Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Just picked up a lot of DE because I love the minis. I understand their flaws. However being so new wanted some advice on building a 1K list with what I have and advice for modeling like the scourges and if I want to play trueborn how many to play and how to arm them.

1 archon ( best loadout? )

1 succubus ( best loadout? )

10 wyches - raider ( how should I arm these )

10 warriors - 170
- blast pistol
- splinter cannon
raider
- darklance

10 warriors - 170
- blast pistol
- splinter cannon
raider
- darklance

10 warriors - 170
- blast pistol
- splinter cannon
raider
- darklance

5 scourges - 80 ( how to arm them )

3 reavers - 48 ( stock )

3 reavers - 48 ( stock )

1 ravager - 125

Never use two HQs in dark eldars lists, especially in such small games. Drop one of them, i'd keep the succubus (archite glaive and armour of misery) as she's much better fighter. Raiders can be used with no upgrades, you can take a dark lance or night shields if you carry a close combat unit and want a better save with jinking, i'd add it in the HQ raider. Nothing else on transports. Venoms are better to carry kabalites, units of five. If you really want kabalites in raiders you can equip the vehicles with splinter racks, to make every splinter shot twin linked. Scourges have typically two loadouts, heat lances or haywire blasters. I'd go only with haywire if i bring them, but many players would do the opposite so it' really up to you. Never bring stock reavers, cluster caltrops are mandatory upgrades. Also the ravager it's better with dark lances but it depends on what you need, 3 s8 or 9 s5 shots. Wyches are very poor these days but you need a unit that joins the HQ and if you don't have grotesques stick the succubus with them, just take 9 wyches so there's an empty seat for the succubus in that raider. No upgrades on wyches.

 Blackie wrote:
Never use two HQs in dark eldars lists, especially in such small games. Drop one of them, i'd keep the succubus (archite glaive and armour of misery) as she's much better fighter. Raiders can be used with no upgrades, you can take a dark lance or night shields if you carry a close combat unit and want a better save with jinking, i'd add it in the HQ raider. Nothing else on transports. Venoms are better to carry kabalites, units of five. If you really want kabalites in raiders you can equip the vehicles with splinter racks, to make every splinter shot twin linked. Scourges have typically two loadouts, heat lances or haywire blasters. I'd go only with haywire if i bring them, but many players would do the opposite so it' really up to you. Never bring stock reavers, cluster caltrops are mandatory upgrades. Also the ravager it's better with dark lances but it depends on what you need, 3 s8 or 9 s5 shots. Wyches are very poor these days but you need a unit that joins the HQ and if you don't have grotesques stick the succubus with them, just take 9 wyches so there's an empty seat for the succubus in that raider. No upgrades on wyches.

thanks this was really helpful. If I wanted to keep the archon and play something like trueborn in a raider how should I equip them?

Probably go with blasters all the way around if you want to do the Archon and Trueborn in a Raider. That is quite a few S8 AP2 shots going around. I mean, your Scourges are your better anti-tank, but those shots are nothing to scoff at.

CaptainSomas wrote:
Probably go with blasters all the way around if you want to do the Archon and Trueborn in a Raider. That is quite a few S8 AP2 shots going around. I mean, your Scourges are your better anti-tank, but those shots are nothing to scoff at.

with the reavers only one with caltrops or on all 3? Kind of a points sink for all of them right? Also why never take more than 1 HQ?

I chose to use HWB for my scourges but what about the fifth one? Leave it stock?

You can take just one caltrop every three reavers. Archon with a blaster and trueborn is nice but huge point sink for 1000 pts IMHO, also i suggested to include a single HQ because dark eldars ones are not really good, in fact one the best HQ available is a court of the archon with a single lhamaean, in order to spend only 10 points for the HQ tax. Anyway if you want the trueborn with the archon you should do something like that: archon with blaster and web way portal, 5 trueborn with 4 blasters (you'll only see them with this wargear), raider with no upgrades. Eventually take a dark lance on the raider or drop the web way portal if you run out of points. But that unit is nice when deep strikes wherever you need it to be. In a 1000 points game i prefer a succubus with wyches in a raider, as you already have a ravager, scourges and reavers (due to caltrops) for anti tank.

 Blackie wrote:
You can take just one caltrop every three reavers. Archon with a blaster and trueborn is nice but huge point sink for 1000 pts IMHO, also i suggested to include a single HQ because dark eldars ones are not really good, in fact one the best HQ available is a court of the archon with a single lhamaean, in order to spend only 10 points for the HQ tax. Anyway if you want the trueborn with the archon you should do something like that: archon with blaster and web way portal, 5 trueborn with 4 blasters (you'll only see them with this wargear), raider with no upgrades. Eventually take a dark lance on the raider or drop the web way portal if you run out of points. But that unit is nice when deep strikes wherever you need it to be. In a 1000 points game i prefer a succubus with wyches in a raider, as you already have a ravager, scourges and reavers (due to caltrops) for anti tank.

Thanks for the advice! Kind of sucks not using the formation from start collecting or anything else but this is what I came up with:

succubus 110
archite glaive
armour of misery

9 wyches 90
raider 75
darklance
night shields

10 warriors - 170
- splinter cannon
raider
- darklance
- splinter racks

10 warriors - 170
- splinter cannon
raider
- darklance
- splinter racks

5 scourges - 120
4 haywire blasters

3 reavers - 63
1 caltrops

3 reavers - 63
1 caltrops

ravager - 140
3 dark lances
night shields

total 1001

I am 1pt over and no upgrades on wyches. How should I deck out my wyches and I'll have to make cuts.

Wyches are ok with no upgrades, basically they're just bodies to protect the succubus, who has ap2 hits. To stay under 1000 points i'd cut the dark lance in the wyches raider, that vehicle is going to jink all the time and the unit inside doesn't care as they are a close combat squad.

 Blackie wrote:
Wyches are ok with no upgrades, basically they're just bodies to protect the succubus, who has ap2 hits. To stay under 1000 points i'd cut the dark lance in the wyches raider, that vehicle is going to jink all the time and the unit inside doesn't care as they are a close combat squad.

You rock blackie! The max games I play these days for 40K are 1,500 when I expand this is what I have below. I know venoms are good but I dont like the model much . Thoughts

10 warriors - 170
- splinter cannon
raider
- darklance
- splinter racks

ravager - 140
3 dark lances
night shields

5 scourges - 120
4 haywire blasters

3 reavers - 63
1 caltrops

Thank you I really love dark eldars so i'm glad if i can help someone thay plays them too. To expand to 1500 points i'd suggest to add venoms, 3 other reavers, a second ravager and 3-6 grotesques. But don't worry for now, play with your models, a 1000 points format is excellent to learn how they work, it's not an easy army to play and requires some experience, and the list you posted before is ok.

 Blackie wrote:
Thank you I really love dark eldars so i'm glad if i can help someone thay plays them too. To expand to 1500 points i'd suggest to add venoms, 3 other reavers, a second ravager and 3-6 grotesques. But don't worry for now, play with your models, a 1000 points format is excellent to learn how they work, it's not an easy army to play and requires some experience, and the list you posted before is ok.

thoughts on inqubi? My favorite minis!

They're among my fav ones too, but sadly sot really competitive. They have a good save but only T3, so very fragile, they have high initiative and ap2 but only s4 and not many attacks. So they can be good but in close combat grotesques and talos are way better, also reavers with their rending hammers of wrath are great. You can field incubi in many ways, always including a klaivex that gives you some extra attacks for only 10 points. If you want to try them you can take 3,4 or 5 incubi in a venom or 4+ on a raider, eventually joined by an archon/succubus. In your list you can take them instead of wyches, same points but maybe they're a bit better. 4 incubi with a klaivex are exactly 90 points.

 Blackie wrote:
They're among my fav ones too, but sadly sot really competitive. They have a good save but only T3, so very fragile, they have high initiative and ap2 but only s4 and not many attacks. So they can be good but in close combat grotesques and talos are way better, also reavers with their rending hammers of wrath are great. You can field incubi in many ways, always including a klaivex that gives you some extra attacks for only 10 points. If you want to try them you can take 3,4 or 5 incubi in a venom or 4+ on a raider, eventually joined by an archon/succubus. In your list you can take them instead of wyches, same points but maybe they're a bit better. 4 incubi with a klaivex are exactly 90 points.

I wonder how much better they are than 9 wyches

To be fair, wyches had a ton of use when people allowed every model to use grenades, as they would simply jump out of a transport and take out armour perfectly.

Now however, they make good bbullet Shields and that's about it.
Combat in this edition requires getting there.
You have fast transports which is solid.
But they are also paper thin, carrying models that are even less resilient.

Between getting to combat and over watch from the unit you charge, you won't have anywhere near an effective combat unit.
Really only enough for delivering a character into combat.



For pure assault grotesques really are solid.
If your looking for a solid combat unit then I'd start with them.



As said, incubi are squishy to say the least.
Decent armour and weapons that boost their poor strength (and of course AP2)
But T3 and low attacks ensures they won't get very far.

High initiative, AP2 and quick transports does allow them to kill small elite units, but any hordes or units with ++ saves will be the end of them.






Reavers really are a solid choice every time.
The HoW attacks can be perfect when 2 units hit the same target.
Also, with the new DE set coming out they will be cheap too! (£35 for 6 reavers and 10 hellions)

 Jackal wrote:
To be fair, wyches had a ton of use when people allowed every model to use grenades, as they would simply jump out of a transport and take out armour perfectly.

Now however, they make good bbullet Shields and that's about it.
Combat in this edition requires getting there.
You have fast transports which is solid.
But they are also paper thin, carrying models that are even less resilient.

Between getting to combat and over watch from the unit you charge, you won't have anywhere near an effective combat unit.
Really only enough for delivering a character into combat.



For pure assault grotesques really are solid.
If your looking for a solid combat unit then I'd start with them.



As said, incubi are squishy to say the least.
Decent armour and weapons that boost their poor strength (and of course AP2)
But T3 and low attacks ensures they won't get very far.

High initiative, AP2 and quick transports does allow them to kill small elite units, but any hordes or units with ++ saves will be the end of them.






Reavers really are a solid choice every time.
The HoW attacks can be perfect when 2 units hit the same target.
Also, with the new DE set coming out they will be cheap too! (£35 for 6 reavers and 10 hellions)

So I should ditch them and stick to DAKKA? I did not have the witches in there as my "combat unit" just because I have them. Not sure what to do with my HQ choice if thats the case.

In a 1000 points game a ravager and 5 scourges with haywire blasters are a good anti tank. Also there are a lot of poisoned shots so the shooting phase is ok imho. We're not talking of building a tournament list but a list for a beginner that helps him to learn how the dark eldars work. It's a nice list i think. Ok, grotesques and venoms are better than wyches/incubi and raiders but i think this list can do nice games. The succubus is ok. Alternatively if you want more units you can just take a lhamaean in a venom for just 75 points and add something else, maybe more reavers.

When it comes to shooting DE can be king in lower points games.

The main issues people struggle against are:

High AV.
Horde armies..
Flyers.
MCs.

Now when you consider the cost of a ravager for 3 dark lances, it's a steal and great for removing armour at any level.

Venoms (I know your not keen on them) are possibly one of the best vehicles in the game.
Yes they are made from paper, but throwing out 12 poisoned shots a turn is brilliant, and for its cost and low tax to take them, even better.
These cover everything from MCs to horde armies due to poisoned and sheer rate of fire.
105 points Base for a venom with 2 cannons and a unit of warriors is brilliant.

That also helps in objective based games as you will have the mobility to grab them easily.




I'm not saying they can't fight CC, but at low points your essentially paying for a character, 9 bullet Shields and a transport just to get a single model into combat.
In larger games you can afford to pay out for this without an issue.
In lower points games most people see the HQ as a tax and run a cheap one simply to fill the mandatory slot.


As blackie said, a lhamaean in a venom is cheaper and also gives you another venom on the table.
Essentially increasing your firepower and letting you run another unit.

thanks so much for the help guys. Maybe the venom will grow on me!