Dark Eldar (DE) Strategy Guide 5th

[Rated_lexxx]

Like a BOSS!

Like Tony Danza

[Marshal Augustine]

I am having a lot of fun with my 1850 list. Conceptually has anyone tun a list with the duke/baron and hellions, wyches and jetbikes?

[bigbear bailey]

I've been using 3 talos latley (in all my list, not just webway) and they have done really well for me. Having something that doesn't die in one shot is a huge plus and the haywire blaster makes enemy armor want the throw the anti tank at them rather then my raiders (full of close combat troops coming at them).

I have play tested the Grotesques one game as well now, and they are a pretty cool unit.... not sure if they are competitive yet, but again great at taking wounds!

[Aterignis]

Seeing the poster above, I myself just had my first Coven army game, and yes it is quite refreshing to have stuff that just doesn't blow up in one shot. Also, the Cronos really surprised me (brought two Taloi and a Cronos)--templates are rare in my normal Kabal list so having those two on the Cronos was quite satisfying. I roll so poorly on lances that I'm thinking about taking Pain Engines (well maybe one in place of a Rav) in my normal list now.

edit: Also, this is my milestone first post on Warseer after what seems like ages of lurking. So, hello everyone.

[bigbear bailey]

Nice to have you here!

I have started to run two talos every game (even at 1k) in order to have something they have to shoot at a lot. Sure some games they shoot them with 4 units in one turn and he dies, but that would have been 4 raiders with how I roll cover saves!

[Marshal Augustine]

A talos or chronos is def a good way to soak up some firepower from the other tanks, but you have to make it worth their while with a long range weapon.

[1 ++]

Nice to have you here!

I have started to run two talos every game (even at 1k) in order to have something they have to shoot at a lot. Sure some games they shoot them with 4 units in one turn and he dies, but that would have been 4 raiders with how I roll cover saves!

Yeah, 2 Talos are so crutial at 1K - its basically 6 wounds walking towards the enemy - he has to deal with them......usually you will see that opponent will not move and fire everything T1, then move out of the way T2 to prevent the Talos auto-hitting

[Aterignis]

I have play tested the Grotesques one game as well now, and they are a pretty cool unit.... not sure if they are competitive yet, but again great at taking wounds!

Yeah Bailey, I used them in that game as well--a unit of 5 with Urien and his roids. They are cool (especially with a Talos box of extra bits and the new VC Crypt Horrors), and they're unusually resilient for a DE army. The lack of power weapons is really noticeable, though, especially say if you're fighting a horde of Orks and they make a number of saves while the Nobz are taking out your Grots with a klaw.

[bigbear bailey]

I just used a succubus with them and she gains FnP and throws some much needed power weapon love to the unit

[bigbear bailey]

Updated my entry on Grotesques after a few games. BTW great unit hands down.

The new thing I'd like to bat around here is conforsation about the scourges. I see that they can do a buch of things that are neat, but do they really excell at it compaired to others?

Here's what I mean:

anti infintry=Point for point they are a little more mobile then true born BUT the trueborn can do what they can, even at smaller squads, in order to get the most out of their points.

anti tank= They have blasters, haywires, or heat lances. I almost feel that bikers do all of these better honestly. They can shoot and get back out of harms way.

I was using squads of 5 the other day with 2 shredders (lol yeah I know) and belive it or not they did really well. Low threat makes them not get murdered the turn they come in and the STR 6 blasts do some damage to packed up enemies. The only other thing I can see them doing okay with is the whole deep strike heat lance, but it feels so suicidal!

[Aterignis]

I used two units of 5 Scourges in my Coven army as well--it was the first time I had ever fielded them, and I can say now that I love Haywire Blasters. But all in all, I think they're a pretty versatile unit--even in a five man squad with AT guns they pump out a lot of AI fire (11 shots that can fire at 18" after a jump infantry move--so an effective 30" range) and then reliable tank harassment (if not destruction) when you need it. When they get a pain token, they're pretty tough, as well.

I'm not for sure that they warrant a replacement of Venom Trueborn in a hardcore list, but yes, they're totally viable.

[bigbear bailey]

Anyone ever used shredders at all?

[1 ++]

Anyone ever used shredders at all?

4 Trueborn with 4 Shredders would be the most 1 squad could take - you'd want to hope that your opponent clumps up his guys nice a cozy like.....like a BA DoA Assault squad or Bloodletters for example.

He has to arrange models in concentric circles around 1 model. The small blast should cover/clip the bases of all 10 guys. Then it just comes down to the scatter rolls. The most we are going to scatter off is 8", so aslong as you are at least 8" away, there should be no scattering onto our unit.

However, due to the small blast size, any roll of 7 or over is more often going to miss, and as we know 7 is the avg on 2d6. The St 6 is great (2's to wound vs MEQ), but the AP- isn't so if the scatter centres over a vehicle you are at St 6 but -1 to damage table.....unless you've hit Raiders/Venoms inwhich the d6 result sticks.

Mathammer guys - how could we work this one out - 10 MEQ's under the small blast....compared to 4 Trueborn firing Shardcarbines into the same squad (pts equiv.)

[d6juggernaut]

Anyone ever used shredders at all?

Yeah I use them, I cut off the barrel and stick the blast pistol barrel on to make extra blasters

[razormasticator]

Yeah I use them, I cut off the barrel and stick the blast pistol barrel on to make extra blasters

LOL... yeah me too.

[Nurgling Chieftain]

Mathammer guys - how could we work this one out - 10 MEQ's under the small blast....compared to 4 Trueborn firing Shardcarbines into the same squad (pts equiv.)

The shardcarbines get 12 shots, 8 hits, four wounds, ~1.33 dead. The shredders get 4 shots, about 2 direct hits, so 20 hits, 17 wounds, 5+ dead. So, in an ideal situation, the shredders win hands down. Doesn't say much about their general usefulness...

[bigbear bailey]

Yeah, it's all situational but the one thing I really like about the shredders is the whole risk reward thing of the DE book. I'll take the chances ha ha!

[Ghazbad_Facestompa]

I should be testing some shredderborn as an anti-scarab measure on Monday, so I'll see what I can add about them then.

[FrostByteVA]

I tend to see Scarabs in lines, not in rings. Flamers may be better than small blasts, especially since they ignore the 3+ cover save.

[Marshal Augustine]

Vs scarabs:
Grotesques- Make sure they have a second pain token for Furious charge, or urien for str 6 upgrade.
Razorwing- Those str 6 missiles make dead scarabs fast.
RJB's- cluster caltrops.
Heamies with liquifiers make paste of scarabs as well (bait them with a raider/ravager first to bunch them all up)

They are not that much of a problem... you can also tie them up with any cc unit of ours that has FNP(wyches, to some extent Incubi) If the wyches have WS5 even better! (Incubi already have this but risk loosing their save)

If anything its the wraiths that make me nervous... make sure you aim as many lance shots on them as possible to soften them up.