Faction Focus: Craftworlds

[Dulahan]

That just depresses me more.  Pretty much every unit I hoped MIGHT get some help, if only a points drop (Even relative to the overall increases) or something, didn't.  (Let alone Swooping Hawks and Fire Dragons, who are both so freaking outclassed by other armies' units doing the same thing MUCH better it's not even funny)

 

the way Banshees were garbage even with new models only furthers my fears.  I don't expect Eldar to get the stuff they need.  There's a place.  There should be.  But I just don't see it happening.  Frankly, they need a Sisters level rework.  And some AOS style rules stuff too, things like Lumineth and IDoneth get.  As things stand, Eldar are NOT the Psychic Powerhouses they should be.  They're NOT specialist Glass Cannons.  They're glass, for sure.  But Cannons?  They don't hit that much harder than almost anything else.  They're very, very, VERY much not the Technological Powerhouses they should.  Even setting aside balance issues, there's no weapon I can even think of they currently have that isn't outclassed by something in the Imperium or Tau that performs the same role (Except maybe Flyers) - despite the fact only Necrons should exceed them, and even that a close call!  And sometimes they're so badly outclassed it isn't even funny.

 

So no, I don't expect new models to change much.  There just isn't any indication it will.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Dulahan

[BitsHammer]

A large part of the problem is definitely because the army needs a major refresh. And I agree, we should be seeing more out of the army. Tapping into some Lumineth mechanics (activating two units to fight with at a time, doing mortal wounds on unmodified 6s, ect) would definitely help the army a lot. Idoneth's rules were half baked due to a pivot in developing for AoS 1 going to 2 so I wouldn't copy that.

 

And that's not even getting into stuff like players wanting Shimmershields for Wraithlords, and Wraithknights that hit like, well, knights.

[Dulahan]

Yeah, I don't really talk much about Knights.  If only because my Core playgroup has a bit of a gentleman's agreement not to play Superheavies.  I don't entirely agree with it, but I am the Johnny Come Lately to the group, so I play with their rules, not mine.  The Knights (And titans) come out once or twice a year in our more extended community super Apoc games.  I think the last time had over 50k per side on the Superheavy tables alone, let alone the separate everything else table!  And... yeah, Eldar Titans.  They make me cry.  But yeah, currently Eldar Knights are jokes.  Titans are something beyond even jokes as it stands.  I get they were all overpowered as heck in 7e, but that's not an excuse to make things awful in the next edition.  Balance shouldn't be punitive.

 

But the rest.  I'd love to see something like Doctrines for Marines, only it being a slight bit more customizable to represent the Eldar "Psychic We Planned for this" thing.  Possibly with a Psychic Power or something to change the current turn's or something.

 

But otherwise, a Close Combat Aspect Warrior unit should be at least on par with a Marine or even Custodes Close combat squad... and cost similar, just do it differently.

 

And I'd love to see the Avatar be what it once was in 2e days - a beast on par, stat wise, with a Blood Thirster.  (Where it was not QUITE as good, but close enough it would still be close if the two met)

 

And yes, powerful as heck, small armies.  But still costed appropriately!  They're a dying race after all!  And balance still matters!  Just don't make them play like a suicide squad.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Dulahan