Introduction | High Elven Special Rules | Characters | Regiments | War Machines | Monsters
Special Characters | Special Characters from
'The Grudge of Drong' | Tactics
The High Elves are a sophisticated and varied army that relies more on maneuver and tactics than on brute force. You must use subtlety and maneuver to win your battles. To me, these aspects of the High Elves are what makes the army so appealing. The High Elves have a large variety of capabilities, and they can be tailored to the job at hand. When you build your High Elf army, plan how each unit will work with each other unit, and think about the style with which you plan to use them. The High Elves are not an army with a lot of resilience, but they are one of the hardest hitting armies when used correctly. Their low Toughness can be overcome through proper maneuver and through taking the initiative. Maneuver so that it is you that is doing the attacking, and plan your tactics to maximise the High Elves' strengths.
Resolve
The enmity that High Elves have for Dark Elves gives them extra resolve when fighting against the Dark Elves. When fighting Dark Elves, High Elves may reroll any Break tests or psychology tests so long as either the army General or Standard Bearer remains on the battlefield and is not fleeing.
High Elf Citizen Levy
the High Elf Citizen Levy trains on a regular basis to fight in close formation, and due to this high standard of training, they can fight in more ranks than normal troops.
Spearmen
High Elf infantry armed with Spears may fight in one more rank than normal Spearmen. This means that High Elf Spearmen will fight with three ranks if they stand to receive a charge, or two ranks when they charge.
Bows
High Elf infantry armed with bows may shoot with two ranks, even over flat terrain.
Ithilmar
Ithilmar is the famous High Elven metal used in the High Elf armour. The name Ithilmar means Sky Silver. This metal is so light for its strength that even High Elven heavy armour does not encumber, so there is no penalty to movement for High Elves wearing heavy armour. This does not apply to barding, as the barding penalty is applied due to the bulk of barding causing loss of mobility as much as it is for weight.
Elven Lord General
The army must include a general to lead it. The Elven Lord General is a very skillful character with high WS and BS, a very high I and Ld. If you intend for your general to be with your Silver Helms, do not put barding on his horse, as the Silver Helms work better without barded horses. You can give your general magic armour or a magic ward for protection. The General should always have good protection, as he is very important to your army, and if you intend to use him in your main hand to hand unit, he should be given a Magic Weapon to increase his destructive ability. With Elven characters, I like to give them weapons that increase their Wound causing capability, as they already have very good WS and BS.
Battle Standard Bearer
The Battle Standard is very important, especially to High Elves when they have to fight Dark Elves. Arm and equip your Battle Standard Bearer to give him good survivability. I like to use the Battle Standard Bearer along with the general is a unit of Dragon Princes or Silver Helms with the Battle Banner, the Banner of Might, or the War Banner. The Battle Standard serves both the purpose of stabilising morale and adding to the fighting capabilities of the unit that it is with.
Heroes
High Elven Heroes have very good stats, but they are expensive, so they should be chosen wisely and armed for specific jobs. A Hero with the Bow of Loren is excellent for sniping against enemy characters, Mages, monsters, and war machine crews. A Hero mounted in a Tiranoc Chariot and given a magic weapon and magic armour can be terror to your enemies. You can also mount Heroes on flying monsters to swoop down on unsuspecting enemy characters, units, war machines, etc. The strength of the Elven Heroes is in their speed, high WS and BS, high I, and high Ld, so remember this when you are arming them and choosing the mission for them. I never give an Elven Hero a weapon that will slow down their attacks.
Champions
Champions strengthen your regiments and give them the extra edge that they need in combat. I usually give Elven Champions a magic weapon rather than magic armour for this reason.
Mages
High Elven Mages are some of the very best magic users in Warhammer, but they are also expensive. The Elven Mage is not a fighter, and should not be expected to fight in hand to hand, as their skills for fighting are below most Elven rank and file troops' ability. They should be used to strengthen your army and give aid through the use of their magic abilities, so when choosing magic items, choose items that give a magic save, a magic armour save without being armour, a special save, and items that increase their spellcasting and ability to dispel enemy spells.
Dragon Princes
These are the heaviest armoured cavalry in the High Elf army, and they make excellent shock troops. The Dragon Princes have a save of 2+, and can still move 8 inches and charge 16". They do not have to pay extra for their standard bearer, and if they include a magic standard, which they should, it only costs half points. I use Dragon Princes formed up four ranks deep with the general, army standard, a Hero, and the regimental standard with the Battle Banner in the front rank as my main shock unit. In this case, I usually give the army standard bearer the Standard of Shielding. Or, if I'm worried about enemy magic users, I will give the Battle Standard Bearer a banner that will give saves versus magic spells.
Silver Helms
Silver Helms can be used as good shock cavalry that will have an armour save of 3+, a Movement of 9, and a charge of 18" by giving them heavy armour and shield, but no barding, or they can be used as fast cavalry with an armour save of 5+ and the ability to maneuver and turn without penalties. This makes the Silver Helms a very good and very versatile cavalry unit that can be tailored to the job at hand and for best effect against whatever enemy they are fighting. I often use a small unit of Silver Helms armed and equipped at fast cavalry to support the Dragon Princes and to charge the flank of the same enemy that the Dragon Princes are charging frontally. The Silver Helms can be given a magic standard, and when you are using them as shock cavalry, a magic standard that adds to their fighting ability is a good purchase. When using them as fast cavalry, you might consider the Standard of Shielding.
Ellyrian Reavers
Ellyrian Reavers are some of the most versatile cavalry there is in Warhammer. They can be armed with bows and spears both. I would always keep them fast cavalry, as they are most useful as flankers, skirmishers, and anti-war machine troops. They can skirmish, you can deploy them and then make a single March move after both sides have deployed but before the game has begun. This means that if you have the first turn the Reavers can reach almost anywhere on the battlefield on their first turn, meaning they can charge the crews of war machines, they can move onto the flanks of the enemy formations, or they can just set up as a forward skirmish screen. They do not take the -1 to hit penalty for shooting while moving like most troops do, which means they can move and still shoot with their normal 4 BS. They can also fire and flee, which means they can be used as skirmishers that fire their bows, injuring any chargers, and then flee out of range of those chargers. I prefer to use Ellyrian Reavers in units of 5 or 6 to keep their ability to maneuver high and to keep them flexible. They are not shock troop, and should not be used as such. But when used in their proper roles, they are a great asset to the High Elf army.
White Lions
The White Lions wear heavy armour and carry a massive two-handed Woodsman's Axe. They also wear the Lion's Pelt, which gives them an extra +1 save versus shooting. If they are led by the army general, they and any characters with them will automatically pass all Leadership tests, as it is their sworn duty to protect the general unto death. They also have three special abilities with their axe. With the Lion Rampant, all charging foes are at -1 penalty to hit the turn they charge. With the Lion Leaping, foes the White Lions charge lose 1 attack for each enemy model that is being charged by the White Lions. With the Lion Claw, if the White Lions choose to use this ability, they do D3 wounds instead of just 1. Obviously, this is only of any use against targets with more than one wound. The White Lions can be a very potent unit, but at 16 points per model, they are also an expensive unit. They should be used carefully, and not wasted by allowing them to be decimated by missile fire. The White Lions can move through woods with no movement penalty, so a good tactic is to use them moving through and emerging from woods. You can give White Lions a magic standard, and if you are putting a lot of reliance on this unit, it is a good idea to do so.
Phoenix Guard
The Phoenix Guard is another elite High Elf infantry unit. They wear light armour and carry halberds. You can increase their light armour to heavy armour if you wish, and you can give them a magic standard. A good strong block of Phoenix Guard can be an excellent choice for attack infantry. I usually use units of at least 20 when I use Phoenix Guard.
Sword Masters
The Sword Masters of Hoeth are my favourites of the High Elf elite infantry. They wear heavy armour, and they are armed with double-handed swords that get to attack at their Initiative, which means that when they charge, and afterwards, druing the combat, they will probably strike first, at a Strength 5. The Sword Masters are also protected from shooting to some extent, as anyone shooting at their front facing must deduct -1 from their to hit roll.
Lothern Sea Guard
You may have as many regiments of Lothern Sea Guard in your army as you wish, and in my opinion, they are a good buy, as they incorporate all the strengths of both High Elven Spearmen and High Elven bowmen, meaning they can shoot with two ranks, and they can stand to receive a charge with their spears and have 3 ranks fighting. This means if they choose to stand and shoot at chargers, the chargers will take damage from two ranks of bowfire and then take damage from 3 ranks of spears if they make contact. One unit of Sea Guard may carry a magic standard.
Elven Spearmen
High Elf Spearmen fight using the Citizen Levy rule, which means that they are some of the best defensive troops in Warhammer, as they will receive a charge fighting with three ranks of spears. They make a good unit to anchor your line and to defend war machines and archers. One unit of Spearmen may carry a magic standard.
Shadow Warriors
Shadow Warriors are armed with bow, sword, and shield, and may be given light armour and have their bows upgraded to longbows. I would advise doing this. Shadow Warriors, when in formation, can fire their bows in two ranks. Shadow Warriors can deploy anywhere on the battlefield out of sight of the enemy once their opponent has deployed, which makes them very good units to use to disrupt you opponent's advance and to snipe at chosen targets. Shadow Warriors hate Dark Elves, and so they are subject to the rules for Hatred when fighting Dark Elves. They can also skirmish, which can be used to increase their survivability.
Elven Archers
These are one of the best buys in the whole game. They carry a bow and sword, and they can be upgraded with light armour and their bow upgraded to a longbow. They shoot with two ranks instead of only the one that other races are limited to. If you set them up on a slope, you could end up with four ranks shooting. Think of the concentrated missile fire that this could provide!
Repeater Bolt Thrower
This is one of the very best artillery pieces in the game, capable of devastating enemy units. Choose your deployment to maximise their ability to impale multiple ranks. Firing at an angle across units from corner to corner can be very deadly, especially with the repeater bolt thrower's multiple shots.
Tiranoc Chariots
The Tiranoc Chariot has very good speed and strikes with a high Strength, causing devastating damage to even tough units. You can increase its killing capabilities by adding scythes, and upgrading the crew's weaponry. One chariot may have a magic standard, and you may use chariots as mounts for characters. The Chariot is a very good mount for a High Elf Hero, giving him good mobility, extra protection, and the combination of Chariot and heroic character armed with a magic weapon can be truly devastating.
The High Elves have a very good mix of monsters to choose from, one of my favourites being the Great Eagle. I think at 75 points, the Great Eagle is one of the best buys in the game. They also have Pegasi to give Heroes cheap flying mounts, and unicorns with their special abilities for mounts for your Mages. Another very good monster in the mix to use as a mount for a Hero is the Griffon.
The High Elves have some of the most powerful, but also some of the most expensive, special characters in Warhammer. For most games, I prefer to use the standard High Elf characters and arm them as I wish, but it can be enjoyable to play games using the special characters from time to time.
Alith Anar, the Shadow King
Alith Anar is a good special character to use against Dark Elves, as he has Hatred for them, and he has all of the Shadow Warriors' special rules. He has a special skirmish rule that allows any infantry unit that he joins to skirmish, except the Phoenix Guard. The Phoenix Guard are too set in their ways of fighting to ever use a disordered formation as skirmishing. He has three magic items: the Stone of Midnight, which causes all successful rolls to hit and wound against Alith Anar to be rerolled; the Shadow Crown, which allows Alith Anar to move freely during his movement phase even if engaged in hand to hand combat; and the Moon Bow, this magic bow has a range of 36", it can be used even if Alith Anar has marched, it has a S6, and it has the impale rule, which means that if an arrow hits and a foe is slain, a model in the rank behind it is hit, but with -1 Strength, if this model is slain, the one behind it is hit, and so on, adding a further -1 Strength penalty for each rank pierced, also any regiment of Dark Elves taking a casualty from the Moon Bow must take an immediate panic test.
Eltharion the Grim
Eltharion is one of my favourite High Elf characters (one of the reasons is that he is a great figure!), even though he is fairly expensive. He wears heavy armour, and is armed with a lance, sword, and a longbow, and he rides his Griffon Stormwing into battle. He has Hatred for all Goblins, especially Grom the Paunch, if he is fighting Grom the fury of Eltharion's blows is such that he gains +1 to his to hit rolls and +1 on the Strength of his hits. He is a great character for swooping down and attacking lone enemy mages and characters. (He is a great VP grabber.) Eltharion has three magic items: the Fangsword of Eltharion, which gives him a parry, reducing the enemy's attacks by 1, all armour savings throws against a wound from the Fangsword are taken with an extra -3 penalty on top of the usual -1 modifier for Eltharion's own strength, giving a total modifier of -4; the Helm of Yvresse, while wearing the helm Eltharion may reroll any failed Leadership based test; and the Talisman of Hoeth, the Talisman gives him all the powers, spells, and abilities of a level 2 High Elf Mage Champion, but his profile does not change.
Alarialle, the Everqueen of Avelorn
Alarielle and her hand maidens are very good choices if you are up against a Chaos army. With her special rules she makes a very, very powerful special character.
The Boon of Isha
This special ability means that any one High Elf unit within 12" of the Everqueen can add +1 to its dice roll made to hit during the shooting phase. Any one High Elf unit within 12" of the Everqueen can add +1 to hit during the close combat phase. In the case of the hand to hand combat, the bonus supplies during all hand to hand combat, including combat on the enemy's turn.
Chaos Bane
If there are any Chaos Daemon models within 6" of the Everqueen at the start of any close combat phase, they each take one wound on the D6 roll of 4+. In addition, at the start of each close combat phase, the Chaos player must roll a D6 for each magic item within 6" of the Everqueen. If he rolls a 1, the item is destroyed. If he rolls a 2 or a 3, it is useless for the duration of that close combat phase.
The Touch of the Everqueen
The Everqueen has one attack and a WS 10. Although she can strike a blow, this is never resolved as a Wound. Instead, if an enemy model is hit it becomes momentarily incapable of fighting. The model that is struck may not strike any blows at all in that combat phase.
Magic Items
The Everqueen has three magic items.
The Star of Avelorn
At the start of her turn, Alarielle may heal the wounds of any High Elf character within 12". To do this, she rolls a D6 for each wound, and it is recovered on a 4+.
Shield of Isha
The stone protects both Alarielle and, if they accompany her, her Handmaiden bodyguard from harm. Alarielle and her bodyguard have a 4+ special saving throw against each wound suffered. Note that this is a special save.
Stave of Avelorn
At the beginning of the game, three spells are dealt to the Stave from the same type of spells as Alarielle herself is using, either High Magic or Battle Magic. The player can place as many of these spells in the Stave as he wishes. In the High Elf magic phase, if the player declares he is using a spell from the Stave, the spell is cast automatically, no power is required to cast it. The spell cannot be placed back into the staff after it is cast, but Alarielle can take it into her own hand of spells by surrendering a spell she already holds.
Handmaids of the Everqueen
If an army includes Alarielle, it can include a single regiment of her Handmaidens. The regiment must include a musician and a standard that represents the Banner of Avelorn and the Horn of Isha. The Handmaidens are very good warriors with WS and BS both at 5, they wear light armour and carry spears and longbows, and they may carry the Banner of Avelorn and the Horn of Isha, which, in my opinion, they should always have. The Handmaidens are immune to all psychology and take Break tests with an unmodified 10 Ld as long as the Everqueen is with them. If the Everqueen is killed, the Maidenguard will hate all enemies for the remainder of the battle. The Maidenguard use the Citizen Levy rules.
The combination of the Everqueen and her Maidenguard is always a potent one, but it is especially potent when fighting Chaos armies.
Belannaer, Loremaster of Hoeth
Belannaer is a Mage Lord with 4 High Magic or Battle Magic spells. He is also a Mage that is capable of fighting. He is the exception amongst High Elf Mages in that he is a good character to put with an assault regiment. With his special Glamour of Hoeth rule that makes it difficult for enemy units to charge a unit he is with, and his magic items he makes a very potent close combat character. The magic items: the Cloak of Stars, which means all shooting and hand to hand attacks against Belannaer will be resolved with -2 Strength (minimum of 1), once per game the Cloak will automatically dispel the first spell in the battle targeted against Belannaer or any unit he is with, if the spell is cast with Total Power it will not be dispelled, but the Cloas will dispel the next incoming spell; the Blade of Bel-Korhadris, mortal armour is no proof against the blade, but magic armour saves as normal, once per battle, in the beginning of any hand to hand combat phase, Belannaer can unleash the fires captured in the star, he will then strike first, regardless of Initiative and charging, with D6 extra Attacks; the Book of the Phoenix, at the beginning of the battle, Belannaer may read one of the verses of the Book, the effect will last until the end of the battle, unless the Book is destroyed or nullified by some means; and the Staff of Cyeos, the Staff will strengthen all spells cast by one power as if a single power card had been used to reinforce the spell. Belannaer is a good character to place with such units as the Sword Masters.
Captian Korhil
You may include Korhil as a unit Champion of a unit of White Lions. If you include Korhil, the unit may not have another Champion chosen from the army list. Korhil has all the rules for the White Lions. If another character is placed with the White Lions, it is placed next to Korhil and Korhil will act as that character's bodyguard. So long as that character stays with the White Lions, no enemy can attack the character. All attacks will be directed against Korhil instead. You can place the High Elf General in a unit of White Lions and have him guarded by Korhil, and he will be impossible to attack until Korhil is dead. You can also do this with a Mage to protect your expensive Mage Lord. Korhil has: the Axe of Chayal, which increases the wielder's Strength by +2, but will not force Korhil to strike last like normal axes of the White Lions, in addition should Korhil's very first blow hits then all his remaining attacks will hit automatically; and the Pelt of Charandris, the Pelt confers a +2 savings throw against shooting, and a +1 against hand to hand combat attacks, the pelt also protects Korhil from all poisons, poisoned weapons lose all special benefits and count as normal weapons of their type.
Caradryan, Captain of the Phoenix Guard
Caradryan is a normal Phoenix Guard Champion, except for the Mark of Asuryan, and he is allowed no magic items.
Tyrion, High Elf Prince
Tyrion is a very powerful character in hand to hand. He rides Malhandir, who has a Movement of 12" and a charge of 24".
He has three magic items.
Sunfang, his mighty runesword.
The Dragon Armour of Aenarion, which means that when he is mounted upon Malhandir he has a save of 1+, and if he fails this save he has a furthe special save that is unmodified. Tyrion is completely immune to all fire-based attack
The Heart of Avelorn, which gives him a save against all magic spells and effects of 4+. If Tyrion is slain, the Heart will break and release its power, immediately restoring him to life with one wound.
Tyrion is a good choice of a special character to be your general, and to place with the Dragon Princes.
Teclis, High Elf Mage Lord
Teclis is the only level 5 Mage in Warhammer. This is brought about through the Crown of Saphery, and he is a very powerful magic user, but he is not a Warrior. He is best used as exactly what he is, a magic-user. Use him to cast spells to strengthen your army and to weaken your opponent's army, and protect him from direct attack by the enemy.
Teclis carries four magic items.
The Moon Staff of Lileath, which can be used to draw D6 extra magic cards from the Winds of Magic, but doing this severely weakens Teclis, and all his characteristics values are halved.
The Crown of Saphery - This item confers level 5 on a Lord level High Elf Mage.
The Sword of Teclis - This is a very powerful magic sword, and with Teclis' only average WS, he needs it if he ever gets into a fight!
The Scroll of Hoeth - It can be used twice either to dispel or to power a spell. It can only be used twice per game, period.
Imrik, Lord of the Dragons
Imrik is a very powerful character, and the model for him is very impressive, but I must admit I have only used him once in all the games I have played with High Elves over the years. For those of you who might want to use him, I'll give you a run-down on him. Imrik can ride, and always will ride, a Dragon, either black, red, green, blue, or white (my choice would be either blue or white). He has the Star Lance, which gives him +3 Strength and negates armour saves. He has the Dragon Horn - When he blows it, his Dragon will fight with D6 extra attacks, the Horn can be used only once per battle. He has the Armour of Caledor, which gives him a 2+ saving throw which cannot be improved by any means, this save can never be worse than 5+ due to modifiers. In addition, Imrik is immune to all Dragon breath weapons.
Special Characters from 'The Grudge of Drong'
Fendar
Fendar is pretty much a normal High Elf Hero wearing light armour and a shield with a barded steed, and carrying a Blade of Darting Steel. He makes a good Hero to put with High Elf Knights, such as Silver Helms.
Tethan
Tethan is a standard High Elf Master Mage with a Black Amulet. There is nothing really special about this character.
Ardath
Ardath is a High Elf Hero mounted on an Elven steed with light armour, shield and barding. He carries a hand weapon, has the Talisman of Hoeth, which gives him the ability to cast Battle Magic spells at level 2, and he hates Dwarfs.
Eldroth
Eldroth is a High Elf Lord General. He has a hand weapon, light armour, a shield, and rides a barded Elven steed. He carries a Heartseeker Sword. Other than that, he is a standard High Elf Lord General.
First thing I would like to say is that to be a successful general, you must know your army thoroughly, and the best way to do this is to study the rulebooks and your army book. Second, you must know yourself. You must learn how you are the most comfortable deploying and fighting with your army, whether you are a defensive player or an aggressive attacking player or somewhere in-between. The only way to learn this is to play lots of games. Third, you must know your opponents' armies and how they are used to fight battles. To do this, to need to do two things: Read your opponents' army books. Study them. Learn them. Fourth, know your opponent. The way to do this is to observe them, both when they are playing you, and when they are playing others. All of these things are important in fighting any battle with any army, but moreso with the High Elves than with most. The High Elves are an unforgiving army to a general that does not know how to use them properly. Many people look at the High Elves' higher than average WS and BS and forget their only average S and T. The High Elves are an army that relies on skill and maneuver to win. They rely on acuracy to win out over brute strength. This means you must understand them and have a definite plan of how to use them so that their strengths compliment your style of gameplay while minimizing their weaknesses.
If you are a defensive player, the majority of your army should be made up of a good even mix of Archers, Spearmen, and heavy infantry, with cavalry in the supporting role. You should also take several repeater bolt throwers for a defensive army, and I would deploy in such a way as to maximize the amount of missile fire, both archery and bolt throwers that the enemy must wade through to reach your troops. Take every advantage of cover that is afforded you. Concentrate fire on your opponent's most deadly units. Eliminate units one by one. Do not try to spread your missile fire over too wide a front.
If you are an aggressive player, set up in either an Echeloned line or a weighted flank formation and use your shock troops supported by skirmishers, fast cavalry, and missile fire to destroy and turn a flank. Take the battle to the enemy and maneuver to give yourself advantages such as flank charges. Use your Reavers to deceive your enemy and to draw him forward to where other units can take him in the flanks. Be the one to charge, don't let your opponent do the charging. Use the speed and maneuverability of your cavalry to gain every advantage you can. Use your Shadow Warriors to disrupt your enemy's advance and to channel him in the directions you wish him to go.
Weighted Flank Formation
This is a good attack formation for an aggressive High Elf player.
| Fast Cavalry | Infantry/ Missile |
Infantry/ Missile |
Infantry/ Missile |
Infantry/ Missile |
2nd Best Troops | Dragon Princes | Fast Cavalry |
| 2nd Best Troops | Dragon Princes |
Echelon Formation
The Echelon formation is a good formation to use when you have superior troops, but you are outnumbered. The formation can be set up echeloned from either right or left. Set up as far to the right or left of the battlefield as you can, with your trailing flank right on the base line, this way your opponent cannot outflank. Move your fast flanking troops on the first turn of the battle to fill the gap between the edge of the table and your deployment zone. Move your presented flank forward and attack the enemy's flank, after breaking it pivot your whole army on your trailing flank, and just roll up your enemy's line. This tactic ONLY works if you have the hardest hitting troop type in the battle, or if you use a very large unit for attacking his flank.
| Dragon Princes | Fast Cavalry | ||||||
| Skirmishers | Silver Helms | ||||||
| Skirmishers | Infantry | ||||||
| Skirmishers | Missile | ||||||
| Infantry | |||||||
| Missile | |||||||
| Infantry |
Against armies that have hard-hitting troops such as the Bretonnians, the best tactic is to slow the opponent's advance by harassing him with your troops such as Shadow Warriors and Reavers, and to channel him in the directions that you wish him to go and use your very fast troops to attack his flanks after he is already engaged by your heavy troops. Use maneuver to keep your opponent off balance. Small units of Reavers and Silver Helms armed and equipped as fast cavalry are perfect for this chore.
Choose magic items that will enhance the unit the character carrying them will be with. Choose banners that will enhance armour saves or add to your combat results depending on what the unit is and what its mission is, i.e. give such items as the Battle Banner to units that will have to fight in close combat and things like the Standard of Shielding to units such as archers and Shadow Warriors, or your fast cavalry. Think about the unit and its job in the upcoming battle when purchasing magic standards, and think about where a character will be assigned in your battle line and the job you want him to do when equipping him and purchasing magic items for him. Some combinations of items are just better when used together than are others. The trick is to find the combinations that work best for your style of play, and you can only do this through practice and study of the rulebooks, your army book, and the Magic book. The better you know these, the more you will enjoy your games.
Against Horde armies, the best tactic I have found is to deploy in the Echeloned line formation, with your hardest hitting troops (Dragon Princes, Silver Helms, etc.) on one flank. Use a good, large Spear unit to anchor the other end of the line, deployed at the very edge of your deployment area closest to the table edge, use this unit of Spearmen to pivot on, the rest of your line should alternate Archers and strong Infantry. Hit the enemy flank with your flank, break it, pivot your whole line and roll up the enemy's line. Use Shadow Warriors as skirmishing screens to slow down the enemy on the opposite flankfrom your hard-hitting troops, use repeating bolt throwers to support your army and to weaken your opponent's largest units, concentrate artillery and archery on the unit/units that you will be contacting first in close combat, then move down your opponent's line, concentrating fire on units as you go. Don't scatter your firepower all over the place, it is much better to concentrate on his best units or the units that you will be attacking first. Remember, your opponent will have you outnumbered, so keep your line together and protect your pivot unit, don't let your opponent break your line. I lik to use at least one unit of Ellyrian Reavers armed with both bows and spears as a reserve, because they are both fast and flexible, you can rush them to any point that needs aid. There are other, stronger troops than the Reavers, but none that are as versatile for use as a reserve. I also like to use Reavers to support my heavier Knights on the flank, set them up to the flank, and just behind your more heavily armoured Knights, move them over to fill the area that you are not allowed to set up in using their march move, then you can't be flanked, always keep the Reavers slightly behind and to the flank of your other Knights, as they are there to protect the flank. Use their missile fire to weaken the unit your heavier Knights will be charging. Always use standards and musicians, in any unit that can have them use magic standards. The Great Eagle is the best deal of any monster available to any army, they're great for attacking your opponent's artillery, and his rear areas, and harrassing his magic users to keep them from casting spells at your troops, magic users can do a lot more damage than the cost of a Great Eagle, so if the Great Eagle can keep the magic user from attacking your best troops, he has paid for himself already. Unicorns make great mounts for female Elven mages.
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