Warhammer 40,000/10th Edition Tactics/Eldar

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This is the current 10th Edition's Eldar tactics. 9th Edition Tactics are here.


Why Play Craftworld Eldar

Pros

  • Assault weapons are everywhere for your infantry, and with no penalty to shoot after advancing with them, you can advance most of your units without issue.
  • Strands of fate, combined with the detachment rule eldar get make for an incredibly potent combo, carrying your heavier weapons farther than other factions get.

Cons

  • Shuriken weapons lost their AP bump on a critical wound. Kinda hurts your units that could once punch above their weight class but should've been seen coming with Hail of Doom lists from last edition being so popular. At the very least it's now been relegated to a 1CP stratagem (Blade Storm) that can be used on any Ranged weapon.
  • You’re a traditionally psychic faction in an edition where the psychic phase has been removed. This translates into the 18 psychic powers we had in 9th edition largely getting deleted or handed out as core abilities here and there to Psykers. This dramatically reduces each Psyker's flexibility or in some cases (such as the Spiritseer) completely neuters them outside their very specific roles.
  • Defensive statlines are relatively unchanged from the buffs they've been given in the jump from 8th to 9th. It's not saying much when you've still got a T3, 1W, 4+ save across most of your units.
  • As an army that's traditionally relied on MSUs for the past few editions, this is kinda a negative when it comes to attaching characters to squads. A 5-elf blob of the previously mentioned statline isn't hard to chew through for most armies by any stretch.

Faction Rules

  • Strands of Fate: At the start of the game, roll 12d6. If you don't like what you get you can re-roll the entire pool with one less die in it, and you can repeat that if you like, although of course at one die there's no reason not to keep it. You can use any of these dice in place of other rolls for advance rolls, charge rolls, battle-shock tests, hit rolls, wound rolls, damage rolls and saves.
    • Because the number of dice doesn't scale at all, the more units your army has, the more advance/charge/hit rolls you'll tend to have, with a similar concern for hit and wound rolls based on attack volume (damage too, but static damage weapons can mitigate this). Your melee units are more dangerous as one big unit (it will cost you fewer dice to guarantee a charge) and your ranged units are more dangerous with single-shot weapons that hit accurately and very hard (if will cost you fewer dice to hit and wound).
    • Math on re-rolling: the rolls you can use your dice for don't all work the same way and as a result a truly optimal rolling strategy depends on your list and your opponent's list, but the short version is that what makes the most sense given that you need to be able to quickly determine if you're re-rolling or not is counting how many dice you rolled that were 4+. If you roll less than half your pool (don't round; half of 11 is 5.5 and 5 is less than 5.5) as 4+, re-roll. This will give you, on average, 6.78 (slightly more than 6 and 3/4) 4+ dice that will be reasonably likely to help you without worrying too much about too many otherwise-useless 1s or incredibly valuable 6s.
      • As long as you have one Farseer you can potentially change a low roll into an automatic 6 (per turn, so one in your turn and one in your opponent's - a potential of up to 10 over the course of a game), so even if roughly half your rolls are low you can keep them and later turn them into an auto success. These dice count as an unmodified roll, so those 6s will be providing additional rules depending on the weapon being used.
    • There are seemingly no restrictions on how many dice you can use per turn or per unit - each time a die would be rolled it can be substituted as long as it is one of the rolls listed. Spending them defensively is therefore a relatively bad idea, because you are free to dump your entire pool into wiping out your enemy and thereby avoid needing to make defensive rolls in the first place. Spending on them on acquiring more Fate Dice - e.g. by helping your Defenders of Fate units wipe out whatever is contesting their objectives - is a very good idea.
  • Corsairs & Traveling Players: Allows you to add in Harlequins and Anhrathe units to a Dark Eldar army. That said, they can only take up to 25% of the army's total allowance and can't be given any enhancements, nor can any model become the warlord.
  • Ynnari: If you take Yvraine as a warlord, you're now able to field Dark Eldar in your Craftworld army, with the limit being up to 50% the army's total allowance. That said, none of your dark kin can ever take enhancements.
    • There are some keywords barred from joining a Ynnari Army: Anhrathe, Haemonculus Covens, Phoenix Lords, the Avatar of Khaine and the Solitaire.

Detachments

Battle Host

Special Rules

  • Unprecedented Foresight: Your units can re-roll one hit and one wound roll each time it is selected to fight or shoot. Most useful on single-shot weapons, such as a Bright Lance or Fire Prism, or potentially useful on Exarchs, depending on if they are usable this edition; also a strong incentive to go MSU. This is a nice rule that means you are less inclined to use your Fate Dice on smaller actions, and allows you to be more confident in keeping them aside for when you really need them.

Stratagems

  • Bladestorm (1 CP): Sadly gone from standard Shuriken weapons. When a unit shoots, on a hit roll of 6 the AP for those weapons improves by 2. Fortunately this is not locked to Shuriken weapons, and can be used by any Ranged weapon in the army.
    • Potentially very nasty on warp spiders, given they've basically got flamers now and pump out a decent volume of shots
  • Feigned Retreat (1 CP): One unit can shoot and charge after falling back. Expect to use it a lot because these guys need every shot they can make.
  • Fire and Fade (2 CP): One non-Aircraft unit that isn't engaged can immediately make a normal move after shooting. While they can't run into a transport or charge after moving, it's still great for keeping your forces out of an open lane of fire.
  • Matchless Agility (1 CP): When one unit advances, they move a full additional 6" rather than rolling.
  • Phantasm (1 CP): At the end of the enemy's movement phase, one unit can immediately move 7", though this can't be used to enter a transport and can't throw them into melee. It also blocks the unit from performing Heroic Intervention later on. So what is this for? Getting a squad away from incoming charges or shuffling Rangers into position to snipe away; mostly useful for keeping scary melee units out of charge range, so you can get at least another round of shooting into them before they can get to you.
  • Lightning Fast Reactions (1 CP): In your opponent's Shooting phase you can provide a unit with a -1 to be hit buff.

Enhancements

  • Fate's Messenger: Once per turn, after making a hit roll, wound roll, or saving throw, a model in the bearer's unit can treat the result as an unmodified 6. Nice way to make those Fate dice go further.
  • The Phoenix Gem: The first time the bearer is destroyed, roll a D6; on a 2+ it is a success, and at the end of the phase the model returns with full wounds remaining. Pity Epic Heroes can't take enhancements.
  • Reader of the Runes: Psyker only. In your command phase you can re-roll one of the Fate Dice in your pool for free.
  • The Weeping Stone: Every time the bearer's unit destroys an enemy unit, roll a D6 and add it to your Fate pool.

Equipment

Unit Analysis

Characters

  • Autarch: Your most flexible hero and the one most kitted for fighting at any range. Taking one as the warlord gives you 1 CP per turn, which is vital considering how much you'll need them to compensate for your flimsy troops.

<tabs> <tab name="On Foot"> Lets their squad use a stratagem that's already been used, making them the most convenient for extra VP. </tab> <tab name="Skyrunner"> Comes with the basic buffs of M10" and +1 to T/W/OC, but also gives any squad of Windriders he leads the ability to always advance 6" without rolling. </tab> <tab name="Wayleaper"> Well, unfortunately the Warpspider pack and Swooping Hawk wings are now basically the exact same thing, as far as crunch is concerned for this new Autarch. Unlike the standard Autarch, the Wayleaper is a Lone Operative and cannot join any units. Instead, this Autarch grants a 6" bubble of +1 to battle-shock and Leadership checks for your forces, but they're otherwise identical to a footslogging Autarch.

  • While they're unable to join any Swooping Hawks, they do have Lone Operative so the Reaper Launcher has extra use. Anything else requires getting within range for that rule to be ineffective.

</tab> </tabs>

  • Farseer: In an age where many have lost their array of psychic power, the Farseer is one who hasn't suffered quite as severely. Branching Fates lets you make a Fate die you use on one unit within 12" count as a natural 6, which is incredibly useful if you've got some bad rolls - in particular, you can drastically improve the odds of a deep strike charge succeeding, because if either die is a 3, the 6 you generate will make the charge succeed, which means an 88.89% success rate. Has a psychic power that goes off on a 2+ on 1d6 in the Command Phase; in a success, target a friendly faction unit within 12" to be buffed until the start of your next Command Phase.
    • While their combat prowess remains limited, Eldritch Storm being a weapon does give them the ability to handle some crowds, throwing out D6 attacks (which you can't use a fate die to max out, unfortunately) from 24", with decent strength, AP and damage while also having [Blast] (and unlike the majority of psychic weapons, it's not [Hazardous]).
    • The choice between the Singing Spear and Witch Blade is pretty much a choice between the Witch Blade's [Anti-Infantry 2+] making it pretty lethal on unprotected infantry and the Spear's ability to be thrown as a ranged weapon. You're better off with the Spear because you can shoot it and your Storm at the same time, as neither has Pistol and your farseers don't really wanna really be in melee anyway. They won't contribute much with those two attacks anyway. The spear should really be treated as a ranged weapon that you can get lucky with, having a crazy high strength of 9, though falls down to 3 in melee.

<tabs> <tab name="On Foot"> Has Fortune as its psychic power, which provides -1 to be wounded. Put this on a target that's already very hard to wound - the ideal case is when you take enemy guns from 5+ to wound to 6+. Probably best to keep them away from the front lines, as they are kind of bad in combat, and use them as a support unit for your big guns - that -1 to the wound roll is going to be far more useful keeping your tanks alive (it has a bigger impact on a gun that needs 5s to wound than one that needs 2s) than it is wasting it on Guardians, who should be sat back on your objectives farming Fate Dice anyway. </tab> <tab name="Skyrunner"> Has Guide as its psychic power, which provides re-rolling hit rolls. Put this on a target that really likes hitting critically, so Lethal Hits and/or Sustained Hits X. Alongside the expected bump in speed and Twin Shuriken Catapult, the bike also adds +1 to Wounds, Toughness, and even Objective control. A bit of a surprise to see them do this much for a hero. Has Leader set to warlock skyrunner conclave and windriders. </tab> </tabs>

  • Spiritseer: If you're not bringing any Wraithguard, Wraithblades, or a Wraithlord, you can leave this guy on the shelf. If you are bringing any of the above and aren't bringing a Spiritseer, you should probably get your head checked. With all standard Wraith units dropping to a WS/BS 4+ profile on all their weapons, a Spiritseer is all but mandatory to effectively return them up to a more reliable 3+ WS/BS. Additionally, he also grants his accompanying unit Lethal Hits to get even more bang out of your proverbial buck (and these being Wraith units... you are admittedly going to be spending a pretty point to field them). The last and most important detail is that once per command phase, if the Bodyguard unit the Spiritseer is accompanying has lost any models, he can resurrect one of those models. Considering how tough Wraithguard/blades are (and expensive), this is an immensely valuable perk for keeping that unit on the field. Unfortunately, that is the literal extent of a Spiritseer's usefulness. With no other psychic powers (offensive or defensive) and only a mere Shuriken Pistol and Witch Staff to his name, there's pretty much nothing this guy can do outside of his relevant bodyguard unit.
  • Warlock: As expected, they're pretty much a weaker Farseer, having their WS set to 3+ (with BS3+ just like a Farseer) and only W2.
    • While their weapons choice is similar to the Farseer, they have Destructor as their designated psychic weapon. This is essentially a psychic heavy flamer but slightly better with S5 AP-1 Torrent so they don't need to roll to hit anything and can help ward off most things.
    • On Foot: On his own, not great, but not terrible. His choice of powers are restricted to Quicken (only useful if he's accompanying a group of Storm Guardians, which is suicide) or Restrain. On a Guardian Defender team holding an objective, Restrain is a very valuable perk that potentially prevent a melee strike squad from diving onto your very squishy and otherwise helpless Guardians.
    • Skyrunner: Adds the same buffs it does to a Farseer; a bump in speed, Twin Shuriken Catapults, +1 to Wounds, Toughness, and Objective control. Their leader ability is the Runes of Battle, which gives them the old Conceal/Reveal power during the Command phase. The former gives their attached unit Stealth for a bit of protection, the latter gives the unit's guns Ignores Cover.

Harlequins

  • Death Jester:
  • Shadowseer:
  • Troupe Leader:

Epic Heroes

  • Avatar of Khaine: M10 T12 2+/4++ W14 LD6+ OC5 and the ability to halve the damage of every attack it takes (this will stack with Fortune for that -1 to wound); the Avatar looks pretty damn solid.
    • It has deadly demise D3, Strands of Fate, and has a 6" aura that adds 1 to advance and charge rolls.
    • Shooting: 12" A1 BS2+ S16 AP-4 Dd6+2 with Sustained hits D3 - pretty damned solid.
    • Melee: either an A6 S14 AP-4 Dd6+2 or A12 S7 AP-2 D2 attack profile - putting it in a similar category with Guilliman for damage output.
  • Eldrad Ulthran: Leader of guardian defenders, storm guardians, and warlock conclaves, but doesn't provide any benefits to his led unit. Instead, he gives you 3 additional Fate dice when you start rolling them (so an initial pool of 15) and his psychic 2+ power, Doom, is a debuff on a visible enemy unit within 18", giving friendly aeldari +1 to Wound the debuffed target. The easiest rule to synergise this with is Precision: slap this on a led unit and shoot it up with Rangers to notice immediate results.
    • M7 T4 SV6+/4++ W5
    • Has an ok melee of A3 WS2+ S5(Anti-infantry 2+) AP-1 D2.
    • Mind War is 18" A1 BS2+ S5(Anti-character 4+,Precision) AP-2 Dd6.
    • Less the psychic powerhouse he once was, Eldrad is now a supportive unit that wants to get fairly close to the enemy. If you want him to try to pull his weight, he needs to be Dooming big targets and you need to be taking advantage of that, so you'll need to give him an escort so he can sit in the middle of No Man's Land as long as possible to do his thing.
    • He isn’t really better than a regular Farseer, more of a side-grade; take a Skyrunner instead.
    • A pretty big issue with Mind War is that it’s very short range, requiring Eldrad to be within 18 of an enemy unit, and the Anti-character 4+ is only relevant against targets of T6+, all of which will have greater than 6 wounds. Note that because Doom never stacks with Anti-, the only character targets where Doom will assist Mind War are T4 or T5.
  • Illic Nightspear:
  • Prince Yriel:
  • Solitaire:
  • The Visarch:
  • The Yncarne:
  • Yvraine:
Phoenix Lords

Each Phoenix Lord is able to only join their chosen students, giving the squad a +1 to hit, which means you're looking for units that roll to hit but don't care about critting when fielding one. Going down a wound and now only being T3, along with losing their Aura abilities means that they can now only effect a single Unit for the entire game and are very squishy; they are less Epic Heroes and Demigods of war, and more just fancy lieutenants who will only be of benefit to that single, very easily killed, unit (guess that second unit of Dire Avengers just couldn't care less that their founder is fighting on the same battlefield). Their worth is entirely dependent on whether you want that particular, single, Aspect unit in your army. Their actual point efficiently will have to include the points cost of the character and the points cost of the Unit combined - if the character or unit is too over-costed, it could make the points investment a bit off-putting. Overall, they can barely put a scratch on things like Greater Demons or Primarchs, kind of sad how weak they are individually.

    • just model another Exarch, use it to represent the Phoenix Lord so you get the rules, but treat it as if it’s just the Exarch of that Aspect Shrine (not the Phoenix a lord themselves) and the other is just their top student- at least that would take the bitter taste away.
  • For all of the Phoenix Lords below, remember, you want to avoid wasting their +1 to hit buff on Lethal Hits, Sustained Hits X, Torrent, or Heavy (although this last is easily done by never Remaining Stationary).
    • Keep in mind that they'll also negate any -1 to hits on enemy units too. But still, not the best use for them to just overcome something like that.
  • Asurmen: The Bloody Twins got a surprising buff of becoming Pistol weapons, letting him offload the rain of shards while in combat. The Sword of the Asur remains pretty Strong with 6 S6 AP-3 D3 attacks with Devastating Wounds. Uniquely, he gives the Avengers he joins the ability to use the Fire Overwatch stratagem for free once per turn, even if you'd already used hit beforehand. Combined with their improved overwatch BS, you're going to have quite the strongpoint set up with him in charge. Thankfully he retained his 3++, so he's at least a bit survivable.
  • Baharroth:
  • Fuegan:
  • Irilyth: As the Shadow Spectres were a fully Forge World concept, it's uncertain whether Irilyth and the Shadow Spectres will end up in the codex or be relegated to the Legends dustbin. Given what forgeworld stuff is getting axed for a number of factions already, it's doubtful these guys will be any time soon.
  • Jain Zar:
  • Karandras: A decent melee character with Ahra's Bane giving an extra point in AP in melee compared to the basic claw while its gun has a bump in Strength. Isirmathil, meanwhile, is a bit stronger when compared to the average chainsword with S6 AP-1, but it lacks the damage of the big sword. He has Sustained Assault, which lets him score critical hits on a 4+ (making the Sustained Hits 1 on his weapons all the more relevant- bringing him back up to how he used to be in 9th) when he charges while his special mandiblasters can work on anything that isn't Titanic. Shame he can only join a Striking Scorpion unit, as they're kind of in a bit of a no-man's land when it comes to what they are actually good against; decent mid tier character, let down by the unit he has to join.
  • Maugan Ra:

Battleline

  • Corsair Voidreavers:
  • Guardian Defenders: Shuriken weapons lost their universal AP bump on a critical hit, which severely limits their effectiveness against more armored foes. Catapults remain reliable Assault weapons, so they can at least still be fired on the move. Their mobility is just as vital too, as they can cap objectives so you can roll 1d6 to add to your Strands of Fate pool, which is easily their best use.
    • This revamp of Strength and Toughness also affects your weapon platform's uses as well. While the Scatter Laser remains a reliable horde weapon, the Shuriken Cannon now gets Sustained Hits 1 so it can more easily handle armored troops. The Starcannon is now relegated to mostly targeting small monsters at S8 AP-3 D2, with the Bright Lance going anti-tank with A1 BS3+ S12 AP-3 Dd6+2 and the Missile Launcher giving you the ability to do either at reduced effectiveness. Until Eldar get more detachments, always take a Bright Lance, and never spend Fate Dice on its accuracy or wounding, just rely on your detachment re-rolls; if your target fails its save, burn a Fate Die on the damage roll.
    • Stick some eldar support weapon units or War-walkers in front, and fortify your position. Use these units to babysit your Fate Farms, then when you can move forward to claim another objective, leave the minimum sized unit of Guardian’s behind on the previous objective, and move up the board with another small unit of Guardian’s to set up another Fate Farm.
  • Storm Guardians: While they're primarily made for fighting in melee (believe it or not, those butter knives they're waving about aren't just for decoration), they're not exactly great at it. 2 attacks each at S3 and no AP means that the only things that'll feel even a little threatened by your Storm Guardians are... other Storm Guardians and maybe the Guardsmen they were able to tickle to death. Space Marines or similarly tough foes will probably manage to stifle the odd laugh before backhanding half the squad off the board with an involuntary twitch. Fortunately, a 4+ save and 5++ invuln (with the Serpent Shield) means that small arms fire isn't necessarily an immediate death sentence for your Storm Guardians and their ability to pack in two special guns (flamers or fusion guns) gives them a surprising amount of ranged bite that can soften up a key target for a more specialized unit to deal with. The major selling point for these guys, besides filling the mandatory Battleline tax, is their ability to cap a point and keep it capped. Yes, you can rush in your Storm Guardians to an uncapped point or one you just secured then, after the start of your following turn, leave it completely undefended and it will still count as a point you control. This will remain in effect until an opponent manages to secure it. If you're able to set up a defensive perimeter and don't need to worry about Deep-strikers or flyers infiltrating your back lines, this can really free up your forces to push forward into enemy territory or focus on other, more pressing matters.

Infantry

  • Rangers: M7 T3 SV5+/5++ (against ranged attacks) and W1 with Stealth and Infiltrators.
    • They have Path of the Outcast, which allows them to move d6" when an enemy unit moves within 9" of them once per turn, making them pretty solid initial objective cappers or harriers.
    • Their Ranger rifles have the Heavy and Precision rules and can make a single R36 BS3+ S4 AP-1 D2 shot.
    • In general, you should expect to take exactly one unit with Illic Nightspear attached, as he makes the unit more durable and killier at the same time.
  • Wraithblades: Angry statues that are experts at carving up (heavy) infantry and just forming an immovable wall of wraithbone. With the same defensive profile as Wraithguard, Wraithblades are tough as hell to crack through without serious firepower. This can be made even more daunting with the Ghostaxe/Forceshield combo conferring a hefty 4++ invuln against any/all attacks. The best part is, even if something manages to punch through that tough statue in melee, they have a 50% chance of staying on their feet long enough to get a retaliatory burst of melee attacks against their attacker before getting taken off the board. You can then laugh in your opponents face as your Spiritseer resurrects the deceased Wraithblade in your next command phase.
    • The Ghostswords are not really the best choice for your Wraithguard. Sure, you get 5 attacks to the 3 a Ghostaxe would grant you, but the Ghostaxe hits slightly harder and deals a flat 2 damage per swing. Additionally, the 4++ invuln save the Forceshield gives you is really hard to say no to. You'll likely only ever want the Ghostswords if you're dealing with a GEQ-heavy army and even then, you'll probably prefer using more affordable Banshees, Scorpions or regular Guardian Defenders to clean up the chaff.
  • Wraithguard: As to be expected from Wraith units, Wraithguard return to the new edition tougher than ever: T7 with a 2+ save and 3 wounds apiece lets these guys wade through small arms fire without a care in the world. Indeed, even a bump up to a movement of 6" grants Wraithguard just a smidge more pep to their step compared to prior editions. Offensively, they still hit really damn hard with their S10 D-Scythes or S14(!) Wraithcannons eviscerating anything on two legs. They can even, once per battle round, retaliate against any attacks (melee or ranged) by firing off a volley against their assailants. Yes, they can fire their weapons at point blank range if their foes were trying to hit them with a stick. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of their native accuracy; all Wraithguard weapon profiles have degraded to a BS of a 4+ now. This all but mandates that you bring a Spiritseer and put him in the squad to restore their accuracy to a more reliable 3+. This is recommended anyways due to the Spiritseer being able to resurrect a Wraithguard/blade model once per turn.

Aspect Warriors

Aspect Warriors are very tuned down this edition, having lost their ability to choose an Exarch power - and Exarchs are once again reduced to just having +1W and potentially distinct (and therefore better or worse) wargear/weapons. Many of theses units are going to struggle to find a place in a list, as there are other units available that make them somewhat redundant. Foot-slogging Eldar lists are going to be rather unoptimized - why put unnecessary points in a unit of Dire Avengers when you can invest them in a unit of Wind Riders that have much better movement and put out more offensive damage? Yes, they get slightly buffed Overwatch, but Wind Riders can hit from a greater distance and then get out of there entirely.

  • Howling Banshees: Well, Banshees took a bit of a fall from grace - not only do they only have three S4 AP-3 swings per model but they also lost the ability to ignore Overwatch with their masks. Instead, Banshees have the Fights First ability, a fairly brisk 8" move and the ability to charge after advancing or falling back. Still, Howling Banshees are definitely your go-to melee troopers when you're looking to deal with armored infantry; a 4++ save while in melee can make them surprisingly survivable (for Eldar) and their consistent AP-3 weapons mean that even MEQ units can't exactly brush them off. Unfortunately, the loss of supporting Psychic powers such as Empower and Doom (unless Eldrad is nearby) means that Howling Banshees will struggle to do anything of note to TEQs or T5+ units. Still a decent, if highly niche, choice.
    • The Exarch's Executioner is the only weapon that makes you more dangerous against TEQs, but that still suffers the pitfall of no [Devastating Wounds] to make them worth it. Still, it is the best anti-MEQ weapon you can get your Banshee Exarch. If you're facing mono-wound foes or hordes, the Mirrorswords with their 6 attacks at AP-3 will be your best friend.
    • decent against chaff units, but fall flat against anything half capable in melee.
  • Dark Reapers: Heavy Weapons Elves, with a 3+ BS that can never be changed. Each model's Reaper Launcher gives them a choice between one shot made to dent small monsters, bikers or TEQs and two shots more meant for hitting MEQ or GEQ, both able to get past cover natively. The Exarch can pick up alternative weapons, with a missile launcher that gives both stronger anti-tank fire and genuine crowd control, a Shuriken Cannon that can give loads of fire thanks to [Sustained Hits 1], and the Tempest Launcher, your only gun that gets bothered by cover but gives extreme mob-blasting power. While the squad can now once again be bumped up between 5-10 models, the overall buff to vehicle/monster toughness means that Dark Reapers will now struggle to realistically deal with heavy armor.
    • unless they have had a drastic points drop, they simply don’t have the damage output to justify their current high cost.
  • Dire Avengers: Their Shuriken Catapults retain that single extra shot compared to the guardians, but they also gain [Lethal Hits] so they can capitalize on crits by negating enemy Toughness - shame they still have to deal with armour, though. Defense Tactics helps them hit on a 5+ when firing Overwatch, but this improves to an even better 4+ when they're camping on an objective. Note the lack of synergy here: Lethal Hits only goes off on a 6+ to hit regardless of Defense Tactics (and a similar issue comes up when you try to buff them with Asurmen).
    • The choice between the Exarch taking a Diresword or Power Glaive really hinges upon whether you need the glaive's S5 over how likely you are at triggering the Diresword's [Devastating Wounds]. Of course, you can still dual-wield catapults for maximum firepower.
    • Overall they are not really that noticeably better than Guardian Defenders (who get to take heavy weapons, hold objectives with OC2 and are a source of Fate Dice), so probably not really much incentive to take them instead of one of the other options available.
    • They also suffer quite noticeably compared to Warp Spiders, who occupy the same niche Dire Avengers try to occupy with their buffed Overwatch. Against MEQ, for example, even on 4+ Overwatch Warp Spiders deal nearly double (35/18) as much damage as Dire Avengers. Since Warp Spiders also have superior M and Sv, it's questionable what purpose Dire Avengers could serve in your army.
  • Striking Scorpions: Rather than fishing for a couple mortal wounds on top of everything else, the Mandiblasters now give [Devastating Wounds] to all melee attacks against non-monsters/vehicles - a much needed damage buff as their 4 ST4 AP0 chainsword attacks aren't cutting through any armour anymore (and will struggle to deal with Orks, or anything that has low save, high toughness, which is what should be their specialty), even if they get a bunch of attacks with [Sustained Hits 1].
    • The Exarch can of course grab the claw instead of a pistol - the mounted pistol not only gets an extra shot on a pistol but also getting an equivalent to a power fist. Instead, you could trade everything for the Biting Blade if you're that dedicated to going down swinging in melee with S5 AP-1 D2.
    • This unit is struggling to find what its actually good at - what target do they actually do well against? Its not armoured infantry, its not tough infantry, and its certainly not vehicles. They have about the same damage output as the Hounds of Morkai, but lack any sniping potential and have less then half the durability.
  • Swooping Hawks: Your flyboys are not only very fast, but they can always fly back into reserves so long as they aren't in any fights - Not that you'd want them to anyways, their armament is their Lasblasters, decent guns at S4 with [Lethal Hits] and [Assault], but not cut out for any armor. With this in mind, these hawks are only good for harassment, jumping in to piss someone off and then flying back away from enemy retribution.
  • Warp Spiders: The warp packs are now fully turned into a Fly keyword, though that doesn't really affect the mobility of the Spiders much. It does, however, change Flickerjump into now giving a flat boost in movement to 24" (over a default of 12") with a 1/6 chance of suffering a mortal wound on the unit. While they can't charge after making the jump, you don't really want to anyway since only the Exarch can take Powerblades and get any sort of AP in a fight. Instead, you're more inclined to use the Death Spinners, S4 AP0 webbers ([Devastating Wounds] rather than ignoring cover) so you can cheese out armour. They don't deal a lot of damage, and will struggle to wound most things, unless you get lucky and roll a few 6s - mostly usable as a harassment unit, because you can get them anywhere they need to be (e.g. to pick up Plunging Fire) to both shoot the enemy and be in position for Overwatch. To give you a sense of how their guns work, each one will, on average, deal 35/36 of a wound to MEQ; since a typical unit of 5 Spiders will have 6 guns in it, a full unit firing will, on average, kill 2 MEQ and leave a third wounded. Their optimal targets are invuln-based, so their lack of AP won't matter but their Devastating Wounds still has a chance to be on full display - e.g. they'll jump in utility against a Chaos Daemons army.

Mounted

  • Shining Spears: Your fast strike-bikers, Shining Spears are designed with the charge in mind. This is something they are... decent at. A solid move of 14" and Fly will get them to an optimal charging position pretty reliably. Once they're in position, a savvy player can let loose a respectable S6 AP-2 D2 salvo into the faces of the MEQs these guys are built to deal with before slamming them with their Laser Lances. Unfortunately, outside of the actual charge, where they get to add 1 to their wound rolls, these guys are lackluster in a prolonged fight. S4 isn't really a good position to deal with Marines or similar units, even if each successful wound does kill a Marine. Unfortunately, a unit that relies on charging and falling back on a unit that can't natively fall back and charge is not ideal. This is made worse by the lack of any and all support they can get from Leaders and the fact that charging units now fight after the defending unit. Though a T4, 2W a 3+ save, 5++ invuln and a -1 to hit helps cover these guys, it's still not the greatest defensive statline. All in all, though these guys are your premier melee bikers, you should probably only ever invest in one single squad to chase down key infantry squads.
  • Shroud Runners: Mounted Rangers that can initiate a pre-game 9" Scout move and put out a lot of anti-GEQ firepower courtesy of their Scatterlasers. Unlike regular Rangers, the Ranger Rifle on the bike doesn't have the Heavy property, so it'll be less accurate compared to said Rangers if you're looking for leader deterrent. One of the main reasons you'll want to consider this unit is their Target Acquisition ability. This lets the Shroud Runners pick a visible enemy unit within 12" of them and grants all ranged weapons targeting that unit the Lethal Hits property. This is one of the relatively few perks that can just blatantly benefit your entire army, in an edition where psychic support is all but a distant memory. Certainly worth considering even just a single squad.
  • Skyweavers: A hybrid biker unit that can be tailored to harass units at range or close in for combat. Compared to Shining Spears, Skyweavers can put out a higher volume of attacks in melee, though with pidly S3 and no AP on their standard Close Combat weapon attacks, they're not putting down anything heartier than a Guardsman. If you give up the Star bolas for a Zephyrglaive, they gain a more reliable S5 AP-1 D2 weapon that can put down Space Marines with a modicum of reliability. Either way you slice it, you can equip each bike with either the standard Shuriken Cannon for anti-infantry or the Skyweaver haywire cannon to give it a lethal edge against other vehicles.
    • A more direct comparison to Shining Spears; Shining Spears are slightly more durable due to their -1 to hit modifier and are more durable against AP0 weapons due to their higher standard save. Skyweavers are much more flexible, are superior at range and have the potential to put out Mortal Wounds against non-Monster/Vehicle units simply by passing over them. On the charge, Shining Spears are better at cutting down GEQ or MEQ units.
  • Windriders: M14 T4 SV3+ W2 Ld6+ OC2 and access to multiple leaders - you know them, you love them, Windriders are still a great option for any Eldar army. They have 3 weapon choices, but you're always going to take Shuriken Cannon spam since you have easy access to re-rolling hit rolls: R24 A3 BS3+(Sustained Hits 1) S6 AP-1 D2.
    • Swift Demise: Each time you make a ranged attack you can re-roll a hit roll of 1, but if the enemy unit targeted is within range of an objective controlled by the opponent, then you can just straight-up re-roll the Hit roll.
    • Can be led by: Autarch Skyrunner (advance 6" without rolling), Farseer Skyrunner (no unit buffs per se, but the Farseer can always target their own unit with either or both of their buffs; one forces a Fate Die to be a 6 and the other enables re-rolling Hit Rolls), or what's going to be your go-to, Warlock Skyrunner (every time it's your Command Phase, choose Ignores Cover or Stealth).
    • These guys are going to be great at clearing enemy held objectives - add in a Vyper to get rid of any pesky cover save, and they will do the job very well.
    • They should be able to take full advantage of Plunging Fire, which will improve the AP of their attacks.

Monsters

All of your non-Epic-Hero Monsters are wraith constructs and walkers (even though being a Walker is supposed to be a Vehicle-only rule interacting with the Heroic Intervention stratagem).

  • Wraithlord:

Titanic

  • Wraithknight:

Vehicles

  • Support Weapons: M3 T6 SV4+ W5, these are going to be defending your deployment zone fate farms from anyone thinking of getting too close. They have a maximum unit size of 1, so take 3 in every list you make.
    • They have the Artillery Barrage rule, and so will be handing out -1 to hit debuffing effects on enemy non-monster/vehicle units that they fire at.
    • They get a selection of either Vibro Cannons, Shadow Weavers, or D-cannons; each offers a decent amount of firepower dependent on what the actual points cost is going to be, but thanks to your detachment rule, you're going to stick to D-cannons: 24"(Indirect Fire) Ad3(Blast) BS3+(Heavy) S16 AP-4(Devastating Wounds) Dd6+2.

Fly

  • Falcon: This can transport 6 non-jump pack aeldari infantry, with wraith constructs counting as 2 models each. That means you can't carry any wraith units at all when the game begins, as none will fit. Because of their Fire Support rule, you want the models inside to have Devastating Wounds on their guns. While 3 Wraithguard would be completely acceptable contents, this means the best possible contents out the gate are 3 Death Jesters (who can't lead a unit) and 3 Autarchs with Death Spinners (who don't really buff their led unit anyway); Maugan Ra, Illic Nightspear, and Yvraine would all benefit mightily, but they're all also meaningfully buffing leaders.
    • Fire Support: If you fire into an enemy unit then until the end of the turn, any friendly models that have disembarked that turn can re-roll the wound roll each time they make an attack against that targeted unit until the end of the turn.
  • Fire Prism: At M14 T9 Sv3+ W12, the Prism is about as survivable as a Marine Land Speeder; not bad, but you're going to have to be careful with how you play them. T9 is very fragile by 10e "tank" standards, and you should regard these as glass cannons.
    • It has a dispersed Pulse and a Focused Lance profile on its gun, both at 60" (but the latter has more range in practice) BS3+. This model also re-rolls 1 hit roll and 1 wound roll each time it shoots, so with your detachment providing a second one of each, you should never need to burn Fate Dice on its offense. This thing is now your best anti-vehicle/monster unit; Focused Lance fire is all but impossible to mitigate without an invuln save and the flat 6 damage per successful wound will do wonders against key targets.
      • Dispersed Pulse: A2d6 S6 DP-1 D2.
      • Focused Lance: A2 S18 AP-4 D6, Linked Fire: you can determine range and visibility from any fire prism this model can see.
        • You can have a bit of fun here, as you could have two or three Prisms out of range of the enemy, then get a Farseer to give one of them the -1 to be wounded bonus (even something with S18+ is going to be wounding it on a 3+), send that one forward, so that it’s in range of something you want gone, use Linked Fire to fire all six Focused attacks at the enemy unit, re-rolling all 6 of your hit and wound rolls, as each model is attacking individually. If the point model starts taking heavy fire despite the buff, burn Fate Dice on its saves. You could also use Fire and Fade to zip forward, unleash hell, then immediately move back to safety. If it’s taken a beating, then send it back, bless one of the other fresh Prisms, send it forward and rinse and repeat.
  • Night Spinner: You take one of these for its giant fuck-off gun: R48(Indirect Fire) Ad6+3(Blast) BS3+ S7(Twin-Linked) AP0(Devastating Wounds) D2. Points cost will make or break this model, as its gun is fundamentally worse than a Support Weapon D-Cannon.
  • Voidweaver:
  • Vypers: M14 T6 SV3+ W6 - as long as they remain cheap and cheerful they will still hold a place in an Eldar army list.
    • They have the Deadly Demise 1, Strands of Fate, and Harassment Fire, which removes the benefit of cover from an enemy unit.
    • As long as they remain fairly cheap they will provide a nimble weapon platform, that can help support your other units dig out entrenched enemy units. Probably good alongside units of Wind Riders who can take advantage of that cover nerf.
Dedicated Transports
  • Starweaver:
  • Wave Serpent: The ever-reliable transport (carries 12 models without Jump Pack, Wraith Construct models count as 2) got a minor bump in Toughness (M14 T9 Sv3+/5++ W13) to withstand meltaguns but it'll remain just as exposed to any lascannons with only a 5++ save protecting them. While it lost the ability to ignore certain rolls to wound, the shield regained its ability to be used as a one-time weapon, making an enemy unit within 12" eat d3 mortal wounds and take a battleshock test to potentially pin them down for its troops.
    • For weapon choices, everything is twin-linked so you won't be using your Detachment ability to re-roll wounds unless you swap the twin shuriken catapult for a shuriken cannon, but you'll basically always be reaching for the Twin Starcannon: 36" A4 BS3+ S8(Twin-Linked) AP-3 D2. The Twin Bright Lance trades number of attacks for damage and strength, which normally you'd be all about, but the built-in Twin Linking means the bump in S is deceptive, and it has to consume Fate Dice to keep its total damage out on par with the Starcannon.
    • That said, don't lose track of the fact that you took this model as a transport, not a weapon platform.
Aircraft
  • Crimson Hunter:
  • Hemlock Wraithfighter:

Walker

Walkers can't use the Tank Shock stratagem.

  • War Walkers: M10 T7 SV3+/4++ W6 - War walkers are back on the menu.
    • They come with Scout 9, Strands of Fate, and their Power Fields give them a -1 to be wounded defensive buff; this should keep them around long enough to make an impact on the game.
    • Depending on their cost, these things are going to be the kings of the Eldar midfield, offering up a decent amount of mobile fire support for the rest of your army.
Titanic
  • Phantom Titan: A zippy but relatively durable titan at T14 and W55, but it's only got a 2+ save with the 5++ only working against any guns. It can walk over most things like anything short of other titans and tall terrain and can shoot and charge after falling back, giving it an exceptional amount of mobility, but it is CP hungry as any stratagems used on it require triple the cost.

Unit Tier List

Note: the grouping will likely change once the points for each unit is revealed. Given the overall (relative)fragile nature of many units, and the fairly small model count on the table, each unit will need to pull its weight and redeem its points cost, as you can’t really afford to waste points on a unit that isn’t going to perform.

Units and Characters
S Farseer Skyrunner, Fire Prism, Autarch with wings These Units should be considered an auto-include
A Farseer, Windriders (with optional Warlock Skyrunner), Support Weapons, War Walkers, Avatar of Khaine, Eldrad Ulthran, Illic Nightspear(+Rangers), Spirit Seer(+Wraith Unit), Autarch Skyrunner, Fuegan(+Fire Dragons), Warlock Skyrunner, Wraithknight, Yncarne These units are strong, and will be of benefit to the army
B Guardian Defenders, Warp Spiders, Fire Dragons, Wraithguard, Vypers, Wave Serpent, Asurmen(+Dire Avengers), Karandras(+Striking Scorpions), Baharroth(+Swooping Hawks), Autarch, Warlock, Wraithlord, Wraithblades, Shroud Runners, Falcon, Night Spinner, Yvraine, Visarch, Death Jester, Solitaire, Warlock Conclave Generally solid and dependable unit
C Striking Scorpions, Rangers, Dire Avengers, Swooping Hawks, Prince Yriel, Maugan Ra(+Dark Reapers), Jain Zar(+Howling Banshee’s), Voidreavers, Voidscarred, Shinning Spears, Crimson Hunter, Hemlock, Skyweaver, Starweaver, Voidweaver Ok but somewhat subpar, and can be left out quite easily
D Dark Reapers, Howling Banshee’s, Harlequin troupes, Troupe Master, Shadowseer Pretty bad, and overall skippable
E Storm Guardians, Webway Gate Borderline useless, and should be left on the shelf
😂 Phantom Titan nothing to do with unit performance, but never going to see on the table regardless.


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