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I haven't had a chance to play the one guy that plays Eldar at my flgs. But when I hear him talk about lists and even when I hear people online talk about Eldar lists I always see Eldrad. So what gives? Why is Eldrad so good?

Because to make a Farseer who's almost as good as Eldrad costs something like 100 pts more. And again, that's almost, as Eldrad is able to use three powers in one turn, even use the same power twice, which a normal Farseer can't.

You can fit three powers, including two of the same in one HQ slot. Perfect. His divination is a freaky ability that he barely needs to be worth his points and he does not get instant-killed from warp perils. He is just that good.

Eldrad + an Avatar == sick. Since you have a third spell to put fortune on the big guy.

he's just a good character. Not necessarily over powered by himself but brutal when you take into account the list he plays with.

Not getting instagibbed by perils is the biggest thing.

I had one RTT, and I know it was a freak occurance, where my farseer died to perils twice.

He's a good stop gap model for an Eldar army. The flexibility he can provide with 3 psychic powers and runes of warding is hard to turn down. Perils of the Warp happens frequently for me, so Eldrad's T4 is a real boon.

At first, the redeployment of units was pretty significant, but many folks have gotten used to that tactic. However, there are some occasions you can catch someone offguard...

He's a pretty decent army multiplier.

What psychic powers if Eldrad throwing up so often that makes him so good? All I have to go on for reference is Chaos powers.

Edit: Does he do anything besides powers? Can he fight/shoot well?

Let a friendly unit reroll all failed saves for a turn, let a friendly unit reroll all failed hit rolls for a turn, let all friendly units reroll failed wound rolls against a single target unit, snipe out a single specific model that's in line of sight.

Redeplowment will be real nice next addition in half of one's games. You roll the die, and get first turn but half to deploy your entire army first. Then they deploy their entire army after seeing where you put yours. Then you use Eldrad (or deceiver if you're a necron) to redeploy units.

Aduro wrote:Let a friendly unit reroll all failed saves for a turn, let a friendly unit reroll all failed hit rolls for a turn, let all friendly units reroll failed wound rolls against a single target unit, snipe out a single specific model that's in line of sight.

Redeplowment will be real nice next addition in half of one's games. You roll the die, and get first turn but half to deploy your entire army first. Then they deploy their entire army after seeing where you put yours. Then you use Eldrad (or deceiver if you're a necron) to redeploy units.

Those are all separate powers though right?

Most things that provide exceptions to the main rules is typically considered powerful.

In this case it's the three powers per turn, duplication of a power and the ability to re-deploy.

Fire up army builder or pick up the Eldar Codex.


Anyone who wants to play competitively should pick up every codex - know thine enemy.

I got my ass handed to me by a space wolf army about 7 years ago referencing this and that special rule - never again

Others have covered the bulk of what makes Eldrad so good (in an appropriate list), but one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that he's fairly hard himself. He won't kill much, but he can tarpit with the best of them. I've had a few disastrous games miraculously salvaged because an opponent expected to roll through my firebase with ease with a tooled up assault unit after taking down my Avatar, but ended up stuck in CC with Eldrad for the rest of the game instead (and losing a few bodies along the way). One never plans to use him that way, of course, but it is nice that he won't just melt away when coughed on.

Let us say what he cannot do:

He cannot ride a jetbike.
You can (will!) make a Farseer who is cheaper.

That's it. Unless you want a jetbike Farseer or a minimum cost Farseer Eldrad is better every time. Also if you dont want special characters in your army you can model up your own senior Farseer model for your own craftworld and 'counts as' Eldrad. Its often done to account for Eldrad in themed armies not from their Ulthwe. It also overcomes Eldrad's dubious distinction of being the only 40K playable special character who is deceased in current canon fiction, admittedly with a slim potential comeback storyline thread.

Most of all don't compare Eldrad to a Farseer, you have to compare him to two, the true power comparison. In price per power Eldrad is cheaper than a standard two power Guide/Fortune Farseer. However two Farseers rob you odf the chance to deploy an Autarch, Phoenix Lord or the Avatar, Eldrad gives so much more flexibility.


However its a dumb idea using Eldrad as a tarpit. I would rephrase that as: 'he has good assassination insurance'.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Love,%20Eldrad

Orlanth:

However its a dumb idea using Eldrad as a tarpit.

"One never plans to use him that way, of course, but it is nice that he won't just melt away when coughed on."

Eldrad's problem is his lack of mobility. That does of course not mean you can't build your army around him.

ive used eldrad once, in conjunction with the avatar, and the result was nothing short of absurd. kept eldard close but in cover, fortune the avatar, the avatar was nigh unkillable, gutted the left flank of a necron army pretty quickly.

3 farseer powers, with fewer points and fewer hq slots taken up than had you bought 2 normal farseers. Throw in the fact that he isn't killed by parils of the warp and it's hard to pass him up. He's just too good for his point cost.

Eldrad is the main reason why I play Mephiston in my BA army. I really need that Ld10 hood. If more eldar players would stop fielding him I would not need Mephiston. I have done a count for every eldar player I have played over the last six months and 97.65% of them use Eldrad.

G

Green Blow Fly wrote:Eldrad is the main reason why I play Mephiston in my BA army. I really need that Ld10 hood. If more eldar players would stop fielding him I would not need Mephiston. I have done a count for every eldar player I have played over the last six months and 97.65% of them use Eldrad.

G

Sounds like metagaming to me.

Orlanth wrote:Its often done to account for Eldrad in themed armies not from their Ulthwe. It also overcomes Eldrad's dubious distinction of being the only 40K playable special character who is deceased in current canon fiction, admittedly with a slim potential comeback storyline thread.

As he attempted to commune with the spirit of the Fortress, the Farseer learned it had been corrupted, and not by any random power. The machine had been corrupted by Slaanesh. Eldrad desperately tried to disengage, but his efforts came too late: his soul was dragged screaming into the Talisman's corrupted core for all eternity.

malfred wrote:Sounds like metagaming to me.

But metagaming doesn't really exist. It's a figment of our imagination.

Inquisitor_Malice wrote:

malfred wrote:Sounds like metagaming to me.

But metagaming doesn't really exist. It's a figment of our imagination.

Hey you, no killing my joke by explaining it!

malfred wrote:

Green Blow Fly wrote:Eldrad is the main reason why I play Mephiston in my BA army. I really need that Ld10 hood. If more eldar players would stop fielding him I would not need Mephiston. I have done a count for every eldar player I have played over the last six months and 97.65% of them use Eldrad.

G

Sounds like metagaming to me.

I knew that was coming and to be honest I deserved it.



G

malfred wrote:

Green Blow Fly wrote:
Eldrad is the main reason why I play Mephiston in my BA army. I really need that Ld10 hood. If more eldar players would stop fielding him I would not need Mephiston. I have done a count for every eldar player I have played over the last six months and 97.65% of them use Eldrad.

G

Sounds like metagaming to me.

That...was great. LOL.

(no offense intended - it was just so funny I had to comment)