Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Ok i am really set on a DE army, so when i decided that, my "friend" (using the term so losely it would be tighter to wave a pencil in a cave) i bought a box of warriors, then i found a list that lookd like fun (i have painted for ever but never played) so you guys picked it to bits and now i am confused. i bought a box of wyches and lilith (i love lilith so if i can use her i really want to! )
Tell me how you put a army list together please! the guys in my games workshop have asked me to go in and paint and they will teach me to to play but they un nerve me *lol*
can you guys help me out here please?

Trouble with the dark eldar is that there is a very short list of stuff to pick from, and then an even shorter list of stuff thats actually works in that previous list.

Lilith is a nice model but I suggest putting her to work as an Archon instead of as who she is. That way you can still use warriors as troops.
All she needs from the armoury is a shadowfield, agoniser, a pistol, plasma grenades and some combat drugs. Shes cheap (but shes not a tart!), cheerful and will kill most stuff that she can get her hands on.

Warriors, a very useful unit. Either as a unit of 10 with two dark lances, or as unit of 5 with a raider. What you can do is just park the 5 guys somewhere with a dark lance and use the raider as an attack vehicle ignoring it's ability to be a useful transport.

Ravagers are great, Wyches are okayish, but often get gunned down between combats (make sure you buy two special weapons for them).

The problem is that no matter what units we suggest its not a matter of simply sticking stuff down on the table until you find the right thing to put down. With dark eldar you really really need to know what you're doing and the only way you learn that is with practice, and probably losing in the process, a lot. Sorry if it seems a bit negative but I'm afraid thats the way it is.

If you can explain a little more about what you did last game we can talk about what tactics did and didn't work but you need to be more specific than "I lost 'cos my army sucks.."

oh no i didnt play i think i have worded this wrong, i have never Played them in any form or any army, i have painted fantasy for years and years and loved it, i just build em up and thats it. someone convinced me to start painting 40k and i decided since i was painting something new maybe i should actually learn to play them, so then i thought find a list to build, i posted the list i found on google and you guys didnt think much of it at all. Chances are i will never ever play, (unless i go in to games workshop and that isn't gona happen) as the person who convinced me to play 40k turned out to be a tool. i just want to know what actually comprises an army list so i can build it and add it to my many other things that just sit and look pretty

I see, then I suggest painting whatever you feel you like the look of...

I'd suggest Lilith, a couple of squads of wyches, a unit of warp beasts with a beastmaster, maybe some jetbikes and a couple of raiders and a ravager. You have an army that has a bit of variety and is actually legal to use, although it probably wouldn't be very good at winning games that doesn't actually matter.

Other suggestion, mix some Dark Elf wyches from fantasy into the wyche squads. They're fairly similar but because they're newer models they look nicer.

Non-DE players cannot teach you how to play DE.
Here is the list you could go for:

Archon w/ agonizer, splinter pistol, combat drugs, shadow field, plasma grenades, possible skyboard.

3x 10 Wyches w/ blaster x2, wych weapons incl. Succubus w/ agonizer, trophy rack, Raider

5 Warp Beast + 1 Beastmaster

3x 10 Warriors w/ dark lance x2

10 Warriors w/ blaster, Raider

3x Ravager

NB: If the enemy goes first you might think about keeping the army in reserve, or including WWP's.

if you've never played before, take what you've got and get the feel for the game. its no good playing an amazing army list if you dont know what everything else does

DE though, raiders and ravagers.......ouchums

as i said chances are i will never get the chance to play, i just want to build an army that i know COULD be played if i ever got the chance, but will also be fun to build. i don't really like plastics which is why i was so keen on the wyches.

Well, then go for a Wych Cult army with Wyches as troops.
Add Hellions as fast attack.

Wuestenfux's list is a good base (from a players perspective), from that feel free to substitute for anything else that really grabs your attention. Definately use Lylyth as an archon model. I've always liked the Talos model, and I find them annoying to try to kill. Perhaps a unit of jetbikes as well, as they are fast moving.

Dark Eldar are a decent army, and if you do start playing, as long as you don't meet a tool power gamer you should have an enjoyable time.

I don't know if you are asking for basics on army building or just DE, but the basic army setup is 1 HQ and 2 troops.

But from what I know, DE armor sucks and their vehicles pack a punch but can't take what they dish out. So what most DE players I've seen(the only 2 DE players in the world) do is focus on fast attacks and load their infantry on as many transports as possible while using scourge and talos to eliminate heavy vehicles.

This probably DOESN'T help, but I tried.

well thank you very much for trying

it does help....

Try a list with an Archon, 3 squads of wyches in Raiders and 3 Ravagers.
Depending on what equipment they get you could probably compress it down to about 750 points, though you will need to somehow get some games in if you want to get good at playing darki Eldar.
VH

DE only have a few (edit for missing adjective: acceptable) units - I prefer a Wych army in 5e, and Leilith is pretty much a must-have right now.

I can't agree with Hellions - they're okay (which is better than average for DE lists) but the 7 points difference between them and a jetbike justifies jetbikes every time for me.

if you must take Warriors at all, take a Raider squad (5 warriors, a shredder and splinter cannon because you're rarely going to slow down long enough for the raiders to shoot a dark lance from the squad.

Ravagers seem to shine with a dark lance and two disintigrators - giving you a stupendous amount of firepower when needed.

Wyches...might have just had wych weapons as standard. No reason to skimp there. Succubus should always come along and carry an agonizer since you get so few power weapons. Shredders or blasters are a must - I prefer one of each - as are raiders. Possibly the only time I like that raiders are open topped.