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.

Looking at the rules for nightwings and lightning strike fighters,

(Nightwings with starcannons)

They both cost 23 points,

But statswise they are identical apart from the nightwings shooting 14,8,0 compared to 4,6,2, and ace manoeuvres 1-8 vs 1-7

Is there any point in lightning strikes? Do they need a points decrease?
Or does it not matter as the lightnings are worth their points within the faction
Irritatingly the lightning sprues in the skies of fire set force you to build 2 lightning strikes!

Lightning Strikes have ground attack weapons which you need to have to effectively perform some missions.

Nightwings are pure air-to-air superiority fighters.

Granted, this is from AI 1.0 from Forgeworld, so I am assuming the same holds true for the new version.

Guess you need to look at the additional weapons list to find the difference.
As E says, you do need spesific weapons to take out ground targets, if one of the planes has that and the other dont, then there is your reasons.

For me, the Lightnings still have a place in the faction in large games. They are our fastest plane and I think the only throttle three we have. I like throwing one of them straight up a side a few altitudes off of most planes. Turn two it pulls maneuver 7, jumps to the needed altitude, and can normally end up in a perfect tailing shot.

Its fragile and it's output can't touch an Avenger Strike but it helps disrupt things after a few such runs.


The problem is more on the Nightwings side than the Lightnings. It is one of two planes in the entire faction. It has to be above average because you don't have a choice. If the Eldar ever get more options than the question becomes one of the Nightwing being to good and overshadowing everything else. Sadly I don't see that happening.

I'd say the Lightning is not a very good plane, neither is the Nightwing but the Lightning is worse.

For the Lightning it makes more sense to pay a couple of extra points to get the Thunderbolt, but Eldar don't have a similar option.

I think in general GW undervalue "structure", an expensive aircraft with only 2 structure will get killed far too easily to make use of any of its advantages.in other areas.