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I am just posting to see what sort of things people are running in 6th edition really. I've had some ideas and if people could comment on them this would be great I was to know what people are taking and if mine are good or bad ideas. Thanks for any help.

Tactical Choices:
It seems as though Dark Eldar have taken quite a hit now the vehicles are quite alot weaker in the new edition. However ideas have been thrown about which include an all deep striking army which allow to get to your opponent quickly and easily while staying protected. What do people think of this?

Hq choices:
Duke Sliscus is looking pretty good in the new edition. His weapon giving him possible AP2 which allows for those 2+ character saves which Dark Eldar now struggle with in combat. and the deep strike army is looking quite good so this would help also.
Can't see haemonculi used much as the feel no pain isn't great anymore...

Troops choices:
Seems like this is going to be quite a struggle, chances are wyches and warriors will still dominate in the raiders and venoms as see fit but are drastically weakened due to the whole vehicle thing.

Elites:
Incubi look quite usable especially with AP2 Demiklaive and the preffered enemy against a character. They are looking like a good investment next to the blasterborn.

Fast Attack:
Still looks weak as usual, can slip past this.

Heavy Support:
Ravagers seem extremely fragile now and I can see most people playing razorwings as swarm armies are going to see alot of play and they are anti swarm. Looks fun.


What do people think to my analysis, please tell me if you think I'm wrong with anything and give your inputs on what you take etc. thanks for any help.

You're going to slip past Scourges and beastmasters...

Beastmasters with Khymerae & Razorwing Flocks are actually quite good at what they do and scouge haywire weapons aren't that bad either. They are worth a look. Never count out an entire section without giving it a proper look. But ya venom spam still runs the show I feel. Even with hull points you can still manage to put out a ton of shots. Razorwings are pretty cool too I'm finding. Harder too hit and pack a punch.
Drazhar is looking pretty cool too, have yet to try so perhaps others will chime in.

My first impression was also that DE took quite a hit in 6th edition. But I don't think its as bad as you think or as I thought.

I don't think that hull points are as crippling for DE vehicles as they are for other vehicles, since DE vehicles are already used to dying from a few glancing hits. Sure, their survivability has gone down, but not as much as say a dreadnaught or a predator. DE vehicles did get a little weaker, but now they can go 6 inches further when they turboboost, they don't have to take flickerfields anymore, and they can always charge out of their transports (which waveserpents and razorbacks are VERY jealous of, their passengers can never charge out of it, even if the transport didn't move, which they could have done in 5th).

If you're thinking of a deep strike army, remember that only half of your units can be placed in reserves now (not counting the ones that must be in reserves).

Here are some thoughts I've had

- Dark Eldar are very good in challenges. Not in an offensive sense, in a defensive sense. I quickly learned that when I'm in combat with my Baron and my hellions, I definitely want to challenge stuff with the baron. Of course, he won't win the combat. But he will force your opponent's character to keep his attacks away from the squishy hellions and probably waste them on the shadowfield. This will save the lives of 2 or 3 hellions, and heavily sway combat resolution. Similarly, In a game I played on saturday, all I had left in my hellion mob was the helliarch and 5 hellions, and they got charged by a bloodthirster. I thought to myself "I could either let him swing and kill 3 hellions, or challenge with my helliarch, and the most he could kill is 1, and odds are I will make my LD check and can hit and run..." So I challenged it, and actually did 2 wounds with my agonizer before he squished me, and won the combat!

- Haywire grenades are now awesome. 5 wyches with HWGs will kill just about any vehicle they charge.

- Maybe a decent troop choice now is 10 warriors with a SC in a raider with splinter racks? I definitely want to try it out, the concept of a raider gunboat seems like a lot of fun to me.

- I agree with skycap; you should take a second look at fast attack. 5 scourges with 2 haywire blasters is not a bad choice, and 10 scourges with 4 HWBs will be wrecking a vehicle a turn. I also think that reavers with caltrops got a boost, because they can move 12 before they turboboost 36, which makes it much much easier to set up a bladevane attack so that you land in a relatively safe place.

- Dark Eldar have a lot of AP 2 shooting weapons, which I think will be good in 6th ed. Since power weapons are now AP 3, 2+ armor got a lot better, and people might end up taking more terminators and fewer stormshields on them. A 3 disintegrator ravager will be an excellent counter to an increase in terminators. And because we have so many AP 2 shooting weapons, the fact that demi-klaives can be AP 2 is really not that great of a thing, and they are still quite pricey for what they do.

- The ability to move a raider 18 inches in the shooting phase has a lot of potential, as I see a role for raiders as some sort of movement denial unit. Lets say my opponent has a big beat-face paladin squad. I shoot them up with venoms and dark lances, and then when I'm done shooting, I can park my raider right in front of the paladins, and since they can't move within 1 inch of its hull, they will be severely limited in the choices they can make on their turn. Sure they can just crush the raider, but that is better than them crushing most other things in your army.

- I have always been a huge advocate of Dark Eldar vehicle upgrades, and that has not changed in 6th. Grisley trophies are absolutely awesome and are almost essential if you are running baron/hellions or beasts. Night shields are great and are crippling to necrons and some grey knights armies. Enhanced Aethersails will catch many people off guard, even if you explain them before game. When they watch your raiders move 12 inches and then 18+2D6 inches they are going to be suprised. And while I've never really tried it, I've always wanted to (and I think I'm going to start) running torment grenade launchers and shock prows. You can slam a raider with these upgrades into some infrantry and make them take a tank shock LD test at -1. Then, if you can venom down 25% in the shooting phase, thats another LD check at -1. And lets say you have reavers with caltrops and can do 25% in the movement phase? Thats potentially a 3rd LD check. Or what if you have necrotoxin missiles? Or even reavers with grav-talons??? You can see where I'm going here. If you can force something to take 2-4 LD checks at -1, there is a good chance they will fail one. This seems like a fun, unique tactic and I hope it works!

- Every Dark Eldar player is probably thinking about Eldar allies, and rightfully so, because there is a lot of potential there. You can use the Eldar to fill the gaps in the Dark Eldar codex, like large volumes of mid-high strength shots. Standouts are of course war walkers, and not so obvious, warp spiders. Plus there is a lot of room for great synergy with these allies. Howabout a farseer on a jetbike with 9 reavers? Rerolling 3+ coversaves while turboboosting around and wrecking units with caltrops. Or howabout an autarch in a Dark Eldar reserves list, so that your razorwings and what-not come in on a 2+ on turn 2? And of course, the one everyone is talking about, a farseer and an archon, soaking up oodles of wounds with a rerollable shadowfield. That one seems way too dirty for me and I doubt I will ever try it out haha.

There are some of my thoughts. But keep in mind that Dark Eldar are sort of a reactionary army. While some other armies can make a well crafted list, throw it on the table, and make their opponent deal with it, Dark Eldar players need to design their lists as counters to the sort of lists that they will be facing. So its pretty tought to definitively say what will be good and what won't be good, because first, we need to figure out what the meta game and popular lists will be like, and then we can start thinking of sinister ways to combat them.

If the meta shifts to fewer vehicles, or at least fewer transports, it will also shift away from lots of AV (missiles, melta, etc)

That'd be a big buff to venoms.

Durability is a mixed bag, A pen used to destroy on a 4+, now its a 5+ (unless its ap2)
And, a single glance doesn't kill a venom now.
Yeah, over the course of 2 turns of shooting the venoms are more fragile, but you can try to hide a vehicle that has one HP left if necessary

Eldar: 3 war walkers is great. I think 3 vypers w/ 6 shruiken cannons is good too. Both units have enough fire power to open a transport. With guide (or the power from BRB, forget the name.. ) 3 walkers should do pretty well against flyers.

I ran a list in a tournament and found out some stuff against a mixed bag of lists

Our Vehicles: though they seem to of taken a hit a single glance doesnt have the 5/6 chance to be bad to our venoms (1-3 we didnt shoot, 5 we cant move, 6 we die) and they seem overall like they got better with hull points rather than worse

Jink: realise that deploying second we will need to be really smart to get cover saves as we havent moved yet

Splinter boats: these guys are just plain awesome, 18 shots re rolling plus canon in rapid fire range and shooting 24" after moving 6 is awesome

Ravagers: night shields and pre measuring are an awesome combo for these keeps them a lot safer

Jetbikes: just plain awesome with the buff they received

Scourgge: these are awesome with new vehicle rules

Wyches: 5 in a venom with haywire wreck tanks easily

My overall feeling is that a shift in tactics is in order but we are more competitive now then we were before, and all its going to take is mastering the army again as you know DE is a army when mastered that will win and win alot and 6th just threw us a curve ball all is not lost, if anything we just tied up the game in the bottom of the 9th

This has really helped a lot guys, thanks so much


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This has really helped a lot guys, thanks so much