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I'm new to Warhammer 40k, and am leaning towards the Eldar.

Is the Battleforce (+ a Farseer) worth it?

If not, what should I use to make a basic ~500 pt starter army?

Battleforces are one of the few bundles that actually save you money, as long as you want all of the units.

If you aren't going for a Jetbike-focussed list, it's a good buy. I'd recommend consider a Jetbike for the Farseer, even if putting him with a foot unit (although he won't be able to embark into a transport) simply because I've lost count of the number of times mine have been instant-deathed by strength 6 weapons. The foot model is a great sculpt too though.

The Battleforce is a good way to start a balanced and friendly Eldar army. It is not the way to start the more common and much stronger Eldar armies that use all the best toys with no regard to the enjoyment your opponent gets. So decide what sort of army you want to build before the purchase.

I personally liked it better when it had the War Walker (I do love my Walkers). But the vyper is still an okay unit. If you can find the walker version of the box on eBay I'd snaffle it up quick. But the Guardians and Dire Avengers are great troops and the Wave Serpent is invaluable.

That combined with great value makes it a very attractive start.

The new Eldar battle force box comes with the usual models but it also comes with a "IWIN" button and a troll face mask to wear when you play your friends

 Ghazkuul wrote:
The new Eldar battle force box comes with the usual models but it also comes with a "IWIN" button and a troll face mask to wear when you play your friends

So does pretty much every other army in the game, too then.