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What is the best Eldar HQ configuration for all around play?

... Farseer will be the best choice for most people...
... If you're taking a Farseer upgrade him to Eldrad and you now have the equivalent of 3 farseers...

Now that is very general and wooly but without know how your army is set up i can't recommend any of the more specialist HQs

I can concur with that. Although I don't have an Eldar army personally my girlfriend has been playtesting hers for the last few weeks and through numerous battles I've been subject to much slaughter at the hands of her Farseer's mind trickery. Being able to cast Doom and Fortune in the same turn can make a hell of a difference. Only thing I will say is that Mind War seems a bit pricey for something that isn't that effective against HQs - only really worth using on low leadership (maybe up to leadership 8) champions or elites - as she's never been able to take down any of my big beasties with it.

I really like Farseer

but if I have a ton of DS or reserves, 2 Autarchs are great since unlike everyone else I believe, they stack

kenshin620 wrote:I really like Farseer

but if I have a ton of DS or reserves, 2 Autarchs are great since unlike everyone else I believe, they stack

So long as you follow the eldar FAQ they do stack.

A Farseer is the best allround HQ in the Eldar codex.
Configuration depends on the army list.

Tri wrote:

kenshin620 wrote:I really like Farseer

but if I have a ton of DS or reserves, 2 Autarchs are great since unlike everyone else I believe, they stack

So long as you follow the eldar FAQ they do stack.

Heh cool I just noticed I can also only have one or none use their abilities

Eldar, unlike imperium, 2 minds is better than 4!

All of the HQ's have a role, so "best" choice will be in terms of the lists focus. Some of them are total gak, so it's easy to say DON't take those. But here is a dirty breakdown as I have managed to figure it out.

All Viable:

Farseer
Eldrad
Autarch
Yriel
Avatar of Khaine

In the lower point games your best choice is a Doom-Seer or Guide-Seer depending on the focus of your list, they are probably most cost-effective and effective.

Autarch is good for any reserves trickery you might be trying.

Once the points get a bit higher Eldrad and Yriel are amazing, but dual Guide/Doom-seers are also viable.

The Avatar of Khaine is good in a solid footslog list, but he is much more effective when run with a Fortune-Seer.

The best, without a shadow of a doubt is eldrad.
after that is a doom/guide farseer, then Yriel.

If your foot slogging then the Avatar becomes a very good option, but if your meched up they are far to slow.

at 1500 points there is little else worth taking then Eldrad 90% of the time though to be honest

doomseer with runes of warding is a good one to stick in a drop-n-pop bladestormer squad of avengers. it's cheap (comparatively), offers psyker protection, and makes your avengers mean and scary. they dont need guide they shoot pretty straight as it is, but rerolling wounds is priceless.

Eldrad is obviously the most superior, but he costs so much and isn't really a 'fighter' character. All it takes is some librarian with a psykic hood and you have 200+ points of psyker powers not being used when they are needed. For huge games I would prefer Eldrad, but below 2000 I think he is often a waste of points, unless you know you are facing an enemy with no ability to nix your psyker powers.

I bought this army on eBay and it came a little HQ heavy. Here is the total list:

1 – Farseer
1 – Eldrad Ulthran
1 - Karandras
1 - The Avatar of Khaine

6 - Striking Scorpions
5 - Fire Dragons (1 exarch)
48 – Guardians (1 heavy supprt team)
5 – Dire Avengers (1 exarch)
12 – Storm Guardians
6 - Pathfinders
4 – Jetbike Guardians
1 – Wave Serpent
2 – Vypers
2 – Falcon
1 – War Walker
1 – Wraithlord

Thanks!

ouch. Way too many guardians, plus Falcons and Vypers are gimped by 5th ed. the scorps and dragons, wraithlod, warwalker are all good, as are the rangers and jetbikers and a plain ol farseer... but ech... so many wimpy overpriced guardians, its like a 'horde' army but costs too many points. Still, anything you spam enough will become problematic for an opponent. I think you'll need more support platforms for your guys to be legal. Every defender squad is required to have one. I would suggest playing lower point games so you can use a higher proportion of your effective units and minimise the reliance on guardians and expensive HQ. At 1500 you could build a good diverse army.

Farseer with 2x powers, stones, runes up to 1250.

At 1250 or more I see no reason not to take Eldrad. He is so much better than a standard Farseer for roughly 50 more points.

I see people who say that he has no place in a mech list, but I like the Avatar as well. He is slow, but he can provide a shooting army with a counter attack unit and fire magnet all in one 155 point package. Instead of neglecting any form of assault (like many eldar players do) or deluding yourself that Banshees or Scorpions are viable (which they aren't when you factor in their cost), you can get the Avatar.

mcyeatman wrote:I bought this army on eBay and it came a little HQ heavy. Here is the total list:

1 – Farseer
1 – Eldrad Ulthran ( make him your HQ)
1 - Karandras (Don't try PL till you've ready use him as another Scorpion for now)
1 - The Avatar of Khaine (If you're fielding the Wraith Lord he's a good option)

6 - Striking Scorpions
5 - Fire Dragons (1 exarch) (they take the wave serpent)
5 – Dire Avengers (1 exarch) (too small unless you sit them in a falcon)

12 – Storm Guardians
48 – Guardians (1 heavy supprt team)
Take your Guardians and do this. Ten + scatter Laser, Every one else is spread in to the storm guardians (If you can you want one model looking like a warlock (with destructor) and two with flamers in each unit)

6 - Pathfinders (sit them high up in terrain and they'll last till they're assaulted)
4 – Jetbike Guardians (reserve and enter later)
1 – Wave Serpent
2 – Vypers (If you can set up on these should be ether Scatter lasers or missiles+shurican cannon)
2 – Falcon (euck)
1 – War Walker (you want a full unit if not more)
1 – Wraithlord (you need at least a pair ... also note wraith sight you'll need psykers in your army)

Eldrad is the best HQ in most cases. Gets all psyker powers and can cast 3 per turn. Runes of warding for psyker defense and redeployment is awesome.

Regular Farseer on a Jetbike with fortune is good if you want to run a warlocks on a jetbikes because Eldrad can't ride a jetbike.

Autarchs can be good in an all reserve mech list that makes late game objective grabs.

Avatar can be decent in a foot list with Guardians with heavy weapons in cover with Eldrad to buff them and Wraith Lords for ranged anti tank.

Depends on what you want to do with your army which HQ(s) you take.

Kirika wrote:Regular Farseer on a Jetbike with fortune is good if you want to run a warlocks on a jetbikes because Eldrad can't ride a jetbike.

Just to point out that its normally far better to have Eldrad in a wave-serpent casting on those Jetlocks. Eldrads not bad in CC but every one will be aiming for him because they'll lose their staying power once he's gone

I like to run a Farseer (Fortune,Doom, and Guide) with 4 warlocks (Enhance,Embolden, and 2 Destrucors). I'll swap Eldrad for the Farseer if there's enough points.

Eldrad + Yriel + 8-10 Locks

Eldrad and the Avatar nearby

Eldrad + Asurmen + 10 DA (sometimes, if I'm feeling squirrely).

Notice the one unit that is common in all those lists?

He's too great of a force multiplier (especially with the casting radius stretching out from a Wave Serpent) to not take him.

And I don't know who posted above, but I still love Falcon's thank you very much. Pulse Laser + Bright Lance carrying 5 Fire Dragons in the backfield to protect 10 Dark Reapers from drop pods, dreadnoughts, etc., etc. have worked magically for me in the recent past.

Eldarad almost every time (unless it's under 1500pts).

Above that then always Eldrad and usually the Avatar as well.

I do run footslogging though.

Farseer. It's cheap.

Thanks for the feedback.

Since I'm new to Eldar, does anyone run warlock with the guardians?

mcyeatman wrote:Thanks for the feedback.

Since I'm new to Eldar, does anyone run warlock with the guardians?

Yes Conceal is nice so they have a little survivability. Enhance if i'm running Storm Guardians. I'll also pay the extra points to make them a Spiritseer if I have Wraithlords on the field.

Cover is easy enough to find nowadays, so 'embolden' works a lot better than 'conceal' nowadays, since all you need is someone else in front of them for a cover save. Running away is the worst part of Guardians, especially when it's large squads getting hosed in a shooting phase and running before you can have a chance to actually use their guns. The Warlock's witchblade/spear also makes for a great "hidden" anti-tank element for a unit that otherwise just kind of sucks. Guardians are damn near useless if they break, and they break pretty easy. Warlocks with destructor get stacked up in command HQ squads, and yeah give one of them a singing spear and 'enhance' instead. Warlocks with Embolden go in wimpy Guardian squads.

Guitardian wrote:Cover is easy enough to find nowadays, so 'embolden' works a lot better than 'conceal' nowadays, since all you need is someone else in front of them for a cover save. .

I usually have the Avatar near by so I don't have to worry about running away. I use them as a 20 man meat shield that's why they have conceal. 40 of them in the front field giving the back field a cover save.

In foot lists the Avatar excels but there really isnt an Eldar army that wouldn't benefit from a Farseer/Eldrad

As far as foot lists go Ive see Maugen Ra really wreck some face while possible not as "competitive" as other HQ's I do think he is the most viable phoenix lord