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Greetings all. With the release of our new edition just around the corner I think its time to start one of these. As a fairly new DE player (but long time admirer) the leaked pics have gotten me all giddy. so what are we all hoping for/should expect with our new book?

Things I'm hoping for:
Point reduction or some sort of buff for crossbowmen
Khainite L&H choice option (perhaps an upgrade)
Buff for the bolt thrower
Dark Riders stay as is, I find them a blast to use
Still being able to stick a magic banner on pretty much everything

Things I expect:
loosing all of our tasty magic items except sac daggar, sea serpent standard while getting a few new ones.
points increase on hydra
Total reworking of our magic
re working of the gifts of khaine (or possibly loosing them all together)

I've only been playing DE since spring so I really don't know all of their kinks so I'm very interested in what other players have to share!
-Cheers

some sort of buff for crossbowmen? Dude they are allready very good!

Bolt thrower is ok just needs point reduction.

Hydra increase in points.. well cool we get a new hydra model

Dark riders Man wish they'd get some new stuff but havent seen any yet :/

Plastic WICHES! \o/

 phatonic wrote:
some sort of buff for crossbowmen? Dude they are allready very good!

Bolt thrower is ok just needs point reduction.

Hydra increase in points.. well cool we get a new hydra model

Dark riders Man wish they'd get some new stuff but havent seen any yet :/

Plastic WICHES! \o/

Crossbowmen? Good? Are we looking at the same book? They're lacklustre at best.

 thedarkavenger wrote:

 phatonic wrote:
some sort of buff for crossbowmen? Dude they are allready very good!

Bolt thrower is ok just needs point reduction.

Hydra increase in points.. well cool we get a new hydra model

Dark riders Man wish they'd get some new stuff but havent seen any yet :/

Plastic WICHES! \o/

Crossbowmen? Good? Are we looking at the same book? They're lacklustre at best.

Crossbow(elves)

They cause havoc in every game of mine

In terms of models...
- Plastic kits for Executioners, Black Gaurd and Witches
- probably a new monster and perhaps a new kit for the Hydra and Chariot
- New finecast models for Special characters likely, but a customizable Dreadlord/Master kit would be nice.

In terms of army list the OPs original points are pretty spot on. Hydras will definately become more expensive, possibly 220-240 points and Bolt Throwers will be reduced to 70 points. Magic items will be trimed to two pages or so worth, with the Pendent definately being re-worked but hopefully not removed. I'd say the Power of Darkness spell will somehow be re-worked to act as the Dark Magic lore attribute similar to how Death/Shadows (cant remember) works. Can't see Crossbowmen being reduced in points, they are already well above average in terms of core shooting.

Can we get a link to these leaked pics!?

Repeaters are good enough as is... With access to Metal magic, (if they keep it, though I see no reason to remove that option), they can gain a +1 to-hit bonus with Enchanted Blades. It fething hurts when they do btw!!!

Hydra likely 200-210pts base cost + a couple of upgrade options.

Rumor has it Dark Elves are gaining army-wide ASF... and before the whining starts, elves deserve it because they're like freaking ninjas in terms of how fast they are! Also heard a rumor that their Eternal Hatred thing will be changed from army-wide Hatred to an ability that lets them re-roll to-wound rolls of 1's. (nasty on GW's!)

Also Dark Magic might be getting 2 sig spells ala High Magic, one of which is rumored to be the current Power of Darkness... however a slight change - while still gaining +D3 power dice, if 3 are gained, the caster take a wound! (too much of a good thing I guess?!)

I'd also expect to see really stupid items like the Pendant get fixed/rendered near-worthless in true GW nerfbat fashion or, else removed outright.

Finally, there's rumors of a second wave incoming shorty after the initial book release wave... so fingers crossed for those Black Guard/Executioners, Dark Riders & Chariots to come out just in time for Santa's yearly visit!


Oh, and I expect High Elf players will whine that GW again gave the Druchii all the love.

Been playing the Dark Elves for a good 6 years now, and here's my list of things I expect, and things I hope for:

The things I expect:

Hydra nerf - Either through a points increase, or by putting it similar to the Storm of Magic hydras, where you buy a base hydra and then spend more points for options. Depending on the options, this could be good or bad. But yeah, even I have to admit that the Hydra was way too cheap for its effectiveness.

Magic item nerf - This is mostly a matter of course for the 8th edition codicies, we'll find a lot of items gone by the wayside, and those that remain being changed to some degree or the other. If I had to guess which items survive the codex shift, I'd put money on the Sacrificial Dagger surviving in some fashion, as well as the Standard of Naggaroth, being iconic as it is. The tried and true pendant of Kaelith is certainly on its way out, or to nerf town (perhaps having its effect be on the first wound?).

Expansion of Rare section - Right now, we have two Rare items, I'm almost certain we'll see something go in here, either more monsters or something to do with that supposed combined Cauldron of Blood kit.

"Elf" universal rules - Something similar to the High Elves' ASF rule.

Reworking of magic - Yeah, this is gonna happen. With the way the dice work now, it's not gonna surprise anyone.

The things I hope for:

Removal of old unit limits - Mostly in the form of Black Guard losing the max unit size of 20.

Buffing of Executioners - I always loved these guys, and I hope that they get something more. I suppose if Dark Elves get a similar ASF rule to High Elves, this will go a long way towards that end.

I really hope they dont stray too far from the current Eternal Hatred army-wide special rule. Fits in very well with Dark Elf lore and gives the army a boost in combat which has clearly been a primary objective with most army books since the release of 8th. But I suppose if the rules do change whoever writes the new army book will spin it in a way that suits the fluff.

Im fine with Dark Elves getting ASF but there is no way they will get that AND this re-roll wound rolls of 1 rumour... that would be god-like. If that does happen then High Elf players (and all others for that matter) will whine, and rightfully so.

alex87 wrote:
I really hope they dont stray too far from the current Eternal Hatred army-wide special rule. Fits in very well with Dark Elf lore and gives the army a boost in combat which has clearly been a primary objective with most army books since the release of 8th. But I suppose if the rules do change whoever writes the new army book will spin it in a way that suits the fluff.

Im fine with Dark Elves getting ASF but there is no way they will get that AND this re-roll wound rolls of 1 rumour... that would be god-like. If that does happen then High Elf players (and all others for that matter) will whine, and rightfully so.

It's apparently been put out there by the guys who leaked the goods on the new Vanilla Marines 'dex, so odds are the re-roll 1's bit is true.

Now while it may sound horribly OTT, if the Dark Elf army is limited to mainly S3 across the board for their units, then it's not a hugely unbalancing game changer overall... It'll mean diddly vs 1+ or 2+ saves for the most part, and it'll simply let them deal slightly more damage to T4/5 enemies a bit better than HE's. (who make-up for their T3 'disadvantage' with Martial Prowess and ward saves everywhere._
Of course if the new book goes hog wild and gives Dark Elves GW's out the wazoo, then there might be some hell to pay obviously!

 phatonic wrote:
some sort of buff for crossbowmen? Dude they are allready very good!

Bolt thrower is ok just needs point reduction.

Hydra increase in points.. well cool we get a new hydra model

Crossbowmen are the same point cost as High Elf archers. For that point cost you loose martial prowess, and 6" in range (ASL and Eternal Hatred are a wash), but you gain 2x shots, and armour piercing... I see either a price increase or no change in their future.

Bolt Thrower should go down to 70pts.

Yeah expect the Hydra to either get more expensive in points or not be as good.... You know and I know this is going to happen.

alex87 wrote:
I
Can we get a link to these leaked pics!?

here you are!
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/550209.page

should we assume the new warrior box will be a 10 man box?

I also agree on the removal of the unit size on black guard, that would be incredible.

Well one thing I am hoping for is never having to hear unit cost comparisons between DE warriors and other armies' core infantry whenever an 8th ed book dropped.

Opeth30 wrote:

alex87 wrote:
I
Can we get a link to these leaked pics!?

here you are!
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/550209.page

should we assume the new warrior box will be a 10 man box?

I also agree on the removal of the unit size on black guard, that would be incredible.

Yeah I just saw them myself. The only thing I dislike are the war hydras.

The altars and the new witch elves, sisters of slaughter and the assassin character are all awesome.

@Goldshield: I still can't get over the points cost of warriors of chaos. I heard they actually got a points decrease though I don't have the book so this is all second-hand knowledge. I mean decent strength, WS and toughness and really great initiative and armor for a core unit and those things then get kitted out with marks. This is even before the stupid magic buffs.

 Goldshield wrote:
Well one thing I am hoping for is never having to hear unit cost comparisons between DE warriors and other armies' core infantry whenever an 8th ed book dropped.

Haha, never going to happen.

In all honesty that's a pretty disappointing range. I like the Witch Elves and Sisters but not impressed at all with the Warriors or Hydra kits. Plastic cauldrons are nice as well considering their popularity. But these models just seem kind of unfinished, I mean the hydras heads look like the the trolls heads in the OnGs kit and the warriors just don't look sinister or particularly evil and are definitely not a step forward from the current plastics.

I'm hoping against all hope that these aren't the finished products!

Good god man, what are you expecting? Solid gold masterpieces? I'm really impressed by this range!

I'm hoping that Hydras get a points increase, but keep their attacks and regen.

I'm hoping the Pendant stays, but gets reworked. Maybe it always fails on a 1? It can only be taken by a Sorceress? Points increase? It's a cool item, it reminds me of the forcefields in Dune. I know it gets a lot of hate, but it's a very unique item... just underpriced.

I hope the Medusa character is a new hero/lord choice. The fact they have it based separately looks promising.

I'm a big fan of the Dark Elves and I played them throughout the terrible 6th edition army book, so I'm pretty excited. I'll be sad to see this current book go, but I know it's for the good of the game. It was nice being overpowered for awhile.

It's the first time in a few releases that I haven't loved what GW has done. IMHO this release doesn't come close to the recent Lizardmen one... And before you anyone points it out yes I am aware they are two very distinctively different armies.

I do like the Witches and the Cauldron, but as I mentioned before what the hell is going in with the Hydras heads? And why do the Warriors just look like High Elves with skulls on their shields and purple paint jobs?

I'm sure I'll love the Black Gaurd and Executioners the way the rumor threads have been describing them. The Executioners skull masks sound really great. In all honesty just haven't found this current wave particularly amazing.

The question for me is should I be picking up the current battalion box or be waiting for the new one???

Depends on which spearmen/crossbowmen you prefer.

If I were thinking of starting Dark Elves, I would wait.

 Red Viper wrote:
Depends on which spearmen/crossbowmen you prefer.

If I were thinking of starting Dark Elves, I would wait.

I have a feeling that box is going to be gak after they redo it. I feel it may loose the cold ones and get a bolt thrower in its place.

I doubt the bolt thrower will be in there. No rumors have said it's going to be plastic.

I'd bet that it will be similar to the current one, just with updated warrior models.

Cold ones might be dropped if rumored new Dark Riders/Warlocks (40kradio was the source, I believe them). Simply because I don't think GW would have two units of Cavalry in a non-Bretonnia battalion.

If that happens, I bet some Witch Elves/Black Guard/Executioners/New Chariot are added.

Regardless, I'd still wait. But I have a decently strong preference for the new warriors. If you don't mind the old ones and like what's currently in the box, then go for it.

I guess ill wait. You make a strong case

alex87 wrote:
In all honesty that's a pretty disappointing range. I like the Witch Elves and Sisters but not impressed at all with the Warriors or Hydra kits. Plastic cauldrons are nice as well considering their popularity. But these models just seem kind of unfinished, I mean the hydras heads look like the the trolls heads in the OnGs kit and the warriors just don't look sinister or particularly evil and are definitely not a step forward from the current plastics.

I'm hoping against all hope that these aren't the finished products!

Hey could be worse - ya could have had your new DE representing the entire force with miniatures from some backwater province without shoes and gaps in their teeth. Seriously now.

While I agree that the DE Warriors look a little... generic. Overall compared to past army release waves, I think its a pretty solid looking release. Also don't forget that GW paint jobs sometimes don't show off details very well and the models when released could look a lot better. I think the Warriors themselves could also look a little better with some kit bashing from the other boxes as well specifically the heads.

Myrmidia knows that I looove hearing my HE friend cursing that you guys get new warriors/crossbows without gorilla hands on top of the other new models that come out normally.

But ultimately I can't wait for some of these models to come out for my Republican Guard to get some revenge for the lives at Remas.

@ flamingkillamajig - The majority of it came from the Marauders getting more expensive making the Warriors seem more appealing (which they are IMHO). But I think alot of that has died down as WoC have figured out some nice stuff to go around for more the army at whole rather then a few deathstars.

thedarkavenger wrote:

 phatonic wrote:
some sort of buff for crossbowmen? Dude they are allready very good!

Bolt thrower is ok just needs point reduction.

Hydra increase in points.. well cool we get a new hydra model

Dark riders Man wish they'd get some new stuff but havent seen any yet :/

Plastic WICHES! \o/

Crossbowmen? Good? Are we looking at the same book? They're lacklustre at best.

Crossbows are pretty awesome. They're fairly cheap for what they offer: the most survivable infantry unit in the game and a 24" double-shot AP crossbow, as well as the usual DE perks. They're not on the same levels as BG or Corsairs, but they're still a very good unit.

namiel wrote:

 Red Viper wrote:
Depends on which spearmen/crossbowmen you prefer.

If I were thinking of starting Dark Elves, I would wait.

I have a feeling that box is going to be gak after they redo it. I feel it may loose the cold ones and get a bolt thrower in its place.

I would grab the current one. The chances are the new one will be worse and, as Lizardmen's Cold Ones have gone up to two attacks, it's fairly safe to presume ours will too. Cold Ones could be a very strong unit. It may not contain the new Warriors, but, with the amount you get, you're not going to have a full unit. Buy a box of new Warriors and put them on the front rank if you prefer their look.

-----------------

As for what I'm hoping for, well, if nothing gets nerfed too much, I'll be happy. The DE book is great, and I'm happy with how it is now. More Rare Choices and a better Lore of Dark Magic would be on my wishlist, as well as any cool new shenanigans they come up with. Anything relating to strong Magic I'd be happy with. Perhaps a +1 to cast Dark Magic, similar to the perk HE get. Really, I hope they just don't nerf too much.

As for the models, I'll probably need to see them up close to make my mind up, but I'm fairly impressed. Though I do think the Hydra pose is a bit odd and it's a shame the Warriors still have that same old static pose with the chainmail skirt. Loving their shields though. The Cauldron is just amazing though, it puts the current model to shame...

Oh, and this might be useful. Some info regarding rules, presumably gleaned from WD. It all looks pretty awesome, though it looks like we'll be paying for the awesomeness, Warriors 12pts a model?! http://plastickrak.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/dark-elves-rules-leaks.html

Do you think this means my long neglected wood elves will get always strike first too? IF Dark Elves get it, then it will look like an 'Elf thing' so it wouldn't be unreasonable for Wood elves to get it (Forest spirits? They have higher I then Elves, so maybe). And then Murderous Prowess will probably translate be some shooting ability for wood elves.

On the Dark Elves, I really like the look of the Medusa thing. I like all the new models (I think the Hydra painted a different way would work nicely) and the new rules sound believable. Any body have any idea on what the Medusa thing will be like? Or off topic, if anyone has any ideas on when the wood elf release is coming out *Crosses fingers*

If Dark Elves get ASF, then odds of Wood Elves getting it also are very good. If Harpies/Hydra/Medusa also get ASF, then I reckon the Forest Spirits will also.

If matt ward really wrote the codex they will be a op arm

DARK PHOENIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pities2004 wrote:DARK PHOENIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shadowheart Phoenix ftw!