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I recently got back into the hobby and managed to pick up an Eldar army from someone who's leaving the hobby.

So far I have:

6 Dire Avengers + Ex
10 Guardians
5 Swooping Hawks
1 Wraithlord
1 Vyper
2 Jet bikes
1 Wave Serpent
1 War Walker

I've never been a fan of getting up close and personal, but I've decided that's something I need to embrace. I've always previously fought from a distance. Ideally I'd like a balanced army, so I can deal with the likes of either Blood Angels (hand to hand) or Imperial Guard (big guns), or similar army types.

Any suggestions based upon the current listing that I can expand into? Keep it under 2,000 points, but obviously I could have more than this but simply pick and choose for specific enemies etc.

Also, please include useful additions for dealing with specific troops/characters types i.e. Dante and his retinue, Death Company, tank-heavy army, massed troops, etc.

Additionally, what's a good way for dealing with Nids?

Lastly, for objective games, what's good at getting to an objective and holding on to it?

Thanks in advance.

I hate to break it to you, but outside of a few units (Striking Scorpions, Howling Banshees, Wraithknight, Avatar of Khaine) Eldar are not a close-combat army. The way we deal with scary melee units is the same way that Tau does: shoot the everloving crap out of them. That said, if you take some of those units in combination with others, Eldar can be decent up close. But if you really want to rip and tear with space elves, I suggest you look seriously at Dark Eldar.

As far as what you currently have, you have a good start to an Eldar force; you just simply need to expand on it. First things first, you need an HQ. A Farseer is the default for their excellent psychic abilities and ability to buff your army and hurt your opponent. You might also invest in an Autarch as a secondary HQ; they're great if joined with a particular Aspect Warrior squad and have helpful reserve manipulation if that is necessary. Phoenix Lords are much more specialized; you can take them as your Warlord, but you'll probably want a secondary Farseer.

Second, get more troops. One squad of Guardians and Dire Avengers is a start, but you will want at least one more unit of each. More jetbikes is also a good idea, as the minimum squad size is three. Eldar are great at having lots of mobile scoring units that can put out decent firepower, so you will want plenty of troops. Wave Serpents make for gret transports for both your troops or your Aspect Warriors.

Third, fill out your Aspect Warriors. Swooping Hawks are a great start, and can combo well with a properly kitted-out Autarch. Warp Spiders. Fire Dragons, Dark Reapers, even Dire Avengers are all great choices. For best results, take three units with an Exarch to make the Aspect Host. BS5 shooting on top of their abilities is very powerful.

Finally, you need more Heavy Support. War Walker squadrons are a very versatile choice; dual Bright Lances or Bright Lance+EML are the recommended loadouts. The Wraithlord is a cool model, but only really effective in the very expensive Wraith Host formation. Fire Prisms and Night Spinners are excellent choices as well, depending on whether you army needs more Anti-Tank or Anti-Horde.

As far as tactics go, Eldar are like a toolbox; each unit has a specific role on the battlefield, and you need to get the right unit in the right place against the right target. Fire Dragons for dealing with vehicles and MCs, Swooping Hawks for hordes and parking lots, Warp Spiders for heavy infantry, and Dark Reapers for popping transports. Eldar are about bringing enough of the right tools to deal with what your opponent can throw at you without over-specializing. For objectives, all our troops are quite mobile due to bikes/Battle Focus (except Rangers; don't take Rangers). Get enough troops and spread them out over the objectives, and you can dominate in Maelstrom and most Eternal War missions.

I hope that this has proved helpful to you. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions or need more advice.

Eldar might not have strong close combat troop choices, but they can easily be a powerhouse at short ranges, especially if you're not a diehard WAAC gamer. If you get another 20 Guardians you can run the Guardian Battlehost, which could give you a very fast footslogging army. While they probably don't want to do hand to hand themselves, they're perfectly decent at supporting Wraithblades, Striking Scorpions, Wraithknights and Avatars who most definitely do.

Thanks for the advice. It's very much appreciated.

If close combat isn't required then I'm happy to flank my enemy and skirt around their stronger, more deadly units, firing as I go.

The problem is I don't know in which direction to go.

I have played as Eldar before, about ten years ago. But I sacked it and left, selling everything in the process. Big mistake. What I had back then was a large force with pretty much every kind of troop going.

I'm opting for four main roles:

- Basic all rounder army(can deal with a combination of threats but doesn't specialise in one).
- An army that deals with hordes, such as Nids, Imperial guard and Orks.
- An army that can deal with a fast moving enemy, such as Dark Eldar or a vehicle heavy Space marine army.
- An army that can deal with heavily armoured opponents. I'll put Space Marines in here or possibly Imperial Guard, as both can field heavy weaponry, big tanks or armoured troops.

The first one I'm going for is the all rounder (basic) army. The following is what I'm aiming for as an army to choose from, depending on the generalised opponents:

Farseer with Warlock
1 Autarch to accompany the 5 swooping hawks (so I can leap around dealing with the most pressing threat if needed).
A sizeable squad of Dire Avengers + Ex & Two Guardian squads
Dark Reapers squad + Ex
A flanking force of a Vyper and 3 jet bikes.
3 War Walkers
2 Wave Serpents
Heavy weapons bty
A Sizeable squad of Striking Scorpians + Ex
2 Wraithlords
A sizeable Fire Dragons squad + Ex

Lastly, what would you recommend as a platform for delivering a lot of firepower while remaining mobile? I'm thinking of the Eldar equivelant of a SM Predator, without delving into Forge World if possible.