Beginners Dark Eldar Army

Building a Dark Eldar army from scratch
A systematic approach for beginners
By Dan Moore October 31, 2003

Introduction
I have had countless people contact me for advice on what they should buy to either build or expand their dark eldar army. I usually respond by asking them about what style of army they like to play, what units they already own, and what budget limations they have. More often than not my recommendations fall into one of two categories for either skimmer-based or non-skimmer-based armies.

My recommendatioins have been summarized into a more systematic list so that new players can build their armies in a cost-effective manner that allows for maximum flexibility when they wish to expand or customize them. This article will focus on a skimmer-based army since this style of army embodies the essence of the dark eldar. It is a fast-moving, hard hitting force that is adaptable to most scenarios and battlefield conditions.

Now I realize that many new Dark Eldar players probably start their armies with lots of warrior models that are readily available from the Warhammer 40K starter boxed set. The inclination of many of these players is to build a large ground force with lots of cheap warriors and some fire-support units like scourges. While this is understandable, it can easily lead you down the wrong path to building an effective army. I suspect that this is why so many new dark eldar players become frustrated with the performance of their new armies and ask me for advice.

The simple fact of the matter is that dark eldar warriors are most effective when they are supported by Raider transports The Raider provides greater mobility and firepower to warrior squads. It allows them to control the flow of the battle by attacking the enemy where it is weakest with overwhelming numbers. This is what dark eldar must do to be competitive.

Any discussion about a skimmer-based dark eldar army should begin with the Raider squad, which is a versatile yet inexpensive unit. This unit will form the backbone of any skimmer-based army. A typical raider squad will cost about 150 points including the transport although it can be more or less depending upon squad upgrades and options.

Step 1: The first 500 points
Any skimmer-based army should be started with 3-4 full-sized Raider squads which will total between 33 and 44 models. The estimated retail cost for each of these units will be approximately $45 US per squad which includes 10 warriors and a Raider transport. I would recommend that initially each squad have splinter cannnon and blaster weapon upgrades. A 500 point starter army could be comprised of 3 full Raider squads with a modest HQ choice such as a haemonculus or Dracon.

Army List - 500 points

Unit	Points	$
2 X Raider squad (10-man)	300	$90
Raider squad (9-man)	142	$45
Dracon w/ CCW & pistol	37	$10
Total	479	$145

33 models

Step 2: The 750 point army
The next addition to the skimmer-based army should be in the form of additional firepower and more skimmers. I would recommend adding another Raider squad as well as 2 Ravagers. The Ravagers can be configured to have interchangeable weapons and removable side armor. This will give you plenty of flexibility to adjust your army as needed. The ravagers can be equipped with all dark lances or disintegrators as the situation merits. The removable side armor will allow you to convert the ravagers to raiders should you need more transports for your army as you expand and customize it..

Army List -750 points

Unit	Points	$
2 X Raider squad (10-man)	300	$90
Raider squad (9-man)	142	$45
Dracon w/ CCW & pistol	37	$10
Raider squad (10-man)	150	$45
Ravager - Disintegrators	120	$35
Total	749	$225

45 models

Step 3: The 1000 point army
The firepower of the army will be further upgraded at this point by adding another Raider squad as well as a second Ravager. This raider squad can be configured somewhat differently by giving it only a dark lance. This squad can be deployed seperately from its transport and act as a sniper squad of sorts. Likewise the second ravager can be equipped with all dark lances to deal with any vehicles or high toughness models that your opponents may begin to field. A final adjustment will be equipping all of the remaining raiders with disintegrators to deal with light vehicles and power armor. The disintegrators can be purchased separately from Games Workshop mail order.

Army List - 1000 points

Unit	Points	$
3 X Raider squad (10-man)	450	$135
Raider squad (9-man)	142	$45
Dracon w/ CCW & pistol	37	$10
Ravager - Disintegrators	120	$35
Raider squad (w/dark lance)	145	$50
Ravager - Dark Lances	105	$35
Disintegrator bits		$10
Total	1001	$320

57 models

Step 4: The 1250 point army.
Once you have expanded your army to include at least 4 full raider squads and two Ravagers you can move to diversify your army and add some close combat specialists. The first step would be to upgrade your Dracon with an Agonizer and shadowfield. Fortunately, you will not need to purchase any additional models. The next step you be to add some wyche squad with succubus. The succubus should be equipped wth an Agonizer and splinter pistol so that she can wound any foe. The squad should be given wyche weapons and mounted in a raider so that it can get into close combat as quickly as possible. The Dracon can ride with the Wyches for extro close-combat support.

Army List - 1250 points

Unit	Points	$
4 X Raider squad (10-man)	600	$195
Raider squad (9-man)	142	$45
Dracon -Aggonizer & pistol Shadowfield	36 45	$10
Ravager - Disintegrators	120	$35
Ravager - Dark Lances	105	$35
Wyche squad (8-man ) Succubus - Agonizer/pistol Raider	104 40 55	$28 $9 $30
Total	1245	$387

67 models

Step 5: The 1500 point army.
The finishing touches for your army will be to upgrade its assault capability even further by giving your Dracon a 5-man Incubi retinue and its own Raider transport. This unit should be quite sufficient for dealing with space marine squads or any unit in power armor. The Dracon can also be further upgraded by giving him/her Combat Drugs. One final upgrade will be to add a 10th model to the Wyche and 9-man Raider squads.

This army list is both balanced and composition- friendly for tournaments. It consists of 8-9 skimmers with lots of firepower and some decent assault capability. I would suggest that you play many games with this army before considering the addition of any new units or models. You should learn the finer points of playing a fast-moving dark eldar army before branching out to a more themed army.

Army List - 1500 points

Unit	Points	$
4 X Raider squads (10-man)	600	$195
Raider squad (10-man)	150	$45
Dracon -Agonizer & pistol Shadowfield, Combat Drugs 5 Incubi Raider w/disintegrator	36 70 125 60	$10 $25 $30
Ravager - Disintegrators	120	$35
Ravager - Dark Lances	105	$35
Wyche squad (9-man ) Succubus - Agonizer/pistol Raider	125 40 55	$33 $9 $30
Total	1472	$447

75 models

Where do you go from here?
Now that you have built a skimmer-based dark eldar army that is competitive on the battlefield you might ask what is next? The most probable answer will be that you want to customize your army to give it a unique theme. The obvious choices here would be a Wyche- or Haemonculus- themed army.

A Wyche-themed army could incorporate a squad or two of jetbikes, warpbeasts, and possibly even hellions. At an extreme you could add a suffient number of wyches to make a wyche cult army. The focus of the army would be more on close combat and less on shooting. Consequently you could convert your Ravagers to Raider transports by removing the side armor and extra guns.

A Haemonculus-themed army could incorporate several haemonculi to leads some squads of groteques. Talos's could be swapped for the Ravagers, which would be converted into Raider transports. This army would have mix of shooting (Raider squads) and close combat ability (grotesques and Talos.)

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