This article has been a long time coming as I’ve experienced many personal delays and I took a long time to form a solid opinion about the individual pieces of the Eldar Codex and the whole codex itself. I’ve played Eldar since 1992. They were the first army I collected and up until roughly 2002 they were the only 40k army I played. Over time I dabbled with Space Marines, Imperial Guard, and Orks but the Eldar held a special place in my mind and in the 40k fluff. That makes the next revelation all the more shocking to me; I don’t want to play Eldar with the new codex.
In this post I’ll explain my reasoning and go over what I think are the best points in the book, some missed steps, and the way forward.
Since the latest Eldar codex dropped back in June I keep trying to write up a usable list that makes me happy in terms of both effectiveness and appearance. First, let me define those principles.
Effectiveness simply means that I want an army that gives me a chance in a competitive environment. This doesn’t mean I want a “net-list” or that I have to come in first. The list must simply allow me to stand a chance against more obviously min-maxed lists.
Appearance involves a few factors. The first factor is that I have to like the model in question. There are several models that I absolutely hate while other models are simply out of date. The latter one is predominant given the age of most of the Eldar range. The other factor with appearance answers the question of, “does this force match the fluff of my chosen craftworld?” For those of you who don’t know I happen to play Yme-Loc. A craftworld noted for bonesingers, tanks, and titans. So I prefer mechanized Eldar lists typically to match the fluff.
Now every list that I write violates those principles, either singularly or dually. Many of my favorite units that have actually increased in power with the new codex haven’t received new models since the days of 2nd edition (I’m looking at you Warp Spiders). Many other units that I like to use simply aren’t effective in their current form or violate how Eldar should really be played (Guardians).
So as I wrote my lists out I kept coming across the same themes. I repeated to myself, “I love the unit entry but I really don’t want to build a unit using these models that are outdated [or hideous]”. Alternatively I also found myself saying, “I love the models but can’t see it in my list because of how lackluster the rules are [or it’s out of place in 6th edition, the land of shooting]”.
To give two examples let’s talk about Warp Spiders and Guardians. I love that Warp Spiders’ rules actually match their fluff now. They are an exceptional unit on the tabletop but the models, once one of my favorite in the Eldar line, are so out of date that they just don’t match the aesthetic of the rest of the army. The models seem bulky, cumbersome, and extremely static. That violates the rule of Appearance. Guardians on the other hand look fine. Their kit isn’t new but it matches the Eldar aesthetic and look agile and graceful. The rules though would pigeonhole them as a backfield unit hiding behind a wall. Throw in that their usefulness is tied to buying a fortification for them to hide behind and a warlock to babysit them and suddenly they are an expensive squad that will have minimal impact on the board. That violates the rule of Effectiveness.
What’s that I hear? Why not convert Warp Spiders? Realistically I shouldn’t have to. Conversion work isn’t my favorite part of the hobby (that would be playing and painting). Also, show me where I can find affordable bits after GWs crackdown of bits sales. I’d need to find a boatload of deathspinners, some warp jump generators, and somehow model the mandibles onto the helmet. If I screw up (something I’m bound to do with my novice conversion skills) then they will also violate the Appearance principle despite soaking a truckload of cash into a single unit.
These issues are exacerbated in the TROOPS section of the book. Storm guardians are nearly useless. Relatively expensive and possessing no punch makes them a non-starter. Add in that they STILL lack a useful box set and they stay in theory-land. I would love to use guardian defenders. Back in 2nd edition I was a big proponent of these guys as it matched fluff and they bulked out the force sufficiently. Now? They gained more mobility to fire their ridiculously short-ranged weapons that now have pseudo-rending which doesn't matter because you will almost never fire them to begin with. Their only use is as backfield support where they take a warlock, a gun platform, and then hide behind an aegis defense line. A little pointless for something that will have very little effect except getting picked off from outside the 12" range of their weapons. What about guardian jetbikes, those are playable right? They sure are. However, I hate the figures. I always have since the day I bought my first windrider box back in '94ish. GW dropped the ball by not releasing updated bikes.That leaves us with dire avengers and rangers. Rangers are "okay". Again their reliance on heavy weapons sort of defeats the purpose of them having battle focus. So while they CAN be mobile, they often are not. What about Avengers? These were a staple in every list from the previous book. Now? I feel they are overpriced. For +4 points from a guardian you get +1Ld, +1I, a 4+ save and 4" of range. Oh, you also get the ability to make a horribly overpriced 1W character. That hardly seems like a bargin given that a basic marine costs a single point more and has +1T, 3+ save, and a 24" rapid fire weapon. All of this adds up to me making a list where I can pick everything but my mandatory troop selections. Obviously this creates a problem and ultimately lead me down the road we are currently discussing.
So there is my dilemma with this new codex and why I’m choosing to not play Eldar for now. The units I want to use largely have old models that I don’t want to use (Guardian jetbikes, Warp Spiders, etc) or I want to use them but their rules just don’t translate well on the tabletop (Guardians, Swooping Hawks, etc). Now, as GW releases new models (and I’m hoping to see more Eldar releases as they release supplements and finish of the 6th edition codex releases) I reserve the right to change my mind. However, given my issue with the TROOPS section of the book, I am doubtful that day will come with the current book.
Now, I will even add another caveat and say that the new Eldar book functions fine. It has solid selections in every single section of the organization chart. The combination of rules plus outdated models just doesn’t work for me. I encourage everyone to make their own conclusions about the book.
Okay, so now that I’ve laid out my reasoning for why *I* won’t be playing using this book anytime soon I do want to pick at a few highlights of what I think GW did right and a few low points where I think they missed an opportunity.
High Points
Warp Spiders. Wow. Ultra mobile with a swarm of S6 monofilament shots makes these the new hotshots on the block. They bring me back close to the glory days where they can easily jump in, lay down a rain of death, and then jump away unscathed. All that and they dropped points if I recall correctly.
Fire Prism. This one may be a bit more contentious but I really like the flexibility of the new Fire Prism. It can hit infantry hordes, elite and heavily armored infantry, or tanks of any scale and actually threaten serious damage against each of them. All that and they benefit from all the usual Eldar skimmer rules and special gear.
Wraithguard/Wraithblades. Wraithguard that are flexible and with new gear options? While I think D-Scythes are a bit overpriced they are now the preeminent objective holders. They prove very durable with a decent save and high toughness and wield powerful weapons that can shred troops and vehicles alike.
Wraithblades, while being a less viable option simply due to 6th’s preference for shooting, are a durable assault option that probably prove frightening during counter-assaults.
Wraithknight. A really cool model and a great way to sponge some firepower from your opponents the first two turns. They know that if they don’t target this beast they will have problems immediately and the safety of their vehicles are certainly in question. Sure at almost the cost of a landraider the Wraithknight is an expensive addition. However, what isn’t expensive in an Eldar army? This guy draws so much firepower that he easily saves you 2-3 dead units in the first couple turns.
Low Points
Storm Guardians. Words can’t describe how useless these guys are. A bunch of 5+ Sv S3, T3, A1 guys with no penetrating power and who aren’t even that cheap. They *might* be useful in an army with a boatload of warlocks and storm guardian squads as one of them is boung to get the +1S roll on the Runes of Battle chart. Otherwise they are pretty useless (and I wouldn’t try that build it doesn’t work).
Guardian Defenders. As I mentioned above these require a horrible amount of points to be worth taking and even then, are best served as a backfiled unit that sits and holds objectives in your own deployment zone. Considering that the base investment runs about 200 points with no frills on the aegis defense line, that’s a steep investment for something to hold a single objective and lob a couple mediocre shots downfield. I’m not sure how GW argued their points should go up in this book.
Dire Avengers. Basically guardians with slightly more range and slightly better Sv, Ld, and I with the ability to take an upgrade and make a 1W character that is horribly expensive for +4 points? Pass. If I had to choose I would rather take dire avengers over guardians but only because they have a better chance of staying out of trouble. Just remember that 1 more point buys a typical space marine.
Swooping Hawks. Let me say this first- Swooping Hawks work fine as presented in the Eldar codex. There, I’ve said it and I mean it. With the rules presented they really do perform harassment operations and horde control exceptionally well. So why are they on this list? I consider them a missed opportunity. In my humble opionion they should have been able to interact with zooming flyers and swooping monstrous creatures. I mean, come on, Swooping Hawks are one of two “jump” troops capable of sustained flight in the fluff (the other being vespid).
Hemlock Wraithfighters. I simply don’t know what to say. Eldar fighters are already fragile. Why would I take a flyer that can’t defend itself and is only useful for fighting hordes? That is something the Eldar typically have no problems with anyway thanks to numerous blast templates, flamer templates, and high volume shooting.
Howling Banshees. I’m really at a loss here. While I don’t think they are the utter rubbish that most of the internet claims they have certainly lost quite a bit of power and are really only useful for a counter assault tactic. Most of the issue with this unit arises from the basic mechanics of 6th edition. No assaulting out of vehicles really hurts these fragile ladies and the lack of grenades really limits their usefulness to counter assaults. With Eldar if you are being assaulted when you don’t want to be assaulted typically you have done something wrong and the game will quickly turn against the Eldar.
So there you have my take on Eldar. I really do think the current Eldar book is a step in the right direction. However the units I want to play have terribly old miniatures and that turns me off of building, painting, and playing with them. So what am I going to do? Easy. I'll focus on a pet project of mine that I've had for years... my Void Knights space marine chapter and I'll pour some attention onto my Orks after they are released (rumors point to early next year). Until Orks are released I'll work on prepping my WFB Skaven and my SPEZ MURINES!