DE that aren't terribly fast

[mikethefish]

So question - I see lot of Dark Eldar armies that favor crazy vehicular speed. This seems like it's their bag, which is perfectly cool. My question is if it's possible to make more of a foot-mounted Dark Eldar army that doesn't feature nearly as many vehicles - maybe a small group of Raiders or Venoms, but the rest of the Troops section being filled out with "foot-DDar"

[Hive Mind]

Webway portals.

[mikethefish]

Well yeah, I am familiar with webway portals, but aren't they usually delivered by vehicles anyhow? I was more talking about guys that actually start on foot from turn 1

[jifel]

I dont play Deldar, or against them often, but the most successful footDDar that Ive heard of is with Wracks, Grotesques, Beasts, Talos, Haemoncs and that kind of stuff. Just a tide of tough stuff that rolls up everying in front of it.

EDIT: Actually, if you consider Hellions foot, then a list with Hellions and Scourges could work.

[isotope99]

Its tough to get enough vehicle cracking weapons without all the lances and mobile blasters that the vehicles offer.

[Mr. Furious]

Its really hard to foot slog troops that have such lousy saves and still have them be a viable unit when they arrive at their objective. The vehicles aren't just for getting them there, the vehicles are for getting them there alive. DE tougness is so low that they are almost always living in fear of the instant death from fairly common weapons that many armies have in great numbers. They are not very cheap in points cost so it's hard to take huge units to soak up lots of fire as they walk across the table.

Its possible to walk your troops but not advisable.

[Houghten]

"foot-DDar"

What did language ever do to you?

[Frankio9]

I run a foot-mech hybrid list wit just two Raiders, one with Wyches, one with a Succubus and Bloodbrides. The rest of my force is then on foot, with Scourges and Hellions ensuring that I maintain a high speed, and Wracks shambling along with the rest of the horde. Works pretty well for me.

[pyroclasm]

hmmm... I would say Hellions with the baron, and a couple Webway portal carrying Haemonculi in raiders with Wyches, so when the Haemoculi drop the portals, and die, the wyches get to keep the FNP, and the rest of your crazy army comes through the portals. Talos, scourges, beasts, wracks, more wyches, all work well out of portals. Give heat lances to everyone, imo, because the webway portals will help you with range, and AP 1 will help the lack of numbers of Anti-Tank weaponry you have.

[mikethefish]

What did language ever do to you?

I like to abuse it every so often, just to show it who's boss!

[muffinman331]

Well yeah, I am familiar with webway portals, but aren't they usually delivered by vehicles anyhow? I was more talking about guys that actually start on foot from turn 1

but if you could take webway portals for your foot army, why wouldn't you?! DE need either transports or webways. otherwise they will die quickly to ranged fire.

I play a webway army with a bunch of wyches, a Cronos, archon, one venom with trueborn and some harlequins. one webway gets delivered by an HQ model in the trueborn squad, the other hides with the harlequins. the list only has 1 vehicle, but still gets the webways where they're needed early on.

it's not the most competitive list out there, but I enjoy it and it's fun to play with/against. it will actually do well against a lot of armies, but struggles against traditional DE armies. which I think is the main reason it is often discounted. but it does very well against a lot of the armies seen these days.

[betacentauri]

DE without vehicles is kinda pointless imo.

[PhatCat]

DE need effective foot units since their vehicles will die so quickly. Best lists I use often have Dark Lance support units (Trueborn, Scourges) because they can affect the game immediately rather than having to move into position like Blaster born or Heat Lance units. That's not to say you don't buy transports for them; you do. Getting shockprow/lance raiders for anti-tank and double cannon Venoms for infantry are essential; they just run around unoccupied to shoot/block movement/provide cover/contest. Meanwhile, your rear guard lances are shooting the crap out of things.

Additionally, support by Wracks, Wyches, Incubi, etc. as counter-charge units buy those guns more time. The misconception is that DE are an effective "in your face" army. They are not. They are frail, they cannot take a punch, they fold if their initial strike fails. They are a surgical strike army. Pick the weakness of the enemy, make them come to you weakened, and shank them so hard they can't hit back. Don't fight like a Marine that shrugs off blows. Don't fight them lilke Orks or Tyranids, unafraid of taking losses. Fight with them like an assassin, snipering them from afar with a dagger in the heart when they get close.

[helvexis]

the whole 2nd paragraph of what PhatCat said ... could of just been said play like an eldar :)

but yeah you are not a hammer!! you are not a chain-sword you are a monomolecular blade choose a place and destroy everything in it and move on to the next place.

i have tried it with a few of 20 warriors lots of scourge or reavers ravagers/voidravens and some incubi/wyches hiding in the back for support with the duke in a warrior squad to just pump out wounds on the nasty thing that just jumped out of that landraider