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It seems odd to me that the DE reproduce enough to sustain their losses from assassinations, rampant violence in the streets, combat, and general debauchery whereas the Craftworlds are depicted as declining with a number of stillborn.

Eldar reproduction is already complex enough what with the multiple fertilisations... so what gives? Are the Craftworld Eldar just utterly abstinent in comparison to their sexually voracious kin?

I believe Jes Goodwin said that it's because they have a lot more sex in the Dark Eldar introductory video they did when the DE got released.

cloning

They are growing new Eldar in vats. Albeit, they're considered second-class-citizens...

Aye, most of the rank-and-file warriors are vat-grown mongrels. The number of "true" dark eldar may well have declined even worse than the craftworlders due to their incessant infighting.

Have a glance at the galaxy map in the 40k core rulebook, where it shows the areas of influence for each species. I think you'll agree from that pic that the DE are desperately in need of a population increase.

But seriously to answer your question, it's the whole grimdark thing. The eldar are slowly dying out, that's just their shtick. Whereas the dark eldar are EVIL! And EVIL threats are gathering to converge on the imperium! Being EVIL means you mostly lose in important battles, but you get plot armour against extinction because if you die out, the imperium can't keep killing you anymore.

Because elves in the Lord of the Rings are in decline, and eldar are a direct rip-off of them.
There's no reason for "decline" really unless they've forgotten how to make babies.

As long as the warrior isnt completely obliterated, he can be regrown by even just his finger. So in a way, DE never really die.

Cloning mainly. The old houses of Commorragh still reproduce at a slow rate and that is why Trueborn are considered an elite.

Plus Commorragh isn't just Dark Eldar. There's plenty of Mutants, brigands, and other kinds of aliens.

Eldar use condoms

Ulthanashville wrote:Have a glance at the galaxy map in the 40k core rulebook, where it shows the areas of influence for each species. I think you'll agree from that pic that the DE are desperately in need of a population increase.

But seriously to answer your question, it's the whole grimdark thing. The eldar are slowly dying out, that's just their shtick. Whereas the dark eldar are EVIL! And EVIL threats are gathering to converge on the imperium! Being EVIL means you mostly lose in important battles, but you get plot armour against extinction because if you die out, the imperium can't keep killing you anymore.

The dark eldar dont control alot because they are raiders and they use the warp so they dont have to control space to get anywhere.Acording to the fluff comagrath is many houses that somehow are concected into a tiny amount of space plany of placee for population. How that works i have no idea.

Joey wrote:Because elves in the Lord of the Rings are in decline, and eldar are a direct rip-off of them.
There's no reason for "decline" really unless they've forgotten how to make babies.

That's the point - they don't make ones.
As I understand, Eldar mating takes long time and with several men.
And to achieve mating they need to have Sex, one of the forbidden pleasures for Eldar.

Dark Eldar are all about drug, sex and rock n' roll so it's no wonder there are more of them then Craftworld Eldar.

MasterSlowPoke wrote:I believe Jes Goodwin said that it's because they have a lot more sex in the Dark Eldar introductory video they did when the DE got released.

VikingScott wrote:cloning

Right, dark eldar take increasing their numbers seriously, and have no moral compunctions of any kind whatsoever. Amongst these, I'd also add that they take slaves (which increases population), and then use the slaves as breeders.

Light side eldar, on the other hand, have all of these morals and principles, and ideals. It's not worth surviving as a species if you have to survive the wrong way. Better to go extinct with your honor in tact than continue on in some debased form.

It's exactly this kind of idiocy that is the cause why we no longer have Shakers.

Ailaros wrote:

MasterSlowPoke wrote:I believe Jes Goodwin said that it's because they have a lot more sex in the Dark Eldar introductory video they did when the DE got released.

VikingScott wrote:cloning

Right, dark eldar take increasing their numbers seriously, and have no moral compunctions of any kind whatsoever. Amongst these, I'd also add that they take slaves (which increases population), and then use the slaves as breeders.

Light side eldar, on the other hand, have all of these morals and principles, and ideals. It's not worth surviving as a species if you have to survive the wrong way. Better to go extinct with your honor in tact than continue on in some debased form.

It's exactly this kind of idiocy that is the cause why we no longer have Shakers.

so.... does that mean humans and dark eldar can actually breed?

Also, as someone said here, Dark Eldar warriors and casualties are usually re-grown by the Haemonculi. So the drain on population caused by combat damage is mitigated significantly. Craftworld Eldar, on the other hand, just pop the soulstone into the Craftworld and done.

Not directly, but if a Dark Eldar female retains the Eldar need for multiple genetic donors to have viable offspring, it implies that some of the human genetic code may be compatible with the Dark Eldar. This would not get you a half-human/half-dark eldar child, though. You would have a kid who's parents are a mix of one Dark Eldar female, several Dark Eldar males, a male human or two, maybe a Tau guy, and some red-skinned, black-tattooed repto-mammalian with spines and horns growing out of his head every which way.

Brother Coa wrote:
As I understand, Eldar mating takes long time and with several men.

Any text-ev? AFAIR eldar reproduction needs several MATINGS, not genetic donors - and overall feeling from reading Path of Seer supports that.

Psienesis wrote:Not directly, but if a Dark Eldar female retains the Eldar need for multiple genetic donors to have viable offspring, it implies that some of the human genetic code may be compatible with the Dark Eldar. This would not get you a half-human/half-dark eldar child, though. You would have a kid who's parents are a mix of one Dark Eldar female, several Dark Eldar males, a male human or two, maybe a Tau guy, and some red-skinned, black-tattooed repto-mammalian with spines and horns growing out of his head every which way.

Interesting, now are human females also in similar straights? I mean we've probably all seen the chained up half naked sister of battle on the dais of destruction. Always took it for granted but this got me thinking