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Simple 'yes' or 'no'... I've read through all the posts and threads and I just want everyone's personal opinion. Feel free to post your logic and or real information as well.

Yes. I think the fact that new art is included in the big 5th ed rule book is a good sign that they will be updated.


Whether they will still have the same fluff is doubtful IMO. There is only so much you can do with them if their only motivation is to torture people.

2 years? Yeah. Within a year? Maybe.

I'd bet even money on the next Codex being Dark Eldar. Mybe GW got their head out of their ass and is revamping Oldest to Newest.


Wouldn't that be a fething change , Holy gak something logical.

The Dark Eldar were my first 40K army (back in 3rd ed)
and in my opinion they have certianly been one of the more overlooked races.
I do belive that we will see a new DE codex and minis within the next 2 years,and hopfully they will be properly "fleshed out" in their fluff so their more than spikey Eldar with S&M and B&D fetishes.

They will be supported. If Necrons have made it this far, Dark Eldar can too.

I really want them to be supported, but I have to vote "no" on this one. As hopeful as I am I don't think GW will ever do it.

I think they're too firmly rooted in 40k to be 'squatted'. The new artwork is a good sign I think.

I think there is too little interest in them to warrant a rebuild just yet. We are not, despite the infamous greens, seeing prototype pictures or designs being leaked on BoLS or anywhere else.

Also, they really aren't rooted so deeply in 40k's mythos, they were created for 3rd ed, released with a very unpopular mini range for that edition and then ignored. If they had been more popular on release like the necrons then yes, but the Morley sculpts were loathed by many. Do I think they should be redone, absolutely, GW suddenly created them and aggressively marketed them as the 'other army than space marines' in the big box and one of the first battleforce boxes. Therefore GW has imo an obligation to continue with this race that they fitted into the fluff. It's just that GW doesn't hold with obligation to the customer so much.

Uriels_Flame wrote:They will be supported. .

"Supported" means that the old Codex is valid for GT play.

It doesn't mean that a new Codex will appear in the foreseeable future.

About as foreseeable as Space Hulk.

I figure they'll be looked at and either updated on squatted by Q2 2011.

I say updated. With Jes Goodwin sculpts

I'm pretty sure they'll get a Codex within a year (i.e. next after SW). I just hope they tone down the whole S&M tone of the models and start to play up the pirate role. I think masses of raiders are a lot more appealing than wyches or incubi.

I voted no. They will still be legal for tourney play, but they have been talking about redoing them for years.
When you hear talks of another army being redone, its finished within a year or 2, but the DE have avoided this for so long.

and they are hardly "firmly rooted" in the 40k universe, they only started up about a decade ago, the squats were around longer than that before being "squatted"

Idealistically I would like to see all the Dex's updated and everyone with new fun toys to play with. But Realistically, the Dark Eldar would not be a good investment for GW, so it wont happen.

They are actually a really interesting army ; driven to torture etc.. to hide from the gods and extend their life.


I'd really like to see them move toward a more "chaos" type themed army where as Chaos is MEQ based 3+ army.


I like the dark eldar i played them when they came out but their in desperate need of a revamp.


They also need to change some things about them like what is their focus etc..

Not just make them a "alternate" eldar.

The fact that they are Eldar dooms them to always be 'alternate Eldar'. But other than name, DE are an extremely different army than CWE with a playstyle far different from that of any other army in the game. To say that they're not popular enough yet for an update is idiotic. There's no better way to boost sales and popularity than with a new line of models and fresh rules. And I guarantee that their popularity will continue to decline until that happens. Waiting longer is not going to suddenly make them 'popular enough'.

There simply is no army more worthy of an update.
I voted yes. Considering at the beginning of 5th ed Rick Priestly said that Dark Eldar are getting attention soon, It's safe to say GW is aware of the overwhelming need to update them. That will happen the moment GW is finally able to withdraw its tongue and pry its lips from the massive, domineering buttocks of the adeptus astartes. Which I believe will happen sometime in the next 2 years...

I say yes. Because I kinda like em and so I honestly hope they will. The current models are crap but the fluff has a solid base. Only in novels are they always portrayed to be a bunch of whiney idiots. So yes, hopefully.

I'm hoping yes.

I want a DE army but I've got an understanding with my wallet. No cash till new sculpts are released.

I think the main issue with the army is the models. Lets face it the models are ugly, really ugly. Thats why I believe they have never been popular. If you look at the armies that are popular currently (Orks, Guard, SM) they have a wide variety of models that can be customized and their rules are up to date. New Codex + New Models = Win for us and for GW. I know that when DE come out my wallet will kill me.

I think what a lot of people dont understand is that when DE were released their models were top notch, way more customizeable and awesome than anything else on the market at the time. (other than Space Marines, who JUST got the new plastic kits that have separate legs/torso pieces.)
GW spent a lot of money trying to promote and sell DE, and it didnt do as well as they had hoped. For them to redo the army now would require them to redo the entire line of minis (because of how everyone feels about the current models) and that costs a lot of money, its a second large investment into an army that didnt do well with their first large investment.
I think this is why its been so long since there has been an update, and its also why I dont expect them any time soon.

Demogerg wrote:GW spent a lot of money trying to promote and sell DE, and it didnt do as well as they had hoped.

They were pedaled as inferior from the start. Considering they were grossly out-classed with no hope of winning a fight against the very SMs they were boxed with, they actually did amazingly well. As well as any other army would have. But their codex, even back then, was very lackluster. Their support from fans quickly died as EVERY other army got updated models and rules except DE.

Demogerg wrote:For them to redo the army now would require them to redo the entire line of minis (because of how everyone feels about the current models) and that costs a lot of money

They began reworking the entire line of minis a long time ago. We heard from Jes Goodwin's own mouth that he's more than half finished with new DEs. (Probably nearly done by now.) Plus there are very reliable members of this forum who say they have seen the new sculpts. Rumor also has it that Phil Kelly is already done with their new codex. And you're right, it is a very expensive project and a huge investment... Not something GW would commit to, simply to change it's mind. They can't afford to at this juncture.

I foresee a new Dark Eldar codex edition in the next two years. However, all that will happen is that the current codex will have the stamp on the front changed to read 'third edition', and the only rules changes will be the ones that make Scourges, Hellions, and Warp Beasts good.

I think that the Dark Eldar will be seeing an update within the next two years for sure. I would love it if it came out in just a single year... But that might be wishful thinking. I hope it isn't, though.

Squats had new artwork and even new scuplts in 2nd edition. They also were still being named for a codex release later on, for instance the 2nd edition IG codex says you'll be able to take Squats as allies once their codex is finally released. We got diddly umm...

Given the new style raider art in the 5th edition rulebook, I'm certainly hoping so. Of course, I already have a 2,000 point Kabal, but I'd plunk down for new incubi, warriors, raiders, Haemis, and grotesques, not to mention those jet-board guys who I can't remember (basically, I'd probably buy a whole new army if they did).

GW will take soo long with the DE codex that about 70% of gamers will say.

"Hey, did you hear? They're releasing a new army for 40k!"

"What's it called?"

"Dark Eldar!"

Then the 30% who remember Dark Eldar will grumble angrily...

They'd better fix up that codex...

I dont think they will. I think there going to be become like BA and become a WD army *shudders* Its either that or there following the squats into the mouths of some Nids or some weird warp expriment which happens to destroy the whole race.

2 years is a long time, in the next 2 years we will probably see 4-6 more 40k books released. If nids are early next year that would leave DH/WH, Black Templars, Blood Angels, Necrons, Tau, and finally DE. If they consolidate DH and WH into a single Inq codex that makes 6 books that still need updates for 5th.

My prediction is that DE will be at the tail end of 5th edition, finally be re-released and 6th edition will follow shortly. This will of course totally destroy the DE codex for another decade.

Don't Yakface and JohnHwangDD have a running bet on this? How long's left of their two years?

I think there's a fair chance that they could be the hot release at Games Day 2011.

Id like to see it happen, but a part of me secretly hopes it doesn't.

Not to bite the hand that feeds, but Id be really worried theyd make them just another version of the armies we already have & theyd lose their uniqueness. Or theyd manage to bland them to death like they did with the latest chaos codex.

Id like to see them update the models, & update the codex for 5th, without completely reinventing the DE.