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So I'm new to 40K and looking for some feedback/help with developing a starting list for some casual games. I'm well aware casual and Eldar don't seem to go hand in hand on these forums but if I can play Elves in something I have too.

I had a few issues understanding the Detachments/Combined Arms rules - I'm more used to 'here's a point limit go wild' but this is what I came up with as a base. Any feedback/reasoning why or what else to go with would be great.

A guardian battlehost will usually do fine at 500 points. It's not the most competitive, but it's solid! A couple notes:
- scatter lasers are better than shuriken cannons because of their range and the extra shot. It's almost always better to take them over shuriken weaponry, even with the command benefit from the battlehost. So I'd recommend taking scatter lasers on your war walker.
- Take bright lances in all of your guardian squads. They're fantastic against armored targets and your list is a little lacking in that department.

You don't really have much room to play with options in this list, so that's all I can recommend.

Right now what you have is a formation called a guardian battlehost. Formations list specific units you must take. A combined arms detachment will let you choose whatever you want to take, which seems to be more what you're used to. It will also give you a more useful command benefit than the battlehost. There are still limits and requirements, but they are generic battlefield roles rather than specific units. Just make sure you've got at least one HQ choice (farseer, autarch, warlock conclave, etc) and 2 Troops choices (guardians, jetbikes, dire avengers, Rangers) and you'll satisfy the requirements. Then you can fill out the rest of the points with whatever you want!

I'll keep the scatter shot in mind! I kept reading that it was overpowered (at least on the jetbikes) so I didn't want to be that guy in a casual tournament.
I was thinking the same for the bright lances. Wasn't sure and wanted a second opinion so cheers!

Yeah, so far the formations things been... different for me to get used too. I still need to work out the combined arms detachment thing.

Really appreciate the help!

Scatter Lasers themselves aren't OP, so your opponent's won't hate you for taking them. It's when you take large amounts of them that they begin to get a little crazy (like with jetbikes).

As for getting used to Formations/Detachments, there's a really handy chart on this site that really helped me figure it out.

Additionally; BloodOfKittens has a list of every detachment and formation in the game. Just click "Formation Compendium" or "Detachment Compendium" along the top to switch between them.

As a note, it’s worth looking into magnetization for things like walkers, platforms, vipers, etc. While you might, for example, need brightlances now for some AV firepower, if you add some fire dragons to your list later, you might find you need more medium weight fire and switch to scatters.

Awesome thanks for the feedback then! Scatter time it is!

I really appreciate the chart - super handy.

Magnetization I'm interested in, I just need to learn how to properly.