Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi All

Its another eldar hread im afraid.
So the rumours have been going around and for the most part seem to be paning out (depending on what you look at obv, some of it is compelte nonsesne!)
I ahve tried to keep up to date with the rumours but i think there is some things that have not really been in the spot light.

As a CWE I like the sort of units that other scoff at as garbage and making them work.
I always like a bit of the ol Dark horse. Weapons platforms/wraiths/aspects when everyone was runing 3 planes etc.

So what are some of the dark horses that will come out of the new dex?

I recon the weapon platform and the humble warlock conclave have potential to end up as some unexpected winners.
Vibro canons took a huge hit when the modifier rules changed. But with new night spinner rules rumoured maybe the weapons platform spinners will smash it out of the ball park

Rangers: Between the way they've been punished in 9th for being too durable in 8th and the fact that they're getting a new kit, I'm expecting these guys to get an overhaul and a decent set of rules. Although I'm not sure what exactly that will look like given that to-hit modifiers are still capped and their not-tiny squad size implies their rifles won't be getting a big boost.

Fire Dragons: Between dark lances, hammerheads, and multi-meltas, it seems like GW is on an anti-tank kick lately. So it seems likely that a currently-unpopular squad full of anti-tank weapons will probably get a big boost. Even just making fusion guns use the modern meltagun profile would do a lot for them. Fingers crossed for a, "Make Explosions more likely," stratagem or exarch power.

Swooping Hawks: Not currently as bad as people say they are, but the mechanicus pteraxii absolutely stole their gimmick and then one-upped it. It would be weird if GW didn't at least put hawks back on par with pteraxii.

Phoenix Lords: Just, in general. They did a good job with Drazhar. If they just hand out some of his mechanics (like Eternal Warrior) to the phoenix lords and use him as a measuring stick for whatever offense they give the phoenix lords, then the asuryata might be in for the best codex they've had in a while.

Avatar of Khaine: Between the rumors for this guy's rules and one of the rumor engine images looking very Khaine-like, I'm expecting this guy to get a new model and some rules that are at least on par with greater daemons.

Of course, his problems are arguably more about anti-synergy/delivery systems than his raw statline, so I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a better statline and a higher points cost but still ends up awkward to fit into a vanilla list.

Exciting time to be an elf.

Wyldhunt wrote:
Rangers: Between the way they've been punished in 9th for being too durable in 8th and the fact that they're getting a new kit, I'm expecting these guys to get an overhaul and a decent set of rules. Although I'm not sure what exactly that will look like given that to-hit modifiers are still capped and their not-tiny squad size implies their rifles won't be getting a big boost.

Fire Dragons: Between dark lances, hammerheads, and multi-meltas, it seems like GW is on an anti-tank kick lately. So it seems likely that a currently-unpopular squad full of anti-tank weapons will probably get a big boost. Even just making fusion guns use the modern meltagun profile would do a lot for them. Fingers crossed for a, "Make Explosions more likely," stratagem or exarch power.

Swooping Hawks: Not currently as bad as people say they are, but the mechanicus pteraxii absolutely stole their gimmick and then one-upped it. It would be weird if GW didn't at least put hawks back on par with pteraxii.

Phoenix Lords: Just, in general. They did a good job with Drazhar. If they just hand out some of his mechanics (like Eternal Warrior) to the phoenix lords and use him as a measuring stick for whatever offense they give the phoenix lords, then the asuryata might be in for the best codex they've had in a while.

Avatar of Khaine: Between the rumors for this guy's rules and one of the rumor engine images looking very Khaine-like, I'm expecting this guy to get a new model and some rules that are at least on par with greater daemons.

Exciting time to be an elf.

Nice take.
Ive had fair bit of fun with irilith hes actualy a decent ranged beatstick and his invuln makes all the difference in late game as he usualy survives by hanging out in back field / support specters. I think that reaper launcher autarch will just be a better phoenix lord though than any ranged ones
prior to that I was runing magun ra at the end of 8th with DR msu expert crafters nonsesne.

Wonder if they will drop the aspect power thing from PA book. I relaly like the idea although the execution was very luck luster for most exarchs

There is so many Pl and they are so garbage I almost completely forgot about them! Great comment.

I have got my hands on the FW AOK becaue I have a hunch they might retire the model if the new plastic is good. I was half expecting them to basicaly use the cauldron of blood AOK plastic sprue as 40k AOK
Another one of my favourites is storm guardians. I know people crap on them but I really like the unit as cheap chaff buffer/sdcreen unit. I hope they remain chep as chips.
Of course, his problems are arguably more about anti-synergy/delivery systems than his raw statline, so I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a better statline and a higher points cost but still ends up awkward to fit into a vanilla list.

My first thought on seeing the thread title was “CWE don’t have dark horses, they have Bright Stallions!”

Points are going to make or break a LOT of things. Even with heaps of powerful abilities, we’ve still got a lot of squishy elf bodies on the table. And they tend to evaporate to a stiff breeze. The idea of dark horse units is that they are the usable ones that are not overtly good. At this point in the rumor cycle I don’t think we have a clear picture of what the winners of the new book are going to be. Definitely not a consensus.

I think Banshees are still going to be lackluster, but a nice toolbox unit you can use to tie up units and just cover ground with.

Wraiths are going to be in a good place IMHO.

I think there is going to be a lot of work on our troops, to try to figure out how to get the most milage out of them without them being pure taxes. There is potential there, but I think a lot of people are just going to run MSU bare bones squads to save points for the shiny broken stuff.

From some of the mixed leaks and rumours, I really think Rangers could be exceptionally useful. There's info about them having a forward deployment rule again and the little frisbee thing being either a dense/light cover granter to units behind them, or something that interferes with enemy movement.

Screening is almost always problematic for CWE so Rangers being able to perform a role like that and do it well could make them a very important unit, depending on how they're pointed of course.

I also feel that Storm Guardians could end up being written off by people initially only for their real value to be made apparent after a while. A lot of that comes down to the exact rules of the Serpent Platform; mini-transhuman is almost a given, but if it does get a 5++ on top of that suddenly CWE aren't terrible at holding objectives and scoring the primary anymore.

I really, really want to see new Scorpion models and rules that make them worthwhile.

I'm worried about seeing neither. Especially with shiny new Storm Guardians with power sword(s) and defensive platform.

Sword, mandiblaster and delivery method have just never been good enough for the sneaky greens.

Maybe the webway gate will become decent or we get a new fortification.

I really dig the Aeronautica stuff.

However I just realized that I also have not heard much about conclave or seer council.
Seeing how the farssers/psychic is such a big part of the faction identity, it would be interesting to see the seer council as a unit once again.

Putting 5 man seer council in a comand wave serpent with some avengers would be dope!

Its not a dark horse as such, but I do want them to rework the profiles of the fire prism cannon. The lance shot in particular is so terrible-
S12 matters so little over S9, only...
vs T9 (absurdly rare),
T5 (why are you shooting a single shot at _anything_ T5) and
T6 (probably the best corner case, and even then its not very good)...
and that's before you get into d3 shots for the Focused profile, and 2d3 vs 2 shots just tilts the board completely.

There are rumors around the Fire Prism changing, but they are self-contradictory.