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Ok, so today I went to my FLGS and picked up the High Elves codex after talking to the shopkeeper. He plays WHFB but seems to know squat about what kind of army I should pick (he plays bretonnians). Anyways, I've taken a brief look through it, and like some of the things I see. However, while perusing through the codex I found myself thinking of a lotta troop/unit questions. Unlike when I started 40k I don't want to blindly start buying units until I have 6k points and have a handful of things I don't use (like my chaos possessed and 1k sons for example). So I'll start easy;

1) Heros. Are mages any good? I'm really interested in running a buttload of mages because it sounds nifty to cast that arrows spell and unload a crapton of archers that get to reroll into my foes hehe.

2) Flying thinggers. I was looking through the codex and noticed we get Gryphons and Giant Eagles. Are either of these any good?

3) Pheonix Guard. I See a lot of people saying these guys are hella tough to kill, but are they any good? Being hard to kill is not = to being a good unit always lol.

4) Chariots. I REALLY like chariots. They look cool, and they move very fast (I'm assuming M on the profiles is movement speed?). My question is should I take Lion Chariots or horses? Or should I mix it up?

5) Mounts. I love dragons and definitely want to get a dragon mounted mage and archer. My question is should I go for the less expensive Sun Dragon or try and get Moon and Star Dragons? I know it seems kind of dumb to ask, but sometimes a slightly less powerful (and way cheaper) unit is better because it allows me points elseware. Also, are Horses any good? They move the fastest of all the mounts, but they're fragile it seems. Might not be the best option :/

6) Basic dudes. Spearmen look like a good chump blocking unit. A lot of bodies for relatively little points. My question, however, is should I go for more archers or more spearmen? I know WHFB is very strategy based. A strong unit with a weak commander is worse than a bunch of weaker stuff with a strong commander. I guess my question is is there a ratio of spearmen to archers I should take? Or should I focus elseware, maybe on some dragon warriors or something?

7) Buying stuff. I'm thinking that in mid-oct I might go splurge $175 and get the army box set. It seems to have a good mix, giving me 2 mages, a lord dude, a chariot, 2 of those reapeater bows, some archers, and spearmen. Is the box worth it or am I better off picking and choosing my own stuff for that amount?

Thanks for advice in advance!

1) HE Mages are some of the better ones in the game. Be careful, though, since magic can be a very High Risk/High Gain option to rely on.

2) Gryphons aren't so great given their stats vs. cost. Great Eagles, on the other hand, are fabulous for their points, and are the HE's best March-blocker.

3) Depends on what you want them to do. If you want them to cause a lot of damage and wreck enemy units, they're the worst of the HE elite infantry. If you want them to be able to hold well against even tougher enemy units, then I would argue that they are the best choice. Basically, they won't cause a lot of damage, but their Ward Save and Fear-causing can usually give them an edge over enemy units.

4) Tends to be dictated by your preference. While Lion Chariots are almost 2x the cost of a Tiranoc Chariot, it causes Fear and dishes out A LOT more damage on the charge and subsequent rounds. If you want to rely more on Impact Hits anyways and don't really expect protracted combats, you can get ~2 for the same price. Play around to see what your preference is. Luckily, the box-set has bits for either option.

5) Depends on what you plan on using them for. Some will argue that only the Star Dragon is really worthwhile given the increase in stats and breath attack strength. Ultimately, it'll end up being a matter of preference for you, really. If you're going for a dragon-mounted mage, however, go cheap. The mages are pricey enough as is. Horses are fine - remember you can always hide a horse-mounted hero in with infantry.

6) Archers are over-costed for what they can do, so don't take more of them than you need. Depending on preference, you can take the minimum number of archers or go for a mix. Optimal sizes for Spear blocks are 18 or 21 (6x3 or 7x3). Generally, unless you're really feeling like going with a theme, spend more points on your specials/rares.

7) The army box is a fantastic value, and should help build up the foundation for any army you'll build up, up to even around the 2k mark. It comes to about 36% off MSRP. I highly recommend it.

Jin wrote:1) HE Mages are some of the better ones in the game. Be careful, though, since magic can be a very High Risk/High Gain option to rely on.

2) Gryphons aren't so great given their stats vs. cost. Great Eagles, on the other hand, are fabulous for their points, and are the HE's best March-blocker.

3) Depends on what you want them to do. If you want them to cause a lot of damage and wreck enemy units, they're the worst of the HE elite infantry. If you want them to be able to hold well against even tougher enemy units, then I would argue that they are the best choice. Basically, they won't cause a lot of damage, but their Ward Save and Fear-causing can usually give them an edge over enemy units.

4) Tends to be dictated by your preference. While Lion Chariots are almost 2x the cost of a Tiranoc Chariot, it causes Fear and dishes out A LOT more damage on the charge and subsequent rounds. If you want to rely more on Impact Hits anyways and don't really expect protracted combats, you can get ~2 for the same price. Play around to see what your preference is. Luckily, the box-set has bits for either option.

5) Depends on what you plan on using them for. Some will argue that only the Star Dragon is really worthwhile given the increase in stats and breath attack strength. Ultimately, it'll end up being a matter of preference for you, really. If you're going for a dragon-mounted mage, however, go cheap. The mages are pricey enough as is. Horses are fine - remember you can always hide a horse-mounted hero in with infantry.

6) Archers are over-costed for what they can do, so don't take more of them than you need. Depending on preference, you can take the minimum number of archers or go for a mix. Optimal sizes for Spear blocks are 18 or 21 (6x3 or 7x3). Generally, unless you're really feeling like going with a theme, spend more points on your specials/rares.

7) The army box is a fantastic value, and should help build up the foundation for any army you'll build up, up to even around the 2k mark. It comes to about 36% off MSRP. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for the info, will be a definite help when I start getting an army put together