Dark Eldar Strategy Guide
By
The BearThe following article will cover all the uses of the units/abilities covered in the DE codex released November 6th. I feel we did our best in this article so that it's not a rules spoiler, but rather a in depth look at each subject of the book. So if you’re looking for a word for word description on what‘s in the codex, then please look else where. Another big part to this is that you will HAVE to have the DE codex in hand to understand what a lot of the points mean. It should also be noted that these opinions may not be exact truths to some people, but rather a stance on things from DeviantApostile and myself. So with that being said, take it all with a grain of salt and enjoy the read!
(Also feel free to comment on if you see another use, tactic, or conflict with anything mentioned below as this is a living document and will change as we go)
Special thanks to Chris_, Tratchenberg, Souleater, Saldiven, squeekenator, Blaqkheart, Krayd, Kalishnikov-47, refyougee, hungry hungry hormagaunt, Rabid Bunny 666, Archibald_TK, teleologica, and Cosmic_girl for input.
The first area we’ll cover is the Army Wide Special rules of the DE.
Acute senses USR- This allows you to re roll your spotting distance for any shots occurring during night fight. While this may seem like a lack luster ability, I can see it being a game breaker in scenarios like Dawn of War. The more shots that DE can throw into the enemy before the can respond, the better.
A good way to use this to your advantage during dawn of war is to hang your Raiders back around 24" the first turn and fire at the enemy tanks. This will mean that you will need a roll of a 8 in order to see any opposition but with the re roll you should be good to go. The main purpose of staying 24”away is due to the fact that the range will be high enough that a lot of the enemy’s return fire will fall short. Remember that barrage weapons may ALWAYS fire regardless if they see you or not (albeit at a additional scatter dice if they “miss“) so don’t think for a second that you will be immune to all enemy fire.
Power From Pain- Most people think that this rule set will make the DE so unbalanced that they will be the next Blood Angels or Space Wolves. All I ask is that before you get all crazy and think that this is the end all be all please think of when and how this rule will come into effect. The primary way to gain tokens is to destroy a enemy unit (excluding tanks). This said most of your units are going to get chewed up before the greatness comes to them. The problem with the old DE codex was that when most DE units ran low on men/women they became almost useless, so I honestly feel this addition is a big help to counter that set back.
With that being said, it should be known that there are other ways to gain Pain tokens then just destroying units. These will be covered in the units details respectively.
Combat Drugs- Unlike before one roll is done at the start of the game and that’s what anyone with the rule gets. I like the change as it keeps things simple, but hate the change as it may hurt some units (example being the Archon and the 1 weapon skill, see below). I’ll cover each roll in the following entries.
1- 3d6 run= The least appealing of all the drugs but comes in a good all a rounder. Only real unit that loses out here is Reavers, but they should be zooming around the table anyway. This ability is great for getting across the table to get to an objective in the late game and also making that 17” charge when your paper airplane dies short of its goal.
2- 1 WS= This roll helps everyone to a great degree in CC except it really only hurts the Archon which really isn't that bad seeing a roll of 3 hurts all Agonizer wielding men/women. A good thing to note though is that while the roll really does nothing for the Archon it does wonders for the succubus. Making her weapon skill 9 will mean that most marines will hit her on 5's thus helping to overcome her fragility a little more.
3- 1 STR= This roll helps everyone to a great degree other then chrs with Agonizers, which lets face it, is a lot due to it being our CCW of choice. Other then that the boost helps big time with the Soul trap/Husk blade combo described later. The trade off is worth it to me as long as you have at least one squad of Wyches, Hellions, or Reavers (which plan on getting stuck in) in your army so don’t feel down when you see the roll. There is a obvious reason as to why this makes our unit’s a lot more effective in close combat. It should also be noted that this not only affects combats against infantry as it will make your troops strong enough to damage/destroy enemy transports, which is something Wyches lack to begin with.
4- Re roll to wound= Again another close combat buff but this one really doesn’t have a draw back unlike the former options. In some ways it could almost be considered better then a roll of 6 on the chart due to the shear CC greatness it invokes right away!
5- 1 Attack= For the last time, another ability that will help your men/women get the job done better in CC. No brainier here why it’s a good roll, but almost seems not as appealing as the 1 STR due to not being able to harm transports. Other then that though it helps everyone to a great extent.
6- 1 Pain Token= Great ability as it will make most of your army a lot harder to kill. If they already had a token then why not gain furious charge thus making them a lot more nasty in CC as well. Only problem I see with this result is that most of the list I build the units that I really want to live have a homunculus attached to them from the get go. It really doesn’t hurt to leave him there so they get the Furious charge but the best tactical option is to disengage him and put him some where else where they can gain the FnP as well. All and all though, the fact stands that it will make your army as a whole a lot more survivable, which is something we’re lacking compared to other army's troopers.
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Weapons
The DE have a vast a large array of weapons to use at their disposal due to the slaves working daily to appease their masters. Here is a break down of what these nasty toys can do. As a side note some weapons or gear will be addressed with the respective unit.
Blaster, Blast Pistol, & Dark Lance (DL)- Putting these guys in the same groups as they’re about the same thing. Great anti tank weapons all around that is in abundance to us and will be our main stay to kill enemy armor. These weapons are really the poster child for our book and always have been. If you ask some one what DE do game wise people will say STR8 AP2 Lance. The fear is justified as they things smash enemy tanks into dust.
Disintegrator Cannon- Massive anti marine weapon. In some ways makes you miss the old “plasma cannon” that we used to have but against smaller units it fairs much better. Best reason to have these is the Ap 2 on it. Due to the massive amount of FnP (feel no pain) all over the game now these guns make mince meat out of hard troops.
Splinter guns- While most players are going crazy that our whole army wounds on 4 all the time tough 3 armies should be laughing at us. Our guns always wounded GEQs on 4s anyway but now our splinter cannons need 4s to down the little bastards, compared to the 3s we used to get. Still, for losing out against our weaker kin the fact that we can hurt MEQs a lot easier makes it a nice addition to the book.
Heat lance- Only usable with our Talos, Reavers, and Scourges. While it looks great on paper I feel that the units that can take them just don’t fit the bill. The Scourges are better at killing infantry, if the Reavers ever stop to shoot they'll die (for the most part), and the Talos is to slow to get there to use it. Now out of all the units that can take them, the one best suited is the Talos coming out of a web way portal. It’s twin linked on the big guy and the portal jump negates the slowness of him. It can also be used to okay effect on Reavers as well as the jet bike move can help you glide safely into cover and out of assault range, but the questions stand. Do you need the heat lance with all the dark lances and blasters all over? And is a blaster a "safer" bet for for Reavers as it's range allows them to get 24" away after they fire?
Haywire blaster- Very good at slowing tanks down. But all and all the things that can take it can take better anti tank then it. The only unit that can use it to good effect is the Talos and that being said I would only recommend it if he’s fielded without a web way, as his main purpose is going to be a bullet magnet.
Shredder- For the points it’s one of the best things in the book IMHO. Great at shooting a hordes and can do quite a bit of damage to most transports. DE have a good BS so don’t worry to much about the scatter. In most cases people will shun this though due to the fact that it’s either this or the Blaster but my look on it being two options 1) if the unit is meant to shoot tanks then blaster 2) if the unit is meant to kill infantry then shredder. Some people swear on mixing up their squads to deal with all approaches but I feel specializing is the best route possible. If you are shooting your squad of warriors at a tank then you are losing those 8-32 poisoned shots at infantry. Something to think about. Last note to say about it though it that if you shoot it while it's to close to ally squad then you could lose a lot of guys (double T so no FnP).
Stinger pistol- Bottom line is that with the low AP makes this thing a should be free piece of gear for homunculus. Not worth it’s weight in gold. Man I miss the old one. Exploding people was so much fun!
CCWs
Agonizer- I figured this gizmo would have to go first on the CCW list. Hands down the best weapon we have (CC wise) for the points. Only downfalls being that it is almost worse then a Power Weapon against guard, and the combat drug roll of 3 feels wasted when you have this equipped. Other then that, the fact that it can be double armed and it murders everyone on 4s makes it just crazy.
Husk Blade- If you roll the 1 STR, re roll to wound, or you have furious charge then this thing will destroydicate (so great it gets it’s own word) anything in your path. Most used combo in the game for it will be Husk Blade with Soul trap. Thus resulting the model getting STR 6 in no time if you go head hunting. Only real down fall is it's cost. If you need to trim points switch this out for the DDjin blade or the Elctrocorrosive whip.
Djinn blade- Cool if you have the points laying around but random and scary if you roll doubles. Most people will use this thing wrong thinking it's just a piece of war gear that gives you two Power Weapon attacks when in reality it is a power weapon that just throws in two extra STR 3 swings. I will say though that the fact that it's only 5 more points then a power weapon (PW) means that if you want a PW then just take this thing. Only downfall is if you roll a double then you have a chance to drop your shadow field before you're enemy gets to swing.
Venom blade- Won’t shine as bright as the Agonizer on most units but good if you need to trim some points. Will insure you force a lot of saves vs. anything and is really better then the Agonizer against horde type units. Only really recommended on Hammies and Sarges rather then Archon. Also remember that if your STR is equal to the T of the majority T in CC then you will re roll to wound. Once your units start getting furious charge this can really start to pile up the wounds.
Electrocorrisive whip- The problem with this thing is that the Agonizer and the husk blade shine so much that they kind of put this in the dark. If you want a very hard to kill lord though then this weapon combined with a clone field is what you want. Don't forget that it's a power weapon as well so if your thinking about taking that to begin with you might as well spend the extra 5 pts.
Mindphase gauntlet- In the words of DA “The goal is to kill the opponent not slow him… so wtf is this in the book for?!" Only use I see for it is with a grotesque Sarge canceling out I 3/4 or less chrs (3 with out furious charge 4 with it). With that being said, the flesh gauntlet is a better choice even by those standards. Taking it on a Homunculus will allow you to make a better tar pit unit for Wyches but again it's very situational as it only really works on I4 or lower models (which includes power fist & thunder hammer wielding chrs like Lysander).
Flesh gauntlets- Great on the Grotesque Sarge and some may like it for homunculus. This thing is great against anything with out Eternal Warrior/multi wound models Most people forget that any form of instant death also cancels the use of FnP so that's another good thing about this weapon. Other then that I don't see why you would ever want to put it on a Archon or Homunculus as they have better options.
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Arcane War gear
Commonly known as the wacky and weird section of the book. The main thing to look at with these gadgets is the bang for the buck. I think the best way I can describe these is by categorizing them according to points value. So hold on to your seats as we take a in depth look at what these gizmos can really do!!!
Expensive toys:
Webway Portal- One of the most destructive things in out book. Throw a homunculus in a raider and zip in 12” first turn and drop this bad boy on the field. People will think twice about charging him as well seeing as the unit that comes out will almost always be enough to prove their demise. Best use for this thing is to get Talos, beast squads, 15 man/woman Wytch squads, Incubi, and Hellions into the fight ASAP! Last thing to look at is it counts as impassable terrain so you can get cover and block enemy movement with it as well.
Dark Gate and Orb of Despair: Sure they does a big boom but these facts remain. Dark gate has no AP, the Orb of Despair has short range, and the homunculus shoots as bad as a Space Marine (yeah I said it) makes these not worth it to me. If you deviate back then you could hit your own squad and with double your toughness or AP 1 you could be watching your FnP guys going to see the Dark Prince sooner then expected.
Crucible of Malediction- SO you hate Pskers… well do I have a treat for you! Against most armies this thing will do sub par but against Nids and Eldar (stacking Psykers that is), then it could mean game over. This combined with the Torment grenade launchers (TGL) can cause the enemy some big problems. The main problem with Pskers though is that they have a high leadership. To over come this zoom a Raider with a TGL in the middle of their army and watch even the most resolute casters fail some test. For best effect I would make sure you have at least two raiders with TGLs to make this thing more effective then once per game.
Medium toys:
Archangel of Pain- At first glance this may not appear that great. It has incredible ability to ruin even the hardest enemy troops once you hit their lines but the fact they have to make a leadership and random range is ehh. Use above tactic mentioned in the Crucible of Malediction with Raiders to get best effect.
Shatter Shard- For the points this thing really is pretty great. Good way to thin out a lot of tough opponent that are in high number even if they are T4. One shot of this could be the deciding factor when you shoot at a unit of nobs or Nid warriors and if you really have to you can use it to thin a horde VERY easily. Only issue with it is that it’s just one shot as to where the Liquifier gun can do it over and over again and is cheaper. Up to your play style really.
Hex Rifle- This thing is great for a homunculus that is going a shooting squad to make sure they don't fall back or die that easy. Aim it at a big guy and let it rip. Try to realize though that this gun wont be a show stopper or anything but it fun and for the points I don't see why not to if you have him sitting back anyway. On top of it all it's a Assault.
Cheap toys:
Scissorhand- Very cool weapon of dealing out sheer number of wounds. This coupled with the fact that it gives the low number of attack homunculus more swings is going to be the go spot for these guys.
Liquefier gun- Great weapon as it’s a flamer and it has a random AP. You have a 50% of getting AP 1-3 so bye bye MEQs. Bottom line is it’s cheap on the units that can take it and will help thin hordes if there are no heavily armored guys present.
Vexitor Mask- No real need for this thing, seeing as for the points it's not that effective. If you really don’t want your master of pain to go then throw this on him and it could just save his live! As said above to use it to best effect then I suggest that using a raider with a TGL to knock down the enemies leadership.
Soul trap- So if I take out some of their big dogs I end up as strong as a demolisher cannon? YES PLEASE! This is a must if you aren’t taking a Agonizer on your Archon or homunculus ancient. As said above take a Husk blade with this at all cost unless points don't permit. In which case look at the Electrocorrosive whip.
Casket of Cleansing- Some people will say this thing is garbage, but the bottom line is that it has it’s uses. If you’ve ever played orks and don’t mind the randomness of things at all this is where you want to go with DE. Your average results are going to be 7 shots with either STR 3 / 4 or 1 / 6 and AP 3 / 4 or 1 / 6. That may sound confusing but the bottom line is that for the cost why not take it. It could just kill a whole squad of anything in your way or be as effective as a cap gun, but either way it will be fun.
Animus Vitae- You can’t use anything other then your base STR (3/4 depending on furious charge or not) but if you do manage to kill a model or two the rewards are well worth the cost. I see this thing as the ultimate points filler in any army that has a homunculus with it.
War gear:
This section will really just cover all the junk missed that all squads can take and were missed in earlier sections.
Plasma grenades- Assault grenades. Remember that assualt grenades count as STR 4 vs tanks so Wyches can always hurt a Rhino (although weakly)
Phantasm Grenade launcher (PGL)- A great upgrade for your Archon if you have a squad of Incubi and don’t want them to die because your armies best equipped squad doesn’t have grenades. Other then that it’s a okay upgrade for some squads and a waist for others, but far better then taking reg grenades on warriors. Only advantage to taking the reg grenades is that if the Sarge dies to torrent of fire then they all lose the ability. I would really recommend against taking both this and the reg grenades. Wyches to me scream waste because most people wont want to charge them at all, but rather shoot them do death.
Clone field- Makes you far more survivable but also doesn’t help you is one force weapon attack makes it though. I like the shadow field better, but this is a cheaper option for you lord.
Ghost plate- Great on your Archon if you take a clone field so he doesn't die to reg tac marines. If you have a shadow field though I feel that taking this is just over kill, but your choice really. Just remember what I said earlier in cost and effect. This cost a little more then another warrior and I think he will get more work done then just armor.
Shadow field- Time tested and mother approved. This thing will make your Archon unstoppable one game and a punk the next. Just try to limit the saves coming at him so he doesn’t lose it.
Vehicle Upgrades
DE vehicles seem to be as tough as a paper air plane, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be as decked out as Mr. T! The main thing to remember here bout Raiders and Venoms is that they are going to die fast once the enemy can see them so the cheaper the better. I think the best idea to consider these the most ultimate point fillers! The following section will cover DE vehicle upgrades and what you may want them for.
Night shields- Put this on here first because it will be the most used upgrade in the book hands down. It’s main purpose is not to take you out of range of anti tank but honestly out of bolter fire range. With this bad boy a marine unit can only rapid fire your transports if they are within 6”! The less shots the better as a glance will still kill it on a roll of a 6 due to it being open topped.
Best tactic with this is to stay around 19” away as this will keep you out of bolt gun range. If you wither the storm (best way to do so is by going at least 18” in your movement phase to get the 4 cover save) then next turn go 12”,disembark, fleet, and charge. Another good thing to note about this is that it with the two new flyers in out army makes for a deadly combination. As almost all the missiles are 48" so you can hang back there throwing one a turn with no return fire coming back.
Flicker fields- Another high use item, that I hope to see less often in the future. It’s a 5 save. Yeah you get it in hand to hand and all but a boy scout throwing a rock at a raider might kill it so a crappy save wont help. To close on it, think of how many times your terminators make that invulnerable save…..yeah…..
Splinter racks- A great way to get your warriors rapid fire guns to mow some infantry. Other then that it’s an okay upgrade and you have to know that all your raiders will die by the end of the game so do you really want to put to much on any of them?
Retrofire Jets- Kind of cool but really starting on the table and going 24” in where it’s at. Save the points for elsewhere.
Envenom blades- A okay upgrade but again, it’s better to save the points for else where. Could be great against units with the Rage USR.
Rams- Kind of like the idea of this as tank shocking in a 24” line can catch people off guard and maybe break half their army off the table. Best used with the TGL upgrade.
TGL- Great for the said reasons listed above, but again can be a points sink.
Aethersails- I hate these things. Most people don’t use Star engines and for good reason. There are two real uses I see here. First being that you can make a uber tank shock raider with the TGL, Ram, and this. Second idea being to use this and Chain Snares and to go an average of 12" 2d6 more and hitting a lot of units with this. Problem again with this idea is if you get to many points into the transport then is it really worth it seeing that it's still a card board box?
Grisly trophies- Good if you have a stand and shoot army. Hide your raider with your counter assault unit behind a building and make sure your men don’t run. If your list isn’t really a stand and shoot list though I really recommend leaving this at home.
Chain snares- For the most part, if I wanted to do this I would take Reavers. It should be noted though that unlike their smaller biker cousins the snares hit EVERY unit in its path. On several raiders can make for a scary mess. It could be quite a few points but with a TGL, Ram, and this upgrade you could tank shock fear into a whole army of guard. Through and through though our Raiders are expensive enough, so I'd rather leave this at home.
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Now the Meat and potatoes, units! We well start with HQ’s and work our way down.
Archon: The Big man on campus is back in this codex with improved stats from before for about the same points. Gaining plus one attack and a lot of gear stock that you would have had to pay for before he is still one of the best CCW monsters in the game! Good builds being:
Husk blade or power weapon & soul trap, clone field & ghost plate or shadow field (users pref)
Idea here being you attack enemies Independent chrs or Monstrous creatures and get to STR 10 as fast as possible. Once you have the souls he will become a combat monster causing instant death to all in his path and laughing at tanks armor as he crushes them aside. If you need 10-20 points bad in your list then you can just take the power weapon instead of the husk blade. This makes him a lot less effective at killing enemies chrs but there always has to be the poor mans build.
Electrocorrosive whip & soul trap, clone field & ghost plate or shadow field (users pref)
Idea here being that you jump on the enemies chrs and kill them with them not having enough high str hits back for him to do any real damage to you. Once he dies the skies the limits for you as STR 6 will make you near unstoppable.
Agonizer & blast pistol, clone field & ghost plate or shadow field (users pref)
Throw him at the nearest squad and watch him rip them up for his own cheap cost. Would recommend the succubus more for this approach though as she's cheaper.
Important things to note: Combat drugs are a must on this guy as almost 88% of what you get will only make this guy better. Remember, Just say YES to drugs! If you plan on them escorting Incubi into the mix, then the Grenade launcher will make sure they kill all in their path before the blink of the eye. Even though the Archon can take a blaster it’s useless as he needs as many attacks as he can to tear things up. Only give him one if you REALLY need more anti tank (should also be said that a blast pistol is a good mix of the best of both worlds in this case).
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Succubus
Most people over look her as she can’t have all the whoop lah of the Archon but I think she is honestly the best poor man HQ we can get.
Important things to note: She comes with combat drugs and a 4 save in CC base so that alone makes her cheaper then the Archon for what she does. With a weapon skill and initiative high enough to hit the Lord of Death on 3s and swinging before he can blink means she can almost take the big guy out by her self. As said above, if you roll the 1 weapon skill drug for your army with her in it it’s not really a waist as it makes her only able to be hit on 5’s by MEQ. Because you have to get rid of the Agonizer in order to get Wyche weapons they just don't hold wait with her, which is what may make Leilth more appealing if you you have both a PW and an impaler. Good build being:
Agonizer & haywire grenades
Cheap and able to kill large amounts of marines. If you have around 100 points laying around then she may be your girl!
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Homunculus/ Homunculus Ancient
The main reason why these guys are going to hit the field is that they start with a feel pain token. Yeah sure they don’t appear to be the combat beast that the other HQs are, but it should also be noted that they can do some scraping as well. With that thought in mind I feel that it is a huge waist of points to just take this guy for the token alone. Good builds being:
Agonizer & Webway portal
With 4 attacks on the charge he can drop enough MEQs to get his points back. While this may not seem appealing right off the bat you have to look at the big scope of things. If he joins a squad of Wyches or Warriors and they have another Agonizer in the unit then you are throwing 8 Agonizer attacks at the enemy and that can drop a lot of guys.
Hex rifle, venom blade
This is a great build for a homunculus as it allows him to join a squad that can sit back and rain some fire on the enemy and ensure they don’t die off like crazy while doing so. Main tactic I see for this build will be covered in the Mandrake entry. Only reason to take the venom blade is the said reason above. He’s not a show stopper in the CC department but 4 venom blade attacks are nothing to laugh at for the points it cost.
Husk blade & soul trap
I see this as the least common build and it should be said that it will only work best with the Ancient. Same idea here as the Archon Soul stealer build, but he’s a little less survivable then the boss man. I will say that I think it’s the best to do if you want a all themed homunculus army though.
Scissor hands & liquefier gun
The amount of wounds this guy can do can smash a Ork boy horde fast, just stay away from instant death while doing so. Could be the best way to go even against marines due to the shear saves forced.
Important notes: When covering the Pain Masters I didn’t get to into the arcane war gear, as I covered it all earlier in it’s own section. As I said before, most of them are just good point fillers, but some can be game breakers as well. This is another great thing about the homunculus, the fact that he can do SO much. I’ll be the first to warn you though by saying that you should try not to get to wrapped up in all the things he can take, as to much to quick will make you lose the valuable points you need to fill out your body count.
Other things to see about this guy that don’t catch the eye right off the bat are that he has no fleet and no access to plasma grenades. The first of these two problems can hurt some units as they rely on the normal 6” charge rather then insuring it with a fleet move (Wyches come to mind first as they need his pain token right off the bat so they survive better). The latter of the two problems can only be solved by taking a phantasm grenade launcher or just waiting to be charge instead (Hex Rifle build).
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The Court of the Archon
If you liked the wacky and random body guard units of the Witch/Daemon Hunter books then start slobbering as now we can a similar unit! The main thing you can see with ours compared to its founding father unit is that ours is indefinitely CC based. There are 4 different critters making up this rag tag band so lets starting probing at them.
Medusae- This brain sucker is addition as you should almost always want a flamer template dropped bro you charge to thin hordes a little. The fact that its abilities are a little random may make you want to look away but with the cost that it is I think you should weather the random storm and take a least one if you take the Court. I just noticed that these guys have LD9 so if your Archon leaves then they're needed to not break.
Ur-Ghuls- The only reason to take one of these ugly things is the fact that it allows you a good number of STR 4/5 (depending on charge or not) attacks and can take the hit if needed so you don’t lose the big combat dealers in the squad as fast. They also have a great INT so they can drag down some men before they knew what hit them.
Lhamaeans- Her ability is near useless as the Archon shouldn’t be toting around a poisoned weapon, and the fact that she has a low number of attacks may put her on the back burner. Good side is she’s the cheapest thing in the unit and can pull off 1-2 wounds consistently in CC with near anything. The bottom line for her though is that she is easy to kill and with to many T3 models in the unit it will take away from the units survivability as a whole so I say leave her at home. I did just noticed that these guys also have LD9 so if your Archon leaves then they're needed to not break.
Sslyths- Here are the main reason to take this unit. These pleasure indulged snake men really know how to get it done. A min of three will be needed in every squad as to really deal out the hurt though. With a high T and FnP to boot they will defiantly make some players read your codex in a hurry. Good build being:
1 Medusaes
1 Ur-ghuls
1 Lahamaean
(total above number never going higher then 3 men/women so the T of the unit is counted at 5 for the unit in CC, but sadly will be counted at T3 to shooting so you’ll have to kill one of the above if you take a wound from the raider blowing up)
3 Sslyths
1 archon (any gear of your choice but NEEDS the Phantasm grenade launcher)
1 raider
Important notes: This unit is pretty tough and will be both cool and fun to see on the table. Only real issue is that you can get a unit of Incubi for cheaper that will kill MEQs a lot better then them. Another bad thing about this unit is that they don’t have the Power from Pain army wide rule on the combat masters. This is combated by the unit having FnP and Furious charge on most of the units. The only way this can be good is if you kill three units with them with your Archon is still up, just move the big guy to a new squad and he will take all his tokens with him and the squad will still have FnP. I think this unit is the other end of the spectrum for body guards to the Archon. If you are sick of hordes, then these guys will do better at killing them then Incubi will, but if you go against a lot of MEQs then leave these guys at home and call your local Incubi temple for assistance. Another thing pointed out by others that I didn't notice right off the bat was that you are REQUIRED to have at least one of each type in the squad.
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Incubi
Almost seems fitting that they are next as they are most commonly used as the Archons best friends other then the Court. This unit is one of the few things in the book that I see most players losing their minds over and spending WAY to many points on them, so I think it’s fair to say they need more on them then “just point and click”.
Klavex- Something to think about is that he's almost the same cost as another Incubi. Murderous assault doesn't really seem that good to me as you won't be fighting to many ICs with these guys as they are a hammer unit. If you do decide to take a Klavex then it's a must that you give him the onslaught ability. Although it may cost as much as another Incubi, I think on average it will do far more then 3 attacks (really depending on the squad size). The Demi klaves are also to many points to me. You can get another guy for 2 more points. The blood stone on the other hand is great as it can allow you to drop a decent amount of guys before you go in (as we lost our splinter pistols on them now). It doesn't say one shot only for it so you can do it every time you go in. Another great thing about it is that it can kill enough Marines to allow you a dual charge as the original target will require far less attacks to kill them then before. All this for less then half a Incubi? Yes please.
Squad size- The biggest thing to talk bout here with these guys is squad size. At first glance most people are going to want to go Archon, 8 Incubi, 1 Klavex, with both powers. WRONG! The only reason you would want a unit like that is if you know the Emperor is going to be on the field and because that never happens then lets see what else we can do with them. Good builds being:
1 Archon (NEEDS the Phantasm grenade launcher)
5 Incubi
1 Raider
Or
6 Incubi
1 Klavex (murderous onslaught)
1 Raider
These units will kill most things in the game with a single charge and isn’t a crazy point sink to boot. Yes, sometimes what you charge wont die like lemmings pointed towards a cliff but if you but to many points into these guys will fail you big time. In Ork tongue we call this being "to killy". If you don’t trust me then ask Khorne players what it feels like when they kill everything on the charge and are staring at every gun barrel the enemy has to offer.
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Grotesques
So GW thought the old ones just weren’t transformed enough so why not redo them completely! While this was a cool thought, I don’t know if they really hit it on the head when they tried. For all intents they are fast Ogryn with out grenades and when you take into account that you have to have a IC in the unit at all times to baby sit so they don’t kill themselves that only leaves room for 4 of them in a raider. On top of all that if the IC isn’t a Archon with Phantasm grenade launcher then the unit will lose out on that fast INT they had to begin with. Being some resilient to start with is a and the fact that they can have a liquefier and a Sarg with a flesh gauntlet is nice though. Another thing to think about with the Sarge is that the venom blade will re roll to wound vs really anything in the game on the charge. Good builds being:
10 Grotesques, liquefier, aberration w/ flesh gauntlet
1 Archon (any gear of your choice but NEEDS the Phantasm grenade launcher)
(out of a Webway portal)
Or
1 Raider
4 Grotesques, liquefier, aberration w/ flesh gauntlet
1 Archon (any gear of your choice but NEEDS the Phantasm grenade launcher)
Important notes:
As said before these guys just didn’t get as good as what I feel they could have been. With no power weapons they fail to really be horrifying and the fact that they don’t have fleet in a fast army really brings them down. If you do take a weapon on the Sarge it will make him double armed as it is not a "upgrade" of any weapon but rather GAINING it. This said I feel they suffer like flash gitz in the Ork book, being to over priced for what they do in a under cost book.
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Wracks
Maybe after GW got done with the last entry they decided that people would be mad they couldn’t use their old models that they had for grotesques. So what better to do then make them a new CC monster unit! Good builds being:
8 wracks, 1 liquifier gun, 1 Acothlyst with Agonizer
1 homunculus (any CC layout)
1 Raider
Only reason that you want the Pain Master in the unit is to give them FC so that they can re roll to wound against MEQs. Problem being they have no grenades. That being said a Archon with a Phantasm grenade launcher sounds good with them so you can get the token real fast!
Important note: As said above they have no grenades so that can be a major set back. They fact that you can have 2 liquefiers and a Agonizer in the unit is incredible. Add that to the fact that you can take them as troops with the Pain Master in there and I don’t see why a unit of these wouldn’t be fielded! Another good tactic is to take them in large squads and make sure half their squad is in cover moving up field. This will give your army a 4 and 4 vs shooting and they can cover a large area (this is only with a walking build of course).
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Mandrakes
All I hear is people going on and on about these guys and how sad they are that they weren’t as good as what they wanted. The sad part is that they are, but just not in the sense that you would think. Looking at stats, if appears very obvious that these guys are CC gurus. The fact the Serge can’t take a cool weapon and they don’t have rending makes you want to turn your head…. DON’T! This units main function is, believe it or not, to shoot. Infiltrate them around 13” ahead of your battle line and have a Homunculus near by in a raider. First turn drive him up and join the unit. When the shooting phase comes around laugh as you throw 20 STR 4 pinning rounds at the enemy and if your really lucky they will be useless next turn. The fact that these things (being neither a DE or a monster really) have BS 4 further proves the point. On top of it all when they get shot back they have a 3 save to shooting AND FnP from the Hammie. After you let all those shots out you can drop a Webway Portal with the Hammie and you are in great position to watch all the rest of your army come screaming on to the table. Once they get charged you will see where the CC greatness comes in for them. 20 STR4 INT5 attacks will knock most MEQs off their high horse. Another great thing to say about them is with 2 Pain Tokens they can destroy a transport in no time. Good build being:
10 Mandrakes
1 homunculus, hex rifle, Webway portal
Important note: With no grenades this unit can’t really do anything in the charging department. Remember That not only charging into but through cover makes you swing last unless you have grenades. Again if you take a Archon with the Phantasm grenade launcher if you want to make them charge happy, but then you lose out on that nice shooting attack right off the bat. Another thing to be said about the Sarge is the fact that he has LD 9 which can make the unit better at holding it's ground.
True born
So being grown in a tank isn’t good enough for all DE, and that’s where these guys come into play. Another way to think of them is a poor mans stern guard. These guys have another attack then the average warrior and access to many different weapons. Good builds being:
10 Trueborn with shard carbines
1 Raider
Very good harass unit that can really lay some fire into anything that has a wound profile. Kind of the poor mans Scourges.
5 Trueborn, 4 blasters
1 venom, 2 splinter cannons
These guys will destroy most tanks in one volley. No need to get into to much with these guys.
10 Trueborn, 4 shredders
1 raider, splinter racks
I just love the idea of dropping 4 STR 6 blast on people and watching them fail saves ha ha. I will say that this unit can do a lot or a little depending on how I do with the scatter, but hey it’s fun.
5 Trueborn, 2 splinter cannons & 3 shredders
1 Venom, night shields, 2 splinter cannons
Great at killing infantry in mass as well. Essentially it's really just a different approach to the above squad but I like it none the less.
Important notes: While these guys are the “stern guard” of the DE they don’t have the staying power that their father unit does. Be warned that if their transport goes down the enemy will kill them FAST. I’m also not a huge fan of the suicide 5 man units but I know people love them for some reason so I made sure to include them. Another quick thing to say is that the Duke can make the first of these builds incredibly horrifying with the number of wounds it will deal out. A fact that makes them better then scourges in that sense.
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Harlequins
The jokesters of the laughing God have finally come to our book. Bad part of these guys is that to be effective they have to have a shadow seer and the kiss upgrade. This makes them dead on the same points as a Incubi and can’t take a transport. On the up side they are hard to shoot and if they make it there they can do the same if not better to hordes that Incubi do. Really not an OMG unit but not bad either. Good build being:
9 Harlequins, 9 kisses
1 shadow seer
A lot of attacks and praying in cover to get you when you get close.
Important note: This units not really new to the game and has been discussed else where. Best tactic I see is as a screening unit for your foot units, thus giving then a 4 save. Need help here as I’ve never really used them.
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Hekatrix Blood brides
Really our “vanguard vets” these girls are just Wyches with 1 attack. I wont get into these girls to much, as I will cover Wyches in the later entries, but it appears that these girls are made to ride in Raiders. The units main ability is to the fact that they can take a Wyche weapon per every three men/women. Good builds being:
8 blood brides 3 hydra gauntlets
1 Syren, Agonizer
1 Raider
Important notes: The fact that they are Wyches that can't hold objectives hurts them pretty bad. It should be said that if you take 9 Wyches that it won't hurt the number of weapons the squad can take, thus making them a great IC delivery squad.
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Kabalite Warriors
So our main stay murderers are back and better then ever (by some standards). The ups and downs of warriors are covered a lot in the Splinter weapons section. The more I look at these guys though I can see that they are really one of the best bang for the bucks troopers in the game, especially once they gain a pain token. Good builds being:
10 warriors, blaster & Dark lance
I see these guys taking the place of our former double dark lance toting squads. Great anti tank squads that can also do some damage to infantry if need be. Other then knocking out tanks they will also be huge in holding objectives for us as they are cheap and a troop choice.
10 warriors, splinter cannon & blaster or Shredder
1 raider, Splinter racks & night shields
This squad will be great for either being the best of both worlds or just specializing in knocking out enemy troops. To me Raiders are better suited with getting CC troops into the mix but I have sen them used to good effect.
20 warriors, 2 splinter cannons, 2 shredders, Sybrite, Agonizer, PGL
1 homunculus (any CC build)
I used these horde squads all the time in the last book and it appears that it's gotten even better now that we have FnP with the Homunculus. Once you get to get charged you will have a lot of I 5 attacks and the Agonizer makes quick work of marines. The PGL is very useful because it's cost is the same as arming 20 warriors with grenades so why not take it instead and get two for the price of one.
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Wyches
Everyone needs entertainment, and it seems the DE don't like TVs so this is where these girls/boys come into play. When they were a elite slot they were okay, but now that they can hold objectives I see them reentering the spot light.
The biggest thing to cover with these guys is the special weapons that they can field. The Impaler is okay to tie people up, but as I'll say earlier I enjoy killing more then stalling. The other two weapons allow for more blood letting in CC. I honestly feel the Hydra gauntlets take the cake though because your average roll for attacks is going to be a 3 or 4, thus resulting in basically having another Wyche present. A lot will argue that the Razor flail is better but you have to remember that the re roll to wound combat drug roll does nothing for them and the risk reward factor the the hydra can't be underestimated. Good builds being:
9 Wyches, 2 Shardnet and Impalers
1 Hekatrix, agonizer
1 raider, night shields
This will be peoples "tie up unit". I've never been a fan of using Wyches to hold people up as my goal will always be to kill them. I have seen people use them to good effect though, holding up elite squads until something nasty can come and end the stalemate.
9 Wyches, 2 hydra gauntlets
1 Hekatrix, Agonizer
1 Raider, night shield
I use this unit the most as I feel they can give out a crazy amount of wounds 3/4s of the time with the right drug roll. Shimmy them up field and when the time is right jump out fleet and charge.
14 Wyches, 3 hydra gauntlets
1 Hekatrix, Agonizer
1 Homunculus (any CC build)
(All coming out of a Webway portal)
This squad will come running and screaming out of the portal ready to kill anything in their way. With FnP they don't have to worry about getting shot to much if they don't get the charge (the Hammie doesn't have fleet).
Important notes: With saves in CC they can be quite hard to kill when up close. Problem is that once they are out of CC they seem to die FAST to bolter fire. Most people will say that this makes Wyches not really a viable unit compared to warriors but they (as with anything else in the codex, can become rather tough with some help from the Hammie and make sure you hug cover if your card board box gets wrecked.
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Hellions
The old fluff apparently wasn't good enough so now we have these SLC punks riding "skate boards" in our armies. These guys are pretty impressive, and this is with out taking into account what the Barron does for them. IMO these guys are the best Webway unit in the book. Here's my reasoning why. If some one surrounds a Webway portal then you may not pull a squad out as they have to stay out of 1" of a enemy unit. Hellions being jump infantry ignore that fact by flying over the squad and then charging them. With the jump packs in mind they come screaming out of the Webway almost guaranteeing they charge where they want. The last fact being that they are so fragile that with out a Webway they would get shot to death in no time. Some people think they are also a great screening unit for raiders as they are such large models that they will almost always give raiders a cover save so you won't need flicker fields. Good builds being:
9 or 14 Hellions
1 Hellarch, agonizer & PGL (PGL is a must as they don't come with Plasma Grenades)
(usually best with a Webway)
19 Hellions
1 Hellarch, agonizer & PGL
1 Baron
This unit is great as they are scoring and can really deal out some pain. In order to get the best effect out of them I highly recommend adding a Hammie to get the FnP token and then making him leave to join another squad first turn (leaving the Token when he goes).
Important notes: As said above if these guys/girls are caught out in the open, then consider them dead. Another good idea for them is to fly them right next to cove and then run into it so you won't have to roll dangerous terrain. Another thing I forgot to say before is about the Stun Claw. While this thing is a fun gizmo I don't really see it in competitive builds. The Agonizer will kill people (or the IC in question) so it's not really that impressive. The only time I see it being a big help is if you have two units in CC with blood angels and one of them grabs the priest and pulls him far enough out of the way that he can't give the squad the FnP. Again though, one Agonizer attack and he's gone period but it's what ever.
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Scourges
Our former flying DE are turning themselves into bird men now. You would think the fact that their bones are getting hollowed to fly easier should make them easier to kill then before but instead they have a 4 save! I guess this only makes sense as they have the most money out of all out units, so Ghost armor is cheap to them. This unit reminds me of a mix combination of Dark Reapers and swooping hawks. Main thing to notice there is that both units are meant to kill infantry. I know they have options to get anti tank but in all reality it seems to me that they will only really be good at mowing infantry down. There is MAYBE one exception to this though. Good builds being:
10 scourges
Yeah that's it for one for them. Cheap, throwing out 30 shots a turn, and the fact that a splinter cannon cost almost half a guy makes them almost not taking for these guys.
10 scourges, 4 splinter cannons
Main reason it do this so to hope that when you do get into position that you will be able to shoot all guns at once. If you are just 24" away and shooting just the splinter cannons as heavy then it's only 24 shots, where if you just had all carbine and moved forward 6" you would shoot 30. This build is better then the first one though when you think of causality wise. If you lose 5 guys from this unit, who cares, but 5 from the other squads drops it's shooting effectiveness by a lot.
10 scourges, 2 splinter cannons & 2 Dark lances
Multitask unit that I have been tossing around but I really think that making something okay at one thing really hurts you in the long run as they could have been great at just one thing.
10 scourges, 4 Dark lances
It can't be ignored that these guys get DLs really cheap, so if you make a list with the first build in it a switch to this could help if you're really hurting on anti tank. That being said DE are one of the few armies that rarely have that problem but it is a okay choice so I thought I would list it.
Important notes: I know some of you are thinking where is the Heat lances but the fact stands that after you shoot them to do what you want, you're squad will be dead. Only way it could be usable is in a Alpha strike force but still, I hate the idea of losing almost a 300 point unit to kill a Land raider. Another thing I failed to mention that other keep talking about is what about 5 scourges with 2 heat lances? I feel this unit won't reliable kill a tank and get there cost back. Best case senerio they come out of a Webway and wound a Land Raider (knock a gun off of immobilize it and then they get destroyed. My views on suicide units are why not just take a unit that can do the job and NOT die so you don't have a one trick pony that's a gamble.
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Beastmasters
Very Ironic to me that the unit is called Beastmaster when really they don't really do anything compared to the beast. A name like beast pack would have been better, but that's getting off track. This unit squeezes into the number two slot of best Webway units because only because they can't take grenades. Worse then that, adding a Archon in there to give them a PGL will help in the short game attack but they will lose out on their 12" charge. Other then that a great unit, with really only one build I can think of that will go the distance. Good build being:
2 beast master
1 beast master Venom blade or Agonizer (both are good but with only one attack base with the master is he really going to get his points back? That's why I like the Venom blade as it's cheap and it will make sure his 3 attacks force some saves for sure, especially if he gets Furious charge)
10 Khymare
2 Razorwing Flocks
(out of Webway Portal)
This unit will throw a CRAZY number of attacks at the enemy and has a great 4 save to back it up. Out of a Webway portal deployed only 15" up (due to 12" raider move and disembark) these guys will really make some of your opponents worry.
Important notes: Only real issues I have with them is that they have LD 8 max with out a IC attached and the Clawed Fiend is near useless. In most cases you should be winning most combats so who cares about that. The latter of the two problems is a shame as well considering that it's cool to have a big monster hanging out in your army. The main thing he's good at is taking wounds to get more STR 5 attacks but in most cases the Razorwing Flocks are better at that as well. At first glance you would think his toughness is there to make the unit harder to wound but in reality I feel it's there to soak up power fist wounds as he can't be instant killed by them. On top of it all he only seems to gain from the fact that they swung on him to begin with. The only other thing I see them good for is anti horde, as STR 5 will kill more Orks then rending any day and also have a better time in taking out tanks as well. I still feel that he's to many points for what he does though. Another fact to note is that Razorwing Flocks have 5 wounds and are not swarms for some reason. This is great for taking bolter saves on them if they are in cover. This will save one of your warp beast lives and you can do it 4 times before some one really has to die (in sets of two of course).
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Reavers
Some times DE don't want to slow down to cut peoples heads off. When this thought becomes a constant in a DEs mind, they go and buy a Jet bike a the fun begins. This unit got a LOT better in this book mainly to the fact that they did a great job integrating the fluff to game rules, which is really hard to do some times. The main use for these guys so to zoom all over the table and cause massive amounts of saves without ever losing that 3 cover save granted by turbo boosting, Good builds being:
9 Reavers, 2 Cluster Cantrops, 1 Grav-talon
Zoom past infantry and cause 6 d 3 1 STR 4 hits, 1 d 3 1 pinning hits, and 2 d 6 STR 6 hits! This could wreck most infantry squads and with some luck (added my the TGL on raiders) could pin them to!
9 Reavers, 3 Heat lances or 3 Blasters
Both are great at anti tank and both can use that jet bike save to get into cover so they don't get chewed up. And don't get to worried about dieing to dangerous terrain as they guys have skilled rider! I see the blaster being more effective here because at 24" away after they shoot can allow them to get out of a lot of enemy fire.
Important note: While people are going crazy over the heat lances and the fact that these guys/girls get a 3 cover save all game I haven't heard a lot of people mention that a flamer kills these guys faster then raid in a roach hole. Another to be said about these guys is that they really don't gain to much from combat drugs as they will either be zooming around or trying to be Tau crises suits. Still though, they are a fun and competitive unit that, as I said before, Phil did a great job with combining it all.
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Raiders
If Dark Lances aren't our poster child then this thing is. I have yet to see at least one list with out a Raider showing it's card board face at least once. It's major advantages are really covered in the Vehicle upgrade section. I won't even get into the mass amounts of builds you can do with this thing as it would take me around 30 more pages and as said above just look in the Upgrade section.
Important notes: Being a cardboard box is not only this things greatest weakness, but also its biggest strength. It allows for a consistent 24" charge due to fleet and disembark and to boot has a DL to kill any armor after words. It also has the option of taking Disentigrator instead of the DL but that's really up to you. I only recommend switching if you have your anti tank locked down with the rest of your list. Another great thing about this being opened top is that when the crew are firing out of it you measure from the tip of the tank for ALL shots. This allows for more fire being able to get laid out at a unit dead on 12" away with little to no fire back in return due to night shields.
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Venom
A mini raider and no model in sight. Best thing to do now is take a Eldar Vyper and convert it if you really want this 5 man transport. It's strengths lie in the fact that its good for Incubi or Trueborn squads but it should be noted that it comes with Flicker Fields. This isn't a big deal to me as I think it's a crap upgrade due to the point cost, but for free why not! The main difference to it and the Raider though is the fact that it can have two splinter cannons. Being on a tank they will always fire with the heavy profile and sense they have no strength they can both be fired after moving 12".
Important notes: Other uses are covered in Vehicle War gear section and the Raider entry.
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Ravager
As I said in the Distergrator entry this thing can murder FnP units and 2 save units in no time. It's main goal though is going to be a 3 DL wielding tank murder. Only real upgrade wroth taking to me is a again night shields. With that up grade you would be out of heavy bolter range as well when you are destroying the Devy squad with 9 STR5 AP 2 shots.
Talos
Some times you have to maim and torture some one so bad the only thing you can do with them is to put them in a robotic body and watch them go mad with rage, slaughtering all in it's path. The Talos has become insane as it has Power from Pain now and with chain flails you almost insure that you will kill at least 3 marines a turn without much return damage. Like other walkers he needs to have support in CC in order to be really efficient.
Talos, haywire launcher
Good bullet magnet that will slow down enemy tanks, if not blow them up. Real goal of this guy is just to take shots so your Raiders have a chance.
Talos, Heat lance, chain flails
(out of Webway portal)
Can crack open a tank and eat the goodness inside. Best use for the heat lance IMO.
Talos, Twin linked liquifier and extra close combat weapon
(out of Webway portal)
If you roll a 3 or lower on the AP the re roll to wound it will kill a lot of guys and make the charge that much easier.
Important notes: This guy is slow, so as said above he needs to go through a Webway portal. If not he will catch a LOT of fire, which in all honesty, isn't always a bad thing. When all is said and done he is a great Heavy to the book, only real problem being all our heavies are really nice!
Cronos Parasite Engine
This guy is like a baby Talos but his only real draw back is that he doesn't have as many CC attacks compared to his big brother. Good part about him though is he's just as tough to kill and also has power from pain. The cool part about this guy is that every time he kills something he may give a Pain Token to any squad within 12" of him. Yeah that sounds cool and all, but his real strength lies in the fact that he has a gun called Spirt Vortex. This thing will rack up the kills and also let you throw Pain tokens ALL over the place. Good builds being:
Cronos, Spirit vortex
He just walks up field throwing out covering fire and making his buddies better.
Cronos, Spirit probe, Spirit Vortex
(Out of Webway portal)
A great way to get a 3 (if not 4 ) of Pain Tokens in one turn and can hold up units until help gets there.
Important Notes: Gaining a Token from just one "set" of wounds my not seem that prominent, but you have to remember that the Cronos can take BOTH of the guns so they can gain up to 3 tokens a turn (four if it kills the squad, but that last token ONLY goes to him)
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Razorwing Jetfighters
The other new craze in 5th edition is fliers so of course we got two of them! It really fits our army though as the DE are all about lightning fast raids and Alpha strikes. The first of the two aircraft is very good at dealing with enemy infantry. Replace the twin linked splinter rifle with a splinter cannon the Dark lances with Disentigrators and move in first turn and let the missiles fly. After that you can rip into enemy infantry to good effect. Good build:
Missiles: I really like the Necrotrix missiles. They cause pinning, are poisoned, and a large blast so what's there not to like. I have also noticed a lot of people talking about Shatterfield missiles but the issue with these things is the AP-. How is that a big deal? Well, if you don't know AP- causes a -1 on the vehicle damage chart and allows anyone a save out of cover. This could be a big deal as every wound counts when Alpha striking. The Implosion missiles are okay in my book, as they can really wipe out tough infantry but I also feel that mass saves will do the same thing.
Razorwing jetfighter, 4 Necroscythe missiles, two splinter cannons
Once you Alpha strike someone with this thing it becomes some what of a weaker Ravager. I wouldn't really worry about deep striking it either as it really one of the best regular reserve units in the game.
Important notes: It's really fragile so don't expect it to live long after it drops it's payload. As said above in the Night shield entry, the night shields can make this thing truly scary as a whole game threat rather then just one turn Alpha striking. Compared to the bomber this thing is far cheaper and I think it will do about the same job. It's also important to note that due to aerial assault it can move 12" and fire all guns, thus increasing it's mobile killing power.
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Voidraven Bomber
This bigger, more armored of the two fliers this thing can do the best of both worlds for our army. The great thing about it is the fact that you can come in first turn and shoot all your missiles to kill a large formation of infantry, to then next turn bomb a tank and call it quits. Only real issue here is that for being a bomber it only has one bomb and after that and the Alpha strike you are just shooting void lances at tanks.
Missiles: I really like the Necrotrix missiles. They cause pinning, are poisoned, and a large blast so what's there not to like. I have also noticed a lot of people talking about Shatterfield missiles but the issue with these things is the AP-. How is that a big deal? Well, if you don't know AP- causes a -1 on the vehicle damage chart and allows anyone a save out of cover. This could be a big deal as every wound counts when Alpha striking. The Implosion missiles are okay in my book, as they can really wipe out tough infantry but I also feel that mass saves will do the same thing.
Voidraven bomber, 4 Necroscythe missiles, 2 void lances, 1 void mine
The great thing about this is fact that you can come in first turn and shoot all your missiles to kill a large formation of infantry, to then next turn bomb a tank and call it quits.
Important notes: I don't see why you wouldn't take a Ravager for this role as it's cheaper and we already have a million of them ha ha. It's also important to note that due to aerial assault it can move 12" and fire all guns, thus increasing it's mobile killing power. As said above in the Night shield entry, the night shields can make this thing truly scary as a whole game threat rather then just one turn Alpha striking.
Subject: Dark Eldar Tactica 
Wed May 04 2011, 02:37
