Retro Corner: Wood Elves 4th Edition Army Book
The Retro Corner is back with a look at the 4th Edition Wood Elves Army Book!
We figured since the Sylvaneth book was delayed for a while, it would be a perfect time to check out one of the early incarnations of the Wood Elves. So, we took a trip to the vault and pulled out the 4th Edition Wood Elves Army Book for Warhammer Fantasy Battles:
Wood Elves In All Their Glory
This book was published circa 1996 and was used for Warhammer Fantasy Battles 4th Edition. It has a brief history of the Wood Elves and their society. Of which, it mostly revolved around the worship of the two main Wood Elf deities Orion and Ariel. And in this book, there is some pretty EPIC artwork for both.
Also included in this book was a ton of lore about the realm of Athel Loren and the history of that verdant wood. Alongside all the lore presented in this book, it also comes with a full army list as you would expect. It featured the following units and special characters:
Units/Mounts
- Wood Elves
- Warhawks
- Glade Riders
- Wardancers
- Elven Steed
- Scouts
- Great Eagles
- Waywatchers
- Treemen
- Dryads
- Unicorn
- Forest Dragon
Special Characters
- Orion, King in the Woods
- Ariel, Mage Queen of Loren
- Naieth the Prophetess
- Thalandor
- Lothlann the Brave, Battle Standard Bearer
- Durthu the Treeman
- Wychwethyl the Wild, Wardancer Champion
- Sceolan
- The Dryad Drycha
- Skaw the Falconer
- Gruarth the Beastmaster
Naturally, this book also had a detailed picture spread of all the units available at the time fully painted by the ‘Eavy Metal team. It also contained an entire Sample 2000 point army list that you could build and collect yourself.
However, one of my favorite parts of this book was the Wood Elf Tactics section. While this wasn’t a super detailed breakdown of the army for each unit and/or options, it was a handy set of “starter tactics” that really gave you a general overview of how the army played. Again, it wasn’t comprehensive, but it was enough to get you excited about trying the things mentioned and seeing what would work.
The Wood Elves are still one of the classic armies from Warhammer Fantasy. They might not be exactly the same after the End Times but their influence can still be felt and seen in the Sylvaneth to this day.
Want to learn more about the Wood Elves? Check out the Lexicanum!
