40K TACTICS: Eldar Special Rules and Basics
Hey guys, I am Learn2Eel I’m here to start in on our analysis of Codex: Eldar. The Craftworlders are back with a vengeance.
Eldar – Special Powers and Warlord Traits
Foreword
The Eldar are warriors with few peers, and no better is this displayed than in their army-wide special rules – particularly the latter one – that serve to emphasise their sheer mobility and trickery. Few other armies can manipulate the movement phase as well as Eldar, and few can fire and fall back out of range across such a wide breadth of units. Almost the entirety of the codex is built for such tactics, and it really highlights how a skilled tactician will bring an Eldar force to life like no army list ever could. They have two fully fledged psychic lores to be spread around throughout the various psykers in the codex, and even though they are now randomly determined and thus cannot be relied upon in a specific strategy, I feel it is nonetheless important to cover their usage and potential. Overall, the Eldar have a lot of strong options in each slot, or at least units that are typically of very similar usefulness in any given army list; deciding which to employ commonly will likely come down more to preference than anything else. Like any other codex or army book, I strongly recommend experimentation with the army so as to work out which units you like and which you units you feel need some tweaking.
Army Special Rules
Ancient Doom – The Eldar fear and hate the scions of Slaanesh above all else; all Eldar with this special rule have Hatred against Daemons of She Who Thirsts and models with the Mark of Slaanesh. Conversely, and Fear test taken against such models suffer a negative modifier of one. Though this ability is obviously situational, the mostly above average Leadership of Eldar minimises the issues inherent with the latter rule, and the former is rather handy – particularly for deciding the always important first round of combat with Eldar assault units. Fittingly, every unit in the codex that could potentially fight in melee bears this special rule; the wraith units, in particular, do not suffer the ill effects owing to their natural Fearless. Of course, Slaanesh Daemons tend to be incredibly brutal in a melee; be wary of which units you send into combat against them, as even their lowly handmaidens, the Daemonettes, can brutalise the elite assault forces of the Eldar.
Battle Focus – The Eldar warriors are the most skilled and refined of any species, their sheer mastery of the ways of war leading to a calmed, almost graceful style of warfare that none can match. The speed of the Eldar is represented no better than in their ability to run and then shoot, or shoot and then run, in the same shooting phase; this unprecedented ability, particularly when applied to all but a handful of units in the codex, opens up some incredible layers of tactical depth. Effectively, the entire army has a minimalist adaption of the “jump shoot jump” tactics of which the Eldar made famous – and were later adapted by the Tau – that gives them the extra edge in dictating their engagements; anything from how quickly their assault troops make a melee to firing with all models and then retreating out of harms way are valid applications of this rule. That almost all Eldar have the Fleet special rule means that the reliability of this rule is significant; complimented with an almost unparalleled movement phase owing to heavily armoured fast skimmers and many jump or jet pack units, Eldar are an army designed to control the speed of the game like few others. This means that a more considered and devious mind is required to make full use of the army effectively, as more than any other army, you need to execute your movements and positioning with precision and foresight; the fragility of much of the force means that risks and rewards must be considered before each motion, and the potential to fight without rebuttal is what makes the army far deadlier than it would seem at first glance. This rule, when used to its full potential, could make or break a game for an Eldar force; and it is sensible to be so, as the army is highly expensive with little durability to compensate.
Warlord Traits
Like every other 6th Edition codex released so far, Eldar Warlords may choose from their own unique warlord traits table, or select from the three established charts in the main rulebook. Which table you roll on will really come down to personal preference; in any case, I feel the Eldar warlord traits are, while not particularly inspiring, handy to have in most situations. Interestingly, the Eldar codex also continues the trend of one use only warlord traits, a precedent set by the recent Tau codex.
1) Ambush of Blades – The prescient mind of the Eldar Warlord leads to the massed destruction of the enemy once per game, allowing your friendly forces within twelve inches to re-rolls to wound rolls of a one for the duration of a single shooting phase. This is a nifty ability that can be used at an opportune moment in conjunction with the typically high strength Eldar weaponry to maximise your damage for one round. There is never any “right time” to use this ability; it will always be at your discretion, and when you feel you both have enough units in proximity to benefit from the ability, and need its benefits enough to warrant its use.
2) An Eye on Distant Events – Aware of the incredible danger present to their forces, the Eldar Warlord can forewarn those within twelve inches once in an enemy shooting phase. Gifting them the Stealth special rule, this allows them a fighting chance to survive the inevitable torrent of fire. Obviously, this is a very strong ability that can be used to deny your opponent some important kills; that it applies to your vehicles as well is quite useful. Again, using this ability at any given point will depend on you alone; your judgement of when you need the extra boost, and even if it will matter – for example, typical Tau forces care little about cover saves – are key.
3) Falcon’s Swiftness – Lost in the trance of battle, the fluidity and grace of the Eldar Warlord is apparent for all to see, adding an extra inch to any run move made by both they and any attached unit. This is nice to have, though it must be noted that Warlords mounted on Jetbikes gain no benefit from this. Given that almost all Eldar already have the Fleet special rule, it gives you an added boost to your mobility – for someone such as the Avatar, it is a priceless ability as it helps it to get into combat that much quicker.
4) Fate’s Messenger – Caught amidst the wills of divine beings, the Eldar Warlord may re-roll failed saving throw results of a one to better serve the future they seek. This is a very handy result for any Warlord, as it gives them that extra bit of staying power to hopefully not concede a victory point for Slay the Warlord. On an Avatar or Phoenix Lord, it is somewhat ludicrous as the former effectively becomes an enraged Daemon of Tzeentch and the latter laugh at any attempts to get through their armour save.
5) Mark of the Incomparable Hunter – With a precision only an ageless warrior could display, the Eldar Warlord can fire at a separate target to their unit – delivering the killing strike with a veiled fist. For some Warlords, such as the Avatar, this isn’t of great use; for an Autarch with a special weapon or a psyker with a witchfire power though, it may just come in handy.
6) Seer of the Shifting Vector – Interpreting the skeins of fate, the Eldar Warlord positions to guide their brothers and sisters on to the battlefield. Any friendly Eldar forces do not scatter from deep strike provided the first soldier arrives within six inches. Though there are only a few units with the option to deep strike in the codex – and one of them already has this ability effectively – this does open up some distinct possibilities; Warp Spiders in particular will love this ability, allowing for precision strikes with massed firepower.
Next time – Psychic Powers…
I hope you found my thoughts on the Eldar helpful. You can read way more about Codex Eldar, and we are open to any and all responses! So what’s your final word on the tricksy pointy-ears?
