversely, as jump infantry, they're eligible for cover saves until they get into combat, meaning you can terrain hop them if you're prepared to take a risk. With a decent amount of firepower available to them, there's no need to rush them into combat on the first turn, certainly. Indeed, Baron Sathonyx seems to implicitly promote this idea, giving stealth to any unit he joins.
A unit of 10 Hellions with a Hellarch w/Phantasm Grenade Launcher and Agoniser racks up at 205 points. Marginally more expensive than a Shardsquad of warriors(5 points), and only capable of half as much firepower, but it possesses a decent amount of combat capability, and much more maneoverablility. Also cheaper than a unit of Wyches or Wracks. So not too badly overcosted. If it was 50 points less, it would be a no-brainer, at 200, a bit more dubious, but still within acceptable parameters.
For those still uncertain, a bit of mathhammer. Assuming you charge a standard MEQ squad, 3 attacks per hellion equals 27 standard attacks, and 4 agoniser attacks. That's 13.5 hits, and 6.75 wounds. Odds are, that's two dead marines. 2 agoniser attacks will hit, one will wound. Overall, three dead marines, not too shabby. 'Only 3?', you might think. But to put it in context, statistically, a tooled out Archon with 4 Incubi only kills 5 on the charge. And this is without including shooting. If you take 20 poisoned shots into account as well, 13.3 will hit, and 6.71 will wound, resulting in another two dead marines. That actually places them statistically on par with the Lord and Incubi.
Now whilst this in no way shows them to be the next broken cheesehammer unit, its not meant to. I'm just demonstrating how they're not actually be the terrible units they once were. They're an interesting tactical option, and whilst not so broken you HAVE to take them, they're certainly worth a trial run or two.
Unit Name: Hellions
Optimal Function/s: Objective Holding, Combat Capability, Ranged Capability
Cost Effectiveness: Good
Tactical effectiveness: 7/10
Overall competitiveness: Usable Competitively
Scourges
Scourges, like the Hellions, have been revamped from absolutely useless, to actually pretty damn good. They've been upgraded to a 4+ save, and given a much wider range of heavy weapons and cheap prices, not to mention shunted over to the Fast Attack slot, so they don't force you to choose between them and Ravagers.
At 22 points apiece, the seem pricey initially, but then you look at the cost of the weapons. Not a single one tops 15 points. The shredder is, of course, useless. There's been much excitement over the new heat lance, but to be frank, its an 18” weapon. Whilst the Scourges have a 4+ save and Power from Pain now, jumping them that close to the enemy is virtually begging for them to get wiped out. Especially when you consider that your squad size is usually going to be about 5 models.
Why 5? Because that means its only 110 points, plus the cost of the two heavy weapons. This makes them small, and cheap. I see them in the following two configurations
-Sniper Squad Configuration:- Squad of five, two dark lances. 140 points. You can sit them at the corner of the field out of harm's and most enemy weaponry's way. At such a price, bar Ravagers, this is the cheapest way to get Dark Lances.
-Shardsquad Configuration:- This is my favourite, and I think, the optimum way of using them. Scourges come with shardcarbines standard, so making a squad of 5, and giving them two splinter cannons is a distinct possibility. At 130 points, the amount of firepower they're capable of putting down is nothing short of astounding(3 shardcarbines+2 splinter cannons =21 shots). Were I ever planning on taking a full squad of ten, it would be a unit with maxed out Splinter cannons. As assault weapons you can move with them as well.
As you can see, Scourges are cheap and cheerful, and an easy way to fill any gaps your army may be lacking in offensive firepower. They're not be the hardiest of models though, so it would be wise not to get them in too close to the fighting, and in range of too much weaponry. Sticking with Splinter Cannons and Dark Lances as opposed to Blasters or Heat Lances allows you to engage at range, and run much less risk of being killed off by a barrage of casual small arms fire. As Jump Infantry, its easy to reposition to ensure you stay away from enemy combat troops as well.
Unit Name: Scourges
Optimal Function/s: Ranged Capability
Cost Effectiveness: Excellent
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive
Beastmasters
A Beastmaster Squad is comprised of a numbe rof different creatures, similar to the Archon retinue. As such, let's examine them individually.
-Clawed Fiend:- The Clawed fiend is the third of the three monsters in the new Dark Eldar list. Like the others, he's strength and toughness 5, but he has four wounds and four attacks. He also gains an attack for every wound he loses, bringing him up to a maximum of seven base. However, he's 40 points, the same number as a Hammernator. He also has virtually no save(6+) and does not benefit from Power from Pain. On his own he suffers from classic Ogryn syndrome. He's also a max of one per Beast pack, so no spamming them like you might consider doing with the Sslyth.
-Khymerae:- Khymerae are the most numerous, with up to 5 available per squad. With 3 attacks at Strength 4, and a 4+ invulnerable, Khymerae initially seem similar to the Ur-Ghuls. However, at a mere 12 points, Khymerae actually aren't too bad for the points cost.
-Razorwing Flock:-Razorwings are similar to the bat swarms in the LOTR games, high wounds and attacks, but low strength and toughness. With rending however, Razorwings are marginally more effective. A steal at only fifteen points as well.
Now you have to take beastmaster for every type of animal. So for every single Clawed fiend, a Beastmaster is necessary, one for every two razorwing flocks, and one for every 5 Khymerae. There's also nothing to stop you taking multiples of the same beast over and over. I personally would consider the optimum squad to involve multiple razorwing flocks and Khymerae. Why? Because by spamming Razorwing flocks, you get multiple rending attacks, and by maxing out on cheap Khymerae, you can defend the Razorwings from Instant death through having more Khymerae, so you get to use their 4+ Invulnerable save.
So for example, I could take a squad with 5 beastmasters, one with an agoniser, 6 razorwing flocks, and 10 Khymerae. This unit comes in at 290 points, expensive no doubt, but with 30 base attacks at strength 4 from the khymerae, and 30 rending attacks from the razorflocks, whatever it hits is pretty much guaranteed to be dead! That's without even considering the agonsier attacks, or those from the other beastmasters! However, if you want a cheaper alternative, removing 5 khymerae, 2 razorwing flocks, and their respective beastmasters slashes the unit cost down to a respectable 176 points. Not quite as much killpower, but still rather dangerous nonetheless. The unit doesn't have fleet listed as one of its special powers, but according to the main rulebook, all Beasts receive fleet regardless. Just an interesting thing to note.
The main problem the unit suffers from, is that it seems to have no purpose. Everything it specialises in, is covered elsewhere. Want big beasts? Take Sslyth or Grotesques. Want to take out special characters and beasts with rending? Why not just take squad of wyches to effectively do the same thing? Beastmasters suffer from a chronic lack of purpose, there's nothing they can do that isn't already adequately covered elsewhere in the codex. They're also not cheap enough that taking them is a no brainer. This means that when it comes down to taking a seemingly aimless unit, or another unit of Scourges, I know pretty well which one I'm going to pick.
Unit Name: Beastmasters
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 5/10
Overall competitiveness: Uncompetitive
Reaver Jet-Bikes
Reavers have gained one of the more interesting new abilities in the new book, with the power to zoom over opponents, and do D3 Strength 4 hits for each jetbike whilst turbo-boosting. They've had their armour save downgraded to a 5+, and the options of the squad severely curtailed. They're also no longer strength 4. Having said that, their price has plummeted by 3 points as well, to match the new, worse statline. The Squad leader has also had most of his options cut off. All the old stuff has been replaced with, is quite simply a few weapon options for the squad leader, and the ability to take a Grav-Talon, allowing you to pin squads hit by the new turbo-boost rule, and cluster caltrops, which do D6 S6 hits instead of D3 S4.
I must admit, I'm more underwhelmed by this new ability them most people appear to be. Most seem to to glance at the shiny 3+ cover save for turbo-boosting and assume that means that you can inflict damage on the foe with impunity, whilst being invulnerable to any countermeasures. Well, for starters, any kind of flamer weapon ignores that, so you need to be careful of where you position them. Secondly, the 'flyby' rule doesn't seem as great as it first appears. The number of hits you get depends heavily on how many points you're prepared to sink into the unit. A maximum squad of 10 jetbkes, plus grav talon and two cluster caltrops is a whopping 270 points. Once you've finished kitting out your troops, HQ and anti-tank measures, you don't often have that kind of points left lying about to casually blow on a unit that deals randomised amounts of damage, with a power that actually has no power weapon capability. Using the flyby rules, I find it difficult to see how a unit will satisfactorily make back their own points value. I admit, I've done no real math-hammer on this one, and will leave that to heads better than mine at it (all the randomised factors are beyond my talents). I quite simply personally, wouldn't commit so many points to a random amount of damage, when I could spend the same amount of points, on say a squad of 10 Scourges with 4 splinter cannons, that lays down a guaranteed amount of fire every turn(which probably exceeds the amount of damage its even possible for the Reaver squads to inflict, now I loook at the math).
This is not to say Reavers are necessarily bad, but that you should use the flyby rule as a bonus, rather than their core purpose. Indeed, I personally see Reavers working in primarily the same functions they did in the previous codex. That is to say, either:-
-Reaver Blade Configuration:-This is where you purchase a small unit of 3 Reavers for the sole purpose of tank busting. You can no longer grab 2 blasters in such a small squad, but with the new turbo-boost rule, getting within effective melta range with a heat lance should be no great chore. At 78 points, this is a small, effective, and overall cheap tank busting unit. Its role will no doubt prove to be suicidal, but it usually gets the job done.
-Dagger Configuration:-Again, 3 reavers, but kitted out with a squad leader with an agoniser. Nowhere near as good as it was in last codex, where you had the choice of many upgrades, but still just about viable at 96 points. Dagger formations are used primarily for piling in a few Power weapon attacks where needed to support wyches or Incubi, or any other unit. It can also be used a flanking unit, engaging devastator or fire warrior squads, to cause maximum disruption. Not mutually exclusive with the Reaver Blade formation though, I may actually consider combining the two roles together.
As far as I can see, the Reavers primary role should be as a stealth suicide unit, thrown into the fray at the correct point of the battle to decisively lever it one way or another. They're quick, allowing to get to where they need to be, and the extended turbo-boost only accentuates that aspect. The cover save helps ensure they stay alive until you decide you need them.
Unit Name: Reaver Jetbikes
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability/Tank Busting
Cost Effectiveness: Good
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness: Usable Competitively
Heavy Support
Ravager
The Ravager is the traditional workhorse gunship of the average Dark Eldar force. Mounting a trio of Dark Lances, its base value of 105 points remains untouched. Generally speaking, in the previous edition, you'd kit it out with a night shield, and depending on your armies particular weakness, kit it out with disentegrators as appropriate. This role has not changed. However, in the new Codex, the Ravager gives more bang for its buck in most regards than it did before. Disentegrator Cannons are now a free upgrade, meaning a previous potential of 15 points expenditure is no longer the case. Night Shields have seen their cost cut in half. It also has the option of upgrading to a flicker field for another ten points, giving it a 5+ invulnerable save, and far more survivability. It's also gained the Aerial Assault rule, allowing it to fire all weapons whilst moving at Cruising Speed, helping it to stay one step ahead of the enemy in terms of movement.
So what's bad about it? Well, Disintegrator Cannons are no longer quite the behemoth they used to be. Gone are the days of Strength 7 AP 2 blast markers. We're now restricted to a Strength 5 AP 2 gun capable of 3 shots a turn at 36 inches. Indeed, it seems to be a combination of the two modes previously used, and is in no way a bad gun, but the simple fact that you're offered less choice, which in turn, gives you less tactical possibilities could be seen as a negative. However, when viewed in light of what the Ravager actually costs (125 points with both upgrades), and compared to the substantial gains the unit has made in survivability and points effectiveness, it becomes difficult to place any real negative emphasis upon a minor retraction of slight tactical flexibility against hordes and light vehicles.
With the loss of cheap anti-tank squads, the Ravagers new use appears to be becoming the mainstay tank buster of the Dark Eldar force at first. However, once one identifies the several other cost effective anti-tank roles in the list, from trueborn upwards, it quickly becomes apparent that the Ravager does not HAVE to be used in such a way, its not the ONLY effective anti-tank unit the Dark Eldar possess. Depending on your army build, it is possible to field only one Ravager in a purely anti-tank role, and equip the other two for infantry killing like before. In such a scenario, a Vect build with two disentegrator cannons, and a dark lance would prove advantageous to busting light tanks and heavy infantry alike. However, cast in a purely anti-infantry role, you must then compare the anti-infantry ravagers effectiveness to a Razorwing kitted out for a similar purpose, and judge which would be better for you based on your points cost(see Razorwing entry).
However, to conclude, the Ravager is still the excellent value mainstay battle tank as ever, and has gained much in the new Codex.
Unit Name: Ravager
Optimal Function/s: Anti Tank, Anti-Infantry
Cost Effectiveness: Excellent
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive
Talos Pain Engine
The Talos is a bizare one. It and its new Cronos ally are potentially the slowest units in the entire Dark Eldar armoury, which considering their Monstrous Creature status, can be troublesome, as it gives an enemy plenty of time to pump shots into them before they get near to the enemies lines. So to analyse all aspects in order:-
The Talos is quite clearly a beast designed solely for combat. It carries a single ranged weapon as base, a twin linked splinter cannon, allowing six re-rolled poison shots a turn. However, the Stinger Pod granting you some extra oomph against Infantry units, giving you two Strength 5 AP 5 blast markers at 24”, or a twin linked Heat Lance to give you some extra anti-tank muscle. Whilst the Stinger Pod is nice, considering the Talos's crippling vulnerability to be over-run by hordes with death of the Power Klaw variety, the Heat Lance allows the Talos to multi-task, and become a threat to Vehichles as well. Such a choice would be open to the user, with both options completely feasible. However, if you upgrade a combat weapon to take a Liquifier Gun, the Heat Lance would appear to be the sensible choice.
Indeed, the optimal loadouts would appear to be either a Heat Lance, Twin Linked Liquifier Gun and additional Close Combat Weapon, or a Stinger Pod, Chainflail, and additional Close Combat Weapon, both costing 130 points. The former offers more mult-tasking and tactical flexibility, whilst the latter promises more damage against Infantry overall, and goes some way to cover a main weakness of the Talos, that is to say its randomised attacks.
However, coming in at 130 points is pricey indeed, especially when one examines that one could get a Ravager for slightly less. The Talos is quite clearly designed to be used primarily as a fire magnet to soak up shots from the rest of your force, and seems quite excellent in this regard at Toughness 7. But then one notices the low number of wounds (3), and realises it wouldn't take much in the way of Anti-tank weapons to put it out of commission, not to mention the fact that being an incredibly slow unit, its liable to get taken out before it ever gets into combat. Should it managa to destroy a unit, the resulting Feel No Pain would render it virtually impervious to enemy fire, but the main difficulty appears to lie in getting it into such a position.
Ultimately, the Talos appears to be overcosted for what it does. It posseses promise, and battlefield potential, but the sheer amount of effort that would be needed to devoted to keeping it alive, combined with its lack of speed, and mild randomisation stop it being a cost effective choice when compared to other options in the Heavy Support section.
Unit Name: Talos Pain Engine
Optimal Function/s: Combat Capability, Anti-Infantry Firepower, Anti-Tank Firepower
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 7/10
Overall competitiveness: Uncompetitive
Cronos Parasite Engine
A variation on the Talos, the Cronos sacrifices most of its ability in combat, in order to provide the ability to augment your other units with pain tokens. The general rule of thumb is that whenever it kills an enemy model, by whatever means, you get to add a pain token to a nearby unit. Naturally, you would take all available weaponry when fielding it, so as to maximise pain token output. With a Spirit Vortex and Spirit Probe upgrade, the Cronos comes in at 110 points. Not too expensive, but not too cheap either.
The spirit vortex gives you an 18 inch Strength 3 AP 3 pie plate, the Spirit Syphon a Strength 4 AP 3 flamer template, and the Spirit Probe an extra Pain token boost from killing things in combat. If any of these devices results in your killing an enemy model (so for example, if I fired both weapons into an enemy unit, killing a minimum of one each time, and then charged, killing a minimum of oen enemy), you get to aid a pain token, allowing you to distribute up to 3 pain tokens in a single turn. With the low AP, and template weaponry, this is almost guaranteed, meaning that getting the Cronos to fulfill its initial purpose is actually relatively easy.
In terms of toughness, the Cronos is identical to a Talos, with 3 Wounds and a Toughness of 7. However, the first two pain tokens you received from its power would naturally go to itself, granting it Feel No pain, and Furious Charge, adding to its survivability considerably.
However, the main flaw the Cronos appears to run into, is that it can only distribute pain tokens to units up to 12 inches away. Considering the fluid nature of the Dark Eldar style, unless your list is Close Combat orientated, you're unlikely to have enough different units within 12 inches to fully benefit from the effects of the Cronos. If you have an army largely made up of close combat specialists, this weakness vanishes. The Cronos is decent value for points, and with its large damage templates and flamer template, it actually provides a substantial amount of low AP infantry firepower. Indeed, were it not so vulnerable due to its slowness, it would possibly be worth taking as an anti-infantry unit in its own right! It's synergy with Close Combat armies is excellent, however, in a more balanced spread of army selections, it becomes difficult to make it realise its true potential. To conclude, The Cronos would be a worthy addition to an army which maximises its abiltiies, but its lack of tactical flexibility renders it less useful in a more common build.
Unit Name: Cronos Pain Engine
Optimal Function/s: Combat Augmentation, Anti-Infantry Firepower
Cost Effectiveness: Good
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness: Usable Competitively
Razorwing Jet Fighter
The Razorwing and its fellow the VoidRaven are the more expensive options of the Dark Eldar Heavy Support, weighing in at 145 points apiece. The first thing you notice is its base loadout of 4 missiles, and two dark lances. The second thing you notice is the free upgrade of the dark lances to disentegrator cannons. The third thing you notice is that in terms of Anti-tank, the VoidRaven has two Void Lances, giving it improved anti-tank capability over the Razorwing at identical points cost.
Therefore the logical method here is to tool out a Razorwing for anti-infantry firepower. Swapping both dark lances for disintegrators, upgrading the splinter rifles to splinter cannons, and adding the base night shield and flicker field bring the Razorwing in at 175 points. Upgrading a pair of missiles to Necrotoxin, and a single missile to a Shatterfield would complet the optimal loadout, but bring the unit cost up to 190 points, the same cost as a leman Russ Executioner without sponsoons. Wherein lies the problem with the Razorwing.
The cost. 190 points on a Armour 10 vehicle. Make no mistake about it, with such a heavy weapons loadout, your enemy will mark it as a high target priority. It's various shields won't last for any length of time, and odds are, it will die in a single turn of sustained enemy firepower. Now usually, this would be enough to wipe any unit from the possibility of being competitive. However! The Razorwing may fire all of its missiles in but a single turn, along with its other weaponry if you opt not to move it. This allows it a certain amount of leafblower potential, in that it can wreak absolute havoc on enemy foot based hordes, or even any substantial number of marines on foot. In order to even consider this however, the Razorwing is excluded from the lower points values, as its too many points for too big a potential risk. 1500 is the lowest I would personally consider this in. However, in modern missions, where virtually everything is tooled up and sat tight in a transport of some kind, the Razorwing risks hitting the board and being absolute redundant, and unable to scratch enemy infantry, ensconced safely in transports as they are.
Ultimately, the Razorwing can add a bit of edge to a game, and if used right, can pay off massive dividends. However, in the modern tournament scene, it is unlikely to be of much use, simply due to the over-reliance on transports. Such a reliance makes it incresingly difficult for a unit that would already be gambling on getting first turn against a favourable army, to inflict maximum damage being being destroyed.
Unit Name: Razorwing Jet Fighter
Optimal Function/s: Anti-Infantry Firepower
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 6/10
Overall competitiveness: Usable Competitively
VoidRaven Bomber
Unlike its fellow flying counterpart, the VoidRaven is designed for an anti-tank role. With two Void Lances, and a Void Mine, the VoidRaven possesses the strongest Anti-tank capabilities in the Dark Eldar arsenal. It has its armour upgraded to Armour 11 however, adding a touch of uncertainty to your opponent being able to nail it on the first turn, when upgraded with the Standard Night Shield and Flicker Field. With the two shields, in a purely anti-tank role, the VoidRaven comes in at 165 points, 40 points more than Ravager with 3 dark Lances identically equipped with both shields.
Now having seen tremendous amounts of math used in which both sides attemtped to prove that the Ravager was statistically better at killing tanks than the Void Raven, or vice versa, I've come to one simple conclusion. Both are pretty much likely to kill a tank as each other. As both possess the Lance rule, having a higher armour value is irrelevant, and the higher strength of the Void Lances is counterbalanced by the Ravagers extra shot. Theoretically, this ends in a win for the Ravager, because it's 40 points cheaper.
However, the addition of the Void Mine, the potential of adding a missile or two, and the Supersonic rule mean that the exchange isn't quite so clearcut in its victor. Added to the fact that there are some vehicles which are immune to the Lance rule (Monoliths and Land Raiders with Blessed Hulls spring to mind), and the VoidRaven appears to have a niche. Whilst the Ravager is the obvious winner in lower points costs, in 1500 points or more, swapping a single Ravager for a VoidRaven could prove beneficial, in that it adds a spot more tactical flexibility to your force. Adding a pair of Necrotoxin missiles for a relatively cheap amount also gives you the ability to do some damage to an infantry orientated list, whereas Ravagers tend to be stuck in one role. Therefore, to conclude, taking a single VoidRaven in a game of a decent point value would appear to be the tactically sound thing to do.
Unit Name: Voidraven Bomber
Optimal Function/s: Anti-Tank Firewpower
Cost Effectiveness: Average
Tactical effectiveness: 8/10
Overall competitiveness: Competitive
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"Order. Unity. Obedience. We taught the galaxy these things, and we shall do so again."
"They are not your worst nightmare; they are your every nightmare."
"Let the galaxy burn!"
1850 -- |W 3 |D 1 |L 1| 
| Blood Angels (1500 - Sylvania Company) - 
| Dark Eldar - (1500 - Kabal of the Golden Sorrow) - 
| Chaos (1500 - Wisdom and Wrath) - 
2000 
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