Newbie needs shopping/list building advice

Hi all,

this thread is not about a specific list but rather about possible list builds for Dark Eldar (I don't like the term Drukhari).

With that out of the way, here's some short explanation. I'm currently building my new Dark Eldar army, so far I have 10 Kablites, 2 Archons, 1 Venom, 1 Razorwing. As my resources in money and time to build/paint are sadly finite, I cannot buy an excess of everything and try everything out, until I get the right ideas. I have little gaming experience with WH40K (a few games with my Primaris Dark Angels, so far pretty poorly). At my local store we normally run 1,500 points, sometimes less, sometimes more, but games with over 2,000 points tend to be special events. At the moment I feel a little lost as to what I should buy next. I intend to run a shooty army, so Kabal. My intended core are 3 troops of Kabalites, but right here the problems start: 3 x 10 with 2 Blasters and SC in Raiders eat points up pretty fast, so I have less bodies/units to grab objectives, with 5-man troops in Venoms I have less firepower, especially against SM, Knights and the like.

So my question is: in which general direction could I go to get a playable army fast. My latest idea is battalion + air wing (I own a Razorwing and want to include it in my list). But that is even less units for objective-grabbing. What are good and advisable buys for a newcomer to Dark Eldar ? Stay with 3 x 10 Kabalites in Raiders (more points/$ compared to Venoms)? Get Ravagers and run only one flyer first?

Thanks in advance

If you want to try lists out before you buy, I'd consider Tabletop Simulator. There are several communities out there built around it. I use it for practice games and trying list changes, it's great.

Actually, running 5 man squads in Venoms, you wind up with more (effective) firepower. Venoms don't degrade from damage, and you should always be taking the splinter cannon upgrade.

Since you want to run a shooty kabal, I would aim for getting some more Venoms (don't be afraid to go second hand!) and Kabalites. Run them as 5 man units with a Blaster inside that Venom. You'll also want Ravagers, but if you're the artistic type you can probably convert them from Raiders.

Flyers are good, but a dedicated Air Wing at 1500 points is a little overkill in my opinion.

If your intention is getting on the table quickly, get the Start Collecting box again, and/or the Skysplinter box. Raiders are fine, though not necessarily the competitive choice for shooty Kabal, so they'll do for now. When running Raiders, don't be afraid to run two squads of 5 inside that Raider so that you have more flexibility.

Long term, look to pick up some Venoms second hand on eBay or the dakka swap shop, as well as /r/miniswap. Trade at your own risk though.

Thanks a lot for this advice. It helped me quite a lot. I shun Ebay, as I have the possibility to buy a lot of modells via cheaper online retailers here in Germany (10-20% off).

Going from your advice I have some more specific questions, that concern further buys. Do I need dedicated CC units? Like Mandrakes (via modified Namarti Thralls) or Incubi? Or is it sufficient to go for more 5-warrior troops of Kabalites (Flayed Skull or Obsidian Rose for the extra 6" on those Blasters) and a Spearhead with Ravagers and a Razorwing (Black Heart for Inured to Suffering) and leave CC to one or two Archons with maybe some Sslyth and Lhamean (15 points to soak up 1's if the Venom gets shot down)?

So you  have around 500pts now. And €121,- spend. (Prices from dutch gw site) . What if you build towards an 750 pts armylist? Buying 3x venoms and 1x box of kabalite warriors? (€98,-)

So you get something like this:


++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Aeldari - Drukhari) [40 PL, 737pts] ++

+ HQ +

Archon [4 PL, 72pts]: Splinter pistol, Venom Blade

Archon [4 PL, 72pts]: Splinter pistol, Venom Blade, Warlord (Archon)

+ Troops +

Kabalite Warriors [2 PL, 47pts]
. 3x Kabalite Warrior
. Kabalite Warrior with special weapon: Blaster
. Sybarite: Splinter Rifle

Kabalite Warriors [2 PL, 47pts]
. 3x Kabalite Warrior
. Kabalite Warrior with special weapon: Blaster
. Sybarite: Splinter Rifle

Kabalite Warriors [2 PL, 47pts]
. 3x Kabalite Warrior
. Kabalite Warrior with special weapon: Blaster
. Sybarite: Splinter Rifle

Kabalite Warriors [2 PL, 47pts]
. 3x Kabalite Warrior
. Kabalite Warrior with special weapon: Blaster
. Sybarite: Splinter Rifle

+ Flyer +

Razorwing Jetfighter [8 PL, 145pts]: Splinter Cannon
. 2 Disintegrator Cannons: 2x Disintegrator cannon

+ Dedicated Transport +

Venom [4 PL, 65pts]: Splinter Cannon, Twin splinter rifle

Venom [4 PL, 65pts]: Splinter Cannon, Twin splinter rifle

Venom [4 PL, 65pts]: Splinter Cannon, Twin splinter rifle

Venom [4 PL, 65pts]: Splinter Cannon, Twin splinter rifle

++ Total: [40 PL, 737pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

Or 2x venom, 1x ravager, 1x kab (€113,-)
Or 2x raider, 2x kab (101,-)
Or 1x kab, 1x mandrakes, 1x raider , 1x scourges( €101,-)
To make a 750 pts armylist

Thanks also to you for this advice. For some reason I was always aiming for higher point levels and never thought about smaller forces. With 750 points it seems that I can try out some units and then progressively build up to 1,500 points and higher, while having the possibility to play smaller games and try units out.

Yeah trying to buy/build/paint 2000 points in one go is a big undertaking, so I'd work up to it over time. If your local game store is open to escalation leagues, they're perfect for this.

Regarding dedicated CC units, I don't personally see much of a good case for Incubi. Mandrakes, however, are really good in my opinion. They're quite good against infantry, and can pop mortal wounds on to tougher targets. That said, sticking with your shooty theme and going full on Kabalite and Venoms is a very strong choice.

I generally agree with the advice you`ve been given so far.

I personally have found a raider with a disintegrator cannon to be equally as useful as venoms. But you won`t go wrong either way to be honest.

You should find the razorwing a valuable asset. But at 1500 points, it`s hard to justify 3 of them for the one extra CP.

so keep it in your list, but then buy the other two over time. Ravagers are a must have in most Kabal lists. So certainly acquiring them you will not go wrong. I`d lean towards that before lots of venoms. So maybe go with ElÙraiq`s second option (1Xvenom, 1X ravager, 1X Kabalites) for your focus of next purchases.

Thanks for your advice.
Today I ordered 2 Venoms, 1 Box of Kabalites and 1 Ravager (although there seems to be some f**k-up with the retailer) as the first addition, so I can run 3 x 5 Kabalites in Venoms, 2 Archons, 1 Ravager and 1 Razorwing at 750 points. I chose this option mainly because at higher point levels I will definitely need Ravagers so getting used to them as soon as possible seems a good idea. On the other hand I get more variation for my painting queue.