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Hello everyone. I've just started collecting Warhammer 40k and would like some advice on how to build a decent army list. I picked Eldar as my army simply because I really like the looks and they (for some odd reason) remind me of my High Elf army from when I played Warhammer Fantasy more then 10 years ago.

As said I would really like some advice on what to buy to create a decent army list. I won't be entering tournaments (at least not for now) and will mostly playing with friends of mine when we have the time.

I already bought some units and hope you guys can give me a push in the right direction with where to go from here.

I already own the following:

1x Farseer
10x Guardian Defenders + Heavy weapon platform
10x Dire Avengers (1 assembled as Exarch)
2x Wave Serpents (which I've been using as dedicated transports for my Guardians and DA's)
3x War Walkers (SL + BL)

Thanks for reading. And hope you guys can help me out.

First off, welcome to Dakka.

Eldar are a very powerful army. Within reason you can take what you like, and still have a decent list. What draws you attention? What aspect of the army do you like? Any particular craftworld? Do you have any hobby based restrictions? I notice what you have is plastic. Some of the better things are in finecast, which many people try to avoid (myself included) How do you feel about FW models/rules?

Also, how competitive do you want to be? You say you aren’t going to be entering tournaments, but how competitive are your friends? If you want to get aggressive, pick up some jetbikes and a wraithknight. Some wraithguard w/ D weapons would also work well. While this might help you win games, it might strain your friendships.

Eldar don’t need their formations to be strong, but they are there, and they are good. Take 3 squads of aspect warriors and get +1BS for free? Yes please. They are good to keep in mind when adding units to your collection. You might not need the extra power for casual play, but when the gloves come off, it’s nice to have the option.

From the units you have, I don’t get a good feel of what kind of army you have in mind. It’s a solid core, but doesn’t really point in any specific direction.

Hi and welcome to 40k.

The army you have there is enough to fill a basic Combined Arms Detachment which I assume is what you're doing.

From here it really depends on how competitive you want to get. You mentioned that you only play with friends when you have the time. Mind sharing what their armies are? I only ask because if they all play armies such as Chaos Marines and Orks then you might want to avoid being too competitive with your Eldar or you'll ruin the fun for them.

However, if they're playing Tau or Space Marines then it should be fine to throttle up the army list.

Here are units to shoot for to be more competitive:

- Warp Spiders. A very good unit and fun unit to play. I suggest this be your first purchase from where you are now. Throw a squad of Warp Spiders into the Fast Attack slot of your army and learn how they work. You won't regret it.

- Windrider Jetbikes. These are the best Troops selection for Eldar and arguably the best Troops selection in the entire game. They're fast, durable and can pack a lot of firepower when each are given a Scatter Laser.

- Jetbike for your Farseer. So he can keep up with the rest of the army and to give him a better save.

- Wraithguard with D-scythes. Put these in one of your Wave Serpents. They're very deadly, especially against melee units (All their weapons auto-hit on overwatch since they're flamers).

- Wraithknight. This is a massive Gargantuan Monstrous Creature that can wield D weapons and is relatively cheap. For a small group of friends, this may be a bit much. But if they decide to bring their own GMCs or super heavy vehicles then it's only fair that you bring yours.

If you want to keep your army a little less competitive but still good enough to win, then build up a Guardian Warhost. You'll need some more Guardians, a Vyper and Vaul's Wrath Battery but it's a fun detachment to play. Vaul's Wrath Battery is another decent unit to pick up for a CAD too.

Honestly, the Eldar codex is full of good units. Almost anything you pick can do well in a friendly game. It's only in competitive play where you need to get picky with your unit selections.

Hi Nevelon, thanks for the quick reply.

Sorry for the lack of information in my post, I quickly submitted it before dinner. :p

The main thing that drew my attention was the speed and maneuverability of the Eldar (when used properly) combined with the firepower they can bring to the table. There really isn't a specific Craftworld that I like and we really don't have any restrictions when playing. So there is plenty opportunity to be as cheesy as possible. Also I'm not actively avoiding the finecast models.

Most of my friends are pretty competitive players, usually running with Tau, Dark Angels or Orks. From my experience so far against them I feel like I really need something that can really pack a punch.

You're absolutely right that my current list is lacking a specific direction. I tried to build a solid/decent core (which I feel I've got now) and expand from there.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Hi Zimko,

Thanks for the advice! From what I get from you're post is that I need to kick things up a notch considering the opposition I face.

I do have a couple of extra questions for you.

- When taking a squad of Warp Spiders, is it recommended to run the squad with an Exarch?
- Wraithguard with D-scythes sound like a good idea. Would you recommend also getting an extra Wave Serpent for them so my other troops won't lose theirs? I'm asking this because I was told it's a bad idea for Eldar infantry to run around the board on foot.
- Someone at the local GW store told me that it would be a good idea to pick up some Fire Dragons, how do you think they would fit in and are they worth taking along?

Cnile31 wrote:


- When taking a squad of Warp Spiders, is it recommended to run the squad with an Exarch?
- Wraithguard with D-scythes sound like a good idea. Would you recommend also getting an extra Wave Serpent for them so my other troops won't lose theirs? I'm asking this because I was told it's a bad idea for Eldar infantry to run around the board on foot.
- Someone at the local GW store told me that it would be a good idea to pick up some Fire Dragons, how do you think they would fit in and are they worth taking along?

- Yes you should take them with an Exarch. Exarch upgrades in the new codex are a steal for what they do.
- You could buy another Wave Serpent, but you could just as easily purchase a Jetbike squad to replace one of your Troops choices instead, that way you don't need to buy new Wave Serpents. Eventually, to be competitive, you want to phase out using Guardians and Dire Avengers. (Though Dire Avengers could still be used in the formation that gives them +1 BS). This means the Wave Serpents could be re-purposed for Fire Dragons and Wraithguard.
- Fire Dragons are indeed a good unit. But they also require a transport. IMO, Fire Dragons are overshadowed by Wraithguard now, however they could be used to fill up an Aspect formation for that sweet +1 BS. For example, you could take a unit of Fire Dragons and 2 units of Warp Spiders to fill the formation and still have room for Wraithguard in a CAD.

A fun combo you could try is taking the Falcon formation (I don't remember the name) along with an Aspect formation of 3 units of Fire Dragons. The Falcon formation allows the Falcons to deep strike together without scattering. Falcons can transport 6 models, so 5 Fire Dragons and an Exarch will fit snuggly into them and can Deep Strike with the Falcons. It's not a super competitive build but it's an awesome combo.

Look thru the Eldar formations as guide on what to purchase. Find one you like and purchase models for it. Once you fill a formation, pick another one and fill that one up. Play with them and see what you like. Most of all, have fun with it.

Based on your advice, I'm thinking of aiming for the following:
- Replace my Guardians with 2 Jetbike squads so I can re-purpose my Wave Serpent.
- Get a farseer on jetbike.
- Get a Fire Dragon squad (with Exarch) and re-purpose the Wave Serpent I used for the Guardians as a dedicated transports.
- Get a squad of Warp Spiders (with Exarch).
- Use my Dire Avengers + Wave Serpent to complete the Aspect Host. (Eventually aiming to replace the Dire Avengers with another unit)
- Get a Wraithknight.

Do you think this is a good direction to take?

Cnile31 wrote:
Based on your advice, I'm thinking of aiming for the following:
- Replace my Guardians with 2 Jetbike squads so I can re-purpose my Wave Serpent.
- Get a farseer on jetbike.
- Get a Fire Dragon squad (with Exarch) and re-purpose the Wave Serpent I used for the Guardians as a dedicated transports.
- Get a squad of Warp Spiders (with Exarch).
- Use my Dire Avengers + Wave Serpent to complete the Aspect Host. (Eventually aiming to replace the Dire Avengers with another unit)
- Get a Wraithknight.

Do you think this is a good direction to take?

Looks good to me. It gives you a pretty diverse set of units to learn with (and paint) that all work well together. Everything is fast and deadly. Enjoy!

Another unit I hadn't mentioned earlier is Dark Reapers. They can fit easily into an Aspect host. They're a bit expensive and are not that fast, but they provide something the rest can't... they ignore Jink and have 48" range weapons. I only mention this because you said you run against Dark Angels and Tau. I don't know what Dark Angels run nowadays but if they use a lot of land speeders or bikes then Dark Reapers might be worth picking up. They're also helpful against Tau skimmers. The Aspect Host is a really flexible formation to experiment with any of the Aspects in the codex without sacrificing too much from the list.

Zimko wrote:

Looks good to me. It gives you a pretty diverse set of units to learn with (and paint) that all work well together. Everything is fast and deadly. Enjoy!

Another unit I hadn't mentioned earlier is Dark Reapers. They can fit easily into an Aspect host. They're a bit expensive and are not that fast, but they provide something the rest can't... they ignore Jink and have 48" range weapons. I only mention this because you said you run against Dark Angels and Tau. I don't know what Dark Angels run nowadays but if they use a lot of land speeders or bikes then Dark Reapers might be worth picking up. They're also helpful against Tau skimmers. The Aspect Host is a really flexible formation to experiment with any of the Aspects in the codex without sacrificing too much from the list.

Thanks alot for your help, Zimko. You've really helped me out. I'll make sure to look into the Dark Reapers when replacing the Dire Avengers.

Cheers!

Hi,

I can share my experience from running Eldar or combo Eldar/Dark Eldar

You will overshadow your friends fairly quick in terms of army competitiveness after following previous tips of people that posted on your thread. Eldar are one of top tier armies if not the top tier especially with units like Warp Spiders, Windriders, Wraithknights, Farseers.

Be patient, collect your army and very soon you will have no friends any more (mine were writing a petition against my Wraithknight)

What I saw regatding new codex are two things that I missed by reading different strategies:

Don't sell Guardians, you will need the for the time when you want to tone down your armies might and just have a good fluff game. They are different style and very fun to play with.

Wraithguard with D scythe for me are good only on paper. Perhaps I can't play them or my meta is filled with counters, but without transport they are too slow, and with transport they can't shoot out of it. Dark Eldar Raider is easily focused. And they fall to plasma or grav fire. Yes they can overwatch the hell out of unit but horde player needs only 2 units of any strength to tarpit them down. Their formation Wraithhost is somewhat promising because of Battle focus, but I haven't tried it yet.

Those were my experiences with this wonderful and fun army

Agree with above. But also:

Dark Reapers are amazing. Especially with the Exarch taking the Tempest Launcher. Phenomenal weapon.

Swooping Hawks are also really great and terrific fun to play with.

Magnetise your Wraithknight. The wraithcannons version is probably best, but the Shield and Sword one is also fantastic.

Scatterlaser Jetbikes. Two different ways of playing them. Large units with a farseer attached will delete almost anything. Small units of 3 can make stuff dead and score brilliantly (but will die/run away at the drop of a hat.

Vaul's Wrath D platforms are great unless you are Plath g sill ITC comp where they change the rules for D strength weapons.

Night spinner is useful.

Crimson Hunter is pretty good (especially when taken in the formation).

malchos wrote:
Hi,

I can share my experience from running Eldar or combo Eldar/Dark Eldar

You will overshadow your friends fairly quick in terms of army competitiveness after following previous tips of people that posted on your thread. Eldar are one of top tier armies if not the top tier especially with units like Warp Spiders, Windriders, Wraithknights, Farseers.

Be patient, collect your army and very soon you will have no friends any more (mine were writing a petition against my Wraithknight)

Indeed. I have to nerf myself when playing against my friends because they're just not running competitive armies and Eldar have very good units. I usually play a pure Ulthwe force using the Guardian Warhost with no Wave Serpents. Nothing but footslogging Guardians, a FW Avatar, a Vyper, D-Cannon Platforms, BL-BL War Walkers and a Seer Council with Eldrad (all on foot). This to me is a fun army that isn't too competitive but still capable of winning games.

It's a shame the codexes are so imbalanced.

OP, just keep this in mind if you find yourself winning every match. It may be that your friends aren't very good at the game compared to you, but the Eldar codex is really strong in casual games. If they start to get frustrated, experiment with new units. Try Warlocks and tinker with the psychic phase. Try the Pheonix Lords. There's a lot of options in the codex.