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Author Topic: Considering starting Dark Eldar. Any suggestions?  (Read 2018 times)

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Offline Calamity

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Considering starting Dark Eldar. Any suggestions?
« on: October 26, 2014, 03:51:07 PM »
I'm looking to branch out and collect something other than the Imperial Guard, and since I like pirates, I was considering the dark eldar, especially since they've just been rereleased.  Beyond getting the codex, does anyone have any advice to give?

The last dark eldar I owned and played with were the 3rd edition starter box ones, so it's been a long time. :P

Offline faitherun (Fay-ith-er-run)

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Re: Considering starting Dark Eldar. Any suggestions?
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2014, 06:05:53 PM »
Welcome to the Dark Side  8)

A lot depends on your play style, but wyches and warriors are typically your mainstay troops. To me, DE fall into one of three catagories

Fast and shooty

Fast and choppy

Slow and durable.

No matter which style you choose tho you will want to get some raiders and/or venoms.

Quick overview of our units for you

HQs are ok - mainly cc oriented and can do some impressive damage. An Archon can get the much talked about shadow field with the best save in the game, while a Succubus can be a CC monster, but is a bit more fragile. Haemonculi are ok, they have some fun toys and are really good in a Hamey focused army. This thread has some good info Thoughts on New Codex HQs?

The court is really nice now too, able to tailor to make up for what your army may be lacking.

Elites are very nice. True born are our ranged specialists, and trueborn with blasters in a venom is downright deadly. Incubi will mow through almost anything in CC, but their lack of a inv save can hurt them with staying power. Bloodbrides, to me, are not worth the upgrade. This is because I view wyches as simply a tar pit unit and why pay more to do the same thing? Madrakes are very nice now, but require a scalpel approach. They can do some damage in shooting, and some in cc, but the need to target weak units and things they can isolate and gang up on. In cover they are very survivable but watch out for templates.

Wracks are ok, but two slow and not shooty or chopy enough. They are more just durable. Although they have some nice short ranged weapons. Grotesques are more durable, slower, and more choppy, but still not enough. Lack of power weapons brings them down for me.

Troops - you've got your two options. Warriors to shoot. Wyches to tar pit. Wyches can do some cc damage, but they mainly tie things up for a good while.

Fast Attack - B.E.A.Utiful! Scourges can be geared to be anit infantry or anti tank, and wreck havoc in either capacity. Reavers can wreck havoc too, being much more cc oriented but still with some nice anti-armor capabilities that their speed allows them to really capitalize on. Beastmasters and co can be geared for a variety of things and are absolutely sick in CC. Hellions are the let down of this section. But still not awful. They give some decent anti infantry shooting, but are a little too high priced imo for what they offer compated to other places in the dex you can fill this roll (mainly warriors, scources, Razorwing and truborn).

The razorwing is my personal favorite. I gear mine to be anti infantry, and take it stock missiles with dissys and a sc. With the change this addition to the number of missiles you can fire per turn (i.e. as many as weapons you can shoot), you can really do some damage with this baby. And then afterwards his two dissys can open everything from light vehicles to termis, yet still has the RoF to shred swarms too. I run two every list.

The heavy support section is a little iffy. Ravagers are not as good as they used to be, but still a decent gun ship able to go anti infantry or armor. The Void Raven is over priced for the anti armor capabilities is brings. The talos and the cronos are just too slow for me, but can really bring some pain and make a huge threat and fire magnet.

Also, we have a formation, as you may well know, that allows for a whooping 6 fast attack slots to be used. I have yet to play test it but my thought is to do 2 Reavers, 2 Scourges, and 2 Razorwings.
So, what your saying is it's not your fault you look stupid by using words you don't get?
Flawless logic.

Offline Plastikente

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Re: Considering starting Dark Eldar. Any suggestions?
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2014, 01:22:51 PM »
A nice overview from Faitherun.

I would add though, your troops need transports.  Both of our transports are fast skimmers, making them very mobile and powerful for taking objectives in Maelstrom games.  This is especially true if you take a Combined Arms Detachment, as all dedicated transports taken for a troop unit gain Objective Secured.

Raiders have the advantage of capacity.  Because they are paper thin, you will probably have to jink frequently, so don't count too much on the built in weapon, but splinter racks makes them a good gunboat when stuffed full of warriors.

Venoms should never leave home without a second splinter cannon.  The Flickerfield means that it's usually not worth jinking, and so these should be pumping out max splinter shots until they crash and burn.  Most people use them to carry Blasterborn or small, elite assault units.

Some people swear by one transport type or the other, but I usually take a balance.

Offline Calamity

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Re: Considering starting Dark Eldar. Any suggestions?
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2014, 01:21:22 PM »
Excellent responses, thanks guys.  :)

I think I would like a fast and shooty type army myself.  The Raiders, Venoms and Warriors are all great models, so I wouldn't mind spamming them.  Of course, I'll need to get the Codex first though.

 


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