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Is it useful to any degree? Because the FW Warp Hunter is a cool model, and would like to use it, but I am not sure how useful the D-Cannon is.

Like all the Support Weapon Battery options the D Cannon is terrible unfortunately. Its only 24" range and they are incredibly fragile - AV10 (which dies to any damage result) and Guardians as crew. It also can't move and fire, which in an Eldar army is almost enough of a reason to leave it behind by itself. As such you have to be very lucky to be able to shoot with it, you have to last until turn 3 and hope something is silly enough to walk into range. Its also only BS3, so can easily miss things.

The Warp Hunter is also pretty meh, but at least it can move and fire (and yes the model is cool). In general though its completely outclassed by a standard Prism. Unfortunately Forgeworld are still very much in the 4th edition mindset for Eldar (as in their rules are all based on the assumption that the 4th edition book is balanced/competitive, which it isn't).

The main draw with the Warp Hunter is that it has an attack which is basically a D-Cannon, but using a template.

Huh, I was not aware that the Heavy Weapons platform could not move and shoot. I was under the impression that because of the anti grav tech, it could, much like the weapon platform a regular guardian squad gets.

I have never used a Heavy Weapons Platform though, and was thinking about it, so will have to look it up.

No, it is artillery. You are thinking Guardian heavy weapons that count as assault b/c of their hover platform.

Yeah, its artillery.

forruner_mercy wrote:The main draw with the Warp Hunter is that it has an attack which is basically a D-Cannon, but using a template.

Which is pretty meh.... Using that fire mode requires you to get your expensive AV12 vehicle which doesn't have Energy Fields into melta range. Its comparable to a Land Raider Redeemer (slightly more damage output but balanced somewhat by the fact the Redeemer has two templates) except its not hard to kill at all, has no transport ability and gets shut down by a single weapon destroyed (since it only has 1 single weapon) or a shaken result (since it doesn't have Machine Spirit). I guess you can hurt vehicles with it, but tbh hitting 1-2 vehicles with a low percentage chance to kill (5+ then 5+) shot at point blank range isn't a very reliable plan and tends to result in a dead skimmer the following turn. You can get away with this if its something like a 60pt Land Speeder with a multi melta, which is 3+ to hit then something like 58% chance to pen AV14, followed by a 50% chance to kill (which is much better odds to kill than the Warp Rift from longer range and scales up with lower AV), but you can't suicide 125pt+ tanks which are eating into your heavy support slots.

The main advantage of the Warp Hunter is that it gets you an extended range D Cannon which can move and shoot. That at least has some use in a long ranged heavy anti tank/heavy infantry role, its decent but its not as good as linked Prisms against heavy vehicles and obviously miles behind Dragons. The issue really is that its incredibly inefficient against lighter vehicles (since its still only getting pens on a 5+). When I can already get a S8 shot (which has the same odds to kill against AV11-12, the most common AV you face) on a more durable and flexible Serpent for cheaper, being able to pen anything on a 5+ isn't that amazing really. If it were a 4+ then it would actually be decent competition for a Prism.

Did bring up a good point with the 5+ thing.

I am pretty sure the D-Cannon HEavy Weapon Support because they have 2 crewmen, can move with one and shoot with the other. I am fairly certain, it can. But regardless, I never take them as there are so many good things to take in the Heavy Support Role, I never can seem to justify the BS weak as guardian units... Cheers

Yeah, it seems those just don't fit too well with the Eldar right now.
Hopefully Eldar will get a Necrons treatment near 6th Ed or before.