High Elf Tactics

The Defensive High Elf Army The Finished Product!! The High Elf Army is torn between two extremes: attacking and defending. On the one hand it has some of the best defensive troops in the Warhammer World--Elven spearmen and archers have few equals, yet on the other hand it is possessed of fast moving attack units like chariots and Dragon Princes. What to do? Let me first present you with a situation I often encounter. My Orcs deploy opposite the opponent who has a balance of archers, bolt throwers and the odd unit of cavalry. The first turn I suffer heavy missile fire but advance undeterred. The next turn I am charged by the cavalry and chariots and a bloody melee ensues. Over the next two turns combat ensues with both sides being pummelled. The Elven archers are wasted, unable to shoot with their friends in the way. A quarter of the army does nothing and I usually win. The key to winning with a High Elf army is to have an overall strategy and to assign each unit an objective to complete. This article will deal with the defensively- minded elf army, a role to which I believe it is best suited. First, an examination of the units and then the plan which they will follow. I believe that all High Elf units can be assigned to three categories: attackers, defenders and gap-stoppers. Each group of units plays and important role in the defensive army. Attacking Units Prince Illarion sat in his saddle impatiently. The enemy was visible across the plain as his camp fires burned. Beside him astride pure white elven steeds sat the members of the Tor Ylaria Silver Helm company. After having bloodied themselves on a small Skaven patrol the young nobles were anxious for more blood. Illarion turned to the general of the army, a small mage who spent his time inside a hut. "Why don't we attack now? Our mighty cavalry will smite their puny rat horde! Why must we wait here like cowards?" "Patience, Prince" replied the mage. "Should you rush in you will become bogged down. Let the enemy come to us and we will close the noose over his head. Then your time will come." Dissatisfied Illarion turned away, pouting. Who wanted to wait anyways? Therein lies the problem for Elves--their cavalry is highly mobile and is able to dish out damage. Because of the move of 8 or 7 for Dragon Princes there is always the temptation to move forward, ready to charge with pennants flapping in the breeze. While glorious this tactic is dangerous. STR of only 3 means knights are fairly useless after they charge. Against a horde like Goblins or Skaven the cavalry will kill huge numbers only to find the Crown of Command is preventing them from breaking the unit. Remember, 14 goblins cost about the same as one Silver Helm. As well, by charging the main block of enemy troops the cavalry can obscure the targets for the High Elf archers. Other units will jump in, thereby gaining protection from archery. Your valuable cavalry will be overwhelmed and cut down while your missile troops look on. This grizzly scenario is all too common. So what is the solution? There are two solutions to incorporating attack cavalry into your army. The first is the "Hammer and Anvil" tactic. Concentrate all your missile fire on one side of the battlefield, hopefully a clear path to the enemy. On the other flank deploy your cavalry and race around the opponent's flanks and rear, causing panic tests and picking your fights. Carry the Ring of Corin to deal with that Crown of Command and keep moving. Aim to spend no more than two turns in any combat (ie. yours + your opponents). If you can win in your opponent's turn then you'll be all set to charge the next turn. Meanwhile--shoot!! The second tactic is the "You're not gettin near my archer" tactic. This involves placing a number of Tiranoc chariots, Dragon Princes and the like in a position to charge the enemy. Being several inches ahead of the archer line and generally on the flank they are able to attack when the enemy gets too close. These troops usually can charge 16-18 inches, making sure that it is in fact they who charge. Hopefully they will attack the already softened up enemy and win a decisive victory. Apply your attack in one localized region and attempt to win on the first or second turn. What follows is an examination of the attack units in the High Elf army. Dragon Princes The Dragon Princes have been substantially improved in the new High Elf book. Free standard and half price magic standard offset their extremely high points cost. A magic standard is a must--don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Choices include some sort of magical protection, War or Battle Banner, etc. In general I steer away from the Standard of Shielding, preferring to boost the weaknesses of these Elves. The biggest problem with the Dragon Princes (and the entire High Elf army...) is their puny strength of 3. Against Orcs, Chaos and the like you might as well condemn them to their tombs if they don't win the combat right away. After the benefit of their lances wears off it's Elf- kabob and there's nothing you can do about it. Make sure you can win the combat on the first or second turn. Give your champion an item like the Ogre Blade to boost his meagre strength to 6, and you'll be happily hacking with WS and STR at 6. To conclude, make your Princes as hard hitting as possible. Try to have enough to soak up one round of missile fire. If you are expecting a lot of enemy artillery use them as the hammer in the "Hammer and Anvil" tactic. Paint em well--they look great! Tiranoc Chariots Thank you God--chariots can now have extra crew and steeds!! I love these fast moving hard-hitting machines. People tend to knock the survivability of Chariots but unless facing stone throwers they are really very durable. Charge of 18 inches gives them amazing range. The key is to take scythed wheels and at least three of them. Make sure you do horrendous damage on the first scythed charge. Three chariots guarantees 9 STR 7 hits and can give you up to 24!! The trick to using chariots is generally in the offensive-defensive role. Hide them behind buildings or next to your archers, ready to pounce with their huge range. Since the enemy probably won't want to fight a missile duel with you then he'll approach you eventually. Charge. When choosing your chariots improve their survivability and transform them into a squadron. Take extra crew and steeds. Place a Hero into a chariot and give him the Shrieking Blade. Should weak-minded individuals like Goblins try and charge you they will fail their fear test and be ripe for charging next turn. If catastrophe strikes and you are charged then you must accept this and hope your elves and steeds pull through. The "armour" of the chariot body and the randomness of the attacks from the enemy will help you. Chariots are excellent attacking machines, capable of dealing death in massed groups. One chariot will seldom do much good but three to five can wreak havoc. Treat them as you would a unit-a magic standard, a leader and extra crew. These are awesome machines of destruction!! Silver Helms Eliara Caledor, commander in chief of the High Elf army, was talking to Prince Soryiano, leader of the army's sole cavalry unit...the Silver Helms. They had been arguing for a time in the dawn before the coming battle, and with a bark Caledor finished her point and rode off. Soryiano sighed and walked to his troops. "We've been ordered to charge the enemy's large block of Boar Boyz..." Upon making this pronouncement a huge series of groans went up from the 20 or so knights who stood around. "Lord Soryiano! Why do they keep sending us against these super enemies? We barely made it out after meeting that last band of chaos knights!!" All the knights murmured in assent. It was paramount to suicide, yet they kept being assigned to attack the most powerful enemy. "I don't know whether they think we're Dragon Princes, but mount up! We'll get through this one." Under his breath Soryiano muttered "I hope." People love to charge. Cavalry is for attacking, and Silver Helms are cavalry, right? Actually, Helms really don't fit into the category, of attack units, but I have included them here since it is in this capacity that most players insist upon using them. Helms are really medium cavalry, effective at racing around and applying force in certain areas in the battlefield. Not strong enough or heavily armoured they must instead avoid the enemy's main body of troops and attack flanks and war machines. When choosing your Helms you must assign them a role. Will they be harassers or a moderately powerful attacking force? If the former leave them as fast cavalry and rely on chariots, Dragon Princes and infantry to win the battle for you. Move of 18 with lances means you can spend your first turn working your way onto the opponent's flanks, ready to hit him as he is desperate to advance towards your missile fire. You could also send them to hunt war machines, though Reavers are better suited to this task. If you charge, hit something that is weak. If charged by a powerful enemy, flee and then rally with your high leadership. Helms are difficult to use effectively--they are a "jack-of-all trades but good at none" type of unit. On the flip side they are very versatile and can be assigned a variety of tasks. Just don't treat them as heavy cavalry and you should do fine. Defensive Units From a young age Feylatha had practiced with a bow. When he was 7 he could knock an apple off someone's head from 50 yards, when he was 10 he could kill a fast moving deer. Now he was in the glorious army of Ulthuan for the first time, ready to demonstrate his skills as a marksman in the front rank of the Silver Arrow company. As the opposing Lizardman army lined up his captain called for battle formation. Knocking an arrow he kneeled an fet the elbow of Belasius, his mentor, on his shoulder. All was quiet. Suddenly a trumpet blared, the order to begin firing. His first shot knocked a tiny red lizard with a frill to the ground. He looked down and knocked another arrow. Suddenly there was a cry as the army's unit of Dragon Princes charged in. Feylatha looked up at Belasius, who had put his arrow away, disgusted. "There won't be much chance to show what we can do now. Those damn nobles always get in the way". High Elves are blessed with amazing BS and the ability to have two ranks shooting instead of one. Their spearmen have no equals defensively and are potent warriors. Compared to other elves these units are both fairly cheap and can hold their own. The bolt thrower is the bane of every Empire knight, Goblin and Skaven, who become "kabobbed". High Elves are also blessed with high leadership which means they don't tend to flee at the first sign of trouble, allowing you to leave them near the table edge. In all, they are an excellent defensive army. Unfortunately people tend to not coordinate the use of their units, as discussed in the "attacking units" section. An archer is just 11 points wasted if he can see nothing. A spearman is 12 points wasted if he isn't quick enough to join the fight with the cavalry. A good plan is essential when dealing with High Elves. There are obviously the two tactics discussed before: the "Hammer and Anvil" as well as the "Don't come near my archers". Both these tactics make efficient and effective use of archery elements, allowing them a clear field of fire. Aim to shoot at least 4 times. If charged you may even get more shots in! Yet there are those generals who don't want to put their faith in frail cavalry, preferring infantry and missile troops. They should, I advise, adopt the "Stay Home" tactic. This is a game at which the High Elves excel. First of all, deployment is critical. If you have a unit of 32 archers you can have them 8x4 with two ranks on each layer of a hill. This gives you a great combat resolution bonus if charged, allows everyone to fire and takes up a fraction of space on your battleline. In tournament play you are allowed to place a hill in your deployment zone. Do so. Have the archers wait for the enemy, don't move them and shoot all game long. Spearmen are equally comfortable waiting. Allow the enemy to come to you while you pepper him with missile fire. Choose the Sky Arrow of Naloer to shut down flying attacks. Needing only a 2+ to hit and wound as well as causing D6 wounds hurts anyone. Fire, fire fire. When you are attacked make sure spearmen bear the brunt of the assault. This tactic shields your missile troops, allowing them to continue to shoot. If operating with this "Stay Home" plan your general should be equipped for survivability and leadership bolstering capabilities. Make sure your troops don't flee--it's a short distance to the table edge. What follows is a list of defensive troops and how they fit into the "Stay Home" plan. Archers It doesn't get more basic than this. BS and WS of 4, STR 3 and a near-useless I of 7. Ld 8 means they'll stick around in the face of fear and terror. These archers almost always are an excellent choice of unit. Under the new High Elf rules they also can compensate for the biggest weakness of archers--their lack of rank bonus. If you use the hill technique I mentioned earlier then you can have them in four ranks. With a standard and musician they can even fight well. First, do not give them any sort of armour. If the enemy reaches you he will have had to get through all your spears, etc. and will hopefully be suitably softened up. If he is foolish enough to charge even a decent sized unit he will encounter a hail of 20+ arrows. Upon making it through he will have to deal with a rank and standard bonus of +3. Only a desperate enemy would charge into the front of a High Elf archer unit. Therefore, guard your flanks with chariots or other blocks of "archer infantry". These bowmen could shoot all day. The downside of High Elf archers is twofold. Their high points cost means you must take advantage of every Elf, hopefully by using a hill, and that their abysmal STR of 3 and no armour save modifier falls down against Orcs, Chaos and their ilk. In dealing with high toughness or heavily armoured targets it is the duty of the bolt throwers to shoot straight. Bolt Throwers Best anti-cavalry war machine in the game. Period. Despite doubling their points cost under the new rules the bolt thrower is still a weapon of mass destruction. Always take at least three. Against knights who will rarely have T of more than 4, one in four shots kills, followed by a second rank of knight kabob (Look, humans on a skewer all wrapped in tin foil!). The bolt thrower is also the bane of small creatures who rank up for support. Skaven are TOAST if you can bring several both throwers to bear. When deploying your bolt throwers keep a clear field of fire or deploy on a hill. Group them in a battery to enable you to siphon crew. Upon viewing such a danger your opponent will undoubtedly send his hero flying high on some monster, preparing to attack. To counteract this simply place a champion with the battery and equip him with the Black Gem of Gnar. Should the unsuspecting enemy character make it through your Sky Arrow, he will land in front of your battery only to be taken out of action by the Gem after a challenge. Your bolt throwers can continue their shooting uninterrupted. Choosing your targets is very important. Begin by looking for knights or things with high armour saves. Since your archers will be dealing with low toughness/save enemy, try to kill things they can't. Unless shooting at a single monster (a waste) always fire the four bolts. The bolt thrower is awesome. Use it well. Spearmen Finally there is a reason to buy High Elf spearmen!! Their new "fight-in-three ranks" rule allows them to form the ultimate defensive unit. Two blocks of 20 spearmen is a tough nut to crack. Make sure you arm heroes with items like the Sword of Swift Slaying and take banners like the Banner of Defiance to further boost your already large rank bonus. The goal of the spearmen is to present a "wall of steel" from behind which your archers can fire at will. There is nothing so demoralizing as being broken after you charged and then run down in your opponent's turn by chariots and Silver Helms (an excellent use of them). Heavy armour is a worthwhile investment since the Elves won't really need to run anywhere anyways. Some of the downsides of spearmen include their high points cost and low STR. Still, in a 20 man unit you can roll 15 dice on defensive, plus your rank and standard bonus. This is usually enough to offset high toughness. The Ogre Blade is a good investment for a champion, or the Banner of Might for the unit. These troops are finally of some use to a High Elf general. Cover your flanks with Reavers or small screening units as a flank attack is deadly to the unit. Phoenix Guard Sorry, I just don't like these troops. Their marginally increased abilities do little to justify their prohibitive points cost. What you get over a spearman: improved WS and I, as well as STR 4. You lose those extra two ranks of spears. As a result Phoenix guard are ill suited to defence and their exorbitant points cost means each one you lose hurts. Their armour save of 5+ (with heavy armour) leaves them vulnerable to missile fire, especially in the "Stay Home" scenario, and they are too slow to be suited to an attacking role. Leave them at home and select spearmen. Gap Stoppers and Others There will always be troops who do not fit into a specific role, or ones who are versatile. I refer to these mobile and multi-purpose units as gap-stoppers since they can shore up any holes in your lines and be called upon to fill almost any role. The Silver Helms and Shadow Warriors fit this role to a degree, as do troops like Warhawk Riders (Wood Elf), Skink Cold One Riders, (Lizardmen) and Squires (Bretonnian). The High Elf army is blessed with the (in my humble opinion which you must value if you read this far) best gap-stoppers in the game: the Ellyrian Reaver Knights. Ellyrian Reavers The function of these troops is multi faceted. They are equally adept at hunting war machine crew with their free march move, harassing the opponent into surrendering his march move, or firing like gnats at the opponent. Their high speed and mobility as fast cavalry and their multiple options when equipping them means they can do it all. Just don't ask them to deal with that greater demon of Nurgle.... The Reaver regiment is particularly useful in a harassment role. If implementing the "stay home" strategy take advantage of their free march move to advance within bow shot. Move close to incite a charge and fire. Next turn, if the opponent decides to charge, fire and flee. Rally next turn and fire again. If successful you could fire up to 8 times with no penalty for moving!! These knights can be accompanied by a Hero with the Bow of Loren to bolster their archer abilities. Truly these are amazing troops. The only thing you must bear in mind is not to get bogged down in combat. Attack only those who offer no resistance (war machine crew) and then sweep around the flank or the rear. These troops are God's gift to Elves. Shadow Warriors A unit which offers good value for the points and is absolutely essential when fighting Dark Elves. Their strength is their versatility--they can skirmish, shoot and even fight a bit. They excel at taking up position in rocks and woods and then pestering the enemy with their fire. Another void they can fill is the sacrificial screen, there to protect your cavalry by soaking up casualties and fleeing when charged, leaving the enemy ripe for a counter-charge. Skirmishers can also guard flanks and flush out enemy from the woods. They are good but not great. White Lions This is the new "power unit" for the High Elves. Their three attack modes along with free standard and musician make these S 6 troops lethal. They are especially useful when accompanied by your general, making them unbrakeable. A magic standard like the Banner of Might will mean that you will hit on 2s usually, further increasing the killing power of the unit. If accompanied by the army's battle standard you can pack an extra magic standard in. This is THE best core unit you can get, but at 16 points a model it does not come cheap. This unit fits well into any strategy being especially versatile and adept at both attack and defence. Too bad I don't like the new models though! Monsters The High Elves have only a decent selection of monsters from which to choose. The Griffon is a good value at 150 points, but nothing beats the sheer ferocity of a Manticore. Sadly, you'll have to make 4 enraged bound monster tests if you want to keep him around. Yet sticking your general on a powerful animal and sending him to hunt war machines really isn't a great idea. For one thing, traps like the Black Gem Battery can get your general killed, and tying up so many points at the wrong end of the battlefield hurts. Despite the high leadership of Elves, being so close to the table edge Ld 10 really helps. In my opinion the best monster investment is the Great Eagle. At 75 points it doesn't need to take bound monster tests and has WS 7 & STR 5. It can put up a good fight and can play a crucial role in a defensive army. By landing behind enemy lines three or four Eagles prevent your enemy from marching, giving you even more shooting time. Excellent value and only one VP each. In Conclusion... The Elf general looked at the field in front of him. Archers stationed on a hill loosed a rain of death the enemy. Their confidence was bolstered by ranks of spearmen who stood ready to guard against attackers. Bolt throwers shot at knights, puncturing their thick armour. the human general ordered his troops forward but with a beating of wings Heyladia the great Eagle landed behind him. The army turned around to look and was hit by another set of arrows. Confusion struck--where was the enemy? After sorting themselves out the survivors charged half- heartedly into the spearmen, whose 7 foot pikes stuck out like a pin cushion. The would-be attackers were repulsed and then run down by chariots. The human trumpeter blared for a retreat as the shattered army withdrew. The general smiled---Ulthuan was safe again. By coordinating troop types effectively a High Elf general can maximize his strengths and weaknesses. The Elf army relies on its missile fire to soften the enemy, and its solid blocks of infantry to win the game. Hard hitting units like Dragon Princes and Tiranoc Charioteers run down fleeing enemy or deliver the knock out blow to worn out troops. Elf archers shoot and shoot while monsters disrupt the enemy's march moves. The general and his personal battle standard strengthen the resolve of the troops, encouraging them to hold firm. Like a well oiled machine the Elves execute perfectly, trapping their foe between a hammer and anvil or encircling then closing the noose. They are fun to play with and devastating if used effectively. Best of luck to all you Elf generals out there!!!