Eldar Craftworlds Codex Review Part 2

Continuing on with my review on the new Eldar Craftworlds Codex.

Obviously, scatter bikes, wraithguard with D-scythes, and the Wraithknight are all the rage now, and rightly so.  The units are good...great even, and some of the most deadly you're likely to encounter.  That said, there isn't a bad unit in the codex really, although there are some you'll never utilize (Rangers for example) except for maybe cheap point fills in lists.

The Aspect Warriors all got a major boost in this codex.  The Aspect Host formation is an amazing way to utilize them as well.  You can pick up to 3 units, in any combination, from the aspect warriors, and upgrade either their WS or BS.  BS is the obvious choice here, so you end up with units like warp spiders, fire dragons, and dark reapers, all capable of dealing out massive damage, now hitting on a 2+.  This makes them insanely good combined with their unit special rules.

Howling Banshees are fast.  Capable of getting across the table quickly especially in a Craftworld Warhost detachment (more about that later).  And with their banshee masks, units can't fire overwatch at them.  That's extraordinarily good against armies like Tau, for example.  Getting them there, however is still a problem.  Although they can move ridiculously fast, short of bringing them out of an allied Dark Eldar Raider, there really is no point where you're going to use these guys.  They just aren't tough enough to hold up to the firepower they'll take trying to get into combat.

Striking Scorpions, on the other hand, are a bit better here.  They have Infiltrate and then shrouded and stealth on top of that. So, they camp out in hiding until turn 2, and with a 2+ cover might hopefully be able to do something before the opponent manages to kill them.  Pretty solid unit overall.

Shining Spears. Although not the best, they offer some potential having a 4+ cover save without jinking and STR 6 AP 3 lances.  They can also outflank, which gives them the ability to do some real damage to infantry. 

Warp Spiders are amazing.  They are good on paper, and even better in game.  The flickerjump ability can be put to great use.  They roll to wound vs initiative.  Drop these guys down near something like, say, a Tyranid Carnifex, and watch them work.  And their mobility is mind blowing.  They only lose a model from using their warp jump generators if they roll snakeyes now as opposed to any doubles roll.  They have hit and run so they can bounce out of a combat and engage a different target.  Their combined speed, mobility, and high damage output makes them easily one of the best units in the codex.

Swooping Hawks can hit flyers.  That's pretty much all you need to know.  They can bounce over flyers and hit them with a haywire shot.  That's really good.  And their ability to jump in and out without scattering makes them great objective grabbers. 

Dark Reapers are still pricey, but rightly so. Slow and Purposeful with a 3+ save and some pretty good ranged weapons.  Sit the exarch behind a quad gun with interceptor and suddenly you're slinging 5 shots hitting on 2's twin linked that your opponent's flyers can't jink against. That's a scary thought.  I tend to use these guys a lot and they're a good counter against other Eldar players you might face in a tournament considering those scatter bikes they'll field will have to hug cover or be vaporized by their starswarm missiles negating their jink saves.

Fire Dragons are another amazing unit.  Hitting on 2s in the formation with the ability to re-roll a failed to hit or armor pen result is pretty good.  Also, consider they get to add a +1 to the roll when rolling on the vehicle damage chart.  Effectively giving them a 50% chance on the dice roll to explode a vehicle when they penetrate.  Those are pretty good odds.  Getting them into melta range is an issue however, but there are ways within the codex to do it.

Which leads to our next unit highlight:

Falcons.  Squadron them and bring 3 and they can all deep strike in without scattering.  Whatever is sitting in front of them can easily go away.  This is especially effective when they unload the troops inside like Fire Dragons (who are now in your opponent's face), Dark Reapers, or even Dire Avengers.  Unfortunately can't put wraithguard in these bad boys, which is probably a good thing for the game.  The cost to bring them is high, but the damage output is insane and can really disrupt your opponent's strategy.

The Dire Avenger Shrine is another great tool in the codex.  All units once per game can shoot all their weapons with 3 shots instead of the normal 2.  The amount of rending capability increases and combined with their battle focus (always being 6" if a part of a craftworld warhost detachment), makes this a solid unit.  Popping out of a Falcon cloudstrike they can really lay down some pain on infantry, or something like a Wraithknight, since the 6's always wound and are AP 2.  Or you could just pop them in Wave Serpents and fly around the board.

Contrary to popular belief, the Wave Serpent isn't dead.  You will see less of them, but not due to some ill conceived notion that they are now bad (they're not), but simply because scatter bikes are so much better all around.  Wave Serpents are still deadly, with the ability to get a 5++ which makes them less reliant on the jink, and gives them protection from things that ignore cover.  And while losing the ability to fire off the serpent shield every turn can be construed as a "nerf" it's not so much so, when you factor in it still can pack a punch with 2d6 STR 6 shots with ignores cover, albeit at much shorter range.  Wave Serpent spam can still lay down an insane alpha strike. 

In the third part of this article I'll cover the new Craftworlds Warhost detachment, and why being able to run 6" guaranteed might be better than objective secured.