Dark Eldar Desperate Allies

I feel this topic deserves it's very own thread. I've looked everywhere on the internet regarding Dark Eldar tactics and 99% of lists running or discussing DE allies are about how to best use them with Eldar.

Only the 1d4chan wiki covers desperate allies and gives some valuable insight into how to make it work.

This was one of the main topics of discussion I tried to find on this forum, and found very little to build on what I had read about on the wiki. So I'm officially bringing up the topic myself and hoping you can all chime in like you did in my other thread, with useful advice and the cumulative knowledge. I know desperate allies are a bit unconventional, but I feel DE are pretty well suited (fluff wise) for engaging in a raid in the middle of 2 other factions fighting eachother. With Dark Eldar picking off key targets to haul back to the webway.

I'm particularly interested in building army lists that run a Dark Eldar primary detachment with CSM, Orks, Daemons, or Astra Militarum allies.


For allied Orks,
I wanted to see if I could flyer spam using 4 razorwing, 1 void raven, accompanied by the Ork Air Armada formation (3 dakkajets, burna bomber, blitza bommer). You could run all of that at 1850 with 3 venoms you have a serious danger of being tabled, but if venoms aren't good enough to hide until turn 2 what is? And flyers are really mobile able to stay out of One Eye Open with ease, but with the potential for 10 flyers on the table it could get pretty tricky. Still I think it could be fun for DE to suddenly enter an Ork air assault.

The other idea I had would be Orks in vehicles rushing down the middle at great speed while the dark elder raiders/venoms attack the flanks of the enemy army. Burnas in Battlewagons or Trukks are hard to ignore allowing the DE to carry on their raid without pause. I heard that Dark Eldar struggle against middle weight transports AV12 being a pain for Dark Lances, Ork Lootas could certainly solve that situation! 3x units of 10 lootas and 3x ravagers seem like the type of thing that would easily work well together.

Allied Chaos Space Marines,
Typhus and some plague zombies corrupting a world and DE show up to pick off the fleeing populace. On the table zombies in a CAD taking objectives seems like a reasonable plan to me, cheap, durable. Toss in a flying nurgle prince with black mace and Dark Eldar to be the hammer striking the deathblow, with the prince as back up. The CSM for the most part being slow moving will be largely out of the way.

Allied Astra Militarum,
Subjugated humans? Bring in heavy armor, and ranged fire power. On paper this seems like a match made in heaven for DE as guard can hold objectives very well and stay out of the way in the backfield. I understand DE take prisoners and never let them out the cage (unless properly turned into a 'work of art') but there's also a certain beauty in torturing your captives by forcing them to kill their own...no?

Allied Chaos Daemons,
This I think can run one of two ways, mass Slaneesh daemons, assuming she who thirsts sent her minions to claim some DE souls during one of their raids and encountered another enemy in the way. Or ally up with any of the other chaos gods, specially Khorne since he despises slaanesh. The question is what can daemons offer to Dark Eldar and which units can you run while not being hampered by One Eye Open. Soul Grinders come to mind, as do Daemon Princes (specially that new formation), I don't feel that deep striking things is a good option here because of the risk of landing in One Eye Open territory, but daemons can add plenty and for an 'Legion of Doom' style list I think its suitable.


So what do you guys think are useful units from our desperate allies that could be an asset to a Dark Eldar force?

I always have found the dark eldar lack very long range weapon. We don't have anything that shoot farther than 36''. So I sometime thought about using an imperial guard tank formation. I thought about basilisk, mainly. But never actually tried it.

With a coven-based dark eldar army, it could be nice to mix them with tau. Hiding your suit fireline behind a corpsethieft claw could discourage some from assaulting.

Space marine drop pod could help with the null deployment, as they automaticly arrive.

I read something about using tyranids spore formation to spam spore everywhere, restraining ennemy movement.

Good ideas, hiding crisis suits behind a wall of Talos is a good plan too.

Space Marine drop pods + Scalpel Squadron?

The key with allies is to see what your army lack and try to compensate it with another army. Or what other army lack that we can offer.

Akaiyou wrote:

I feel this topic deserves it's very own thread.

Perhaps, but I think it would be more appropriate to post in the area designated to non-Eldar allies, here.

Akaiyou wrote:

I've looked everywhere on the internet regarding Dark Eldar tactics and 99% of lists running or discussing DE allies are about how to best use them with Eldar.

It's mainly due to the Eldar covering some of our greatest weaknesses (such as psychic abilities, scatter laser type weaponry, strength D weapons) being ridiculously over powered and at the same time Battle Brothers allowing us to mix and match characters with squads.

Akaiyou wrote:

For allied Orks,
I wanted to see if I could flyer spam using 4 razorwing, 1 void raven, accompanied by the Ork Air Armada formation (3 dakkajets, burna bomber, blitza bommer).

What you're suggesting is completely insane.

And awesome

Akaiyou wrote:

Allied Chaos Space Marines

If I brought in CSM I'd do it for their durable, fast moving units to complement ours. Nurgle Spawn & Bikes, Maulerfiends. They're all tough as nails to kill (for their cost) and hit fairly hard. Their main role is to split focus for your opponent and provided target saturation. 2 Units of basic CSM in rhinos with a flamer each to meet troop tax, and either a flying DP or biker lord.

Akaiyou wrote:

Allied Astra Militarum

Sir yes sir.

I'd rock infantry for the most part - I'm thinking a platoon with 30/40 men with attached priest and Lord Commissar charging up the mid field - supported by one or two Wyverns and a hellhound. It would only run up about 500-600 pts.

Mmmm how did i completely missed that mercenaries + allies section!

Thanks!!!

Also those ideas for CSM are pretty good sadly I don't have chaos bikers or mauler fiends. I do think nurgle is the right mark to aim for though

When i`ve got my Genestealer Cult, i will try to use their infiltrate rule, to set up living shield of some sort, while my DE army will be entirely shooting one (that`s not an esy roster for almost full hand-to-hand army)