Wednesday, January 11, 2012

6th edition Eldar codex update = awesomesauce

Note: The info this article was based on has been debunked. To see the current state of Eldar affairs, check out this article. Thanks for reading!

A lot of beneficial changes are in this 6th edition codex update pdf that was included in the 6th edition leak. The changes to the Eldar codex and how it will play in the next edition if these are true are what stands out to me the most.

I have been playing Eldar since 2nd edition. I love me some Eldars. Let me tell you. But they are just not that feasible in a world full of missiles and excellent troops choices. Currently the Eldar troops choices are some of the weakest.  Dire avengers can be tolerable but they will not stand up to a similar costed squad of boyz, melta vets, or even a basic strike squad.  Guardians have always been a joke. People like to bandy about the triple flamer storm guardian setup, but I think that's just trying to make the best out of a crappy situation...

Sad Eldars are sad
But with the leak of these 6th edition rumours, I think Eldar might be back in it!

My thoughts on some of the changes after the jump


Objective holders - They can start on an objective and be earning you points from turn one
Directed hits - The whole unit can choose where their wounds go. Including the AP1 and rending hits. Pathfinders with guide are going to be hot!  They are going to be hitting on 3's vs most infantry and wounding on 2+ all the time!
Pinning - every unsaved wound from a pinning weapon gives a -1 to the ld check. Up to -3. They will be locking foos down!

They will still die like chumps if you get a heavy flamer anywhere near them so you will need to put them in a place that is hard to get to so plan your objective placement accordingly!

Psychic powers
Guide/fortune - Do not require los to the target and do not effect what the unit can fire at.
Mind war - This power is awesome again! Mind war was one of my favorite powers from the times of yore. It got a little nerfed when you could take cover saves against it, but now it's back! The target model can still take an invuln save but that it all. This is great for sniping out ld 9 power fists or ld 8 melta guns.
Destructor - It looks to have turned into a heavy flamer but it also appears to have turned into a psa, so it may be able to be nullified.

Witchblades/singing spears
They now have a channeled power (requires a psychic test) which lets the bearer re-roll invuln saves. Mini-fortune ftw!
They have reduced the str on them from 9 to 7, which is a bit of a nerf. And the AP remains - which means that orks will get a save vs a witchblade, but not a chainsword. Silly GW...

Eldar Vehicles
1. All eldar vehicles with the falcon chassis are tanks so they get the -1 to the damage chart benefit.
2. Star engines are now used in the movement phase providing an extra 12".
3. Vectored engines now turn an immobilized result into a Shaken result! Finally a use for those things!
4. If you move at combat speed, then you can make an engage move out of the tank! Finally Eldar can use banshees again! The Engage move is a bit shorter than an assault move if I'm reading correctly, but you still have 8" from the hatch to make your move into h2h! Sweeeeeetttt!
5. Evasion/jink
The skimmers will almost always have the optimal evasion value of 3 which will help them stay alive.  You just have to keep in mind that you can never stay stationary with them!

Eldrad :(
For some reason, the most bad ass psyker in the eldar codex only has a mastery level of two. And only because he has spirit stones. I assume you will still be able to cast three as per his staves rules, but I was hoping for a bit more. This sets a bad precedent for Eldar. How are they going to give someone a mastery level higher than Eldrad?
They even mention in the mastery levels rules that the most bad ass Eldar have a mastery level of up to 5... I dunno, I guess if they bumped him up it would most likely alter his cost... but how ya gonna do Eldrad like that GW??? C'mon!!!

One last thing I noticed...
In the main rulebook pdf on page 70 (of the pdf, 91 in the bottom right corner), it lists a starcannon with the following profile
R36" str7 AP2 Assault 2

Does Str 7 make stacannons worth it again?? Maybe. Does it being assault make it worth it even more? It depends on what can take it. If it's a wide spread upgrade like a plasma gun then this may be the best upgrade in the new codex. If you can still only take it on vehicles, then I don't know. 30 points is a lot for a long range plasma gun.

What do you guys think? Are Eldar back to dominate the scene? I know it may be a ways off before this stuff is released but it has me kinda jazzed!


  1. honestly I think warp spiders should have rending and assault 3 standarded. Swooping hawks need shuriken catapults thats 24". Banshees need +1 strength or attacks. The avatar needs to be eternal warrior and +2 to the thoughness.Fire dragons should have an option of heavy flamers or melta. Dark reapers should get +1 cover. Wraithlords should have +2 save and a invulnerable save 0f 5+. Wraith guard 5+ invulnerble save upgrades by giving them power weapens or increase their range and drop the pt cost price of them. Energy shfields as an upgrade for all eldar vehicle. phoenix lords need invulnerble saves. Plus force weapens for eldar please. Assault vehicles transport.

    1. Unfortunately, all of that seems a (tad) broken. Spiders aren't too bad, hawks are primarily for sky leap, and banshee power weapons have gotten better in these (Possible) 6th ed. rules.
      Wraithlords are tough enough as is (what else has defense 8?) and the Avatar's only purpose is too eat fire.
      Don't fire dragons have melta?
      Why do you need Force Weapons if you have the new Witchblades?
      Dark Reapers do not Need +1 cover.
      Phoenix lords are a little annoying without invulnerables but it would just drive their cost up further.
      And if you actually read the post, it seems we can assault out of vehicles again...

    2. I think warp spiders should have rending myself. Assault 3 rending might be a bit much though.
      The avatar needs a buff in general, maybe something along the lines of the necrons c'tan shards.
      Banshees are pretty good as they are. They just need a delivery method, which they will have if the rumours are true.
      Fire dragons have that option if you take an exarch.
      Dark reapers and wraithguards definitely need some help. They are more expensive than most any heavy support infantry and their guns are worse. It seems like they designed the eldar codex without killing tanks in mind. Only killing marines.
      As for the rest of the stuff, Eldar need a bit of help to diversify their lists. I would like to see phoenix lords unlock their aspects as troops. And they definitely need some sort of assault transport. Maybe something like the necron Night Scythe with the assault transport rule.

    3. I can see that just making them over kill but why do we have so phew pskers if warlocks were elites then it would be cool but I don't see that happening. Energy shield for the tanks would be great instead of holo fields, yet the Night scythe rule sound intresting

    4. All in all, they just need an overhaul. Whatever it is, I'll take it!

  2. I appreciate your comments, guys! Thanks for reading!

  3. thing i like to see most is basic gardians buff it be nice if you can opt to take up to 2 black gardians squads like in 4th ed with 4 ws and 4 bs.
    i like to see a fully kitted out gardian squad have a warlock opertunity to use 1 heavy and 2 template weapon and/or fusion gun for every 10 gardians in squad
    storm gardians should be able to be lead by a dire avenger exarch as a sargent or a worlock not both and per every 5 gardians may either have any fallowing wepons power fist, fusion pistol, flammer,euip any or all gernades
    lastly i know the fluff say eldar dieing race but fluff was tossed out window 6th edd so allow gardians to possibly fild up to 30 man unit.

    another fix is make the viper jet bikes a 5 toughness 2 wound jetbike with WS of 2 leadership 7 stubborn rules so they will alwayse rally automaticly if they meet the requirements too such as no enemy with in 6 inches

    i think wraithguard deserve a 5+ invulnerability because they are made purly out of the same material as warlocks body armor that gives them a +4, same with the wraithlord.
    i think if both these units were immune to poisen and psykic abilities friend or foe makes more sence to me.

    PLEASE bring back bonesingers!
    PLEASE bring back the full harlequin army!
    PLEASE bring back all the different craftworld eldar army list for more flavor and customization and fluf but put them all in 1 codex.

  4. maybe make scorpians the new banchiees? butrather than a unit of power wepons give them all powerfist lol but im sure this would drive up the cost but why is GW keeping powerfist out of eldars hands for so long they were there from ed 1 through ed 3 now they only on the only models no one ever takes so there are no fist in eldar... thats sad

  5. I started playing eldar in 3rd edition, and some of these things being said make alot of sense to me but I didn't have many problems winning once 4th ed. came out. As I favoured bright lances, the only tanks that gave me trouble were fucking monoliths. I guess the biggest problem is the customisation thing, space marines were constantly getting chapters brought out with epic new units and stuff (I haven't played for a while so I'm unfamiliar with the 5th edition setup) whilst I had to make do with the crap I had. I had alot of fun with it though, so no complaints here.

    1. Monoliths were always a bitch. I had a squad of wraithguard with a farseer shooting, charging, disengaging, rinse repeat for four combats and I couldn't kill the damn thing. Kept getting weapon destroyed and immobilised...

  6. -PLEASE bring back bonesingers!
    -PLEASE bring back the full harlequin army!
    -PLEASE come out with previously rumored corsair army!
    -raise the warithlord point cost to balance its normal 3+ armor and 4+ invulnerable.... it is said all things elder are made by bone singers and wraithbone and all wraithbone has a 4+ invulnerable.
    -wraithguard should have a 5+ invuln toughness 5 and 2 wounds and smash special rule
    -give banchies a 4+ poisoned ap3 sword
    -give all scorpians wrist mounted shirken catapults st4, 2 base attacks, +2 offhand weapon bonus and all scorpians get 1 more attack at inititive 1 with powerfist.
    let the scorpion exarch twin link helmet and wrist catapult or switch to flamer or fusion gun and allow unit take any or all gernades
    -allow VIPERS to have 6" assult move
    -PLEASE allow a phoenix lord to be able to be upgrade to exarch
    -allow spiders to have two alternative fire options option 1 every spider combine fire raises ap by 1 OR 5 or more spiders combine to fire large blast pinning and dangerous train and rending.
    -give elder a open toped assult vehical like a venum

  7. Personally, I beleive that scorpions are ok as they are, although banshees and wraithguard need some help, along with the wraithlord needing that 5+invuln. Faraseers deserve better than mastery level 2 with spirit stones, and Eldrad NEEDS to be level 4. However, I am happy about pathfinders. Also, I think that harlequins need a bit of an upgrade along with a much cheaper troop choice (sorta like grots)

  8. Personally I am fed up with Eldrad after about every eldar army since 2nd edition has him in it.

    The Eldar army should exists of the Eldar soldiers, the Aspect Warriors.
    Not the teachers/mystik leaders, the Farseers and Warlocks, they are too precious and rare.
    Not civilians, because that is wat guardians are.
    The Iyanden wraith theme is debatable, the theme of just 1 craftworld, nice theme though.

    I have Eldar since 1st edition and stopped after 2nd, because Aspect Warriors were all but useless. I hope that after many editions the Aspect Warrior army will be viable again...


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