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Prelude: By Fenrir Sureblade
Well, most folks hate eldar, and for many a reason. Most of them consist of the fact that Eldar are VERY good at fighting (and beating) Marine armies. So, you've learned all you can about being a Space Wolf, but you're not use what to make of the pointed eared space elves, and all those funny names you keep hearing when folks talk about them.
As luck would have it, this next article has a run down of all those nasty units your likely to run across, at one point or another. Think of this as a primer on Eldar. Anyways, its written by Bran Redmaw 2012 at The Bolter and Chainsword. Maybe this will give you all a heads up on what to expect in your next fight with Eldar.
How to deal with the Eldar Menace, unit by unit.
By: Bran Redmaw 2012
Welcome to Bran Redmaw's personal guide to dealing with the Craft the eldar put back into craftworld. This is in no way law, as there could be better ways of dealing with every unit here. I will be including version info.
V 1.0: Made the guide with basic unit info and a "how to deal with".
V 2.0: Added lots more detail and added new sections. Some will have to be finished later.
HQ
Avatar: HQ
Threat: High/Close
How to deal with an Avatar: The avatar is a menace in close combat. If not dealt with properly he can, and will tear up all of your squads. Use Heavy Bolters and other medium strength/multi shot weapons to take him out quickly and efficiently. He may not be alone, though, I'll take care of that in 2 more sections.
Engage with: Blood Claws with Power Fists.
Farseer: HQ
Threat: Extreme/Varies
How to deal with a Farseer: Farseer's can be the menace of the board. This actually works more to our advantage, Brother wolves. The more points the farseer costs the less they spend on anti-marine squads. They have 4 possible psychic powers. They can give a re-roll to Armour saves or to to-hit rolls, call forth a low S ordinance attack that causes pinning, or use Mind War. Mind War is extremely powerful if used right. It has both players make a D6 roll and add LD. If the seer wins, you can pretty much say goodbye to the amount of wounds equal to the difference in scores. This CAN be used against our "invisible" power weapons/fists. They have a costly option of slinging two spells per turn as well. They can also be accompanied by a retinue of Warlocks, which have various powers as well. These can be game winners.
Engage with: Vindicare or Calidus Assassins, or any tooled out character.
Seer Council: HQ (Ulthwé Craftworld only)
Threat: BEYOND EXTREME/Variable
How to deal with the Seer Council: This is quite honestly the most survivable unit on any battlefield. Bolstering a minimum of two Farseers in the unit, they will be making (and passing the majority of) their psychic tests. They will usually be able to re-roll Armour saves, as well as throwing every spell in their book. They can have an UNLIMITED amount of warlocks, and thus can be the biggest HQ in the game. NEVER play a bring-all battle without putting a limit on warlocks. The warlocks in an Ulthwé army can have a new power, which lets the farseer re-roll his psychic test if failed. If you take wolf tail talismans in your squads you hopefully can negate one of their powers. Remember, warlock powers CAN be negated by psychic hoods/etc. Just before the power would take effect, make the roll.
Engage with: Blood Claws under Storm Caller. Flamers help as well. Also Culexis assassins (for our less fluffy battle brothers) to make the magic slingers run in terror!
Court of the Young King: HQ (Beil Tan Craftworld only)
Threat: Extreme/Close Combat
How to deal with the Court of the Young King: This squad consists of an Avatar and his "court". The court consists of an assembly of 5 of the squad leaders or "Exarchs" (pronounced Exarcks). This can make a deadly combination, especially since we are hitting them on a four plus, even our Characters! There is no set strategy, as it is a very amorphous squad. Anything can happen. The exarchs will ALL have 3+ saves, so power weapons are suggested. Since these are close combat machines we're talking about.... I wouldn't recommend you letting them this close. Howling Banshees will hit first and negate saves. Striking scorpions will hit hard and numerous. Dire Avengers will duck and weave (need a 6 to hit them in HtH but they go last). Fire Dragons will hit hard and ignore saves.... AND blow up tanks.
Engage with: Varies. Try massed firepower and a good assault. Power weapons are suggested, as is a good Vindicator shell.
ELITE
Warp Spiders: Elite
Threat: Medium/Medium
How to deal with Warp Spiders: These little buggers can be a nuisance if not taken seriously, but then again that's what the Eldar are all about. These guys can warp through walls and just like a jump pack! Their guns are of a good strength... but no AP at all. They also have the ability to warp out of close combat, given the points. They will most likely be the ones to claim board edges.
Engage with: Assault them and kill or break them in one round.
Striking Scorpions: Elite
Threat: High/Close Combat
How to deal with Striking Scorpions: These are usually included in any self respecting Eldar's army. They have the possibility of infiltration (at a price) and have been known to carry the deadly Haywire Grenades. These weapons penetrate/glance on a D6 roll, ignoring Armour completely. They have the same S and Armour Save, so watch out. Squad leaders have been known to take powerfists or WORSE!
Engage with: Grey Hunters, Wolf Guard.
Howling Banshies: Elite
Threat: Extreme/Close Combat
How to deal with Howling Banshees: These amazons are the biggest "anti-marine" unit the Eldar have (best elite anyways)! Toting power weapons and pistols, they will tear through Armour given the chance. In the first and subsequent rounds of combat (that means 1st, 3rd, 5th and so on) they WILL strike first. They are extremely deadly and should be given the utmost priority if they get within 18". These squad's leaders have been known to carry strength modifying power weapons, so be "en-guard".
Engage with: Power fists (you'll be going last anyway).
Fire Dragons: Elite
Threat: Medium/Close Range Shooting
How to deal with Fire Dragons: Fire Dragons are meant for other battles in my opinion. Sure they have S6 weapons with melta rules, but these are most likely a Black Templar's worst nightmare, not ours. They can be picked off with extended range bolter fire, or assaulted with pretty much anything. You could even go for irony and use a flamer.
Engage with: Assault them with anything.
Wraith Guard: Elite
Threat: High/Short Range
How to deal with Wraith Guard: Smaller cousins of their menacing near namesakes, Wraithguard are a very strong, yet risky chance for Eldar to take. They Cost a whopping 35 points a model and must be accompanied by a psycher, or they have a 1 in 6 chance of standing there like statues. They wound on a 4 plus, and kill (yes kill) on a 6. They are like fearless marines with +1 to S and T in HtH, so watch out. Warlocks can bolster them to even strike before us! These have been known to be made in groups of 5 with a warlock and dumped off in a Wave Serpent. They will blow vehicles up easily too. 4= glancing. 5-6= penetrating.
Engage with: Grey Hunter Pack in assault, bring power fists.
Path Finders: Elite (Aliotic Craftworld only)
Threat: High/Long Range
How to deal with Pathfinders: These can be nasty for foot slogging wolves. They are basically rangers (see below). These can be quickly remedied by a squad of scouts sent behind their lines. It wouldn't hurt to take transports when fighting these menaces. Also, their sniper rifle skills are superior to Rangers. If they roll a 4+ to hit, the shot counts as AP1. Just like all snipers, they are mal-equipped for close combat.
Engage with: Scouts from behind, bring wolf guard.
Troops
Rangers: Troops
Threat: Low/Long
How to deal with Rangers: Simply put, unless you footslog it these are not much of a problem for us. They are all just sniper rifles after all. Get in close or engage with an Exterminator.
Engage with: Scouts from behind.
Guardian Storm Squads: Troops
Threat: Medium/Close
How to deal with Guardian Storm Squads: These can be menacing to even Marines if they are let loose with a Warlock in tow. Take out with massed low-grade firepower. Bolters are a good decision. Be forewarned though, they can have Haywire Grenades. These squads are cheep and can be 20 in number. 10 is more than enough to, on average, roll a 2 plus and a 6 at least once.
Engage with: Grey Hunters (best with bolters on def) or any troops with Flamers, Ordinance
Guardian Defender Squads: Troops
Threat: Medium/Mid to Long Range
How to deal with Guardian Defender Squads: These are something every Eldar player who wants to win will have plenty of these, and Ulthwé doubly so. They have a 12" kill zone, and also will have the Marine's death hovering a few feet off the ground. This comes from the Star Cannon, and with a warlock possibly giving them a 5+ cover save. These can be deadly if you step in the 12" kill zone. If the full load of them get a shot at any squad, with a possibility of re-rolls for misses.... about 7.5 (4 trials averaged) marines die. (40 shots, crew member, warlock's pistol, that's 43 shots. then the star cannon).
Engage with: Close Combat, templates and ordinance is faster.
Bolters at max range can be effective but the support weapon can lead to advanced casualties.
Black Guardians: Troops (Ulthwé Craftworld, Compulsory Troop choices only)
Threat: High/Close or Mid-Long
How to deal with Black Guardians: These are either of the two above-mentioned squads with one main difference. Defenders have a 4 BS and Storm Squads have a 4 WS. They still die the same way.
Engage with: See respective squads but do it faster.
Dire Avengers: Troops
Threat: Low/Close Range Shooters
How to deal with Dire Avengers: If you have trouble dealing with these guys, I pity you. Even my tactical abilities can't find a place for these better than average Guardians.
Engage with a smile. They will most likely fall over from the force you out behind a sigh.
Fast Attack
Guardian Jetbikes: Fast Attack
Threat: Medium/Fast Medium Range Shooters
How to deal with Guardian Jet Bikes: These will try and stay just out of your range of assault. Don't let that get to you. Shoot these want to be Assault Marines down with normal fire/ heavy bolters before they can out gun your squads.
Engage with: Bolters and your not so bad-ass heavy weapons.
Shining Spears: Fast Attack
Threat: High/Fast Close Range Fighters
How to deal with Shining Spears: These are greatly overlooked by the majority of Eldar players, if only because of their price. They are only sold in boxes of three, so they are wallet emptiers. Be wary of their close combat weapons, as they can tear up Grey Hunter packs. They are still just assault marine wannabes... but they come much closer, nay maybe even surpass them in killing power. Watch them closely. Also the Squad Leader can have an invulnerable save.
Engage with: Bolters and medium power heavy weapons.
Swooping Hawks: Fast Attack
Threat: Medium/Short Range Shooting
How to deal with Swooping Hawks: These are easily dealt with, as soon as they land. They can be kept in reserves and brought in as usual for jump pack troops. However, when they come in they drop plasma grenades in bulk as to create an ordinance blast anywhere on the board. A smart Eldar player won't use these against marines at all. These are IG killers. These wont be getting in to HtH if they can help it.
Engage with: Long range shooting like heavy bolters.
Vyper: Fast Attack
Threat: High/Varies
How to deal with Vypers: These are the Eldar versions of Land Speeders. Of course, though, since they are higher technologically, they have Eldar upgrades. They carry Eldar weapons also :(. Bright lances will be anti-tank. Star cannons will be anti-marine.
Engage with: Bolters.
Heavy Support
Falcon: Heavy Support
Threat: Very High/Long Range -or- Transport
How to deal with Falcons: Remember Wolves, all of the Eldar's tanks are skimmers. With a 12 side and front Armour, it just screams "HIT ME WITH AN ANIHILATOR". Even with glancing a 4 or a 6 will send it crashing into the dirt like a mis-thrown boomerang. These can have "that cheep thing that lets it move and shoot and them move back behind cover in the movement phase" so watch out. It literally is, a fast tank. It can have the whole range of eldar heavy weapons, so beware.
Engage with: Predators (all variants) and other heavy weapons.
Fire Prism: Heavy Support
Threat: High/Long Range
How to deal with Fire Prisms: These may be a little harder to hit, since they tend not to get into he fray as much. These can be taken out with Lascannons as well. Be cautious, as the Fireprism is a longer-range lascannon with a blast template!
Engage with: Lascannons and melta-weapons.
Wraithlord: Heavy Support
Threat: Extreme/Long Range & Close combat
How to deal with Wraithlords: The towering Menace of Eldar. Most of you have scrolled past the meat of this guide. For those of you who have..... go back and look at all of those units. See them all? That is what will kill you if you concentrate on this Wraithlord. That's how most Eldar payers work. They make the WL out to be the thing that kills you, but in turn it's the neglect of the other 850/1000 points that kill you. Just charge this guy with a power fisted squad of Grey Hunters and the undead terror will be gone in 2 rounds. Tops.
Engage with: Power fists, sniper rifles, lascannons and the like. But do NOT spend more than 2 turns on it.
War Walker: Heavy Support
Threat: High/Long
How to deal with War Walkers: These are double heavy weapon toting less-than-dreads. Shooting it will most likely take it down in a turn. They are 10 all the way round. They have access to the whole myriad of Eldar weapons as well.
Engage with: Bolters.
Support Weapon Battery: Heavy Support
Threat: High/Long
How to deal with Support Weapon Battery: These can be very pesky, again, if left to do their wishes. There are no Star Cannons here *listens to the sighs of relief*. Instead of them, there are the lesser-known Weapons. They wont do much unless the Eldar player is a really good tactician. The D-Cannon is a Str 10 guess weapon with a small blast template. The Vibro cannon is a under estimated weapon. Each one adds plus one to Str (base 4) and minus one to pinning tests. Shadow weavers aren't that good.... but better than a single vibro cannon. They are str6 and are blast template as well. All cause pinning and count as barrages.
Engage with: Bolters (kill the crew of guardians and the guns are gone).
Dark Reapers: Heavy Support
Threat: High/Long
How to deal with Dark Reapers: These are the Howling Banshees Fire support (under GOOD command). They can fire a good range and have S5 heavy2. These only have a Str of 5 though, so Predators are a good anti-Reaper choice.
Engage with: close combat or AV12+
WARGEAR
Close Combat Weapon- same as in all other armies.
Shuriken Pistol- This has the same stats as a bolt pistol. It fires disk shaped projectiles from a solid base ammunition core.
Witch Blade- This is NOT a force weapon. It uses the psycho-amplification technology to, instead, allow the user to always wound on a 2+ in close combat. Normal saves allowed.
Singing Spear- This is a two handed weapon used by the Eldar psychers that allows them to throw the spear, whilst not having to fetch it. It uses the same rules as a witch blade, but is two handed, and can be thrown 18" like a shooting weapon. It can't be used as a CCW on the same turn it was thrown.
EQUIPMENT
Runes of Warding- This little gem makes all enemy psychers roll 3D6 and choose the two highest when working out psychic powers.
Runes of Witnessing- The Farseer (or warlock) rolls 3D6 when using psychic powers requiring a LD check and uses the two lowest results (even if these are double ones).
Eldar Jetbike- This is an anti-gravity motorcycle used by Eldar to deliver rapid-fire assaults to their enemies. Hit-and-Run tactics are wide spread among their users. These bikes are like our own bikes, but let the user move 6" (like the Tau Crisis Suits) in the assault phase, even if they are within 6" of an enemy unit.
Spirit Stones- The souls contained within these spirit stones allow the farseer to use two psychic powers, be they not the same, per turn. (Yes, Eldrad Ulthran can use three spells, two allowed to be the same, per turn)
Ghost Helm- The Ghost Helm incorporates psycho-plastics that allow the user safety from the daemons of the warp. This allows the user a 4+ save from double 6's or 1's on a psychic roll. Also, daemons half their weapon skill.
Craftworlds
With the release of the Craftworld: Eldar, the Eldar menace is now a rainbow of armies that sort of mimic the Astartes Chapters. Basically the same army but different/new/none of the same units.
Saim Hann: Saim Hann (pronounced Sam Haine) has a vast amount of Jet Bikes. Their Wild Riders are pretty tough but for this army, I suggest you take some of the "heavy multishots" to take care of their T4. They will be coming to you... but not all the way to you. So be careful.
Beil Tan: Beil Tan (Beel Tan) has an overwhelming amount of Aspect Warriors. These are as follows: Striking Scorpions, Howling Banshees, Warp Spiders, Dark Reapers, and Fire Dragons. These are all now troops, at the re-arrangement of a few other units. They also Bolster the Court of the Young King. I will now describe the threats of the Eldar Squad Leaders.
Warp Spiders: (Not included in Court of the Young King) These can allow their squad to strike like blood claws. Yes that's right, they get +2 attacks on the charge. They also can voluntarily fall back 3D6 through (yes through) terrain.
Striking Scorpions: These menaces have lots of anti-marine capabilities. They can have the power to infiltrate (cant be used in the Court of the Young King), and hit at S+1. Also, they have a piece of equipment that allows any wounds rolled, to keep re-rolling until they fail on all dice. This can only be used on multi wound peoples, and cannot be used to kill 20 marines with a single Exarch. They can also have power fists and Haywire Grenades.
Fire Dragons: These are really good in close combat. They have an ability that makes their hands into Frost Blades (S+1 and no saves) and can also re-roll rolls to penetrate tanks. They have range 18 melta weapons, and melta-bombs.
Howling Banshees: Here comes the true elite of the anti-marines. Power weapons. They can be S3 with 4 attacks, or str8 with 3 attacks. They will be striking first on the first round of combat regardless of who charged. Also they may have the power to be positioned anywhere in a close combat, and reduces her opponents WS by one. Note that only works with people SHE'S hitting (non cumulative).
Dire Avengers: It seems the worse the squad, the better the leader. These leaders are monsters in HtH. They can wield power weapons, OR direswords. Direswords are power swords that can suck out our souls and kill us regardless of wounds ala force weapon. They have powers that enable them to be hit on a 6 in HtH, yet this forces them to go last. They also have the power to make one model in base to base lose an attack.
Ulthwé: Ulthwé (Ul-thwee) has an "overwhelming amount of psychers" and introduces the Seer Council. The most survivability comes out of Ulthwé. They will be numerous with guardians, so templates are a must. FLAME ON!
Aliotic: Alitoic (A-lee-otik) is a sniper force, and thus will have a hard time beating a transport Wolf army. They WILL have all of their usual heavy support, but you can bet they will not have the usual tank busting power that comes with guardians and the aspect warriors.
Iyadden: Iyadden (eye-yay-den) will be the second most common (Ulthwé being first) army you'll face. This cannot have more Wraithlords than Wraithguard Squads so remember that, Grasshopper. Use lots of power fists, as you will still, yes still, be going last half the time. This is also an opportune time to dust off that Iron Priest. He will get some work if you don't have any other TH toting models. Getting that Wraithguard squad/Wraithlord stunned is a very good thing.
Eldar Overview: Eldar will bring the heat fast and quick. You can tell from the first two turns if you will have an 80% chance of winning, or a 8% chance. You cant hide in quality here, brothers. The less you take the more they break. Eldar have a problem with any balanced army, as they can take out a lot of big stuff, or a lot of little stuff. A horde killer will consist of more guardians and falcons. Quality Killers will have more Wraithlords and Elites.
A good Eldar player will be using the Eldar as they were meant to be used. Eldar units are created for specific roles. If it looks like it would do well against something in the space wolf army, use something else to defeat it.
Eldar Dictionary
This section will give you, the reader, an Eldar to SM translation guide.
Farseer: Wizard leader. Sees future with the power of small gems called runes. His powers are highly potent.
Warlock: Farseer's retinue. They can offer bonuses to their allies, or use some spells against their enemies.
Avatar: Kalea Mensha Khaine was the Eldar god of war and death. When the Eldar's own greed and vanity released Slaannesh, Khane fought her. He was defeated, but not destroyed. Instead, 5 Avatars of his mighty power stand now in his place. They hold the Wailing Doom. When they are needed, they are summoned by chanting hymns and sacrificing a mighty exarch. When they die, their spirit returns to the craftworld from whence it came, and is reincarnated.
Seer Council: Ulthwé craftworlds are governed by these. They are the planet's judge, jury, and executioners. Their powers, some say, are augmented by the fact that their craftworld lies so close to the Eye of Terror. Whatever the reason, they bolster psychic powers out the yin-yang.
Court of the Young King: This is yet another governing body. This is more of the war council of the Beil Tan craftworld.
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