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Looking over the new Eldar Dex I don't really see myself using an Autarch. With a base point cost of 70 points and a very "impressive" S and T of 3 not really seeing a whole lot of value for the price.  My main qualm with the Autarch is no decent cc weapon.  The laser lance is good on the charge but you have to take a jetbike to get it.

Just wanted to see what Dakka folks think of the new eldar hero.

For mech Eldar lists I think he is a must have.

ender502

I think the answer to the debate was that the +1 stacks, so Mech lists are going to be running two of these guys. Give him a bike w/ lance and fusion and he becomes a real threat in his own right.

Agreed on the value of the +1 in a mech list. Even if you take a naked autarch whose job is to stand behind the trees and keep his head down, it's worth the points.

On a jetbike an autarch is expensive, but he does nearly as much damage by himself as a whole unit of shining spears (at about the same cost). He can't withdraw like spears, but he can strike first in cover with plasma grenades, which spears can't.

I don't think you need 2 autarchs even if the bonuses do stack, though. The second +1 would only make a difference in turn 2; after that everything arrives on a 2+ anyway. That hardly seems worth the huge extra cost and giving up farseer powers.

The base 70 points cost for the Autarch is very deceving.

Compared to all the other HQ choices in the Eldar list, the Autarch is one of the cheapest. For comparison, a properly equiped Farseer will almost run you 200 points (with runes, spirit stones, and two or three powers). The Avatar is 155, the Phoenix Lords are all 180+.

An Autarch on a Jetbike, Mandi-blasters, and Lazer lance is still in the 130-140 area and can do massive damage on the charge.

Like all things Eldar though, his effectiveness really depends on what else you take in the list. It's all about the combined arms...

It's interesting--after two games with my bike-mounted autarch, I notice that he never actually shoots his gun. He's always either zooming around with the other bikes or getting ready to assault (or fighting in assault), so I could save the points by just giving him a laser lance and not bothering with the fusion gun or reaper launcher. In a pinch, if I ever want to destroy a vehicle, the lance still shoots a str6 shot and he has haywire grenades.

Anybody else have similar experience?

Posted By Flavius Infernus on 12/22/2006 10:29 AM

In a pinch, if I ever want to destroy a vehicle, the lance still shoots a str6 shot

A S6 lance shot, no less.  So, in theory, if it's turn 6 and you have nothing better to do and a LR is still alive, you could go for the snowball's chance in hell of taking it out with a glancing 6.

It's possible, anyway.

Well, I was proxying models to test a mech Eldar list. Didn't use shining spears...But the Autrarach was moving out, shooting with Reaper, then moving back.

Unless you're running Shining Spears with hit and run, a jetbike autarach with spear shouldn't be assaulting.

I disagree, Skyth. In the two games I played so far using an autarch, I assault him all the time and haven't lost him in either. I don't use spears, and I agree that he can't carry off an assault by himself. You don't want him to be in a unit that's having to take a lot of power weapon attacks, but I'm finding him a good compliment to other units and great for specialized tasks that require mobility and sudden bursts of striking power.

He assaults well in conjunction with a unit of scorpions. His power weapon attacks go before them and take out an extra 2 or 3 models, turning the assault to the favor of even a small unit and allowing the scorpion exarch to use his chainsword without significantly reducing casualties. I've used my autarch for mopping up stray units or falling-back units and finishing off a big T6 creature that was already wounded. I can also see using him to rescue a unit that is bogged in assault, or to take out small/isolated units backed up by the regular jetbikes.

In my most recent game the autarch turned the game around. Because of terrain he was the only one who could reach the objective, but once there he stuck in combat to the end of the game, eventually took out 30 guardsmen and accepted charges from two weakened rough rider units (destroying one), all with his strength 3 non-power-stick. It was partly luck, and I didn't expect him to last quite that long or do that much. But due to his high initiative, toughness, save, and volume of attacks, I knew he'd be able to do a lot of damage to those guard squads and last a long time even with his lance already burned up. That he was able to tarpit half of the opponent's infantry and grind away 5 scoring units by himself was just a bonus.

Well, that was vs guard I could see assaulting with him then. I do run mine with a power weapon.

However, I was testing the list against Mauleed SAFH marines. In that case, he was better off jump-shoot-jumping.

Couldn't test it against my Guard 'cause I was using Chimeras for Wave Serpents and Leman Russes for Prisms

And granted, these were only test games against myself. I don't have an actual Eldar army, but was interested in how the army played.

The Autarch w/ mandi, lance and fusion is godlike against Tau. He can easily kill a whole Crisis or Broadside team in one cc phase thus killing his points back in one turn. I've lost two hammerheads to fusion as he has a range of 24" with that fusion gun which force me to concentrate far too much firepower on him that should actually be used to shake the tanks.
The 140 Autarch is a force to be reckoned with, and when used in assault in conjunction with other units he is quite efficient indeed. 6 S6 pw attacks that practically always hit first, even against units in cover, are nothing to be sniffed at.

Shining Scorpion Autarchs are fast becoming a recurring theme.

Anyone got comments on building a cheap 'leader' Autarch with just a reaper launcher that you hide in a squad?

Posted By Mahu on 12/21/2006 6:15 AM
... For comparison, a properly equiped Farseer will almost run you 200 points (with runes, spirit stones, and two or three powers). ...

 I cannot see why a Farseer should end up so expensive. My standard build is well under half that.

All you really need is the power of your choice, and maybe a Singing Spear (for Bs5). The Runes are nice but by no means necessary. Approx 80pts is fine.

A second power and stones will cost about another 50pts. Anything more than c130pts is a waste.

In a mechanized army, the farseer needs a jetbike. Since he can't use fortune, doom or guide while embarked, anything useful that he might do is delayed until it's not as useful anymore.

Thus, since the jetseer is in the open, he also needs fortune, which then requires a spirit stone so that he can use his other power (typically doom, which is the most expensive, but also the most important for a mechanized list). That pushes the cost up toward the 200 point range.

A jetbike farseer being an IC doesnt really need Fortune. Guide is really only for foot squads and war walker squadrons too. Its not worth it for skimmer firepower options. With possible exception of a 3 Vyper squadron with shuricannon upgrades - which has its own problems.

Doom or Mind War are the best choices, I have a cheap Farseer with Mindwar from way back, the real reason to have him was to have a low cost legal leader in an entirely mounted list. I havent got a Codex with me, IIRC a mounted Farseer with Mindwar costs 105pts, Doom and the stones to use it is ?155pts?. Still dont need 200pts.

I had a jetseer kill 3 tanks with eldritch storm against my Mech Tau yesterday. The power just needs to TOUCH the vehicle in order to try and hurt it. The 2D6 +3 will hurt AV11 fairly well and still has a possible against Av13. If you group at all to try and get shots at the nigh invulnerable Falcon, you are possibly being hit by this storm, which doesn't need LOS. He shot a unit, hit the devilfish in front and the Ionhead next to it, fish goes down, lose 2 firewarriors, and the Ionhead then spins so it's butt is facing the shurikan cannons just waiting for it.

While an Autarch on bike is amazing with a reaper launcher, it's even better when there is a farseer on bike next to it using eldritch storm to mess things up.