From: Polbot  Sent: 04/05/2002 09:44
I am almost finished with my army and I think I have the perfect balance of firepower and mobility. I have put some tactics WITH and AGAINST the dark eldar!
 
1) Archon & Retinue
This is the most powerful unit in the game, hands down. Give the archon a shadow field (2+ inv. save), combat drugs, agoniser, and a splinter pistol to make him the most powerful unit in the game. Also give him some incubi and of course a RAIDER. Give him a RAIDER unless you want your most expensive and powerful unit shot up!
I have found that I can defeat any unit with this squad, including space marine assault squad, death company, honor guard, etc etc. LET the enemy charge you with everything he got. Charge right into his main formation. Remember you dont have to charge his most expensive unit unless you want to.
2) Warriors
After countless battles I have found out many interesting things about warriors. Firstly they get shot up real fast and flamers will kill ALL of them. What I do is use them as mobile fire support. I give them a raider (with a disintegrator or dark lance it is powerful itself) and 2 splinter cannons (8 strength 4 shots!) and 2 blasters (assault strength 8-not to mention changes armor 13-14 to 12). With this combination I move them across the battlefield, blowing up powerful troops or powerfull vehicles. Then so I dont get blown up, I charge my warriors into the enemy. They might get killed, but its still better than the enemy shooting at them!
3) Wyches
Either get a lot of wyches or dont take them. Always no matter what give them a raider and assault the enemy. They will be killed off on the ground. They are most effective against many troops, for example ork boyz or nids'. I usualy do not use wyches as they dont really fit into my army at the moment.
4) Mobility
Take a lot of raiders! Every squad in my army is mobile in one way or another. Dark eldar are easily destroyed by shooting, not to mention you can complete almost any mission with raiders. I give them disintegrators so that I can blow up the enemies most expensive units with strength 7 ap 2 blast attacks.
5) Jetbikes
Jetbikes or hellions its all up to you. Except that jetbikes have a better save, now cost 25 points, can shoot the heck out of the enemy, and can supercharge across the battlefield. Dont stand back and shoot with these! Charge right at the enemy, sucking up their fire. Shoot at their most expensive unit and then charge right into their devestators or elite warriors. This will probably mean that the enemy cannot use that squad for the rest of the game-win or loose the assault.
Note that you can give them a haemonculus on jetbike with toughness 5!
6) Elites
No matter what theory says about crossfire or a protective wall, I have found very little use out of mandrakes or grotesques. Oh wow grotesques cant be hurt by bolters and such! The enemy simply shoot a lascannon at the squad, kills one guy, and now can shoot anyone behind! I would rather buy warriors for that price!
Mandrakes sound interesting because they can come out of anywhere and have a cover save etc. Except that they are not a very good assault unit nor a shooting unit. The only use I found for them was in a sobotage mission. Again dont take them- they are too slow and not very powerful.
7)Warp Beast Pack
Cheap, fast and powerful. If you have some extra points most players take this. I have not yet tried it out so I cant have an opinion.
8)Scourges
Dont take em! They are a shooting unit but they have jumppacks- what the?! Unless you equip all of them with splinter cannons that would make an infantry killer, but a very expensive one at that. They could easily get killed by enemy fire.
9) Ravager
Three strength 7 ap 2 blast shots. Heaven.
10)Talos
Dont know how effective it is, because I dont have one. It is pretty slow though and random, so its really a big trade off. Personally I take some warriors or something instead but thats just me.
11) Webway Portals and Screaming Jets
Webway portals can be used to transport your best units- but its risky and expensive. Using Screaming Jets you can deep strike your entire army for a price-fun against the tau or imperial guard.






WOW! Thanks for such a great overview there Polbot! My cup truly runeth over! :)

Are there any missions that your army prefers? any that are more challenging?

any armies that you face that give you more problems than the others?

I'm just a barrel full of questions today aren't I? :)

thanks so much for your time! :)
~ Brother Edward




Well the dark eldar are good at every mission. As long as they play one they have a pretty good advantage. Of course they would have lots of problems with meet grinder against numbericaly supperior armies. My favorite missions are ones were I have to capture an objective or escape. Sabotage is hands down the easiest one to win. I will have troops in contact with the object for more than one turn no matter what (unless the enemy rolls all sixes and I roll all ones!).
Remember never to play a "lets just kill each other" game! Most likely players will want to play games like this. Dont do it! They will have the advantage against the dark eldar. You will have no objectives to capture, no mission objectives. An army like space marines could simply stand back and shoot at you- hell on earth.
Ok here are some more weapon and army specific tips.
1) Ordnance blast weapons are lethal to your troops. Take them out ASAP.
2) Flamers will destroy you, stay away from them, shoot them, or assault them.
3) Tie the enemy hero with a warrior or wych squad. Distract them while the rest of their army is getting destroyed.
4) Assault!
5) Stay mobile
6) Dont waste everything on wargear. Go crazy on the archon! But you dont have to use your points on wargear for sybarites unless they fulfill an objective. Get another jetbike instead up upgrading to a sybarite.
7) Remember your strength is bad! Get a weapon that ignores your strength and simply wounds an enemy on a certain roll (ie agoniser). Otherwise you will not do much against troops with high toughness.
 
I am kind of busy right now. Maybe write more later...

~ PolBot
May 2002