Thinking about eldar 40k and help with a starting point

Discussion area for all futuristic GW games.

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
NuWishA ( 60 )
Deputy Pants
Posts: 2079
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 9:38 pm
Location: Tennessee

Re: Thinking about eldar 40k and help with a starting point

Post by NuWishA »

They didn't change their lists for me. They were just running ALL THE BIKES EVER.

Which honestly in a game system like 40k, your toughness stat means everything.
User avatar
psiekier ( 240 )
Resident Trader
Posts: 374
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 6:29 pm
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Contact:

Re: Thinking about eldar 40k and help with a starting point

Post by psiekier »

NuWishA wrote:They didn't change their lists for me. They were just running ALL THE BIKES EVER.

Which honestly in a game system like 40k, your toughness stat means everything.
Well, in my defense, we Blood Angels can't count bike squads as Troops when we put our captains on bikes because we already get assault squads as Troops. That's not a tactic available to me.

Additionally, you said "stock Wraith Knights". What kind of honest, decent Eldar player goes around making the game fair for his opponents by not taking Wraith Knights armed with fourteen twin-linked Star Cannons and protected by 2+ Holo-Field of Doom? :wink:
Image
User avatar
NuWishA ( 60 )
Deputy Pants
Posts: 2079
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 9:38 pm
Location: Tennessee

Re: Thinking about eldar 40k and help with a starting point

Post by NuWishA »

Wraith knights, as far as options go, are pretty lacking in effective builds.

They are monstrous creatures, so they can only ever fire TWO weapons. The sword and shield (which takes away its two heavy wraith cannons) actually costs 10 more points. The Suncannon and shield is 40 more points. They can also take up to two heavy weapons, but unless you are already dumping points into them with the sword or sun cannon, you are just spending points to spend points. They also start just a little more expensive than a land raider. A land raider gets to carry terrible things like Hammernators or Sternguard or Rubber Duckies.

A stock wraith knight also gets no invulnerable save.. and is 9 inches tall... Yeah, it has lots of T and W, but it really isn't that great of a choice. Especially with Grey Knights out and being able to take TWO Dreadknights for about as much as ONE Wraithknight. The Dreadknights get better Sv and Sv++, plus better hand to hand and shooting. Heck, they can even SHUNT to objective grab.

Wraithknights just aren't that great for most of the "normal" meta. They are beautiful models, but I can run two wraith lords for the cost.
User avatar
psiekier ( 240 )
Resident Trader
Posts: 374
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 6:29 pm
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Contact:

Re: Thinking about eldar 40k and help with a starting point

Post by psiekier »

I guess it depends on who you face and the size of the game, then. A nine-inch tall model would have a hard time getting a cover save if there were a squad of Tau Broadsides across the board pelting him with railgun fire. On the other hand, Emperor protect those same Broadsides if the Wraithknight survives to return fire. Give him a Suncannon (S6, AP2, Heavy 3 Blast) w/ Scattershield and a Starcannon (S6, AP2, Heavy 2 - total cost: 300 points), and he could literally wipe all those Broadsides off the board in a single turn.

I was thinking of what I'd do if I had to face a Wraithknight with my Blood Angels. My normal, fairly-balanced 1500 point army could spend all game just trying to kill him without succeeding! A crack suicide squad of ten Blood Angels Sternguard in a drop pod (minimum cost: 285 points) could, if they were willing to take the chance, drop in next to him and pelt him with Hellfire rounds until he fails enough 3+ saves to finally croak... but if he didn't? With just a Suncannon and a Starcannon, he could kill the entire squad of ten in a single turn - if not simply by shooting them to pieces, when he charged in to assault them as soon as his gun barrels cooled off.

What's more, since he is a creature, rather than a vehicle, any wounds he takes does not cause him to suffer adverse effects (i.e., no "crew shaken", "crew stunned", "weapon destroyed", etc.), and he may be the beneficiary of Eldar psychic powers such as "Protect" or "Fortune" (can you imagine a Wraithknight with a 2+ save, or being able to re-roll his 3+ save?), making him even harder to kill!

Yes, 240-300 points is a big investment, but if your opponent doesn't know that it's coming, it's difficult to counter... and if you bring two of them... :shocked:
MagickalMemories ( 832 )
Lord Logorrheic!
Posts: 16741
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2003 11:38 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO - USA

Re: Thinking about eldar 40k and help with a starting point

Post by MagickalMemories »

I tend to play one or 2 WKnights in my 2000 point battles. Paired with a Farseer, they can be UGLY. As long as I keep them away from Power Fists (esp. MASSED Power Fists), they're fine.
I take the stock WCannons and usually add one more gun (I forget the name, off hand... the one with Laser Lock LOL).
Depending on what you're shooting at, you can take a mixture of 2 of the 3 weapons and, with Farseer help, you can be "Guided" or "Prescienced" to get Twin Linking... if your target happens to be DOOMed... all the better.

Eric
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
User avatar
NuWishA ( 60 )
Deputy Pants
Posts: 2079
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 9:38 pm
Location: Tennessee

Re: Thinking about eldar 40k and help with a starting point

Post by NuWishA »

True, I generally only run spirit seers.. coz Iyanden.
Grumiuk ( 50 )
BTown Regular
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 6:20 am
Location: Wva

Re: Thinking about eldar 40k and help with a starting point

Post by Grumiuk »

I am painting my stuff up Biel-tan. I got my 11 year old son into playing and bought him some Ultramarines from here on Barter town. He is picking the game up fast and really enjoys playing. I do have a wraithknight that I usually use stock config. It has done pretty well. I love the warp spiders. I got to use my sons Ultramarines in the last game that I played and did rather well with them. He had a ball game and did not get to go with me, and my Eldar stuff is spread out everywhere in the process of being painted. I kind of like the feel of space marines after playing them now. Its been a lot of years since I actually played using them in a game. I play in a group that meets up every month with about 10 people playing. I only got to play in the first game vs Chaos. Score was 17-8 with me winning. It was no unbound armies.
Post Reply

Return to “Grimdark Futuristic”