Hello there ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the beginning of another new Tactica series! This time I will be analyzing the dark glory of the Druchii; the Dark Elves, Lords of Naggaroth. They, like High Elves, have been given royal treatment by Matt Ward with the new army book being among the highest quality ever released for Warhammer Fantasy. Though I could spend a week discussing just why I love this army book, my obligations dictate that I must spread the love and joy of tactics. I hope you enjoy this article! This is Part 1 of the Unit Overview series. Dark Elves
Though I am a definite new-blood when it comes to organising and leading raids with the cold Druchii, my prior experience with High Elves has given me plenty of insight into the machinations and functionality of the new Dark Elf army book. I feel the internal balance and wealth of options available here outweigh those shared by the denizens of Ulthuan, but I do believe the competitive usage of both the Asur and the Druchii is mostly evenly matched. In any case, before I delve into the more detailed single-unit articles as with my recent Tyranid Tactica, I want to bring back the unit summaries that originally led to the introduction of this blog. I felt it was a great success and well received for the Tyranid series, so I feel it was prudent to continue the trend and give you all an easier, quicker look into the Dark Elves. There is a slight change to the formatting however; instead of using both "Competitive?" and "Change" at the end of each entry, I have dropped the latter as I never really owned or looked at the 7th Edition Dark Elf army book. With that out of the way, on with the review!
Lords
Malekith - The Witch King is billed as a combination of Tyrion and Teclis, or rather a combat monster and super mage, and ends up paying for both in a bad way. He has the profile of a Dreadlord, albeit with +1 to Weapon Skill, Strength and Toughness, making him the only naturally Toughness 4 Elf in the game. He always re-rolls misses in close combat due to Eternal Hatred, causes Fear, and has a 50% chance to destroy an opponents' magic item if he hits them. As a Dreadlord equivalent, he isn't that great with only a 4+ armour save on foot, 2+ when mounted on a Cold One, and a 2+ ward save against non magical attacks only. He is hard for most armies' standard units (excluding Daemons) to wound, but proper combat characters will have a field day with him, especially as Malekith is only Strength 5. As a spellcaster, he is a Level 4 that can only take Dark Magic, but has a few nifty bonuses like a once-per-game adding an extra dice to each of his casting or dispel attempts, Magic Resistance 2 and hitting enemy units if he blocks a spell cast at him. Technically he is a Level 5 for casting due to Hekarti's Blessing, and brings Immune to Psychology and an 18" Inspiring Presence range. His points cost ultimately is too high, and he suffers from trying to be an all in one package with mediocre at best survivability. A combination of kitted out Dreadlord and Supreme Sorceress will prove more effective and, surprisingly, be in the same points range.
Competitive? No.
Morathi - Morathi is similar in a sense to Malekith in that she tries to be both a supporting combat character and a primary spellcaster. However, Morathi is significantly cheaper, comes stock with a mount and is very strong in the Magic phase. Like Alarielle, she gets to roll from up to three Lores of Magic in the same game leading to some potent combinations while also giving her flexibility that most other wizards don't get due to usually having to pick spell lores during the army building stage. She adds +D3 to her casting attempts which can potentially see her at a whopping +8 to cast Dark Magic spells due to Hekarti's Blessing, and she comes with a 4+ ward save and Magic Resistance 2. She has combat stats similar to a Master and brings four attacks at Strength 5 with Killing Blow on the turn she charges, to add to Strength 5 attacks her upgraded Pegasus also does on the charge. Between re-rolls of 1s to wound in combat and Always Strikes First, she is actually a really nasty character killer, chaff clearer and war machine destroyer. Characters and monsters she doesn't kill also suffer penalties to her statline, so if she botches her rolls she still does something useful at least. She compares favourably to a Supreme Sorceress kitted out similarly, though the regular witch could never emulate Morathi's abilities. As it stands, Morathi is also Toughness 4 because of her Dark Pegasus, which makes her much hardier than a lot of other characters surprisingly.
Competitive? Yes.
Hellebron - The Crone is probably the most destructive single model in the game right now if you exclude Storm of Magic level models. She brings between 8 and 10 Strength 10, Always Strikes First, re-roll 1s to wound close combat attacks per turn. To put it bluntly, she kills people so hard that they die to death. Throw in Weapon Skill 7 and Initiative 9 and she can monster almost any single model in the game by herself. She is murder to heavy cavalry and even monstrous cavalry, averaging about 8 kills against the former and 2 kills (assuming 3 wounds per model) against the latter. Yikes! To hit rolls of a 1 against her also inflict Strength 4 hits on the attacker, while she gives her unit a 4+ bonus to dispel attempts when enemies attempt to cast spells at them. Put her in a death star unit and have a Level 4 Supreme Sorceress on the field and Hellebron's unit will be almost impossible to stop with magic outside of miscasts. She even has all three Gifts of Khaine, meaning her unit gets extra attacks while Fear tests taken against her suffer a nice penalty. Where Hellebron falls down is in the survivability department; she has no saves of any kind, and only the standard Toughness 3 and 3 wounds. She is therefore a glass cannon, though considering how much damage she can do against anything, she is at least a decent choice. She needs to be in the same unit as a Cauldron of Blood for the 5+ ward save I feel, otherwise even rank and file units can kill her easily.
Competitive? With a Cauldron of Blood: Yes. Without a Cauldron of Blood: No.
Malus Darkblade - Unlike Malekith, Malus is a pure combat character and not at all paying for versatility. He is a standard Dreadlord with a mostly generic defensive kit with 1+ armour but sadly no ward save or re-rolls for failed armour saves. He differs in that he always re-rolls to hit in a melee with Eternal Hatred, his sword re-rolls fail to wound rolls and ignores armour saves which isn't too bad with Strength 4, and he lacks a ward save or something similar. He can choose to unleash the power of a bound daemon at the start of one of his turns, gaining Frenzy, +1 to all of Strength, Toughness, Initiative and Weapon Skill, and rolls of a 1 to hit actually hit friendly models. This actually isn't as bad as you would think though as Malus can still re-roll those 1s; only the 1s after re-rolls are considered count as hits against his own side, much like Kharn the Betrayer in Warhammer 40000. This makes Malus an incredibly nasty combat character as Weapon Skill 8, Strength 5 ignoring armour saves, Toughness 4 and Eternal Hatred with re-rolling all failed to wound rolls and 5 attacks base can butcher almost anything with ease. The downsides are negligible at best provided you don't have bad luck with dice and have a Battle Standard Bearer nearby for any failed Frenzy tests. Additionally, Malus' Cold One is a slightly better version while also ignoring Stupidity for itself and any other Cold Ones in the unit. If you want a Dreadlord riding a Cold One, Malus is a really good stand in for ignoring Stupidity alone, though he is quite expensive.Competitive? Yes.
Dreadlord - One of the stronger combat Lords in the game due to a wide variety of options and special rules, such as re-rolls of 1s to wound in close combat, Always Strikes First and generally good stats. Can easily and cheaply get a 1+ armour save, can take a Fast Cavalry mount option or a nasty cavalry mount option, has Leadership 10 and can - unlike a Prince - get a 1+ armour save with re-rolls, Strength 7 attacks and force enemies in base contact to re-roll successful ward saves. Basically, a Dreadlord is a Prince with a lot of nifty little advantages, though he becomes ridiculous considering you can attach him to a Fast Cavalry unit regardless of his other options, as long as he takes a Dark Steed.
Competitive? Yes.
Supreme Sorceress - Though she lacks the Toughness 4 of other Lord level wizards and is more expensive due to a few special rules she doesn't really need, a Supreme Sorceress is nonetheless one of the best casters in the game with access to a whopping 9 spell disciplines. She has a +1 bonus to casting her native Dark Magic and can take all manner of magic items and mounts. The key here is versatility as, aside from a handful of wizards in the game, a Supreme Sorceress is the most diverse caster you can get, and a strong one at that. Also has good Leadership 9 for the purposes of Inspiring Presence, and access to lots of nice bodyguard units through the usage of Doomfire Warlocks or a Bloodwrack Shrine bunker.
Competitive? Yes.
High Beastmaster - Think of a Dreadlord, except reduce his attacks and Leadership by 1. The High Beastmaster has an exorbitant base price but comes stock with either a Manticore or Scourgerunner Chariot, as well as a very nice special rule that gives +D3 attacks to a single friendly monster within 3" for a turn. Basically, if you plan on running a lot of monsters in your list, the High Beastmaster works really well. He also gets a spear and Sea Dragon Cloak in his base profile, but can't take a shield, other standard weapons or any other mount option. In that sense he is a bit more specific in his role rather than the toolbox "build me" Dreadlord. Ultimately his worth comes down to two points; a Ballistic Skill 7 Scourgerunner Chariot, or a Manticore with +D3 attacks each turn. If you want a character on a Manticore, the High Beastmaster is your best bet. Otherwise, I think a Dreadlord is the better overall option, especially as putting characters on either monsters or chariots usually isn't a great idea.
Competitive? No.
Competitive? No.
Summary!
The Black Ark Fleetmaster is the worst of the bunch, with the Beastmaster, Malekith and Hellebron hanging on the edge of being competitive choices. A Supreme Sorceress or Morathi are virtually mandatory in any army list of 1500 points or more and are some of the best wizards in the game, while the Dreadlord and Malus Darkblade are highly worthwhile combat characters.
Heroes
Shadowblade - The Master Assassin brings all the usual stats of an Assassin, with a few extras. He benefits from a 5+ ward save, he can change the unit he hides in at the start of friendly movement phases to go where needed and can never be revealed by abilities that reveal hidden models. Shadowblade brings each of the Forbidden Poisons, meaning he applies Killing Blow, Leadership penalties per unsaved wound and +1 to all to wound rolls for his attacks. His last word before dying is a nice little explosion at Strength 3 using the small blast template, which isn't bad but not really worth mentioning. He even has a special Potion of Strength that gives him +4 instead of the usual +2, and can uniquely be declared at the start of the close combat phase instead of the movement phase; remember that Shadowblade can move between units during the movement phase while remaining hidden. Unfortunately, Shadowblade is ludicrously expensive and has no guaranteed method of picking out enemy characters due to all the various challenge and step up rules. His performance simply does not weigh up to his cost; that you can take an actual kitted out Dreadlord for a similar points cost and have a Leadership 10 general thrown in the mix makes Shadowblade a very iffy proposition.
Competitive? No.
Lokhir Fellheart - This guys brings the standard Master profile, but gains the "Unbreakable in a challenge" special rule that the sub-par Black Ark Fleetmasters have. Lokhir seems pretty mediocre at first glance with a very high points cost and 4 Strength 4 attacks that re-roll all failed to wound rolls as his only offensive capabilities. Where Lokhir really starts to prove his worth is in terms of defence as despite having only two wounds, a 2+ armour save and Regeneration (4+) make him scarily survivable for a foot character. He handily causes Terror which can be combined with a number of Leadership-reducing spells such as Doom and Darkness for all sorts of hilarity, and Panic tests taken because of a unit fleeing from a combat with him suffer a -1 penalty. Not too shabby, but his real value lies in being able to direct his attacks against models he isn't in base contact with, even character models. This means you can engage, for example, a Dragon Prince death-star with the Banner of the World Dragon and attack the all important Archmage hiding in the second rank behind the Prince, Noble and command models. Laughably, this makes Lokhir a better "assassin" then Shadowblade as he can actually guarantee strikes against models he wants to kill. He is tough for an Elf but isn't really a nasty combat character, his main advantage being able to pick off enemy characters without even being attacked by them in return. Despite being within the same points range as Shadowblade as a Hero, Lokhir is actually worth the investment, especially as even once in a challenge he is a tank and gives his unit Unbreakable.
Competitive? Yes.
Kouran Darkhand - This guy is rather interesting, less for his combat abilities and more for his special rules. He confers Stubborn and Immune to Psychology on any unit he joins, making for a great anvil, while he gives Unbreakable to Black Guard when he joins them. Yikes! The problem here is that Dark Elves don't really work well with the concept of anvils due to expensive Toughness 3, poorly armoured units. Black Guard might be Unbreakable with him but they are still only Toughness 3 with a 5+ armour save. In that sense, while he is great for a unit of Corsairs or Black Guard, he isn't as valuable as the other "was a unit upgrade, now a hero" character. He only has a 5+ armour save, though successful to hit rolls against him inflict Strength 5 hits in return. His main selling point is that he has three Strength 6 attacks at Weapon Skill 9 with all the usual traits, plus the Black Guard shtick of Eternal Hatred. He's not that bad considering what he brings, but his points cost is just far too high, especially as his abilities aren't as useful for Dark Elves as they would be for, say, a Dwarf army.
Competitive? No.
Tullaris Dreadbringer - Like Kouran, Tullaris used to be a character upgrade but is now a fully fledged Hero choice. Like Tullaris, he is pretty pathetic in terms of durability with only a 5+ armour save, though he lacks the "counter attack" rule that Kouran possesses. Tullaris might not have Weapon Skill 9, Eternal hatred or even striking before others due to his magical great weapon, but an extra attack due to Frenzy and Killing Blow on a 5 or 6 more than make up for that. Initiative 7 and Weapon Skill 6 with those Killing Blow attacks make Tullaris a really nasty proposition for even Lord level characters to face, whereas someone like Kouran would simply fall over. Tullaris also causes Fear, though it is a situational ability at best especially as Tullaris' selling point is giving his unit Frenzy - and thus Immune to Psychology - anyway. And yes, giving your unit Frenzy is really nasty, especially as a Death Hag with Witch Brew that does the same thing lacks Tullaris' offensive potential while ignoring that crazy -3 Leadership penalty for restraining. Basically, if you want to give a unit Frenzy - something that Executioners love to have - then Tullaris is a better all round choice than a Death Hag. Thankfully, he's pretty cheap too.Competitive? Yes.
Sorceress - A regular Sorceress is less than half the base cost of a Supreme Sorceress, has a roughly similar profile outside of losing a wound and point of Leadership - the rest really doesn't matter as these wizards are not meant for combat - and a 50 point magic item limit, as is standard. She too gets the +1 bonus to casting Dark Magic and access to 9 spell lores. She can also take a few mount options, such as a Dark Steed or Dark Pegasus, with the latter giving her an extra wound and point of Toughness on top of a flying mount per the monstrous cavalry rules. Ultimately, there's nothing wrong with the Sorceress herself; she is a great unit to have as a supporting spellcaster, or even a primary one in smaller games. You just don't see them regularly because they compete with the Rare Choice Doomfire Warlocks for the same role.
Competitive? Yes.
Master - Your standard combat character with the shitck of -1 to all stats compared to a Dreadlord, outside of the core Movement, Strength and Toughness, and a 50 point magic item limit. Has access to all the same non-magical options as a Dreadlord outside of a Black Dragon, and gets the available items at a discount. Can take a wide range of mounts including a Dark Steed conferring him the Fast Cavalry special rule, or a Dark Pegasus that virtually turns him into a discount Dreadlord with three wounds at Toughness 4. If you want chaff clearers and war machine hunters, Masters on Dark Pegasi are at the top of the food chain. Between Always Strikes First and re-rolls of 1s to wound in close combat, the Master is a highly cost effective combat character. With an easily accessed 1+ armour save even on foot that can be combined with re-rolls from a Dawnstone, Masters are also one of the cheapest and hardiest Battle Standard Bearer characters in the game.
Competitive? Yes.
Death Hag - Compared to a Master, the Death Hag shares the same basic profile but comes stock with two hand weapons, Frenzy and Poisoned Attacks, though she loses any and all armour options. A Death Hag gains access to the expensive Gifts of Khaine, but can only take magic weapons as part of their 50 point magic item limit. A Death Hag can also exclusively be mounted on a Cauldron of Blood, an option shared only by Crone Hellebron; unlike the Crone, a Death Hag can also be the Battle Standard Bearer. Ultimately, as the cheapest source of bringing a Cauldron, a Death Hag may be seen as necessary for armies that want a Cauldron. Aside from this, however, she doesn't compare that well to a Master who is far more flexible, survivable and a worthier Battle Standard Bearer due to easily taken 1+ armour saves. The Death Hag is nasty, but I feel should be relegated to bringing a Cauldron of Blood. Could be used to spread Frenzy to other units through Witch Brew, but the -3 penalty to Leadership for restraining makes this dicey, especially with Tullaris performing the same function without that massive disadvantage.
Competitive? On a Cauldron of Blood: Yes. On foot: No.
Khainite Assassin - Quite a bit more expensive than a Master, but gains +3 to Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill and Initiative, but loses a point of Leadership and can never be the General. Assassins have a number of unique items, like Throwing Weapons, unique special rules, such as Hidden, and even unique options like the various deadly poisons. Assassins also gets Poisoned Attacks and Immune to Psychology in their basic profile, but have no access to mounts or most standard weapon options and are completely unarmoured. Assassins perform one role; kill an enemy character, then die a horrible death. They get expensive very quickly with upgrades and generally suffer with no function allowing them to directly attack characters with a guarantee, unlike Lokhir Fellheart. Generally speaking you are better off just taking a kitted out Master for a similar cost and bludgeoning enemy characters to death while also having a survivable character that can actually be a General. On that note, avoid Assassins in smaller games as spending that many points on a character that can't lead your army and has a questionable return on investment is silly.
Competitive? No.
Summary!
Two of the four special characters available are rather sub-par, with Tullaris and Lokhir being the only really worthwhile ones, while the offensive benefits of Assassins and Death Hags are outweighed by the versatility and survivability of Masters. Sorceresses are great choices but should be avoided if Warlocks are taken.
Character Mounts
Black Dragon - The rough equivalent of a Moon Dragon from the High Elf book, or rather the standard Dragon that quite a few army books have access to. This means 6s across most of the stats, with five attacks at Initiative 3 on a flying monster. Interestingly enough, the Black Dragon has Hatred of High Elves and has a unique breath weapon; instead of the usual Strength 4 Flaming Breath Weapon, it has a Strength 4 Breath Weapon that inflicts a -1 Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill penalty on any unit that suffers unsaved wounds from it. I actually prefer this to the standard Flaming variant what with cheaply accessed or widespread 2+ ward saves against Flaming, especially as the defensive benefits I feel outweigh the offensive ones. Reducing enemy Weapon Skill on a standard Core unit from 3 to 2, for example, will see the Dragon hit on 5s and thus be far less likely to suffer any wounds. This also helps out so much for the subsequent round of combat if there is an ongoing challenge between a Dreadlord and an enemy combat character. I think still that despite being the Flying, Terror causing, 3+ armoured generic monster, the Black Dragon - like most other Dragons - is still a notch too expensive for what it does, especially as it has no defences against war machines outside of six wounds. Monsters just aren't that great as character mounts anymore, sadly, especially with the recent FAQ clarifying that characters mounted on monsters are still susceptible to the far more common regular Killing Blow.
Competitive? No.
Cold One - Compared to other races Barded Warhorses, a Cold One is roughly the same cost but has a few unique special rules. For one, it gives you two extra Strength 4 attacks and causes Fear. However, it also has a pretty big downside with Stupidity. Ultimately the high Leadership 9 and 10 of most characters and units mounted on Cold Ones, as well as easily accessed re-rolls, makes this less of an issue than it would be for another army. When it comes right down to it, two Weapon Skill 3, Strength 4 attacks from a mount that still provides +2 to armour and Movement 7 is very nice indeed. I feel that a Dark Steed is better overall, especially as Dreadlords and Masters can get +1 armour saves without the need for magic items when mounted on them, but a Cold One is still a good choice.
Competitive? Yes.
Dark Pegasus - A flying monstrous beast with Strength and Toughness 4, with decent little combat stats otherwise such as two attacks with Weapon Skill 3 and Initiative 4. As a monstrous beast, its Toughness and Wounds pass on to the rider if they are higher, meaning any Dark Elf mounted on one becomes Toughness 4. Hero-level characters get the most benefits though with a third wound thrown into the mix. It also gets a +1 Strength bonus on the charge which, combined with a Stomp attack, make it quite decent in combat. The main benefits though are the Toughness and Wounds boost for a Dark Pegasus, as well as all the juicy goodness of the Fly special rule. The Dark Pegasus is perfect for Hero level characters of all kinds, while also serving as an effective tool for war machine and chaff clearing models.
Competitive? Yes.
Dark Steed - A Movement 9 horse with Initiative 4 instead of the usual 3, the Dark Steed is mostly what you would expect from a standard horse, though it lacks the option for barding. If you want a barded steed, take a Cold One instead, though the fact that any combat character on a Dark Steed can get a 1+ armour save naturally anyway makes that point somewhat redundant. Where a Dark Steed actually begins to get rather ridiculous is that it has the Fast Cavalry special rule regardless of its mount and their respective options. Yes, this means you can take 1+ armoured combat characters on Dark Steeds that can freely join Dark Riders, Doomfire Warlocks or run solo with all the usual Fast Cavalry benefits. This makes the Dark Steed arguably the best mount in the game, and one that can be combined with multiple combat characters to make for a brutal melee "bus" with Warlocks.
Competitive? Yes.
Manticore - The Manticore is essentially the Dark Elf equivalent of a Griffon and shares most of the same stats, though it benefits from causing Killing Blow with its attacks. The stats of these two monsters are basically identical, as are the basic points costs', so what does the Manticore lose to make up for this? Basically it forces what is similar to a Stupidity test on its rider that, if failed, gives both mount and rider Frenzy. Not really a downside, is it, especially as the only characters that can ride Manticores are Leadership 9 or higher. It also always suffers the "Raaargh" result on the monster reaction table once the rider is lost, giving it both Hatred and Frenzy. I really don't see the downsides here; the Manticore has a lot of clear benefits over the Griffon, especially as its "downsides" from the Uncontrollable special rule can actually be great for giving out extra attacks. The upgrades can give the Manticore either a 4+ armour save or an extra D3 attacks - albeit with a defensive penalty - and are decently cheap enough. Unfortunately, like the Black Dragon, the Manticore might be a pretty decent monster but it comes up lacking as a monstrous mount. These kinds of mounts are far too risky to mount expensive characters on while also acting as cannon bait, hence why I also recommend putting mounted characters on non-monstrous mounts (excluding the Dark Pegasus, obviously).
Competitive? No.
Cauldron of Blood - I honestly believe the Cauldron of Blood is a requirement for Death Hags as, outside of the special chariot, Death Hags simply pale in comparison to Masters. Even then, the Cauldron is the more important model here; the Death Hag might get a 5+ ward save from it, but they are even easier bait for enemies. The Bloody Altar of Khaine can be joined to units and, as long as they have at least one full rank, goes in the middle of the front rank. It is a chariot that can march and moves at the same speed as all Dark Elf infantry, while giving the attached unit a 6+ ward save, or a 5+ ward save if they are Witch Elves or Witch Elf characters. The Cauldron has an innate bound spell to give a single friendly unit in a short range Frenzy, while it also gives re-rolls of all failed to wound rolls to friendly units within 6". This applies as long as at least one model is within range per the rule as written, meaning you can elect to stack up your units for multiples to take advantage of this crazy rule. The Cauldron itself is very tough, surprisingly, with five Toughness 6 wounds, a 4+ ward save and Magic Resistance 1. It also does quite a bit of damage with D6+1 Strength 5 Impact Hits and a bunch of Poisoned Strength 3 attacks from the crew. While it gives tremendous benefits to units like Witch Elves, Black Guard or Executioners, it is also very valuable for a gunline list due to its ability to give even ranged units re-rolls to all failed to wound rolls. Massed Reaper Bolt Throwers and Darkshards with re-rolls to wound in shooting and close combat is very nasty indeed! The Cauldron is expensive once you factor in the mandatory Death Hag, but I feel it is worth it for the insane buffs it provides.
Competitive? Yes.
Summary!
The non-monstrous mounts for Dark Elves are all good to great choices, with the Dark Steed being the standout due to conferring the Fast Cavalry special rule with no restrictions of any kind. The Dark Pegasus is easily the pick of the monstrous mounts, with the other two proper monsters being good in their own right but failing because of the 8th Edition monster and ride rules.
And that's a wrap, everybody! I am intrigued to hear if you guys like these kinds of summary articles ala my original Chaos Space Marines Tactica' playing out as introductions to the full-on Tactica Series' themselves. I also would like to see how each individual unit has been performing for you in your own Dark Elf armies; have the Druchii lived up their name as merciless slaughterers, or have they been mewling cowards unable to bring back noteworthy plunder? Thanks for the support, and I hope you have a nice day!
Defiantly a fan of these articles. They give u a good overview of entire sections. Allow u to observe all your options at once
ReplyDeleteLove this. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteGreat article!
ReplyDeleteas a newbie at playing Dark Elves, this was enormously helpful. Thanks!
ReplyDelete