# Wood Elves.... Is anyone out there??? Anywhere???



## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

I've decided that I really like fantasy Warhammer and I really LIKE the Elves...all three kinds.

I look out at Heresy-Online and I find Dark Elves (I am one of them.), High Elves in significant numbers, but.... no Woodies?? .... or are they just hiding somewhere and are shy about speaking out.

I intend to collect full armies of all three but I am curious as to why there are no Wood Elves represented in the forums. 

Are they that bad an army that no one wants them? That is to bad because I think they have some good looking models and the fluff is fun. I'd like to get them and play against the Beastmen...(Midge913, are you listening???)


----------



## Akatsuki13 (May 9, 2010)

It's actually because the Wood Elves are in serious need of updating and it's become quite hard to play them in 8th Ed. But everyone's hoping that they (or the Ogres or the Brets) are next to get an update in the Fall or Winter.


----------



## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Yeah there are a few of us. Tim/Steve collects them in MSU archer style with Forest Spirit Support, while I used to collect them in Horde style, massive blocks of Treekin and Eternal Guard, when I realised that the army I had in 7th (Glade Rider with Warhawk and Great Eagle Support) could no longer work (a 2K list once managed to kill 350pts of models before being tabled).

The problem is with Wood Elves, is that the game they were designed for they were balanced, but not overly powerful. In 7th, certain armies (Dryad MSU times a billion) were very popular among players, but the other side of the army was fairly weak. In 8th, the Skirmishers and Fast Cavalry are majorly shit, while the "heavy" infantry can't deal that much damage.

Giving them S4 would be a nice way to improve Eternal Guard (as well as making them fairly useful against a Dwellers), but keeping their other rules (fight in 2 ranks, extra attack, heavy armour) would be good. For their costs, they're decent, but when they're up against Dark Elves with 2 S4 Attacks with rerolls to hit, and S5 2 attack swordmasters with ASF hitting on 3's, it's a mega pain - and other elite units such as Chaos Warriors, Greatswords, Black Guard, any of the Asur 3 Elites, Ironbreakers (3+ Armour Saves are nemesis), Halberd Tomb Guard, Vampire Wights, and they're suffering.

Against hordes, they lack the strength to put forward their attack advantage.

At 2K+, I always found Points Denial the way forward. Big Blocks of Eternal Guard (with Rhymers Harp), and a couple of Treekin units, with Glade Riders to make up the minimum points, and hunt War Machines, while Beast/Life L4 Mages heal the unit/keep it at moderate levels (possibility for S4/T8 Eternal Guard), while a BSB with Helm of the Hunt and a Fencers Blades (with the +3S/A spell from Beasts) to get a T4 WS10 S7 8 Attack Character Killer.

@Atasuki - it's Ogres then Brets this year, according Harry. Who _KNOWS_.


----------



## kain1989 (Dec 1, 2009)

I play wood elves, I started them 1 month before 8th came out, but I've like them alot. at 1 thousand points they can be great, especially with glade riders running circles around the enemy. but at 2 thousand points and higher, they struggle, they have a few tricks and gimmicks, but most of their tactics were made completely useless in 8th.

since you can't use woods to block movement really, and can't marchblock, this nerfs the shooting unit. 

with the new step up rules, all the wood elves characters are pretty much useless without any real armor save, and low toughness, even basic troops of most armies can kill a fully kitted out lord.

Its really sad that wood elves got so nerfed, they are the most different army out there, and few other races can customize their characters the way that they can.

but If you want to run them well, ask Tim/steve, He has a solid list, that does well, so winning is possible. And at games around 1500 i win around 50 percent of the time, but I either massacre them, or they massacre me, not too much inbetween.


----------



## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

Thanks for the insights.....
Being fairly new to Fantasy, I haven't yet glommed onto what is good and what is not so I am pulled by looks. I like the looks of the Elves, the Wood Elves in particular. I still will probably collect them because of their models, and here's hoping that they get some facelifts.... after all if a bunch of ugly rats (no offence, Skaven-kin) can get awesome new models, firepower and such and a bunch of skeletons get new cool stuff, one would think that the Wood Elves would get a once over. 
Maybe by the time I have a couple of thousand points collected and painted, they will be beefed up some.

Here's hoping.

Meanwhile, back to the Dark Elves....


----------



## kain1989 (Dec 1, 2009)

I wouldn't worry about the wood elves being neglected, they'll get their rules updated soon enough. and the wood elves have always been one of the more powerful armies, except for 8th edition. so i'm sure they'll be good again.

but I do agree that they have some of the best models, I love the core, and characters, except for the treeman, and treekin, their my favorite models.

but you'll definitely be able to have more flexible games with the dark elves.


----------



## IanC (Sep 3, 2010)

*puts up hand*

I have the army book at least. Will be making a small force in due course (heh, I made a rhyme!)


----------



## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Looks like you're a poet, and you didn't...

Recognise your own talent at making rhyming couplets.


----------



## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

My WE have been really rather successful in 8th... about a 90% win record is nothing to sneer at.

I'm using old tactics though (which is odd since I started WE for 8th), with MSU units dodging the enemy for most of the game. I take lots of shooting to whittle down enemy units but also lots of small combat units: units of 5 wardancers or 10-12 dryards are my favorits. They tend to be small enough to dodge big enemy units, but powerful enough to kill any supporting units. I normally run a treeman ancient to slow down particularly nasty enemy blocks, especially WoC since they have to challenge and my annoyance of netlings means I won't die anytime soon (and normally will kill all the characters in the units).

Recently I've played quite a few 1k games with a spellweaver backed up by glade guard, dryads and eagles and its been working very very well... I think WE are one of the nastier 1k armies around. Anything strong enough to walk through their shooting and beat the dryads can just be avoided (and the min 3 units means there will be 2 other easy targets floating around) while anything with enough numbers to stop me just avoiding it will die in droves to archers/dryads. Gun-lines are scarier but the glade guard's longer range, the dryads' skirmishing and the eagles hunting war machines tends to win through fairly well...

I've found that the more my meta moves towards fewer, but larger units (especially hordes) the better my WE do- I get more room to maneuver and can pick my targets... so long as either my opponent doesn't hem me in properly or I am able to hold him up (treemen, ancients, eagles and glade riders are all great for this).


----------



## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

Tim/Steve: Do you have any posted Battle Reports available that I could look over? I'd like to follow one of your games virtually if you have some out there.


----------

