40K player thinking about starting Dark Elves

[Bozo69PD]

Hello everyone. I started 40k this Summer as Nurgle CSM (I like a good melee brawl) and I have been thinking about starting Warhammer Fantasy. I love the Dark Elf lore in the Malus Darkblade books, and was interested in Dark Eldar in 40k, so considering giving them a go. I found a 2001 Warhammer DE Codex in a used bookstore $1 bin (along with 6th edition Wood Elves for my wife, are those guys that bad?) so I'm torn between playing Skaven from the Tides of Blood box, or converting the elves into Dark Elves maybe as a start...

A big thing about DE to me (besides how awesome they are) is how sweet Cold One Knights look. Does spamming them in a list along with Dark Riders and Hydra work very well? I'm thinking about doing a upcoming escalation league starting with 500 points for 3 months until it hits 1500 points.

Also if I get these guys and get my wife Wood Elves should I be nice and let her win or should I cackle maniacally while enslaving her elf women?

[Calisson]

Hi, Bozo69PD, welcome to D.net!

There's a new army book anticipated next month. Plenty of new models, a few new units and new specific rules.
Looks pretty much like the renewal of Dark Eldar which happened some two years ago.

Cold ones will remain as they are, that's for sure. How effective they will be, nobody can tell.

Wood elves will have to wait much longer before being remade, or so rumours say. Unfortunately, they are sub-par at the moment. Chances are that a WE beginner's army will be crushed repeatedly by a beginner's DE army. As a result, you might disgust your wife sooner than you wished.

[xFallenx]

Heya Bozo, welcome to the site. You came at a good time as Cal has mentioned.

I currently run a mainly mtd list (Up to 16 DR's, up to 15 COK's, 2 Chariots & 2 Hydra's) supported by a 50 spear bunker & I would say that I had a lot of success, but I also had a lot of problems. Finding a balance is the trick, and even more subtle, finding the balance of each unit & knowing what it can/cannot do. Each entry in the book can tackle more than 1 problem in any given game, it maximizing the overlap between each of the units that I find most interesting. DE units, number one in my books, is all about cross unit support. Secondly seeing to the destruction of enemy units based on a priority basis, if it can't be destroyed, be sure that you have the tools to tie it up.

Personally I much prefer to tie the bride up as opposed to have her play with my toys, so I really have no answer to the wood elf question....but... if she's anything like mine, letting her feel as though she has power will go a longer way to securing happiness, happy wife = happy life & all that. We no longer play certain board games together, much less waves to surf in the weeks afterwords.

[Bozo69PD]

Haha good times. Yeah I think I'm going to do this DE army because it does seem pretty exciting and it would be fun to be there right at the beginning of a new codex edition. I have another question, I am interested in running with a Cold One Lord/Dreadknight whatever and also a mounted sorceress. If I will generally be playing at the 1k points level what are some strengths and preferred gear? Which mount for the sorceress?

Thanks for all the feedback!

[xFallenx]

I've had a lot of fun with 3-4 masters on CO's with great weapons and the banner of Hag Grief on the Cold One unit.
At 1K I would try 2 of them in for 228pts...
5 DR's with music & RBX for 117
5 DR's with music & RBX for 117
6 COK's with leaders & Banner of Hag Grief for 352
Hydra
That's 989pts, so you could pick up a magic item for one of your masters.

[Calisson]

Actually, you could use the beautiful model of sorceress on CO. Sometimes, she will go stupid, and that adds lots of fun to the game - for your opponent.

[Bozo69PD]

Hmmm, how well does a sorceress on steed work? A sidesaddle conversion could be fun...

[Torakeen]

Bozo, like you most husbands you have it backwards. You offer her the exciting offerings of the "glittering" new "codex/army book" of the dark elves with the sorceress's/witch elves. New is better! This the perfect army for a gender of the female persuasion. Sorceresses, witch elves, and the COB! Remember...women, like "sparklies"! I should know since my wife works in a jewelry store!

[Bozo69PD]

Usually true! I married my wife because she is anti-sparkly and prefers druids and forests and shamanism lore and such.

[Saintofm]

Welcolm aborad.

A popular banner to give to the unit's standard bearer as they can take magic banners up to 50 points without needing a BSB is The Standard of Hag Greif as it gives the unit Always Strikes First.

However I think the rangers banner would also work as it means they can go through a forest, treat it as open ground, and not have to take dangerous terrain tests.

[Bozo69PD]

Well shoot, with the new book out now I don't know what route to go with. But I do love my Cold Ones.

[Cold73]

Coldone Knight are indeed a sight to behold.
I love them for that reason...and now with the Coldone gaining two attacks at S4. very nice.
I will admit I hardly use them in my lists....too many empire players here ;-)

Wood Elfs...as most already said they really need an update...and i hope they will get one soon. However Wood Elfs seem to fare particularly well against us Dark Elves. They have a lot of shooting to go around....and often even at Strength 4. Which can be a real pain for us Dark Elves.

As you are coming from a 40k background. I do want to give you one piece of advice.... take good care of your movement phase and direction. Unlike in 40K movement can win you a lot of battles in Fantasy.

[Bozo69PD]

Thanks for the advice that is really helpful to know!