Got the Eldar Codex, first impressions

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Yeah. From a background standpoint, the fact that they now have to field Guardians as the bulk of their forces means the Eldar are reluctant to enter into fights unless they know they can win or the circumstances are desperate enough that they have to chance it. The writing in the current book definitely is more "Guardians up" than the last one; once the Craftworlds were able to leave it to the Aspect Warriors, but the exigencies of eking out survival over ten thousand years of borrowed time has made that less and less viable. The Craftworlds themselves are becoming more warlike to survive, which also helps to square the "why is a ****ing poet BS4" and "doesn't going to war kind of mess very badly with the Eldar psyche" circles.

Basically: just take it into account in your battle/campaign narratives and there's not much problem from where I'm sitting.

Still, I'm totally behind someone who only wants to field Aspect Warrior strikeforces.

[Charon]

As long as their primary gun has the range of a spitball, they're terrible. (Don't tell me that BF fixes it, because it doesn't. It only puts them into charge range if they want to use their catapults) Since their primary weapon is such garbage range for a unit that folds like a cheap tent in combat, I really resent having to pay 100pts for a single heavy weapon.

And that happens if you have a luxus problem. When everything in the codex is pretty much better, they are bad. Sure.
The codex basically makes their weapons 18" That is 6" less than the standard range but gets you 2 shots instead of one (this is 6" more than the standard rapid fire range). On top of it there is a free heavy weapon too which works like an assault weapon. Terrible unit. At least compared to a codex of superlatives. For every other codex out there, guardians are decent.
At least if you learned how to move them. Not that you need to learn anything with the new codex... but complaining about a good unit because the rest of the book is better than a good unit is... well...

[Mr Mystery]

Dunno about anyone else, but I'm thrilled you can now boost up your Aspect Warriors to be better at shooting or close combat than a Guardian.

Got no issue with Bs4 Guardians - they're Eldar, and they all train for combat at some point, even if they don't explore an Aspect. But Aspect Warriors who dedicate themselves to a chosen path should be either WS5 or BS5. Just makes sense. Otherwise, it would seem someone walking the path of the painter becomes notable for just being able to use a different brush, but still results in the same old landscape.

[-Tom-]

Dunno about anyone else, but I'm thrilled you can now boost up your Aspect Warriors to be better at shooting or close combat than a Guardian.

Got no issue with Bs4 Guardians - they're Eldar, and they all train for combat at some point, even if they don't explore an Aspect. But Aspect Warriors who dedicate themselves to a chosen path should be either WS5 or BS5. Just makes sense. Otherwise, it would seem someone walking the path of the painter becomes notable for just being able to use a different brush, but still results in the same old landscape.

Yep, I don't remember if I've said it before on here or just in conversations with people, but I think it's the problem with the game now using purely D6's. It limits the variation that you can have.


So, I liked representing guardians as being better than a guardsmen, because fluff-wise Eldar have the better reflexes, better sight, better agility etc. then it seems to make sense to make them BS4/WS4 vs the human's 3/3. Problem is it then puts them level with a space marine, unless you up standard marines to 5/5, but then once you get to really high BS it just becomes clunky because you're still going to initially miss on a 1, and really high WS isn't all that beneficial because there isn't that much variation in the WS vs WS table. Second problem, as you say, is that aspect warriors then weren't getting much better than guardians at what they've specifically trained to do.

The other option to upping WS/BS is to start giving out special rules, like Preferred enemy, so you might stick at a certain BS, but are effectively slightly better because you can re-roll 1's. Again though, the more of this there is the clunkier it gets.

Whereas, say, if you had a d8 instead you could have humans as BS3, Guardians as BS4, and standard marines as BS5 without feeling like you're 'running out of space' towards the top of the BS chart.

Sure, you'd maybe need to change overwatch too otherwise if you're counting everything as BS1 on overwatch then you're only hitting 1/8 times now rather than 1/6, but it's been suggested elsewhere that having overwatch being at, say, a -2 penalty might be better anyway rather than the situation where an individual Ork has the same chance to hit a charging enemy as a Space Marine Captain.

[Lord Mayhem]

In my digital copy of the codex it lists Jetbikes under the equipment for rangers (along with many other typos). Anyone else got that?
I see plasma grenades have lost pinning; not a big loss given how often it (doesn't) makes a difference, but a loss of flavor that vexes me somewhat.

[ShadowcatX]

And that happens if you have a luxus problem. When everything in the codex is pretty much better, they are bad. Sure.
The codex basically makes their weapons 18" That is 6" less than the standard range but gets you 2 shots instead of one (this is 6" more than the standard rapid fire range). On top of it there is a free heavy weapon too which works like an assault weapon. Terrible unit. At least compared to a codex of superlatives. For every other codex out there, guardians are decent.
At least if you learned how to move them. Not that you need to learn anything with the new codex... but complaining about a good unit because the rest of the book is better than a good unit is... well...

Oh really? Compare a guardian to a skitarri and see who comes out on top. Worse BS for a shooty unit, 1 in 10 heavy weapons rather than 2 in 5, no free scout move, shorter range gun, fewer shot gun, worse armor (and the difference between 5+ and 4+ is huge), and no "everyone in close combat takes -1 T." In exchange they get a bladestorm (if they actually get to shoot) and battle focus, which means that starting on turn 3, they're an inch further forward only two turns more of running and their weapons will reach the same point on the table that skitarri weapons hit, GREAT!

[40kGamer]

Dunno about anyone else, but I'm thrilled you can now boost up your Aspect Warriors to be better at shooting or close combat than a Guardian.

Got no issue with Bs4 Guardians - they're Eldar, and they all train for combat at some point, even if they don't explore an Aspect. But Aspect Warriors who dedicate themselves to a chosen path should be either WS5 or BS5. Just makes sense. Otherwise, it would seem someone walking the path of the painter becomes notable for just being able to use a different brush, but still results in the same old landscape.

Damn Skippy! Very cool change.

- - - Updated - - -

Yep, I don't remember if I've said it before on here or just in conversations with people, but I think it's the problem with the game now using purely D6's. It limits the variation that you can have.

Totally agree. The D6 is a terribly limiting aspect of the design... Emperor knows they've played with every other aspect of the game to get the most mileage out of it. (Range, ROF, etc) It gets hilarious when you need to roll 100+ D6's to try and resolve a single action. On the plus side, if they are actually willing to go round bases for WFB 9th (I won't believe it until I see it) then maybe we could see a D10 system for combat resolution in the future.

[Dont-Be-Haten]

My initial impression is they have changed the feel of Eldar again. In the past I felt like the Eldar simply existed. Lamented about their lost empire and culture, and every once in a while would go kill someone that somewhere down the road would cause a hiccup in them just existing. And that they only played a marginal role in the 40k universe.

That has changed dramatically to me with this last book. Now it feels like they aren't just existing waiting to go extinct, but that they are flourishing again, being the flame at in its brightest moments before going out.

I've read in other threads on how many Eldar are actually still alive and what not, and now it feels more like the untold billions of space elves are not just existing but thriving, and doing all they can to revive their race.

I also feel like they've become more inline with the fantasy High Elves with having a standing militia at all times, training for war in times of strife, versus how guardians used to be former aspect warriors only.

This is how I've always thought Eldar should be written, and how my own personal craftworld rejects the whole edge of extinction rhetoric, and are flourishing. So to be biased, I really love the overall feel of the direction the Eldar have taken.

[40kGamer]

Oh really? Compare a guardian to a skitarri and see who comes out on top. Worse BS for a shooty unit, 1 in 10 heavy weapons rather than 2 in 5, no free scout move, shorter range gun, fewer shot gun, worse armor (and the difference between 5+ and 4+ is huge), and no "everyone in close combat takes -1 T." In exchange they get a bladestorm (if they actually get to shoot) and battle focus, which means that starting on turn 3, they're an inch further forward only two turns more of running and their weapons will reach the same point on the table that skitarri weapons hit, GREAT!

Guardians must be even more of a personal taste and style unit than normal. Of course I've always had them in my lists so when they added +1BS, Battle Focus and Bladestorm for what was +1 PV I was in Eldar heaven. I really get a lot of mileage out of them on table.

[Arkhan Land]

Yep, I don't remember if I've said it before on here or just in conversations with people, but I think it's the problem with the game now using purely D6's. It limits the variation that you can have.


So, I liked representing guardians as being better than a guardsmen, because fluff-wise Eldar have the better reflexes, better sight, better agility etc. then it seems to make sense to make them BS4/WS4 vs the human's 3/3. Problem is it then puts them level with a space marine, unless you up standard marines to 5/5, but then once you get to really high BS it just becomes clunky because you're still going to initially miss on a 1, and really high WS isn't all that beneficial because there isn't that much variation in the WS vs WS table. Second problem, as you say, is that aspect warriors then weren't getting much better than guardians at what they've specifically trained to do.

The other option to upping WS/BS is to start giving out special rules, like Preferred enemy, so you might stick at a certain BS, but are effectively slightly better because you can re-roll 1's. Again though, the more of this there is the clunkier it gets.

Whereas, say, if you had a d8 instead you could have humans as BS3, Guardians as BS4, and standard marines as BS5 without feeling like you're 'running out of space' towards the top of the BS chart.

Sure, you'd maybe need to change overwatch too otherwise if you're counting everything as BS1 on overwatch then you're only hitting 1/8 times now rather than 1/6, but it's been suggested elsewhere that having overwatch being at, say, a -2 penalty might be better anyway rather than the situation where an individual Ork has the same chance to hit a charging enemy as a Space Marine Captain.

The D6 versus D8/D10 Etc problem definitely hinders variety but to be honest the gaurdian problem is a weirder one, as far as I remember only until 6th were gaurdians ever bs/ws4 ever aside from the Black-Gaurdians from craftworld eldar, not really sure why this changed.