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Hi, new poster here.

I have an unpainted eldar force and would like to start painting it in anticipation of the new edition. However, I have trouble deciding for a color scheme.
I am thinking about painting my eldar in Saim - Hann colors. I would also like to have a force that is current and relevant in the backround of 40k.
How "safe" is it to paint an eldar force in craftworld colors? I am asking this because I recently found out that Biel Tan was practically destroyed in a gathering storm book (I am out of the loop concerning the newer fluff).
Also, there seems to be a new subfaction of eldar called Ynnari. Is this a new supported eldar faction or only a one-off thing ?

I would like to know what is the current state of eldar (specifically Saim - Hann) in 40k background.
If anyone here has the time to answer some of these questions it would be great

The craftworlders are undergoing a bit of a schism at the moment. The 'Ynnari' is currently a coalition of Eldar from all traditions who have basically Got Religion. Others point out that the last time their race was involved in the creation of a god it didn't turn out too well.

Biel-Tan did physically break apart but it was due to daemonic corruption and an unexpected byproduct of the formation of Ynnead; long story short, the energy released broke it up, though there is a metaphorical break too, as mentioned above.As far as I know, it's the only Craftworld thus affected.

As for allegiances, while some Saim-Hann have probably joined The Cause, it's a purely individual choice. In fact, quickly skimming through the book I think that Saim-Hann is the only one of the Major Craftworlds that doesn't get even a name-check (Alaittoc gets a token Guardian on the Army Painter page!). It's probably that they're just not particularly intrinsic to the story - only BT, Ulthwe and Iyanden get stuff happening.

Now, what do the Ynnari bode for the future...? Well, they're not going away, as far as I can tell. Whether they remain a hodge podge of the three factions or get something beyond their Triumvirate is currently an open question, but I'd guess the latter. All signs point to the existing factions remaining independently valid however.

Painting your army now is as safe as painting any army at the moment. But even if an army get's hosed over, liked Biel Tan did, you could still play it as a surviving part of that faction. However, from the sounds of some of the rumors, you might want to make sure Saim-Hann is the army you want to play. Some rumors are suggesting that playing your Eldar Army according to how it's supposed to be played, will give you extra benefits, and all versions of Eldar are supposed to be viable.

So, if you like the idea of Jetbikes, then stick with Saim-Hann, But there's no promise that Jetbikes will be the end all be all they are now.

So

Biel Tan, Aspect Warrior Heavy.. while the Craftworld did take a lot of damage, it's still there but will take decades to repair (but they still have a army and such)

Saim-Hann, Jetbike heavy, duders like to be fast

Illydan, Wraithguard heavy.. most of their people got killed by Nids

Alaittoc, Ranger/Pathfinder heavy, duders like to scout and snipe

But yeah while Beil-tan got 'rekted' it is still there

Thanks for all the replies !

As far as I remember, all craftworlds have some number of aspect shrines and so can field aspect warriors. Also, I believe every craftworld can make an avatar of Khaine.
Is this still correct or did it change ? I would like to field an avatar and some aspect warriors along jetbikes and grav tanks in Saim - Hann force (some war walkers too).

I am being a bit overly cautious because I got burned by GW one too many times (large empire army collecting dust on shelves).

pingu wrote:
Thanks for all the replies !

As far as I remember, all craftworlds have some number of aspect shrines and so can field aspect warriors. Also, I believe every craftworld can make an avatar of Khaine.
Is this still correct or did it change ? I would like to field an avatar and some aspect warriors along jetbikes and grav tanks in Saim - Hann force (some war walkers too).

I am being a bit overly cautious because I got burned by GW one too many times (large empire army collecting dust on shelves).

Yes that is all good

Ulthwie was the other major one I forgot.. they tend to be more Psy focused, and have a larger guardian force

But Saim-hann is great because as every ork knows, the red ones go faster

Saim-Hann is probably my favourite Craftworld for their theme, colour and fluff.

Culture wise the Saim-Hann are known to be fairly backwards, having more in common with their Exodite brethren than other craftworlds in some respects. They still practice barbaric ritual duels and bloodoaths occasionally. Like all Craftworlds there are a number of them that take their place in the Aspect Shrines, I think the most popular is the Swooping Hawks but that's certainly not the only one around.

The Saim-Hann are also the more 'direct' of the Craftworlds in ensuring their own survival. If an Imperial Navy Captain is foretold to one day lead an armada against the Craftworld the Saim-Hann are likely to just blitz the feth out of his ship and kill him at the easiest opportunity rather than concoct some over-complicated plot ensuring that Orks burn down his homeworld and instill him with a lifelong hatred of Orks instead. This also, very rarely, brings them into conflict with other Craftworlds especially if they have been affronted.

Saim-Hann are a pretty safe bet, actually. They're like the forgotten major craftworld as far as lore writers are concerned, so they're not really important enough to be affected by game-changing lore updates.

All Craftworlds can field all the elements of an Eldar army. The big 5 have preferred styles but can field a "balanced" force if required or even one in a style normally associated with a different Craftworld. In short, if you like Saim Hann from either an aesthetic or tactical point of view then go for it, the fluff is there to provide inspiration, not restrictions.

It might be worth waiting until 8th edition arrives before buying too many units as things that are strong now may not be so strong in the new edition. For example, I did a bit of mathhammer based on what we know so far and Jetbikes with scatter-lasers will be roughly 5-6 times less efficient at killing medium vehicles in 8th edition than they were in 7th.

Now this does not mean that Jetbikes will no longer be worth taking but it may mean they are no longer the no-brainer option they were in 7th. Giving tanks armour saves and more wounds means that dedicated anti-tank weapons like meltas and lascannons (or the Eldar equivalents) are likely to be much more effective than they were. You can no longer rely on massed S6/7 shooting to strip hull points off your targets.

Of course Jetbikes with Shurican catapults will now have double the firepower thanks to the new twin-linked rules so it is entirely possible that Jetbikes will be just as good but in a slightly different role.

As for the Ynnari, they are made up of Eldar from all 3 factions who have dedicated themselves to Ynnead, the Eldar's newly coalesced God of Death. GW have insisted that all armies from 7th edition will be viable in 8th edition so I am pretty sure they are not going away. We will have to wait and see what they look like in 8th edition.

If you really want a major Craftworld that gets featured in lots of lore and stories, you would want to choose Ultwhe, Lyanden or Biel-Tan. Those are the ones that get featured most often, the other ones tend to be often forgotten.

Was trying to figure out what "Illydan" was ...

It's Iyanden, people. with an I, not an L, btw (not that GW's font choices make it easy sometimes).