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I just got into 40k recently and hope to begin constructing an army. My favorite army is Eldar based on both their fluff and appearance, but this presents a problem. I hear many rumors that indicate a new Eldar Codex will release soon, and that seems like it will bring balance changes and significant adjustments to what classifies as a "good" Eldar force. With that in mind, would it be silly to invest in models right now given that any lists I create could be obsolete in a few months' time? I haven't been involved with the game through other Codex releases, and it's difficult to judge how much the new book will change things. Are certain units (warwalkers, guardian jetbikes) relatively safe bets? I enjoy modeling so much that I'd like to get a start on building up my army ASAP, but I'd also like to use the minis I paint in game. I'm sorry if this has been asked elsewhere, I couldn't find it in the search.

I wouldn't sweat the new codex too much. Chances are that it is going to be a while and you can always trade for / convert things that you want when the new dex comes out.

Thanks for the input. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you see how costly this hobby can get!

Well, this hobby is not a cheap one. You'll want to proxy stuff out before buying if you are concerned with saving money.

I would also recommend buying used from swap shop, craigslist, etc.

40k is a not for the faint of wallet.

I would also be remiss if I didn't say that about once every 4 years or so (depending on codex and edition releases) you will need to change your army significantly.

The narrower the collection you have, the more you will need to change. For example, my SW have been through 3 or 4 major edition/codex changes with me and I have weathered them fairly well due to the breadth of my collection of models. Some things got shelved, others got kitbashed and converted.

My orks (which I acquired in 5th edition) are a much narrower collection and will not fare as well (although they are still pretty decent in 6th).

I figure that in the end I'll have a pretty deep Eldar collection, as I love basically every model in the army. I don't have a problem with spending a stupidly large amount of money over time, but I hope that the money (and painting time) that I spend up front will be maximally effective on the table. I really look forward to having a large number of models (and thus lists) to play around with!

The current rumours, if I remember correctly place the new Eldar dex at around november. If you want to wait a year to start collecting your army then wait, but I'd say just go with what you like the look of, as theres no real way of knowing what they'll change and make obsolete. I'd recommend at least one squad of rangers though. They're awesome for picking out characters and special weapons in squads due to their precision strikes.

I don't think the mainstays of an Eldar army are going to go away any time soon, other than possible points changes or wargear changes (here's looking at you, Shuriken catapult 12" range).

If you are planning on making a "take all comers" army that is well-rounded, you likely can't go wrong. At the very least, you might have to shuffle things around slightly if there are changes.

I know am confidently making an Eldar army right now from the existing codex. even if something changes a little bit (or I get to add new units), they will be "legal" the way they are for nearly a year still.

Don't wait. Start collection an Eldar strike force. The Eldar unit will prevail and come eventually with some new rules in the new incarnation.

You may as well start collecting now. The prices of the models will only go up, especially if certain units are re-sculpted or made more powerful.

As mentioned, the current rumors place the new Eldar codex in around October/November 2013. That's a good long wait at this point and time!

Overall, you're probably safe getting the likes of;
- 1 Farseer
- a couple Warlocks
- 1 unit of Fire Dragons
- 1 unit of Dire Avengers
- 1 unit of Rangers/Pathfinders
- 1 unit of War Walkers
- 1 Wave Serpent

Those models are either plastic, or in the case of the Farseer/Warlocks/Fire Dragons/Rangers, despite being Finecast are still solid sculpts.

I'd likely avoid the really, really old stuff like the Avatar & Jetbikes, since those might be likely candidates to recieve new model kits. And also avoid the really annoying models like Swooping Hawks (hate those damn wings!), or the Shining Spears which are a pain to build.


Overall, while you wait for the new codex to drop, there's nothing wrong with aiming for say a 1000pts army to build & paint in the meantime to use over the summer, etc... Hopefully by mid September we'll have some clearer rumors about what new model kits could be in the works, and how the rules could be changing up.

Thanks folks. I'll get rolling with the current dex in mind. You've all been super helpful. The nice thing about this hobby is that even an unused unit can look awesome on a desk. I am excited to get a force together than can play some games, and it's good to know that work won't go to waste.

Hey. Hope that you decided to get started on an Eldar army as soon as you could. Sorry that this post is very late. I've been toying with getting an Eldar army on the go for quite some time now for the same reasons as yourself. I almost got going recently, but then I picked up Dark Vengence and thus a new Chaos army filled that void for... For a short while

The thing to remember is that you are always gonna need an HQ and two squads, so if you're starting ANY army, you will need to fill these slots, regardless of what you put in afterwards. That should buy you 'some' time, at least, until the new codex is released.

New Dex does seem very likely though... Am I right in thinking that there is currently no Death From Above unit in the Eldar army? ...Any guesses why?

Experiment 626 wrote:
Overall, while you wait for the new codex to drop, there's nothing wrong with aiming for say a 1000pts army to build & paint in the meantime to use over the summer, etc... Hopefully by mid September we'll have some clearer rumors about what new model kits could be in the works, and how the rules could be changing up.

Besides, right now with the current Codex being pretty old you can get good deals on used Eldar models. ;-)

Yep, eBay rules! I started my Eldar last spring, and the army is getting larger all the time. I have 9 WW´s and i hope they don´t mess those up, but if they do, meh, gonna get something else for Heavy slots.