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I'm not big on Dark Eldar fluff, and I haven't read their new codex.

What is the endgame for the Dark Eldar?

Does Vect have a plan to free his people from their inevitable destruction by Slaanesh, or is he merely enjoying the ride to the end of the galaxy? Are there any other DE leaders that have an end game in mind?

Well from reading the codex, it seems they're just planning on enjoying the ride!

They're unrepentant to the end and too proud to admit anything's wrong so they're not very likely to do anything about it, other than ensure they can get more victims to torture and to try to drag things on as long as possible.

Maybe if Lady Malys were in charge they'd try to do things a bit differently? She's fused with some strange Webway creature so maybe she has other goals.

Their end game is just to survive, and have fun doing so. Individually I'm sure they all want to lead Comorragh (or some probably have loftier goals).

Truth be told, so long as there are sentient beings to abuse, the Dark Eldar are pretty well suited to outlast pretty much everything.

That's the perk to being in your own protected dimension; no one can really hit you where you live.

The only real thing which can threaten them is the Necrons, as they have the ability to invade the webway in some limited fashion, and could conceivably attack Commoragh in force, but I don't think that's high on the agenda.

They probably know there's no use in endgame planning as it'll all just go boom and glowing essence of what had once been a man.

I am pretty sure their strategy is just to stay hidden in the Webway torturing people in order to keep Slaanesh away. Dark Eldar are pretty much immortal as long as they can capture things to torture, and the Webway is probably the safest possible place, so I doubt they are very worried about the galaxy ending. Of course, there are plenty of things that could go wrong...

They pretty much can preserve Comorragh forever along with themselves they will just slowly descend into more and more madness,torture,hedonism,insane experiments and so on. Vect is just a dictator he has no actual plan beyond being in control of everything and there are those willing to follow him to preserve their own place in society and have the means to do what they want like Lelith Hesperax. Because of Vect taking out all his rivals and changing the structure of society forever the ones who want to take him down or who have plans for the future of their race have little choice but to plot and scheme with no real chance of doing anything. I'm currently reading the Path of the Dark Eldar trilogy which involves a plot to take down Vect. We'll see how that turns out.

So basically Vect is going to stay the pimp daddy in control of a society of hedonists fueled by an endless supply of bodies from a universe at war. The Imperium of Man on it's own is constantly growing new children to fight it's wars which in turn supply raiding parties with fresh meat to capture and torture which rejuvenates lost years from the constant drain of Slaanesh.

Right now, with war all over the place, the Dark Eldar are sitting pretty. They don't need some endgame conquest because, as far as what they want and need are concerned, they are getting exactly what they want now. They get plenty of slaves through raiding a harried and disjointed Imperium, and everyone else is so busy fighting each other that nobody is thinking to go after them.

 curran12 wrote:
... and everyone else is so busy fighting each other that nobody is thinking to go after them.

Everyone, sure, but not everything. The Dark Eldar codex strongly suggests that a giant legion of Slaaneshi daemons are knocking on the (webway-) gate and telling the guards to "let us in". Indeed, it seems that those daemons will get their wish soon.*

There's a homunculus (perhaps several?) who can see the writing on the wall and is stocking his statis-chambers-slash-larders with as many slaves as possible, preparing for bad times.


*Well, in-universe soon. I very much doubt that GW will wipe out the DE.

Yea, the latest Dark Eldar codex shows that the Dark Eldar just THINK Commaragh is safe. There's a high chance it's about to explode and only Vect and Malys know about it (and are trying to prevent it... ironically not realizing the other one is as well)

For the average DE though... yea, there is no end game. Just enjoy the ride and stave death off forever if you can. There are a few DE here and there that are working with that whole Ynead thing to take down Slaanesh though (usually popping up in the fluff as allies to other Eldar factions doing the same thing)

The endgame is to have fun

The Dark Eldar codex states that Commoragh is basically about to suffer a massive daemonic incursion, and is currently in the midst of a civil war between Malys and Vecht.

So... their endgame is probably similar to the Imperium's at this point: just to survive another day.

Inbound Dark Eldar vs Slaanesh campaign in the future probably "Khaines Gate"

 BlaxicanX wrote:
The Dark Eldar codex states that Commoragh is basically about to suffer a massive daemonic incursion, and is currently in the midst of a civil war between Malys and Vecht.

So... their endgame is probably similar to the Imperium's at this point: just to survive another day.

That pretty much sums up every single faction in 40k lol. Civil wars and the constant danger of Chaos corruption. I also find it kind of funny that the two most important characters in Dark Eldar don't even have a model or a codex entry. I think they missed a trick with that for more supplements for each of the factions so you can build one of their armies and read loads more fluff for each side.

Have you read Path of the Archon?



Basically, he'll Batman his way out, if Batman was not such a restrained peacenik.

Well, as everyone else has said, the Dark Eldar don't really have an endgame, but I have a little theory that VECT actually has an endgame.

Vect wants to become a god and destroy Slaanesh. Basically, he'll do it in a similar way to the way that Eldrad hopes all the Eldar souls will combine to form Ynnead, but with a DE twist.

We know that the Dark Eldar consume "pain energy" to stay young and strong, and that this process involves siphoning away the very souls of other sentient beings through torture. No one has consumed more than Vect. We know this because he's the oldest and most powerful DE currently alive.

Vect set up the whole bloodthirsty meritocracy that DE society currently is. It was bad before that, but less anarchic. There was more of an established social order. So why'd he do it? So that all that pain energy can get more and more focused in a few exceptional individuals (the Archons) through social darwinism. A few individuals that will be much easier to harvest than billions of puny masses. As the pain energy keeps slowly but surely working it's way up the ladder, as only the very strongest Archons survive and grow even stronger through amassing more pain energy, eventually all that energy will reach critical mass. When it does, Vect will be there to harvest it. And when he does, he'll ascend and become a god.

That's my theory anyway, and I'm quite proud of it. Vect is supposed to be brilliant, what with how he outsmarts everyone else, and this makes him, in my opinion, MUCH cooler than if he's just up to evil mustache twirling antics.

You're falling to the ground at a thousand miles an hour. You have no parachute. You are going to die.

This is pretty much Dark Eldar. and instead of being sad they're doing backflips on the way down.

Da Butcha wrote:
Have you read Path of the Archon?

Spoiler:

It details a daemonic incursion into Commoragh (admittedly, not 'massive'), and I think that Vect would handle another in the same way:

Let everything go to hell, while conveniently eliminating any rivals or nuisances through the expedient of pushing them into the path of destruction

Reveal hidden plans and long-concealed failsafes

Save the day while causing massive destruction (further weakening opposition and shaking up the power structure)

Cement reputation as the only one capable of preserving Commaragh once again.

Yeh, but that was a quite a bit of a lesser scale than the problem now. He only sealed off a part of the city.
With Khaines gate, he would basically have to seal off the whole city, which we know is impossible.

Also, as a side note, Vect 2016. Malys can get eaten by demons for all I care.

 Jollydevil wrote:
Also, as a side note, Vect 2016. Malys can get eaten by demons for all I care.

No way, we need new blood! Malys 2016!

 fallinq wrote:
Well, as everyone else has said, the Dark Eldar don't really have an endgame, but I have a little theory that VECT actually has an endgame.

Spoiler:

Vect wants to become a god and destroy Slaanesh. Basically, he'll do it in a similar way to the way that Eldrad hopes all the Eldar souls will combine to form Ynnead, but with a DE twist.

We know that the Dark Eldar consume "pain energy" to stay young and strong, and that this process involves siphoning away the very souls of other sentient beings through torture. No one has consumed more than Vect. We know this because he's the oldest and most powerful DE currently alive.

Vect set up the whole bloodthirsty meritocracy that DE society currently is. It was bad before that, but less anarchic. There was more of an established social order. So why'd he do it? So that all that pain energy can get more and more focused in a few exceptional individuals (the Archons) through social darwinism. A few individuals that will be much easier to harvest than billions of puny masses. As the pain energy keeps slowly but surely working it's way up the ladder, as only the very strongest Archons survive and grow even stronger through amassing more pain energy, eventually all that energy will reach critical mass. When it does, Vect will be there to harvest it. And when he does, he'll ascend and become a god.

That's my theory anyway, and I'm quite proud of it. Vect is supposed to be brilliant, what with how he outsmarts everyone else, and this makes him, in my opinion, MUCH cooler than if he's just up to evil mustache twirling antics.

I like it! Vect has demonstrated considerable foresight so far, so it wouldn't be out of character at all if he had an actual end game and some ultimate plan in the works.

While it would make sense if the DE just tried to party for all eternity, it would also be a bit disappointing if that was all there is to it. I do think Malys has a lot of fluff potential though, enough to surpass Vect. Her fusing with the strange webway creature was a cool twist. I'd like her rise up to Vect's position or become a permanent rival on equal footing.

 EngulfedObject wrote:

I like it! Vect has demonstrated considerable foresight so far, so it wouldn't be out of character at all if he had an actual end game and some ultimate plan in the works.

While it would make sense if the DE just tried to party for all eternity, it would also be a bit disappointing if that was all there is to it. I do think Malys has a lot of fluff potential though, enough to surpass Vect. Her fusing with the strange webway creature was a cool twist. I'd like her rise up to Vect's position or become a permanent rival on equal footing.

Thanks.
I think Malys could potential be the big wrench in the works of Vects plan. He was unequaled, and everything was going smoothly, but then she fused with that... thing, and took a huge leap in power, becoming a worthy rival. It's the one thing he hadn't planned for.

 fallinq wrote:
Thanks.
I think Malys could potential be the big wrench in the works of Vects plan. He was unequaled, and everything was going smoothly, but then she fused with that... thing, and took a huge leap in power, becoming a worthy rival. It's the one thing he hadn't planned for.

That's exactly why I find her so interesting - she came out of nowhere and is unpredictable. The overall in-universe stories are already advancing at a glacial pace so if Vect just continued his stranglehold on Commorragh, things would become too predictable and boring. With Malys we have an original character with an interesting background. And Vect is just a normal DE, even if he is ancient. The fact that Malys has fused with the strange being means she has the potential to be more than he ever could (well, unless he does the whole ascension thing).

Well, if Vect's ascension plan ever becomes canon, I think THAT will make him more interesting than the average DE.

I do love how the two most important Dark Eldar characters don't even have rules or models anymore.

 fallinq wrote:
Well, if Vect's ascension plan ever becomes canon, I think THAT will make him more interesting than the average DE.

I do love how the two most important Dark Eldar characters don't even have rules or models anymore.

I think Malys is relatively new so she's never had a model. But yea, they should expand on both of these characters, given how central they are to the DE narrative. I don't like Malys' steel fan thing though. She needs more exotic weapons.

This is just my opinion but I imagine Vect is to brilliant to not a have an end game strategy. The DE might be going down - he sure isn't

Each Dark Eldar's "end game" is simple: Live Forever.

I don't like the idea behind Vect becoming a god. In general Dark Eldar have a low opinion of the Chaos Gods, but none more so then Vect. You have to remember Vect is older then Slaanesh, he is older then a frickin' God! Vect knows sees the Gods as inferior to him, because they are locked in there fate by their own natures. Vect relishes cunning and guile, and he lives for the times of catastrophe to see himself overcome it and if he was to undergo this apotheosis he wouldn't be able to do that.

In my opinion Vect's end game is quite simply run his course. A quote from Path of the Renegade from an Archon planning to take down Vect '' If Commaragh died screaming and our entire race was pulled into oblivion, Vect alone would survive, surrounded by an impenetrable bubble of self superiority''. That seems spot on to me.

I'm sure that I read somewhere in the harlequin codex that the strange web way creature was cegorach or some kind of harlequin and also what about the executioner and his room of skulls? I think he plans to expand the darkness of his domain to take over all of comoragh and kill everybody. There are millions of plots and plans going on that the end fate of comoragh could come round at any moment, the whole idea is that it hangs on the balance of a knifes edge at all times and vect just needs to stay three steps ahead of everyone else.

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Each Dark Eldar's "end game" is simple: Live Forever.

And: "Continue hedonistic practices till the end."

 EmpNortonII wrote:
I'm not big on Dark Eldar fluff, and I haven't read their new codex.

What is the endgame for the Dark Eldar?

Does Vect have a plan to free his people from their inevitable destruction by Slaanesh, or is he merely enjoying the ride to the end of the galaxy? Are there any other DE leaders that have an end game in mind?

DE are the Eldar of before the fall. To them, normal is ruling the galaxy, being unquestioned masters of all. The last 15,000 years have been a bit rough, but they think one day they will get it all back. This is their end game, and it has been since the fall.

The Valedor novel describes during the epilogue how the Ebon Sting Haemonculi are going to combine the traits of captured Kraken and Leviathan Tyranids (something the Craftworld Eldar were desperate to stop) and breed said Tyranids to use in their fighting pits.

No-one has ever managed to breed Tyranids and not have it blow up in their face. Interesting times ahead for that pocket dimension of theirs...