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Hi there! My friend is new to 40k and he is playing Dark Eldar. He'll be playing against orks and Dark Angels. Is there anything you people can tell helpful? What units to take, how to use them, any tips/tricks for playing DE?

Well, I'd start with Warriors in Raiders and Venoms.
Coven units are rather expensive and need more skill and experience to play them correctly.

Heketrix blood brides seem good when you use them, but wyches are still cheaper and still get the job done. Kabalites are the better troop choice. raiders with nightshields and splinter racks will annoy the hell out of most enemies as you 3+ jink your way across the battlefield with TL splinter rifles/ splinter canon

Stick to cover, remember PfP and Combat Drugs and be prepared to lose a lot of the time if he's new. Dark Eldar are one of, if not the toughest army to learn and master, punishing every single mistake.

Units I've had success with include:
Warriors in a Raider w/ Splinter Racks and Night Shields
Reavers w/ maximum number of Caltrops
Scourges w/ max Haywire Blaster OR max Heat Lance
Venoms
Trueborn w/ Blasters
Razorwing

Coven units (Wracks, Haemonculus, Pain Engines and Grotesques) are also good, but should always be taken from the Coven supplement book.

I am just beginning to piece together a Dark Eidar army or an allied Dark Eldar/Eldar army, so I'm glad I came across this discussion. Can you please recommend an army for me? My LGS just obtained the new Dark Eldar codex/supplement. I think that the Dark Eldar models look great. Now, I need to figure out what to play. Thanks for any assistance.

So far, I have:

Urien Rakarth
Scourges (5)
Wyches (5)
Kalibite Warriors (!0)
Ravager

I only have the above Dark Eldar models because I think they look great (perhaps not the best way to select an army). ''

If regular Eldar models would be great supplements, please recommend some of those models (e.g., I like the Warp Spiders, Jet bikes and Wraight Knight models).

Thanks for any help.

Big Borg wrote:
I am just beginning to piece together a Dark Eidar army or an allied Dark Eldar/Eldar army, so I'm glad I came across this discussion. Can you please recommend an army for me? My LGS just obtained the new Dark Eldar codex/supplement. I think that the Dark Eldar models look great. Now, I need to figure out what to play. Thanks for any assistance.

So far, I have:

Urien Rakarth
Scourges (5)
Wyches (5)
Kalibite Warriors (!0)
Ravager

I only have the above Dark Eldar models because I think they look great (perhaps not the best way to select an army). ''

If regular Eldar models would be great supplements, please recommend some of those models (e.g., I like the Warp Spiders, Jet bikes and Wraight Knight models).

Thanks for any help.

Scourges with Haywire Blaster or Heat Lance.
Ravager with Dark Lances.

The next purchase you want would either be Raiders or Venoms for your Troops, without a Transport they won't accomplish much.

Iyanden works well with Coven units, particularty those from the Coven supplement.

Farseer is nice for Psychic Powers and Autarch is good if you go reserve heavy. Wraithguard and Fire Dragons work well with a Archon with a WWP.

Best advice is to go read up on tactics on thedarkcity.net. Some savvy Archons over there.

My personal advice is to love cover, play agressive and always think of the next turn before you execute your current turns plan. We tend to get punished severly for not being a step ahead of our opponent. Striking at one of my opponents flanks wit all my force seems to work quite often, leave as many of his units out of range for as long as you can.

The codex supplement has some lovely formations. Ive fallen hard for the dark artisan and grotesquerie as they allow for some amazingly durable( for DE standards atleast) units to block your opponent from running your more fragile units over. And holding the middle. Controlling the battlefield.

As for our eldar cousins, its really hard to go wrong when selecting units from their codex, as they have alot of good units. I often ally with them and an example of my latest list at 1850 points with Eldar allies was as follows. Not a competitive list but somewhat varied units intended for a game against a friends space marines. I whooped his butt

+++ De eldar 1850 (1846pts) +++

++ Dark Eldar: Codex (2014) (Combined Arms Detachment) ++

+ HQ +

Court of the Archon [ 1x Lhameans]

+ Troops +

Kabalite Warriors [5x Kabalite Warrior]
····Venom [Splinter Cannon]

Kabalite Warriors [5x Kabalite Warrior]
····Venom [Splinter Cannon]

+ Fast Attack +

Raider [Disintegrator cannon]

Reavers [2x Cluster caltrops, 6x Reaver]

Scourges [Scourge]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]

Scourges [Scourge]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]

++ Eldar: Codex (2013) (Allied Detachment) ++

+ HQ +

Autarch [Banshee mask, Eldar Jetbike, Shard of Anaris]

+ Elites +

Wraithguard
····5x Wraithguard [5x D-scythe]

+ Troops +

Dire Avengers [5x Dire Avenger]
····Wave Serpent [Holo-fields, Twin-linked scatter lasers, Twin-linked shuriken catapults]

Dire Avengers [5x Dire Avenger]
····Wave Serpent [Twin-linked scatter lasers, Twin-linked shuriken catapults]

+ Fast Attack +

Crimson Hunter [Exarch, Two Bright Lances]

+ Heavy Support +

Wraithknight [Scatter laser, Suncannon and Scattershield]

1846 pts total

Tactics were to keep the scourges, and raider in reserve and prefereably keep the lheamean in reserve indefinately by manipulating the roll with the autarch.
The wraithguard DS in the raider.
The autarch rolls with the reavers.
Keep as much as possible alive for a turn 2 heavy strike on eighter flank of my opponent

Thank you both very much!! Very helpful.

I really like the idea of running a Scalpel Squadron (auto-deepstrike turn one), an allied autarch for reserve manipulation, and a DE detachment or CAD. It allows the complete null deployment and with a 2+ for reserves really lets you exploit the DE's speed for maximum advantage.

Transports are an absolute must!!
You will decide which you like best, but a mix allows for good utility. Both make good gunboats, and allow for super fast board control (until they get shot, which they will)

If you like picking units due to liking the models, personally, the incubi models are amazing, not hugely competetive, but in friendly games they are devastating in cc (which they will need a transport to reach)

You will probably want to look at reaver Jet bikes, as they are the new hotness, and can offer a couple of different things, the ability to smash well armoured infantry with HOW attacks for one.

I have never used Eldar allies, but with their current codex being hugely powerful, if you want to be competetive, then they are a good idea. Personally, I play reasonably friendly matches and so dont use them.

Past tht, pick whichever units you like the look/sound/fluff of, and play some games, you will soon see what works.

Have fun

sephiroth081184 wrote:


+ HQ +

Court of the Archon [ 1x Lhameans]

+ Troops +

Kabalite Warriors [5x Kabalite Warrior]
····Venom [Splinter Cannon]

Kabalite Warriors [5x Kabalite Warrior]
····Venom [Splinter Cannon]

+ Fast Attack +

Raider [Disintegrator cannon]

Reavers [2x Cluster caltrops, 6x Reaver]

Scourges [Scourge]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]

Scourges [Scourge]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]
····Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon [Haywire blaster]

I am not sure about this and the german translation, but I think its not allowed to take a court of the Archon without buying an Archon...

I agree, but I believe there is a big debate about it.(word lawyers, go figure).

The Court of the Archon is listed as an HQ option, like any other, with the singular exception of the "Retainers" rule. If the rule were not present, there would be no ambiguity as to whether the Court could be purchased without an Archon. The player would have permission simply by virtue of the Court being designated as a standard HQ option.

If one is to conclude that an Archon is mandatory for the inclusion of the Court, then it must follow from the Retainers rule. The rule is quoted below.

Retainers wrote:For each Archon included in a Detachment, the Detachment can include a Court of the Archon that does not take up a slot on the Force Organization chart.

As you can see, the Retainers rule is strictly permissive, not restrictive. It provides an additional option to the player (taking the Court without consuming an HQ slot), but says nothing to prohibit standard unit selection.

Of course, any errata or FAQs would take precedence, but the RAW is actually pretty clear on the issue.

Corollax wrote:
The Court of the Archon is listed as an HQ option, like any other, with the singular exception of the "Retainers" rule. If the rule were not present, there would be no ambiguity as to whether the Court could be purchased without an Archon. The player would have permission simply by virtue of the Court being designated as a standard HQ option.

If one is to conclude that an Archon is mandatory for the inclusion of the Court, then it must follow from the Retainers rule. The rule is quoted below.

Retainers wrote:For each Archon included in a Detachment, the Detachment can include a Court of the Archon that does not take up a slot on the Force Organization chart.

As you can see, the Retainers rule is strictly permissive, not restrictive. It provides an additional option to the player (taking the Court without consuming an HQ slot), but says nothing to prohibit standard unit selection.

Of course, any errata or FAQs would take precedence, but the RAW is actually pretty clear on the issue.

Okay, I see, the rules wording in english is not better than in the german Version. I think GWs intention was that you cant take it without an Archon, but as usual, the rules are poorly written.

 MasterOfGaunts wrote:

Corollax wrote:
The Court of the Archon is listed as an HQ option, like any other, with the singular exception of the "Retainers" rule. If the rule were not present, there would be no ambiguity as to whether the Court could be purchased without an Archon. The player would have permission simply by virtue of the Court being designated as a standard HQ option.

If one is to conclude that an Archon is mandatory for the inclusion of the Court, then it must follow from the Retainers rule. The rule is quoted below.

Retainers wrote:For each Archon included in a Detachment, the Detachment can include a Court of the Archon that does not take up a slot on the Force Organization chart.

As you can see, the Retainers rule is strictly permissive, not restrictive. It provides an additional option to the player (taking the Court without consuming an HQ slot), but says nothing to prohibit standard unit selection.

Of course, any errata or FAQs would take precedence, but the RAW is actually pretty clear on the issue.

Okay, I see, the rules wording in english is not better than in the german Version. I think GWs intention was that you cant take it without an Archon, but as usual, the rules are poorly written.

I'd argue the opposite. The intent is for you to be able to field a retainer as an HQ without an Archon to represent the Archon sending a trusted lieutenant out on a raid and to be able to include the court as his retainers in larger games with the Archon.

 MasterOfGaunts wrote:
Okay, I see, the rules wording in english is not better than in the german Version. I think GWs intention was that you cant take it without an Archon, but as usual, the rules are poorly written.

That's fair. Personally, I've abandoned any attempts at guessing GW's intent. I'd have just as much luck trying to read it from tea leaves as from their rulebooks.

...maybe if I made tea out of the rulebooks...

Thanks. Much like you, I only play friendly battles. I'm only beginning playing Warhammer 40k, but I doubt that I will ever care to play at a competitive level. Your advice is much appreciated.

Lord puberis wrote:
Transports are an absolute must!!
You will decide which you like best, but a mix allows for good utility. Both make good gunboats, and allow for super fast board control (until they get shot, which they will)

If you like picking units due to liking the models, personally, the incubi models are amazing, not hugely competetive, but in friendly games they are devastating in cc (which they will need a transport to reach)

You will probably want to look at reaver Jet bikes, as they are the new hotness, and can offer a couple of different things, the ability to smash well armoured infantry with HOW attacks for one.

I have never used Eldar allies, but with their current codex being hugely powerful, if you want to be competetive, then they are a good idea. Personally, I play reasonably friendly matches and so dont use them.

Past tht, pick whichever units you like the look/sound/fluff of, and play some games, you will soon see what works.

Have fun