A Thousand Points of Light: Craftworld Eldar by Hal Melom
Editor's Note: Hal Melom is a long-time Eldar player and author of the short story Stalking Tigers. He volunteered to write the basic, or "vanilla" Eldar list for this series and continues with lists for armies using Codex: Craftworld Eldar.

I've tried to be as faithful as possible to Patrick's guidelines. Remember, these lists--like all the others in this series--are meant for brand new players or for players looking to start a new army. These lists are not meant to be "killer" lists for winning tournaments or trouncing people at the local gaming shop. Rather, they are foundations that players can build upon as they desire.

Alaitoc: What to Buy
The strength of the Alaitoc Craftworld Eldar is their Rangers: they can field more Rangers than any other Eldar army, and they are the only Eldar who can field a unit of "super Rangers" known as the Alaitoc Pathfinders. This list has been designed around the Ranger's particular style of warfare, which is hit-and-fade guerilla tactics. I've aimed for enough diversity, balance, and flexibility to provide for an enjoyable and fair game against any other 1000-point list, even for brand new players.
 

1 Farseer blister	$10.00	£6
12 Eldar Rangers blisters (The US Store sells two per blister, while the UK store sells three per blister; the UK price is for 8 blisters rather than 12)	$84.00	£48
2 Warp Spiders blisters (4 in the UK, as there's only 1 per blister there)	$16.00	£16
1 Warp Spider Exarch blister	$7.00	£5
2 Vyper Jetbikes	$50.00	£24
1 War Walker	$25.00	£15
2 Bright Lances	$10.00	£4
Total	$202.00	£118

All prices are from the Games Workshop website  and may vary. Prices do not include taxes and are meant only as a guide.

Conversions are limited to weapon swaps for the vehicles. Assemble the War Walker with two bright lances, mount the remaining bright lance on one of the Vypers, and put the War Walker's scatter laser on the other Vyper.

Alaitoc 1000 point list

Alaitoc Tactics
Use the large unit of 10 Rangers as the anchor of your army: put them in cover where they have a good shot at the majority of your opponent's infantry. Have the Farseer join them and cast Fortune on them each turn; their large unit size, his Leadership of 10, and the ability to re-roll cover saves of at least a 4+ value should keep them around for quite sometime and enable them to soak up a lot of hits. 

Use the three small units of 3 Rangers each as bait, harassment, and as a general disruption and annoyance to his troops: try to use the terrain to screen them from heavy firepower, as they won't last long. If they attract lots of shooting or an assault squad, have them fall back. Treat the Pathfinders like you would other Rangers, but expect more from them: use them to target heavily armored troops like Terminators. 

Use the Warp Spiders as a mobile reserve, to be used as a counter to enemy assault squads. Keep them behind your lines and screened from enemy fire. When a unit of enemy troops gets close enough to assault your large Ranger squad or your Pathfinders, have them warp in, shoot them up with the Death Spinners, and withdraw in the Assault Phase. If the enemy unit is fairly small, try assaulting and then using the Withdraw power to retreat your Warp Spiders beyond their reach, behind terrain or a friendly unit. 

You'll have to be cagey with your vehicles, as you don't have many and they're very fragile. Never leave your Vypers exposed; always remember to use the crystal targeting matrix to effect "pop-up" attacks where they dart out from behind cover, fire, and then dart back into cover. Use line-of-sight blocking terrain to shield the War Walker from as much firepower as possible; it's best used to destroy transports and light vehicles rather than duel with tanks, but if your opponent brings a Leman Russ or a Land Raider to the game, the War Walker and the Vypers should give you a decent chance to combat it.

Biel-Tan: What To Buy
This list is tricky to use, but it should definitely be fun to play and a joy to paint! Since Aspect Warriors are the theme of Craftworld Biel-Tan, I decided to draft a list that would highlight the diversity of the Eldar Aspect Warriors, not to mention their beautiful Exarch models.
 

1 Eldar Avatar blister	$25.00	£12
2 Warp Spiders blisters (4 in the UK, as there's only 1 per blister there)	$16.00	£16
1 Warp Spider Exarch blister	$7.00	£5
2 Fire Dragons blisters	$16.00	£10
1 Fire Dragon Exarch blister (there are two types available; get the one with the big long gun, the Firepike)	$7.00	£4
2 Striking Scorpions blisters	$16.00	£10
1 Striking Scorpion Exarch blister	$7.00	£4
2 Howling Banshees blisters	$16.00	£10
1 Howling Banshees Exarch blister	$7.00	£4
2 Swooping Hawks blisters	$16.00	£10
1 Swooping Hawk Exarch blister (the GW UK site doesn't list a Hawk Exarch, so you may have to buy another blister of normal Hawks and convert your own)	$7.00	£5
2 Dark Reapers blisters	$16.00	£10
1 Dark Reaper Exarch blister	$7.00	£4
1 Dire Avengers box set	$20.00	£15
1 Eldar Missile Launcher	$5.00	£2
Total	$188.00	£121

All prices are from the Games Workshop website and may vary. Prices do not include taxes and are meant only as a guide.

Everything is modeled straight out of the box (or blister, as that may be), with the exception of the Dark Reapers Exarch. You'll need to carefully cut away the shuriken cannon he's holding and replace it with the missile launcher. A hand saw is great if you have one, but an Exacto knife will do if you're patient and careful. I don't know why GW chose to give its only Dark Reaper Exarch model the most ridiculous and ineffective weapon he could possibly carry.... 

Aside from that, simply assemble the Dire Avengers, leaving one model as an Exarch with a pistol and sword. Maybe cut off one of the jewels on the "ammo belt" that comes on the sprue and glue it to the pommel of his sword (as that's what distinguishes a Diresword from a normal power weapon).

Biel-Tan 1000 point list

Biel-Tan Tactics
The Dark Reapers provide covering fire for the rest of the army, with the Exarch's missile launcher pounding the most threatening enemy vehicle or squad. The Dire Avengers, Fire Dragons, and Howling Banshees Fleet of Foot forward until they are close enough to attack, staying behind line-of-sight blocking terrain for as long as possible. The Scorpions and the Avatar follow closely behind, ready to assault the closest enemy squad or vehicle.

The Swooping Hawks are always able to Deep Strike and should do so to drop their grenade pack on the largest infantry squad on the table; afterward, they join the Warp Spiders in harassing and threatening isolated squads and flanks.

It's also helpful to know what each squad is good at attacking, as this is an army of extremely specialized units:

• Avatar: Anything and everything he can assault
• Dire Avengers: Light infantry
• Warp Spiders: Infantry of all sorts, especially tough and/or poorly armored infantry; vehicles (if you can hit them in the side or rear)
• Fire Dragons: Vehicles, especially heavy ones; tough and/or well armored infantry, e.g. Terminators
• Dark Reapers: Anything with a 3+ save or worse; the Exarch can either kill and pin infantry with plasma missiles or kill vehicles with krak missiles
• Howling Banshees: Infantry of all sorts, but especially those with good armor saves and/or low Toughness
• Striking Scorpions: Infantry of all sorts, vehicles (using the haywire grenades)
• Swooping Hawks: Light infantry; units with an effective shooting range of less than 24" (such as Khorne Berserkers; Tyranid Gaunts are ideal targets)

Iyanden: What To Buy
The Iyanden Craftworld was devastated in a massive Tyranid invasion; as a result, Iyanden, once one of the most populous and thriving Craftworlds, has been reduced to little more than a ghostly shell floating through space. The few Iyanden Eldar who are left must resort to reviving large numbers of their dead kin as robotic Wraithguard and Wraithlords, as they can spare even fewer lives for military service than other Craftworlds.
 

1 Farseer Blister w/ Singing Spear	$10.00	£6
1 Warlock Blister w/ Singing Spear	$7.00	£4
10 Wraithguard blisters	$100.00	£70
2 Wraithlord blisters	$50.00	£30
1 Eldar Guardians box	$30.00	£15
3 Eldar Support Weapons blisters (make sure to get the ones with the Shadow Weaver--it's the one that looks like a larger version of a Warp Spider's gun)	$60.00	£36
1 Star Cannon	$5.00	£2
Total	$262.00	£163

All prices are from the Games Workshop website and may vary. Prices do not include taxes and are meant only as a guide.

Assembly is very straightforward, with only a simple weapons swap required, exchanging a Wraithlord's bright lance for a star cannon.

Iyanden 1000 point list

Iyanden Tactics
The two Wraithguard squads make up the front line, with the Spiritseer standing within 6" of both of them. The Wraithlords stand on either flank of the Wraithguard, protecting them from assault and using their heavy weapons to deal with the biggest threats to the Wraithguard, particularly tanks, Monstrous Creatures, and transports carrying assault squads. 

The entire line advances 6" per turn, using cover to hide the Wraithguard from fire if possible, until the Wraithguard are within 12" and can fire with their wraithcannons. Against "horde" armies like Orks, Tyranids, the Lost & Damned, etc., use the Support Weapons Platforms to target the largest squad and try to thin it out as much as possible before it can assault the Wraithguard. Against "shooty" armies like Imperial Guard, Tau, Dark Angels, etc., try to kill or pin their heavy weapons teams, battle suits, or Devastator Squads.

The Guardians may either advance behind the Wraithguard to protect against horde assaults with their shuriken catapults, or they may remain behind to protect the Support Weapons Platforms. In like fashion, the Farseer may either advance with the Guardians and Guide their shuriken fire, or he may stay with the Support Weapons Platforms and Guide the Shadow Weaver barrages. In missions that require claiming multiple objectives, such as Cleanse or Rescue, you may wish to divide the Guardians into two or three smaller squads so that they can cover multiple objectives. Do not use them to screen other units--that's not in character for the Iyanden.

Saim-Hann: What To Buy
The Saim-Hann Wild Riders are the fastest and most mobile of all the Craftworld Eldar, with an army list that revolves around Fast Attack choices. Saim-Hann's greatest strength lies in its speed and mobility, but its lack of numbers and raw power make it very ill-equipped for a stand-up fight. You must be cunning and patient if you wish to do well with the Wild Riders of Saim-Hann.
 

6 Eldar Jetbikes	$75.00	£30
1 Shrieker Jetbike	$15.00	£8
1 Shining Spears Box	$40.00	£18
1 Shining Spears Exarch	$20.00	£8
2 Vyper Jetbikes	$50.00	£24
1 Falcon Grav-Tank	$35.00	£18
1 Dire Avengers box	$20.00	£15
2 Bright Lances	$10.00	£4
Total	$265.00	£125

All prices are from the Games Workshop website  and may vary. Prices do not include taxes and are meant only as a guide.

Use the Shrieker Jetbike as the base for your Wild Rider Chief. Give him either the power sword from the Shining Spears Exarch or the power sword from the Dire Avengers box (whichever looks better to you). You might also want to use a Dire Avengers head for his helmet, to make him look a little more impressive.

Put together the six Guardian Jetbikes normally, but swap out the twin shuriken catapults for shuriken cannons (taken from the Vyper Jetbikes) on two of them. Give the Shining Spears Exarch a laser lance, just like his squadmates. Mount bright lances on both Vypers.

Assemble the Falcon as normal; you may wish to convert it to signify the holo-field, spirit stone, and star engines (Forge World makes a nice Eldar vehicles conversion kit). Assemble six Dire Avengers; you might want to make the sixth look a little more impressive or paint him differently, as he's going to be your Exarch.

Saim-Hann 1000 point list

Saim-Hann Tactics
This army has very good hit-and-run firepower and a potentially deadly assault capacity, but it has few models and little staying power, so you must be cautious and careful for the first few turns. All of your jetbike-mounted troops have a 12" move, plus another 6" move in the Assault Phase in any direction. This gives them the ability to move out from behind line-of-sight blocking terrain, fire, then move back behind terrain so that they cannot be shot--a very useful ability and one that you must use, given the fragility and low numbers of your forces. Some ways to do this:

• Using terrain to block line of sight, your jetbikes can dash from one terrain piece to the other without being shot so long as they are no more than 18" apart. They can even take a potshot with their guns 12" into their dash from cover to cover.
• Sit behind some woods or a ruined building, pop out 6", shoot, then move back to your original position (a favorite Tau tactic).

It's hard to think of a better choice for the Saim-Hann's single Heavy Support slot than a Falcon Grav-Tank, as it has everything: speed, armor, firepower, and even a modest transport capability. Against mechanized foes, escort the Falcon with your two Vypers and go tank hunting. Use your superior speed and mobility to isolate enemy tanks and deal with them one at a time. 

If there are no tanks to threaten the Falcon, send the Vypers off to deal with transports and gun platforms while the Falcon targets heavy infantry and big creatures with its high-strength, multiple-shot lasers. The Dire Avengers can serve in two roles: on a mission like Cleanse, they can fulfill the mundane but necessary duty of holding your original table quarter, or they can ride in the Falcon to claim objectives further up the board. They can also ride in the Falcon to defend it from any infantry that get too close with meltaguns.

Ulthwe: What To Buy
Ok, here's the last Craftworld Eldar 1000 point list. It's for the good old "banana head" Ulthwe (boy, am I glad they did away with the yellow helmets and just made them straight black). This is really two lists for the price of one, as you can also use the exact same models to represent an Ulthwe Strike Force by fiddling just a little bit with the army list.
 

1 Seer Council box	$35.00	£20
1 Warlock w/ Singing Spear blister	$7.00	£4
1 Warlock w/ Witchblade blister	$7.00	£4
1 Eldar Guardians box	$30.00	£15
2 Storm Guardians boxes	$50.00	£24
1 Vyper box	$25.00	£12
1 War Walker blister	$25.00	£15
1 Dark Reapers blister	$10.00	£7
1 Dark Reaper Exarch blister	$7.00	£4
1 Missile Launcher	$5.00	£2
1 Bright Lance	$5.00	£2
Total	$206.00	£109

All prices are from the Games Workshop website  and may vary. Prices do not include taxes and are meant only as a guide.

Convert the Dark Reaper Exarch to be holding the missile launcher, replace the War Walker's scatter laser with the extra bright lance, and put the scatter laser on the Vyper. Make sure to equip two of the Storm Guardians with flamers.

Ulthwe 1000 point list

Ulthwe Tactics
The Seer Council, Defender Guardians, and Storm Guardians are all Fleet of Foot, and should use that ability to close with the enemy as quickly as possible, where the Black Guardians can shoot to great effect and where the Seer Council and Storm Guardians can shoot and then assault. Use the Defender Guardians to screen the Seer Council and the Storm Guardians; if the Seer Council is completely screened by the Defenders, have their Farseer cast Fortune on the Guardians instead of themselves. While the Defenders are themselves effective, they are more expendable than the Storm Guardians and certainly more expendable than the Seer Council. 

The Defenders and Storm Guardians can generate a huge number of attacks with good strength, skill, and speed, so use them to take out rank and file infantry. The Seer Council is one of the baddest close combat units in the entire game, so use it to hit the toughest and nastiest enemy unit, like a Dreadnought, Carnifex, or tooled-up character. 

While the main body of Black Guardian infantry and the Seer Council close with the enemy, the Vyper, War Walker, and Dark Reapers should do their best to suppress any incoming fire that threatens them. The War Walker is a dedicated tank killer and should be used to dispatch vehicles with a lot of anti-infantry abilities, such as any tank whose name begins with Leman Russ. The Vyper can take on infantry or light vehicles with its scatter laser; use its 24" move to hit vehicles in the flank or to target heavy weapons squads in the rear, and use its crystal targeting matrix to keep it behind cover after it has fired. The Dark Reapers can perform in a swing role depending whether vehicles or infantry pose the greatest threat to your own infantry: if it's vehicles, put a pair of krak missiles into one each turn; if it's an infantry squad, lay down two plasma missile blasts on them.

Don't forget that you have two units that can pin enemy infantry: the Dark Reaper Exarch's plasma missiles force a pinning test if they cause casualties, and so does the Seer Council's Eldritch Storm. These can help quite a few more Guardians reach the enemy lines, as a pinned enemy squad can't shoot for an entire turn. An Augmented Eldritch Storm has a range of 36"; it's worth slowing the Seer Council down a little if you can pin a large squad of enemies that would otherwise shoot up your Guardians or counter-assault them.

Alternate List: Ulthwe Strike Force. You can also field an Ulthwe Strike Force using exactly the same models as your regular Ulthwe army. Simply make the following changes to your army list:

• Seer Council: Farseer #1 does not have Runes of Witnessing. 
• Farseer #2 has Mind War instead of Eldritch Storm.
• Black Guardian Defenders: Remove two Defenders from the squad (for a total of 14). Their Warlock carries the Wraithgate.
• Black Guardian Storm Squad: Their Warlock now has the Embolden power rather than the Enhance power.
• Vyper: Remove the crystal targeting matrix.

Related Pages
Introduction to the series
Other lists in this series
 

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© Copyright Hal Melom, October 2003. Used with permission.
 

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