# Starting High Elves- What to buy?



## raszero (Mar 20, 2009)

Hey, I've played 40k for a few months and have decided that I want to get a bit of the Fantasy Battles before I continue with 40k. I am aiming for around 500 points if possible ^^
I have yet to purchase the codex, but I will be on sunday. What I know is that the reason I chose High Elves was my freind told me they were good at magic, and I love magic, so I would like an army with lots of magic (unless that would be rubbish)
I allready have a High Elf Mage and a Mage on horseback, but I know I will need some more stuff. 
I have an ideal budget of £50, but I could strech to £60 (not including the army book). The main thing I want to know is if the Battalion is the 100% best way to start, or is there another possible better method? Thanks ^^

And sidetracked PS- Best lore of magic for starting off 500 points, or at least one more noob freindly? XD

Thanks


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

you cant go wrong with the battalion, ok they are old models but from a starting point you cant ask for much more.

on a side note the chariot and dragon are brilliant models too


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## squeek (Jun 8, 2008)

The battalion is ok, the RBT, archers and spears are all likely to be useful. Most HE players tend to ignore Silver Helms and choose Dragon Princes instead as they are generally considered better. That said they aren't bad as such, just not quite as good as dragon princes. It might be worth totting up the units you actually want and seeing if you can get them for a good price, shopping around is always an option.

For HE their own High Magic lore is pretty good, particularly since you can use drain magic to ruin your opponent's magic phase.


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## raszero (Mar 20, 2009)

Well, if everything is useful in the Battallion I may just buy it. Even if these Silver Helms are worse than Dragon Princes, good for £2 if I bought other stuff seperatly. 
Thanks for the help


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## Captain Galus (Jan 2, 2008)

The battalion box is a good starting point, but you get those nasty Silver Helms in there. My advice: field them as Dragon Princes. Another thing you need if you're going the magic heavy route is the box of two mages. It gives you parts enough to build a mounted mage and a walking mage.

If you DO go the magic route with High Elves, you need to invest as many points into it as you can.


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## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

Swordmasters
Swordmasters
Swordmasters
Swordmasters

did I mention Swordmasters?


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## Ascendant Valor (Jan 3, 2009)

MaidenManiac said:


> Swordmasters
> Swordmasters
> Swordmasters
> Swordmasters
> ...


That's just about everything you'll need to know! They're to ultimate combat monsters, and easily out-class the majority of their opponents in the Warhammer world.

As for magic (I have yet to write a decent High Elf magic tacitica...), High Elven magic is fairly decent. If you really, really wanted magic, though, you'll have to go balls-to-the-walls. Big time. That is, max out your characters with Mages, and fill the rest of your army with units that can help those mages optimize their effectiveness.

The best approach, though, would be a typical combined arms approach. Eventually, if this is what you'd like, you may want to also buy the Prince/Noble box and enough special troops to boot. That way, you can have a combat hero, a couple mages or three, and some nasty combat troops.

For a 500pt limit (on a tight budget, too!), your best bet is the battalion box. The Spear Elves (or Lothern Sea Guard, if you prefer) are very solid core units. Archers and a Repeater Bolt Thrower will yield a fantastic shooting phase. Silver Helms, make no mistake, are great at supporting your units (in a naked unit of 5); they make excellent flankers and are significantly cheaper and easier to field than Dragon Princes. Of course, you could just play/model them as Dragon Princes if that was your fancy.

Since High Elves are your bag, the battalion box and your mages will go a long way for you. Once you want to expand your army, though, consider some of the High Elves' combat units!


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## karlhunt (Mar 24, 2009)

Unlike the other posters here I am going to recomend against the battalion. Go on E-bay instead. You can usually get a full 500pt army for about $30.00, that's about 15 British Pounds give or take. I am a firm beleiver in saving money and an auction site like E-bay can really help out there. 

I don't know how set on the Elves you are but Daemons of Tzeenitch toss more spells, generally with more power, than High Elves do. 

If you do really like the Elves then I recomend 1x Bolt Thrower, lvl2 Mage, 15x Lothern Sea Guard (battalion will give you 16), that will come to about 500 pts.


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## raszero (Mar 20, 2009)

Thanks for the information guys, ebay is allways good... xP


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## Falsegods (Jun 9, 2008)

Lion Chariots are monsters if you can field them effectively. They might be a bit much in just 500 points but once you are at or above the 1,000 points mark I find them to be outstanding. I generally field at least two of them above a thousand points. Plus the models are mad fine.


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