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.

I'm soon going to playing against a friends Dark Eldars. It will be my 5th game overall. So I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

I've been reading alot of tactics here on dakka. But when it comes to dark eldar I'm drawing a blanc.

It will be a series of relatively small scale (500-1000pts) games.

I need some help with tactics (duh) on what to do, and what not to do, against these fast buggers.

Here's what I have.

Captain with powersword

Chief Librarian Tigurius

10 regular terminators

5 scouts with snipers missile launcher + Telion

10 marines including flamer missile launcher and sarge

1 dreadnought with multimelta dccw and attached storm bolter

And I will probably manage to get my hands on 5 assault terminators before the game as well

So... Let it rip

General advice when fighting Dark Eldar

1) You can kill their transports with Bolter and Heavy Bolters, don't underestimate this.
2) They can bring a sickening amount of cheap, strong anti-tank firepower to the table. The vast majority of it has the "Lance" rule so a Land Raider is no better than a Dreadnought. This means that going with more, cheaper vehicles is the way to go.
3) You need some kind of long range shooting to knock them out of the air before they can shoot you/assault you.
4) If properly decked out, their assault units will murder your Marines, even TH/SS Terminators will have a hard time with them.

For your army, you really need to get more Tac squads and some Rhinos, that is the safest place to be. Flamers and Missile Launchers will handle everything they can field so you don't have to worry about the more exotic weapons.

well i wouldn't bring tigurius in your list he's a pretty big point sink and usually fare no better than a normal episotlary...

Get more bodies, you need more bodies to pile up the battle field in order to stop the DEs

Too many Terminators, 5 is plenty. More Tactical Marines and maybe some Devastators with HB's

I wouldn't a take any Terms. DE are made to beat MEQ, 99% of DE armies over 1000pts will have 9 plasma cannons mounted on fast skimmers.


You best bet is to spend those points taking as many missile launchers you can. Also swap the arms on your dread to auto-cannons.

Clthomps wrote:I wouldn't a take any Terms. DE are made to beat MEQ, 99% of DE armies over 1000pts will have 9 plasma cannons mounted on fast skimmers.


You best bet is to spend those points taking as many missile launchers you can. Also swap the arms on your dread to auto-cannons.

This. Though I think you would learn more by not tailoring your list vs a specific army.

I was actually thinking more in tactics with what i have rather than what I should buy next . . but thx.

nielsen333 wrote:I was actually thinking more in tactics with what i have rather than what I should buy next . . but thx.

Tactics? Shoot out their Raiders and Ravagers ASAP, then bolter them to death, they won't be getting armour saves

Generally I play bigger games(2-4k) but in your place I would throw meat at them. Lots of low costing models however don't forget about their vehicles. I don't have much experience agenst DE, but a dreadnaught should do the trick.

Well, I'd consider a foot slogging force with
two full Tacticals (ml, plasma gun),
one unit of shooty Termies (cyclone),
Librarian with nullzone (vs Wyches),
Devastators (4 ml's).

Add some mobile units that can take on approaching DE skimmers, like Attack Bikes or Speeders (only if you can hide them first turn).

gunline gunline gunline, I cannot stress that enough. Try as you may to get into close combat but if he is using incubi wyches he will attack first and they got some nasty attacks, plus syches get a 4++ in close combat. DE have an average save of 5+ bolters, flamers ect would be devastating to them; MM and ML on the transports would be an easy take out as well but i may suggest using frag missles on the troops.

I like to use lots of scouts. they can shoot them and hold them in combat ok after the first assault but you can start in cover and get your scout moves. No land raiders, no terminators. use stern guard better shooting option and a base 2 attacks.Run 1 HQ captain should do calgar runs through dark eldar as well.

Who is that captain where you can use a ordanence weapon? he would seem like a sold choice too. with my CSM i've learned all to well that pricy HQ is not how you beat DE; its with firepower and numbers.

1. KILL THOSE TRANSPORTS. The number one strength of the DE is their speed. If they have to hoof it, they'll be sitting ducks.

2. Dark Eldar specialize in Rock, Paper, Scissors. That is they have no "jack of all trades" units (with the exception of perhaps the warriors). So to do this, you'll need to pick your battles. Even more important is fielding a list that allows you to pick your battles. You'll want to kite (shoot, retreat, rinse, repeat) the wytches, bash the warriors, outnumber the lances, and weather their splinters.


The thing to remember is that victory for a Dark Eldar player hinges on being able to maximize his advantages while minimizing his disadvantages. You'll want to make it difficult for him to do what he needs to do.

For 85 points you can have dakka pred and/or a whirlwind.

For 100 you could go templating with St6 AP5 Thunderfire goodness..

oo they would HATE thunderfire

Alex you're thinking of the Chapter Master. 25 Points more gets you a the Bombardment, but I alays use those 25 points elsewhere.

My SoB smashed some DE the other day though using some Exorcist tanks. SM can replicate that firepower by simply taking lots of Missile Launchers. They're faily cheap and can wipe up the troops once the Krak missiles have wiped out the transports.

Transports>Ravengers>Dark Lances>CC forces.

I'd go with the Devstators in this case, throw them in cover and they'll last a lot longer than a Dakka Pred.