Ancient beyond reckoning, the scattered remnants of the Eldar race wage a constant struggle for survival across the galaxy. Often found drifting between the stars on vast starships known as Craftworlds, the warriors of the Eldar are varied and powerful. Although often outnumbered on the battlefield, the specialized combat techniques of the Aspect Warriors combined with their strange and sophisticated technology makes Eldar armies deadly opponents for forces many times their own size.
The Eldar's empire stretched from one edge of the galaxy to the other long before man took his first steps towards the stars. The Eldar built a highly advanced society, with sophisticated technology and a means of traveling quickly across the galaxy through their warp gates.
A great cataclysm shook the very foundations of the Eldar. Overnight, their civilization was destroyed and entire planets disappeared. From this upheaval, a few far-sighted individuals escaped on the great Craftworlds - entire Eldar cities built in space. Now they travel across the universe, seeking to preserve what is left of their crumbling empire, battling those that brought about their destruction - the foul forces of Chaos.
ELDAR CRAFTWORLDS
The Eldar are a tall and lithe race, possessing an
unnatural grace and agility. But don't let their
physical appearance fool you, they are
deceptively strong and determined.
The Craftworlds house the entire Eldar race and each has its own traditions and customs. The Craftworlds are best thought of as floating cities in space, each one its own world.
The Craftworlds are presided over by a group of Farseers, powerful psychic individuals who delve into the various lines of fate in order to determine the best course of action. Using these methods, the Eldar's actions often seem inscrutable to the Imperium. Sometimes they are greeted as friends, while other times they may attack out of nowhere. To describe the Eldar as enigmatic is a bit of an understatement.
THE ELDAR IN BATTLE
The Eldar are an incredible sight when it comes to
the battlefield. With powerful ancient technology,
specialized warriors, anti-gravity vehicles, and
lightning speed, the Eldar can easily dissect an army
many times its size and strength.
In battle, the Eldar are often lead by their Farseers. With their ability to see into the future, they can direct their warriors to the places where they will do the most good, or even save them from some unforseen catastrophe.
Sometimes the Eldar force will be led by a Phoenix Lord. These ancient warriors founded many of the different warrior aspects long ago. Each is the pinnacle of their chosen method of combat, whether it is vicious hand-to-hand, or the careful and precise destruction of the enemy with heavy weapons. The Phoenix Lord Asurmen, founder of the Dire Avengers.
Of course there are whispers of an even more menacing figure wading through the battle, leaving nothing but carnage and destruction in its wake. It is reported that in times of dire need, the Eldar can awaken the Avatar - the living embodiment of their god of war! His blood is molten iron and he is all but unstoppable once the battle commences.
ELDAR GUARDIANS AND ASPECT WARRIORS
The bulk of the Eldar forces consist of Guardians and Aspect Warriors. Every
Eldar is trained to defend their Craftworld as Guardians. Armed with the
devastating shuriken catapult, these Guardians are more than a match for most
enemy troops.
Each Craftworld has its own colors and battle tactics. For instance, the Eldar Guardian shown left is from the Saim-Hann Craftworld, which favors jetbike riding Guardians and fast attacks to win the day for them. The Guardian squad above is from the Ulthwé Craftworld, whose colors are black and yellow. The Ulthwé Craftworld is close to the Eye of Terror and subject to constant raids by the forces of Chaos. Due to these attacks, Ulthwé tends to have a standing force of Guardians unlike other Craftworlds who only call upon them when necessary.
ASPECT WARRIORS
Aspect Warrior shrines are found on every Craftworld. Each shrine is dedicated
to a specific way of combat adapted from Eldar legends and beasts. The Eldar
come to these training grounds to study and perfect these devastating forms of
combat. This constant training turns the Eldar into an incredibly skilled warrior
capable of performing the most amazing feats on the battlefield.
As a result, the Aspect Warriors of the Eldar are to be feared
and admired.
Striking Scorpions
The Striking Scorpions are the most heavily armored of the
hand-to-hand Aspect Warriors. Their thick, green armor
enables them to withstand incoming fire as they close with the
enemy. The weapon that gives them their name is the "The Sting of the
Scorpion." Housed in their helmets, this weapon fires a hail of shards at the
enemy as the Striking Scorpion attacks his foe in deadly close combat with
chainsword and shuriken cannon.
Dire Avengers
The Dire Avengers are the most numerous of the Aspect
Warriors, and their shrines are found on every Craftworld. Dire
Avengers master the quintessential Eldar weapon, the shuriken
catapult. The shuriken catapult fires a burst of mono-molecular
edged disks, which can shred armor and slice bone with equal ease. With their
shuriken catapults, the Dire Avengers are the most versatile and tactical of all
the Aspect Warriors.
Warp Spiders
Of all the Aspect Warriors, the Warp Spiders are
perhaps the most bizarre. They wear compact warp
generators which allow them to travel through the warp
for short distances, appearing suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere. The
Warp Spiders then use their gruesome, short-ranged death spinner
mono-filament guns, which can slice a man to pieces in no time at all.
Fire Dragons
The Fire Dragons take their aspect from the mythical Eldar
Dragon, whose fiery breath was so intense it could instantly
vaporize anything it touched. The Fire Dragons wear thick
armor and carry the potent fusion gun. Similar to the imperial
meltagun, the fusion gun can turn the most heavily armored
enemy tank to slag in mere moments. Though very powerful, the
fusion gun is extremely short-ranged, forcing the Fire Dragons to move close
quickly, this is where their thick armor comes into play.
More Aspect Warriors
These are just a few of the many different Aspect Warriors that the Eldar are
capable of fielding in battle, but not all Aspects have shrines on every
Craftworld. Some of the other, more common Aspect Warriors include the
deadly Howling Banshees, the high-flying Swooping Hawks, the jetbike-riding
Shining Spears, and there are more...
DEADLY
FIRE
Even the Aspect Warriors
with their tremendous skills
require some support from
their Eldar brethren.
Dark Reapers
The Dark Reaper Aspect Warriors excel at
long-ranged support. Their Reaper Launchers
are able to fire a veritable barrage, capable of
mowing down even the mighty Space Marines.
The Dark Reapers are the bane of infantry and
lightly armored vehicles, but have difficulty
stopping enemy tanks by themselves.
The Wraithlord
When an Eldar warrior dies, its soul is saved from destruction in the warp by a
special stone. These Spirit Stones are placed in the structure of the Craftworld
where they may roam free, protected from the warp. Some Spirit Stones,
especially those from heroic individuals, may be placed in Wraithguard and
Wraithlords.
The Spirit Stones are able to animate these wraithbone constructs, allowing the Eldar's greatest heroes to continue to defend their Craftworlds. The Wraithlord can carry heavy weapons and is incredibly resilient. This allows them to deal with particularly stubborn opponents and tanks, while being able to absorb a tremendous amount of firepower. These undying warriors advance with the Guardians and Dire Avengers, removing any heavy resistance before it can do much damage.
THE FAST
ATTACK
The Eldar make extensive use of
anti-gravity technology, not only
does this mean that they can easily
pass over terrain that would bog
down or be impassable to other
vehicles, but is also makes them
lightning fast! Eldar hit-and-run
attacks give enemy commanders
fits as their sleek vehicles streak around the flanks of the enemy.
Whole squadrons of Eldar jetbikes take to the air, strafing enemy ground troops with impunity. This gives the Eldar a distinct advantage, allowing them to get at the opposing forces heavy weapon teams, dispatching them quickly.
If that wasn't enough, the Eldar have heavier vehicles that can easily blow enemy tanks apart with one shot! The Eldar Vyper Jetbike, is essentially a bigger version of the jetbike and has two crew, one drives, while the other picks off targets with its heavy weapons.
The Falcon Grav Tank
The Eldar tanks are just as fast, if not more
deadly than their jetbike counterparts. The
Eldar Falcon Grav Tank carries an amazing
assortment of lethal weaponry, and can
transport Eldar infantry straight into the
heart of the fray! While not as heavily
armored as Imperial tanks and vehicles, the
Eldar rely on speed and surprise to
accomplish their mission safely.
The Eldar have other vehicles, just as exotic and terrifying at the Falcon Grav Tank. The Fire Prism Grav Tank focuses intense amounts of energy, when released it simply melts everything in the beam's path.