Dark Eldar: Codex Review after skimming through it

A few things I've learned that I haven't seen online since skimming through the Dex at my FLGS Club HQ.

1. All troops have fleet, which is really just wyches and Kalabite Warriors. Still warriors with fleet is a bonus. Wyches are one of the most fragile units in the army. a 6+ save is in the majority throughout the dex so FNP is needed very VERY quickly and even then, not all that great. I do not really like Wyches after reading them, they are a lunge to the heart. One mistake and your army is gonna get massacred.



2. For 225 points you get a 10 warrior squad with a DL inside of a Raider with Flickerfield and the +2d6" sails (edit: forgot the sails)....a very good unit for its cost.



3. Beastmasters have skyboards. (Has anyone actually stated this online?) This makes them Huge for most builds by making them jump infantry basically. Razorwing flocks will be abundant even though they are the only one never seen (since Clawed fiends have a picture in the 3rd edition codex, look at the page that shows the Xenos, its in the corner with the other species).



4. for 450 points you get The Baron (The choice HQ choice in my opinion with a +1 to your roll to go first as well as giving your Hellions stealth. With stealth and decent cover/skyboards you almost always will be getting a 3+ cover save and if not a 6+) as well as 20 Hellions with Helliarch and a stunclaw. This is an excellent weak, essentially but quick and deadly, version of a death star/distraction unit. Hellions also have fleet, So you are almost guarenteed to get anywhere you want on the table to annoy your enemy. Gun lines beware against DE!



5. Hellions, to take an IC out of an assault, first has to assault the unit, survive the assault, and then can hit and run and then drag the character out. After dragging the IC out you are considered in combat against the IC. So with a small unit you could get wiped out before you can drag away an IC so the big unit of Hellions is the way to go (Baron makes them better by essentially being the Assault terminators equivalent to a Terminator captain)



6. Reavers get an ability, with a certain upgrade that is escaping my mind right now, that can put d3 S4 Ap- attacks on every model it touches. SO This could be seen almost as an attack based JOTWW, though expect only to get one wound if your lucky, so it is an ok way to annoy an enemy. Hopefully he will get distracted by the reavers. Especially with heat lances in the unit as well.



7. Flickerfields are mandatory on all vehicles. Even though it is only a 5+ save that save is invulnerable so at least you will always get a save, since the vehicles are fast you might as well try and hug cover to get that nice 4+ obscured save anyway. Plus the name is just cool enough anyway to take it, just say it....flickerfield.....you know you just felt cool



8. Night shields really should only be taken on Ravegers. The ability to make your enemies guns -6" is really good against a lascannon spammed Razorspam army. you just hug a long distance shot and dance in and out of range of thier guns by staying 48" out since their range is 42". The reason this is really good is if you dance backwards your only causing them to have to move closer to you which makes your assault based army even easier to get into combat (All DE armies will rely on assault to be competitive in my opinion)



9. A shadowfield= a 2+ invulnerable, I noticed this wargear in the front but couldn't find it anywhere in a units profile. Anyone know who has it?



10. Wracks are very fluffy but possibly could be used instead of wyches. Plus you can have scissor hands! How cool is that?



11. The Cronos Parasite Engine is very good although you need to get it close up for its soul stealing shooting weapons to work, and it is a slow monsterous creature. I would still take it but it is prone to enemy fire. Fairly cheap as it costs less than Talos and between 100-120(dont remember exact amounts but is base 10 less than Talos) points based on weapons upgrades.



12. Did not get to look at the fliers. I would stick with 2 Ravengers with Flickerfields and night shields and a Cronos with all upgrades. This works well with a 20 Hellion/Baron mix and a mix of 50/50 warriors and wyches in flickerfield raiders. Possibly one unit of Reavers as well as (if not instead of) beastmasters with the max 2 Razorwing flocks. Finish it out with some Wracks (for coolness purposes) in a raider and you got yourself a pretty competitive, annoyingly quick, hit and run army. This is what I probably will run. Under the right hands this will be very competitive.

This army is seemingly designed to kill Razorspam. I promise your Razorspam will be gone by turn 3. Devastators/Long fangs with Heavy bolters are key as you should theoretically at least damage an AV10 raider each turn with a unit of the latter. Mech IG will be a tough opponent for
DE. Hydras are key in this field now and will be the DE's main threat out of any unit in any codex by having that much TL autocannon that ignores turbo cover..... Marine players grab your rhinos and put full squads with heavy weapons in them again. Night shields will null out melta in the long run and Rapid fire will not be as effective either against this upgrade....

What is your opinion on the new dex? It will not be a good beginner army but will be a good veteran players army in my opinion since it is hard and has a learning curve with it......any opinions on this?

I will review the Elites/HS choices I did not cover in the future... SW's will be in the running but this dex will probably still fall under IG...defiantly will change the game since it is a new kind of army.......so defiantly more on this later......