Understand the use for enhanced Aether Sails

So basically the consensus is that enhanced aether sails will help us rapidly shift key units in raiders (wyches) to get them where we need them to assault/contest/avoid an immediate threat. You could feint too. Deploy with CC units on one side of the board baiting an opponent to think he has to deploy heavily to one side to protect his flanks them rapidly re deploy leaving half of his army ineffective until its back in range; which we won't even let them have. KITE I TELL YOU!

I like sails cuz its place pressure on opponent, he have one turn of shooting before my wyches gona jump for his troat.

Im soo gonna use denied flank...sound fun, butdo we leave ravagers for AT support ore we move them with CC/close-shooty part??

My experience with sails have been rather positive – I do not spam the sails but I usually have 1 to 3 raiders with them and they are usually on raiders that have occupants that do not have fleet. Being mostly a Coven player I have found that the sails worked particularly well with the Grotesque and Wrack units that need to be as close to the enemy as possible if their raider goes down. So my tactics have evolved for at least the Grotesque raider and that is to “flat-out” the raider with Urien, Haemy and Grotesques across the table towards a particular target and then sail it even closer (sometimes just inches away but definitely within a charge range if the raider crashes right there). As suicidal as it sounds I have no reservations doing this no matter who has 1st move. If I have 2nd move then the Grots are put into reserves and when they emerge they will still flat-out and the sails are still going to carry me beyond the midboard and on average to the 31” mark (still deep enough to threaten a gunline if I have to walk).

What happens next is in the Opponents turn he will usually fire at the closest raider (my Grot raider) until it crashes. Now I got a fearless group of T5 units with FnP sitting in 4+ cover. Then what happens is the opponent will try to hurt the unit by shooting everything at it and hopefully get them weakened enough to charge. Most often, when the smoke clears the unit is still in combat readiness and can usually move out of cover, fire dual liquefiers and the casket and charge. I actually have found by sailing closer to the enemy positions is that I have my pick of targets to charge and only once so far has this squad ever been charged instead of having charged but that was my fault and was careless where I sailed them to.

At least that is how the advanced aether sails have worked for me.

Well stating the obvious aether sails are for when you want to move your raider further than it otherwise could.

The question this leads to is what scenarios would you want to do this. I would imagine there is a near infinite number of situation however some obvious ones (some which have already been mentioned) jump to mind.

1) Pushing deeper on turn one.

1i) This can be particularly effective when you have gone first and you opponents deployment doesn't suit you - aether sails increase your ability to reach your target for turn two. Or even to get behind your opponent for turn two assaults or shooting.

1ii) Tricksies like torment grenade launcher to increase the chance of a long fang/devastators unit failing a morale test after shooting and potentially escorting it off the table

1iii) Blocking - with movement of a vehicle or line of sight of lets say devastators

2) Mid game redeployment
i) I would include the refused flank tactic made earlier as under this.

ii) transporting infantry after annihilating first half of an opponent who split their forces on deployment

iii) Remember if your infantry embark or disembark in a turn your vehicle cannot move flat out. Aether sails allows them to move more than 12 inches.

iv) extra entry movement when coming in from reserves

3) For raider only tactics

1) you could use the blocking tactic mentioned above mid game

2) tank shocking

3) challenging objectives

4) and in desperation .... ramming

5) placing a torment grenade launcher in the right place


With aether sails increase a raiders effect on the board hugely. the extended movement gives a lot of possiblities not seen elsewhere. As I said this list is far from exhaustive and repeats many points made before. Hopefully a list makes it clear that there are many uses for aethersails especially when you start looking at other peices of wargear availbe to dark eldar (not just the vehicle).

my 2 cents

Grumpy Kwi wrote:

What happens next is in the Opponents turn he will usually fire at the closest raider (my Grot raider) until it crashes. Now I got a fearless group of T5 units with FnP sitting in 4+ cover.

Unfortunately, if you flat-out a transport and it's brought down (via immobilizing, or being wrecked/exploded), you lose all its occupants. It's in the FAQ for the base rule book, on GW's site.

Foo - I think you'll find that the occupants are only automatically lost if the vehicle is destroyed in your turn. ie- bad ramming result or immobilised when moving flat out. This is not the case if your opponent subsequently shoots it outta de air. Read the faq and rules again. It's a common mistake.

Hmm. You could be correct.

you'll find that the brb refers to turn as a single players movement,shooting and assualt phase. I don't have either the faq or the rule book at hand which is why I didn't qyote it in the first place but from memory I believe that is where people get caught out

Besides all the tactical options it gives you as mentioned in previous posts IMHO one of the biggest selling points is its only a 5 point upgrade!.

If Eldar could buy Star Engines for 1/3 the cost (i.e. they are a 15pt upgrade) you might see a lot more of them; more so if it was combined with the added flexibilty to assualt out of their transports that moved (i.e. open-topped).

and there is many an archon on here that would gladly swap some souls for the durability of eldar vehicles.

I dont want to get into the great debate but the grass is always greener on the other side, as that increase in durability comes at a premium in cost.

Fletch wrote:

I dont want to get into the great debate but the grass is always greener on the other side, as that increase in durability comes at a premium in cost.

Wise words.....but DE got speed in place of durability....and we have live with that.

Another maybe not so obscure use would be to allow emergency pick ups. I cannot find anything in the rules that says you couldn't take a Raider move it cruising speed i.e. 12" then employ your enhanced sails to move an addtional 2D6" (average 7") hopefully reaching your troopers and embarking them onto the transport thus buying them a safehaven if cover isnt available; maybe even setting them up for a quick redeployment /shooting in your following turn.

I can't find anything to the contrary. (anyone know of anything?)

We know..
1. Enhanced Aether Sails (EAS) can be used at any speed.
2. You cannot disembark or shoot if you use your EAS (nothing restricting embarking).
3. You cannot embark or disembark if you move flat out (but your moving cruising)
4. There is no rule that says if you move 12+X" you are considered moving flat out.

This would be another difference with regards to Star Engines as it specifically states you may not embark or disembark in the turn Star Engines are used.

I took a closer look at the whole EAS function and what we figured (members from a rules forum somewhere else) was that it wasn't the rules from the EAS that mattered. What matters is the total distance the raider has moved as it is that total distance that determines if you have moved flat-out or not.

For example: you can move the raider 12" and then sail the extra 2d6" and that would be the same as going flat out as you would have moved more than 12" in the movement phase (and thus you would not be able to embark or disembark and would be getting a cover save for going that distance).

I believe that the design of the sail is nothing more than a chance to move faster than 24" - that's it. I also believe that the way I use it in the explanation above is exactly what it was meant for: to get non-fleet units as close as possible to the enemy in one movement phase (since most of these non-fleet units have FnP and can shrug off the crashing raider anyways).

Grumpy Kwi wrote:

I took a closer look at the whole EAS function and what we figured (members from a rules forum somewhere else) was that it wasn't the rules from the EAS that mattered. What matters is the total distance the raider has moved as it is that total distance that determines if you have moved flat-out or not.

For example: you can move the raider 12" and then sail the extra 2d6" and that would be the same as going flat out as you would have moved more than 12" in the movement phase (and thus you would not be able to embark or disembark and would be getting a cover save for going that distance).

I believe that the design of the sail is nothing more than a chance to move faster than 24" - that's it. I also believe that the way I use it in the explanation above is exactly what it was meant for: to get non-fleet units as close as possible to the enemy in one movement phase (since most of these non-fleet units have FnP and can shrug off the crashing raider anyways).

Thanks for your imput and I thought the same there must be some mention somewhere that the rule is if you ever move a vehicle X+something your final speed would be based on the result I.e. cruising or flat out etc. I couldn't, but I did find something that actually supported the contrary which was the rulebook FAQ. In it was a question regarding the use of roads and the extra 6" of movement at cruising speed (total 18"), the answer being the vehicle is still considered to have moved cruising speed for the purpose of embark/disembark (I.e. troops could @ 18").

So now you have a good foundation for a basis only made stronger by the AES description/rule omitting any reference to prohibiting embarking as it did with disembarking. Leaving the determinig factor to be governed by if you moved flat out or not and not simply by moving X+something.

I didn't want to derail this into a rules debate and was wondering more if there was some specific referenced in the rulebook or an offical faq I may have missed which doesn't seem to be the case atm.

Its still extremely situational (not to mention random i.e. 2d6) but it does add just a bit more utility that could just make one rethink this inexpensive upgrade. If I liked the model more (I will admit the kit is growing on me) I bet I might find a few gracing some of my raiders; definately if we could buy those AES from the ForgeWorld Reaper seperately.

Hmmm, you got a good example there - I just may have to reconsider.

Good counter point!

it's a nice tactic. well spotted - Shall we call it "the fletch" or "fletching"?