Warhammer 40K: Aeldari Corsairs Are By Far The Coolest Part Of The New Codex

Let’s take a look a roguish new addition to the Eldar Codex line up – Aeldari Corsairs!

The Eldar have a new Codex coming out. It’s a real doozy, and stacks up as one of the largest books yet.  This book delivers on the promise of a more combined Aeldari Codex, something I said we needed quite some time ago. Everything but the Drukhari are in this book. Set amidst a ton of classic units however is something a bit different. Something both very new and very old: Corsairs, and they are super cool.

The History of Aeldari Corsairs

Corsairs, piratical bands of Eldar, are in effect the OG Eldar faction. Dating way back to Rogue Trader, they predate the idea of Aspect Warriors and the like. They are The Elder Eldar if you will. Eventually their army list got replaced by what we know as the Craftworlds and Dark Eldar. They still hung on for a little bit popping up in dark corners of the rules of yore, but were no longer in the spotlight.

Much like Harlequins and Exodites, Corsairs were considered a lost Eldar army. Harlequins of course made their return, and Corsiars also had a short run as a Forge World army. This army however has also gone the way of the old Eldar Empire. Then came a new announcement: Corsairs were coming in the new codex.

High Expectations

After the announcement was made I wrote about how Corsairs seemed to be the most interesting part of the new codex. Not only were they a cool call back to the origins of the Eldar in 40K, but they were something different. To be honest I thought they would just be a single unit, but even with that I was pretty hyped. However we got a bit more than that.

The Units

To my surprise we actually got got 2 Corsair units, a troop and an elite unit. On top of that Prince Yriel can act as an HQ for Corsairs. Technically this means that you could field a whole Corsair army in a very small game. More realistically you can include a whole Corsair detachment. However you don’t have to go all in on them to use them. Corsairs can be slotted into  your other Aeldari lists with ease. I love the idea of them in a Ynnari army, where their blend of units really matches the look and feel of the army.

Rules wise they are pretty decent units. In a vacuum at least. At roughly the same points cost as Guardians the basic troops have slightly better stats and access to better weapons. They can be fitted out for either close combat or range attacks and will be on part or better than Guardians at those roles. While they can’t get weapon platforms, they do have access to anumber of special and heavy weapons taken from other units. Decked out they can be quite good at anti-tank.

The elite Voidscarred are built on the same base, but can take some upgrade characters. These give the unit a few other special options and can even let it cast psychic powers. That alone makes this a pretty cool option for a unit. All in all the Corsairs are decent little units that fill a mixed role and are cheaper than a lot of the Eldar options.

They Don’t Fit Into The Army, Yet

So whats holding these scurvy dogs back from stealing the codex and kicking Guardians out? Well the don’t really fit into the book army yet. Without a Craftworld they aren’t going to benefit from from any of the powerful sub faction rules. They also don’t even get to benefit from the faction rules in general. Battle Focus and Strands of Fate don’t work on them. Most powers, auras and other buffs don’t effect them. They can’t ride in transports. The only real bright spot is that a lot of stratagems do work on them.

So for now they are a couple of cool units you can take. They could be a large part of your army. However they will never really integrate into it. They are just kind of going to be their own little thing. For now that is. This feels like it is still just a little seed for a sub-faction. A seed that could easily grow. I could see a few more units getting added in other books, culminating in the next Eldar book really bringing the Corsairs into their own. We can hope at least.

Let us know what you think of this new addition to the army, down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.