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My next army will be Eldar for certain - but I know next to nothing about the newest incarnation of the space elves. I've had a look through the codex and read some tactica articles about them and put together what I think is a decent starting list and I'd like to hear what dakka thinks of it.

This list won't be for competitive play, I'd just like some advice on what could be improved or what would work better instead.

I'm not big on the vypers - I'd rather have more aspect warriors, but I figured I'd try and use them since I'd be getting a few if I got the battleforce anyhow.

Holos on the wave serpents and where is the farseer going? He would do good on a bike with mantle of the laughing god for 2+ refillable cover and buffing fire prism or vipers along with casting psychic shriek

Your list is strong for casual play, and really not that uncompetitive.

Where is your farseer going? Safest would be with guardians, although you might want to blob them together. They offer more protection, are harder to kill(or force morale on) and you can benefit all 20 with a single psychic buff. They also focus your lances. Downside of course is 1 less scoring unit, and potential overkill with shooting.

Scorpion exarch is already S6 with the claw, and AFAIK only S7 with crushing blow, so no instagibbing. Do take monster hunter, it is dirt cheap and makes scorpions quite effective at killing MC;s.

5 man avenger teams do not need an exarch, just take more bodies or spend the points elsewhere.

Dual cannon vypers are cheap and shooty, but fragile. You could go with a starcannon or scatter laser on top if you want, but dual shuri is a fine build.

Warp spider exarch does not need TL spinner unless you want to use them as dedicated AA. Fast shot is OK, but for the price of the exarch and power,you could just buy another spider.

Reapers need more bodies, and the exarch needs night vision. I am not a fan of flak missiles on the EML, or the eml in general. Starshot for the squad is more effective(the S5 ap3 is better than the S4 Ap4 small blast IMO0

I was thinking the farseer would go with one of the guardian squads, yeah. I also like the idea of putting the squads together as one.

Is it better to have two small squads of dire avengers or one ten-man unit with an exarch? I only really split them up so they could get a transport each.

Also, are the holofields on the wave serpents absolutely crucial? I feel like they're pretty durable already, and I'm having trouble finding enough points to upgrade them without taking out something big...

I would suggest dropping on vyper and bumping up the spider squad to 7 or 8 strong. With left over points, give the farseer a jetbike for increased toughness and mobility for late game shenanigans.
Other than that, list looks pretty solid.

Serpents are worth more than extra avengers most of the time, so having 2 5 man squads is best for your situation.

Holofields are worth it until you are almost spending a wave serpent in points on them, ~6-7 holo fields. At that point, your armor saturation will generally provide enough protection.
Although holo fields protect the serpent, you should also consider what is inside the serpent. Some units can handle a wrecked/exploded serpent better than others. Some units get close(or have to) so they risk assault, others stay back.

For survival/morale:
Wraith units need them least, as an explosion is unlikely to harm them, and they are fearless. Next would be fire dragons, dark reapers and striking scorpions because they have 3+ saves. Then you have your other aspects, and finally guardians. With lower leadership and weak armor, a wrecked or exploded serpent could seriously threaten your squad.

For scoring/shooting:
Most aspects and troops are short ranged. Avengers can usually pass the pinning test and get into shooting range. Fire dragons need to be close, so holo fields can help them get there. Scorpions don't do well in serpents, neither do banshees, but both should be decently close to charge...scorps can outflank then dakka pistols. Takes some skill, but can be pulled off. Reapers can hide in their serpent T1, jumping out when it is safe using S&P to shoot a target, so their serpents generally don't need fields. Guardians are scoring units with dakka potential, but usually held back, and fields are good to keep them mobile. With battle focus, they still get decent range.

TL,DR- Holo fields are worth it unless you have a ton of tanks/ certain aspects can live without.

The strength of the scorpion exarch is a hotly debated topic. The question being when is the +1 applied got crushing blow (is it an actual change to the profile, or is it to be added in like a weapon would be) my advice would be to check with your opponents before play on how this would work

For what it is worth in my meta we play it as the closest FAQ to apply is a nob with furious charge attacking with a power claw. He counts as str 9 2x 4 str plus 1 for charging