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Dark Eldar 6th Ed FAQ

Saturday, June 30, 2012


I think it's great that GW has already released a first wave of FAQ's in an attempt to bring all the armies up to speed with the launch of 6th edition. However, I'm left scratching my head after reading the Dark Eldar FAQ...

For those who thought that the latest DE codex was written with 6th edition in mind, I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken (see the very first note under Amendments).

Reavers get to use their improved Toughness which is nice, and 6th edition jetbike rules gave them a nice boost as well. We'll definitely be seeing more of these guys on the table.

Clasped Demiklaives are now AP 2 but I'm not sure that makes up for the nerfed power weapon the rest of the Incubi are carrying. And the lack of grenades seriously hampers them. Drazhar looks a little more appealing in 6th as he'll be a beast of a character for all things under the new Challenge rules.

The Decapitator still sucks :(

Interestingly, the Void Mine can be used and "does not count towards the # of weapons a Voidraven Bomber can fire that turn" (going against the new bomber rules in the rulebook). I'm hoping we see a model for this in the next wave of flyer releases!

Here's where things take a turn for the worse:


Can someone help me out with the first one? I'm not sure how Dark Eldar units that would be eligible to use a Webway portal could ever be in 'ongoing reserve'... I've gone back through the 6th ed rulebook and all I've found is that models can't voluntarily leave the table (unless they are a Flyer, in which case they can't use a WWP). Stretching my imagination, only a unit of Scourges that mishaps while attempting to Deep Strike could ever find themselves in this situation. Did that really require its own Q/A? I'd rather they clarify if Lady Malys' Precognisant rule allows her to redeploy units back into reserves if it exceeds the new 50% army limit on how many units can be held in reserves.

The second one sucks, but I have a hard enough time fitting all the Dark Eldar units I want into a 2000 point list, so not sure how much I'll be using Allies in the first place. Power from Pain doesn't have an impact on Allies, they can't use our portals... and after you read the 3rd one, you probably wont want your own Dark Eldar units using a WWP!

This 3rd Q/A is the worst. It takes one of the greatest strengths of a Dark Eldar WWP list and completely crushes it. In fact, the main purpose of a WWP was so you could get your fragile assault units across the board and into close combat unscathed from rounds of shooting they would have had to endure had they started on the board. This rule change is just terrible... it removes the ability to alpha strike for an army that DEPENDS on alpha striking in order to have a chance against some tough army match-ups.

I had hoped that 6th edition would usher in a return to assault-based armies having a shot against all the mechanized gun-line armies that dominated the game in 5th edition... it might be a little too soon to say, but 6th looks like it'll favor shooting over combat even more than 5th :(

Dark Eldar have the tools to shoot with some of the best armies in 40k; I was just building mine for close combat and will have to rework some things. How are the revelations of 6th edition and this new FAQ affecting your Dark Eldar armies?

7 comments:

  1. I agree with you that Reaver Jetbikes got really sexy. So sexy, Baron and his Beastmaster pack is going away in lieu of them! :)

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  2. Without the WWP, Beasts, Hellions (don't use anymore anyway), 15 man/woman Wych squads (the core of my army), and even the Talos pain engine (needed to pop those pesky Black Templar Blessed Hulled Land Raiders) really don't have any value.

    Let's see, armor 6 against shooting and transports that cost more than a Rhino, are open top, and have less armor. The WWP (I used 2) was the most relible way to get CC units into, well, CC.

    With most power weapons AP3, you are going to see more lists with large terminator squads. Incubi, and agonisers in another squads, was the Dark Eldar's only counter to that.

    Incubi = real expensive pointwise but can't shoot, lack grenades and invul save.

    Aerial Assualt got removed for the Razorwing Jetfighter and for it's points, now it's really not worth it. I can add another 6 man/woman squad of Reavers with heat lances for the points of a Razorwing (if I even keep playing).

    Since Fleet means something totally different and just about everyone can assualt up to 12 inches, how does the combat drug hypex work? Dark Eldar just get to roll 3D6 to "RUN"?

    For all the little positive changes, like wound allocation making a grotesque squad last a little longer and giving Raiders hull points, it doesn't come close to equally out the negative changes, like AP3 power weapons, nerfing of FnP, no longer allowing assualts from the WWP, and the changing of the fleet special rule.

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    1. "With most power weapons AP3, you are going to see more lists with large terminator squads. Incubi, and agonisers in another squads, was the Dark Eldar's only counter to that."

      No, their counter was to shoot them with lots of poison. Or if you want, the billion Lances DE armies have. The DE's CC units are for killing MEQ, not terminators. Shoot those.

      If you meant in CC, then I'd agree that Dark Eldar don't really have an answer to 2+ armor anymore, besides Deathstar Beastmaster packs.

      "Aerial Assualt got removed for the Razorwing Jetfighter and for it's points, now it's really not worth it. I can add another 6 man/woman squad of Reavers with heat lances for the points of a Razorwing (if I even keep playing)."

      Aerial Assault got removed because the Razorwing Jetfighter is now a Flyer, just like the Voidraven Bomber.

      "nerfing of FnP"

      I don't feel that FnP is that much of a nerf, considering it isn't affected by AP1-2 or power weapons any longer. I can deal with 5+ saves when you take that into account. :)

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    2. I play ALOT against of Land Raider Crusader/8 Terminator lists. I also play quite a few Black Templar armies with those Blessed Hulls. So my Lances don't do much.

      If you have ever used the Jetfighter, then you would know that there is nothing better than coming out of reserves and unloading EVERYTHING at a squad. In 6 games against Necrons, I've wiped out a squad 5 times doing it that way. True it's cheesy, but so is their D8 S8 lightning bolt thing. :-P

      Wyches shouldn't be a issue. Put them in boats, hide the boats, assault from the boats. They are probably more reliable at taking out armor than Scourges/Reavers with their 10 haywire grenades. I was running 2 squads of 15 out of the WWP in a 2K list. Now I will just run 3 squads of 10 from the boats.

      I was running Grotesques with a Haemonculus to deploy one of the WWP, I kinda liked the 4+ FnP. :-(

      It's gonna take some games to find something that's competitive.

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  3. The WWP nerf is a real kick in the shins. I haven't played any games yet, so this is all speculation: It seems as the intent behind this and many other changes (in both the main rules and the FAQ:s) is to make close combat more of a high risk-high reward thing. I'm guessing movement will flow a bit differently in 6:th, since it's not as easy to set up a charge (random charge lengths, no charging from reserve, no charging after running, etc). To be fair, close combat has been very effective for three editions running now. It's neat to see a bit of change :-)

    Also, challenges with an Archon? Allied Farseers? It's going to be a blast.

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  4. I'm sorry if this is way off base, and I understand what you guys are saying...but without the benefit of the book, I thought that it was now possible to move into base-to-base with the enemy without it being classified as an assault.

    maybe that is a remnant of a rumor that I tried not to hear/read...but if that is possible, could it mean that you engage your first enemy without the benefit of the charge...but with protection from being shot?

    Also, kind of a funny fail story on my end. I pre-paid and reserved a "Gamer's Edition" so that I could get the cool man-purse...of course that was delayed and the regular rulebooks were sold out from our local release party the night before. Lulz on me. :)

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  5. Fred, you cannot be in base to base without assaulting, nothing changed there.

    As for the OP, FNP got changed, not necessarily nerfed. You can now use it against power weapons, low ap weapons, and anything that doesn't ID you. This makes it about even, and helps a lot if you face power weapons out the wazoo.

    The WWP change stinks, as I was hoping to use DE as allys and utilize that.

    Power weapon change is interesting. It hurts xeno's, as they can't change their power weapon type like marine sergeants can. Also, it means that most marine CC units with power weapons will still kill them, but in return they can't hurt terminators as much. Xeno's have very few options for 2+ saves as well.
    The counter to this, is that instead of using incubi to hit a terminator unit, you will need to use a tarpit CC unit. A large unit with many attacks will whittle down terminators, and since you don't take fearless wounds, they should keep the terminators locked down and hopefully make them roll more '1's.

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