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Hey guys

Im new to WH40k so new infact i don't even know how to play the game yet but i am starting beginner lessons this coming sunday at my local games workshop. Im hoping to soon be decent enough to play but i need advice on good units to field i have some models im currently painting im also new to painting to im nothing special but i think they look ok i will list what i have below so you know what im starting with.

Eldrad Ulthran = 210 pts
The avatar of khaine = 155 pts
6x Pathfinders = 144 pts
Troupe of harlequins with troupe master = 128 pts

Thats what i have so far but what im looking for overall is a good all round army that can dish the damage at range but can deliver a strong punch in close quarters also able to deal with vehicles almost forgot that

Thanks in advance to any replies much appreciated

Well as far as HQs go you have the best two HQs the Eldar can field.

Sadly the Eldar are no good at all in CC, if you want a CC unit drop the Harlies and pick up some Striking Scorpions. They have 3+ Armor Save so it helps keep them alive in CC

Also Howling Banshees are pretty much the perfect example of "strong punch" they either whoop face entirely or get shot to pieces.

Pathfinders are usually not useful at all for their price.

The Bread and Butter of Eldar is "Eldrad + Dire Avengers + Bladestorm"
Example "Eldrad dooms enemies, guides his unit of DA, Exarch uses Bladestorm" You just got at least 30 shots of rerolling to hit and wound. (if I remember right)

If you're completely new to Eldar I would recommend these units to look at and learn about / test

Dire Avengers
Striking Scorpions OR Howling Banshees
Wraithlords
Guardians w/ Warlock that has Conceal


I mean all the units are "good" at something or another, but those are more common units that are somewhat versatile. I only stated the Scorpions or Banshees because you said you wanted CC units.

Harlequins are sadly not that great. They're a little too random and having no armor saves always make them rely on their shimmer suit thing (which isn't that good)

Last but not least

WELCOME to Dakka!! May you be granted supreme wisdom from the followers here!

Well first, you need to look in your codex for your force organization chart. Every game needs a minimum force of 1 headquarters and 2 troops choices. That being said, you do not have that currently. For a newbie, I would suggest getting 2 boxes of Dire Avengers. They will be your base troops units. They are a decent anti-infantry unit and can pack a punch at close range, but do not let them get into close combat. If they do, Counter Charge with the harlequins.

As for Eldrad, he is really good! But at smaller points which I suggest starting with, just use him as a basic farseer. With the prices GW products have, theres no point in buying a ton of things right away.

Secondly, you will need some compulsory units such as your elites units (harlequins which you already own) such as howling banshees, which are great in hand to hang combat, and Fire Dragons, which are your tank hunters. Put these bad boys in a wave serpent transport tank, and you are golden. Also there are Fast attack choices, and Heavy Support options. Eldar have decent tanks especially in Fire Prisms and Warwalker Squadrons. The idea with The heavy support choices is to do what is called SPAMMING, thats taking multiples of the same type of unit. Think of it this way...1 Fire Prism is a target, 2 Fire Prisms is a threat, 3 Fire Prisms can be oppressive.

You have 1 unit of 6 Rangers which can be upgraded to pathfinders and the Farseer, so thats a start. Get the 2 units of Dire Avengers and go from there. I hope this helped. Oh, and welcome to 40k!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, here is what I would suggest as a good starting basic eldar army at 750 points. Sadly though, if you were to field it, it would mean that you would have to go and buy all of these things.

headquarters:
farseer, doom, guide, spirit stones, singing spear = 123
farseer, doom, guide, spirit stones, singing spear = 123

troop:
dire avengers (10), exarch, bladestorm, dual shuriken catapults = 152
dire avengers (10), exarch, bladestorm, dual shuriken catapults = 152

wave serpent, twin linked shuriken cannons = 100
wave serpent, twin linked shuriken cannons = 100

total points: 750
total models: 24

Then if you decided to move up to 1000 points later on you could throw in the following.

heavy support:
wraithlord, eldar missile launcher, wraithsword = 125
wraithlord, eldar missile launcher, wraithsword = 125

total points: 1000
total models: 26

All in all, they aren't overly fancy lists, but they do the trick. You are missing some armour punching power and some close combat versatility, but at the points limit you would be starting it, its not too bad.

Thank you for the advice its very helpful i have the codex im currently reading about force organisation it says (Compulsary) 1 HQ 2 Troops (Optional) 1 HQ 4 Troops 3 Elites (Optional) 3 Fast attack 3 Heavy support what is the maximum amount of each im allowed in a army aka how many HQ's - Troop squads - Elite squads - Fast attack - Heavy support am i allowed per game ? Sorry for so many questions

Im definetly going to get 2 packs of dire avengers on wednesday and try and have them painted for my 40k beginner lessons sunday as it says i need to bring a HQ and 2 troops with me i know they don't have to be painted but i think unpainted models look crappy especially the metal ones

Well just as the book is telling you the minimums of 1 hq and 2 troops, the maximum is as follows.

2 HQ, 3 Elite, 6 Troop, 3 Fast Attack, and 3 Heavy Support. Every game with the exception to apocalypse is played with this minimum/maximum force organization chart. You will rarely fill a force organization chart. The idea is to give you enough options to decide what you need and what type of tactics you and your army excel at best and execute them as best to your ability.

Don't worry about painted or unpainted just yet. As long as your army is always making progress I'm sure things will be ok. I feel the same way about painted miniatures but sometimes you can't get everything done. I like to test out paint schemes before I commit to anything so it takes me a while to find the right look for my army and actually sit down and do the work.

The FOC is usually stretched to extremes in most armies though, such as 1 hvy, 3 fst attack or visa versa.

Another helpful note I'm not sure if it's true myself but I always hear "Mechdar" (Mechanical Eldar) are the only truly powerful lists that you can field with them. So I would recommend working through different tank/transport selections very thoroughly and with much thought!

Firstly, welcome to Eldar

Best advise I can give you is to play some games with your friend and use what you currently have and proxy if for what you think you might like. (Proxy is where you say this model is something else and play with the other model's rules/stats) This will save you a lot of money and heartache.

Going in line with what you currently have you will have to pick up another troop as others have said just to be legal. Pickup a box of Dire Avengers and a Wave Serpent for now as you'll definitely have a use for these in the future and they will make you legal right away. Take 5 DA and a Serpent, yay you now have a 160+pt scoring troop with anti-tank ability, 12-24" movement, and notoriously hard to kill.

As for your other models, grab a Shadowseer from your FLGS or GW site... it is basically required for banshees. At that point you can run:

5 Harlies with Kisses (friendly games not having exact weapon loadouts should be fine), Troupe Master with PW, and Shadowseer with Kiss. Attach Eldrad to them and now you have a unit with 5++ save (double save with fortune) with Veil of Tears making them a pain to target. It's 200pts, but 24 tending attacks + 5 PW attacks at S4 I7.

Run the Avatar in front of this unit with Eldrad's other fortune on him, but Pathfinder tactics I can't speak to very well as I have never had luck with them.

Anyhoo getting back to my orginal advise, before you start you inevitable spending spree try out the different units with proxying. Buy a pack of Dire Avengers and a Serpent, but also get a Shadowseer if you plan to play your Harlequins.

Final piece of advice, take Dakka list advise with a grain of salt when it comes to Eldar. There is a million different ways to play them each with their own synergy and benefits. A lot of us with fight blood tooth and nail on what we believe is "right".

I remember Eldar in second ed when they had no mech. Only jetbikes and foot sloggers (plus swooping chickens and jumping spiders) They definitely didn't need the tanks then or probably now. You can also do a very solid army with wraithlords, wraithguard, and rangers

Thanks for the tips guys they are helping me slowly understand what im going to need as basic troops and stuff. Another question does a wave serpant take up 1 of my 3 elite slots or can you assign it to a elite squad ?

In my eldar army i have a lot of dire avengers. They give you a lot more firepower than from guardians and striking scorpions and nice too.

Another noob question i have looked in the codex and on the games workshop site that the wave serpent transport is in the elites section does it take up one of my 3 force organisation elite slots or do you just assign it to a squad ?

Thanks to any replies

The Wave Serpent is a dedicated transport. As such it can ONLY be bought with a unit that can take it as a transport. That is, Guardians, Dire Avengers, Striking Scorpions, Banshees, Dark Reapers, Wraith Guard and Warlocks.

The Serpent itself does not take up a FOC.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

BlueDagger hit the nail right on the head with his previous post. especially when he said to proxy aspects of your army. It will definitely save you money in the long run and helps when you decide to expand your force further. There is na sense in buying useless models/squads when you find out later that you wont use them....(damn swooping hawks)...

Also, us eldar players don't always stick together on army building advice. Just know that there is alot of fun and creative builds out there so just take everyones advice with a grain of salt.

Lastly, have fun. Its a game first and foremost. So don't let anyone ever take that from you. Not on Dakka (or any site for that matter...), not from your gamers at FLGS, and not from the backwards employees from at a GW store. This is a hobby to bring like minded people together, not set them apart. Some people seem to forget that. So go out and enjoy bringing pain to the little plastic men of your enemies!