Why is the Autarch so bad?

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.

**willydstyle**

Redbeard wrote:Because he's not an Exarch. An Exarch is an Eldar who is lost on a Warrior Path. They cannot leave that path, so they develop further skills and train those Eldar who are passing through the path (the normal aspect warriors).

An Autarch, on the other hand, is an Eldar who has followed an Aspect path for part of their life, but who then followed a different path, eventually coming to the Path of Command. They never got stuck on any one path, and were never Exarchs. Expecting them to have Exarch skills wouldn't fit the story.

It's not like Marines, where you go from Scout->Squad Member->Sergeant->Captain->Commander (assuming you survive long enough). An Exarch is a final state, by definition, they're Eldar who can no longer switch the path they're on. Autarchs are not a further progression, they're a different path altogether.

That's why GW should change the frakkin story! If Autarchs were former Exarchs who managed to escape their trap, then letting them have one piece of exarch gear with an exarch skill to match would be very fitting.

**Tri**

willydstyle wrote:That's why GW should change the frakkin story! If Autarchs were former Exarchs who managed to escape their trap, then letting them have one piece of exarch gear with an exarch skill to match would be very fitting.

So what Guardian, Aspect, Exarch, Autarch and finally Phoenix Lord? (the orginal lords die years ago but we can replace them with exceptional Autarches since no one knows what they look like under their armour)

**Fenris-77**

Meh, the fact that the Autarch's underpowered-ness is fluffy doesn't impress me. If his points cost was commensurately under powered that would be a different story. But problem is that I'm paying for Rambo and getting Erkel. I suppose they're not terrible in some specific lists, btu mostly I think they're a decidedly weak sister next to the farseer and Avatar.

**willydstyle**

Something like that, only Phoenix Lords are kind of a special case. I was under the impression that anyone who donned the armor became the Phoenix Lord, regardless of previous experience.

**Tri**

Stand corrected .. must have misread that all those moons ago ... still it stands that the best of the best get to wear the armour.

**Nurglitch**

willydstyle is correct, the current codex has Phoenix Lords being like other Exarchs, a suit incorporating multiple spirit stones and worn by the latest in a line of hosts whose spirits are dominated by the first and greatest to wear that armour.

**BlueDagger**

I think the problem doesn't really stem from how bad Autarchs are for the point cost, but rather how good Farseers are for the point cost. A good boost for them would be +1 or -1 to all reserves rolls and maybe +1 to seize the initiative.

On the note of Phoenix Lords... they make me cry. Such awesome fluffiness wrapped in a rediculous point cost and Meh stats. Hawks Phoenix Lord in particular makes me sad for him.

**willydstyle**

BlueDagger wrote:I think the problem doesn't really stem from how bad Autarchs are for the point cost, but rather how good Farseers are for the point cost. A good boost for them would be +1 or -1 to all reserves rolls and maybe +1 to seize the initiative.

On the note of Phoenix Lords... they make me cry. Such awesome fluffiness wrapped in a rediculous point cost and Meh stats. Hawks Phoenix Lord in particular makes me sad for him.

You're the second to make this assertion, and I just don't think it's true. Compare an autarch to a warboss, and you can see that despite the high WS, BS, and I the Autarch just doesn't stack up because of T3, S3. Even a captain with a power weapon kicks the crap out of an autarch with full CC kit (mandiblasters, power weapon), and for not that many more points (115 vs. 90ish). By the time you really kit out an Autarch, you could spend the same number of points on aspect warriors and get more wounds and more attacks.

**Sliggoth**

Willy has it pretty much dead on. The T3 and Str3 are terrible handicaps on the charts that a WS6 and BS6 dont come close to offsetting. Not only does the T3 make it terribly easy to wound an autarch, it also leaves an autarch terribly vulnerable to instant death. Str6 and str7 weaponry are all too common. Autarch vs lootas is no fun for the autarch.

Good cc characters do NOT have str3/ T3.

Sliggoth

**Airmaniac**

Tri wrote:
Airmaniac wrote:Yes, but those 50 points for the Company Command Squad itself have their own benefits (like giving Orders and being able to take multiple Special Weapons).

You can't seriously try to argue that an Autarch is as good as a Company Command Squad with an Officer of Reserve Roll Bonus.
No but he gets Hell of allot better stats, and thats going to drive up his value. Basically its not a fair comparison. If he was only WS4 BS4 I4 with a 5+ save ... 30pts would be fairer but he doesn't He's got more a shed load of 6's and a 3+/4++.

Yes, because stats like WS and I are obviously good when you have S3 and T3, meaning you will want to avoid combat. If you think +2 WS, +2 BS and +2 I is worth a points increase of 133%, then I don't know what to say.

**Tri**

you can't have anything for nothing ... i'm sure that if his stats were only 4 and 3 then he wouldn't cost more 40pts. Also Airmaniac 133%? Autarch 70pts Company command squad with an astropath 80pts (so the Autarch is 87.5% of the cost of the same thing in an IG army) Yes its one vs six but those IG only have a 5+ and can't join other units. I'll also say again that I'd kill for Company command squad as part of the eldar army; the thing is the Autarch is fairly priced It would be great if he could +/- 1 from reserve rolls, even better would be after you've rolled for them he can choose whether they come on this turn or go back into reserves and roll again next turn. However he doesn't and on a jetbike (T3[4]) with laser lance and mandiblasters he is death.