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Hey guys! Been thinking about Eldar in 6th a lot. Just thinking, because I haven't gotten any games in yet...haha.
It seems to me like a few units got a significant boost with this new rule book, and one of those is shining spears. I'm not about to make a case for them being broken now, or even stellar, but I think they're usable and can find their way into some lists.
Their biggest weakness before was that they were way too expensive and way too fragile for the damage they put out. Let me tell you how I think this is rectified with new rules.

First and most obviously, they're way more survivable due to the new "jink" save, having skilled rider, and the now extreme reliability of getting psychic powers that benefit you to work. With Fortune up, these guys are essentially as survivable as a jetbike seer council now, in the open (to shooting anyways) with a 3+ and 4++ that can be re-rolled. Anyone who has played or played against that unit knows how annoyingly hard to kill they can be, so that speaks volumes for these guys, especially since before they were only as hard to kill as a marine. Quite an improvement eh? That's not to mention that they can move twice as far as previously in a single turn, so there's no reason to not have them where you need them.

The cost and damage output issues are kind of bundled and less obvious. First and foremost this is not a hammer, or counter hammer unit and a souped up maxed out squad is probably too expensive for a regular size game, and they will not beat out hard enemy units costed similarly. These guys are best kept to 3 or 4 models with one an exarch and sent to harass and tackle enemy troops and units that don't kick a lot of damage back. 3 spears with an exarch and both powers will cost you the exact same as 6 guardian bikes with 2 shuriken cannons (about 150 points) which isn't bad with their new upgrades.

As for damage, this is my plan: Charge something like a tactical squad while fortuned and preferably prescienced (the new better guide that lets you re-roll to hit in close combat). Have the exarch challenge the enemy sergeant if he has some kind of potent combat gear, like a power weapon or fist. The exarch should easily kill his opponent, and the squad should kill a few marines and probably take no damage in return. Stick in combat through the enemy turn, then hit and run out of combat and either charge again to finish them off or charge something else. When used like this, I think the unit is fairly cost effective and can be quite useful to have around. It's really a change of thought process. Don't think of them as a super killy hammer, think of them as a harassment or flanking unit ans suddenly they seem pretty decent.

Here's how I plan to run them:

3 Spears- Exarch, Withdraw, Skilled Rider

accompanied by:

Farseer- Jetbike, Runes of Warding, Spirit Stones, Fortune, primaris power from Divination (I believe) which is Prescience


I believe this will be a nice little unit to do stuff with my HQ and could be quite effective in games for not a lot of points. Are they the best thing ever? No. But they might be pretty cool to have around and will have a way better chance of doing something than they did.
Thoughts?

Doomface81 wrote:
Farseer- Fortune, primaris power from Divination (I believe) which is Prescience

You can't have both new and old powers.

Also, this unit costs 312 points. That is far too expensive for anything it can actually accomplish. And what they can accomplish is next to nothing.

DarknessEternal wrote:You can't have both new and old powers.

Where does it say that? I'm just trying to find it. I just reread pg 418, and there isn't anything there. As a matter of fact the example shows powers from multiple disciplines, which i didn't know you could do, but where does it say you cannot exchange your book powers one for one just like the generating psychic powers section details.

I haven't used any of the new powers yet, so I'm honestly curious

shining spears are better... but swoopign hawks got haywire buffs that make them practically instant vehicle killers jumping on and dropping large blasts, then zip away.

and the go to fast attack is still warp spirders imo.. they are just that good but i agree shining spears did get better

Gangrel767 wrote:
Where does it say that?

At least in each FAQ and in the Psychic Powers cards. It probably says it somewhere in the rulebook too, but I'm not sure where.

DarknessEternal wrote:

Gangrel767 wrote:
Where does it say that?

At least in each FAQ and in the Psychic Powers cards. It probably says it somewhere in the rulebook too, but I'm not sure where.

Cool, thanks! I found it in the FAQ. I don't think it is in the rulebook, or at least I didn't find it. Thanks again!

I think for a nominal increase in total points cost you can take 2 autarchs on bikes and tool them to do the same job, better. 1 more total attacks on the charge, higher WS and BS, more total wounds, invulnerable saves, a pair of melta guns or a pair of reaper missile launchers, haywire grenades. You can also stick them within another unit before they launch out and kill mehreenz when the moment has come. Oh yeah, and because they are both characters, for every 6 you roll to hit (shooting and CC) you can allocate the resulting wound to a model of your choice; meaning that the 12 attacks they are rolling in CC have a pretty good chance of acing the powerfist sarge before he gets to swing.

I guess if you were some kind of masochist you could even put them within a shining spear unit, but the point of bringing them up at all was to demonstrate that for a small increase in points 2 autarchs can do the same job better than 5 shining spears.

Falconlance wrote:I think for a nominal increase in total points cost you can take 2 autarchs on bikes and tool them to do the same job, better. 1 more total attacks on the charge, higher WS and BS, more total wounds, invulnerable saves, a pair of melta guns or a pair of reaper missile launchers, haywire grenades. You can also stick them within another unit before they launch out and kill mehreenz when the moment has come. Oh yeah, and because they are both characters, for every 6 you roll to hit (shooting and CC) you can allocate the resulting wound to a model of your choice; meaning that the 12 attacks they are rolling in CC have a pretty good chance of acing the powerfist sarge before he gets to swing.

I guess if you were some kind of masochist you could even put them within a shining spear unit, but the point of bringing them up at all was to demonstrate that for a small increase in points 2 autarchs can do the same job better than 5 shining spears.

I agree with you except the Shining Spear exarch can give the Autarch Hit and Run and Skilled Rider... that's pretty awesome, which is why when I run them I always throw in the Autarch.. so the unit can actually do damage. lol

I have used them once since the new edition has come out and they did well, but i managed to get them into the exact position i needed them. They take a lot of extra care and tenderness to use as they always have, and honestly im not sure the damage output matches the care needed for the unit, because in the end it is the Autarch and the Exarch doing all the damage usually. Though with their blinding speed and ability to be anywhere in a turn now... I'll definitely be trying them again, in hope of an additional attack in the next codex.