In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Eldar are a race of elf-like humanoids. They are one of the most ancient and advanced races in the universe's history, though younger than the Necrons, C'tan and The Old Ones. Their armies usually have the advantages of speed and technology.
In the sense that Warhammer 40,000 races parallel the earlier Warhammer Fantasy Battle game, the Eldar parallel the Elven race. In Warhammer 40,000 the Eldar are divided into three distinct groups with their own distinct armies: the Craftworld Eldar, who are similar to the High Elves, the Dark Eldar, who are similar to the Dark Elves and the Harlequins who would most closely resemble Wood Elf Wardancers from Warhammer Fantasy. The Exodites, who exist mainly in Warhammer 40,000 background material, are similar to the Wood Elves. The equivalences are only in very general thematic terms however, as the major details of the races' backgrounds differ greatly from their Fantasy counterparts.
Notable Characters
Prince Yriel, Autarch of Iyanden: He is a legendary hero who battled against Chaos at the Eye of Terror and defended his craftworld, Iyanden, from the Hive Fleet Kraken. It was during this battle that he used a legendary artifact known as the Spear of Twilight, only to be bound to the weapon later.
Eldrad Ulthran, Farseer of the Ulthwe Craftworld: The greatest Farseer in a Craftworld of Farseers, Eldrad has accomplished many great victories for the Eldar. One of the greatest farseers of all time for seeing the future, Eldrad has saved vast numbers of Eldar through his prevention of possible futures he has seen, subtly changing the course of history numerous times.
Asurmen, the Hand of Asuryan: The First of the Phoenix Lords, he is the Phoenix Lord that formed the Dire Avenger Shrine.
Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence: She is the Phoenix Lord that formed the Howling Banshees, traveling the webway to the various craftworlds to teach those who follow her path.
Baharroth, the Cry of the Wind: He is the Phoenix Lord that formed the Swooping Hawks.
Karandras, the Shadow Hunter: Karandras was not the first Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions, but assumed the role after Arhra, their original Phoenix Lord, fell to Chaos.
Fuegan, the Burning Lance: He is the Phoenix Lord that formed the Fire Dragons.
Maugan-Ra, the Harvester of Souls: He is the Phoenix Lord that formed the Dark Reapers.
The Eldar Paths
The Eldar are forever wary of falling into the same traps which led them to the Fall. In order to avoid slipping into such debauchery and wanton disregard for life and law, most Craftworld Eldar take an extremely focused view on life. Rather than dabbling in various skills and occupations, they will choose a single skill and dedicate themselves to mastering it. Upon doing so, they are then free to choose a new occupation. Their long lives mean that a single Eldar will often master several skills or Paths in the course of their life, pursuing each until they feel they have reached their potential and then choosing a new one.
This view of life is not without its pitfalls, however. Occasionally, an Eldar will suffer what is considered a great curse— the inability to leave their current Path. While these Eldar are respected as the foremost practitioners of their Path, they are also viewed with a great deal of pity, as they exhibit the same failings that brought about the Fall.
The Path of the Warrior
Eldar are known to pursue any task they set out to do with an intensity that makes human efforts pale in comparison. When an Eldar feels called to the path of the Warrior, he or she will join an Aspect Shrine, a cult of warriors who train themselves to embody some aspect of the Eldar War God Khaine or ancient Eldar myths and legends. All Craftworlds have some Aspect Shrines, although some, notably Biel-tan, have more than others and place a greater emphasis on the Path of the Warrior.
Each Aspect Shrine is led by an Exarch(s), an Eldar fallen to the curse of inability to leave the Path of the Warrior. These Exarchs are powerful warriors, doomed to die on the battlefield. The first or founder of an Aspect Shrine is called Phoenix Lord, presumably because of their ability to rise from the dead. When an Aspect warrior becomes an Exarch, they will don one of the ancient suits of Exarch armour that belong to that shrine, and this suit will bond to their flesh permanently. This means that the new warrior's soul merges with those of the previous wearers of the suit, essentially a compact version of the Infinity Circuit.
Eldar joining the Path of the Warrior are terrified of losing themselves to their bloodlust, as such they create new personae that take over when they go to war, which separate their warrior and civilian lives so that they can freely live as a warrior without fear of losing themselves to madness. The only exception is Exarch, who are warriors until death.
Once an Eldar warrior finishes his time as an Aspect Warrior, they move on to other occupations, as per the convention of the Eldar Path. Since the population of the Eldar race is low, all Eldar are expected to serve if called to fight. Thus, if the Craftworld subsequently goes to war, these former Aspects will frequently be called upon to serve as Guardians, a type of milita serving to defend the Craftworld.
Here are some of the most common Aspects. The list is by no means exhaustive, but these are the most common ones, which are seen in more than one or two Craftworlds. The Phoenix Lords are not known for every Aspect; however, since each Aspect Shrine is founded by one, it is not unreasonable to believe that there is (or was) a Phoenix Lord for every Aspect.
Dire Avengers
The Dire Avengers are the oldest and most numerous aspect, and embody a more traditional view of war. They embody Khaine as the noble warrior. They take to the battlefield as well-rounded infantry, armed with the traditional weapons of the Eldar, Shuriken Catapults, although they are improved, with a greater range than normal Shuriken Catapults. The Dire Avenger Exarch is able to equip a Diresword and Shuriken Pistol in exchange for his standard wargear, or a Shimmershield and power weapon for additional close combat defence. The Phoenix Lord of the Dire Avengers is Asurmen, the Hand of Asur. He was the first of the Phoenix Lords; it was he who instructed all the other founding Phoenix Lords in the skills of combat. Dire Avengers are mostly used as the core unit of an Eldar army. With shuriken weapons and the Blade Storm ability, Dire Avengers excel at taking down large hordes of lightly armored infantry, although the sheer number of shots they can fire make them effective against any kind of infantry, they are also an effective counter assault unit with the defend ability and a shimmershield.
Dark Reapers
The Dark Reapers represent Khaine in his aspect as a destroyer, callously striking down foes from afar. They specialize in long range fire-power. In battle they appear as menacing, black armoured troops wielding rapid-firing miniature missile launchers called "reaper launchers", which they use to destroy great numbers of enemy infantry. Dark reapers excel at taking down large numbers of heavily armoured infantry; for example, Space Marines. The Dark Reaper Exarch can also be equipped with a Missile Launcher or a Tempest Launcher, as well. The Phoenix Lord of the Dark Reapers is Maugan Ra, the Harvester of Souls, who comes from the Altansar Craftworld, which he helped escape from inside the Eye of Terror.
Fire Dragons
The Fire Dragons, named after their mystic serpents of lore, embody the fiery wrath of Khaine, and as such, generally wear red or orange armor, and wield short-ranged, heat-based weaponry known as 'fusion guns' (similar to the Imperium's Melta Guns, although more refined and stable). Their weapons and training allow them to focus on destroying enemy tanks and heavily-armored infantry, and the Exarch can be armed with a powerful Dragon's Breath flamer, which lets them deal with hordes of lighter infantry as well. The Phoenix Lord of the Fire Dragons is Fuegan, The Burning Lance.
Howling Banshees
The Howling Banshees are a corps of generally female Eldar warriors who embody spirits from Eldar legend, and are meant to bring swift death to their foes. They are famous for wearing warmasks which emit piercing psychically-charged shrieks as the warriors attack; these shrieks disorient the Banshees' victims, making them easier to slay. Banshees specialize in mobility (at the expense of durability), and use power weapons, which can easily carve through heavy armor, even Terminator armor. The Banshee Exarch is even more deadly with Mirrorblades or the powerful Executioner. The Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees is Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence.
Shining Spears
The relatively rare Shining Spears embody the Spear of Khaine, an invincible weapon wielded by the god of war. They are unique in that they are the only major Aspect to ride sleek jetbikes— essentially incredibly fast motorcycle-like vehicles which hover just above the ground by using technology similar to the Grav tanks. They also wield specially designed lances, known as Laser Lances, which are able to shoot powerful short-ranged lasers. In this way, they are meant to operate similar to heavy medieval cavalry, like knights. At this time, there is no known Phoenix Lord for the Shining Spears.
Striking Scorpions
The Striking Scorpions are another close combat Aspect, representing a more hard-hitting, durable side of hand to hand combat. They are slower than Howling Banshees, but are stronger and wear heavier armor, similar to that of a space marine. Also, rather than wearing the disorienting masks like the Banshees, the Scorpions wear head-mounted guns called 'mandi-blasters'; having them head-mounted frees up the warrior's hands for other close combat weapons, most notably a chainsword, although the Exarch often uses a Scorpion's Claw, a Biting Blade or dual chainsabres. Lastly, they specialize in attriting more numerous enemy light infantry rather than quickly slicing through heavily-armored infantry as Banshees do.
The Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions is Karandras, the Shadow Hunter. However, it should be noted that Karandras is not the original Phoenix Lord. The original was named Arhra, Father of Scorpions, and is the only Phoenix Lord to leave the Eldar and his Shrine completely. Many theories link him with the mysterious "Dark Father" of the Incubi, a Dark Eldar warrior cult who bear many similarities to the Striking Scorpions. Arhra was said to have 'turned to the Shadows away from the light' and is known to have fled into the Webway (where the Dark Eldar dwell) after going berserk and destroying his first Aspect shrine. It's also heavily implied in Codex: Dark Eldar that the Incubi are "fallen" Striking Scorpions, drawn from Exarch Koradhil's comments when he encounters a squad of those warriors.
Swooping Hawks
The Swooping Hawks are a highly mobile aspect, representing the birds of prey from ancient Eldar legends. They wear complex sets of wings which allow them to enter the battlefield at critical points and lend firepower support. Like the Banshees, the Hawks sacrifice durability for greater mobility. Their lasblasters make them excellent harassment units against light infantry (such as Imperial Guard or Orks). Also of note, they wield cleverly designed grenade launchers on their legs, which allow them to bomb enemy units as they fly into the battle. The swooping hawks are also equipped with haywire grenades which are very effective at disabling any vehicle making swooping hawks a great anti-armour choice as well. The Phoenix Lord of the Swooping Hawks is known as Baharroth, The Cry of the Wind.
Warp Spiders
The Warp Spiders are modeled after the tiny spiders which guard the Infinity Circuit. These spiders have the ability to teleport anywhere inside the wraithbone structure, and use this ability to hunt down and repel any daemonic entities which attempt to infiltrate the Circuit. The Warp Spiders operate similarly; they wear suits of heavy armor which incorporate a machine that allows them to teleport across the battlefield, appearing without warning to strike and then teleport away before the enemy can respond. Using their warp-jump technology is risky as Eldar using them can be claimed by the warp itself, as a precaution for this, their armor also have warp-resistant spells cast on them. Because they risk not only their lives, but their souls, Warp spiders are considered to be the bravest of aspect warriors. In battle, they wield short-ranged weapons called "Deathspinners", which are able to easily slay enemy infantry, especially those who wear little or no armor because the Deathspinners fire clouds of monofilament wires, which compress, and shred flesh but are easily withstood by armor. At this time, there is no known Phoenix Lord for the Warp Spiders, since this aspect is relatively new.
Autarch
The Autarch (the path of command) is a very demanding path. To become an Autarch, an Eldar needs to travel multiple Paths of the Warrior, and still be able to retain themselves from getting lost on the path and becoming Exarch. The Autarch (denoted singularly as it is a difficult path to tread) is the commander of the army, and is able to use a wide variety of wargear, reflective of his or her experience with all aspects of warfare. They can use almost any piece of weaponry that the other aspects can, although not artifacts exclusive to the Exarchs.
The Autarch originally appeared in the Specialist Game Epic Armageddon with a slightly different background. The Epic description of the Autarch states that the Autarch followed the Path of the Warrior and was lost on it, becoming an Exarch. However, unlike most Exarchs who stay within their given shrine or aspect (Dire Avenger, Shining Spear, etc...), the Autarch traveled from aspect to aspect, becoming an Exarch in many different shrines. This background was ret-conned with the release of the 4th Edition Codex: Eldar in 2006.
The Path of the Seer
Aspects are responsible for the defense of the Eldar, in the same way the Seers are responsible for leading them. Seers that are lost to the path forever become Farseers, similar to the way an Exarch attains his status by following the path of the warrior. Also, like the Exarch, they are very powerful, some of the most powerful psykers in the universe. A council of the most powerful Seers generally govern a Craftworld. Seers come in a wide variety with divination being the most common skill. Warlocks and Spirit Seers are two other types of Seers represented in Warhammer 40,000. Warlocks are Seers who follow the path of the Seer but have not been lost to it, and have previously traveled the path of the warrior. They use their powers to assist other Eldar in battle, shielding them from harm and attacking their enemies. Spirit Seers are Seers who specialize in communication with the dead; unsurprisingly, they are most prevalent within Iyanden and sometimes lead squads of Wraithguard in combat.
The role of the Seers is to look into the future and discern the best path for the Eldar to take. This is done through the casting of runestones, fragments of Wraithbone, and other psychosensitive materials that react to the convoluted, probabilistic skeins of space-time. By reading the throw of these stones, the Seers can often determine what will be the most beneficial course of action, although it is rare that they can discern true results very far into the future. On occasion a powerful Seer will receive a portent of some calamitous event and be able to steer the Eldar away from disaster and doom. With so few Eldar remaining, the Seers attempt to preserve every Eldar life they can.
However, this ability to see the future and react upon what is seen has caused the Eldar to be distrusted by other races. Occasionally, a Seer will see that by attacking a certain world, fleet, or base, Eldar lives will be somehow saved from a future event; Eldar forces will then suddenly attack unannounced, and quickly withdraw as soon as their goal has been accomplished. This, along with the Eldar tendency to view all other races as inferior, has led other races to deem them as fickle, aloof, and untrustworthy. Also, the most powerful Farseers have even shown the ability to steer future events so that other races fight each other rather than the Eldar— one of the greatest examples being when the famed Farseer Eldrad Ulthran of Ulthwé (a Craftworld which places greater emphasis on the Path of the Seer) secretly facilitated the rise of an obscure Ork warlord named Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, who would eventually become a significant enemy of the Imperium of Man.
The Farseers lead in times of war as well as peace. On the battlefield their powers of precognition allow them to foresee the enemy's attacks and movements and warn their comrades against imminent changes on the field of battle. While less capable of foreseeing events in such harried conditions, the Warlocks, especially those who have already tread the Path of an Aspect Warrior, will often serve as officers in battle, leading units of other Eldar, and helping to coordinate the overall battle, as well as to lend support by utilizing their considerable psychic powers.
As many Farseers age however, their bodies slowly turn to a form of psychically active crystal, a transformation caused by their constant exposure to the chaotic energies of the Warp. When the time has come, they will go to the Dome of the Crystal Seers and join the crystalline bodies of the Farseers that came before them.
In times of peace, rare as they may be for the Eldar, Farseers serve as political leaders, using their predictive abilities to guide the day-to-day activities of their Craftworlds in order to safeguard their racial survival.
Other Paths
While the Seer and the Warrior are two of the most visible Paths, there are hundreds of others. Many Eldar will choose the study of an instrument or art form as their Path, while others might devote themselves to the development of a science or the refinement of some technology. These Paths, while equally important to the survival of the Eldar, tend to be far more varied and far less consuming than the Seer and the Warrior. Notable among the other Paths is that of the Bonesinger; the title given to those that maintain and repair the psycho-active wraithbone components of the Eldar worlds. Also notable is the Path of the Mariner, the Path followed by those who devote themselves to crewing spacecraft.
By far the most common of the paths among the eldar, though, is the path of the artisan. Whether it be crafting works of art or composing plays or symphonies all eldar love the arts and the path of the artisan is walked by almost all eldar at some point in their lives.
Eldar gameplay
The Eldar usually rely on speed and firepower to win their battles. Eldar tactics mainly focus on speedy assault and movement across the battlefield, at the cost of toughness.
Of all the armies in Warhammer 40,000 the Eldar stands apart as capable of fielding incredibly large numbers of specialists. Most Eldar warriors are spectacular when performing in one particular area of expertise but largely ineffective when used in another role. For example, Dark Reapers easily destroy heavy infantry, like Space Marines, but are mostly ineffectual against numerous light infantry, like Guardsmen. However, those self same guardsman could be torn apart by a squad of Striking Scorpions. If there is a battlefield niche, the Eldar have a unit that fills it. Effective play, then, requires above all else proper deployment and target selection for the various forces, as well as concerted efforts from all forces used together effectively. A good example is that of an assault on a transport vehicle. An effective method of doing this would be to use Fire Dragons (short-range tank hunters) to destroy it easily, then attack the survivors with another squad (or in some cases, such as a unit of very heavily-armoured Space Marine Terminators in a Land Raider, the same Fire Dragon squad), depending on the traits of the infantry emerging. A successful Eldar player must make sure it all evens out. To get the most out of an Eldar force every unit has to be used to their full ability. An interesting note is that the Eldar don't use a single rapid-fire or gets-hot weapon.
With the advent of the newest update, the Harlequins, an offshoot of the Eldar main army that hasn't been tournament-legal for two editions, makes a return. They can now be fielded as a part of normal Eldar armies. Additionally, jet bikes, which are a signature Eldar unit, are moved to troops allowing a quicker playing style for Eldar. Many units such as Dire Avengers, Fire Prisms and War Walkers have had their rules refurbished making them more combat effective.
The old 3rd edition rules for different Eldar factions ("Codex: Craftworld Eldar") are no longer tournament-legal. However, some vestiges of the older rules can be seen in the new fourth edition Eldar codex (i.e. full squads of Wraithguard may be fielded as Troops in a nod to Iyanden players, and Jetbikes becoming Troop choices like the old Saim-Hann list).
External Links
- Dark Eldar
- Weapons, Equipment, and Vehicles of the Craftworld Eldar
- Official UK Eldar page
- Official US Eldar page
- Eldar Online tactics
References
- Chambers, Andy; Hoare, Andy, and Kelly, Phil (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Eye of Terror. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-398-5.
- Priestley, Rick (1994). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Eldar, 2nd Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-872372-74-0.
- Thorpe, Gav (2000). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Craftworld Eldar. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-029-3.
- Thorpe, Gav (2001). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Eldar, 3rd Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-869893-39-5.
- Kelly, Phil (2006). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Eldar, 4rd Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-791-3.
- Spurrier, Simon (2005). Xenology. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-282-6.
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