Starting Exodites

[Casual Heresy]

So I have spent my hobby life so far as a staunch Imperial Loyalist (barring some recent dabbling with Red Corsairs and Emperor's Children) and Power Armour fan boy. I have always loved the Aeldari range (back in my day they were Eldar!) but have never started a full army. I did however promise myself that if Exodites ever came to 40k I would be diving right in.

 

So here we are!

 

This will be my first and only Xenos army, and I'm not fussed about staying competitive. The goal is to take as many Exodites as possible, backed up by units I like and will enjoy painting and playing with. I do intend to stick to lore for painting so will make decisions on that when I recieve my Exodite box and have a chance to read the book.

 

For the moment I have written my first list and have tried to go with something fluffy that will function on the table top. I love the Ranger and Shroudrunner models, and there is plenty of lore justification to pair them with Exodites. The Fire Prisms are neccessary anti-big thing support, but fingers crossed I can replace them with a large space dinosaur with lasers in the future.

 

I know little about playing Aeldari so advice would be welcome, and I will probably workshop other versions of the list with other detachments but think the below is a good start that I would enjoy working on.

 

“Is that a longrifle or are you just pleased to see me?”

Aeldari
Strikeforce: 1995/2000pts
Detachments: Windrider Host (2DP), Path of the Outcast (1DP)
Force Dispositions: Disruption, Reconnaissance

Characters

C1: Clanblade
- Mirage Field
- Warlord
- Leader: OD1: Dragon Knights

 

C2: Clanblade
- Leader: OD2: Dragon Knights

 

C3: Clanblade
- Leader: OD3: Dragon Knights

 

C4: Stonesinger
- Support: OD1: Dragon Knights

 

C5: Stonesinger
- Support: OD2: Dragon Knights

 

C6: Stonesinger
- Support: OD3: Dragon Knights

 

C7: Leystalker
- Echoes of Ulthanesh

 

C8: Leystalker

 

C9: Leystalker 

 

Other Datasheets

OD1: Dragon Knights
- 5x Dragon Knights, 1x Dragon Knights Leader
- 2x 2 Drakolithes
- Leader: C1: Clanblade
- Support: C4: Stonesinger

 

OD2: Dragon Knights
- 5x Dragon Knights, 1x Dragon Knights Leader
- 2x 2 Drakolithes
- Leader: C2: Clanblade
- Support: C5: Stonesinger

 

OD3: Dragon Knights
- 5x Dragon Knights, 1x Dragon Knights Leader
- 2x 2 Drakolithes
- Leader: C3 Clanblade
- Support: C6: Stonesinger

 

OD4: Rangers
- 5x Rangers

 

OD5: Rangers
- 5x Rangers

 

OD6: Shroud Runners
- 3x Shroud Runners
- Assassin’s Eye

 

OD7: Shroud Runners
- 3x Shroud Runners
- Assassin’s Eye

 

OD8: Vyper 
- 1x Vyper
- Brightlance
- Missile Launcher

 

OD9: Vyper
- 1x Vyper
- Brightlance
- Missile Launcher

 

OD10: Fire Prism 
- Shuriken Cannon

 

OD10: Fire Prism 
- Shuriken Cannon
 

Edited August 17 by Casual Heresy

[Dr. Clock]

I mean... it's frikkin' awesome!

 

You've chosen good units, but you might have a few issues with action economy and general anti-infantry, especially if your chaffe/prisms get wiped too early. So 'competitively' my advice would just be to take a slightly more balanced list without (shock/horror) the absolute maximum Exodites.

 

Basically throwing 9-15 windriders in here would be my first suggestion, probably offering up a Leystalker and two Stonesingers to get that going. Those 3 plus one vyper gets you 4x3 windriders. It's only net +2 activations for the list, I guess, but it'll make screening and actions that much easier, while still leaving you with 3 big Knight bricks and a pair of Stalkers.

 

Another option might be just more Rangers and like 2x5 Scorpions as skirmish screens so you don't need to throw your Rangers directly in the woodchipper on turn 2 every time. I'm always pro-Scorp tho.

 

Or why not both?

 

Clanblade (Mirage) + Stonesinger + 6 Knights

Clanblade + 6 Knights

Clanblade + 6 Knights

Leystalker (Echoes)

Leystalker

2x3 Windriders

2x Fire Prism

2x5 Rangers

2x3 Shroudrunners

2x5 Striking Scorpions

1x Vyper

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

[Casual Heresy]

Thank you for the input Dr, it is appreciated.

 

Agreed on action economy being a concern, but such is the price of max dinos. Your variant list does appeal to me though so will keep it in mind. Either way it is going to be a long time before this is an army capable of taking to the field. I'm approaching it very differently and will only be buying and building kits one at a time. I really want to lavish lots of attention on these models and not rush into buying everything. Plus can't make much head way until the Exodites get their seperate release.

 

Progress will be made this weekend though!

 

My partner is away at her Hen Party weekend Saturday and Sunday and I've got enough of my hobby stuff unpacked that I can build my work space. Plan is to build the first kit as Dragon Masters so I can play Kill team with them if I desire.

 

In terms of colour schemes for the army, I've been doing my research and found Exodite and Craftworld sub-factions I like, and that have (in my mind) a lore based reason to work together.

 

For the Exodites I will be going with the Clan of the Sacred Claw. The background info on them in the Exodite book names them as the preminent artisans and weapon smiths of the Clans and I like their variant colour scheme.

 

 

For the mounts, I'm not a fan of the eavy metal blue/green scheme so I will instead be painting mine like the Raptors from The Lost World. I am thinking that each set of Knights and characters will have different coloured mounts to help with identifying them on the tabletop.

 

 

For the Craftworlders, I've settled on Yme-Loc. I like the colour scheme, and their background as some of the finest weaponsmiths among the Craftworlds is a natural match in my opinion for the Sacred Claw.

 

 

 

Edited August 12 by Casual Heresy

[Casual Heresy]

Didn't manage as much painting as I would have liked this weekend, but the Masters are built and there is paint on the Drakolithes! Please excuse the bad photos, still getting my hobby space in the new flat set up so lighting isn't great.

 

 

I used the Drakolithes to test the scheme I had in mind for the mounts. Basecoated wraithseer followed by a 1:4ish mix of skeleton horde and contrast medium. The orange starts with a 1:2 mix of Gryphhound orange and medium, then pure Gryphhound further up. Then the pattern down the spine is a 1:1 mix of Wyldwood and Skeleton Horde, with some of that mix diluted further with medium for some light stripe markings on the non-feathered parts of the hide. Everything is highlighted with a light drybrush of screaming skull.

 

 

Hoping the make a start on the Clanblade this week and will hopefully get better pics then!

Edited August 18 by Casual Heresy
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