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Right at the tail end of 5th edition, I bought a slew of Dark Eldar and then had to take some time away from wargaming. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and I'd like to be able to use my Dark Eldar, but every review and mention I see of them in 6th is... less than flattering let's say.

I played a couple of games with them myself in 6th and got slaughtered. It's not looking good. My list was a fairly standard 5th edition list; venom spam with kabalites, either a haemonculus with liquifier gun or archon as my HQ.

I play casually, not in tournaments or anything, so I don't even care if they're great, but... it would be nice to stand a chance.

Is there any redeeming factor about Dark Eldar? Is there any way they can be playable as a primary detachment, or should I just shelf them?

There was a rogue trader tourney this weekend and only one dark eldar player that I saw, he didn't place but did well and tabled one of his opponents in 45minutes at 1500pts. I only saw his army in passing but I know I saw the beastmaster blob and at least 10 hellions, and some scourges. I think he went for fast hard hitting glass hammer. Flesh circus is another option I've been personally wanting to try but don't have the models for. Wyches are dead for this edition unless it is 5 in a venom unfortuantely though.

You need to read all the DE batreps and tactica from Thor665 http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/user/profile/11693.page.

He is a very solid DE player.

DE do okay with venom spam but they are one of the more skill based armies out there. Have you asked help with your army list yet? That is usually the first step and then I would recommend playing a game or two and reporting the batreps. This will give people a chance to "critique" your tactical choices. The big question being do you have enough ravagers?

If you like FW then the eldar corsair list gives a huge buff to the DE as you can take an allied corsair prince who can activate nightfighting for 1 turn.

For DE I would guess a strong shooting list might be worth considering.

Venom spam's solid in this edition. Keep out of range, take the extra Splinter Cannon, don't forget your Flicker save, use your ridiculous movement to grab objectives at the last minute.

Batreps are a good way to go if you're running into a wall. What are your main opponents? Sometimes a few specialized units can throw the game into your favor. What does your anti-tank look like?

I've had better luck at lower point levels, you may want to try a 500-1k game to get the hang of things before expanding outward with DE.

I play the Monsters list or as someone called it, the flesh circus.

It has gotten very very good results. It's ALWAYS got a chance. It relies on rapier-like stabs at the enemy's heart instead of the standoffish way of many Dark Eldar armies. It's in your face, daring you to engage while the shooters do their thing. Combined arms you might say.

I'll post it here:
VoidRaven: 2 necrotoxin Missiles (for pinning), 2 Shatterfield Missiles

5 beast Masters (4 Clawed Fiends, 2 Razorwing Flocks)

5 Wracks (HexRifle, Liquefier Gun)
Disintegrator Raider (Shock Prow, Torment Greande launchers, FlickerField)

5 Wracks (HexRifle, Liquefier Gun)
Disintegrator Raider (Shock Prow, Torment Greande launchers, FlickerField)

5 Wracks (HexRifle, Liquefier Gun)
Disintegrator Raider (Shock Prow, Torment Greande launchers, FlickerField)

5 Wracks (HexRifle, Liquefier Gun)
Venom (Dual Splinter, Night Shields, FlickerField)

5 Kabalite Trueborn (4 Blasters, 1 Splinter Cannon)
Venom (Dual Splinter, Night Shields, FlickerField)

5 Kabalite Trueborn (4 Blasters, 1 Splinter Cannon)
Venom (Dual Splinter, Night Shields, FlickerField)

7 Grotesques (Aberration has Scissor Hands)

Urien Rakarth

Dark Eldar venomspam is only good if you like that style of play (zoom around, last minute objective grab). It wins some competetive games now and again but it's not very exciting.

I run usually a single venom (just got a second), but also a full three raiders loaded with kabalites, night shields and splinter racks. They do very well for me, and I really can't stress enough how useful the night shields are- they probably rob my opponent of an easy dozen or two shots a game. There will also rarely be a time when you don't get jink saves (with Tau obviously that will not be as reliable), and they have an extra hull point over Venoms as well as a dark lance to pop big armored threats from range. Blasterborn are great but I honestly think for their points DE Kabalites are about the best basic troops in the game and so I run quite a few, up to fifty so far. Haven't used Beastpack yet either.

I've won the vast majority of games with my DE, and it's usually exciting and a little nail-bitey at first but by turn three or four it's in the bag. Also awfully fun to play. It's worth noting that if you primarily play casual, there are a bazillion Raider upgrades worth trying out (and yeah, a few stinkers) and they are all dirt cheap.

Don't give up on the army, especially as a casual player. They are exceedingly strong but not an easy one to master. Anyone can win almost by accident with certain armies (Necrons being probably the worst offender), it takes time to master DE but if and when you do you'll be a very skilled player.

I agree on the nail Biting part. I think thats the fun of Dark Eldar. they leave you open to doubt for sure but just stick with the plan.

My three Disintegrator Radiders are for tank shocking and disrupting things, and bringing Liquifier guns to nasty life.

You got midfield Blasters firing, long range Cannons firing and then they close in around turn three and start stabbing at the enemy

I particulkarly like the way the enemy really never knows what to focus on so I give him thre BeastMasters and Grotesques to think about butthat justr puts the enemies best assets in a fight that could go on for some time while objectivesarer being taken.

If you don't mind siding with the light, being able to ally as battle brothers with Eldar can open some really strong additions as well.

Take a farseer on a jetbike and 3 guardian jetbikes as your troops. For 166 points you have a fast moving scoring unit for last turn objective grabbing, and a level 3 psyker that can join any of your squads.

Some of the eldar powers get sick when combined with dark eldar. Fortune on a shadow field == 35/36 chance of saving. Guide cast on a ravager can greatly increase its ability to hit flyers, etc....

All around great advice in this thread. In the end though you really need to practice, DE are very surgical and my games with them have always been very fun roller coaster rides that are a blast. Last night I played 750 against my bros nids and I took:

Haemi, venom blade & liquifier

10 wracks, acothyst w hex rifle venom blade, 2 liquifiers
raider DL

10 Warriors sybarite venom blade, spilnter canon
raider w/ splinter racks Disintegrator

9 wyches, hekatrix venom blade
raider DL

3 true born, 2 splinter canons, shard carbine
venom dual canons

It was a load of fun and each unit proved its worth, the true born in venom pump out 27 shots!

Best part of the game was my hekatrix in a challenge with a tyranid prime for 5 rounds due to 4++ and fnp with the moral support reroll saving her bacon each combat until round 5 when I did 3 wounds and he rolls two 1's and a 2 and croaks while killing her with 4 wounds! Great fun and very thematic picturing the wych gladiator performing in front of her disciples cheering her on!

sound advice from the lot, nobody has brought them up yet but reavers are also very good, and a nice blaster delivery service.

Sadly, yes we did lose a lot of the close combat aspect which this army was notorious for, but not completely as some may have thought. A lot of the people who have been complaining about what has occurred to the Dark Eldar army are not use to the glass hammer, and that you can't simply walk the army across the bored and expect to weather any sort of fire power that is dished out to you since our best armor save is 4+ and only found on a couple of units.

Our game now is stapled to the speed of which we can move a entire army and how much fire power we can bring with that speed. Packing an array of weapons that bring down monstrous creatures in a single salvo of fire. "My wraithknight is T8!" "Don't care have Poison." The other one I enjoy is the "My armor is 14 all around." "Cool, now it is 12." Utilize the fact that we manipulate the opponents strong points to our advantage.

I've been seeing a lot of people dropping off from using Night Shields and Flicker Fields since there is a "jink" save out there for free. There are way to many weapons out there that can still damage our vehicles that can ignore cover so I don't trust it for anything, plus my flyer doesn't have to jink and fire at snap. Night Shields are still awesome against the more standard anti-infantry weapons that are used to take down our vehicles, also really annoys people for both melta range and rapid fire. Yes the big guns can reach us, but hey you still have a 5+ invul save.

My personal favorite army to be built around is the use of our best HQ, the Baron with as many Hellions, Reavers and a minimum of one Razorwing Jet fighter. Hit and run, Skilled riders getting the 4+ cover on the reavers also armed with heat lances, and a versatile flier to control the skies.

New edition means a new way to look at a army, and I am not saying they are top tier but a decent player can make some upsets in casual and especially in tournament play.

Dastrike wrote:
our best armor save is 4+ and only found on a couple of units.

Don't forget Incubi and Taloi/Cronoi with that 3+!

 eohall wrote:

Dastrike wrote:
our best armor save is 4+ and only found on a couple of units.

Don't forget Incubi and Taloi/Cronoi with that 3+!

Oh yeah, those did slip my mind but I really don't see to many fielded.

Dastrike wrote:

 eohall wrote:

Dastrike wrote:
our best armor save is 4+ and only found on a couple of units.

Don't forget Incubi and Taloi/Cronoi with that 3+!

Oh yeah, those did slip my mind but I really don't see to many fielded.

Incubi are great, the problem is they are too great. They kill things too fast and then get shot up. For a pure CC unit that can only move 6" a turn they can put out the hurt. The problem is that they are a pure CC unit that can only move 6" a turn. It's not the unit that is broken but the units you are likely to face. Incubi are great at killing elite infantry without invulnerable saves.