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NOTE: You can now DL my guide in PDF Format! The current incarnation can be obtained here http://www.scribd.com/doc/20579994/Ragewind-s-Guide-for-Aganst-Eldar-in-5th Enjoy!

Intro: I put this together for anyone who might make use of it, it is also useful to people who face off against Eldar as it explains the weaknesses as well as the strong points of each unit. I tried to keep my "voice" out of it and make it as impartial as it can be but sometimes you can't help it. If you have a idea or disagree with a statement for a specific reason and would like it changed send me a PM and we can work to make this a better thread for everyone. Note: For various Copyright and typical forum rules reasons, I have not posted the unit statblock or the individual point cost for items.


The Eldar, more than any other army, should not only look at the output of each unit individually, but the synergy of multiple units together and their role in the force as a whole. - Fable


Wise warriors are mightier than strong ones, and those who have knowledge mightier than those who have strength; for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
Proverbs 24: 5 & 6

Army setup: These are most of the ones I see around, others might be off shoots but still trace fighting styles back to the parent example.

Hammer and Anvil : A classic setup this army focuses on having a tough resolute center with a mobile hard hitting attack force. This works for many types of armies and some do it better than others but for Eldar we have a unique advantage in certain units. The Avatar is perfect for this setup often couples with other fast and dangerous CC units like Harlies or rarely Shining Spears.

Reserve Army : Gaining in popularity, 100% of this army stays in reserve to either walk onto the table or Deepstrike in somewhere, typically a Glass hammer as it can destroy large swathes of your opponent on turn 2 but can’t really take a hit. As a bonus you “win initiative” regardless of who goes first. Elite and Fast Attack are in demand here. Dual Arutachs are almost mandatory for a controlled arrival.

Horde List : These types of Eldar armies use a lot of Guardian (usually Storm Guardians) as its backbone with a Avatar to bump up its reliability. Add on a Warlock with Enhance and they are as brutal as Orks in CC. This type of army has numerous Troop slots taken up and does not mind losing large numbers of models…otherwise known as the “IG Syndrome”

Ranged Superiority: This type of army (by far the most common) focuses on the ranged aspect of the Eldar to decimate enemies from afar. These types of lists usually include War Walkers and Falcons/Fire Prisms, Heavy Support choices are in competition with each other more so than normal. Expect to see 1-2 Farseers with Guide.

Mech Army: By far the most recognizable setup as nearly every army can mimic it. This army includes many Wave Serpents and Falcons/Prisms and sometimes includes troops that can move 12+ inches in one turn (Swooping Hawks or Jetbikes) Expect to face many vehicles laden with Close Combat troops, and many Main Battle Tanks. This are is especially dangerous in Eldar's hands due to all of our vehicles moving anywhere between 1-24 inches and possessing such effective weaponry. De-clawing a Mechdar army takes a lot of patience and the ability to determine target priority.

Close Combat: This list you see every now and then and usually hits very hard, this type of army has some of the hardest hitting units in CC either due to special rules (Yirel / Howling Banshees) or because they are generally tough (Avatar / Seer Council). Expect a far number of Wave Serpents and tough , supported, units. However generally low on the ranged anti tank.

Elite Army: The rarest due to relying heavily on player skill this type of army has a low model count ( 20-30) filled with a few, expensive, units that need to be supported. In these lists you see builds like ‘Jet seer” or the misguided Iyanden Host. Typically fields two special characters as HQ’s and is extremely unforgiving should you mess up. It can however utterly decimate your opponent, usually wiping them from the table, typically very low on troops.

HQ Setup: Note* The Eldar have around 12 HQ choices only 3 of which are not a special character, most armies will have both slots filled and never feel bad about taking a named person….use them or lose them.

Dual Artuachs : This option is mainly useful to two types of armies, either the Reserve Army or the Horde army. The varying load outs on Arutachs not only make them some of the Cheapest HQ’s (except a Farseers w/one power ;( but of course the most versatile. Mainly taken due to the +1 on reserves roll (that stacks) they sometimes show up to add some bulk to small unit counts like Shinning Spears or add some flexibility to units like Warp Spiders. Don’t be fooled by their crazy stats the Toughness of 3 is not a misprint and this makes them no more survivable than a Sister of Battle. Send them out alone and they won’t live as long as any other HQ in the Codex.

Seer Council: As yes the infamous seer council, most people have run into these over the years for a number of reasons, mainly however due to their durability and versatility. A properly built unit will make a squad of Nob Bikers cry due to 4++ saves (thanks to fortune). A Farseer with Fortune is >Mandatory< on this unit, otherwise don’t waste your time fielding all those warlocks they will die just faster than a unit of Dire Avengers (expect in certain circumstances) Due to how powerful they are consider them to be Priority #1 for your enemy, and should you lose them you most likely lost the game. Often field alongside Yirel.

Dynamic Duo: A term I use for Eldrad and The Avatar, putting these two together for the entirety of the game means big trouble for your opponent. With the CC godliness of the Avatar and the Extreme survivability of Eldrad coupled with his support powers these two units can threaten anything your opponent could field.

Dual Farseers w/out Warlocks: Taken for their support nature any non-specialized Eldar list will benefit from having these included. From Fortune to Guide to Mind war these guys can help you fill up holes and shore your defenses. Most often seen in a Ranged Superiority list.

Phoenix Lords : These guys took a big hit when they came out due to how much more they costed and the lack of a invul save. However these are the power houses of the Codex in terms of ability and special rules. By themselves they amount to little ( a idea that holds true for 99% of the codex) stick them with other squads however and they start to shine. Deadly in CC and most are a threat at range these units are most often seen in Horde Armies, Close Combat armies, and Elite armies. Durable and powerful often with 5+ attacks these guys will murder large numbers of your enemies forces.

Yirel + (X): Yirel is a magic swiss army knife, able to fit any number of roles in nearly any army more and more people are using him to help fill weak spots in their army. Good vs. Hordes/Tank/MC’s/MEQ’s/ and goes at the same time vs. a Brood lord this guy is a powerhouse....except when you fail a save vs. a Str 6 weapon. T3 simple kills this guy (no pun intended) which means he will almost always run with something else (Seer council anyone?) go on a suicide mission to use his lolwtf bomb.

Unit Breakdowns:


Headquarters: > With some of the best HQ selection in the game (except maybe now the new marines) we offer a manly 12 choices. Be careful what you pick as these guys will decide what direction your army is heading in.

Farseer: A all around effective support choice, don’t be fooled by that price tag of 55 points. He can quickly go as high as 220! Normally averaging around 150. His powers make him useful and combined with a Witch Blade and a 4+ Invul save he can survive some enemy attention. Don’t let him run around by himself or expect him to die, however in his intended role this is more of a “point and click” HQ, typically casting the same power every turn and doing not much else.

Arutachs: Mostly covered above he is extremely versatile but wont find a place in most armies. Able to pack a punch in CC due to his high volume of attacks or able to lend a hand with some accurate ranged firepower he will be busy most of the game. He is most certainly not one of those “point fillers”, you always need to take him with a >very< specific purpose in mind. Same as the Farseer don’t let him run around by himself. Another thing worth noting is the Autarch gains access to any/all Exarch powers of the squad he joins, granting him a greater versatility than other HQ's.

Avatar of the Bloody Handed God : Holy snap this guy used to suck so much, unlike his Eldar brethren he is big, tough, and a powerhouse in CC. Even boasting a high damage and accurate ranged attack. The most often encountered problem is he is “slow” moving only 6 inches a turn not including run. He can and will survive multiple rounds of high STR fire from your enemy, even more so with a Farseer for support. The literal boogey man under the sisters of battle’s bed, this guy even boasts some immunities to a wide variety of flame based weapons. For 155 points a very reasonably priced HQ IMO

Eldrad Uthran the Farseer of Ulthwe : AH yes… Eldrad. This bad boy has many a player cry due to how useful he is. Don’t be fooled by his stat page Eldrad is a very old man, and should not be up at the front fighting Abbadon. He (like all Farseers) is best at support and BOY does he support well with a whopping 3 powers a turn and a 3+ invul save he almost always survives the entire game. He is also able to put the hurt on the enemy in CC due to his attacks with his special staff ignoring armor saves. Not to mention Divination really bring out your armies potential and helps you get back on track if you messed up during deployment.

Warlocks: These are your all purpose killing machines, only able to be taken if you have a Farseer in the army (and you do don't you?) these guys can dish it and take it. One of the main problems I see with them is for a hefty 25 point price tag they have only 1 wound and a 4+ save. This is why you always need fortune on them so they can take a beating and keep on kicking. As far as I am concerned taking two warlocks with Enhance and Embolden are mandatory and the rest can be filled up by Destructor. Conceal is a trap and not to ever be taken due to the copious amounts of cover in 5th edition. These are your shock troops use them well.

Phoenix Lords:

Asurman : This guy is geared towards CC which he does fairly well. However he is way too expensive for what he DOES do, another HQ like Yirel or The Avatar is much better at that intended role and costs almost 100 points less. Basically unless you are running a themed army there are a few better option you could take, don't get me wrong however as the only Lord with a Invul save he can walk the walk. Be aware that Asurman has the same problems as most Space Marine HQ's he has a bunch of neat items and rules but is only Str 4, which limits his usefulness. Without the ability to kill tanks and only passable at killing MC's this guy is intended to kill infantry...but IMO the Eldar have plenty of other options for creating a meat grinder.

Zain Zar : Cheapest of all the Lords and much better in CC than Asurman she is well worth the points (and Str 6!). Since a lot of people run Howling banshees she can make them much more deadly and efficient at their intended role. She has a ranged attack you won't use that much but she will leave your opponents squad a smoking ruin if she makes it to them. Can even play on even footing with Slannesh deamons striking with her Int 10, remember though she does not have a Invul save so be careful where you send her.

Baharroth : Well since he is a Swooping Hawks he does everything they do and plays roughly the same way. Imagine a swooping hawk that is a bit tougher and fearless and you basically got Baharroth. He is decent in CC (as all lords are) and his gun isn't really anything to write home about, so if you take him its most likely because you invested a large amount of points into a Unit of Swooping Hawks and want to give them some durability...Baharroth is one exception for fielding a Phoenix Lord going solo. He can use his extreme mobility to stay out of LOS, before launching pinpoint assaults against specific targets. He's good for taking out Crisis Teams, Broadsides, Devastator Squads, under-strength Lootas and/or Burnas, isolated IG heavy weapon squads, etc.

Karandras : Watch out for this guy because he will murder you! Gets like 6-7 attacks on the Charge at either Str 5 and Int 7 or 7-8 attacks at Str 8 and Int 1. He can drop tanks in their tracks or chew through Gene stealers before they get to go. Add in infiltrating and Move through cover and you have a very deadly little CC beast. Infiltrate him alone (its easy to hide 1 model) and have him assault 1st turn! Fighting some IG who has a annoying weapons battery set up? He can take them out also don't forget he has fleet giving him a 18' charge range, he does what the Eversor assassin wishes he could do. Word to the wise, he DOES has stealth and getting through a 3+ cover save on a multiwound model is enough to make most enemies focus a lot of firepower possibly needed elsewhere. I don't know about you but having this guy infiltrate 12.1111 inches away from me will force me to pay attention to him.

Fuegan : Personally I like what Fuegan brings to the table, a nice gun out to 18' and a Str 5 power weapon in CC. Tack on Feel no pain and its a winner! However the things that ignore his 2+ save typically ignore FNP so it almost seems like you are paying for a ability you will never use ;( Meaning you are only really buying him for the Str 5 power weapon and the 18' Melta. He however doesn't belong in CC (not that he can't fight!) but shooting down tanks. Sadly a unit of Dragons with a Serpent cost less and kill more than him.

Maugan Ra : Mr. Ra does not wear a Skull motif armor because it makes him feel pretty. This guy can kick some major ass in Shooting or CC< At Str 6 and Int 7 with a power weapon he will eat though a Hive Tyrant or even maybe Abbadon (assuming he fails his Invul saves) and with a Assault 5 Rending 36' cannon (fast shot) he can put the hurt on light tanks and enemy troops easy. Tack on the ability to Ignore cover saves and you have yourself a winner. Not that it will ever come up but he also has Acute Sense which can help in Dawn of War. Definitely a Lord you can run solo, but best used with a Unit of Harlies to benefit from Veil of Tears, talk about a counter charge unit!

Prince Yirel : Mostly covered above this guy excels at anything you want him to do. A Space Marines wet dream this guy is a great Jack of All trades. Once again I must drive home the fact he is toughness 3, use him with caution or pack him tight near some ablative wounds.

Elites: > The Elites sections offers a variety of (mainly CC) options to flesh out any Eldar army. We have some good ones so pay attention.

Striking Scorpions : These are your main horde killers right here, if you are playing Orcs take these bad boys. 3-4 attacks at Str 4 and Int 5 they will typically go before most targets and with a 3+ armor save they can stick around. However like nearly all Eldar they have T3 and so tend to suffer a lot of return wounds which will force you to roll plenty of saves. The Exarch with the Power fist adds some versility but remember he is at Str 6 with it and due to P-Fist rules it wastes his High INT. Unless you need the special weapons or a specific Exarch power I would suggest skipping the Exarch on this squad, you are looking for volume of attacks and for the cost of 1 Exarch + gear you can typically get 3 or more Scorpions....

Howling Banshees: 2-3 Attacks at Int 10...Yes please ill take 2! These dangerous girls seems great at first glance but it quickly becomes apparent that T3 and a 4+ armor save means they won't be making it into CC much (without a transport) and whatever survives your opponent's shooting phase(s) wont do much. These girls needs to be supported by a Farseer more so than any other Elite choice and benefit greatly from having a Exarch. If the Striking Scorpions are the Hammer these girls are the Scalpel.

Fire Dragons: Yay! Str 8 AP 1 guns for practically nothing! That's what Fire Dragons really are...walking Guns. Try not to think of them as anymore than that since they usually wont survive the turn they show up. These guys are typically high priority targets and since a lot of people take them in small squad sizes combined with T3 and 4+ saves means they will die in droves. Just remember they will kill most of what they shoot at, which is why making sure they hit is vitally important. Pro Tip : Multiple melta gun shots make vehicle squadrons cry (I'm looking at you IG!) Taking the Exarch is a bit iffy, on one hand you can get a free Heavy Flamer, on the other the powers only affect the Exarch. However a Heavy Flamer with re-rolls to wound (thanks to crack shot) IS very appealing. I suggest to just beef up the squad and call it a day you'll thank me for the saved points later.

Wraith Guard : These guys seem great on paper but ITS A LIE! Wraith sight is really not all that bad, in fact you don't even have to run a psyker with them as it will almost never come up, what makes this Awesome unit merely average is the fact they cost 35 points each. Remember the Wraith Cannon? Yes of course you do that IS why you are taking them right? Well with a BS of 4 a good chuck of them will miss only doing light to moderate damage to whatever they shot at...and then get promptly stuck in CC where their T6 and St5 3+ save will only prolong their agony. This is a tough unit don't get me wrong but they Seriously need support like from Yirel. If you stick Yirel in a squad of these guys he shores up their major weakness (Close combat) and they shore up his (Toughness 3) Everyone is happy! It is worth noting however that a 10 man unit w/ a Lock is counted as a Troop choice and a full squad sitting on a objective is bloody difficult to remove not to mention intimidating.. This will generally capture you 1 objective guaranteed, however since the unit is so expensive you shouldn't take more than one as this will draw resources from the rest of your army weakening it overall.

Harlequins : The famous "wonder unit" from 4th edition got hit with the nerf bat seriously hard with the changes to rending...or did they? Nothing else changed about this unit, they still keep all the neat little special rules and are vulnerable to all the same stuff. They still throw out a ton of high Int Str 4 attacks on the charge and can get some power weapon goodness with a Troupe Master. I have seen plenty of people stop giving them Kisses and use the left over points for a Troupe Master and never blink a eye. With a Shadow seer attachment these guys will make anyone nervous and you can even attach Independent characters to them and suddenly they are immune to long distance shooting! They are still weak on the defense however so don't send them in without a plan or prepare to lose your unit. This is the perfect "problem solver" unit, able to go just about anywhere and engage just about any target.

Nothing to see here...move along

What do you mean there is something funnier than all my Dark Reapers hitting and wounding your assault squad?

Troops: > Frankly Eldar’s troops selections suck (from my perspective), Only the Avengers or the Jetbikes are really worth it in 2/3 of the mission types and since I like to spend my points elsewhere Jetbikes it is!

Special Note: The Avatar has ridiculous synergy with all the Eldar troop choices due to his 12' fearless bubble. Its highly suggested you combine the avatar with any number of the options below. One thing to remember is that none of the Eldar troops are deal with CC very well, in most cases taking some No-Retreat wounds (and possible saves) are a much better alternative than having the squad run down. It also provides a solid defense to other Morale based effects.

Dire Avengers : These guys are pretty decent being able to do all sorts of things. Of course their main focus is shooting but can hold their own in CC if properly upgraded. However that's all they will ever do is "hold", just like a Wraith lord in 4th once in CC they will be either 1) stuck there all game or 2) be annihilated. Upgrading them for CC takes a lot of points I would rather put elsewhere, otherwise a solid kiting unit.

Rangers: These guys must be secretly fat under their cloaks or something since they typically never move once placed. I find in 5th that their sniper rifles are a mixed blessing, back in the day it was all "Go Pathfinders or Go home" I am not so sure that is the case anymore. I have seen people use these guys to run all across the board hunting down objectives and with their special rules they do a damn good job of it, however without cover they are no more survivable than a Guardian or a Termagant. Soo... be careful with them. Another thing to note is due to the long range and the special rules they perform very well at killing say..squads of Plague marines and even Nob Bikers. In Many cases you leave them with only a cover save and the Ap 1 and 2 shots ignore the FNP and Armor saves. Against a Sniper rifle the high toughness is nothing.

Guardians (Defender): /sigh...I don't know about you but the thought of Musicians and Craftsman dying in droves is not what I call fun when I think of Eldar. Guardian Defenders took a huge hit in 5th due to the orgy of cover that is everywhere. Their special platforms are no longer as useful and since you HAVE to take one then..yea.. With a BS of 3 only the scatter laser is worth it. Never purposely put them into CC unless you need a speed bump or like the idea of losing your men. It IS worth noting however that a large number of Guardian Defenders can just chew up enemy hordes to the HIGH volume of Shuricat fire they produce. As a example a squad of 20 guardians fire out 40 shots!

Guardians (Storm) : Storm Guardians are MUCH better in 5th than they were in 4th, don't underestimate these guys as they are just as numerous as orks and tack on a Warlock with Enhance and they can make Marines sweat. They certainly have the advantage with numbers (which nearly all of the codex lacks) and with the proper support can put the hurt on your enemy. Just like a Nob with a PowerKlaw a attached warlock can even tie down say...Dreadnaughts.

Guardian Jetbikes: My personal fav in 5th ed. These guys are just so useful due to their speed. They are as tough as a space marine and much faster, however a small squad size hurts when the enemy looks at them funny (which is all the time since they are scoring) Add on a Shurican and they can JsJ with the best of them. As a added bonus you can give them a Jetbike mounted Warlock for some added LD, not to mention the powers he can bring and the Singing Spear you can use for Tank hunting. All in all VERY useful.

Fast Attack: > The often overlooked FOC slot these units can add a nice little 1 – 2 punch to any list.

Shining Spears : This often overlooked unit is considered a little to pricy for what they can do and thus not many people have experienced them. Great on the offensive and fast springs to mind almost instantly, tack on as survivable as any marine you have a neat little unit. One of the main failings is that after the first round of combat these guys are worthless…no more effective that a Storm Guardian with a Enhance Warlock. However the Storm guardians have one awesome benefit that the Shining spear lacks…numbers. At a max of 5 units (and you should ALWAYS take 5) they simple cannot take a hit, however add on 1-2 Artauchs or even a Farseer on a Jetbike (with Fortune) and they start to really shine. Most often included in a Elite Army or Hammer and Anvil. The Str 8 lance for the Exarch I have seen used with Mixed results, also never send these guys at a unit which numbers more than 10, and Hit and Run is a must or they will get stuck in a protracted combat they cannot win.

Warp Spiders : These little buggers (no pun intended) have gotten a new lease on life with the advent of 5th. Able to Deepstrike for free and able to Penetrate vehicles. Add on that Volume of shots is a asset due to all around over saves and these guys are well worth their 22 point price tag. Not to mention that they are fast with a second Warp in the Assault phase. They suffer the same limitations of Striking Scorpions with the added benefit they can tele behind LOS blocking effects. Do not get them stuck in CC..THE POWER BLADES ON THE EXARCH ARE A DAMN DIRTY LIE!! Never take them as once again you are sending Guardian equivalents into CC , which is never a good thing, making Hit and Run (if they get caught) a must. Great in Reserve Armies and useful in a Hammer and Anvil list.

Vypers : Don’t Take them


…Just kidding…no seriously not worth it. I used to like these guys and in 3rd+4th they were actually useful. Combined with a neat looking model added with a attractive looking price tag of a base 40 you think they would be great? No Sadly due to now being Open Topped combined with the lackluster Vehicle Squad rules (which only Flecchette Piranhas seem to benefit from) these guys will not survive (at least in good shape) a TAC marines squad firing at them. One useful tactic I have seen however is to equip them with a EML and keep them FAR away from the action, using the Krak or Plasma shot as needed. In terms of keeping them alive beyond turn 2 it works, but as to winning their points back…not so much. These are acceptable point fillers if you just cannot seem to spend 50ish points, Most seen in Mech armies.

Swooping Hawks : "Fast" is what most people think of when thinking of swooping hawks, that and 21 points most people think they aren't really worth it. These guys can throw out a TON of las fire and tack on the awesome that is a Sun rifle and you got a winner. I've seen them just rape a 30 man Ork squad, just like Howling Banshees however they really need Doom to make their shots count. These guys can also put the hurt on a tank and the funny thing is you cannot run from these guys. A 12' move combined with Fleet and a 6 inch assault move means they WILL catch their target. Sky leap is also so annoying it's not even funny. Basically this is a very useful unit but just like most Eldar they are fragile so be careful with them. A good tactic is to toss in a Jet seer with Doom/Fortune and have him ride with them. Oh anything you have heard about the Exarch having a power weapon is false and frankly unsettling. These guys do not belong in CC so don't waste points giving them something for it.

Heavy Support: > Ah if the HQ’s are the heart of the Eldar then the HS choices are the meat of any Eldar list.. Just like HQ’s we have plenty of great choices which complete for each slot endlessly which forces every choice to be considered carefully.

Falcon : Who doesn’t remember the good ol days of the God Falcons? Sadly those times are behind us but not really gone, like Obi-Wan Kenobi they still can help in the tightest of spots of offer a glimmer of hope when you just REALLY need to kill something. Still Fast, Still Furious, and Still Pricey the Falcon is the Eldar’s jack of all trade vehicle and it does it well. With many options for weapon load outs and the usefulness of the Eldar vehicle upgrades this bad boy has a place in Any List. A neat little trick I have seen people do is Equip a EML on the turret, move 12, and fire the Pulse Laser along with the EML with a Plasma shot. At Str 4 it counts as a defensive weapon and can keep this Nice looking tank moving every turn. A lot of people enjoy using it as a command tank by putting the Farseer inside and using the extra bulk of the tank (powers are measured from the hull) to buff units otherwise out of reach. Still good although it can get a bit pricey with all the bells and whistles.

Fire Prism : This Tank is Awesome…. Seriously this tank is one of the more useful items in 5th edition. With the two firing modes (Dispersed or Focused) this has a answer to anything your enemy might use (at BS 4!). Tack on the ability to move 12 inches every turn with a beefy 60’ range AND the extra option for a Cannon at Bs 4 makes this nice model very attractive. Sadly you won’t always use the Cannon due to the MASSIVE range of the main gun. I enjoy giving my Prisms Star Engines so when their gun gets blown off (it doesn’t happen THAT often) you can now send a STR 10 Ramming hit vs. any vehicle within 36’. Or just use it to Tank shock multiple units, this bad boy never stops being useful. The ability to link the shots between tanks also gives these guys another boost to versatility. A lot of people like to field them in pairs to make use of the marine killing power. Most often mainly included in Ranged Superiority, and Mech armies but has a place everywhere.

Wraith Lord : /sigh...GW didn't really need to give this guy Wraith sight, AND to take one of his CC attacks away. At BS 4 he can go tank hunting with a Bright Lance or EML and hit when it counts. Giving him anti horde weapons (except flamers!) is a waste of his potential IMO. He sadly performs horribly in CC against any unit bigger than 5. At Str 10 he is perfect for squashing IC's and elite units like Termies and MC's. However the units he performs best with typically kick his ass without even trying. Don't run one of these, run them in pairs if at all. He is however intimidating and basic Str4 fire has no effect on him. He is the very definition of tough with T8, 3 wounds, and a 3+ save. The wraith sword is a trap, don't do it!. Typically included in CC, Horde, and Elite armies.

Support Weapons: (I have never understood why these anti-grav platforms can't move and shoot)

D-Cannon : On paper this bad boy looks amazing...on paper that is. Once people learn what it does they will blow it up so fast it's not even funny and with a 24' range its only really good for Area denial , which it only does so well. If it gets within range of something...it's GOING to kill/maim the target. Being a indirect fire weapon its good for taking cover away from where it hits, but with the changes to LOS blocking terrain in 5th every platform can count its lifespan on one finger.

Vibro Cannon : This used to be good, back when glancing hits could destroy vehicles, and it only does so-so at killing hordes (since its Ap is -) It's still USEFUL just NOT AS MUCH. Out of the three available platforms the Vibro Cannon is still the best IMO, but not as good as other HS choices.

Shadow Weaver : No that is not a misprint it has a small blast. IF it had a Large Blast this would be a freaking awesome gun, otherwise it's pretty bad and there are PLENTY of other STR 6 weapons available to the Eldar, definitely not worth a HS slot. The range is very good though.

The biggest problem with these units is that they are crewed by Guardian Defenders. Remember how these units suck...yea.... These units are typically fielded in Horde armies.

War Walkers : These got so good when 5th came out it's not even funny. IMHO always outflank with these guys, and always choose double of the same weapon. Mixing weapons on this unit is A Very Bad Thing. I personally always put 6 Scatter Lasers in a unit of 3 and just murder everything. I don't really recommend Bright Lances as they got WAY to expensive, but EML's do the same job and have the option of shooting Plasma missiles. Great unit overall due to special rules and weapons available, however! They are Av 10 and due to how gimpy the vehicle squadron rules they a won't survive to long if the wrong thing looks at them. Always pick these guys with a plan and they won't fail you. Has uses in all types of armies, a centerpiece in Ranged superiority lists.

Dark Reapers : These guys Look Cool, Kill Stuff, Are Expensive. Be very...VERY careful about where you place this unit, Where they are put has a direction relation to HOW LONG THEY LIVE>! Same buffs and penalties as Shinning Spears these guys never fail to just kill stuff every turn. Give the Exarch a EML and you have a awesome versatile unit that can win you the game. The bad stuff? They can't move and fire their guns and cannot fight in CC to save their lives. Don't ever give the Exarch a Tempest Launcher I mean honestly guys, I have seen people argue this to death but WHY would you give the Exarch a shorter ranged gun that is indirect? If you DO make use of the indirect gun the other units can't fire, and if you are not making use of the indirect fire then either the EML: or the basic Launcher works better and is cheaper. Mainly used in Horde, Ranged superiority, and Elite armies.

Transport: We have one transport that is expensive and also awesome.

Wave Serpent : I don't know about you but my Wave Serpents perform the role of crewed missile every game. I normal buy 1-3 for a unit that will never use it, and SLAM them into other tanks / squads via Star Engines. Its really a helpful tactic to releave pressure for Anti Tank weaponry elsewhere. If you decide to use them at their intended role (which like 99% of players do) then it won't let you down, typical of CC armies these tanks can deliver a 2nd turn charge, and provide some anti-Horde or Tank depending on weapon load out (twin-linked helps). Why didn't GW give them the ability to use holo fields? Because GW Hates Eldar Most likely it was a issue of game balance since it already has a Energy Field but I still can wish../sigh. Can be seen in any list, just be sure to buy it for a specific purpose.

Originally Posted by SOURCLAMS
The general consensus at my store is that 5e is far more open and fun than 4e. Except for the Eldar players, of course, they think it's stupid that they don't just show up and win anymore.

"CHEESE!" is the battlecry of the unprepared - Chaplin Swordwind

Dirty/Useful Tips and Tricks:

1) Swooping Hawks can Land, Drop their grenades and Sky leap back up to safety in the same turn, a min sized units works best for this (do not equip the exarch with anything!). You can also Skyleap out of a assault if you are somehow still alive on your next turn.

2) You can Hide IC's (yes even Phoenix Lords) inside a Harlies squad with a Shadow seer and watch them taunt the enemy long range weaponry.

3) Weave troops between each other to gain a 4+ cover saves, everyone can do this but Eldar get the best benefit with Guardians and Rangers, nothing says HA! than 10 Rangers with a 2+ in the open.

4) Give the Striking Scorpions Infiltrate...give them a Wave Serpent...watch them outflank in a tank, very useful for getting behind lines.

5) You can cast all your most useful Powers from the safety of a tank (Doom, Fortune, Guide) with extended range.

6) I heard a nasty rumor that in the German FAQ that Tanks with a Star Engine equipped cannot ram in the shooting phase but never actually found it. Unless it gets FAQ'd you can either perform 2 rams a turn, or have one super long one...and remember kids the STR tally's up ALL previous movement in the same Turn.

7) Mind War uses the MODEL's unmodified Leadership value not the UNIT's value. This has been argued to death but the words speak plainly, Mind War those pesky Nobs or any other model that has its leadership value modified (except those damn sisters and their dirty book), it IS worth noting that as a "shooting attack" that causes wounds Mind War does allow the target to take cover or invul saves.

8 ) Perils of the Warp and a Fortuned Farseer only roll his save twice, in essence regardless of if you pass/fail Fortune and the Perils rules cancel each other out.

9) Runes of Warding work even if the Seer is inside a building/tank

10) Its being argued heavily but my opinion on it is if a unit is fortuned with a IC (such as a Farseer or Yirel) if that unit leaves the squad it keeps the buff. Similar to how in MMO's if a party gets buffed and someone leaves later they keep the Buff. If Squad/IC was/is a valid target for Fortune/Guide/Doom when it was cast then there is no reason that it should lose it. As always until it gets FAQ'd check with your opponent.

11) 8 models seems to be the best unit size for Aspect Warriors. This knowledge ,of course, has been gleamed through heavy play testing. The ONLY exceptions to this are the 3-5 man squads (Shinning Spears, Dark Reapers, and Guardian Jetbikes) play with 8 models and you will find you have plenty of extra points without sacrificing the impact of the unit.

12) If a broken unit is falling back and it becomes fearless somehow (PL or Avatar) it automatically rallys and stays rallied even if the source of fearlessness leaves.

13) Just like Perils, a Null Zone toting Space Marine player will have Null Zone and Fortune cancel themselves out. If you pass the first time you re-roll, if you fail the first time you re-roll.

14) Eldar vehicles are fast and long, use their size and maneuverability to block fire/charge lanes from the enemy. Positioning is Key

15) You do not need to give a Warlock a power, use this to save points and allocate wounds.

16) Units behind a unit of Harlies that are under the power "Veil of Tears" still gain a 4+ cover save since the enemy is shooting through a unit

17) The new Space Marine Psychic hood (and possibly the Space Wolves staff) only function when a model within 24' casts a power. If you place your Psykers into a tank (such as a Falcon) then the Psyker is no longer on the table and as such not a "model" when casting. The hood can only target the tank (which is not casting a power) thus granting you complete immunity to the hood until you disembark. ** The Deamonhunters Hood is worded differently and works since it only cares about if a power was used somewhere, but strangely enough only gets to BE USED when a >model< casts a power. So enjoy your complete immunity all around, at least until you get shot out of the tank.

18) Stealth ,incidentally against all common sense, applies to the whole unit if at least one member has it. Sticking say Kahandras into a squad of Harlies in cover can all but guarantee their survival if you somehow mess up and get into rapid fire range (a 3+ to 2+ cover save is always nice)

19) As mentioned previously our Fast/Skimmer/Tanks can get up to Str 10 when ramming, use this to your favor if you find yourself in a bad situation that needs to be fixed quick (Monolith, Land Raider no Lances, weapon blown off etc.)

20) Due to a huge and fatal mistake between editions Banshee Masks do >Not< count as grenades in 5th. Be very careful charging your girls into cover, they will shoot up to Int 10 and then promptly streak down to Int 1 due to taking a difficult terrain test. Don't believe me? Go read the Banshee Masks entry very carefully... notice how they "remove the benefit of cover the enemy gets" that is a hold over from 3rd and 4th when the unit you charged struck at Int 10. Sadly now this means any unit in cover they charge magically becomes a serious deadly threat, soften them up with shooting first or find another target.

21) You can Turbo-Boost a Jet-Council AND get fortune cast on them without leaving the Farseer off to the side. Simply stagger your deployment and turbo-boost the warlocks, leaving the last one in the line 13.11 inches away from the Farseer's starting position, then simply move him 12 and end within 2' thus attaching the Farseer to the squad and keeping your 3+ (now re-roll able) cover save.(No HE doesn't get a 3+ cover save, be careful how you allocate)

A Note on CraftWorld army Lists : I have seen many a bright eyed, newly minted Eldar player say to himself (Insert Craftworld) is COOL! As such these poor misguided individuals start to collect models that go towards a particular theme. Iyanden, and Aliotic being among the top offenders. If you get nothing else from this thread PLEASE remember every single craftworld uses every unit in the Codex (Some more than others). Yes even Harlies can show up in any army as they travel the webway. Be very cautious about spamming a certain type of unit (Wraithguard) when you might only need one to maintain appearance and especially if there are better units elsewhere that fit the intended role much more efficiently. When your choice to take 2 units of maxed out Wraithguard or 6 Units of Pathfinders costs you the game you will only become disenchanted with the army as a whole.

Just thought I would pop in and say....I like most of your write. I have not read it all yet but wanted to add this to the portion concerning Wraithguard

Yes they are expensive, but drop em on a objective and they are not easy to remove from the objective. T6 3+ save isn't exactly easy to kill....god forbid that objective is in cover too because you'll have a damn hard time shooting em out w/ the rest of the army on you

livingregret wrote: Just thought I would pop in and say....I like most of your write. I have not read it all yet but wanted to add this to the portion concerning Wraithguard

Yes they are expensive, but drop em on a objective and they are not easy to remove from the objective. T6 3+ save isn't exactly easy to kill....god forbid that objective is in cover too because you'll have a damn hard time shooting em out w/ the rest of the army on you

Ah yes thanks, I went ahead and added a few lines talking about it. I'm not sure how I missed that one thanks a bunch.

Sample Army #1 : Elite style

This list (known as a Jet-Seer List) is very unique to the Eldar, similar at first glance to a Nob Biker list this army requires a very steady hand to play. Many things can go wrong with it if you do not pay attention, this list is scores a A+ in nearly all aspects of the game and controls 2 1/2 of the games phases. Due to points and monetary costs you will not see this very often but the possibilities for conversions can make even the most hardened modeler drool.


Craftworld Arcadia's Psi-Riders

HQ - Farseer [ Eldar Jetbike, Witch Blade, Spirit Stones, Mind War, Fortune, Runes of Warding, Shuriken Pistol, Ghost Helm, Twin-Linked Shuriken Catapult, Rune Armor] = 170 points

HQ- Farseer [ Eldar Jetbike, Witch Blade, Spirit Stones, Mind War, Fortune, Shuriken Pistol, Ghost Helm, Twin-Linked Shuriken Catapult, Rune Armor] = 155 points

HQ- Warlock Squad x10 [ Eldar Jetbike x10, Singing Spear x5, Destructor x8, Witch Blade x5, Embolden, Enhance, Shuriken Pistol x10, Twin-Linked Shuriken Catapult x10, Rune Armor x10] = 550 points

HQ- Warlock Squad x10 [ Eldar Jetbike x10, Singing Spear x5, Destructor x8, Witch Blade x5, Embolden, Enhance, Shuriken Pistol x10, Twin-Linked Shuriken Catapult x10, Rune Armor x10] = 550 points

Troop- Guardian Jetbike x4 [ Twin-Linked Shuriken Catapult x3, Shuriken Cannon] = 98 points

Troop- Guardian Jetbike x4 [ Twin-Linked Shuriken Catapult x3, Shuriken Cannon] = 98 points

Troop- Guardian Jetbike x4 [ Twin-Linked Shuriken Catapult x3, Shuriken Cannon] = 98 points

Troop- Guardian Jetbike x4 [ Twin-Linked Shuriken Catapult x3, Shuriken Cannon] = 98 points

Total = 1817

This list can be played at 1850, 1750, 1500 easily by just switching around some of the wargear and reducing the number of guardian jetbikes on the table. This list is strong vs all lists but tends to struggle slightly to say..a Deathwing army. A plethora of 2+ saves will protract combat, but FEAR NOT! You can still win by forcing dozens of saves per turn. Another great thing about this army the main units have a 3+ Armor Save, a 4+ Invul Save, and at your option a 3+ Cover save (when boosting) all can be made re-rollable with Fortune.

Tactics: Casting fortune every turn on the 2 seer councils are pritoity #1, chances are if you forget to do this the person you are playing will make sure you never forget agian.

Hand to Hand combat is where you belong but this army also does great in the shooting phase, with a effective range of 24-30 inches per bike you can lay the hurt down on Hordes and even MEQ. Not to mention the 16 Heavy Flamer templates you will lay down every turn or so. Psycannons, which are the natural enemy of a Seer Council, are impotent against this list. Every model has a 3++ armor save that the Psycannon cannot ignore.

No tank is safe vs dozens of STR 9 hits a turn, and no Squad Leader / Independent Character is safe from the dual Mind Wars. With 4 Squads of Guardian Jetbikes you can work on playing defensively to capture/contest objectives. However most of the time the enemy will be focused on the two large flying seer councils to worry about 4 squads with a Shuri-Cannon JsJing.

I have seen just ONE 11 man Bike Council take out 90+ orks in ONE round. I've seen 3 Land Raiders go POOF turn 2, I've also seen the Night Bringer dropped HARD. Nothing is really safe and it has a answer for anything. Use with caution however one wrong move will cost you the game.

Sample List : #2 Reserves Style

Version 3.4 Eldar Riposte Host

HQ: Yitrel of Iyaden (155)
HQ: Arutach w/ Fusion Gun, Power Weapon, Mandiblaster (100)

Elites: Fire Dragons x7 w/ Exarch + Tank Hunters (139)
Dedicated Transport : Wave Serpent w/ Twin Linked Shuri-Can’s + Star Engines + Vectored Engines (135)

Troops: Guardian Jetbike x3 w/ Shuri-Can (66)
Troops: Guardian Jetbike x3 w/ Shuri-Can (66)

Fast Attack: Warp Spiders x9 w/ Exarch + Dual Spinners (215)
Fast Attack: Warp Spiders x9 w/ Exarch + Dual Spinners (215)
Fast Attack: Warp Spiders x9 w/ Exarch + Dual Spinners (215)

Heavy Support: War Walkers x3 each w/ Dual Scatter Lasers (180)
Heavy Support: War Walkers x3 each w/ Dual Scatter Lasers (180)
Heavy Support: War Walkers x3 each w/ Dual Scatter Lasers (180)


Total Points : 1846

Tactics and Setup:
All units should start in reserve, War Walkers (If Needed!!) will Outflank, and the Warp Spiders will choose to Deepstrike. Because of the 2+ Reserve roll everything should show up second turn barring any crappy 1’s. This allows you to dictate where you will attack and throw your opponent into disarray due to having nothing to focus on.

1) Yirel will attach to the Fire Dragons in the serpent and possibly leave the squad after disembarking to either wipe a squad of troops (AOE CC Blast) or go tank hunt hunting (Singing Spear), it all depends on the circumstances.

2) The Other Arutach will attach to a squad of Fire Dragons in the transport.

3) Assuming there are some good targets, vehicle wise, then after disembarking (using when they come on the serpent will move 24 inches) Yirel will go after a tank or troops as mentioned above. If you feel confident then the regular Arutach will go after another one with his fusion gun, and the firedragons themselves will pick another target. After dropping its cargo the Wave Serpent can either maneuver to shield your troops from return fire or charge. If there is no immediate threat then try and tank shock as many units as you can or RAM with it for a possible total of 4 dead vehicles.
4) Depending on if you want to shoot the walkers or Warp Spiders first it will dictate where you deep strike your spiders. Either way you will want to pick a target and deep strike them 7 inches exactly (to help reduce risk of fatal scatter) if they scatter away from your target 6+ inches use their second jump to escape to safety
5) Depending on setup and what enemy force you are fighting against you might need to use the spiders to perform some anti-tank (Guard come to mind) in this situation they have STR 6 guns so Back Armor and Side Armor are preferable. Please note that in 5th Ed AP – weapons CAN Pen a vehicle just with a -1.

6) Part of the beauty of this list is that ALL AT ONCE it gives your enemy tons of things to focus on, usually this tactic can win you the game. Be sure to play up the shock value.

I gotta say Rage, those lists are freakin' nuts. But both have big problems.

For instance, the jetseers rely on Farseers. But Farseers, as ICs, can be singled out in close combat. They're not that easy to kill with a rerolling 4+ invuln, but one S6 hit is all it takes to deprive the unit of Fortune, removing most of its durability. The unit can also be seriously messed up by psychic hoods, as well as Null Zone, which is becoming a popular power thanks to all the stormshield termies taking the field. The jet counsel also has a big problem against uber-tough enemies. 30 warlock attacks do an average of 16 wounds to anything, which is great against monstrous creatures, and it'll even eat up terminators after a few rounds. But your Plague Marines are a different story... 16 wounds * .33 failed saves * .5 feel no pain saves = 2-3 kills. If you fought a unit of 20 Plague Marines for the whole game, you wouldn't kill them with a jet counsel... Even your Destructors will have limited effect -- take 16 Destructors, assume 5 hits each (cuz they're not dumb and they spread out), that's 80 hits, 40 wounds, 13 failed armor saves, 6 failed FNP, for 6.6 dead.

Although, now that I think about it, you've got 6.6 dead from each squad's attack, for 13.2, then you chage with both units for another 4-6 dead, that's 19 dead, which is practically the whole squad. So... maybe not such a big problem after all Though the problems of someone sniping the farseer or shutting down Fortune remain huge problems for the list. Maybe the solution is to take Mind War to snipe power fists and anti-psychic enemies? Though that doesn't really solve the problem against psychic hoods, because the power only works half the time, and then they've probably got a storm shield to shrug it off.


As for the Riposte host, you've still got problems against Plague Marines. Your scatter lasers have 72 shots, on average 36 hits, and 29 wounds, for 20 wounds, *.33 failed saves * .5 failed FNP = 3 dead. Your Warp Spiders are going to hit about 15x per unit, for 45 hits, 30 wounds, 5 dead. Then your Dragons fire, 7 shots, 5 hits, 4 dead with no save, and Yriel can probably finish them of in combat. Now, that messes them up pretty good, but the problem is that Plage Marines aren't the only thing in the army. You have to bring everything you have to bear on them at once, which means everyone's on the board, out of their tanks, and vulnerable. Now, you get screwed over by Lash pulling your units together, then they get charged or blown up by Vindicators. The list is so incredibly fragile that it's not a glass cannon, it's a tissue paper cannon. If the enenmy has units like Plague Marines, he can absorb your whole army's shooting for a turn, and still have most everything left over to kill you with, and since it takes almost nothing to kill you, you're doomed.


I am starting to see, though, that Jetbikes are the only Eldar Troops worth a damn, other than Wraithguard. Dire Avengers are too fragile and expensive for their damage output, as with Guardians, as with Rangers... Jetbikes though are a hell of a deal at 22 points each, can take heavy weapons, and can bring a Warlock that gives them a Destructor as well as a Spear for tank hunting. Combined with T4, 3+ save, and mobility, they're pretty much hands down the best.

Sample List 3 : Close Combat Style with a touch of Horde

Craftworld Iyandan's Fleeting Specters

Headquarters - Both these units will attach to other squads so both the squad and the character will be synergistic with each other. In the case of Karandras he will go with the SS squad that does not have a Exarch. Yirel will attach to the Harlequins and walk up the middle.

Karandras : The Shadow Hunter (215)

Prince Yirel : Corsair of Iyanden (155)

Troops - With 4 squads of guardians you have enough models to that you can afford to lose some to shooting/CC and can capture table objectives. Especially in annihilation missions you will want to interweave these units to gain a 4+ cover save vs shooting, thereby extending their lifespan with 33 attacks on the charge at WS 4 and Int 5 they can handle themselves if the going gets tough.

Storm Guardians x10 w/ Warlock + Enhance (120)
Storm Guardians x10 w/ Warlock + Enhance (120)
Storm Guardians x10 w/ Warlock + Enhance (120)
Storm Guardians x10 w/ Warlock + Enhance (120)

Elites - The elite choices in this army serve a very specific purpose of disrupting your enemy's battle plans. Both the SS squads will outflank in their transports and with a +1 to the rolls from Yirel you stand a great chance of them coming out when you need them. Even if they show up on the other side of the board with a 24 inch flat out move they can quickly get back into the fray. The Harlies will serve as a Mystic Shield for Yirel and will help escort the Storm Guardians and Wraithlords protecting them from combats they cannot win.

Striking Scorpions x8 w/ Wave Serpent with Shuricannons (228)

Striking Scorpions x8 w/ Exarch + Shadowstrike w/ Wave Serpent with Shuricannons (276)

Harlequins - x8 (Harlie's Kiss x2) w/ Troupe Master (power weapon) and Shadowseer (202)

Heavy Support - Carrying with the theme of Close Combat we have some excellent anti-tank in this army, mainly concentrated with the Headquarter units the Dual Wraith lords can help perform some long ranged anti-tank. Both weapons can damage just about any vehicle and the Bright Lance is especially useful taking down Landraiders. With their STR 10 and Yirel's Str 9 they can even take out Monoliths should the need arise...not to mention high STR Rams from the Wave Serpents. Flamers and plasma missile also give this army a nice "icing on the cake" vs. Horde lists.

Wraithlord w/ Brightlance and EML and Dual Flamers(155)
Wraithlord w/ Brightlance and EML and Dual Flamers(155)

Total 1850

This list can be played at 1750 and 1500 with some modifications to the number of Guardian Squads and how many Harlies are present on the field.

Just Samples Ixe to give other people ideas, just samples.

EDIT: Added your suggestion for the Warlock to the text. Can you believe I never knew they could have that?
I wrote all of the posts from memory so I had to go pull out my codex to read that, silly me.

EDIT 2: Another thing to note about Ixe's post is that Plauge Marines are the contenders here, don't get me wrong they are > prevalent < but not everyone plays Chaos and not all Chaos use these units. Something to keep in mind when modding a list.

Sample List 4: Mech (Mechdar) with a dash of Ranged Superiority

Head Quarters : Eldrad and the Farseer (+Locks) go into the Falcon which will be the Command tank throughout the battle. From inside the Falcon the Eldar player will use Guide x3 to cast on the Squad of Vypers, Falcon, and one of the Prisims. The warlocks can exit the tank should the need arise to perform some Counter assault.

Eldrad (210)

Farseer w/ Guide (75)

Warlocks x4 w/ Witch Blade x4, Embolden, Enhance (120)

Troops : These units will stay inside their transports WAY in the back table edge until CC units get close (Assualt Marines, Genestealers etc etc) Using Blade storm these guys are your effective counter assult unit. When needed the Wave Serpents can use their 24' range to capture objectives with the troops safe inside. Be sure to have Eldrad Doom whatever wanders to close to make full use of the massed STR 4 fire.

Dire Avengers x10 w/ Exarch w/ Dual Shuricats and Bladestorm (152)
Dire Avengers x10 w/ Exarch w/ Dual Shuricats and Bladestorm (152)
Dire Avengers x8 w/ Exarch w/ Dual Shuricats and Bladestorm (128)

Heavy Support : With the Falcon in the middle with its 48' range these tanks will punish the enemy at range. Of course priotiy targets are any enemy long range Anti-Tank. All 3 units can perform anti-troops duties and perform it well. The enemy will lose a lot of units running into your guns.

Falcon w/ Holofield, Spirit Stone, Eldar Missle Launcher, ShuriCannon(185)

Fire Prisim w/ Star Engines (130)
Fire Prisim w/ Star Engines (130)

Fast Attack : These units sit back near the Falcon and (while guided) and pummel enemy tanks/MC's. With a effective range of 48-60 inches they should be able to stay out of the enemy's main attack force. You can even drop some templates on troops if they get to close (remember plasma is pinning!)

Vyper x3 w/ EML (195)

Tansport: These units are here to provide some more ranged anti-tank and to keep your troops safe. The one tank with a Cannon goes with the 8 man squad. You will use this as a speed bump should enemy forces get to close.

Wave Serpent w/ Twin-Linked Bright Lance (135)
Wave Serpent w/ Twin-Linked Bright Lance (135)

Wave Serpent w/ ShuriCannon (100)

Total = 1847

Your overall strategy is to sit back and form a gunline to kill your enemy dead. When stuff starts getting close use your superior mobility to redeploy your forces to a optimal position. This aspect is only enhanced with Eldrad Divination ability, this list performs well against a variety of units and is mobile to boot. At lower point games (1500, 1750) remove the squad of Vypers and maybe the Warlocks.

Have you seen my Eldar army?

It doesn't fit these categories, but squig_herder (among others) think it's a great list.

Just search "1000pts Eldar".

ungulateman

ungulateman wrote:Have you seen my Eldar army?

It doesn't fit these categories, but squig_herder (among others) think it's a great list.

Just search "1000pts Eldar".

ungulateman

A lot of what other people have written for the original list is accurate, allow me to expand a bit.

The since the other Firedragons have a 12 inch range, and you posses the ability to drop them within 6' then you do not need the Firepike. Nor do you even need a Exarch, however if you really want the Exarch give him the Dragons breath Flamer so that the unit has some versatility. Yes as a previous poster mentioned you can't use Tank Hunters twice, so give yourself back those points.

3 Jetbikes with a cannon are good, but you only have one squad. My suggestion is to get slightly creative on the conversions and up the Storm Guardian count by the old Defender models. Buying a guardian squad for the platform is not necessary since there are a few option that will serve you better.

Try taking out the Dire Avengers and put in another squad of Jetbikes, this will afford you a little bit more mobility while still retaining the ability to take objectives. Although since you have bought the Dire Avengers and will want to use them make sure you put them behind the guardians.

As others have said the Falcon does not need the Cannon on it, but..since you plan on getting them very close to the enemy you really don't need the scatter laser either. Try replacing the SL with a SC and use that once you get close, with the points you saved from the SL use it to upgrade the bottom cannon.

The Warp Spiders are fine and you picked a good number of them too, but you do not need surprise assualt give yourself back those points.



All in all its good list for 1000pts, if this was DND I would say this army suffers from MAD (Multiple attribute dependancy) meaning you are trying to do a whole bunch of things but not really doing them well. Some of your units will be flying down the battlefield leaving others to walk behind, you need to support each of your models. This will reduce the need to redundancy in a list and will increase the over all effectiveness. However since the post is 3+ months old I am not sure what you might have changed from the parent list, so my advice is only so useful.

well, currently I don't have the Exarch, suprise assault or the DA, so my list is more like:

Fuegan
6 Banshees w/ Exarch w/ executioner & WS
5 FD, no Exarch (in the Falcon)
10 Guardians w/scatter laser (got this already)
3 Jetbikes w/ shuriken cannon (got this)
3 Jetbikes w/ shuriken cannon
6 WS with Exarch w/ dual deathspinners
Falcon w/ shuriken cannon & other undetermined upgrades

C&C welcome.

ungulateman wrote:well, currently I don't have the Exarch, suprise assault or the DA, so my list is more like:

Fuegan
6 Banshees w/ Exarch w/ executioner & WS
5 FD, no Exarch (in the Falcon)
10 Guardians w/scatter laser (got this already)
3 Jetbikes w/ shuriken cannon (got this)
3 Jetbikes w/ shuriken cannon
6 WS with Exarch w/ dual deathspinners
Falcon w/ shuriken cannon & other undetermined upgrades

C&C welcome.

Much Cleaner, I can see how its supposed to play out and I like it.

Hey rage, excellent guide! I saw your jetbike list and it was like a dream come true ive been thinking of starting an all jetbike list but had no idea where to start. Question though; if you had to bump the list to 2000 points what would you do? i worked it out so it would be 2 8 man squads of warlocks and 6 3 man jetbike teams with 2 fire prisims. Does that sound optimal or would something else provide more synergy with it?

Maleficorum wrote:Hey rage, excellent guide! I saw your jetbike list and it was like a dream come true ive been thinking of starting an all jetbike list but had no idea where to start. Question though; if you had to bump the list to 2000 points what would you do? i worked it out so it would be 2 8 man squads of warlocks and 6 3 man jetbike teams with 2 fire prisims. Does that sound optimal or would something else provide more synergy with it?

I would most certainly add a Unit of Shinning Spears, and if I had the points some more Guardian Jetbikes. In that list you obviously wouldn't need some more Anti-Tank butthe ability to quickly deal with tough units like Termies are vital. The spears would enable you to achieve this freeing up the rest of the army.

Another thing you are able to do that Ixe hit on the dot, is that the Farseer can be picked out in CC. You can either put him in the back or detach him as the squad charges to extend his life span if you believe the enemy is gunning for him.

Like most of what you have written, although Id argur for taking a tempest launcher.

Firstly, your point againt it is that if it shoots indirectly, then the rest of the unit is wasted. The same applies to the EML if the exarch shoots a tank.

Secondly, you dont take the tempest to fire indirectly, you take it to put down 2 small AP3 templates that reroll to wound and ignore cover with crack shot. This combo will usually see the exarch kill as many as the rest of the squad combined. More, if cover is involved.

As for the star engine shooting phase ram, Im pretty sure that the rulebook says that tank shocks/ram moves may only be made in the movement phase. May want to check that.

leaving buffed units: When a character leaves a buffed unit, you choose whether the buff stays with the unit, or goes with the character. Cant remember the source for that one. I have a sneaky suspiscion that it may have been in the fantasy rulebook. Still, the intention is there.

Good work.

Xenith wrote:Like most of what you have written, although Id argur for taking a tempest launcher.

Firstly, your point againt it is that if it shoots indirectly, then the rest of the unit is wasted. The same applies to the EML if the exarch shoots a tank.

I wrote stuff. I was spammy. I condensed it.

Basically the EML is much more versatile (Monsterous creatures/tanks) with better range and good against 4+ saves that like to hide in cover.
The tempest is better against 3+ saves in cover but looses out on all the above & brings your long ranged reapers into sniper/h.bolter etc ranges.
With the advent of new rules and such.. simply being able to ignore the obscured rule on tanks with a str8 krak missile is just so much better than being able to 4+ wound marines with no cover/armor saves.

Eldar Psychic Powers:

Farseer Power – Never take a Farseer without at least one power. The power(s) that people are taking will dictate the roll they see their army in. It’s worth nothing that Eldar players can cast Fortune/Guide/Doom without needing LOS, while locked in combat, and while inside a vehicle.

Fortune: This is a staple power that turns most enemies green with jealously. I, personally, love failing a save...pausing for a second... (Just to let it sink in I failed it) and then go “Oh, I get a re-roll because of fortune”. People just HATE that, but then again its part of the powers charm. I promise you a skilled player will be paying very close attention to see if you remember to cast it or not, forgetting to cast this on a unit has killed more Eldar than any unskilled player.

Guide: Another great power that does not annoy people so much, this in effect allows all of your ranged attacks to be twin linked. Due to the plethora of common units with BS 3 (War Walkers) and important weapons, makes this almost mandatory in a Ranged Superiority list.

Doom: This power makes people who run Howling Banshees cry with joy, and making people who run Plague Marines cry foul. That’s right kids this power allows you to “Re-Roll” the “To-Wound” roll. If the Imperial Guard somehow gets this ability in the new codex what a powerhouse they will be. Until then we enjoy this benefit able to target any unit and pound them with now-reliable STR 3 and 4 firepower. Tack on a 24’ range this power can really reach out and touch someone.

Mind War: Ah yes Mind War this power is singularly useful in the fact you can target a specific model and nuke it. Hidden Power fists, Synapse Creatures, Squad Leaders, HQ’s in a retinue etc etc the list goes on and on. Back when Ulthwe had the Warlock Power Augment, this power was BRUTAL with a 36’ in range. Even with a 18’ range it’s more than enough to insta-gib a model. Best used against low leadership models.

Eldritch Storm: What can I say? This is a STR 3 AP – Large blast, pinning attack. As such it’s mainly useful against Hordes but not much else…unless you tag teamed it with Doom. Again with a 18’ range this can actually scatter (i] I know weird right [/i]). It’s also worth nothing that it roll’s 2d6+3 vs. vehicles giving you a CHANCE to even pen a Land Raider or Monolith….I have never once seen it happen. Also spins the vehicles making it a good setup power to target back and side armor.

Warlock Powers: Almost useful all the time describes Warlock powers…well except Conceal. A Warlock never has to make a test to use their powers and thus ignore anti-psychic power tactics (Runes, Hood, and Shadow)

Conceal: I used to think this power was all that and a bag of chips…back in the older codex. Back when Low-A/p weapons were everywhere and a Fortuned Conceal roll was the difference between life and death vs. a Psycannon. Now you literally trip over 4+ saves it should not even be considered as a valid power. Also one of the most costly powers, incidentally when you DO see this it’s most often on a squad of Wraithguard.

Embolden: If you took a Seer Council you took Embolden right? I sure hope you did since Embolden allows you to re-roll your LD vs. morale effects. Not only will this keep you around when you got maimed in combat but it also helps a Farseer pass a psychic test.
Enhance: Almost mandatory if you are taking Warlocks as shock troops, this will gives +1 WS and +1 INT to whatever unit the warlock is attactched to. Best used with a Seer Council and Storm Guardians. Sometimes used to good effect with Wraithguard.

Destructor: Who wants a heavy Flamer...I do! Who wants 1-10 Heavy Flamers…/head explode. That’s right especially with the new template rules you can REALLY put the hurt on units. Considering you can take up to 10 (8 is the magic number since you will have Enhance and Embolden) you will latterly toast whatever you shoot at. Well worth the points and a bargain for what it does cost.
Veil of Tears: This is taken by the Shadow Seer for the Harlequins, but functions the same as a Warlock Power. This will cause your opponent to pull hair out when trying to target the unit, makes all weapons shooting at them have a 2-24 inch range. (Models with a null rod ignore it)

Exarch Powers: These abilities often grant a great boon, but with the downside is it can make the unit super expensive.

Blade storm: Bladestorm is often hailed as the best thing since sliced bread. Able to add +1 to the number of shots is brutal against any unit vulnerable to STR 4 firepower. It does give a “recharge” time to the unit though so don’t use it unless you can account for the unit not shooting for a turn.

Defend: Used to be SO much better than its current incarnation; this is again mandatory when using a Dire Avengers squad to tar pit a unit. Being able to give -1 attacks is part of the reason why they can survive against otherwise impossible odds; I mean just ask a Necron Lord with a Gaze of Flame.

War Shout: Dropping a opponents WS to 1 for a turn is dangerous in the hands of a Howling Banshees squad. Making just about everything hit them on a 5+ (damn you Kharn!) this makes the unit extremely durable due to the drastically reduced amount of return hits.

Acrobatic: Giving the squad Counter-Attack is a MAYBE, +1 attacks is attractive but due to needing a INT test it can fail when you need it most. However due to these ladies having STR 3 it can be the difference between life and death.

Tank Hunters: This ability is so totally worth it, combined with a AP 1 weapon Fire Dragons can down a monolith faster than white on rice. If you are seriously considering taking Fire Dragons then go ahead and tack this ability on.

Crack Shot: Yea….on Fire dragons this ability would be SO much better if it affected the entire squad as such its usefulness is restricted to a Firepike…and even then it’s questionable. Only really worth taking if you grab the Dragons Breath Flamer and only then to re-roll the wound roll.

Shadow Strike: This power grants Infiltrate and obviously it’s useful. One of the best uses of this is giving them a tank and having the squad outflank. If you lack the points for another Wave Serpent or Falcon then this will allow the enemy get into CC quicker and receive less fire than they would walking down the field.

Stalker: Situational at best, but if you are infiltrating behind cover this can be used to make sure the squad reached its target. I don’t really recommend this power since it costs so much, and it’s only useful some of the time.

Fast Shot: For Dark Reapers this is a great ability! Until you see it only works on the Exarch, combined with a EML this is a dangerous power. It’s so/so with a Tempest Launcher but you are not taking one of those right? Even with a Basic Reaper launcher it is still useful, overall a must have power.

Crack Shot: For a Dark Reaper’s Exarch this power is much more useful than on a Fire Dragon. With a EML you can pop tanks or troops with Plasma. Once again the usefulness combined with a Tempest Launcher is questionable at best. Since a Tempest Launcher is a barrage weapon it ignores cover from the center of the blast, only the re-roll to wound is useful.

Sky leap – YES PLEASE, mainly covered above this power is very useful when you need to get out of dodge fast. Can save you from CC and allow you to spam the grenade pie plates.

Intercept: This power was, at a time, amazing. Perfect for killing skimmers and other randomness now most of the time you only need a 4+ to hit everything. The rare times something moves 7+ inches then it can be useful, otherwise not really worth it anymore.
Surprise Assault: worthless in 5th don’t ever take it as Warp Spiders get it for free now.

Withdraw: Can be useful if the squad gets caught in Cc and does not die off. However due to the second jump they shouldn’t get caught in CC anyway. If you take it thats’s because you plan to use it. Never grab it if you just need a point filler.

Skilled Rider: Kinda worth it on Shinning Spears as they are not only expensive but few in number. If you plan to be ending your move in cover a lot then grab it.

Withdraw: Absolutely mandatory in every Shinning Spears unit, this allows them to re-charge on your turn. Always use Hit and Run at the end of your opponent’s combat phase…not on yours.

Phoenix Lords – It’s worth noting if you take a PL then it grants another useful ability to the Aspect squad.

Asurman – Nothing
Jain Zar – Nothing
Baharroth – Hit and Run
Karandras – Stealth
Feugan – Nothing
Maugan Ra - Acute Senses

Vehicle Upgrades: The elder have some of the most “cheatery” pieces of vehicle upgrades throughout all the armies, use them well.

Holo-Field: Besides Fortune nothing has caused more consternation in opponents than the Holo-Field. This Forces the enemy to roll 2 dice on the vehicle damage chart and take the lowest result. Part of the reason why the term “God Falcons” became so widespread. On a fire Prism it’s a mixed blessing since most of the time if you have a huge distance between it and the enemy, it won’t be used much. However if you plan on getting close this is almost mandatory.

Spirit Stones: A much more fluffy piece of wargear than the Imperium’s Extra Armor, this allows you to downgrade a Stunning result down to Shaken. Don’t ever bother putting these on Warwalkers or Vypers in a squadron, almost required on a Wave Serpent, and can be useful on a Falcon depending on how you want to use it. Not to useful on a Fire Prism.

Star Engines: Mandatory on Wave Serpents this allows you to not shoot in the shooting phase and get another 12 inches of movement. Now infamous because it allows you to Ram or Tank Shock twice, this neat little upgrade can also allow a turn 2 charge.
Vectored Engines: Now nearly completely worthless since skimmers don’t crash when immobilized, this is only useful if you constantly plan on going Flat Out. If you plan on turning your tanks into crewed missiles then this is also useful because a glancing hit can still immobilize you causing you to crash. This at least will make sure you don’t die when that happens.

Wargear: The Eldar does not have a armory like the other races, but the items we do have can be devastating when put to the right use. Just like a Aspect Squad you take certain items for certain units, the day you can master this is the day you will start winning more.

Rune Armor: Perhaps one of the most useful pieces of wargear this goes on two of the most important units in the Codex. I am talking about a Farseer and a Warlock. Not only does this look cool its standard issue on the aforementioned units. A 4+ invul save is nothing to sneeze at.

Ghosthelm: Back when Perils of the warp was a STR 6 hit, this little piece of wargear turned into a Save or Die effect. You better pass the save…or else. Now it adds a second line of defense for Perils which quite frankly with a LD of 10, Runes of Witnessing and most likely a Embolden warlock nearby you hopefully should never have to use it. It’s treated like a Feel No Pain roll so no re-rolls with Fortune.

Runes of Warding: This piece of wargear should always be taken…unless you feel like getting pummeled by powers like Null Field. A very handy defense vs. enemy psychic powers, this is a passive effect and requires no effort on your part. Very useful against Dual Lash, this option REALLY shines when you face enemy psykers that cast multiple powers a turn; they run a excellent chance of making their heads explode.

Runes of Witnessing: With so many options to make sure your psychic powers make it through I see people more and more often save the points and spend them elsewhere. If you want to make sure your power goes through then takes this. As a added note GW has stated that Shadow of the Warp and Runes of Witnessing cancel each other out, a great defense.

Witch Blade: One of the BEST pieces of wargear IMO it gets rid of one of the weaknesses of the Eldar Army…STR 3. Allowing you to wound on 2+ regardless of your target (and being one handed!!) makes this extremely attractive. Tack on the ability to TRIPLE your users STR (Str 9) vs. any vehicle and any unit with this becomes a power house. Incidentally all the units that use this use Rune armor, which is why Warlocks are so dangerous.

Singing Spear: Same as above except it is a 2H weapon reducing the models number of attacks by 1, this spear now has the ability to be thrown 12’ with all of the same effects. Many people seem agree that the ability to be thrown is worth the -1 attacks. Great for Anti-Tank duty.

Force shield: Only a Autarch has this, it grants a 4+ invul save, as well as making a fashion statement.

Avenger Shuriken Catapults: A basic gun of the Eldar army but with a 18’ range makes Avengers great for kiting units

Shuriken Catapult: High Volume of shots at short range, a staple of the Eldar army

Dire sword: IT’S A TRAP! Seriously though you shouldn’t be taking this, the Avengers are built for ranged combat and when you kite them out for close combat the idea is to tar pit a unit. With Str 3 you will almost never hit to use the neat little Insta-Gib ability. In 11+ years of playing Eldar I think I have only seen this happen once.

Shimmer Shield: Mandatory when using Avengers as a tar pit unit, this allows them to have staying power vs. units that would just eat through their 4+ save. Best combined with Fortune or they won’t last too long.

Banshee Mask: You get these for free on howling Banshees. Use it, Love it. It allows you to always go first regardless of other factors during the initial round of assault. After that you are stuck with your bad ass INT of 5 (6 for Exarch)

Executioner: Gives +2 STR making it to where your Exarch wounds more often. It’s nice and all but it’s more of a preference for the person. If you are running without Doom grab it. It IS a two handed weapon so you will lose 1 attack.

Mirror Swords: Grants +2 attacks instead of +1 for having a CC weapon. COMPLETELY worth it if you have Doom, otherwise maybe the Executioner is better.

Triskle : Never take this when you have the option to take a Executioner or Mirror Swords, it grants a multi hit ranged attack…at STR 3. However it IS at AP 2 so you will find use with it vs. Terminators. In effect it grants 3 more attacks to the Exarch just out of combat

Fusion Gun: STR 8, AP 1….yea. Oh and it’s a Melta

Dragons Breath Flamer: IMO you should always take this (it’s free!) if you want to grant the squad a bit more versatility. A Heavy Flamer is never a bad thing and at STR 5 it can even damage Light Vehicles. You DID take Tank Hunter didn’t you?
Fire Pike: Yea not so useful in 5th (and even in 4th) all it is a Fusion gun with a 18’ range. This does mean you get the Melta rule at 9’ instead of 6’, but really it’s not worth the points.

Mandi Blasters: Gives +1 Attacks for Striking Scorpions, mandatory if you take a CC Autarch.

Scorpions Chain swords: This is what makes the SS such good Horde Killers. Because of this wargear they get +1 STR upping them to a manlier STR 4.

Chain Sabers: A Exarch with these gets stupid number of attacks (6 on the charge) that re-roll all failed to hit and wounds rolls. This sounds amazing at first glance but you have to understand he makes all these attacks at STR 3. I don’t see these too often but I am sorely tempted to take them.

Biting Blade: This is a two handed weapon so it will reduce the number of attacks, but it retains the +1 STR. However as a very nice bonus every hit the Exarch gets it will increase his STR by +1, so as a example if he hits 5 times, he is at STR 9 to resolve those attacks. Sadly it still allows armor saves.

Scorpions Claw: It acts as a power fist with a Shuriken Catapult inside, and can be used as both in the same phase. Just keep in mind you only go to STR 6, and lower the INT 6 down to a 1.

Reaper Launcher: The basic weapons of the Dark Reaper these things are Marines killers. Ap 3 coupled with a nice STR and a high rate of fire it will mow down MEQ’s like a hot knife through butter. Oh and it has the same range as a EML.

Tempest Launcher: I believe I have stated the “usefulness” of this item previously, your mileage may vary.

Eldar Missile Launcher: A Dark Reapers Exarch can take this baby and has BS 5 to boot!

LasBlaster: A very decent gun overall, at STR 3 it won’t kill everything but with the amount of shots you get you can cut swathes of enemy infantry with ease. The Imperial Guard WISHES they had these.

Swooping Hawks Wings: Makes the unit Jump Infantry and allows them to Deep Strike

Swooping Hawk Grenade Pack: A free Pie plate with the stats of a Bolter only scatters 1d6 too! A nice bonus, only works when you deep strike the unit though.

Haywire Grenades: These are why Swooping Hawks kill vehicles so well, so useful even against a monolith no vehicle can get away from these guys.

Hawks Talon: At STR 5 and with 3 shots this weapon is totally worth it, not to mention the Exarch has BS 5.

Sun Rifle: My new love this bad boy has 6 shots (6!) and causes pinning. Combine this with Doom and go to town, only downside is it is STR 3.

Death Spinner : 2 STR 6 shots, and you will almost never miss the lack of Ap. Due to the high volume of shots a typical squad can pump out you can just bludgeon something to death.

Warp Jump Generator: Makes them Jump Infantry and Allows them to deep Strike, as a added bonus they get second move of 2d6. If you roll good and/or with good terrain/units in the way these guys should get never assaulted.

Spinneret Rifle: I personally like this weapon, it will almost always hit and is absolutely lethal…the only problem is it is a 1 shot weapon. Why take this when you could take another Death Spinner and get 4 attacks.

Dual Death Spinner: Makes the Exarch have a Assault 4 weapon at BS 5. Always Worth it, all the Time

Power Blades: Never, ever, EVER take this if you have the option to take something else. The Exarch maybe gets like 4 attacks on the charge at WS 5, but he is only STR 3 and his squad is most certainly NOT made to be fighting in CC and so cannot support him. However it IS a great point’s filler.

Laser Lance : This piece of wargear is completely awesome, not only does it give the squad STR 6 power weapons (on the first turn only) but it gives a STR 6 AP 4 shot before you charge in. Completely useless in the following rounds however.

Star Lance: Same as above but STR 8, I have seen mixed results.

Ranger Long Rifle: A Sniper Rifle on crack, combine this with Doom and practice yelling out BOOM HEADSHOT in a loud and condescending voice. Without Doom however you only have 50% chance to hurt something and combined with the Rending you can even damage AV 12 vehicles….but only when you are desperate.

Guardian Heavy Weapons Platform: Can have a mix of Heavy Weapons from the Lowly Shuriken Cannon, to the beefy Bright Lance….fired at BS 3 however… It DOES allot the squad to move and shoot through. The most often used gun being the Scatter Laser due to the Amount of shots.

Eldar Jet bike: Completely awesome, and gives another 6’ move in the assault phase if unengaged. Worth it every time if you have the points.

Pulse laser: The mainstay of the Falcon this is a awesome weapon, High STR, Low AP, and 2 shots.

Prism Cannon: The mainstay of the Fire Prism, this gun is a Lascannon on crack and combined with the Link ability and two firing modes it has something for anyone.

Wraith Cannon: This weapon is why people take Wraithguard, this gun will wound anything on a 2+, has a Haywire grenade effect on vehicles, and can cause Instant Death with a roll of a 6. All with Ap2, however you need to buy the Wraithguard to use this and combined with their 6’ move you won’t always get to fire them.

Wraith Blade: allows the Warithlord to re-roll to hit…..since he only has two attacks it makes these seem like a very attractive option. However as I detailed before it is indeed a trap and he is better served being a mobile fire platform.

Flip-Belts : Allows the Harlequins to ignore all terrain when moving, this is part of the reason why they are so feared because you just cannot get away from these guys when they pick a victim.

Holo-Suit: Gives them a 5+ invul save.

Harlequins Kiss: Gives the unit rending for a handful of points more per model, can still be useful even with the changes to rending. However due to how rending has changed it’s a mixed blessing.

Fusion Pistol: Same as a Fusion Gun with a 6 inch range, not entirely worth it since of all the units in the codex one has BS 3, and the other prefers to fleet ensuring you almost never fire with it. Mileage may vary

Hallucinogen Grenades: This is a upgrade for the Shadow Seer, allows the entire unit to strike into cover as if they used grenades.

Shrieker Cannon: This weapon is actually very decent but because of the CC focus the squad has not a lot of people get it, but when it works it works nice.

Staff of Ultramar: This allows Eldrad to ignore armor saves in CC, and is what allows him to cast 3 powers a turn. The verdict is still out if it counts as a CC weapon. He DOES have a witch blade after all.

The Spear of Twilight: This is what makes Yirel such a bad ass. Same stats as a Singing Spear but all his attacks ignore Armor Saves.

Phoenix Lords Wargear:

The Sword of Asur – Is a Dire sword that allows missed hits to be rerolled, unlike the Dire Avenger Exarch, Asurman knows how to use this one.

The Silent Death – A Triskle with STR 5

Scorpions Bite – A Uber Mandi-Blaster that gives +2 attacks instead of 1

Fire Axe – Gives +1 STR and strikes as a Monstrous Creature

The Maugatar – Mr. Ra’s badass weapon, a ShuriCannon with a 36 inch range and is a Assault weapon instead of Heavy…oh and it has rending with a inbuilt executioner

Heavy Weapons : You will see these as upgrades on Vehicles and the Wraithlord, these are the mainstay of the Eldar.

Eldar Missile Launcher: With two firing modes that can cover anti-troop duty or anti-tank this is one of the most used weapons. Not to mention the Plasma shot causes Pinning

Bright Lance: This is the iconic weapon of the Eldar (Dark Eldar use the Dark Lance go figure) Str 8 with Ap 2 and lowers all armor values above 12 to 12. Useless against a Land Raider with Blessed hull or a Monolith.

Scatter Laser: This used to be such a unpredictable weapon no one used it, how with 4 shots this weapon is seen everywhere and is a highly valued addition in 5th.

Shuriken Cannon: Most often used as a support weapon this has only 1 shot less than the scatter laser but has 1 better Ap. Only “bad thing” is that it is 24’

Star Cannon: Not worth it anymore, back when it was Heavy 3, this thing was awesome. Now due to the high points cost and the plethora of 4+ cover saves I almost never see it used anymore…I mean >I< wouldn’t use it.

I like the breakdown. I dont play eldar, but there is a player at my FLGS who I have yet to play and apparently he's quite good. All the information above will be very useful for knowing what i'm dealing with. Great stuff

Honestly, having played with Eldar, I really have to disagree with your championing of Jetbikes as the best Troops choices. They're some of the "tougher" Troops choices, true, but they're exactly as tough as Marines. And guess what a lot of armies are designed to kill? They have greater mobility, but worse leadership and worse guns. Especially three-man squads, it's quite likely that the cannon would be sniped through wound allocation, and after a single casualty they need to make a leadership check.

Personally, I think DAs are the better Troops choices, but it really does depend on how you run your army. DAs really need a transport, as advancing across a field will kill them. I guess if your opponent has to advance on a good cover objective, they could sit there and be effective too. Especially if you play two DA squads against one, which with Eldar mobility shouldn't be hard to do, they can be very effective.

Guardians with flamers and destructor warlocks can also be good first-strike units, especially for ejecting units out of cover, but will likely die to reprisal so you need to choose targets carefully. Rangers/pathfinders are good objective holders, until flamers/other cover-ignoring weapons come and then they die horribly. Large units are really needed to do significant damage.

You're right that guardian defenders aren't that great and don't have great damage output, but they're decent objective holders and scatterlasers/EMLs are decent weapons. An Embolden warlock does help, because Ld8 just isn't reliable enough (and helps if a Farseer is attached), and gives them some anti-tank, but does increase their cost.

Honestly, having played with Eldar, I really have to disagree with your championing of Jetbikes as the best Troops choices. They're some of the "tougher" Troops choices, true, but they're exactly as tough as Marines. And guess what a lot of armies are designed to kill? They have greater mobility, but worse leadership and worse guns. Especially three-man squads, it's quite likely that the cannon would be sniped through wound allocation, and after a single casualty they need to make a leadership check.

Personally, I think DAs are the better Troops choices, but it really does depend on how you run your army. DAs really need a transport, as advancing across a field will kill them. I guess if your opponent has to advance on a good cover objective, they could sit there and be effective too. Especially if you play two DA squads against one, which with Eldar mobility shouldn't be hard to do, they can be very effective. I've also seen people playing with the basic 5-man squad as a "scoring upgrade" for Falcons, but I dunno how effective that is.

Guardians with flamers and destructor warlocks can also be good first-strike units, especially for ejecting units out of cover, but will likely die to reprisal so you need to choose targets carefully. Rangers/pathfinders are good objective holders, until flamers/other cover-ignoring weapons come and then they die horribly. Large units are really needed to do significant damage.

You're right that guardian defenders aren't that great and don't have great damage output, but they're decent objective holders and scatterlasers/EMLs are decent weapons. An Embolden warlock does help, because Ld8 just isn't reliable enough (and helps if a Farseer is attached), and gives them some anti-tank, but does increase their cost.

As a example

10 man squad of Avangers with no upgrades (160) add in the tank that is vital to keeping them alive with lowest costing weapon and no upgrade (100), for a total of 260 points

Min size jetbike squad with no upgrades 66

66 > 260

Tack in upgrades and it gets worse.

We can buy

4 squads of 3 man jetbike squads for 264 points

4 Squads > 1 Squad

This is why the jetbikes are better, you can use the mobility they offer to keep them alive until you need them. A nice tactic I see for when people take 2 min size jetbike squads is to keep them in reserve so they show up turn 2-4ish. This keeps the enemy from shooting them. The lower cost in points also allow you to take more of other killy units that can help win you the game.

EDIT: It should be noted that Dire Avengers do a WHOLE lot more damage that jetbikers do. They basically have the same guns but Avengers are cheaper by 6 points per gun.

Edit 2: It should also be noted that with the points you save you can buy say... a Prisim Tank. This will kill more than the Avengers so it still evens out.

Meh. For the points you can take more, but if all it takes is one unit shooting at it to potentially break/wipe a unit you're in trouble. Not to mention the additional KP you have in the army. Without LOS blocking terrain, it's a lot harder to keep jetbikes alive, at least in my experience so far. Plus I like all of my units to actually contribute something, and aside from possible objective nabbing they really don't help that much. Two min-size jetbike units have done nothing where I play, and die quickly to competent players that grab KP/deny objectives. YMMV.

Now, six with an Embolden Warlock, spear, and two cannons is a decent squad. Take a few of those, a few smaller squads (perhaps 4 w/Destructor Warlocks) and some bike council/support, and that's a decent saim-hann list right there, but taking only two min-size units is asking for trouble.

Keep in mind too that the tank that DA come with is a pretty good weapon in its own right. Not armed great but useful still, and with twin-linked weaponry. Plus it can tank-shock people, and if need be swing back to pick up other units. Also note that the DAs don't necessarily need a pimped-out Exarch. A simple unit of 10 is usually enough firepower (though two units of 10 are better, of course), and has the advantage of being able to fire turn after turn, rather than all in one go. This is good for walking units too.

Excellent discussion, for this reason I wrote the 30 pages of information (oh God there will be more /cry) When people read what you and I wrote they will be able to come to a effective decision for Troops in their army. Good Job

Firstly, thanks for the write up.

The tempest launchers effectiveness depends on the army you are using. Is your army so shooty that the enemy will try to come to you? Then the 36' range won't be a huge drawback. An ork horde will struggle against two S4 blasts with rerollable to-wound roll and BS5. Not so much against a eml. It is true, though that the eml has proven very effective in my dark reaper squad. I always take fast shot because crack shot is better used against vehicles and vehicles shouldn't be the primary target of the squad.

Greets
Schepp himself

It is true, though that the eml has proven very effective in my dark reaper squad

My point exactly

Its not that the tempest launcher is such a bad weapon, it just does not go well with how the squad operates. Its like taking a Power Weapon or Power Blades on a Swooping Hawk or Warp Spider. SURE it works, just not very well.

Beefed up some descriptions that were lacking, namely the Guardians and Mech Army description.

Mech Army: By far the most recognizable setup as nearly every army can mimic it. This army includes many Transports and Falcons and sometimes includes troops that can move 12+ inches in one turn (Swooping Hawks or Jetbikes) Expect to face many vehicles laden with Close Combat troops, and many Main Battle Tanks.

Sorry, but anyone who brings swooping hawks to a serious game should be laughed off the field. The unit is just bad all the way round and costs about twice what its abilities warrent.

Swooping Hawks :... I've seen them just rape a 30 man Ork squad, just like Howling Banshees however they really need Doom to make their shots count.

I'm calling your bluff on this one. 10 swooping hawks open fire on 30 orcs. Need 3's to hit, 5's to wound, and (I think) the orcs don't get an armor save. This averages out to 4.4 deaths. Even if you throw doom into the mix, you get 7.4 kills. So lets assume doom is there (meaning that between the hawks and the farseer you spent over 300 points to fight 240 points of orcs) and you kill 8 of them (I'll round in the hawks favor on this one). The orc player will then remove the casualties from the rear of the squad and since there are still more than 10 orcs left, they are fearless and won't break. On the orc turn, the remaining 22 move towards you 6" and open fire with their shootas killing off 4.8 hawks on average. That's half the squad. Now, the hawks can either move up, fire and then charge or back off and keep the shooting war going. In either situation, they are going to be fighting a losing battle. Now it is possible that not all the orcs will be able to move into range or that the hawk player will roll really well and the orc player will roll very poorly, but neither of those are vaild considerations when making an army. In the end, hawks are simply too expensive for what they do and will lose this fight 9 times out of 10.

hese guys can also put the hurt on a tank and the funny thing is you cannot run from these guys. A 12' move combined with Fleet and a 6 inch assault move means they WILL catch their target.

Sure you can catch anything, but what are you going to do once you do catch it? And I sure hope that whatever it is that you’re trying to catch doesn't have any friends hanging out because you're T3 with a 4+ save and have no defensive or hand to hand abilities to speak of. Again the flaw with hawks is that they just can't survive long enough to do anything useful. I laugh when I see they guys trying to do tank hunting because they can't live though the incoming fire they face trying to get close to armored units. Tanks are in the back field with plenty of friendly units supporting them these days. You can't assault that sort of formation with hawks, it just doesn't work and no one is sending lone tanks forward.

All in all it makes me rather sad really because my hawks are some of my favorite models. Unfortunately they've been sitting around collecting dust since the start of 3rd edition where they were nerfed into uselessness. I bring them out on occasion for show and to handy cap myself when I play against kids or other new comers to the game, but even there they only reassert how over priced they are.