This compilation was taken from the thread V5.0 Eldar Tactica Warseer Forums.

I have the
written permission of the original writers to copy-paste these guides. Feel free to visit the original
thread at Warseer Forums ( http://warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149243 ) for further
advise and comments. Visit the links written beside the sections to read the original posts.
If you copy-paste this compilation or part of it, the writers will be glad if you mention their work as
theirs and not yours.
You will find out that this is like a bible (excuse me for the sacrilege) for the Eldar players and a
weapon against them.

Eldar Fifth Edition Walkthrough by Irisado

HQ Choices: (Page 6 of the original thread)

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2791730&postcount=114

Avatar:

The Avatar is a very good choice for Eldar commanders who wish to play an infantry based Eldar
force. A devastating leader in an assault, the Avatar is at his best when he leads a large number of
Guardians (Defender and Storm), supported by Dire Avengers and Striking Scorpions, into battle.
His ability to inspire those around him is particularly useful for the Guardians, since it compensates
for their lower leadership, while they can support the Avatar by launching assaults with him, so that
he does not become bogged down by hordes in close combat. In fact, it is a good idea to place as
many units within twelve inches of the Avatar as possible, so that his inspiring nature makes them
fearless. Be careful with placing too many units too close together though if you are playing against
an army which has a lot of Blast, Barrage or Ordnance weapons.

The Avatar is also very tough for the enemy to destroy, and if they decide to concentrate their fire
against him, it will most likely spare your troops from taking as many casualties. You can use his
ability to be a fire magnet to your advantage, by using him to launch a distraction assault with
Guardians, while you go for the jugular using another unit, or combination of units.
The new run rule also helps the Avatar, since he can now keep pace with Eldar units which can
Fleet, making him work even more effectively with the Guardians.

Given all these positive comments, are there any reasons not take him? The answer to this question
is yes. The first thing to consider is that, he costs more than the Farseer and Autarch, so he isnt
really suitable for smaller battles. Next, he is not very good at working with mechanised or mixed
Eldar armies, since you cannot afford sufficient squads of infantry to support him. He may be tough,
but leaving him unsupported is a bad idea, as the enemy will be able to concentrate all their fire on
him as he advances without having to worry about other infantry around him reaching their lines
intact. A final point is that against some armies, you may find that his killing power is just too high
to warrant taking him. For example, against Space Marines Ive never felt the need to take an
Avatar, since I know that there is nothing in their army that Eldar Aspect Warriors cannot handle in
an assault (with the possible exception of close assault Terminators, but there are other ways to deal
with those); whereas against a Daemon army, he is much more useful, since he can take on those
tough Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes in close combat, and have a chance of winning.
In conclusion hes a very good commander, but if youre going to take him, make sure that he fits
your army composition, and you have sufficient points to build your army around him.

Farseer:

Easily the best Eldar commander if you want to augment your own troops, the Farseer offers the
most options to an Eldar army.
(S)he excels at making other Eldar units more effective, and you can build an effective strategy
around the Farseers powers. Most of the powers havent changed a great deal with regard to their
effectiveness in fifth edition, but for all those who are new to the Eldar, here is a brief run through
of how to get the best out of each power:

Doom: The most useful of the powers in my view. If there is a particular unit that you want to
destroy in one turn, then have your Farseer cast Doom on it, and then shoot it with as many units as
you can, and/or assault it with a dedicated close assault unit. It is a very good power, since multiple
Eldar units can benefit from it (every unit attacking the Doomed unit benefits from the re-rolls to
wound). Units which particularly benefit from Doom are Dire Avengers and Guardians (re-rolling
failed Avenger and Shuriken Catapults wounds is very handy), and Howling Banshees whose Power
Weapons lack strength against the MEQs they specialise in killing, so re-rolls to wound against the
unit they assault greatly increases their effectiveness.

Fortune: Again, another very useful power, although it only works on one Eldar unit, meaning that
you sometimes have to make a tough choice as to who gets the benefit of this power each turn. With
the improvements to cover saves in fifth edition, it is now even more effective when cast on an
Eldar unit in cover (e.g. Dark Reapers in a fortified position). Fortune is also very powerful when
used in combination with the Avatar, making it a must for Avatar led infantry armies.

Guide: This power is a must if you plan on using War Walkers with Scatter Lasers and/or lots of
Guardians. It really helps those BS3 warriors hit their target, and given the increase in cover saves
for fifth edition, the more hits you get the more chances you have to wound, and the more chances
your opponent has to fail his save. It can also be helpful for Aspect Warriors, but is less critical.
Guide also works very well when cast on an Eldar unit that has LOS and range to a Doomed
enemy unit. If you really want to take out a pesky unit of MEQs, for example, try casting Guide on
a unit of Dark Reapers, and then Doom the unit you want them to shoot at. If hordes are causing
you grief, then casting Guide on War Walkers, and Doom on the unit you want them to fire out
should see that horde thinned.

Eldritch Storm: In the past, this power hasnt been of that much help in my view. In fifth edition
though, I can see more of a use for it. Tanks are now tougher to destroy, so attempting to use
Eldritch Storm to spin them around, so that a less favourable part of their armour faces your guns
may not be a bad idea. It can also be used to try to pin enemy units, but unless they have very poor
leadership, the chances of this happening are not very high. Also counting against it is its range.
Eighteen inches is all well and good if your Farseer is on a Jetbike, but for a Farseer on foot, I just
feel it brings him/her too close to the enemy. If you can make it work for you though, then feel free
to take it, but I just feel the other powers are better.

Mind War: This power looks pretty good on paper, but the big problem is that there are so few
squad leaders and Independent Characters that have a low enough leadership for it to work very
often. You might be able to pick off the odd Ork Nob here and there, but I cant see much else that it
would be effective against. It also requires the Farseer to get uncomfortably close to the enemy on
foot, so it is perhaps better utilised by a Jetbike mounted Farseer.

The last point concerns how many powers your Farseer should have. In smaller games (1000 points
or fewer), youll most likely only have enough points for one. In larger games though, taking two is
always advisable, especially if they work well together (e.g. Guide and Doom). While some Eldar
players favour taking three powers in larger games, I dont believe that this is a wise use of points,
since in my experience, you will never get the change to use the third power often enough for it to
make its points back.
The Farseer also has access to various pieces of equipment:

Singing Spear: A useful upgrade, especially if you are planning on assaulting a tank at any stage
with your Farseer, although I think that this is something of a secondary consideration for a Farseer.
The disadvantage to the Spear is that you cant use it with a Pistol to gain an extra attack. Given that
the Farseer should not be assaulting most infantry, this should not be a problem, but if you are
planning on running your Farseer with a Warlock Bodyguard and using them as a pseudo Seer
Council to assault enemy units, this is something that you may want to bear in mind.

Runes of Warding: Very important if you are going up against an enemy force which has powerful
psychic abilities, such as Chaos Space Marines. Otherwise, they are not really necessary.

Runes of Witnessing: Not that great in my view. They actually increase your chances of rolling a
double one and suffering a Perils of the Warp Attack. The good news is that the changes to Perils of
the Warp for fifth edition mean that your Farseer will no longer suffer from Instant Death should
this happen, but why take an increased chance of suffering a wound? I see no reason to take these
Runes.

Dweomer did some maths which Eldar players may find interesting regarding these two Runes.
The following extract comes directly from his post on the subject:

Okay, so in any number of threads I have seen people citing the effectiveness (or not) of a
Farseer's Runes. Almost all of this has been citing anecdotal evidence with only token Math-
hammer applied. Having some free time at work, I thought I would take it upon myself to show the
Math-hammer* advantages and disadvantages of these basic items. Numbers are rounded to the
nearest .1% for sake of ease.

First we'll take the easy one: Runes of Warding.

Unmodified Ld 9: 80.6% Success, 13.9% Failure, 2.8% Perils & Success, 2.8% Perils & Failure
9 vs RoWarding: 37.5% Success, 25% Failure, 37.5% Perils & Failure
Unmodified Ld10: 88.9% Success, 5.6% Failure, 2.8% Perils & Success, 2.8% Perils & Failure
10 vs RoWarding: 50.0% Success, 12.5% Failure, 37.5% Perils & Failure

So successes drop to about 1/2, failures double, and Perils tests increase by almost 7 times. Pretty
simple, no? I know I won't leave home without them...

Okay, now for the one with trickier math: Runes of Witnessing
Regular Farseer: 88.9% Success, 5.6% Failure, 2.8% Perils & Success, 2.8% Perils & Failure
RoWit Farseer: 90.3% Success, 1.9% Failure, 7.8% Perils & Success, 0.04% Perils & Failure

So a Runes of Witnessing Farseer is going to be slightly more reliable in casting, but is going to
also run a higher risk of Perils. However, the Ghosthelm will mitigate this a good bit. 5th edition's
auto-wound and re-roll Inv save fun mean a regular Farseer will take a wound 1.4% normally or
0.9% with Fortune. A RoWit Farseer will take a wound 2.0% of the time, 1.3% with Fortune.

Hope this helps some of you nascent FarSeers out there.

*Math-hammer does not take into account the Real World, your dice hating you, general bad luck,
and other edicts of Murphy's Law

Spirit Stones: Dont leave the Craftworld without these if your Farseer has two powers.
Jetbike: A good option if you are fielding an all mechanised force, the Jetbike gets the Farseer to
where (s)he needs to be much more quickly. The downside is that unless you put your Farseer in a
unit of Jetbikes, the lifting of targeting restrictions on Independent Characters for fifth edition
means that (s)he will be a magnet for heavy weapons. If you havent got the points to get a unit for
your Farseer to accompany, this will not be a good choice under the new rules.

Bodyguard: The Farseer can be joined by a unit of Warlocks. This tends to be very expensive
though (especially if you mount the whole squad on Jetbikes), and is only regularly used by players
who want to run an Ulthw themed army with a pseudo Seer Council. There is nothing wrong with
taking this option if you play Ulthw and want to stick to the background (as regular posters will
know, Im all in favour of playing with the background in mind), but non Ulthw players will
probably want to give this option a miss. Warlocks and the Farseer are not that effective in assaults
for the points you pay, and you certainly dont want your valuable Farseer to get torn apart by a
horde of Orks, or Rapid Fired to death by Space Marines as (s)he and his/her squad closes in to
assault. Their lack of grenades also counts against them for assaulting in fifth edition, so all in all, I
dont think that a Warlock Bodyguard is that good a purchase.

The Farseer is a suitable commander for all Eldar armies, although (s)he is much easier to protect
when used with an infantry or mixed force, since (s)he can be placed in a unit which is unlikely to
be too exposed to enemy fire or to be assaulted. The Farseer is a more problematic choice for purely
mechanised Eldar, as placing him/her with a unit in a Wave Serpent or Falcon will mean that (s)he
will usually end up being deployed closer to enemy lines than in is ideal. Of course, (s)he can be
mounted on a Jetbike, but this causes other problems as I have already indicated.

Warlocks:

As they are unit upgrades, Ill discuss Warlocks in more detail with the units in which they can be
fielded, however, I will comment on their powers here.

Conceal: Nowhere near as useful under fifth edition rules due to most cover now conferring a 4+
save. This power is only really needed if you are playing a battle on an open plain, or on a board
which lacks terrain. Since neither case should be common, I think there are better powers for
Warlocks to take now.

Destructor: A very useful power for taking out large squads of poorly armoured infantry. Its also
very good against other Eldar should you be involved in a civil war battle. The only problem with
it is that you have to get close to use it. For this reason, giving it to a Warlock leading Wraithguard
or Storm Guardians is probably your best bet, although I have seen many Eldar players talk about
how deadly it is when given to Warlocks on Jetbikes.

Embolden: Very handy for Guardian units, since they are liable to failing a morale test at some
point or other.

Enhance: Again very useful for Guardian units, but a recent debate as to how useful has been
raging recently on Warseer, but Ill discuss that more when I come to talk about Guardians.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2793453&postcount=121

Autarch: (Page 7 of the original thread)

The Autarch has become a more attractive choice for the role of Eldar commander in fifth edition
due to the changes in the reserves special rule for standard missions. Given that it is now possible to
deploy many units in reserve, many Eldar players may want to take advantage of this and use the
Autarchs Master Strategist rule to increase the chances of your reserves turning up more quickly. I
would still advise against putting too many units in reserve, unless you have a particularly cunning
plan, since you could be unlucky and find yourself becoming overwhelmed very quickly, especially
if you are up against horde armies, but its certainly an option to think carefully about if you are
going to take an Autarch.

The Autarch is also more associated with certain Craftworlds, so if background is important to you,
this is also an important factor to consider. It is very common, for example, for Biel Tan armies to
be led by an Autarch, due to their focus on Aspect Warriors.

The Autarch is, in addition, the most flexible Eldar commander in terms of his equipment, making
him a good choice for infantry, mixed, and mechanised forces, although the more equipment you
give him, the more his points cost starts to shoot up, so you need to be careful not to make him too
expensive.
Apart from costing more points than a Farseer, the other disadvantage of the Autarch is that he does
not really augment the performance of Eldar units. Of course he will improve the shooting and/or
close assault ability of the Aspect Warrior unit to which he is attached, and in turn will benefit from
their powers, but he has no ability to make it easier for other squads to hit or wound enemy units,
which the Farseer can do with his/her psychic powers. In this respect, the Autarch is far less subtle,
so you need to build your Autarch for one primary role and stick to it, so that he can make up for the
absence of the Farseer through sheer killing power. In larger games, you could always take a
Farseer and an Autarch, but in games of less than 2000 points taking two HQs is not normally a
good option, since it will reduce the number of points available to spend on other sections of the
army by too great an amount.

How to equip you Autarch will depend a great deal on which Aspect Warrior unit you want to attach
him to. Fielding him as an Independent Character is not a good idea under fifth edition, as a
competent player will just pick him off. Also, the Autarch wont benefit from any Exarch abilities if
hes not with an Aspect Warrior squad, so it makes sense to attach him to one.
I havent seen too many Autarchs designed for long range shooting, but it is a possible build,
particularly if you fancy attaching your Autarch to a unit of Dark Reapers. A Reaper Launcher will
obviously be the weapon of choice here, and if this is the only piece of equipment you give him, it
will certainly keep the costs down. Many armies, however, do not have the points to take a Dark
Reaper squad, and also fielding the Autarch in a purely ranged role, seems rather a waste of his
close combat abilities to me, so I would advocate a more mixed approach to equipping your
Autarch.
Here are some common Autarch builds:

Warp Jump Generator, Fusion Gun or Deathspinner, Power Weapon or Scorpions Chainsword,
Mandiblasters.

This build is very effective if you want to join your Autarch to a unit of Warp Spiders. It gives him
mobility, good short range shooting to match up with the Spiders, and allows the Spiders to be used
as a hit and run assault unit, providing you have equipped their Exarch appropriately. The only
possible fly in the ointment is the threat of rolling a double if you attempt a second Warp Jump,
meaning that you need to keep the Autarch with the Warp Spiders at all times if you dont want to
take the risk of his being consumed by the Warp.

On the subject of this build, its often difficult to choose between the Power Weapon and the
Scorpions Chainsword. I feel that it depends on your opposition. Against hordes, the Scorpions
Chainsword is the way to go, you need more strength than AP against, for example, Orks and
Tyranids. Against MEQs, however, the decision is more difficult due to their higher than average
toughness and superior armour. Taking the Power Weapon makes sense if you have a Farseer with
Doom, but otherwise it may be a bit more marginal. That said, I would still take the risk, since WS6
with four attacks (Shuriken Pistol still gives you an extra attack with a Power Weapon) is nothing to
dismiss lightly.

Jetbike, Laser Lance, Mandiblasters, Fusion Gun or Reaper Launcher

This is a great build if you have a unit of Shining Spears to add the Autarch to. It gives you a useful
hit and run unit which is capable to taking down MEQs, and also tanks (especially given that your
strike their rear armour in fifth edition). Some players like to give the Reaper Launcher to the
Autarch to give him more ranged firepower, but I feel this makes him too expensive, although its
your decision in the end. The main problem with this build is that it doesnt come cheap, and unless
you get your Autarch into the thick of the action, you may feel youve wasted the points. Such a
commander and unit is perfect for all you mechanised players out there, but infantry players will
probably want to give it a miss for reasons of points.

Power Weapon, Mandiblasters, Avenger Shuriken Catapult

On paper, this doesnt look very useful, but it is quite cheap. What is more, if you add your Autarch
to a unit of Dire Avengers with an Exarch with Power Weapon, Shimmershield and Defend, and
youve just got yourself a unit which is very good at holding up enemy units in an assault. Not only
does the Autarch have the benefit of his Forceshield, but dont forget that the Dire Avengers will
also have their own invulnerable save courtesy of the Shimmershield. Many units will have a tough
time shifting this unit, especially if it is defending an objective in cover. Even if the attacking unit
has assault grenades, your Autarch should get the first strike, and all the invulnerable saves should
ensure that enough of your Avengers survive to hold their ground, giving you time to send in
reinforcements. I will discuss this tactic in more depth when I talk about Dire Avengers. Also, if you
have the points to add Bladestorm, an Autarch with BS6 and an Avenger Catapult will really help
increase the amount of damage that the unit as a whole causes to the enemy.

The most important factors to bear in mind when building your Autarch though are:

What type of Autarch do you want? (i. e. assault, shooty)

Which Aspect Warrior unit he will join?
What equipment will best enable him to be effective within that unit?

There are numerous other Autarch builds out there, and so many potential combinations that I wont
discuss any others specifically. However, please feel free to discuss other options or builds for the
Autarch, since I definitely havent covered them all, and there are likely to be other powerful
combinations which I have missed.

Special Characters:

I dont have much to say about any of these. I believe that if you are taking them then you already
know how you are going to use them. Taking special characters is also a rather personal choice, and
while I will often advocate my views on how well I think they fit a particular players list, if said
player asks for advice, I wont comment specifically on them here.

I will, however, say that I feel that all players would benefit from thinking about the background
and points value of their list. For example, is it right that Eldrad is fielded in an Eldar army which is
not themed around the Ulthw Craftworld? Should Yriel be leading a Saim Hann Jetbike force?
Should Phoenix Lords be present in small battles? My answer to all of these is no, since the
background does not support such inclusions. If the background of your list would justify such an
inclusion, then by all means feel free to choose an appropriate special character, but you may want
to consider the paragraph below when it comes to making the final decision.

On the subject of points, I would say that fielding Special Characters in armies of less than 2000
points is asking for trouble, since most of them cost so many points that you will be forced to
compromise too heavily in other areas of your list, making your army very vulnerable to a more
balanced enemy force. This is especially true in fifth edition, as many players have tended to
compromise their troops section in the past, in order to make way for Special Characters, which
could cause serious problems under the new rules for scoring unit. In addition, you may want to ask
yourself this: would a Special Character turn up to fight in small engagement? My own view is that
such a character would not, but again this is a personal decision.

When all is said and done though, it is your army, so you must make whatever decision feels right
to you.
http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2798848&postcount=146

Elites: (Page 8 of the original thread)

The Eldar have access to some of the best Elite troops in Warhammer 40,000. These units, however,
are very specialised, and if used poorly will die just as easily as regular troop units, so it is
important to ensure that they are used in situations that suit their abilities, and that they are
supported.

Striking Scorpions:

These are the most durable Eldar assault troops that are available to an Eldar commander. They
excel against hordes, where their four attacks (if they initiate the assault), and additional strength
(from the Scorpions Chainsword) benefit them against the toughness of Ork Boyz, and allow them
to scythe through Guardsmen, and many Tyranid units. They are not as good against MEQs on the
offence, due to their lack of AP, but their high armour save makes them more durable against the
strength four attacks that many MEQs possess in a protracted assault. Its true that they will be
wounded just as easily as any other Aspect Warrior, but their superior armour save gives them a
better chance of survival.

They also benefit greatly from fifth edition rule changes, in that they can now run, making them an
even better counter assault unit for an all infantry Eldar army, as they can keep pace with other units
which have fleet, and they have the option to outflank the enemy, should you choose the infiltrate
option. Given that you have so many options with Striking Scorpions, it is sometimes difficult to
decide how to use them; however, I feel that this decision depends not only on the army you are
fighting against, but also on the type of Eldar army you are fielding.

If you are fielding an infantry based Eldar army, Striking Scorpions are best employed as a counter
assault unit, especially if you have the Avatar and Guardian horde combination as the core of your
force. The Striking Scorpions can either support the Avatar, or lead an assault against enemy forces,
with Storm Guardians to support them. Using the Striking Scorpions to lead such assaults is
especially important if the enemy is in cover, since they carry Plasma Grenades, while the Storm
Guardians do not. As such, it is usually better to deploy them with the rest of your force, rather than
opting to infiltrate them, but it is not compulsory. If, for example, you find yourself facing an
Imperial Guard force you may want to infiltrate your Striking Scorpions, so that they can assault
units which would otherwise be shooting your advancing infantry to pieces, and tie them up, so that
they cant bring their full guns to bear on your lines. Against armies which rely less on firepower,
on the other hand, such a tactic is probably unnecessary.

In a mixed Eldar force, you have the most options. You could either use your Striking Scorpions in
a counter assault role, or infiltrate them, or try outflanking the enemy. The choice will depend a
great deal upon the army which you are up against, and the composition of your own army, i.e. how
many mechanised units you have selected in comparison to how many foot units you have chosen.
It is with the mixed force that you have the most freedom with your Striking Scorpion unit.

As for a mechanised Eldar force, Striking Scorpions have to be infiltrated, in order to guarantee that
they will be able to join up with the rest of the army once it has moved into your opponents side of
the table. Footslogging the Scorpions in such a force will lead to them being heavily shot at, and
most likely destroyed before they can get to grips with the enemy. You could try outflanking the
enemy, but the only problem that I can foresee with this is that if you plan on only attacking on one
flank, your Scorpions may come in on the wrong short board edge, leaving them horribly exposed
to enemy fire. Having said that, this tactic may sometimes work in your favour, especially if the
enemy has redirected all his/her forces to counter your skimmers, which would mean that your
Scorpions could cause him/her a rather nasty surprise by coming in on the opposite flank. It is
something of a gamble though, and I believe that infiltrating the Scorpions is the most secure
method if you want to take them in a purely mechanised Eldar army. Stezerok added that Scorpions
with Shadowstrike in a transport are able to Outflank, so Scorpions are still viable in a mech
situation.

Exarch:

I would always take an Exarch for the Striking Scorpions, since he is the only way you can access
Stalker and Shadowstrike. Both of these powers are incredibly useful, especially Shadowstrike,
since Striking Scorpions dont have the option to infiltrate without it. I feel that you are always
better off taking this power, so that you have the option to infiltrate or outflank before the start of
any game, however, if you are fielding an all infantry force, it is not as vital, as you will generally
prefer to deploy your Scorpions with the rest of the army. Once again though, this will depend on
your opposition to a certain extent (see earlier example). Stalker is very useful for getting your
Scorpions into position to assault when they are advancing through cover (which will be very
frequently if you have infiltrated them), and its very cheap, so if you have the points left over, I see
no reason not to take it.

As regards Exarch weaponry, I favour the Scorpions Claw because it makes the squad more
effective against MEQs, and gives them the chance to damage tanks (given that you now strike rear
armour in close combat), thus making the squad more versatile in terms of the types of units it can
assault. That said, neither the Biting Blade nor Chainsabres are poor choices. The Blade is handy
against high toughness, low armour target, such as Orks, while the Chainsabres are very useful
when you are up against hordes in general. The lack of strength on the Chainsabres makes this
choice less attractive in my opinion, since the strength bonus offered by all the other weapons
outweighs the re-roll to wound ability against many units.

Unit size:

Striking Scorpions work well in unit sizes of between six and ten, but six is the absolute minimum,
and a larger unit is usually preferable. Against horde armies, youll want greater numbers, since you
need plenty of hits and wounds against large infantry units, such as Ork Boyz or Hormagants.
Against MEQs, however, smaller numbers can be successful if the Exarch has the Scorpions Claw.
Also, bear in mind that if you are infiltrating the Scorpions units of ten can be quite hard to hide, so
units of eight may be easier for deployment purposes if this is your plan.

Howling Banshees:

Howling Banshees are the ultimate finesse close assault unit. They excel at fighting against units
with a high armour save and low toughness, such as many Sisters of Battle squads. Most of the
troops they are at their best at, however, tend to have a toughness of four, which makes it difficult
for the Banshees to score wounds, and this is an important consideration when you are planning
your force (i.e. you may find it helpful to include a Farseer with Doom, so that you can cast it on
the unit your Banshees plan to assault that turn). In spite of their strength disadvantage, they are
essential against MEQs in my view, since negating those 3+ saves is vital for taking out squads of
Marines in particular. Against horde armies, however, they struggle. For all their finesse, Howling
Banshees lack durability, and can be overwhelmed by mass infantry, so they are best left on the
Craftworld if you are facing large infantry armies, such as Orks.

Unlike Striking Scorpions, Howling Banshees are very vulnerable to AP4 weapons. There are
plenty of these out there, and they tend to have a very long range, meaning that footslogging
Banshees tend to have a very short lifespan. In spite of the improved cover saves, and the possibility
of screening the Banshees with other units, I dont feel that this lifespan will be that much better on
foot in fifth edition, so I would say that, unlike the Scorpions, they really do need to be transported.
This means that they dont tend to be the best choice for infantry orientated Eldar armies, since the
last thing you want is to spend points on an unsupported assault unit in a skimmer that wont be
able to interact with the rest of your army. Transported Banshees, however, are a marvellous choice
for mixed and mechanised lists, since they can be used as part of a mechanised flank attack in both
armies, delivering a devastating strike on a vulnerable flank, which can sometimes knock your
opponent totally off balance. The only board on which Howling Banshees can footslog, and get
away with it, is a Cities of Death board, since the large number of buildings and ruins block off Line
of Sight in many places, and provide a lot of good cover.

Howling Banshees work well when they are supported by another anti-MEQ unit. Lacking anti-
MEQ ranged weapons themselves, its often useful to thin out the numbers of the MEQ unit that
they will assault with firepower from another unit which has good anti-MEQ firepower. For this
reason, Howling Banshees are often teamed up with Fire Dragons in a combined flank assault,
which can be devastating if you can pull it off.

One change in fifth edition which may hurt Banshees though is the fact that you can no longer
consolidate into close combat. Banshees do not excel in protracted fights, consequently, they need
to wipe out their opponents, or force them to route in one assault. This makes them very vulnerable
to enemy fire in the following turn though, which means that planning your assault, so that the
Banshees can make best use of any cover after they win will become even more important than it
was in fourth edition.

Exarch:

An absolute must for Howling Banshees in my opinion. The powers are not particularly useful
however. If you end up using Acrobatic, it means that youve let your Banshees get assaulted, which
never should be in the script, so thats a fallback you shouldnt need if you are using them correctly.
As for Warshout, there are so few low leadership squads out there, it really isnt worth taking. If you
really have nothing else to spend the points on, then either of these makes a reasonable filler, but
nothing more.
Where the Exarch comes into her own is with her weaponry. The Executioner is a very important
armament for the Howling Banshees. The strength bonus with which it provides makes it far easier
to guarantee a few kills in the assault phase, especially against Marines. Its such a critical bonus, as
the kills inflicted by the Exarch often mean the difference between victory and defeat for the
Banshees. The Mirrorswords arent a bad alternative, since the extra attacks can compensate for the
lack of strength, especially if you are up against MEQs with a weaker toughness, such as Sisters of
Battle, but I personally feel the extra strength provided by the Executioner makes it the best choice,
although I do play against Marines a lot, so this may explain my reasoning. Its a close call between
the two weapons, so it all comes down to personal preference in the end. As for the Triskele, its
inferior to the Mirrorswords in close combat, due to giving the Exarch no attack bonus, lacks the
strength of the Executioner, and doesnt really fit the assault role of the Banshees. I wouldnt
recommend your taking it unless you have a particularly cunning plan (and if you have such a plan,
Id really like to hear it).

Dweomer came up with a more positive analysis of Acrobatic which I had missed. Having thought
about it, I think hes completely correct. Here are his thoughts on the matter:

Acrobatic on Banshees. The more I consider this power for 5th, the more I'm a fan of it. I've always
advocated "if your Banshees are getting charged, you've done something wrong." Banshees have
always lived or died based upon killing mass amounts of the enemy before they have a chance to
attack back; the +1 Attack from the charge is integral to this. However, the inability to consolidate
into new enemies is going to make continuous CC difficult to achieve against a smart opponent.
Far from being a deal-breaker, I think 5th has instead opened a new tactic: Defensive Banshees.
The trick here is the improvement in cover saves. The 4+ Inv Save from cover can be improved to a
3+ through Going to Ground, meaning you Banshees can take a good bit of fire from everything
outside of certain flame weapons. Because of Banshee Masks and Acrobatic, you'll still have the
advantage in CC of striking first with the same number of attacks as if you had charged. Also, a
DoomSeer is often run in conjunction with Banshees... a timely cast of Fortune could make this unit
even more unshiftable. I think Banshees are going to be one of the best units for shifting enemy
defenders off of objectives; this tactic allows them to stay there too. With how inexpensive Acrobatic
is for how much it increases the viability of this tactic, I feel Acrobatic is going to become a must-
have upgrade for any aggressive Banshee player.

Unit Size:

Howling Banshees work best in units of ten, led by an Exarch, and mounted in a Wave Serpent. You
may be able to get away with running units of eight, but I really wouldnt drop any lower than this,
since it is imperative that you win any assault, so you need as many models as you can afford.

Fire Dragons:

Fire Dragons are the ultimate anti-tank unit in the Eldar army, but this is not their only role, since
they are also very adept at blasting smoking holes through MEQs, and can make a sorry mess of
buildings under the fifth edition rules too. They are weak, however, against masses of horde infantry
or large infantry squads in general, due to not carrying multiple shot weapons. If you do send them
into the thick of the action, which youll probably have to, in order to take out a particularly
annoying tank, then dont leave them unsupported, or nearby enemy infantry squads will surely
overwhelm them.

As is the case with Howling Banshees, they need to be transported, for the same reasons I discussed
earlier, making them difficult to incorporate into an infantry based Eldar army. If you want to field
an all infantry Eldar army I would, therefore, suggest that you look at other units to fulfil your anti-
tank role. In any other type of Eldar army, they are an excellent choice. They are quite cheap for
what they do, they nearly always make their points back, and work very well in combination with
Howling Banshees as part of a mechanised flank assault (see Howling Banshees section). They are
also one of the few Eldar units which can damage vehicles with AV14 all round, so these vehicles
are the priority target. It is sometimes worth even sacrificing the Dragons to destroy such vehicles,
since they are few other units and weapons in the Eldar army that can take such tough machines out
of the fight. Ideally though, you want to position the Fire Dragons in such a way that they can take
out such a tank, and still manage to survive, but this often requires the terrain to be in your favour
and very skilled tactics, so dont worry if it doesnt always work out. If theyve taken down the
most powerful enemy tank or tanks, then they have done their job. Fifth edition has really helped
Fire Dragons out too. Not only do they role that extra D6 for armour penetration if they get within
half range of a vehicle, but also they get a +1 bonus on the damage table due to having AP1
weapons. They truly are masters of tank annihilation. If there are no tanks to take on, then
Dreadnoughts and MEQs make perfectly good substitutes. Indeed, large squads of Fire Dragons are
very useful for depleting squads of Tactical Marines and equivalent units, which Howling Banshees
can then assault and wipe out.

Exarch:

The Fire Dragons dont really need an Exarch in order to be effective, so if points are tight, dont
feel you have to take one. If, like me, you simply like the model, you may not be able to resist
though, in spite of it not being tactically necessary.

If you do decide to take an Exarch, then I wouldnt say the powers are that good. Tank Hunters is
not a wise investment of points in my opinion. Fire Dragons are already so powerful against tanks,
do they really need any more bonuses? No, is my answer, but you may feel differently. Crack Shot
is more useful, but it only really comes into its own if you take the Dragons Breath Flamer. Re-
rolls to wound against every model under the flame template can be quite helpful.

As far as the weapon choices go, the Firepike is by far the more aesthetically pleasing of the two,
and has the added benefit of giving you 2D6 armour penetration at nine inches instead of six. I take
it because I like the model, but its not particularly necessary. If youve gone to the trouble of taking
the Exarch though, I would take the Firepike as well. The Dragons Breath Flamer is useful when
combined with Crack Shot, but I dont particularly like it. Yes, it makes Fire Dragons more effective
against horde infantry, but it adds nothing to their anti-tank and anti-MEQ role, and this is why they
are in the army, so I dont find splitting their roles very helpful. It can lead to their being used as an
anti-horde unit, which is not their job. This, however, is only my view on the Dragons Breath. I
know there are other players who take a different view, and players who have made it work for
them, so by all means feel free to try it and see whether it suits your style of play.

Fletch had further comments to make on the usefulness of Crack Shot, which warrants being
included:

I will have to disagree with you on one point and that is the importance of a Fire Dragon Exarch
taking Crack Shot when armed with a Firepike. IMO 5th edition has greatly increased this
combinations effectiveness.

You forgot to mention the all important Crack Shot ignores cover saves, which includes the cover
save granted vehicles by being obscured or more importantly skimmers moving fast. Crack shot
negates the only real defense a tank or skimmer can muster against melta and thats a 4+ cover
save.
**Edit not to mention if hunting MEQs the power can pay for itself 3 times over in one shot by
negating just a single MEQ cover save.

Unit Size:

Fire Dragons work well in squads of six to ten models. If you are going MEQ hunting, then taking
more models is generally a good idea, as it is if you are taking the Dragons Breath. If you are
purely using them for hunting tanks, then six should be sufficient. As for transporting them, the old
option of six in a Falcon is losing favour under fifth edition rules, since the Wave Serpent has
become a better choice than the Falcon overall. By all means stick with the Falcon if thats all you
have, and you dont want to field a unit of more than six models, but if you have a spare Wave
Serpent, this would be a better bet (more on the vehicles later).

Wraithguard:

The toughest Eldar Elite choice going, Wraithguard have seen a slight resurgence under fifth edition
rules. The fact that they can now run, means that they can keep up with fellow Eldar infantry, while
their ability to become a troops unit if they are led by a Spiritseer and number ten models makes
them a very good objective holding unit. There is nothing that Wraithguard cannot kill, but their
lack of multiple shot weapons means that they will be at their best against MEQs and tanks, rather
than against hordes of any description.

Wraithguard can be fielded in any type of Eldar army, but if they are transported they are restricted
to five models, plus the Spiritseer or Warlock. They also are pretty expensive, so are generally
unsuitable for small games (1000 points or fewer) unless you are fielding an Iyanden themed army,
and only go up in cost if you have to give them a transport too. Points tend to be at a premium in
mechanised lists, so Fire Dragons would probably be a better bet than Wraithguard in such armies,
but again this will depend on your playing style and personal unit preference. In mixed lists, its
really up to you how you field them, since it will depend on your infantry/mechanised balance.

If you are fielding an infantry based Eldar army, I feel that a unit of ten Wraithguard with a
Spiritseer is the way to go. They can act as objective holders, MEQ killers, and tank destroyers.
They will also be pretty tough to dislodge, even if the enemy assaults them, due to their high save
and toughness. Nevertheless, its still a good idea to have a counter assault unit nearby to help them
out if dedicated assault troops try to Storm their position.

I feel that a Spiritseer or Warlock is compulsory, regardless of squad size. If youve got ten models,
take the Spiritseer, otherwise, just take a Warlock. The Warlock is there to prevent Wraithsight
spoiling your day, but can also be used to help out the Wraithguard in other ways. If you give the
Warlock Enhance for example, it helps the Wraithguard out should they be assaulted. Having an
initiative of five is useful against many enemy units. There is a lot of initiative four out there!
Destructor is also useful, since it adds to the Wraithguards shooting abilities, and is capable of
thinning out infantry should they get too close. Embolden isnt of any use, since Wraithguard are
fearless, while Conceal is somewhat redundant in fifth edition, due to so much of the terrain
offering a better cover save.

Dweomer also makes a good point about Conceal with Wraithguard which I had overlooked:

Wraithguard with Conceal. I think you've given short shrift to this one for two reasons. First, you
WANT your opponent firing into your Wraithguard. Plonking a big unit of Wraithguard into cover
means your opponent immediately knows they're going to ignore 50% of all wounds, 75% with
Fortune. But throwing them out into the middle of a fire lane means that you're dropping to a 33%
and 55%. Even if they know the math, many opponents can't help but shoot at something "exposed"
and in the open. Second, Wraithguard have a REALLY short range and almost always need to be
moving up to get into range. A Difficult Terrain test will reduce their average movement by 2.5",
something that can really add up. Concealing your Wraithguard also means that they can be
deployed in the open, leaving the valuable terrain open for your less hardy troops.

He also offers good advice about the choice of weaponry for the Warlock:

Wraithguard Warlock Weaponry: The Witchblade is the way to go here. The Singing Spear is just
going to add one more short range and high strength attack to a unit already bursting with them.
However, the low number of attacks in the unit and the inevitability of CC make the Witchblade's
extra attack well worth it.

Unit Size:

This is governed by how you want to use them. If you are taking them on foot, take them in units of
ten with a Spiritseer if you can afford to. If not, just take as many as you can in the unit. If they are
being transported, you are restricted to six models (including the Warlock), so be careful how much
you take on with them, since as is the case with Fire Dragons, massed infantry can overwhelm
them.
http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2798852&postcount=147

Harlequins:

So, I now come to my biggest challenge, that of making positive comments about Harlequins.
Regular posters will know that I am not a big fan of these, but its not because I dont like them,
rather its because I feel that have been overused.

The reason for this centres chiefly on background, but there are tactical elements to it to. Harlequins
are a very rare Eldar unit. They only appear to fight against Chaos, or when the need of the Eldar is
truly dire. They also appear more regularly with certain Craftworlds, while rarely materialising to
fight alongside others. In spite of this, I used to see them in more fourth edition Eldar lists than I
could shake a stick at, and I could only put this down to the fact that there were a lot of people who
liked to put more faith into rending than into Eldar background and tactics. Speaking of tactics,
Harlequins are not the solution to all Eldar close assault strategies, especially in fifth edition, where
the changes to the rending rule have made them somewhat more a niche assault unit, which is how I
feel they should be. Im not saying that you shouldnt use Harlequins, far from it, if you come up
with scenarios, narratives, campaigns and such the like which explain their presence in your Eldar
army list, then I think that this is a great reason to field them. The more creativity the better! Just
throwing them into a list just because you think that rending is the best thing ever to come out of
GW though is not really my idea of Eldar tactics. This is just my view, however, as was the case
with Special Characters. If you have other views, then you are perfectly entitled to have them, so
just gloss over this paragraph if you wish.

The other problem with Harlequins is points. If you are fielding them on foot they need a
Shadowseer, they already cost more than Aspect Warriors as well, so in smaller games you may find
their cost too prohibitive. If you mount them in a transport they cost even more, so this is ill
advised. I would also not advocate mounting Harlequins in transports, because this is not how they
are supposed to fight in background terms, but again this is a decision for individuals, so I leave you
all to draw your own conclusions.
So far, Ive been rather negative about Harlequins, so what about the positives?

They are the best close combat unit the Eldar has (aside from the Avatar) for taking out high
toughness units. The changes to rending have made them less powerful, but they still pack a punch
against such units, especially given the number of attacks they have. If you are up against Chaos
with their nasty Daemon Princes, or Daemons with their even nastier Greater Daemons, Harlequins
are worth taking along. They have the potential to really hurt these beasties, but beware of the
Keeper of Secrets with its initiative of ten! Yes Daemons have an invulnerable save, but dont forget
so do Harlequins, and if you initiate the assault then you should cause a fair amount of harm.

Harlequins will be overkill against many other armies; although against Tyranids (where you could
create a narrative to explain why the Harlequins have turned up quite easily), they would come in
handy for felling Monstrous Creatures, so they can easily be left in the Webway, and close assault
duties can be undertaken by either Howling Banshees and Striking Scorpions.

As far as upgrades go, the Shadowseer is pretty much compulsory, as Ive already indicated, while
the Troupe Master can be useful if given a Power Weapon for punching through any armour that
Daemons/Daemon Princes and Monstrous Creatures may be wearing. I cant see much use for the
Death Jester though, he just slows the unit down too much if they dont fleet, in order to allow him
to shoot. Fusion Pistols are also not really needed, since Harlequins shouldnt be engaging tanks,
and youll cause so much damage in close combat anyway that the Fusion Pistol seems like an
unnecessary use of points. Far more important is the Harlequins Kiss. You want as many of these
as you can afford, since Harlequins rely on their rending to be effective.

The last point to consider is that Harlequins, like Howling Banshees, will suffer with not being able
to consolidate into a fresh combat. With Veil of Tears unlikely to protect them when the enemy is
close, they are sure to attract a lot of firepower. For this reason, you need to ensure that they are
well supported, and have access to terrain to protect them if they wipe out the enemy, or break off
using their hit and run move. They are going to be harder to use effectively in fifth edition than they
were in fourth, which is a good thing, since the Eldar army rewards those commanders who
demonstrate finesse with their assault units, and this is what you will need to get the best out of
Harlequins.

Dweomer adds greater insight into certain aspects of using Harlequins below:

Harlequin Shadowseer: You mention that the Shadowseer is compulsory and needed when on foot,
but you don't actually say why except for a reference in the CC section. First, Veil of Tears keeps
Harlies sacrosanct at 24+" and rarely fired on at 14+". This means that foot Harlies moving up to
charge range are going to be in range of a quick enemy move and Rapid Fire. This is devastating to
the unarmoured but dodgy Harlequins. However, this range is also what makes them a perfect
second-rank unit. They are best when 8-10" behind a gunline unit: far enough back to be immune to
enemy fire, but close enough to quickly jump into assaults against the gunline.

Mounted Harlies: I'd contest that a vehicle mounted unit doesn't need Veil of Tears under 5th
edition. Even if their vehicle gets shot down, the enemy will likely be too close for VoT to work.
Since Harlies naturally ignore cover, they will always strike at I value when assaulting. The biggest
problem with mounting Harlies is that they cannot get a dedicated transport. This means they
cannot start the game nor enter from Reserves while embarked. This also means that the vehicle
cannot move Flat Out nor use Star Engines the first turn either. Harlies on foot can almost match
this, so the only advantage gained is the ablative protection of the vehicle. Positional advantage
doesn't occur until at least your second movement phase and the Harlies will often be unable to
charge until Turn 3.

Shadowseer as a Psyker: I think you undervalued the worth of the ShadowSeer as a Psyker for
Wraithsight checks. While I don't think it's something really worth founding an entire army strategy
off of, I think it is certainly worth at least a mention.

StefanHofi also had another take on Harlequins:

The main advantage, in my opinion, in the 5th Edition is to give all infantry units behind a 4+
cover. Thanks to Veil of Tears it isnt easy to attack them - and they are very well prepared to launch
a counter attack. For the harlequins you are right, everyone should get the Harlequins Kiss. 4th
Edition, but now it could be an option to get one without the kiss, to get a cheap different model-
class, in order to give him the first/most wound(s).

Unit Size:

Harlequins tend to be fielded in units of six or eight, but ten is also possible. I personally feel that
how many you should take depends a lot on how precisely you intend to use them, so Ill leave this
open to individual players.
http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2801034&postcount=169

Troops: (Page 9 of the original thread)

The core of any Eldar army, Eldar troop choices are often perceived as being inferior to the other
sections of the Eldar list, since they lack the exotic weaponry and skills of more specialised Eldar
units. Dont let this deceive you though, as Eldar troops are deadly, and can often win you the game
if you manage to get the best out of them. This is even more true under fifth edition rules, as it is
now only troops which count as scoring units for the purposes of claiming objectives. In the past,
some players preferred just to take two troop choices, so that they could spend more points on more
exotic Eldar units, however, the changes to the scoring rules mean that more troop squads than the
minimum will be need for most games. In general, the larger the game, the more troops units you
will need. For a typical 1500 point game, I believe that three or four units of troops would be an
optimal choice, while for a 2000 point game, you may want to fill all six troop slots, although four
or five units may be enough. You could of course take minimal troops and go for the wipe out
strategy in order to win. This is a very high risk strategy though, so try it at your own risk.

Dire Avengers:

Dire Avengers are now the unit of choice for most Eldar armies in fifth edition. They fit in with all
types of Eldar army, as they function well both on foot, and when being transported. They also fit in
with most Eldar themes and Craftworlds, since they are the most common Aspect. Your only real
decision is how many units to field. This decision is governed by how many points you have to play
with, and how many other units of troops you want to take. I have always found that Dire Avengers
work bested when fielded in pairs of units, or in threes, so that they can support one another. The
only exception to this is if you field them in a Wave Serpent, in which case one unit is sufficient if it
is supporting an assault squad, such Howling Banshees or Striking Scorpions. Dire Avengers are the
most adaptable Aspect though, so by all means feel free to try out different combinations of unit to
work with them, in order to find out which best suit your playing style.

Dire Avengers are a fantastic ranged unit, pumping out a high volume of very accurate firepower.
GEQs, especially those with low toughness, will die horribly under the fire of Dire Avengers,
especially if two units target the same opposing squad. MEQs cant be complacent either, since a
Dire Avengers shooting at a unit of MEQs which has had Doom cast upon it will have to make quite
a few more saving throws than it may have been expecting.

In spite of all their qualities, Dire Avengers do have a couple of weaknesses that you must be aware
of. The first is range. Many other troops units on other armies have access to weaponry with a range
greater than eighteen inches. You must particularly be aware of enemy Rapid Fire weapons, which
can make a horrible mess of Dire Avengers if you are not careful. Fleet is your ally here. Get into
position as quickly as you can, and blast the opposing units with your Avenger Catapults, and
assault the survivors with a close combat unit. Use cover to block Line of Sight as you advance if
you can, this will greatly extend the lifespan of your Dire Avengers, and make sure you stay further
than twelve inches away from any Rapid Fire weapons if you can. Such weapons will spell doom
for your Avengers, as will Flamers, due to the sheer number of hits they can cause.

The other major weakness of Dire Avengers is in the assault phase. You can give their Exarch
equipment which makes them better able to hold their ground in an assault, but dont let this lull
you into a false sense of security. Dire Avengers are not assault troops. At best they can hold up an
enemy assault unit for a couple of turns (if the Exarch has the necessary equipment), but they will
rarely achieve anything more, unless they are assaulting a unit which has been heavily depleted, or
is utterly hopeless at hand-to-hand fighting (e.g. Tau Fire Warriors). In nearly all cases, Dire
Avengers are best off shooting their opponents if you have the choice.

Exarch:

A Dire Avenger is essential for this unit to work properly. Both powers are very useful, and if you
have sufficient points, it is best to buy both of them. If points are tight, you may be forced to choose
whichever power you feel best fits your overall strategy, although which power to take is also
dependent on the equipment that the Exarch has been given. Bladestorm is a must for any Dire
Avenger unit that plans on shooting the enemy. I can think of no instances in which you would not
need this power. When used on an enemy unit, you have the potential wipe it out in one round of
shooting, even more so if this unit has had Doom cast on it by the Farseer. I have used Dire
Avengers + Bladestorm + Doom on Terminators in the past, and wiped them out. Even models with
a 2+ save cannot withstand such a high amount of firepower and re-rolls to wound. This is a
devastating combination, which used at the right time, and against the right unit, can turn a battle
decisively in your favour. Defend is also a very helpful power. Reducing an enemy units attacks by
one may not sound much, but it can mean the difference between the Dire Avengers holding their
ground, or being routed in an assault. If Dire Avengers make up the core of your battle line, the last
thing you want is for them to be crushed in an assault within the space of one turn. This is
especially true if you are running an infantry based force, where Defend is as necessary as
Bladestorm, since it is likely that the Dire Avengers will become embroiled in an assault at some
stage of the game, especially if they are holding one of your objectives. The trick is to have a
dedicated assault unit nearby, which can join the combat in your turn and see off the unit which
attacked the Avengers, but the Avengers need to still be in the fight for this to work, hence why
Defend is so useful. For Dire Avengers in a Wave Serpent whose role is often nothing more than to
offer fire support to an assault unit, then Defend is obviously much less necessary.

The choice of which equipment to give to a Dire Avenger Exarch is very much governed by the role
of the unit. For Dire Avengers on foot, the Power Weapon and Shimmershield combination tends to
be the best choice, as it enhances the units ability to survive in assaults. It works particularly well
when combined with Defend, as if the enemy has already lost an attack for every model in the unit,
and then has to get through a 5+ invulnerable save with any exotic weapons that it has taken, your
casualties should be reduced. The Exarch will also have the chance to kill a few enemy models with
his Power Weapon in return. Remember though that you are just delaying the inevitable, so unless
you have close combat units to support your Avengers, even these defences will not help you in the
long run. The Dual Avenger Catapult is at its best when used with units of Dire Avengers which will
be used exclusively in a fire support role, for reasons which are self-explanatory. It is also
particularly nasty when used in conjunction with Bladestorm. The Diresword and Shuriken Pistol
may offer the Exarch an additional close combat attack, but it offers nothing to the rest of his unit.
As a result, I dont feel it is a particularly good choice, especially when you consider that there are
so few squad leaders or Independent Characters around with sufficiently low enough leadership for
the Diresword to have much of a chance of inflicting Instant Death on anyone.

Unit Size:

Dire Avengers need to be fielded in units of ten, in order to maximise their ranged abilities, and
their chances of holding up an enemy unit in an assault. If the unit is smaller than this, you run the
risk of the squad not being able to achieve its aims. For this reason, the only option for transporting
Dire Avengers is the Wave Serpent, but this is by no means a bad thing for reasons I will explain
when I talk about the Wave Serpent.

Dweomer made a good point about the unit size of Dire Avengers in very small battles:
DAs in small games:

I think it's worth mentioning that DAs in small (1K or less) games are worth fielding in smaller
units and without an Exarch. 5 DAs is certainly going to be better than 7.5 Guardians when points
are at a premium.

Defender Guardians:

Eldar players tend to fall into two groups, those who love Guardians and those who loathe them. I
am very much a fan of Guardians. Guardians are a useful fire support unit, who are particularly
effective when used in conjunction with Dire Avengers, assault units (including the Avatar), and
Storm Guardians. They work best on foot, since there are other units which need a transport much
more than they do, hence they are rarely seen in mechanised armies. Otherwise, they fit just about
any Eldar army, although they are not as common in Biel Tan and Saim Hann lists, since, in the case
of the former, they dont fit the Aspect Warrior theme, and in the case of the latter Guardian Jetbikes
are the preferred choice.

The main advantage that Guardians have over Dire Avengers is that they have access to a heavy
weapon which can move and fire, making them a very useful unit for providing ranged fire support
for your Aspect Warriors as they advance. There are five heavy weapon options for Guardians, each
of which I will discuss in turn (solely in the context of being used by Guardians):

Shuriken Cannon: Its biggest advantage lies in the fact that it is cheap, but it also has an
impressive rate of fire, and a high strength. The problem with it centres on its lack of range. You
want a decent range when you are providing supporting fire, and having to bring your fragile
Guardian squad into range of Rapid Fire weapons, in order to be able to fire their own heavy
weapon rather defeats the object of support fire in my opinion. For this reason I wouldnt take it, but
if you are pushed for points, and you think you can make it work for you, its a reasonable option.

Scatter Laser: By far the best choice for Guardians. It has a long range, fires four shots (which is
great when you only have BS3), and has a high enough to strength to worry not only infantry, but
light vehicles, or vehicles with vulnerable side and rear armour too. In addition, the improved cover
saves for fifth edition means it now edges out the Starcannon when you are facing MEQs. You want
the most hits you can get in fifth edition, and your best chance of this comes from the Scatter Laser.

Starcannon: This is now seriously disadvantaged by the improvements to the cover saves in fifth
edition. Given that so much cover now offers a 4+ save, and the Starcannon has only two shots at
BS3, I no longer see it as being good value for points. Unless you are playing in desert terrain, I
would give this weapon a miss. (Tip for new players: when assembling your Eldar weapon
platforms, dont glue your heavy weapons in place, buy some magnets to hold them in place, so that
you can change your weapons over if the rules suddenly make a weapon no longer as good as it
used to be. I foolishly glued together all my weapon platforms, and it was only once I became a
member of Warseer how foolish I had been. Im now stuck [no pun intended] with a Starcannon that
I dont want, when I could have just swapped if for a Scatter Laser had I used magnets. Dont make
the same mistake as me).

EML (Eldar Missile Launcher): In spite of the changes to the rules for rolling to hit with Blast
Weapons, I still dont think that this is a good choice for Guardians. Their BS means it will scatter
four inches on average, and unless you are fighting hordes you may well not hit anything with your
Plasma Missiles. Even against hordes, the higher strength and lower cost of the Scatter Laser means
its a better bet anyway in my view. Firing Krak Missiles is a complete waste of time with a
Guardian squad. One BS3 shot does not constitute good anti-tank or anti-MEQ firepower

Brightlance: Again one BS3 shot is not going to be accurate enough to make it a good anti-tank
choice. Guardians are best off taking multiple shot weapons, so this is another option I wouldnt
choose.

Guardians do have problems though. The short range of their Shuriken Catapults forces them to get
into Rapid Fire range of the enemy if they want to fire them. This tends not to be a good idea, since
even the improved cover saves probably wont be enough to stop them from taking heavy
casualties. A far better plan is to wait for the enemy to come to you. If you can deploy your
Guardians with an area of open ground in front them, while they themselves remain in cover you
can create a fire lane through which they can pick off advancing enemy units. This strategy will
only work with an enemy which will come to you though, so dont try it against a gun line army!
Guardians also have poor armour, and will be swept away by concentrated firepower, and utterly
annihilated by any troops which are remotely capable in an assault. For these reasons, Guardians
should not be a forefront off any attack, unless you are using the Avatar + Guardian horde tactic,
where the presence of the Avatar will cause the enemy to shoot more weapons at him, sparing your
Guardians from taking as many bullets. However you use your Guardians though, always make the
most of any available cover, they will thank you for it.

Taking a Warlock with a Guardian squad is by no means as important in fifth edition. The
improvement in cover saves means that the old Warlock with Conceal combination is pretty much
redundant. If you do want to take a Warlock, then Embolden isnt a bad option, since Guardians
dont have the greatest leadership and could flee if they come under sustained attack. Enhance is
also reasonable if you are using them as part of a Guardian horde with the Avatar, and want them to
assault in conjunction with him after they have shot. Destructor is also okay if you plan to use your
Guardians aggressively, but its short range may expose them to more enemy fire than is perhaps
ideal.

Unit Size:

Guardians have to be fielded in units of ten or more. I would never field more than fifteen though,
otherwise, the unit gets too unwieldy and too horde like, making it harder to hide in cover and more
difficult to manoeuvre.

Storm Guardians:

These should be treated in much the same way as Defender Guardians in terms of their main
weaknesses, but unlike the Defender Guardians, they must get up close and personal with the
enemy in order to be effective. They make for the ideal support close assault unit, working well in
conjunction with specialist assault Aspect Warriors, or the Avatar, but they should never be sent into
combat against all but the weakest opposition on their own. Another reason for not sending them in
to the fray on their own is that they dont have any grenades! For a specialist assault unit, this is a
huge weakness, which means that if they assault a unit in cover, they will most likely be crushed. It
is also for this reason that sending them in to an assault in conjunction with another specialist
assault unit (which has grenades or a special ability such as the Banshee Mask) is so critical, in that
this unit will most likely strike first (due to the high initiative of Eldar Aspect Warriors), and
hopefully wipe out enough of the opposition for the Storm Guardians not to have to be overly
concerned about reprisals before they get to strike. Regardless of their problems, they are an
essential part of the Avatar + Guardian horde tactic, since they stop mass infantry from bogging the
Avatar down in close combat. Storm Guardians are most commonly found in infantry armies, but
can be used in both mixed and mechanised forces should a player wish to.

Storm Guardians have access to some useful upgrades. Flamers are very useful if you are going up
against GEQs. Thinning out those hordes before assaulting them with as many units as you can is
very important, and not having to roll to hit when you only have BS3 is a useful bonus too. Fusion
Guns can be useful for killing the odd MEQ, or possibly knocking a tank out, but Storm Guardians
dont excel against MEQs or tanks in general, although they can overwhelm the former when
assaulting them in conjunction with other units, and BS3 Fusion Guns arent guaranteed to hit very
often. Still, if you like the idea of giving them something other than an anti-infantry option, you can
give it a go, since its no more expensive than taking the Flamer.

The Warlock is a very important upgrade for Storm Guardians. Not only does he give them some
more hitting power in close combat, but he also can provide them with useful psychic support.
Given that you have to get close to the enemy with Storm Guardians, Destructor isnt a bad choice.
Two Flamers and Destructor being used on the same GEQ unit is likely to make a mess of them, so
if you are up against lots of hordes, this may be the way to go. Enhance is useful too, since WS4, I5
is nothing to be sneezed at. It still doesnt overcome their lack of grenades though. Providing you
assault in conjunction with another assault unit though, this shouldnt be too much of a problem,
and that WS bonus is very useful against certain armies, such as Imperial Guard. Against armies
where the bonus isnt that helpful, Enhance can be passed over in favour of another power.
Embolden does much the same for Storm Guardians as it does Defender Guardians, while Conceal
is again rather negated by the improved cover saves in fifth edition.

Unit size: (Please refer to the section on Guardian Defenders above).

A Final Note on all types of Guardians on foot:

Beware of enemy units with Flamers. If you are using your Guardians to hold objectives, watch out
for enemy units trying to sneak up on you, or speed up to you in a transport, and attack you with
Flamers. Flamers are deadly against Guardians, and you need to destroy such units as quickly as
possible if you are fielding a lot of Guardians. If you cant do this, then at least keep them at arms
length, or tied up with other units, so that they cant get at your fragile Guardians.

Also, a final point from Dweomer regarding Warlock weaponry when they are leading Guardian
units:

Guardian Warlock Weaponry: The Singing Spear is a great addition here. It's cheap and adds a
short range weapon that can pop tanks at a range complimentary with the rest of the unit's range.
The Witchblade is not a bad choice, but the extra CC attack is not going to add much.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2801039&postcount=170

Guardian Jetbikes:

Guardian Jetbikes make good high speed objective snatchers under fifth edition rules. They have a
solid rate of fire, have the benefit of being able to take the Shuriken Cannon for every third model
in the unit, and have very flexible movement rules, due to always being able to move in the assault
phase, even if they dont assault. This makes them very suitable for hit and run style attacks, where
they shoot the enemy, and then retreat out of Line of Sight in the assault phase. With true LOS, this
will be more difficult to achieve in fifth edition though.

In spite of their flexibility, Jetbikes are very fragile (if they are not turbo boosting), and can be
picked off by mass firepower, especially since they have to get in close to be able to fire their
Shuriken Catapults. As a result, they are best used a mobile reserve for supporting a mechanised
army, or the mechanised wing of a mixed army, where they can mop up any remaining stragglers
after the other Eldar units have swept through the enemy lines. In this way, they can keep out of
trouble, and then be used to snatch isolated objectives later in the game. I dont feel that they work
that well with infantry armies, since they are too exposed in the sky on their own, and are easily
shot down.

Jetbikes do not make a great assault unit, even if you give them a Warlock. The Warlock is also
rather expensive, so unless you are playing a Saim Hann army, or using running a Jetbike unit with
a Farseer and want to create a reasonably powerful HQ/troops assault unit, I would say he is not
especially necessary. If you do decide to create a unit of this sort, it wont be particularly cheap, and
it wont be that effective in assaults, so Im not sure its ultimately worth it. Others with experience
of running such a combination may wish to offer their views on this though, since I cant say that
its a combination that Ive ever used.

If you do include a Warlock, then the choice of which powers to take follows pretty much the same
guidelines as it does for Guardians on foot. The only difference is that Conceal becomes much more
useful, since sending Jetbikes into difficult terrain is not a particularly good idea most of the time,
so the cover save conferred by Conceal would be of some benefit.

The other upgrade available, that of the Shuriken Cannon is compulsory. Its very cheap, and the
Shuriken Cannon is a very good weapon for a unit which has to get close to the enemy to be
effective. It also makes the Jetbikes useful for shooting at the rear armour of tanks and
Dreadnoughts should they get the chance. Three strength six shots to the rear armour is enough to
ruin the day for Dreadnoughts, and most transport vehicles, so this is a sneaky trick you can try.

One final word about Jetbikes is that I find that tend to struggle against MEQs, so you may want to
take this into account if you are fight against MEQs on a regular basis.

Dweomer also had this interesting point to make about Warlocks on Jetbikes:

Guardian Jetbike Warlocks: I feel it's worth a bit more expansion here. Singing Spear is a cheap
upgrade to make the unit a very efficient tank hunter. Combined with the anti-squad power of
Destructor, many armies are now using 3-man Jetbike squads as Warlock delivery units. Also, I
think Embolden is certainly worth a look for larger units due to the speed at which GJBs run
away... if they start going they're very likely to just not stop.

Unit Size:

Five or six seems to be the ideal number for a unit of Jetbikes. Units of three are too easy to pick
off, while larger units are often rather too expensive in points. Six is a good number if you can
afford it, since you can then have two Shuriken Cannons in the squad.

Rangers/Pathfinders:

As an Alaitoc player, Im bound to like these units, but putting such bias on one side, they are a
useful unit, albeit rather specialised. They dont really fit into mechanised lists very well though,
due to the lack of an infantry firebase for them to join, and using infiltration and outflanking tactics
may well bring them too close to enemy assault troops (one exception to this is you could infiltrate
them next to some Tau Fire Warriors, move up to them, shoot them with Shuriken Pistols, and then
assault, which may shock your opponent the first time you use it). They fit into both mixed an
infantry lists much better, where they can be deployed with an infantry firebase, and used to cover
advancing Eldar troops.

Both Rangers and Pathfinders make for good objective holders, for objectives which are deep in
your territory. Beware of enemy units trying to sneak up on you with Flamers though, as they are
just as vulnerable to such weapons as Guardians are (see above). This is another reason for not
infiltrating too deep into enemy territory too. Both Rangers and Pathfinders are poor in assaults too,
so keeping your distance from the enemy is very much the name of the game. Its also a sound plan
to keep a counter assault unit nearby to help defend such units, especially if you have a substantial
firebase, which is also holding an objective.

Both Rangers and Pathfinders specialise in taking down high toughness models, such as Monstrous
Creatures from afar, so if you are up against Tyranids, you may find these guys particularly useful
for taking a few wounds off creatures such as Carnifexes. They can also take out a few MEQs here
and there, but dont rely on it, as getting an AP1 hit to successfully wound doesnt happen that
often, and rending isnt something you can rely on when you only have one shot per model. Firing
at a unit which has been Doomed can help though, so this may be something you want to think
about when constructing your battle plan. Pinning is also another quality to treat as something of an
occasional bonus, as so many units have too high a leadership to fail the test on a regular basis.

The question of whether its worth upgrading Rangers to Pathfinders is a tricky one. I would say
that it is worth it if you have the points available, but that you shouldnt cut out too many other
elements of your army in order to find the necessary points. If you have points to spare then great,
but dont spend ages trying to find the points, and then compromising the rest of your army in the
process.

Dweomer got his calculator out again, and came up with some interesting maths regarding
Pathfinders vs Rangers. Here is what he came up with:

Rangers vs Pathfinders:
Both Rangers and Pathfinders have the same BS and chance to wound. The total chance to wound
is a 33%, 50% with Doom. The only difference is in how their AP falls out. Rangers versus
Pathfinder AP:
AP1 Wound: 8.3% versus 16.7%
AP2 Wound: 8.3% versus 5.6%
AP- Wound: 16.7% versus 11.1%
AP1 w Doom: 12.5% versus 25%
AP2 w Doom: 12.5% versus 8.3%
AP- w Doom: 25% versus 16.7%
Now let's involve Saves! Doom will not be calculated as it equally raises each side by a factor of
1.5. The ratio given uses the Ranger Cost/Effect versus the Pathfinder Cost/Effect.
3+ Armour: 22.2 versus 25.9 (1.09:1)
4+ Armour: 25.0 versus 27.8 (1.12:1)
5+ Armour: 27.8 versus 29.7 (1.19:1)
2+/5++: 13.9 versus 16.7 (1.05:1)

The moral of this story... Point for Point, Rangers really do edge out Pathfinders on the offensive,
especially against GEQs. Personally, I don't think the increase in fire is worth the loss of the
additional +1 to cover.

Unit Size:

Both units tend to work best in small numbers, usually five or six. Larger units of eight are possible,
particularly if you are fielding the cheaper Rangers, but they can be harder to deploy in cover, so
you have to take this into account when creating this unit.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2804018&postcount=191

Fast Attack: (Page 10 of the original thread)

Eldar Fast Attack choices are often quite tricky to use, and cost quite a few points. If you can master
them though, they can be some of the most dangerous units in the Eldar army, due to their high
level of mobility.

Warp Spiders:

Warp Spiders are an excellent mobile firebase. In spite of their short range, their ability to move in
both the movement and assault phases coupled with the effectiveness of the Deathspinner makes
them more than capable of getting in range of an enemy unit, shooting it to pieces, and then
executing a Warp Jump, so that they can escape any reprisals. The Deathspinner is a fearsome
weapon. It will tear through GEQs like a hot knife through butter, while its rate of fire and high
strength will even cause MEQs concern if you have enough Spiders firing. The mobility and
weaponry of the Warp Spiders make them the most versatile of the Eldar Fast Attack units, for this
reason they can be successfully integrated into infantry, mixed, and mechanised Eldar armies
without too many problems.

Warp Spiders do have a major disadvantage though, and that is that they are not particularly
effective in an assault. Even if you upgrade the Exarch appropriately, Warp Spiders lack the
necessary attacks and grenades to make them an assault force of any real quality. They can be
turned into a support assault unit by fielding a large unit, led by an Exarch with Powerblades and
Withdraw (more on this later), but this unit doesnt come cheap, and will still be defeated by many
other units of equal size in an assault if the Spiders go it alone. If you do want to assault with your
Spiders, then using them in conjunction with a dedicated assault unit is the best tactic. Adding an
Autarch to the unit is also a viable proposition, which should make them more of a close combat
threat, but you still shouldnt get carried away with them, since they will remain fundamentally a
support assault unit. Also, if you do add an Autarch, remember that while he has Plasma Grenades,
the rest of the squad doesnt, and since he is an Independent Character, I dont think he can pass that
benefit on to the rest of the squad in an assault situation (if Ive got this wrong, please tell me and
Ill change this). Their firepower is also so good, you really dont need to be sending them into
assault unless you really feel that will help one of your dedicated assault units overcome a vital
enemy unit much more easily with the assistance of the Spiders.

Dweomer spotted something I had missed. Thanks to him for that, and here is what he noticed:

Warp Spiders: A key point I think you skipped... 3+ armour on top of that great movement. This
makes them one of the few "forgiving" Eldar units as there's a little more ability to make mistakes
with them.

Exarch:

The Exarch is a very important upgrade for Warp Spiders. Neither of his powers are necessary
though if you only want to use the Spiders in a shooting role. Withdraw, however, is useful if you
plan on assaulting with your Warp Spiders, as being able to break off at the end of that turns
combat may well save their bacon if things start to go pear shaped. That said, remember that all
defenders can now react, meaning that more Spiders will be engaged by the enemy than has been
the case in the past, which means that Withdraw will not be as useful as it used to be, because more
of your models will be able to be hit by the enemy before they can Withdraw. Its probably still
advisable to take it, but it wont be quite as effective as it was under fourth edition rules. Surprise
Assault is a really poor choice in my opinion. Warp Spiders are so mobile that Deep Striking them
is far too riskier proposition in that it negates their mobility. Yes, they will still be able to Warp
Jump in the assault phase, but what happens if you land deep in enemy territory due to bad scatter
roll, and your Warp Jump doesnt get you to safety? I can guarantee that your valuable Spiders will
be shot to pieces or assaulted. Warp Spiders cant be used like Terminators to land behind enemy
lines and cause all sorts of damage, as they are just not tough enough. They are far too valuable to
throw away by risking a Deep Strike, so stick to using them on foot.

DSwede has pointed that out that with Jump Infantry able to Deep Strike in all standard missions,
so Surprise Assault is even more of a waste of points than I initially thought. It would only be of
any use if you were playing a mission that did not follow the standard rules for Deep Striking.

Tsear has a further point about Withdraw:

I think you missed something about the usefulness of withdraw on warp spiders. If you're playing
against an army with a lot of shooting, it's often a good idea to charge after you've shot a squad
and not leave until the end of the next combat phase. This will protect the warp spiders from ranged
reprisal on your opponent's turn, and you can always just leave at the end of his assault phase. This
tactic is particularly useful against armies that have juicy warp spider targets that are bad at
combat, such as guard or tau.

As far as the Exarchs equipment is concerned, the Exarch Deathspinner is easily the best choice.
An assault four Deathspinner gives the squad even more firepower, making them even more
dangerous to those units that they target. Such a torrent of fire will also really get MEQ players
sweating, as even a squad of five (including the Exarch ) will pump out twelve strength six shots,
four of them hitting using the Exarchs BS5. The Spinneret Rifle, by comparison, has only one shot,
so its hardly going to scare many players, and its ability to pin enemy units isnt that valuable,
given that so many units have a leadership of greater than seven. Powerblades are only needed if
you plan on using the squad in a close assault role. They are useful, so take them if you have the
points.
Unit Size:

If you want to field Warp Spiders as purely a shooting unit then you can just take a minimum size
unit of five (as long as you include the Exarch with Exarch Deathspinner), although there is no
problem with taking a bigger squad should you feel the need to have more firepower. If you are
going to use them as a support assault unit, you need as many models as you can afford. A unit of
ten is sometimes a bit unwieldy for many players though, so eight may be the best number for this
type of squad.

Swooping Hawks:

Swooping Hawks are my third favourite Aspect after Fire Dragons and Dire Avengers, but I feel
that they are in trouble in fifth edition, so they may not be seen too often. The reason for this is that
Swooping Hawks had found a niche as being used in an anti-tank role, while keeping out of trouble
to act as a late game objective snatcher or scoring unit in fourth edition, but these roles have almost
been wiped out by the new rules. In the case of being a scoring unit, this option has been eliminated,
while being able to snatch an objective late in the game will only work from the point of view of
being able to deny the enemy an objective (although this may still be useful). Their biggest loss,
however, is that they are no longer as effective against tanks due to the changes to the vehicle rules.
Haywire Grenades only have a one in six chance of causing a penetrating hit, making it very hard
for Swooping Hawks to destroy a tank, so while they still may cause some damage through
glancing hits, your opponent will be nowhere near as concerned about them as (s)he used to be.

The other problem facing Swooping Hawks is that they dont really offer any additional dimension
to your army now because of the changes to the rules, and they cost a lot of points for what they can
do. Sadly, its not looking too good for the Hawks overall.

There is one advantage that they have over all other Eldar Aspect Warriors except Dark Reapers
though that many players forget, which is they have a comparatively long range. Their Lasblasters
have a range of twenty four inches, meaning that they can stay out of close range rapid fire, and
away from template weapons, while still being able to shoot at the enemy. Lasblasters are not the
greatest weapons in the universe, but they can cause some damage against some horde units, such as
Guard infantry, Termagants, and such the like. They are not going to worry most MEQs though, in
spite of their high number of shots, since strength three just wont cause enough wounds.

As with Warp Spiders, the fact that they are mobile infantry means that Swooping Hawks will
integrate well with any type of Eldar army, but whether or not to include them will be based more
on the force you are facing, rather than your own army composition. Given that Warp Spiders tend
to be the direct competition for the Swooping Hawks in Eldar army lists, its easy to see why the
Hawks often get left behind.

Exarch:

The Exarch is vital for the Swooping Hawks, since his presence does make them more likely to
cause some damage. His powers though are somewhat middling. Skyleap can be useful if you
have an Autarch, but you have to be careful not to keep taking your Swooping Hawks out of play.
Deep Striking them into the game, so that they can use their template attack when fighting against
horde armies can be effective, but after that its usually better to keep them in play. The last thing
you want to happen is to find that you needed your Hawks on turn three or four, only for them to
fail their reserve roll, and remain out of play. It is for this reason, I would only opt for this tactic if
you have an Autarch in your army, and even then I wouldnt overuse it. That said, at least you are
now guaranteed to make your reserve roll from turn five onwards under the new rules, so this tactic
isnt as risky as it used to be. Intercept is no longer as useful due to the changes in the vehicle
damage rules, making the decision between it and Skyleap much less clear cut. It still may be worth
trying to use Swooping Hawks to take out light skimmers though, since an immobilised result will
cause them to crash if they have moved flat out, so if your opponent has a propensity for taking
such vehicles, Swooping Hawks led by an Exarch with Intercept may still have role to play.

The Exarch also has access to some decent weapons. The Hawks Talon is useful if you want to go
after those light skimmers, since its strength five will give you the opportunity to cause a glancing
hit or two. If you are going after infantry, however, the Sunrifle is the weapon to have. It may only
have strength three, but six shots at BS5 is nothing to be dismissed, and it will help the unit to
scythe through Guardsmen, Termagants, certain Slaanesh and Tzeentch lesser daemons, and other
similar units. If you want to field the Swooping Hawks as an anti-GEQ unit, then I would say that
the Exarch has to take this weapon, in order for the Hawks to be at their most effective. Taking the
Sunrifle may even mean that the squad could handle shooting at some MEQs, particularly Sisters of
Battle units which have T3, but still dont count on doing much damage to Marines of any sort with
Swooping Hawks though. The Sunrifle can also cause pinning, but as Ive already mentioned, this is
not something that you should count on happening very often. The Power Weapon is very rarely
seen on Swooping Hawk Exarchs. The squad is designed more for shooting than it is for supporting
other units in an assault, so it seems a pretty pointless upgrade to me. Swooping Hawks do not
make for a great assault unit, in spite of the fact that they carry Plasma Grenades, and while they
can use Skyleap get themselves out of trouble, I just dont see the need to send the Swooping
Hawks into the fray in the first place.

Unit Size:

If you are going after light skimmers, then I would opt for a squad of five or six. If you want to use
them as a fire support unit though take as many as you can afford. They need as many shots as
possible, in order to be effective.

Shining Spears:

My experience with Shining Spears is limited, so feel free to add more comments about them if you
feel Ive missed something.

Shining Spears are a dangerous unit. They can be used to assault tanks (especially due to the new
rule about hitting the rear armour in close combat), they have the potential to hurt a MEQ unit quite
badly if they assault them, and they make a very good bodyguard for a Jetbike mounted Autarch.
Like Jetbikes, they are best used in mixed or mechanised armies (see Jetbikes for the reasons as to
why), and they are also suited to players who like to make bold flank attacks. You have to have
courage when using Shining Spears, if you dither with them, theyll be shot down. You must time
your assault correctly, but you must also be decisive. For this reason, they can be rather a tricky unit
to use, which can put some players off taking them. I for one must confess that I always feel
apprehensive about taking them, but their potential is so great, that you really ought to have a go
with them at some stage in your playing career.

On the downside, Shining Spears are very expensive, meaning that squads tend to be on the small
side. In addition, the squad can only be a maximum of five models in size too. As a result of this,
and the type of weapons they use, they dont make for a very good anti-horde unit. Stick to using
them against MEQs. Shining Spears are also very vulnerable if they dont break the enemy unit on
the turn they assault, as they lose the benefit of their Laser Lances, so dont send them up against
large MEQ units, or they will almost certainly be caught up in a protracted combat, and be
destroyed (unless you take an Exarch with Withdraw). Think of Shining Spears as futuristic cavalry
on you wont go far wrong regarding how to use them.

Exarch:

The Exarch is very important for Shining Spears, due to his having access to the power Withdraw.
As is the case with Warp Spiders, this power allows the Spears to launch hit and run style attacks,
which helps them avoid getting bogged down in protracted combats. This means that they can take
on larger units, break off, and then charge again in a subsequent turn. Beware of the new Defenders
react rule though (see Warp Spiders section for the reasons). Skilled Rider may be of use if you are
playing on a Cities of Death board, but otherwise I would be tempted to run the risk of not taking it,
as assaulting models in cover with Shining Spears isnt a great idea anyway, since they dont have
grenades. Use the mobility of Shining Spears to get behind enemy units, so that you can hopefully
assault a unit from an angle whereby you dont have to assault through difficult terrain.

The Exarch has access to the Star Lance, which is a very useful weapon if you are sending your
Shining Spears off to hunt tanks, due to its higher strength. If you are not planning to go tank
hunting with your Spears though, I wouldnt say its that necessary. The Power Weapon may be
helpful if you get caught up in a protracted combat, but given that this is not a good idea with this
unit, I would say you dont really need to take it.

Unit Size:

Shining Spears have to be fielded in units of between three and five models. The more models you
can have the better, but its a rare day when youll have enough points to take a full squad.

Vypers:

The Vyper is a very good harassment vehicle. It is at its best when used with mechanised or mixed
lists for the same reasons as I gave in the Jetbikes section. It has a wide range of weapon options, is
very fast, and is surprisingly effective at knocking out vehicles, albeit using weaponry that you may
not think would suit this role. It is also very good at eliminating GEQs (providing you give it the
correct weapons), but only really causes MEQs any problems if it goes after their vehicles.

The Vyper is, however, very fragile, so it can be destroyed very easily. Even mass bolter fire can
destroy it, so you must be careful how you use it. Running it on the flanks is the best plan, but even
here it can easily be shot down.

Vypers can also be used in squadrons, but this is something of a double edged sword, in that while
this allows them to downgrade crew stunned to crew shaken, any immobilised result counts as
destroyed. Its true that if you are moving flat out, this could happen anyway, but if you have
slowed down to fire at the enemy, this can be a real nuisance. Its up to you whether you feel that
fielding Vypers in squadron makes them any better. I personally only ever field one, but your
playing style may well differ from mine, and fielding a squadron of them may well fit the theme of
some Craftworlds, such as Saim Hann.

Vypers have access to a lot of vehicle upgrades. I dont feel that Vypers are tough enough or
valuable enough to warrant spending the extra points on giving them such luxuries as Holofields or
Star Engines, and if you decide to run a squadron of them, then Spirit Stones are useless. I
personally wouldnt even take Spirit Stones on a Vyper running solo, but other players may prefer
to. Giving Vypers any other upgrades is just an unnecessary use of points in my view. Even
upgrading the Shuriken Catapults to a Shuriken Cannon doesnt seem worth the points in light of
the changes to defensive weapons in fifth edition.

Vypers also have access to an assortment of different weapon combinations:

Shuriken Cannon: This is a good choice for the Vyper. Its cheap, is good at killing GEQs, and is
also very handy if you can get your Vyper into a position, so that it can fire at the rear armour of
vehicles. Three S6 shots are likely to ruin a transport vehicle or Dreadnoughts day if you hit them
in the rear. The disadvantage to the Shuriken Cannon is the Vyper has to come within Rapid Fire
range to be able to use it, although this is more problematic against some armies than others.

Scatter Laser: This is another good choice for all the reasons mentioned above, but also because
its greater range allows the Vyper to stay out of range of Rapid Fire weapons. If you have a few
extra points to spend, I would, therefore choose this over the Shuriken Cannon.

Starcannon: The improvement to cover saves means that this weapon is no longer as good. It may
be useful if you can get behind a MEQ squad, and shoot it at them from an angle where they have
no cover (for example, from the rear if they are standing behind a barricade). Overall, its rather
expensive, and the more shots at BS3 you have the better, so the Scatter Laser is the superior
choice.

EML: Again, BS3 Krak Missiles wont hit often enough to make it worth taking for anti-tank
duties. The Vyper is better off using its speed and a multiple shot weapon to knock out tanks. It may
be okay for firing Plasma Missiles, but I still think that Scatter Lasers are better for taking out
hordes. That said, other players think the EML is very good when used to fire Plasma Missiles
under the new rules, so try it for yourself and see which you prefer. That said, Id be tempted to try
the EML on War Walkers rather than a Vyper.

Brightlance: A one shot weapon at BS3, which is also very expensive, being mounted on a fragile
open topped skimmer.....I really dont think that this is a wise investment of points. Vypers can be
used to take out tanks in other ways, as Ive already pointed out.

Unit Size:

You can field them either on their own, or in a squadron of two or three. I feel that this decision is
completely up to individual players.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2806396&postcount=204

Wave Serpent: (Page 11 of the original thread)

Thanks to the changes in the Skimmers Moving Fast (SMF) rule for fifth edition (now known as
moving flat out); the Wave Serpent has now become the transport of choice for the Eldar. This is
because penetrating hits against a skimmer moving flat out are no longer downgraded to glancing
hits as was the case under the old SMF rule. This change is very important, since it makes the
Energy Shield on the Wave Serpent a much more useful proposition, since a reduction in the
strength of the weapon being fired (if it has strength eight or more), will make getting that all
important penetrating hit more difficult. The Falcon, on the other hand, doesnt have this level of
protection, so will now be very vulnerable to strength nine and ten weapons, such as Lascannons
and various Ordnance weapons. Also, in the Wave Serpents favour is that its Energy Shield doesnt
allow such weapons as Melta Guns to roll an extra D6 for armour penetration when they get to
under half range. Add in the 4+ cover save for moving flat out in addition to these factors, and you
will find that the Wave Serpent provides your valuable troops with a greater level of security than
the Falcon.

Another big change in the Wave Serpents favour is that it no longer has to transport the unit for
which it has been purchased for the duration of the game. This means that it can be used to pick up
other units during the course of the battle, making it as flexible as the Falcon in this respect. It also
has a larger transport capacity, and is cheaper in points!

The only real disadvantages that the Wave Serpent has are that its Energy Field is useless against
close assault troops, and doesnt protect its rear armour, but if you use it well, these weaknesses
should not be exposed during the game. The only other problem it has is that while its cheaper than
the Falcon, it still is quite expensive. If you are playing a mechanised list with lots of transports,
youll soon find yourself running out of points, which means that any heavy losses you incur in the
game may well result in your being defeated very easily, due to being overwhelmed by the enemy.
You have be an expert at the surgical strike when playing a mechanised list. If you attack in one
place, with the majority of your transports having units disembarking from them simultaneously,
you are giving yourself a great chance of winning. If, however, your attack arrives piecemeal, you
will be easily picked off by the enemy.

While Wave Serpents are obviously an essential ingredient for mechanised lists, they also have a
place in mixed lists, where they (and the troops inside) can form a mechanised wing, and be used as
the hammer in the hammer and anvil tactic. If this tactic is unfamiliar to anyone, please feel free
to ask, and either myself, or another contributor to this thread will explain it to you. For obvious
reasons, they are unsuited to all infantry lists.

One final note on Wave Serpents concerns disembarking and embarking. Remember that they only
have a rear door, so your troops always have further to travel than you think to get into position
(youre not measuring from the front of the vehicle remember), so you need to take this into account
if you want to get your troops into cover, or out of sight of enemy guns once they have
disembarked. Enemy troops may also attempt to block your rear door to stop you from
disembarking. One way to discourage enemy forces from doing this is to stagger your Serpents, so
that they are covering one another and can shoot at troops which try to get behind them, or to
support them with other skimmers, such as Jetbikes, Vypers, or Shining Spears. Also remember that
you cant disembark or embark if your Wave Serpent has moved flat out, or is going to move flat
out. This means that you will have to do a lot of thinking ahead when it comes to using your Wave
Serpents.

Wave Serpents have a whole array of upgrades and weapons available to them. Ill start by
discussing the upgrades:

Shuriken Cannon: Upgrading the Shuriken Catapults to a Shuriken Cannon is no longer as

desirable as it once was due to the changes to the rules regarding defensive weapons. Some players
may find it useful if they are planning on taking the EML for the turret weapons, as firing strength
four Plasma Missiles would allow you to fire the Shuriken Cannon too, providing you are not
moving flat out. Such a combination would be pretty effective against horde infantry. If you dont
plan on taking the EML though, I suggest that you skip this upgrade.

Spirit Stones: These are definitely worth the points. The last thing you want is for your valuable
transport to be unable to move for a turn. Being unable to move not only slows down your attack,
which could lose you the battle in the long run if you troops dont get to their destination quickly
enough, but also makes the Wave Serpent more vulnerable to being shot at by the enemy. Spirit
Stones are not expensive, so make sure that you take them.
 Vectored Engines: These arent as important in fifth edition as they were in fourth, since your
valuable troops will not be harmed if your Serpent is moving flat out and suffers an immobilised
result, causing it to crash, unless for some reason they cannot disembark (due to landing next to a
sheer cliff face, or in too close to an enemy unit for example, which case Vectored Engines wont
help anyway). The high leadership of Eldar Aspect Warriors also means they are unlikely to fail a
pinning test. If you have the points though, and you are transporting a particularly valuable unit,
such as ten Howling Banshees, you want to invest in Vectored Engines just to be safe. For cheaper
units though, they are not so vital, so dont compromise other elements of your army to find the
points for Vectored Engines if you feel that you can manage without them. Vectored Engines will
stop your Serpent being destroyed in such a situation, which may help with the Annihilation
mission, however, an immobilised Wave Serpent rarely tends to be very useful, and can be
destroyed very easily.

Star Engines: In view of the fact that the Wave Serpent is a fast vehicle, I dont really see need to
spend points on these. The extra movement they give you isnt especially useful, unless you want to
be really bold, and have all your Wave Serpents in the enemys deployment zone in turn one. If you
favour this kind of tactic, which can work very well for mechanised armies incidentally, then by all
means take the Star Engines, but it is risky. By landing in the enemy deployment zone you are
running the risk of being assaulted (which is not good use, as your troops may become trapped
inside their skimmer), or being hit by an awful lot of firepower. If the terrain is on your side though,
and you are feeling adventurous, you may want to give this a try. I wouldnt recommend this plan
for a mixed force however, since you wont have enough Wave Serpents to run the gauntlet of
enemy fire to make this strategy pay off. Star Engines are also useful if you plan on using your
Wave Serpent to pick up other units once it has dropped off its own, since they allow you to get
around the board very quickly. Remember though, you wont be able to embark or disembark on the
turn in which the Serpent has used the Star Engines, so use this tactic sparingly.

Another major plus point for the Wave Serpent is that its turret weapon in Twin Linked. Lets take
a look at the options which are available.

Turret Weapon Options:

Shuriken Cannon: Since the Wave Serpent has to close with the enemy to get your troops into a
position to attack opposing units, the Shuriken Cannons comparative lack of range isnt really an
issue. As was the case with the Vypers, it can be used for taking out tanks and Dreadnoughts by
shooting them in the rear, but it also makes for good anti-GEQ firepower. Its very cheap, and useful
against a wide variety of units, so if you havent got a lot of points to spare, its a good buy, and it
helps keep the cost of the Wave Serpent down in mechanised armies. If you have the points to
spare, some of the other options may be slightly better.

Scatter Laser: Similar to the Shuriken Cannon in terms of what you should use it for (i.e. for
shooting the rear armour of vehicles and against GEQs). However, the sheer amount of strength six
firepower it can put out makes it reasonable against MEQs too. The extra shot, combined with the
ability to re-roll any misses will make a lot of units sweat. Multiple shot weapons, such as the
Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon, are very important in view of the improved cover saves for
fifth edition, meaning the more shots you have the better, so if you have enough points, I would opt
for the Scatter Laser instead of the Shuriken Cannon.

Starcannon: As Ive said before, the improved cover saves in fifth edition make the Starcannon a
much less attractive choice than it was before. You may be able to get two hits more often, due to it
being twin linked, but if the MEQs that you are targeting are in cover, you may as well have
brought the Scatter Laser along and hope to get more hits. It may be still of some use if you are up
against an army which contains a lot of Terminators, so I wouldnt rule it out completely, but
against conventional armies, I think its lack of shots relative to the Scatter Laser and Shuriken
Cannon, and its higher points cost make it a poor choice.

EML: This is a good option if you are up against GEQs, and you want to take the Shuriken
Cannon upgrade for the Shuriken Catapults. If you use the EML to fire Plasma Missiles, you can
fire the Shuriken Cannon at the same time (providing you arent moving flat out of course), which
means that this combination is pretty nasty against hordes. This combination wont do much against
MEQs though, so I would only take this if you are up against a horde army. Dont use the EML to
fire Krak Missiles. I know it is twin linked, but the chances of hitting still arent that special. If you
playing mechanised Eldar you may need to take this option, as its hard to find suitable anti-tank
options elsewhere, but if you are going to consider this, you may want to take the Brightlance
instead. In a mixed force, however, if you want to hunt a few tanks, be creative with the Scatter
Laser and Shuriken Cannon (see above).

Brightlance: If you are short on anti-tank, you may be tempted to take a Brightlance on the Wave
Serpent. It can work, but the chances of hitting are still not that high, and it is rather expensive. That
said, when playing a mechanised army, you may lack other suitable options to use for anti-tank, so
taking a couple of Serpents with Brightlances may be necessary. Its far better to take them on the
Wave Serpent than on the Falcon thats for sure, so if you are light on anti-tank, its not too bad an
option. If you are playing a mixed force though, stick to using the Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon
or EML (firing Plasma Missiles).

Smileyface and Dweomer have both carried out some probability analysis which has shown that I
am being rather harsh on the TL one shot weapons, such as the Brightlance, and EML firing Krak
Missiles. In the case of these two weapons, they actually have a 75% chance of hitting due to that
re-roll, making them rather more useful than I had anticipated. Thanks to them for pointing this out.

Here is Smileyfaces maths:

TL one shot weapons on Wave Serpents. First, what are the odds that you miss? Well, there's a 1/2
chance of missing on the first roll, but if you do you always re-roll. So you'd have to miss on the
first shot and the second shot, which means p(miss)=1/2 * 1/2 = 1/4. That means that p(hit) = 1 -
1/4 = 3/4 (since obviously you either miss or hit. I'm not taking into account those times when you
roll the Cursed Die of K'Kundi and call forth the beast that will devour the world).

The second way is to look at hits. You've got a 1/2 chance of hitting on the first roll. You've got a 1/2
chance of missing on the first, which then leads to a 1/2 chance of hitting on the second roll. So
there's two ways you can hit, on the first shot or on the re-roll. The probabilities of those are 1/2
and 1/2 * 1/2 respectively (the second is the chance of a miss times the chance of a hit when re-
rolling). So p(hit) = 1/2 + 1/2 * 1/2 = 1/2 + 1/4 = 3/4.

Twin-linking is better than +1 BS unless you started with BS 1 or 0. As a fractional improvement it

gets better the lower your base BS - so twin-linking a gun if you were already BS4 is worth less
than if you were BS 2.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2807375&postcount=213

Heavy Support: (Page 11 of the original thread)

The Eldar have a wide variety of heavy support choices. As was the case with the Fast Attack
section though, many of these options are rather expensive, so you will need to choose your Heavy
Support wisely. Which options you should pick will depend a fair bit on the type of Eldar army you
are fielding, so lets take a look at the options.

Dark Reapers:

Blue Oyster Cult may have a song called Dont Fear the Reaper, but in the case of Dark Reapers
this is not accurate, for if your opponent is a MEQ player (s)he will be very afraid of your Dark
Reapers. Dark Reapers are ferocious MEQ killers, capable of decimating entire squads of Sisters of
Battle, Marines, and any other type of MEQ (excluding Terminators and such the like) that you can
think of. Their long range guarantees that squads will be able to hit most enemy units on the table
without having to waste time moving into a firing position. Just set them up in cover with good
fields of fire, and you will be away. Dark Reapers are especially effective if they are set up in such a
way that they can cover a fire lane, which will prevent the enemy advancing along a certain route
for fear of being shot to pieces by the Dark Reapers. Dark Reapers are also the ultimate fire support
unit. If you want to advance your infantry, providing them with covering fire with Dark Reapers
will make their life easier, since the Dark Reapers can take out enemy heavy weapon units which
would otherwise be killing your infantry. Dark Reapers are, therefore, the perfect fire support for
infantry and mixed Eldar armies. They are, by contrast, an inappropriate choice for mechanised
armies, as there is little value in transporting them (you want them in a firing position from turn
one), and there is no infantry firebase to deploy them with, meaning they could easily be annihilated
by enemy heavy weapons, due to being the only unit not riding in a transport at the start of the
game.

While Dark Reapers are excellent against MEQs, against GEQs they are just overkill. You really
dont need to take them if you are up against hordes, since they are so many other cheaper Eldar
units which are capable of slaying hordes. Remember most Eldar troop units excel at mowing down
hordes, so spending points on Dark Reapers seems unnecessary. Dark Reapers are also very
expensive. For this reason, I wouldnt field them in an army of less than 2000 points, simply
because they use up too many points that are needed elsewhere. That said, if you are fielding an all
infantry army, you may be able to get away with fielding a unit of Dark Reapers in games of 1500
points, depending on the composition of your army, but it really is pushing the boat out too far to try
to fit them into an army of less than this points value. The other problem with taking Dark Reapers
in armies of less than 2000 points is that they tend to become something of a fire magnet. MEQ
players know how dangerous they are, so they try to take them out at the earliest opportunity. Dark
Reapers do have a very good save (3+), which means that are fairly resistant to small arms fire, but
even this wont save them against most heavy weapons. The good news is that the improvement in
cover saves means that Dark Reapers will end up with a 4+ cover save most of the time, providing
you set them up in cover of course, so they are less vulnerable than they were in fourth edition.
Another way to get around this problem, is to deploy a Farseer nearby, so that (s)he can cast Fortune
on them. This greatly increases their survivability, but you still have to be careful if the enemy wins
the first turn, since you cant cast Fortune until it is your turn. Another trick you can try to reduce
the amount of firepower they take is to deploy them in such a way that there is a large piece of
terrain which blocks off line of sight to them from one side of the battlefield. This can be hard to
achieve, and if you are not careful you can end up compromising the field of fire for your Dark
Reapers, but it is an option that you can take advantage of if the terrain allows it.

One final point about Dark Reapers is that they are very vulnerable to Deep Striking assault units,
so its always worth having a counter assault unit nearby to defend them should this occur. That said
the Reapers would have the chance to shoot up such troops before they could assault them, so its
not always a problem, but if the unit that Deep Strikes in is a Terminator squad, you will need more
than the firepower of the Dark Reapers to stop them.
Exarch:

The Exarch isnt a compulsory upgrade for this unit in my view, but he does have some interesting
options, so if you have the points, he is worth taking.

Fast Shot is very useful regardless of which weapon you take, but it is very effective in combination
with the Tempest Launcher, and EML when if fires Plasma Missiles, since it gives both weapons an
extra template. This is particularly useful in the case of the Tempest Launcher, as it has the AP to
punch through MEQs, and I can tell you from experience that if you hit a squad of Marines with
three blast templates from the Tempest Launcher, it causes a lot of damage. The only problem with
Fast Shot is that doesnt help you ignore cover saves, so if you are firing at units in cover you may
not always cause as many casualties as you expected, especially with the improvement to cover
saves in fifth edition. In spite of this, the number of hits you could potentially inflict makes it a
rather intimidating prospect for your opponent, and (s)he may have spread his units out more than is
ideal in anticipation of your selecting this power, which may well allow you to pick off squads
which havent been well supported with other units in your army. Its a good choice in my view.
Crack Shot is also a good choice, since it allows the Exarch to re-roll failures to wound, and the
enemy get no cover saves. This options works best with the Tempest Launcher, but it isnt bad on
the regular Reaper Launcher or EML either. Given the enhanced cover saves in fifth edition, it has
become a more viable now than it was before, so its a tough choice between this and Fast Shot. I
wouldnt ever take both, since it makes the Exarch cost too many points, and he cant use them both
in the same turn anyway, so choose whichever one you feel offers you the most benefit. Of course,
you dont have to take any Exarch powers. None of them aid his squad directly, but you could argue
that the Exarchs ability to increase the kill ratio of his unit indirectly helps them. If points are tight
though, you may just want to have an Exarch with a Reaper Launcher and now powers. If you opt
for the Tempest Launcher, however, I would definitely give him one of the powers, it makes him
more dangerous.

The Exarchs weapon options are all quite different. The Reaper Launcher makes him nothing more
than a Dark Reaper with superior BS, not that this is a bad thing, but his other options are probably
more tempting for many Eldar players. That said, Im not a fan of the EML for the Dark Reaper
Exarch. Dark Reapers are not need against hordes, and Plasma Missiles are not that great against
MEQs (unless your opponent plans on fielding a Scout company or something similar, which is
very unlikely), so the Exarch wont be firing those; while Krak Missiles are not really any better
against MEQs that the Reaper Launcher. Yes, they wound more easily, but the Reaper Launcher has
an extra shot, so I suspect it probably evens itself at (Dweomer, you might want to get your
mathammer table out again). Krak Missiles are effective against vehicles, but the rest of his squad
will not be able to damage most vehicles with their Reaper Launchers (the whole squad must fire at
the same target remember). This means that their shots will be wasted, and then if the Krak Missile
doesnt sufficiently damage the vehicle youll probably feel very frustrated. As I said before, Dark
Reapers are specialist MEQ killers, and this is the role they should be used for in my opinion.
Shooting at any other target is a waste of their time. As a result of these factors, I would encourage
you not to take the EML. There are other Eldar players who have a different view of the EML, in
that they say you can use it shoot at vehicles if there are no MEQ squads visible. While this may be
the case, I wouldnt say that this happens often enough to make the EML worth taking. The Tempest
Launcher, on the other hand, is a weapon I would suggest that you take if you can afford it, since it
is also very effective against MEQs, so it fits in the role of the rest of the squad. Although it is more
liable to scattering under fifth edition rules (when firing directly), the high BS of the Dark Reaper
Exarch means that it shouldnt scatter far (two inches on average). Fifth edition also allows models
partially under the template to be hit, so you should get more hits than in fourth edition, so this
weapon has become much more dangerous, especially in combination with Fast Shot (see above),
where three templates could potentially hit one squad! It may have less strength than the regular
Reaper Launcher, but if you inflict enough hits this should not be too much of a problem, and
strength four isnt bad in any case. The Tempest Launcher can also be fired indirectly (because it
counts as a barrage weapon), but since any model in a squad can now be hit by ranged firepower,
even if its out of sight, I dont see too many reasons to hide the Dark Reaper Exarch from view any
more. Indirect fire is a useful option to have though, as sometimes there may be a tightly packed
unit which you cannot see which would be the perfect target for multiple blasts. Beware that
indirect barrage is very inaccurate though, so make sure you wont accidentally hit any of your own
troops with it if it scatters. The main weakness of the Tempest Launcher is its lack of range. It only
has a maximum range of thirty six inches, which means it will not be able to reach some more
distant targets that your Reaper Launchers can. This isnt usually a major issue, but if youre
playing against a gun line army, which is likely to remain rooted in its deployment zone, this is
something that you may want to consider.

Dweomer did get his mathammer table out again. Here is what he came up with:

The weapons use the same AP and BS, so the only thing to consider it the Str.
Krak Missile: Wounds MEQs and GEQs 83.3%, per shot.
Reaper: Wounds MEQs 66% and GEQ 83.3%, per shot.

So the Reaper Launcher's extra shot is a 1.6:1 improvement over the Krak Missile, but only a 1.2:1
improvement when using Fast Shot.

Unit Size:

Dark Reapers have to be used in a squad of between three and five models. I would simply advise
you take as many as you afford, and urge you not to take a unit of three, as its far too easy for the
enemy to destroy.

War Walkers:

A very good support unit, which works particularly well with infantry armies, since it offers them a
lot of fire support as they advance across the table at a bargain prices. War Walkers can also perform
the same role for mixed armies, but you dont have to take them if you feel you can get your fire
support in other ways. Their main advantage over other Eldar support units though is that they tend
to cost fewer points, so they are a very good choice in smaller armies. They dont work well in an
all mechanised force for the same reasons as Dark Reapers (see above).

The problem with War Walkers is that they are as fragile is Vypers, so even basic weaponry can
destroy them quite easily. Its true that they will benefit from the improvement in cover saves in
fifth edition, but trying to find cover thats tall enough to protect them can be problematic. Area
terrain doesnt help either, since the rule that at least fifty percent of the vehicle must be covered
still applies. War Walkers are also very vulnerable to assault troops, and can easily be torn apart in
such situations. For this reason, it is advisable to keep them as far back as possible, and not to use
their Scout move to bring them closer to the enemy. Its also a very risky tactic to try to outflank
with them, since this often brings them in far too close the enemy, meaning that they will be
destroyed in very short order. It is far better to keep them behind a line of infantry, and use them as
fire support platforms.

Like Vypers, War Walkers can be fielded in squadrons. The risks benefits are the same as they are
with fielding Vypers in squadrons (see Vypers section), except that the concentrated firepower that a
squadron of two or three War Walkers can provide makes fielding them in a squadron a much more
attractive proposition. A squad of three Walkers with Scatter Lasers all round fires a whopping
twenty four shots at its target unit, and if you cast Guide on such a squadron with the Farseer, the
results tend to be very unpleasant for the enemy unit indeed. The fact that a Farseer can affect a
whole squadron with Guide is the other main attraction for fielding War Walkers in squadrons. I
would say that fielding War Walkers in squadrons is a very good plan if you are planning on taking
a Farseer with Guide, and giving the War Walkers multiple shot weapons. In any other case, its up
to individual players, as much will depend on army composition, and the army you are facing.

War Walkers have access to a number of upgrades as well as a variety of weapon options. Ill
examine the upgrades first.

Upgrades:

Spirit Stones: If you are running your War Walkers in a squadron, this is a rather pointless
upgrade. If you are running them solo, and have a few points to spare, you could take these.
Overall, I dont think its especially necessary, as there are better ways to spend to the points most
of the time.

Weapon Options:

Shuriken Cannon: Despite its multiple shots, its high strength, and its solid anti-GEQ abilities, this
is not the best choice for War Walkers due to its comparative lack of range. You have to get within
Rapid Fire range to be able to fire the Shuriken Cannon, so unless you are up against an army that is
going to be coming to you, such as Tyranids or Daemons, I wouldnt take this option. War Walkers
are fragile enough without exposing them to return fire from Rapid Fire weapons too.

Scatter Laser: Again, a very good choice, for the reasons Ive already pointed out (see above). The
amount of firepower a squadron of War Walkers can unleash with these weapons is truly terrifying,
and even MEQs wont enjoy being on the receiving end of it. It may cost more than the Shuriken
Cannon, but its worth it.

Starcannon: This still suffers from the same problem as it does with other Eldar units, in that the
improved cover saves have severely limited its usefulness. Its also quite expensive too. If you are
up against an army which contains lots of Terminators, then you may want to take some of these,
but I would mix them in with the Scatter Lasers if you are going to do so, so that you can still have
a large number of shots. I still feel that Scatter Lasers all round is the optimal configuration though,
and shooting at Terminators with War Walkers is perhaps not the best tactic in any case. The Eldar
have more specialised units which are capable of taking on such units (e.g. Wraithguard and Fire
Dragons).

EML: There have been mixed opinions on this. Some players say that the EML and Scatter Laser
combination is very good, particularly against hordes; while others have said that the EML just isnt
reliable enough because it scatters too often (again Im referring to Plasma Missiles here). Ill leave
it open to individual players to make up their own minds on this one, although I would point out
that Scatter Lasers all round should still be more effective against MEQs. Firing Krak Missiles with
the EML from BS3 War Walkers isnt a good idea in my view, even if the Farseer is nearby Guide.
There is still too high a chance of missing the target in my book. War Walkers are best employed in
anti-infantry role in my opinion.

Dweomer had this to stay about the EML, and in hindsight, I feel that he makes a good case for it
being used against certain armies:
EML Warwalker will hit the original target 51.9% of the time, 76.8% with Guide. These numbers
hold true for effective hits against most vehicles, but do go up slightly against larger hulls.
However, the shots are always going to land somewhere. I think this is a viable mix for players the
either have their Farseer off doing something else, or when they are hurting for anti-tank in their
main force.

I would actually recommend this as an option if a player knew they were going to be facing a horde
or light gunline army such as Tau, IG, Orks or Tyranids.

Brightlance: Fitting Brightlances to fragile War Walkers is just too expensive. Their average BS
means these weapons will miss too often anyway, and as Ive already said, War Walkers are much
better suited to hunting infantry.

A final thought on mixing weapons:

My personal view is that War Walkers work better if you give all of them the same weapon on both
arms, and assign them a specific battlefield role. Mixing weapons may cause you to lose sight of
what they are supposed to be doing, meaning that they spend too much time shooting at
inappropriate targets. Once again though, there are different views on this among Eldar players, so
this decision is very much in the hands of individuals.

Unit Size:

This is a decision best left to individual players, but if you are considering taking squadrons,
multiple squadrons of two or one squadron of three may well be the best way to go.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2807376&postcount=214

Wraithlord:

A marvellous Heavy Support option, the Wraithlord is one of the best firing platforms available to
the Eldar. Give it two heavy weapons, set it up for either anti-tank or anti-infantry duties and watch
it shoot the enemy to pieces. It is also very tough, capable of absorbing lots of firepower, and it
need only fear the heaviest of heavy weapons, and multiple shot rending weapons, such as the
Assault Cannon, although even rending weapons are not as dangerous to its health as they used to
be. The other big advantage is that the Wraithlord is a Monstrous Creature, meaning it can move
through difficult terrain relatively easily, and can fire two weapons per turn, making it an even more
logical choice to give it two heavy weapons. The fact that it can also now run should it need to is a
bonus, although if you are using it as a fire platform, you shouldnt need to make use of this.

The Wraithlords big disadvantage, however, is that it suffers from Wraithsight, meaning that you
have to keep a Farseer or Warlock nearby to prevent this from happening. While not a major issue
for most Eldar armies (which nearly always contain a Farseer, Warlock, or indeed Shadowseer), if
you are planning on taking an army without a Farseer, or a Biel Tan themed army (which may not
have any Seers at all), it can cause problems, since there is a one in six chance that the Wraithlord
will stand there and do nothing. The Wraithlord is also quite expensive, especially when equipped
with two weapons, so this also can put some players off fielding it. It also isnt that powerful in
close combat, despite being a Monstrous Creature. Its very vulnerable to Power Fists, and similar
weapons, and can be overwhelmed by mass infantry, as the outnumbering rule no longer exists, and
the Wraithlords fearlessness makes it subject to the No Retreat rule. That said, its armour should
save it from taking too much damage in that situation, but its still a risk. The Wraithlord also has
very few attacks, so it can easily get bogged down in a protracted close combat, for this reason, its
not a good idea to assault infantry squads with it. If you really want to send it into combat, use it to
take on Independent Characters who have left their Power Fists at home, and are not attached to a
unit. You can also use it assault tanks, but if youve given it two heavy weapons, and they are anti-
tank weapons, you may as well shoot at the tank from a distance instead of moving in to assault it.

Dweomer makes the following point about the No Retreat rule, which I overlooked:

As a note, I'd amend the Wraithlord entry to note that worrying about No Retreat! is only an issue
in mixed combats. It is actually quite survivable in CC when on its own or paired with similar high
T units. (Outnumbering doesn't matter anymore, but the amount of wounds taken do.)

Its also quite hard to hide the Wraithlord in cover due to its status as a Monstrous Creature, but if
you manage to do so, and it has a good field of fire, and the Farseer is standing nearby to cast
Fortune on it, it can be incredibly tough to dislodge. Use it in conjunction with Defender Guardians,
and/or Pathfinders and War Walkers and youve created a superb firebase which would also be able
to hold an objective in your deployment zone. The Wraithlord in particular would be very tough to
dislodge from a fortified position such as this.

Wraithlords make a very good anti-infantry or anti-tank support unit for infantry or mixed Eldar
armies. They are not a good choice for mechanised armies for the same reasons as those which I
talked about when discussing War Walkers and Dark Reapers.

The precise role of your Wraithlord will depend on the weapons you choose for it. It can be
effective against any type of army; you just have to choose your weapons accordingly.

Weapon Options:

Shuriken Cannon: The comparative lack of range of the Shuriken Cannon makes it the least
attractive weapon for the Wraithlord. I feel that its always a good idea to keep the Wraithlord
behind your infantry and use its high BS to its full by giving it the long range one shot weapons
which most other Eldar Heavy Support units can hit with often enough. I would leave the anti-GEQ
work to other units.

Scatter Laser: This works well when paired with the Starcannon for an anti-infantry load out. If
you are going to be fighting against an army with few vehicles, or using more than one Wraithlord,
this is a good option, but in any other instance I feel the Wraithlord is best suited to an anti-tank
role.

Starcannon: Works best when paired with the Scatter Laser in an anti-infantry role, as it lacks
strength for anti-tank duties (its a rare day that a Wraithlord will get a chance to shoot a vehicle in
the rear).

EML: Best paired with the Brightlance and used to fire Krak Missiles at tanks. The Wraithlords
high BS means it shouldnt miss very often, making it the best option to be given anti-tank weapons
in the Heavy Support section. If you want to use it to fire Plasma Missiles, you could pair it with the
Scatter Laser as an alternative anti-infantry fit. There have been mixed reports about how effective
this is, but try it out if you wish to, and see how it goes.

Brightlance: Combine it with the EML and youve got yourself a very good anti-tank firing
platform (see above). It may not be cheap to take the Brightlance and EML, but its very effective,
and most vehicles will not enjoy being on the receiving end of this combination.
 Wraithsword: Hmm.......I dont see the Wraithlord as an assault unit at all. It just doesnt have
enough attacks. The whole point of taking the Wraithlord is to utilise its high BS, and you want to
take two heavy weapons to achieve this. Iyanden players may well be tempted into using a close
assault Wraithlord armed with a Wraithsword, and either a Scatter Laser or Shuriken Cannon for
shredding infantry, in conjunction with various assault units, such as Striking Scorpions, but for
most armies I wouldnt recommend using the Wraithlord in this way.

A Final thought on twin linking:

Taking two weapons of the same type on the Wraithlord causes them to become twin linked. In my
view this is a waste of the Wraithlords BS. It has a good chance of hitting twice, so why restrict it
to only firing one weapon with re-rolls? Its a waste of its potential as far as I can see, and its very
rare to find an Eldar list in which a Wraithlord has taken two weapons of the same type for this
reason.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2807925&postcount=223

Falcon: (Page 12 of the original thread)

The favoured transport for Eldar in fourth edition has taken something of a hit under fifth edition
rules. The old tactic of taking a Falcon carrying Fire Dragons in a Falcon loaded up with Spirit
Stones, Vectored Engines and Holdfields is still viable, but its no longer as effective, since the
replacement of the Skimmers Moving Fast (SMF) rule with the Moving Flat Out rule means that the
Falcon is no longer immune to penetrating hits no matter how fast it moves. In other words, it has
lost its bullet proof status. Its not a bad choice, but it now compares less favourably to the Wave
Serpent, due to the fact that it is more expensive, and has to have two weapons on its turret, neither
of which count as defensive weapons. This is important because you have to pay the points for a
second turret weapon that will not be able to fire more often than not if you want to keep your
Falcon on the move. The lack of an Energy Shield also counts against the Falcon now that it can be
penetrated when moving at full speed, so point for point, the Wave Serpent is the superior choice for
transporting to troops, especially when you consider that the Wave Serpent can now transport any
unit you wish once the game has actually started (note that if starting in reserve, the Wave Serpent
must transport the unit it was purchased for, but you would also have to declare which unit is
mounted in the Falcon too, so these factors balance each other out).

So does the Falcon still have a role to play? Yes, it does, especially if (like me) you dont have
enough Wave Serpents in your army to transport all the units you want to transport. It can still be
used as a transport, but you will just have to be more careful with how you use it. It wont be as
tough as it used to be, so youll have to be careful not to expose it to too much heavy weapons fire.
The Falcon could also be used as a gunboat, whereby you could deploy it towards the rear of your
army and use it for fire support. I personally dont like this option, since there are better fire support
platforms (e.g. the Wraithlord) out there, but Eldar players who run mechanised armies may be
tempted to try this tactic. Another option would be to leave the Falcon empty and to use it as a
mobile gunboat by sending it to accompany your Wave Serpents, and using it to provide covering
fire for Eldar troops once they have disembarked from the Serpents. In this way, it could also be
used for hunting tanks, particularly those which lurk in the enemy deployment zone, with its Pulsar
should you feel the need.

Stezerok made this comment about the Falcon gunboat tactic:

For the Falcon, arming the Falcon with EML or BL along with the Pulse Laser, is actually one of
the best builds for it now-a-days, as in total the three Str 8 shots, tends to perform better against AV
10-12 (possibly 13, I'll have to check again...) than Fire Prisms. Really only AV 14 stood a better
chance. So Gunboat Falcons are a good way to go, AND I would absolutely suggest it, as you're
going to need something to do with that Falcon once you're finished carrying troops.

The Falcon, like the Wave Serpent, will work very well in a mechanised and mixed Eldar list, but
will be somewhat out of place in an infantry list for reasons which are self-explanatory.

If you decide to put troops in the Falcon, another important point to consider is that you need to be
careful with embarking and disembarking for the same reasons as I talked about when I reviewed
the Wave Serpent (see Wave Serpent).

The precise role of the Falcon in battle will depend on its weaponry, but before I talk about its
weapon options, I will discuss the upgrades it has available to it.

Upgrades:

In general, I wouldnt take that many upgrades on the Falcon in fifth edition, even if it is
transporting a unit, since they push its costs up, and few of them really improve the survivability of
the troops or the Grav Tank sufficiently to make the expenditure worthwhile.

Shuriken Cannon: As I have already stated in the Wave Serpent entry, upgrading the Shuriken
Catapults to a Shuriken Cannon is no longer as desirable as it once was due to the changes to the
rules regarding defensive weapons. It may, however, be useful if you are planning on taking the
EML for the second turret weapon (see Wave Serpent for reasons). The only problem is you most
likely never get to the fire the Pulsar, but if you are using the Falcon in an anti-GEQ role, as you
need to be if you take this upgrade, then this probably wont concern you. Its a shame to have a
weapon which you wont fire coming as standard on the Falcon though, which is why I think this
upgrade and combination is better suited to the Wave Serpent.

Spirit Stones: These are still worth the points, but more so if you are transporting a unit inside the
Falcon. See the Wave Serpent section for more details on this upgrade.

Vectored Engines: Given that it can have more weapons than a Wave Serpent, you may find these
more useful on the Falcon. That said, I wouldnt say they are that critical, since skimmers which
have been forced to land for the rest of the game dont tend to have a great line of sight to be able to
shoot that much, and are usually destroyed quite quickly in any case, once theyve been forced to
land. Also, if you are only transporting a unit of six Fire Dragons (which are not that expensive), the
Vectored Engines are even less critical, since the Dragons are unlikely to fail their pinning test, and
wont be killed from the landing unless they are unable to disembark for some reasons. Please refer
to the Wave Serpent section if you want more details on Vectored Engines.

Star Engines: I dont really think there is much more to say about using these on a Falcon than
there was about using them on a Wave Serpent, so once again, take a look at the Wave Serpent
section for details about these.

Holofields: Under fourth edition, where there were different damage tables for glancing and
penetrating hits, these were incredibly effective (possibly too effective in fact). When these were
combined with SMF, it was almost impossible to destroy a Falcon, but with the rule changes for
fifth edition, this is no longer the case. The Holofields are still useful, but they are very expensive,
and the Falcon already costs a lot of points. If you are playing a mechanised list, and you want to
keep your valuable infantry as well protected as possible, you may be tempted to take these if you
have the points. Otherwise, I really dont feel that its worth paying the points for these.

Second Turret Weapon Options:

Shuriken Cannon: If you plan to use your Falcon as a transport, then this is a reasonable option
which will also help keep the costs down. It offers solid fire support for disembarked infantry, and
can be used to pick off the odd tank from the rear. For further details of how best to use this weapon
see the Wave Serpent section.

Scatter Laser: Again, a good choice if you are planning to be mobile with your Falcon. It allows it
to offer solid fire support to disembarked infantry units, and can be used to take shots at the rear
armour of tanks. As usual the extra shot and additional range make it slightly better than the
Shuriken Cannon, but there isnt a huge amount of difference if you are sending the Falcon in close,
so you may want to keep the costs down by taking the Shuriken Cannon instead. See the Wave
Serpent section for any other details.

Starcannon: I dont have much new to say about this to be honest, except that it will be of less use
on the Falcon than on the Wave Serpent, as it doesnt benefit from being Twin Linked on the
Falcon. For additional remarks, refer to the Wave Serpent section.

EML: For the Plasma Missiles/Shuriken Cannon combination, see earlier comments, and those I
made in the Wave Serpent section, but remember that the EML wont be Twin Linked, so wont be
as accurate as it will be on the Serpent. If you want to use your Falcon as something of a static
gunboat, you could use the EML to fire Krak Missiles, and use it in combination with the Pulsar as
a baseline tank killer. Im not a fan of this tactic though, since the average BS of the Falcon means
the Krak Missile will miss too often. The Wraithlord makes for a superior fire platform in my
opinion. Still, its an idea which may interest those who play mechanised Eldar, so feel free to try it
if you feel that you can make it work for you.

Brightlance: Again, you could use it in conjunction with the Pulsar to create a static anti-tank
gunboat. I dont like this idea for the reasons given above, and its also a very expensive option,
which could be destroyed quite easily, since it will be hard to hide the Falcon sufficiently for it to
get a cover save, and even if you try to, youll have to take a dangerous terrain test in any case. Try
it if you feel you can make it work, but I think there are better ways to get anti-tank fire support.

Fire Prism:

In all my years of playing the Eldar, the only model I have never owned is the Fire Prism. Ive
never even seen one in action, let alone used one, so if I make a mistake with my analysis of its
abilities, please let me know.

The new rules for Blast Templates are both good news and bad news for the Fire Prism. They are
good in the sense that its template is so large (when firing in dispersed mode) that its still likely to
hit infantry units, especially if you are playing against a horde army, and in the sense that its above
average BS means that neither template will scatter too far on average. They are not so good in the
sense that the central hole may scatter off a tanks hull, meaning that it doesnt inflict a full strength
hit, thus its anti-tank abilities may well be slightly compromised.

The general school of thought has been that you should always field Fire Prisms in pairs, so that
you have the option of using the banked shot. I dont see this changing for fifth edition, since the
additional strength and AP come in very handy, especially against MEQs. That said, due to the
scattering rules, it may be better to fire two separate focussed shots at tanks, in order to increase
your chances of scoring a hit over the centre of the vehicle. Whichever way you look at it though,
Fire Prisms work best when there is more than one of them in your force. The great advantage of
the Fire Prism lies in its enormous range. On most gaming tables it will be a case of if you can see
it, you can shoot at it. This helps in so far as its sometimes possible to deploy Fire Prisms on a
flank, so that it keeps them out of range of certain elements of the enemy force, while keeping in
range of them itself. This is one way in which you can try to protect your Fire Prisms from taking
too much fire from heavy weapons, which is otherwise something of a problem (see below).

The big problem with Fire Prisms is that they are not that tough, and because they wont be moving
flat out like other skimmers, they present something of a juicy target for enemy heavy weapons.
There isnt much you can do to prevent this, except possibly take Holofields. Trying to deploy a
skimmer in difficult terrain is a highly risky business, so thats something of a high risk option. This
is their only major weakness though, since the Prism cannon is effective against nearly all types of
target.

Fire Prisms dont really fit in with an infantry force that well, since they are too exposed, and can be
picked off easily while the infantry advance to get into range. They can be used in both mixed and
mechanised forces though, and they are about the only long ranged fire support available to the
latter, making them a very tempting choice for commanders of mechanised Eldar.

Upgrades:

Shuriken Cannon: I really dont see the point of fitting this to the Fire Prism. If it loses its main
weapon, so be it, I would just use it for tank shocking enemy troops holding a vital objective, or for
ramming another vehicle. If you do have the left over points, you may want to buy this upgrade, but
I can think of better ways to spend such left over points.

Spirit Stones: Given that your Fire Prisms will not be moving around that much, unlike the Wave
Serpent and Falcon, Im not convinced that these are particularly important. You still wont be able
to shoot if your crew are shaken instead of stunned, and this is the most important aspect of the Fire
Prism, so I feel the points could be better spent elsewhere.

Vectored Engines and Star Engines: I honestly cant see much use for either of these on the Fire
Prism. Its not going to be moving at high speed, so the Vectored Engines are pointless, while its
hardly in any hurry to close with the enemy, so I fail to see the need to give it Star Engines. These
upgrades can be safely passed over.

Holofields: These may be worth taking, as they could help to keep your Fire Prism alive. If you
have enough points to take them, I would say its probably worth doing so, especially if you are
playing mechanised Eldar (you need to keep your fire support alive for as long as you can).

Support Weapons:

Support Weapons are perhaps the least chosen unit in the Eldar army list. When you consider the
competition that they are up against in the Heavy Support section its not hard to see why, but this
does not mean they are useless. In fact, Support Weapons can be rather useful.

Their big weaknesses, however, are their lack of mobility and durability. They are particularly
vulnerable to being picked off by Deep Striking units, and can also be outflanked by fast moving
armies if you are not careful.
On the positive side, they arent too expensive, they can be set up in cover, which makes them
harder to shoot to pieces, especially with the improved cover saves for fifth edition, and most
importantly of all they dont have to have line of sight at all, thus allowing them to be set up behind
hills and fortifications and still be effective.

All Support Weapons fit into infantry armies well, although those with a longer range will generally
be a better bet if you plan on advancing your forces forward to engage with the enemy. If you are
playing a wait for them to come to me tactic, then any type of weapon should be okay. For obvious
reasons, Support Weapons dont fit well into mechanised armies, and while they can be used with
mixed armies, most players usually prefer to take War Walkers, the Wraithlord and/or Dark Reapers
for their fire support, as they are more reliable. Its your army though, so if you prefer Support
Weapons, then go ahead and field them.

D Cannons:

These are very dangerous weapons, which are capable of destroying almost anything. Opponents
tend to give these a wide berth, which means that they are very useful if set up near an objective in
your deployment zone, since nobody is going to want to get close to them and run the risk of being
obliterated. In this way, they are a great area denial unit, and their fearsome reputation makes them
a great psychological weapon.

On the other hand, their range is very short, which means that enemy units can quite easily avoid
them, and if they scatter (which they will do often if they are firing indirectly), their short range
means that they may hit your own troops if they are in close proximity. As a result, the deployment
of D Cannons tends to be very critical as to how much impact they will have on the game.

D Cannons are particularly nasty against MEQs, especially units of Terminators in Marine armies,
but watch out for Deep Striking Terminators who will try to kill your D Cannons before they can
cause too much damage. Deploying counter assault units nearby can help protect D Cannons, but
this ties up a valuable unit that may be better utilised elsewhere. If your D Cannons are guarding an
objective though, putting other units with them isnt such a bad idea, since it will allow you to
create a powerful firebase through which the enemy must advance if (s)he wants to take the
objective.

D Cannons arent as good against vehicles as they were in fourth edition, but if there is a vehicle in
range its still worth shooting at it if there are no other targets around. Otherwise, a unit of three D
Cannons dropping a salvo onto a large unit is especially destructive, particularly if it hits a MEQ
squad.

Vibrocannons:

These used to be great for damaging vehicles, but with the demise of the glancing hits damage table
for fifth edition, they are no longer much use at this, although at least you dont ever have to roll for
armour penetration. They are still useful against horde infantry though, since they have the potential
to inflict strength six hits if you use a battery of three. They can also cause Pinning, but as Ive
mentioned before, the high leadership of the majority of units out there means that this is not
particularly useful.

They are somewhat random though, given that they cause D6 hits, and they will hit your troops
should they be along the line, so you have to be careful with where you deploy your Vibrocannons,
and your squads that will be in their fire arc. They are also pretty ineffective against MEQs, so I
would only consider fielding these if you are up against a horde army of some sorts. Even then,
there are better weapons for taking out hordes (e.g. Fire Prism, War Walkers with Scatter Lasers,
Dire Avengers etc).

Shadow Weavers:

The Shadow Weavers greatest strength lies in its long range. You can set these up deep in your
deployment zone, and use them fire indirectly at advancing horde armies, and other GEQs all day.
They may not be that accurate when used in this way, but if you are playing against a horde army,
you are bound to hit something, and their high strength will allow you to shred most GEQs pretty
easily.

On the downside, Shadow Weavers are fairly impotent against tanks, and wont really worry MEQs
that much either unless you manage to get a direct shot at a MEQ squad with a full unit of three
Shadow Weavers, such a salvo may cause MEQs some concern, but its a rare day that you will be
able to fire directly with Shadow Weavers.

Still, if you ever want to surprise your opponent, take a unit of these along, I can guarantee you that
they wont have been expecting them!

Warlock:

Support Weapon batteries can be given a Warlock should you so desire. For most armies, I dont
think its that necessary, but if you are running a force with a firebase of a Wraithlord and Support
Weapons, you may find it handy to have a Warlock around to eliminate Wraithsight.

As for the powers to give to the Warlock, Destructor isnt particularly helpful, since hell be out of
range of most units, and never get the chance to use it. It also wont help much against many Deep
Striking units, as a lot of these tend to be quite heavily armoured. Embolden is useful, since it helps
to stop the crew failing their morale test, Enhance is of no value on gun crew, while Conceal wont
be as good as the cover save offered by any cover that you have set them up in. That said, if you
plan on deploying them behind a hill, Conceal may have a use, but even then, it will only be being
used to protect the unit against Deep Striking squads, and they probably wont be too bothered by a
5+ cover save, so I dont think its particularly beneficial overall.

Unit Size:

Support Weapons have to be fielded in units of between one and three. Given that they are at their
most effective when firing salvos (D Cannons and Shadow Weavers) or when firing in a group
(Vibrocannons), I would always choose to take three if you can afford to do so.

By Irisado.

Special Character Tactica by Dweomer (All on Page 13 of the original thread)

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2811503&postcount=242

Are you finding yourself with an excess of points? Did you buy that Phoenix Lord because it looked
cool? Are the normal rules just not enough? Do you need just that little more oomph from your HQ?
Are you unhindered by an older edition mindset against named characters? If you answered yes to
at least two of the above, then a Named Unit might just be for you!
/****PIP-BOY DOWNLOAD ACTIVATED***\
\*****FILENAME:ELDAR4EVIL.EXE*****/
...cross.ref:...NUvsSC.blah:
Named Units: What is a Special Character?
The choice to run a Named Unit (NU), aka a Special Character (SC) is a personal one as it can
cause backlash and shunning by certain members of the gamer species.
Special Characters first saw the light back in 2nd edition. They were the best of the best, the
greatest of heroes, the folk whose names sang through the very stars. They were the favoured brain-
children of the studio staff and often had abilities a Primarch might envy. They had improved stats,
improved wargear and special rule piled onto special rule. These mighty few were meant for
friendly games of large size; many even had minimum army size requirements. Only marginal
attempts were made to balance the unit... except the one rule to rule them all: Opponent Permission
(OP). Yes, every time you fielded one of these fine fellows, you had to have the prior permission of
your opponent. Due to this and their being "broken cheddar fests", they were disallowed from most
tournaments including GTTs and RTTs. This meant the models often only sold to collectors,
newbies, or the addicted modelers. As an oddity, this bias never extended itself to Special
Characters that did not have the OP rule, units such as the Avatar of Khaine.
Then in the early days of 4th edition (M39.500), there came a new threat from the bowels of the
Tyranid Hive Fleet: Old One-Eye, a Special Character without the OP rule! Listed in the Special
Character section, Old One-Eye was a new breed of terror: a Named Unit. This little change opened
the floodgates and wallets of many, until the rule of OP has become a relic of only the most unloved
and unupdated Codecii. Many of the old Special Characters made the transition to this new status,
not the least among them the Phoenix Lords and Eldrad Ulthuan.
Yet this transition has not been a smooth one. Some players remember the days of HeroHammer
and refuse to field anything with a "scent of Muenster." Others have been twisted by burning envy,
their Codecii untouched by the Design Studio and their SCs still needing OP. Yet Design has
persisted in pushing these models off the racks and onto the field. Points and abilities have been
brought into a semblance of balance. Fielding restrictions have been reduced or removed. Even
more insidious is the latest sally: certain popular army builds have only become fieldable if you first
take an NU. Now NUs have become a common sight upon the battlefield, though sometimes
disguised as other heroic models through an arcane magic known as "Counts As". The choice to
take one is up to you, but understand that the choice to face one may not be.

Why should you avoid NUs?

Because their points cost is often half again to double that of a lesser HQ, often require specific
modelling or heraldry, you typically cannot modify their wargar, and there's still a definite stigma
against their use.

Why should you take an NU?

Because they represent the highest expression of their chosen profession, have strong and often
unique rules, and can provide a strong center point or theme for the rest of your army.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2811507&postcount=243

...resume: Eldar.NU...
Prince Yriel, Corsair Prince and Autarch of Iyanden Craftworld:
Despite being the cheapest of the NUs, Yriel still costs as much as decent unit of Dire Avengers.
However, he's only just a touch more expensive than a similarly tooled-out Autarch. This is rather
appropriate as he's basically a cross breed of Autarch and Warlock. He comes with all of an
Autarch's excellent stats as well as the Master Strategist rule. Please see the Autarch entry for
reference. Of particular note is that he also has a the Eldar low T; he won't last long against enemy
fire. But Yriel's biggest flaw is that he's a CC unit that's stuck on foot. You can't always rely on the
enemy coming to you. These last three items make him a prime candidate for a bodyguard. He is
going to be rather redundant with hard-hitters like Banshees or Harlequins. However, he'd be an
excellent bit of CC punch for a tarpit unit of Dire Avengers or Wraithguard. Knowing Yriel is part
of the unit is going to make them a big target. Non-Wraithguard bodyguards would really benefit
from a Wave Serpent and/or a cast of Fortune.
The Spear of Twilight: A fearsome weapon and Yriel's high WS and A make him perfect for taking
down the biggest of monstrosities and tanks. However, it will be wasted against light opponents and
GEQ players will be unfazed by the numbers he'll kill.
The Eye of Wrath: This weapon is a hold-out explosion for when he's surrounded by the enemy. It is
going to be at its most effective against basic Marines. The effect of this blast has become even
stronger when combined with the new Defenders React and Blast rules. I foresee an amusing tactic
of "Yriel Bomb", where he is escorted towards the enemy similar to a Goblin Fanatic. When near to
the enemy, Yriel disengages from his bodyguard, charges a nearby unit, and then sets off his
explosion after they surround him. Defenders React mean that he no longer has to wait for a Pile In
for maximum carnage. Knowledge of this will likely make him an even larger target as opponents
will surely remember it after the first time. (Hrm... I suddenly feel an urge to go pull this model out
of my bitz box. Tomorrows opponent probably won't have read this yet and I may get away with it.
Heheheheh...)
Doomed: Even in 4th edition this rule was more of an annoyance than anything else and many
players would forget about it. I find Yriel rarely ends a game with only 1 wound left. He's either
nigh unscathed or died gloriously around Turn 4. At least now he doesn't have a 50/50 chance of
giving the enemy free VP.

Eldrad Ulthuan, Farseer of Ulthwe and Bane of Chaos:

Eldrad's amazingly spry for a dead guy, showing up in battle after battle. He's the ultimate in
Farseers, having abilites on par with two lesser Farseers... and the cost to match. His stats are the
same as a normal Farseer, excepting a slightly higher T. This was a big thing in 4th as it rendered
him immune to Instant Death from Perils of the Warp. 5th has rendered this moot, so this isn't as big
a deal any more. As part of his basic price, you get every single Farseer upgrade and power. This
can be quite the deal for players wanting some heavy Psychic punch. This can certainly take the
headache out of choosing the right Farseer power(s) during army creation, but knowing how to pick
the right one at the right time can really take some practice. Another downside to Eldrad is that he's
only one model. Though he has multiple casts per turn, they're going to be focussed to a more
limited area than can be covered by two lesser Farseers. He's certainly a good choice for armies that
rely on having multiple Farseer powers cast per turn, but this also leads to rampant over use.
Rune Armour: This is one of Eldrad's most forgiving traits, especially when combined with Fortune.
Few other units in the game have his resiliency to heavy attacks. This means he isn't quite as
vulnerable as most ICs to being sniped. However, he's not immortal and massed fire or a lucky S8+
shot will end his day in a hurry. I strongly recommend giving him some form or decent bodyguard.
Divination: This power has become a 50/50 proposition based upon who gets the first turn. If you're
going second, redeploying the units you just deployed is going to give you minimal benefit.
However, if you have the first turn you can use this to deploy units in false or less strategic
positions. You can "push" the enemy away from objectives, change firelanes, reduce enemy cover,
back up threatened units and push forward assaulters. Remember that experienced players are
unlikely to be affected by such low-grade mind tricks.
Staff of Ulthamar: This one bit of gear is the big reason many players tend to take Eldrad. Not only
does it allow that vital third cast, it also makes him just as nasty as Yriel in CC. However, Eldrad
only has 1/2 the attacks of Yriel; it is his Psychic abilities that really set him apart.

Phoenix Lords, General Notes:

Phoenix Lords (PLs) really are the cream of the crop. They have the WS of a Daemon Prince, the S
and T of a Marine, and the speed of a Archon. They're also the only units I know of with a 2+ save
and Fleet. They are a super-Exarch and have all the basic Exarch powers plus extra rules of their
own. They're never going be insta-killed, so the new IC rules are immediately a liability. Some of
them are effective or even better off on their own, but most will benefit from an Aspect Warrior
squad of the same shrine. They'll not only pass along "free" Exarch powers, but will also make sure
the unit never runs away.
On the down side, their Aspect is a semblance of their teachings and they tend to fill the same role
as an upgraded Exarch. This can be beneficial, but can also just be "more of the same" for a higher
cost. Also, they are forbidden from leading Aspects of other Shrines. They are all stuck on foot, so
any of them that need to close with the enemy will need some way of doing so. This rule says
nothing about them leading Guardians or Rangers, but having them do so will likely earn a few
looks. But the real kicker is cost. Even the least of the PLs cost as much as a well armed Aspect
squad. The higher end ones even begin to challenge a Land Raider for cost. I would typically advise
away from a PL unless you are set upon a particular effect or theme.

http://warseer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2811508&postcount=244

Asurmen, the Hand of Asuryan and Father of the Dire Avengers:

For being the most expensive Phoenix Lord, Asurmen really doesn't bring much to the table. For his
cost you could buy yourself two DA Exarchs sporting the same abilities AND a good sized DA
squad to escort him. The model looks gorgeous, but the rules are full of fail. I would recommend
against ever fielding him.
Wargear: While able to put out some nice amount of small weapons fire, he's best with a squad that
excels in putting out mass amounts of small weapons fire. The same guns can be acquired by the
cheapest DA Exarch upgrade.
Sword of Asur: While the ability to re-roll misses is nice, a WS 7 model isn't going to miss that
often. The fact that it is a diresword rather than a normal power weapon is just cheap gilding.
Requiring the enemy to fail a Ld test to cause Instant Death is nigh worthless since nearly all multi-
wound creatures have a high Ld.
Battle Fate: This extra protection does certainly add to the difficulty of killing him, especially with
ranged weapons. However, the final effect in 5th is no greater than a Termie in cover.

Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence and Mother of the Howling Banshees:
If you're into glam-rock hair, Jain Zar may just be the girl for you. This Phoenix Lord is actually a
fairly entertaining buy and one of the few I could see being fielded outside a theme army. She's
going to be ideal for situations where your Banshees need just that little bit more overkill, such as
20-model Necron Warrior squads or Nurgle armies. She, like stock Banshees, is going to be wasted
trying to take on GEQ forces. One of Jain Zar's biggest boons is that she's very easy for beginning
players to use. She just runs at the enemy and cuts down anything too slow to avoid her.
Wargear: Please see the Banshee Exarch with Executioner write-up. The only difference is that she
comes with buffed Triskele too, so the rare times the squad shoots will have a little more punch too.
Furious Charge: Because her +1 I is on the charge, she can get an I of 11 to beat out even the
Keeper of Secrets. (The +1 I is a temporary bonus and would thus allow modification beyond a 10.
This can be upheld by the Bloodfeeder ruling in the current CSM FAQ.) However, this is really just
a scholarly note as it will almost never have an effect on gameplay. The real punch from this comes
when combined with her Executioner, letting you hit at a S capable of reliably hurting even
Wraithlords. The downside is that Banshees are usually best against Doomed medium T enemies.
Their attacks will be wasted against high T enemies and Jain Zar might be best split off onto her
own if she's going after big game.

Baharroth, the Cry of the Wind and Leader of the Swooping Hawks:
The nice thing about Baharroth is that he can put out a good bit of small arms fire on the move,
charge into cover, and then chop many things into quivering little pieces. He's also one of the only
two Phoenix Lords that can confer his special ability to a squad he leads. His power output certainly
does bolster a Swooping Hawk squad's CC to the point where it's almost viable against most units.
However, it is still going to suffer against decent T or armour enemies. His cost could buy you two
decent Autarchs able to do more. I'd only consider him for a theme army, if you really like the
model, or when facing GEQ hordes.. He does have the bonus of being able to "Rubberhawk" all on
his own, but occupying an HQ slot will cut down those Autarch Reserve bonuses.
Wargear: All the guns and whistles, but he's still heavy anti-GEQ focussed.
Hit & Run: While this is a great ability for a CC unit, Swooping Hawks should really be using CC
to clean up remnants left over from Shooting. Having enemies left to H&R with Hawks is typically
a sign of bad dice or having taken on something tougher than you should have.

Karandaras, the Shadow Hunter and Usurper of the Striking Scorpions:

Now this is a Phoenix Lord I can support seeing more of. Yes, he is the 2nd most costly PL out
there. But he's also the only one that gives his squad an actually useful power. I predict we'll start
seeing him crop up more often as people realize his usefulness. The joy of him is that he's a very
simple unit to play. The Scorpions go on the aggressive and his skills help make the Scorpions more
forgiving of mistakes.
Wargear: Having the most attacks of any of the PLs is certainly not going to hurt. He also has a
Claw running off a base S4 as well as other toys that make him a nightmare to GEQs. A definite
thing to remember is that a Mandiblaster's bonus is unaffected by the change to special weapons in
CC.
Stealth: Consider for a moment that this confers a 3+ Cover save to his squad as they advance.
Massed small arms fire will still drop them, but your opponent is going to have to throw bodies in
front of them to stop them from getting where ever they want to go.

Fuegan, the Burning Lance and Founder of the Fire Dragons:

Now here is a PL that I could see going off and doing his own thing, both in game and Fluff terms.
Fuegan is tough enough to roam the field and hunt down the biggest and baddest of targets. The
upside is that he's going to pound the heck out of any tanks he comes across, but a lack of shots is
going to leave him hanging against swarms and Monstrous Creatures. That's where his CC ability
can come to the fore as only the toughest of creatures is going to cause him problems. I could
certainly see him as a CC upgrade for a large Fire Dragon squad, but there's usually going to be
cheaper alternatives like dozen more Fire Dragons.
Wargear: Extra S is certainly going to be helpful in most battles and he has a great ability to take
down tanks both at range and in CC.
Feel No Pain: This has certainly taken a hit in 5th edition and a few good AP2 shots will make
quick work of Fuegan. It's also not going to help him against the very type of enemy units he fears:
CC attacks that ignore armour.

Maugan Ra, the Harvester of Souls and Lord of the Dark Reapers:
Of all the PLs, Maugan Ra can easily be voted the "Most Likely to be Fielded." Not only is he a
cool looking model, he's almost the cheapest PL out and arguably the most useful too. Some of 5th's
changes will hurt him, but he still has enough going for him that he'll still get chosen. Tactically he's
most often deployed as a single unit in a larger gunline. His ability in CC isn't superb, but it's
nothing to sneeze at and makes a nice backbone for the gunline when things get personal.
Wargear: Maugan Ra is unique among the PLs in that his main weapon is actually a divergence
from the standardized weapon kit of the Exarchs. This not only makes him a more interesting
choice to take, but it also changes his targeting criteria away from that of a typical Reaper. I'm okay
with this because not only is this pony Rending, he's Pinning AND hits hard in CC. He's really quite
similar to a beefy Autarch and might well be worth his cost. One thing to consider when shooting:
his attacks have a 13.9% chance of Rending, but a 23.1% chance of dropping a 3+ armour. So don't
bother with Crack Shot and hope for a Rend, you're better off with Fast Shot against most enemies.
Acute Senses: The big upside of this rule is that it is conferrable to any unit he joins. However,
that's really not much when he's off on his own. The average roll does fall close to his maximum
range, so it can be a help if you rolled poorly the first time. The issue I see is that Night Fight only
showed up for a single turn in 1 of every 9 games. Not only was it often forgotten about, but a last-
turn Night Fight often had little effect on the battle's resolution. Now the rule is completely non-
standard and will not be seen in basic battles.

Some closing considerations on picking an NU:

The first thing I'd suggest you ask yourself why exactly you want to use the NU. The reason can be
a love of the model, a the Fluff, or just because you want to. Consider the gameplay and if you
really need that NU. More often than many people think, an NU's special abilities will go unused or
be wasted. A regular commander could have done the same job and left you free points to sink into
another unit. Then, you should check the cost. An NU should comfortably sit around 10% or less of
your army's total value. Anything approaching 15%+ is going overboard and you might want to re-
evaluate your priorities.

Hope this helps and has given you a better insight into the uses of Eldar Named Units.
By Dweomer.

In the original thread and after all these posts there are very good advice and comments about this
topic, if you are looking for advice it will be wise to go and take a look.
REMEMBER: If you copy-paste this compilation or part of it, the writers will be glad if you
mention their work as theirs and not yours.