Dark Eldar: Eldar Allies

Dark Eldar: Eldar Allies

Allies are a huge part of the game and as you can tell I’m fully utilising this part of the game by including Eldrad into the army. It does kinda seem odd however that I only have 4 Eldar models in the army....

So should I use anything else in the Eldar Codex? A good question and a question I shall answer now.

I’m ofc assuming I retain the two units I’m using now. Question is can I add to my army with further Eldar forces?

Restrictions

Normal Ally restrictions apply here guys. I have a troop, Fast Attack and heavy support slot available
for use however only a warlock option from HQ to consider.

A good ally needs to either cover an army’s weakness or complement its strengths. This means the

eldar contingent needs to be fast and hard hitting as to mould into dark eldar flesh. It also needs to add something different. No point in going all out with eldar when I can get an inevitably cheaper and more reliable dark eldar unit. As such I’ll be looking for twin linked weaponry as well.

So let’s have a look here at each section.

HQ/Troops

Warlock Bodyguards for Eldrad? Ok no. The unit is far less useful when it doesn’t have fortune and

Eldrad is using divination or telepathy. So let’s pass on these.

I went through troops last week with the infantry revolution. Jetbikes are a great addition but one

unit is enough really unless the sliding scale of points scoring is introduced and as such more troops
would be needed. All the other options I’m wholly unconvinced with as mentioned last time and as
such will pass with them as well this leaves the 3 big slots.

Elites

Howling  Banshees/ Harlequins: Do these fit in with Dark Eldar? Unfortunately not. All would be better on a venom but they can’t be and as such if I had the choice id use Incubi instead anyways.

Striking Scorpions:  The only combat unit I’d actually consider would be the scorpions. Giving the enemy a target so early in the game may cause a head ache. Eldrad could then infiltrate with this unit allowing his maledictions to be in range turn 1. A big fat maybe with this one.

Fire Dragons:  No way of getting close enough without fully investing in a falcon or wave serpent. Anti-Tanks not as needed now with lots of haywire around so no to these guys!

Wraithguard:  Incredibly resilient but just far too expensive and reduces the armies damage output by far too much to be useful. They don’t really fit into the dark eldar mould and as such are therefore out.

Wave Serpent: a Transport that really has very little damage output and so no place for this guy in my list unfortunately no real use for this when I could be using 2 venoms.

Fast Attack

Shining Spears: Too expensive and too fragile.  Doesn’t fill any needed spots in my list and so this will go on the junk pile

Warp Spiders/ Swooping Hawks: Both jump infantry both expensive with small damage output another couple of units for the bin!

Vypers:  For the same points as a venom I can get 1 bright lance/ scatter laser on a vehicle which is just as fragile and has no transport capacity…… this units out of the window then!

Heavy Support

Soo….. I’ve pretty much dismissed every single section of this list so far. There’s nothing in Fast attack or Elites that is any good to me. Heavy Support however is a whole new kettle of fish.

Support Weapons:  an interesting option actually. One thing my army lacks is being able to shoot over that damned aegis defence line and deny the 2+ go to ground save. Being guess range weapons and as such barrage weapons, these ignore inventing terrain. The Vibro cannons are a bit rubbish however that leaves the d-cannons that can target both infantry and tanks or the shadow weavers that are cheap as anything. Certainly an option to look at!

Wraithlord: Too expensive to turn into a gun platform and too many people have guns that can grind him down. No place in the list for a wraithlord.

War Walkers:  A dark eldar's idea of a dream. Massive damage output when twinned with prescience and the ability to scout enabling to reposition before the games begun really brings this unit to the front of the allies queue. They’re vulnerable to fire but what isn’t in a Dark Eldar army. A definite option.

Falcon/Fire Prism: unreliable ranged anti-tank. That slots already filled by the ravagers! A falcon/fire prism may be useful with prescience but ravagers are already doing that trick.

Nightspinner: Oh hello! For cheap you get an accurate barrage weapon (twin linked) and you get a large template. Those blobs will have to spread out this grants an advantage on being able to charge a spread out unit not allowing half the unit to be able to attack. I’m actually really liking this choice. It’s like a whirlwind on crack.

Conclusion

So three options shine out to me here. Night spinner, War Walkers and Support platforms. I have to say that each have their charms. The support platforms however I feel are a little bit vulnerable and so ill focus on the war walkers and the nightspinner.

War walkers are 60 points apiece for 2 scatter lasers and that gives 8 strength 6 shoots at 36 inch range. Pure damage these guys this will add to my alpha strike. Pretty fragile tho and doesn’t give me anything different really. I do feel that these will have a massive target attached to them. They are very good at anti flyer with prescience due to the ridiculous amount of shots they get but it’ll be difficult to time with

The nightspinners damage output is lower however its large range and barrage ability will force people to deploy spread out which is to my own advantage. It can also hit those thoroughly irritating holding units.

In my current army both have their places. I’m going to the Caledonian Uprising in January and this is my army….

Baron
3 x wychs in venoms
3 x Trueborn in Venoms
3 Ravagers
Beastmasters
Eldrad
Jetbikes

I have 140 points to spend. So my options from the eldar codex are this…

Nightspinner 115 pts
2 War walkers 120 pts

Any excess points I’ll put into the beast unit. So would you use either of these? Or stick with Dark Eldar units? I have no idea yet! Until next time people Au Revior!