Dark elf tactics
By Casper Stokhuyzen
(This article is mainly for rookies. Veterans may enjoy reading my viewpoint, though)
As a Dark Elf veteran of about three years, I’ve fought plenty of people and almost every army. I still haven’t faced Chaos Dwarves (let’s face it, how many people play Chaos Stunties?) and I’ve only fought a few Dogs of War. I could be very specific by giving advice geared towards each race separately, but that wouldn’t help anyone trying to start Warhammer. So here are the fruits of my limited wisdom. I hope they prove useful.
Dark Elves are an evil race, who torture and pillage for sheer pleasure. When building an army, it is vital to stick to the ‘feeling’ of the army. For this you will need an army book, which contains all the troop information and history. If you don’t have one, get one, especially if you intend to play for the game, not for the victory.
I feel it is only safe to mention that since I wrote the first Tactics article, I’ve become allergic to cheese and have a big thing for "Spirit of the Game". This is reflected in this, the revised, version. I find that Longsword (Tuomas Pirinin) has good tactics for those who want to "power-game" but I disapprove. It’s up to you, of course…
War Machines
Elves in general are lithe and steer away from crude gunpowder weapons, which means that they have almost no war machines to speak of. Their only strength when it comes to artillery is the wonderful Repeater Bolt Thrower.
I used to be crazy about RBTs, if any of you have read the old version of this article. I still like them a lot, but find that they rarely get me out of sticky situations. These ballistas are vaunted as the Elves’ monster-killer. This is very, very wrong. The almost pathetic S5 single shot has difficulty wounding most monsters. And the multiple-shot, which I heartily recommend, has the same strength as a normal crossbow! Bit odd, considering you’re firing a huge, steel-tipped bolt at someone. Another problem is that you need to get regiments of at least ten troops (specified in the book) to field one. This is different from the High Elves, I know, but I’m consciously not going to complain about High Elves or I’ll never get round to the rest of the tactics. ;-)
The Cauldron of Blood is a good idea if you plan on using lots of Witch Elves. If you only want 5-12 Witch Elves, don’t bother spending cash or points on it. I don’t actually have one, since I have very few Witch Elves and no money.
Missile Troops
Dark Elves are notorious for their repeater crossbows. At least, that’s what the books say. They fire a "hail" of "barbed darts" at their foes. I don’t see how two bolts form a hail of darts. This weapon is all right, but useless unless you have at least ten of them. The good thing about elves is their high WS and BS. This means that a Dark Elf can fire two bolts with the same to hit roll as a human archer. The really annoying thing is their short range. Wood Elves slaughtered my army because of their excellent range compared to mine. A longbow can fire 6 inches further at the same strength and to hit roll (if fired by an elf) as a 24-inch repeater crossbow. Don’t let this discourage you. Eventually his troops have to get close, or your Repeater Bolt Throwers will eat up his expensive units. When he does, fire everything. In the first few turns, consider maneuvering your crossbowmen so that you can deal with an attack better. The guy who owns this homepage calculated that you have better odds of hitting things if you fire dual-fire. These weapons are useless against cavalry in small amounts because of their low strength, so target infantry if you can.
Scouts sound great, and the truth is I’ve never used any. GW discontinued them along with Executioners. You can probably still order them, but I haven’t bothered yet. My experience with Wood Elf Waywatchers (their equivalent) is that six is an ideal number. Large units go against the spirit of the game and will give you trouble hiding them. If anyone has used either Scouts or Executioners, let me know how they did.
Shock Troops
Ask anyone to describe an elf and you’ll be told they’re pansies. Which is true. This means that they have a disadvantage when it comes to shock troops. Low strength and toughness means that they are vulnerable to bowfire and cavalry. The best shock troops, in my opinion, are Cold One Knights. Armed with lances, these guys are all right on a charge (S5), but once in real hand-to-hand they rely on their monstrous steeds, the Cold Ones, to really kick ass. These have S4 and 2 attacks. They kill knights much better than horses do. Give your knights a Blood Banner and you’re ready to stomp all over enemy cavalry. Field at least six, including a champion and standard bearer. These are lovely troops.
Witch Elves are good, but they have two weaknesses: bad armour and low toughness. This makes them easy targets for missile fire, so field at least twelve. They have S4 and 3 attacks (with an extra hand weapon) and WS4, so they really chew up enemy infantry and even cavalry. Only give them the armour if you’re facing someone with lots of bows, because a 6+ save really isn’t useful otherwise.
Black Guard. What can I say about Black Guard? Well, to put it crudely, they suck. They’re elves with halberds. I can only imagine them really killing small things. Unfortunately, small things in Warhammer are mostly fully capable of killing something with T3 and a 5+ save. I think Black Guard are the single most useless unit in my experience of Warhammer. They are weak, expensive and cannot be used as sacrificial troops.
Executioners, like I said, are unfamiliar to me. One thing that seems nice is the fact that they do D3 wounds, and a high strength in combination with the axes. This really helps when only a few manage to wound. Again, bad saves and low toughness. I’d rather use them than Black Guard.
Infantry
Dark Elves have some good infantry. They have the same strength and toughness as humans but with a high WS and leadership. High initiative makes them good for dealing with slower races such as humans and Dwarves. My favourite infantry is the Black Ark Corsairs. They have the option of extra hand weapons and they have 5+ unmodifiable save. This helps them against strong foes. I field twelve for the ranks and so that they can take damage and keep fighting. These guys can take plenty of missile fire, especially because of their save. They can even return fire, and are very, very effective as a screen of missile troops that forms a solid block of troops when the enemy comes too close.
Spearmen are pretty useless, but if you have a lot, they can take a lot of punishment. Combined with the high movement of elves, they can block cavalry units that threaten your core units. They also serve to defend your RBTs and crossbowmen.
City guard is just the best way to defend your crossbowmen. They’re not really very special, but combine stand-and-shoot with lots of attacks in hand-to-hand. If you plan to play defensively, get some.
Special Units
Firstly, Dark Riders. I recently assembled a regiment of eleven. They have huge movement and excellent skills. Give them spears and repeater crossbows. They can move a whopping 18 inches before the battle, giving you the chance to flank or at last distract the enemy. They are a good deal in points and cash, so you might want to get some. Their fire and flee is most effective when you have more of them. Since I first wrote this piece, I’ve used my Dark Riders a lot. They are without doubt my favourite unit. Not only are the models excellent, but they take out war machines in a flash, can finish off small units, hold up large ones, and, most fun of all, scare the hell out of your enemies. Having a regiment of nasty Dark Elves BEHIND your lines in a turn is scary, then they kill your war machines, and if you maneuver to charge them , they run off behind you and shoot you up a bit. My friends are always bitching about these guys. Well worth the points.
Harpies are a must. They gobble up war machine crews and move on to the next one. You should take one round of artillery fire before your harpies can come down from flying high. Usually, mine become prime targets after slaughtering only one war machine crew. This is great, because it means that he wastes fire on high toughness, multiple-wound troops. Once, I killed an Imperial Great Cannon crew with 5 harpies, and he fired his Helblaster at them. His first tube misfired, so he automatically had to fire every tube. He did a 36-wound overkill but it meant that for 75 points I had knocked out two powerful machines. Don’t take a large unit. They’re not meant to kill regiments, and if you make them too plentiful, they’ll have trouble paying for themselves, which is a good way of determining efficiency.
Characters
The Dark Elf lord is very good. He has a high weapon skill, so he wields magic weapons with a large chance of hitting his foes with them. He has a relatively low toughness and strength, so consider giving him something to increase those. My "Golden Combo" for an all-round good general is a lord on a Cold One with the Armour of Protection (I prefer Armour of Fortune for non-cheesiness), a Venom Blade and Amulet of Fire. He is well protected, has a good weapon and good protection from magic. He’s also quite cheap at just over 300 points. Always get him a Cold One. This means he can support units with his leadership better and he can flank units easier. If you want a kick-ass general, plant him on a dragon. This is, however, extravagant, and you’ll likely run into an enemy character with a dragon on the other side.
Champions. These are good in units that will see combat, such as Cold One Knights and Witch Elves. Nothing really special, Dark Elf champs. Best save yourself the points and money. Although Dark Rider champions add a little extra punch to make sure the job gets done in a turn. Give this guy a Heart of Woe (beardy, perhaps, but not as much as the Black Gem of Gnar), in case there’s a supercharacter-powergamer opposite you.
Assassins. I love these guys. They always strike first, have a ridiculously high WS and have good S and T. Consider giving them an Ogre Blade, Heart of Woe or, if you feel like spending lots of points, a Frostblade. Get one or two, but make sure to put them in a unit that will see combat or he’s wasted points.
Mages are necessary in a Dark Elf army. I suggest a level 4 mage and maybe a level 1 or 2 to back him up and give you more spells. If your mage lord is killed, then you always have the backup. What you do with them is your business, but I recommend the following items for them: Book of Ashur, Destroy Magic Scroll, Potion of Knowledge, Amulet of Fire and the Black Amulet. Another one I use often is the Cloak of Mists and Shadows, the best armour you can get for a mage, and it lets him get close enough to cast short-range spells. This is not what I would call cheesy with Dark Elves. The mages are not INTENDED to fight, and I can imagine them with powerful protective spells to defend themselves. It also lets them get in range to cast spells like Doombolt and Arnizipal’s Black Beauty..er…Horror. (Sorry, but I’m writing this after taking out about 1400 points’ worth of High Elves with two well-placed Horrors).
Getting a Battle Standard Bearer is useless, as Dark Elves have high leadership, and you should play a defensive game anyway, meaning you general can sit near them and give them extra Ld. They are also expensive and good targets, and generally a good way of giving away VP.
Special Characters
Only a few of these are out, and I’ve only used two of them: Shadowblade and Rakarth. Shadowblade is excellent. He’s fast, strong, does D3 wounds and he can hide in enemy units. Just use an assassin model for him.
Rakarth is not very good. Rakarth himself is useless, especially since his low strength makes the Whip of Agony useless. You’d do better to just get a dragon. It’s cheaper and more effective. His model can also be used as a normal hero or lord on a dragon. This is better since you can put together your own magic item combos.
That’s about it for Dark Elf tactics. Please don’t consider these as rules or especially good advice-this is only what I have found thanks to my experiences against certain armies. Your opponents might use their armies differently, completely screwing up your army if you follow my advice rigidly. Just see what works for you. I’ll try to come up with a few general strategies for Dark Elf armies and maybe a few themed armies to give and example of how to start. If I ever get round to it, I’m thinking of making some more race-specific tactics ("How to Fight"). Any questions or comments?
Comments or suggestions mail me at:
Malus_darkblade@hotmail.com