Ohh Dark Eldar

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**pusharemark**

So I play CSM right now but I am in transition period (or I think I am) where I am weighing the pro/cons of switching from CSM to DE. It is always fun starting a new army but with 8th ed just arriving I am wondering if I should just wait and play my CSM more. I guess what I am asking is what is Dark Eldar strategy or tactics. What are they good at what do you think they will be good at? Is DE going to be a competitive army? Any info you can pass is greatly appreciated.

**Latro_**

here is a pretty decent battle report from a top tourney guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ZO1xD3lg8

dark eldar are actually looking pretty darn strong now.

ravagers and venoms ftw

**Voss**

Cheap troop infantry with good special/heavy weapons,

Scourges are also cheap, but also have great weapon access,

and the raiders/ravagers really fit their roles with few downsides. Ravagers especially excel at firepower while remaining fully mobile (a rarity amongst heavy weapons platforms).

Saves are a problem, but they go pretty all out on offense.

**Eldar Vampire Hunter**

The essence of the Dark Eldar is that they're cheap, highly mobile and have exceptional damage output even while moving, but they're also pretty fragile. Their vehicles have gotten more resilient in 8th, but are still much easier to kill than most with most having toughness five or six.

The exception to their fragility is the Haemonculi Covens. Wracks, Grotesques, Talos', Chronos and of course the Haemonculi themselves are much tougher than the rest of the army, but they're also quite a bit slower and generally have lower damage output for the points.

In terms of shooting, you have two main categories of weapon to focus on - Splinter weaponry is poisoned and has a very high shot volume, so it's great at killing anything not a vehicle - particularly high toughness low save models. On the flipside, Darklight weapons (mostly the Blaster and Dark Lance) are high strength, good AP tank-and-monster busters that do multiple wounds and are surprisingly cheap, but don't have the greatest range in the case of the blaster.

**vipoid**

Currently, I would describe DE as functional but bland.

From what I've heard it's looking pretty competitive in 8th. However, each edition since 5th has removed more and more of their fluff, wargear and flavourful rules. As it stands, there really isn't anything left in that regard.

If you want a fast and cheap(ish) army with nice models, go for it. If you like playing around with HQs and characters you'll probably be disappointed. I know I am.

**Blackie**

vipoid wrote:
Currently, I would describe DE as functional but bland.

From what I've heard it's looking pretty competitive in 8th. However, each edition since 5th has removed more and more of their fluff, wargear and flavourful rules. As it stands, there really isn't anything left in that regard.

If you want a fast and cheap(ish) army with nice models, go for it. If you like playing around with HQs and characters you'll probably be disappointed. I know I am.

Dark eldars' HQs and characters were not great even in the past edition. In fact the most common HQ in a dark eldar list was a 10 points lhamaean. Haemonculi only in their formations, the dark artisan and the grotesquerie. In this edition if you play the coven stuff you'll need at least 2 haemonculi as they add a strong bonus for the coven units.

**vipoid**

Blackie wrote:

Dark eldars' HQs and characters were not great even in the past edition. In fact the most common HQ in a dark eldar list was a 10 points lhamaean. Haemonculi only in their formations, the dark artisan and the grotesquerie.

Oh, I absolutely agree. However, you at least had some fun and flavourful choices when it come to wargear. e.g. in 5th, an Archon with Shadowfield, Huskblade and Soul Trap was actually quite a worry. Sure, he was only S3, but an AP2 Instant Death weapon wasn't something to take lightly - and if he killed a character or MC then suddenly that weapon was striking at S6. In 7th the Huskblade was nerfed to hell, but there was still some nice stuff to be had. Personally, I always liked the Parasite's Kiss. By no means a great weapon but it was cheap and was great if you were after a slight vampire-y theme with your HQ. The Coven book also had some nice artefacts like the Panacea and Sump.

I know that (with the possible exception of the 5e Archon) these weren't great builds, but they were at least fun and flavourful which is more than I can say for anything in the new book.

Blackie wrote:
In this edition if you play the coven stuff you'll need at least 2 haemonculi as they add a strong bonus for the coven units.

Out of interest, why 2 haemonculi? Their bonuses don't stack so I'm presuming it's just to cover more units?

**jamopower**

vipoid wrote:
Blackie wrote:

Dark eldars' HQs and characters were not great even in the past edition. In fact the most common HQ in a dark eldar list was a 10 points lhamaean. Haemonculi only in their formations, the dark artisan and the grotesquerie.

Oh, I absolutely agree. However, you at least had some fun and flavourful choices when it come to wargear. e.g. in 5th, an Archon with Shadowfield, Huskblade and Soul Trap was actually quite a worry. Sure, he was only S3, but an AP2 Instant Death weapon wasn't something to take lightly - and if he killed a character or MC then suddenly that weapon was striking at S6. In 7th the Huskblade was nerfed to hell, but there was still some nice stuff to be had. Personally, I always liked the Parasite's Kiss. By no means a great weapon but it was cheap and was great if you were after a slight vampire-y theme with your HQ. The Coven book also had some nice artefacts like the Panacea and Sump.

I know that (with the possible exception of the 5e Archon) these weren't great builds, but they were at least fun and flavourful which is more than I can say for anything in the new book.

And in 5th they had the Baron, Duke Sliscus and Vect which were all very interesting theme and game play wise. :(

**Zatsuku**

Speaking of Dark Eldar... How should I be arming my units with special weapons in 8th? More specifically Warriors, Reavers and Scourges? (Just bought a start collecting box and a box of Scourges).

**vipoid**

Zatsuku wrote:
Speaking of Dark Eldar... How should I be arming my units with special weapons in 8th? More specifically Warriors, Reavers and Scourges? (Just bought a start collecting box and a box of Scourges).

For Warriors, I think Blasters are still the best special weapon. If you use 10-man squads, I'd favour Splinter Cannons over Dark Lances. However, I don't see the appeal of 10-man squads.

Reavers and Scourges are trickier. If you feel like heading over to thedarkcity.net there are some discussions about which are the best weapons for these.

For the sergeants, I think PGLs are a good buy where possible. I think Blast Pistols are too expensive relative to their range. I know some people like Agonisers but on the units you mentioned I wouldn't bother with them outside of the Reaver champion.