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Besides the dow2 muliplayer and books about 40k Im totally new to 40k board game, never played a game but will soon. I purchased this and I was wondering what are the positives and negatives in regards to this units weapons and back packs (which are a double flag pack and a winged pack)? or are the backpacks just for looks? I read the codex and it appears that the heavy weapon is just as good against infantry as the shuriken and good against heavy when the shuriken is just okay a weapon. Is that just for looks too? or does the heavy weapon make him a ranged only unit or does it make him slower or what?

This is the figure I have
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1160035a

I also purchased a Dire Avengers squad, it came with 10 persons, in it I see that there are 2 power weapons that are used by exarchs. Can I have 2 exarchs in the squad of 10? or can I break it up into two squads of 5? Or just one exarch for all 10? I have read of people adding the extra power weapon to the autarch can he be used in the board game?

This is the box set i purchased
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1090079

Its alot of questions I know but it would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

Each squad has an option for 1 exarch.

So you could make 2 squads of 5, yes.

The autarch can take a power weapon, the flag backpack is just for show, but the winged one is a jump pack (like Swooping Hawks).

thanks for the reply, I know he can take a powerweapon but as for the reaper weapon vs shuriken pistol. what are the advantages of both? it seems to me when playing a game that the reaper weapon would be best since its powerful against infantry as well as armor (as to my understanding) so is the shuriken just for show also? If I take the heavy weapon will that remove my chance at melee or something?

EDIT: oh I guess you mean he can take the dire avengers powerweapon because he does come with a power sword one hander that is equiped along with the shuriken or reaper weapon. kk thnx

put the autarch in the bin and get a farseer and or the avatar.......and hell get eldrad or a pheonix lord, but please put the autarch in the bin lol

Check out the Eldar tactics threads.

I really like Autarchs and used them a lot in 5th edition, but I have to concure with Hettar. Autarchs don't bring a lot anymore. If I do use one it's on a jetbike (although I'm tempted to run one with a jump pack and a unit of Warp Spiders). They're good for CC and anti-armor if you take the fusion gun. Otherwise, you get a lot more use out of Farseers or ICs like Eldrad.

I'm mixed on Dire Avengers. I try really hard to keep them out of CC (so supplying your Exarch with a power weapon - which are really not very good in 6th, isn't very good). Running your Exarch with dual-ASC and Bladestorm is what I do.

Aside from the Avatar, Harlequins and maybe jetseer councils, Eldar are really more of a shooty army in my opinion. Search the forums for lists, but also for battle reports. I've learned a ton "watching" other people play. I wish that I had spent more time doing that before buying the troops I started out of the gate with. I probably would have ended up with the same army I have now, but I would have had a better understanding of what everyone does and how to run the army. You're certainly not going to regret these 2 units, but you'll probably get more use out of the DAs than the Autarch.

Good luck!

Just a note, the figure that you have isn't that bad. His main problem is that even though he has hawk wings, he can't get the ability that Swooping Hawk Lord Baharroth can (Skyleap.)

The shuriken pistol is the cheapest of the weapon alternatives though, and the power sword makes him a little better versus imperial guard. Most people who run the Autarch run him with a Fusion Gun, because he's far better at shooting than assault. If he gets lucky, he might be able to pop a tank all by himself.

Autarch, jet bike, mandi-blasters, fusion gun and laser lance. 6 S6 AP3 attacks on the charge at WS6. When leading A unit of Shinning Spears, I've had them wipe whole squads at a time, killing around 10 MEQ's is average.

As long as you're not hitting 2+ armor, they are a very solid choice. Autarch + Shining Spears is 377. Pretty similar to normal assault units + HQ.

Oh, +1 to reserves (if you want it) is nice.

-Matt

Autarch unfortunately will be seeing the shelf. I have to fully disagree with Matt and say that unit is garbage. For 377pts you have 6 space marine toughness equivalents and if they get assaulted instead of you assaulting, they are a wet noodle. To put that in perspective a 7 man seer council is 385 points and you can just guess which I would rather take lol.

Autarch's role has always been +1 reserves to make turn 1 a 3+ on a full reserve list, or as the power weapon in a seer council in case you get tied up by a 2+ armor. You can't full reserve anymore and you have 3+ automatically plus if you want to hit AP2 you negate the high Initiative. Sadly this means that the Autarch has lost his role. Farseers and even phoenix lords vastly outweigh his benefit anymore.

 BlueDagger wrote:
Autarch unfortunately will be seeing the shelf. I have to fully disagree with Matt and say that unit is garbage. For 377pts you have 6 space marine toughness equivalents and if they get assaulted instead of you assaulting, they are a wet noodle. To put that in perspective a 7 man seer council is 385 points and you can just guess which I would rather take lol.

Autarch's role has always been +1 reserves to make turn 1 a 3+ on a full reserve list, or as the power weapon in a seer council in case you get tied up by a 2+ armor. You can't full reserve anymore and you have 3+ automatically plus if you want to hit AP2 you negate the high Initiative. Sadly this means that the Autarch has lost his role. Farseers and even phoenix lords vastly outweigh his benefit anymore.

I've used that unit repeatedly with good success. The speed of the jet bike does a very good job at controlling who is doing the assaulting. If you can't hide 6 jetbikes turn 1, you're not using enough terrain.
Seerer councils hit like a wet noodle. 21 attacks that wound on 2+ and AP crap. It's about half the damage output, for about twice the survivability.
Seerer Council is a roadblock.
Autarch and Spears are the bulldozer.

Totally different roles.
FYI, I run both of them.

-Matt

One thing to keep in mind is the autarch ALWAYS has the Shuriken Pistol in his load out, and his power weapons are all considered a 1 handed weapon. This means he always gets the bonus attack for 2 ccw's. I would reccomend a Powersword, Fusion Gun, and Swooping Hawk wings, unless you plan on him chilling with the Dire Avengers in a Wave Serpent, in which case just run him without the Wings. Pro Tip: If he breaks away to go heroically sniper a vehicle with his Melta Gun, he will die. Trust me, I've tried.

Also, as mentioned before, an Autarch on Jetbike with Laser Lance added in with a Jetbike Seer council is good stuff. He adds the anti armor the Squad needs.

 evildrspock wrote:
One thing to keep in mind is the autarch ALWAYS has the Shuriken Pistol in his load out, and his power weapons are all considered a 1 handed weapon. This means he always gets the bonus attack for 2 ccw's. I would reccomend a Powersword, Fusion Gun, and Swooping Hawk wings, unless you plan on him chilling with the Dire Avengers in a Wave Serpent, in which case just run him without the Wings. Pro Tip: If he breaks away to go heroically sniper a vehicle with his Melta Gun, he will die. Trust me, I've tried.

Also, as mentioned before, an Autarch on Jetbike with Laser Lance added in with a Jetbike Seer council is good stuff. He adds the anti armor the Squad needs.

In my last attempt to pimp the Autarch leading the Shining Spears...
The Exarch gives the unit +1 to it's jink cover save, and makes them auto-pass terrain tests.
So 3+/4++ moving normal and 3+/3++ moving fast.

That lets them bounce shots like a seer council.

-Matt

Except they don't have fortune for that cost and don't have that benefit in CC which they are trying to get into

If an opponent keeps their units near each other you'll have an issue where you slam into one unit potentially killing it. However you'll then get fired into and assaulted by their buddies where your unit will be a wet noodle.

It's one of those units that yes will have shining moments, but in the broad sense of all comers, there is much better options for it's role.

A Farseer AND an Autarch on a bike with a full 5 man Singing Spear Squad with an Exarch might be good. Tons of points, but comparatively deadly to a Seer council, granted not as durable.

 BlueDagger wrote:
Autarch unfortunately will be seeing the shelf. I have to fully disagree with Matt and say that unit is garbage. For 377pts you have 6 space marine toughness equivalents and if they get assaulted instead of you assaulting, they are a wet noodle. To put that in perspective a 7 man seer council is 385 points and you can just guess which I would rather take lol.

385 would be a seer coucil with just fortune, no warlock powers, no runes, no spirit stones.
If you add the enhance and embolden, along with spirit stones, runes and a 2nd power, you're looking at 4 warlocks + farseer for about the same points.

The problem with the seer jet bikes is the nerfing of the witchblade. 2D6 +3 is going to have a rough time against armor. An armored sentinel could tie it up for awhile.

-Matt

I still like my Autarch. Getting reserves in on a 2+ is a really nice boon, and you only need one Autarch to pull it off. This is nice since it all but guaretees that War Walkers come in from outflank early as opposed to later. It also makes using Warp Spiders and Swooping Hawks actually feasable instead of pure lol no.

Autarchs are an interesting unit though. They'll absolutely get their asses handed to them by CC characters of other armies, but they give a nice boon to reserves, and with a power maul they have a solid number of high strength attacks at high weapon skill and initiative. Still nothing special but you can mount a melta gun on that!