Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I don't mean to sound rude or anything so don't think that I am dissing the Eldar army.

However I would really like to know why some people play the Eldar. I can understand the reasoning behind all the other armies but I just don't see any appeal for the Eldar. I am under the impression that not many people play Eldar and whenever I go to a model shop they don't generally have much Eldar stock which I think also makes less people play / collect them.

So I am genuinely curious why do you who play / collect Eldar do so? What drives you to do so? What made you choose them instead of the multitude of other armies?
To me they seem very boring, so I would like to try and gain some insight into an Eldar play / collectors mind.

I'll preface this by stating that I no longer play them, due to a lack of fluff resonance, but I was initially drawn to the Eldar by the aesthetic. At the time, everything else in 40k was very hard and angular which gave the smooth, organic lines of the Eldar a unique appeal. I also liked the variation in palette that the Aspect Warriors brought when contrasted with the uniformity of Marines and IG.

I play them because they look very good, they have a high learning curve, I love their "few but still incredibly powerful" theme, and they are kick-ass space elf ninjas.

I love the tactical challenge they represent. They have through time had a unit that is the best at the one thing that it does. If you can make the synergy work and utilize each unit to it's utmost, you can wipe out any army.

The flip side to that being that it you are unable to utilize them to their utmost, your forces will disappear very quickly and a victory...not so much.

Daddywarcrimes did a nice summary. My reasoning is I like the models. Even though they are old they are still some of the best models in the 40k universe. When you see an eldar model you know exactly what it is.

There is also a huge variety in play style. They are the perfect toolbox army since every unit (in theory) is good at a specific role but not at others, you need to learn how to deploy them properly. They can (and do) get the @#$@ kicked out of them for 5 turns but by carefully applying the right amount of force win the game. In 6th edition they will suffer until they get a new book .

SylvanaSekNadin wrote: so don't think that I am dissing the Eldar army.

Well covered. You could've died then

Well, most of the above posters have covered my reasons. I first started Eldar as my first ever army way back in 06 because of the aesthetics. It was mainly the bright, varied colours of the aspect warriors that attracted me, but I also really liked the sleek look of their vehicles. They took the "Grim" out of the "Grim Future" in my opinion.

Although I wasn't great with them at first, and did get distracted by other armies, I continued to play with them because I like the style. They were a fast, versatile army that presented a fun tactical challenge. (I'd tried Mob Orks but found that boring, so relished the difference). In the last two years of 5th Edition, I became very adept with my eldar and I still enjoyed playing them. I also won games, which was a nice bonus!

Fluffwise it's because the Eldar are the adults of 40k. They are sophisticated and wise. Where other use brute force, the Eldar use elegance and precision.

Gamewise, I play Eldar because they are more difficult to play and much less forgiving making every game an interesting challenge.

Strangely enough I don't see how people can play Imperial Guard, a mass of the same green colored infantry/tanks (well these days it's all Cadian it seems) compared to my bright and different-colored Eldar squads and vehicles, not even starting on my Harlequins.

Then I realise this is what they call 'personal taste'...

Nice models, lots of psyker support, opportunity to paint diverse units in diverse colors, and an army where every unit has a distinct role and they need to work together to succeed. That and an army with lots of curves to paint instead of boxy edges.

Jet bikes man, jet bikes.

The eldar also just scream sci-fi to me. In a sci-fi battle game they are the humanoid aliens. Super high tech, alien forms of civilization, culture, etc.

I never udnerstood why someone would want to play humans in a game that had aliens. This is probably why SM and Guard are the two factions I find least appealing in 40K.

Aside from Tau or possibly the new necron fluff, Eldar are one of the few races that could be considered as having advanced technology (opposed to the other 40k armies). Coupled with the psychic nature of the army its the only place in the 40k universe where you will find the technomancy vibe.

Jayden63 wrote:Jet bikes man, jet bikes.

The eldar also just scream sci-fi to me. In a sci-fi battle game they are the humanoid aliens. Super high tech, alien forms of civilization, culture, etc.

I never udnerstood why someone would want to play humans in a game that had aliens. This is probably why SM and Guard are the two factions I find least appealing in 40K.

It's about being relatable. Players identify with the Guard and Marines because they're recognizably human, and in the case of the Guard are just ordinary guys like any of us. Marines are kind of a personal power fantasy personified that many of us have had. I find the human races more appealing because of those factors, but I still think Eldar are really, really cool. Also, alien races like the Eldar are made that much more "alien" when you have somebody like the Imperial Guard to compare them to.

Yeah, if it wasn't for the Humans in 40k the Eldar could pass off as Humans. The entire situation could easily be reversed with humans having the super advanced technology and be the ancient race thats dying out.

Because they are wonderfully different than the hordes of Space Marines out there.

Back when i started in 40K there were only Orks, Marines and Eldar IIRC (maybe guard? i think those came later though..)

I played Orks and Eldar, and my Brother played Marines.

I still play Orks, and still like the Eldar look and feel (advanced tech that looks smooth and deadly).

These days the Tau also have some of this, but it's nice to see a sci-fi race that looks sci-fi on the field

Human sci-fi tech is usually an angular brick. Not always, but often..

The Eldar fit right in with the Minbari and their ilk for me

They look cool and their fluff rocks. But that just doesn't transcribe onto the tabletop. It's sad really, I do love them space elves...

I'm currently in the process of starting a footdar army. I built my blood angels up to about 4700 points and I wanted to branch out to xenos. My local group is mostly marines so bringing xenos in will be a fresh start. I look forward to playing footdar, I've submerged myself in Reecius' footdar articles and batreps.

-Taste the rainbow

Eldar look great and are the best, most applicable army on the table. If you analyze the numbers and you know thy enemy, the Eldar are unstoppable. I think pound-for-pound they are faster, stronger, and more durable than any other army available.... plus, jetbikes and an avatar are way cool looking.

"Be alert, brothers. Orks are brutal barbarians and Tyranids are mindless beasts. However, worst of all are the Eldar, for they are our allies!"

Aydrin wrote:Eldar look great and are the best, most applicable army on the table. If you analyze the numbers and you know thy enemy, the Eldar are unstoppable. I think pound-for-pound they are faster, stronger, and more durable than any other army available.... plus, jetbikes and an avatar are way cool looking.

Well, DE are faster and Marines are generally more durable...

They have some of the best miniature designs found within warhammer 40k.
At least that's the reason why i started to collect a small eldar army.

I dont play them, but I have several Eldar tanks and two Wraithlords because I love the moddels, and the desinge

I love the play style. I also play Orks, and it's fun to play a low model count army that uses precision and finesse rather than a big, green hammer. Lots of psykerr support, long range precision, and I'm a sucker for the harlequin models. I love the conversions I can do, and they're fun to paint. It feels like less of a chore than my Orks or Tau.

I like the fluff as well. A race that was ancient before humans even took to space, fallen into their twilight and likely to never regain the wonders of the past. Their pride birthed a god. They're so few in number that they need to call on their dead to continue fighting.

By comparison, I find most of the Space Marine armies boring. Same with the IG. My personal feeling is that there's less finesse or style in those armies. Granted, I play three of the dirty, dirty xenos races. So I might be a bit biased.

EDIT- Just a note, I didn't mean the lack of finesse/style as an insult to peoples' play styles. There are obviously very capable players with any army at all skill levels. It's just a personal reason as to why they don't appeal to me as a player.