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My GF plays Eldar and our FLGS doesn't stock too much Eldar stuff.
They mostly only seem to stock Wratihguard and Warwalkers.
I rarely see people using Warwalkers, I've come to assume that they aren't very good.
What does Dakka think? Do Warwalkers have a place in a 7th Ed. Eldar army?

Unless the places you see use spam lists or are just bad at Eldar, you should see War Walkers. I suppose we can also add that if a place uses really crappy terrain that War Walkers might be passed on. They are very good.

The big thing War Walkers have is this strange ability of moving in a static position. The place they shoot is three inches outside of Line of Sight blocking cover. They fire their Bright Lances, then Run back in cover using Battle Focus. So they fire, and then get out of LoS and can't be shot at. If there's a Basilica or other smooth faced building without windows or rock terrain, they can really come into their own. Plus a 5++ if an enemy does get that shot.

They're not a spam unit, but they do good work. They're outclassed by Wraithknights, sure, and I'd say Hornets outclass them too. But in a friendly list or if your girlfriend really enjoys the experience of playing Eldar as a multifaceted symphony on the table, they are a very good choice.

Two Bright Lances every time. Why would you ever Twin Link a gun with one shot when you can just fire another shot and maybe hit twice with your double roll. Dedicate them to anti tank and they can put some good damage down.

They're very good. They're cheap, accurate and have good weapons. 2 Scatterlasers will mow down light infantry while 2x starcannons do short work on 2+

They are walkers with Scout, Run + Shoot and 5++!

It's a great unit.
I run usually one or two squadrons with three WW's each.
Scatterlasers or shuricannons all the way.

War Walkers are excellent, unless you're comparing them to Wasps.

A battle focused outflanking dual bright lance platform. What's not to like.

War Walkers are glass cannons. If you walk in remembering this, your War Walkers will perform very well.

There's many ways you can field War Walkers, almost every weapon pair you put on them has its use:

Shuriken Cannons keep your War Walkers cheap and at the same time can still be dangerous to heavy infantry or enemy Wraithknights if you roll some sixes, but their biggest weakness is short range as in order to shoot they have to be in bolter range, which is not a good place to be for open-topped AV10 2HP vehicles.

Scatterlasers make Warwalkers a lot costlier, but you get 33% more firepower and 12" more range you can put between yourself and enemy small arms, however you do lose out on the rending and now even 5+ infantry can take their saves in the open. Still, Scatterlasers are your best bet for whittling light vehicles or enemy flyers down through sheer volume of shots.

Starcannons are specialized MEQ/TEQ hunters, but do not make their points back in almost all other scenarios. If you can catch MEQ/TEQ out in the open, then this setup is well worth its points. There's also a psychology factor associated with this loadout that keeps your opponent from moving his MEQ/TEQ troops out freely. Use this psychological warfare for board control purposes.

EMLs are perfect take-all-comers weapons, combining decent infantry killing capability with decent anti-tank/anti-MC capability. Warwalkers with EMLs can generally fire at anything and not consider it a wasted opportunity, but at the same time do not shine anywhere.

Brightlances are your anti-vehicle loadout, while still packing an anti-MC punch. If the rest of your army focuses on killing infantry, this setup complements your army perfectly.

Since War Walkers are so fragile, there's 2 ways of using them:

1) Stick them behind cover (like an ADL) and give them long range weapons to take care of enemy heavies without coming under attack from massed small arms fire.

2) Keep them in reserves and outflank with them so that they come in after turn 2. This will deprive your army of some initial firepower, but at the same time enemy forces might have also taken a beating by the time your walkers arrive, making them more resilient. It's also a good time when enemy deepstrikers have arrived and will be exposed, or enemy vehicles will have advanced, presenting you their rear AV.

Battle focus can make war walkers a real pain. I often play against them and they are easy to forget to target when there are more threatening units on the board. then they pop out and do some real damage before battle focus gets them out of LOS.

That said, if I get lucky (or play smart) they are fragile and can give away kill points or first blood quickly.

I think its all about how you use them.

How do they do in smaller games (500~1000 points)?
How well do they handle FMCs?

 Squidmanlolz wrote:
How do they do in smaller games (500~1000 points)?
How well do they handle FMCs?

I had a 1000 point game with an opponent who fielded 3 War Walkers. I killed them all in turn 1. War Walkers in small games need to be in units of 1. Never put them in group. And even then, they are likely to die before making the point back.

With a crap ton of shots with the Scatter Laser, you will hit FMC eventually, and S6 isn't bad.

Thats why IMO they should always outflank.

Outflank is really great, especially in Hammer and Anvil. If you run an Autarch as an HQ, they will come in on a 2+ Turn 2. I usually take them with 2x Scatter Lasers. 24 S6 shots can wipe many units/vehicles off the board in one go. Dont forget to battle focus behind some LoS blocking terrain after shooting.

If youre planning on outflanking I'd say stick with the Shuriken Cannons. You lose 6 shots, but every shot has a chance of getting a rend, meaning you'll cripple TEQ and MCs in one volley.

War Walkers are great units, just not particularly hardy.

BS4 with two weapons that it can move and fire with to full effect, relatively low cost, large number availability, and a 5++ built in along with the ability to outflank?

They're awesome, I only wish Sentinels had anything near the same utility.

I like the shuriken cannons, then load up on special gear. Ghost walk matrix, holofields, and star engines. Then I jump all over the place in ruins and whatnot enjoying a 3+ cover save against anything that can get a shot off. The star engines come in if I need to get them the heck outta dodge. I rarely lose them with this setup