# 21 questions about Dark Eldar Units in 6th Edition



## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

I lied. It's 22 questions, but I'll continue anyway. I just picked up Codex: Dark Eldar (5th edition) for the first time in months. PLEASE HELP ME.

1. Haemonculus or Archon? How many? Which upgrades?

2. Blasterborn in a Venom: Number of models per squad? Number of Squads? Other upgrades?

3. Kabalite warriors in Raider/Venom: see questions under number 2. (giggle and get it out of your system, then give me a serious response)

4. Reavers: Yes or No? If Yes, see questions number 2. If no, what should I field instead? Models per Squad? Number of Squads? Upgrades?

5. Ravagers: Yes or No? If no, See the last four questions under number 4.

Once I feel I've received sufficient feedback, I'll go and post an army list for review, which I will link to >here<


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## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

Yay! A response!


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## Archon Dan (Feb 6, 2012)

Adramalech said:


> I lied. It's 22 questions, but I'll continue anyway. I just picked up Codex: Dark Eldar (5th edition) for the first time in months. PLEASE HELP ME.
> 
> 1. Haemonculus or Archon? How many? Which upgrades?
> They are both good choices. An Archon is a good choice to pair with close combat units but can get expensive quick if you want him to stay alive. The Haemonculi are best as support HQs. Upgrade them with shooting weapons for Warrior squads and close combat weapons for Wyches. They are a great way to spread Pain Tokens around the army early on. But they lack the Fleet rule, can be tough to keep alive for an HQ and take a transport slot, making you miss the bonuses for having 10 in a squad. How many of either to take depends on what they are doing, how many other units/points you have available and what upgrades you use. As for which upgrades, it's mostly a matter of preference and what type of squad they join. Given your other questions, I'd go with Haemonculi as Warriors and Trueborn don't have Combat Drugs and relying on those for a Pain Token is risky anyway. Give them Hexrifles for picking off targets or Liquifier Guns for anti-assault.
> ...


Hope my responses were helpful to you.


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## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

Archon Dan said:


> Hope my responses were helpful to you.


thank you <3 I was mostly going on instinct when I decided which questions to ask, so I'm glad I got the response I did. Your post also helped me set my priorities straight; Any other unit builds you'd recommend while I have your ear?


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## Fallen (Oct 7, 2008)

i pretty much agree completely with Archon, ive been his test subject for far too long to doubt him.

honestly i feel that when i face DE I am less scared of Ravengers than I am of the razorwing (havent played against the voidraven bomber enough) because its relatively easy to kill a 11/11/10 skimmer with 90+% of the armies.

Reavers - either keep in reserve and come on and just do the "fly over attacks" with as many cluster cal drops (?) as possible; OR deploy somewhere where they cannot be shot at and do the above and also add in heat lances...because they can wreck critical vehicles at painfully important times.

Warriors - take a squad of 10 in a raider with racks or take 20 with an ADL + quad gun.

Wyches - they are tricky as hell to do correctly now, but honestly i feel that putting a squad of 5 in a venom and do charges of opportunity would be the most beneficial now.

trueborn/HQ choices - agree.


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## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

Fallen said:


> i pretty much agree completely with Archon, ive been his test subject for far too long to doubt him.
> 
> honestly i feel that when i face DE I am less scared of Ravengers than I am of the razorwing (havent played against the voidraven bomber enough) because its relatively easy to kill a 11/11/10 skimmer with 90+% of the armies.
> 
> ...


If you could answer the following question in my other thread, I'd be delighted: How do you recommend I free up the 74 points I would need to add those upgrades to my reavers and raiders, and to give my Ravagers flickerfields? (some survivability is better than none, I suppose, and I'd rather try to free up 30 points than 120)


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## Archon Dan (Feb 6, 2012)

Given that so many of the units you have listed are shooting units, I feel you need something close combat oriented. Incubi are a great option because of their incredible weapons and very good armor. They are a lot of points though. So depending on game size, you may want Wyches. The Wyches are Troops too so can hold objectives if need be. But if you don't get the Pain Token with their Combat Drugs and even sometimes when you do, they die horribly fast.


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## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

Archon Dan said:


> Given that so many of the units you have listed are shooting units, I feel you need something close combat oriented. Incubi are a great option because of their incredible weapons and very good armor. They are a lot of points though. So depending on game size, you may want Wyches. The Wyches are Troops too so can hold objectives if need be. But if you don't get the Pain Token with their Combat Drugs and even sometimes when you do, they die horribly fast.


I took the opportunity to add Incubi to the list I linked to via the OP, and I put an Archon in the squad (with shadowfield and huskblade).

I've heard it recommended that an Archon deployed with a squad of Incubi be upgraded to have a phantasm grenade launcher. How necessary is this? Should it take precedent over the shadowfield or huskblade? If so, what should I replace the shadowfield/huskblade with? Not gonna lie, I wanted the huskblade because it's AP2, a la the 2013 DE errata.


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## Suijin (Aug 11, 2011)

Adramalech said:


> I took the opportunity to add Incubi to the list I linked to via the OP, and I put an Archon in the squad (with shadowfield and huskblade).
> 
> I've heard it recommended that an Archon deployed with a squad of Incubi be upgraded to have a phantasm grenade launcher. How necessary is this? Should it take precedent over the shadowfield or huskblade? If so, what should I replace the shadowfield/huskblade with? Not gonna lie, I wanted the huskblade because it's AP2, a la the 2013 DE errata.


Not a DE player, but in general it is very usefull to have assault grenades for an assault unit, especially if you have a high initiative. Going at I1 for charging into cover really limits their usefullness.


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## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

Suijin said:


> Not a DE player, but in general it is very usefull to have assault grenades for an assault unit, especially if you have a high initiative. Going at I1 for charging into cover really limits their usefullness.


lol for a minute I thought you meant the usefulness of the grenades XDD but yeh, I see now why the grenades would be necessary.


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## Suijin (Aug 11, 2011)

Yeah, I should have said not having assault grenades and assaulting into difficult terrain and going at I1 really sucks. It isn't so bad if you are I3 or less normally, but DE are mostly I6 right?


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

yeh they are mostly fairly high init and having that knocked down really hurts them. T3 sucks like that.


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## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

Magpie_Oz said:


> yeh they are mostly fairly high init and having that knocked down really hurts them. T3 sucks like that.


Yeah, that and instant death from S6 hits. :\


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