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The main problem with the Eldar Codex is that you're utterly spoiled for choice. There are only a few units in there you wouldn't take, everything is pretty much awesome at what it does. This makes it very hard to choose which to take, and also quite hard to make it balanced in the process. This is a list I composed one evening on a whim, to see how it would fly with the web. Not supposed to be particularly competitive or themed, just quite balanced and mostly fun to play. Have a nagging feeling I should have put in a few transports instead of more troops, but I wanna hear your opinions on how to improve/change/refine this list.

HQ

Farseer - Singing Spear, Spirit Stones, Runes of Witnessing
Doom, Guide 133



Elites

Fire Dragons - 7 including Exarch
Exarch:- Firepike and Crack Shot 137

Striking Scorpions - 8 including Exarch
Exarch:- Biting Blade and Shadowstrike 165

Howling Banshees - 9 including Exarch
Exarch:- Executioner, Acrobatic and Warshout 176



Troops

Dire Avengers - 10 including Exarch
Exarch:- Bladestorm, Defend, Powersword and Shimmershield. 177


Dire Avengers - 10 including Exarch
Exarch:- Bladestorm, Defend, Powersword and Shimmershield. 177



Fast Attack

Warp Spiders - 8 including Exarch
Exarch:- Extra Spinner, Withdraw and Powerblades 214



Heavy Support

Fire Prism - Holofield and Shuriken Cannon 160

Fire Prism - Holofield and Shuriken Cannon 160


Final Points - 1499


Tactic-wise, the idea it to take the Scorpions, Spiders, and Prisms to overwhelm one flank and maybe contest objectives later in the game. The Farseer would stay with one of the DA squads and play defensive along with the other squad of DA, and then the Fire Dragons and Howling Banshees have a counter-assault role should they be attacked. My reason for giving the DA the Defend power and the shimmershield is that they are the principle troop unit, and therefore will be likely to enter combat at some point.

My take on it is that I might need a Wave Serpent instead of one of the CC units (maybe take the banshees out and give the dragons a WS to go hunt tanks or something). I was tempted to add a few Scatter-laser armed War Walkers, but I already have a lot of horde-killing power in the Bladestorms, dunno which way to go on that. It should do ok in a killpoints situation and even if I have to play objectives, then the plan called 'Kill everything they have so they can't hold objectives' should work as well. Feedback time! Waddya think? Be as harsh as you feel is necessary.

You will definitely, definitely need some wave serpents in the mix somewhere. Eldar on foot tend to get minced, and you want maximum squad numbers when those bladestorms go off. Furthermore, you should run the exarchs with two shuricats if you are using bladestorm, and pw+ss for defend. Taking both powers slightly confuses their role. You need to trim those points off to optimise them. Interestingly a defend exarch with ss makes a good pseudo tarpit when coupled with fortune.

Running two troops without transports, you will have a really really hard time capping objectives.

I would argue that you don't need banshees and scorps. Against dedicated cc lists both will be wiped off the board fairly quickly going toe to toe.

I would say the survivability of this list is pretty low. It lacks maneuvaerability and durability. Trim down your aspect warrior squads and find some points for wave serpents. I would drop one cc squad, put the other and your spiders down to 6 men. I would also take 5 fire dragons and drop the exarch. Then put as much as you can in transports, fire dragons and bladestroming Avengers being the priority.

Hope that helps, sorry if it's a bit of a ramble.





Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, whilst fire prisms are ace. You could drop both, take one falcon with a bright lance and put the remaining points towards one of your wave serpents. When it comes to loadouts for the ws, my personal favourite are EMLs.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The falcon can ferry your fire dragons around.

*SQUISH*

that is the sound I hear this list making when it comes into contact with the enemy. While you do indeed have an army of varied aspect warriors, you lack any sort of real synergy between your units.

To help you out, we'll go through some of the roles of the units being used incorrectly.

Fire Dragons in an eldar list should generally be taken as cheaply as possible in a wave serpent. The usual build is
5 Dragons
Wave Serpent- tl shuri cannon

This comes out to 180 points. The units role is to fly into the heart of the enemy and destroy thier most important unit-such as a landraider transporting termies, etc. 5 melta guns will generally do just that. The squad should be kept cheap- because they will die . Opponents tend not to like you destroying their important models. Your squad however is on foot- they are also your only real source of reliable anti heavy tank. Add this to their short range, low toughness, and middling armor... and you've got a recipe for disaster! Fire Dragons NEED a delivery system, otherwise they will be targeted before they can get in range.

Banshees also need a transport. Your squad set up is fine, but without a transport they- like fire dragons- are mincemeat. Slow, low toughness, middling armor. If they get shot they will take massive casualties. When banshees are played they are run as a counter assault unit in a mech list. You keep them in a shooty wave serpent near your other serpents. When something scary and fast comes close- such as fnp jump blood angels with melta guns for instance. The banshees hop out of the transport BEFORE its moved, move 6 inches, fleet, and assault. Trying to walk them up the battlefield will see them dead, and leaving them behind in cover will not make use of those power weapons. Harlequins are a better unit on foot, the shadow seer makes them relatively untargetable, they ignore terrain, get rending with kisses, have as many attacks as scorpions, and have the same strength on the charge (furious charge)

Your Dire Avengers would be ok in some lists, but not in this one. That set up requires a fortune seer, and a units which need to be protected from enemy charges- such as wraithguard. Remember, like banshees and fire dragons, are too frail to walk up the field, t3 4+ save leaves a lot to be desired.

Otherwise, Dire Avengers should take 2 catapults, bladestorm, and go in a wave serpent. That way they can deliver their impressive firepower anywhere on the battlefield.

If you do not want to put your troops in a Wave Serpent, then pretty much every other choice in the codex will outperform Dire Avengers in the troop slot. Rangers and defenders with a heavy weapon platform are better at hiding on an objective and giving long range cover shots. and Jetbikes are superior due to their t4, 3+ save, and massive movement ability- and the 3+ cover save they can claim from that.

Your warpspiders look fine. The only point of contention I have with them is that once you've taken withdraw and the powered blades, its worthwhile looking to put an Autarch in the squad.
Autarch- warp jump generator, mandiblasters, power weapon, fusion gun
An Autarch will help your Scorpions and Spiders arrive from reserve easier, and he'll add 6 power weapon attacks to anything your Warp Spiders charge, making the unit able to win combats against fire support squads.

Your Scorpions are generally fine. I would perfer the claw to the biting blade, as the claw gives you a weapon to hit units with 3+ and 2+ saves with, as well as giving consistant s6 against vehicles. Although the biting blade CAN hit vehicles harder if you are lucky.

OK

So overall you need to make some real changes. You lack the long range fire power to play defensively, harlequins make better counter charge units on foot. Fire Dragons really need a transport badly...

The only units in your list capable of engaging armor from range are the fire dragons, warp spiders and sadly your fire prisms who would rather be shooting infantry. And the Spiders cannot touch heavier armor values without an autarch with a fusion gun.

My 1500 list contains many of the units you want to include- except warp spiders... I add them in at 2000 Take a gander at it to see if its something that might suit your fancy

akaean's 1500 wrote:

HQ: 98
Farseer- Warding, Spear, Doom [98]

Elites: 497
5 Fire Dragons
Wave Serpent- tl shuri cannon

10 Banshees- exarch, executioner, acrobatic
Wave Serpent- tl eldar missile launcher, underslung cannon

Troops: 673

10 Storm Guardians + Warlock- 2 flamers, destructor
Wave Serpent- tl bright lance

10 Dire Avengers- Exarch, 2 catapults, bladestorm
Wave Sepent- tl bright lance

3 Gu Bikes + Warlock- cannon, spear, embolden

Heavy Support: 230

Fire Prism
Fire Prism

Wave Serpents are king. If you want to stay on foot... you need totally different units!

Well, it's true I have heard from many sources that mechanized Eldar are the way to go. The problem with vehicles is that they cost even more £££ to procure. Quick question, would an Avatar be suitable for a list as small as 1500 points? Or save him for the 2k+ lists?


Very interesting list incidentally akaean, how do you play the Farseer in it?

I usually play my Farseer pretty simply. stick it in with either the banshees or dire avengers- doesn't much matter because he seldom actually leaves the transport. Then just cast doom at whatever needs it most. IE the unit the banshees are going to leap out and charge, or something about to get pounded by a bladestorm or 3 flamers. You get the idea.

I used to run both guide and doom, but I didn't feel like I casted guide enough, sure its devestating when combined with bladestorm, but you can only bladestorm every other turn, and even then, practically speaking you won't be bladestorming every turn you can. when I'm trying to fit as much as possible into a list, often I don't find guide worth the extra 40 points (for the power and spirit stones). If I ran 3 scatter walkers more regularly , I'd probably be singing a different tune