Eldar: Army Overview

Models:
*Plastic to Metal ratio, Eldar have slowly been updated through out the years to plastics, these include the basic troops, vehicles, and jetbikes. All Aspect warriors HQs and Specialists will still be in metal.

*How old the current models are, Many of the current models have been updated in the Last 5 years, with Weapon Support Platforms and the New Plastic Fireprism/NightSpinner coming out in 2010.

*Anything new coming out soon, as of right now there is no News of new stuff.

*Large back catalogue of Classic/OOP models? GW does not carry any of the older models, but they are still floating around on the internet, and for relatively cheap prices.

*Fun/easy to paint, many schemes available to choose from? Eldar have quite a few different army theme, with many different painting styles and color combinations. The models are about middle diffuclty to paint, but they lend themselves to very nice detailing such as stones, and the like.

*How many models in an average army of 1,500-2,000 points, Most armies will consist of about 45-65 models. Slightly more if you use less transports and bikes and concentrate on Guardian Defenders as your troops choice.

*Costs in £/$ in collecting the average army, relatively cheap or expensive when compared to other armies, The average starting army for Eldar will run you about $500. This will include a little variety in HQ and supporting options. Because of the amount of metal that is needed to field the more specialized side of eldar, this list will probably run a little above average when it comes to other armies.

Background:
*Small summary of the race's history, The Eldar are one of the most ancient of races. They are very technologically advanced and known for their speed and psychic powers. However at the apex of their civilization the Eldar were dominated by lusts and sensations at which point their emotions became so extreme the Chaos god known as Slanesh was created, in this event the Eldar race was almost utterly destroyed. Those that saw it coming, went to live on giant Craft Worlds, cities in space. The others that were caught in the wake of destruction and survived went to live in the warp, and are now known as Dark Eldar.

*How do they get on with other races, The Eldar feel very much like High Elves in space. They feel very much above the other races and only deal with them when there is danger to their race.

Play Style:
*General playing style, the Eldar are known for being fast and specialized. Each Eldar unit plays a critical role in doing one thing. If you're looking for versatility, that's not the Eldar. They have units specialized in CC, units specialized in Tank Hunting, etc. The current meta and play style of Eldar requires them to almost take a fully mechanized army as they have low armor values and must survive to do their jobs.

*Themed army list types, there are a couple of themes, which can be seen in the Codex's Craftworlds.

Biel-Tan - Takes mostly aspect warriors (the specialists) which are mostly elite choices, these lists will usually contain 2 units of Fire Dragons for Tank Hunting, 1 CC Unit (Banshees or Striking Scorpions) and then Units of Dire Avengers for Troops choices. All fielding in Wave Serpents, with either Falcons or Fire Prisms for Heavy Support. These lists are very specialized and usually leave the smallest room for error.

Saim-Hann - Are the fully mobile lists, usually consisting of a Farseer Council on Jetbikes with an Autaurch as the Death Star Unit. Then units of Eldar Jetbikes for Troops Choices and Vypers for Fast Attack support. This army is very fast and mobile.

Iyanden - This list is the Toughest (Toughness and Armor Wise) It usually contains 2 units of 10 Man Wraithguard so you can take them as Troops, at T6 they become hard to take down. There is usually 2 Farseers, or 1 Farseer and Eldrad there to Fortune and Doom. And then 3 Wraithlords for Support.

Ulthwe - Are the masters of Psychic powers, back in 3rd ed they were the first to let you take Seercouncils. They are usually very low on aspect warriors and use Guardians as Troops. They've taken a hit with 5th ed as Mobility is now a key factor, and Guardians are not usually worth the points you spend on them.

Alaitoc - Is one of my favorites fluff wise, they are known for stealth making use of the Pathfinders and Rangers found in the codex to snipe off enemies. They will usually have a low Aspect model count and rely on the Guardians for numbers.

*Competitive list types, - All of the current competitive lists are very heavy mechanized. Usually consisting of Dire Avengers in Wave Serpents as Troops Choices or Eldar Jet Bikes. They will almost always contain 2 units of Fire Dragons for reliable anti-tank, and will have a Farseer to buff their units. The rest of the points then go into filler units that help you play to your play style.

*Current tournament standings, Eldar have started to slide in the tournament brackets because of the large amount of anti-tank now hitting the tables. They have a hard time balancing a list that can both go against MEQ units and Hoards. You will usually see one in the top 10 at large tournaments but not much more then that until they are able to find a way to deal with Leafblower IG Lists.

Misc:
*How popular is the army, The Eldar have been a favorite of many since they've been around. They were one of the original races and large following of players who enjoy them.

*When was the book released, The current Eldar Codex was released in November 2006, making it one of the older 4th Edition books, just above Tau and Black Templars.

*When is the next one due if known, it's not known when the next one will be due, but some rumors have said Late 2011, or 1st Quarter 2012.

*Any race specific forums, I've not found any Eldar Forums, if you find one let me know and I'll update.

***If you find any information on here outdated or inaccurate please let me know so that I can update, thanks***