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.

Never fought DE before, what can I expect?

From what I can gather, I don't want to get in CC with them, they have a lot of poisoned effects and they are fast. Oh and they have lances?

Any tips/advice is welcomed.

LOTS of poison, so hope your DPs are good at making armor saves.

Also, a very fast army that can either be in your face turn 2, or 1 even if you go first, or can stay away from you the entire game and pepper you to death.

I'm thinking of using Be'lakor, sit him in some 4+ cover for shrouded goodness, abuse telepathy with Puppet Master and Invisibility. I don't have a second DP to take though unfortunately...

Unless they're running beast pack lists, DE basically has two types of weapons: low AP poisoned shots and STR 8 AP 2 shots.

So depending on how they balance these two types of firing, you may get no armor saves or all of them or something inbetween.

Either way venoms and raiders (AV 10/11 open top vehicles) are very popular. Take lots of high str shots.

AUTOCANNONS will do very well. Very very well. Take lots of them.

Heldrakes, as always, are good.

Puppet master will be good for taking control of a venom and using it to kill another venom.

Again I cannot stress enough take lots of autocannons. They shred DE vehicles and infantry alike. Also take things to defend them, as they will be a high priority target of the DE players long range weapons

I don't think i've seen him run beasts before.

I usually run a 8 man havoc squad with 4 Autocannons so that's fine.

Thinking of maybe taking a barebones Nurgle Lord (for PM troops)to sit at the back on an ADL+Quad-Gun with the autocannon Havocs (use invisibility on them for a 2+ cover save). Nice little firebase. Marching 3x Obliterators up-field instead of DS'ing them, I'm unsure what to run as my third heavy option... I don't have any more Autocannons :S

Will be taking my only 'drake.

The extra toughness nurgle brings is all but meaningless to DE. S8 darklight weapons don't care if your T4 or T5, and rip through any armor. It matters a bit for FNP on the plague marines, but that is the only case.DE Poison wounds on a 4 if you are T1 or T10.

As said before, autocannons for rapid dakka. If you want to go the noise route, blastmasters can lay waste to DE in very short order. Sonic blasters also do a lot of damage for the price, if you can get them into place. Oblits are OK, but easy bait for darklight weapons. Nurgle T5 prevents the instagib, but costs more and invites mass poison dakka(granted, it takes three venoms of poison fire a turn to kill a single oblit) but costs a lot.

Most DE shooting is 36" or closer. Exploit 48" range(like autocannons) to get them out of the boats, then just gun them down with anything. in CC dark eldar go first, but are fragile. Avoid fighting beastpacks, large groups of wytches, or any coven units in assault. Rhinos are also your friend. Cheap, and they force the DE player to use critical lance weapons on cheap expendable metal boxes. While you are inside, poison can't touch you. As a corollary, kill every lance weapon ASAP.

Dr. Serling, as per usual, has it right.

Many thanks for the advice.

Going to try this list out...

HQ - Be'lakor.
CSM Lord, MoN, SoC, Power weapon.

Troops - 7 x PM, 2 x Plasma guns, Rhino.
20 x Cultists.
10 x CSM, 9 x CCW.

Elite - 5 x Noise Marines, 1 x Blastmaster.

Fast - Baledrake.
3 x Bikers, MoS, Power weapon on champ.

Heavy - 8 x Havocs, 4 x Autocannons.
8 x Havocs, 4 x Autocannons.

Fortification - ADL with Quad-gun.

Would like to have the Lord on the Quad-gun, all Havocs behind the ADL along with the Noise Marines. Utilising Be'lakor's Invisibility on the Rhino to begin with, to safely get it mid-field whilst foot-slogging the cultists up there too, using them as a bit of a meat-shield... Keep Be'lakor midfield in some 4+ cover, so he has good coverage for his spells and the best cover save possible. Use the bikes as a bit of a distraction up one flank threatening vehicles, whilst running the standard CSM up the other flank.

I only bought the bikes as I din't know what else to take. I think I have enough long range weaponry but I could be wrong. I could always drop the CCWs off of the CSM and drop the bikes to take a Helbrute with a Reaper Cannon and Missle-Launcher? That way there is a Slightly bigger threat for the lances to focus on instead of the PM Rhino...

I find zombies to be a pain in the butt when I'm playing my DE. Lots of them and fnp can be a nightmare to kill.