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Eldar: Initial Thoughts

Sunday, June 2, 2013


The new Eldar codex is the first 6th edition codex I've purchased so far, and I have to say that the new hardback format is nice. The higher quality binding almost makes you forget about the crazy high price tag for these new books. I honestly didn't mind the old softbacks, especially after I had all of mine spiral-bound at kinkos, but at least the new hardbacks can lay open on their own just fine.

Anyway, moving on to the actual content of the book... there's some really nice entries, some overpriced/overcosted entries, and a lot of potential combinations that remain to be seen.


Just to touch on a few of the things that stand out to me after the first pass through the book:
  • Eldrad is still quite good and will definitely still be making an appearance on a lot of tabletops but...
  • Farseers are also an amazing choice for a much smaller investment in points (yeah, both Runes of Warding & Witnessing got nerfed really hard, but the old Runes of Warding was too good. I think they swung it too far the other way, but what can you do). Jetbike upgrade for 15pts! Mastery level 3 for a 100pt character is a really good deal. Which brings us to some of the Psychic powers:
    • Fortune & Guide are no longer restricted to "Eldar Units", so get ready to see a lot of 2++ re-rollable saves beyond the Harlie-star...
  • Speaking of which, Harlequins' "Veil of Tears" switching back to the old rule is very strange. I think it's a better rule than the Stealth + Shrouded version the Dark Eldar have now, but one important thing to note: this is now a Blessing that must be cast on the unit to take effect. This can't happen till the movement phase, so watch out if you are going second -- you wont be able to get this protection up before the enemy has a chance to light you up. Better hope you get turn 1 or you have Night Fight / Cover if they seize the initiative.
  • Ranger and Windrider squads are both awesome, low-cost Troop options. 17pt Jetbikes with 3+ armor saves makes my 22pt 5+ Reavers jealous, but I think they'll get acquainted with each other in some future army lists ;)
  • I also like Illic Nightspear and think he will have some interesting uses on the battlefield. The Pathfinders he unlocks are pricey, but a small unit could still be useful for picking out pesky characters and special weapons.
  • I'm not sold on the new Flyers. Both are quite expensive for only AV10. The Crimson Hunter Exarch can certainly shoot down other Flyers with ease, but I don't think it can survive long enough to hurt more than one enemy Flyer (assuming it survives Interceptor fire when it arrives).
  • The Wraithknight is a fantastic looking model. But I'm a little disappointed it didn't have a special rule that allows it to shoot all of its weapons. If I were to field one, it would probably be the base loadout, but that's still a huge points investment. I keep thinking the points would be better spent on a Squadron of War Walkers...
  • For 30pts cheaper than a base Wraithknight, you could have 3 Outflanking War Walkers each with 2 Scatter Lasers -- which got a nice boost with Laser Lock, and the Walkers now come with a 5+ invulnerable. That adds a whole lot to any army, and will be a strong contender for a spot in my Allied detachment!
There's a ton more to get into, but these are the things I'm initially drawn to as far as adding Allies to my DE or Marine armies. Overall, it's a good book that will require a lot of playtesting to find the hidden gems. Outside of Bikes and Rangers, there's not a lot of auto-include entries in the book, and even those aren't self-sufficient and will require proper support. It's definitely not an over the top codex and will still require a skilled general to take on the tough tournament lists out there. To leave you with a closing thought (and this shouldn't be read into one way or the other, it's just my opinion) but after the first read, it actually makes me like my Dark Eldar codex even more. I think I just prefer the dark kin's play style (and certainly their models) over the brighter brethren. How do you feel about the new Eldar codex so far?

2 comments:

  1. I see a lot of people saying its weird that the quins got their old veil of tears back. I actually like it, as you can now get shrouded/stealth from a character and now you have both. It takes more to get them this way, but I like that you have the option.

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    1. I was mostly surprised they didn't keep the entry the same as DE for continuity's sake, but I agree that the old veil of tears is better. Being able to choose or combine both rules with other characters is definitely a nice option, and makes the clowns even more durable.

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