Starting from Scratch

Hey guys!

I have about 650 USD to start my Drukhari.

My understanding is that mixed forces are viable in the new codex so I have no idea how to go about making my purchases or where to start.

Any advice?

*I don’t like the hellion models, so none of them please lol*

Competitive? Or just for fun? Do you have any basic ideas? I ask, because you joined this here Forum 4 years ago.

I've been in a similar position to you recently (except I'm coming from a complete standing start,) and I've gotta say, the Combat Patrol box was completely worth it: an Archon, 5 Incubi, 10 Kabalites a Raider and a Ravager. Depending on how you outfit everything, that's 500ish points and a solid base to start with.

Zenotaph wrote:

Competitive? Or  just for fun? Do you have any basic ideas? I ask, because you joined this here Forum 4 years ago.

I’m not looking to do a bunch of tournaments, just want a coherent army that makes some sense. Somewhere between casual and competitive I guess.

I've got a few suggestions for you:

1) The best first step is probably to get a decent core army that you can then start to build around.

One possibility would be the Combat Patrol box (whenever it returns to being in stock). Getting a couple of these would give you some (mostly) solid units to build around.

Same goes for some of the older combat boxes if you can get your hands on any of them.

1.5) Alternatively, you could look on ebay and see if anyone is selling a Drukhari force. This is another way to get a discounted core for your force. I know that you have a reasonable budget but, well, 40k can eat through that sort of money a lot faster than you might think.

2) Don't discount ebay in general. Even if, for example, you don't like buying pre-built models, I can tell you that I've gotten a lot of great deals on new sprues as well as bits for conversions.

3) Once you've got a decent core army, hold the rest of your budget in reserve and get in some practise games with whatever you've got to get an idea of how the army works.

3.5) Ideally, once you've got to grips with the models you've got, proxy some of the models you don't have.

4) Use the above to gauge what you'd like to add to your army and start using your reserved budget to expand with more of the stuff that you enjoyed using - whether adding more of what you already have or buying actual models for the ones you've proxied.

With this method, you should gradually build up a sizable army consisting almost entirely of units you'll enjoy using.  

5) Let the slaughter of the lesser races begin!

6) Lastly, don't forget about conversions! I might be a little biased in that I love converting models and I think it's a great way to personalise an army; but even they can also serve a very useful purpose. For example, most people view Crypt Haunters as being the official Grotesque models. Just add some Talos bits and you're good to go.
Or if you dislike Finecast Mandrakes (I don't but that's another story) you could use something like Namarti Thralls instead.


Hope this helps.

Any preference on what type of dark eldar you would like as your main theme? Kabal, coven or cult?

The Combat Patrol really is a great start. The Start collecting box gives some wyches and jetbikes,
as well as one of the best HQ, you can get. The only drawback here is the need for another Raider.
Who the hell knows, what GW was thinking, throwing a Venom and 10 Wyches in the same box.
But combined with the combat patrol and a solo Raider, all your Units would be airborne.
2x HQ, 2x10 troops, 1x elites and 1x fast attack, with 3x dedicated transports seems like a good start.

Too bad, the old Start collecting are out of service. Archon, Kabalites, Raider and Reavers for 65€...
Maybe there are still some on EBay. With a bit of luck. Or Karma. Helped an old lady across the street lately?

I started to make a list of models I actually need and what I can sell off to downsize.
2 of each HQ (1 of each named)
30 of each troop
12 reavers 10 scourges 20 hellions
15 incubi 15 mandrakes 10 grotesque (converted)
3 ravagers 1 reaper 1 tantalus 6 talos/cronos
5 raiders 5 venoms
3 RWJF 1 VRB
4 sslyth 4 ur ghul
I can make pretty much any kind of list I want with this. I somehow ended up with 60 hellions, 100 kabalites, 8 venoms 50 wyches, a dozen archons haha

Converted Grotesques? What were they originaly?

I've got 1 GW Grotesque, 4 Isle of Blood Rat ogre conversions and 5 Warmachine Blighted Ogrun conversions. I also had a couple of weird, resident evil looking models from a company that disappeared a long while ago that I was going to turn into grotesques but they turned out to be too big for a Grotesque, not big enough for a Talos

Top pic is the resident evil thing I mentioned, middle and bottom are examples of the conversions i did (not my models though). Mine are all in storage.

Very Naice!!! Thx for the pics!

http://wh.reactor.cc/post/3846223

For more coven inspiration:)



Another one of the obscure models I was gonna use for a grotesque

Gizamaluke wrote:

http://wh.reactor.cc/post/3846223

For more coven inspiration:)



Another one of the obscure models I was gonna use for a grotesque

Oh that's awesome.

I think the 'eyeless' masks actually work a lot better when the mouth is left exposed.

It's from Rakham games I just remembered, there are some of them available online.
http://underthemountainblog.com/athenaeum/aarklash-archive/factions/alchemists-of-dirz/

Welcome! $650 to start a Drukhari army! That'll land you some nice things! Although a quick look on GW's online store and ebay is showing a real run on Drukhari items since I guess everyone is all of a sudden signing up with the Dark Kin, if you have a local shop near you pick around there and be sure to ask the associate/owner what the forecast is on getting new kits in.

It was mentioned already but I'd second getting 2 (two) combat patrols. That would give you 2 archons, 20 warriors, 10 incubi, 2 raiders, and 2 ravagers. That's a pretty good start for an army and with different wargear options clock in at about 1000 points or so. It's also a great value if you were to buy things a la carte. Buy yourself a second raider or 2 venoms for the incubi and you've got a nice mobile core force to start.

They don't appear to be available anymore but the "start collecting" box had wyches, a succubus, a few reavers, and a venom. If I was starting out I'd buy 2 also (but they could be hard to find now). With the US list prices of all of that would leave you about $150 left (excluding taxes). So you can supplement with just about anything.

Overall though you're always going to have to make sure you have enough transports, so when you're looking at putting together a list be sure to consider that. You COULD webway portal things in on foot but you're gonna end up putting things back in the box as soon as you put them on the table haha.

the saddest part though is that there is no easy way to have access to our Coven sub-faction almost everything is web-store only except probably the Talos (but if you don't have Wracks, that's pretty useless).
For a start, our Combat Patrol is simply amazing!! 2 of them would be an amazing start.
If you can also get your lucky hand on a Battleforce box, you would already have something really strong!
But Battleforce are really hard to get

Knowing that they are the easiest to get, i would suggest you to start with a Kabal only army and then gradually, slowly, add some more stuff.

I would also be on the look out for old starter sets. Most of all the old "Start Collecting" boxes with Wych Cult units, but the "Poinsonblade Raiding Party" is a very good deal too, even-though it has overlap with the Combat Patrol box.

With how rare (unfortunately) the SC! Drukhari Box is you may be better off just buying Succubus & Wyches from somewhere like Darksphere rather than paying over the odds for Reavers and A Venom you may not use.
If I were starting again in the current meta I'd grab;
3× Combat Patrol (sell one of the ravager upgrade sprue on ebay for £15)
3 archons (sell 1 maybe), 4 raiders 2 ravagers 30 kabalites and 15 incubi.
1× Drazhar, 2× Succubus, 1× Haemy
2× Wyches 1× wracks
That's like 2000pts before upgrades and gives plenty of options. If you're into Reavers you will most definitely be better off going to eBay / trying to find a Gangs of Commeragh for cheap as that box was cheaper than the 2 boxes of Reavers included even without the hellions (sell hellions/use for bits to make cool trueborn/bloodbrides)

Thanks for all the help guys.

I found two of the Last Start Collecting boxes at my local store so I scooped them up, planning on two combat patrols next

Lucky! That's an awesome start up for sure