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So this might sound stupid but i think it could totally be legit. Would it be cool if i took 4 empty raiders in 2k-2.5k points games? Let me explain. You can move them and then flat out in the shooting phase.

For enemy melee defense this allows you to shoot all your weapons at an enemy unit coming in at melee and preventing them from getting at you normally with them having shooting too poor to effect the 3+ cover save empty raiders provided you gave them night shields.

For enemy shooting armies you can place them in front of your melee units being transported by raiders (make a shield wall with them with your empty raiders protecting most of the hull) and have them take shots for the raiders actually carrying the melee units into battle. Also if your enemy is shooting you can shoot your ravagers, venoms, skimmers with trueborn and such and then flat out with empty raiders in front of those units to take shots for them preventing the need for your valuable vehicles to be hit and being forced to snap fire due to jinking. Sure cover can work for vehicles but sometimes it's not always available where needed. Even better if a raider with troops should fall before you get it somewhere there will be lots of empty replacement raiders even if one transport died turn one somehow in your deployment zone.

For reaver jetbikes the empty raiders can also provide a wall that allows you to charge without worry an enemy will charge them first. In fact our jet pack, jetbike and skimmer units can usually avoid the walls if we have no shooting and wish to surround an enemy by throwing up some walls and killing them all in a sort of makeshift area.

So in between blocking melee enemies coming at you and shooting enemies i think it could be a somewhat worthwhile strategy. I'm not absolutely sure on the points again but a couple roadblocks or bullet shields (empty raiders) could legit help out a ton. Against enemies that have jump packs, possibly jump jets (usually slow though), skimmers and stupidly large units like gargantuan this might not help as much. It also might not help your infantry nearly as much if you have any but rather vehicles and reavers which is most of a dark eldar force anyway. However against pretty much everything else this seems like a totally legit strategy.

I'm probably looking at 280 pts of empty raiders and i'm not gonna lie it sounds kinda dumb but i think this with the raiders i already use (after done deploying melee units) can actually make this pretty legit. Not sure i want to throw down the points for more than 2 ravagers or 2 blaster scourge squads on this but it could really annoy some opponents and allow for even more turns with all my units focus firing on an enemy in my face with absolutely no danger to my actual worthwhile units within spitting distance of the enemy just because the empty raiders can flat out and make a makeshift wall after shots are fired.

So tell me what you guys think. It might be too costly but a raider hull is long and i think with the jinking it could save a lot of far more important dark eldar that would otherwise bite it. I'd much rather lose 3 raiders than 2 of my blaster scourge squads or a blaster trueborn squad in a raider or venom.

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Anyway perhaps my idea would use too many raiders but i figure 2-3 empty raider with maybe night fields and maybe another upgrade or two (probably a 70 pts drop and a fast attack slot if you have a 2nd hq used for grots or something) just used to form walls and bullet sponges for more worthwhile units could be valid and i wish to try this tactic as soon as i can afford it. I think it has potential and from my current force doesn't add much to what i already have.

I think with those large formats every dark eldar competitive list should relies on the Corpsethief Claw and 18+ reavers jetbikes. Rest of the army to be built around them. Empty raiders could work in standard or lower points games, but with 2k or more you're going to face the nastiest things in the world, psykers and shooting phases that can vaporize most of dark eldar stuff easily, so you should take as many of your best units as you can. Empty raiders work well against close combat armies like orks, tyranids, BA or space wolves but they don't offer any protection in the shooting phase, only a cover save but most of your stuff can jink. They also compete with other fast attacks, I think having 5-6 of jetbikes is the best option available, maybe with a unit of scourges.

I still think 2 or 3 raiders would help. Perhaps not as much vs a shooty army but i suppose it can prevent line of sight with venoms and it could totally make makeshift cover for ravagers provided you take them (which you probably shouldn't anyway).

Probably the most fun tactic in the game (only works in a friendly environment) is taking a bunch of raiders with Shock Prows and just pincushioning LRs and the such. They can also do some fun tank shock shenanigans (especially aided with the armor of misery)

However, that isn't the most competitive tactic