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So I absolutely love the models, but have never played a game of AoS in my life. Besides the Start Collecting box, what else would I need? Are all the rules officially digital now?

The start collecting box is perfect for a starting force on its own (shocking coming from GW, I know!), and the rules can be found for free online. (and on the free AoS app) If you are really looking to dive in then purchasing the Sylvaneth battletome will get you all the warscrolls and the main rules in printed form, plus a lot of extra goodies you'll probably use later (just ignore the allegiance bit for your first few games to keep things more simple). But regardless, if you can find someone else with a Start Collecting box (or those models, at least) they are reasonably well matched against each other.

The battletomes also contain fluff for the given faction as well as ideas for paint schemes.

 jreilly89 wrote:
So I absolutely love the models, but have never played a game of AoS in my life. Besides the Start Collecting box, what else would I need? Are all the rules officially digital now?

Rules, battletomes, warscrolls, paint guides, campaign books, and fluff. All available to buy from the AoS app. Pretty sure it's all available in print too if you prefer that. Plus, there's a few Sylvaneth paint tutorials on their WarhammerTV YouTube channel by the excellent Mr Rhodes and Emma.

3 Start collecting boxes and Dread Drycha.

You are set.

Oh yeah, Kumoth Hunters!

It really depends on what you like the look of really, rule of cool!

Start collecting is a great start, then grab the battletome and have a nose through. I have been playing 6 month with Sylvaneth, and ended up picking up two units of the hunters, simply because ranged weaponry was something I was missing and those bows are pretty damn awesome! I'll probably end up using a formation with them, as they are cool models and the melee version is cool as well.

I dont know about with points, but after tonights abusive violence, I would suggest about 32 dryads and 4 branchwraiths. That was enough to make my life exceptionally difficult. and beat a draw out of me.

Kurnoth Hunters are very nasty. Also, consider that the Tree Kin from the legacy Wood Elves pdf are Sylvaneth aligned. They are also quite cost effective. Finding models for them might be difficult, but if you are good with greenstuff you can easily convert some using parts from the dryad kit and a lot of sculpting.

 thekingofkings wrote:
I dont know about with points, but after tonights abusive violence, I would suggest about 32 dryads and 4 branchwraiths. That was enough to make my life exceptionally difficult. and beat a draw out of me.

If you were playing without points, were you using the rules of 1 or just base game?

 ZebioLizard2 wrote:

 thekingofkings wrote:
I dont know about with points, but after tonights abusive violence, I would suggest about 32 dryads and 4 branchwraiths. That was enough to make my life exceptionally difficult. and beat a draw out of me.

If you were playing without points, were you using the rules of 1 or just base game?

just the base game

That might explain it, rule of one would've drastically changed it so they couldn't spam arcane bolt and stack mystic shield saves on units from the branchwraiths.

 ZebioLizard2 wrote:
That might explain it, rule of one would've drastically changed it so they couldn't spam arcane bolt and stack mystic shield saves on units from the branchwraiths.

with the lord relictor and 2 solid groups of liberators we fought for the objective in the center for about 4 turns. IT was immovable objects in a head butting contest.

 thekingofkings wrote:

 ZebioLizard2 wrote:
That might explain it, rule of one would've drastically changed it so they couldn't spam arcane bolt and stack mystic shield saves on units from the branchwraiths.

with the lord relictor and 2 solid groups of liberators we fought for the objective in the center for about 4 turns. IT was immovable objects in a head butting contest.

The Guardians of Alarielle battalion gives you Liberators with 3+ base saves as long as they're within 9" of the Lord Castellant (who gets a base 2+ and can buff one unit of Liberators to 2+). With the battalion, the Branchwraith gains the ability to heal any unit 1 wound in each hero phase (not a spell). On top of all that, it all still counts as Sylvaneth for allegiance abilities (the stormcast guys don't gain the sylvaneth keyword though). Oh, and every model in the battalion gets 10 Bravery as long as the Branchwraith is alive. Easily gives Sylvaneth an almost unkillable line to stand in front of a couple Kurnoth Hunter units.

Laughatdo0m wrote:

 thekingofkings wrote:

 ZebioLizard2 wrote:
That might explain it, rule of one would've drastically changed it so they couldn't spam arcane bolt and stack mystic shield saves on units from the branchwraiths.

with the lord relictor and 2 solid groups of liberators we fought for the objective in the center for about 4 turns. IT was immovable objects in a head butting contest.

The Guardians of Alarielle battalion gives you Liberators with 3+ base saves as long as they're within 9" of the Lord Castellant (who gets a base 2+ and can buff one unit of Liberators to 2+). With the battalion, the Branchwraith gains the ability to heal any unit 1 wound in each hero phase (not a spell). On top of all that, it all still counts as Sylvaneth for allegiance abilities (the stormcast guys don't gain the sylvaneth keyword though). Oh, and every model in the battalion gets 10 Bravery as long as the Branchwraith is alive. Easily gives Sylvaneth an almost unkillable line to stand in front of a couple Kurnoth Hunter units.

My enemy/friend commands the sylvaneth, the stormcast are mine, we are not inclined to "team up" or swap units as we are beating the snot outta each other over some map areas on our own map based bit of haterade.

Castellants with Liberators are ridiculous. A small unit of Liberators can tie up larger numbered units with ease.

 Uriels_Flame wrote:
Castellants with Liberators are ridiculous. A small unit of Liberators can tie up larger numbered units with ease.

I dont have any of those guys, I just rely HEAVILY on my liberators to carry the day.

On their own they are quite tough too.