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i am a tyranid player been so for a long time. now i am gonna try a new army. i was thinking about eldar army though i have never played with them before nor have i ever played against them. at the moment all i have is a codex. is there anything i should know before getting an eldar army together? like what units is a must have or units that are not so good. i know they are kinda a specialized army and they are many opions on the army. i am posting this just to get an idea on before i spend $300+ and make crapy army list.

It will depend a lot on the 5th ed changes. If KPs work as rumoured, a lot of units that are good currently will turn into crap. Things like those handy 70-odd point jetbike squads and throwaway 80+ point FDs squads suddenly become a liability in 1/3 of the missions. If not wasting money on bad units is a top concern for you, I would wait for 5th before deciding what to get.

Joe, 8 years of GW gaming my army design philosphy is -

(a) buy two battalion boxes and (b) ask people who play against your new army what they absolutely HATE and buy one of those too. If you get multiple answers to that last question buy the model or unit you think is the coolest looking. Fill out the points, and it is hard to go wrong with extra bodies as long as they are not the extra dirt cheapest bodies in the list.

It has worked for me every time through multiple fantasy armies (TK, Brets, Wood Elves, O@G, HE) and, apparently so far, with Eldar as my first 40k army.

One thing though - some of those "killer units" turn out to be a little tricksy to learn to use. One other thing - most of the advice I recieved on forums for any game I have ever played came from people who post far more than they play, and "theory hammer" and "math hammer", while useful, do not a tactician make.

Enjoy.

Beriothien wrote:One other thing - most of the advice I recieved on forums for any game I have ever played came from people who post far more than they play, and "theory hammer" and "math hammer", while useful, do not a tactician make.

I'm stealing this as my new quote. Finally, someone who agrees with me.

What a great quote. It basically says, "Don't listen to me," doesn't it? I mean, you're a poster on a game board, and you're giving advice.

Asmod - enjoy

Joefex,

It will be hard to go wrong with two full-strength units of Dire Avengers, with Wave Serpents packing brightlances. You will also want a Farseer.

Beyond that, your mileage may vary. Buying the "uber" units right now is dangerous, as t-C points out. Things will change quite a bit in 5th, and units like Harlequins and Falcons may not be so hot after those changes become known.

Your major choice will be whether to go mobile or use lots of footsloggers. If you like mobility and can deal with having very few troops, a Falcon and a unit with close combat countercharge ability like Harlequins or Banshees is a good idea. Beyond this, you will probably want more troops. 7 jetbikes would be a decent start. Converting a Farseer on jetbike will also help, as with the added mobility he can both cast powers upon your fast units and throw a Singing Spear for decent anti-tank capacity.

If you like resilency, footsloggers often have more bodies to protect you and are a good learning setup. In that case, two units of Guardians with weapons platforms (scatterlasers are a good choice) are a good addition to your Dire Avengers. Many people like two Wraithlords with brightlance and Eldar missile launcher alongside the little guys. Taking Eldrad as your Farseer will help all your troops stay alive. Finally, an Avatar helps boost your countercharge ability, while making your troops Fearless.

As for Beriothien's suggestion that you buy two battalion boxes, that's not a bad way to get the Serpents and Guardians. If you're buying a foot army it's a nice start, especially with another box of Avengers and a Wraithlord or another Warwalker purchased at the same time. you will still want a close-combat unit too. Start with Banshees if you play against Marines a lot, Scorpions if play against guard/nids often, or Harlies if you like all-rounders and don't mind the silly clown outfits.

Best of luck!

ok thanks for all your input. that includes everyone.

Beriothien wrote:Joe, 8 years of GW gaming my army design philosphy is -

(a) buy two battalion boxes and (b) ask people who play against your new army what they absolutely HATE and buy one of those too. If you get multiple answers to that last question buy the model or unit you think is the coolest looking. Fill out the points, and it is hard to go wrong with extra bodies as long as they are not the extra dirt cheapest bodies in the list.

It has worked for me every time through multiple fantasy armies (TK, Brets, Wood Elves, O@G, HE) and, apparently so far, with Eldar as my first 40k army.

One thing though - some of those "killer units" turn out to be a little tricksy to learn to use. One other thing - most of the advice I recieved on forums for any game I have ever played came from people who post far more than they play, and "theory hammer" and "math hammer", while useful, do not a tactician make.

Well, you're right about the way to build up the army, to a certain extent.
It's hard to judge if the advices come from players or meta-players.
I have qualified for the GT final this fall. So I consider myself not as a meta-gamer.

You're right about questioning the validity of advice from the internet, wuestenfux. Ironically, this includes people's claims of tournament performance.

The big thing that makes me credit or discredit someone's advice (on something I'm unfamiliar with) is whether their other posts (on topics I am familiar with) are factually accurate and tactically sound. I learned to play 40K to greater effect by lurking forums a few years ago, and got a few lemons in with the good advice. On the good side, somethings I had been doing wrong for years were pointed out, and my lists got better. Just take everything with a grain of salt and playtest well.

Oh, and magnetize, magnetize, magnetize. This will protect your purchases from bum advice, your own incorrect/experimental assumptions, and drastic rules changes. Plus it makes it easier to switch up to tool to/from an all-comers setup.