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Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/Vampire Counts

2020-10-06T04:54:50Z

2606:A000:1128:495A:E595:93AF:8EAF:C3E6: /* Tactics */

==Why Play Vampire Counts==
[[Image:Skeleton Horde by John Blanche.jpg|thumb|left|'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKHAX1K4sKQ The Dead March]''']] [[Image:Adrian Smith Skeletons.jpg|thumb|right|'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU1Cm72NflU Your opponent will be shedding bloody tears.]''']]

Vampire Counts are a fun army to play but boy are they hard to play. This army is not recommended for beginners. They lack obviously OP options that [[High Elves|other armies have]] and thus aren't as subject to public shaming for playing them. They're focused on getting straight to the killing tactically, don't have to worry about demoralized troops, and their army replenishes itself fairly quickly leading to wars of attrition.
They're fun to play, but they have several gimmicks that have to be accounted for to play at their best. First, note that ''there are no shooting options in this army'', effectively eliminating an entire phase. Any ranged options in this army are purely magical. Second, while you have no need to worry about the psychology of your own units you ''will'' be paying a lot of attention to the enemy's psychology because that's crucial to victory. '''Never forget to take a fear test or your troops lose any advantage they have.''' Third, magic is your bread and butter, your meat and drink, your crossbow and hammer. You are going to be heavily reliant on magic to replenish your units and get the most advantageous fights. If you're not utterly dominating the magic phase, you're doing it wrong. There are other things to remember as well, but we'll get to them as they crop up. They, as an army, have been made more consistent on the table and less reliant on magic and generals. They are still one of the kings of tar pitting and Vampires are still one of the top combat heroes in the entire game.

As for looks and lore? Lots of ranked corpses slowly marching toward your opponent as his terrified troops struggle to fire more bullets and arrows at the hordes in a vain hope of stopping the endless tide. Shrieking spirits of the damned whirling about the battlefield consuming the warm flesh of living and adding their poor souls to their ranks. Nigh unstoppable undead beings with nightmares of feasting and world conquest, supernatural witches and tainted beings, and insane power mad mages commanding the powers of hell to do their bidding as they charge into the fray behind their minions. Absolute independence from the [[Chaos|Ruinous Powers]]. If this appeals to you, you are looking at the right army. Even in small games you will be fielding dozens of zombies and skeletons as well as some more exotic dead and undead creatures; few armies can field such numbers of fodder and only one other can field fodder that is so reluctant to stay dead. Get your brush hand ready and get comfortable as you are going to need a lot of models to field these hordes.

==Unit Analysis==
===Lords & Heroes===
Before even glancing at this section, it must be understood that:

1) Your army general must be a Wizard in the Lore of Vampires on top of being the option with the highest LD (meaning only Vampires or Necromancers, either Lord or Hero, can be used) and that the turn they die every Undead unit in the army (with the exception of those with the Vampiric special rule) takes a LD test with a failure resulting in losing Wounds equal to the amount it failed by as if the unit suffered shooting damage. Any Wizard in the Lore of Vampires can take over as general from the next turn onwards or this continues until your army is just dust and bats.

2) Your Undead options must be within range of the General in order to march. Unless they have the Vampiric rule.

3) The Lore of Vampires restores 1 Wound to the model of your choice within 12" from the Curse of Undeath lore attribute. The signature spell, Invocation of Nehek, will in almost any list you make be cast every single turn due to the fact that it resurrects D6 Wounds to the unit of your choice (with the exception of Vampiric, Ethereal, or Large Target which only get 1 Wound restored). If you pump more dice into it, you can make it into a bubble resurrecting a large chunk of your army. The most important thing to note however is that Necromancers in your army can take Master of Undead, and Vampires can take the Summon Creatures of the Night upgrade. These two abilities allow them to bring MORE models into the army than you began with. You can also gain 2D6+3 Zombies or 2D6+3 Skeletons for a higher cast score as a new unit by casting Raise Dead.

What these three things means together is Lore of Vampires is good, and you do best with more casters in it. It also means that when you don't have a Level 4, or more than one possible Lore of Vampires caster, you're gambling like a Tomb Kings player.
====Named Characters====
'''Note:''' Under the current edition, named characters tend to be overpriced; you can emulate most named characters from scratch and save yourself some points. That said, many named characters, and especially in Vampire Counts, have abilities and war gear combos unique to them so if you need to have them go ahead. Just make sure you're really getting your points worth.
=====Lords=====

*'''[[Vlad von Carstein]]:'''
The man that started it all, and one of the few special character who are completely justified in their points cost.
You want to field him, but most people never will. Why? Because he's 495 points. As strong as he is, that is your entire Lord budget in an otherwise balanced 2000 point army, and below 2500 you most likely you don't have that kind of room for just one model. He's fairly good but the price is what stops him from being great, but most players prefer a combo of a level 4 caster of some kind along with a damage option blender lord Strigoi Ghoul King or Master Vampire. That being said, at the 2500 point level and above (ESPECIALLY above 3500) he's fucking amazing. If you're taking him, you want to bring Isabella as well although unlike her he can be good on his own.

*'''[[Mannfred von Carstein|Count Mannfred]]:'''
There are two options for Mannfred, and you may not EVER take both. This is the first, and is a Lord level character. He's a superb caster with one major flaw, for optimum usage he needs to kill stuff, which he isn’t too good at for Vampire Lord since he's kitted out so much for magic. This is the man you want fighting nothing but Goblins and Skaven Slaves if you can possible help it (if you're facing Ogres, you're in for a world of hurt). If you can manage to make kills then this guy will generally rule both magic phases, make sure to snipe enemy wizards early on with Spirit Leech.
He's pricey as fuck though at 530 points (so you may not take him in games below 2125 points). He's worth it, but once again you're looking at your entire Lord allowance here.

Unlike the other named characters in this army, you can have Mannfred ride a mount. His options are Barded Nightmare, Hellsteed, and Abyssal Terror. Of those choices, only the Barded Nightmare is of any value for the most part and only to put him in a unit of Black Knights or Blood Knights. The other two will make him even more of an artillery and shooting target than he already is.

With the New magic of the End Times rules, and the end times lords allowance, Mannfred suddenly became the best spellcaster in the game, bar NONE. 2 lores with loremaster means re-rolling all power dice, and Master of the Black arts allows him to re-roll one magic dice. Take him and Kemmler, plus mortis engine in 2000pts- Your opponent will not be able to do anything against 2 level 6 wizards when casting, who can re-roll all power dice, and gain an extra +D3 to Invocation. One corpse cart with lodestone later, and those Zombies/Skeletons/Anything later, and your army is suddenly looking much healthier.

*'''Heinrich Kemmler:'''
Oh, you were never going to be playing this game in decent company anyway. He's ideal for filling a lord's' spot at 1500+ point games and If you're playing at that level, you may as well bring Krell to take advantage of their tag team abilities. 350 points? Worth it.

=====Heroes=====

*'''[[Mannfred von Carstein|Mannfred the Acolyte]]:'''
Much more fieldable than his older self and a solid choice since he provides Loremaster in Lore of Vampires, which is what you take him for. He's much more flimsy and you MUST have him fighting puny hordes to make effective use of him.
Since Magic is so important to a Vampire Counts army's success, it's important to note that this version of Mannfred is almost a must if you're planning on taking a fighty Lord but can't afford enough supporting casters to reliably get the spells you'll need out of Lore of the Vampires by rolling. Still, if you CAN take multiple spellcasters he's probably not worth it.
Like his Lord self he can be mounted up, on either a Barded Nightmare or Abyssal Terror. This time he should probably be left hiding in a unit unmounted unless you want to hide him in some Black Knights.

*'''Krell, Lord of Undeath:'''
He's back! Krell is a Wight King with a better statline who gets Heroic Killing Blow (in challenges) if in the same unit as Kemmler (which obviously means he'll always be in the same unit as Kemmler). He has regular Killing Blow otherwise, but the drawback is that he MUST issue a challenge whenever possible, Oh, and having a T5 W4 hero for his meager 205 point cost (not to mention his other rules) is very very good. By the way, his model is fucking ace. '''Alternate take:''' Krell is significantly more expensive then a normal Wight King and only marginally better offensively, defensively he is inferior. His special rules are fairly situational and only useful against medium to weak enemy heroes (a strength 7 lord/hero will completely ignore his armor). A mundane Wight King will almost always be a better option over Krell because they can be kitted out specifically for your needs. His model IS pretty amazing though.
*'''[[Konrad von Carstein]]:'''
Nothing short of psychologically damaging if your opponent happens to bring Monstrous Infantry (to him, not his models). That being said combat is all he really does well (though he does it VERY well) while being the uncle of all glass cannons. His stats are on-par with am ordinary Hero level Vampire, and he only has Heavy Armor, so it's his special rules you want to take him for. He rings in at 160 points.
His insanity is reflected by a special rule called "One Bat Short of a Belfry" which has you roll for his current mental state. At the start of the turn you roll a D6, with a result of 1-3 granting him Stupidity and a result of 4-6 giving him Frenzy.
So be wary of using him... and be aware that Ogre Kingdoms players will die a little inside each time you field him.

*'''[[Isabella von Carstein]]:'''
Now in 8th has the proper Vampire statline. As it stands, she's not a caster (being only a level 1 Wizard in Lore of Vampires) or a fighter (being that she only has the vanilla Vampire stats and her only equipment is Heavy Armor and a Hand Weapon). The most she can do is support other vampires using the invocation of Nehek and the Blood Chalice to make sure they don't die.
Of course, there's always the fact that if she kicks it, Vlad goes nuts, with Frenzy and Hatred and whatnot. It's also possible that he'll die first (not as likely) and she will get Frenzy and Hatred, but as previously mentioned she's not really geared for fighting. She isn't worth it on her own, but put her with Vlad and they have great potential.

====Generic Characters====
'''Note:''' While named characters are judged against their generic counterparts, generic characters are examined based on their role in your army.
=====Lords=====
*'''Vampire Lord:'''
Brilliant stat line, a metric fuckton of upgrade options, and outside of the Chaos Lord is probably the most dangerous generic combat lord in the game (he probably would have been the best since he can kill more models per round compare while the Chaos Lord is better at single combat, but there's the whole problem where your army starts crumbling if he dies unless you're at the point level to take more than one). Naturally, characters are the first place points go in a Vampire Counts army, and this motherfucker will likely soak up as many points as you can give. Properly kitted out they can stand toe to toe with Lords and go on to rampage through Special units all while having excellent magical options. Remember, if your general dies very bad things happen to your army, so whatever you do, keep him in a unit at least until he is in combat: losing a game on turn one from a fucking cannonball is not fun. Mounting these badasses up is not only an option, but depending on your goals may just be the point of taking him. All Vampires are level 1 Wizards in Lore of Vampires, Death, or Shadow and you can upgrade them up to a level 4. Item selection and powers will be covered later. 220 points at base level.
An important thing to remember that he doesn't come with jack shit for equipment standard, so browse through all the options when making your list or you'll wind up with an ancient immortal Vampire walking into ranked Halberdiers naked with his bare hands (he'll still kick ass, but do you really want to picture it?)
They can ride Barded Nightmares, Hellsteeds, Abyssal Terrors, Zombie Dragons, or Coven Thrones. All of the choices though are just kind of...meh.

*'''Master Necromancer:'''
Cheap level 3 Wizard (which can be upgraded to a level 4) in either Lore of Death or Lore of Vampires (NOT Shadow) that can be used to support a a fighty Vampire Lord, or to be the main caster and general should you decide to bring a slew of ordinary Vampires. If you are considering making him your general, that certainly frees points for the other great choices you have, but remember that your army will start crumbling as soon as he dies. If you assign the other Vampires to Lore of Vampires then at least one of them can take over as general, although this is not ideal.

The Master Necromancer can be mounted on Barded Nightmares, Hellsteeds, Abyssal Terrors, and something Vampires can't ride: Corpse Carts. The main point of putting him on a Corpse Cart is making a combo out of casting Invocation of Nehek on the Corpse Cart, which ensures that Vigor Mortis activates, giving all friendly Undead units within 6" the Always Strikes First special rule, but it's not a great idea - siege machines are already pointing at him to start with, and putting him on the cart makes him that much easier to shoot down.

*'''Strigoi Ghoul King:'''
A Strigoi may not look like much, having a slightly inferior statline to a Vampire Lord for 260 points, not being able to take magical armor, being stuck as a level 1 caster in Lore of Vampires. What it gets for these tradeoffs is Hatred, the ability to reroll ALL failed To Hit rolls instead of just the very first, Poisoned Attacks, Regeneration 5+, as well as the 100 points of Vampire upgrades and 100 points of magic items (sans armor) that Vampire Lords get. It can also be mounted on a Terrorgheist.
Giving him a magic weapon isn't necessary seeing as he already has 5 Poisoned Attacks and S5 is not as much of a boon as you'd think. If you're paying to swap his poisoned attacks for extra attacks or strength as he loses those Poisoned Attacks (as they do not apply to magic weapons, and it's stated in the core rulebook a character with a magic weapon MUST use it).
No matter how you're planning to use him, just make sure you have a plan for your casters since this guy is almost pure combat at mastery level 1.

=====Heroes=====
Leadership is almost meaningless to Vampires as they cannot be broken. It is, however, what stops your army from falling apart if/when your general dies. If you have the points, adding a few basic heroes to your list to bump the leadership in a few key units can still be a worthwhile investment for the wounds they prevent when crumbling comes around. Something that can take Lore of Vampires can also take over as general.

*'''Vampire:'''
105 points. Cheaper Vampire Lord and almost identical other than having inferior stats, half the allowance of magic items and Vampire upgrades, and can be a maximum of level 2 Wizard in Death, Shadow, or Vampires. Like the Lord equivalent they don't come with any equipment standard, so if you put all your points in magic don't send them into combat or they're going to get slaughtered. Can be upgraded to BSB, and gets Vampire upgrades regardless of that fact. Can ride Barded Nightmares, Hellsteeds, and Coven Thrones. The last option is great for supporting a killy Lord, or maybe even helping Mannfred get some kills. 7 LD.

*'''Wight King:'''
85 points. Pretty much the same statline as a Vampire, with the S and T swapped around and an extra Wound being the notable changes. Can be upgraded to BSB. Can mount up on a Skeletal Steed with barding as an option and take a lance if you want him with Black Knights, otherwise stick him in a unit of Grave Guard with the Banner of the Barrows for an incredibly cheesy unit that will melt all variety of faces. Gets Killing Blow. Can take 50 points worth of magic items if he's NOT the BSB. Oh, and like Krell this guy has a fucking beautiful model.
Taking this character over the Vampire makes you lose the Vampire Power options, despite this he's still 20 points cheaper and has 2 more points of Leadership, so if that downside doesn't matter then go for it, and at 9 LD he's very good at preventing crumbling in his unit.

*'''Necromancer:'''
As above, 8th makes Necromancers more viable (65 points for a level 1 Wizard in Lore of Vampires or Death that that can be bumped up to level 2 is good). Same basic deal as Vampire Lord VS Vampire, look to Master Necromancer as the baseline. Use them to keep your armies at good strength, but don't expect too much from them. You get what you paid for. Necro's are good for supporting large units of infantry with a little extra LD and some magical support if they end up away from the General, and if they're in LoV can take over as general if shit hits the fan. Mount options are Nightmare and Corpse Cart.

*'''Cairn Wraith:'''
60 points. Ethereal, Terror, Undead. Has a special ability called Chill Grasp, allowing it to trade in it's 3 Attacks for one Attack that automatically wounds if it hits and ignores armour. Only S3 and great weapon, T3, and 2 Wounds with a low as fuck 2 Initiative. Can't be upgraded in any way.
Sadly not a great choice. Spirit hosts are cheaper for simple tarpits and the Cairn Wraiths unit from the Rare section are more cost-effective for cavalry/monster killing. Both are also more resistant to magic by virtue of having more wounds. Finally, Wight Kings are better at simply killing normal stuff by virtue of their Killing Blow and awesome (for points) stats. It's possible to use them to nail characters, but chances are good that whatever you're aiming to kill has a magic attack which renders the Cairn Wraith's only defense moot, and at 5 LD, don't expect him to prevent anything from crumbling (in fact, he's more susceptible to it truth be told). On the other hand, they are heroes, so as of the End Times Archaon you can make some truly game breaking lists with them. Add in an allied Prince from Aestyrion with the Banner of the World Dragon for that 2+ save vs anything that could hurt them to begin with, and Poof- you just win- no ifs, buts or maybes.

*'''Tomb Banshee:'''
95 points. Ethereal , Terror, Undead. Crap stats and two Wounds. Can use Ghostly Howl, which targets an enemy unit and is used in the shooting phase and can be used in close combat. 8" range, needs LOS. Roll 2D6+2, for each point you beat the enemy's LD score they take one Wound with no armor saves against it (although they DO count as magic attacks so there's still Ward Saves and immunity to that).
Generally not the best investment for points. Any competitive army will have at least 9 Leadership in important units, most will have 10, so the hysterical woman is unlikely to earn her points back (she will deal on average deal less than 0.5 casualties per turn in those cases). She can take out a low LD unit very quickly however (seeing 10 Skaven Slaves drop dead bleeding from the ears from one single attack can be fucking hilarious). As a result, she's best used to wipe out ranks of anvils and let you wash over everything that was supposed to flank charge you, though thanks to the range of the scream she's not very good at that, and at LD 5 has the same problem as the Cairn Wraith.

=====Mounts=====
*'''Skeletal steed:'''
The Black Knights basic mount, ignores terrain as they are treated as Ethereal for movement and does not get the -1M for barding if you take it. Think about that for a moment, you can charge units on the '''other side of buildings''' if you can see them. Never take a dangerous terrain test with these guys again!

*'''Barded Nightmare:'''
Simple undead horse, best in a squad of Blood Knights, and never put Black Knights unless there's no terrain, as they'll lose their Ethereal movement. Ordinary in all regards. ''other than being S4 WS3 horses''.

*'''Hellsteed:'''
A flying Barded Nightmare, and overall a better horse. Not too expensive and still a great investment if you like running with Fell Bats or other silliness. Still, if used right it can be a scary model that's great for picking off warmachines or other small units, since arrows don't tend to have the killing power needed for a Vampire.

*'''Abyssal Terror:'''
Not great by any standard of a monster. Can be given Poison Attacks or Armour Piercing, has Thunderstomp (which doesn't get the upgrade abilities sadly). Fairly cheap and it flies so it's not exactly bad, but it's just beaten out by the next two usually.

*'''Coven Throne:'''
Hot motherfucking damn (also damnably hot if you know what I mean), this thing has a good number of abilities. The Battle of Wills is a fun way to mess with your opponent as before anything rolls To Hit against it or whoever is riding it in melee OR shooting rolls a D6 and add it to their LD (unless something doesn't have to roll To Hit anyway), then the Coven Throne rolls LD plus D6. You subtract the enemy's LD from the Coven's and the result is the effect caused. 0 or less means nothing happens. 1-2 and the enemy fights at -1WS and -1BS. 3-5 and they reroll To Hits that succeed. 6 or more, the unit '''TURNS ON ITSELF''' causing one melee attack per model against the whole unit, with War Machine crews taking one S3 hit for each crewman left against their Toughness and whatever is affected doesn't get to shoot or attack in any other way this turn.

A mixed bag honestly, absolutely fucking awful against any army with high leadership and siege weapons (so mostly Dwarfs with their army wide LD 9 or Elves) or usually just any army with a lot of cannons as they'll pass eventually. The only thing worthwhile to put on it is a Vampire Lord, but then you're at 450 points naked AND you just made your general a much bigger cannonball magnet which might lose you the game, and lesser vampires don't have a high enough leadership to consistently use The Battle of Wills effectively (and it costs a shitload of points).

On the other hand, excellent in combat, you get 2D6 attacks from the ghosts hauling this thing around, the ghost horses grant it Ethereal movement so there's no troubles from terrain, a 5+ Armor Save, a 4+ Ward Save, four S5 ASF attacks from the Handmaidens, D6 S5 impact hits, and it has one of the most glorious models Games Workshop ever released.

*''' Zombie Dragon:'''
Exactly what you think it is. It's got beefy stats, can be healed massively thanks to lore attribute plus Invocation, his Pestilential Breath attack causes -3 to armour as well as causing a S2 hit and it adds that extra "fuck you" to Ogres in the form of terror. Has Swarm of Flies (ew!) which causes -1 to To Hit rolls in melee.
A great time if your Vampire has the same stat line as the mount its on. Can really wreck heavy cavalries day as well as rank and file, though it will die to cannons or Heroic Killing Blow. Still a wonderful kick ass model and is our only dragon, but like most fun things, it's a magnet for artillery and mass shooting.

===Core Units===

*'''Zombies:'''
Zombies are pathetic. The lore goes to silly lengths to tell you how living opponents fear engaging zombies and being torn apart, and on the game they are a bloody joke. They couldn't kill a sickly blind crippled mentally disabled orphaned Skaven Slave in a fair fight.
It has M4, WS1, S3, T3, 1I, and fucking 2 LD. It is literally so bad, that decreasing its stats would only worsen it in the abstract.

So why ever take them? Because they are only three points. In addition, the Vampire Counts magic phase is full of buffs, so get yourself some rerolls and that Zombie unit can hold a bit longer. Thanks to the The Newly Dead rule, they recover an extra D6 Wounds worth of models per casting of Invocation (meaning 2D6 Zombies) and can increase their unit size beyond what you started the game with; this means you can, with luck, turn a 20-strong horde into a 60-strong horde in just 2 turns of magic. They can also make excellent caster bunkers for your Necromancers to hide in so they never get shot to death or challenged.

*'''Skeleton Warriors:'''
More durable than Zombies, a pinch better at killing and less likely to crumble, they cost five points a model, and should only be taken in large units to maximize the usefulness of Invocation of Nehek. Skellies are good but the Zombie tar pit works way better than any unit in the army for the role, since the Invocation of Nehek only heals back D6 Wounds+caster level (compared to the 2D6+caster level that Zombies get) and unless it's a Master Necromancer they cannot be pushed past their starting size.

That being said, Skeleton Warriors are by no means bad. They have an option for a full command unit, a Champion that can take challenges your Vampire Lord doesn't want, a musicican for swift reforms and a standard bearer for a +1 combat res score for extra survivability, and they come with shields, light armour and a hand weapon giving them a neat 6+ parry save in close combat. You can exchange their hand weapons for spears, sacrificing the 6+ parry save, but it lets you attack in 3 ranks. Since skeletons still suck, they aren't going to hit much, not with weapon skill 2. Generally Skeletons are a better carrier unit for your foot slogging killy Vampire Lord.

*'''Crypt Ghouls:'''
The most expensive core option available at 10 points. 3 WS, compared to the 2 WS of Skellies and 1 WS of Zombies. Toughness of 4, exceeding both other options by one point. Highest (still terrible) Initiative of 3. Two Attacks per Ghoul, and the highest Leadership score of the core options at 5 (meaning Ghouls have a low chance to crumble in comparison to Zombies which can all vanish off the board with their 2 LD). Poison Attacks are default, but Ghouls cannot have a musician or standard bearer. Less likely to die like the skeletons, but much harder to get more of, and still a good bunker for a footslogging Vampire Lord.

*'''Dire Wolves:'''
A very fast moving alternative to the other core choices. They ring in at 8 points per model, with a cavalry-speed Movement of 9 (compared to the M4 of the rest of the core). They have a LD of only 3, meaning they'll crumble as fast as Skeleton Warriors. They have one point higher WS and I so combat will have more kills, but otherwise share a stat line with Skeleton Warriors. They have the Slavering Charge (+1S on the charge) and Vanguard (after both armies deploy everything, but before the first turn, they may make one normal move). As a unit of the War Beast type, they also come with Swiftstride which allows them to roll a 3D6 and discard the lowest number than add the resulting sum to their M score while on the charge, while fleeing, or while pursuing.

===Special Units===
*'''Corpse Cart:'''
A 90 point Chariot. The thing itself is a 5+ Armor Save option with 4 Wounds, but don't let that trick you, just as useful as zombies in combat with 2d6 WS1 S3 attacks from the Zombies hitched to it as beasts of burden, as well as an attack from the rider who is a WS3 S3 I2 Corpsemaster. It has Regeneration, which may keep it alive for a pinch as long as nothing with Flaming Attacks goes after it. it is best placed between hoards of fodder to keep them up to strength and adding to combat res against other tar pits, not that you want any of your tar pits in slap fights like that.

Far more important, it has Vigour Mortis; if any Lore of Vampires augment spell is used on it then all Undead units within 6" of the Corpse Cart including itself get ASF until the next Magic Phase, which is un-fucking believably awesome, AND the rulebook specifically states Zombies lose ASL and get ASF as so they can actually do more than just tarpit something all game if you horde them up. Of the 2 upgrades Bale fire used to be the best as it stacked and could totally cripple enemy casters, now it is merely useful in that it makes dispels a bit easier. The load stone is a solid choice as it makes your summoning more consistent.

*'''Grave Guard:'''
Coming in at 11 points, these supercharged Skeleton Warriors boast Heavy Armor and Shields standard, have Killing Blow, can swap their Shields for Great Weapons for one point a piece ((do this for killing, S'n'B for anvil)), and can take a Magic Standard. Their statline is superior to weak skellies as well. With a toughness of four, and heavy armour. They are a lot more resilient then Skeletons and just as easy to raise. Stuff a Wight King into this unit and take them in hordes for a hard-hitting anvil force. These skellies are a nightmare for any high T non-monstrous troops.

*'''Black Knights:'''
Same statline as Grave Guard at 21 points, but on Skeletal Steeds which grant them an 8M and Spectral Steeds which lets them count as Ethereal for Movement and they don't get a penalty for Barding. Said Barding comes at 3 points per model, and for another 2 points they can take lances. Like their footplodding counterparts they can take a Magic Standard. They are one of two heavy Cavalry units in the army. They are a DAMN good unit capable of moving over terrain like it wasn't even there and letting loose with a flurry of S4 (or higher, depending on weapon choice) Killing Blow attacks. All while possibly having a 2+ armor save. Delicious. Just don't put anybody in with them that doesn't have a spectral steed or they get much slower, and you want them to be constantly charging.

*'''Hexwraiths:'''
New option for 8th edition, they are 30 points each and have a statline like weaker Black Knights. They come with Great Weapons standard, and have a metric fuckload of special rules. One of these provides a very interesting advantage: they're Ethereal, as in all the time! They also have the Soulstriders special rule, which allows them to move through unengaged enemy Units (both friendly and enemy) during the "Remaining Moves" sub-phase (although they can't end within 1" of a unit). As a result they will attract a TON of magic during your opponents turn as he desperately tries to fry them before they reach him and they don't have any protection against that other than you trying to dispel, so beware. They have Fast Cavalry as well, which grant them Vanguard (get to make a 12" Move before the game starts) and a Free Reform unless it charges. They lose most of this if they are joined by a character without Ethereal+Fast Cavalry. You should leave the Hexes to do their thing alone.

*'''Vargheists:'''
The first of three designated hammers, representing the jack of all trades which has the speed of the Terrorgheist without being as flimsy.
46 point Monstrous Infantry with Fly (when charging roll 3d6 and discard the lowest value and add it to the Movement score and get to also do that to Flee, get to Move 10" anyway regardless of their lower M score, and can March a whopping 20"), and Frenzy. M6, WS4, S5, T4, W3, I4, 3 Attacks, and a Leadership score of 7. They are Vampiric, so they cannot crumble.
They compete with Empire Outriders and High Elf Swordmasters for the title of premier glass cannons; these guys do pack considerable punch at break-neck speed. They can hunt War Machines if they must, but they really work better hitting flanks and hunting enemy support troops. Don’t ever think they'll last against even mediocre infantry unsupported though as that T4 is all they have keeping them alive despite their 3 Wounds, and that low Initiative will let even humans with pointy sticks get a jab in before they move.
Be careful though, because they are Flyers they're also Skirmishers. Keep this in mind when you send them out into the juicy flanks as they cannot disrupt enemy Units.

*'''Crypt Horrors:'''
The other Monstrous Infantry unit, little more than super Ghouls. 38 points a pop so big units are hard to field, Unit size 3+. Like Ghouls they have Poisoned Attacks, but also Regeneration 5+. Stats are M6, WS3, S4, T5, W3, I2, A3, LD5. This unit is an anvil with a bite, pure and simple, but crumbling and a limited offensive capability does force you to take Units of at least 6. A unit of 18 in a horde does have good punch however and is very hard to get rid of, but will be expensive (684 points, 694 with the upgrade to champion) for a unit that ultimately works best in a points denial role. Work best with a Mortis Engine (if the thing doesn't get blown up) and Invocation spam from a caster using them as a bunker. Don't skip them over, but they aren't something to drool over either.

Alternative Take- While Crypt horrors may not be the most offensively powerful unit on this list, they can be made into one of the most powerful units in the game with some magical buffs. Unlike Grave Guard, they are monstrous infantry, and therefore gain all of the additional attacks of the rear ranks. With three attacks each, at S4 and poisoned, they can make a Very mean hammer. Buff them with the right spells however (Staff of Damnation, i'm looking at you) and the effect can be multiplied hugely. Further, they have neither the Vampiric or the Large Target or Ethereal rules, so they can be quickly and easily healed back up to strength by the Invocation. This is not always viable, but for those gamblers looking for a death star unit, look no further. Buff them effectively with the lore of Beasts, and they will SHRED everything.

*'''Bat Swarm:'''
35 points each, but they have 5 Wounds and 5 Attacks. They are a Swarm, meaning they are Skirmishers, they are Unbreakable, and are Unstable (like the rest of your army). They have a M of only 1, WS3, S2, T2, I4, and LD 3 and coupled with being Unstable most likely will be the first thing to crumble after Zombies.
Their special abilities are Hover (permanent 10" movement and swiftstride for charging) and Cloud of Horror which grants Always Strikes Last to any enemy in base contact with them, which is awesome considering most of your army has terrible Initiative.

*'''Fell Bats:'''
Your go-to for Warmachine hunting. Cost 16 points each and must be fielded in Units of 2 or more. Count as War Beasts meaning they get Swiftstride (roll 3d6 when charging, discard lowest and add it to their Move and do the same when fleeing) as well as Fly. Stats are M1, WS3, S3, T3, W2, I3, A2, and LD 3 (likely to crumble), which is pretty meh, but with multiple models and Fly they'll probably reach what war machines they need to get to unless your opponent spends some time shooting them, which will buy you time to get into melee so either way it's a win/win.

*'''Spirit Host:'''
Ah, the Spirit Host. 45 points for a single Swarm of four, and They are also Ethereal. Sadly, as a Swarm they also die from Combat Resolution like everything else in the army. They have M6, WS3, S3, T3, I1, A4, and a Leadership of 4.

These guys are extremely cost-effective Monster and Cavalry tarpits while they last (just make sure whatever you are facing does not have magic attacks), and can also be used to dissuade a flank charge by something nasty than to actively hunt their targets, otherwise they may get too exposed to infantry (their bane thanks to that Combat Resolution damage) or outmanoeuvred. That said, don't mind losing a Unit to magic or infantry if you have to: after all, they cost less than 50 points. Why give a damn?

===Rare Units===

*'''Varghulf:'''
The Vargheist's meth addict big brother, and the only hammer you really want to meet anything head-on.
In comparison to the 'gheist you lose Fly and Frenzy but gain Terror, Hatred, Bestial Fury, and Regeneration. You have 3 more points of M, 1 more point of WS, one more point of Toughness, one more Wound each, two more attacks each, but 3 points less Leadership (though it's Vampiric). It's a Monster, so it also has Thunderstomp.

All in all, the Varghulf is a decent choice, as it's statline is pretty nice and it's decently killy in addition to that Regen and Terror, especially considering he lacks Frenzy so he won't jump into combat without being given the order, he's also harder to kill, and sucks up less points than a Terrorgheist so a lucky cannonball won't eat up a large chunk of your points.
His main detriment is that he eats up Rare points, if that doesn't bother you then go right ahead, otherwise a properly built Terrorgheist can do the job just fine (though will cost more).

*'''Blood Knights:'''
There are a lot things to remember about the Blood Knights. They are as expensive as a Baneblade to purchase both in-game and in real life at 50 points a model and $99 for five (coincidentally, they also have a similar effect on enemy tactics, you should also convert them instead of buying them to save money) and they are one of the top heavy cavalry units in Warhammer Fantasy.
So here's what we're looking at; Heavy Armor, Barding, Shield, Lance. They have Frenzy and Martial Honour (must always issue and accept challenges with the Kastellan, otherwise a generic Blood Knight will answer any challenge although as usual you can't issue one without said champion, unless a equal/higher LD character is in the unit) and are Vampiric. They can take The Flag of Blood Keep as an upgrade instead of another magic standard for 75 points, which grants them a 4+ Ward Save against Ranged Attacks. That Ward Save comes into effect once something gets through their 2+ Armor Save, namely war machines.
They come in at WS5, S5, T4, W1, I5, A2, and LD 7 overall. You can take them in Units of 4 or more.

They are a fantastically lethal addition to an army of any size, and It's a good idea to keep a loaded-up Barded Vampire/Vampire Lord within the Unit, to help them keep their minds focused and overcome the Frenzy urge to go fuck something despite being in the line of sights of a warmachine or something similarly undesirable, and Taking a 4-man unit with Banner of Eternal Flame makes them fantastic monster hunters who will reliably take down even Hydras, Sphinxes, and Hellpit Abominations on the charge.

However, don't forget that they have a big weakness - due to being Vampiric, they receive only one wound back per cast of Invocation of Nehek, which, combined with their cost and sometimes harmful Frenzy, makes them inferior to Black Knights in the eyes of many players.

*'''Black Coach:'''
A 195 point Chariot.
Has one crew member, a Cairn Wraith (with Chill Grasp and a Great Weapon) and two Nightmares as drivers. Causes Terror, counts as Vampiric so there's no fear of Crumble, has a 4+ Ward Save on top of the 3+ Armor Save. It has 5 Strength when trying to figure out Impact Hits (D6 bonus Attacks that automatically Hit and count as Shooting Attacks in causing damage but give you Combat Resolution like Close Combat Attacks, but you only get them on the Charge).
The real fun part though, is the special ability "Evocation of Death", which combines fantastically if you have a lot of wizards (both with or against you), giving you (very quickly) +1 to the Impact Hits on the Charge then gaining +1 Strength to the Wraith and the Nightmares, then gaining Killing Blow and Flaming Attacks for it's Impact Hits and regular Close Combat attacks, then gaining Magic Resistance (2) and Strider (no Dangerous Terrain tests need to be taken), then becoming Ethereal, and finally gaining Fly at 6 points. For just 195 points and a little patience, you can get one of the most amazing fucking models crunch-wise in the entire game.

*'''Terrorgheists:'''
A 225 point Monster (so you get Thunderstomp) with M6, WS3, S5, T6, 6 Wounds, 3I, four Attacks, and a Leadership of 4 (it's not Vampiric so the death of the General may cause it to crumble, which at that point level can be painful).
It has Fly, is a Large Target, causes Terror, has Regeneration (6+), and has a special ability called "Death Shriek" which counts as a Shooting Attack that you get to make regardless of your previous actions that turn. Death Shriek has an 8" range that requires Line of Sight (oddly enough) and can target something regardless of if you or it are in Close Combat. You roll 2d6 and add the Wounds the Terrorgheist has, and for each point that the result exceeds the target Unit's Leadership they suffer 1 Wound with no Armor Save and it counts as a Magical Attack, which isn't that great against LD high armies, a Strigoi Ghoul King can help somewhat, but that makes it a cannonball magnet. It can also be upgraded for 10 points to be Infested (ew!) with bats (wut?) that, upon death, cause 3D6 Strength 2 hits to anything in base contact with the Terrorgheist. It can also take Rancid Maw for 15 points which grant it Poisoned Attacks (not for it's Thunderstomp though).

Its main weakness however is that it is fairly flimsy, especially if your opponent has Flaming Attacks or brought some nasty ranged options, this combined with their relative vulnerability in Close Combat and their huge base size means they are tricky to actually move about.
Not everyone likes them, but they remain one of the best choices (tied with the Black Coach) available to Vampire Counts owing to the fact that it is the army's most flexible option. It's ready for battle from the beginning unlike the Coach, allowing you to go on the offensive in a prompt manner.

*'''Mortis Engine:'''
220 points Chariot with an Armour Save of 5+ on top of it's 5 Toughness and 5 Wounds, but this isn't a Black Coach that you want to run your enemy down with. It's purely a support unit.
It's offensive abilities are abysmal (unless you charge it into a flank) despite it getting a lot of little bird peck attacks, but it has decent survivability. Here's where you factor in it's abilities.
The Reliquary ability gives your undead a nice regeneration boost to make them live longer/tarpit better and can hit a good amount of enemy units at decently high strength, making it one of the few good ranged units available to you, and with the amount of wounds it has you don't even need to worry about taking a hit from doubles, and even if it does get a little hurt, you can just heal it up yourself.

You can/should also upgrade it with Blasphemous Tome for 20 points, which lets all Wizards within 12" of the Mortis Engine have +2 to casting attempts from the Lore of Vampires, and if anything within 12" of the Mortis Engine miscasts (both friend and foe) then the player rolls twice on the miscast table and his opponent chooses which result applies. Both of these mean you want it in the <strike>back</strike> front, supporting everything else making enemy wizards nervous about 4/5/6 dicing anything, and drawing lots of fire away from your actual nastiest units. That said this thing is a magic and artillery MAGNET LIKE NO OTHER. It looks awesome, the crunch seems awesome, then you put it on the field and a Dwarf with a flaming cannonball blows it to hell before it can move. If you want to use it effectively, you NEED some distraction units, either war machine hunters or faster melee units to take the artillery off of you, or you actually want it to get shot so that your hammers don't get shot by those same cannons.

*'''Cairn Wraith:'''
The expensive, damage-dealing alternative to the spirit hosts. Must be fielded in units of 3 minimum, 10 maximum. The unit Champion is actually a Tomb Banshee. 50 points per model, 25 to upgrade to the Banshee. Exact same stats and abilities as their character equivalents. All in all you are getting a bulk discount by taking them in the Rare section, as well as saving points for more Vampires, Necros, or Wights in the Hero slot. What's not to love?

They will still die to ranked infantry as they're Undead but, unlike the Spirit Hosts who function as a sacrificial tarpit/ball and chain for a Monster, these guys function as killers as well for 105 more points. 9+ attacks (Always Strikes Last, remember) at S5 or 3+ attacks that ignore armor will put the hurt in whatever they strike. That being said, they DO take Rare choice points and unlike the Spirit Hosts you can't afford to just let them get killed by a magic missile and forget about it. It's usually better to pin enemies with Spirit Hosts and then flank later with another unit so, in essence, the Cairn Wraiths are to the Spirit Hosts as the Varghulfs are to the Vargheists.

If you really get in good, you can take advantage of the fact these little Ethereal buggers can go straight through terrain to stay in Charge distance of the enemy while staying safe from being Charged, which can tie up a lot of troops by forcing the enemy to either continue facing them or just bite the bullet and say goodbye to everyone on the side or back of the Unit.

==Magic Items/Upgrades==

===Vampiric Powers===
Upgrades Vampire Lords and Vampires can take. The former can take 100 points, the latter 50. Vampire hero BSBs can still take this, so there's also that.

*''Master of the Black Arts:'' Not terrible, but not great either- it's ''extremely'' expensive, taking it prevents you from taking some other really good skills, and it doesn't guarantee you anything despite the high cost. It's nice when you turn a 1 into a 6, but so very annoying when you turn a 2 or 3 into a 1. Taking it on two vampires is a complete waste, since at that point, you're spending almost the points cost as a varghulf. That said, if you're going with a fully wizard-focused vampire lord, you'll probably want to take this on him.
*''Curse of the Revenant:'' If you've got one killy Vamp then it's not bad. Still probably not one of the better options.
*''Red Fury:'' This is THE power to make a blender lord Vamp. Your Vamp essentially becomes a whirlwind of killing, capable of decimating multiple ranks of troops. This is the number one ability killy lords will wind up taking.
*''Flying Horror:'' Not terrible, but Hellsteed gives you that and actual combat bonus for exactly same points, and too expensive on Strigoi.
*''Quickblood:'' The OTHER most taken killy ability. If you are going to be in combat, you want this.
*''Aura of Dark Majesty:'' When you're gambling on Fear/Terror, abilities like Beguile or the effects of the Coven Throne, and similar abilities can all be amped up with Aura. One of the better non-blender lord abilities. Combine with the Coven Throne, Banshees, Terrorgheists, or Screaming Banner to really fuck with your opponents.
*''Dark Acolyte:'' Good way to take a couple of hero Vamps to bolster the army while saving power dice. Note that it only works if you've successfully cast the spell, but before your opponent rolls to dispel. If you're already going with a fully caster vampire lord, and you've dropped the points on Master of the Black Arts, you might as well take this to help ensure he succeeds on Invocation.
*''Forbidden Lore:'' See the below evaluation of the spell lores for usefulness.
*''Supernatural Horror:'' Good to still get the edge on armies who take the Wailing Banner, Shrieking Blade, or pesky options like Phoenix Guard.
*''Fear Incarnate:'' This is never NOT a useful thing, you will want this on killy Lords.
*''Beguile:'' Useful in one on one challenges, which you normally don't want to be doing, but if you're up against Chaos Warriors it can be very useful.
*''Master Strike:'' While this looks like it can be worth it if you go through the percentages, in almost all cases this is shit. Killing Blow and Heroic Killing Blow are generally only good when you have a lot of things with them all taking a chance at killing.
*''Dread Knight:'' Not bad really, a Vampire Lord can benefit from this as they'll probably be doing that anyway but it's when you have better Vamps (like a Vampire Lord to keep your Dread Knight Vamp heroes in check) in the same unit then it can backfire on you. Taking this on your intended General is particularly risky. This will make WS 3 need 5s to hit a hero vamp, and WS 4 need 5s to hit a Vamp Lord
*''Summon Creatures of the Night:'' If you plan on using Dire Wolves, Bat Swarms, and Fell Bats then this is good as those are expensive options point-wise, so increasing their numbers on the field is a good choice.

===Army Book Items===

* ''Skabscrath:'' This is kind of an odd choice. The likelihood of the dying at the end of the game is actually pretty low but the only characters who can take it are the Strigoi Ghoul King, the Vampire Lord, and the Master Necromancer. Due to the SGK losing his Poisoned Attacks, and the Necromancer generally being something you want to keep out of close combat, that leaves the Vampire Lord as the best choice who is probably the General of your army. Needless to say having the General be armed with a sword that means you will always try to overrun, will charge into combat without thinking any time you can, and eat points that could go into survivability are BAD things. On the other hand it can improve a killy Vamp Lord in the situation you do have a twin lord as a caster a fair amount, but in any situation, you're taking a high-risk high-reward choice.
* ''Nightshroud:'' VERY useful no matter where you want to put it. If you need help justifying the points, remember that it also takes the place of the Bat Swarm on the flank. Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon with Quickblood and Sword of Striking buttfucks the enemy. Master Necromancer in a Skelly bunker may make it literally impossible for your opponent to deplete your forces before you wipe his out to the last.
*''Banner of Barrows:'' If you are going to take a unit of more then 15 Grave guard (and why wouldn't you?) and/or you have a Wight King in there, you will want this banner as the +1 to hit makes your relatively low WS (for elite infantry) far more destructive.
*''The Screaming Banner:'' If you want to troll, take this banner. It will make low LD armies suffer, and give you a small chance to drive away even high LD armies. The flag gets better with Terror though, as then even enemies who take options like the Shrieking Blade or those pesky Phoenix Guard still have to take the test. For the ultimate cheese special, take a horde of Grave Guard with this flag then put a Wight King BSB carrying Banner of Barrows into the same Unit along with a Vampire Lord with Aura of Dark Majesty, Supernatural Horror, and Fear Incarnate for utter carnage as a failed test means they'll be hitting on 2+.
*''Black Periapt:'' Not a must-have item but it can be great for a dedicated spellcaster option if you get a bad magic phase or if you're facing an army where you have spells you NEED to dispel.
*''Staff of Damnation:'' A fantastic item, best used for Ghouls or more powerful options in the offensive category.
*''The Cursed Book:'' This item is a gamble where you can't really lose. The only thing that's wrong with it is your primary spell is Invocation and in almost all possible circumstances you want to cast it AT LEAST once per turn, and this book can take that away. But that being said, you can pull off these spells (all of which are good) for what's probably less than their casting value without risk of any miscast.
*''Book of Arkhan:'' VERY good item. Even if you make all attempts to cast that spell using all your capable LoV casters you can still at least count on whipping out one more attempt. Also can be taken by the Strigoi Ghoul King, making it fan-fucking-tastic in low-magic lists.
*''Rod of Flaming Death:'' Pretty good item even for it's price and very good for controlling the movement phase. If your enemy DOES move (possibly due to taking a Fear test!) then you have the chance to disintegrate the whole group. This can actually be taken by a Wight King, freeing up points on your casters.

===Rulebook Items===

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">Thanks to the Vampires already having very high stats on most of their characters, they can benefit greatly from Rulebook items. Note this is a very long section.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

====Magic Weapons====

*''Giant Blade:'' Close Combat with the sword is at +3 Strength for 60 points. Extra Strength is never a bad thing. Getting S8 on anything, especially a model with 5 fucking Attacks, is fucking amazing. That being said those 60 points eat up your options for magic items, so you probably should think hard about other options first. You'll still have 40 points for Nightshroud after this.

*''Sword of Bloodshed:'' +3 Attacks for 60 points. Remember that with Red Fury, any unsaved Wound caused grants you an additional attack so going from 5 Attacks (that can become a maximum of 10) you can get 8 Attacks (which can become a maximum of 16). It's by no means an optimal build even for a blender lord, but at the same time isn't terrible. Once again, take a good long look at other options, and if you do take it consider the Nightshroud. If you AREN'T making a blender lord, this really is a waste of points. Actually, the maths supports rage giant blade over this, except against very weak infantry, anything T3 with 5+ or worse save will be obliterated, T4/4+ or higher take giant blade.

*''Obsidian Blade:'' 50 points, Attacks made with it don't get Armor Saves against it. Good for a Vamp designed to go toe to toe with more point-costly enemies or for high-armor foes like Warriors of Chaos or dwarves. More specifically a Vamp equipped with this can become a FANTASTIC character-killer, particularly with abilities like Dread Knight and Beguile. Want your OC Vampire Lord to finish off Archaon or Tyrion for bragging rights? Here's how to do it.

*''Ogre Blade:'' 40 points, +2 Strength. Vamp Lord with 7 Strength is still amazing. Also decent on the Wight King to bump it up to S6.

*''Sword of Strife:'' 40 points, +2 Attacks. Same as above, still good on a blender lord. Forget it on the Wight King for the most part.

*''Fencer's Blades:'' 35 points, paired weapons, bearer has WS10. With your Vamps at WS7 and WS6, this really isn't that great. The Wight King on the other hand can benefit from it a lot.

*''Sword of Anti-Heroes:'' 30 points, quite an appropriate name. Bearer has +1 S and +1 A for every enemy character in base contact with the bearer or their Unit. Truth be told, this weapon is better used AGAINST Vampire Counts rather than BY them. Can be useful if you know you are going to see a multi hero/lord death star, at 3 characters its equivalent to SoB and GB combined.

*''Spellthieving Sword:'' 25 points, Wounds caused to a Wizard force them to lose one spell each. But chances are good any opponent in melee with your Vamp is about to die, unless you're talking about a Lord like Malekith. But really you should be focused on actually killing the fucker.

*''Sword of Swift Slaying:'' Bearer has Always Strikes First for 25 points. For 30 points you can take that as a Vampire Power, and there's literally no reason in any situation ever to take both. Take the Sword to save 5 points when you aren't taking magic weapons of any other kind or when you're trying to save points for more powers, take the power to save magic item points or to prevent one of those item-destroying abilities like the kind High Elves in the High Lore have. You can also take it on the Wight King, which is when it's worth consideration.

*''Sword of Battle:'' 20 points, +1 Attack. Meh. Take if if you're on a budget with your blender Vampire Lord, but if that's the case why are you trying to make a blender lord?

*''Berserker Sword:'' 20 points, grants Frenzy. WHY would you want Frenzy? More importantly, why would you want to bother with Frenzy without the bonuses from Skabscrath? Probably more of a detriment than a bonus.

*''Sword of Might:'' +1 Strength for 20 points. Not bad. Not great. S6 Vamp is okay though.

*''Gold Sigil Sword:'' Attacks made with it are Initiative 10, 15 points. Vamp Lords already have I7, Vamps have I6. Once again probably not great, especially with TWO ways to get ASF. Bumping up the Wight King is okay though.

*''Sword of Striking:'' Attacks made with it are +1 To Hit, 15 points. Not terrible, but Vamps already have such a high WS it's not too great unless low on points and need to bump up the hero assassin.

*''Biting Blade:'' Attacks made with it are Armor Piercing (-1 to the enemy's Armor Save). 10 points. It's the poor man's Obsidian Blade. Not a bad choice. But truth be told, Sword of Might is better.

*''Relic Sword:'' 10 points. Attacks with it always Wound on 5+ unless a lower result is needed. But chances are good your Vamps are going to be Wounding on better then that anyway. may be worth it vs Tombkings. Bleh.

*''Shrieking Blade:'' Bearer (and thus their Unit) causes Fear. 10 points. WHY. Everything you have that isn't a Necromancer (who isn't going to be by himself) causes Fear.

*''Tormentor Sword:'' 5 points, any monster or character who suffers an unsaved Wound has Stupidity for the rest of the game. There is almost never a time this is useful for anyone.

*''Warrior Bane:'' 5 points, any monster or character who suffers unsaved Wounds from it loses one Attack each to a minimum of 1. This once again is almost never good, and honestly would be best AGAINST Vampires. In the imaginary scenario where you are facing another Vampire Counts player and throw a hero Vamp against your opponent's Lord Vamp, this could be conceivably useful. But that's about it.

====Magic Armor====

*''Armour of Destiny:'' 50 points, bearer has a 4+ Ward Save. Not terrible. Okay for kitting out a Vamp for some survivability. But there's better choices. Factor in that Heavy Armor costs only 6 points and you're looking at 44 points for that Ward Save. Forget it on the Wight King.

*''Trickster's Helm:'' 50 points, wearer has one extra point on their Armor Save. Any Wound that manages to get through has to reroll it. Probably better than the former option.

*''Armour of Silvered Steel:'' 45 points. Wearer has a 2+ Armor Save, which cannot be improved in any way, shape, or form. Here's your best choice from the magic armor. You don't need Heavy Armor with it, and the Shield will only grant a Parry. A very good choice if you are taking a great weapon or a paired weapon

*''Armour of Fortune:'' 35 points. Heavy Armor that grants a 5+ Ward Save. Not bad. Not good either.

*''Helm of Discord:'' 30 points. One extra point of Armor Save, and at the start of each Close Combat you can choose an enemy in base contact with the bearer or the bearer's Unit. They must take a LD test. If its failed they can't make Close Combat attacks and it automatically hit by yours. Souped up version of Beguile at twice the points. Not bad, but yeah; it's just a souped up Beguile. Good on a Wight King.

*''Glittering Scales:'' 25 points. Light Armor, enemies have a -1 To Hit against the wearer in Close Combat. Ehhhhhhh...you're better off with the stock Heavy Armor? Stacks well if on a zombie dragon

*''Shield of Ptolos:'' 25 points for a Shield. Bearer has 1+ Armor Save against Shooting Attacks. Actually pretty good, since your Vamp strategy is probably getting into melee ASAP.

*''Spellshield:'' 20 points. Shield. Grants Magic Resistance (1). Meh, Magic Resistance is pretty weak this edition so not a great choice.

*''Gambler's Armour:'' 20 points for Heavy Armor that grants a 6+ Ward Save. Booooooring.

*''Dragonhelm:'' 10 points. One extra point of Armor Save, 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks. Since Strigoi Ghoul Kings can't take magic armor, there's not really any good reason to take this.

*''Enchanted Shield:'' 5 points for a Shield. Bearer has two extra points to his Armor Save. Actually a nice option since it's only 2 points more than the standard non-magical shield Vamps can take for an extra point of armor.

*''Charmed Shield:'' 5 point Shield, first hit suffered by the bearer is disregarded on a roll of 2+. Mostly a useless magic item, especially for the army of badass heroes who heal the fuck out of themselves.

====Talismans====

*''Talisman of Preservation:'' 45 points for a 4+ Ward Save. Taking this and regular Heavy Armor instead of the Armour of Destiny saves you 5 points of Magic Items, which allows you to take that Charmed Shield at the cost of one more point total for your Vamp. This makes it better in most cases. Sadly, there's no reason to take it on your Strigoi Ghoul King since you can't combine a Regeneration save and a Ward Save. It can give your Necromancer survivability.

*''Obsidian Lodestone:'' 45 points for Magic Resistance (3). If you're worried about the Mortis Engine blowing up, this is your good luck charm.

*''Talisman of Endurance:'' 30 points for a 5+ Ward Save. Yeah...once again, you save one point by taking the Armour of Fortune, but if you need 5 more points in Magic Items you'll want to go with this choice.

*''Obsidian Amulet:'' 30 points, grants Magic Resistance (2). Same purpose as the Lodestone.

*''Dawnstone:'' 25 points to reroll failed Armor Saves. Not a bad choice for a survival Vamp. Pair it with the Armour of Silvered Steel for best use. Since your SGK can't have armor, there's no reason to take it with him.

*''Opal Amulet:'' One use 4+ Ward Save. Costs 15 points. Maybe in a low point game, but in a legitimate 1.5k+ game it's a waste of points for anything but a Necro.

*''Obsidian Trinket:'' 15 points, grants Magic Resistance (1). As with the other Obsidian items.

*''Talisman of Protection:'' 15 points for a 6+ Ward Save. Do you really need a Ward Save this bad? Not terrible, but...there's better places to put 15 points. Even for your Ghoul King.

*''Seed of Rebirth:'' 10 points for Regeneration (6+). Cash in on that Mortis Engine bonus with your Necros and Vamps! Great choice if you're fielding one.

*''Dragonbane Gem:'' 5 points, 2+ Ward Save against Flaming Attacks. You NEED this on your Strigoi Ghoul King.

*''Pigeon Plucker Pendant:'' 5 points, 5+ Ward Save against Wounds caused in Close Combat by a model with Fly. If you're afraid of your caster sitting in a Zombie or Skelly bunker being picked off by Fell Bats, Giant Eagles, and the like then maybe. But tailored lists are probably the only place this belongs.

*''Luckstone:'' One use, reroll a failed Armor Save. It's twenty points less than the Dawnstone, but is reduced in effectiveness thanks to the fact whoever you're kitting out to survive will probably be facing more than one Armor Save. Probably meh.

====Magic Standards====

*''Rampager's Standard:'' 55 points to reroll your Charge distance if it fails. This can salvage a Frenzy Charge, but for 55 points you can only take it on your BSB. This alone pretty much makes it useless.

*''Wailing Banner:'' Causes Terror for 50 points. Generally speaking, this isn't what you want in this army since it's just upgrading your Fear to Terror which a Vamp could do plus the combination of items that make your Fear-causing list badass doesn't leave room for a third Banner. Disregard!

*''Ranger's Standard:'' Unit has Strider, ignoring Dangerous Terrain tests. In a map LOADED with Dangerous Terrain it can be good, but since your Black Knights are Ethereal this only is a factor for them if you actually STOP in terrain. But if you just want to plod your way through the map without going around things, taking this is good. At any rate it'll prevent your opponent from factoring it into the Movement Phase when trying to get an edge over you.

*''Razor Standard:'' Now here we go! 45 points to give everything in the Unit with it Armor Piercing. Those Zombies and Skellys are a lot more dangerous looking when the opponents go from Heavy Armor wearing Spearmen to Light Armor. It's by no means a "must have", but it's okay and if you need to pick something for your BSB.

*''War Banner:'' +1 to Combat Resolution. 35 points. This is actually pretty good, since Combat Resolution causes you to take casualties. If you've got a Unit like Grave Guard that can take magic banners this is a good choice.

*''Banner of Swiftness:'' 15 points, +1 Move. Your army is based on getting into melee, so this is a good choice as well.

*''Lichbone Pennant:'' 15 points for Magic Resistance (1). <s>Some survivability for Units marching close to the Mortis Engine.</s> MR doesn't do anything for magical attacks.

*''Standard of Discipline:'' 15 points, +1 LD. Sounds great to hide from Crumble? Well, you can' use the General's Inspiring Presence rule. But you only Crumble when the General dies...so it's good.

*''Banner of Eternal Flame:'' 10 points. There is NO army in the game who are precluded from this option. Use it to chop down enemy Regenerators, scare the beasties (but everything in the army already does), and clearcut those fucking Wood Elf tree monsters.

*''Gleaming Pennant:'' 5 points, reroll your first failed LD test. <s>Can save you from Crumble. Good for 5 points if you have the option to take a magic banner, but don't want/have points for anything else.</s> Crumble is not a leadership check, it states by the amount you go over, not if you fail therefore this is utter pointless.

*''Scarecrow Banner:'' [[Count Joe Kürbisgärtner]] lists only, since this literally has no use. 5 points to cause Fear in Flyers but you cause Fear against everything anway...

----
====Arcane Items====

*''Book of Ashur:'' 70 points, bearer has +1 to cast and dispel. That's a LOT of points for something there's better options for.

*''Feedback Scroll:'' 50 points, one use. Instead of dispelling, you can use this. The spell works, but for every power dice used to cast the spell the casting Wizard takes a Wound on a 5+. If you're lucky, you can use this to take out your opponent's only spellcaster. Pretty good choice.

*''Scroll of Leeching:'' 50 points, one use. Use it instead of dispelling, you get to have as many dice as was used to cast the spell in your next magic phase (no more than 12 dice ever, remember). This puppy, if used when your opponent whips out Dwellers or Cas's Comet, can get that Black Coach out a few turns early!

*''Sivejir's Hex Scroll:'' 50 points. One use, once again you use it instead of dispelling. Enemy Wizard must roll their own level or lower on a D6, but if they fails they turn into a frog. They can no longer cast spells, their magic items stop working, and all stats other than Wounds become 1. Each turn they must roll a D6, and only on a 4+ do they go back to being normal.

*''Power Scroll:'' 35 points. One use, use when you cast a spell. ANY roll of a double causes Irresistible Force and a miscast. Suicide spell, coupled with Forbidden Lore you can try to whip out a level 6 spell that your opponent cannot try to prevent. It's actually not a bad option, taking a single Vampire on their own, far from friendlies the explosion radius can hit and whipping out something big. But that's about it.

*''Wand of Jet:'' 35 points, one use, after you roll your power dice you can tack on an extra power dice roll. Not bad when you're trying to conserve dice between multiple spellcasters.

*''Forbidden Rod:'' 35 One use. Add D6 more Power Dice to your Magic Phase at the beginning, but inflicts D3 Wounds on the user that you can't save against (You don't get Armor Saves but Ward and Regen are still allowed). Since you can restore such Wounds with the lore attribute, it's not a terrible tradeoff particularly if you can save some of them with Black Pariapt.

*''Trickster's Shard:'' One use only. 25 points, use at the start of the Magic Phase. For that phase when one of your spells is dispelled the enemy Wizard that did it rolls a D6, taking a Wound without saves on a 5+. Eh...good if you're spamming Invoc on a bunch of different casters. But this won't really save you from dispelling, and on phases you aren't casting many spells it's wasted.

*''Earthing Rod:'' 25 points. If you miscast, you can reroll the result. Not a bad idea but it's a bit too expensive to reroll what will probably be another "localized Exterminatus".

*''Dispel Scroll:'' One use, 25 points, use instead of attempting to dispel. Auto-dispel an enemy spell, unless it's Irresistible (at which point the caster won't be around much longer most likely). This is never bad, for any army, to take.

*''Power Stone:'' One use. 20 points. Before you cast a spell, you can use this to add two power dice (you must use at least one of your regulars).

*''Scepter of Stability:'' 15 points, one use. Increase dispel results by +D6 after you find out how many you're getting, but before any casting takes place. Pretty good.

*''Channelling Staff:'' 15 points, add +1 to all Channeling attempts to get more power dice. Eh...probably not. 16% chance for just one more power dice. You have much better ways to get it.

*''Scroll of Shielding:'' 15 points, one use. Use instead of dispelling. Target of the spell has a 4+ against Wounds caused by it. Since most spells you should be afraid of (barring the Lore of Death) don't cause direct Wounds, this is usually a mediocre option.

====Enchanted Items====

*''Wizarding Hat:'' 100 points, bearer is a level 2 Wizard in a random spell lore but has Stupidity. Since the only two options that can afford it are already level 1-3 Wizards there is literally no reason to ever take this.

WAIT- it could technically grant access to the lore of life. In massive points games, you could therefore have access to every single lore!!!

*''Fozzrik's Folding Fortress:'' 100 points, deploy a Watchtower on your side of the field in the deployment zone. Since your army relies on Close Combat and you don't really have any ranged options, this is a terrible choice. It's possible you can stick a caster in it and use it as a bunker, but your army would still need to be close by to get use out of it which goes back to the main problem; you need to be in Close Combat, you have no ranged options, your opponent probably does. If it moved, you could deploy it anywhere, or was in the middle of the field under your control things would be different.

*''Arabyan Carpet:'' Grants Fly for 50 points to an option on foot. They cannot join a Unit. The only application is a Flying Necromancer or Wight King, but WHY would you want that?

*''Crown of Command:'' Grants Stubborn for 35 points. Your army is Unbreakable, once again there's no reason to take this.

*''Healing Potion'' 35 points, one use. At the start of the turn, recover D6 Wounds. Not really a terrible choice, but it fulfills the same role as Invocation. So unless you can think of a situation where you'd want it, skip it.

*''Featherfoe Torc'' 35 points. Flying creatures and their riders reroll successful rolls to hit the bearer and their Unit in Close Combat. Good for tailoring a list, but there's not really a guaranteed need for it. It's main use is if you fear warmachine hunters going for your caster bunker.

*''Ruby Ring of Ruin'' 25 point Bound Spell, level 3, Fireball spell. Meh. Double meh.

*''The Terrifying Mask of EEE!'' 25 points to cause Terror. The only thing in your army that doesn't cause Fear is the Necromancers, who will NOT be by themselves; so no, don't ever take this.

*''Potion of Strength'' 20 point one use item, used at the start of either player's turn. User has +3 Strength for that turn. Eh...no. Probably not.

*''Potion of Toughness'' Also 20 points, one use, used at the start of either player's turn. User has +3 Toughness for that turn. More useful, especially on a Strigoi Ghoul King, but still not particularly handy in most scenarios.

*''The Other Trickster's Shard'' 15 points. Models in base contact with the bearer reroll successful Ward Saves. It's a good "fuck you" to High Elves, and can be situationally useful in many scenarios against other armies. Not a bad choice for an offensive character, or any character WITH an offensive Unit.

*''Ironcurse Icon'' 5 points, bearer and their Unit have 6+ Ward Save against warmachines. Great for 5 points, a 6+ ward on a unit is better than nothing, especially when it's a massive horde.

*''Potion of Foolhardiness'' 5 points, same rule as the other two lower point potions, grants Immune to Psychology and Devastating Charge. If you took a Vamp with Flying Horror this can be situationally useful, but as is? Nope.

*''Potion of Speed'' 5 points, same as the other potions, +3 Initiative. Probably not. Wight King could benefit (how?) but still, not a good choice.

</div></div>

==Magic==

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%"> The magic Lores that Vampire Counts casters can take by default are the Lore of Vampires, Lore of Death, and the Lore of Shadow, though the Lore of Shadow is not available to Necromancers (Master or not). There's also the Forbidden Lore, where a vampire character can use any of the main rulebooks lores excluding Life.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

====Lore of Vampires====
No matter how you play, you will end up with at the minimum a Level 1 caster in this lore.

The Magic Phase of Warhammer Fantasy is basically a glorified game of chicken arbitrated by dice. Approach Lore of the Vampires from this perspective: how can you scare the wits out of your opponent? The short answer: the healing power of your Lore attribute, Invocation of Nehek spamming, the Dance Macabre, and Curse of Years. These three spells are the core of what makes the Vampire Counts terrifying: endeavor to have all three of them available to you, preferably with a redundant Invocation every turn on a Vampire or Necromancer Hero.
They're all cheap spells (low casting values for what they do, combined with the ability to reduce their casting values with different options in your army) and have effects that dictate the flow of the game. Taking a Level 4 Master Necromancer or the Hero level Mannfred in games where you can't afford a kitted out Vampire Lord caster is always your best bet. The Magic Phase is where Vampire Counts have a huge advantage: if you want to play the army to its fullest, exploit the shit out of it.

The lore attribute, Curse of Undeath, allows you to allocate one healed wound to the caster or a model within 12 inches of the caster of any spell in the lore. For great times late game cast spells around your Coven Thrones to keep that rape train running and make your opponent cry as the ladies cause their troops to hit themselves. Early on it's the primary way to keep your Mortis Engine from self-destructing.

*Invocation Of Nehek: The signature spell and the army's bread and butter. 6+ cast value to affect all models in a 6 inch bubble, or at a 12+ cast value all models in 12 inches, and at a 18+ cast value all models in (you guessed it!) 18 inches. It's an augment that heals infantry for D6 plus the caster's level. Thanks to the newly dead rule, zombies get 2D6 instead. Ghosts, vampires, and large targets heal exactly one wound from it (two if you factor in the lore attribute). Characters (and their mounts) are not affected by the spell. Everything else heals 1 plus the caster's level. This is the spell that stands up all our terrible infantry to fight another round. At least 2 casters should have this at all times, no exceptions.

*Vanhel's Dance Macabre: 6+ Augment with a range of 12 inches on a target Undead unit (so no throwing this on living allied armies in 2v2 games) or 12+ to affect everything in a 12 inch bubble. Models reroll failed To Hit rolls in close combat until the next Magic Phase, and if they aren't busy they can move another 8 inches immediately like it was the movement phase still. Say it with me: Movement wins games. Your army is on par with snails (or worse, Dwarfs!) without this spell. With this spell, you are one of the fastest armies in the game. Your troops are also 100% close combat, so if they're not in combat, you're losing. You want to guarantee that you have this spell in every game, even if it means taking the Book of Arkhan in every. Single. Game. The rerolls to hit just make this spell even better: the AoE version is cheap, and with a Corpse Cart or two it can turn your army into an unstoppable murder machine. Factor in a Mortis Engine or two and 12+ can be achieved with just two power dice by a level 4 caster, negating miscast issues. In big games, two Corpse Carts and two twenty-strong hordes of Crypt Ghouls accelerated by a caster with this spell and supported by multiple castings of Invocation will steamroll the opposition. Your opponent will cry when each block of Ghouls tosses out 30 ASF poisoned attacks with rerolls to hit, and then the casualties he manages to inflict just get back up and keep killing him. If you manage to get two casters with the AoE version, watch your opponent's face when your army covers 20" in one turn and drink the sweet despair. Also wonderful in other lists since Zombies can become terrifying when they hit first (see Corpse Cart) and reroll hits. This spell can also be used to push Hexwraiths across enemy units and trigger more hits from their Spectral Hunters rule. With some good positioning and multiple casters with access to this spell (Mannfred and Kemmler get it automatically through Loremaster, and it comes in a bound form on the Book of Arkhan) you can yo-yo a unit of Hexwraiths back and forth across your opponent's line to devastating effect. There used to be some debate about if this was legal, but the the April 2013 FAQ for Vampire Counts explicitly says that Spectral Hunters works with Danse Macabre.

*Hellish Vigour: 8+ Augment to affect one Undead Unit within 12 inches, or all Undead within 12 inches for 12+. Reroll all failed To Wounds until the next Magic Phase. As you can see, combined with the above spell our base infantry murders everything it touches. Woe be to the foe if we get a magic phase all to ourselves. Put on Grave Guard for ultra lulz. Most players won't let you get off both of course, but even Zombies can chew up some Special options if you can get Vanhel's and Hellish Vigour on them. A horde of Ghouls with both goes beyond broken, and with a score of lucky rolls can obliterate almost anything they get their hands on. Bear in mind that it has an expensive casting cost for what it does by itself, and is only really effective when cast on a lot of bodies. Danse Macabre is far more effective in most situations if you have to decide between the two.

*Gaze of Nagash: 9+ Magic Missile with a range of 24 inches, 48 inches with a 12+. 2D6 Strength 4 hits. Not huge or game changing but will ruin Beastmen and other Light Armor-only armies. Also useful for picking off lone wizards.

*Raise Dead: 9+, unique spell. Within 18 inches anywhere at least one inch from any terrain or Unit, you can spawn 2D6+3 Zombies. For a 14+ instead, you can spawn 2D6+3 Skeleton Warriors. It becomes a new Unit with no upgrades and does not award Victory Points but also can't be dispelled once they hit the table. Amazing since it can be cast in combat. Get your main mob of zombies or skeletons in combat and let the flank charges begin! May not add a whole lot but if you get it on less than Fearless units the Fear test alone can win the fight. If you roll it keep it, provided you have the models to support. It can be especially useful in summoning models directly in front of your opponent's gunlines to soak of their fire. You can also eat the turn of a warmachine by tying it up in Close Combat. That being said, this spell shouldn't take priority over Danse Macabre or when there's a nice opening for one of your other spells.

*Curse of Years: 12+ Hex with an 18 inch range, no boosted version. Remains in play until the enemy manages to dispel it. On casting, roll D6 for every model in the target Unit. For every 6, they take a Wound. At the end of every Magic Phase (yours AND your opponent's) every turn after, roll a D6 for each model, suffering Wounds on a 5+ that turn, a 4+ the next, 3+ the next, to a maximum of 2+ if your opponent's Wizard is staring at the sky not even trying to dispel it. No Armor Saves are allowed against it. There's absolutely NOTHING bad about this spell. It is one of the best in the game, for various reasons. It's painful to your opponent when it's cast on his point-expensive deathstar Unit because it ignores Armor Saves (bye-bye Ogres, sayonara Warriors of Chaos, don't forget to write High Elves!). It's a fire-and-forget spell, letting your opponent dictate what's going to happen. Once it's on the enemy, their top priority is getting rid of it as whatever it's on will be devastated in three turns so your opponent will burn dispel dice getting rid of it, only to leave himself open to your Augments or you just recasting it. Oh, and did you catch the fact that it can be cast into Close Combat because it's a Hex? Unless your opponent has a Lord level spellcaster (unlikely for most armies below 2000 points) then he's going to having to get very lucky in his dispel once he burns through his Dispel Scrolls and even if he does have a Wizard Lord you can try to nail them using a Feedback Scroll or some sniping; in this case, cast this as your Lord level caster character (doesn't matter if it's a Necro or a Vampire) and cackle like a witch as your opponent has to write off whatever this spell hits as doomed, then cast it on another Unit next Magic Phase until the field looks like a very dusty pantry.

*Wind of Death: 15+ Remains In Play Magic Vortex with a small template, 25+ for a large template. Once it's been placed <s>(anywhere you want)</s> (no, it's a vortex and follows the normal vortex placement rules as stated in the BRB), you choose the direction it'll go. Roll one artillery dice and multiply it by 3, which is how many inches it'll move. Anything it passes over takes D6 Armor-ignoring Strength 3 hits, Strength 4 at the higher casting value. If you roll a misfire on the artillery you begin the template on the caster instead of where you chose and roll a scatter and a D6 to determine the direction it'll move and how far. If you roll the Hit side, it'll move the direction of the hit instead of the direction you chose. Regardless of where it starts you throw an artillery dice in the direction a scatter dice indicates with a misfire causing it to fade away. Use this spell to thin deathstars, or superior hordes such as those of Orcs & Goblins. Anything with low Toughness also suffers, such as the armies of Elves. The only problem with this spell is the chance of it fading and the possibility of consuming yourself on top of the high cast value. Curse of Years is far superior in every way, except against armies with lots of small Units.

====Lore of Shadows====

This can be a useful lore on a Vampire as it comes with several Hexes and damage spells that increase the effectiveness of your own Units by reducing the stats of enemy units, firing off cannonball lines of pain, or dropping nasty templates.
This lore will only really be seen in games over 1500 points as Lore of Vampires takes priority on at least 2 Wizards, preferably the higher level ones.
The spell lore, Smoke and Mirrors, allows the spellcaster to switch places with a friendly character of the same model type within 18 inches which can be useful for getting them back and forth in your mage bunkers, but that's situational at best.

*Melkoth's Mystifying Miasma: Can be useful for taking away enemy movement, otherwise not very effective as your own stats will be far above or far below theirs.
*Steed of Shadows: Generally not great, Danse is far better despite having a higher casting value but it works on the whole Unit.
*The Enfeebling Foe: Hell yes this spell is great! It can cripple a Dragon, it can make those nasty little White Lions as weak as a Goblin, and so forth. Best used to reduce the pain of charges, or keep your tarpits un-alive.
*The Withering: Fuck yes a spell that lowers Toughness! Fuck Ogres, fuck Daemons, and once again those Elves are gonna be equivalent to Gubbinz.
*The Penumbral Pendulum: Forget using this on Elves, throw this against those desert-dwelling Tomb King fogeys and those crazy Mexican scalies and wipe out chunks of their army easy.
*Pit of Shades: Init Test or die, not as nasty as Purple Sun or Dwellers Below, but at a discount casting level. If you combo with Melkoth's Mystifying Miasma it can even work on Elves in a reduced capacity.
*Okkam's Mindrazor: situational as few of your models have a decent Leadership score. You can still bump up by a few points in some cases though, like making Grave Guard and Black Knights S6 or Ghouls S5. But packing a Vampire Master General into a Unit of Zombies can get them S10!

====Lore of Death====

Short-ranged sniper magic is a good way to describe most of this lore. Spell lore is Life Leeching, each Wound a Lore of Death spell causes, roll a D6 (and Purple Sun things killed get one roll for each Wound the model had). For each 5 or 6, add a die to your Power Dice for next turn.

*Spirit Leech: Signature Spell and one of the best anti-monster spells around as you will normally have at least 2 more LD than your target and very few monsters have Ward Saves.
*Aspect of the Dreadknight: Since everything you have causes Fear, the only use of this is Terror which lets you cause Fear to other models with Fear. As such, great for slowing down Ogres and the like, otherwise meh.
*The Caress of Laniph: Easily cast spell that's great for taking out Wizards and other low Strength models, will cause 2 Wounds on average to a S3 target and ignores Armor. Pretty good.
*Soulblight: Good for helping you win a single combat or making your opponent panic come his turn as the tides turn against him.
*Doom And Darkness: This will make those Fear test lot more likely to be failed, combine with Aura, Fear Incarnate, Screaming Banner, and Supernatural Horror to all but ensure your opponent goes running.
*The Fate Of Bjuna: Much like caress but instead targets toughness, and wounds on a 2+ instead of a 4+, another Wizard-hunting spell. Averages 3 wounds to a T3 model. Better than Caress because of the Stupidity effect.
*Purple Sun of Xereus: Init test or die, this spell is quiet capable of ending games (and friendships) in a single cast and due to Lore Attribute giving you a lot more power dice to keep the magic rolling. Be warned, your own troops have lower Initiative as well, and once the unit's wiped out they're not coming back except for Zombies.

===Forbidden Lores===

With a Vampire upgrade (meaning only Vampire casters can do this) that rings in at 25 points, you can take any Lore from the Core rulebook other than Lore of Life. This generally isn't ideal since the default Lores are pretty well suited to the army and don't burn 25 points, but by no means is it a BAD idea to do. Also great for fluff lists or throwing your opponent a curveball.

====Lore of Fire====
Turning the spell lore most popular with Sigmarites and [[Witch Hunters]] against them? Hell yeah!
While Fire is probably the bottom of the Lore tier list, it isn't by much. Lots of S4 damage that gets better the more dice you pump into it, and it's devastating against models with Regeneration, and those nasty Wood Elves and dusty old bones Tomb Kings.

The lore attribute, Kindleflame, reduces the casting difficulty of each Lore of Fire spell when targeting a Unit you've already hit with one by D3. The spells themselves are not difficult to begin with, allowing a level 4 Wizard to unleash hell on a budget. Using Black Periapt, this is perhaps the army best at using this lore in fact.

*Fireball: Signature spell, the lowest level is easy to cast, not bad and a great way to open up for the attribute for a higher level spell. It's a good substitute for your lack of a shooting phase as well.
*Cascading Fire-Cloak: A pretty good spell, it's cheap on top of being fire and forget (no pun intended) and can deal a fair amount of damage if your opponent lets it stay, so you'll eat some of their dispel dice. It's another great way to make Zombies and Spirit Hosts more than just a tarpit.
*Flaming Sword of Rhuin: It's decent, not better than your Lore of Vampires augments but if you can throw it on a unit of Grave Guard, it's wicked.
*The Burning Head: Once again, better found in another Lore but good as it stands.
*Piercing Bolts Of Burning: Good against TK, O&G, Skaven, and anything else trying to get Stubborn by being in a horde. This is one of the better spells in the Lore for once again removing opposition to your tarpit, this time by clearing out your opponent's anvil.
*Fulminating Flame Cage: This spell is very nice, as it will more or less halt a low armour low Toughness horde for one turn or inflict heavy casualties. In addition, enemy Frenzy units or those with Stupidity and crap LD are almost assured to take those hits. One of the best spells in the Lore.
*Flame Storm: While Cage affects one Unit, this spell affects a large number of small Units. It can entirely miss anything however, so it does have some added risk. Still not bad, and cheap for a template spell.

====Lore of Beasts====
Remember that the Vampire Counts set up shop in [[Albion]] and [[Lustria]], which is a good fluff basis. Strigoi, or frontier Vampires works too.
Lore of Beasts is one of the better Lores in the game. Contains some good and cheap Augments and a Hex that really help bulk up VC troops, and one of the potentially most risky and broken combos in the entire game.

The Lore Attribute, Wildheart, makes the spells 1 point easier to cast on Beasts, Monsters, Cavalry, Chariots, Swarms, Monstrous Beasts, Monstrous Cavalry, or anything Beastmen. It's absolutely fucking boring and pretty much a non-factor.

* Wyssan's Wildform: Signature Spell, and there is literally nothing bad about this spell, nor is there a bad way to use it. Your penny bodies suddenly stand up like dime infantry. Since it comes standard with the Lore, you can throw it on a Level 1 Vampire caster and get the best possible spell here every time.
*The Flock of Doom: On one hand, it's cheap. You probably wouldn't need more than one dice to cast it. On the other hand, the likelihood of it killing anything higher than T3 with no armour is very low, not worth it.
*Pann's Impenetrable Pelt: Augment. Nice way to keep your Vamps alive, particularly in magic-heavy, combat character-less lists. But the return is iffy. Use it situationally.
*The Amber Spear: Not only is this a ranged attack, it's an artillery attack. Covers a hole missing in the Vampire Counts arsenal nicely, wasting those nasty monsters and cavalry off nicely.
*The Curse of Anraheir: Pretty neat ability, the reduction to shooting saves you some casualties while racing into melee and during those nasty charges. Making all terrain dangerous is another way to dominate the Movement Phase.
*The Savage Beast of Horros: Expensive spell, but holy shit will it devastate. Lather in your opponents tears, then rinse off in their blood when the battle ends.
*Transformation of Kadon: The main problem with this spell is, since the Magic Phase is after the Movement Phase, you must be already in Close Combat for it to do any good. That means you will probably Charge, not knowing if the spell will work or not. But all other rules, including Vampire Powers, continue working- imagine a Mountain Chimera with Red Fury and Quickblood. That's 4D6+1 (so average around 13-17) poisoned ASF attacks at WS7, S7, I5, generating new hits on every successful wound. Let that sink in. That said, it's one of the higher risk plays in Warhammer Fantasy, but if you can pull it off the rest of the match will be a mop-up.

====Lore of Metal====
For your self-respecting Vampire Dwarf list.
A fairly decent Lore, although it's generally overshadowed by the darker Lores (and Life).

The main benefit of this Lore is for low survivability armies or against highly armored armies, and as such this is a good Lore for VC.
The Lore Attribute, Metalshifting, means your rolls to wound are equal to the opponent's armour save, and the hits are also flaming and armor-ignoring. As a result, this is a good Lore for killing heavily armored stuff in addition to being fantastic against armies like Warriors of Chaos, but on low armour armies it's not nearly as good.

*Searing Doom: Signature Spell that's great against heavy cavalry or high armoured anvils. High casting cost though, especially when boosting (although successfully boosting this against heavy cavalry will be brutal).
*Plague of Rust: PERMANENTLY reduces the Armor by one point of an ENTIRE UNIT. You can cast this every fucking turn, stripping your foe essentially naked (2lewd). This spell is one you want to cast on something you don't intend to blast with another spell from this Lore, but otherwise this is one of the best spells in the game.
*Enchanted Blades of Aiban: Armour Piercing Ghouls? FUCK YES! If you CAN cast this spell, you should.
*Glittering Robe: Once again, almost everything can benefit from this. Grave Guard and Black Knights become downright diamond-hard with it. Also, they'll look FABULOUUUUS!~
*Gehenna's Golden Hounds: It's cheaper than Searing Doom, and you'll hit the best targets in the Unit most likely, but the chances of hitting your target are low. Conditional spell.
*Transmutation of Lead: When you could cast Glittering Robe, Plague of Rust, and Enchanted Blades of Aiban there's no real reason to use this spell. You could stack it with some of the others, but chances are good that would steal power dice from your Invocation casting and would probably be overkill.
*Final Transmutation: A very nice spell, and the most widely useful "save or die" spell overall since it doesn't rely on a specific stat to work but instead is based on luck. It generally won't match the sheer killing power of, say, a Purple Sun against Ogres or Lizzies, but on average, a third of what you cast it on dies. If you take out the General or BSB (although the odds of them being affected are lower), then the chances of that Stupidity roll go through the roof which gives you one turn of Movement dominance. Great spell. Plus, if you manage to win a game using it you can really give a cheeky poke to your opponent by obtaining one of the same kind of model you turned to gold last game, painting it gold then mounting it on the Coven Throne or Mortis Engine like a hood ornament.

====Lore of Light====
Taking the spell lore utilized to cleanse the world of the Undead as a Vampire? Actually quite possible, since the Lore is equally effective against Daemons and Chaos (which most Undead are NOT fond of). Lahmians infiltrated the [[Sisters of Sigmar]] long ago, and there's also non-evil Vampires running around (mostly those who have self control combined with the aforementioned hatred of Chaos). This lore is actually a solid choice, as it helps get around some of the shortcomings of the Vampire army. The lore attribute is super situational (the two damage-dealing spells do extra damage against undead/daemons... yay) and probly won't come into play.
*Shem's Burning Gaze: signature spell, gives a decent magic missile that can be boosted to be a fairly nasty magic missile. It's a flaming attack (you know, because it's "burning"), so it helps against regenerating stuff.
*Pha's Protection: as the name suggests, it protects your target unit from being hit by things, whether it's shooting or melee. Can even prevent cannonballs from shooting you. Can be cast in a bubble for extra love.
*Speed of Light: so your troops generally have lousy WS and I. Well guess what? Here's the fix for that. Can be boosted to affect a bubble around the wizard.
*Light of Battle: a morale boost for an army that doesn't have morale. Can be useful as a contingency- if your general dies, this spell suddenly becomes helpful with those crumbling tests, especially if you boost it for the bubble effect. But if you're at that point where you need to rely on this, then things probably aren't going well for you.
*Net of Amyntok: potentially stops an enemy unit from moving or attacking you. Especially useful against shooty units or warmachine crews, who generally have S3.
*Banishment: the other damage-inflicting spell. A decent magic missile that can be boosted for extra range. Especially useful against units that rely heavily on ward saves (like daemons or High Elves) because it forces rerolls of successful ward saves.
*Barona's Timewarp: gives bonus attacks plus ASF and extra movement. Combine this with Speed of Light and suddenly your wimpy skeletons become kinda terrifying. And this too can be boosted into a bubble effect.

====Lore of Heavens====
Who's better at astrology and astronomy than a race who spends all their waking hours at night? What's a better profession for a long-lived master of the undead in a world where you can actually read the future (or at least possible futures and big events) with star charts, and with a [[Morrslieb|moon that causes necromantic magic to grow stronger or weaker?]] As for the crunch, this isn't an ideal choice considering your other options. To begin with, it has one of the least useful attributes of any lore- it does some free hits to a spell's target if that target happens to be flying. Woot.
*Iceshard blizzard: gives an enemy unit a penalty to hit and to their Ld; has a 50/50 chance of causing artillery to not shoot. Can be boosted for double range. Not a bad spell, especially if it does manage to protect you from enemy artillery.
*Harmonic Convergence: a buff that gives one of your units (or boost for a bubble) rerolls on to-hit, to-wound, and armor save rolls of 1. Not terrible, but you have better reroll spells (which also heal you) from your own lore, and most of your stuff doesn't have much for armor anyway.
*Wind Blast: pushes enemy units around a little bit (can be boosted to push them slightly further), and can cause some minor damage if they bump into stuff when you do it. Might be useful for mucking with enemy charge ranges and such, but meh.
*Curse of the Midnight Wind: the opposite of Convergence, forces an enemy unit to reroll 6s on those same rolls. Not bad, but considering you generally have lower WS than most enemies, not super useful except possibly to prevent poison and killing blow. Can be boosted to affect a bubble of enemy units around the caster.
*Urannon's Thunderbolt: a high S magic missile. Fairly high casting cost (gonna need about 3 dice to reliably cast unless your level 4 wizard is feeling saucy) and doesn't do a ton of hits; can be boosted for increased range. The one time you do 6 hits and thrash a unit of Chaos knights it'll be awesome but otherwise meh.
*Comet of Casandora: the big daddy. It has the potential to do a TON of damage- at a bare minimum, 2d6+1 S5 hits to all units (friend or foe) within 2d6 inches of the impact spot. Ouch. This also means that it's useful for area denial- don't want your enemy to march straight at you? Drop this right in their path so now they have to make a tough choice. This is a great albeit slightly unreliable spell.
*Chain Lightning: basically an unboostable, harder to cast version of the Thunderbolt but has a chance of jumping around hitting additional enemy units. Possibly useful if your enemy has their army really bunched together but the high casting cost and 1:3 chance of it not really doing any more than a Thunderbolt makes it less attractive.

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==Building Your Army==

===Army Composition===

====Bloodlines====

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">Please note that bloodlines have next to no effect on the game as it is now, they're almost entirely for fluff reasons, so you can have two completely separate bloodlines on the field without any issues.
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Although 7e removed the previous Bloodline traits, they managed to survive in the way that you can kit out Vampire Lords and Vampires with Vampire upgrades that reflect the various attitudes of the families. Invoking a Bloodline army is mainly for fluff, although the army choices reflecting the Bloodlines are still thankfully complimentary of each other. Fluffwise this was explained in [[Ulrika the Vampire]] by saying that when Vamps fuck, they tend to bite and share blood which makes Bloodlines act like each other combined with the fact that as time goes on the younger recruit Vamps have much more in common than their former kinsmen than their Bloodline progenitor that they'll probably never meet face to face. Taking a specific Bloodline rather than just picking and choosing arbitrarily can simplify your listbuilding process if you're unsure, can make the game a bit more fun if you enjoy the fluff, and can earn you a bit of respect from your fellow players as someone into the army rather than just into the strength tier of the army.

[[Image:Lahmians simplified.jpg|right|thumb|100px|The average male and female Lahmian, the latter seen without her magic makeup.]]
[[Queen Neferata|'''Lahmians''']] are the first of the Bloodlines. Mostly (but not entirely) consist of female vampires, they organize into a network of spies from all races and nations of the world controlling as much as they can from behind the scenes. Most Bloodlines dream of world domination; the Lahmians are already there, and they plan to keep it that way. They all answer to Neferata, who is essentially a bisexual Cleopatra. Their army mainly consists of things they can hide or summon from anywhere due to them keeping appearances as civilians in various professions and social levels, meaning you stock up on ghosts, dogs, bats, and skeletons. Centerpieces should be the Black Coach and the Coven Throne. The vamps themselves are mostly magic-heavy. Although the higher ranking Lahmians are usually witty chickenshits and very hedonistically evil ([[Tzeentch]] and [[Slaanesh]] have a baby, it's a Lahmian basically), they incorporate anyone useful into their Bloodline resulting in younger members who are more neutral as civilian merchants/merchant wives looking to increase their family/nations strength and influence, or even some that have been convinced that they can do more good as a Vampire than as a mortal.

[[Image:Brock.png|right|thumb|100px|Abhorash; the early years.]]
[[Abhorash|'''Blood Dragons''']] are the martial Bloodline. Founded by one of the biggest badasses in either Warhammer universe, the Blood Dragons are made up of mounted Vampire Lords and Vampires, Blood Knights, Black Knights, and whatever you want to use in your Core. These guys ride around looking for challenges to their manliness, drinking the blood of what they kill. If the fight is worthy enough, they're cured of the negative aspects of vampirism (blood thirst, weakness to sunlight, running water, and so forth). Their numbers are increasing and nobody knows if their leader has plans of conquest, taking his place as Khorne's superior, or whatever else may be in plans. Most of them aren't outright evil, just looking for a fight with the biggest guy around. Stay fighty, keep away from Ethereal options or spellcasters (keep your Vamps in the Lore of Vampires and spamming Invocation as a battle cry so they can take over as general however).

[[Image:Necrarchs.png|right|thumb|100px|Vampires, BEHOLD!]]
[[W'soran/Melkhior|'''Necrarchs''']] are the most magic-heavy Bloodline. As time goes on this Bloodline has become less and less focused since Lahmians took over as the magic spammers, Strigoi were introduced to become the brutes, and Mannfred stole their entire plot. In fact, they work better as the explanation of why your Strigoi brought Necromancers and spellcasting Vamps than a Bloodline to themselves. Despite this they're still fun, and since Nosferatu is STILL the most frightening example of a Vampire the Bloodline that looks like his family to the last is likely to stay. More the mad scientist group than anything else, they're equivalent to the Skaven clans [[Clane Skyre]] and [[Clan Moulder]] for Vampire Counts. They're neutral with most of the other Bloodlines and provide support as needed to advance their cause. They play behind the scenes, creating abominations of new kinds and mass producing existing types like Zombie Dragons. They differ from Lahmians in that Lahmians are more likely to take Forbidden Lores and be slightly fighty and keep ghosts and skeletons while Necrarchs will spam the default Lores and bring in more physical forms of undead like Zombies, Crypt Ghouls/Horrors, Corpse Carts (for gathering up raw materials!), Necromancers (entry-level Necrarchs), Mortis Engines (which fit their theme PERFECTLY), and Vargheists. They're differentiated from Strigoi by taking spellcasters at all.

[[Image:Vampa lisa smile.jpg|right|thumb|100px|On the plus side, there won't be enough of you left to reanimate as an Undead slave.]]
[[Ushoran|'''Strigoi''']] are a newer Bloodline, introduced in 6e. If you haven't seen the movies 30 Days of Night and The Descent, add that to your "to do" list. Those best exemplify this Bloodline. Vicious killing machines, pitiless and animalistic. Mostly Vampires turned by any Bloodline that gave into the bloodthirst, Strigoi Vampires not only drink blood but also eat meat...metal...they'll chew bones, and even hunt other undead and Vampires as fast as they will human peasants. The Strigoi that can think coherently is rare, but they're even more scary fuckers than their kin. Load up on the Ghouls, the Crypt Horrors, the Vargheists, and everything else with teeth all lead by a Strigoi Ghoul King (duh). Kit out vamps to be fighty. A fully Strigoi list will be dangerously low on spellcasters unless you bring fighty Vamps all on Lore of Vampires spamming Invocation like with Blood Dragons.

[[Image:Strahd.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Why mess with a classic style?]]
'''Von Carsteins''', the army based more on [[Vlad von Carstein|Dracula]] and [[Isabella von Carstein|his wives]]. Their characters tend to be parodies of nobility, be they [[Mannfred von Carstein|Starscream style plotting bastards]], [[Konrad von Carstein|Caligula style insane inbred manchildren]], or similar style characters. According to Vlad they're the second oldest Bloodline being descended from Vashanesh, the husband of Neferata and it's possible that he himself is Vashanesh...or that he made it up. Most other Bloodlines treat it as bullshit either way and consider them the nouveau riche Bloodline of children fucking things up (since before they declared war on the Empire and the world Vampires were a threat similar to Skaven in that most humans didn't think they really existed, and knowledge of them was sparse) and being a bunch of little shits (since von Carsteins are very hostile to the other Bloodlines particularly Lahmians and Necrarchs due to seeing them as rivals, and outright manipulative of Strigoi). They're the poster boy army, similar to [[Ultramarines]] and the [[Sisters of Battle|Order of Our Martyred Lady]]. Generally speaking, the von Carstein army will contain any of the options in the Vampire Counts army at will. They're more defined by what named characters you bring along and what you have more of. Vlad and Isabella early in their war on the Empire will probably bring along skeletons more than anything else, since Sylvania is mostly on their side and they've pilfered the ancient tombs of the land to make their army as well as Black Coaches used by the nobility they've turned into Vampires. They'd pick up things like Zombies and Corpse Carts as time went on and more cities fell to them. Konrad would be more like a Necrarch/Strigoi army, the former as his minions keeping shit going and the latter as his kin more than anything else. Mannfred specifically brought in Vampires and minions directly from other Bloodlines into his forces, although by and far he relied on mass blocks of Zombies and anything he could use to bolster them. As for OCs, anything works. GW sells special bits to customize to look more "von Carstein", but despite them looking kind of neat they don't actually look more "von Carstein" than anything else really.

[[Image:Vampirate.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Booty prevents scurvy.]]
'''Sartosa''' are a new Bloodline from 2008 special models made up of pirates, with their fluff originating in a 2005 issue of White Dwarf. [[Luthor Harkon]] was a Vampire of an unknown Bloodline who was shipwrecked in his coffin. [[Warriors of Chaos|Vikings]] took him aboard thinking it was a floating treasure chest, and he turned them into his zombie crew. He took his crew to Lustria and found a temple filled with gold and a room sealed with magical glyphs. The glyphs were designed to defend against Chaos, and although they didn't kill him they drove him insane and gave him a large number of different personalities. He can no longer use magic, but the strange magic of the gold empowered his undead minions and increased their intelligence greatly to the point that they can use firearms. He has increased the size of his forces to the point that they now populate a large city of the undead off the coast of Lustria which has successfully repelled everything the Lizardmen have sent at him. The exact intelligence and self-sufficiency of his zombies is unknown but apparently the site is now a trading port so it may be that they are a race of quasi-friendly undead now. In [[Dreadfleet]], the main human character's family was slaughtered by the Vampire Noctilus during a raid on Satrosa, meaning that there is also living humans there as well. Harkon trawls shipwrecks to increase the numbers of his minions as well, and has a fleet of ships. He also apparently has the most powerful cannon ever designed by the Empire,called "Queen Bess". The way his army is described can't be fielded by the Vampire Counts army book. Rather, they're best fielded as [[Empire]], [[Dwarfs]], or [[Tomb Kings]] using Vampire Count models.

There is also a Bloodline of [[Albion]], of which nothing is known as well as various offshoots of the core Bloodlines as vampirism spreads and Bloodline central authority weaken and/or blend and become independent groups. So yeah, feel free to make a Bloodline if you feel so creative. There was originally 11 "firstborn" vampires, of which we only know about 4-5 giving you potential for a new major faction of your making.

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====Playstyle====

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">If the fluff isn't your thing, then you may be more interested in skipping straight to the crunch of your army.
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Generally speaking, Vampire Counts really have two strategies; magic, and melee. This makes them a lot easier to play than most armies, and while many choices form a nice synergy together there's less risk at making a "wrong" decision. Anyone can benefit from a Corpse Cart ASF, Mortis Engines still pick away enemy troops, keep a Black Coach intact long enough and it will pick up enough abilities to tear into your enemy regardless on whether you took a magic-heavy or light list.
A quick glance at the model summaries above should give you ideas on combos, like combining a Mortis Engine with as many Regeneration options as possible, or banking on a Terror/Fear and LD damaging list.

'''Fielding lords'''
The first thing that is apparent in the VC army is just how balls out powerful a Vampire lord can be, the only other generic lords in the game that can go head to head with them and survive with any frequency are Chaos lords. The big draw back with this is the egg/basket problem, you can make the just about unkillable but it will cost you a huge number of points to do so. While tempting as this may be it is tactically unsound. In the current edition of Fantasy, for various reasons numbers are more important than individuals with high killing power. That tricked-out Vampire Lord woth 100 points of magic items, 100 points of Vampire upgrades riding a Zombie Dragon may win you one fight but if you spend those 400+ points on troops you can have 4 level 2 Necromancers raining spells down everywhere or a 60 Skeleton hoard with command and a magic banner. With Vampires its about value for points be it in survivability, magic superiority, killing power, or battlefield advantage. if properly kitted out can be mad a metric tonne more dangerous than a chaos lord. Nightshroud+ Quickblood means that you're always going first. I7 means regular re-rolls to hit. Give him the giant's blade, and that's S8. Barded nightmare+shield= 1+ armour save. combined with the awesomeness that is lore of the vampires, from a friendly necromancer, +1A, re-rolls on to hit and to wound are possible. Take the razor standard nearby, and you are ignoring armour. Red fury an dread knight is just the icing on the cake. Against this, every character without a good ward save will die (though the ones that do have one and ignore armour will wreck him). Another way to build him is to take a Zombie Dragon, Glittering Scales, Sword of Striking, Dread Knight and Quickblood and LAUGH as your opponent has to roll 6+ MINIMUM to hit you in melee, while you need a 3+ at WORST.
Ultimately, you must decide if you're going to use your characters for killing or casting. It's certainly possible to do both, but in almost every scenario it's better to divide those tasks between two characters.
Forbidden Lores can be very useful; after all, Time Warp and Danse Macabre both cast on the same Unit can put a Terror-causing Unit into the opponent's start area, Iceshard Blizzard take take yet another point away from your foe's LD while weakening those wretched shooting attacks you don't get, Final Transmutation on top of a crippled LD score can cripple his entire strategy, Pann's Impenetrable Pelt can turn an already impressive combat Vampire Lord into an untouchable monster, and so on. Just remember that the more casters in Lore of Vampires you can manage, the longer your force will probably survive.

The other options aren't so bad either, a Strigoi Ghoul King, with Its somewhat mediocre Regeneration can be boosted to a 4+ with the help of a Mortis Engine, and for an insignificant 5 points you could shove a Dragon Bane gem from the Core magic items on him for a 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks (making it damn near mandatory) so even if the enemy brings flaming attacks or spells you just got a massive boost in protection. Ghoul Kings still have a great Initiative score at 8, meaning it will go first no matter what against most units and characters (other than elves). Oh, and taking Quickblood? Cancels out the ASF that what he's fighting might have (*ahem* elves *cough*) so that most won't get rerolls against him, but he will get them against THEM (though they'll strike simultaneously).
Another fairly cost-efficient way to field him is taking the Book of Arkhan (Vanhel's Danse Macabre as a bound spell, which grants an extra 8" to move for his unit and re-roll for failed To Hit rolls, ideal for ghouls) and the Dragon Bane gem, as well as taking the Vampire upgrades Red Fury, Beguile, and Fear Incarnate. This will get his unit straight into combat where they'll tear the shit out of whatever they meet and is a psychology nightmare. Only take Dread Knight if you want him stuck against a unit champion or if you're chasing lone models and warmachines-then again, overkill against a unit champion is also pretty okay.
The above set-up would set you back 390 or 400 points, depending whether or not you take Dread Knight and nets you a really versatile character.

'''Troops, So Many Troops'''
Unless you are intentionally fielding a small high-value force you will probably outnumber your opponent. This is because Skeletons and Zombies are cheap, spammable, and you can end up with more then you started with and if you don't then you are doing it wrong. However, VC Core also tend to be useless at killing anything with WS5+ or T4. Regardless of this fact, a horde of troops can hold anything that's not packing some serious killing power in place until they have been whittled down to nothing or you bring something bigger to finish the job the twice-redshirts started. Something else about skeletons, is that unlike Zombies, Skeleton Warriors can take 25 points worth of magic standard. A good option is a horde carrying Screaming Banner (enemy units taking Fear tests in combat with the unit carrying the banner roll an extra dice and discard the lower one) marching with a Vampire who has the Supernatural Horror (causes Terror) and Fear Incarnate (enemies that pass their Fear test must reroll it and cancels out their Stand Your Ground from their BSB). Suddenly you increase the enemies chance of failing a test radically. You can also take Banner of Eternal Flame to push your horde up against anything with a regen save. Make sure to watch out for Lords, Heroes, and things with a save against flaming attacks. Ghouls on the other hand are your hammer in the Core selection, a unit of 20 will pack 16 poison attacks in a 5wide formation, unfortunately they are twice the cost of skeletons making a basic horde (10x4) over 400 points.
Dire Wolves generally have no role other than directors, and if you aren't taking Fell Bats or Cairne Wraiths (Rare version) are probably you're poor man's option in those roles.
That being said, they work fantastic as redirectors. Most armies can benefit from having a Unit of 5-10 on each side, but generally it's a useless practice to field a massive army of them unless they're just there to soak up points.

A small problem is that everything in the Core slot is slow, except for the Dire Wolves and as with most fast units, use them for flanking if you want them. Their high movement speed and head start in the game means they can rip into an enemy's warmachines before their troops have come into range of anything, and they can get almost anywhere on the map in a hurry. Due to having Swiftstride and M9 it is possible to charge from a very long range meaning most shooters need 6s to hit, and in addition to this they gain +1S on that charge making them very good at dealing with small units of archers.

'''Late Night Horror Special'''
Looking into Special, one sees you have three primary types of options; glass cannon (Vargheists, Hexwraiths), support (Spirit Host, Bat Swarm, Corpse Cart), and better anvil than Core could be (Grave Guard, Black Knights, Crypt Horrors). Fell Bats get the honor of being the warmachine hunters. Which is why ultimately, you'll probably want to decide between Fell Bats, Dire Wolves, or Cairne Wraith (Rare) hit squads. Special is most likely where you'll spend your time changing your mind, trying to come up with special combos to use.

'''The Rape Train Has No Breaks'''
The Rare options in the army are the heaviest. Barring the Mortis Engine, the Rare section is essentially a list of the strap-on varieties you can peg your opponent with.
Every option (still not the Mortis Engine) is the biggest hammer in your army. Each of them is squishy for their points as well, so take them with a plan for use which involves getting them into position. The Engine itself is nice for it's passive damage-dealing, but is probably best taken to bolster your anvil if it has Regeneration and pimp your magic. For example, a naked master necro in range of a mortis engine cast at the same comfortably broken bonus power (+5) in LoV as Nagash, and Nagash casts LoV at the insane and ball shriveling +7.
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===Buying Your Army===

If you don't care about participating in GW-run tournaments then go to [http://www.manticgames.com/Shop-Home/Kings-of-War/Undead.html Mantic] you can get 60 zombies for $60 (vs GW's 40 for $70) and 40 skeletons for 45 (vs GW's 40 for 99). Also if you can source some more square bases, each mantic zombie frame is supposed to only make 3 of them, but can easily make 4! Just be warned. Mantic produce ugly, crap quality minis. (that's debatable... for example, in my opinion, zombies suck because they look like infected/ghouls. But skeletons on the other hand are well made and look really good)

If you must use legit GW products, go for the battalion box set as you are going to need a lot of Skeletons, Zombies and Ghouls. The new battalion box dropped the Zombies and replaced them with Dire Wolves - still a good buy. The army box is also good as it gives you a good selection of heavy hitters in addition to the core. You will want to invest in extra zombies/skeletons/dire wolves/dire bats/fell bats (depending on what you run) beyond what you plan on starting on the table. Several spells/abilities allow you to expand these units beyond their starting size (or flat out create new units), but only if you have the models to support it. This is one of the other great advantages the army, as those extra models are essentially free points. Boost a few units and all of a sudden what started off as a 2000pt game has suddenly turned in to a 2200 v 2000 game.

And burying enemy units in piles of zombies is a lot of fun.

Avoid any of [[Games Workshop|GW]]'s overly-expensive kits for the likes of Blood Knights. Instead, either buy Brettonian knights and adapt them, use Dragon Princes, or, if you're feeling particularly [[Martini|vicious]], break open some [[Dark Eldar]] bitz and use them for conversion-fodder for damned near any WHFB armored cavalry unit. The angular Dark Eldar armor works especially well when paired with more conventional fare, since it matches the style used by most Vampire Counts units.

==Tactics==

[[Category:Warhammer/Tactics]]

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">There are many ways to field VCs. Any of the old house builds are still viable in some ways, huge blocks of undying fodder and big monsters are the general idea. Led by a vampire; and/or his necromancer allies. Click expand to see more.
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Von Carsteins are the main focus, leading undead armies and using their magic to keep them up to steam-roll whatever they come across, and this is the idea behind Vampire Counts in general, but it does have many variations.

Blood Dragons are the least magical by vampire standards. at 2500 you can have a combat kitted lord that's a level 4 caster on a zombie dragon. All combat vampires on steeds, add blood and black knights to your heart's content and take preferred core. Wolves will keep up with the army while zombies and skeletons will give you the angles to get your knights into flanks. For added silliness add hexwraiths for a turn one charge into the biggest non magical unit and watch it burn!

'''Other Thoughts on Blood Dragons''': Vargheists are your friend if you like blitzkrieg tactics. The Hellsteed is often overlooked (although it's not difficult to kitbash a model out of a Pegasus knight and an appropriately vampiric head), but a Vampire hero with a lance and his magical allowance spent on defensive items (looking at you, 4+ ward save and 2+ armor save. Enchanted Shield + Talisman of Pres is my go-to setup) goes very well with a Vargheist escort. Vargheists provide the kind of blitzkrieg you need to neutralize unpleasant tricks your opponent might have like heavy chariots (Stegadons, for example) and caster bunkers on the first or second turn of the game. You probably shouldn't rush them into enemy lines if you can help it, but sometimes it's vital to do in order to retain control of the course of the game. If you're antsy about their Frenzy rule, take a 5-strong unit of Dire Wolves. Run the wolves in front of the Vargheists to screen them so they don't charge anything you don't want them to. Keep in mind that the Vargheists, being flyers, are also skirmishers, which means they can freely reform at any time. They're much more straightforward to get into the combat you want them to be in than blood knights. It is extremely satisfying to kill or tarpit a kitted out combat lord riding a monster with a well-placed charge of Vargheists + flying hero early in the game (Add Beguile and Quickblood for extra amusement. Don't take Dread Knight for this set up, or else your Vargheists will get to stand around uselessly. Might be obvious, but bears mentioning).

Blood Dragons-style armies rely very heavily on combat resolution. Vampiric units are hugely expensive, but also very effective. Pick your battles carefully, because a failed combat resolution can be very unpleasant, and an overwhelmingly successful combat resolution can cause your opponent's army to rout. Being able to read how a combat is going to resolve is a very important skill to learn for these armies. Against units that are Immune to Psychology or that have very sturdy morale (like Lizardmen), you have to adopt tactics based on inflicting the largest possible amount of casualties rather than tarpitting.

For Vampire-heavy armies in general, you want 4+ ward saves on your Vampire Lord and at least one Hero (who should also be a level 2 caster). The amount of damage that this ward save will prevent is sickening, especially combined with 1+ and 2+ armor saves. You can sometimes get by with a Banner of the Blood Keep on some Blood Knights and adjacent Vampire characters, but usually you want the 4+ heavy armor or the 4+ talisman. Yes, they're expensive, but having your Vampires die on you is way more inconvenient than losing a bit of killing power (which your Vampires already have in spades with their statline and Quickblood. Incidentally, you should also be taking Quickblood on every combat Vampire period). All the ward save has to do is keep them from losing that last wound until you can cast more Lore of the Vampires spells or trigger The Hunger and heal them back to full Wounds again. In my experience it's very effective at doing this and has quite literally decided several of my games in my favor by very slim margins. Anecdotal, I know, but give it a shot.

--

Lahmians are the magic heavy build, still an all vampire list with a coven throne instead of a dragon and black coaches replacing blood knights. Add huge bricks of zombies and skeletons and push forward. Support with shadow magic from the non lord vampires and at lest 2 with LoV. See ogres reduced to T2 and be dragged down by drastically inferior infantry, watch dwarves kill themselves when a coven throne charges them, or as you chariot with killing blow and impact hits run through cavalry that can't touch them because of ethereal.

Alternatively, you can completely ignore the above advice, and man up to play a REAL magical Bloodline. The Lahmians stole the Necrarchs' collective thunder. To quote from Jack Sparrow, you stole me, and I'm here to take myself back. To field a Necrarch army, you'll want just as many Necromancers as you have Vampires, and it is both fluffy and very crunchy to include Mannfred the Acolyte (after all, who better to learn the ways of Vampiric magic from than the mad scientists of Sylvania?)A Lord on Zombie Dragon would be perfectly fine if you wanted to call him Zachariah, but you're not Lahmian, so give Coven Thrones a miss. Instead use the bits and bobs in that kit to build a Mortis Engine. You'll also want lots of Zombies, Skeletons, at least one Corpse Cart, and even a Black Coach wouldn't go amiss, what with all the power dice you'll be throwing around. Go for physical Undead (Black Knights, Grave Guard, Vargheists/ghulfs, Horrors)over other stuff like Spirit Hosts and Hexwraiths. Then you should take as many casting items and Powers as you can cram in and drink your opponent's tears and blood when they kill your General, only to find that those who crumbled stand back up again as your exactly four bajillion other Wizards wave their hands and yell "I never liked him anyway".

'''Magic Build Advice''': If you're taking Kemmler or a very magic-heavy Lord, consider taking a dirt cheap level 1 Necromancer with an MR 3 talisman to join the same unit as your Lord. Your Necromancer's sole function is to prevent enemy magic and miscast explosions for your Lord and his bunker (though the extra die of channeling is a nice perk). If you have the hundred-odd points to spare, this is a very effective way of ensuring your Lord's continued survival. Yes, I'm a huge fan of Ward saves. They work exceptionally well, and in this case, a 4+ (or higher, if you have a secondary Ward save from something else) Ward for your entire bunker + Lord and Hero will keep you alive. The theme of the Vampire Counts is 'lose your general, lose the game', so taking extra precautions to keep your General alive will always pay off. Yes, crumbling isn't Game Over, but you lose a huge amount of point investment and tactical options when you lose your General. Speaking of ward saves, if any of your Lords or Heroes have a free Talisman slot, also consider a Dragonsbane Gem. 5 points for a situational 2+ ward save is incredible value, because it means that only 1 in 6 flaming attacks that would otherwise wound your character actually get through.

The only substantial alternative to a magic-focused Lord is Mannfred the Acolyte. A very cheap hero for what he does, Mannfred's Loremaster ability means that you never have to worry about spell selection (which is the primary drawback of Hero-level casters). Being able to cast every spell in the Lore allows you much more freedom in your Lord choice because your strategy is no longer determined by which spells you roll out of Vampires.
--

Vampire Heroes and Generals
You will want at least two characters that have lore of vampires in any game over 1000 points; this not only doubles your chance to channel but also gives you much needed redundancy in the army. A common tactic is to use zombies as a bunker for the general (if set up as a caster) as they are easily hoarded and resurrected at 2D6+wizard level level, add an iron-curse icon and an obsidian trinket and for 20 points, the unit becomes far more durable. If your general is set up for combat put him in with a unit of black knights, grave guard, or blood knights and either equip for hero bashing (high initiative/str/lots of re-rolls) or hoard murdering (lots of attacks).

Remember: never skimp on your hordes as they tarpit harder than most armies can handle. A block of Board 'n' Sword skeletons can hold most units in place for a few turns (read: forever) while causing moderate damage. With a lvl4 wizard in support, the attacking unit will have to kill an average of 7 more skeletons per turn, and the bones will reduce the enemy's numbers in a meaningful way.

'''Tactical tips'''
*Other then the requirements to field an army you will want at least one more wizard with Lore of Vampires for when your general eats a cannonball/miscasts horribly and dies so that you only have to survive one round of crumbling. It can be a cheap necromancer in a zombie bunker or a combat vampire in a unit of black nights, as long as there is one on the field. This is not fool proof but it does make it easier to prevent death by crumbling.
*if you have the points drop a naked necromancer into any hoards that you have not already planed to put a hero/lord into, this is mostly for more cast of IoN at minimum cast value. om average it will take 3-4 successful cast at average resurrection rates to pay for the necromancers cost, the real value come in that it lets you spam IoN on 1 or 2 dice, you opponent can ether let you rebuild your losses or risk running out of dispel dice and letting something nasty through. You also can end up with a shit load of channeling dice to role in big games. This works really well in blocks of zombies since the only time you stop adding models to the unit is when you run out of models.
*when deploying your army you want to set up nice and wide, big blocks of troops in the middle with clear marching lanes to get into combat as soon as possible, your general should be in command range of as many non-vampire units as possible to allow for marches. Vampire units (vargulf/ghiest, blood knights ect)should be in place to flank charge, hunt war-machines and general reap havoc across their lines. Remember it does not matter if you don't get first turn most of the time correct placement of troops in more important with this slow army then getting into shooting range.
*If you are going to deploy a vampire lord on dragon try equipping him with shimmering scale for a total of -2 to be hit in CQC as WS3 troops cannot actually hit the lord and hit the dragon on 6+ (this tactic needs to be confirmed). Doesn´t work. Natural rolls of 6 hit always, according to the rulebook.

'''Other Strategems and List-Building Analysis''':
Vampire Lords on Zombie Dragons are the best possible use of a combined Night Shroud and The Other Trickster's Shard. Their huge bases mean that the combination of Strength loss, Always Strikes Last, and forcing rerolls of successful Ward saves means that it's very difficult to go toe to toe with them for just about anyone in the game (Breath Weapon, Thunderstomp, and 10-15 high strength attacks is a lot of damage). Expect your opponents to target the Zombie Dragon with everything they've got. Consider an MR 3 talisman on your Lord to give your zombie dragon that 4+ ward save. Remember, MR works against all magic, and all magical weapons (even the cheap 5 point generic ones) can be defended against using MR. So your Zombie Dragon will have a 4+ ward save against the vast majority of Lords and Heroes, in addition to angry mages. (The above is not true, magic resist only works against damage caused by spells, not magic items). Yes, your Lord won't have perma-Strength 7 and be a zomgwtf death machine. He'll also outlive just about every other model on the table, which is more important considering how many points you're investing in him. Quickblood, Beguile, and Red Fury is my typical set up for Vampire Powers on such a character, with the reasoning that Quickblood's rerolls and Red Fury plus Strength 5 (7 with a lance on the charge) will provide all the offensive might you need to be effective. Beguile doesn't always work, but when it does it can be decisive for that extra bit of "fuck you, roll that 6 again", especially against big monsters that have low Leadership. For smaller games, chop Red Fury and the lance (this should put you under for 2,500 point games) before any of the magic items. Keeping your Zombie Dragon alive retains way more damage output and overall effectiveness than Red Fury provides otherwise. Wizard level 1 is all you really need for this setup unless you're playing a game at 3,000 points. Take Invocation and several supporting casters.

Vampires that focus on manipulating morale /can/ be very effective. Taking Fear Incarnate and Aura of Dark Majesty on a Vampire and using it in conjunction with a Terror-causing unit or hero is great unless your opponent is Immune to Psychology. A fun gimmick against things like the Empire and Bretonnia, but it's wasted if your enemies are immune. A lot of things are, sadly.

If you haven't caught on by now, your army is very top-heavy. The majority of your points will be invested in just a few models. Your entire strategy revolves around utilizing these models and keeping them alive. Used correctly, they will win the game. Used poorly, they'll get killed and then you're out half of your firepower. Herohammer, in other words, is still your bread and butter.

Crypt ghouls have a MUCH higher offensive capacity than any other core unit you can field. Personally I never leave home without a 20-strong block of them and a corpse cart. Corpse carts are excellent force multipliers and you can inflict absolutely sick amounts of Wounds in close combat with a good Dance Macabre and Always Strikes First on a horde of Crypt Ghouls with adjacent Cart. Opponents who're expecting Vampire Counts infantry to suck in close combat will be obliterated by their carelessness against Crypt Ghouls. In addition, even though Crypt Ghouls don't have an armor save, their Toughness 4 means that they're actually approximately 15% less likely to die than zombies and skeletons against stronger attackers. Yes, they're twice as expensive as skeletons and can't be raised over unit cap by Invocation. But you can't put a price on your opponent conceding the game after you annihilate his primary block of infantry in one overwhelming phase of combat.

Take a Level 4 Wizard Lord in any game you can't afford a Zombie Dragon if you're serious about building a 'Take All Comers' list. Master Necromancers under 1,500, Kemmler between 1,500 and 2,000, Master Necromancer and Vampire Lord on steed (or just more Kemmler) for 2,001 to 2,400, and Zombie Dragon for 2450 and up are your best choices. Are they the only choices? No, obviously. But in each of those point ranges, Vampire Counts is a completely different beast due to various list-building options that become available or obsolete. Finding the lists that work for your style of play can be difficult, given that every 500 points or so the demands your army is placed under are radically altered.

In low point games, you're mostly going to be dealing with block infantry and approximately two or three nasty units. Your Master Necromancer is by far one of the cheapest level 4 wizards available to any faction, and using him to your advantage is crucial to pick up the slack in your limited damage-dealing options at that point range. Bump it up to the 1,500-2k range, and suddenly Lord-level wizards are more common. In games where your opponent doesn't field one, a Level 4 Lord is still a huge advantage, but you have to be prepared to have your spells contested. This means there's less room for error in the magic phase, and having a Loremaster like Kemmler is huge because you can't afford to not roll a certain spell (like Dance Macabre). Not having access to your core magical options could cost you the game almost by default if your opponent's also slinging magic around. Kemmler's +1 to dispelling is also very useful when opposing other Lord-level mages. Vampire Counts are hugely reliant on the force-multiplying power of a good Magic phase, and not being able to force multiply is suicide for your army.

Once you get into the 2,000's, you'll find that it's possible to field lots of heroes and lords within your point constraints. Given how reliant your army is on these two types of characters, this is a huge piece of good news for you. Being able to field multiple Level 2 Vampire front-line casters is very, very handy. In this range, you can more comfortably field a Vampire Lord than in previous point ranges, because your supporting casters can pick up the slack if you don't have a Level 4 caster Lord to do all the heavy lifting that's required to keep your army going. Still, having a level 4 caster is never a bad idea. Nothing is more irritating than having your Invocations dispelled consistently.

In 2,500 points and up, all sorts of crazy things get introduced into the game and the scale of battles increases considerably. There's much more flexibility in games this large and you're not quite as reliant on force multiplying magic to be successful. Still, all the things I've discussed remain true, their impact just isn't as decisive from turn to turn.

--

Other thoughts: A Corpse Cart with Balefire combined with Kemmler means that you're going to be 2 points up on even a Level 4 Lord in the dispel phase. Being 4 or 5 points over a Hero-level caster means you'll dominate their magic phase every single turn as long as you use your dice wisely. Creating margins of advantage like this is an important part of list-building, because it ensures you'll be able to control the course of the game when you need to. Your core units aren't typically going to be decisive by themselves, so you need to search for that advantage in your characters and your special/rare choices. Coordinating your picks to create and capitalize on weaknesses is an important concept of Vampire Counts list construction.

Use flanking units to avoid bad combat resolutions. Vargheists in particular and cavalry in general are great at inflicting mass casualties and swinging a resolution in your favor. Build your lists around which flanking units you're using. A list that flanks with Black Knights and Dire Wolves plays very differently than one that relies on a pair of Corpse Carts and a flock of Vargheists.

I went over this in the magic section but I'll say it again. Vanhel's Dance Macabre is the most important spell for your army list after Invocation. If you really want to be sure, running Kemmler or Mannfred plus a Hero that has it (either bound or rolled or both) is the way to go. Having zero ranged options outside of the Magic phase means that you must be in combat in order to win. Do you always want to rush straight in without thinking? Of course not, that's absurd. However, the ability to close the gap very quickly with your whole army can be decisive if your enemy is expecting a few turns of breathing room to maneuver around your Movement 4". Conversely, not being able to close the gap when your opponent is lining up unpleasant charges with monsters or cavalry can cost you the game.

With the end times books, especially Archaon, you can build the most game breaking armies. My personal favorite is at 2500pts. Get Kemmler, a Vampire with the fear build (Aura of Dark Majesty, Fear Incarnate, and the screaming banner), and a 29 Cairn Wraith heroes. Take an allied aestyrion force, which consists of one prince, with the banner of the world dragon. As the unit is heroes, they can all just group up, and boom. 32 models, of which 30 are ethereal, and all have a 2+ ward save vs magical attacks. Even incarnates are going to struggle to hurt you. Did i mention that this was 2500pts

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In short, plan before you play. Don't end up like Ben, the hapless player whose list has as much depth as a typical 17 year-old girl. Make sure your army doesn't crumble before your eyes because one necromancer decided to miscast or get into combat. HUGE HORDES OF UNDEAD is the appeal of this army, so play just that - waves and waves of zombies and skeletons, supported by truckloads of Lords and Heroes, who can make your army bigger and bigger every turn. Don't do a Ben and play units of 20 that are destined to fail as your sole necromancer dies, taking the whole army with him.

{{Warhammer_Tactics_Races}}

Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/Wood Elves

2020-10-06T04:41:48Z

2606:A000:1128:495A:E595:93AF:8EAF:C3E6: /* Army Composition & Tactics */

==Why Play Wood Elves==
Wood Elves have been redone and almost completely rewritten. Everything has been turned on its head and old Wood Elf players have to adapt to the new changes. However they have recently not only reclaimed the title of being the fastest army but being arguably the best shooting army too. Wood Elves appear to be of equal parts of light and dark outlooks. They are the middle ground for elves. This is shown by them having magic arrows which are keyed to wounding forces of order and destruction respectively and with their best wizards having access to High and Dark magic. Wood Elves still have access to their old free wood.

Wood Elves are an army almost completely made up of trees, bowmen, or fast cavalry. They rely on speed, shooting and picking their fights. Wood elves still lack war machines but have in exchange a megaton of poisoned weaponry.

The name of their game is speed and maneuverability. By the end of turn 2 you can be behind the enemy lines, ready to unleash deadly co-ordinated flank charges, and against slower armies you can quite simply run circles around your enemided as some of the best archers in the game, the wood elves' possible greatest strength is not in their shooting, but in their prowess fighting in forests. They combine the best of both High Elves & Dark Elves when defending areas of wood. They are formidable in combat but lack staying power. You will need to use your maneuverability to ensure that you win the first combat resolution. If the elves get bogged down, they will quickly end up on the losing side.

Lastly, they have the widest variety of spells to chose from amongst the three Elf factions.

The Wood Elves require perhaps the most skill and nuance to play well, but this directly translates into them also being one of the most rewarding armies to play. Plus they're bad ass vengeful guardians of the forest, so that's pretty cool too.

Be warned that they aren't a good starter army.

In short, play Wood Elves if you want to play an army that requires a lot of skill, strategy and tactical thought to do well. You can't rely on Armor nor Warmachines or crazy shenanigans. Only a quick aim, a steady eye and a hungry forest will aid you in Athel Loren.

''(Matt Ward did have a hand in working on this book. However, GW decided to stop putting author's name in the book, most likely to preserve Watt Mard's tender feelings. What is known is that this was his last army book with GW and after having a hand in End Times:Nagash and End Times:Khaine he has now left).''

==Army Rules==

Wood Elves have four new army rules. They are the following:

'''Blessings of The Ancients''': Any model with this special rule (IE your wizards) gets a +1 to all casting attempts if they are inside a forest. ONLY when they're in a forest.

''The full list of models that have this rule is: '''Spellweaver''', '''Spellsinger''', '''Shadowdancers''', '''Branchwraiths''', '''Treeman Ancients''', '''Durthu''', and '''Drycha'''''

'''Ambush of the Worldroots''': You may place a single forest (of any type, you decide) anywhere on your half of the table. It must be placed before any units are deployed. It ''must'' be wholly within your half of the table. If it can't fit, move the other terrain pieces to make room. If it still can't fit, or you're in a scenario where you don't have a deployment zone, you don't get a forest.

''See '''Army Composition & Tactics''' for ideas and recommendations on how to use this rule''

'''Forest Spirit''': Models with this rule has Forest Strider, Magical Attacks and Immune to Psychology special rule and a 6+ ward save. A weaker save, but no longer mundane like in the previous army book. Mounts do not get the ward save.

''The full list of models that have this rule is: '''Unicorns''', '''Great Stags''', '''Dryads''', '''Branchwraiths''', '''Tree Kin''', '''Treemen''', '''Treeman Ancients''', '''Forest Dragons''', '''Durthu''', '''Hounds of Orion''', '''Drycha''' and '''Ceithin-Har'''''

'''Forest Stalker''': Models with this rule have the Forest Strider special rule. If at least half of a unit with this rule is inside a forest, it will be able to do the following:

* They may fire with one more rank. For the purpose of Volley Fire, this means a full three ranks may shoot, before you have to round down the following ranks.

* They may fight in close combat with one extra rank than normal, just like High Elves. This is cumulative with other similar effects.

* They may reroll to wound any rolls of 1 in close combat, just like Dark Elves. Their mounts, however, may not.
**''Basically, in terms of special rules, all your elves are worse than high elves and dark elves in the open, but equal to both of them combined while in forests. (In truth Eternal Guard is more effective than Spearelves/Dreadspears, Glade Guard beats HE Archers and Glade Riders are Ellyrian Reavers on steroids; but they all cost much more. Model for model - WE are better. Point for point - WE are worse.)''

''The full list of models that have this rule is: '''Glade Lord''', '''Glade Captain''', '''Spellweaver''', '''Spellsinger''', '''Eternal Guard''', '''Glade Guard''', '''Deepwood Scouts''', '''Glade Riders''', '''Warhawk Riders''', '''Wildwood Rangers''', '''Wardancers''', '''Shadowdancers''', '''Sisters of the Thorn''', '''Wild Riders''', '''Waywatchers''', '''Waystalker''', '''Orion''', '''Araloth''' and '''Naestra & Arahan'''''

==Unit Analysis==
===Lords & Heroes===

====Named Characters====
'''Note:''' Under the current edition, named characters tend to be overpriced; you can pretty easily emulate most named characters from scratch and save yourself some points. That said, a few named characters do have abilities and wargear or wargear combos unique to them, so if you absolutely need to have them, go ahead. Just make sure you're really getting your points worth.

* '''Orion, The King of the Woods:''' Orion is what in general is refered to as a Glass Cannon: Incredibly expensive, requires a massive tax on your resources, can be incredibly powerful and yet is very fragile. Orion costs 600 points. He can also beat in almost anyone's face (9,8,8,6,5,5,9,5,10), comes with a Bolt Thrower and machine gun and is Unbreakable and Frenzy, regains a wound on a 6 at the start of each of your turns. Also comes with two War Beasts (for 20 pts) that share his Frenzy and Unbreakable rule. Here's the downside: He's only T5 with a 5+ Ward and MR 2, making him somewhat less durable than a Treeman, but more durable against spells. He's a Monster, so he has Thunderstomp too, however, he doesn't have the Large Target rule. He will drop like a fly to high volume S4 and above attacks. He also has Always Strikes First but will have trouble winning combats against large units (he'll probably tie or grab a minor win on round 1 and then start losing from then on, not that it matters so much anymore). Not great but has potential. He is basically a Greater Daemon with leafy clothing that gives units within 6" of him Devastating Charge (Everyone of your units gets DC. Including mount)) every turn. Charge him along with your Wild Riders or Warhawk Riders into something. Anything. Then watch the mother hurt of ALL the People's Elbow decend upon your foe. Nothing bar the Dice Gods will stop you. That, or Phoenix Guard. Giggle like an Elf if you get to fight in a forest.

* '''Drycha:''' Orion is fighty, the Twins are shooty, Drycha is weird. She's rather expensive for a Hero, at 255 points, but she doesn't come with nearly enough stuff to justify this. For starters, she's a Level 2 caster and only has access to Lore of Shadows. While she's reasonably fighty (she gets +2 attacks per lost wound, no life shenanigans), T4, 3 wounds and only a 6+ Ward means she's easy to drop. She needs units with the Forest Spirit rule to be effective, but while her kinda ganky Deep Strike ability seems fun, you're only guaranteed d3+1 Woods max (IE the one you brought, sitting in your half of the table, and the acorn of eternity if you buy it) it's probably easier to just have them join her from the front. Don't bother.

* '''Araloth, Lord of Talsyn:''' This is Skaw the Falconer reborn. Sadly, Matt Ward clearly hates him and has not only changed his name but made him the only Wood Elf whose sole purpose is to be repurposed for conversions. 260pts for a 4++, stubborn, unbreakable on his own (don't let him go on his own EVER), Glade Lord with a 6+ armour (Seriously. He doesn't even have Light Armour, even though his model is wearing it. Wild Riders, meanwhile, [[Derp|go around bare chested and count as wearing them]]), armed with an amazing-looking spear that is...a regular Asrai Spear, and who comes with a bird. At least 60pts overpriced. The bird is a free S4 hit on one model within 18", and functions like a weird Killing Blow that causes blindness instead of death (somehow it makes the model worse in combat but not at shooting... go figure). Cute, I guess? This model's only use is to troll Tomb Kings, but with End Times taking away crumble he can't even do that anymore. Don't buy the model to play Wood Elves.
**''Note: Actually, I have found skaryn to be a pretty effective character hunter. The six to wound comes up much more often than you might think (one in three chance of any sort of wound blinding a T 4 model) and if your opponent skimped on armour for that bsb then they just became a lot less effective. Also, this guy combined with a waystalker or two can make a trolltastic wizard sniping team. Still overpriced, but not entirely useless.

* '''Durthu:''' Once again a recycled character from the far distant past which is bad. At first his stats don't look bad; Ws 7, str 6, t6, w6, 6 attacks, frenzy, hatred. But he only has a 3+ armour with a 6++ ward save and is flammable. The greatest of the Treemen can die from a single flamming bolt thrower if it gets lucky, let alone a flaming cannonball. To add salt into the wound he is only a level 1 Lore of Beasts wizard, has a pretty hand weapon of no significance save fluff, and a 2d6 str 2 killing blow ranged attack (which is awesome since he has BS7). All of this is for 385 pts. If you have already ordered the Treemen kit make a basic Treeman instead and convert a Wraithknight/Wraithlord. If you really want to play with him, get him into combat, any combat, as quickly as you can and either get '''The Savage Beast of Horrors''' to make him eat Greater Daemons/Monsters or go with the default '''Wyssan's Wildform''' to make him do 7 WS7 (rerollable to hit) S7 attacks. 666 is the name of the Beast, but 777 is carved on the Tree.

* '''Naestra and Arahan, The Sisters of Twilight:''' Anyone who makes a 'Twins are hot' joke gets kicked out of Athel Loren. As for the girls, they can be hilarious. You don't only take them to win, you take them to [[troll]]. For 275 points you get the pair on the back of Gwindalor the Great Eagle and for a few 220 more can have them ride the forest dragon Ceithin-Har. Why you ever would take them on a dragon is a mystery since the eagle gives them more wounds and t4 thanks to it being monstrous cavalry, while also allowing them to reroll failed to hits. Their Dragon is 80pts cheaper than the glade lord's since gwindalor is clearly 80pts. They have the Always Strikes First, Forest Stalker, Conjoined Destiny, and Sisters of Twilight special rules. The Conjoined destiny rule means that they must always stay together if their mount dies and that if one of them dies then she is revived at the end of her phase with all of her wounds, while the Sisters of Twilight makes Naestra gain a +1 to wound forces of destruction units in combat and Arahan gain a +1 to wound forces of order in combat. They also have 2 special bows. Naestra has a str 5 d6 wound long bow which gives her mount a wound back if she wounds with it and Arahan has a bow which fires 2d6 str 1 poisoned shots. Between them have good shooting and survival thanks to their previous rules and weapons and stats: M5, WS 6, BS 6, str 4, t 3, w2, 3 attacks, i7 and Ld9. These compete badly with the waystalker, lvl 1 spellsinger and BSB in the Heroes section so chose wisely. Pitty you can't take these guys on foot though...
**''Alright, someone explain this to me. Since N&A are now MC on Big G, isn't the Conjoined Destiny rule quite worthless if you get shot? Since the three birds are counted as one model, have practically no saves AND you have to use the profile with the most wounds (which is 3 for Big G), how does this work? Are they able to survive a cannon ball to the face, or does the entire model die after 3 wounds?
***''To counter that which is below, if you stick near 5 Warhawk riders you can get a 4+ look out sir, you can seriously boost your survivability. So long as one twin survives then your foes cannon ball was for naught.
***''A single cannonball won't kill them - and certainly it won't kill Gwindalor, since, according to MC rules, it can't be targeted (yes, this means that the rule that lets the mount regain wounds is useless for G). When N&A are hit, you have to randomize, according to their rules. Then you wound, then the sister that was hit probably dies; then she pops back to full life if the other hasn't been killed by the end of the shooting phase. In melee, you have to allocate attacks, as you would do with two normal characters. N&A can indeed take risks that would be suicidal for other wood elven characters. Quite worthy of the points you pay to field them.''
''

====Generic Characters====
'''Note:''' While named characters are judged against their generic counterparts, generic characters are examined based on their role in your army.

* '''Glade Lord:''' 145 point generic combat lord, reasonably fighty but you'll pale in comparison to most other Lords. (Basically, he is identical to High Prince or Dark Dreadlord, but the army's style and racial items work against making him a similar meatgrinder) He can be kitted out in a variety of ways to be more fighty and can be given magic arrows which is a plus, he also dishes out a LD10 bubble. He also got an extra point of BS, probably to compensate for the loss of free moving and shooting. One new rule, The Arrow of Kurnous, lets him deal a auto str 3 hit on your opponent's general if they are within 36" of a character with the rule and in line of sight. If your foe has a caster lord as his general then I guess it will force him to deploy further back so not bad. Should not be your first Lord choice, but is by far not the worst. One popular choice is to give him Daith's Reaper and the Armour of Destiny for a stabtastic warboss.

* '''Spellweaver:''' This should be your first Lord choice. Level 4 at 220 points now (or 185 at level 3), a variety of magic items to make her better, the only character who can take the Acorn of Eternity (technically, the Glade Lord can take it too, but naked combat lord suffers much more than naked wizard lord) and most importantly, access to all rulebook lores and Dark and High Magic. Plus she can buy an Asrai Longbow for 5pts, which means that while she's hanging in the back with your Glade Guard, she can ping off the odd casualty herself, which is hilarious by the by. If you want a Lord choice, this is the one you should go for in (almost) every situation.

* '''Treeman Ancient:''' While Treemen are alright, Treemen Ancients fail for many reasons. First off, they're 290 points, don't get spites any more, are lvl 2 life wizards only (who can upgrade to level 4) have a 3+ 6++, can buy magic levels, can tree whack and have the kind of melee stats that make cherubs cry. Ws4, Str5, A3, I2. I guess old age shows? Also, being an old coot, he gets the 75mm long side of his base pointed forwards for some insane reason. The best thing that can be said about them is probably that they are large targets with Ld 10. Actually, against anything that hasn't got a particularly threatening shooting phase, the ancient will be basically immortal unless it gets killed in combat. 3+, 6 wounds, 6T and lore of life means that light shooting will be almost useless against it, and even bolt throwers will struggle to down him.

* '''Glade Captain:''' This is the 75 point generic combat and battle standard bearer character for wood elves. And actually comparing him to other non-elf race's characters he isn't too bad. He can't buy anything armour-wise better than a shield and light armour but then he is a wood elf and he does have some decent combat stats and a bow to make up for it. Also he shares the Arrow of Kurnous with your general so you are not punished for taking a caster lord. Overall, while not having as much access to armour as the Dark Elf Master, this hero is a decent battle standard bearer, especially if you spend a few points to make him tougher. Consider adding a dragon helm, helm of the hunt or any cheap magic armour to make him less squishy. Keep in mind, that most Wood Elf lists are quite mobile (if not outright full-cavalry) and have good Ld, so BSB might not be the best investment.

* '''Shadow Dancer:''' Your Wardancer character. Worth consideration. For 100pts you get a ws8 s4 I8 a4 (two hand weapons) Always Strike Firsts combat character, with the amazing new wardancer dances. You have a 25 points magic weapon/item allowance and for 60pts become a lore of shadow wizard. Sadly she doesn't have a way of moving any more quickly, without switching her across the battlefield with lore of shadows lore attribute and also doesn't have a better save than a 6++, unless you use one of the dances to give you a 3++ for 1 turn. Hit hard, hit fast.
** '''Note:''' For those enterprising gentle...elves, a Shadow Dancer can be used as a pretty nifty rank breaker for a close combat army. Use the Dance of the Woven Mist to rob a horde of their rank bonus and watch them lose instantly.
* NEVER put her into Wardancer unit, their dances do not stack. Put her with Eternal Guard or, better, with Dryads - her attacks and dances will help them overcome their downsides.
** Good items to give her are Glittering Scales (most core will hit her on 6+, with most elites hitting on 5+), Bow of Loren (making her pretty shooty) or Helm of the Hunt (making her [[RAPE|RAPE]] things on the charge).
*** Arguably, making her a level 1 wizard is a pretty bad choice, as you can no longer take magical armor. This leaves you with 25 points to either make her your walking dispell scroll slot or give her the Bow of Loren. Also, as she is only a level 1, you get one spell, and there is no grantee you can actually get it off (On the other side, give her Mystifying Miasma and watch a unit of Chosen get slaughtered at M1 by your archers with starfire arrows). Unless you are really in need of saving points, you are probably better off buying a Level 2 Spellsinger if you want the Lore of Shadow.

* '''Waystalker:''' Is a hero version of the Waywatchers. Just think of this guy as the replacement for the waywatcher kindred hero (sadly there is no replacement for the alter kindred). He has bs 7, a bow and a 25pts weapons allowance. Bow of Loren is an option that allows you to fire 2 ignores armour shots which can also be combined with the Savage Beast of Horrors from the Beasts lore to grant 5 ignores armour sniper shots that do suffer from multiple shots penalty (though with BS7 will you care). You can also use the spell Birona's Timewarp from lore of light to increase attacks by 1 (and double movement) but, this is probably not the best use of that spell. An interesting combo if you're going to be running with the beasts lore. The guy is dirt cheap, only 110 points with the bow of loren, 90 without. With sniper on top of that, the Waystalker can pick enemy heroes out of units with up to 5 armor ignoring attacks! (But, he would suffer -1 to hit from multiple hits AND -1 to hit from sniper, plus possibly other -1 from moving or long range etc.) So keep this in mind because even with 7 BS, if you have too much modifier on your hit chance, all the armor ignoring attacks in the world won't mean a thing.

* '''Spellsinger:''' One word. Amazing, when compared to the old wizards. Five points cheaper than the high elf equivalent (80 points), +35 for a level 2, and 5 points for a bow. Now has access to all battle rule book lores but not to the Wood Elf specific lores (ie the opposite of its sixth edition form). Shame. Take a dispel scroll and the lore of shadow or fire on this hero since their spells are the most effective at level 1/2. (Or lore of beasts and get the signature spell)

* '''Branchwraith:''' The Branchwraith has 2 advantages: 1, she's fairly effective (WS6, S4, T4, I7, A3, 6+ Ward). 2, she's cheap. She is 75pts and a level 1 Lore of Life wizard. She's a cheap way of beefing up a Treekin or Dryad unit. It is also of note that if you're taking the Lore of Beasts for your casters, and you're running a Branchwraith, you can use 2 of the spells to buff her up to insane levels.

====Mounts====

* ''Elven Steed:'' You know it, you love it. M9 Forest Strider, 20pts for lords, half that for heroes, and allows you to keep pace with all your cavalry. Take it for your mages to hide with your cavalry.

* ''Great Stag:'' 65 points. Really, why aren't you taking it? Better stats than it's closest cousin (IE the Eagle), you can still join units, you get a monstrous mount. One of the better mounts. [The reason not to take it, is that you don't get look-out-sir when joining units (because no units you can join are MC)(Also, this thing doesn't have fast cavalry special rule while all your cavalry units do.]

* ''Great Eagle:'' Worth taking to make your models more mobile for 50 pts. I wouldn't take it on every hero but on a lvl 1 mage without the scroll or the bsb it should be worth some consideration.

* ''Unicorn:'' 60 points. Unicorns are weird. They seem to be designed to deliver a Hero/Lord directly into combat, but it's only available to Casters and all it really does for them is make them a tiny bit more durable. A mage on a unicorn may be able to scare away some chaff. It gives you movement 10 and still can skewer some models but is outshone by the elven steed easily. Magic Resistance (2) may seem nice, but it is better to just put your mounted wizard with Sisters of the Thorn and give them Lichebone Pennant or give the wizard the Obsidian Amulet for half the cost of the unicorn.

* ''Forest Dragon:'' It's a 300 point Dragon, what do you want? Considering that this funky-looking dude with wings is a green, environmental-friendly lizard who smokes faeries, makes others stupefied and dumb when they inhale (presumably from forcing the enemy to second hand smoke whatever herbs the elves use to mellow out the dragon), and is a beast when he thinks you're going after his stash, he's actually just that little bit better than most Dragons. Also, there's only one poser who's cool enough to hang with him, and that's the Glade Lord (who, if you don't kit out for combat, really '''''is''''' a poser; the GL has same statline like Prince and Dreadlord, and his dragon is tiny bit stronger than Black/Moon Dragon for same points, so it's not a much worse investment than any other Elf Lord of Dragon. Plus, Helm of the Hunt). Still, if you are running MSU, a dragon equal a giant target with "SHOOT ME!" written all over it in dwarven runes.

===Core Units===
Currently, all Wood Elf Core units are kind of sub-optimal and are no no-brainers. But on the other hand, none of them are precisely duds either, and most can find uses (and you might as well, since you HAVE to take them). Tailor your tactics and choose wisely. Ironically, our Core units now feel more like Specials, role-wise.

* '''Dryads:''' Why Matt Ward! Dryads went from being overpowered to good to one of the weaker units in the game is the initial impression, but in reality Dryads are just trash if you try to use them in their old role. (People tend to judge them based on their old profile, understandably.) They can't take anything other than a champion and cost 330 for 30 of them - then again, they cost as much as Witch Elves and cheaper than Plague Monks, while fulfilling the same role. The Dryads can still be good, and do have a place in combat armies (which are a thing these days and we now have 10 lores of magic to back them up. Seriously, you can make them tough or strong - they work well with either buff). Most armies would kill for toughness 4 core with a ward save and 2 attacks. For 11pts you get WS 4, S3, T4, A2, I5, Ld8, hatred, immune to psychology and a 6++ save (in the forest). Though they have no armour save to mitigate the lower ward save (though they can now take it against magical attacks), and no more skirmisher, they are basically our assassins, crashing into enemy flank and tearing it shreds, while taking not so much damage in return. They are not so useful in a shooty or cavalry army, but if you are running a combat wood elf army, which can actually do well in this book, dryads and eternal guard are what you're gonna take.

* '''Eternal Guard:''' 11 points WS 5 armour piercing, ASF, stubborn, elven spearmen, who can fight better in forests. They can also buy shields too for an extra point and have a 5+ armour save. Considering that the more well protected units in the wood elf army get just a 4+ and 6++, these guys have a pretty good save. Don't get me wrong, their save will be laughed at by every army out there, (apart from beastmen) but for wood elves, it's respectable. At the first glance their cost - 270 points for 20 of them with shields and a full command squad and 390 for a horde - is a high one, but comparing them to other spearelves, for measly 3 points they gain Stubborn, Armor Piercing, +1WS and +1LD, making them an incredible anchor - almost unbreakable when within BSB range. Also, you don't take them in such big units - small units (10-15) can hold off pretty long even against elites. Many people don't like them, since these generally do not fit in with the traditional Wood Elves' Hit and Run or Run and Shoot style of play. Also, they are incredible in the now-viable melee Wood Elf lists and are one of the better places to hide your wizards.Also so durable because of ws5 If you don't kill all of them then you'll have to face them again.

* '''Glade Guard:''' Glade Guard are of debatable worth. For 12 points you get a bs 4 model with no armour, an armour piercing long bow, the option to take full command and a magic standard worth 25 points. In forests they get to reroll ones to wound in close combat and can fire and fight in 1 extra rank. They also can buy any of the magic arrows (discussed in magic arrows section). It is up to you whether you chose to deploy them in multiple small units or in one horde, though generally msu is better since they will have more time to fire. All in all, Deepwood Scouts do same job better for just 1 point more (except of course, they won't fill up your manditory 25% core).

* '''Glade Riders:''' Out of all the core choices, this is perhaps the only unit which has been priced correctly. For 19pts you get m9 fast cavalry with a Asrai Bow and Asrai Spear, who have to ambush (Being forced to ambush can sometimes be an issue, keep this in mind when taking Riders.), that can take the magic arrows. They can also take a magic banner worth up to 25pts which is neat (I would recommend Gleaming Pennant - cheap and nice for fast cavalry). Generally you will want to take these in multiple small units that can come up behind the opponents and cause havoc. In a pinch they also make good warmachine hunters. A downside of this unit is that you cannot depend on them to act early in the game, since they can only move onto the board from turn 2 onward. If you have a treeman that you don't want to get hit by artillery that could kill him in one phase, you may not want to use these guys as warmachine hunters. However, it can be incredibly fun in friendly games and is inevitable in full cavalry lists.
** ''And no, they cannot choose Vanguard deployment over Ambush deployment, because you Vanguard-move ''after'' you have deployed - which you don't with Ambush. Feel free to Vanguard-move in the model case, waiting for your ambush roll.''

===Special Units===

* '''Deep Wood Scouts:''' Don't let their fancy new name fool you. These are the Glade Scouts of the past, simply moved and renamed. For 1 point more than a Glade Guard they gain scout and skirmish and still keep the option to buy magic arrows. They can also buy a full command interestingly and can be taken in units as small as 5. Pity that you can only have so many special unit duplicates. Whenever you feel the urge to buy glade guard that don't contribute to your core allowance, choose Deepwood scouts instead. If anything they are one less unit you have to deploy at the start of a game before the roll off thanks to scout. As a side note; 12 of these armed with '''poisoned arrows''' will kill a warmachine each turn, on average, without a modifier.

* '''Sisters of the Thorn:''' The Wood Elf alternative to Dark Elf Warlocks. While wildriders rock out with their cock out and kill and get killed in a blaze of gory glory, the sisters are more subtle and indirect with their attack. For 26 points they get a 4++, T3, BS5 and a poisoned javelin. They can buy full command and a 50pts banner. They also count as a lvl 2 wizard with the Shield of Thorns and Curse of Anraheir spells, with a +1 to cast with equal to your rank bonus (maxing out at +3). You can pull some crazy stunts with these Druidic Elven Nuns, but they are pricy, have one good spell and one mediocre with great lore attribute, though both will be difficult to cast with less than 3 dice. One thing that is really good about them is that despite their massive cost, they are tough, they do look awesome and they are one of two cavalry units you can deploy your mounted characters in and that they don't have frenzy when compared to the Wild Riders. They are an awesome retinue for a mounted Spellweaver. Get them a Lichebone Pennant and you can laugh at both enemy spells and any miscasts (Edit: as per the errata, MR doesn’t help with miscasts). They also can help/substitute a Lifeweaver or a Branchwraith, providing healing with Shield of Thorns (with thorns themselves being just a little bonus). They ain't a no-brainer, but can be very effective with proper application.
** ''Doomfire Warlocks:'' These guys are often bench-marked a against SotT. For just one point less you get a Dark Elf version of the sisters in the rare units (or more correctly, the sisters are a Wood Elf version of the warlocks since the DE book came out first). These guys don't throw poisoned javelins and they don't get the lore of life attribute on one of their spells. If you find yourself in a friendly game where you two decide to do unbound lists (somehow), the sisters are probably worth considering over warlocks.

* '''Treekin:''' Treekin are the younger brother of Treemen and not the force they once were. With the unit size limit removed, treekin can now be taken in hordes and with a 20 point reduction, they won't eat up as much of your points. Compared to an O&G troll for the same price, treekin suffer from a distinct lack of S5(that the troll has), but they also benefit from a distinct lack of stupidity(that the troll has). Overall treekin are evenly matched with river and stone trolls as they should be for the same point cost. They are the best of the forest spirits the wood elves have to offer but still are no longer a must-take. For 45 points you get S4, T5, 3 wounds, 3 attacks, Stomp, 4+ armor, 6++ Ward, cause fear, and flammable. Beware they are vulnerable to Great Weapons, fire and high volumes of S4 attacks and have trouble overcoming large amounts of static combat res, so be careful to not send them into battles they can't win (unless you have the lore of light unbreakable spell or other buffing spells to improve armor or toughness).
** ''Additional Thought:'' Proper use of these guys is against large S3 units (Spearelves of all flavors, Clanrats, Empire Spearmen, Skeletons...the list goes on). Your archers won't be able to bring the unit down to size very effectively, and most of your CC units will just bounce off, but Treekin have enough attacks (2 ranks have 18 attacks) and high enough toughness to grind them into powder. It's a niche, but it's one not filled very effectively elsewhere in the army. Combine with a flank charge from your Wild Riders for great success.

* '''Wardancer Troupe:''' Wardancers are still a reasonably good unit let down by a few flaws and a fairly high cost of entry. They cost 15 points a pop and with T3 and a 6+ Ward, they're still about as hard as tissue paper, but that's par for the course with Wood Elves and Skirmishers in general. They no longer gain +1 S on the charge and have 3 new dances. The first gives you armor piercing and killing blow, second one gives you +1 attack, another gives you a 3++ and the final dance [[AWESOME|strips your foe of their rank bonuses]]. What lets these guys down is the fact that because they're not Scouts, they have to start in your deployment zone, and M5 does not let them cross the board very quickly, as well as being unable to repeat any of their dances the turn after it is used. To overcome this take a small unit of 5 and hang them back, then proceed to laugh as you charge them into an on-going combat and win it by a landslide due to the -3 combat res. If the dice gods are high that day and the combat goes on for another turn, your shadow dancer can do a different dance if it is not in the wardancer unit (which it should never be).
** Keep in mind, both War Dancers and Shadowdancer are very useful due to disruption dance and are located in very contested sections. Choose well, whom will you use (unless you use both).
*** As a side note, any models in the squad '''(not the whole squad - you can choose)''' can replace two weapons with an Asrai Spear. Which is kinda useless, since if you are taking more than 5 Wardancers in a single squad, you are doing it wrong.
**''It is also highly disappointing that taking a musician does not do more to help the unit of dancers. How did Matt Ward not see the connection between music and dancing?''
***''He must like dubstep. It would explain a lot of things.''

* '''Warhawk Riders:''' You think your Glade Riders are fast? Think again. These guys are one of the best units in the Army Book, acting troubleshooters, since they can bring down War Machines like they're not there, punch out shooting units, ping wounds off lightly armored units and even help out in large combats (this is only for emergencies though). For 45 points you are getting fast flying monstrous cavalry with the Asrai Bows, W3, T4, Asrai Spears, and killing blow on the charge. They deal out 1 str 4 AP with ASF as well as 2 str 4 AP killing blow hits and a stomp. They do however lack protection with only a 6+ armor save. Still, possibly the best flying unit in the game with the exception of the frost phoenix and pegasus knights. Take as many units of 3 as you can. Also they make Great Eagles look very sad and useless.

* '''Wild Riders of Kurnous:''' While they may be quite fragile for cavalry, Wild Riders of Kurnous move like an arrow and hit like a ton of bricks (glass bricks). Similes aside, they are the only fast cavalry in the game with the potential to get a 4+ 6++ and they eat monsters(or damn near anything) for breakfast. For 26 points you get a WS5, S4, T3, model on stagback with light armour, which can buy a shield for 2 extra points, Full Command for 30, and a magic banner up to 50pts. In combat they dish out 3 str 5 AP, ASF and 2 str 4 attack on the charge, thanks to frenzy (which also applies to the mounts) asrai spears for +1 strength on the charge and devastating charge for an extra attack on the charge. Conveniently they also have fear, <s>which is always nice when facing something else with terror</s> You do know that Frenzy makes you Immune to Psychology, right? A unit of 5 on the charge with a champion will cause an average of 12 wounds with -3 to armour and 4 Wounds with -1 to anything at T3 with less than WS5 - that unit is looking a lot less threatening with 15 less guys now isn't it. Also have a lot more staying power than most other cavalry, retaining 4 st4 attacks per model until you lose frenzy. That's better than having lances. Also, they keep their spears in following rounds, so their attacks still have AP. Bear in mind, they're reliant on a 4+ 6++ (one of the best saves the wood elves get is still not that good), so don't get them charged, or they will die in troves. ''Ironically enough, they are no longer Forest Spirits, but their new models actually look like forest spirits, unlike their older models of regular elves.'' (Don't let them get charged, they suddenly hurt a lot less. 2 S4 armor piercing attacks per is just "ok"). These units are not very useful in a head-on charge due to the enemy stepping up (unless you wipe out the entire unit!) but, they are excellent at charging from the rear. However, due to frenzy, it might be difficult to get behind the enemy without being forced the charge them head-on in the first place (they have nice Ld but if you are concerned, include a Glade Lord or Glade Captain BSB).

* '''Wildwood Rangers''' New to the Wood Elf Army Book, 11 points per model gets you light armor, Eternal Guard stats, immune to psychology, and a great weapon. They are slightly more resilient than Gnoblars but do carry a Great Weapon. What makes these guys special is that if they're in combat with a unit that causes fear or terror they get an extra attack (good against Chaos, Undead and Ogres). On the upside they are better than Great Swordsmen(In forests and against fear causers), but are worse than almost every other race's Great Weapon elites (however also cheaper per model). With the End Times bringing undead-summoning for everyone, these fellers become more useful, easily clearing freshly-summoned shamblers with their special rule. Also, if the WE use the fear causing forest for the free WE forest, placing these guys in it is awesome. Not only do they get fear, but enemies that engage them (and step foot into the forest) gain fear as well, which is not only completely useless against them due to immune to psychology, it also means they get to use that +1 attack! These guys can hit hard, but sadly they are difficult to keep alive. High initiative and ASF cancelling out the great weapons' ASL means your best bet to keep these guys alive is to fight low I enemies and kill before you get killed. If your enemy has a strong ranged threat, leave these guys at home. No point in giving away free victory points.

===Rare Units===
*'''Great Eagle:''' They would be reliable, cheap and versatile for 50pts. However, Warhawk costs 5pts less, has KB and a rider (who can shoot), and only loses 1WS. Take Eagles only if you are full on Warhawks, otherwise Hawks will give you much more for less points. Also they can't be upgraded like High Elf eagles. Don't bother. If you insist on using your Great Eagle models, stick a Glade Rider or Glade Guard with spear on it back and have yourself a Warhawk.
** Counterpoint: you would want to take a great eagle instead of a warhawk if you had less than 135pts to spend on flying dudes. Warhawks need to be taken in units of at least 3, and have enough whoopass to draw more attention from the enemy than the eagle. A pair of eagles is great for topping off the last hundred points in your list. Place one of these between your enemy death star and your death star so your death star can get the charge next turn. The eagle is one of the cheapest chaff units in the game (um, dire wolves, anyone? Also, those undead hounds fill core requirements while this beast competes with your best unit [waywatchers] for rare points). Skaven could probably field a unit of slaves for less than 50pts, but those slaves won't give you the same coverage as an eagle.

* '''Treeman:''' The best that can be said about this unit is that it is priced correctly at 225, but it is nowhere near the monster it was in the past. It is still quite tough with T6, W5 and a 3+ scaly skin and 6++ ward (in the forest). It also has 5 attacks at WS6 S5 in combat with the option to swap them all for a tree whack which deals d6 armour ignoring wounds to a model if your enemy fails his initiative test (each wound must be saved seperately in case of ward saves). Also, Thunderstomp. It also appears that the strangle roots have become a better ranged attack. Str 5 d6+1 attacks may not seem like much but every little counts I guess. Despite its low range, this is the highest strength ranged attack available for this army (outside of casting Lore of Beasts signature spell multiple times on Sisters of the Thorn). This army desperately lacks ranged hits above S3 and even just getting 2 or 3 for 20 points can really help against that high toughness, high armor save enemy general that thought he could ride solo because WE don't have war machines.
ALTERNATE OPINION: Strangleroots are 20pts for an average of 3.5 S5 shots a turn, which against something anything glass cannon, like Witch Elves or Swordmasters, can easily make back its points. While the treeman is not amazing and necessary for most armies, sadly it is the best value monster we have and, perhaps, our best monster killer. If this is the best monster killer you've got, your list may not have enough Hagbane Tips.
**Side note: The current Treeman model is mounted on a 50X100 mm chariot base. The 50mm short side goes at the front/rear based on the way you are supposed to assemble the model. This can be seen in GW images in their online store. I believe that the base is 75x50mm with the longer side being the front and the 50mm sides being his flanks.

* '''Waywatchers:''' This is <s>potentially</s> the best unit in the Army Book, so place your bets now on how 9th ed will nerf these guys (9th? We wish). For 20pts you get a BS5 skirmishing scouting archer who can chose whether to add the multiple fire 2 rule to his bow or to ignore armour saves with his shooting. They also come with 2 hand weapons for some mild protection against chaff units in combat, but don't expect them to be able to take the enemy head on with T3 and no armour. Everything they do is very wood elfy. They shoot well, avoid the enemy well and die easily if the enemy puts any real firepower on them. Take a unit of 5 and annoy the living hell out of your opponents. For 100pts you can thin out the enemy if they ignore them, or distract what ever the enemy sends to stomp these guys down. It actually isn't a bad idea to fill your rare allocation up with these. Keep in mind, their bows are still S3 only, so pick your targets carefully and use Withering (lore of shadows) or you're going to be sorely disappointed. Calculation of disappointment can be seen on the talk page. These guys are best at picking off heavily armored units with non-exceptional toughness. They are also useful at unleashing a small group of arrows into the foe. If facing a high toughness enemy, Deepwood Scouts with poison arrows will probably do the job better.

==Building Your Army==
===Buying Your Army===

The battalion set was a good value. You could get a fairly decent army out of it. ''It is still mighty cool if you manage to find it at some backwater hobby shop (I even managed to get one with discount "'cos no one wanted it for long time" from, apparently, completely ignorant shop assistant).
The battalion shared models with regular kits, so following old guidelines still apply.

From the Glade Guard sprues, you can build Waywatchers. If you have some spare High Elf or Dark Elf spearmen/warriors, giving them a Glade Guard head can turn them into Eternal Guard. You get a ton of heads with the Glade Guard, so you're spoilt! Especially now, when they look like High Elves.

The Glade Riders you can build as Wild Riders with the spears. Or even Sisters of the Thorn.

For your Lords/Heroes choices, you can build them out of the sprues provided. You can make a mounted Glade Lord or Captain (even a BSB), as well as a Waystalker and, with a bit of imagination, a Spellweaver.

Otherwise, for the Spellweaver, the Dark Elves' plastic Sorceress is a good alternative if you don't want old/metal models.

You could make a Treeman with the LotR Ent as it's cheaper, but the two have different dimentions, so be warned.
It is taller, but can fit on a 50x50mm base that you can buy seperatly.(and still be cheaper than a treeman.)
Especially now, when Treemen are taller, slimmer and look more like -Men, than Tree-.

Dryad bits are awesome in making Wild Riders, Sisters of the Thorn and characters. Their back-branches make pretty cool saplings to add foresty clutter on elf bases. You can also glue the extra dryad arms together to make treekin looking things. It will take some patience but you can build three or four sleek looking treekin from a box of a dozen dryads. The ghetto treekin don't look as tough or macho as the GW treekin, so it is easier to picture them as just strength 4 instead of the strength 5 they used to have.

If you want Dryads and Treemen (though they've been nerf-sawed) - you should hurry to grab the Guardians of the Deepwood box, which contains three Treemen and 36 Dryads - and is actually cheaper than cost of those models combined. Either GW are trying to be kinder, or their head manager made a typo. Most likely the latter. Hurry, it is limited edition and stuff.

If you are OK with using mediocre models made from shitty resin, D&D Treant and Roc miniatures make pretty good Treeman or Great Eagle/Warhawk. Be advised, D&D resin is crappy and bendy, but they come pre-painted. The Guardians of the Galaxy Heroclix version of Groot could fill the roll of your treeman easily.

==Equipping Your Army==

'''Asrai Bow''': Just like an ordinary Longbow. 30" range, but now comes with AP.

'''Asrai Spear''': Follows the same rules as regular spears, except for having AP.

Basicly, all Wood Elf spears and bows have AP. Because inch-thick armor is of little use when there's an arrow sticking out of your eye and a spear in your throat.

===Magic Items===

No more Spites, no more Kindreds. Matt Ward, after having given High Elves a meta changing item and Dark elves at least some decent ones, he decided to balance out his previous mistakes by not giving Wood Elves any good items. He even made sure to prevent broken combos this time. It's especially surprising as Wood Elves are reputed to be Matt Ward's favourite elf faction.

'''The Spirit Sword:''' 85 points for ignoring armour saves (as if Wood Elves didn't have enough of this already), and if you cause an unsaved wound on a character/champion/monster, you and your foe both take a leadership test. For each point you beat your opponent by, it causes a wound. If you lose the test nothing happens(Though it can hurt the wielder if you want to use the more amusing 6th ed rules for the sword). I guess it is neat and will kill monsters like hell, but this weapon is overpriced and relies on you hitting/wounding your target. Rely on the rulebook's magic items instead.

'''Daith's Reaper:''' This weapon would be amazing for almost any race but Wood Elves. For 50pts you can reroll to hit and to wound and force your opponent to reroll successful armour saves. Considering you can only take this on a hero who is likely to get to hit rerolls from ASF and that 8th favours ward saves rather than armour saves, this weapon is only slightly better than useless. Buying great weapon or sword of +1 str wound be a far better/cheaper alternative.

'''The Bow of Loren:''' For 20 points you get a bow that fires your character's attacks +1 shots. You can use it on the Waystalker to get 2, armour ignoring, sniping shots or on the Glade Lord to fire 5 bs7 shots. This can actually be increased further through augment magic that increases attacks (lore of beasts). Note that these are Multiple Shots (so -1 to hit and can't stack with Waystalker multiple shots and don't get any bonus attacks from extra hand weapon). The best that can be said about this bow is that it is properly priced. All other races ranged magic items aren't though...

'''Helm of the Hunt:''' For 20pts you get a dragon helm which instead of giving you a 2++ vs flaming attacks, gives you the devastating charge special rule and +1 ws on the charge. Cute I guess for Wood Elves but is it really worth it? Basically, it allows you to make a Wild Rider Noble from older editions (especially with Wild Riders wearing noticeable horned helms now)

'''Acorns of Ages:''' This is the item that Wood Elves have been waiting for. For 100pts you get d3 forests in addition to the starting one, which all have to be the same type and are deployed like drop pods, since they scatter but can't land on other terrain. Lots of tactics are circulating around this item, Drycha/Moonstone of Hidden Ways for teleporting units or almost deep striking treemen. See Talk page for tactics and stuff. As for the item - if nothing else, it's fluffy. The problem is only a couple lords even have the points to carry the thing, and it then leaves them with no points for anything else. Unless your strategy depends on having many forests (Drycha, Moonstone of Hidden ways), it is probably better to pass on this one.

'''Moonstone of Hidden Ways:''' This item's potential power is immense, while it's actual usefulness is varied. For 40pts you can teleport your unit at the end of a movement phase, from one forest to another. The only restriction on what can be teleported is whether it can fit wholly inside the forest. The "forest walking" unit can't be placed in another forest that is too small and counts as having marched. While interesting this item makes you a sitting duck for 1 turn and either relies on the luck of the terrain deployment table or the Acorns of Ages. Buy another gimmick.

'''Hail of the Doom Arrow:''' If only this item was 5 points cheaper so Waystalkers could take it (This does prevent the abuse from being able to hail of the doom arrow snipe combo - <strike>almost</strike> guaranteed dead wizard. Seems like it could have been fixed better with a 'cannot be used in conjunction with the sniper special rule' as opposed to just making it too expensive to take). For 30pts, you get a 1 use str 4 armour piercing arrow that causes 3d6 hits. Some people swear by these things since they can instantly mince lightly armoured units though there are dissenting opinions. Still it is the best magic item Wood Elves have. Sadly, Asyndi's Bane was removed as a magic item, so you can no longer use the HoDA to take out an enemy unit and the guy who fired the arrow in the same turn.

'''Calaingor's Stave:''' Such a depressing item. For 20 points you get the privilege of swapping a spell for Tree Singing. Tree Singing is cast on a 8+ now and can move an empty forest d6+1 inches, which is not much more than the forest moves by being accidentally bumped. If the forest is partially occupied, then instead you can deal 2d6 str4 hits on an enemy unit that is at least partially within the forest. You can improve the spell so that, when cast on a 16+ it affects all forests within 12". If the spell could be cast more than once, was given as an additional spell, had a lore attribute, could be cast on all forests on the board instead of those within 12", cast on a 4+, to name a multitude of reasons, then it would be worth taking. Otherwise, unless you wish to move the destination forest of the moonstone of hidden way's unit or Drycha's helpers, it is the worst magic item in the game. If you really want your eternal guard to hit in an extra rank, its usually easier to move yourself to the forest than to move the forest to you.

'''The Banner of the Eternal Queen:''' For twice the cost of the Banner of the World Dragon, this banner provides Magic Resistance 3 and for 1 turn the ability to be unbreakable. No thanks. The traditional overpriced banner does not fail to disappoint me even if you don't compare it to the Banner of the World Dragon.

'''The Banner of the Hunter King:''' Another banner which gives to it's unit vanguard and, that allows you to reroll the first failed charge of the game for 75pts. Dwarfs get these rules for 35pts and 15pts respectively. Also almost everything that can take this banner has Vanguard already. Competes with Calaingor's Staff for being the worst magic item ever. Well, at least Calaingor's staff only costs 20 points where this costs 75. Worst magic (or even mundane) item ever.

====Enchanted Arrows====

(Note, all arrows have AP and volleyfire, 30 inch range). All of these are available to Glade Guard, Deepwood Scouts, Glade Riders, Glade Lords and Glade Captains.
They replace the profile of regular bows wielded by models and count as magical attacks. <s>Note, that until we get a FAQ, they are ''not'' Asrai Longbows and prevent using Hail of Doom Arrows!</s> The enchanted arrows are Enchanted Items which do not prevent you from holding a second Enchanted item. As such they are NOT weapons, and do not prevent you from using the HODA. The WE book specifically says "Each type of enchanted arrow replaced the profile of the Asrai longbow with the one shown in its entry." <s>In other words, you don't have asrai longbow anymore, you have Arcane Bodkins, Starfire Shafts, Hagbane Tips, Swiftshiver Shards, Moonfire shot, or Trueflight Arrows instead. This would technically disable HoDA even though you are replacing the bow with arrows.</s> Correction: the profile of the bow is replaced, not the bow itself. "if a model has enchanted arrows, he must use them when shooting with an Asrai Longbow." The model still has the bow, which means it can still use HoDA.

'''Arcane Bodkins:''' 5 pts per model, confers ap -3 instead of normal armour piercing. Expensive for what they do. I prefer to do more wounds than reduce armour saves but these arrows kill cavalry like nobody's business. All the same, if your plan is to screw over enemy armour, just use Waywatchers instead. For three more points waywatchers can spite that guy with a 1+ re-rollable armour save while the arcane bodkins have a 50/50 chance of being saved. And they can also fuck up light infantry like nobody's business, if no heavy cavalry presents itself.

'''Hagbane Tips:''' 3 points per model, confers poison attacks. Amazing. This will probably be your go-to magic arrow, since wood elves have troubles vs monsters or anything with high toughness since they have S3. It is nice to have Skink-like firepower on the move at 30" (With BS4+ throughout <s>most</s> ALL of the shooting units, your problems will probably lie in wounding. Might as well turn those 6's to hit into wounds, and save yourself the possibility of connecting a hit that won't wound anything).

'''Trueflight Arrows:''' 3 points per model, confers no penalty to shooting whatever you do. This is probably going to be the second most used arrow. Best taken on your Glade Guard as they will suffer the most penalties (move and shoot, long range, volley fire, etc.). These should be your first choice against Skaven and their shenanigans. As these only help you hit when WE issue is wounding, they are best used in combination with magic that either reduces toughness (death or shadow) or gives +1 to wound (fire).
*''As of now there are many opinions about the merits of these arrows which should be shared on the talk page.

'''Moonfire Arrows:''' 4 points, confers flaming and +1 to wound versus Forces of Order. Great against warmachines, which almost all Forces of Order have. BUT against war machines, poison is still better (and cheaper) unless buffed by magic. Still, in addition to putting a hurt on those war machines, this arrow can also screw with any lore of life wizards (which many Forces of Order armies have access to) that thought they'd be using that signature spell. Especially if brought in as a surprise on scouts/ambushers (which is where you want them anyway to reach those war machines quickly).

'''Starfire Arrows:''' 4 points per model confers flaming and +1 to wound versus Forces of Destruction. Great against monsters and repeater bolt throwers. The better choice of the "...fire Arrows" duo as almost everything with Regen in the game is from a Forces of Destruction army. If you buy a unit of 10-12 of this instead of the flaming banner you can make OK monster hunters out of them. If you want, bring a small number of archers with flaming arrows and a larger poison arrow unit if you want to use that poison without the pesky regeneration saves. Alternatively, since enchanted arrows are not a magic weapon, they can still benefit from the Banner of Eternal Flame. Hagbane Tips + BoET kills regenerating/flaming monsters like no one's business. Just watch out for characters with Dragonbane Gem or Dragonhelm.

'''Swiftshiver Shards:''' 4 points per model confers multiple shot, making your Glade Guards into Dark Elf repeater crossbowmen. Interesting, but Waywatchers have this basic and do this better than any of the other unit. One recommendation is to fill your core with a big block of swiftshiver shard glade guard (fun to say) and then buff them with hand of glory from the high magic. Your swiftshiver shard glade guard should eviscerate anything that is not protected by the high elf banner of game breaking. Use Arcane Unforging if you can to destroy that banner and drink your High Elf opponent's tears when they realize they might actually have to use strategy to win for once.

==Magic==

Wood elves have gone from being, magically, the least diverse race with the least choice of all when it came to spells, to the most. All Wood Elf wizards now have access to ALL rulebook lores, which is amazing for them, and the Spell Weavers are the only models who now have access to the new Wood Elf specific lores, the Lore of High and Dark Magic. Yes both are directly stolen from the High and Dark elves (this is confirmed by the fluff) but have different lore attributes (this can be seen as good and bad). As such a Spellweaver can now choose 10 lores with a chance to pick 3/4 of 72 different spells.

The following overviews are in my eyes, in the order of importance. However that is up to debate and which most important is dependant on your list and situation.

====Lore of Life====

This Lore is really good for Wood Elves as you can restore wounds on your best units (ie:Warhawks and arguably Treekin). It provides you with a way to give your Glade Guard saves, revive your most expensive units, kill your foes with a characteristic test, and has a safety net for you, if you miscast. It is best taken on a lvl 3/4, so you can get throne of vines up and not have to worry about any more miscasts.

====Lore of Shadow====

The Lore of Shadow allows you to switch and save the most important characters while debuffing your foes. It helps your shooting by reducing your opponent's toughness and weakens them in combat by reducing their strength, weapon skill and intiative. Withering is the must-have spell for Wood Elves (unless you run a LOT of poisoned arrows), as it solves their greatest weakness - Str 3 bows. By using Melkoth's Mysitifying Miasma you can slow down your foes, giving you more time to fire. It can make one your heroes fly but that isn't as useful as the others. It also comes with a semi-cannon ball and a blast initiative test spell which can destroy your enemy's tougher units. Finally it comes with a buff that allows you to shred through tougher units. It is useful since it works on any wizard of any level. The Lore attribute can be good but it is very situational.
Some calculations can be seen in the Talk page.

====Lore of High Magic====

This Lore is really quite neat. It has a wide variety of cheap to cast spells which give you a better shorter ranged fireball as a signature spell, a buff the complete opposite of the MMM importantly buffing your BS, a spell which dispels all effects (very useful against any foe dependant on magic) as a signature spell, a small blast, the ability to redeploy one of your units 10", to dismantle magic items and to deal a str 4 hit to all your foes in one unit. Matt Ward has also given a good lore attribute which stacks well with it's multiple low level spells. Every time you successfully cast a spell you gain a counter. If you suffer an unsaved wound, then the counter nullifies the wound. Great if you are hiding your General anywhere, but especially with the sisters of the Thorn. I feel it is very much like a proactive version of the lore of life, preventing damage rather than repairing it.

====Lore of Metal====

The Lore of Metal is mostly aimed at helping armies like the wood elves deal with heavily armoured foes. It can debuff your foe's armour, pick off standards, has a 5+ pit of shades which causes stupidity and can give your troops a 5+ scaly skin save and +1 to hit (almost everything has armour piercing already). It isn't bad but the other lores often help more. Especially since nearly all the elves have armor piercing and (one of) their best units can outright ignore armor. The scaly skin is nice though since the wood elves are lacking when it comes to armor.

====Lore of Beasts====

The Lore of Beasts lets you run train on things that you normally would not be able to run train on. Arguably, it has the best signature spell of the 8 base Lores. +1 Strength and Toughness make even glade guard dangerous in hand to hand. They are still rubbish, but they may hurt someone. If applied to Treekin, they will each have Dragon-like stats, and go from being 'decent' to 'good' super fast. It really shines on wild riders and warhawks, though, since it takes them from squishy, to survivable, and from dangerous to just death. High initiative Strength 5 will scare anything. The +1S also gives your army an option at S4 ranged hits if cast on a unit of Sisters of the Thorn. It will also give you the amber spear which helps you deal with monsters and a couple of character buffing spells which can help your shadow dancers. Curse of Anraheir has great synergy with all the forests you might bring along (Acorn of Ages). Making a third of an enemy unit that follows you into a forest die is pretty great.

====Lore of Heavens====

The Lore of Heavens is a mixed bag.You get 2 of the spells with the largest areas of affect and potentially the biggest damage output in the game, 1 high strength magic missile, 2 debuffs which synergise well, preventing your foe from ever getting poisoned or killling blow attacks or -1 to hit and a 50/50 chance to put warmachines out of commision for one turn, a buff which makes you reroll all ones (which Wood Elves do in woods anyway) and a very situational knock back spell. Also it's lore attribute turns all of it's spells into lvl 1 fireballs when cast at something with wings. Not bad but it is often outshone. Still, can be used as a monster-hunter lore (since its damage spells inflict low number of very strong hits).

====Lore of Death====

The Lore of Death is good for situations when the enemy has some tough (literally) Lord or Hero, who laughs off your S3 sniping shots and has a chance to wreck your game - like a T4 Grey Seer with the Dreaded 13th ratifying your MSUs. Doom and Darkness also has nice synergy with Fear of your Dryads, Treekin, Treemen, and Wild Riders, and might actually cause an enemy to fail a panic test caused by shooting (giving you a rare opportunity to win with the thing your army is meant to do), while Soulblight does a fine job equalizing some S4 T4 brutes with your fragile elves. The Black Sun of Xereous kills half of everything that isn't elves (great with death's lore attribute). Between those three spells you are bound to get something great on a high level wizard. The character sniping spells are cool but just take waystalkers instead. Just a pity you can't cast Aspect of the Dreadnight on enemies (to exploit Wildwood Rangers' special rule). But, there is always a free mysterious forest which you can make cause fear (making your enemy step into it on the other hand is a bit more difficult...).

====Lore of Fire====

The Lore of Fire is best for level 1s since it comes with the best guaranteed magic missile in the game. If you lose your lvl 4 then go and pump all your dice into a super fireball. Beyond that the only spell of great use for wood elves is the Flaming Sword of Rhuin, which you sadly can't guarantee.

====Lore of Dark Magic====

Pity you can't take it on a level 1. On a level 4 it isn't bad but is beaten by almost all the other lores.

*'''Power of Darkness''':
**'''''Augment'''''. While it does give your unit a much needed strength bonus and extra power dice it will eventually wear you down ( you take a wound with no armor saves if you roll a 3 for power dice) unless you protect yourself with a decent ward save. Often, you'd be best served not getting bogged down in combat. For a stupid elf trick, use when your caster is with Sisters of Thorn and watch those javelins get nasty.

*'''Doombolt''':
**'''''Magic Missile'''''. Always take it. It gives you a much needed high strength shooting attack.

*'''Chillwind''':
**'''''Magic Missile'''''. Is an easy spell to cast, is good against low toughness units and will help you against other shooting armies.

*'''Word of Pain''':
**'''''Hex'''''. Good against shooting/high WS armies that seek to match you prowess. The boosted version will save a lot of your elves in combat, ''especially'' since you don't have much, if any, armor.

*'''Bladewind''':
**'''''Direct Damage'''''. Is a good choice for big blocks of infantry, like the always pleasant Slavebus or Zombietrain or even some tougher units.

*'''Shroud of Despair''':
**'''''Hex'''''. Simply fantastic when you get into combat. No Inspiring Presence and no Hold Your Ground! for you enemies. This will make breaking enemies easier, which is good, because you don't wanna hang around for Round 2.

*'''Soul Stealer''':
**'''''Direct Damage'''''. Once again, great against big horde units/busses/trains. If you get this off, place the 3" template anywhere of the wizard within 18". You can go nuts with '''Power of Darkness''' and never worry about it, if it lands right.

*'''Arnzipal's Black Horror''':
**'''''Magical Vortex'''''. Oh baby. This thing is crazy. Like warpstone-laced cocaine. No wonder Ariel got hooked on this Dark Magic stuff... Anyway, should you get this off, pop it down and sing ''"Snitches's gonna die/This bitch is gonna fly/My wizard's rollin' high/Or she's gonna fry"''. It will then travel anywhere between 6"-40" in the form of a 3" template in a straight line (of your choice) depending on your wizards magic lvl and how much you roll on the arty dice. Everything hit must pass a strength check or die (ward save allowed). As with arty rolls, should you misfire, place it on top of your wizard and scatter it D6. It ''Remains in Play''. Every turn, it jollies around randomly, spreading more laughter and happy thoughts with another arty roll. Misfire and it will stop working. Boost it and you get to use the large 5 incher, then pray to Isha that you don't screw up. Not as powerful as the '''Lore of Death''' version, but still good fun.

It's lore attribute is best likend to that of the '''Lore of Fire'''. Everytime you cast it on an enemy unit, it creates a vengeance counter (on the unit) which activates when damage is next applied through a spell to that unit. It causes d3 extra hits when it does so, for each counter on the unit. If you can take 2 lv 3/4 mages then this is a good secondary lore but beyond the Storm of Magic I doubt it will see much use. Try it out and see how useful it is to you.

====Lore of Light====

It's quite good against Undead and Daemons and could still be considered against Elf armies. Against most other armies, it sadly won't be of much use, as many of the other lores gives you better options. High strength flaming attacks, superb WS, exellent skirmisher [[Troll|trolling]] and M10 A4 Unbreakable Tree Kin is nice when playing the mirror match, but again, other lores give you a better selection of choices all-round. Alternative take: -1 to be hit is nice considering your high weapons skill. Double movement can make your waywatchers/glade riders uncatchable. Unfortunately, you cannot guarantee getting either of these spells. On a level 4 wizard it is highly likely you will either get one of these or roll doubles, however. It's definitely not the best option, but it is far from useless with the right spells.

==Army Composition & Tactics==

Build your tactics around your army.
Basically Wood Elves need to ambush, pick their fights carefully, and throw multiple units into every combat they fight if they want to win. One unit on its own is not going anywhere unless it's Wild Riders vs a monster or if the unit is charging the enemies flanks or rear.

Currently, there are four main methods of building your army:

*A) '''Shooty army.'''
**Don't get charged and keep on shooting. Circle around your foes, slow them down, and don't be afraid to sacrifice a unit if it saves your army.

*B) '''Fast combat army.'''
**You could take an entire horse army. Very hard to use but pays great dividends. This army should always get to choose when and how it fights. Abuse the Wood Elves' superior movement to ridiculous levels.

*C) '''Infantry army.'''
**Units of 5 or 6 Treekin have high Strength and Toughness, multiple wounds, good weapons skill and nearly 20 attacks per turn. Eternal Guard units are expensive but good for holding characters and is now stubborn even without a glade captain or lord. The enemy will need to kill everyone, so they are not going anywhere for some turns. However, without serious magical buffing, this army will die to anything stronger than a stiff breeze.

*D) '''Hybrid army.'''
**A mix of any of the above.

'''Ambush of the Worldroots'''

''To once again clarify, for future reference, the precise wording of the rule is "'''This forest is not mysterious terrain - declare it's type when you place it'''"

''With "Mysterious" being a fancy word for "Type of your choice".''

*The most obvious tactic for this is to chuck one in the middle of your Glade Guard. However, for an interesting option, to cater towards more close combat orientated armies, you can stick it between your big unit of Eternal Guard, etc and the most likely enemy deployment to mitigate a lot of return shots and hopefully force a fight in the woods. Or simply hamper the enemies movement towards you, forcing them to trudge through the forest or having to split around it

*Pick a Venom Thicket since your entire army (except Eagles) ignores Forest DT tests, but do notice that a Venom Thicket won't grant Poisoned Attacks to your shooting attacks. The rulebook specifically states that Poisoned Attacks from Venom Thicket only applies to close combat attacks.

*Abyssal Wood imposes no penalties and serves as a perfect place to station your Glade Guard, Eternal Guard or Wildwood Rangers. Fear will grant them an edge in melee (which all WE badly need), and luring an enemy far enough into the Abyssal Wood will give it Fear as well - directly empowering your Rangers when hacking them. An Abyssal Wood with a bunch of Rangers stationed in it (with just enough space to accommodate an enemy unit) can be quite effective in a choke-point.

*The other woods should NEVER be considered for two reasons:
**1) Strider only stops Dangerous Terrain checks, so Abyssal Wood/Venom Thicket are the only forests you can survive in while still doing damage to your enemies.
**2) You don't really want to use your guaranteed forest as barrier. You want to stand in it and gain bonuses distilled from HElf and DElf tears.

'''Tips'''

''Many of these tips might seem redundant, but one extra reminder is better than forgetting a small detail that might help you later ''

*With the introduction of Enchanted Arrows and generally improved shooting units, Wood Elves favour a mix between Shooting and Fast Combat armies. As a general rule, avoid putting any more points into core than necessary, always take a Level 4 wizard, 2 Great Eagles, some Waywatchers, and try to avoid any foot based combat unit. This is not to say that you should never take footsloggers, but most of your units will have neither the toughness nor the saves to match other armies.

*All of your army has M5 or more. Use this maneuverability to it's utmost to ensure that you stay alive and pick your fights with care.

*Remember that units fighting in forests lose their steadfast rule (this goes for your units as well). This could make a difference when fighting big blocks of Skavenslaves or other similar units that relies on keeping your units tied up until help arrives. Eternal Guards (Stubborn LD9) can shine here, even in relative few numbers. It should also be noted that skirmishers gain stubborn in forests.

*Beware of Monsters or units with high toughness! Unless you have units with Poisoned Attacks, Wild Riders (S5 on the charge), magically buffed units (result being S5 or higher), or Wildwood Rangers, it's gonna be difficult to wound most of the time when you're in combat. Almost every other Army has access to Warmachines to pick off your Treemen/Treeman Ancients, but you won't have the same luxury.

*[[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|DISTRACTION FAERIE]]: You need at least one of these. Either a Treeman, a Forest Dragon or some Waywatcher. Why? Because you need something that is gonna rob your enemy of his reason and make all his Empire/Skaven/Bolt Throwers/Leadbelchers warmachines go "''Huuuurr... Dat's a purdy unit yoo's got there mate... Be a real shame if sumfink hap'n to it, roight?'', so that the rest of your army survives and gets into position.
**''Bear in mind that against Dwarfs this will be less of a distraction and more 220 points of free victory points for their Flaming Cannon.

*Having trouble filling those pesky core points and don't want to give the enemy a 220 point treeman to knock down with cannons? Glade Riders can deal with warmachines after just a few rounds due to their Ambusher rule. Combine with poison arrows to really specialize in WM hunting. Since they can't charge the turn they enter, shoot at one machine and charge remaining machines the following turn. Not terribly reliable since poor rolls can delay your ambushers, but usually an amazing core unit solution to some of the only things that might challange the Wood Elves' superiority in the shooting phase.

*What's that? Having trouble with High Elves and their ''Banner of The World Dragon'' (aka the banner of game breaking) on a beefy cav unit you say? Luckily you do have a (good) ranged unit that isn't magical. Waywatchers. Use them to thin the banner unit. If the banner is on a BSB, hope you brought a Waystalker or two. Normally suggesting you change your army to deal with one magic item completely sucks. Luckily, Waywatchers are pretty good anyway, so they can still do stuff if the banner doesn't show up or is already dealt with.

*Seriously consider the ''Recipe for Success''
**You will need the following:
***1) 5 Wild Riders
***2) 1 Forest
***3) Flank Charge on the Enemy

Mix it all together, add command, a War Banner if you like it thick and put it in the oven for about 1 Magic and 1 Shooting Phase at 200 and ''voilà'': 16 Fear-causing ASF S5 AP attacks (reroll 1s to wound) + 10 S4 attacks with no enemy parry saves, supporting attacks or step up (so Always Strikes First actually helps you kill the enemy before they kill you. Also note that flanking does not remove steadfast, so unless you get your enemy within the forest, they may not run as easily). The cost? 160-195 points. (Add more Wild Riders to really hurt those 40+ man units). Do watch out for ranged fire though, Wild Riders are a glass cannon and with only 5, you can't really afford to lose any.

{{Warhammer_Tactics_Races}}
[[Category:Warhammer/Tactics]]

Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/High Elves

2020-10-06T04:14:13Z

2606:A000:1128:495A:E595:93AF:8EAF:C3E6: /* Mounts */

==Why Play High Elves==
Because you like Elves. And winning. High Elves win a lot. They have a BRUTAL magic phase (which if used properly completely offsets any perceived weakness of the High Elves), solid infantry choices, a variety of savage monstrous mounts and one of the best archer units in the game. Oh and did we mention that they have Always Strikes First, to a man, which combined with their high Initiative means you are essentially always getting rerolls <strike>and according to their FAQ, this is unaffected by Great Weapons.</strike> It is now only normal ASF, which means Great weapons strike at normal Initative, for once thank you Matt Ward. Let's also not forget the fighting in extra ranks. Between the extra ranks of attacks and the re-rolling misses, this army is designed to land lots of hits in close combat.

Don't think they're a cinch to play though, they're not THAT [[Warhammer/Tactics/Daemons of Chaos| overpowered]] (unless you use High magic or Life magic). Low Toughness, light armor and high cost units means that they have to be played well. But if you play them properly you will utterly destroy the competition. An army for people who like gorgeous models and want to play a tactically fulfilling army without being hideously underpowered. Or for a player that doesn't give a shit about a tactically fulfilling army and just likes to spam magic and block everything with ward saves (making that low toughness/light armor not matter at all), have crazy magic items, or just be better at all four phases of the game than all other armies (who said these guys weren't overpowered again?). An army, in short, for the exact kind of people who like Warhammer Fantasy.

==Army Rules==

*'''Martial Prowess:''' One of the cornerstones of why High Elves hit like a ton of bricks. Fighting and shooting in extra ranks is huge. Other armies at one point or another have to decide between more attacks or a decent rank bonus. High Elves can have all models attacking and still have 3-5 ranks!

*'''Valour of Ages''': When fighting their dark cousins, High Elves counter their hatred with re-rolling failed panic, fear and terror tests. It's a nice rule, who hasn't lost that one critical morale test in a game before? I would however say that hatred is superior. Valour of ages unfortunately does not allow re-rolls of failed break tests, so you're anyway going to field a BSB, and he already has panic, fear and terror covered. Still, your vanguard and scouts or anything else not in the BSB-bubble can benefit.

*'''Lileath's Blessing:''' A bonus of +1 to casting results for using High Magic across the board. High Magic is a very versatile and powerful lore, really drawing from the eight rulebook lores. And the spells already have relatively low casting values, so Lileath's Blessing means that you can easily cast 2-3 spells each turn to get that nice Ward Save bonus for your mage and his unit.

==Unit Analysis==
===Lords & Heroes===
====Named Characters====
'''Note:''' Under the current edition, named characters tend to be overpriced; you can pretty easily emulate most named characters from scratch and save yourself some points. That said, a few named characters do have abilities and wargear or wargear combos unique to them, so if you need to have them, go ahead. Just make sure you're really getting your points worth.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Tyrion, the Defender of Ulthuan:''' Tyrion is an expensive close combat beast, and that's what you want him to be. Between ASF, WS9, I10, 4 attacks, S7 (4 base +3 from Sunfang, and a magical Flaming Attack at that) and a breath weapon, he can pretty much wreck an entire unit on his own and with his 1+ armor, 4+ ward, and Magic Resistance (2) he will just not die (and even if he does, the engagement necklace from the Everqueen means one wound that would kill him is negated on a 2+, essentially giving him +1 wound, or a one time immunity to killing blow. He loses his magic resistance after use, meaning that last wound is slightly more vulnerable). However, he's kinda stuck in the role of the hammer, and at that level of points you can take someone on a Dragon and he can't do TOO much that a tricked out Prince couldn't do just as well for less (that dragon can't join a unit though, which makes Tyrion worth considering far more than he was in 7th edition). He's fun, but competitive lists tend to prefer generic options or the Everqueen. Something of note is that he can join a unit of Silver Helms or Dragon Princes which really ruins someones day in larger games (remember that now with Silver Helms being core, your anvil can suddenly drop onto the heads of the enemy rather than just hold them in place in an all cavalry list). His super-horse also has +1 M,WS,S,I and A. Be aware, he has taken a VERY SLIGHT nerfing (ie; his immunity to fire is now on a 2+ ward save meaning if he rolls a one he gets roasted. As cavalry he's no longer immune to killing blow so KB units such as Grave Guard can suddenly wreck his day again. He's also 10 points dearer). Weiging in at 410 points, he'll eat up a big chunk of your Lords points, but with the changes due to the End Times, you can now field him and the Everqueen in a 2000 pt game (and hopefully they don't start banging mid-game). One final change to him in this edition: he no longer HAS to be General of the army he's in, but if he is his inspiring presence has a range of 18". If your strategy is wedge Tyrion in your enemy's ass while a mage hides in a bunker and faps to the scene, you might wanna keep him as a minion but if your whole strategy is to run your enemy down with a wall of equine death he should be the one in charge.

* '''Teclis, the Loremaster of Hoeth:''' All those lifeline steroid pills must be getting to him, he got nerfed again. Not nearly as badly as last time, but he's weaker. He is still a powerful mage because he can either know all spells in High Magic, or have one spell (of your choice) from each normal Lore. The Moon Staff is now a one use item that either lets you add an extra die to each cast attempt from him for a turn OR negate a miscast from him (after use Teclis reduces his Strength and Toughness to 1 for the rest of the game, which is pretty funny but bad news). The scroll he carries is still nice, letting him auto-dispel an enemy (non-IF) spell as well as having a D6 roll-off against the mage who cast the spell, with a win resulting in them losing that spell for the rest of the game. Despite his ''awesome'' sword, he is still a cripple of an elf with no save to speak of so at least cram him into something that won't see cc and can protect him at the same time (<s>not</s> easy). The War Crown of Saphery, which used to let him dispel a miscast each turn and thus overpower him more than almost anyone else in the game, now grants him an additional wizard level making him one of the four Level 5 wizard options in the game. All together Teclis has gone from being mandatory in a "best possible" High Elf list to being an expensive character who's return on his points is still pretty damn good. Still, he's great for picking spells now that the magic item that used to let you do that is gone from the game. If you are using Storm of Magic rules, Teclis is still the powerhouse he once was and is just as facerollingly unfair as before.

* '''Alarielle the Radiant:''' The Everqueen is back people, and she is a Lord level wizard who can choose how many of her four spells are rolled from High Magic, Life Magic, and Light Magic. Mostly a defensive character, she uses her female status to make her unit protective of her to the point that they are immune to Fear and Terror (which is fair play if you ask me) and all her units' attacks count as magical ('cuz why not). Also she heals one friendly character within 12" for 1 wound each round during the movement phase, but needs to target anyone else if available before herself since she's nice and all. Her and her unit get a 5+ ward save against non magical attacks too, which is jolly decent of her (breaks everything if buffed with High Magic lore and combined with a character with the Banner of the World Dragon). She has only one attack but against the Forces of Destruction it's Heroic Killing Blow on top of her elven ASF. It would be really laughable if... lets say she slays a Greater Demon with this, but highly unlikely. She has Lileath's Blessing like other High Elf casters so she'll add +1 to High Magic spells if you're looking to bump up that Ward Save with Shield of Saphery via High Magic spam. She also has a nifty little passive called Chaos Bane since her very existence makes Daemons take SAN checks (so the Everqueen is more or less the God Emperor of Fantasy in all the ways Sigmar isn't) which means that during the beginning of her Magic Phase, before you roll for winds, every unit with the Daemonic rule within 12" of her takes D6 hits at strength 4 calculated as per shooting. Seems nice, but it comes with the drawback that she casts at a -D3 to any spells since Daemons give her a sad. She's got a one use item called the Stave of Avelorn which lets her cast a spell a second time regardless of whether she bummed it up or not. Finally, taking her gives Nobles, Lothern Sea Helms, and Handmaidens of the Everqueen special options. The Noble or Lothern Sea Helm you would use as your Battle Standard Bearer (which you are always going to have) can take the Banner of Avelorn for 40 points, which gives you +4 on every cast of Life and Light magic that targets the unit the Banner is in (that last part if very important, remember it when deciding where the BSB will march) which is very nice if you're looking to get off two of the best defensive/counter lores without losing many power dice each casting. The Handmaiden can take the Horn of Isha, which is a one use item used at the start of the Movement Phase that gives all the models in the unit that used it a +1 To Hit bonus on shooting or melee (so one turn of those arrows from the amazons get a little bit pointier) for 50 points. With all the rules the Queen is toting, she is High Elves' new Teclis but on defense rather than offense. She's also right alongside Teclis in Storm of Magic overpowering. Keep in mind she's not a /win overpowered goddess. Lists that use the Everqueen should have one giant horde to stick her in with multiple wound characters in it. Even a unit of Spearmen with the Everqueen can be buffed to Phoenix Guard levels on the cheap. Everqueen lists are vulnerable to flank charges however, so keep that in mind if you decide your Special choice should be the Alarielle horde. A Sea Helm in the unit with her will solve that issue pretty quickly however.

* '''Alith Anar, the Shadow King:''' Alith used to be overshadowed by the other Lord level choices available, but this edition has him in his own role and if it's what you need he's perfect. He's got a glorious bow granted to him by a goddess (functions as a Bolt Thrower (so subtract the price of one from his cost to figure out what ELSE you're getting from him) that he can shoot even if he moves, and ignores Armor saves) and has a nice statline. Hatred isn't as useful in 8th, but against Dark Elves it's always nice to put just a little more pain on them; speaking of, if you know you will be fighting Dark Elves he's Khaine's gift (one without drawbacks!) to elfkind due to his ranged attack causing -1LD to Dark Elf units he hits until the end of the phase. Since Bow of the Seafarer was removed in 8th edition you can no longer kit out a Prince to be a better shooty lord, so Alith has taken on that role entirely by himself and as a result a more viable option in competitive lists. Alith causes a -1 To Hit for whatever tries to shoot a unit he's joined, and the unit also has Swiftstride so think about where you're putting him (advancing wave of White Lions that you just CANNOT shoot is nice, as is Shadow Warriors you can't catch). Keep in mind that if you deploy him outside of your deployment zone you may want someone else to be your general, otherwise his inspiring presence is wasted for half the game.

* '''Elatharion the Grim, Warden of Tor Yvresse:''' He's nice, but perhaps too expensive for his own good. Hatred VS Orcs and Goblins isn't very useful unless you will actually be playing against them, and his extra boost in personal combat against Grom the Paunch of the Misty Mountain even less so. He's also a Level 2 caster who can grab any lore from the Rulebook (Beasts and Death work well), but that's a job you generally want to split between combat Lords and Wizards (never mind that, for his cost, you can grab a Prince AND a level 2 Mage, with 35 points left for equipment before Eltharion becomes the cheaper pick). He can also ride his enhanced personal Griffin Stormwing and get a free lance. Stormwing has stats exceeding a Sun Dragon and has ASF plus the 5+ Ward Save Eltharion's helmet grants him (How the fuck does that work? Magic. Elf magic.) but has no Scaly Skin which is a big deal when a Sun Dragon is only 40 points more. He's really a good enough Lord who's mostly overshadowed by how much you're paying for him and how other choices crunch better. On the plus side, his badass sword (+2 strength, no armor saves allowed), badass helmet (+1 armor save and 5+ ward save), and finally the badass medallion (gives Magic Resistance (1)) make him an easier pill to swallow if you're going for a themed list. Consider him on foot instead of simply throwing him on the gryphon if you do want him.<br />'''Alternate View'''<br />Compared to other sources, based on the princes profile he should be worth around 391 points (compared to his 295). Still, your mileage may vary if he's point effective or whether a vanilla prince with a few upgrades would be better.<br />'''Even More Alternate-er View'''<br />To achieve an equivalent level of power on vanilla Lords and Heroes would actually come to almost 450 points (Excluding his griffon), so he's a cheap way to have a wizard and a combat beat stick, especially in a low point game. Plus everyone loves a good sword-swinging wizard (Let's call him pointy-eared Gandalf).

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Caradryan, Captain of the Phoenix Guard:''' Caradryan is a good fighting hero that got 5 points cheaper in 8th but lost 2 points of his magic resistance. Mark of Asuryan was changed from dealing D6 no armour save wounds to the single model that killed him to instead dealing D3 no armour save wounds to the unit or the same to a single enemy in a challenge (so his aftermath special ability has been halved in exchange for it being able to affect the unit when he cops it outside of a challenge). His magic weapon is FANTASTIC against trolls and other regenerating monsters due to having Flaming Attacks, it also hits on +1 strength and causes Multiple Wounds (D3) against anything. He himself is not too expensive, especially since he discourages tricked out Lords/Heroes from coming after him due to his dying ability. Not the greatest Hero in the world, but really fun and a god-tier bodyguard. Also, has the option to now ride a named Frostheart Pheonix, Ashtari. Costs 10 points more than a generic but with an additional attack and is thus a GREAT option. Combine that with his dying ability and you've essentially got a flying tank that weakens things around it carrying a nuke (one that doesn't hurt your own men), and it's on a dead man's trigger.

* '''Korhil, Captain of the White Lions:''' Korhil's main advantages are as follows: He's cheap (but 10 points costlier in 8th) and he's Stubborn and thus grants this to any unit he joins. Those two reasons are reason enough to take him, especially if you want to dump him in a large Spearmen unit. He lost Woodsman, gained Forest Strider which is the same thing by another name. It lets his unit waltz through deadly Forests like they're a peaceful park. He's reasonably killy on his own merits with S4, with +2 strength from his magic weapon, with Killing Blow, with ASF, with an extra hand weapon. Pelt got a slight nerf, grants +1 close combat and +2 shooting to his armor, and instead of being immune to poison in all forms they have to roll To Wound to hit him. Not someone who will turn the game around, but he certainly helps if your strategy is an elfhorde and you didn't bring along Alarielle. See his bio in the fluff section for themed lists, basically he can show up anywhere High Elves are as long as the Phoenix King approves of whatever your army is doing. NEVER FORGET his axe DOESN'T have ASL unlike white lions, so you still get your re-rolls. Korhil may also be mounted on a Lion Chariot, upping his Armour Save by +1 and making the chariot stubborn and a very deadly force on the charge. Plus, the chariot does not have to take a dangerous terrain test when moving through a forest, which is quite huge for a chariot.

====Generic Characters====
'''Note:''' While named characters are judged against their generic counterparts, generic characters are examined based on their role in your army.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Prince:''' Princes personify everything about the High Elves: Fast as hell, kickass in close combat, can take a variety of special stuff, about as hard as wet tissue. Be sure to give this guy an armor or ward save, or else he will get his ass killed. Aside from that, he's a brutal close combat Lord (WS7, I8, ASF) and properly kitted out there's very little this guy can't kill. Dragon Armor lol's at flaming attacks and breath weapons but is now 20 points (minus the 6 you'd be spending on Heavy Armor, since you ARE taking one or the other); you do get a 6+ ward with it though. As an alternative to Dragon Armor you can take a Lion Cloak alongside the Heavy Armor for just 6 points, giving your Prince a +2 armor save against shooting. If you have the points and you aren't already taking a magic item with a ward save then Dragon Armour is the better option, though a Prince should have a better ward than 6+. Look for the variety of killy options down in the magic weapons.

* '''Archmage:''' A fantastic caster. Access to all 8 Lores, plus High Magic, means he can literally be designed to do whatever you want, though the preferred option in an unclear situation is Lore of Life. Also remember that as long as he's on the board (along with his little brother the Mage) you get +1 to their casts for High Magic through Lileath's Blessing for a total of +5 when channeling it through a Level 4 Archmage. Like with the Prince, he has access to some of the best magic equipment in the game. High Elves are good at magic, and this guy proves it.

* '''Loremaster of Hoeth:''' A new Lord choice and mostly the same as a Swordmaster. But is also a level 2 Mage with ALL 8 normal magic Signature Spells. This gives him great diversity, and he is also not bad in combat (but frail, as he only has a 5+ armour save). Think about it: the Signature Spells are nowhere near bad (ok, most of them are not) and you're getting all of them! Three magic missiles, a direct damage spell, two augments and two hexes. Having all of the lore attributes at your fingertips is useful, like casting Spirit Leech to get more power dice from killing someone. He gets to take as much magic gear as the Archmage and Prince does, meaning you pick how you want to use him and kit him out like one or the other. Also, Deflect Shots for a 6+ ward against non-magical non-template ranged attacks. He's a pretty solid choice, but he costs a metric ton to bring to the table and he's not as good on defense as a level 4 Archmage, so he'll probably only see field in big games. Also, put this guy near a wizards tower whenever you can. It's painfully hilarious. In Storm of Magic, this guy is double hilarity - he gets ALL the spells!<br />It is also worth noting that under the new rules from End Times, the Loremaster of Hoeth knows all the spells from all 8 lores. (Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I am 99% sure that as he is mentioned as THE example, this is the case).

* '''Anointed of Asuryan:''' Yes, you read that right. The head of the Phoenix Guard is somehow a hero while a generic version of him is a Lord, go figure. Anyway, the Anointed is a Lord choice Phoenix Guard member with magic resistance and option to ride a Phoenix (no one else can, other than Caradryan who is his named counterpart). Since he already has a 4+ Ward save a heavy armor and a halberd he needs nearly no equipment at all. If you want, you can turn him into the most tanky (still T3 though) High Elf with the Armour of Silvered Steel and the Dawnstone, giving him a re-rollable 2+ Armour Save, followed by a 4+ Ward Save with MR2, which is pretty insane and still leaves enough points for Potion of Strength, Khaine's Ring of Fury / Ruby Ring of Ruin or the Reaver Bow. When he rides a Flamespyre Phoenix it will return from the dead more often and will even ease the burden on the Phoenix in case of shooting (since he will absorb a few hits). Much, much, MUCH more importantly, he gives everyone in any unit he joins a 6+ Ward Save and Immune to Psychology, which makes him really good in big units of Spearmen, White Lions and the like. On foot, he's a better option than the Prince. In terms of mounts, you take the Anointed if you want one of the Phoenixes (I would say go with the Flamespyre) and the Prince if you want the Dragons.

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Noble:''' A great fighter for his points, but if you have the points you really should be taking a Prince (who's only 70 points more). The main reason you take a Noble is because he can be a BSB or if you're low on points (either overall or in the Lord choices) in which case, he'll serve. He's best as a BSB and you DEFINITELY want a BSB. In 8th with Lothern Sea Helms also being an option as a Battle Standard Bearer there are now conceivable lists where you might not take a Noble. As a nice little bonus for those who are low on points, the armor types (Heavy, Dragon, and Lion Cloak) are cheaper on a Noble than a Prince.

* '''Mage:''' Unlike the Noble vs. Prince the difference in points between the Mage and Archmage is big that you might want a Mage instead, he can do everything the Archmage can but at level two. If you're in the mood it's always nice to have a backup Mage with a different lore to deal with situations your Archmage can't. Never a bad idea.

* '''Dragon Mage:''' That's right, we even have HEROES riding Dragons. The Dragon is fairly squishy (for a Dragon) and the model as a whole runs on the pricy side, but the Hero Level Dragon and the sheer power of the Mage on top make up for a lot of that. Flaming Sword of Rhuin is actually worthwhile in this edition and the Mage himself can put out an incredible amount of firepower. Note that you should never ever use the actual amount of dice you need; Figure out how much you need and then take one less, it'll give you more mileage. Can be a game breaker at lower points, but tends to get irrelevant once it becomes possible to grab a Prince on Star Dragon. Also, beware as they can only take the Lore of Fire. As Dragon Mages now have access to Dragon Armour, they have access to Magic Armour. Dragon Mage Dragon Armour + Enchanted shield makes for a 2+ Wizard, and if you've got a squishy wave of elven melee doom and a Dragon Mage advancing on a position, your opponent is just picking size or numbers for what dick will end up in his ass.

* '''Handmaiden of the Everqueen:''' The main Valkyrie in a horde of Amazons. You will only play this character with a group of maidens as she gives them (and only them) Quick to Fire. Put the Reaver Bow on her for 3 BS7 S5 quick-to-fire shots. She's kind of expensive for her stats, so she should only be brought if you've got a big unit of Sisters with her name on it. Can take a Horn of Isha if you take the Everqueen, which you should take anytime you aren't taking the Reaver Bow.

* '''Sea Helm:''' Yet another way for High Elves to gain an advantage over the other "lesser" armies. This hero allows his unit to, after passing a leadership test, reform directly after they were charged, as long as they didn't Stand and Shoot or Flee that turn. This means no more easily flanking your units, and taking into account that every High Elf Unit can strike out of 3 rows to the front, this - for measly 100 Points - becomes really important. He can also be a Battle Standard Bearer if you're taking him anyway and don't want to bother with the Noble. Be careful using the Sea Helm as your BSB as he does not have the defensive options that the Noble has. A BSB Noble can get heavy armor and a shield, not to mention dragon armor and the lion cloak, a noble can get 4+/6++ easily without using any magic items. The Sea Helm however has light armor and a shield, that is all. If you're taking a BSB Sea Helm, give him a mundane standard and pump his defenses with his magic item allowance. But seeing as any special ranked unit (aka any unit you want to put him in barr a 50-block of spearmen) has a magic standard allowance of at least 50 points (banner of the world dragon costs 50 points), this isn't much of a problem.

====Mounts====

* ''Elven Steed:'' It's a horse, it goes fast and makes them the tiniest bit less killable. Available for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, and Mages. Since Ithilmar Barding stopped subtracting from movement, you should probably always upgrade to Ithilmar Barding. It adds armor save and DOES NOT make the M9 steed any slower (because HE can't give up their precious movement for barding like all the other armies have to). There's no reason not to pay a few measly points for that.

* ''Great Eagle:'' Useable by Princes, Archmages, and Nobles. Eagles are the halfway point between Horses and Monsters and they're quite cheap at 50 points. You can put a Noble with the Reaver Bow on one of these for a fast, shooty unit that is tougher (a Great Eagle is your only chance of getting a T4 character) and has an extra wound, or an Archmage to get on your opponent's flank and vortex him back to the stone age. For a better Eagle you have to spend 15 points more, which if you're taking one you probably should.

* ''Griffon:'' Useable by Princes and Nobles. Good news they're cheaper than Sun Dragons (150 points vs 235), but with upgrades to make the Griffon viable it comes to a grand total of 195 points. The only difference being the Sun Dragon has one more wound... and a flame attack... and a 3+ AS which makes Dragons durable where Griffons are saveless. Still, Dragons don't have ASF or Devastating Charge, plus Griffons have a +1 Strength on the turn they charge. It's iffy, but offensive lists requiring a nice hard flank to something that isn't a horde have a need for a well geared Prince on a Griffon. Not to mention that neat Island of Blood mini has just been gathering dust on your shelf...

* ''Tiranoc Chariot:'' Option for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, or Mages. Not a good option really, there's potential in that it crunches better than an Eagle for a Reaver Bow war machine hunter, but still iffy. With a unit of 3 though you can replace any Reavers, Shadow Warriors, and Eagle-riding Lords or Heroes. Still, there's complex strategies that can make great use of them, like 2v2 and scenario games.

* ''Sun Dragon:'' Option for Princes and Archmages. The mini-Dragon. Still a Dragon, still kick-ass. Good for if you're short on points, since the 70 point upgrade from Sun to a Moon Dragon matters.

* ''Moon Dragon:'' The medium Dragon, same power level as most Dragons in the game. A good all around choice.

* ''Star Dragon:'' The highest tier of Dragon and probably the most brutal Monstrous Mount in the game. With WS7, S7, T7 7 wounds, 6 attacks, a Strength 4 breath weapon and a 3+ armour save, this guy, with a properly tricked out rider, can probably rip the head off of anything stupid enough to get in its way without tipping the odds. It can tear apart almost anything. Giants, K'daii Destroyers, and other dragons will all be killed if faced by a Star Dragon. Beware the I2 though and be aware that everyone and their dog will be gunning for it. Don't let it get bogged down in a head on collision with a large unit; yes it probably can't do any real damage to the Star Dragon, but it'll be stuck there all game and probably get flanked. Have him charge down small units, flank big units in conjunction with a frontal assault, hunt down enemy monsters. Unless it gets hit by a cannonball, something is going to die when a Star Dragon gets involved. WORD OF WARNING: Some combat Lords from melee-heavy armies (Warriors of Chaos, Ogres, Daemons, Bretonnia etc) have weapons and gifts and things that are designed to bring down dragons, and a Bretonnian Lord with a Sword of Swiftstride and Heroic Killing Blow can cut the head off a Star Dragon before it can lift a claw.

* ''Skycutter of Lothern:'' Your mount option for the Sea Helm and the Sea Helm alone, but don't take it, because his main power is buffing your troops and he's good at it. Not a terrible choice though if you really want to buzz enemies without worrying too much about terrain checks or being shot at. Putting him on one gives it a 4+ Ward Save against shooting, and allows you to reroll dangerous terrain tests. Taking a second Sea Helm and putting him on one replaces two crew members, meaning you're only getting the shooting attack of one crewman, and the Sea Helm if you spend the 4 points to give him a bow, or outfit him with a Reaver Bow (the only way to really make this a remotely viable option). If you want a Skycutter, take it as a <s>Rare choice</s> (hilariously they're a special choice now, go elves!), not a mount.

* ''Flamespyre Phoenix:'' So finally the High Elves get their coverbeast to play. It's flaming hot, doesn't fear fire and comes with average stats for a Monster. It only has a 5+ ward save, but this is more than a Giant or a Dragon has against cannons. It gets stronger with better winds of magic (albeit on a chance of 1/9 it get's weaker) and can make flying attacks like the chaosmantas, even more so with all of its attacks being magical. Since it's a Phoenix it can be reborn by rolling a dice at the end of the turn it was killed, on a 6 it come back with D3+2 wounds, on 3 to 5 it blows up and you can try again at the end of the next turn (can be your opponents turn), with a roll of 1 or 2 the Pheonix is dead. When it's ridden by an Anointed, (the only mount he can ride, and the only one that can ride it) the roll has a +1 modifier which is beautiful. It lacks the power to really take out a big unit on its own but can take out war machines and kill off survivors. With an Anointed it gets powerful enough to flank units and at least have a chance, so this is how you want to take it.

* ''Frostheart Phoenix:'' Frostheart Phoenixes are great to have, but putting an Anointed on one doesn't really do anything for it besides get him into combat and waste his unit buffing so if you're taking one, take one as a Rare option.

===Core Units===

* '''Archers:''' A good unit overall. Longbows and high BS give them a good range and a solid ability to damage small lightly armored units (don't count on them to do too much to heavy armor). They work really well in 2 or so groups of 10, especially when combined with Repeater Bolt Throwers (you should generally concentrate fire). High WS, I, and LD along with Always Strikes First allows them to resist attempts by small units of light cavalry (it'll take more than a unit of Mounted Yeomen to deal with these) but you shouldn't be counting on them to do combat duties. Players are split on whether to take Light Armor: On a 10 man unit, taking Light Armor could deny you an 11th model, but if you want to keep your model count low, Light Armor does make them marginally more survivable. Don't bother with Command beyond Musician. Just a side note, Archers having Longbows is superior in range to Lothern Sea Guard having simple Bows, and this can make a world of difference when trying to outrange certain weapons such as Dark Elf Repeater Crossbows

* '''Spearmen:''' Spearmen got a definite boost in 8th, with the new rules for Always Strikes First and the rank rules (allowing them to strike in 4 Ranks, 3 on the charge). A common formation for them is 5 ranks of 6 for a total of 30 models, giving you a total of 24 attacks (25 with Champion) and 7 wounds required before they start losing attacks for a total of 295 points with Command. Although if you're feeling saucy, you could take a 565 points, 60 man Horde which gets a total of 50 attacks on the front. Ultimately, there's always room for these fantastic infantry units in your army. The anvil of most "hammer and anvil" strikes for High Elf armies. With 8th, First Among Equals was dropped so now only Spearmen can take a 25 point max magic standard.

* '''Lothern Sea Guard:''' Lothern Sea Guard used to get a bad reputation, which is no longer deserved. They cost the same as an Archer upgraded to have Light Armor so 11 points per mini, but get free Spears to go with it, and can take a shield for an extra point. The only reason that isn't the best thing ever is because they have regular Bows instead of Longbows, and thus have diminished range. As such they are often derided as overpriced, but they're a solid defensive unit that can pump out a shooting round on par with the archers and do as well as the Spearmen in melee. With 8th edition, they can no longer take a magic banner as that is now reserved for Spearmen alone. The addition of the Sea Helm to the game has taken away their main weakness however. Before, you had to play it smart to get as many shots as you could in, then reform to take a charge. With the Sea Helm, one easy Leadership check and you're ready to stab the heck out of the enemy (in 4 ranks!) the very moment they begin their charge so as a result a list where your entire Core is one GIANT horde of Lothern Sea Guard escorted by a Sea Helm is the basis for any defensive list. Just remember that the Sea Helm's reforming rule only works if you elect to hold, losing you a stand and shoot. In any case, the high price of each Lothern Sea Guardsman makes every single loss taken slightly more costly than if an equivalent Spearmen had bought the farm (3 point difference, so every third LSG you take is one less Spearman). Take and use with discretion.

* '''Silver Helms:''' LET THE JOYOUS NEWS BE SPREAD! THEY ARE BACK AS CORE! In the previous edition, they were not worth taking due to them soaking up Special options. Now however, you can have a highly mobile force. Here's what you need to know; their stats are the same as Spearmen, but the have a Movement score of 9 compared to the 5 of Spearmen. Silver Helms have Heavy Armor compared to the Spearmen's Light Armor. Finally, Spearmen are only 9 points and come with a Shield, whereas Silver Helms are a whopping 21 points and spend an extra two for that Shield, bringing them to 23 points total each. Is that worth it? When you want a chaff unit that can take a hit or two, sure. In a pure offensive, speed based list - HELL yes! A Noble (on horseback obviously) bearing the Banner of the World Dragon, with your Archmage (also on horseback, duh) spamming any spell he can think of into the enemy, both these fine elves in a very large unit of Silver Helms that is acting as a fast moving steamroller. Flank the enemy with some Reavers, or skip the foreplay and go right to the reaming with Dragon Princes on a charge. Throw Tyrion into the mix for an army worthy of the High Elf race. Do note however, that a list that isn't purely offensive probably shouldn't have Silver Helms in it. An Avelorn themed list where the Sisters of Avelorn mop up the enemy isn't half bad (could be much better) but for the most part keep them as your core in cavalry lists only. Oh, and Bretonnian players won't stop bitching about Silver Helms until they get an update, so we should be cool with the mon'keigh right around the time of the Horus Heresy (sorry, that was mean. Funny, but mean).

* '''Ellyrian Reavers:''' Also back as Core for 16 points a pop. The primary role for Ellyrian Reavers in a High Elf army is as chaff to end an opponent's march, then harass casters and warmachines. The fact they (in a unit of 5 with no upgrades) can do that more durably than a Great Eagle makes them really worth it when you aren't using a horde of Core, and you need your Rare slots for Sisters of Avelorn or Bolt Throwers. Not really worth it in most lists outside that role, their strength is the Wood Elf tactic of shooting and running. They can flank too, so if your list uses a massive horde of one Special option as a wall of doom with a Sea Helm shouting orders to them then some Reavers on the sides aren't half bad. Still, the vanilla Reaver only carries Light Armor and a Spear, with all stats but their Movement (9) equal to Spearmen. They're paying a full 7 points more for that horse, and they don't get a shield for it. If they drop the spears and take bows instead, you spend one extra point per mini (so they lose out on the charge). For a full 3 points, they can still shoot and take spears (so figure out what you want to use them for, then stick with it). Their champion, the Harbinger, has a higher BS so if you aren't taking bows there's literally no reason to spend the extra points on him. They do have a nice purpose, they're really fast moving, have those bows and/or spears, and a few units of 5 will make an artillery happy enemy have to pick between using those cannons to defend themselves, or hit your main force. Perhaps the best use of Reavers however is against enemies with NO ranged options. Nothing sadder than a game where your opponent realizes there's not a damn thing he can do to win because he can't reach your Reavers.

===Special Units===

* '''While your Core units are used to create the core (ha) of your army, this is where you get the guys who do most of the damage. Don't be afraid to shamelessly spend absurd amounts of points (in fact, the full limit you can usually) in your special choices. If you need something dead, and you're not in a big enough game to bring a Star Dragon, this is where you look.

* '''Swordmasters of Hoeth:''' In any (literally any) other army, they'd be a Blue Chip unit, something to never leave home without. After all, 2 WS6 S5 attacks in 3 ranks at 13 points a pop, a magic standard up to 50 points, and with ASF canceling out ASL from great weapons for normal I5 attacks? What's not to like? Well you see, in the High Elves book, there are three primary Special options and Swordmasters are slightly the lowest when you crunch survivability and damage. At T3 and only 5+ armour and one Wound, they are as hard to wound as tissue paper and everyone knows it. But, if we're being entirely fair to the unit and taking them on their own terms, they're not all bad and with some strategy (or magic (AND magic is best of course)) you can make them into trap versions of Brock Fucking Samson. If you're careful with them, small units of them can make devastating flanking units, with most players taking them as bare 15 man units or 21 man 7-across units. They can cause some ridiculous damage under a lot of circumstances, but just be careful with them, one good Magic Missile or enemy shooting phase can mean you spent all those points on nothing (but now in 8th, they can deflect arrows like Jedi via get a 6+ save to non-magical non-template shooting attacks). There is also one way to make them really REALLY good. Run a 30+ man horde. Stick a Lore of Life level 4 Archmage or Alarielle in. Enjoy your opponent's tears while your T7, regenerating, regrowthing unit pumps out 40 S5 attacks to the front. Keeping up a 3+ ward save on the Swordmasters through High magic spam isn't half bad either (a Battle Report where this is maintained the entire game and going up against a horde army is a form of pornography to a High Elf player). All it will have cost you is a few power dice to make that happen.

* '''Phoenix Guard:''' Phoenix Guard are not only the best unit in the High Elf army, they are probably in the top 3 best units of the game, period. 15 points for WS5, S3 (S4 because of halberds), I6, LD9, Fear causing, Heavy Armored, ASF, and an extra rank of attacks. Wait that doesn't sound good? Oh they also have a 4+ Ward Save, standard. Yeah, there you go. These guys can get hit in the face by a cannon ball and just shrug it off, and they've got enough killing power to actually give back. Be sure to give them a solid bit of static CR, because LD9 does not make them immune to failing their break test (BSB works well and will be difficult to kill inside that unit). Either put them in horde formation, or make them very deep to take away steadfast. There is no High Elf army that doesn't have room for these lads (other than the full cavalry list).

* '''White Lions of Chrace:''' White Lions are the middle child, the jack of all trades, the bard if you will of the three Special choice High Elf infantry. Better than Swordmasters due to durability and costing the same amount of points, and deal more damage than Phoenix Guard and two points cheaper. They are inferior to the respective masters in terms of raw damage, or survivability. Still, they do pump out S6 I5 attacks with the usual extra rank, they are more resistant to shooting than Swordmasters (with a +2 to their Armor against non-magical shooting), they treat forests as if they're an open meadow, and best of all they're Stubborn to the last man, which means even a rank of 5 can hold out against LOTS of static CR. They end up truly being the jack of all trades of the three, operating just as well as a defensive ranked unit as an offensive charging unit. Also with S6 from Great Weapons (swinging at I5 due to ASF negating ASL), 3 ranks of them is enough to make most monsters cry (send them up against that Giant your opponent is so proud of and watch him cry as they hack out his kneecaps while singing a jolly tune about how they're hacking away his kneecaps). Take them in big units with the Banner of Eternal Flame and you're ready for anything. They're very good as far as heavy infantry goes, and well worth your time. If your strategy revolves around Swordmasters or Phoenix Guard, White Lions are worth considering as a secondary choice to flank.

* '''Dragon Princes of Caledor:''' Dragon Princes hit harder than any unit has a right to with two attacks and while heavy cavalry has generally fallen out of favor these guys remain popular due to the ubiquity of flaming attacks and breath weapons (although they are no longer immune, they merely get a 2+ ward save against it). Therefore, if your Daemons of Chaos opponent likes Tzeentch and its flaming attacks (Warpflame, Anon, not Flaming anymore), take these guys and see him cry. If you're playing a defensive list, they're probably not worth your time, but offensive lists can generally find a place for them. On the charge there's not much that can hit harder, and while they're no Blood Knights they can certainly keep going in melee. Still, stick with prodding the enemy flank as your goal with them. Uniquely, the Drakemaster (unit champion) can take a magic armour in addition to the usual magic weapon. It may be worth it to turn him into a mini Noble by giving him, for example, the Star Lance and the Enchanted Shield; he has three attacks after all, like a naked Noble. In fact, he's a prince himself...

* '''Shadow Warriors:''' Previously, Shadow Warriors were the Elven equivalent of Beastmen. As of new Army book however they are better shots than archers while only being 3 points more, and get Scouting and Skirmish so they have become useful at War Machine hunting and taking out annoyances like Spirit Hosts. Put a Noble with Shadow Armour and The Reaver Bow in the unit to give them that little extra fire power cheaply (or just give the Reaver Bow to a Shadow-walker [the unit champion] to do it even more cheaply). Throw Alith Anar in with them and you've got Elven Vietcong. Generally speaking, Shadow Warriors still don't have much of a place in your army. Reavers are better at putting the hurt on enemies and getting away, and Special is not the category you really want to put ranged options into. Still, a HUGE horde of Spearmen taking up your Core and Phoenix's eating up your Rare slots leave Shadow Warriors as your Special of choice to still get a ranged attack.

* '''Tiranoc Chariot:''' These aren't bad on their own terms but when compared to the other major option for Chariots, which is better in nearly every applicable way other than not having a ranged attack, Tiranoc Chariots get a thumbs down. Still, Tiranoc Chariots aren't bad and if you're in the mood for a cheap chariot (70 points), this is for you. They are very adaptable with longbows, spears, and very good movement. It should be noted that High Elf Chariots are among the most reasonably priced (money wise) units that GW has, and if you get a Chariot but use it as a White Lion one you get extra horses to put Lords or Heroes on. Apparently nobody has noticed that you can take these in units of three. Well, you can take these in units of three, so they're not that bad compared to the other chariots in the army. Note that a character on a chariot still can't join a unit of Tiranoc chariots. Tomb Kings can only do it because they have a special rule for that.

* '''White Lion Chariot:''' This is what Tiranoc Chariots suffer when compared to. With 2 S4 crew that hit at S6, 4 S5 Lion attacks and an extra armor save, White Lion Chariots are pretty brutal when they hit right. As with all Chariots, if you're playing defensively they won't help much, but they really work fantastically on the charge. Each one costs 120 points, down 20 points from 7th edition.

*'''Lothern Skycutter:''' It's a flying Tiranoc chariot with an extra crewman but each one has a bow compared to the longbow of the Tiranoc. The Roc (not an Eagle, a Roc) hits harder and has an extra attack, and all this comes at only 25 more points than the Chariot. But that's not why you take a Lothern Skycutter. Three words: Flying Bolt Throwers! It's a 25 point upgrade to have one of the crew man it, and it's what you're looking for in this choice. Unlike the regular Bolt Thrower however, this one is a bit different. For one, there's only one type of fire, a single bolt which has half the range of an ordinary Bolt Thrower with 1 Strength less, same D3 wounds and ignoring armor saves, BUT can be fired whether it moves or not. It's beautiful, isn't it? While your Eagles and/or Shadow Warriors have things stuck on the enemy's side of the map, just park out of range of a charge and make them bleed. Unfortunately with moving and only a range of 24 (and therefore at long range when over 12 inches) odds are you're gonna need a 5+ to hit, so you might not get as much mileage out of that Bolt Thrower as you want. Consider carefully. Note that if you're gonna take a single Tiranoc Chariot, you might consider an Bolt Thrower-less Skycutter, if you can find 25 points. For those points you get 1 more crewman (and thus 1 more spear attack/bow shot) 1 higher armor, plus 2WS and 1S on your mount. Probably worth those points.

===Rare Units===

* '''Repeater Bolt Thrower:''' None of the Rare Choices are precisely blue chip units, but Repeater Bolt Throwers are an alternative answer for high toughness and 2+ armour saves if you haven't brought along White Lions. It does have good range, and it is your only war machine, and now that each one is 30 points cheaper it's a lot less painful setting up a defensive position on your side of the map. It does however depend upon lots of protection to be effective as it is a primary target for magic and shooting, and only has two wounds. T7(!) can offset a lot of that though, and combined with Archers they can cause a lot of damage, or with Lothern Seaguard to pump out some hits and be ready for when the enemy reaches you. They're more resistant to shooting than Eagles and can probably cause more damage long-term. Not a great unit, but if you're in the mood, they don't generally hurt. Concentrate fire to bring down big things like monsters and characters, volley fire to eliminate enemy chaff and infantry blocks.

* '''Great Eagle:''' Used to be the only chaff the High Elf army had, but now you've got Reavers and Silver Helms as options in this respect as well. At a mere 50 points (65 after upgrades), it's easy to field a couple eagles in any game higher than 1500. These guys are still the champions of war machine hunting, redirecting, and mage hunting, but they die easier than Silver Helms and it's hard to argue with the Reavers having a ranged attack on top of that role so the primary use of the Great Eagle is now to do the same role but save points (a group of 5 Reavers without bows would cost 80 points and with bows would cost 95 points, a group of 5 Silver Helms with Shields would cost 115, and all 3 choices fulfill the same role to different capacities). With T4 and W3, they're kinda survivable, but don't expect them to survive through the end of the game. They are the ultimate sacrificial units in the chaff slot, and can usually slow down other units and kill at least their points worth, with their two S4 attacks coupled with ASF and Armor Piercing. A unit of Shadow Warriors can fulfill it's role to an extent as well, but Eagle are still preferred.

* '''Sisters of Avelorn:''' The amazons are closing in. This is the strongest shooting unit in game, the Phoenix Guard of PEWPEW. They have flaming arrows that hit at S4 and cause a -1 armor save when you fire on the Destruction-aligned armies, and all that with BS 5. Volley Fire is an option as well. For 14 Points this is a deal and they can shoot out of 3 rows and reduce everything in 24 inches to a burning pile of whatever. When coupled with a Handmaiden giving them fast shooting they are even better, because running without penalty to shoot is always a boon. If you've taken the Horn of Isha, you get one turn of every ranged attack having +1 To Hit to make those arrows even stronger. (Also, they're sexy.) Still they are only as tough as normal archers so don't except them to take much punishment. Protect them with Spearmen, Phoenix Guard, White Lions, or keep them out of harm's way and fire ahead of the Silver Helms.

* '''Flamespyre Phoenix:''' If you're taking the Flamespyre Phoenix, you should really scroll up and read the section for it as a mount for an Anointed of Asuryan. That's really how you want to play it, otherwise the Frostheart is what you are looking for.
** '''Alternate Opinion:''' Taking an Anointed on a Flamespyre Phoenix is actually a massive waste of the Anointed. You are paying an extra 210 points for a rider who is completely useless when the Phoenix is doing flyby burning, which is how you should usually be using it. An Anointed isn't gonna help the Phoenix fight anything except stuff the Phoenix is already qualified to fight, so you're basically paying those 210 points (plus any magic items you want to give him) to get +1 to his resurrection rolls. Never mind that A: when the Phoenix bites it so does the Anointed, B: you're wasting the Anointed ability to grand a 6++ and ItP to a unit and C: it means that the 225 points for the Phoenix come from Lord choices instead of Rare, which is bad because you need your Lord points. Just take the Flamespyre alone and concentrate on flyby and charging smaller units.

* '''Frostheart Phoenix:''' When you get old, you get cold more often it seems, this is especially true if you were a fricking blazing Phoenix, since you become a freezing Phoenix. It is tougher and stronger than its younger version but can't drop napalm and loses its "I'll be back" ability. So it costs a fraction more and if you want to have your monster stay alive instead of maybe coming back to life this is your choice. Has 5+ natural armor, which is decent. Causes Terror, which is great. Its chilling aura is insane. It bestows ASL, but more importantly it also gives -1S to all UNITS in base contact. For all intents and purposes (almost) it has T7 in combat and if it assists another elven unit that unit will experience the joy of Pseudo T4... an insanely good monster. Although it can pull chaff duty, that's really not where you want it unless you're just looking for more time to fill the enemy with arrows and bolts. Frosthearts should be with your main force, hitting whatever needs to be weakened the most after it's already in a fight with your anvil force.

==Building Your Army==
===Buying Your Army===
The key to getting a nice cheap army is the Island of Blood. For one hundred dollars, (OR 55€) you get a decent number of elves, and some Skaven as well that can either be painted and glued to the base underneath your elves's feet or simply re-auctioned to a Skaven player. Did I mention the rulebook, templates, and artillery dice? Buy two of these treasure troves, then sell the Skaven packaged with the rulebook. With that alone, you can probably recover the costs of the boxes. After that, you get 20 Lothern Sea Guard, 20 Swordmasters, 10 Reavers, 2 Mages, and 2 Princes on Griffons (but those can also be run as Princes or Nobles on Eagles or even as just a regular Great Eagle if that's how you're going to go about it). That's the perfect start to any high elf army. After that, start browsing ebay. Search Warhammer High Elves by ending soonest, crunch the numbers so you know Games Workshop's price per model, then factor in shipping. Figure out what you can proxy (High Elf Island of Blood Mage+Spearman/Lothern Seaguard Arm holding the spear with a computer printout of a flag glued to it=Noble bearing a Battle Standard for example). Remember if there's something decent you need with a shipping price you're not thrilled over ($3 for a Korhil mini, but with $4 shipping making it not too great a deal) to check in the seller's other auctions, so you can net a combined shipping discount (that $4 shipping feels much better when you're getting a dragon for $20 and some Eldar you can greenstuff to look medieval for $2 along with said Korhil). With patience, you can assemble a High Elf army at a fraction of the price buying new would have cost, and you can even get some of the nifty old metal minis to be proud of!

===Army Composition===

A High Elf army must either be defensive or offensive, having a mix between the two means that your opponent is only ever facing half of your army at any one time. The good news is, however, that once the focus of your army has been chosen there is still a lot to choose from and a lot to tinker with. Whichever approach you take you need to think about what you are going to do if the enemy has the same plan, or at least refuses to do what you want. While your awesome defensive army with lethal flank charges and such might be awesome when your opponent foolishly charges his whole army towards your block of spearmen, if you're playing against a dwarf gunline who's plan is to just never move then you're going to have problems. All lists need to have a plan for handling war machines (which are to be expected from every opponent) and some number of units to help you control the enemy movement. A few great eagles and a unit of reavers can find a place in almost any army for exactly this reason. Yes, your army needs to be focused but it also needs to be realistic. You need to be able to get some units out on the flanks to clog up charge lanes or divert shooting while your combat dudes jog across the board. If you don't do this then even the best defensive list will get outmaneuvered and the best offensive list will get pulled out of position by enemy chaff. You don't want to spend a lot of points on these units, but they need to be there unless you have an extremely good reason not to have them.

==Magic Items==
===Vaul's Forge===

'''Magic Weapons:'''

* ''The Blade of Leaping Gold:'' Mostly useless, 70 points is not worth it for +3 attacks when what are need are stronger ones. The any-roll-of-a-six-to-wound-ignores-armour-saves thing fails to offset its points cost.

* ''Star Lance:'' 30 points, better than a lance. Excellent for a kick-ass charge, good on a dragon or a griffon as all you will be doing is charging. Getting the Giant Blade from the rulebook will give you that strength in following rounds of combat however.

* ''The Reaver Bow:'' Great with Shadow Warriors or Sisters of Avelorn champions, 25 points for 3 shots at the wielders strength +1 which means they will be strength 5 from a Noble or Prince.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Caledor:'' 50 points for Dragon Armour that bestows a 2+ armour save. Good unless you are mounted or planning on getting a ward save better than 6+.

* ''Shadow Armour:'' Only works on foot, this gives a 5+ armour and gives you Scouts and Strider for 25 points. Strider is nice in itself, but unless you're going with Shadow Warriors he'll be on his own if you use Scouts.

* ''Shield of the Merwyrm:'' 15 points for a shield (+1 armour save as usual) which grants 4+ parry save, even with a magic weapon. A cheap 4+ very conditional Ward save in close combat, but with the usual restrictions: Not if your weapon requires two hands, not if you're mounted, not to the flank or rear, not against impact hits or (thunder)stomp and you will still be vulnerable to spells. Still a very good choice, especially for a hero (e.g. BSB) in a unit.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Golden Crown of Atrazar:'' A 2+ Ward against the first wound suffered. Nice way to spend ten points as it essentially buys you another wound if you lack a save.

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Moranion's Wayshard:'' 50 points for Ambushers that is also applied to a unit of up to 30 Spearmen or Archers that the model is in. A unit that can hold its own behind enemy lines? Yes please.

* ''Khaine's Ring of Fury:'' Soul Quench as a bound spell with 3 to cast for 25 points. The best thing about this is the Ward save you get at the end, but a cheap magic missile is good too.

* ''Gem of Sunfire:'' Used at the start of a turn, this one-use item gives the bearer +1 to all wound rolls for magic, shooting and close combat IF they are also flaming attacks. It can be worth the 20 points if you are under the Banner of Eternal Flame, or are using the Lore of Fire or Lore of Metal.

* ''Cloak of Beards:'' 10 points to cause Fear is brilliant. Against Dwarfs it causes Terror instead and blows up their magic items, but gives them Hatred against you. Of course with the new Army Book and Ancestral Grudge, there's a 1/3 chance his army will Hate your entire army and another 1/3 chance that his army will hate your characters, so most of the time it'll have no downside.

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Hoeth:'' 55 points to re-roll one dice for casting and dispel attempts that are not 6s. Gives you a surprisingly good magic edge, might seem pricey but why should your Prince get his toys and your Archmage be left with nothing?

'''Magic Banners:'''

* ''Banner of the World Dragon:'' 50 points for a 2+ Ward save against magic, magic weapons and magic attacks for the unit, which includes miscast effects. Ward then had the balls to make this banner give stubborn to dragons within 12 inches. See [[Talk:Warhammer/Tactics/8th_Edition/High_Elves#The_Banner_of_the_World_Dragon|discussion page]] page for opinions on this item being game-breakingly overpowered.

===Rulebook Items===

'''Magic Weapons:'''
* ''Giant Blade:'' 60 points is a lot, but +3 Strength is something great for a High Elf damage dealer. Note that despite it sounding like a slow weapon that would negate your ASF, it doesn't.

* ''Sword of Bloodshed:'' Just like Blade of Leaping Gold, it's just doubling up on a strength. 60 points is too much for that.

* ''Obsidian Blade:'' 50 points to ignore armor, great for tailoring your list but as a list you intend to stick to through thick and thin you don't want it.

* ''Ogre Blade:'' +2 Strength, 40 points. Take if it you already took the Giant Blade or if you need those 20 points for something else.

* ''Sword of Strife:'' +2 attacks, 40 points. Once again, you don't need more attacks you need stronger ones.

* ''Fencer's Blades:'' WS 10 for 35 points, but you can't use a shield with it. The Prince has a WS7, and thus this isn't that great when you could bump up his Strength or even his Attacks. Noble and Sea Helm have WS6, better but still not good. Handmaiden shouldn't be in close combat, but in theory if she gets there her WS5 can benefit from this (Reaver Bow should be on her instead of course). Some people have suggested sticking these on a Mage or Archmage since they can't use shields anyway and this can get them out of trouble, but that's debatable. It might be worth it on a Dragon Mage, since they usually end up in combat.

* ''Sword of Anti-Heroes:'' There should be a Mary Sue joke here, but let's go straight into the stats. +1 STR and +1 Attack for each character in base contact with the bearer and his unit. Could be good, could be great in a tailored list.

* ''Spellthieving Sword:'' For each wound a caster receives from this weapon, they lose a random spell. Generally speaking facing a wizard in close combat means a dead wizard. That being said, if you can manage to get into it with a named character (especially the likes of Morathi or Malekith) you could put some pain on them. Problem generally is that most casters who can't kill in one turn (such as Vampires, Chaos Warriors or Ogre Kingdom casters) you are going to want more strength or attacks or more survivability against. Even if this does work there's no guarantee you get a spell that matters.

* ''Sword of Swift Slaying:'' Grants Always Strikes First. Yeah. Because that's what High Elves are lacking alright.

* ''Sword of Battle:'' +1 Attack for 20 points, keep scrolling.

* ''Berserker Sword:'' Bearer has Frenzy and cannot lose it. Extra attack and Immune to Psychology. Neither of which are things High Elves need. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Might:'' +1 Strength close combat for 20 points and you can use a shield, it's nice. Personally, I'd just pay a few points for a Halberd instead. Unless you REALLY need the magical attacks.

* ''Gold Sigil Sword:'' Makes your attacks 10 Initiative in close combat. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Striking:'' +1 to hit. Fairly nice, but Strength is still better.

* ''Biting Blade:'' Armor piercing. 10 points. Inferior to Strength, not bad though.

* ''Relic Sword:'' Attacks with it always wound on a 5+ unless the result needed was lower. Not worth your time.

* ''Shrieking Blade:'' Bearer causes Fear. It's not bad, useless for anyone in a Phoenix Guard bunker, but it's nice as an anti-horde measure.

* ''Tormentor Sword:'' Grants Stupidity to a monster or character hit by it. Only really useful against armies loaded up on those options, so it's a tailoring list option that's questionable otherwise. 5 points to spend if you've got it though.

* ''Warrior Bane:'' Whatever gets hit by it loses an Attack to a minimum of one. 5 points, great for tailoring against other Elves.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Destiny:'' Heavy Armor with 4+ Ward Save. It's like it came straight from our list. It's okay, not mandatory, but not a bad selection.

* ''Trickster's Helm:'' +1 Armor, and any wound made against the bearer has to be rerolled. Stick it on someone designed to just not fucking die, make him stand in front of Alarielle so she can heal a wound every turn, and you've proxied Tyrion on foot.

* ''Armour of Silvered Steel:'' 2+ Armor Save, cannot be improved by any means. 40 points. If you already took Armor of Caledor, worth looking at, but why are you taking 2 damage-taking characters?

* ''Armour of Fortune:'' Heavy Armor with a 5+ Ward Save. 15 points cheaper than the Armour of Destiny.

* ''Helm of Discord:'' +1 Armor, and any enemy character in base contact must pass a Leadership roll or be stunned and is automatically hit. Turns your character into a challenge god. Nice if that's your plan (or if challenges are your fear).

* ''Glittering Scales:'' Light Armor, causes -1 to hit the wearer in close combat. Surprisingly good.

* ''Shield of Ptolos:'' +1 Save against being shot. Pair it with the Lion Cloak and you have nothing to fear from ranged combat. Not bad if you think you'll face it.

* ''Spellshield:'' Magic Resistance (1). Nifty. Not 20 points nifty, but not terrible.

* ''Gambler's Armor:'' Heavy Armor with 6+ Ward Save. 20 points. Stick with Dragon Armour. Costs the same on a Prince and half the price on a Noble and has an improved save against breath weapons and fire. The only time this is a better option than Dragon Armour is if you want to combine with a lion cloak.

* ''Dragonhelm:'' +1 Armor, +2 Ward against Flaming attacks. If you took the Lion Cloak but still want the fire resist, here you go.

* ''Enchanted Shield:'' It's a shield, it grants 2 armor instead of the 1 armor a normal shield gives. 5 points. It's a great option.

* ''Charmed Shield:'' One use, first hit you take can be discounted on a 2+. Not bad, not great.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Talisman of Preservation:'' 4+ Ward Save. Very nice option, but it limits your offensive choices due to it's 45 point cost.

* ''Obsidian Lodestone:'' Magic Resistance (3). For when the Banner of the World Dragon just isn't enough. (If you take Banner of Avelorn instead, this is far more worth considering.)

* ''Talisman of Endurance:'' 5+ Ward Save. Still okay.

* ''Obsidian Amulet:'' Magic Resistance (2). Eh, not bad. Not great either.

* ''Dawnstone:'' Reroll failed Armor Saves. That 1+ to hit on your Prince? Yep. Now they're going to have to get snakeeyes to hurt him. Oh fuck this is so worth the points it hurts.

* ''Opal Amulet:'' One time 4+ Ward Save. Not really worth it.

* ''Obsidian Trinket:'' Magic Resistance (1). Still not bad, still not good.

* ''Talisman of Protection:'' 6+ Ward Save. Not bad as a way of finishing off those last 15 points.

* ''Seed of Rebirth:'' Grants Regeneration 6+. Again, not a bad way of using up those last points on survivability. Otherwise, no go.

* ''Dragonbane Gem:'' 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks. Useful as a 5 point choice if you took Lion Cloak.

* ''Pidgeon Plucker Pendant:'' Misspelled name, odd item. 5+ Ward Save from Flying enemies. Tailor lists only really.

* ''Luckstone:'' Reroll a single failed Armor Save. 5 points, not a bad place to spend them either.

'''Magic Standards:'''

* ''Rampager's Standard:'' Reroll your charge distance dice if you want. Stick it on cavalry.

* ''Wailing Banner:'' Unit causes Terror. Emulate Phoenix Guard on your non-Phoenix Guard. Pretty good.

* ''Ranger's Standard:'' Grants Strider. Ignore dangerous terrain. March your horde wall of death across the map with impunity. A nice choice.

* ''Razor Standard:'' Grants Armor Piercing. Put it on Special choices. Swordmasters in close combat under this are beyond description.

* ''War Banner:'' +1 Combat Resolution. Normally you want to avoid getting stuck in a fight all game, but if that's the plan here's a way to bump up your victory chances.

* ''Banner of Swiftness:'' +1 Movement. There's better choices, really if you want movement you should be rolling for Walk Between Worlds from the lore of High Magic, getting a 1+ Ward Save while you're at it and putting a better flag over your unit.

* ''Lichborne Pennant:'' Magic Resistance (1). Not bad for a mage bunker.

* ''Standard of Discipline:'' +1 Leadership, but disregard the general's inspiring presence. Do you really need Leadership 10 on anything? If Alith Anar is your general and he bites it this can help, but really it's not worth it.

* ''Banner of Eternal Flame:'' Just like most armies, feel free to take this and stick it wherever you want (except Sisters of Avelorn, since they already have it's effects).

* ''Gleaming Pennant:'' One use, reroll failed Leadership test. Why are you failing Leadership? Maybe tailored against an undead army, otherwise no.

* ''Scarecrow Banner:'' Causes Fear on Flying enemies. 5 points, not bad. Tailored list only, but that moment that a giant dragon <s>runs shrieking from a scarecrow on top of a flag being woven around by a spearman you know you've experienced the joys of Warhammer Fantasy.</S> (Most Dragons cause Terror, all cause Fear at the very least, leaving your Fear-causing unit to instead take a Fear test.) Useful against anything smart enough to Fly but not insane enough to cause Fear (Mostly just eagles then?)

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Ashur:'' 70 points for +1 to cast and dispel rolls. If you were playing a VERY large game and your entire strategy was magic and stalling for magic to work, you might use this. As it is it's a mon'keigh's bad transcribing of the Book of Hoeth.

* ''Feedback Scroll:'' Instead of a dispel attempt, you can use this one-use item to roll a dice for each power dice used to cast it. Each one that's a 5+ causes a wound that can't be saved. Great for a tailored list, and worth considering otherwise to take out an opponent's only caster and let you work the winds unopposed.

* ''Scroll of Leeching:'' Instead of a dispel use this one-use to add dispel dice equal to the number used to cast the spell. Great against armies with LOTS of casters (like other High Elf armies). Not a standard gear choice however. Feedback scroll is more useful in many scenarios.

* ''Sivejir's Hex Scroll :'' One use, replaces dispel. Enemy wizard rolls a d6, must get their level or lower (so a level 1 mage needs a 1 to resist, a 3 mage needs a 1-3 to resist, Teclis only suffers a 6 roll) or they turn into a frog. They can't cast spells as a frog, all magic items stop working, all stats except wounds become 1. Each turn roll a d6, roll of a 4-6 and the mage becomes a biped again. VERY fun item, and a surprising thing for such a thing is that it's actually pretty good if you save it for when you can kill that mage in close combat.

* ''Power Scroll:'' According to FAQ it now halves the casting value of one spell, no boosting allowed. Could be fun when you two-dice dwellers or purple sun if the winds are low or your opponent didn't think those last two dices were dangerous.

* ''Wand of Jet:'' One use, increases a casting result by d6 after you're done rolling. This can help cause a IF and miscast too. It's an extra magic dice in the bank for when you need it, and not bad but there's better options for getting more magic juice.

* ''Forbidden Rod:'' One use, add d6 more dice to your magic at the beginning of your magic phase, but the user takes d3 wounds with no armour saves. But... Banner of the World Dragon protects. (Anyone with the Arcane Items page in front of them probably won't let that slide. I know I wouldn't.)

* ''Trickster's Shard:'' One use, start of magic phase. If an enemy mage tries to dispel a spell, you roll a d6 and on a 5 or 6 they take one wound. Not great really. It can be useful sort of if you're rolling a lot of augments at once (turn 1 Walk Between Worlds on everything makes this viable). At 25 points though, it's kind of a waste.

* ''Earthing Rod:'' One use, reroll the result on the miscast table once. Obviously you don't want this if you're running Banner of the World Dragon. Otherwise it's not bad if you're gonna be blasting away with your Archmage.

* ''Dispel Scroll:'' 25 points, auto dispel the enemy spell unless it's an Irresistible Force spell. All armies consider this to be a staple, but it's a bit less important for us since there's other options.

* ''Power Stone:'' One use. Used prior to casting a spell, adds two more bonus dice out of thin air to the attempt. Great for if you got a shit winds roll a turn you really need to crank out a spell.

* ''Sceptre of Stability:'' Misspelled name, one us item to increase a dispel result by d6 after you've rolled. Pretty neat for 15 points against another big magic army.

* ''Channeling Staff:'' Bearer adds +1 to every channeling attempt. Can net you more power dice, but not a big use item. Still, 15 points isn't much to spend for that kind of thing.

* ''Scroll of Shielding:'' One use, replaces dispel to grant a single target a 4+ Ward Save against wounds caused by the spell. Great for protecting something high priority like an Archmage or a Prince on a Dragon.

* ''Staff of Sorcery (FAQ'ed)'': Bearer adds +1 to every dispel attempt for 35pts. Only worth taking on a level 2 or level 4 mage, costs the same as a wizard level but "only" adds +1 to your dispel attempts. Still, dispelling with +5 can really shut down a magic phase. Likewise, if you're mainly after countermagic, level 2 mage plus Staff of Sorcery saves you 30pts from a level 3 mage (and leaves your Lords allowance for a Prince on Dragon).

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Wizarding Hat:'' Wearer becomes a level 2 Wizard who can use a random spell lore. They also have stupidity. This is great for armies with crap magic options, but for us you want to split the magic/killing roles between two characters and at the cost for the hat you could just take a level 2 mage. But if you really want a wizard on a Star Dragon for some strange ass reason...

* ''Fozzrik's Fold Fortress:'' 100 points, so your entire magic item allotment for a Lord. After deployment zones are agreed but before armies are deployed you can put a Watchtower (or similar building agreed upon by both players as appropriate, but must be the same basic size as the Watchtower) in your deployment zone. This MAKES a defensive list with Sisters of Avelorn holding it. For any other troop type it's not great. But in games with objectives, you might be able to argue your opponent into letting you count this as an objective from turn one. Take it if you base your strategy around it.

* ''Arabyan Carpet:'' Infantry or monstrous infantry (no you can't let your horse ride). Has the Fly rule, cannot join units. At 50 points you may as well just mount up on an Eagle or Gryphon.

* ''Crown of Command :'' 35 points to grant Stubborn and thus grant it to a unit the wearer joins. You should probably nut up and bring Korhil instead, but if you already are and want a second unit to be Stubborn it's not bad.

* ''Healing Potion:'' One use to drink at the start of your turn, recover d6 wounds. Since you have very few characters with enough wounds to make it useful, you should rely on the Lore of Life attribute to heal instead. Or bring Alarielle.

* ''Featherfoe Torc:'' Flying creatures and riders must reroll to hit you and your unit in close combat. Take it in a tailored list against the likes of Malekith or other High Elves.

* ''Ruby Ring of Ruin:'' Bound spell with Fireball. Take the High Elf magic item version of it if you're going to bother since it does pretty much the same thing and will give the users unit a ward save.

* ''Terrifying Mask of EEE!:'' Wearer causes Terror, but nobody can use their leadership but themself. Since most High Elves have almost max LD and some characters have the same, there's no downside. Great at discouraging people from fucking with a unit that can't deal in melee or you don't want to keep in melee (Sticking this on a Lothern Sea Helm among Core is pretty great, or ANYONE running with Lothern Seaguard since this can win an extra turn of shooting for them).

* ''Potion of Strength:'' One use, used at the start of any players turn. +3 Strength for the turn, great for a BRUTAL combat phase. Take on a Prince, Noble, or anyone with the Reaver Bow.

* ''Potion of Toughness:'' One use, start of any player's turn to grant +3 Toughness. This is more for an Archmage or Mage stuck in close combat, or a Prince who's going into a suicide charge.

* ''The Other Trickster's Shard:'' All Ward Save rolls have to be rerolled in base contact, both friend and foe. Since Ward Saves are common to us, it can be a detriment. Still good if you don't have one however.

* ''Ironcurse Icon:'' 5 points for 6+ Ward against war machines for the bearer and their unit. Not great, but it's only 5 points so there's no real threat to taking it and it CAN come in handy.

* ''Potion of Foolhardiness:'' One use, start of turn. Gets Immune to Psychology and Devastating Charge for a turn. 5 points for a very fucking hard charge, this has potential in a cavalry list.

* ''Potion of Speed:'' One use, start of turn. +3 Initiative. Cheap, but WHEN THE FUCK WILL YOU NEED A HIGHER INITIATIVE?

==Magic==
The new High Magic is probably one of the most aggressive lores in the entire game now, Soul Quench makes Fireball lovers cry.
Fiery Convocation is, in a game version promoting the use of hordes, extremely powerful; except against ogres and full knight Brets (giving Bretonnians at least one advantage in the modern game) and once it's been cast, your opponent will probably need to abort his next magic phase to dispel it if he cares about his burning minions. High Magic also has Apotheosis, which heals a wound and grants Fear to the target making your badasses into glorious bastards. Walk Between Worlds makes a unit Ethereal and get 10 more inches of movement to deliver a unit directly wherever it needs to be. Hand of Glory is a nice augment, Arcane Unforging is anti-character in the best way, and finally Drain Magic lets you undo whatever spells your opponent is using to manipulate the field of battle (goodbye undead augments).

For the rest of the lores, usual stuff applies. Lore of Life is a consistent favorite (nothing like watching those 5 Phoenix Guard he worked so hard to kill get back up) as is Lore of Shadow. High Elves aren't really set up for offensive Magic outside Dragon Mages so you should generally go with support spells to protect your expensive units, rather than offensive spells.

An important thing to remember is that you should not be building your list around using magic to support this or that unit, you should be putting magic into your list in order to augment the units that are already good. T7 Swordmasters might be awesome, but imagine how awesome that would be on a unit that doesn't need the support to be that good. Plus there are always factors that might get in the way of you casting a spell when you need to, so don't take a unit assuming you can make it better by augmenting it with magic; Take a unit that's already awesome without the magic.

===Magic Tactics===
In this section, I'll list the multiple ways to use specific Lores in conjunction with our units. Some Lores of Magic are flexible and unique, while some are more focused on specific strategies and units to make them work. Either way, you'll find use of them here. In the modern game buffs and hexes are generally the order of the day, offering a lot of value for the dice invested. Especially for high elves who have incredibly powerful units, buffs can send your dudes into the stratosphere. Direct damage spells are still worthwhile but the really powerful ones have either short range, are only effective against specific units or have high casting cost so you need to pick lores that your mages can realistically get good mileage out of depending where you put them and what you expect them to achieve and don't just think in terms of getting the mage a high body count. While getting fifteen kills with dwellers is really cool, something much more boring like +1T for a big block of spearmen can have a much more lasting impact in the game by blunting the enemy charge and allowing you to set up your flank charges and you opponent is much less likely to go all in dispelling a minor augment.

There are two styles of magic that exist for High Elves in my opinion: Balanced and Specific.

Balanced Lores provide buffs and hexes that cover a large area of High Elf weaknesses. These lores include High Magic, Lore of Metal, Shadow, and Light. Specific Lores depend on certain army builds to bring out their true potential. These Lores include Life, Death and Beasts. I'll explain more below.

'''High Magic - Balanced'''

This is a very balanced lore that's designed to assist the High Elves take on any foe. With TWO signature spells this is very versatile. The biggest spell: Fiery Convocation, burns down entire hordes if left unchecked and Arcane Unforging is a direct damage that wounds like a Metal Lore spell but also randomly destroys a magic item on 2+; use this on Banner of Barrows, Flag of Blood Keep, Ghal Maraz ect cetera. Walk Between World makes a unit move 10/20 inches as if Ethereal in the Remaining Move Phase, good for putting a Phoenix behind enemy lines. Oh, and did we mention the Lore Attribute of High Magic? +1 to your Ward save for the Mage and unit every time a spell is successfully cast. YOUR FREAKIN WARD SAVE! This means that a Level 4 Wizard running High Magic can grant most units at least a 5+ during each magic phase and you only need one spell to give Phoenix Guard the magical 3+. March them across the field and watch your opponent cry as everything and their dog tries to kill it with only 3-4 casualties a turn.

'''Lore of Shadow - Balanced'''

Our most powerful lore in my opinion. It's almost as if this Lore was designed with High Elves in mind because it complements our army perfectly:
1. Elite troops with high WS and I can be dealt with Miasma.
2. High armor troops can be destroyed by Mindrazor. No. Mindrazor does NOT make your strength equal to your leadership. You only use leadership when rolling to wound. It does NOT mention using leadership to modify enemy armor. So while it is very useful for felling tough foes, you use regular strength for getting through armor.
3. High strength can be robbed of their power with Enfeeble.
4. High toughness units can be dispatched easier with Withering on them.
5. Expensive, multi-wound models with low initiative can be destroyed with Pit of Shades.

I highly recommend this Lore as your go to lore for balanced play.

'''Lore of Light - Balanced'''

This is another very balanced Lore and very powerful against the Undead and also Daemons now that their stinking Standard of Sundering is finally out of the game. So yeah, TK, VC and DoC hate this lore. Army-wide Pha's Illumination and Speed of Light makes your entire army WS10 I10 and -1 to hit. This gives you fantastic combat potential and great protection vs. melee and shooting alike. Timewarp also allows your entire to surge forward and get into combat insanely early. Once they're in combat, the army-wide buffs allow you to win combat and take less casualties. All your units will hit things on 3s with re-rolls and you'll most likely be hit on 6s. Sadly, this doesn't help High Elves as much as other armies as you already tend to have Always Strikes First, decent WS and decent I. It still helps, just not as much compared to say Tomb Kings who have terrible WS and I.

If you decide to go Light, having a Lv.1 Wizard with Light is also suggested. This gives you the ability to inflict fantastic damage with Burning Gaze and Banishment for very low casting values. As for most balanced Lores, feel free to take whatever.

'''Lore of Metal - Balanced'''

This Lore gives you the power to break through armored units as they were butter. If you knew you were going against an army with multiple, heavily-armored targets such as <S>Brettonian</S> Bretonnian Knights, this Lore is fantastic. Another great thing about Lore of Metal is the army-wide 5+ Scaly Skin. This makes your Light Armor, Shield Spearmen pack on a 3+ armor save. Heavy armor units such as White Lions, Sword Masters and Phoenix Guard also share that lovely 3+. With this in mind, I want to talk about a very specific spell and army-build:

A large unit of Sword Masters with Enchanted Blades of Aiban absolutely annihilate things in combat. WS6 with +1 to hit means you'll most of the game on 2s. With ASF, re-rolls and Armor Piercing S5, you'll walk through troops and elites alike. Even Spearmen with Enchanted Blades plow through units like they were butter. Give it a try, I promise good results.

'''Lore of Death - Specific'''

For this Lore, you mainly want to focus on the destructive capabilities of character sniping. These spells allow you to pick out BSBs, Generals and other important targets that could ruin the opposing army. VC Generals, TK Hierophants, Bretonnian BSBs, the list goes on. It goes without saying that the army-wide -1S and T allow your troops to inflict more damage and take less in return. Lastly, we have Purple Sun. That thing just embarrasses Lizardmen, certain undead armies and Dwarfs. And Ogre Kingdoms. The signature spell is particularly useful for High Elves given their higher leadership values.

'''Lore of Life - Specific'''

I really like this Lore and I almost placed it in the balanced section, but I want to highlight some key builds that I like a lot. For one, Dwellers is a no brainer for most players: It picks off characters, completely wrecks enemies with Elf-stats and destroys entire units of Skaven. Throw dice at a large target with low S and watch it disappear from the game: Cheesy archer spam builds beware! This, is a very defensive Lore for the most part. You have Regen, protection from Miscast, and awesome +4 Toughness (if you have throne of vines) to any unit of choice. Let's not forget Regrowth! Which unit in particular?

A giant unit of Sword Masters with T7 and Regen can mow through most units in the game. They are already incredibly powerful in close combat because of WS6, S5 and 2A, but now give them the T7 and Regen and things just get ridiculous. Use a small Phoenix Guard bunker with a Life Mage and Book, and spam these spells on a giant horde of SM w/ Standard of Balance and Amulet of Light. People will most certainly hate you.

'''Lore of Beasts - Specific'''

If the base unit spell for +1S +1T, the +3T to all characters in 12" is also pretty awesome. Unlike the Lore of Life though, this Lore focuses a lot on damage from characters than defense. Don't get me wrong, Curse of Anraheir can still hex someone down to -1 to hit. Combine this with tough Elven warriors and things look a lot brighter. Take what you would normally take and spam Wyssan's Wildform on everything. Then walk up a bunch of Princes and Nobles with +S magic weapons and hit Savage Beast of Horrors. Can you imagine the amount of carnage you can inflict with multiple characters wielding +3S and +3 attacks? I'm not sure how effective it'll be, but it'll sure make my Prince a little scarier. Or take Korhil, put him on a Lion Chariot, cast the Beast on him, chuck him at whatever and RAPETRAIN IT! Believe me, I've done this before.

==Tactics==

'''Knowing your Enemy'''

The first piece of advice I have for newer players is knowing your enemy. There is nothing more important than this piece right here. You look across the table and you see a bunch of units you don't know, you already know this game is going to head into disaster. Very few players have the ability to asset threat, damage and power on the fly so its best you go into battles prepared. Key units like the Skaven Doomwheel, the Bloodthirster or the horde unit of Khorne Marauders with Great Weapons, all of these are important pieces on the battlefield. The best thing to do in these situations is to point across the table and ask. If the player you're playing with is a gentleman, and it's a friendly game, I hope he can tell you what each unit does. In a tournament setting, forget about it. Fantasy already takes a day and a half to set up, so it's best you do your research ahead of time.

Think of it like this: Every game you play is a test of skill and generalship. Any good general takes the time to learn about his enemy and so should you. That's why I buy every army book GW prints. Not only is it superb shitter material, but it's also valuable information on what kind of ridiculous combos, units or special characters that might show up on the battlefield.

'''Understanding Your Army'''

I almost think that knowing your enemy and understanding your army works hand in hand. If you think about it, you spend all this time making up your army list and for what? Each army list is designed to accomplish a certain thing on the battlefield. Playing for fun is one thing, but you're also playing so your troops are victorious. This is why army design is crucial and how you can make the best out of your army composition.

Keep in mind that this is not advice on how to min-max your army, it's about making your army work for you. As a general of any given army, you must find a medium where you're comfortable with the units you've taken, and you understand fully how they work. The best way to do this is by assigning battlefield roles. Take Sword Masters for example, what do they do best? They generate CR by ripping up lowly troops in combat but they die as fast as a swift breeze. What's the job of Spearmen? Or Skavenslaves? To hold the line and await reinforcements, using their superior numbers and ranks to tie the enemy down.

To be a successful general, you must know your units like the back of your hand. Understand each unit's functionality and purpose, but most importantly, understand why you put them in your army in the first place.

The greatest threat to most units in a High-elf army is long combats, if you cannot break a unit you will need to minimize the amount of damage they can do back to you in the following turns. Remember your troops hit rather hard but tend to die very easily.

'''Deployment'''

I've seen many games where games are lost on deployment alone. Picture for a second that your opponent puts down a unit of heavily armored Chaos Knights after you put your White Lions down far away from them. If those White Lions were your only defense against heavy armor, then I'd say you're in a world of shit once those Knights come crashing on your flank.

That's why you see players taking units whose sole purpose is to give them an edge in deployment. Some might be good enough to be used as re-directors or warmachine hunters too. These units are also known as chaff. Chaff is important because it allows you put these units down anywhere you want for the most part. They pretty much always go in the same place or have outrageous movement speed that they can relocate and not be troublesome for the movement of your army. Eagles can be used as chaff, Sabretusks and Fellbats for example, all can act as chaff for your army.

The key to deployment is matching your opponent's units pound for pound. You don't want to put down a unit that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against another unit he put down right off the top. Your unit must have support, or is capable of holding the line against whatever he puts down or your side is just going to fold. The best example is the Knights scenario I presented above. You want to be able to match your opponent in deployment, or be superior to him in deployment. I call these "drops". If your army has greater or equal to the number of drops he has (total # of units he can put down during deployment), you're in a good place. This minimizes on the chance your army will be out-deployed. The person with more chaff will have more chaff that he can put down, forcing you to put down your last unit of White Lions so he can purposely drop a power unit on your flank. Unless your army is designed to fight uphill battles, you should never let this happen.

If you know you're going to be out-deployed, you should analyze which units on his side you don't want in your flanks and deploy your answers last. This is where knowing your enemy comes into place.

'''Analyzing The Threats'''

To be successful on the battlefield and during deployment, you must first analyze threat. You must understand which units on the other side of the table can cause you most harm. This is huge. Keep in mind that army scale does not equate to the harm they can cause in combat. The best example of this is a giant unit of Skaveslaves vs. a small unit of Sword Masters. The craziest thing to assume is that the unit of Skavenslaves is going to do a lot of damage on the battlefield. Sure, there's a whole bunch of them, but their fighting prowess equates to dried fish where your Sword Masters preform like a hot knife through butter.

One of the things that 8th Ed. has going for it is big creatures. If it's a big monster on the other side of the table, this is probably worrisome. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons, it's probably going to do a lot of damage. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons and is in horde formation, it's probably something you should deploy smartly against because that thing is going to fuck your shit up if you play dumb. The most pronounced threats on the battlefield are normally the ones your opponent has heroes and lords going into it. It's either going to be a caster bunker, or a frontline unit that'll do solid bits of damage.

Remember what I said about battlefield roles? Your opponent does the same thing with his army. He knows what his frontline units are, which ones do the most damage and which ones are designed to hold the line. You know his primary sources of damage and these are the ones that should be generating the highest amount of threat in your mind. You might run into scenarios where certain units don't want to be in combat at all. These are often caster bunkers or vulnerable Magelords who would hate to have an Eagle pick out his eyes. Knowing the weak points of his army can prove to be a great advantage to you during deployment and when you're playing the game. Again, understanding how the opposing army works helps greatly here.

'''Understanding Favorable Scenarios'''

Hesitation can lose you a game, but so can your ability to underestimate your troops.

Here are some examples:
A scary dragon on the battlefield is not so scary when you shoot him with a billion arrows.
Knights actually do quite poorly against White Lions.
A small unit of Sword Masters into the side of Skavenslaves really fucks up their shit.
A Spearmen unit, given enough ranks can hold a charge from most, if not all, point equivalent units in the game.

A lot of this might seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many times players second guess themselves on the battlefield. Know your army, know what each unit is designed to do (which is surprisingly easy for High Elves because everyone's so specialized), and know which scenarios go in your favor on the battlefield when paired up against any given opponent.

At the end of the day, you should always apply a unit's actual battlefield role to do battle. You should always be thinking: The only reason I'm bringing X unit is to fight against Y units. In a game of rock-paper-scissors and random surprise Mindrazors; it still works in your favor when you know what counters what.

'''Predicting Combat'''

This is definitely more in the lines of advanced players, but after so many battles, players start seeing the same numbers. A unit of 7x2 Sword Masters hits a unit of Skavenslaves. Aside from a ton of rats dying horribly, how many Sword Masters did you lose and how much CR did you generate? What about Spears? Even if you didn't charge but was instead charged by a unit of Empire Halberdiers, how many Spearmen died and how much CR did you generate via kills, ranks and standard? What about that beefy lord-class character sitting in a relatively weaker unit? I bet he can do some serious work. I'm not saying go out there and mathhammer the life out of everything in the game, but you should have an idea how your units will perform on the battlefield.

The battlefield is a pretty unpredictable place, especially when shit like magic is involved. However, successful players have a good idea of what to expect when they throw their units into combat. For the most part, players only throw their units into combat they can win. This is why predicting combat outcomes are so important. A unit of Spearmen charging a horde unit of Marauders w/ Great Weapons in the front might not be the best choice alone, but what if you plan your magic phase to get Withering off on the unit? What if you decide to combo charge with your Spears and Sword Masters on the flank so you can use your magic elsewhere? The combat res generated from the combined charge "should" win you combat.

You see how predicting combat drastically changes the way you play the game? By assessing the battlefield and seeing the game on a larger level, you are able to make plays ahead of time. The key to being a successful general is being able to see multiple instances of this at once and analyzing which ones generate the highest amount of success with the lowest number of risk. Your ability to capitalize on this is what will take you from good, to great.

'''Lesser of Two Evils'''

Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in order for victory for be secured. Sometimes, you just have to choose. Imagine yourself in a scenario where no matter what you do, something bad is going to happen to your army. This might be a loss of a flank, a loss of a key unit or letting a horrible spell go through. If your opponent plays it right, there should be scenarios where all of these happen at the same time. Take note here for a second about what I just said. A well-played game of Warhammer is when you make your opponent sweat over the choices he has to make. No matter what choice he makes, something bad should happen to his army. That's when you know you've made a good play.

If you have to choose, always go with the play that'll guarantee you the greatest chance of victory in subsequent rounds. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have to first let that flank fall, or that unit be destroyed so you can strike back in a manner most decisive. This is why predicting combat and understanding favorable scenarios is important. In a situation like this, always put yourself in the opponent's shoes. Think from his perspective and predict what he would do after he successfully pulled off a big play. Predict what he does and counter it to the best of your advantage. Think to yourself: If he wins big on combat there and I flee, will he pursue or will he reform? If he pursues, do I have anything that can hit him in the flank or catch him in a bad spot? If he reforms, do I have anything that can strike decisively and win combat on that unit next turn?

Don't get yourself caught up in the moment. Understand that the 300 odd points of Spearmen you just fed your opponent can equate to you combo-charging his General's bunker and send it into the oblivion, then it's well worth it. If sacrifice has to be made, it has to make its points back and more. If not, then the sacrifice is not worth it.

'''Magic Superiority'''

The first thing to understand is that a small advantage is still an advantage. This is how you should analyze the winds of magic. A successful magic phase is all about analyzing which spells your opponent can afford to let go and which spells he can't. With an Lv.4 Wizard, you have access to a good amount of viable spells. The spells your opponent can let go are often the spells you want to take advantage of. That's when why you draw a big winds round, you cast moderately but still vital spells that plink at his dispel dice. These should be all moderately dangerous to the outcome of the fight in question (which will be his main focus).

Use smaller castings of hexes and augments, because a slight advantage (what he sees, and analyzes as less important), is still an advantage (huge for High Elves). A clever mage will be able to feint the significance of a fight and get off multiple spells a turn. If your opponent lets it all go because he's anticipating Mindrazor, that's his problem because now his unit is now -WS, -T and you ASF with a better combat result. Mindrazor isn't even needed at this point. If he throws dice trying to dispel your other hexes, that's less dice he has available when you actually do throw down the MR. This goes hand in hand with what I said about anticipating combat results. How badly your troops need your magic will save a lot of unneeded dice.

Redirecting focus: Say you have a unit engaged in combat and you anticipate a victory, or at least a draw result. You concentrate magic on another area of the battlefield that your opponent isn't focused on. This breaks his concentration and draws a big cloud of WTF? over his head. This happens when you see something crucial your opponent doesn't, as often times or not, players get tunnel-visioned in the combat they're in but don't grasp the wider vision of the battlefield. Hexing incoming Knights on your turn with -WS or -S will make much more of a difference than watching Sword Masters narrowly win combat vs. a flanking unit of Clanrats.

'''Baiting and Feinting'''

Fleeing from a battlefield is not always a sign of cowardice. It can also be used to bait an opponent out of position or force him into a position he doesn't want to be in. The best example of this could be a unit of Spears fleeing from a charge of Bretonnian Knights. God knows you don't to take that charge in the face so you opt to flee with your Spearmen. He now has two choices: Take a Ld. test to charge something else, or roll for the Spears. Say that you have a unit of White Lions or Sword Masters next to the Spears. Does he really want to re-direct into the Lions or SM? Or does he want to risk the charge and risk exposing his flank to the Lions?

You see what you just did here? A simple flee can put your opponent in a rock and a hard place (especially if the charge is long). Both scenarios equally suck for him so he might opt to charge at all. This is also good for you because it gives you the chance to charge his Knights next turn! And if he doesn't opt to charge, your Spears will still be there to assist in the main battle. Warhammer can be a game of cat and mouse, so it's best to know all the options available to you before you commit. If you plan on charging something, know all the possible reactions your opponent can take before investing. You don't want to be in the same shoes as the above player.

'''Eagles are an Elves' Best Friend'''

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Eagles are my MVP. First off, they are probably one of the most annoying pieces of chaff ever. They're great in the deployment phase when you can just put one down and stare into your opponent's soul. They're great ingame because they can fly boldly into your opponent's charge lanes and take one from the team; forcing them to charge them and re-position. Eagles buy you time, buy you movement and allow you to re-position your army while the Eagle re-positions your opponents. They allow you to chase down enemy chaff or flankers, help pressure warmachines and provide you with flank and rear charge CR should they survive mid-game. They act primarily as re-directors (a Frenzied unit's worst nightmare) and are the true workhorse of most High Elf armies.

'''Counter-charges and Flanking'''

Sometimes, the good ol' hammer and anvil is something even the experienced players forget. The concept of a counter-charge is simple: Unit #1 is a unit that can take hits - in the case of High Elves, a giant block of Spears with Steadfast CR up the ass. This is known as the anvil. Unit #2 is a unit that hits hard as fuck but dies to a soft breeze. Sword Masters are an popular choice for a hammer. Your opponent charges your Spearmen because it's the only viable target and you hold knowing that your Sword Masters (who are conveniently placed on your flank), will have a flank charge next round. Magic is invested in keeping the Spearmen alive and steadfast while the Sword Masters charge their flank next turn. Heads start rolling and combat heavily swings your way, winning you the day.

Flanking is also quite simple: Place something that has good threat range on the far sides of your army and use them as CR generators. I normally like using Dragon Princes for this type of role. Put 5 of these guys down on a wide-flank and they can be used to reliably add CR to any combat mid-field. Flanking can also be used to bypass some of your opponents' attention to hit warmachines and other units chilling in their backfield. Lastly, flanking is also good for having additional CR in combat. An Eagle charging from the far flank gives you 2 CR for just having the balls to be there. It's pretty much free CR.

'''Winning combat, now what?'''

So now that you've won combat, you have to think about what to do next. Unfortunately, most players think about this step immediately after the combat resolves. I want you to take a step back and think about what can happen even before you charge. If you charge now, and win a victory over your opponent, can you overrun into an important caster bunker in back? Does your opponent have anything that can crush your overrun if you choose to do so? Is your unit stretched too far and out of range of your BSB? Is he out of his BSB? If you push the advantage, will your advantage be negated if he engages the rest of your army while your best unit is out of position? Winning combat is important for sure, but what happens after is even more important. You must be in a favorable situation to benefit from it: The result of a successful charge should net you more success in the subsequent turns than harm.

Keep in mind that you don't have to keep going after you wiped out a unit. Check to see if the unit has been mauled enough that the only way he can rally is if he rolls double 1s. Sometimes the position you're in begs you to combat reform and stay still. If you commit anymore, you might go from crushing victory to outright defeat. Never lose sight of the bigger picture and don't over extend yourself. Unless you're Stubborn, or have a unit that's incapable of losing combined charges in the next round of combat, it's best to wait for the rest of your army. You want to be in magic support range, you want to be in BSB range and you want to be in support charge range of other units. Don't forget this.

Another thing to keep in mind is Line of Sight. If your unit can surge forward enough after winning combat that'll take him out of LoS (and thus enemy charges), this is a great advantage. It allows you to drive deep in the enemy lines and force him to turn around or suffer a rear charge from you in the subsequent turns. This also allows your main force to advance and catch him in a vice. Surely this is a good thing as even the most lackwit of generals know that enemy forces running in their backfield is bad.

'''Lost combat, now what?'''

So your beautiful charge turned into a crushing defeat, what now? Obviously, this means your unit will be running back to your lines like a whipped dog. Don't worry, you can now look into the future and analyze why you lost combat and how you can regain the momentum in the next phase of the game. Maybe something completely unpredictable happened in the magic phase that killed your opportunities in combat? This is the single biggest factor in how combats can sway. This is also something I want you to remember: Magic can greatly skew the outcome of any combat you're invested in. Think about this before you charge, and understand what magic lores he has that can shift momentum in his favor. In order for you to succeed in combat, you must dispel the magic he will use to turn combat in his favor. This is not negotiable.

After losing combat, you need to analyze several things:

Did he Overrun? If so, are you in a position where you can take advantage of his over-extension?
Did he Combat Reform? If so, are you able to counter-attack next turn?
What made you lose combat? Was it some beefy character or was it magic that turned the tides?
How do you not lose combat again? Neutralize the beefy character (or avoid him completely) and dispel the magic that sways combat his way.
Is your fleeing unit useless? Treat the game as if you're 1 down, but don't forget about the fleeing unit. Even if he's below 25%, you can still test for double 1s.

'''When ahead, stay ahead'''

The philosophy behind this concept is simple: Don't do anything stupid that'll throw away your lead. What happens most of the time when players start winning is they start playing careless. This is a sure way to lose your lead and put you behind in a game where you're almost guaranteed to win. A great example of this would be killing your opponent's Dragon Lord and 1-2 Hydras with your Warmachines first turn before they even get to do anything and still managing to lose the game. I don't know how this happens, but players get lost the ecstasy of great plays (or luck) and think now that the main threats are gone that the game is in their hands. This is the wrong way to approach a lead.

The more appropriate way to take advantage of a lead is to think: How do I get further ahead? You want to be in a position where your next step is to eliminate any and all possible ways the opponent can swing the game around. You put yourself in his position and you think to yourself: I just lost my Dragon Lord and my Hydras, so what can I do now to walk away from the table like a man? Once you think about the situation from your opponent's mindset, you counter it and deny him of it. With no victory options in sight, your opponent will have no choice but to fold.

'''Post-game Analysis'''

Now that the game is won (or lost), you can look back and see what you can do to improve. Human beings are meant to improve; we're a race of learners and adapters. No matter how badly you just massacred your opponent or how crushing your defeat, there's always something to take away from the game. The most important part here is that you must learn from your game to improve. If you won the game, think about the scenarios you could have done better. If you lost the game, think about why you lost and which units caused the most problems. Think about all the topics that were covered above. There must be something you could have done better in the never-ending list of becoming a better general.

It's important that you discuss the game with your opponent. Talk about how the battle could have gone differently if you did this, or that. How his game could have changed if he did this, or that. Not only does this give you a better perspective on the game (and your opponent's army), but also the player you're playing against. Share your thoughts with your opponent and let him share his with yours. Criticism and advice should be taken with an open mind. It helps broaden your perspective on other general's opinions and makes you a better-rounded player overall.

==See Also==
* [[High_Elves_(Warhammer)|High Elves]]

{{Warhammer_Tactics_Races}}
[[Category:Warhammer/Tactics]]

Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/High Elves

2020-10-06T04:04:50Z

2606:A000:1128:495A:E595:93AF:8EAF:C3E6: /* Generic Characters */

==Why Play High Elves==
Because you like Elves. And winning. High Elves win a lot. They have a BRUTAL magic phase (which if used properly completely offsets any perceived weakness of the High Elves), solid infantry choices, a variety of savage monstrous mounts and one of the best archer units in the game. Oh and did we mention that they have Always Strikes First, to a man, which combined with their high Initiative means you are essentially always getting rerolls <strike>and according to their FAQ, this is unaffected by Great Weapons.</strike> It is now only normal ASF, which means Great weapons strike at normal Initative, for once thank you Matt Ward. Let's also not forget the fighting in extra ranks. Between the extra ranks of attacks and the re-rolling misses, this army is designed to land lots of hits in close combat.

Don't think they're a cinch to play though, they're not THAT [[Warhammer/Tactics/Daemons of Chaos| overpowered]] (unless you use High magic or Life magic). Low Toughness, light armor and high cost units means that they have to be played well. But if you play them properly you will utterly destroy the competition. An army for people who like gorgeous models and want to play a tactically fulfilling army without being hideously underpowered. Or for a player that doesn't give a shit about a tactically fulfilling army and just likes to spam magic and block everything with ward saves (making that low toughness/light armor not matter at all), have crazy magic items, or just be better at all four phases of the game than all other armies (who said these guys weren't overpowered again?). An army, in short, for the exact kind of people who like Warhammer Fantasy.

==Army Rules==

*'''Martial Prowess:''' One of the cornerstones of why High Elves hit like a ton of bricks. Fighting and shooting in extra ranks is huge. Other armies at one point or another have to decide between more attacks or a decent rank bonus. High Elves can have all models attacking and still have 3-5 ranks!

*'''Valour of Ages''': When fighting their dark cousins, High Elves counter their hatred with re-rolling failed panic, fear and terror tests. It's a nice rule, who hasn't lost that one critical morale test in a game before? I would however say that hatred is superior. Valour of ages unfortunately does not allow re-rolls of failed break tests, so you're anyway going to field a BSB, and he already has panic, fear and terror covered. Still, your vanguard and scouts or anything else not in the BSB-bubble can benefit.

*'''Lileath's Blessing:''' A bonus of +1 to casting results for using High Magic across the board. High Magic is a very versatile and powerful lore, really drawing from the eight rulebook lores. And the spells already have relatively low casting values, so Lileath's Blessing means that you can easily cast 2-3 spells each turn to get that nice Ward Save bonus for your mage and his unit.

==Unit Analysis==
===Lords & Heroes===
====Named Characters====
'''Note:''' Under the current edition, named characters tend to be overpriced; you can pretty easily emulate most named characters from scratch and save yourself some points. That said, a few named characters do have abilities and wargear or wargear combos unique to them, so if you need to have them, go ahead. Just make sure you're really getting your points worth.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Tyrion, the Defender of Ulthuan:''' Tyrion is an expensive close combat beast, and that's what you want him to be. Between ASF, WS9, I10, 4 attacks, S7 (4 base +3 from Sunfang, and a magical Flaming Attack at that) and a breath weapon, he can pretty much wreck an entire unit on his own and with his 1+ armor, 4+ ward, and Magic Resistance (2) he will just not die (and even if he does, the engagement necklace from the Everqueen means one wound that would kill him is negated on a 2+, essentially giving him +1 wound, or a one time immunity to killing blow. He loses his magic resistance after use, meaning that last wound is slightly more vulnerable). However, he's kinda stuck in the role of the hammer, and at that level of points you can take someone on a Dragon and he can't do TOO much that a tricked out Prince couldn't do just as well for less (that dragon can't join a unit though, which makes Tyrion worth considering far more than he was in 7th edition). He's fun, but competitive lists tend to prefer generic options or the Everqueen. Something of note is that he can join a unit of Silver Helms or Dragon Princes which really ruins someones day in larger games (remember that now with Silver Helms being core, your anvil can suddenly drop onto the heads of the enemy rather than just hold them in place in an all cavalry list). His super-horse also has +1 M,WS,S,I and A. Be aware, he has taken a VERY SLIGHT nerfing (ie; his immunity to fire is now on a 2+ ward save meaning if he rolls a one he gets roasted. As cavalry he's no longer immune to killing blow so KB units such as Grave Guard can suddenly wreck his day again. He's also 10 points dearer). Weiging in at 410 points, he'll eat up a big chunk of your Lords points, but with the changes due to the End Times, you can now field him and the Everqueen in a 2000 pt game (and hopefully they don't start banging mid-game). One final change to him in this edition: he no longer HAS to be General of the army he's in, but if he is his inspiring presence has a range of 18". If your strategy is wedge Tyrion in your enemy's ass while a mage hides in a bunker and faps to the scene, you might wanna keep him as a minion but if your whole strategy is to run your enemy down with a wall of equine death he should be the one in charge.

* '''Teclis, the Loremaster of Hoeth:''' All those lifeline steroid pills must be getting to him, he got nerfed again. Not nearly as badly as last time, but he's weaker. He is still a powerful mage because he can either know all spells in High Magic, or have one spell (of your choice) from each normal Lore. The Moon Staff is now a one use item that either lets you add an extra die to each cast attempt from him for a turn OR negate a miscast from him (after use Teclis reduces his Strength and Toughness to 1 for the rest of the game, which is pretty funny but bad news). The scroll he carries is still nice, letting him auto-dispel an enemy (non-IF) spell as well as having a D6 roll-off against the mage who cast the spell, with a win resulting in them losing that spell for the rest of the game. Despite his ''awesome'' sword, he is still a cripple of an elf with no save to speak of so at least cram him into something that won't see cc and can protect him at the same time (<s>not</s> easy). The War Crown of Saphery, which used to let him dispel a miscast each turn and thus overpower him more than almost anyone else in the game, now grants him an additional wizard level making him one of the four Level 5 wizard options in the game. All together Teclis has gone from being mandatory in a "best possible" High Elf list to being an expensive character who's return on his points is still pretty damn good. Still, he's great for picking spells now that the magic item that used to let you do that is gone from the game. If you are using Storm of Magic rules, Teclis is still the powerhouse he once was and is just as facerollingly unfair as before.

* '''Alarielle the Radiant:''' The Everqueen is back people, and she is a Lord level wizard who can choose how many of her four spells are rolled from High Magic, Life Magic, and Light Magic. Mostly a defensive character, she uses her female status to make her unit protective of her to the point that they are immune to Fear and Terror (which is fair play if you ask me) and all her units' attacks count as magical ('cuz why not). Also she heals one friendly character within 12" for 1 wound each round during the movement phase, but needs to target anyone else if available before herself since she's nice and all. Her and her unit get a 5+ ward save against non magical attacks too, which is jolly decent of her (breaks everything if buffed with High Magic lore and combined with a character with the Banner of the World Dragon). She has only one attack but against the Forces of Destruction it's Heroic Killing Blow on top of her elven ASF. It would be really laughable if... lets say she slays a Greater Demon with this, but highly unlikely. She has Lileath's Blessing like other High Elf casters so she'll add +1 to High Magic spells if you're looking to bump up that Ward Save with Shield of Saphery via High Magic spam. She also has a nifty little passive called Chaos Bane since her very existence makes Daemons take SAN checks (so the Everqueen is more or less the God Emperor of Fantasy in all the ways Sigmar isn't) which means that during the beginning of her Magic Phase, before you roll for winds, every unit with the Daemonic rule within 12" of her takes D6 hits at strength 4 calculated as per shooting. Seems nice, but it comes with the drawback that she casts at a -D3 to any spells since Daemons give her a sad. She's got a one use item called the Stave of Avelorn which lets her cast a spell a second time regardless of whether she bummed it up or not. Finally, taking her gives Nobles, Lothern Sea Helms, and Handmaidens of the Everqueen special options. The Noble or Lothern Sea Helm you would use as your Battle Standard Bearer (which you are always going to have) can take the Banner of Avelorn for 40 points, which gives you +4 on every cast of Life and Light magic that targets the unit the Banner is in (that last part if very important, remember it when deciding where the BSB will march) which is very nice if you're looking to get off two of the best defensive/counter lores without losing many power dice each casting. The Handmaiden can take the Horn of Isha, which is a one use item used at the start of the Movement Phase that gives all the models in the unit that used it a +1 To Hit bonus on shooting or melee (so one turn of those arrows from the amazons get a little bit pointier) for 50 points. With all the rules the Queen is toting, she is High Elves' new Teclis but on defense rather than offense. She's also right alongside Teclis in Storm of Magic overpowering. Keep in mind she's not a /win overpowered goddess. Lists that use the Everqueen should have one giant horde to stick her in with multiple wound characters in it. Even a unit of Spearmen with the Everqueen can be buffed to Phoenix Guard levels on the cheap. Everqueen lists are vulnerable to flank charges however, so keep that in mind if you decide your Special choice should be the Alarielle horde. A Sea Helm in the unit with her will solve that issue pretty quickly however.

* '''Alith Anar, the Shadow King:''' Alith used to be overshadowed by the other Lord level choices available, but this edition has him in his own role and if it's what you need he's perfect. He's got a glorious bow granted to him by a goddess (functions as a Bolt Thrower (so subtract the price of one from his cost to figure out what ELSE you're getting from him) that he can shoot even if he moves, and ignores Armor saves) and has a nice statline. Hatred isn't as useful in 8th, but against Dark Elves it's always nice to put just a little more pain on them; speaking of, if you know you will be fighting Dark Elves he's Khaine's gift (one without drawbacks!) to elfkind due to his ranged attack causing -1LD to Dark Elf units he hits until the end of the phase. Since Bow of the Seafarer was removed in 8th edition you can no longer kit out a Prince to be a better shooty lord, so Alith has taken on that role entirely by himself and as a result a more viable option in competitive lists. Alith causes a -1 To Hit for whatever tries to shoot a unit he's joined, and the unit also has Swiftstride so think about where you're putting him (advancing wave of White Lions that you just CANNOT shoot is nice, as is Shadow Warriors you can't catch). Keep in mind that if you deploy him outside of your deployment zone you may want someone else to be your general, otherwise his inspiring presence is wasted for half the game.

* '''Elatharion the Grim, Warden of Tor Yvresse:''' He's nice, but perhaps too expensive for his own good. Hatred VS Orcs and Goblins isn't very useful unless you will actually be playing against them, and his extra boost in personal combat against Grom the Paunch of the Misty Mountain even less so. He's also a Level 2 caster who can grab any lore from the Rulebook (Beasts and Death work well), but that's a job you generally want to split between combat Lords and Wizards (never mind that, for his cost, you can grab a Prince AND a level 2 Mage, with 35 points left for equipment before Eltharion becomes the cheaper pick). He can also ride his enhanced personal Griffin Stormwing and get a free lance. Stormwing has stats exceeding a Sun Dragon and has ASF plus the 5+ Ward Save Eltharion's helmet grants him (How the fuck does that work? Magic. Elf magic.) but has no Scaly Skin which is a big deal when a Sun Dragon is only 40 points more. He's really a good enough Lord who's mostly overshadowed by how much you're paying for him and how other choices crunch better. On the plus side, his badass sword (+2 strength, no armor saves allowed), badass helmet (+1 armor save and 5+ ward save), and finally the badass medallion (gives Magic Resistance (1)) make him an easier pill to swallow if you're going for a themed list. Consider him on foot instead of simply throwing him on the gryphon if you do want him.<br />'''Alternate View'''<br />Compared to other sources, based on the princes profile he should be worth around 391 points (compared to his 295). Still, your mileage may vary if he's point effective or whether a vanilla prince with a few upgrades would be better.<br />'''Even More Alternate-er View'''<br />To achieve an equivalent level of power on vanilla Lords and Heroes would actually come to almost 450 points (Excluding his griffon), so he's a cheap way to have a wizard and a combat beat stick, especially in a low point game. Plus everyone loves a good sword-swinging wizard (Let's call him pointy-eared Gandalf).

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Caradryan, Captain of the Phoenix Guard:''' Caradryan is a good fighting hero that got 5 points cheaper in 8th but lost 2 points of his magic resistance. Mark of Asuryan was changed from dealing D6 no armour save wounds to the single model that killed him to instead dealing D3 no armour save wounds to the unit or the same to a single enemy in a challenge (so his aftermath special ability has been halved in exchange for it being able to affect the unit when he cops it outside of a challenge). His magic weapon is FANTASTIC against trolls and other regenerating monsters due to having Flaming Attacks, it also hits on +1 strength and causes Multiple Wounds (D3) against anything. He himself is not too expensive, especially since he discourages tricked out Lords/Heroes from coming after him due to his dying ability. Not the greatest Hero in the world, but really fun and a god-tier bodyguard. Also, has the option to now ride a named Frostheart Pheonix, Ashtari. Costs 10 points more than a generic but with an additional attack and is thus a GREAT option. Combine that with his dying ability and you've essentially got a flying tank that weakens things around it carrying a nuke (one that doesn't hurt your own men), and it's on a dead man's trigger.

* '''Korhil, Captain of the White Lions:''' Korhil's main advantages are as follows: He's cheap (but 10 points costlier in 8th) and he's Stubborn and thus grants this to any unit he joins. Those two reasons are reason enough to take him, especially if you want to dump him in a large Spearmen unit. He lost Woodsman, gained Forest Strider which is the same thing by another name. It lets his unit waltz through deadly Forests like they're a peaceful park. He's reasonably killy on his own merits with S4, with +2 strength from his magic weapon, with Killing Blow, with ASF, with an extra hand weapon. Pelt got a slight nerf, grants +1 close combat and +2 shooting to his armor, and instead of being immune to poison in all forms they have to roll To Wound to hit him. Not someone who will turn the game around, but he certainly helps if your strategy is an elfhorde and you didn't bring along Alarielle. See his bio in the fluff section for themed lists, basically he can show up anywhere High Elves are as long as the Phoenix King approves of whatever your army is doing. NEVER FORGET his axe DOESN'T have ASL unlike white lions, so you still get your re-rolls. Korhil may also be mounted on a Lion Chariot, upping his Armour Save by +1 and making the chariot stubborn and a very deadly force on the charge. Plus, the chariot does not have to take a dangerous terrain test when moving through a forest, which is quite huge for a chariot.

====Generic Characters====
'''Note:''' While named characters are judged against their generic counterparts, generic characters are examined based on their role in your army.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Prince:''' Princes personify everything about the High Elves: Fast as hell, kickass in close combat, can take a variety of special stuff, about as hard as wet tissue. Be sure to give this guy an armor or ward save, or else he will get his ass killed. Aside from that, he's a brutal close combat Lord (WS7, I8, ASF) and properly kitted out there's very little this guy can't kill. Dragon Armor lol's at flaming attacks and breath weapons but is now 20 points (minus the 6 you'd be spending on Heavy Armor, since you ARE taking one or the other); you do get a 6+ ward with it though. As an alternative to Dragon Armor you can take a Lion Cloak alongside the Heavy Armor for just 6 points, giving your Prince a +2 armor save against shooting. If you have the points and you aren't already taking a magic item with a ward save then Dragon Armour is the better option, though a Prince should have a better ward than 6+. Look for the variety of killy options down in the magic weapons.

* '''Archmage:''' A fantastic caster. Access to all 8 Lores, plus High Magic, means he can literally be designed to do whatever you want, though the preferred option in an unclear situation is Lore of Life. Also remember that as long as he's on the board (along with his little brother the Mage) you get +1 to their casts for High Magic through Lileath's Blessing for a total of +5 when channeling it through a Level 4 Archmage. Like with the Prince, he has access to some of the best magic equipment in the game. High Elves are good at magic, and this guy proves it.

* '''Loremaster of Hoeth:''' A new Lord choice and mostly the same as a Swordmaster. But is also a level 2 Mage with ALL 8 normal magic Signature Spells. This gives him great diversity, and he is also not bad in combat (but frail, as he only has a 5+ armour save). Think about it: the Signature Spells are nowhere near bad (ok, most of them are not) and you're getting all of them! Three magic missiles, a direct damage spell, two augments and two hexes. Having all of the lore attributes at your fingertips is useful, like casting Spirit Leech to get more power dice from killing someone. He gets to take as much magic gear as the Archmage and Prince does, meaning you pick how you want to use him and kit him out like one or the other. Also, Deflect Shots for a 6+ ward against non-magical non-template ranged attacks. He's a pretty solid choice, but he costs a metric ton to bring to the table and he's not as good on defense as a level 4 Archmage, so he'll probably only see field in big games. Also, put this guy near a wizards tower whenever you can. It's painfully hilarious. In Storm of Magic, this guy is double hilarity - he gets ALL the spells!<br />It is also worth noting that under the new rules from End Times, the Loremaster of Hoeth knows all the spells from all 8 lores. (Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I am 99% sure that as he is mentioned as THE example, this is the case).

* '''Anointed of Asuryan:''' Yes, you read that right. The head of the Phoenix Guard is somehow a hero while a generic version of him is a Lord, go figure. Anyway, the Anointed is a Lord choice Phoenix Guard member with magic resistance and option to ride a Phoenix (no one else can, other than Caradryan who is his named counterpart). Since he already has a 4+ Ward save a heavy armor and a halberd he needs nearly no equipment at all. If you want, you can turn him into the most tanky (still T3 though) High Elf with the Armour of Silvered Steel and the Dawnstone, giving him a re-rollable 2+ Armour Save, followed by a 4+ Ward Save with MR2, which is pretty insane and still leaves enough points for Potion of Strength, Khaine's Ring of Fury / Ruby Ring of Ruin or the Reaver Bow. When he rides a Flamespyre Phoenix it will return from the dead more often and will even ease the burden on the Phoenix in case of shooting (since he will absorb a few hits). Much, much, MUCH more importantly, he gives everyone in any unit he joins a 6+ Ward Save and Immune to Psychology, which makes him really good in big units of Spearmen, White Lions and the like. On foot, he's a better option than the Prince. In terms of mounts, you take the Anointed if you want one of the Phoenixes (I would say go with the Flamespyre) and the Prince if you want the Dragons.

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Noble:''' A great fighter for his points, but if you have the points you really should be taking a Prince (who's only 70 points more). The main reason you take a Noble is because he can be a BSB or if you're low on points (either overall or in the Lord choices) in which case, he'll serve. He's best as a BSB and you DEFINITELY want a BSB. In 8th with Lothern Sea Helms also being an option as a Battle Standard Bearer there are now conceivable lists where you might not take a Noble. As a nice little bonus for those who are low on points, the armor types (Heavy, Dragon, and Lion Cloak) are cheaper on a Noble than a Prince.

* '''Mage:''' Unlike the Noble vs. Prince the difference in points between the Mage and Archmage is big that you might want a Mage instead, he can do everything the Archmage can but at level two. If you're in the mood it's always nice to have a backup Mage with a different lore to deal with situations your Archmage can't. Never a bad idea.

* '''Dragon Mage:''' That's right, we even have HEROES riding Dragons. The Dragon is fairly squishy (for a Dragon) and the model as a whole runs on the pricy side, but the Hero Level Dragon and the sheer power of the Mage on top make up for a lot of that. Flaming Sword of Rhuin is actually worthwhile in this edition and the Mage himself can put out an incredible amount of firepower. Note that you should never ever use the actual amount of dice you need; Figure out how much you need and then take one less, it'll give you more mileage. Can be a game breaker at lower points, but tends to get irrelevant once it becomes possible to grab a Prince on Star Dragon. Also, beware as they can only take the Lore of Fire. As Dragon Mages now have access to Dragon Armour, they have access to Magic Armour. Dragon Mage Dragon Armour + Enchanted shield makes for a 2+ Wizard, and if you've got a squishy wave of elven melee doom and a Dragon Mage advancing on a position, your opponent is just picking size or numbers for what dick will end up in his ass.

* '''Handmaiden of the Everqueen:''' The main Valkyrie in a horde of Amazons. You will only play this character with a group of maidens as she gives them (and only them) Quick to Fire. Put the Reaver Bow on her for 3 BS7 S5 quick-to-fire shots. She's kind of expensive for her stats, so she should only be brought if you've got a big unit of Sisters with her name on it. Can take a Horn of Isha if you take the Everqueen, which you should take anytime you aren't taking the Reaver Bow.

* '''Sea Helm:''' Yet another way for High Elves to gain an advantage over the other "lesser" armies. This hero allows his unit to, after passing a leadership test, reform directly after they were charged, as long as they didn't Stand and Shoot or Flee that turn. This means no more easily flanking your units, and taking into account that every High Elf Unit can strike out of 3 rows to the front, this - for measly 100 Points - becomes really important. He can also be a Battle Standard Bearer if you're taking him anyway and don't want to bother with the Noble. Be careful using the Sea Helm as your BSB as he does not have the defensive options that the Noble has. A BSB Noble can get heavy armor and a shield, not to mention dragon armor and the lion cloak, a noble can get 4+/6++ easily without using any magic items. The Sea Helm however has light armor and a shield, that is all. If you're taking a BSB Sea Helm, give him a mundane standard and pump his defenses with his magic item allowance. But seeing as any special ranked unit (aka any unit you want to put him in barr a 50-block of spearmen) has a magic standard allowance of at least 50 points (banner of the world dragon costs 50 points), this isn't much of a problem.

====Mounts====

* ''Elven Steed:'' It's a horse, it goes fast and makes them the tiniest bit less killable. Available for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, and Mages. Since Ithilmar Barding stopped subtracting from movement, you should probably always upgrade to Ithilmar Barding. It adds armor save and DOES NOT make the M9 steed any slower. There's no reason not to pay a few measly points for that.

* ''Great Eagle:'' Useable by Princes, Archmages, and Nobles. Eagles are the halfway point between Horses and Monsters and they're quite cheap at 50 points. You can put a Noble with the Reaver Bow on one of these for a fast, shooty unit that is tougher (a Great Eagle is your only chance of getting a T4 character) and has an extra wound, or an Archmage to get on your opponent's flank and vortex him back to the stone age. For a better Eagle you have to spend 15 points more, which if you're taking one you probably should.

* ''Griffon:'' Useable by Princes and Nobles. Good news they're cheaper than Sun Dragons (150 points vs 235), but with upgrades to make the Griffon viable it comes to a grand total of 195 points. The only difference being the Sun Dragon has one more wound... and a flame attack... and a 3+ AS which makes Dragons durable where Griffons are saveless. Still, Dragons don't have ASF or Devastating Charge, plus Griffons have a +1 Strength on the turn they charge. It's iffy, but offensive lists requiring a nice hard flank to something that isn't a horde have a need for a well geared Prince on a Griffon. Not to mention that neat Island of Blood mini has just been gathering dust on your shelf...

* ''Tiranoc Chariot:'' Option for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, or Mages. Not a good option really, there's potential in that it crunches better than an Eagle for a Reaver Bow war machine hunter, but still iffy. With a unit of 3 though you can replace any Reavers, Shadow Warriors, and Eagle-riding Lords or Heroes. Still, there's complex strategies that can make great use of them, like 2v2 and scenario games.

* ''Sun Dragon:'' Option for Princes and Archmages. The mini-Dragon. Still a Dragon, still kick-ass. Good for if you're short on points, since the 70 point upgrade from Sun to a Moon Dragon matters.

* ''Moon Dragon:'' The medium Dragon, same power level as most Dragons in the game. A good all around choice.

* ''Star Dragon:'' The highest tier of Dragon and probably the most brutal Monstrous Mount in the game. With WS7, S7, T7 7 wounds, 6 attacks, a Strength 4 breath weapon and a 3+ armour save, this guy, with a properly tricked out rider, can probably rip the head off of anything stupid enough to get in its way without tipping the odds. It can tear apart almost anything. Giants, K'daii Destroyers, and other dragons will all be killed if faced by a Star Dragon. Beware the I2 though and be aware that everyone and their dog will be gunning for it. Don't let it get bogged down in a head on collision with a large unit; yes it probably can't do any real damage to the Star Dragon, but it'll be stuck there all game and probably get flanked. Have him charge down small units, flank big units in conjunction with a frontal assault, hunt down enemy monsters. Unless it gets hit by a cannonball, something is going to die when a Star Dragon gets involved. WORD OF WARNING: Some combat Lords from melee-heavy armies (Warriors of Chaos, Ogres, Daemons, Bretonnia etc) have weapons and gifts and things that are designed to bring down dragons, and a Bretonnian Lord with a Sword of Swiftstride and Heroic Killing Blow can cut the head off a Star Dragon before it can lift a claw.

* ''Skycutter of Lothern:'' Your mount option for the Sea Helm and the Sea Helm alone, but don't take it, because his main power is buffing your troops and he's good at it. Not a terrible choice though if you really want to buzz enemies without worrying too much about terrain checks or being shot at. Putting him on one gives it a 4+ Ward Save against shooting, and allows you to reroll dangerous terrain tests. Taking a second Sea Helm and putting him on one replaces two crew members, meaning you're only getting the shooting attack of one crewman, and the Sea Helm if you spend the 4 points to give him a bow, or outfit him with a Reaver Bow (the only way to really make this a remotely viable option). If you want a Skycutter, take it as a <s>Rare choice</s> (hilariously they're a special choice now, go elves!), not a mount.

* ''Flamespyre Phoenix:'' So finally the High Elves get their coverbeast to play. It's flaming hot, doesn't fear fire and comes with average stats for a Monster. It only has a 5+ ward save, but this is more than a Giant or a Dragon has against cannons. It gets stronger with better winds of magic (albeit on a chance of 1/9 it get's weaker) and can make flying attacks like the chaosmantas, even more so with all of its attacks being magical. Since it's a Phoenix it can be reborn by rolling a dice at the end of the turn it was killed, on a 6 it come back with D3+2 wounds, on 3 to 5 it blows up and you can try again at the end of the next turn (can be your opponents turn), with a roll of 1 or 2 the Pheonix is dead. When it's ridden by an Anointed, (the only mount he can ride, and the only one that can ride it) the roll has a +1 modifier which is beautiful. It lacks the power to really take out a big unit on its own but can take out war machines and kill off survivors. With an Anointed it gets powerful enough to flank units and at least have a chance, so this is how you want to take it.

* ''Frostheart Phoenix:'' Frostheart Phoenixes are great to have, but putting an Anointed on one doesn't really do anything for it besides get him into combat and waste his unit buffing so if you're taking one, take one as a Rare option.

===Core Units===

* '''Archers:''' A good unit overall. Longbows and high BS give them a good range and a solid ability to damage small lightly armored units (don't count on them to do too much to heavy armor). They work really well in 2 or so groups of 10, especially when combined with Repeater Bolt Throwers (you should generally concentrate fire). High WS, I, and LD along with Always Strikes First allows them to resist attempts by small units of light cavalry (it'll take more than a unit of Mounted Yeomen to deal with these) but you shouldn't be counting on them to do combat duties. Players are split on whether to take Light Armor: On a 10 man unit, taking Light Armor could deny you an 11th model, but if you want to keep your model count low, Light Armor does make them marginally more survivable. Don't bother with Command beyond Musician. Just a side note, Archers having Longbows is superior in range to Lothern Sea Guard having simple Bows, and this can make a world of difference when trying to outrange certain weapons such as Dark Elf Repeater Crossbows

* '''Spearmen:''' Spearmen got a definite boost in 8th, with the new rules for Always Strikes First and the rank rules (allowing them to strike in 4 Ranks, 3 on the charge). A common formation for them is 5 ranks of 6 for a total of 30 models, giving you a total of 24 attacks (25 with Champion) and 7 wounds required before they start losing attacks for a total of 295 points with Command. Although if you're feeling saucy, you could take a 565 points, 60 man Horde which gets a total of 50 attacks on the front. Ultimately, there's always room for these fantastic infantry units in your army. The anvil of most "hammer and anvil" strikes for High Elf armies. With 8th, First Among Equals was dropped so now only Spearmen can take a 25 point max magic standard.

* '''Lothern Sea Guard:''' Lothern Sea Guard used to get a bad reputation, which is no longer deserved. They cost the same as an Archer upgraded to have Light Armor so 11 points per mini, but get free Spears to go with it, and can take a shield for an extra point. The only reason that isn't the best thing ever is because they have regular Bows instead of Longbows, and thus have diminished range. As such they are often derided as overpriced, but they're a solid defensive unit that can pump out a shooting round on par with the archers and do as well as the Spearmen in melee. With 8th edition, they can no longer take a magic banner as that is now reserved for Spearmen alone. The addition of the Sea Helm to the game has taken away their main weakness however. Before, you had to play it smart to get as many shots as you could in, then reform to take a charge. With the Sea Helm, one easy Leadership check and you're ready to stab the heck out of the enemy (in 4 ranks!) the very moment they begin their charge so as a result a list where your entire Core is one GIANT horde of Lothern Sea Guard escorted by a Sea Helm is the basis for any defensive list. Just remember that the Sea Helm's reforming rule only works if you elect to hold, losing you a stand and shoot. In any case, the high price of each Lothern Sea Guardsman makes every single loss taken slightly more costly than if an equivalent Spearmen had bought the farm (3 point difference, so every third LSG you take is one less Spearman). Take and use with discretion.

* '''Silver Helms:''' LET THE JOYOUS NEWS BE SPREAD! THEY ARE BACK AS CORE! In the previous edition, they were not worth taking due to them soaking up Special options. Now however, you can have a highly mobile force. Here's what you need to know; their stats are the same as Spearmen, but the have a Movement score of 9 compared to the 5 of Spearmen. Silver Helms have Heavy Armor compared to the Spearmen's Light Armor. Finally, Spearmen are only 9 points and come with a Shield, whereas Silver Helms are a whopping 21 points and spend an extra two for that Shield, bringing them to 23 points total each. Is that worth it? When you want a chaff unit that can take a hit or two, sure. In a pure offensive, speed based list - HELL yes! A Noble (on horseback obviously) bearing the Banner of the World Dragon, with your Archmage (also on horseback, duh) spamming any spell he can think of into the enemy, both these fine elves in a very large unit of Silver Helms that is acting as a fast moving steamroller. Flank the enemy with some Reavers, or skip the foreplay and go right to the reaming with Dragon Princes on a charge. Throw Tyrion into the mix for an army worthy of the High Elf race. Do note however, that a list that isn't purely offensive probably shouldn't have Silver Helms in it. An Avelorn themed list where the Sisters of Avelorn mop up the enemy isn't half bad (could be much better) but for the most part keep them as your core in cavalry lists only. Oh, and Bretonnian players won't stop bitching about Silver Helms until they get an update, so we should be cool with the mon'keigh right around the time of the Horus Heresy (sorry, that was mean. Funny, but mean).

* '''Ellyrian Reavers:''' Also back as Core for 16 points a pop. The primary role for Ellyrian Reavers in a High Elf army is as chaff to end an opponent's march, then harass casters and warmachines. The fact they (in a unit of 5 with no upgrades) can do that more durably than a Great Eagle makes them really worth it when you aren't using a horde of Core, and you need your Rare slots for Sisters of Avelorn or Bolt Throwers. Not really worth it in most lists outside that role, their strength is the Wood Elf tactic of shooting and running. They can flank too, so if your list uses a massive horde of one Special option as a wall of doom with a Sea Helm shouting orders to them then some Reavers on the sides aren't half bad. Still, the vanilla Reaver only carries Light Armor and a Spear, with all stats but their Movement (9) equal to Spearmen. They're paying a full 7 points more for that horse, and they don't get a shield for it. If they drop the spears and take bows instead, you spend one extra point per mini (so they lose out on the charge). For a full 3 points, they can still shoot and take spears (so figure out what you want to use them for, then stick with it). Their champion, the Harbinger, has a higher BS so if you aren't taking bows there's literally no reason to spend the extra points on him. They do have a nice purpose, they're really fast moving, have those bows and/or spears, and a few units of 5 will make an artillery happy enemy have to pick between using those cannons to defend themselves, or hit your main force. Perhaps the best use of Reavers however is against enemies with NO ranged options. Nothing sadder than a game where your opponent realizes there's not a damn thing he can do to win because he can't reach your Reavers.

===Special Units===

* '''While your Core units are used to create the core (ha) of your army, this is where you get the guys who do most of the damage. Don't be afraid to shamelessly spend absurd amounts of points (in fact, the full limit you can usually) in your special choices. If you need something dead, and you're not in a big enough game to bring a Star Dragon, this is where you look.

* '''Swordmasters of Hoeth:''' In any (literally any) other army, they'd be a Blue Chip unit, something to never leave home without. After all, 2 WS6 S5 attacks in 3 ranks at 13 points a pop, a magic standard up to 50 points, and with ASF canceling out ASL from great weapons for normal I5 attacks? What's not to like? Well you see, in the High Elves book, there are three primary Special options and Swordmasters are slightly the lowest when you crunch survivability and damage. At T3 and only 5+ armour and one Wound, they are as hard to wound as tissue paper and everyone knows it. But, if we're being entirely fair to the unit and taking them on their own terms, they're not all bad and with some strategy (or magic (AND magic is best of course)) you can make them into trap versions of Brock Fucking Samson. If you're careful with them, small units of them can make devastating flanking units, with most players taking them as bare 15 man units or 21 man 7-across units. They can cause some ridiculous damage under a lot of circumstances, but just be careful with them, one good Magic Missile or enemy shooting phase can mean you spent all those points on nothing (but now in 8th, they can deflect arrows like Jedi via get a 6+ save to non-magical non-template shooting attacks). There is also one way to make them really REALLY good. Run a 30+ man horde. Stick a Lore of Life level 4 Archmage or Alarielle in. Enjoy your opponent's tears while your T7, regenerating, regrowthing unit pumps out 40 S5 attacks to the front. Keeping up a 3+ ward save on the Swordmasters through High magic spam isn't half bad either (a Battle Report where this is maintained the entire game and going up against a horde army is a form of pornography to a High Elf player). All it will have cost you is a few power dice to make that happen.

* '''Phoenix Guard:''' Phoenix Guard are not only the best unit in the High Elf army, they are probably in the top 3 best units of the game, period. 15 points for WS5, S3 (S4 because of halberds), I6, LD9, Fear causing, Heavy Armored, ASF, and an extra rank of attacks. Wait that doesn't sound good? Oh they also have a 4+ Ward Save, standard. Yeah, there you go. These guys can get hit in the face by a cannon ball and just shrug it off, and they've got enough killing power to actually give back. Be sure to give them a solid bit of static CR, because LD9 does not make them immune to failing their break test (BSB works well and will be difficult to kill inside that unit). Either put them in horde formation, or make them very deep to take away steadfast. There is no High Elf army that doesn't have room for these lads (other than the full cavalry list).

* '''White Lions of Chrace:''' White Lions are the middle child, the jack of all trades, the bard if you will of the three Special choice High Elf infantry. Better than Swordmasters due to durability and costing the same amount of points, and deal more damage than Phoenix Guard and two points cheaper. They are inferior to the respective masters in terms of raw damage, or survivability. Still, they do pump out S6 I5 attacks with the usual extra rank, they are more resistant to shooting than Swordmasters (with a +2 to their Armor against non-magical shooting), they treat forests as if they're an open meadow, and best of all they're Stubborn to the last man, which means even a rank of 5 can hold out against LOTS of static CR. They end up truly being the jack of all trades of the three, operating just as well as a defensive ranked unit as an offensive charging unit. Also with S6 from Great Weapons (swinging at I5 due to ASF negating ASL), 3 ranks of them is enough to make most monsters cry (send them up against that Giant your opponent is so proud of and watch him cry as they hack out his kneecaps while singing a jolly tune about how they're hacking away his kneecaps). Take them in big units with the Banner of Eternal Flame and you're ready for anything. They're very good as far as heavy infantry goes, and well worth your time. If your strategy revolves around Swordmasters or Phoenix Guard, White Lions are worth considering as a secondary choice to flank.

* '''Dragon Princes of Caledor:''' Dragon Princes hit harder than any unit has a right to with two attacks and while heavy cavalry has generally fallen out of favor these guys remain popular due to the ubiquity of flaming attacks and breath weapons (although they are no longer immune, they merely get a 2+ ward save against it). Therefore, if your Daemons of Chaos opponent likes Tzeentch and its flaming attacks (Warpflame, Anon, not Flaming anymore), take these guys and see him cry. If you're playing a defensive list, they're probably not worth your time, but offensive lists can generally find a place for them. On the charge there's not much that can hit harder, and while they're no Blood Knights they can certainly keep going in melee. Still, stick with prodding the enemy flank as your goal with them. Uniquely, the Drakemaster (unit champion) can take a magic armour in addition to the usual magic weapon. It may be worth it to turn him into a mini Noble by giving him, for example, the Star Lance and the Enchanted Shield; he has three attacks after all, like a naked Noble. In fact, he's a prince himself...

* '''Shadow Warriors:''' Previously, Shadow Warriors were the Elven equivalent of Beastmen. As of new Army book however they are better shots than archers while only being 3 points more, and get Scouting and Skirmish so they have become useful at War Machine hunting and taking out annoyances like Spirit Hosts. Put a Noble with Shadow Armour and The Reaver Bow in the unit to give them that little extra fire power cheaply (or just give the Reaver Bow to a Shadow-walker [the unit champion] to do it even more cheaply). Throw Alith Anar in with them and you've got Elven Vietcong. Generally speaking, Shadow Warriors still don't have much of a place in your army. Reavers are better at putting the hurt on enemies and getting away, and Special is not the category you really want to put ranged options into. Still, a HUGE horde of Spearmen taking up your Core and Phoenix's eating up your Rare slots leave Shadow Warriors as your Special of choice to still get a ranged attack.

* '''Tiranoc Chariot:''' These aren't bad on their own terms but when compared to the other major option for Chariots, which is better in nearly every applicable way other than not having a ranged attack, Tiranoc Chariots get a thumbs down. Still, Tiranoc Chariots aren't bad and if you're in the mood for a cheap chariot (70 points), this is for you. They are very adaptable with longbows, spears, and very good movement. It should be noted that High Elf Chariots are among the most reasonably priced (money wise) units that GW has, and if you get a Chariot but use it as a White Lion one you get extra horses to put Lords or Heroes on. Apparently nobody has noticed that you can take these in units of three. Well, you can take these in units of three, so they're not that bad compared to the other chariots in the army. Note that a character on a chariot still can't join a unit of Tiranoc chariots. Tomb Kings can only do it because they have a special rule for that.

* '''White Lion Chariot:''' This is what Tiranoc Chariots suffer when compared to. With 2 S4 crew that hit at S6, 4 S5 Lion attacks and an extra armor save, White Lion Chariots are pretty brutal when they hit right. As with all Chariots, if you're playing defensively they won't help much, but they really work fantastically on the charge. Each one costs 120 points, down 20 points from 7th edition.

*'''Lothern Skycutter:''' It's a flying Tiranoc chariot with an extra crewman but each one has a bow compared to the longbow of the Tiranoc. The Roc (not an Eagle, a Roc) hits harder and has an extra attack, and all this comes at only 25 more points than the Chariot. But that's not why you take a Lothern Skycutter. Three words: Flying Bolt Throwers! It's a 25 point upgrade to have one of the crew man it, and it's what you're looking for in this choice. Unlike the regular Bolt Thrower however, this one is a bit different. For one, there's only one type of fire, a single bolt which has half the range of an ordinary Bolt Thrower with 1 Strength less, same D3 wounds and ignoring armor saves, BUT can be fired whether it moves or not. It's beautiful, isn't it? While your Eagles and/or Shadow Warriors have things stuck on the enemy's side of the map, just park out of range of a charge and make them bleed. Unfortunately with moving and only a range of 24 (and therefore at long range when over 12 inches) odds are you're gonna need a 5+ to hit, so you might not get as much mileage out of that Bolt Thrower as you want. Consider carefully. Note that if you're gonna take a single Tiranoc Chariot, you might consider an Bolt Thrower-less Skycutter, if you can find 25 points. For those points you get 1 more crewman (and thus 1 more spear attack/bow shot) 1 higher armor, plus 2WS and 1S on your mount. Probably worth those points.

===Rare Units===

* '''Repeater Bolt Thrower:''' None of the Rare Choices are precisely blue chip units, but Repeater Bolt Throwers are an alternative answer for high toughness and 2+ armour saves if you haven't brought along White Lions. It does have good range, and it is your only war machine, and now that each one is 30 points cheaper it's a lot less painful setting up a defensive position on your side of the map. It does however depend upon lots of protection to be effective as it is a primary target for magic and shooting, and only has two wounds. T7(!) can offset a lot of that though, and combined with Archers they can cause a lot of damage, or with Lothern Seaguard to pump out some hits and be ready for when the enemy reaches you. They're more resistant to shooting than Eagles and can probably cause more damage long-term. Not a great unit, but if you're in the mood, they don't generally hurt. Concentrate fire to bring down big things like monsters and characters, volley fire to eliminate enemy chaff and infantry blocks.

* '''Great Eagle:''' Used to be the only chaff the High Elf army had, but now you've got Reavers and Silver Helms as options in this respect as well. At a mere 50 points (65 after upgrades), it's easy to field a couple eagles in any game higher than 1500. These guys are still the champions of war machine hunting, redirecting, and mage hunting, but they die easier than Silver Helms and it's hard to argue with the Reavers having a ranged attack on top of that role so the primary use of the Great Eagle is now to do the same role but save points (a group of 5 Reavers without bows would cost 80 points and with bows would cost 95 points, a group of 5 Silver Helms with Shields would cost 115, and all 3 choices fulfill the same role to different capacities). With T4 and W3, they're kinda survivable, but don't expect them to survive through the end of the game. They are the ultimate sacrificial units in the chaff slot, and can usually slow down other units and kill at least their points worth, with their two S4 attacks coupled with ASF and Armor Piercing. A unit of Shadow Warriors can fulfill it's role to an extent as well, but Eagle are still preferred.

* '''Sisters of Avelorn:''' The amazons are closing in. This is the strongest shooting unit in game, the Phoenix Guard of PEWPEW. They have flaming arrows that hit at S4 and cause a -1 armor save when you fire on the Destruction-aligned armies, and all that with BS 5. Volley Fire is an option as well. For 14 Points this is a deal and they can shoot out of 3 rows and reduce everything in 24 inches to a burning pile of whatever. When coupled with a Handmaiden giving them fast shooting they are even better, because running without penalty to shoot is always a boon. If you've taken the Horn of Isha, you get one turn of every ranged attack having +1 To Hit to make those arrows even stronger. (Also, they're sexy.) Still they are only as tough as normal archers so don't except them to take much punishment. Protect them with Spearmen, Phoenix Guard, White Lions, or keep them out of harm's way and fire ahead of the Silver Helms.

* '''Flamespyre Phoenix:''' If you're taking the Flamespyre Phoenix, you should really scroll up and read the section for it as a mount for an Anointed of Asuryan. That's really how you want to play it, otherwise the Frostheart is what you are looking for.
** '''Alternate Opinion:''' Taking an Anointed on a Flamespyre Phoenix is actually a massive waste of the Anointed. You are paying an extra 210 points for a rider who is completely useless when the Phoenix is doing flyby burning, which is how you should usually be using it. An Anointed isn't gonna help the Phoenix fight anything except stuff the Phoenix is already qualified to fight, so you're basically paying those 210 points (plus any magic items you want to give him) to get +1 to his resurrection rolls. Never mind that A: when the Phoenix bites it so does the Anointed, B: you're wasting the Anointed ability to grand a 6++ and ItP to a unit and C: it means that the 225 points for the Phoenix come from Lord choices instead of Rare, which is bad because you need your Lord points. Just take the Flamespyre alone and concentrate on flyby and charging smaller units.

* '''Frostheart Phoenix:''' When you get old, you get cold more often it seems, this is especially true if you were a fricking blazing Phoenix, since you become a freezing Phoenix. It is tougher and stronger than its younger version but can't drop napalm and loses its "I'll be back" ability. So it costs a fraction more and if you want to have your monster stay alive instead of maybe coming back to life this is your choice. Has 5+ natural armor, which is decent. Causes Terror, which is great. Its chilling aura is insane. It bestows ASL, but more importantly it also gives -1S to all UNITS in base contact. For all intents and purposes (almost) it has T7 in combat and if it assists another elven unit that unit will experience the joy of Pseudo T4... an insanely good monster. Although it can pull chaff duty, that's really not where you want it unless you're just looking for more time to fill the enemy with arrows and bolts. Frosthearts should be with your main force, hitting whatever needs to be weakened the most after it's already in a fight with your anvil force.

==Building Your Army==
===Buying Your Army===
The key to getting a nice cheap army is the Island of Blood. For one hundred dollars, (OR 55€) you get a decent number of elves, and some Skaven as well that can either be painted and glued to the base underneath your elves's feet or simply re-auctioned to a Skaven player. Did I mention the rulebook, templates, and artillery dice? Buy two of these treasure troves, then sell the Skaven packaged with the rulebook. With that alone, you can probably recover the costs of the boxes. After that, you get 20 Lothern Sea Guard, 20 Swordmasters, 10 Reavers, 2 Mages, and 2 Princes on Griffons (but those can also be run as Princes or Nobles on Eagles or even as just a regular Great Eagle if that's how you're going to go about it). That's the perfect start to any high elf army. After that, start browsing ebay. Search Warhammer High Elves by ending soonest, crunch the numbers so you know Games Workshop's price per model, then factor in shipping. Figure out what you can proxy (High Elf Island of Blood Mage+Spearman/Lothern Seaguard Arm holding the spear with a computer printout of a flag glued to it=Noble bearing a Battle Standard for example). Remember if there's something decent you need with a shipping price you're not thrilled over ($3 for a Korhil mini, but with $4 shipping making it not too great a deal) to check in the seller's other auctions, so you can net a combined shipping discount (that $4 shipping feels much better when you're getting a dragon for $20 and some Eldar you can greenstuff to look medieval for $2 along with said Korhil). With patience, you can assemble a High Elf army at a fraction of the price buying new would have cost, and you can even get some of the nifty old metal minis to be proud of!

===Army Composition===

A High Elf army must either be defensive or offensive, having a mix between the two means that your opponent is only ever facing half of your army at any one time. The good news is, however, that once the focus of your army has been chosen there is still a lot to choose from and a lot to tinker with. Whichever approach you take you need to think about what you are going to do if the enemy has the same plan, or at least refuses to do what you want. While your awesome defensive army with lethal flank charges and such might be awesome when your opponent foolishly charges his whole army towards your block of spearmen, if you're playing against a dwarf gunline who's plan is to just never move then you're going to have problems. All lists need to have a plan for handling war machines (which are to be expected from every opponent) and some number of units to help you control the enemy movement. A few great eagles and a unit of reavers can find a place in almost any army for exactly this reason. Yes, your army needs to be focused but it also needs to be realistic. You need to be able to get some units out on the flanks to clog up charge lanes or divert shooting while your combat dudes jog across the board. If you don't do this then even the best defensive list will get outmaneuvered and the best offensive list will get pulled out of position by enemy chaff. You don't want to spend a lot of points on these units, but they need to be there unless you have an extremely good reason not to have them.

==Magic Items==
===Vaul's Forge===

'''Magic Weapons:'''

* ''The Blade of Leaping Gold:'' Mostly useless, 70 points is not worth it for +3 attacks when what are need are stronger ones. The any-roll-of-a-six-to-wound-ignores-armour-saves thing fails to offset its points cost.

* ''Star Lance:'' 30 points, better than a lance. Excellent for a kick-ass charge, good on a dragon or a griffon as all you will be doing is charging. Getting the Giant Blade from the rulebook will give you that strength in following rounds of combat however.

* ''The Reaver Bow:'' Great with Shadow Warriors or Sisters of Avelorn champions, 25 points for 3 shots at the wielders strength +1 which means they will be strength 5 from a Noble or Prince.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Caledor:'' 50 points for Dragon Armour that bestows a 2+ armour save. Good unless you are mounted or planning on getting a ward save better than 6+.

* ''Shadow Armour:'' Only works on foot, this gives a 5+ armour and gives you Scouts and Strider for 25 points. Strider is nice in itself, but unless you're going with Shadow Warriors he'll be on his own if you use Scouts.

* ''Shield of the Merwyrm:'' 15 points for a shield (+1 armour save as usual) which grants 4+ parry save, even with a magic weapon. A cheap 4+ very conditional Ward save in close combat, but with the usual restrictions: Not if your weapon requires two hands, not if you're mounted, not to the flank or rear, not against impact hits or (thunder)stomp and you will still be vulnerable to spells. Still a very good choice, especially for a hero (e.g. BSB) in a unit.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Golden Crown of Atrazar:'' A 2+ Ward against the first wound suffered. Nice way to spend ten points as it essentially buys you another wound if you lack a save.

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Moranion's Wayshard:'' 50 points for Ambushers that is also applied to a unit of up to 30 Spearmen or Archers that the model is in. A unit that can hold its own behind enemy lines? Yes please.

* ''Khaine's Ring of Fury:'' Soul Quench as a bound spell with 3 to cast for 25 points. The best thing about this is the Ward save you get at the end, but a cheap magic missile is good too.

* ''Gem of Sunfire:'' Used at the start of a turn, this one-use item gives the bearer +1 to all wound rolls for magic, shooting and close combat IF they are also flaming attacks. It can be worth the 20 points if you are under the Banner of Eternal Flame, or are using the Lore of Fire or Lore of Metal.

* ''Cloak of Beards:'' 10 points to cause Fear is brilliant. Against Dwarfs it causes Terror instead and blows up their magic items, but gives them Hatred against you. Of course with the new Army Book and Ancestral Grudge, there's a 1/3 chance his army will Hate your entire army and another 1/3 chance that his army will hate your characters, so most of the time it'll have no downside.

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Hoeth:'' 55 points to re-roll one dice for casting and dispel attempts that are not 6s. Gives you a surprisingly good magic edge, might seem pricey but why should your Prince get his toys and your Archmage be left with nothing?

'''Magic Banners:'''

* ''Banner of the World Dragon:'' 50 points for a 2+ Ward save against magic, magic weapons and magic attacks for the unit, which includes miscast effects. Ward then had the balls to make this banner give stubborn to dragons within 12 inches. See [[Talk:Warhammer/Tactics/8th_Edition/High_Elves#The_Banner_of_the_World_Dragon|discussion page]] page for opinions on this item being game-breakingly overpowered.

===Rulebook Items===

'''Magic Weapons:'''
* ''Giant Blade:'' 60 points is a lot, but +3 Strength is something great for a High Elf damage dealer. Note that despite it sounding like a slow weapon that would negate your ASF, it doesn't.

* ''Sword of Bloodshed:'' Just like Blade of Leaping Gold, it's just doubling up on a strength. 60 points is too much for that.

* ''Obsidian Blade:'' 50 points to ignore armor, great for tailoring your list but as a list you intend to stick to through thick and thin you don't want it.

* ''Ogre Blade:'' +2 Strength, 40 points. Take if it you already took the Giant Blade or if you need those 20 points for something else.

* ''Sword of Strife:'' +2 attacks, 40 points. Once again, you don't need more attacks you need stronger ones.

* ''Fencer's Blades:'' WS 10 for 35 points, but you can't use a shield with it. The Prince has a WS7, and thus this isn't that great when you could bump up his Strength or even his Attacks. Noble and Sea Helm have WS6, better but still not good. Handmaiden shouldn't be in close combat, but in theory if she gets there her WS5 can benefit from this (Reaver Bow should be on her instead of course). Some people have suggested sticking these on a Mage or Archmage since they can't use shields anyway and this can get them out of trouble, but that's debatable. It might be worth it on a Dragon Mage, since they usually end up in combat.

* ''Sword of Anti-Heroes:'' There should be a Mary Sue joke here, but let's go straight into the stats. +1 STR and +1 Attack for each character in base contact with the bearer and his unit. Could be good, could be great in a tailored list.

* ''Spellthieving Sword:'' For each wound a caster receives from this weapon, they lose a random spell. Generally speaking facing a wizard in close combat means a dead wizard. That being said, if you can manage to get into it with a named character (especially the likes of Morathi or Malekith) you could put some pain on them. Problem generally is that most casters who can't kill in one turn (such as Vampires, Chaos Warriors or Ogre Kingdom casters) you are going to want more strength or attacks or more survivability against. Even if this does work there's no guarantee you get a spell that matters.

* ''Sword of Swift Slaying:'' Grants Always Strikes First. Yeah. Because that's what High Elves are lacking alright.

* ''Sword of Battle:'' +1 Attack for 20 points, keep scrolling.

* ''Berserker Sword:'' Bearer has Frenzy and cannot lose it. Extra attack and Immune to Psychology. Neither of which are things High Elves need. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Might:'' +1 Strength close combat for 20 points and you can use a shield, it's nice. Personally, I'd just pay a few points for a Halberd instead. Unless you REALLY need the magical attacks.

* ''Gold Sigil Sword:'' Makes your attacks 10 Initiative in close combat. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Striking:'' +1 to hit. Fairly nice, but Strength is still better.

* ''Biting Blade:'' Armor piercing. 10 points. Inferior to Strength, not bad though.

* ''Relic Sword:'' Attacks with it always wound on a 5+ unless the result needed was lower. Not worth your time.

* ''Shrieking Blade:'' Bearer causes Fear. It's not bad, useless for anyone in a Phoenix Guard bunker, but it's nice as an anti-horde measure.

* ''Tormentor Sword:'' Grants Stupidity to a monster or character hit by it. Only really useful against armies loaded up on those options, so it's a tailoring list option that's questionable otherwise. 5 points to spend if you've got it though.

* ''Warrior Bane:'' Whatever gets hit by it loses an Attack to a minimum of one. 5 points, great for tailoring against other Elves.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Destiny:'' Heavy Armor with 4+ Ward Save. It's like it came straight from our list. It's okay, not mandatory, but not a bad selection.

* ''Trickster's Helm:'' +1 Armor, and any wound made against the bearer has to be rerolled. Stick it on someone designed to just not fucking die, make him stand in front of Alarielle so she can heal a wound every turn, and you've proxied Tyrion on foot.

* ''Armour of Silvered Steel:'' 2+ Armor Save, cannot be improved by any means. 40 points. If you already took Armor of Caledor, worth looking at, but why are you taking 2 damage-taking characters?

* ''Armour of Fortune:'' Heavy Armor with a 5+ Ward Save. 15 points cheaper than the Armour of Destiny.

* ''Helm of Discord:'' +1 Armor, and any enemy character in base contact must pass a Leadership roll or be stunned and is automatically hit. Turns your character into a challenge god. Nice if that's your plan (or if challenges are your fear).

* ''Glittering Scales:'' Light Armor, causes -1 to hit the wearer in close combat. Surprisingly good.

* ''Shield of Ptolos:'' +1 Save against being shot. Pair it with the Lion Cloak and you have nothing to fear from ranged combat. Not bad if you think you'll face it.

* ''Spellshield:'' Magic Resistance (1). Nifty. Not 20 points nifty, but not terrible.

* ''Gambler's Armor:'' Heavy Armor with 6+ Ward Save. 20 points. Stick with Dragon Armour. Costs the same on a Prince and half the price on a Noble and has an improved save against breath weapons and fire. The only time this is a better option than Dragon Armour is if you want to combine with a lion cloak.

* ''Dragonhelm:'' +1 Armor, +2 Ward against Flaming attacks. If you took the Lion Cloak but still want the fire resist, here you go.

* ''Enchanted Shield:'' It's a shield, it grants 2 armor instead of the 1 armor a normal shield gives. 5 points. It's a great option.

* ''Charmed Shield:'' One use, first hit you take can be discounted on a 2+. Not bad, not great.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Talisman of Preservation:'' 4+ Ward Save. Very nice option, but it limits your offensive choices due to it's 45 point cost.

* ''Obsidian Lodestone:'' Magic Resistance (3). For when the Banner of the World Dragon just isn't enough. (If you take Banner of Avelorn instead, this is far more worth considering.)

* ''Talisman of Endurance:'' 5+ Ward Save. Still okay.

* ''Obsidian Amulet:'' Magic Resistance (2). Eh, not bad. Not great either.

* ''Dawnstone:'' Reroll failed Armor Saves. That 1+ to hit on your Prince? Yep. Now they're going to have to get snakeeyes to hurt him. Oh fuck this is so worth the points it hurts.

* ''Opal Amulet:'' One time 4+ Ward Save. Not really worth it.

* ''Obsidian Trinket:'' Magic Resistance (1). Still not bad, still not good.

* ''Talisman of Protection:'' 6+ Ward Save. Not bad as a way of finishing off those last 15 points.

* ''Seed of Rebirth:'' Grants Regeneration 6+. Again, not a bad way of using up those last points on survivability. Otherwise, no go.

* ''Dragonbane Gem:'' 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks. Useful as a 5 point choice if you took Lion Cloak.

* ''Pidgeon Plucker Pendant:'' Misspelled name, odd item. 5+ Ward Save from Flying enemies. Tailor lists only really.

* ''Luckstone:'' Reroll a single failed Armor Save. 5 points, not a bad place to spend them either.

'''Magic Standards:'''

* ''Rampager's Standard:'' Reroll your charge distance dice if you want. Stick it on cavalry.

* ''Wailing Banner:'' Unit causes Terror. Emulate Phoenix Guard on your non-Phoenix Guard. Pretty good.

* ''Ranger's Standard:'' Grants Strider. Ignore dangerous terrain. March your horde wall of death across the map with impunity. A nice choice.

* ''Razor Standard:'' Grants Armor Piercing. Put it on Special choices. Swordmasters in close combat under this are beyond description.

* ''War Banner:'' +1 Combat Resolution. Normally you want to avoid getting stuck in a fight all game, but if that's the plan here's a way to bump up your victory chances.

* ''Banner of Swiftness:'' +1 Movement. There's better choices, really if you want movement you should be rolling for Walk Between Worlds from the lore of High Magic, getting a 1+ Ward Save while you're at it and putting a better flag over your unit.

* ''Lichborne Pennant:'' Magic Resistance (1). Not bad for a mage bunker.

* ''Standard of Discipline:'' +1 Leadership, but disregard the general's inspiring presence. Do you really need Leadership 10 on anything? If Alith Anar is your general and he bites it this can help, but really it's not worth it.

* ''Banner of Eternal Flame:'' Just like most armies, feel free to take this and stick it wherever you want (except Sisters of Avelorn, since they already have it's effects).

* ''Gleaming Pennant:'' One use, reroll failed Leadership test. Why are you failing Leadership? Maybe tailored against an undead army, otherwise no.

* ''Scarecrow Banner:'' Causes Fear on Flying enemies. 5 points, not bad. Tailored list only, but that moment that a giant dragon <s>runs shrieking from a scarecrow on top of a flag being woven around by a spearman you know you've experienced the joys of Warhammer Fantasy.</S> (Most Dragons cause Terror, all cause Fear at the very least, leaving your Fear-causing unit to instead take a Fear test.) Useful against anything smart enough to Fly but not insane enough to cause Fear (Mostly just eagles then?)

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Ashur:'' 70 points for +1 to cast and dispel rolls. If you were playing a VERY large game and your entire strategy was magic and stalling for magic to work, you might use this. As it is it's a mon'keigh's bad transcribing of the Book of Hoeth.

* ''Feedback Scroll:'' Instead of a dispel attempt, you can use this one-use item to roll a dice for each power dice used to cast it. Each one that's a 5+ causes a wound that can't be saved. Great for a tailored list, and worth considering otherwise to take out an opponent's only caster and let you work the winds unopposed.

* ''Scroll of Leeching:'' Instead of a dispel use this one-use to add dispel dice equal to the number used to cast the spell. Great against armies with LOTS of casters (like other High Elf armies). Not a standard gear choice however. Feedback scroll is more useful in many scenarios.

* ''Sivejir's Hex Scroll :'' One use, replaces dispel. Enemy wizard rolls a d6, must get their level or lower (so a level 1 mage needs a 1 to resist, a 3 mage needs a 1-3 to resist, Teclis only suffers a 6 roll) or they turn into a frog. They can't cast spells as a frog, all magic items stop working, all stats except wounds become 1. Each turn roll a d6, roll of a 4-6 and the mage becomes a biped again. VERY fun item, and a surprising thing for such a thing is that it's actually pretty good if you save it for when you can kill that mage in close combat.

* ''Power Scroll:'' According to FAQ it now halves the casting value of one spell, no boosting allowed. Could be fun when you two-dice dwellers or purple sun if the winds are low or your opponent didn't think those last two dices were dangerous.

* ''Wand of Jet:'' One use, increases a casting result by d6 after you're done rolling. This can help cause a IF and miscast too. It's an extra magic dice in the bank for when you need it, and not bad but there's better options for getting more magic juice.

* ''Forbidden Rod:'' One use, add d6 more dice to your magic at the beginning of your magic phase, but the user takes d3 wounds with no armour saves. But... Banner of the World Dragon protects. (Anyone with the Arcane Items page in front of them probably won't let that slide. I know I wouldn't.)

* ''Trickster's Shard:'' One use, start of magic phase. If an enemy mage tries to dispel a spell, you roll a d6 and on a 5 or 6 they take one wound. Not great really. It can be useful sort of if you're rolling a lot of augments at once (turn 1 Walk Between Worlds on everything makes this viable). At 25 points though, it's kind of a waste.

* ''Earthing Rod:'' One use, reroll the result on the miscast table once. Obviously you don't want this if you're running Banner of the World Dragon. Otherwise it's not bad if you're gonna be blasting away with your Archmage.

* ''Dispel Scroll:'' 25 points, auto dispel the enemy spell unless it's an Irresistible Force spell. All armies consider this to be a staple, but it's a bit less important for us since there's other options.

* ''Power Stone:'' One use. Used prior to casting a spell, adds two more bonus dice out of thin air to the attempt. Great for if you got a shit winds roll a turn you really need to crank out a spell.

* ''Sceptre of Stability:'' Misspelled name, one us item to increase a dispel result by d6 after you've rolled. Pretty neat for 15 points against another big magic army.

* ''Channeling Staff:'' Bearer adds +1 to every channeling attempt. Can net you more power dice, but not a big use item. Still, 15 points isn't much to spend for that kind of thing.

* ''Scroll of Shielding:'' One use, replaces dispel to grant a single target a 4+ Ward Save against wounds caused by the spell. Great for protecting something high priority like an Archmage or a Prince on a Dragon.

* ''Staff of Sorcery (FAQ'ed)'': Bearer adds +1 to every dispel attempt for 35pts. Only worth taking on a level 2 or level 4 mage, costs the same as a wizard level but "only" adds +1 to your dispel attempts. Still, dispelling with +5 can really shut down a magic phase. Likewise, if you're mainly after countermagic, level 2 mage plus Staff of Sorcery saves you 30pts from a level 3 mage (and leaves your Lords allowance for a Prince on Dragon).

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Wizarding Hat:'' Wearer becomes a level 2 Wizard who can use a random spell lore. They also have stupidity. This is great for armies with crap magic options, but for us you want to split the magic/killing roles between two characters and at the cost for the hat you could just take a level 2 mage. But if you really want a wizard on a Star Dragon for some strange ass reason...

* ''Fozzrik's Fold Fortress:'' 100 points, so your entire magic item allotment for a Lord. After deployment zones are agreed but before armies are deployed you can put a Watchtower (or similar building agreed upon by both players as appropriate, but must be the same basic size as the Watchtower) in your deployment zone. This MAKES a defensive list with Sisters of Avelorn holding it. For any other troop type it's not great. But in games with objectives, you might be able to argue your opponent into letting you count this as an objective from turn one. Take it if you base your strategy around it.

* ''Arabyan Carpet:'' Infantry or monstrous infantry (no you can't let your horse ride). Has the Fly rule, cannot join units. At 50 points you may as well just mount up on an Eagle or Gryphon.

* ''Crown of Command :'' 35 points to grant Stubborn and thus grant it to a unit the wearer joins. You should probably nut up and bring Korhil instead, but if you already are and want a second unit to be Stubborn it's not bad.

* ''Healing Potion:'' One use to drink at the start of your turn, recover d6 wounds. Since you have very few characters with enough wounds to make it useful, you should rely on the Lore of Life attribute to heal instead. Or bring Alarielle.

* ''Featherfoe Torc:'' Flying creatures and riders must reroll to hit you and your unit in close combat. Take it in a tailored list against the likes of Malekith or other High Elves.

* ''Ruby Ring of Ruin:'' Bound spell with Fireball. Take the High Elf magic item version of it if you're going to bother since it does pretty much the same thing and will give the users unit a ward save.

* ''Terrifying Mask of EEE!:'' Wearer causes Terror, but nobody can use their leadership but themself. Since most High Elves have almost max LD and some characters have the same, there's no downside. Great at discouraging people from fucking with a unit that can't deal in melee or you don't want to keep in melee (Sticking this on a Lothern Sea Helm among Core is pretty great, or ANYONE running with Lothern Seaguard since this can win an extra turn of shooting for them).

* ''Potion of Strength:'' One use, used at the start of any players turn. +3 Strength for the turn, great for a BRUTAL combat phase. Take on a Prince, Noble, or anyone with the Reaver Bow.

* ''Potion of Toughness:'' One use, start of any player's turn to grant +3 Toughness. This is more for an Archmage or Mage stuck in close combat, or a Prince who's going into a suicide charge.

* ''The Other Trickster's Shard:'' All Ward Save rolls have to be rerolled in base contact, both friend and foe. Since Ward Saves are common to us, it can be a detriment. Still good if you don't have one however.

* ''Ironcurse Icon:'' 5 points for 6+ Ward against war machines for the bearer and their unit. Not great, but it's only 5 points so there's no real threat to taking it and it CAN come in handy.

* ''Potion of Foolhardiness:'' One use, start of turn. Gets Immune to Psychology and Devastating Charge for a turn. 5 points for a very fucking hard charge, this has potential in a cavalry list.

* ''Potion of Speed:'' One use, start of turn. +3 Initiative. Cheap, but WHEN THE FUCK WILL YOU NEED A HIGHER INITIATIVE?

==Magic==
The new High Magic is probably one of the most aggressive lores in the entire game now, Soul Quench makes Fireball lovers cry.
Fiery Convocation is, in a game version promoting the use of hordes, extremely powerful; except against ogres and full knight Brets (giving Bretonnians at least one advantage in the modern game) and once it's been cast, your opponent will probably need to abort his next magic phase to dispel it if he cares about his burning minions. High Magic also has Apotheosis, which heals a wound and grants Fear to the target making your badasses into glorious bastards. Walk Between Worlds makes a unit Ethereal and get 10 more inches of movement to deliver a unit directly wherever it needs to be. Hand of Glory is a nice augment, Arcane Unforging is anti-character in the best way, and finally Drain Magic lets you undo whatever spells your opponent is using to manipulate the field of battle (goodbye undead augments).

For the rest of the lores, usual stuff applies. Lore of Life is a consistent favorite (nothing like watching those 5 Phoenix Guard he worked so hard to kill get back up) as is Lore of Shadow. High Elves aren't really set up for offensive Magic outside Dragon Mages so you should generally go with support spells to protect your expensive units, rather than offensive spells.

An important thing to remember is that you should not be building your list around using magic to support this or that unit, you should be putting magic into your list in order to augment the units that are already good. T7 Swordmasters might be awesome, but imagine how awesome that would be on a unit that doesn't need the support to be that good. Plus there are always factors that might get in the way of you casting a spell when you need to, so don't take a unit assuming you can make it better by augmenting it with magic; Take a unit that's already awesome without the magic.

===Magic Tactics===
In this section, I'll list the multiple ways to use specific Lores in conjunction with our units. Some Lores of Magic are flexible and unique, while some are more focused on specific strategies and units to make them work. Either way, you'll find use of them here. In the modern game buffs and hexes are generally the order of the day, offering a lot of value for the dice invested. Especially for high elves who have incredibly powerful units, buffs can send your dudes into the stratosphere. Direct damage spells are still worthwhile but the really powerful ones have either short range, are only effective against specific units or have high casting cost so you need to pick lores that your mages can realistically get good mileage out of depending where you put them and what you expect them to achieve and don't just think in terms of getting the mage a high body count. While getting fifteen kills with dwellers is really cool, something much more boring like +1T for a big block of spearmen can have a much more lasting impact in the game by blunting the enemy charge and allowing you to set up your flank charges and you opponent is much less likely to go all in dispelling a minor augment.

There are two styles of magic that exist for High Elves in my opinion: Balanced and Specific.

Balanced Lores provide buffs and hexes that cover a large area of High Elf weaknesses. These lores include High Magic, Lore of Metal, Shadow, and Light. Specific Lores depend on certain army builds to bring out their true potential. These Lores include Life, Death and Beasts. I'll explain more below.

'''High Magic - Balanced'''

This is a very balanced lore that's designed to assist the High Elves take on any foe. With TWO signature spells this is very versatile. The biggest spell: Fiery Convocation, burns down entire hordes if left unchecked and Arcane Unforging is a direct damage that wounds like a Metal Lore spell but also randomly destroys a magic item on 2+; use this on Banner of Barrows, Flag of Blood Keep, Ghal Maraz ect cetera. Walk Between World makes a unit move 10/20 inches as if Ethereal in the Remaining Move Phase, good for putting a Phoenix behind enemy lines. Oh, and did we mention the Lore Attribute of High Magic? +1 to your Ward save for the Mage and unit every time a spell is successfully cast. YOUR FREAKIN WARD SAVE! This means that a Level 4 Wizard running High Magic can grant most units at least a 5+ during each magic phase and you only need one spell to give Phoenix Guard the magical 3+. March them across the field and watch your opponent cry as everything and their dog tries to kill it with only 3-4 casualties a turn.

'''Lore of Shadow - Balanced'''

Our most powerful lore in my opinion. It's almost as if this Lore was designed with High Elves in mind because it complements our army perfectly:
1. Elite troops with high WS and I can be dealt with Miasma.
2. High armor troops can be destroyed by Mindrazor. No. Mindrazor does NOT make your strength equal to your leadership. You only use leadership when rolling to wound. It does NOT mention using leadership to modify enemy armor. So while it is very useful for felling tough foes, you use regular strength for getting through armor.
3. High strength can be robbed of their power with Enfeeble.
4. High toughness units can be dispatched easier with Withering on them.
5. Expensive, multi-wound models with low initiative can be destroyed with Pit of Shades.

I highly recommend this Lore as your go to lore for balanced play.

'''Lore of Light - Balanced'''

This is another very balanced Lore and very powerful against the Undead and also Daemons now that their stinking Standard of Sundering is finally out of the game. So yeah, TK, VC and DoC hate this lore. Army-wide Pha's Illumination and Speed of Light makes your entire army WS10 I10 and -1 to hit. This gives you fantastic combat potential and great protection vs. melee and shooting alike. Timewarp also allows your entire to surge forward and get into combat insanely early. Once they're in combat, the army-wide buffs allow you to win combat and take less casualties. All your units will hit things on 3s with re-rolls and you'll most likely be hit on 6s. Sadly, this doesn't help High Elves as much as other armies as you already tend to have Always Strikes First, decent WS and decent I. It still helps, just not as much compared to say Tomb Kings who have terrible WS and I.

If you decide to go Light, having a Lv.1 Wizard with Light is also suggested. This gives you the ability to inflict fantastic damage with Burning Gaze and Banishment for very low casting values. As for most balanced Lores, feel free to take whatever.

'''Lore of Metal - Balanced'''

This Lore gives you the power to break through armored units as they were butter. If you knew you were going against an army with multiple, heavily-armored targets such as <S>Brettonian</S> Bretonnian Knights, this Lore is fantastic. Another great thing about Lore of Metal is the army-wide 5+ Scaly Skin. This makes your Light Armor, Shield Spearmen pack on a 3+ armor save. Heavy armor units such as White Lions, Sword Masters and Phoenix Guard also share that lovely 3+. With this in mind, I want to talk about a very specific spell and army-build:

A large unit of Sword Masters with Enchanted Blades of Aiban absolutely annihilate things in combat. WS6 with +1 to hit means you'll most of the game on 2s. With ASF, re-rolls and Armor Piercing S5, you'll walk through troops and elites alike. Even Spearmen with Enchanted Blades plow through units like they were butter. Give it a try, I promise good results.

'''Lore of Death - Specific'''

For this Lore, you mainly want to focus on the destructive capabilities of character sniping. These spells allow you to pick out BSBs, Generals and other important targets that could ruin the opposing army. VC Generals, TK Hierophants, Bretonnian BSBs, the list goes on. It goes without saying that the army-wide -1S and T allow your troops to inflict more damage and take less in return. Lastly, we have Purple Sun. That thing just embarrasses Lizardmen, certain undead armies and Dwarfs. And Ogre Kingdoms. The signature spell is particularly useful for High Elves given their higher leadership values.

'''Lore of Life - Specific'''

I really like this Lore and I almost placed it in the balanced section, but I want to highlight some key builds that I like a lot. For one, Dwellers is a no brainer for most players: It picks off characters, completely wrecks enemies with Elf-stats and destroys entire units of Skaven. Throw dice at a large target with low S and watch it disappear from the game: Cheesy archer spam builds beware! This, is a very defensive Lore for the most part. You have Regen, protection from Miscast, and awesome +4 Toughness (if you have throne of vines) to any unit of choice. Let's not forget Regrowth! Which unit in particular?

A giant unit of Sword Masters with T7 and Regen can mow through most units in the game. They are already incredibly powerful in close combat because of WS6, S5 and 2A, but now give them the T7 and Regen and things just get ridiculous. Use a small Phoenix Guard bunker with a Life Mage and Book, and spam these spells on a giant horde of SM w/ Standard of Balance and Amulet of Light. People will most certainly hate you.

'''Lore of Beasts - Specific'''

If the base unit spell for +1S +1T, the +3T to all characters in 12" is also pretty awesome. Unlike the Lore of Life though, this Lore focuses a lot on damage from characters than defense. Don't get me wrong, Curse of Anraheir can still hex someone down to -1 to hit. Combine this with tough Elven warriors and things look a lot brighter. Take what you would normally take and spam Wyssan's Wildform on everything. Then walk up a bunch of Princes and Nobles with +S magic weapons and hit Savage Beast of Horrors. Can you imagine the amount of carnage you can inflict with multiple characters wielding +3S and +3 attacks? I'm not sure how effective it'll be, but it'll sure make my Prince a little scarier. Or take Korhil, put him on a Lion Chariot, cast the Beast on him, chuck him at whatever and RAPETRAIN IT! Believe me, I've done this before.

==Tactics==

'''Knowing your Enemy'''

The first piece of advice I have for newer players is knowing your enemy. There is nothing more important than this piece right here. You look across the table and you see a bunch of units you don't know, you already know this game is going to head into disaster. Very few players have the ability to asset threat, damage and power on the fly so its best you go into battles prepared. Key units like the Skaven Doomwheel, the Bloodthirster or the horde unit of Khorne Marauders with Great Weapons, all of these are important pieces on the battlefield. The best thing to do in these situations is to point across the table and ask. If the player you're playing with is a gentleman, and it's a friendly game, I hope he can tell you what each unit does. In a tournament setting, forget about it. Fantasy already takes a day and a half to set up, so it's best you do your research ahead of time.

Think of it like this: Every game you play is a test of skill and generalship. Any good general takes the time to learn about his enemy and so should you. That's why I buy every army book GW prints. Not only is it superb shitter material, but it's also valuable information on what kind of ridiculous combos, units or special characters that might show up on the battlefield.

'''Understanding Your Army'''

I almost think that knowing your enemy and understanding your army works hand in hand. If you think about it, you spend all this time making up your army list and for what? Each army list is designed to accomplish a certain thing on the battlefield. Playing for fun is one thing, but you're also playing so your troops are victorious. This is why army design is crucial and how you can make the best out of your army composition.

Keep in mind that this is not advice on how to min-max your army, it's about making your army work for you. As a general of any given army, you must find a medium where you're comfortable with the units you've taken, and you understand fully how they work. The best way to do this is by assigning battlefield roles. Take Sword Masters for example, what do they do best? They generate CR by ripping up lowly troops in combat but they die as fast as a swift breeze. What's the job of Spearmen? Or Skavenslaves? To hold the line and await reinforcements, using their superior numbers and ranks to tie the enemy down.

To be a successful general, you must know your units like the back of your hand. Understand each unit's functionality and purpose, but most importantly, understand why you put them in your army in the first place.

The greatest threat to most units in a High-elf army is long combats, if you cannot break a unit you will need to minimize the amount of damage they can do back to you in the following turns. Remember your troops hit rather hard but tend to die very easily.

'''Deployment'''

I've seen many games where games are lost on deployment alone. Picture for a second that your opponent puts down a unit of heavily armored Chaos Knights after you put your White Lions down far away from them. If those White Lions were your only defense against heavy armor, then I'd say you're in a world of shit once those Knights come crashing on your flank.

That's why you see players taking units whose sole purpose is to give them an edge in deployment. Some might be good enough to be used as re-directors or warmachine hunters too. These units are also known as chaff. Chaff is important because it allows you put these units down anywhere you want for the most part. They pretty much always go in the same place or have outrageous movement speed that they can relocate and not be troublesome for the movement of your army. Eagles can be used as chaff, Sabretusks and Fellbats for example, all can act as chaff for your army.

The key to deployment is matching your opponent's units pound for pound. You don't want to put down a unit that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against another unit he put down right off the top. Your unit must have support, or is capable of holding the line against whatever he puts down or your side is just going to fold. The best example is the Knights scenario I presented above. You want to be able to match your opponent in deployment, or be superior to him in deployment. I call these "drops". If your army has greater or equal to the number of drops he has (total # of units he can put down during deployment), you're in a good place. This minimizes on the chance your army will be out-deployed. The person with more chaff will have more chaff that he can put down, forcing you to put down your last unit of White Lions so he can purposely drop a power unit on your flank. Unless your army is designed to fight uphill battles, you should never let this happen.

If you know you're going to be out-deployed, you should analyze which units on his side you don't want in your flanks and deploy your answers last. This is where knowing your enemy comes into place.

'''Analyzing The Threats'''

To be successful on the battlefield and during deployment, you must first analyze threat. You must understand which units on the other side of the table can cause you most harm. This is huge. Keep in mind that army scale does not equate to the harm they can cause in combat. The best example of this is a giant unit of Skaveslaves vs. a small unit of Sword Masters. The craziest thing to assume is that the unit of Skavenslaves is going to do a lot of damage on the battlefield. Sure, there's a whole bunch of them, but their fighting prowess equates to dried fish where your Sword Masters preform like a hot knife through butter.

One of the things that 8th Ed. has going for it is big creatures. If it's a big monster on the other side of the table, this is probably worrisome. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons, it's probably going to do a lot of damage. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons and is in horde formation, it's probably something you should deploy smartly against because that thing is going to fuck your shit up if you play dumb. The most pronounced threats on the battlefield are normally the ones your opponent has heroes and lords going into it. It's either going to be a caster bunker, or a frontline unit that'll do solid bits of damage.

Remember what I said about battlefield roles? Your opponent does the same thing with his army. He knows what his frontline units are, which ones do the most damage and which ones are designed to hold the line. You know his primary sources of damage and these are the ones that should be generating the highest amount of threat in your mind. You might run into scenarios where certain units don't want to be in combat at all. These are often caster bunkers or vulnerable Magelords who would hate to have an Eagle pick out his eyes. Knowing the weak points of his army can prove to be a great advantage to you during deployment and when you're playing the game. Again, understanding how the opposing army works helps greatly here.

'''Understanding Favorable Scenarios'''

Hesitation can lose you a game, but so can your ability to underestimate your troops.

Here are some examples:
A scary dragon on the battlefield is not so scary when you shoot him with a billion arrows.
Knights actually do quite poorly against White Lions.
A small unit of Sword Masters into the side of Skavenslaves really fucks up their shit.
A Spearmen unit, given enough ranks can hold a charge from most, if not all, point equivalent units in the game.

A lot of this might seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many times players second guess themselves on the battlefield. Know your army, know what each unit is designed to do (which is surprisingly easy for High Elves because everyone's so specialized), and know which scenarios go in your favor on the battlefield when paired up against any given opponent.

At the end of the day, you should always apply a unit's actual battlefield role to do battle. You should always be thinking: The only reason I'm bringing X unit is to fight against Y units. In a game of rock-paper-scissors and random surprise Mindrazors; it still works in your favor when you know what counters what.

'''Predicting Combat'''

This is definitely more in the lines of advanced players, but after so many battles, players start seeing the same numbers. A unit of 7x2 Sword Masters hits a unit of Skavenslaves. Aside from a ton of rats dying horribly, how many Sword Masters did you lose and how much CR did you generate? What about Spears? Even if you didn't charge but was instead charged by a unit of Empire Halberdiers, how many Spearmen died and how much CR did you generate via kills, ranks and standard? What about that beefy lord-class character sitting in a relatively weaker unit? I bet he can do some serious work. I'm not saying go out there and mathhammer the life out of everything in the game, but you should have an idea how your units will perform on the battlefield.

The battlefield is a pretty unpredictable place, especially when shit like magic is involved. However, successful players have a good idea of what to expect when they throw their units into combat. For the most part, players only throw their units into combat they can win. This is why predicting combat outcomes are so important. A unit of Spearmen charging a horde unit of Marauders w/ Great Weapons in the front might not be the best choice alone, but what if you plan your magic phase to get Withering off on the unit? What if you decide to combo charge with your Spears and Sword Masters on the flank so you can use your magic elsewhere? The combat res generated from the combined charge "should" win you combat.

You see how predicting combat drastically changes the way you play the game? By assessing the battlefield and seeing the game on a larger level, you are able to make plays ahead of time. The key to being a successful general is being able to see multiple instances of this at once and analyzing which ones generate the highest amount of success with the lowest number of risk. Your ability to capitalize on this is what will take you from good, to great.

'''Lesser of Two Evils'''

Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in order for victory for be secured. Sometimes, you just have to choose. Imagine yourself in a scenario where no matter what you do, something bad is going to happen to your army. This might be a loss of a flank, a loss of a key unit or letting a horrible spell go through. If your opponent plays it right, there should be scenarios where all of these happen at the same time. Take note here for a second about what I just said. A well-played game of Warhammer is when you make your opponent sweat over the choices he has to make. No matter what choice he makes, something bad should happen to his army. That's when you know you've made a good play.

If you have to choose, always go with the play that'll guarantee you the greatest chance of victory in subsequent rounds. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have to first let that flank fall, or that unit be destroyed so you can strike back in a manner most decisive. This is why predicting combat and understanding favorable scenarios is important. In a situation like this, always put yourself in the opponent's shoes. Think from his perspective and predict what he would do after he successfully pulled off a big play. Predict what he does and counter it to the best of your advantage. Think to yourself: If he wins big on combat there and I flee, will he pursue or will he reform? If he pursues, do I have anything that can hit him in the flank or catch him in a bad spot? If he reforms, do I have anything that can strike decisively and win combat on that unit next turn?

Don't get yourself caught up in the moment. Understand that the 300 odd points of Spearmen you just fed your opponent can equate to you combo-charging his General's bunker and send it into the oblivion, then it's well worth it. If sacrifice has to be made, it has to make its points back and more. If not, then the sacrifice is not worth it.

'''Magic Superiority'''

The first thing to understand is that a small advantage is still an advantage. This is how you should analyze the winds of magic. A successful magic phase is all about analyzing which spells your opponent can afford to let go and which spells he can't. With an Lv.4 Wizard, you have access to a good amount of viable spells. The spells your opponent can let go are often the spells you want to take advantage of. That's when why you draw a big winds round, you cast moderately but still vital spells that plink at his dispel dice. These should be all moderately dangerous to the outcome of the fight in question (which will be his main focus).

Use smaller castings of hexes and augments, because a slight advantage (what he sees, and analyzes as less important), is still an advantage (huge for High Elves). A clever mage will be able to feint the significance of a fight and get off multiple spells a turn. If your opponent lets it all go because he's anticipating Mindrazor, that's his problem because now his unit is now -WS, -T and you ASF with a better combat result. Mindrazor isn't even needed at this point. If he throws dice trying to dispel your other hexes, that's less dice he has available when you actually do throw down the MR. This goes hand in hand with what I said about anticipating combat results. How badly your troops need your magic will save a lot of unneeded dice.

Redirecting focus: Say you have a unit engaged in combat and you anticipate a victory, or at least a draw result. You concentrate magic on another area of the battlefield that your opponent isn't focused on. This breaks his concentration and draws a big cloud of WTF? over his head. This happens when you see something crucial your opponent doesn't, as often times or not, players get tunnel-visioned in the combat they're in but don't grasp the wider vision of the battlefield. Hexing incoming Knights on your turn with -WS or -S will make much more of a difference than watching Sword Masters narrowly win combat vs. a flanking unit of Clanrats.

'''Baiting and Feinting'''

Fleeing from a battlefield is not always a sign of cowardice. It can also be used to bait an opponent out of position or force him into a position he doesn't want to be in. The best example of this could be a unit of Spears fleeing from a charge of Bretonnian Knights. God knows you don't to take that charge in the face so you opt to flee with your Spearmen. He now has two choices: Take a Ld. test to charge something else, or roll for the Spears. Say that you have a unit of White Lions or Sword Masters next to the Spears. Does he really want to re-direct into the Lions or SM? Or does he want to risk the charge and risk exposing his flank to the Lions?

You see what you just did here? A simple flee can put your opponent in a rock and a hard place (especially if the charge is long). Both scenarios equally suck for him so he might opt to charge at all. This is also good for you because it gives you the chance to charge his Knights next turn! And if he doesn't opt to charge, your Spears will still be there to assist in the main battle. Warhammer can be a game of cat and mouse, so it's best to know all the options available to you before you commit. If you plan on charging something, know all the possible reactions your opponent can take before investing. You don't want to be in the same shoes as the above player.

'''Eagles are an Elves' Best Friend'''

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Eagles are my MVP. First off, they are probably one of the most annoying pieces of chaff ever. They're great in the deployment phase when you can just put one down and stare into your opponent's soul. They're great ingame because they can fly boldly into your opponent's charge lanes and take one from the team; forcing them to charge them and re-position. Eagles buy you time, buy you movement and allow you to re-position your army while the Eagle re-positions your opponents. They allow you to chase down enemy chaff or flankers, help pressure warmachines and provide you with flank and rear charge CR should they survive mid-game. They act primarily as re-directors (a Frenzied unit's worst nightmare) and are the true workhorse of most High Elf armies.

'''Counter-charges and Flanking'''

Sometimes, the good ol' hammer and anvil is something even the experienced players forget. The concept of a counter-charge is simple: Unit #1 is a unit that can take hits - in the case of High Elves, a giant block of Spears with Steadfast CR up the ass. This is known as the anvil. Unit #2 is a unit that hits hard as fuck but dies to a soft breeze. Sword Masters are an popular choice for a hammer. Your opponent charges your Spearmen because it's the only viable target and you hold knowing that your Sword Masters (who are conveniently placed on your flank), will have a flank charge next round. Magic is invested in keeping the Spearmen alive and steadfast while the Sword Masters charge their flank next turn. Heads start rolling and combat heavily swings your way, winning you the day.

Flanking is also quite simple: Place something that has good threat range on the far sides of your army and use them as CR generators. I normally like using Dragon Princes for this type of role. Put 5 of these guys down on a wide-flank and they can be used to reliably add CR to any combat mid-field. Flanking can also be used to bypass some of your opponents' attention to hit warmachines and other units chilling in their backfield. Lastly, flanking is also good for having additional CR in combat. An Eagle charging from the far flank gives you 2 CR for just having the balls to be there. It's pretty much free CR.

'''Winning combat, now what?'''

So now that you've won combat, you have to think about what to do next. Unfortunately, most players think about this step immediately after the combat resolves. I want you to take a step back and think about what can happen even before you charge. If you charge now, and win a victory over your opponent, can you overrun into an important caster bunker in back? Does your opponent have anything that can crush your overrun if you choose to do so? Is your unit stretched too far and out of range of your BSB? Is he out of his BSB? If you push the advantage, will your advantage be negated if he engages the rest of your army while your best unit is out of position? Winning combat is important for sure, but what happens after is even more important. You must be in a favorable situation to benefit from it: The result of a successful charge should net you more success in the subsequent turns than harm.

Keep in mind that you don't have to keep going after you wiped out a unit. Check to see if the unit has been mauled enough that the only way he can rally is if he rolls double 1s. Sometimes the position you're in begs you to combat reform and stay still. If you commit anymore, you might go from crushing victory to outright defeat. Never lose sight of the bigger picture and don't over extend yourself. Unless you're Stubborn, or have a unit that's incapable of losing combined charges in the next round of combat, it's best to wait for the rest of your army. You want to be in magic support range, you want to be in BSB range and you want to be in support charge range of other units. Don't forget this.

Another thing to keep in mind is Line of Sight. If your unit can surge forward enough after winning combat that'll take him out of LoS (and thus enemy charges), this is a great advantage. It allows you to drive deep in the enemy lines and force him to turn around or suffer a rear charge from you in the subsequent turns. This also allows your main force to advance and catch him in a vice. Surely this is a good thing as even the most lackwit of generals know that enemy forces running in their backfield is bad.

'''Lost combat, now what?'''

So your beautiful charge turned into a crushing defeat, what now? Obviously, this means your unit will be running back to your lines like a whipped dog. Don't worry, you can now look into the future and analyze why you lost combat and how you can regain the momentum in the next phase of the game. Maybe something completely unpredictable happened in the magic phase that killed your opportunities in combat? This is the single biggest factor in how combats can sway. This is also something I want you to remember: Magic can greatly skew the outcome of any combat you're invested in. Think about this before you charge, and understand what magic lores he has that can shift momentum in his favor. In order for you to succeed in combat, you must dispel the magic he will use to turn combat in his favor. This is not negotiable.

After losing combat, you need to analyze several things:

Did he Overrun? If so, are you in a position where you can take advantage of his over-extension?
Did he Combat Reform? If so, are you able to counter-attack next turn?
What made you lose combat? Was it some beefy character or was it magic that turned the tides?
How do you not lose combat again? Neutralize the beefy character (or avoid him completely) and dispel the magic that sways combat his way.
Is your fleeing unit useless? Treat the game as if you're 1 down, but don't forget about the fleeing unit. Even if he's below 25%, you can still test for double 1s.

'''When ahead, stay ahead'''

The philosophy behind this concept is simple: Don't do anything stupid that'll throw away your lead. What happens most of the time when players start winning is they start playing careless. This is a sure way to lose your lead and put you behind in a game where you're almost guaranteed to win. A great example of this would be killing your opponent's Dragon Lord and 1-2 Hydras with your Warmachines first turn before they even get to do anything and still managing to lose the game. I don't know how this happens, but players get lost the ecstasy of great plays (or luck) and think now that the main threats are gone that the game is in their hands. This is the wrong way to approach a lead.

The more appropriate way to take advantage of a lead is to think: How do I get further ahead? You want to be in a position where your next step is to eliminate any and all possible ways the opponent can swing the game around. You put yourself in his position and you think to yourself: I just lost my Dragon Lord and my Hydras, so what can I do now to walk away from the table like a man? Once you think about the situation from your opponent's mindset, you counter it and deny him of it. With no victory options in sight, your opponent will have no choice but to fold.

'''Post-game Analysis'''

Now that the game is won (or lost), you can look back and see what you can do to improve. Human beings are meant to improve; we're a race of learners and adapters. No matter how badly you just massacred your opponent or how crushing your defeat, there's always something to take away from the game. The most important part here is that you must learn from your game to improve. If you won the game, think about the scenarios you could have done better. If you lost the game, think about why you lost and which units caused the most problems. Think about all the topics that were covered above. There must be something you could have done better in the never-ending list of becoming a better general.

It's important that you discuss the game with your opponent. Talk about how the battle could have gone differently if you did this, or that. How his game could have changed if he did this, or that. Not only does this give you a better perspective on the game (and your opponent's army), but also the player you're playing against. Share your thoughts with your opponent and let him share his with yours. Criticism and advice should be taken with an open mind. It helps broaden your perspective on other general's opinions and makes you a better-rounded player overall.

==See Also==
* [[High_Elves_(Warhammer)|High Elves]]

{{Warhammer_Tactics_Races}}
[[Category:Warhammer/Tactics]]

Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/High Elves

2020-10-06T03:58:07Z

2606:A000:1128:495A:E595:93AF:8EAF:C3E6: /* Named Characters */

==Why Play High Elves==
Because you like Elves. And winning. High Elves win a lot. They have a BRUTAL magic phase (which if used properly completely offsets any perceived weakness of the High Elves), solid infantry choices, a variety of savage monstrous mounts and one of the best archer units in the game. Oh and did we mention that they have Always Strikes First, to a man, which combined with their high Initiative means you are essentially always getting rerolls <strike>and according to their FAQ, this is unaffected by Great Weapons.</strike> It is now only normal ASF, which means Great weapons strike at normal Initative, for once thank you Matt Ward. Let's also not forget the fighting in extra ranks. Between the extra ranks of attacks and the re-rolling misses, this army is designed to land lots of hits in close combat.

Don't think they're a cinch to play though, they're not THAT [[Warhammer/Tactics/Daemons of Chaos| overpowered]] (unless you use High magic or Life magic). Low Toughness, light armor and high cost units means that they have to be played well. But if you play them properly you will utterly destroy the competition. An army for people who like gorgeous models and want to play a tactically fulfilling army without being hideously underpowered. Or for a player that doesn't give a shit about a tactically fulfilling army and just likes to spam magic and block everything with ward saves (making that low toughness/light armor not matter at all), have crazy magic items, or just be better at all four phases of the game than all other armies (who said these guys weren't overpowered again?). An army, in short, for the exact kind of people who like Warhammer Fantasy.

==Army Rules==

*'''Martial Prowess:''' One of the cornerstones of why High Elves hit like a ton of bricks. Fighting and shooting in extra ranks is huge. Other armies at one point or another have to decide between more attacks or a decent rank bonus. High Elves can have all models attacking and still have 3-5 ranks!

*'''Valour of Ages''': When fighting their dark cousins, High Elves counter their hatred with re-rolling failed panic, fear and terror tests. It's a nice rule, who hasn't lost that one critical morale test in a game before? I would however say that hatred is superior. Valour of ages unfortunately does not allow re-rolls of failed break tests, so you're anyway going to field a BSB, and he already has panic, fear and terror covered. Still, your vanguard and scouts or anything else not in the BSB-bubble can benefit.

*'''Lileath's Blessing:''' A bonus of +1 to casting results for using High Magic across the board. High Magic is a very versatile and powerful lore, really drawing from the eight rulebook lores. And the spells already have relatively low casting values, so Lileath's Blessing means that you can easily cast 2-3 spells each turn to get that nice Ward Save bonus for your mage and his unit.

==Unit Analysis==
===Lords & Heroes===
====Named Characters====
'''Note:''' Under the current edition, named characters tend to be overpriced; you can pretty easily emulate most named characters from scratch and save yourself some points. That said, a few named characters do have abilities and wargear or wargear combos unique to them, so if you need to have them, go ahead. Just make sure you're really getting your points worth.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Tyrion, the Defender of Ulthuan:''' Tyrion is an expensive close combat beast, and that's what you want him to be. Between ASF, WS9, I10, 4 attacks, S7 (4 base +3 from Sunfang, and a magical Flaming Attack at that) and a breath weapon, he can pretty much wreck an entire unit on his own and with his 1+ armor, 4+ ward, and Magic Resistance (2) he will just not die (and even if he does, the engagement necklace from the Everqueen means one wound that would kill him is negated on a 2+, essentially giving him +1 wound, or a one time immunity to killing blow. He loses his magic resistance after use, meaning that last wound is slightly more vulnerable). However, he's kinda stuck in the role of the hammer, and at that level of points you can take someone on a Dragon and he can't do TOO much that a tricked out Prince couldn't do just as well for less (that dragon can't join a unit though, which makes Tyrion worth considering far more than he was in 7th edition). He's fun, but competitive lists tend to prefer generic options or the Everqueen. Something of note is that he can join a unit of Silver Helms or Dragon Princes which really ruins someones day in larger games (remember that now with Silver Helms being core, your anvil can suddenly drop onto the heads of the enemy rather than just hold them in place in an all cavalry list). His super-horse also has +1 M,WS,S,I and A. Be aware, he has taken a VERY SLIGHT nerfing (ie; his immunity to fire is now on a 2+ ward save meaning if he rolls a one he gets roasted. As cavalry he's no longer immune to killing blow so KB units such as Grave Guard can suddenly wreck his day again. He's also 10 points dearer). Weiging in at 410 points, he'll eat up a big chunk of your Lords points, but with the changes due to the End Times, you can now field him and the Everqueen in a 2000 pt game (and hopefully they don't start banging mid-game). One final change to him in this edition: he no longer HAS to be General of the army he's in, but if he is his inspiring presence has a range of 18". If your strategy is wedge Tyrion in your enemy's ass while a mage hides in a bunker and faps to the scene, you might wanna keep him as a minion but if your whole strategy is to run your enemy down with a wall of equine death he should be the one in charge.

* '''Teclis, the Loremaster of Hoeth:''' All those lifeline steroid pills must be getting to him, he got nerfed again. Not nearly as badly as last time, but he's weaker. He is still a powerful mage because he can either know all spells in High Magic, or have one spell (of your choice) from each normal Lore. The Moon Staff is now a one use item that either lets you add an extra die to each cast attempt from him for a turn OR negate a miscast from him (after use Teclis reduces his Strength and Toughness to 1 for the rest of the game, which is pretty funny but bad news). The scroll he carries is still nice, letting him auto-dispel an enemy (non-IF) spell as well as having a D6 roll-off against the mage who cast the spell, with a win resulting in them losing that spell for the rest of the game. Despite his ''awesome'' sword, he is still a cripple of an elf with no save to speak of so at least cram him into something that won't see cc and can protect him at the same time (<s>not</s> easy). The War Crown of Saphery, which used to let him dispel a miscast each turn and thus overpower him more than almost anyone else in the game, now grants him an additional wizard level making him one of the four Level 5 wizard options in the game. All together Teclis has gone from being mandatory in a "best possible" High Elf list to being an expensive character who's return on his points is still pretty damn good. Still, he's great for picking spells now that the magic item that used to let you do that is gone from the game. If you are using Storm of Magic rules, Teclis is still the powerhouse he once was and is just as facerollingly unfair as before.

* '''Alarielle the Radiant:''' The Everqueen is back people, and she is a Lord level wizard who can choose how many of her four spells are rolled from High Magic, Life Magic, and Light Magic. Mostly a defensive character, she uses her female status to make her unit protective of her to the point that they are immune to Fear and Terror (which is fair play if you ask me) and all her units' attacks count as magical ('cuz why not). Also she heals one friendly character within 12" for 1 wound each round during the movement phase, but needs to target anyone else if available before herself since she's nice and all. Her and her unit get a 5+ ward save against non magical attacks too, which is jolly decent of her (breaks everything if buffed with High Magic lore and combined with a character with the Banner of the World Dragon). She has only one attack but against the Forces of Destruction it's Heroic Killing Blow on top of her elven ASF. It would be really laughable if... lets say she slays a Greater Demon with this, but highly unlikely. She has Lileath's Blessing like other High Elf casters so she'll add +1 to High Magic spells if you're looking to bump up that Ward Save with Shield of Saphery via High Magic spam. She also has a nifty little passive called Chaos Bane since her very existence makes Daemons take SAN checks (so the Everqueen is more or less the God Emperor of Fantasy in all the ways Sigmar isn't) which means that during the beginning of her Magic Phase, before you roll for winds, every unit with the Daemonic rule within 12" of her takes D6 hits at strength 4 calculated as per shooting. Seems nice, but it comes with the drawback that she casts at a -D3 to any spells since Daemons give her a sad. She's got a one use item called the Stave of Avelorn which lets her cast a spell a second time regardless of whether she bummed it up or not. Finally, taking her gives Nobles, Lothern Sea Helms, and Handmaidens of the Everqueen special options. The Noble or Lothern Sea Helm you would use as your Battle Standard Bearer (which you are always going to have) can take the Banner of Avelorn for 40 points, which gives you +4 on every cast of Life and Light magic that targets the unit the Banner is in (that last part if very important, remember it when deciding where the BSB will march) which is very nice if you're looking to get off two of the best defensive/counter lores without losing many power dice each casting. The Handmaiden can take the Horn of Isha, which is a one use item used at the start of the Movement Phase that gives all the models in the unit that used it a +1 To Hit bonus on shooting or melee (so one turn of those arrows from the amazons get a little bit pointier) for 50 points. With all the rules the Queen is toting, she is High Elves' new Teclis but on defense rather than offense. She's also right alongside Teclis in Storm of Magic overpowering. Keep in mind she's not a /win overpowered goddess. Lists that use the Everqueen should have one giant horde to stick her in with multiple wound characters in it. Even a unit of Spearmen with the Everqueen can be buffed to Phoenix Guard levels on the cheap. Everqueen lists are vulnerable to flank charges however, so keep that in mind if you decide your Special choice should be the Alarielle horde. A Sea Helm in the unit with her will solve that issue pretty quickly however.

* '''Alith Anar, the Shadow King:''' Alith used to be overshadowed by the other Lord level choices available, but this edition has him in his own role and if it's what you need he's perfect. He's got a glorious bow granted to him by a goddess (functions as a Bolt Thrower (so subtract the price of one from his cost to figure out what ELSE you're getting from him) that he can shoot even if he moves, and ignores Armor saves) and has a nice statline. Hatred isn't as useful in 8th, but against Dark Elves it's always nice to put just a little more pain on them; speaking of, if you know you will be fighting Dark Elves he's Khaine's gift (one without drawbacks!) to elfkind due to his ranged attack causing -1LD to Dark Elf units he hits until the end of the phase. Since Bow of the Seafarer was removed in 8th edition you can no longer kit out a Prince to be a better shooty lord, so Alith has taken on that role entirely by himself and as a result a more viable option in competitive lists. Alith causes a -1 To Hit for whatever tries to shoot a unit he's joined, and the unit also has Swiftstride so think about where you're putting him (advancing wave of White Lions that you just CANNOT shoot is nice, as is Shadow Warriors you can't catch). Keep in mind that if you deploy him outside of your deployment zone you may want someone else to be your general, otherwise his inspiring presence is wasted for half the game.

* '''Elatharion the Grim, Warden of Tor Yvresse:''' He's nice, but perhaps too expensive for his own good. Hatred VS Orcs and Goblins isn't very useful unless you will actually be playing against them, and his extra boost in personal combat against Grom the Paunch of the Misty Mountain even less so. He's also a Level 2 caster who can grab any lore from the Rulebook (Beasts and Death work well), but that's a job you generally want to split between combat Lords and Wizards (never mind that, for his cost, you can grab a Prince AND a level 2 Mage, with 35 points left for equipment before Eltharion becomes the cheaper pick). He can also ride his enhanced personal Griffin Stormwing and get a free lance. Stormwing has stats exceeding a Sun Dragon and has ASF plus the 5+ Ward Save Eltharion's helmet grants him (How the fuck does that work? Magic. Elf magic.) but has no Scaly Skin which is a big deal when a Sun Dragon is only 40 points more. He's really a good enough Lord who's mostly overshadowed by how much you're paying for him and how other choices crunch better. On the plus side, his badass sword (+2 strength, no armor saves allowed), badass helmet (+1 armor save and 5+ ward save), and finally the badass medallion (gives Magic Resistance (1)) make him an easier pill to swallow if you're going for a themed list. Consider him on foot instead of simply throwing him on the gryphon if you do want him.<br />'''Alternate View'''<br />Compared to other sources, based on the princes profile he should be worth around 391 points (compared to his 295). Still, your mileage may vary if he's point effective or whether a vanilla prince with a few upgrades would be better.<br />'''Even More Alternate-er View'''<br />To achieve an equivalent level of power on vanilla Lords and Heroes would actually come to almost 450 points (Excluding his griffon), so he's a cheap way to have a wizard and a combat beat stick, especially in a low point game. Plus everyone loves a good sword-swinging wizard (Let's call him pointy-eared Gandalf).

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Caradryan, Captain of the Phoenix Guard:''' Caradryan is a good fighting hero that got 5 points cheaper in 8th but lost 2 points of his magic resistance. Mark of Asuryan was changed from dealing D6 no armour save wounds to the single model that killed him to instead dealing D3 no armour save wounds to the unit or the same to a single enemy in a challenge (so his aftermath special ability has been halved in exchange for it being able to affect the unit when he cops it outside of a challenge). His magic weapon is FANTASTIC against trolls and other regenerating monsters due to having Flaming Attacks, it also hits on +1 strength and causes Multiple Wounds (D3) against anything. He himself is not too expensive, especially since he discourages tricked out Lords/Heroes from coming after him due to his dying ability. Not the greatest Hero in the world, but really fun and a god-tier bodyguard. Also, has the option to now ride a named Frostheart Pheonix, Ashtari. Costs 10 points more than a generic but with an additional attack and is thus a GREAT option. Combine that with his dying ability and you've essentially got a flying tank that weakens things around it carrying a nuke (one that doesn't hurt your own men), and it's on a dead man's trigger.

* '''Korhil, Captain of the White Lions:''' Korhil's main advantages are as follows: He's cheap (but 10 points costlier in 8th) and he's Stubborn and thus grants this to any unit he joins. Those two reasons are reason enough to take him, especially if you want to dump him in a large Spearmen unit. He lost Woodsman, gained Forest Strider which is the same thing by another name. It lets his unit waltz through deadly Forests like they're a peaceful park. He's reasonably killy on his own merits with S4, with +2 strength from his magic weapon, with Killing Blow, with ASF, with an extra hand weapon. Pelt got a slight nerf, grants +1 close combat and +2 shooting to his armor, and instead of being immune to poison in all forms they have to roll To Wound to hit him. Not someone who will turn the game around, but he certainly helps if your strategy is an elfhorde and you didn't bring along Alarielle. See his bio in the fluff section for themed lists, basically he can show up anywhere High Elves are as long as the Phoenix King approves of whatever your army is doing. NEVER FORGET his axe DOESN'T have ASL unlike white lions, so you still get your re-rolls. Korhil may also be mounted on a Lion Chariot, upping his Armour Save by +1 and making the chariot stubborn and a very deadly force on the charge. Plus, the chariot does not have to take a dangerous terrain test when moving through a forest, which is quite huge for a chariot.

====Generic Characters====
'''Note:''' While named characters are judged against their generic counterparts, generic characters are examined based on their role in your army.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Prince:''' Princes personify everything about the High Elves: Fast as hell, kickass in close combat, can take a variety of special stuff, about as hard as wet tissue. Be sure to give this guy an armor or ward save, or else he will get his ass killed. Aside from that, he's a brutal close combat Lord (WS7, I8, ASF) and properly kitted out there's very little this guy can't kill. Dragon Armor lol's at flaming attacks and breath weapons but is now 20 points (minus the 6 you'd be spending on Heavy Armor, since you ARE taking one or the other); you do get a 6+ ward with it though. As an alternative to Dragon Armor you can take a Lion Cloak alongside the Heavy Armor for just 6 points, giving your Prince a +2 armor save against shooting. If you have the points and you aren't already taking a magic item with a ward save then Dragon Armour is the better option, though a Prince should have a better ward than 6+. Look for the variety of killy options down in the magic weapons.

* '''Archmage:''' A fantastic caster. Access to all 8 Lores, plus High Magic, means he can literally be designed to do whatever you want, though the preferred option in an unclear situation is Lore of Life. Also remember that as long as he's on the board (along with his little brother the Mage) you get +1 to their casts for High Magic through Lileath's Blessing for a total of +5 when channeling it through a Level 4 Archmage. Like with the Prince, he has access to some of the best magic equipment in the game. High Elves are good at magic, and this guy proves it.

* '''Loremaster of Hoeth:''' A new Lord choice and mostly the same as a Swordmaster. But is also a level 2 Mage with ALL 8 normal magic Signature Spells. This gives him great diversity, and he is also not bad in combat (but frail, as he only has a 5+ armour save). Think about it: the Signature Spells are nowhere near bad (ok, most of them are not) and you're getting all of them! Three magic missiles, a direct damage spell, two augments and two hexes. Having all of the lore attributes at your fingertips is useful, like casting Spirit Leech to get more power dice from killing someone. He gets to take as much magic gear as the Archmage and Prince does, meaning you pick how you want to use him and kit him out like one or the other. Also, Deflect Shots for a 6+ ward against non-magical non-template ranged attacks. He's a pretty solid choice, but he costs a metric ton to bring to the table and he's not as good on defense as a level 4 Archmage, so he'll probably only see field in big games. Also, put this guy near a wizards tower whenever you can. It's painfully hilarious. In Storm of Magic, this guy is double hilarity - he gets ALL the spells!<br />It is also worth noting that under the new rules from End Times, the Loremaster of Hoeth knows all the spells from all 8 lores. (Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I am 99% sure that as he is mentioned as THE example, this is the case).

* '''Anointed of Asuryan:''' Yes, you read that right. The head of the Phoenix Guard is somehow a hero while a generic version of him is a Lord, go figure. Anyway, the Anointed is a Lord choice Phoenix Guard member with magic resistance and option to ride a Phoenix (no one else can, other than Caradryan who is his named counterpart). Since he already has a 4+ Ward save a heavy armor and a halberd he needs nearly no equipment at all. If you want, you can turn him into the most tanky (still T3 though) High Elf with the Armour of Silvered Steel and the Dawnstone, giving him a re-rollable 2+ Armour Save, followed by a 4+ Ward Save with MR2, which is pretty insane and still leaves enough points for Potion of Strength, Khaine's Ring of Fury / Ruby Ring of Ruin or the Reaver Bow. When he rides a Flamespyre Phoenix it will return from the dead more often and will even ease the burden on the Phoenix in case of shooting (since he will absorb a few hits). Much, much, MUCH more importantly, he gives everyone in any unit he joins a 6+ Ward Save and Immune to Psychology, which makes him really good in big units of Spearmen, White Lions and the like. On foot, he's a better option than the Prince. In terms of mounts, you take the Anointed if you want one of the Phoenixes (I would say go with the Flamespyre) and the Prince if you want the Dragons.

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Noble:''' A great fighter for his points, but if you have the points you really should be taking a Prince (who's only 70 points more). The main reason you take a Noble is because he can be a BSB or if you're low on points (either overall or in the Lord choices) in which case, he'll serve. He's best as a BSB and you DEFINITELY want a BSB. In 8th with Lothern Sea Helms also being an option as a Battle Standard Bearer there are now conceivable lists where you might not take a Noble. As a nice little bonus for those who are low on points, the armor types (Heavy, Dragon, and Lion Cloak) are cheaper on a Noble than a Prince.

* '''Mage:''' Unlike the Noble vs. Prince the difference in points between the Mage and Archmage is big that you might want a Mage instead, he can do everything the Archmage can but at level two. If you're in the mood it's always nice to have a backup Mage with a different lore to deal with situations your Archmage can't. Never a bad idea.

* '''Dragon Mage:''' That's right, we even have HEROES riding Dragons. The Dragon is fairly squishy (for a Dragon) and the model as a whole runs on the pricy side, but the Hero Level Dragon and the sheer power of the Mage on top make up for a lot of that. Flaming Sword of Rhuin is actually worthwhile in this edition and the Mage himself can put out an incredible amount of firepower. Note that you should never ever use the actual amount of dice you need; Figure out how much you need and then take one less, it'll give you more mileage. Can be a game breaker at lower points, but tends to get irrelevant once it becomes possible to grab a Prince on Star Dragon. Also, beware as they can only take the Lore of Fire. As Dragon Mages now have access to Dragon Armour, they have access to Magic Armour. Dragon Mage Dragon Armour + Enchanted shield makes for a 2+ Wizard, and if you've got a squishy wave of elven melee doom and a Dragon Mage advancing on a position, your opponent is just picking size or numbers for what dick will end up in his ass.

* '''Handmaiden of the Everqueen:''' The main Valkyrie in a horde of Amazons. You will only play this character with a group of maidens as she gives them (and only them) Quick to Fire. Put the Reaver Bow on her for 3 BS7 S5 quick-to-fire shots. She's kind of expensive for her stats, so she should only be brought if you've got a big unit of Sisters with her name on it. Can take a Horn of Isha if you take the Everqueen, which you should take anytime you aren't taking the Reaver Bow.

* '''Sea Helm:''' A new hero for the High elves who allows his unit to, after passing a leadership test, reform directly after they were charged, as long as they didn't Stand and Shoot or Flee that turn. This means no more easily flanking your units, and taking into account that every High Elf Unit can strike out of 3 rows to the front, this - for measly 100 Points - becomes really important. He can also be a Battle Standard Bearer if you're taking him anyway and don't want to bother with the Noble. Be careful using the Sea Helm as your BSB as he does not have the defensive options that the Noble has. A BSB Noble can get heavy armor and a shield, not to mention dragon armor and the lion cloak, a noble can get 4+/6++ easily without using any magic items. The Sea Helm however has light armor and a shield, that is all. If you're taking a BSB Sea Helm, give him a mundane standard and pump his defenses with his magic item allowance. But seeing as any special ranked unit (aka any unit you want to put him in barr a 50-block of spearmen) has a magic standard allowance of at least 50 points (banner of the world dragon costs 50 points), this isn't much of a problem.

====Mounts====

* ''Elven Steed:'' It's a horse, it goes fast and makes them the tiniest bit less killable. Available for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, and Mages. Since Ithilmar Barding stopped subtracting from movement, you should probably always upgrade to Ithilmar Barding. It adds armor save and DOES NOT make the M9 steed any slower. There's no reason not to pay a few measly points for that.

* ''Great Eagle:'' Useable by Princes, Archmages, and Nobles. Eagles are the halfway point between Horses and Monsters and they're quite cheap at 50 points. You can put a Noble with the Reaver Bow on one of these for a fast, shooty unit that is tougher (a Great Eagle is your only chance of getting a T4 character) and has an extra wound, or an Archmage to get on your opponent's flank and vortex him back to the stone age. For a better Eagle you have to spend 15 points more, which if you're taking one you probably should.

* ''Griffon:'' Useable by Princes and Nobles. Good news they're cheaper than Sun Dragons (150 points vs 235), but with upgrades to make the Griffon viable it comes to a grand total of 195 points. The only difference being the Sun Dragon has one more wound... and a flame attack... and a 3+ AS which makes Dragons durable where Griffons are saveless. Still, Dragons don't have ASF or Devastating Charge, plus Griffons have a +1 Strength on the turn they charge. It's iffy, but offensive lists requiring a nice hard flank to something that isn't a horde have a need for a well geared Prince on a Griffon. Not to mention that neat Island of Blood mini has just been gathering dust on your shelf...

* ''Tiranoc Chariot:'' Option for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, or Mages. Not a good option really, there's potential in that it crunches better than an Eagle for a Reaver Bow war machine hunter, but still iffy. With a unit of 3 though you can replace any Reavers, Shadow Warriors, and Eagle-riding Lords or Heroes. Still, there's complex strategies that can make great use of them, like 2v2 and scenario games.

* ''Sun Dragon:'' Option for Princes and Archmages. The mini-Dragon. Still a Dragon, still kick-ass. Good for if you're short on points, since the 70 point upgrade from Sun to a Moon Dragon matters.

* ''Moon Dragon:'' The medium Dragon, same power level as most Dragons in the game. A good all around choice.

* ''Star Dragon:'' The highest tier of Dragon and probably the most brutal Monstrous Mount in the game. With WS7, S7, T7 7 wounds, 6 attacks, a Strength 4 breath weapon and a 3+ armour save, this guy, with a properly tricked out rider, can probably rip the head off of anything stupid enough to get in its way without tipping the odds. It can tear apart almost anything. Giants, K'daii Destroyers, and other dragons will all be killed if faced by a Star Dragon. Beware the I2 though and be aware that everyone and their dog will be gunning for it. Don't let it get bogged down in a head on collision with a large unit; yes it probably can't do any real damage to the Star Dragon, but it'll be stuck there all game and probably get flanked. Have him charge down small units, flank big units in conjunction with a frontal assault, hunt down enemy monsters. Unless it gets hit by a cannonball, something is going to die when a Star Dragon gets involved. WORD OF WARNING: Some combat Lords from melee-heavy armies (Warriors of Chaos, Ogres, Daemons, Bretonnia etc) have weapons and gifts and things that are designed to bring down dragons, and a Bretonnian Lord with a Sword of Swiftstride and Heroic Killing Blow can cut the head off a Star Dragon before it can lift a claw.

* ''Skycutter of Lothern:'' Your mount option for the Sea Helm and the Sea Helm alone, but don't take it, because his main power is buffing your troops and he's good at it. Not a terrible choice though if you really want to buzz enemies without worrying too much about terrain checks or being shot at. Putting him on one gives it a 4+ Ward Save against shooting, and allows you to reroll dangerous terrain tests. Taking a second Sea Helm and putting him on one replaces two crew members, meaning you're only getting the shooting attack of one crewman, and the Sea Helm if you spend the 4 points to give him a bow, or outfit him with a Reaver Bow (the only way to really make this a remotely viable option). If you want a Skycutter, take it as a <s>Rare choice</s> (hilariously they're a special choice now, go elves!), not a mount.

* ''Flamespyre Phoenix:'' So finally the High Elves get their coverbeast to play. It's flaming hot, doesn't fear fire and comes with average stats for a Monster. It only has a 5+ ward save, but this is more than a Giant or a Dragon has against cannons. It gets stronger with better winds of magic (albeit on a chance of 1/9 it get's weaker) and can make flying attacks like the chaosmantas, even more so with all of its attacks being magical. Since it's a Phoenix it can be reborn by rolling a dice at the end of the turn it was killed, on a 6 it come back with D3+2 wounds, on 3 to 5 it blows up and you can try again at the end of the next turn (can be your opponents turn), with a roll of 1 or 2 the Pheonix is dead. When it's ridden by an Anointed, (the only mount he can ride, and the only one that can ride it) the roll has a +1 modifier which is beautiful. It lacks the power to really take out a big unit on its own but can take out war machines and kill off survivors. With an Anointed it gets powerful enough to flank units and at least have a chance, so this is how you want to take it.

* ''Frostheart Phoenix:'' Frostheart Phoenixes are great to have, but putting an Anointed on one doesn't really do anything for it besides get him into combat and waste his unit buffing so if you're taking one, take one as a Rare option.

===Core Units===

* '''Archers:''' A good unit overall. Longbows and high BS give them a good range and a solid ability to damage small lightly armored units (don't count on them to do too much to heavy armor). They work really well in 2 or so groups of 10, especially when combined with Repeater Bolt Throwers (you should generally concentrate fire). High WS, I, and LD along with Always Strikes First allows them to resist attempts by small units of light cavalry (it'll take more than a unit of Mounted Yeomen to deal with these) but you shouldn't be counting on them to do combat duties. Players are split on whether to take Light Armor: On a 10 man unit, taking Light Armor could deny you an 11th model, but if you want to keep your model count low, Light Armor does make them marginally more survivable. Don't bother with Command beyond Musician. Just a side note, Archers having Longbows is superior in range to Lothern Sea Guard having simple Bows, and this can make a world of difference when trying to outrange certain weapons such as Dark Elf Repeater Crossbows

* '''Spearmen:''' Spearmen got a definite boost in 8th, with the new rules for Always Strikes First and the rank rules (allowing them to strike in 4 Ranks, 3 on the charge). A common formation for them is 5 ranks of 6 for a total of 30 models, giving you a total of 24 attacks (25 with Champion) and 7 wounds required before they start losing attacks for a total of 295 points with Command. Although if you're feeling saucy, you could take a 565 points, 60 man Horde which gets a total of 50 attacks on the front. Ultimately, there's always room for these fantastic infantry units in your army. The anvil of most "hammer and anvil" strikes for High Elf armies. With 8th, First Among Equals was dropped so now only Spearmen can take a 25 point max magic standard.

* '''Lothern Sea Guard:''' Lothern Sea Guard used to get a bad reputation, which is no longer deserved. They cost the same as an Archer upgraded to have Light Armor so 11 points per mini, but get free Spears to go with it, and can take a shield for an extra point. The only reason that isn't the best thing ever is because they have regular Bows instead of Longbows, and thus have diminished range. As such they are often derided as overpriced, but they're a solid defensive unit that can pump out a shooting round on par with the archers and do as well as the Spearmen in melee. With 8th edition, they can no longer take a magic banner as that is now reserved for Spearmen alone. The addition of the Sea Helm to the game has taken away their main weakness however. Before, you had to play it smart to get as many shots as you could in, then reform to take a charge. With the Sea Helm, one easy Leadership check and you're ready to stab the heck out of the enemy (in 4 ranks!) the very moment they begin their charge so as a result a list where your entire Core is one GIANT horde of Lothern Sea Guard escorted by a Sea Helm is the basis for any defensive list. Just remember that the Sea Helm's reforming rule only works if you elect to hold, losing you a stand and shoot. In any case, the high price of each Lothern Sea Guardsman makes every single loss taken slightly more costly than if an equivalent Spearmen had bought the farm (3 point difference, so every third LSG you take is one less Spearman). Take and use with discretion.

* '''Silver Helms:''' LET THE JOYOUS NEWS BE SPREAD! THEY ARE BACK AS CORE! In the previous edition, they were not worth taking due to them soaking up Special options. Now however, you can have a highly mobile force. Here's what you need to know; their stats are the same as Spearmen, but the have a Movement score of 9 compared to the 5 of Spearmen. Silver Helms have Heavy Armor compared to the Spearmen's Light Armor. Finally, Spearmen are only 9 points and come with a Shield, whereas Silver Helms are a whopping 21 points and spend an extra two for that Shield, bringing them to 23 points total each. Is that worth it? When you want a chaff unit that can take a hit or two, sure. In a pure offensive, speed based list - HELL yes! A Noble (on horseback obviously) bearing the Banner of the World Dragon, with your Archmage (also on horseback, duh) spamming any spell he can think of into the enemy, both these fine elves in a very large unit of Silver Helms that is acting as a fast moving steamroller. Flank the enemy with some Reavers, or skip the foreplay and go right to the reaming with Dragon Princes on a charge. Throw Tyrion into the mix for an army worthy of the High Elf race. Do note however, that a list that isn't purely offensive probably shouldn't have Silver Helms in it. An Avelorn themed list where the Sisters of Avelorn mop up the enemy isn't half bad (could be much better) but for the most part keep them as your core in cavalry lists only. Oh, and Bretonnian players won't stop bitching about Silver Helms until they get an update, so we should be cool with the mon'keigh right around the time of the Horus Heresy (sorry, that was mean. Funny, but mean).

* '''Ellyrian Reavers:''' Also back as Core for 16 points a pop. The primary role for Ellyrian Reavers in a High Elf army is as chaff to end an opponent's march, then harass casters and warmachines. The fact they (in a unit of 5 with no upgrades) can do that more durably than a Great Eagle makes them really worth it when you aren't using a horde of Core, and you need your Rare slots for Sisters of Avelorn or Bolt Throwers. Not really worth it in most lists outside that role, their strength is the Wood Elf tactic of shooting and running. They can flank too, so if your list uses a massive horde of one Special option as a wall of doom with a Sea Helm shouting orders to them then some Reavers on the sides aren't half bad. Still, the vanilla Reaver only carries Light Armor and a Spear, with all stats but their Movement (9) equal to Spearmen. They're paying a full 7 points more for that horse, and they don't get a shield for it. If they drop the spears and take bows instead, you spend one extra point per mini (so they lose out on the charge). For a full 3 points, they can still shoot and take spears (so figure out what you want to use them for, then stick with it). Their champion, the Harbinger, has a higher BS so if you aren't taking bows there's literally no reason to spend the extra points on him. They do have a nice purpose, they're really fast moving, have those bows and/or spears, and a few units of 5 will make an artillery happy enemy have to pick between using those cannons to defend themselves, or hit your main force. Perhaps the best use of Reavers however is against enemies with NO ranged options. Nothing sadder than a game where your opponent realizes there's not a damn thing he can do to win because he can't reach your Reavers.

===Special Units===

* '''While your Core units are used to create the core (ha) of your army, this is where you get the guys who do most of the damage. Don't be afraid to shamelessly spend absurd amounts of points (in fact, the full limit you can usually) in your special choices. If you need something dead, and you're not in a big enough game to bring a Star Dragon, this is where you look.

* '''Swordmasters of Hoeth:''' In any (literally any) other army, they'd be a Blue Chip unit, something to never leave home without. After all, 2 WS6 S5 attacks in 3 ranks at 13 points a pop, a magic standard up to 50 points, and with ASF canceling out ASL from great weapons for normal I5 attacks? What's not to like? Well you see, in the High Elves book, there are three primary Special options and Swordmasters are slightly the lowest when you crunch survivability and damage. At T3 and only 5+ armour and one Wound, they are as hard to wound as tissue paper and everyone knows it. But, if we're being entirely fair to the unit and taking them on their own terms, they're not all bad and with some strategy (or magic (AND magic is best of course)) you can make them into trap versions of Brock Fucking Samson. If you're careful with them, small units of them can make devastating flanking units, with most players taking them as bare 15 man units or 21 man 7-across units. They can cause some ridiculous damage under a lot of circumstances, but just be careful with them, one good Magic Missile or enemy shooting phase can mean you spent all those points on nothing (but now in 8th, they can deflect arrows like Jedi via get a 6+ save to non-magical non-template shooting attacks). There is also one way to make them really REALLY good. Run a 30+ man horde. Stick a Lore of Life level 4 Archmage or Alarielle in. Enjoy your opponent's tears while your T7, regenerating, regrowthing unit pumps out 40 S5 attacks to the front. Keeping up a 3+ ward save on the Swordmasters through High magic spam isn't half bad either (a Battle Report where this is maintained the entire game and going up against a horde army is a form of pornography to a High Elf player). All it will have cost you is a few power dice to make that happen.

* '''Phoenix Guard:''' Phoenix Guard are not only the best unit in the High Elf army, they are probably in the top 3 best units of the game, period. 15 points for WS5, S3 (S4 because of halberds), I6, LD9, Fear causing, Heavy Armored, ASF, and an extra rank of attacks. Wait that doesn't sound good? Oh they also have a 4+ Ward Save, standard. Yeah, there you go. These guys can get hit in the face by a cannon ball and just shrug it off, and they've got enough killing power to actually give back. Be sure to give them a solid bit of static CR, because LD9 does not make them immune to failing their break test (BSB works well and will be difficult to kill inside that unit). Either put them in horde formation, or make them very deep to take away steadfast. There is no High Elf army that doesn't have room for these lads (other than the full cavalry list).

* '''White Lions of Chrace:''' White Lions are the middle child, the jack of all trades, the bard if you will of the three Special choice High Elf infantry. Better than Swordmasters due to durability and costing the same amount of points, and deal more damage than Phoenix Guard and two points cheaper. They are inferior to the respective masters in terms of raw damage, or survivability. Still, they do pump out S6 I5 attacks with the usual extra rank, they are more resistant to shooting than Swordmasters (with a +2 to their Armor against non-magical shooting), they treat forests as if they're an open meadow, and best of all they're Stubborn to the last man, which means even a rank of 5 can hold out against LOTS of static CR. They end up truly being the jack of all trades of the three, operating just as well as a defensive ranked unit as an offensive charging unit. Also with S6 from Great Weapons (swinging at I5 due to ASF negating ASL), 3 ranks of them is enough to make most monsters cry (send them up against that Giant your opponent is so proud of and watch him cry as they hack out his kneecaps while singing a jolly tune about how they're hacking away his kneecaps). Take them in big units with the Banner of Eternal Flame and you're ready for anything. They're very good as far as heavy infantry goes, and well worth your time. If your strategy revolves around Swordmasters or Phoenix Guard, White Lions are worth considering as a secondary choice to flank.

* '''Dragon Princes of Caledor:''' Dragon Princes hit harder than any unit has a right to with two attacks and while heavy cavalry has generally fallen out of favor these guys remain popular due to the ubiquity of flaming attacks and breath weapons (although they are no longer immune, they merely get a 2+ ward save against it). Therefore, if your Daemons of Chaos opponent likes Tzeentch and its flaming attacks (Warpflame, Anon, not Flaming anymore), take these guys and see him cry. If you're playing a defensive list, they're probably not worth your time, but offensive lists can generally find a place for them. On the charge there's not much that can hit harder, and while they're no Blood Knights they can certainly keep going in melee. Still, stick with prodding the enemy flank as your goal with them. Uniquely, the Drakemaster (unit champion) can take a magic armour in addition to the usual magic weapon. It may be worth it to turn him into a mini Noble by giving him, for example, the Star Lance and the Enchanted Shield; he has three attacks after all, like a naked Noble. In fact, he's a prince himself...

* '''Shadow Warriors:''' Previously, Shadow Warriors were the Elven equivalent of Beastmen. As of new Army book however they are better shots than archers while only being 3 points more, and get Scouting and Skirmish so they have become useful at War Machine hunting and taking out annoyances like Spirit Hosts. Put a Noble with Shadow Armour and The Reaver Bow in the unit to give them that little extra fire power cheaply (or just give the Reaver Bow to a Shadow-walker [the unit champion] to do it even more cheaply). Throw Alith Anar in with them and you've got Elven Vietcong. Generally speaking, Shadow Warriors still don't have much of a place in your army. Reavers are better at putting the hurt on enemies and getting away, and Special is not the category you really want to put ranged options into. Still, a HUGE horde of Spearmen taking up your Core and Phoenix's eating up your Rare slots leave Shadow Warriors as your Special of choice to still get a ranged attack.

* '''Tiranoc Chariot:''' These aren't bad on their own terms but when compared to the other major option for Chariots, which is better in nearly every applicable way other than not having a ranged attack, Tiranoc Chariots get a thumbs down. Still, Tiranoc Chariots aren't bad and if you're in the mood for a cheap chariot (70 points), this is for you. They are very adaptable with longbows, spears, and very good movement. It should be noted that High Elf Chariots are among the most reasonably priced (money wise) units that GW has, and if you get a Chariot but use it as a White Lion one you get extra horses to put Lords or Heroes on. Apparently nobody has noticed that you can take these in units of three. Well, you can take these in units of three, so they're not that bad compared to the other chariots in the army. Note that a character on a chariot still can't join a unit of Tiranoc chariots. Tomb Kings can only do it because they have a special rule for that.

* '''White Lion Chariot:''' This is what Tiranoc Chariots suffer when compared to. With 2 S4 crew that hit at S6, 4 S5 Lion attacks and an extra armor save, White Lion Chariots are pretty brutal when they hit right. As with all Chariots, if you're playing defensively they won't help much, but they really work fantastically on the charge. Each one costs 120 points, down 20 points from 7th edition.

*'''Lothern Skycutter:''' It's a flying Tiranoc chariot with an extra crewman but each one has a bow compared to the longbow of the Tiranoc. The Roc (not an Eagle, a Roc) hits harder and has an extra attack, and all this comes at only 25 more points than the Chariot. But that's not why you take a Lothern Skycutter. Three words: Flying Bolt Throwers! It's a 25 point upgrade to have one of the crew man it, and it's what you're looking for in this choice. Unlike the regular Bolt Thrower however, this one is a bit different. For one, there's only one type of fire, a single bolt which has half the range of an ordinary Bolt Thrower with 1 Strength less, same D3 wounds and ignoring armor saves, BUT can be fired whether it moves or not. It's beautiful, isn't it? While your Eagles and/or Shadow Warriors have things stuck on the enemy's side of the map, just park out of range of a charge and make them bleed. Unfortunately with moving and only a range of 24 (and therefore at long range when over 12 inches) odds are you're gonna need a 5+ to hit, so you might not get as much mileage out of that Bolt Thrower as you want. Consider carefully. Note that if you're gonna take a single Tiranoc Chariot, you might consider an Bolt Thrower-less Skycutter, if you can find 25 points. For those points you get 1 more crewman (and thus 1 more spear attack/bow shot) 1 higher armor, plus 2WS and 1S on your mount. Probably worth those points.

===Rare Units===

* '''Repeater Bolt Thrower:''' None of the Rare Choices are precisely blue chip units, but Repeater Bolt Throwers are an alternative answer for high toughness and 2+ armour saves if you haven't brought along White Lions. It does have good range, and it is your only war machine, and now that each one is 30 points cheaper it's a lot less painful setting up a defensive position on your side of the map. It does however depend upon lots of protection to be effective as it is a primary target for magic and shooting, and only has two wounds. T7(!) can offset a lot of that though, and combined with Archers they can cause a lot of damage, or with Lothern Seaguard to pump out some hits and be ready for when the enemy reaches you. They're more resistant to shooting than Eagles and can probably cause more damage long-term. Not a great unit, but if you're in the mood, they don't generally hurt. Concentrate fire to bring down big things like monsters and characters, volley fire to eliminate enemy chaff and infantry blocks.

* '''Great Eagle:''' Used to be the only chaff the High Elf army had, but now you've got Reavers and Silver Helms as options in this respect as well. At a mere 50 points (65 after upgrades), it's easy to field a couple eagles in any game higher than 1500. These guys are still the champions of war machine hunting, redirecting, and mage hunting, but they die easier than Silver Helms and it's hard to argue with the Reavers having a ranged attack on top of that role so the primary use of the Great Eagle is now to do the same role but save points (a group of 5 Reavers without bows would cost 80 points and with bows would cost 95 points, a group of 5 Silver Helms with Shields would cost 115, and all 3 choices fulfill the same role to different capacities). With T4 and W3, they're kinda survivable, but don't expect them to survive through the end of the game. They are the ultimate sacrificial units in the chaff slot, and can usually slow down other units and kill at least their points worth, with their two S4 attacks coupled with ASF and Armor Piercing. A unit of Shadow Warriors can fulfill it's role to an extent as well, but Eagle are still preferred.

* '''Sisters of Avelorn:''' The amazons are closing in. This is the strongest shooting unit in game, the Phoenix Guard of PEWPEW. They have flaming arrows that hit at S4 and cause a -1 armor save when you fire on the Destruction-aligned armies, and all that with BS 5. Volley Fire is an option as well. For 14 Points this is a deal and they can shoot out of 3 rows and reduce everything in 24 inches to a burning pile of whatever. When coupled with a Handmaiden giving them fast shooting they are even better, because running without penalty to shoot is always a boon. If you've taken the Horn of Isha, you get one turn of every ranged attack having +1 To Hit to make those arrows even stronger. (Also, they're sexy.) Still they are only as tough as normal archers so don't except them to take much punishment. Protect them with Spearmen, Phoenix Guard, White Lions, or keep them out of harm's way and fire ahead of the Silver Helms.

* '''Flamespyre Phoenix:''' If you're taking the Flamespyre Phoenix, you should really scroll up and read the section for it as a mount for an Anointed of Asuryan. That's really how you want to play it, otherwise the Frostheart is what you are looking for.
** '''Alternate Opinion:''' Taking an Anointed on a Flamespyre Phoenix is actually a massive waste of the Anointed. You are paying an extra 210 points for a rider who is completely useless when the Phoenix is doing flyby burning, which is how you should usually be using it. An Anointed isn't gonna help the Phoenix fight anything except stuff the Phoenix is already qualified to fight, so you're basically paying those 210 points (plus any magic items you want to give him) to get +1 to his resurrection rolls. Never mind that A: when the Phoenix bites it so does the Anointed, B: you're wasting the Anointed ability to grand a 6++ and ItP to a unit and C: it means that the 225 points for the Phoenix come from Lord choices instead of Rare, which is bad because you need your Lord points. Just take the Flamespyre alone and concentrate on flyby and charging smaller units.

* '''Frostheart Phoenix:''' When you get old, you get cold more often it seems, this is especially true if you were a fricking blazing Phoenix, since you become a freezing Phoenix. It is tougher and stronger than its younger version but can't drop napalm and loses its "I'll be back" ability. So it costs a fraction more and if you want to have your monster stay alive instead of maybe coming back to life this is your choice. Has 5+ natural armor, which is decent. Causes Terror, which is great. Its chilling aura is insane. It bestows ASL, but more importantly it also gives -1S to all UNITS in base contact. For all intents and purposes (almost) it has T7 in combat and if it assists another elven unit that unit will experience the joy of Pseudo T4... an insanely good monster. Although it can pull chaff duty, that's really not where you want it unless you're just looking for more time to fill the enemy with arrows and bolts. Frosthearts should be with your main force, hitting whatever needs to be weakened the most after it's already in a fight with your anvil force.

==Building Your Army==
===Buying Your Army===
The key to getting a nice cheap army is the Island of Blood. For one hundred dollars, (OR 55€) you get a decent number of elves, and some Skaven as well that can either be painted and glued to the base underneath your elves's feet or simply re-auctioned to a Skaven player. Did I mention the rulebook, templates, and artillery dice? Buy two of these treasure troves, then sell the Skaven packaged with the rulebook. With that alone, you can probably recover the costs of the boxes. After that, you get 20 Lothern Sea Guard, 20 Swordmasters, 10 Reavers, 2 Mages, and 2 Princes on Griffons (but those can also be run as Princes or Nobles on Eagles or even as just a regular Great Eagle if that's how you're going to go about it). That's the perfect start to any high elf army. After that, start browsing ebay. Search Warhammer High Elves by ending soonest, crunch the numbers so you know Games Workshop's price per model, then factor in shipping. Figure out what you can proxy (High Elf Island of Blood Mage+Spearman/Lothern Seaguard Arm holding the spear with a computer printout of a flag glued to it=Noble bearing a Battle Standard for example). Remember if there's something decent you need with a shipping price you're not thrilled over ($3 for a Korhil mini, but with $4 shipping making it not too great a deal) to check in the seller's other auctions, so you can net a combined shipping discount (that $4 shipping feels much better when you're getting a dragon for $20 and some Eldar you can greenstuff to look medieval for $2 along with said Korhil). With patience, you can assemble a High Elf army at a fraction of the price buying new would have cost, and you can even get some of the nifty old metal minis to be proud of!

===Army Composition===

A High Elf army must either be defensive or offensive, having a mix between the two means that your opponent is only ever facing half of your army at any one time. The good news is, however, that once the focus of your army has been chosen there is still a lot to choose from and a lot to tinker with. Whichever approach you take you need to think about what you are going to do if the enemy has the same plan, or at least refuses to do what you want. While your awesome defensive army with lethal flank charges and such might be awesome when your opponent foolishly charges his whole army towards your block of spearmen, if you're playing against a dwarf gunline who's plan is to just never move then you're going to have problems. All lists need to have a plan for handling war machines (which are to be expected from every opponent) and some number of units to help you control the enemy movement. A few great eagles and a unit of reavers can find a place in almost any army for exactly this reason. Yes, your army needs to be focused but it also needs to be realistic. You need to be able to get some units out on the flanks to clog up charge lanes or divert shooting while your combat dudes jog across the board. If you don't do this then even the best defensive list will get outmaneuvered and the best offensive list will get pulled out of position by enemy chaff. You don't want to spend a lot of points on these units, but they need to be there unless you have an extremely good reason not to have them.

==Magic Items==
===Vaul's Forge===

'''Magic Weapons:'''

* ''The Blade of Leaping Gold:'' Mostly useless, 70 points is not worth it for +3 attacks when what are need are stronger ones. The any-roll-of-a-six-to-wound-ignores-armour-saves thing fails to offset its points cost.

* ''Star Lance:'' 30 points, better than a lance. Excellent for a kick-ass charge, good on a dragon or a griffon as all you will be doing is charging. Getting the Giant Blade from the rulebook will give you that strength in following rounds of combat however.

* ''The Reaver Bow:'' Great with Shadow Warriors or Sisters of Avelorn champions, 25 points for 3 shots at the wielders strength +1 which means they will be strength 5 from a Noble or Prince.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Caledor:'' 50 points for Dragon Armour that bestows a 2+ armour save. Good unless you are mounted or planning on getting a ward save better than 6+.

* ''Shadow Armour:'' Only works on foot, this gives a 5+ armour and gives you Scouts and Strider for 25 points. Strider is nice in itself, but unless you're going with Shadow Warriors he'll be on his own if you use Scouts.

* ''Shield of the Merwyrm:'' 15 points for a shield (+1 armour save as usual) which grants 4+ parry save, even with a magic weapon. A cheap 4+ very conditional Ward save in close combat, but with the usual restrictions: Not if your weapon requires two hands, not if you're mounted, not to the flank or rear, not against impact hits or (thunder)stomp and you will still be vulnerable to spells. Still a very good choice, especially for a hero (e.g. BSB) in a unit.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Golden Crown of Atrazar:'' A 2+ Ward against the first wound suffered. Nice way to spend ten points as it essentially buys you another wound if you lack a save.

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Moranion's Wayshard:'' 50 points for Ambushers that is also applied to a unit of up to 30 Spearmen or Archers that the model is in. A unit that can hold its own behind enemy lines? Yes please.

* ''Khaine's Ring of Fury:'' Soul Quench as a bound spell with 3 to cast for 25 points. The best thing about this is the Ward save you get at the end, but a cheap magic missile is good too.

* ''Gem of Sunfire:'' Used at the start of a turn, this one-use item gives the bearer +1 to all wound rolls for magic, shooting and close combat IF they are also flaming attacks. It can be worth the 20 points if you are under the Banner of Eternal Flame, or are using the Lore of Fire or Lore of Metal.

* ''Cloak of Beards:'' 10 points to cause Fear is brilliant. Against Dwarfs it causes Terror instead and blows up their magic items, but gives them Hatred against you. Of course with the new Army Book and Ancestral Grudge, there's a 1/3 chance his army will Hate your entire army and another 1/3 chance that his army will hate your characters, so most of the time it'll have no downside.

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Hoeth:'' 55 points to re-roll one dice for casting and dispel attempts that are not 6s. Gives you a surprisingly good magic edge, might seem pricey but why should your Prince get his toys and your Archmage be left with nothing?

'''Magic Banners:'''

* ''Banner of the World Dragon:'' 50 points for a 2+ Ward save against magic, magic weapons and magic attacks for the unit, which includes miscast effects. Ward then had the balls to make this banner give stubborn to dragons within 12 inches. See [[Talk:Warhammer/Tactics/8th_Edition/High_Elves#The_Banner_of_the_World_Dragon|discussion page]] page for opinions on this item being game-breakingly overpowered.

===Rulebook Items===

'''Magic Weapons:'''
* ''Giant Blade:'' 60 points is a lot, but +3 Strength is something great for a High Elf damage dealer. Note that despite it sounding like a slow weapon that would negate your ASF, it doesn't.

* ''Sword of Bloodshed:'' Just like Blade of Leaping Gold, it's just doubling up on a strength. 60 points is too much for that.

* ''Obsidian Blade:'' 50 points to ignore armor, great for tailoring your list but as a list you intend to stick to through thick and thin you don't want it.

* ''Ogre Blade:'' +2 Strength, 40 points. Take if it you already took the Giant Blade or if you need those 20 points for something else.

* ''Sword of Strife:'' +2 attacks, 40 points. Once again, you don't need more attacks you need stronger ones.

* ''Fencer's Blades:'' WS 10 for 35 points, but you can't use a shield with it. The Prince has a WS7, and thus this isn't that great when you could bump up his Strength or even his Attacks. Noble and Sea Helm have WS6, better but still not good. Handmaiden shouldn't be in close combat, but in theory if she gets there her WS5 can benefit from this (Reaver Bow should be on her instead of course). Some people have suggested sticking these on a Mage or Archmage since they can't use shields anyway and this can get them out of trouble, but that's debatable. It might be worth it on a Dragon Mage, since they usually end up in combat.

* ''Sword of Anti-Heroes:'' There should be a Mary Sue joke here, but let's go straight into the stats. +1 STR and +1 Attack for each character in base contact with the bearer and his unit. Could be good, could be great in a tailored list.

* ''Spellthieving Sword:'' For each wound a caster receives from this weapon, they lose a random spell. Generally speaking facing a wizard in close combat means a dead wizard. That being said, if you can manage to get into it with a named character (especially the likes of Morathi or Malekith) you could put some pain on them. Problem generally is that most casters who can't kill in one turn (such as Vampires, Chaos Warriors or Ogre Kingdom casters) you are going to want more strength or attacks or more survivability against. Even if this does work there's no guarantee you get a spell that matters.

* ''Sword of Swift Slaying:'' Grants Always Strikes First. Yeah. Because that's what High Elves are lacking alright.

* ''Sword of Battle:'' +1 Attack for 20 points, keep scrolling.

* ''Berserker Sword:'' Bearer has Frenzy and cannot lose it. Extra attack and Immune to Psychology. Neither of which are things High Elves need. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Might:'' +1 Strength close combat for 20 points and you can use a shield, it's nice. Personally, I'd just pay a few points for a Halberd instead. Unless you REALLY need the magical attacks.

* ''Gold Sigil Sword:'' Makes your attacks 10 Initiative in close combat. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Striking:'' +1 to hit. Fairly nice, but Strength is still better.

* ''Biting Blade:'' Armor piercing. 10 points. Inferior to Strength, not bad though.

* ''Relic Sword:'' Attacks with it always wound on a 5+ unless the result needed was lower. Not worth your time.

* ''Shrieking Blade:'' Bearer causes Fear. It's not bad, useless for anyone in a Phoenix Guard bunker, but it's nice as an anti-horde measure.

* ''Tormentor Sword:'' Grants Stupidity to a monster or character hit by it. Only really useful against armies loaded up on those options, so it's a tailoring list option that's questionable otherwise. 5 points to spend if you've got it though.

* ''Warrior Bane:'' Whatever gets hit by it loses an Attack to a minimum of one. 5 points, great for tailoring against other Elves.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Destiny:'' Heavy Armor with 4+ Ward Save. It's like it came straight from our list. It's okay, not mandatory, but not a bad selection.

* ''Trickster's Helm:'' +1 Armor, and any wound made against the bearer has to be rerolled. Stick it on someone designed to just not fucking die, make him stand in front of Alarielle so she can heal a wound every turn, and you've proxied Tyrion on foot.

* ''Armour of Silvered Steel:'' 2+ Armor Save, cannot be improved by any means. 40 points. If you already took Armor of Caledor, worth looking at, but why are you taking 2 damage-taking characters?

* ''Armour of Fortune:'' Heavy Armor with a 5+ Ward Save. 15 points cheaper than the Armour of Destiny.

* ''Helm of Discord:'' +1 Armor, and any enemy character in base contact must pass a Leadership roll or be stunned and is automatically hit. Turns your character into a challenge god. Nice if that's your plan (or if challenges are your fear).

* ''Glittering Scales:'' Light Armor, causes -1 to hit the wearer in close combat. Surprisingly good.

* ''Shield of Ptolos:'' +1 Save against being shot. Pair it with the Lion Cloak and you have nothing to fear from ranged combat. Not bad if you think you'll face it.

* ''Spellshield:'' Magic Resistance (1). Nifty. Not 20 points nifty, but not terrible.

* ''Gambler's Armor:'' Heavy Armor with 6+ Ward Save. 20 points. Stick with Dragon Armour. Costs the same on a Prince and half the price on a Noble and has an improved save against breath weapons and fire. The only time this is a better option than Dragon Armour is if you want to combine with a lion cloak.

* ''Dragonhelm:'' +1 Armor, +2 Ward against Flaming attacks. If you took the Lion Cloak but still want the fire resist, here you go.

* ''Enchanted Shield:'' It's a shield, it grants 2 armor instead of the 1 armor a normal shield gives. 5 points. It's a great option.

* ''Charmed Shield:'' One use, first hit you take can be discounted on a 2+. Not bad, not great.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Talisman of Preservation:'' 4+ Ward Save. Very nice option, but it limits your offensive choices due to it's 45 point cost.

* ''Obsidian Lodestone:'' Magic Resistance (3). For when the Banner of the World Dragon just isn't enough. (If you take Banner of Avelorn instead, this is far more worth considering.)

* ''Talisman of Endurance:'' 5+ Ward Save. Still okay.

* ''Obsidian Amulet:'' Magic Resistance (2). Eh, not bad. Not great either.

* ''Dawnstone:'' Reroll failed Armor Saves. That 1+ to hit on your Prince? Yep. Now they're going to have to get snakeeyes to hurt him. Oh fuck this is so worth the points it hurts.

* ''Opal Amulet:'' One time 4+ Ward Save. Not really worth it.

* ''Obsidian Trinket:'' Magic Resistance (1). Still not bad, still not good.

* ''Talisman of Protection:'' 6+ Ward Save. Not bad as a way of finishing off those last 15 points.

* ''Seed of Rebirth:'' Grants Regeneration 6+. Again, not a bad way of using up those last points on survivability. Otherwise, no go.

* ''Dragonbane Gem:'' 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks. Useful as a 5 point choice if you took Lion Cloak.

* ''Pidgeon Plucker Pendant:'' Misspelled name, odd item. 5+ Ward Save from Flying enemies. Tailor lists only really.

* ''Luckstone:'' Reroll a single failed Armor Save. 5 points, not a bad place to spend them either.

'''Magic Standards:'''

* ''Rampager's Standard:'' Reroll your charge distance dice if you want. Stick it on cavalry.

* ''Wailing Banner:'' Unit causes Terror. Emulate Phoenix Guard on your non-Phoenix Guard. Pretty good.

* ''Ranger's Standard:'' Grants Strider. Ignore dangerous terrain. March your horde wall of death across the map with impunity. A nice choice.

* ''Razor Standard:'' Grants Armor Piercing. Put it on Special choices. Swordmasters in close combat under this are beyond description.

* ''War Banner:'' +1 Combat Resolution. Normally you want to avoid getting stuck in a fight all game, but if that's the plan here's a way to bump up your victory chances.

* ''Banner of Swiftness:'' +1 Movement. There's better choices, really if you want movement you should be rolling for Walk Between Worlds from the lore of High Magic, getting a 1+ Ward Save while you're at it and putting a better flag over your unit.

* ''Lichborne Pennant:'' Magic Resistance (1). Not bad for a mage bunker.

* ''Standard of Discipline:'' +1 Leadership, but disregard the general's inspiring presence. Do you really need Leadership 10 on anything? If Alith Anar is your general and he bites it this can help, but really it's not worth it.

* ''Banner of Eternal Flame:'' Just like most armies, feel free to take this and stick it wherever you want (except Sisters of Avelorn, since they already have it's effects).

* ''Gleaming Pennant:'' One use, reroll failed Leadership test. Why are you failing Leadership? Maybe tailored against an undead army, otherwise no.

* ''Scarecrow Banner:'' Causes Fear on Flying enemies. 5 points, not bad. Tailored list only, but that moment that a giant dragon <s>runs shrieking from a scarecrow on top of a flag being woven around by a spearman you know you've experienced the joys of Warhammer Fantasy.</S> (Most Dragons cause Terror, all cause Fear at the very least, leaving your Fear-causing unit to instead take a Fear test.) Useful against anything smart enough to Fly but not insane enough to cause Fear (Mostly just eagles then?)

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Ashur:'' 70 points for +1 to cast and dispel rolls. If you were playing a VERY large game and your entire strategy was magic and stalling for magic to work, you might use this. As it is it's a mon'keigh's bad transcribing of the Book of Hoeth.

* ''Feedback Scroll:'' Instead of a dispel attempt, you can use this one-use item to roll a dice for each power dice used to cast it. Each one that's a 5+ causes a wound that can't be saved. Great for a tailored list, and worth considering otherwise to take out an opponent's only caster and let you work the winds unopposed.

* ''Scroll of Leeching:'' Instead of a dispel use this one-use to add dispel dice equal to the number used to cast the spell. Great against armies with LOTS of casters (like other High Elf armies). Not a standard gear choice however. Feedback scroll is more useful in many scenarios.

* ''Sivejir's Hex Scroll :'' One use, replaces dispel. Enemy wizard rolls a d6, must get their level or lower (so a level 1 mage needs a 1 to resist, a 3 mage needs a 1-3 to resist, Teclis only suffers a 6 roll) or they turn into a frog. They can't cast spells as a frog, all magic items stop working, all stats except wounds become 1. Each turn roll a d6, roll of a 4-6 and the mage becomes a biped again. VERY fun item, and a surprising thing for such a thing is that it's actually pretty good if you save it for when you can kill that mage in close combat.

* ''Power Scroll:'' According to FAQ it now halves the casting value of one spell, no boosting allowed. Could be fun when you two-dice dwellers or purple sun if the winds are low or your opponent didn't think those last two dices were dangerous.

* ''Wand of Jet:'' One use, increases a casting result by d6 after you're done rolling. This can help cause a IF and miscast too. It's an extra magic dice in the bank for when you need it, and not bad but there's better options for getting more magic juice.

* ''Forbidden Rod:'' One use, add d6 more dice to your magic at the beginning of your magic phase, but the user takes d3 wounds with no armour saves. But... Banner of the World Dragon protects. (Anyone with the Arcane Items page in front of them probably won't let that slide. I know I wouldn't.)

* ''Trickster's Shard:'' One use, start of magic phase. If an enemy mage tries to dispel a spell, you roll a d6 and on a 5 or 6 they take one wound. Not great really. It can be useful sort of if you're rolling a lot of augments at once (turn 1 Walk Between Worlds on everything makes this viable). At 25 points though, it's kind of a waste.

* ''Earthing Rod:'' One use, reroll the result on the miscast table once. Obviously you don't want this if you're running Banner of the World Dragon. Otherwise it's not bad if you're gonna be blasting away with your Archmage.

* ''Dispel Scroll:'' 25 points, auto dispel the enemy spell unless it's an Irresistible Force spell. All armies consider this to be a staple, but it's a bit less important for us since there's other options.

* ''Power Stone:'' One use. Used prior to casting a spell, adds two more bonus dice out of thin air to the attempt. Great for if you got a shit winds roll a turn you really need to crank out a spell.

* ''Sceptre of Stability:'' Misspelled name, one us item to increase a dispel result by d6 after you've rolled. Pretty neat for 15 points against another big magic army.

* ''Channeling Staff:'' Bearer adds +1 to every channeling attempt. Can net you more power dice, but not a big use item. Still, 15 points isn't much to spend for that kind of thing.

* ''Scroll of Shielding:'' One use, replaces dispel to grant a single target a 4+ Ward Save against wounds caused by the spell. Great for protecting something high priority like an Archmage or a Prince on a Dragon.

* ''Staff of Sorcery (FAQ'ed)'': Bearer adds +1 to every dispel attempt for 35pts. Only worth taking on a level 2 or level 4 mage, costs the same as a wizard level but "only" adds +1 to your dispel attempts. Still, dispelling with +5 can really shut down a magic phase. Likewise, if you're mainly after countermagic, level 2 mage plus Staff of Sorcery saves you 30pts from a level 3 mage (and leaves your Lords allowance for a Prince on Dragon).

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Wizarding Hat:'' Wearer becomes a level 2 Wizard who can use a random spell lore. They also have stupidity. This is great for armies with crap magic options, but for us you want to split the magic/killing roles between two characters and at the cost for the hat you could just take a level 2 mage. But if you really want a wizard on a Star Dragon for some strange ass reason...

* ''Fozzrik's Fold Fortress:'' 100 points, so your entire magic item allotment for a Lord. After deployment zones are agreed but before armies are deployed you can put a Watchtower (or similar building agreed upon by both players as appropriate, but must be the same basic size as the Watchtower) in your deployment zone. This MAKES a defensive list with Sisters of Avelorn holding it. For any other troop type it's not great. But in games with objectives, you might be able to argue your opponent into letting you count this as an objective from turn one. Take it if you base your strategy around it.

* ''Arabyan Carpet:'' Infantry or monstrous infantry (no you can't let your horse ride). Has the Fly rule, cannot join units. At 50 points you may as well just mount up on an Eagle or Gryphon.

* ''Crown of Command :'' 35 points to grant Stubborn and thus grant it to a unit the wearer joins. You should probably nut up and bring Korhil instead, but if you already are and want a second unit to be Stubborn it's not bad.

* ''Healing Potion:'' One use to drink at the start of your turn, recover d6 wounds. Since you have very few characters with enough wounds to make it useful, you should rely on the Lore of Life attribute to heal instead. Or bring Alarielle.

* ''Featherfoe Torc:'' Flying creatures and riders must reroll to hit you and your unit in close combat. Take it in a tailored list against the likes of Malekith or other High Elves.

* ''Ruby Ring of Ruin:'' Bound spell with Fireball. Take the High Elf magic item version of it if you're going to bother since it does pretty much the same thing and will give the users unit a ward save.

* ''Terrifying Mask of EEE!:'' Wearer causes Terror, but nobody can use their leadership but themself. Since most High Elves have almost max LD and some characters have the same, there's no downside. Great at discouraging people from fucking with a unit that can't deal in melee or you don't want to keep in melee (Sticking this on a Lothern Sea Helm among Core is pretty great, or ANYONE running with Lothern Seaguard since this can win an extra turn of shooting for them).

* ''Potion of Strength:'' One use, used at the start of any players turn. +3 Strength for the turn, great for a BRUTAL combat phase. Take on a Prince, Noble, or anyone with the Reaver Bow.

* ''Potion of Toughness:'' One use, start of any player's turn to grant +3 Toughness. This is more for an Archmage or Mage stuck in close combat, or a Prince who's going into a suicide charge.

* ''The Other Trickster's Shard:'' All Ward Save rolls have to be rerolled in base contact, both friend and foe. Since Ward Saves are common to us, it can be a detriment. Still good if you don't have one however.

* ''Ironcurse Icon:'' 5 points for 6+ Ward against war machines for the bearer and their unit. Not great, but it's only 5 points so there's no real threat to taking it and it CAN come in handy.

* ''Potion of Foolhardiness:'' One use, start of turn. Gets Immune to Psychology and Devastating Charge for a turn. 5 points for a very fucking hard charge, this has potential in a cavalry list.

* ''Potion of Speed:'' One use, start of turn. +3 Initiative. Cheap, but WHEN THE FUCK WILL YOU NEED A HIGHER INITIATIVE?

==Magic==
The new High Magic is probably one of the most aggressive lores in the entire game now, Soul Quench makes Fireball lovers cry.
Fiery Convocation is, in a game version promoting the use of hordes, extremely powerful; except against ogres and full knight Brets (giving Bretonnians at least one advantage in the modern game) and once it's been cast, your opponent will probably need to abort his next magic phase to dispel it if he cares about his burning minions. High Magic also has Apotheosis, which heals a wound and grants Fear to the target making your badasses into glorious bastards. Walk Between Worlds makes a unit Ethereal and get 10 more inches of movement to deliver a unit directly wherever it needs to be. Hand of Glory is a nice augment, Arcane Unforging is anti-character in the best way, and finally Drain Magic lets you undo whatever spells your opponent is using to manipulate the field of battle (goodbye undead augments).

For the rest of the lores, usual stuff applies. Lore of Life is a consistent favorite (nothing like watching those 5 Phoenix Guard he worked so hard to kill get back up) as is Lore of Shadow. High Elves aren't really set up for offensive Magic outside Dragon Mages so you should generally go with support spells to protect your expensive units, rather than offensive spells.

An important thing to remember is that you should not be building your list around using magic to support this or that unit, you should be putting magic into your list in order to augment the units that are already good. T7 Swordmasters might be awesome, but imagine how awesome that would be on a unit that doesn't need the support to be that good. Plus there are always factors that might get in the way of you casting a spell when you need to, so don't take a unit assuming you can make it better by augmenting it with magic; Take a unit that's already awesome without the magic.

===Magic Tactics===
In this section, I'll list the multiple ways to use specific Lores in conjunction with our units. Some Lores of Magic are flexible and unique, while some are more focused on specific strategies and units to make them work. Either way, you'll find use of them here. In the modern game buffs and hexes are generally the order of the day, offering a lot of value for the dice invested. Especially for high elves who have incredibly powerful units, buffs can send your dudes into the stratosphere. Direct damage spells are still worthwhile but the really powerful ones have either short range, are only effective against specific units or have high casting cost so you need to pick lores that your mages can realistically get good mileage out of depending where you put them and what you expect them to achieve and don't just think in terms of getting the mage a high body count. While getting fifteen kills with dwellers is really cool, something much more boring like +1T for a big block of spearmen can have a much more lasting impact in the game by blunting the enemy charge and allowing you to set up your flank charges and you opponent is much less likely to go all in dispelling a minor augment.

There are two styles of magic that exist for High Elves in my opinion: Balanced and Specific.

Balanced Lores provide buffs and hexes that cover a large area of High Elf weaknesses. These lores include High Magic, Lore of Metal, Shadow, and Light. Specific Lores depend on certain army builds to bring out their true potential. These Lores include Life, Death and Beasts. I'll explain more below.

'''High Magic - Balanced'''

This is a very balanced lore that's designed to assist the High Elves take on any foe. With TWO signature spells this is very versatile. The biggest spell: Fiery Convocation, burns down entire hordes if left unchecked and Arcane Unforging is a direct damage that wounds like a Metal Lore spell but also randomly destroys a magic item on 2+; use this on Banner of Barrows, Flag of Blood Keep, Ghal Maraz ect cetera. Walk Between World makes a unit move 10/20 inches as if Ethereal in the Remaining Move Phase, good for putting a Phoenix behind enemy lines. Oh, and did we mention the Lore Attribute of High Magic? +1 to your Ward save for the Mage and unit every time a spell is successfully cast. YOUR FREAKIN WARD SAVE! This means that a Level 4 Wizard running High Magic can grant most units at least a 5+ during each magic phase and you only need one spell to give Phoenix Guard the magical 3+. March them across the field and watch your opponent cry as everything and their dog tries to kill it with only 3-4 casualties a turn.

'''Lore of Shadow - Balanced'''

Our most powerful lore in my opinion. It's almost as if this Lore was designed with High Elves in mind because it complements our army perfectly:
1. Elite troops with high WS and I can be dealt with Miasma.
2. High armor troops can be destroyed by Mindrazor. No. Mindrazor does NOT make your strength equal to your leadership. You only use leadership when rolling to wound. It does NOT mention using leadership to modify enemy armor. So while it is very useful for felling tough foes, you use regular strength for getting through armor.
3. High strength can be robbed of their power with Enfeeble.
4. High toughness units can be dispatched easier with Withering on them.
5. Expensive, multi-wound models with low initiative can be destroyed with Pit of Shades.

I highly recommend this Lore as your go to lore for balanced play.

'''Lore of Light - Balanced'''

This is another very balanced Lore and very powerful against the Undead and also Daemons now that their stinking Standard of Sundering is finally out of the game. So yeah, TK, VC and DoC hate this lore. Army-wide Pha's Illumination and Speed of Light makes your entire army WS10 I10 and -1 to hit. This gives you fantastic combat potential and great protection vs. melee and shooting alike. Timewarp also allows your entire to surge forward and get into combat insanely early. Once they're in combat, the army-wide buffs allow you to win combat and take less casualties. All your units will hit things on 3s with re-rolls and you'll most likely be hit on 6s. Sadly, this doesn't help High Elves as much as other armies as you already tend to have Always Strikes First, decent WS and decent I. It still helps, just not as much compared to say Tomb Kings who have terrible WS and I.

If you decide to go Light, having a Lv.1 Wizard with Light is also suggested. This gives you the ability to inflict fantastic damage with Burning Gaze and Banishment for very low casting values. As for most balanced Lores, feel free to take whatever.

'''Lore of Metal - Balanced'''

This Lore gives you the power to break through armored units as they were butter. If you knew you were going against an army with multiple, heavily-armored targets such as <S>Brettonian</S> Bretonnian Knights, this Lore is fantastic. Another great thing about Lore of Metal is the army-wide 5+ Scaly Skin. This makes your Light Armor, Shield Spearmen pack on a 3+ armor save. Heavy armor units such as White Lions, Sword Masters and Phoenix Guard also share that lovely 3+. With this in mind, I want to talk about a very specific spell and army-build:

A large unit of Sword Masters with Enchanted Blades of Aiban absolutely annihilate things in combat. WS6 with +1 to hit means you'll most of the game on 2s. With ASF, re-rolls and Armor Piercing S5, you'll walk through troops and elites alike. Even Spearmen with Enchanted Blades plow through units like they were butter. Give it a try, I promise good results.

'''Lore of Death - Specific'''

For this Lore, you mainly want to focus on the destructive capabilities of character sniping. These spells allow you to pick out BSBs, Generals and other important targets that could ruin the opposing army. VC Generals, TK Hierophants, Bretonnian BSBs, the list goes on. It goes without saying that the army-wide -1S and T allow your troops to inflict more damage and take less in return. Lastly, we have Purple Sun. That thing just embarrasses Lizardmen, certain undead armies and Dwarfs. And Ogre Kingdoms. The signature spell is particularly useful for High Elves given their higher leadership values.

'''Lore of Life - Specific'''

I really like this Lore and I almost placed it in the balanced section, but I want to highlight some key builds that I like a lot. For one, Dwellers is a no brainer for most players: It picks off characters, completely wrecks enemies with Elf-stats and destroys entire units of Skaven. Throw dice at a large target with low S and watch it disappear from the game: Cheesy archer spam builds beware! This, is a very defensive Lore for the most part. You have Regen, protection from Miscast, and awesome +4 Toughness (if you have throne of vines) to any unit of choice. Let's not forget Regrowth! Which unit in particular?

A giant unit of Sword Masters with T7 and Regen can mow through most units in the game. They are already incredibly powerful in close combat because of WS6, S5 and 2A, but now give them the T7 and Regen and things just get ridiculous. Use a small Phoenix Guard bunker with a Life Mage and Book, and spam these spells on a giant horde of SM w/ Standard of Balance and Amulet of Light. People will most certainly hate you.

'''Lore of Beasts - Specific'''

If the base unit spell for +1S +1T, the +3T to all characters in 12" is also pretty awesome. Unlike the Lore of Life though, this Lore focuses a lot on damage from characters than defense. Don't get me wrong, Curse of Anraheir can still hex someone down to -1 to hit. Combine this with tough Elven warriors and things look a lot brighter. Take what you would normally take and spam Wyssan's Wildform on everything. Then walk up a bunch of Princes and Nobles with +S magic weapons and hit Savage Beast of Horrors. Can you imagine the amount of carnage you can inflict with multiple characters wielding +3S and +3 attacks? I'm not sure how effective it'll be, but it'll sure make my Prince a little scarier. Or take Korhil, put him on a Lion Chariot, cast the Beast on him, chuck him at whatever and RAPETRAIN IT! Believe me, I've done this before.

==Tactics==

'''Knowing your Enemy'''

The first piece of advice I have for newer players is knowing your enemy. There is nothing more important than this piece right here. You look across the table and you see a bunch of units you don't know, you already know this game is going to head into disaster. Very few players have the ability to asset threat, damage and power on the fly so its best you go into battles prepared. Key units like the Skaven Doomwheel, the Bloodthirster or the horde unit of Khorne Marauders with Great Weapons, all of these are important pieces on the battlefield. The best thing to do in these situations is to point across the table and ask. If the player you're playing with is a gentleman, and it's a friendly game, I hope he can tell you what each unit does. In a tournament setting, forget about it. Fantasy already takes a day and a half to set up, so it's best you do your research ahead of time.

Think of it like this: Every game you play is a test of skill and generalship. Any good general takes the time to learn about his enemy and so should you. That's why I buy every army book GW prints. Not only is it superb shitter material, but it's also valuable information on what kind of ridiculous combos, units or special characters that might show up on the battlefield.

'''Understanding Your Army'''

I almost think that knowing your enemy and understanding your army works hand in hand. If you think about it, you spend all this time making up your army list and for what? Each army list is designed to accomplish a certain thing on the battlefield. Playing for fun is one thing, but you're also playing so your troops are victorious. This is why army design is crucial and how you can make the best out of your army composition.

Keep in mind that this is not advice on how to min-max your army, it's about making your army work for you. As a general of any given army, you must find a medium where you're comfortable with the units you've taken, and you understand fully how they work. The best way to do this is by assigning battlefield roles. Take Sword Masters for example, what do they do best? They generate CR by ripping up lowly troops in combat but they die as fast as a swift breeze. What's the job of Spearmen? Or Skavenslaves? To hold the line and await reinforcements, using their superior numbers and ranks to tie the enemy down.

To be a successful general, you must know your units like the back of your hand. Understand each unit's functionality and purpose, but most importantly, understand why you put them in your army in the first place.

The greatest threat to most units in a High-elf army is long combats, if you cannot break a unit you will need to minimize the amount of damage they can do back to you in the following turns. Remember your troops hit rather hard but tend to die very easily.

'''Deployment'''

I've seen many games where games are lost on deployment alone. Picture for a second that your opponent puts down a unit of heavily armored Chaos Knights after you put your White Lions down far away from them. If those White Lions were your only defense against heavy armor, then I'd say you're in a world of shit once those Knights come crashing on your flank.

That's why you see players taking units whose sole purpose is to give them an edge in deployment. Some might be good enough to be used as re-directors or warmachine hunters too. These units are also known as chaff. Chaff is important because it allows you put these units down anywhere you want for the most part. They pretty much always go in the same place or have outrageous movement speed that they can relocate and not be troublesome for the movement of your army. Eagles can be used as chaff, Sabretusks and Fellbats for example, all can act as chaff for your army.

The key to deployment is matching your opponent's units pound for pound. You don't want to put down a unit that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against another unit he put down right off the top. Your unit must have support, or is capable of holding the line against whatever he puts down or your side is just going to fold. The best example is the Knights scenario I presented above. You want to be able to match your opponent in deployment, or be superior to him in deployment. I call these "drops". If your army has greater or equal to the number of drops he has (total # of units he can put down during deployment), you're in a good place. This minimizes on the chance your army will be out-deployed. The person with more chaff will have more chaff that he can put down, forcing you to put down your last unit of White Lions so he can purposely drop a power unit on your flank. Unless your army is designed to fight uphill battles, you should never let this happen.

If you know you're going to be out-deployed, you should analyze which units on his side you don't want in your flanks and deploy your answers last. This is where knowing your enemy comes into place.

'''Analyzing The Threats'''

To be successful on the battlefield and during deployment, you must first analyze threat. You must understand which units on the other side of the table can cause you most harm. This is huge. Keep in mind that army scale does not equate to the harm they can cause in combat. The best example of this is a giant unit of Skaveslaves vs. a small unit of Sword Masters. The craziest thing to assume is that the unit of Skavenslaves is going to do a lot of damage on the battlefield. Sure, there's a whole bunch of them, but their fighting prowess equates to dried fish where your Sword Masters preform like a hot knife through butter.

One of the things that 8th Ed. has going for it is big creatures. If it's a big monster on the other side of the table, this is probably worrisome. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons, it's probably going to do a lot of damage. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons and is in horde formation, it's probably something you should deploy smartly against because that thing is going to fuck your shit up if you play dumb. The most pronounced threats on the battlefield are normally the ones your opponent has heroes and lords going into it. It's either going to be a caster bunker, or a frontline unit that'll do solid bits of damage.

Remember what I said about battlefield roles? Your opponent does the same thing with his army. He knows what his frontline units are, which ones do the most damage and which ones are designed to hold the line. You know his primary sources of damage and these are the ones that should be generating the highest amount of threat in your mind. You might run into scenarios where certain units don't want to be in combat at all. These are often caster bunkers or vulnerable Magelords who would hate to have an Eagle pick out his eyes. Knowing the weak points of his army can prove to be a great advantage to you during deployment and when you're playing the game. Again, understanding how the opposing army works helps greatly here.

'''Understanding Favorable Scenarios'''

Hesitation can lose you a game, but so can your ability to underestimate your troops.

Here are some examples:
A scary dragon on the battlefield is not so scary when you shoot him with a billion arrows.
Knights actually do quite poorly against White Lions.
A small unit of Sword Masters into the side of Skavenslaves really fucks up their shit.
A Spearmen unit, given enough ranks can hold a charge from most, if not all, point equivalent units in the game.

A lot of this might seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many times players second guess themselves on the battlefield. Know your army, know what each unit is designed to do (which is surprisingly easy for High Elves because everyone's so specialized), and know which scenarios go in your favor on the battlefield when paired up against any given opponent.

At the end of the day, you should always apply a unit's actual battlefield role to do battle. You should always be thinking: The only reason I'm bringing X unit is to fight against Y units. In a game of rock-paper-scissors and random surprise Mindrazors; it still works in your favor when you know what counters what.

'''Predicting Combat'''

This is definitely more in the lines of advanced players, but after so many battles, players start seeing the same numbers. A unit of 7x2 Sword Masters hits a unit of Skavenslaves. Aside from a ton of rats dying horribly, how many Sword Masters did you lose and how much CR did you generate? What about Spears? Even if you didn't charge but was instead charged by a unit of Empire Halberdiers, how many Spearmen died and how much CR did you generate via kills, ranks and standard? What about that beefy lord-class character sitting in a relatively weaker unit? I bet he can do some serious work. I'm not saying go out there and mathhammer the life out of everything in the game, but you should have an idea how your units will perform on the battlefield.

The battlefield is a pretty unpredictable place, especially when shit like magic is involved. However, successful players have a good idea of what to expect when they throw their units into combat. For the most part, players only throw their units into combat they can win. This is why predicting combat outcomes are so important. A unit of Spearmen charging a horde unit of Marauders w/ Great Weapons in the front might not be the best choice alone, but what if you plan your magic phase to get Withering off on the unit? What if you decide to combo charge with your Spears and Sword Masters on the flank so you can use your magic elsewhere? The combat res generated from the combined charge "should" win you combat.

You see how predicting combat drastically changes the way you play the game? By assessing the battlefield and seeing the game on a larger level, you are able to make plays ahead of time. The key to being a successful general is being able to see multiple instances of this at once and analyzing which ones generate the highest amount of success with the lowest number of risk. Your ability to capitalize on this is what will take you from good, to great.

'''Lesser of Two Evils'''

Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in order for victory for be secured. Sometimes, you just have to choose. Imagine yourself in a scenario where no matter what you do, something bad is going to happen to your army. This might be a loss of a flank, a loss of a key unit or letting a horrible spell go through. If your opponent plays it right, there should be scenarios where all of these happen at the same time. Take note here for a second about what I just said. A well-played game of Warhammer is when you make your opponent sweat over the choices he has to make. No matter what choice he makes, something bad should happen to his army. That's when you know you've made a good play.

If you have to choose, always go with the play that'll guarantee you the greatest chance of victory in subsequent rounds. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have to first let that flank fall, or that unit be destroyed so you can strike back in a manner most decisive. This is why predicting combat and understanding favorable scenarios is important. In a situation like this, always put yourself in the opponent's shoes. Think from his perspective and predict what he would do after he successfully pulled off a big play. Predict what he does and counter it to the best of your advantage. Think to yourself: If he wins big on combat there and I flee, will he pursue or will he reform? If he pursues, do I have anything that can hit him in the flank or catch him in a bad spot? If he reforms, do I have anything that can strike decisively and win combat on that unit next turn?

Don't get yourself caught up in the moment. Understand that the 300 odd points of Spearmen you just fed your opponent can equate to you combo-charging his General's bunker and send it into the oblivion, then it's well worth it. If sacrifice has to be made, it has to make its points back and more. If not, then the sacrifice is not worth it.

'''Magic Superiority'''

The first thing to understand is that a small advantage is still an advantage. This is how you should analyze the winds of magic. A successful magic phase is all about analyzing which spells your opponent can afford to let go and which spells he can't. With an Lv.4 Wizard, you have access to a good amount of viable spells. The spells your opponent can let go are often the spells you want to take advantage of. That's when why you draw a big winds round, you cast moderately but still vital spells that plink at his dispel dice. These should be all moderately dangerous to the outcome of the fight in question (which will be his main focus).

Use smaller castings of hexes and augments, because a slight advantage (what he sees, and analyzes as less important), is still an advantage (huge for High Elves). A clever mage will be able to feint the significance of a fight and get off multiple spells a turn. If your opponent lets it all go because he's anticipating Mindrazor, that's his problem because now his unit is now -WS, -T and you ASF with a better combat result. Mindrazor isn't even needed at this point. If he throws dice trying to dispel your other hexes, that's less dice he has available when you actually do throw down the MR. This goes hand in hand with what I said about anticipating combat results. How badly your troops need your magic will save a lot of unneeded dice.

Redirecting focus: Say you have a unit engaged in combat and you anticipate a victory, or at least a draw result. You concentrate magic on another area of the battlefield that your opponent isn't focused on. This breaks his concentration and draws a big cloud of WTF? over his head. This happens when you see something crucial your opponent doesn't, as often times or not, players get tunnel-visioned in the combat they're in but don't grasp the wider vision of the battlefield. Hexing incoming Knights on your turn with -WS or -S will make much more of a difference than watching Sword Masters narrowly win combat vs. a flanking unit of Clanrats.

'''Baiting and Feinting'''

Fleeing from a battlefield is not always a sign of cowardice. It can also be used to bait an opponent out of position or force him into a position he doesn't want to be in. The best example of this could be a unit of Spears fleeing from a charge of Bretonnian Knights. God knows you don't to take that charge in the face so you opt to flee with your Spearmen. He now has two choices: Take a Ld. test to charge something else, or roll for the Spears. Say that you have a unit of White Lions or Sword Masters next to the Spears. Does he really want to re-direct into the Lions or SM? Or does he want to risk the charge and risk exposing his flank to the Lions?

You see what you just did here? A simple flee can put your opponent in a rock and a hard place (especially if the charge is long). Both scenarios equally suck for him so he might opt to charge at all. This is also good for you because it gives you the chance to charge his Knights next turn! And if he doesn't opt to charge, your Spears will still be there to assist in the main battle. Warhammer can be a game of cat and mouse, so it's best to know all the options available to you before you commit. If you plan on charging something, know all the possible reactions your opponent can take before investing. You don't want to be in the same shoes as the above player.

'''Eagles are an Elves' Best Friend'''

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Eagles are my MVP. First off, they are probably one of the most annoying pieces of chaff ever. They're great in the deployment phase when you can just put one down and stare into your opponent's soul. They're great ingame because they can fly boldly into your opponent's charge lanes and take one from the team; forcing them to charge them and re-position. Eagles buy you time, buy you movement and allow you to re-position your army while the Eagle re-positions your opponents. They allow you to chase down enemy chaff or flankers, help pressure warmachines and provide you with flank and rear charge CR should they survive mid-game. They act primarily as re-directors (a Frenzied unit's worst nightmare) and are the true workhorse of most High Elf armies.

'''Counter-charges and Flanking'''

Sometimes, the good ol' hammer and anvil is something even the experienced players forget. The concept of a counter-charge is simple: Unit #1 is a unit that can take hits - in the case of High Elves, a giant block of Spears with Steadfast CR up the ass. This is known as the anvil. Unit #2 is a unit that hits hard as fuck but dies to a soft breeze. Sword Masters are an popular choice for a hammer. Your opponent charges your Spearmen because it's the only viable target and you hold knowing that your Sword Masters (who are conveniently placed on your flank), will have a flank charge next round. Magic is invested in keeping the Spearmen alive and steadfast while the Sword Masters charge their flank next turn. Heads start rolling and combat heavily swings your way, winning you the day.

Flanking is also quite simple: Place something that has good threat range on the far sides of your army and use them as CR generators. I normally like using Dragon Princes for this type of role. Put 5 of these guys down on a wide-flank and they can be used to reliably add CR to any combat mid-field. Flanking can also be used to bypass some of your opponents' attention to hit warmachines and other units chilling in their backfield. Lastly, flanking is also good for having additional CR in combat. An Eagle charging from the far flank gives you 2 CR for just having the balls to be there. It's pretty much free CR.

'''Winning combat, now what?'''

So now that you've won combat, you have to think about what to do next. Unfortunately, most players think about this step immediately after the combat resolves. I want you to take a step back and think about what can happen even before you charge. If you charge now, and win a victory over your opponent, can you overrun into an important caster bunker in back? Does your opponent have anything that can crush your overrun if you choose to do so? Is your unit stretched too far and out of range of your BSB? Is he out of his BSB? If you push the advantage, will your advantage be negated if he engages the rest of your army while your best unit is out of position? Winning combat is important for sure, but what happens after is even more important. You must be in a favorable situation to benefit from it: The result of a successful charge should net you more success in the subsequent turns than harm.

Keep in mind that you don't have to keep going after you wiped out a unit. Check to see if the unit has been mauled enough that the only way he can rally is if he rolls double 1s. Sometimes the position you're in begs you to combat reform and stay still. If you commit anymore, you might go from crushing victory to outright defeat. Never lose sight of the bigger picture and don't over extend yourself. Unless you're Stubborn, or have a unit that's incapable of losing combined charges in the next round of combat, it's best to wait for the rest of your army. You want to be in magic support range, you want to be in BSB range and you want to be in support charge range of other units. Don't forget this.

Another thing to keep in mind is Line of Sight. If your unit can surge forward enough after winning combat that'll take him out of LoS (and thus enemy charges), this is a great advantage. It allows you to drive deep in the enemy lines and force him to turn around or suffer a rear charge from you in the subsequent turns. This also allows your main force to advance and catch him in a vice. Surely this is a good thing as even the most lackwit of generals know that enemy forces running in their backfield is bad.

'''Lost combat, now what?'''

So your beautiful charge turned into a crushing defeat, what now? Obviously, this means your unit will be running back to your lines like a whipped dog. Don't worry, you can now look into the future and analyze why you lost combat and how you can regain the momentum in the next phase of the game. Maybe something completely unpredictable happened in the magic phase that killed your opportunities in combat? This is the single biggest factor in how combats can sway. This is also something I want you to remember: Magic can greatly skew the outcome of any combat you're invested in. Think about this before you charge, and understand what magic lores he has that can shift momentum in his favor. In order for you to succeed in combat, you must dispel the magic he will use to turn combat in his favor. This is not negotiable.

After losing combat, you need to analyze several things:

Did he Overrun? If so, are you in a position where you can take advantage of his over-extension?
Did he Combat Reform? If so, are you able to counter-attack next turn?
What made you lose combat? Was it some beefy character or was it magic that turned the tides?
How do you not lose combat again? Neutralize the beefy character (or avoid him completely) and dispel the magic that sways combat his way.
Is your fleeing unit useless? Treat the game as if you're 1 down, but don't forget about the fleeing unit. Even if he's below 25%, you can still test for double 1s.

'''When ahead, stay ahead'''

The philosophy behind this concept is simple: Don't do anything stupid that'll throw away your lead. What happens most of the time when players start winning is they start playing careless. This is a sure way to lose your lead and put you behind in a game where you're almost guaranteed to win. A great example of this would be killing your opponent's Dragon Lord and 1-2 Hydras with your Warmachines first turn before they even get to do anything and still managing to lose the game. I don't know how this happens, but players get lost the ecstasy of great plays (or luck) and think now that the main threats are gone that the game is in their hands. This is the wrong way to approach a lead.

The more appropriate way to take advantage of a lead is to think: How do I get further ahead? You want to be in a position where your next step is to eliminate any and all possible ways the opponent can swing the game around. You put yourself in his position and you think to yourself: I just lost my Dragon Lord and my Hydras, so what can I do now to walk away from the table like a man? Once you think about the situation from your opponent's mindset, you counter it and deny him of it. With no victory options in sight, your opponent will have no choice but to fold.

'''Post-game Analysis'''

Now that the game is won (or lost), you can look back and see what you can do to improve. Human beings are meant to improve; we're a race of learners and adapters. No matter how badly you just massacred your opponent or how crushing your defeat, there's always something to take away from the game. The most important part here is that you must learn from your game to improve. If you won the game, think about the scenarios you could have done better. If you lost the game, think about why you lost and which units caused the most problems. Think about all the topics that were covered above. There must be something you could have done better in the never-ending list of becoming a better general.

It's important that you discuss the game with your opponent. Talk about how the battle could have gone differently if you did this, or that. How his game could have changed if he did this, or that. Not only does this give you a better perspective on the game (and your opponent's army), but also the player you're playing against. Share your thoughts with your opponent and let him share his with yours. Criticism and advice should be taken with an open mind. It helps broaden your perspective on other general's opinions and makes you a better-rounded player overall.

==See Also==
* [[High_Elves_(Warhammer)|High Elves]]

{{Warhammer_Tactics_Races}}
[[Category:Warhammer/Tactics]]

Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/High Elves

2020-10-06T03:17:55Z

2606:A000:1128:495A:E595:93AF:8EAF:C3E6: /* Army Rules */

==Why Play High Elves==
Because you like Elves. And winning. High Elves win a lot. They have a BRUTAL magic phase (which if used properly completely offsets any perceived weakness of the High Elves), solid infantry choices, a variety of savage monstrous mounts and one of the best archer units in the game. Oh and did we mention that they have Always Strikes First, to a man, which combined with their high Initiative means you are essentially always getting rerolls <strike>and according to their FAQ, this is unaffected by Great Weapons.</strike> It is now only normal ASF, which means Great weapons strike at normal Initative, for once thank you Matt Ward. Let's also not forget the fighting in extra ranks. Between the extra ranks of attacks and the re-rolling misses, this army is designed to land lots of hits in close combat.

Don't think they're a cinch to play though, they're not THAT [[Warhammer/Tactics/Daemons of Chaos| overpowered]] (unless you use High magic or Life magic). Low Toughness, light armor and high cost units means that they have to be played well. But if you play them properly you will utterly destroy the competition. An army for people who like gorgeous models and want to play a tactically fulfilling army without being hideously underpowered. Or for a player that doesn't give a shit about a tactically fulfilling army and just likes to spam magic and block everything with ward saves (making that low toughness/light armor not matter at all), have crazy magic items, or just be better at all four phases of the game than all other armies (who said these guys weren't overpowered again?). An army, in short, for the exact kind of people who like Warhammer Fantasy.

==Army Rules==

*'''Martial Prowess:''' One of the cornerstones of why High Elves hit like a ton of bricks. Fighting and shooting in extra ranks is huge. Other armies at one point or another have to decide between more attacks or a decent rank bonus. High Elves can have all models attacking and still have 3-5 ranks!

*'''Valour of Ages''': When fighting their dark cousins, High Elves counter their hatred with re-rolling failed panic, fear and terror tests. It's a nice rule, who hasn't lost that one critical morale test in a game before? I would however say that hatred is superior. Valour of ages unfortunately does not allow re-rolls of failed break tests, so you're anyway going to field a BSB, and he already has panic, fear and terror covered. Still, your vanguard and scouts or anything else not in the BSB-bubble can benefit.

*'''Lileath's Blessing:''' A bonus of +1 to casting results for using High Magic across the board. High Magic is a very versatile and powerful lore, really drawing from the eight rulebook lores. And the spells already have relatively low casting values, so Lileath's Blessing means that you can easily cast 2-3 spells each turn to get that nice Ward Save bonus for your mage and his unit.

==Unit Analysis==
===Lords & Heroes===
====Named Characters====
'''Note:''' Under the current edition, named characters tend to be overpriced; you can pretty easily emulate most named characters from scratch and save yourself some points. That said, a few named characters do have abilities and wargear or wargear combos unique to them, so if you need to have them, go ahead. Just make sure you're really getting your points worth.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Tyrion, the Defender of Ulthuan:''' Tyrion is an expensive close combat beast, and that's what you want him to be. Between ASF, WS9, I10, 4 attacks, S7 (4 base +3 from Sunfang, and a magical Flaming Attack at that) and a breath weapon, he can pretty much wreck an entire unit on his own and with his 1+ armor, 4+ ward, and Magic Resistance (2) he will just not die (and even if he does, the engagement necklace from the Everqueen means one wound that would kill him is negated on a 2+, essentially giving him +1 wound, or a one time immunity to killing blow. He loses his magic resistance after use, meaning that last wound is slightly more vulnerable). However, he's kinda stuck in the role of the hammer, and at that level of points you can take someone on a Dragon and he can't do TOO much that a tricked out Prince couldn't do just as well for less (that dragon can't join a unit though, which makes Tyrion worth considering far more than he was in 7th edition). He's fun, but competitive lists tend to prefer generic options or the Everqueen. Something of note is that he can join a unit of Silver Helms or Dragon Princes which really ruins someones day in larger games (remember that now with Silver Helms being core, your anvil can suddenly drop onto the heads of the enemy rather than just hold them in place in an all cavalry list). His super-horse also has +1 M,WS,S,I and A. Be aware, he has taken a VERY SLIGHT nerfing (ie; his immunity to fire is now on a 2+ ward save meaning if he rolls a one he gets roasted. As cavalry he's no longer immune to killing blow so KB units such as Grave Guard can suddenly wreck his day again. He's also 10 points dearer). Weiging in at 410 points, he'll eat up a big chunk of your Lords points, but with the changes due to the End Times, you can now field him and the Everqueen in a 2000 pt game (and hopefully they don't start banging mid-game). One final change to him in this edition: he no longer HAS to be General of the army he's in, but if he is his inspiring presence has a range of 18". If your strategy is wedge Tyrion in your enemy's ass while a mage hides in a bunker and faps to the scene, you might wanna keep him as a minion but if your whole strategy is to run your enemy down with a wall of equine death he should be the one in charge.

* '''Teclis, the Loremaster of Hoeth:''' All those lifeline steroid pills must be getting to him, he got nerfed again. Not nearly as badly as last time, but he's weaker. He is still a powerful mage because he can either know all spells in High Magic, or have one spell (of your choice) from each normal Lore. The Moon Staff is now a one use item that either lets you add an extra die to each cast attempt from him for a turn OR negate a miscast from him (after use Teclis reduces his Strength and Toughness to 1 for the rest of the game, which is pretty funny but bad news). The scroll he carries is still nice, letting him auto-dispel an enemy (non-IF) spell as well as having a D6 roll-off against the mage who cast the spell, with a win resulting in them losing that spell for the rest of the game. Despite his ''awesome'' sword, he is still a cripple of an elf with no save to speak of so at least cram him into something that won't see cc and can protect him at the same time (not easy). The War Crown of Saphery, which used to let him dispel a miscast each turn and thus overpower him more than almost anyone else in the game, now grants him an additional wizard level making him one of the four Level 5 wizard options in the game. All together Teclis has gone from being mandatory in a "best possible" High Elf list to being an expensive character who's return on his points is questionable. Still, he's not terrible and is great for picking spells now that the magic item that used to let you do that is gone from the game. If you are using Storm of Magic rules, Teclis is still the powerhouse he once was and is just as facerollingly unfair as before.

* '''Alarielle the Radiant:''' The Everqueen is back people, and she is a Lord level wizard who can choose how many of her four spells are rolled from High Magic, Life Magic, and Light Magic. Mostly a defensive character, she uses her female status to make her unit protective of her to the point that they are immune to Fear and Terror (which is fair play if you ask me) and all her units' attacks count as magical. Also she heals one friendly character within 12" for 1 wound each round during the movement phase, but needs to target anyone else if available before herself since she's nice and all. Her and her unit get a 5+ ward save against non magical attacks too, which is jolly decent of her. She has only one attack but against the Forces of Destruction it's Heroic Killing Blow on top of her elven ASF. It would be really laughable if... lets say she slays a Greater Demon with this, but highly unlikely. She has Lileath's Blessing like other High Elf casters so she'll add +1 to High Magic spells if you're looking to bump up that Ward Save with Shield of Saphery via High Magic spam. She also has a nifty little passive called Chaos Bane since her very existence makes Daemons take SAN checks (so the Everqueen is more or less the God Emperor of Fantasy in all the ways Sigmar isn't) which means that during the beginning of her Magic Phase, before you roll for winds, every unit with the Daemonic rule within 12" of her takes D6 hits at strength 4 calculated as per shooting. Seems nice, but it comes with the drawback that she casts at a -D3 to any spells since Daemons give her a sad. She's got a one use item called the Stave of Avelorn which lets her cast a spell a second time regardless of whether she bummed it up or not. Finally, taking her gives Nobles, Lothern Sea Helms, and Handmaidens of the Everqueen special options. The Noble or Lothern Sea Helm you would use as your Battle Standard Bearer (which you are always going to have) can take the Banner of Avelorn for 40 points, which gives you +4 on every cast of Life and Light magic that targets the unit the Banner is in (that last part if very important, remember it when deciding where the BSB will march) which is very nice if you're looking to get off two of the best defensive/counter lores without losing many power dice each casting. The Handmaiden can take the Horn of Isha, which is a one use item used at the start of the Movement Phase that gives all the models in the unit that used it a +1 To Hit bonus on shooting or melee (so one turn of those arrows from the amazons get a little bit pointier) for 50 points. With all the rules the Queen is toting, she is High Elves' new Teclis but on defense rather than offense. She's also right alongside Teclis in Storm of Magic overpowering. Keep in mind she's not a /win overpowered goddess. Lists that use the Everqueen should have one giant horde to stick her in with multiple wound characters in it. Even a unit of Spearmen with the Everqueen can be buffed to Phoenix Guard levels on the cheap. Everqueen lists are vulnerable to flank charges however, so keep that in mind if you decide your Special choice should be the Alarielle horde. A Sea Helm in the unit with her will solve that issue pretty quickly however.

* '''Alith Anar, the Shadow King:''' Alith used to be overshadowed by the other Lord level choices available, but this edition has him in his own role and if it's what you need he's perfect. He's got a glorious bow granted to him by a goddess (functions as a Bolt Thrower (so subtract the price of one from his cost to figure out what ELSE you're getting from him) that he can shoot even if he moves, and ignores Armor saves) and has a nice statline. Hatred isn't as useful in 8th, but against Dark Elves it's always nice to put just a little more pain on them; speaking of, if you know you will be fighting Dark Elves he's Khaine's gift (one without drawbacks!) to elfkind due to his ranged attack causing -1LD to Dark Elf units he hits until the end of the phase. Since Bow of the Seafarer was removed in 8th edition you can no longer kit out a Prince to be a better shooty lord, so Alith has taken on that role entirely by himself and as a result a more viable option in competitive lists. Alith causes a -1 To Hit for whatever tries to shoot a unit he's joined, and the unit also has Swiftstride so think about where you're putting him (advancing wave of White Lions that you just CANNOT shoot is nice, as is Shadow Warriors you can't catch). Keep in mind that if you deploy him outside of your deployment zone you may want someone else to be your general, otherwise his inspiring presence is wasted for half the game.

* '''Elatharion the Grim, Warden of Tor Yvresse:''' He's nice, but perhaps too expensive for his own good. Hatred VS Orcs and Goblins isn't very useful unless you will actually be playing against them, and his extra boost in personal combat against Grom the Paunch of the Misty Mountain even less so. He's also a Level 2 caster who can grab any lore from the Rulebook (Beasts and Death work well), but that's a job you generally want to split between combat Lords and Wizards (never mind that, for his cost, you can grab a Prince AND a level 2 Mage, with 35 points left for equipment before Eltharion becomes the cheaper pick). He can also ride his enhanced personal Griffin Stormwing and get a free lance. Stormwing has stats exceeding a Sun Dragon and has ASF plus the 5+ Ward Save Eltharion's helmet grants him (How the fuck does that work? Magic. Elf magic.) but has no Scaly Skin which is a big deal when a Sun Dragon is only 40 points more. He's really a good enough Lord who's mostly overshadowed by how much you're paying for him and how other choices crunch better. On the plus side, his badass sword (+2 strength, no armor saves allowed), badass helmet (+1 armor save and 5+ ward save), and finally the badass medallion (gives Magic Resistance (1)) make him an easier pill to swallow if you're going for a themed list. Consider him on foot instead of simply throwing him on the gryphon if you do want him.<br />'''Alternate View'''<br />Compared to other sources, based on the princes profile he should be worth around 391 points (compared to his 295). Still, your mileage may vary if he's point effective or whether a vanilla prince with a few upgrades would be better.<br />'''Even More Alternate-er View'''<br />To achieve an equivalent level of power on vanilla Lords and Heroes would actually come to almost 450 points (Excluding his griffon), so he's a cheap way to have a wizard and a combat beat stick, especially in a low point game. Plus everyone loves a good sword-swinging wizard (Let's call him pointy-eared Gandalf).

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Caradryan, Captain of the Phoenix Guard:''' Caradryan is a good fighting hero that got 5 points cheaper in 8th but lost 2 points of his magic resistance. Mark of Asuryan was changed from dealing D6 no armour save wounds to the single model that killed him to instead dealing D3 no armour save wounds to the unit or the same to a single enemy in a challenge (so his aftermath special ability has been halved in exchange for it being able to affect the unit when he cops it outside of a challenge). His magic weapon is FANTASTIC against trolls and other regenerating monsters due to having Flaming Attacks, it also hits on +1 strength and causes Multiple Wounds (D3) against anything. He himself is not too expensive, especially since he discourages tricked out Lords/Heroes from coming after him due to his dying ability. Not the greatest Hero in the world, but really fun and a god-tier bodyguard. Also, has the option to now ride a named Frostheart Pheonix, Ashtari. Costs 10 points more than a generic but with an additional attack and is thus a GREAT option. Combine that with his dying ability and you've essentially got a flying tank that weakens things around it carrying a nuke (one that doesn't hurt your own men), and it's on a dead man's trigger.

* '''Korhil, Captain of the White Lions:''' Korhil's main advantages are as follows: He's cheap (but 10 points costlier in 8th) and he's Stubborn and thus grants this to any unit he joins. Those two reasons are reason enough to take him, especially if you want to dump him in a large Spearmen unit. He lost Woodsman, gained Forest Strider which is the same thing by another name. It lets his unit waltz through deadly Forests like they're a peaceful park. He's reasonably killy on his own merits with S4, with +2 strength from his magic weapon, with Killing Blow, with ASF, with an extra hand weapon. Pelt got a slight nerf, grants +1 close combat and +2 shooting to his armor, and instead of being immune to poison in all forms they have to roll To Wound to hit him. Not someone who will turn the game around, but he certainly helps if your strategy is an elfhorde and you didn't bring along Alarielle. See his bio in the fluff section for themed lists, basically he can show up anywhere High Elves are as long as the Phoenix King approves of whatever your army is doing. NEVER FORGET his axe DOESN'T have ASL unlike white lions, so you still get your re-rolls. Korhil may also be mounted on a Lion Chariot, upping his Armour Save by +1 and making the chariot stubborn and a very deadly force on the charge. Plus, the chariot does not have to take a dangerous terrain test when moving through a forest, which is quite huge for a chariot.

====Generic Characters====
'''Note:''' While named characters are judged against their generic counterparts, generic characters are examined based on their role in your army.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Prince:''' Princes personify everything about the High Elves: Fast as hell, kickass in close combat, can take a variety of special stuff, about as hard as wet tissue. Be sure to give this guy an armor or ward save, or else he will get his ass killed. Aside from that, he's a brutal close combat Lord (WS7, I8, ASF) and properly kitted out there's very little this guy can't kill. Dragon Armor lol's at flaming attacks and breath weapons but is now 20 points (minus the 6 you'd be spending on Heavy Armor, since you ARE taking one or the other); you do get a 6+ ward with it though. As an alternative to Dragon Armor you can take a Lion Cloak alongside the Heavy Armor for just 6 points, giving your Prince a +2 armor save against shooting. If you have the points and you aren't already taking a magic item with a ward save then Dragon Armour is the better option, though a Prince should have a better ward than 6+. Look for the variety of killy options down in the magic weapons.

* '''Archmage:''' A fantastic caster. Access to all 8 Lores, plus High Magic, means he can literally be designed to do whatever you want, though the preferred option in an unclear situation is Lore of Life. Also remember that as long as he's on the board (along with his little brother the Mage) you get +1 to their casts for High Magic through Lileath's Blessing for a total of +5 when channeling it through a Level 4 Archmage. Like with the Prince, he has access to some of the best magic equipment in the game. High Elves are good at magic, and this guy proves it.

* '''Loremaster of Hoeth:''' A new Lord choice and mostly the same as a Swordmaster. But is also a level 2 Mage with ALL 8 normal magic Signature Spells. This gives him great diversity, and he is also not bad in combat (but frail, as he only has a 5+ armour save). Think about it: the Signature Spells are nowhere near bad (ok, most of them are not) and you're getting all of them! Three magic missiles, a direct damage spell, two augments and two hexes. Having all of the lore attributes at your fingertips is useful, like casting Spirit Leech to get more power dice from killing someone. He gets to take as much magic gear as the Archmage and Prince does, meaning you pick how you want to use him and kit him out like one or the other. Also, Deflect Shots for a 6+ ward against non-magical non-template ranged attacks. He's a pretty solid choice, but he costs a metric ton to bring to the table and he's not as good on defense as a level 4 Archmage, so he'll probably only see field in big games. Also, put this guy near a wizards tower whenever you can. It's painfully hilarious. In Storm of Magic, this guy is double hilarity - he gets ALL the spells!<br />It is also worth noting that under the new rules from End Times, the Loremaster of Hoeth knows all the spells from all 8 lores. (Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I am 99% sure that as he is mentioned as THE example, this is the case).

* '''Anointed of Asuryan:''' Yes, you read that right. The head of the Phoenix Guard is somehow a hero while a generic version of him is a Lord, go figure. Anyway, the Anointed is a Lord choice Phoenix Guard member with magic resistance and option to ride a Phoenix (no one else can, other than Caradryan who is his named counterpart). Since he already has a 4+ Ward save a heavy armor and a halberd he needs nearly no equipment at all. If you want, you can turn him into the most tanky (still T3 though) High Elf with the Armour of Silvered Steel and the Dawnstone, giving him a re-rollable 2+ Armour Save, followed by a 4+ Ward Save with MR2, which is pretty insane and still leaves enough points for Potion of Strength, Khaine's Ring of Fury / Ruby Ring of Ruin or the Reaver Bow. When he rides a Flamespyre Phoenix it will return from the dead more often and will even ease the burden on the Phoenix in case of shooting (since he will absorb a few hits). Much, much, MUCH more importantly, he gives everyone in any unit he joins a 6+ Ward Save and Immune to Psychology, which makes him really good in big units of Spearmen, White Lions and the like. On foot, he's a better option than the Prince. In terms of mounts, you take the Anointed if you want one of the Phoenixes (I would say go with the Flamespyre) and the Prince if you want the Dragons.

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Noble:''' A great fighter for his points, but if you have the points you really should be taking a Prince (who's only 70 points more). The main reason you take a Noble is because he can be a BSB or if you're low on points (either overall or in the Lord choices) in which case, he'll serve. He's best as a BSB and you DEFINITELY want a BSB. In 8th with Lothern Sea Helms also being an option as a Battle Standard Bearer there are now conceivable lists where you might not take a Noble. As a nice little bonus for those who are low on points, the armor types (Heavy, Dragon, and Lion Cloak) are cheaper on a Noble than a Prince.

* '''Mage:''' Unlike the Noble vs. Prince the difference in points between the Mage and Archmage is big that you might want a Mage instead, he can do everything the Archmage can but at level two. If you're in the mood it's always nice to have a backup Mage with a different lore to deal with situations your Archmage can't. Never a bad idea.

* '''Dragon Mage:''' That's right, we even have HEROES riding Dragons. The Dragon is fairly squishy (for a Dragon) and the model as a whole runs on the pricy side, but the Hero Level Dragon and the sheer power of the Mage on top make up for a lot of that. Flaming Sword of Rhuin is actually worthwhile in this edition and the Mage himself can put out an incredible amount of firepower. Note that you should never ever use the actual amount of dice you need; Figure out how much you need and then take one less, it'll give you more mileage. Can be a game breaker at lower points, but tends to get irrelevant once it becomes possible to grab a Prince on Star Dragon. Also, beware as they can only take the Lore of Fire. As Dragon Mages now have access to Dragon Armour, they have access to Magic Armour. Dragon Mage Dragon Armour + Enchanted shield makes for a 2+ Wizard, and if you've got a squishy wave of elven melee doom and a Dragon Mage advancing on a position, your opponent is just picking size or numbers for what dick will end up in his ass.

* '''Handmaiden of the Everqueen:''' The main Valkyrie in a horde of Amazons. You will only play this character with a group of maidens as she gives them (and only them) Quick to Fire. Put the Reaver Bow on her for 3 BS7 S5 quick-to-fire shots. She's kind of expensive for her stats, so she should only be brought if you've got a big unit of Sisters with her name on it. Can take a Horn of Isha if you take the Everqueen, which you should take anytime you aren't taking the Reaver Bow.

* '''Sea Helm:''' A new hero for the High elves who allows his unit to, after passing a leadership test, reform directly after they were charged, as long as they didn't Stand and Shoot or Flee that turn. This means no more easily flanking your units, and taking into account that every High Elf Unit can strike out of 3 rows to the front, this - for measly 100 Points - becomes really important. He can also be a Battle Standard Bearer if you're taking him anyway and don't want to bother with the Noble. Be careful using the Sea Helm as your BSB as he does not have the defensive options that the Noble has. A BSB Noble can get heavy armor and a shield, not to mention dragon armor and the lion cloak, a noble can get 4+/6++ easily without using any magic items. The Sea Helm however has light armor and a shield, that is all. If you're taking a BSB Sea Helm, give him a mundane standard and pump his defenses with his magic item allowance. But seeing as any special ranked unit (aka any unit you want to put him in barr a 50-block of spearmen) has a magic standard allowance of at least 50 points (banner of the world dragon costs 50 points), this isn't much of a problem.

====Mounts====

* ''Elven Steed:'' It's a horse, it goes fast and makes them the tiniest bit less killable. Available for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, and Mages. Since Ithilmar Barding stopped subtracting from movement, you should probably always upgrade to Ithilmar Barding. It adds armor save and DOES NOT make the M9 steed any slower. There's no reason not to pay a few measly points for that.

* ''Great Eagle:'' Useable by Princes, Archmages, and Nobles. Eagles are the halfway point between Horses and Monsters and they're quite cheap at 50 points. You can put a Noble with the Reaver Bow on one of these for a fast, shooty unit that is tougher (a Great Eagle is your only chance of getting a T4 character) and has an extra wound, or an Archmage to get on your opponent's flank and vortex him back to the stone age. For a better Eagle you have to spend 15 points more, which if you're taking one you probably should.

* ''Griffon:'' Useable by Princes and Nobles. Good news they're cheaper than Sun Dragons (150 points vs 235), but with upgrades to make the Griffon viable it comes to a grand total of 195 points. The only difference being the Sun Dragon has one more wound... and a flame attack... and a 3+ AS which makes Dragons durable where Griffons are saveless. Still, Dragons don't have ASF or Devastating Charge, plus Griffons have a +1 Strength on the turn they charge. It's iffy, but offensive lists requiring a nice hard flank to something that isn't a horde have a need for a well geared Prince on a Griffon. Not to mention that neat Island of Blood mini has just been gathering dust on your shelf...

* ''Tiranoc Chariot:'' Option for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, or Mages. Not a good option really, there's potential in that it crunches better than an Eagle for a Reaver Bow war machine hunter, but still iffy. With a unit of 3 though you can replace any Reavers, Shadow Warriors, and Eagle-riding Lords or Heroes. Still, there's complex strategies that can make great use of them, like 2v2 and scenario games.

* ''Sun Dragon:'' Option for Princes and Archmages. The mini-Dragon. Still a Dragon, still kick-ass. Good for if you're short on points, since the 70 point upgrade from Sun to a Moon Dragon matters.

* ''Moon Dragon:'' The medium Dragon, same power level as most Dragons in the game. A good all around choice.

* ''Star Dragon:'' The highest tier of Dragon and probably the most brutal Monstrous Mount in the game. With WS7, S7, T7 7 wounds, 6 attacks, a Strength 4 breath weapon and a 3+ armour save, this guy, with a properly tricked out rider, can probably rip the head off of anything stupid enough to get in its way without tipping the odds. It can tear apart almost anything. Giants, K'daii Destroyers, and other dragons will all be killed if faced by a Star Dragon. Beware the I2 though and be aware that everyone and their dog will be gunning for it. Don't let it get bogged down in a head on collision with a large unit; yes it probably can't do any real damage to the Star Dragon, but it'll be stuck there all game and probably get flanked. Have him charge down small units, flank big units in conjunction with a frontal assault, hunt down enemy monsters. Unless it gets hit by a cannonball, something is going to die when a Star Dragon gets involved. WORD OF WARNING: Some combat Lords from melee-heavy armies (Warriors of Chaos, Ogres, Daemons, Bretonnia etc) have weapons and gifts and things that are designed to bring down dragons, and a Bretonnian Lord with a Sword of Swiftstride and Heroic Killing Blow can cut the head off a Star Dragon before it can lift a claw.

* ''Skycutter of Lothern:'' Your mount option for the Sea Helm and the Sea Helm alone, but don't take it, because his main power is buffing your troops and he's good at it. Not a terrible choice though if you really want to buzz enemies without worrying too much about terrain checks or being shot at. Putting him on one gives it a 4+ Ward Save against shooting, and allows you to reroll dangerous terrain tests. Taking a second Sea Helm and putting him on one replaces two crew members, meaning you're only getting the shooting attack of one crewman, and the Sea Helm if you spend the 4 points to give him a bow, or outfit him with a Reaver Bow (the only way to really make this a remotely viable option). If you want a Skycutter, take it as a <s>Rare choice</s> (hilariously they're a special choice now, go elves!), not a mount.

* ''Flamespyre Phoenix:'' So finally the High Elves get their coverbeast to play. It's flaming hot, doesn't fear fire and comes with average stats for a Monster. It only has a 5+ ward save, but this is more than a Giant or a Dragon has against cannons. It gets stronger with better winds of magic (albeit on a chance of 1/9 it get's weaker) and can make flying attacks like the chaosmantas, even more so with all of its attacks being magical. Since it's a Phoenix it can be reborn by rolling a dice at the end of the turn it was killed, on a 6 it come back with D3+2 wounds, on 3 to 5 it blows up and you can try again at the end of the next turn (can be your opponents turn), with a roll of 1 or 2 the Pheonix is dead. When it's ridden by an Anointed, (the only mount he can ride, and the only one that can ride it) the roll has a +1 modifier which is beautiful. It lacks the power to really take out a big unit on its own but can take out war machines and kill off survivors. With an Anointed it gets powerful enough to flank units and at least have a chance, so this is how you want to take it.

* ''Frostheart Phoenix:'' Frostheart Phoenixes are great to have, but putting an Anointed on one doesn't really do anything for it besides get him into combat and waste his unit buffing so if you're taking one, take one as a Rare option.

===Core Units===

* '''Archers:''' A good unit overall. Longbows and high BS give them a good range and a solid ability to damage small lightly armored units (don't count on them to do too much to heavy armor). They work really well in 2 or so groups of 10, especially when combined with Repeater Bolt Throwers (you should generally concentrate fire). High WS, I, and LD along with Always Strikes First allows them to resist attempts by small units of light cavalry (it'll take more than a unit of Mounted Yeomen to deal with these) but you shouldn't be counting on them to do combat duties. Players are split on whether to take Light Armor: On a 10 man unit, taking Light Armor could deny you an 11th model, but if you want to keep your model count low, Light Armor does make them marginally more survivable. Don't bother with Command beyond Musician. Just a side note, Archers having Longbows is superior in range to Lothern Sea Guard having simple Bows, and this can make a world of difference when trying to outrange certain weapons such as Dark Elf Repeater Crossbows

* '''Spearmen:''' Spearmen got a definite boost in 8th, with the new rules for Always Strikes First and the rank rules (allowing them to strike in 4 Ranks, 3 on the charge). A common formation for them is 5 ranks of 6 for a total of 30 models, giving you a total of 24 attacks (25 with Champion) and 7 wounds required before they start losing attacks for a total of 295 points with Command. Although if you're feeling saucy, you could take a 565 points, 60 man Horde which gets a total of 50 attacks on the front. Ultimately, there's always room for these fantastic infantry units in your army. The anvil of most "hammer and anvil" strikes for High Elf armies. With 8th, First Among Equals was dropped so now only Spearmen can take a 25 point max magic standard.

* '''Lothern Sea Guard:''' Lothern Sea Guard used to get a bad reputation, which is no longer deserved. They cost the same as an Archer upgraded to have Light Armor so 11 points per mini, but get free Spears to go with it, and can take a shield for an extra point. The only reason that isn't the best thing ever is because they have regular Bows instead of Longbows, and thus have diminished range. As such they are often derided as overpriced, but they're a solid defensive unit that can pump out a shooting round on par with the archers and do as well as the Spearmen in melee. With 8th edition, they can no longer take a magic banner as that is now reserved for Spearmen alone. The addition of the Sea Helm to the game has taken away their main weakness however. Before, you had to play it smart to get as many shots as you could in, then reform to take a charge. With the Sea Helm, one easy Leadership check and you're ready to stab the heck out of the enemy (in 4 ranks!) the very moment they begin their charge so as a result a list where your entire Core is one GIANT horde of Lothern Sea Guard escorted by a Sea Helm is the basis for any defensive list. Just remember that the Sea Helm's reforming rule only works if you elect to hold, losing you a stand and shoot. In any case, the high price of each Lothern Sea Guardsman makes every single loss taken slightly more costly than if an equivalent Spearmen had bought the farm (3 point difference, so every third LSG you take is one less Spearman). Take and use with discretion.

* '''Silver Helms:''' LET THE JOYOUS NEWS BE SPREAD! THEY ARE BACK AS CORE! In the previous edition, they were not worth taking due to them soaking up Special options. Now however, you can have a highly mobile force. Here's what you need to know; their stats are the same as Spearmen, but the have a Movement score of 9 compared to the 5 of Spearmen. Silver Helms have Heavy Armor compared to the Spearmen's Light Armor. Finally, Spearmen are only 9 points and come with a Shield, whereas Silver Helms are a whopping 21 points and spend an extra two for that Shield, bringing them to 23 points total each. Is that worth it? When you want a chaff unit that can take a hit or two, sure. In a pure offensive, speed based list - HELL yes! A Noble (on horseback obviously) bearing the Banner of the World Dragon, with your Archmage (also on horseback, duh) spamming any spell he can think of into the enemy, both these fine elves in a very large unit of Silver Helms that is acting as a fast moving steamroller. Flank the enemy with some Reavers, or skip the foreplay and go right to the reaming with Dragon Princes on a charge. Throw Tyrion into the mix for an army worthy of the High Elf race. Do note however, that a list that isn't purely offensive probably shouldn't have Silver Helms in it. An Avelorn themed list where the Sisters of Avelorn mop up the enemy isn't half bad (could be much better) but for the most part keep them as your core in cavalry lists only. Oh, and Bretonnian players won't stop bitching about Silver Helms until they get an update, so we should be cool with the mon'keigh right around the time of the Horus Heresy (sorry, that was mean. Funny, but mean).

* '''Ellyrian Reavers:''' Also back as Core for 16 points a pop. The primary role for Ellyrian Reavers in a High Elf army is as chaff to end an opponent's march, then harass casters and warmachines. The fact they (in a unit of 5 with no upgrades) can do that more durably than a Great Eagle makes them really worth it when you aren't using a horde of Core, and you need your Rare slots for Sisters of Avelorn or Bolt Throwers. Not really worth it in most lists outside that role, their strength is the Wood Elf tactic of shooting and running. They can flank too, so if your list uses a massive horde of one Special option as a wall of doom with a Sea Helm shouting orders to them then some Reavers on the sides aren't half bad. Still, the vanilla Reaver only carries Light Armor and a Spear, with all stats but their Movement (9) equal to Spearmen. They're paying a full 7 points more for that horse, and they don't get a shield for it. If they drop the spears and take bows instead, you spend one extra point per mini (so they lose out on the charge). For a full 3 points, they can still shoot and take spears (so figure out what you want to use them for, then stick with it). Their champion, the Harbinger, has a higher BS so if you aren't taking bows there's literally no reason to spend the extra points on him. They do have a nice purpose, they're really fast moving, have those bows and/or spears, and a few units of 5 will make an artillery happy enemy have to pick between using those cannons to defend themselves, or hit your main force. Perhaps the best use of Reavers however is against enemies with NO ranged options. Nothing sadder than a game where your opponent realizes there's not a damn thing he can do to win because he can't reach your Reavers.

===Special Units===

* '''While your Core units are used to create the core (ha) of your army, this is where you get the guys who do most of the damage. Don't be afraid to shamelessly spend absurd amounts of points (in fact, the full limit you can usually) in your special choices. If you need something dead, and you're not in a big enough game to bring a Star Dragon, this is where you look.

* '''Swordmasters of Hoeth:''' In any (literally any) other army, they'd be a Blue Chip unit, something to never leave home without. After all, 2 WS6 S5 attacks in 3 ranks at 13 points a pop, a magic standard up to 50 points, and with ASF canceling out ASL from great weapons for normal I5 attacks? What's not to like? Well you see, in the High Elves book, there are three primary Special options and Swordmasters are slightly the lowest when you crunch survivability and damage. At T3 and only 5+ armour and one Wound, they are as hard to wound as tissue paper and everyone knows it. But, if we're being entirely fair to the unit and taking them on their own terms, they're not all bad and with some strategy (or magic (AND magic is best of course)) you can make them into trap versions of Brock Fucking Samson. If you're careful with them, small units of them can make devastating flanking units, with most players taking them as bare 15 man units or 21 man 7-across units. They can cause some ridiculous damage under a lot of circumstances, but just be careful with them, one good Magic Missile or enemy shooting phase can mean you spent all those points on nothing (but now in 8th, they can deflect arrows like Jedi via get a 6+ save to non-magical non-template shooting attacks). There is also one way to make them really REALLY good. Run a 30+ man horde. Stick a Lore of Life level 4 Archmage or Alarielle in. Enjoy your opponent's tears while your T7, regenerating, regrowthing unit pumps out 40 S5 attacks to the front. Keeping up a 3+ ward save on the Swordmasters through High magic spam isn't half bad either (a Battle Report where this is maintained the entire game and going up against a horde army is a form of pornography to a High Elf player). All it will have cost you is a few power dice to make that happen.

* '''Phoenix Guard:''' Phoenix Guard are not only the best unit in the High Elf army, they are probably in the top 3 best units of the game, period. 15 points for WS5, S3 (S4 because of halberds), I6, LD9, Fear causing, Heavy Armored, ASF, and an extra rank of attacks. Wait that doesn't sound good? Oh they also have a 4+ Ward Save, standard. Yeah, there you go. These guys can get hit in the face by a cannon ball and just shrug it off, and they've got enough killing power to actually give back. Be sure to give them a solid bit of static CR, because LD9 does not make them immune to failing their break test (BSB works well and will be difficult to kill inside that unit). Either put them in horde formation, or make them very deep to take away steadfast. There is no High Elf army that doesn't have room for these lads (other than the full cavalry list).

* '''White Lions of Chrace:''' White Lions are the middle child, the jack of all trades, the bard if you will of the three Special choice High Elf infantry. Better than Swordmasters due to durability and costing the same amount of points, and deal more damage than Phoenix Guard and two points cheaper. They are inferior to the respective masters in terms of raw damage, or survivability. Still, they do pump out S6 I5 attacks with the usual extra rank, they are more resistant to shooting than Swordmasters (with a +2 to their Armor against non-magical shooting), they treat forests as if they're an open meadow, and best of all they're Stubborn to the last man, which means even a rank of 5 can hold out against LOTS of static CR. They end up truly being the jack of all trades of the three, operating just as well as a defensive ranked unit as an offensive charging unit. Also with S6 from Great Weapons (swinging at I5 due to ASF negating ASL), 3 ranks of them is enough to make most monsters cry (send them up against that Giant your opponent is so proud of and watch him cry as they hack out his kneecaps while singing a jolly tune about how they're hacking away his kneecaps). Take them in big units with the Banner of Eternal Flame and you're ready for anything. They're very good as far as heavy infantry goes, and well worth your time. If your strategy revolves around Swordmasters or Phoenix Guard, White Lions are worth considering as a secondary choice to flank.

* '''Dragon Princes of Caledor:''' Dragon Princes hit harder than any unit has a right to with two attacks and while heavy cavalry has generally fallen out of favor these guys remain popular due to the ubiquity of flaming attacks and breath weapons (although they are no longer immune, they merely get a 2+ ward save against it). Therefore, if your Daemons of Chaos opponent likes Tzeentch and its flaming attacks (Warpflame, Anon, not Flaming anymore), take these guys and see him cry. If you're playing a defensive list, they're probably not worth your time, but offensive lists can generally find a place for them. On the charge there's not much that can hit harder, and while they're no Blood Knights they can certainly keep going in melee. Still, stick with prodding the enemy flank as your goal with them. Uniquely, the Drakemaster (unit champion) can take a magic armour in addition to the usual magic weapon. It may be worth it to turn him into a mini Noble by giving him, for example, the Star Lance and the Enchanted Shield; he has three attacks after all, like a naked Noble. In fact, he's a prince himself...

* '''Shadow Warriors:''' Previously, Shadow Warriors were the Elven equivalent of Beastmen. As of new Army book however they are better shots than archers while only being 3 points more, and get Scouting and Skirmish so they have become useful at War Machine hunting and taking out annoyances like Spirit Hosts. Put a Noble with Shadow Armour and The Reaver Bow in the unit to give them that little extra fire power cheaply (or just give the Reaver Bow to a Shadow-walker [the unit champion] to do it even more cheaply). Throw Alith Anar in with them and you've got Elven Vietcong. Generally speaking, Shadow Warriors still don't have much of a place in your army. Reavers are better at putting the hurt on enemies and getting away, and Special is not the category you really want to put ranged options into. Still, a HUGE horde of Spearmen taking up your Core and Phoenix's eating up your Rare slots leave Shadow Warriors as your Special of choice to still get a ranged attack.

* '''Tiranoc Chariot:''' These aren't bad on their own terms but when compared to the other major option for Chariots, which is better in nearly every applicable way other than not having a ranged attack, Tiranoc Chariots get a thumbs down. Still, Tiranoc Chariots aren't bad and if you're in the mood for a cheap chariot (70 points), this is for you. They are very adaptable with longbows, spears, and very good movement. It should be noted that High Elf Chariots are among the most reasonably priced (money wise) units that GW has, and if you get a Chariot but use it as a White Lion one you get extra horses to put Lords or Heroes on. Apparently nobody has noticed that you can take these in units of three. Well, you can take these in units of three, so they're not that bad compared to the other chariots in the army. Note that a character on a chariot still can't join a unit of Tiranoc chariots. Tomb Kings can only do it because they have a special rule for that.

* '''White Lion Chariot:''' This is what Tiranoc Chariots suffer when compared to. With 2 S4 crew that hit at S6, 4 S5 Lion attacks and an extra armor save, White Lion Chariots are pretty brutal when they hit right. As with all Chariots, if you're playing defensively they won't help much, but they really work fantastically on the charge. Each one costs 120 points, down 20 points from 7th edition.

*'''Lothern Skycutter:''' It's a flying Tiranoc chariot with an extra crewman but each one has a bow compared to the longbow of the Tiranoc. The Roc (not an Eagle, a Roc) hits harder and has an extra attack, and all this comes at only 25 more points than the Chariot. But that's not why you take a Lothern Skycutter. Three words: Flying Bolt Throwers! It's a 25 point upgrade to have one of the crew man it, and it's what you're looking for in this choice. Unlike the regular Bolt Thrower however, this one is a bit different. For one, there's only one type of fire, a single bolt which has half the range of an ordinary Bolt Thrower with 1 Strength less, same D3 wounds and ignoring armor saves, BUT can be fired whether it moves or not. It's beautiful, isn't it? While your Eagles and/or Shadow Warriors have things stuck on the enemy's side of the map, just park out of range of a charge and make them bleed. Unfortunately with moving and only a range of 24 (and therefore at long range when over 12 inches) odds are you're gonna need a 5+ to hit, so you might not get as much mileage out of that Bolt Thrower as you want. Consider carefully. Note that if you're gonna take a single Tiranoc Chariot, you might consider an Bolt Thrower-less Skycutter, if you can find 25 points. For those points you get 1 more crewman (and thus 1 more spear attack/bow shot) 1 higher armor, plus 2WS and 1S on your mount. Probably worth those points.

===Rare Units===

* '''Repeater Bolt Thrower:''' None of the Rare Choices are precisely blue chip units, but Repeater Bolt Throwers are an alternative answer for high toughness and 2+ armour saves if you haven't brought along White Lions. It does have good range, and it is your only war machine, and now that each one is 30 points cheaper it's a lot less painful setting up a defensive position on your side of the map. It does however depend upon lots of protection to be effective as it is a primary target for magic and shooting, and only has two wounds. T7(!) can offset a lot of that though, and combined with Archers they can cause a lot of damage, or with Lothern Seaguard to pump out some hits and be ready for when the enemy reaches you. They're more resistant to shooting than Eagles and can probably cause more damage long-term. Not a great unit, but if you're in the mood, they don't generally hurt. Concentrate fire to bring down big things like monsters and characters, volley fire to eliminate enemy chaff and infantry blocks.

* '''Great Eagle:''' Used to be the only chaff the High Elf army had, but now you've got Reavers and Silver Helms as options in this respect as well. At a mere 50 points (65 after upgrades), it's easy to field a couple eagles in any game higher than 1500. These guys are still the champions of war machine hunting, redirecting, and mage hunting, but they die easier than Silver Helms and it's hard to argue with the Reavers having a ranged attack on top of that role so the primary use of the Great Eagle is now to do the same role but save points (a group of 5 Reavers without bows would cost 80 points and with bows would cost 95 points, a group of 5 Silver Helms with Shields would cost 115, and all 3 choices fulfill the same role to different capacities). With T4 and W3, they're kinda survivable, but don't expect them to survive through the end of the game. They are the ultimate sacrificial units in the chaff slot, and can usually slow down other units and kill at least their points worth, with their two S4 attacks coupled with ASF and Armor Piercing. A unit of Shadow Warriors can fulfill it's role to an extent as well, but Eagle are still preferred.

* '''Sisters of Avelorn:''' The amazons are closing in. This is the strongest shooting unit in game, the Phoenix Guard of PEWPEW. They have flaming arrows that hit at S4 and cause a -1 armor save when you fire on the Destruction-aligned armies, and all that with BS 5. Volley Fire is an option as well. For 14 Points this is a deal and they can shoot out of 3 rows and reduce everything in 24 inches to a burning pile of whatever. When coupled with a Handmaiden giving them fast shooting they are even better, because running without penalty to shoot is always a boon. If you've taken the Horn of Isha, you get one turn of every ranged attack having +1 To Hit to make those arrows even stronger. (Also, they're sexy.) Still they are only as tough as normal archers so don't except them to take much punishment. Protect them with Spearmen, Phoenix Guard, White Lions, or keep them out of harm's way and fire ahead of the Silver Helms.

* '''Flamespyre Phoenix:''' If you're taking the Flamespyre Phoenix, you should really scroll up and read the section for it as a mount for an Anointed of Asuryan. That's really how you want to play it, otherwise the Frostheart is what you are looking for.
** '''Alternate Opinion:''' Taking an Anointed on a Flamespyre Phoenix is actually a massive waste of the Anointed. You are paying an extra 210 points for a rider who is completely useless when the Phoenix is doing flyby burning, which is how you should usually be using it. An Anointed isn't gonna help the Phoenix fight anything except stuff the Phoenix is already qualified to fight, so you're basically paying those 210 points (plus any magic items you want to give him) to get +1 to his resurrection rolls. Never mind that A: when the Phoenix bites it so does the Anointed, B: you're wasting the Anointed ability to grand a 6++ and ItP to a unit and C: it means that the 225 points for the Phoenix come from Lord choices instead of Rare, which is bad because you need your Lord points. Just take the Flamespyre alone and concentrate on flyby and charging smaller units.

* '''Frostheart Phoenix:''' When you get old, you get cold more often it seems, this is especially true if you were a fricking blazing Phoenix, since you become a freezing Phoenix. It is tougher and stronger than its younger version but can't drop napalm and loses its "I'll be back" ability. So it costs a fraction more and if you want to have your monster stay alive instead of maybe coming back to life this is your choice. Has 5+ natural armor, which is decent. Causes Terror, which is great. Its chilling aura is insane. It bestows ASL, but more importantly it also gives -1S to all UNITS in base contact. For all intents and purposes (almost) it has T7 in combat and if it assists another elven unit that unit will experience the joy of Pseudo T4... an insanely good monster. Although it can pull chaff duty, that's really not where you want it unless you're just looking for more time to fill the enemy with arrows and bolts. Frosthearts should be with your main force, hitting whatever needs to be weakened the most after it's already in a fight with your anvil force.

==Building Your Army==
===Buying Your Army===
The key to getting a nice cheap army is the Island of Blood. For one hundred dollars, (OR 55€) you get a decent number of elves, and some Skaven as well that can either be painted and glued to the base underneath your elves's feet or simply re-auctioned to a Skaven player. Did I mention the rulebook, templates, and artillery dice? Buy two of these treasure troves, then sell the Skaven packaged with the rulebook. With that alone, you can probably recover the costs of the boxes. After that, you get 20 Lothern Sea Guard, 20 Swordmasters, 10 Reavers, 2 Mages, and 2 Princes on Griffons (but those can also be run as Princes or Nobles on Eagles or even as just a regular Great Eagle if that's how you're going to go about it). That's the perfect start to any high elf army. After that, start browsing ebay. Search Warhammer High Elves by ending soonest, crunch the numbers so you know Games Workshop's price per model, then factor in shipping. Figure out what you can proxy (High Elf Island of Blood Mage+Spearman/Lothern Seaguard Arm holding the spear with a computer printout of a flag glued to it=Noble bearing a Battle Standard for example). Remember if there's something decent you need with a shipping price you're not thrilled over ($3 for a Korhil mini, but with $4 shipping making it not too great a deal) to check in the seller's other auctions, so you can net a combined shipping discount (that $4 shipping feels much better when you're getting a dragon for $20 and some Eldar you can greenstuff to look medieval for $2 along with said Korhil). With patience, you can assemble a High Elf army at a fraction of the price buying new would have cost, and you can even get some of the nifty old metal minis to be proud of!

===Army Composition===

A High Elf army must either be defensive or offensive, having a mix between the two means that your opponent is only ever facing half of your army at any one time. The good news is, however, that once the focus of your army has been chosen there is still a lot to choose from and a lot to tinker with. Whichever approach you take you need to think about what you are going to do if the enemy has the same plan, or at least refuses to do what you want. While your awesome defensive army with lethal flank charges and such might be awesome when your opponent foolishly charges his whole army towards your block of spearmen, if you're playing against a dwarf gunline who's plan is to just never move then you're going to have problems. All lists need to have a plan for handling war machines (which are to be expected from every opponent) and some number of units to help you control the enemy movement. A few great eagles and a unit of reavers can find a place in almost any army for exactly this reason. Yes, your army needs to be focused but it also needs to be realistic. You need to be able to get some units out on the flanks to clog up charge lanes or divert shooting while your combat dudes jog across the board. If you don't do this then even the best defensive list will get outmaneuvered and the best offensive list will get pulled out of position by enemy chaff. You don't want to spend a lot of points on these units, but they need to be there unless you have an extremely good reason not to have them.

==Magic Items==
===Vaul's Forge===

'''Magic Weapons:'''

* ''The Blade of Leaping Gold:'' Mostly useless, 70 points is not worth it for +3 attacks when what are need are stronger ones. The any-roll-of-a-six-to-wound-ignores-armour-saves thing fails to offset its points cost.

* ''Star Lance:'' 30 points, better than a lance. Excellent for a kick-ass charge, good on a dragon or a griffon as all you will be doing is charging. Getting the Giant Blade from the rulebook will give you that strength in following rounds of combat however.

* ''The Reaver Bow:'' Great with Shadow Warriors or Sisters of Avelorn champions, 25 points for 3 shots at the wielders strength +1 which means they will be strength 5 from a Noble or Prince.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Caledor:'' 50 points for Dragon Armour that bestows a 2+ armour save. Good unless you are mounted or planning on getting a ward save better than 6+.

* ''Shadow Armour:'' Only works on foot, this gives a 5+ armour and gives you Scouts and Strider for 25 points. Strider is nice in itself, but unless you're going with Shadow Warriors he'll be on his own if you use Scouts.

* ''Shield of the Merwyrm:'' 15 points for a shield (+1 armour save as usual) which grants 4+ parry save, even with a magic weapon. A cheap 4+ very conditional Ward save in close combat, but with the usual restrictions: Not if your weapon requires two hands, not if you're mounted, not to the flank or rear, not against impact hits or (thunder)stomp and you will still be vulnerable to spells. Still a very good choice, especially for a hero (e.g. BSB) in a unit.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Golden Crown of Atrazar:'' A 2+ Ward against the first wound suffered. Nice way to spend ten points as it essentially buys you another wound if you lack a save.

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Moranion's Wayshard:'' 50 points for Ambushers that is also applied to a unit of up to 30 Spearmen or Archers that the model is in. A unit that can hold its own behind enemy lines? Yes please.

* ''Khaine's Ring of Fury:'' Soul Quench as a bound spell with 3 to cast for 25 points. The best thing about this is the Ward save you get at the end, but a cheap magic missile is good too.

* ''Gem of Sunfire:'' Used at the start of a turn, this one-use item gives the bearer +1 to all wound rolls for magic, shooting and close combat IF they are also flaming attacks. It can be worth the 20 points if you are under the Banner of Eternal Flame, or are using the Lore of Fire or Lore of Metal.

* ''Cloak of Beards:'' 10 points to cause Fear is brilliant. Against Dwarfs it causes Terror instead and blows up their magic items, but gives them Hatred against you. Of course with the new Army Book and Ancestral Grudge, there's a 1/3 chance his army will Hate your entire army and another 1/3 chance that his army will hate your characters, so most of the time it'll have no downside.

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Hoeth:'' 55 points to re-roll one dice for casting and dispel attempts that are not 6s. Gives you a surprisingly good magic edge, might seem pricey but why should your Prince get his toys and your Archmage be left with nothing?

'''Magic Banners:'''

* ''Banner of the World Dragon:'' 50 points for a 2+ Ward save against magic, magic weapons and magic attacks for the unit, which includes miscast effects. Ward then had the balls to make this banner give stubborn to dragons within 12 inches. See [[Talk:Warhammer/Tactics/8th_Edition/High_Elves#The_Banner_of_the_World_Dragon|discussion page]] page for opinions on this item being game-breakingly overpowered.

===Rulebook Items===

'''Magic Weapons:'''
* ''Giant Blade:'' 60 points is a lot, but +3 Strength is something great for a High Elf damage dealer. Note that despite it sounding like a slow weapon that would negate your ASF, it doesn't.

* ''Sword of Bloodshed:'' Just like Blade of Leaping Gold, it's just doubling up on a strength. 60 points is too much for that.

* ''Obsidian Blade:'' 50 points to ignore armor, great for tailoring your list but as a list you intend to stick to through thick and thin you don't want it.

* ''Ogre Blade:'' +2 Strength, 40 points. Take if it you already took the Giant Blade or if you need those 20 points for something else.

* ''Sword of Strife:'' +2 attacks, 40 points. Once again, you don't need more attacks you need stronger ones.

* ''Fencer's Blades:'' WS 10 for 35 points, but you can't use a shield with it. The Prince has a WS7, and thus this isn't that great when you could bump up his Strength or even his Attacks. Noble and Sea Helm have WS6, better but still not good. Handmaiden shouldn't be in close combat, but in theory if she gets there her WS5 can benefit from this (Reaver Bow should be on her instead of course). Some people have suggested sticking these on a Mage or Archmage since they can't use shields anyway and this can get them out of trouble, but that's debatable. It might be worth it on a Dragon Mage, since they usually end up in combat.

* ''Sword of Anti-Heroes:'' There should be a Mary Sue joke here, but let's go straight into the stats. +1 STR and +1 Attack for each character in base contact with the bearer and his unit. Could be good, could be great in a tailored list.

* ''Spellthieving Sword:'' For each wound a caster receives from this weapon, they lose a random spell. Generally speaking facing a wizard in close combat means a dead wizard. That being said, if you can manage to get into it with a named character (especially the likes of Morathi or Malekith) you could put some pain on them. Problem generally is that most casters who can't kill in one turn (such as Vampires, Chaos Warriors or Ogre Kingdom casters) you are going to want more strength or attacks or more survivability against. Even if this does work there's no guarantee you get a spell that matters.

* ''Sword of Swift Slaying:'' Grants Always Strikes First. Yeah. Because that's what High Elves are lacking alright.

* ''Sword of Battle:'' +1 Attack for 20 points, keep scrolling.

* ''Berserker Sword:'' Bearer has Frenzy and cannot lose it. Extra attack and Immune to Psychology. Neither of which are things High Elves need. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Might:'' +1 Strength close combat for 20 points and you can use a shield, it's nice. Personally, I'd just pay a few points for a Halberd instead. Unless you REALLY need the magical attacks.

* ''Gold Sigil Sword:'' Makes your attacks 10 Initiative in close combat. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Striking:'' +1 to hit. Fairly nice, but Strength is still better.

* ''Biting Blade:'' Armor piercing. 10 points. Inferior to Strength, not bad though.

* ''Relic Sword:'' Attacks with it always wound on a 5+ unless the result needed was lower. Not worth your time.

* ''Shrieking Blade:'' Bearer causes Fear. It's not bad, useless for anyone in a Phoenix Guard bunker, but it's nice as an anti-horde measure.

* ''Tormentor Sword:'' Grants Stupidity to a monster or character hit by it. Only really useful against armies loaded up on those options, so it's a tailoring list option that's questionable otherwise. 5 points to spend if you've got it though.

* ''Warrior Bane:'' Whatever gets hit by it loses an Attack to a minimum of one. 5 points, great for tailoring against other Elves.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Destiny:'' Heavy Armor with 4+ Ward Save. It's like it came straight from our list. It's okay, not mandatory, but not a bad selection.

* ''Trickster's Helm:'' +1 Armor, and any wound made against the bearer has to be rerolled. Stick it on someone designed to just not fucking die, make him stand in front of Alarielle so she can heal a wound every turn, and you've proxied Tyrion on foot.

* ''Armour of Silvered Steel:'' 2+ Armor Save, cannot be improved by any means. 40 points. If you already took Armor of Caledor, worth looking at, but why are you taking 2 damage-taking characters?

* ''Armour of Fortune:'' Heavy Armor with a 5+ Ward Save. 15 points cheaper than the Armour of Destiny.

* ''Helm of Discord:'' +1 Armor, and any enemy character in base contact must pass a Leadership roll or be stunned and is automatically hit. Turns your character into a challenge god. Nice if that's your plan (or if challenges are your fear).

* ''Glittering Scales:'' Light Armor, causes -1 to hit the wearer in close combat. Surprisingly good.

* ''Shield of Ptolos:'' +1 Save against being shot. Pair it with the Lion Cloak and you have nothing to fear from ranged combat. Not bad if you think you'll face it.

* ''Spellshield:'' Magic Resistance (1). Nifty. Not 20 points nifty, but not terrible.

* ''Gambler's Armor:'' Heavy Armor with 6+ Ward Save. 20 points. Stick with Dragon Armour. Costs the same on a Prince and half the price on a Noble and has an improved save against breath weapons and fire. The only time this is a better option than Dragon Armour is if you want to combine with a lion cloak.

* ''Dragonhelm:'' +1 Armor, +2 Ward against Flaming attacks. If you took the Lion Cloak but still want the fire resist, here you go.

* ''Enchanted Shield:'' It's a shield, it grants 2 armor instead of the 1 armor a normal shield gives. 5 points. It's a great option.

* ''Charmed Shield:'' One use, first hit you take can be discounted on a 2+. Not bad, not great.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Talisman of Preservation:'' 4+ Ward Save. Very nice option, but it limits your offensive choices due to it's 45 point cost.

* ''Obsidian Lodestone:'' Magic Resistance (3). For when the Banner of the World Dragon just isn't enough. (If you take Banner of Avelorn instead, this is far more worth considering.)

* ''Talisman of Endurance:'' 5+ Ward Save. Still okay.

* ''Obsidian Amulet:'' Magic Resistance (2). Eh, not bad. Not great either.

* ''Dawnstone:'' Reroll failed Armor Saves. That 1+ to hit on your Prince? Yep. Now they're going to have to get snakeeyes to hurt him. Oh fuck this is so worth the points it hurts.

* ''Opal Amulet:'' One time 4+ Ward Save. Not really worth it.

* ''Obsidian Trinket:'' Magic Resistance (1). Still not bad, still not good.

* ''Talisman of Protection:'' 6+ Ward Save. Not bad as a way of finishing off those last 15 points.

* ''Seed of Rebirth:'' Grants Regeneration 6+. Again, not a bad way of using up those last points on survivability. Otherwise, no go.

* ''Dragonbane Gem:'' 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks. Useful as a 5 point choice if you took Lion Cloak.

* ''Pidgeon Plucker Pendant:'' Misspelled name, odd item. 5+ Ward Save from Flying enemies. Tailor lists only really.

* ''Luckstone:'' Reroll a single failed Armor Save. 5 points, not a bad place to spend them either.

'''Magic Standards:'''

* ''Rampager's Standard:'' Reroll your charge distance dice if you want. Stick it on cavalry.

* ''Wailing Banner:'' Unit causes Terror. Emulate Phoenix Guard on your non-Phoenix Guard. Pretty good.

* ''Ranger's Standard:'' Grants Strider. Ignore dangerous terrain. March your horde wall of death across the map with impunity. A nice choice.

* ''Razor Standard:'' Grants Armor Piercing. Put it on Special choices. Swordmasters in close combat under this are beyond description.

* ''War Banner:'' +1 Combat Resolution. Normally you want to avoid getting stuck in a fight all game, but if that's the plan here's a way to bump up your victory chances.

* ''Banner of Swiftness:'' +1 Movement. There's better choices, really if you want movement you should be rolling for Walk Between Worlds from the lore of High Magic, getting a 1+ Ward Save while you're at it and putting a better flag over your unit.

* ''Lichborne Pennant:'' Magic Resistance (1). Not bad for a mage bunker.

* ''Standard of Discipline:'' +1 Leadership, but disregard the general's inspiring presence. Do you really need Leadership 10 on anything? If Alith Anar is your general and he bites it this can help, but really it's not worth it.

* ''Banner of Eternal Flame:'' Just like most armies, feel free to take this and stick it wherever you want (except Sisters of Avelorn, since they already have it's effects).

* ''Gleaming Pennant:'' One use, reroll failed Leadership test. Why are you failing Leadership? Maybe tailored against an undead army, otherwise no.

* ''Scarecrow Banner:'' Causes Fear on Flying enemies. 5 points, not bad. Tailored list only, but that moment that a giant dragon <s>runs shrieking from a scarecrow on top of a flag being woven around by a spearman you know you've experienced the joys of Warhammer Fantasy.</S> (Most Dragons cause Terror, all cause Fear at the very least, leaving your Fear-causing unit to instead take a Fear test.) Useful against anything smart enough to Fly but not insane enough to cause Fear (Mostly just eagles then?)

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Ashur:'' 70 points for +1 to cast and dispel rolls. If you were playing a VERY large game and your entire strategy was magic and stalling for magic to work, you might use this. As it is it's a mon'keigh's bad transcribing of the Book of Hoeth.

* ''Feedback Scroll:'' Instead of a dispel attempt, you can use this one-use item to roll a dice for each power dice used to cast it. Each one that's a 5+ causes a wound that can't be saved. Great for a tailored list, and worth considering otherwise to take out an opponent's only caster and let you work the winds unopposed.

* ''Scroll of Leeching:'' Instead of a dispel use this one-use to add dispel dice equal to the number used to cast the spell. Great against armies with LOTS of casters (like other High Elf armies). Not a standard gear choice however. Feedback scroll is more useful in many scenarios.

* ''Sivejir's Hex Scroll :'' One use, replaces dispel. Enemy wizard rolls a d6, must get their level or lower (so a level 1 mage needs a 1 to resist, a 3 mage needs a 1-3 to resist, Teclis only suffers a 6 roll) or they turn into a frog. They can't cast spells as a frog, all magic items stop working, all stats except wounds become 1. Each turn roll a d6, roll of a 4-6 and the mage becomes a biped again. VERY fun item, and a surprising thing for such a thing is that it's actually pretty good if you save it for when you can kill that mage in close combat.

* ''Power Scroll:'' According to FAQ it now halves the casting value of one spell, no boosting allowed. Could be fun when you two-dice dwellers or purple sun if the winds are low or your opponent didn't think those last two dices were dangerous.

* ''Wand of Jet:'' One use, increases a casting result by d6 after you're done rolling. This can help cause a IF and miscast too. It's an extra magic dice in the bank for when you need it, and not bad but there's better options for getting more magic juice.

* ''Forbidden Rod:'' One use, add d6 more dice to your magic at the beginning of your magic phase, but the user takes d3 wounds with no armour saves. But... Banner of the World Dragon protects. (Anyone with the Arcane Items page in front of them probably won't let that slide. I know I wouldn't.)

* ''Trickster's Shard:'' One use, start of magic phase. If an enemy mage tries to dispel a spell, you roll a d6 and on a 5 or 6 they take one wound. Not great really. It can be useful sort of if you're rolling a lot of augments at once (turn 1 Walk Between Worlds on everything makes this viable). At 25 points though, it's kind of a waste.

* ''Earthing Rod:'' One use, reroll the result on the miscast table once. Obviously you don't want this if you're running Banner of the World Dragon. Otherwise it's not bad if you're gonna be blasting away with your Archmage.

* ''Dispel Scroll:'' 25 points, auto dispel the enemy spell unless it's an Irresistible Force spell. All armies consider this to be a staple, but it's a bit less important for us since there's other options.

* ''Power Stone:'' One use. Used prior to casting a spell, adds two more bonus dice out of thin air to the attempt. Great for if you got a shit winds roll a turn you really need to crank out a spell.

* ''Sceptre of Stability:'' Misspelled name, one us item to increase a dispel result by d6 after you've rolled. Pretty neat for 15 points against another big magic army.

* ''Channeling Staff:'' Bearer adds +1 to every channeling attempt. Can net you more power dice, but not a big use item. Still, 15 points isn't much to spend for that kind of thing.

* ''Scroll of Shielding:'' One use, replaces dispel to grant a single target a 4+ Ward Save against wounds caused by the spell. Great for protecting something high priority like an Archmage or a Prince on a Dragon.

* ''Staff of Sorcery (FAQ'ed)'': Bearer adds +1 to every dispel attempt for 35pts. Only worth taking on a level 2 or level 4 mage, costs the same as a wizard level but "only" adds +1 to your dispel attempts. Still, dispelling with +5 can really shut down a magic phase. Likewise, if you're mainly after countermagic, level 2 mage plus Staff of Sorcery saves you 30pts from a level 3 mage (and leaves your Lords allowance for a Prince on Dragon).

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Wizarding Hat:'' Wearer becomes a level 2 Wizard who can use a random spell lore. They also have stupidity. This is great for armies with crap magic options, but for us you want to split the magic/killing roles between two characters and at the cost for the hat you could just take a level 2 mage. But if you really want a wizard on a Star Dragon for some strange ass reason...

* ''Fozzrik's Fold Fortress:'' 100 points, so your entire magic item allotment for a Lord. After deployment zones are agreed but before armies are deployed you can put a Watchtower (or similar building agreed upon by both players as appropriate, but must be the same basic size as the Watchtower) in your deployment zone. This MAKES a defensive list with Sisters of Avelorn holding it. For any other troop type it's not great. But in games with objectives, you might be able to argue your opponent into letting you count this as an objective from turn one. Take it if you base your strategy around it.

* ''Arabyan Carpet:'' Infantry or monstrous infantry (no you can't let your horse ride). Has the Fly rule, cannot join units. At 50 points you may as well just mount up on an Eagle or Gryphon.

* ''Crown of Command :'' 35 points to grant Stubborn and thus grant it to a unit the wearer joins. You should probably nut up and bring Korhil instead, but if you already are and want a second unit to be Stubborn it's not bad.

* ''Healing Potion:'' One use to drink at the start of your turn, recover d6 wounds. Since you have very few characters with enough wounds to make it useful, you should rely on the Lore of Life attribute to heal instead. Or bring Alarielle.

* ''Featherfoe Torc:'' Flying creatures and riders must reroll to hit you and your unit in close combat. Take it in a tailored list against the likes of Malekith or other High Elves.

* ''Ruby Ring of Ruin:'' Bound spell with Fireball. Take the High Elf magic item version of it if you're going to bother since it does pretty much the same thing and will give the users unit a ward save.

* ''Terrifying Mask of EEE!:'' Wearer causes Terror, but nobody can use their leadership but themself. Since most High Elves have almost max LD and some characters have the same, there's no downside. Great at discouraging people from fucking with a unit that can't deal in melee or you don't want to keep in melee (Sticking this on a Lothern Sea Helm among Core is pretty great, or ANYONE running with Lothern Seaguard since this can win an extra turn of shooting for them).

* ''Potion of Strength:'' One use, used at the start of any players turn. +3 Strength for the turn, great for a BRUTAL combat phase. Take on a Prince, Noble, or anyone with the Reaver Bow.

* ''Potion of Toughness:'' One use, start of any player's turn to grant +3 Toughness. This is more for an Archmage or Mage stuck in close combat, or a Prince who's going into a suicide charge.

* ''The Other Trickster's Shard:'' All Ward Save rolls have to be rerolled in base contact, both friend and foe. Since Ward Saves are common to us, it can be a detriment. Still good if you don't have one however.

* ''Ironcurse Icon:'' 5 points for 6+ Ward against war machines for the bearer and their unit. Not great, but it's only 5 points so there's no real threat to taking it and it CAN come in handy.

* ''Potion of Foolhardiness:'' One use, start of turn. Gets Immune to Psychology and Devastating Charge for a turn. 5 points for a very fucking hard charge, this has potential in a cavalry list.

* ''Potion of Speed:'' One use, start of turn. +3 Initiative. Cheap, but WHEN THE FUCK WILL YOU NEED A HIGHER INITIATIVE?

==Magic==
The new High Magic is probably one of the most aggressive lores in the entire game now, Soul Quench makes Fireball lovers cry.
Fiery Convocation is, in a game version promoting the use of hordes, extremely powerful; except against ogres and full knight Brets (giving Bretonnians at least one advantage in the modern game) and once it's been cast, your opponent will probably need to abort his next magic phase to dispel it if he cares about his burning minions. High Magic also has Apotheosis, which heals a wound and grants Fear to the target making your badasses into glorious bastards. Walk Between Worlds makes a unit Ethereal and get 10 more inches of movement to deliver a unit directly wherever it needs to be. Hand of Glory is a nice augment, Arcane Unforging is anti-character in the best way, and finally Drain Magic lets you undo whatever spells your opponent is using to manipulate the field of battle (goodbye undead augments).

For the rest of the lores, usual stuff applies. Lore of Life is a consistent favorite (nothing like watching those 5 Phoenix Guard he worked so hard to kill get back up) as is Lore of Shadow. High Elves aren't really set up for offensive Magic outside Dragon Mages so you should generally go with support spells to protect your expensive units, rather than offensive spells.

An important thing to remember is that you should not be building your list around using magic to support this or that unit, you should be putting magic into your list in order to augment the units that are already good. T7 Swordmasters might be awesome, but imagine how awesome that would be on a unit that doesn't need the support to be that good. Plus there are always factors that might get in the way of you casting a spell when you need to, so don't take a unit assuming you can make it better by augmenting it with magic; Take a unit that's already awesome without the magic.

===Magic Tactics===
In this section, I'll list the multiple ways to use specific Lores in conjunction with our units. Some Lores of Magic are flexible and unique, while some are more focused on specific strategies and units to make them work. Either way, you'll find use of them here. In the modern game buffs and hexes are generally the order of the day, offering a lot of value for the dice invested. Especially for high elves who have incredibly powerful units, buffs can send your dudes into the stratosphere. Direct damage spells are still worthwhile but the really powerful ones have either short range, are only effective against specific units or have high casting cost so you need to pick lores that your mages can realistically get good mileage out of depending where you put them and what you expect them to achieve and don't just think in terms of getting the mage a high body count. While getting fifteen kills with dwellers is really cool, something much more boring like +1T for a big block of spearmen can have a much more lasting impact in the game by blunting the enemy charge and allowing you to set up your flank charges and you opponent is much less likely to go all in dispelling a minor augment.

There are two styles of magic that exist for High Elves in my opinion: Balanced and Specific.

Balanced Lores provide buffs and hexes that cover a large area of High Elf weaknesses. These lores include High Magic, Lore of Metal, Shadow, and Light. Specific Lores depend on certain army builds to bring out their true potential. These Lores include Life, Death and Beasts. I'll explain more below.

'''High Magic - Balanced'''

This is a very balanced lore that's designed to assist the High Elves take on any foe. With TWO signature spells this is very versatile. The biggest spell: Fiery Convocation, burns down entire hordes if left unchecked and Arcane Unforging is a direct damage that wounds like a Metal Lore spell but also randomly destroys a magic item on 2+; use this on Banner of Barrows, Flag of Blood Keep, Ghal Maraz ect cetera. Walk Between World makes a unit move 10/20 inches as if Ethereal in the Remaining Move Phase, good for putting a Phoenix behind enemy lines. Oh, and did we mention the Lore Attribute of High Magic? +1 to your Ward save for the Mage and unit every time a spell is successfully cast. YOUR FREAKIN WARD SAVE! This means that a Level 4 Wizard running High Magic can grant most units at least a 5+ during each magic phase and you only need one spell to give Phoenix Guard the magical 3+. March them across the field and watch your opponent cry as everything and their dog tries to kill it with only 3-4 casualties a turn.

'''Lore of Shadow - Balanced'''

Our most powerful lore in my opinion. It's almost as if this Lore was designed with High Elves in mind because it complements our army perfectly:
1. Elite troops with high WS and I can be dealt with Miasma.
2. High armor troops can be destroyed by Mindrazor. No. Mindrazor does NOT make your strength equal to your leadership. You only use leadership when rolling to wound. It does NOT mention using leadership to modify enemy armor. So while it is very useful for felling tough foes, you use regular strength for getting through armor.
3. High strength can be robbed of their power with Enfeeble.
4. High toughness units can be dispatched easier with Withering on them.
5. Expensive, multi-wound models with low initiative can be destroyed with Pit of Shades.

I highly recommend this Lore as your go to lore for balanced play.

'''Lore of Light - Balanced'''

This is another very balanced Lore and very powerful against the Undead and also Daemons now that their stinking Standard of Sundering is finally out of the game. So yeah, TK, VC and DoC hate this lore. Army-wide Pha's Illumination and Speed of Light makes your entire army WS10 I10 and -1 to hit. This gives you fantastic combat potential and great protection vs. melee and shooting alike. Timewarp also allows your entire to surge forward and get into combat insanely early. Once they're in combat, the army-wide buffs allow you to win combat and take less casualties. All your units will hit things on 3s with re-rolls and you'll most likely be hit on 6s. Sadly, this doesn't help High Elves as much as other armies as you already tend to have Always Strikes First, decent WS and decent I. It still helps, just not as much compared to say Tomb Kings who have terrible WS and I.

If you decide to go Light, having a Lv.1 Wizard with Light is also suggested. This gives you the ability to inflict fantastic damage with Burning Gaze and Banishment for very low casting values. As for most balanced Lores, feel free to take whatever.

'''Lore of Metal - Balanced'''

This Lore gives you the power to break through armored units as they were butter. If you knew you were going against an army with multiple, heavily-armored targets such as <S>Brettonian</S> Bretonnian Knights, this Lore is fantastic. Another great thing about Lore of Metal is the army-wide 5+ Scaly Skin. This makes your Light Armor, Shield Spearmen pack on a 3+ armor save. Heavy armor units such as White Lions, Sword Masters and Phoenix Guard also share that lovely 3+. With this in mind, I want to talk about a very specific spell and army-build:

A large unit of Sword Masters with Enchanted Blades of Aiban absolutely annihilate things in combat. WS6 with +1 to hit means you'll most of the game on 2s. With ASF, re-rolls and Armor Piercing S5, you'll walk through troops and elites alike. Even Spearmen with Enchanted Blades plow through units like they were butter. Give it a try, I promise good results.

'''Lore of Death - Specific'''

For this Lore, you mainly want to focus on the destructive capabilities of character sniping. These spells allow you to pick out BSBs, Generals and other important targets that could ruin the opposing army. VC Generals, TK Hierophants, Bretonnian BSBs, the list goes on. It goes without saying that the army-wide -1S and T allow your troops to inflict more damage and take less in return. Lastly, we have Purple Sun. That thing just embarrasses Lizardmen, certain undead armies and Dwarfs. And Ogre Kingdoms. The signature spell is particularly useful for High Elves given their higher leadership values.

'''Lore of Life - Specific'''

I really like this Lore and I almost placed it in the balanced section, but I want to highlight some key builds that I like a lot. For one, Dwellers is a no brainer for most players: It picks off characters, completely wrecks enemies with Elf-stats and destroys entire units of Skaven. Throw dice at a large target with low S and watch it disappear from the game: Cheesy archer spam builds beware! This, is a very defensive Lore for the most part. You have Regen, protection from Miscast, and awesome +4 Toughness (if you have throne of vines) to any unit of choice. Let's not forget Regrowth! Which unit in particular?

A giant unit of Sword Masters with T7 and Regen can mow through most units in the game. They are already incredibly powerful in close combat because of WS6, S5 and 2A, but now give them the T7 and Regen and things just get ridiculous. Use a small Phoenix Guard bunker with a Life Mage and Book, and spam these spells on a giant horde of SM w/ Standard of Balance and Amulet of Light. People will most certainly hate you.

'''Lore of Beasts - Specific'''

If the base unit spell for +1S +1T, the +3T to all characters in 12" is also pretty awesome. Unlike the Lore of Life though, this Lore focuses a lot on damage from characters than defense. Don't get me wrong, Curse of Anraheir can still hex someone down to -1 to hit. Combine this with tough Elven warriors and things look a lot brighter. Take what you would normally take and spam Wyssan's Wildform on everything. Then walk up a bunch of Princes and Nobles with +S magic weapons and hit Savage Beast of Horrors. Can you imagine the amount of carnage you can inflict with multiple characters wielding +3S and +3 attacks? I'm not sure how effective it'll be, but it'll sure make my Prince a little scarier. Or take Korhil, put him on a Lion Chariot, cast the Beast on him, chuck him at whatever and RAPETRAIN IT! Believe me, I've done this before.

==Tactics==

'''Knowing your Enemy'''

The first piece of advice I have for newer players is knowing your enemy. There is nothing more important than this piece right here. You look across the table and you see a bunch of units you don't know, you already know this game is going to head into disaster. Very few players have the ability to asset threat, damage and power on the fly so its best you go into battles prepared. Key units like the Skaven Doomwheel, the Bloodthirster or the horde unit of Khorne Marauders with Great Weapons, all of these are important pieces on the battlefield. The best thing to do in these situations is to point across the table and ask. If the player you're playing with is a gentleman, and it's a friendly game, I hope he can tell you what each unit does. In a tournament setting, forget about it. Fantasy already takes a day and a half to set up, so it's best you do your research ahead of time.

Think of it like this: Every game you play is a test of skill and generalship. Any good general takes the time to learn about his enemy and so should you. That's why I buy every army book GW prints. Not only is it superb shitter material, but it's also valuable information on what kind of ridiculous combos, units or special characters that might show up on the battlefield.

'''Understanding Your Army'''

I almost think that knowing your enemy and understanding your army works hand in hand. If you think about it, you spend all this time making up your army list and for what? Each army list is designed to accomplish a certain thing on the battlefield. Playing for fun is one thing, but you're also playing so your troops are victorious. This is why army design is crucial and how you can make the best out of your army composition.

Keep in mind that this is not advice on how to min-max your army, it's about making your army work for you. As a general of any given army, you must find a medium where you're comfortable with the units you've taken, and you understand fully how they work. The best way to do this is by assigning battlefield roles. Take Sword Masters for example, what do they do best? They generate CR by ripping up lowly troops in combat but they die as fast as a swift breeze. What's the job of Spearmen? Or Skavenslaves? To hold the line and await reinforcements, using their superior numbers and ranks to tie the enemy down.

To be a successful general, you must know your units like the back of your hand. Understand each unit's functionality and purpose, but most importantly, understand why you put them in your army in the first place.

The greatest threat to most units in a High-elf army is long combats, if you cannot break a unit you will need to minimize the amount of damage they can do back to you in the following turns. Remember your troops hit rather hard but tend to die very easily.

'''Deployment'''

I've seen many games where games are lost on deployment alone. Picture for a second that your opponent puts down a unit of heavily armored Chaos Knights after you put your White Lions down far away from them. If those White Lions were your only defense against heavy armor, then I'd say you're in a world of shit once those Knights come crashing on your flank.

That's why you see players taking units whose sole purpose is to give them an edge in deployment. Some might be good enough to be used as re-directors or warmachine hunters too. These units are also known as chaff. Chaff is important because it allows you put these units down anywhere you want for the most part. They pretty much always go in the same place or have outrageous movement speed that they can relocate and not be troublesome for the movement of your army. Eagles can be used as chaff, Sabretusks and Fellbats for example, all can act as chaff for your army.

The key to deployment is matching your opponent's units pound for pound. You don't want to put down a unit that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against another unit he put down right off the top. Your unit must have support, or is capable of holding the line against whatever he puts down or your side is just going to fold. The best example is the Knights scenario I presented above. You want to be able to match your opponent in deployment, or be superior to him in deployment. I call these "drops". If your army has greater or equal to the number of drops he has (total # of units he can put down during deployment), you're in a good place. This minimizes on the chance your army will be out-deployed. The person with more chaff will have more chaff that he can put down, forcing you to put down your last unit of White Lions so he can purposely drop a power unit on your flank. Unless your army is designed to fight uphill battles, you should never let this happen.

If you know you're going to be out-deployed, you should analyze which units on his side you don't want in your flanks and deploy your answers last. This is where knowing your enemy comes into place.

'''Analyzing The Threats'''

To be successful on the battlefield and during deployment, you must first analyze threat. You must understand which units on the other side of the table can cause you most harm. This is huge. Keep in mind that army scale does not equate to the harm they can cause in combat. The best example of this is a giant unit of Skaveslaves vs. a small unit of Sword Masters. The craziest thing to assume is that the unit of Skavenslaves is going to do a lot of damage on the battlefield. Sure, there's a whole bunch of them, but their fighting prowess equates to dried fish where your Sword Masters preform like a hot knife through butter.

One of the things that 8th Ed. has going for it is big creatures. If it's a big monster on the other side of the table, this is probably worrisome. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons, it's probably going to do a lot of damage. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons and is in horde formation, it's probably something you should deploy smartly against because that thing is going to fuck your shit up if you play dumb. The most pronounced threats on the battlefield are normally the ones your opponent has heroes and lords going into it. It's either going to be a caster bunker, or a frontline unit that'll do solid bits of damage.

Remember what I said about battlefield roles? Your opponent does the same thing with his army. He knows what his frontline units are, which ones do the most damage and which ones are designed to hold the line. You know his primary sources of damage and these are the ones that should be generating the highest amount of threat in your mind. You might run into scenarios where certain units don't want to be in combat at all. These are often caster bunkers or vulnerable Magelords who would hate to have an Eagle pick out his eyes. Knowing the weak points of his army can prove to be a great advantage to you during deployment and when you're playing the game. Again, understanding how the opposing army works helps greatly here.

'''Understanding Favorable Scenarios'''

Hesitation can lose you a game, but so can your ability to underestimate your troops.

Here are some examples:
A scary dragon on the battlefield is not so scary when you shoot him with a billion arrows.
Knights actually do quite poorly against White Lions.
A small unit of Sword Masters into the side of Skavenslaves really fucks up their shit.
A Spearmen unit, given enough ranks can hold a charge from most, if not all, point equivalent units in the game.

A lot of this might seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many times players second guess themselves on the battlefield. Know your army, know what each unit is designed to do (which is surprisingly easy for High Elves because everyone's so specialized), and know which scenarios go in your favor on the battlefield when paired up against any given opponent.

At the end of the day, you should always apply a unit's actual battlefield role to do battle. You should always be thinking: The only reason I'm bringing X unit is to fight against Y units. In a game of rock-paper-scissors and random surprise Mindrazors; it still works in your favor when you know what counters what.

'''Predicting Combat'''

This is definitely more in the lines of advanced players, but after so many battles, players start seeing the same numbers. A unit of 7x2 Sword Masters hits a unit of Skavenslaves. Aside from a ton of rats dying horribly, how many Sword Masters did you lose and how much CR did you generate? What about Spears? Even if you didn't charge but was instead charged by a unit of Empire Halberdiers, how many Spearmen died and how much CR did you generate via kills, ranks and standard? What about that beefy lord-class character sitting in a relatively weaker unit? I bet he can do some serious work. I'm not saying go out there and mathhammer the life out of everything in the game, but you should have an idea how your units will perform on the battlefield.

The battlefield is a pretty unpredictable place, especially when shit like magic is involved. However, successful players have a good idea of what to expect when they throw their units into combat. For the most part, players only throw their units into combat they can win. This is why predicting combat outcomes are so important. A unit of Spearmen charging a horde unit of Marauders w/ Great Weapons in the front might not be the best choice alone, but what if you plan your magic phase to get Withering off on the unit? What if you decide to combo charge with your Spears and Sword Masters on the flank so you can use your magic elsewhere? The combat res generated from the combined charge "should" win you combat.

You see how predicting combat drastically changes the way you play the game? By assessing the battlefield and seeing the game on a larger level, you are able to make plays ahead of time. The key to being a successful general is being able to see multiple instances of this at once and analyzing which ones generate the highest amount of success with the lowest number of risk. Your ability to capitalize on this is what will take you from good, to great.

'''Lesser of Two Evils'''

Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in order for victory for be secured. Sometimes, you just have to choose. Imagine yourself in a scenario where no matter what you do, something bad is going to happen to your army. This might be a loss of a flank, a loss of a key unit or letting a horrible spell go through. If your opponent plays it right, there should be scenarios where all of these happen at the same time. Take note here for a second about what I just said. A well-played game of Warhammer is when you make your opponent sweat over the choices he has to make. No matter what choice he makes, something bad should happen to his army. That's when you know you've made a good play.

If you have to choose, always go with the play that'll guarantee you the greatest chance of victory in subsequent rounds. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have to first let that flank fall, or that unit be destroyed so you can strike back in a manner most decisive. This is why predicting combat and understanding favorable scenarios is important. In a situation like this, always put yourself in the opponent's shoes. Think from his perspective and predict what he would do after he successfully pulled off a big play. Predict what he does and counter it to the best of your advantage. Think to yourself: If he wins big on combat there and I flee, will he pursue or will he reform? If he pursues, do I have anything that can hit him in the flank or catch him in a bad spot? If he reforms, do I have anything that can strike decisively and win combat on that unit next turn?

Don't get yourself caught up in the moment. Understand that the 300 odd points of Spearmen you just fed your opponent can equate to you combo-charging his General's bunker and send it into the oblivion, then it's well worth it. If sacrifice has to be made, it has to make its points back and more. If not, then the sacrifice is not worth it.

'''Magic Superiority'''

The first thing to understand is that a small advantage is still an advantage. This is how you should analyze the winds of magic. A successful magic phase is all about analyzing which spells your opponent can afford to let go and which spells he can't. With an Lv.4 Wizard, you have access to a good amount of viable spells. The spells your opponent can let go are often the spells you want to take advantage of. That's when why you draw a big winds round, you cast moderately but still vital spells that plink at his dispel dice. These should be all moderately dangerous to the outcome of the fight in question (which will be his main focus).

Use smaller castings of hexes and augments, because a slight advantage (what he sees, and analyzes as less important), is still an advantage (huge for High Elves). A clever mage will be able to feint the significance of a fight and get off multiple spells a turn. If your opponent lets it all go because he's anticipating Mindrazor, that's his problem because now his unit is now -WS, -T and you ASF with a better combat result. Mindrazor isn't even needed at this point. If he throws dice trying to dispel your other hexes, that's less dice he has available when you actually do throw down the MR. This goes hand in hand with what I said about anticipating combat results. How badly your troops need your magic will save a lot of unneeded dice.

Redirecting focus: Say you have a unit engaged in combat and you anticipate a victory, or at least a draw result. You concentrate magic on another area of the battlefield that your opponent isn't focused on. This breaks his concentration and draws a big cloud of WTF? over his head. This happens when you see something crucial your opponent doesn't, as often times or not, players get tunnel-visioned in the combat they're in but don't grasp the wider vision of the battlefield. Hexing incoming Knights on your turn with -WS or -S will make much more of a difference than watching Sword Masters narrowly win combat vs. a flanking unit of Clanrats.

'''Baiting and Feinting'''

Fleeing from a battlefield is not always a sign of cowardice. It can also be used to bait an opponent out of position or force him into a position he doesn't want to be in. The best example of this could be a unit of Spears fleeing from a charge of Bretonnian Knights. God knows you don't to take that charge in the face so you opt to flee with your Spearmen. He now has two choices: Take a Ld. test to charge something else, or roll for the Spears. Say that you have a unit of White Lions or Sword Masters next to the Spears. Does he really want to re-direct into the Lions or SM? Or does he want to risk the charge and risk exposing his flank to the Lions?

You see what you just did here? A simple flee can put your opponent in a rock and a hard place (especially if the charge is long). Both scenarios equally suck for him so he might opt to charge at all. This is also good for you because it gives you the chance to charge his Knights next turn! And if he doesn't opt to charge, your Spears will still be there to assist in the main battle. Warhammer can be a game of cat and mouse, so it's best to know all the options available to you before you commit. If you plan on charging something, know all the possible reactions your opponent can take before investing. You don't want to be in the same shoes as the above player.

'''Eagles are an Elves' Best Friend'''

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Eagles are my MVP. First off, they are probably one of the most annoying pieces of chaff ever. They're great in the deployment phase when you can just put one down and stare into your opponent's soul. They're great ingame because they can fly boldly into your opponent's charge lanes and take one from the team; forcing them to charge them and re-position. Eagles buy you time, buy you movement and allow you to re-position your army while the Eagle re-positions your opponents. They allow you to chase down enemy chaff or flankers, help pressure warmachines and provide you with flank and rear charge CR should they survive mid-game. They act primarily as re-directors (a Frenzied unit's worst nightmare) and are the true workhorse of most High Elf armies.

'''Counter-charges and Flanking'''

Sometimes, the good ol' hammer and anvil is something even the experienced players forget. The concept of a counter-charge is simple: Unit #1 is a unit that can take hits - in the case of High Elves, a giant block of Spears with Steadfast CR up the ass. This is known as the anvil. Unit #2 is a unit that hits hard as fuck but dies to a soft breeze. Sword Masters are an popular choice for a hammer. Your opponent charges your Spearmen because it's the only viable target and you hold knowing that your Sword Masters (who are conveniently placed on your flank), will have a flank charge next round. Magic is invested in keeping the Spearmen alive and steadfast while the Sword Masters charge their flank next turn. Heads start rolling and combat heavily swings your way, winning you the day.

Flanking is also quite simple: Place something that has good threat range on the far sides of your army and use them as CR generators. I normally like using Dragon Princes for this type of role. Put 5 of these guys down on a wide-flank and they can be used to reliably add CR to any combat mid-field. Flanking can also be used to bypass some of your opponents' attention to hit warmachines and other units chilling in their backfield. Lastly, flanking is also good for having additional CR in combat. An Eagle charging from the far flank gives you 2 CR for just having the balls to be there. It's pretty much free CR.

'''Winning combat, now what?'''

So now that you've won combat, you have to think about what to do next. Unfortunately, most players think about this step immediately after the combat resolves. I want you to take a step back and think about what can happen even before you charge. If you charge now, and win a victory over your opponent, can you overrun into an important caster bunker in back? Does your opponent have anything that can crush your overrun if you choose to do so? Is your unit stretched too far and out of range of your BSB? Is he out of his BSB? If you push the advantage, will your advantage be negated if he engages the rest of your army while your best unit is out of position? Winning combat is important for sure, but what happens after is even more important. You must be in a favorable situation to benefit from it: The result of a successful charge should net you more success in the subsequent turns than harm.

Keep in mind that you don't have to keep going after you wiped out a unit. Check to see if the unit has been mauled enough that the only way he can rally is if he rolls double 1s. Sometimes the position you're in begs you to combat reform and stay still. If you commit anymore, you might go from crushing victory to outright defeat. Never lose sight of the bigger picture and don't over extend yourself. Unless you're Stubborn, or have a unit that's incapable of losing combined charges in the next round of combat, it's best to wait for the rest of your army. You want to be in magic support range, you want to be in BSB range and you want to be in support charge range of other units. Don't forget this.

Another thing to keep in mind is Line of Sight. If your unit can surge forward enough after winning combat that'll take him out of LoS (and thus enemy charges), this is a great advantage. It allows you to drive deep in the enemy lines and force him to turn around or suffer a rear charge from you in the subsequent turns. This also allows your main force to advance and catch him in a vice. Surely this is a good thing as even the most lackwit of generals know that enemy forces running in their backfield is bad.

'''Lost combat, now what?'''

So your beautiful charge turned into a crushing defeat, what now? Obviously, this means your unit will be running back to your lines like a whipped dog. Don't worry, you can now look into the future and analyze why you lost combat and how you can regain the momentum in the next phase of the game. Maybe something completely unpredictable happened in the magic phase that killed your opportunities in combat? This is the single biggest factor in how combats can sway. This is also something I want you to remember: Magic can greatly skew the outcome of any combat you're invested in. Think about this before you charge, and understand what magic lores he has that can shift momentum in his favor. In order for you to succeed in combat, you must dispel the magic he will use to turn combat in his favor. This is not negotiable.

After losing combat, you need to analyze several things:

Did he Overrun? If so, are you in a position where you can take advantage of his over-extension?
Did he Combat Reform? If so, are you able to counter-attack next turn?
What made you lose combat? Was it some beefy character or was it magic that turned the tides?
How do you not lose combat again? Neutralize the beefy character (or avoid him completely) and dispel the magic that sways combat his way.
Is your fleeing unit useless? Treat the game as if you're 1 down, but don't forget about the fleeing unit. Even if he's below 25%, you can still test for double 1s.

'''When ahead, stay ahead'''

The philosophy behind this concept is simple: Don't do anything stupid that'll throw away your lead. What happens most of the time when players start winning is they start playing careless. This is a sure way to lose your lead and put you behind in a game where you're almost guaranteed to win. A great example of this would be killing your opponent's Dragon Lord and 1-2 Hydras with your Warmachines first turn before they even get to do anything and still managing to lose the game. I don't know how this happens, but players get lost the ecstasy of great plays (or luck) and think now that the main threats are gone that the game is in their hands. This is the wrong way to approach a lead.

The more appropriate way to take advantage of a lead is to think: How do I get further ahead? You want to be in a position where your next step is to eliminate any and all possible ways the opponent can swing the game around. You put yourself in his position and you think to yourself: I just lost my Dragon Lord and my Hydras, so what can I do now to walk away from the table like a man? Once you think about the situation from your opponent's mindset, you counter it and deny him of it. With no victory options in sight, your opponent will have no choice but to fold.

'''Post-game Analysis'''

Now that the game is won (or lost), you can look back and see what you can do to improve. Human beings are meant to improve; we're a race of learners and adapters. No matter how badly you just massacred your opponent or how crushing your defeat, there's always something to take away from the game. The most important part here is that you must learn from your game to improve. If you won the game, think about the scenarios you could have done better. If you lost the game, think about why you lost and which units caused the most problems. Think about all the topics that were covered above. There must be something you could have done better in the never-ending list of becoming a better general.

It's important that you discuss the game with your opponent. Talk about how the battle could have gone differently if you did this, or that. How his game could have changed if he did this, or that. Not only does this give you a better perspective on the game (and your opponent's army), but also the player you're playing against. Share your thoughts with your opponent and let him share his with yours. Criticism and advice should be taken with an open mind. It helps broaden your perspective on other general's opinions and makes you a better-rounded player overall.

==See Also==
* [[High_Elves_(Warhammer)|High Elves]]

{{Warhammer_Tactics_Races}}
[[Category:Warhammer/Tactics]]

Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/High Elves

2020-10-06T01:19:54Z

2606:A000:1128:495A:E595:93AF:8EAF:C3E6: /* Why Play High Elves */

==Why Play High Elves==
Because you like Elves. And winning. High Elves win a lot. They have a BRUTAL magic phase (which if used properly completely offsets any perceived weakness of the High Elves), solid infantry choices, a variety of savage monstrous mounts and one of the best archer units in the game. Oh and did we mention that they have Always Strikes First, to a man, which combined with their high Initiative means you are essentially always getting rerolls <strike>and according to their FAQ, this is unaffected by Great Weapons.</strike> It is now only normal ASF, which means Great weapons strike at normal Initative, for once thank you Matt Ward. Let's also not forget the fighting in extra ranks. Between the extra ranks of attacks and the re-rolling misses, this army is designed to land lots of hits in close combat.

Don't think they're a cinch to play though, they're not THAT [[Warhammer/Tactics/Daemons of Chaos| overpowered]] (unless you use High magic or Life magic). Low Toughness, light armor and high cost units means that they have to be played well. But if you play them properly you will utterly destroy the competition. An army for people who like gorgeous models and want to play a tactically fulfilling army without being hideously underpowered. Or for a player that doesn't give a shit about a tactically fulfilling army and just likes to spam magic and block everything with ward saves (making that low toughness/light armor not matter at all), have crazy magic items, or just be better at all four phases of the game than all other armies (who said these guys weren't overpowered again?). An army, in short, for the exact kind of people who like Warhammer Fantasy.

==Army Rules==

*'''Martial Prowess:''' One of the cornerstones of why High Elves hit like a ton of bricks. Fighting and shooting in extra ranks is huge. Other armies at one point or another have to decide between more attacks or a decent rank bonus. High Elves can have all models attacking and still have 2-4 ranks!

*'''Valour of Ages''': When fighting their dark cousins, High Elves counter their hatred with re-rolling failed panic, fear and terror tests. It's a nice rule, who hasn't lost that one critical morale test in a game before? I would however say that hatred is superior. Valour of ages unfortunately does not allow re-rolls of failed break tests, so you're anyway going to field a BSB, and he already has panic, fear and terror covered. Still, your vanguard and scouts or anything else not in the BSB-bubble can benefit.

*'''Lileath's Blessing:''' A bonus of +1 to casting results for using High Magic across the board. High Magic is a very versatile and powerful lore, really drawing from the eight rulebook lores. And the spells already have relatively low casting values, so Lileath's Blessing means that you can easily cast 2-3 spells each turn to get that nice Ward Save bonus for your mage and his unit.

==Unit Analysis==
===Lords & Heroes===
====Named Characters====
'''Note:''' Under the current edition, named characters tend to be overpriced; you can pretty easily emulate most named characters from scratch and save yourself some points. That said, a few named characters do have abilities and wargear or wargear combos unique to them, so if you need to have them, go ahead. Just make sure you're really getting your points worth.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Tyrion, the Defender of Ulthuan:''' Tyrion is an expensive close combat beast, and that's what you want him to be. Between ASF, WS9, I10, 4 attacks, S7 (4 base +3 from Sunfang, and a magical Flaming Attack at that) and a breath weapon, he can pretty much wreck an entire unit on his own and with his 1+ armor, 4+ ward, and Magic Resistance (2) he will just not die (and even if he does, the engagement necklace from the Everqueen means one wound that would kill him is negated on a 2+, essentially giving him +1 wound, or a one time immunity to killing blow. He loses his magic resistance after use, meaning that last wound is slightly more vulnerable). However, he's kinda stuck in the role of the hammer, and at that level of points you can take someone on a Dragon and he can't do TOO much that a tricked out Prince couldn't do just as well for less (that dragon can't join a unit though, which makes Tyrion worth considering far more than he was in 7th edition). He's fun, but competitive lists tend to prefer generic options or the Everqueen. Something of note is that he can join a unit of Silver Helms or Dragon Princes which really ruins someones day in larger games (remember that now with Silver Helms being core, your anvil can suddenly drop onto the heads of the enemy rather than just hold them in place in an all cavalry list). His super-horse also has +1 M,WS,S,I and A. Be aware, he has taken a VERY SLIGHT nerfing (ie; his immunity to fire is now on a 2+ ward save meaning if he rolls a one he gets roasted. As cavalry he's no longer immune to killing blow so KB units such as Grave Guard can suddenly wreck his day again. He's also 10 points dearer). Weiging in at 410 points, he'll eat up a big chunk of your Lords points, but with the changes due to the End Times, you can now field him and the Everqueen in a 2000 pt game (and hopefully they don't start banging mid-game). One final change to him in this edition: he no longer HAS to be General of the army he's in, but if he is his inspiring presence has a range of 18". If your strategy is wedge Tyrion in your enemy's ass while a mage hides in a bunker and faps to the scene, you might wanna keep him as a minion but if your whole strategy is to run your enemy down with a wall of equine death he should be the one in charge.

* '''Teclis, the Loremaster of Hoeth:''' All those lifeline steroid pills must be getting to him, he got nerfed again. Not nearly as badly as last time, but he's weaker. He is still a powerful mage because he can either know all spells in High Magic, or have one spell (of your choice) from each normal Lore. The Moon Staff is now a one use item that either lets you add an extra die to each cast attempt from him for a turn OR negate a miscast from him (after use Teclis reduces his Strength and Toughness to 1 for the rest of the game, which is pretty funny but bad news). The scroll he carries is still nice, letting him auto-dispel an enemy (non-IF) spell as well as having a D6 roll-off against the mage who cast the spell, with a win resulting in them losing that spell for the rest of the game. Despite his ''awesome'' sword, he is still a cripple of an elf with no save to speak of so at least cram him into something that won't see cc and can protect him at the same time (not easy). The War Crown of Saphery, which used to let him dispel a miscast each turn and thus overpower him more than almost anyone else in the game, now grants him an additional wizard level making him one of the four Level 5 wizard options in the game. All together Teclis has gone from being mandatory in a "best possible" High Elf list to being an expensive character who's return on his points is questionable. Still, he's not terrible and is great for picking spells now that the magic item that used to let you do that is gone from the game. If you are using Storm of Magic rules, Teclis is still the powerhouse he once was and is just as facerollingly unfair as before.

* '''Alarielle the Radiant:''' The Everqueen is back people, and she is a Lord level wizard who can choose how many of her four spells are rolled from High Magic, Life Magic, and Light Magic. Mostly a defensive character, she uses her female status to make her unit protective of her to the point that they are immune to Fear and Terror (which is fair play if you ask me) and all her units' attacks count as magical. Also she heals one friendly character within 12" for 1 wound each round during the movement phase, but needs to target anyone else if available before herself since she's nice and all. Her and her unit get a 5+ ward save against non magical attacks too, which is jolly decent of her. She has only one attack but against the Forces of Destruction it's Heroic Killing Blow on top of her elven ASF. It would be really laughable if... lets say she slays a Greater Demon with this, but highly unlikely. She has Lileath's Blessing like other High Elf casters so she'll add +1 to High Magic spells if you're looking to bump up that Ward Save with Shield of Saphery via High Magic spam. She also has a nifty little passive called Chaos Bane since her very existence makes Daemons take SAN checks (so the Everqueen is more or less the God Emperor of Fantasy in all the ways Sigmar isn't) which means that during the beginning of her Magic Phase, before you roll for winds, every unit with the Daemonic rule within 12" of her takes D6 hits at strength 4 calculated as per shooting. Seems nice, but it comes with the drawback that she casts at a -D3 to any spells since Daemons give her a sad. She's got a one use item called the Stave of Avelorn which lets her cast a spell a second time regardless of whether she bummed it up or not. Finally, taking her gives Nobles, Lothern Sea Helms, and Handmaidens of the Everqueen special options. The Noble or Lothern Sea Helm you would use as your Battle Standard Bearer (which you are always going to have) can take the Banner of Avelorn for 40 points, which gives you +4 on every cast of Life and Light magic that targets the unit the Banner is in (that last part if very important, remember it when deciding where the BSB will march) which is very nice if you're looking to get off two of the best defensive/counter lores without losing many power dice each casting. The Handmaiden can take the Horn of Isha, which is a one use item used at the start of the Movement Phase that gives all the models in the unit that used it a +1 To Hit bonus on shooting or melee (so one turn of those arrows from the amazons get a little bit pointier) for 50 points. With all the rules the Queen is toting, she is High Elves' new Teclis but on defense rather than offense. She's also right alongside Teclis in Storm of Magic overpowering. Keep in mind she's not a /win overpowered goddess. Lists that use the Everqueen should have one giant horde to stick her in with multiple wound characters in it. Even a unit of Spearmen with the Everqueen can be buffed to Phoenix Guard levels on the cheap. Everqueen lists are vulnerable to flank charges however, so keep that in mind if you decide your Special choice should be the Alarielle horde. A Sea Helm in the unit with her will solve that issue pretty quickly however.

* '''Alith Anar, the Shadow King:''' Alith used to be overshadowed by the other Lord level choices available, but this edition has him in his own role and if it's what you need he's perfect. He's got a glorious bow granted to him by a goddess (functions as a Bolt Thrower (so subtract the price of one from his cost to figure out what ELSE you're getting from him) that he can shoot even if he moves, and ignores Armor saves) and has a nice statline. Hatred isn't as useful in 8th, but against Dark Elves it's always nice to put just a little more pain on them; speaking of, if you know you will be fighting Dark Elves he's Khaine's gift (one without drawbacks!) to elfkind due to his ranged attack causing -1LD to Dark Elf units he hits until the end of the phase. Since Bow of the Seafarer was removed in 8th edition you can no longer kit out a Prince to be a better shooty lord, so Alith has taken on that role entirely by himself and as a result a more viable option in competitive lists. Alith causes a -1 To Hit for whatever tries to shoot a unit he's joined, and the unit also has Swiftstride so think about where you're putting him (advancing wave of White Lions that you just CANNOT shoot is nice, as is Shadow Warriors you can't catch). Keep in mind that if you deploy him outside of your deployment zone you may want someone else to be your general, otherwise his inspiring presence is wasted for half the game.

* '''Elatharion the Grim, Warden of Tor Yvresse:''' He's nice, but perhaps too expensive for his own good. Hatred VS Orcs and Goblins isn't very useful unless you will actually be playing against them, and his extra boost in personal combat against Grom the Paunch of the Misty Mountain even less so. He's also a Level 2 caster who can grab any lore from the Rulebook (Beasts and Death work well), but that's a job you generally want to split between combat Lords and Wizards (never mind that, for his cost, you can grab a Prince AND a level 2 Mage, with 35 points left for equipment before Eltharion becomes the cheaper pick). He can also ride his enhanced personal Griffin Stormwing and get a free lance. Stormwing has stats exceeding a Sun Dragon and has ASF plus the 5+ Ward Save Eltharion's helmet grants him (How the fuck does that work? Magic. Elf magic.) but has no Scaly Skin which is a big deal when a Sun Dragon is only 40 points more. He's really a good enough Lord who's mostly overshadowed by how much you're paying for him and how other choices crunch better. On the plus side, his badass sword (+2 strength, no armor saves allowed), badass helmet (+1 armor save and 5+ ward save), and finally the badass medallion (gives Magic Resistance (1)) make him an easier pill to swallow if you're going for a themed list. Consider him on foot instead of simply throwing him on the gryphon if you do want him.<br />'''Alternate View'''<br />Compared to other sources, based on the princes profile he should be worth around 391 points (compared to his 295). Still, your mileage may vary if he's point effective or whether a vanilla prince with a few upgrades would be better.<br />'''Even More Alternate-er View'''<br />To achieve an equivalent level of power on vanilla Lords and Heroes would actually come to almost 450 points (Excluding his griffon), so he's a cheap way to have a wizard and a combat beat stick, especially in a low point game. Plus everyone loves a good sword-swinging wizard (Let's call him pointy-eared Gandalf).

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Caradryan, Captain of the Phoenix Guard:''' Caradryan is a good fighting hero that got 5 points cheaper in 8th but lost 2 points of his magic resistance. Mark of Asuryan was changed from dealing D6 no armour save wounds to the single model that killed him to instead dealing D3 no armour save wounds to the unit or the same to a single enemy in a challenge (so his aftermath special ability has been halved in exchange for it being able to affect the unit when he cops it outside of a challenge). His magic weapon is FANTASTIC against trolls and other regenerating monsters due to having Flaming Attacks, it also hits on +1 strength and causes Multiple Wounds (D3) against anything. He himself is not too expensive, especially since he discourages tricked out Lords/Heroes from coming after him due to his dying ability. Not the greatest Hero in the world, but really fun and a god-tier bodyguard. Also, has the option to now ride a named Frostheart Pheonix, Ashtari. Costs 10 points more than a generic but with an additional attack and is thus a GREAT option. Combine that with his dying ability and you've essentially got a flying tank that weakens things around it carrying a nuke (one that doesn't hurt your own men), and it's on a dead man's trigger.

* '''Korhil, Captain of the White Lions:''' Korhil's main advantages are as follows: He's cheap (but 10 points costlier in 8th) and he's Stubborn and thus grants this to any unit he joins. Those two reasons are reason enough to take him, especially if you want to dump him in a large Spearmen unit. He lost Woodsman, gained Forest Strider which is the same thing by another name. It lets his unit waltz through deadly Forests like they're a peaceful park. He's reasonably killy on his own merits with S4, with +2 strength from his magic weapon, with Killing Blow, with ASF, with an extra hand weapon. Pelt got a slight nerf, grants +1 close combat and +2 shooting to his armor, and instead of being immune to poison in all forms they have to roll To Wound to hit him. Not someone who will turn the game around, but he certainly helps if your strategy is an elfhorde and you didn't bring along Alarielle. See his bio in the fluff section for themed lists, basically he can show up anywhere High Elves are as long as the Phoenix King approves of whatever your army is doing. NEVER FORGET his axe DOESN'T have ASL unlike white lions, so you still get your re-rolls. Korhil may also be mounted on a Lion Chariot, upping his Armour Save by +1 and making the chariot stubborn and a very deadly force on the charge. Plus, the chariot does not have to take a dangerous terrain test when moving through a forest, which is quite huge for a chariot.

====Generic Characters====
'''Note:''' While named characters are judged against their generic counterparts, generic characters are examined based on their role in your army.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Prince:''' Princes personify everything about the High Elves: Fast as hell, kickass in close combat, can take a variety of special stuff, about as hard as wet tissue. Be sure to give this guy an armor or ward save, or else he will get his ass killed. Aside from that, he's a brutal close combat Lord (WS7, I8, ASF) and properly kitted out there's very little this guy can't kill. Dragon Armor lol's at flaming attacks and breath weapons but is now 20 points (minus the 6 you'd be spending on Heavy Armor, since you ARE taking one or the other); you do get a 6+ ward with it though. As an alternative to Dragon Armor you can take a Lion Cloak alongside the Heavy Armor for just 6 points, giving your Prince a +2 armor save against shooting. If you have the points and you aren't already taking a magic item with a ward save then Dragon Armour is the better option, though a Prince should have a better ward than 6+. Look for the variety of killy options down in the magic weapons.

* '''Archmage:''' A fantastic caster. Access to all 8 Lores, plus High Magic, means he can literally be designed to do whatever you want, though the preferred option in an unclear situation is Lore of Life. Also remember that as long as he's on the board (along with his little brother the Mage) you get +1 to their casts for High Magic through Lileath's Blessing for a total of +5 when channeling it through a Level 4 Archmage. Like with the Prince, he has access to some of the best magic equipment in the game. High Elves are good at magic, and this guy proves it.

* '''Loremaster of Hoeth:''' A new Lord choice and mostly the same as a Swordmaster. But is also a level 2 Mage with ALL 8 normal magic Signature Spells. This gives him great diversity, and he is also not bad in combat (but frail, as he only has a 5+ armour save). Think about it: the Signature Spells are nowhere near bad (ok, most of them are not) and you're getting all of them! Three magic missiles, a direct damage spell, two augments and two hexes. Having all of the lore attributes at your fingertips is useful, like casting Spirit Leech to get more power dice from killing someone. He gets to take as much magic gear as the Archmage and Prince does, meaning you pick how you want to use him and kit him out like one or the other. Also, Deflect Shots for a 6+ ward against non-magical non-template ranged attacks. He's a pretty solid choice, but he costs a metric ton to bring to the table and he's not as good on defense as a level 4 Archmage, so he'll probably only see field in big games. Also, put this guy near a wizards tower whenever you can. It's painfully hilarious. In Storm of Magic, this guy is double hilarity - he gets ALL the spells!<br />It is also worth noting that under the new rules from End Times, the Loremaster of Hoeth knows all the spells from all 8 lores. (Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I am 99% sure that as he is mentioned as THE example, this is the case).

* '''Anointed of Asuryan:''' Yes, you read that right. The head of the Phoenix Guard is somehow a hero while a generic version of him is a Lord, go figure. Anyway, the Anointed is a Lord choice Phoenix Guard member with magic resistance and option to ride a Phoenix (no one else can, other than Caradryan who is his named counterpart). Since he already has a 4+ Ward save a heavy armor and a halberd he needs nearly no equipment at all. If you want, you can turn him into the most tanky (still T3 though) High Elf with the Armour of Silvered Steel and the Dawnstone, giving him a re-rollable 2+ Armour Save, followed by a 4+ Ward Save with MR2, which is pretty insane and still leaves enough points for Potion of Strength, Khaine's Ring of Fury / Ruby Ring of Ruin or the Reaver Bow. When he rides a Flamespyre Phoenix it will return from the dead more often and will even ease the burden on the Phoenix in case of shooting (since he will absorb a few hits). Much, much, MUCH more importantly, he gives everyone in any unit he joins a 6+ Ward Save and Immune to Psychology, which makes him really good in big units of Spearmen, White Lions and the like. On foot, he's a better option than the Prince. In terms of mounts, you take the Anointed if you want one of the Phoenixes (I would say go with the Flamespyre) and the Prince if you want the Dragons.

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Noble:''' A great fighter for his points, but if you have the points you really should be taking a Prince (who's only 70 points more). The main reason you take a Noble is because he can be a BSB or if you're low on points (either overall or in the Lord choices) in which case, he'll serve. He's best as a BSB and you DEFINITELY want a BSB. In 8th with Lothern Sea Helms also being an option as a Battle Standard Bearer there are now conceivable lists where you might not take a Noble. As a nice little bonus for those who are low on points, the armor types (Heavy, Dragon, and Lion Cloak) are cheaper on a Noble than a Prince.

* '''Mage:''' Unlike the Noble vs. Prince the difference in points between the Mage and Archmage is big that you might want a Mage instead, he can do everything the Archmage can but at level two. If you're in the mood it's always nice to have a backup Mage with a different lore to deal with situations your Archmage can't. Never a bad idea.

* '''Dragon Mage:''' That's right, we even have HEROES riding Dragons. The Dragon is fairly squishy (for a Dragon) and the model as a whole runs on the pricy side, but the Hero Level Dragon and the sheer power of the Mage on top make up for a lot of that. Flaming Sword of Rhuin is actually worthwhile in this edition and the Mage himself can put out an incredible amount of firepower. Note that you should never ever use the actual amount of dice you need; Figure out how much you need and then take one less, it'll give you more mileage. Can be a game breaker at lower points, but tends to get irrelevant once it becomes possible to grab a Prince on Star Dragon. Also, beware as they can only take the Lore of Fire. As Dragon Mages now have access to Dragon Armour, they have access to Magic Armour. Dragon Mage Dragon Armour + Enchanted shield makes for a 2+ Wizard, and if you've got a squishy wave of elven melee doom and a Dragon Mage advancing on a position, your opponent is just picking size or numbers for what dick will end up in his ass.

* '''Handmaiden of the Everqueen:''' The main Valkyrie in a horde of Amazons. You will only play this character with a group of maidens as she gives them (and only them) Quick to Fire. Put the Reaver Bow on her for 3 BS7 S5 quick-to-fire shots. She's kind of expensive for her stats, so she should only be brought if you've got a big unit of Sisters with her name on it. Can take a Horn of Isha if you take the Everqueen, which you should take anytime you aren't taking the Reaver Bow.

* '''Sea Helm:''' A new hero for the High elves who allows his unit to, after passing a leadership test, reform directly after they were charged, as long as they didn't Stand and Shoot or Flee that turn. This means no more easily flanking your units, and taking into account that every High Elf Unit can strike out of 3 rows to the front, this - for measly 100 Points - becomes really important. He can also be a Battle Standard Bearer if you're taking him anyway and don't want to bother with the Noble. Be careful using the Sea Helm as your BSB as he does not have the defensive options that the Noble has. A BSB Noble can get heavy armor and a shield, not to mention dragon armor and the lion cloak, a noble can get 4+/6++ easily without using any magic items. The Sea Helm however has light armor and a shield, that is all. If you're taking a BSB Sea Helm, give him a mundane standard and pump his defenses with his magic item allowance. But seeing as any special ranked unit (aka any unit you want to put him in barr a 50-block of spearmen) has a magic standard allowance of at least 50 points (banner of the world dragon costs 50 points), this isn't much of a problem.

====Mounts====

* ''Elven Steed:'' It's a horse, it goes fast and makes them the tiniest bit less killable. Available for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, and Mages. Since Ithilmar Barding stopped subtracting from movement, you should probably always upgrade to Ithilmar Barding. It adds armor save and DOES NOT make the M9 steed any slower. There's no reason not to pay a few measly points for that.

* ''Great Eagle:'' Useable by Princes, Archmages, and Nobles. Eagles are the halfway point between Horses and Monsters and they're quite cheap at 50 points. You can put a Noble with the Reaver Bow on one of these for a fast, shooty unit that is tougher (a Great Eagle is your only chance of getting a T4 character) and has an extra wound, or an Archmage to get on your opponent's flank and vortex him back to the stone age. For a better Eagle you have to spend 15 points more, which if you're taking one you probably should.

* ''Griffon:'' Useable by Princes and Nobles. Good news they're cheaper than Sun Dragons (150 points vs 235), but with upgrades to make the Griffon viable it comes to a grand total of 195 points. The only difference being the Sun Dragon has one more wound... and a flame attack... and a 3+ AS which makes Dragons durable where Griffons are saveless. Still, Dragons don't have ASF or Devastating Charge, plus Griffons have a +1 Strength on the turn they charge. It's iffy, but offensive lists requiring a nice hard flank to something that isn't a horde have a need for a well geared Prince on a Griffon. Not to mention that neat Island of Blood mini has just been gathering dust on your shelf...

* ''Tiranoc Chariot:'' Option for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, or Mages. Not a good option really, there's potential in that it crunches better than an Eagle for a Reaver Bow war machine hunter, but still iffy. With a unit of 3 though you can replace any Reavers, Shadow Warriors, and Eagle-riding Lords or Heroes. Still, there's complex strategies that can make great use of them, like 2v2 and scenario games.

* ''Sun Dragon:'' Option for Princes and Archmages. The mini-Dragon. Still a Dragon, still kick-ass. Good for if you're short on points, since the 70 point upgrade from Sun to a Moon Dragon matters.

* ''Moon Dragon:'' The medium Dragon, same power level as most Dragons in the game. A good all around choice.

* ''Star Dragon:'' The highest tier of Dragon and probably the most brutal Monstrous Mount in the game. With WS7, S7, T7 7 wounds, 6 attacks, a Strength 4 breath weapon and a 3+ armour save, this guy, with a properly tricked out rider, can probably rip the head off of anything stupid enough to get in its way without tipping the odds. It can tear apart almost anything. Giants, K'daii Destroyers, and other dragons will all be killed if faced by a Star Dragon. Beware the I2 though and be aware that everyone and their dog will be gunning for it. Don't let it get bogged down in a head on collision with a large unit; yes it probably can't do any real damage to the Star Dragon, but it'll be stuck there all game and probably get flanked. Have him charge down small units, flank big units in conjunction with a frontal assault, hunt down enemy monsters. Unless it gets hit by a cannonball, something is going to die when a Star Dragon gets involved. WORD OF WARNING: Some combat Lords from melee-heavy armies (Warriors of Chaos, Ogres, Daemons, Bretonnia etc) have weapons and gifts and things that are designed to bring down dragons, and a Bretonnian Lord with a Sword of Swiftstride and Heroic Killing Blow can cut the head off a Star Dragon before it can lift a claw.

* ''Skycutter of Lothern:'' Your mount option for the Sea Helm and the Sea Helm alone, but don't take it, because his main power is buffing your troops and he's good at it. Not a terrible choice though if you really want to buzz enemies without worrying too much about terrain checks or being shot at. Putting him on one gives it a 4+ Ward Save against shooting, and allows you to reroll dangerous terrain tests. Taking a second Sea Helm and putting him on one replaces two crew members, meaning you're only getting the shooting attack of one crewman, and the Sea Helm if you spend the 4 points to give him a bow, or outfit him with a Reaver Bow (the only way to really make this a remotely viable option). If you want a Skycutter, take it as a <s>Rare choice</s> (hilariously they're a special choice now, go elves!), not a mount.

* ''Flamespyre Phoenix:'' So finally the High Elves get their coverbeast to play. It's flaming hot, doesn't fear fire and comes with average stats for a Monster. It only has a 5+ ward save, but this is more than a Giant or a Dragon has against cannons. It gets stronger with better winds of magic (albeit on a chance of 1/9 it get's weaker) and can make flying attacks like the chaosmantas, even more so with all of its attacks being magical. Since it's a Phoenix it can be reborn by rolling a dice at the end of the turn it was killed, on a 6 it come back with D3+2 wounds, on 3 to 5 it blows up and you can try again at the end of the next turn (can be your opponents turn), with a roll of 1 or 2 the Pheonix is dead. When it's ridden by an Anointed, (the only mount he can ride, and the only one that can ride it) the roll has a +1 modifier which is beautiful. It lacks the power to really take out a big unit on its own but can take out war machines and kill off survivors. With an Anointed it gets powerful enough to flank units and at least have a chance, so this is how you want to take it.

* ''Frostheart Phoenix:'' Frostheart Phoenixes are great to have, but putting an Anointed on one doesn't really do anything for it besides get him into combat and waste his unit buffing so if you're taking one, take one as a Rare option.

===Core Units===

* '''Archers:''' A good unit overall. Longbows and high BS give them a good range and a solid ability to damage small lightly armored units (don't count on them to do too much to heavy armor). They work really well in 2 or so groups of 10, especially when combined with Repeater Bolt Throwers (you should generally concentrate fire). High WS, I, and LD along with Always Strikes First allows them to resist attempts by small units of light cavalry (it'll take more than a unit of Mounted Yeomen to deal with these) but you shouldn't be counting on them to do combat duties. Players are split on whether to take Light Armor: On a 10 man unit, taking Light Armor could deny you an 11th model, but if you want to keep your model count low, Light Armor does make them marginally more survivable. Don't bother with Command beyond Musician. Just a side note, Archers having Longbows is superior in range to Lothern Sea Guard having simple Bows, and this can make a world of difference when trying to outrange certain weapons such as Dark Elf Repeater Crossbows

* '''Spearmen:''' Spearmen got a definite boost in 8th, with the new rules for Always Strikes First and the rank rules (allowing them to strike in 4 Ranks, 3 on the charge). A common formation for them is 5 ranks of 6 for a total of 30 models, giving you a total of 24 attacks (25 with Champion) and 7 wounds required before they start losing attacks for a total of 295 points with Command. Although if you're feeling saucy, you could take a 565 points, 60 man Horde which gets a total of 50 attacks on the front. Ultimately, there's always room for these fantastic infantry units in your army. The anvil of most "hammer and anvil" strikes for High Elf armies. With 8th, First Among Equals was dropped so now only Spearmen can take a 25 point max magic standard.

* '''Lothern Sea Guard:''' Lothern Sea Guard used to get a bad reputation, which is no longer deserved. They cost the same as an Archer upgraded to have Light Armor so 11 points per mini, but get free Spears to go with it, and can take a shield for an extra point. The only reason that isn't the best thing ever is because they have regular Bows instead of Longbows, and thus have diminished range. As such they are often derided as overpriced, but they're a solid defensive unit that can pump out a shooting round on par with the archers and do as well as the Spearmen in melee. With 8th edition, they can no longer take a magic banner as that is now reserved for Spearmen alone. The addition of the Sea Helm to the game has taken away their main weakness however. Before, you had to play it smart to get as many shots as you could in, then reform to take a charge. With the Sea Helm, one easy Leadership check and you're ready to stab the heck out of the enemy (in 4 ranks!) the very moment they begin their charge so as a result a list where your entire Core is one GIANT horde of Lothern Sea Guard escorted by a Sea Helm is the basis for any defensive list. Just remember that the Sea Helm's reforming rule only works if you elect to hold, losing you a stand and shoot. In any case, the high price of each Lothern Sea Guardsman makes every single loss taken slightly more costly than if an equivalent Spearmen had bought the farm (3 point difference, so every third LSG you take is one less Spearman). Take and use with discretion.

* '''Silver Helms:''' LET THE JOYOUS NEWS BE SPREAD! THEY ARE BACK AS CORE! In the previous edition, they were not worth taking due to them soaking up Special options. Now however, you can have a highly mobile force. Here's what you need to know; their stats are the same as Spearmen, but the have a Movement score of 9 compared to the 5 of Spearmen. Silver Helms have Heavy Armor compared to the Spearmen's Light Armor. Finally, Spearmen are only 9 points and come with a Shield, whereas Silver Helms are a whopping 21 points and spend an extra two for that Shield, bringing them to 23 points total each. Is that worth it? When you want a chaff unit that can take a hit or two, sure. In a pure offensive, speed based list - HELL yes! A Noble (on horseback obviously) bearing the Banner of the World Dragon, with your Archmage (also on horseback, duh) spamming any spell he can think of into the enemy, both these fine elves in a very large unit of Silver Helms that is acting as a fast moving steamroller. Flank the enemy with some Reavers, or skip the foreplay and go right to the reaming with Dragon Princes on a charge. Throw Tyrion into the mix for an army worthy of the High Elf race. Do note however, that a list that isn't purely offensive probably shouldn't have Silver Helms in it. An Avelorn themed list where the Sisters of Avelorn mop up the enemy isn't half bad (could be much better) but for the most part keep them as your core in cavalry lists only. Oh, and Bretonnian players won't stop bitching about Silver Helms until they get an update, so we should be cool with the mon'keigh right around the time of the Horus Heresy (sorry, that was mean. Funny, but mean).

* '''Ellyrian Reavers:''' Also back as Core for 16 points a pop. The primary role for Ellyrian Reavers in a High Elf army is as chaff to end an opponent's march, then harass casters and warmachines. The fact they (in a unit of 5 with no upgrades) can do that more durably than a Great Eagle makes them really worth it when you aren't using a horde of Core, and you need your Rare slots for Sisters of Avelorn or Bolt Throwers. Not really worth it in most lists outside that role, their strength is the Wood Elf tactic of shooting and running. They can flank too, so if your list uses a massive horde of one Special option as a wall of doom with a Sea Helm shouting orders to them then some Reavers on the sides aren't half bad. Still, the vanilla Reaver only carries Light Armor and a Spear, with all stats but their Movement (9) equal to Spearmen. They're paying a full 7 points more for that horse, and they don't get a shield for it. If they drop the spears and take bows instead, you spend one extra point per mini (so they lose out on the charge). For a full 3 points, they can still shoot and take spears (so figure out what you want to use them for, then stick with it). Their champion, the Harbinger, has a higher BS so if you aren't taking bows there's literally no reason to spend the extra points on him. They do have a nice purpose, they're really fast moving, have those bows and/or spears, and a few units of 5 will make an artillery happy enemy have to pick between using those cannons to defend themselves, or hit your main force. Perhaps the best use of Reavers however is against enemies with NO ranged options. Nothing sadder than a game where your opponent realizes there's not a damn thing he can do to win because he can't reach your Reavers.

===Special Units===

* '''While your Core units are used to create the core (ha) of your army, this is where you get the guys who do most of the damage. Don't be afraid to shamelessly spend absurd amounts of points (in fact, the full limit you can usually) in your special choices. If you need something dead, and you're not in a big enough game to bring a Star Dragon, this is where you look.

* '''Swordmasters of Hoeth:''' In any (literally any) other army, they'd be a Blue Chip unit, something to never leave home without. After all, 2 WS6 S5 attacks in 3 ranks at 13 points a pop, a magic standard up to 50 points, and with ASF canceling out ASL from great weapons for normal I5 attacks? What's not to like? Well you see, in the High Elves book, there are three primary Special options and Swordmasters are slightly the lowest when you crunch survivability and damage. At T3 and only 5+ armour and one Wound, they are as hard to wound as tissue paper and everyone knows it. But, if we're being entirely fair to the unit and taking them on their own terms, they're not all bad and with some strategy (or magic (AND magic is best of course)) you can make them into trap versions of Brock Fucking Samson. If you're careful with them, small units of them can make devastating flanking units, with most players taking them as bare 15 man units or 21 man 7-across units. They can cause some ridiculous damage under a lot of circumstances, but just be careful with them, one good Magic Missile or enemy shooting phase can mean you spent all those points on nothing (but now in 8th, they can deflect arrows like Jedi via get a 6+ save to non-magical non-template shooting attacks). There is also one way to make them really REALLY good. Run a 30+ man horde. Stick a Lore of Life level 4 Archmage or Alarielle in. Enjoy your opponent's tears while your T7, regenerating, regrowthing unit pumps out 40 S5 attacks to the front. Keeping up a 3+ ward save on the Swordmasters through High magic spam isn't half bad either (a Battle Report where this is maintained the entire game and going up against a horde army is a form of pornography to a High Elf player). All it will have cost you is a few power dice to make that happen.

* '''Phoenix Guard:''' Phoenix Guard are not only the best unit in the High Elf army, they are probably in the top 3 best units of the game, period. 15 points for WS5, S3 (S4 because of halberds), I6, LD9, Fear causing, Heavy Armored, ASF, and an extra rank of attacks. Wait that doesn't sound good? Oh they also have a 4+ Ward Save, standard. Yeah, there you go. These guys can get hit in the face by a cannon ball and just shrug it off, and they've got enough killing power to actually give back. Be sure to give them a solid bit of static CR, because LD9 does not make them immune to failing their break test (BSB works well and will be difficult to kill inside that unit). Either put them in horde formation, or make them very deep to take away steadfast. There is no High Elf army that doesn't have room for these lads (other than the full cavalry list).

* '''White Lions of Chrace:''' White Lions are the middle child, the jack of all trades, the bard if you will of the three Special choice High Elf infantry. Better than Swordmasters due to durability and costing the same amount of points, and deal more damage than Phoenix Guard and two points cheaper. They are inferior to the respective masters in terms of raw damage, or survivability. Still, they do pump out S6 I5 attacks with the usual extra rank, they are more resistant to shooting than Swordmasters (with a +2 to their Armor against non-magical shooting), they treat forests as if they're an open meadow, and best of all they're Stubborn to the last man, which means even a rank of 5 can hold out against LOTS of static CR. They end up truly being the jack of all trades of the three, operating just as well as a defensive ranked unit as an offensive charging unit. Also with S6 from Great Weapons (swinging at I5 due to ASF negating ASL), 3 ranks of them is enough to make most monsters cry (send them up against that Giant your opponent is so proud of and watch him cry as they hack out his kneecaps while singing a jolly tune about how they're hacking away his kneecaps). Take them in big units with the Banner of Eternal Flame and you're ready for anything. They're very good as far as heavy infantry goes, and well worth your time. If your strategy revolves around Swordmasters or Phoenix Guard, White Lions are worth considering as a secondary choice to flank.

* '''Dragon Princes of Caledor:''' Dragon Princes hit harder than any unit has a right to with two attacks and while heavy cavalry has generally fallen out of favor these guys remain popular due to the ubiquity of flaming attacks and breath weapons (although they are no longer immune, they merely get a 2+ ward save against it). Therefore, if your Daemons of Chaos opponent likes Tzeentch and its flaming attacks (Warpflame, Anon, not Flaming anymore), take these guys and see him cry. If you're playing a defensive list, they're probably not worth your time, but offensive lists can generally find a place for them. On the charge there's not much that can hit harder, and while they're no Blood Knights they can certainly keep going in melee. Still, stick with prodding the enemy flank as your goal with them. Uniquely, the Drakemaster (unit champion) can take a magic armour in addition to the usual magic weapon. It may be worth it to turn him into a mini Noble by giving him, for example, the Star Lance and the Enchanted Shield; he has three attacks after all, like a naked Noble. In fact, he's a prince himself...

* '''Shadow Warriors:''' Previously, Shadow Warriors were the Elven equivalent of Beastmen. As of new Army book however they are better shots than archers while only being 3 points more, and get Scouting and Skirmish so they have become useful at War Machine hunting and taking out annoyances like Spirit Hosts. Put a Noble with Shadow Armour and The Reaver Bow in the unit to give them that little extra fire power cheaply (or just give the Reaver Bow to a Shadow-walker [the unit champion] to do it even more cheaply). Throw Alith Anar in with them and you've got Elven Vietcong. Generally speaking, Shadow Warriors still don't have much of a place in your army. Reavers are better at putting the hurt on enemies and getting away, and Special is not the category you really want to put ranged options into. Still, a HUGE horde of Spearmen taking up your Core and Phoenix's eating up your Rare slots leave Shadow Warriors as your Special of choice to still get a ranged attack.

* '''Tiranoc Chariot:''' These aren't bad on their own terms but when compared to the other major option for Chariots, which is better in nearly every applicable way other than not having a ranged attack, Tiranoc Chariots get a thumbs down. Still, Tiranoc Chariots aren't bad and if you're in the mood for a cheap chariot (70 points), this is for you. They are very adaptable with longbows, spears, and very good movement. It should be noted that High Elf Chariots are among the most reasonably priced (money wise) units that GW has, and if you get a Chariot but use it as a White Lion one you get extra horses to put Lords or Heroes on. Apparently nobody has noticed that you can take these in units of three. Well, you can take these in units of three, so they're not that bad compared to the other chariots in the army. Note that a character on a chariot still can't join a unit of Tiranoc chariots. Tomb Kings can only do it because they have a special rule for that.

* '''White Lion Chariot:''' This is what Tiranoc Chariots suffer when compared to. With 2 S4 crew that hit at S6, 4 S5 Lion attacks and an extra armor save, White Lion Chariots are pretty brutal when they hit right. As with all Chariots, if you're playing defensively they won't help much, but they really work fantastically on the charge. Each one costs 120 points, down 20 points from 7th edition.

*'''Lothern Skycutter:''' It's a flying Tiranoc chariot with an extra crewman but each one has a bow compared to the longbow of the Tiranoc. The Roc (not an Eagle, a Roc) hits harder and has an extra attack, and all this comes at only 25 more points than the Chariot. But that's not why you take a Lothern Skycutter. Three words: Flying Bolt Throwers! It's a 25 point upgrade to have one of the crew man it, and it's what you're looking for in this choice. Unlike the regular Bolt Thrower however, this one is a bit different. For one, there's only one type of fire, a single bolt which has half the range of an ordinary Bolt Thrower with 1 Strength less, same D3 wounds and ignoring armor saves, BUT can be fired whether it moves or not. It's beautiful, isn't it? While your Eagles and/or Shadow Warriors have things stuck on the enemy's side of the map, just park out of range of a charge and make them bleed. Unfortunately with moving and only a range of 24 (and therefore at long range when over 12 inches) odds are you're gonna need a 5+ to hit, so you might not get as much mileage out of that Bolt Thrower as you want. Consider carefully. Note that if you're gonna take a single Tiranoc Chariot, you might consider an Bolt Thrower-less Skycutter, if you can find 25 points. For those points you get 1 more crewman (and thus 1 more spear attack/bow shot) 1 higher armor, plus 2WS and 1S on your mount. Probably worth those points.

===Rare Units===

* '''Repeater Bolt Thrower:''' None of the Rare Choices are precisely blue chip units, but Repeater Bolt Throwers are an alternative answer for high toughness and 2+ armour saves if you haven't brought along White Lions. It does have good range, and it is your only war machine, and now that each one is 30 points cheaper it's a lot less painful setting up a defensive position on your side of the map. It does however depend upon lots of protection to be effective as it is a primary target for magic and shooting, and only has two wounds. T7(!) can offset a lot of that though, and combined with Archers they can cause a lot of damage, or with Lothern Seaguard to pump out some hits and be ready for when the enemy reaches you. They're more resistant to shooting than Eagles and can probably cause more damage long-term. Not a great unit, but if you're in the mood, they don't generally hurt. Concentrate fire to bring down big things like monsters and characters, volley fire to eliminate enemy chaff and infantry blocks.

* '''Great Eagle:''' Used to be the only chaff the High Elf army had, but now you've got Reavers and Silver Helms as options in this respect as well. At a mere 50 points (65 after upgrades), it's easy to field a couple eagles in any game higher than 1500. These guys are still the champions of war machine hunting, redirecting, and mage hunting, but they die easier than Silver Helms and it's hard to argue with the Reavers having a ranged attack on top of that role so the primary use of the Great Eagle is now to do the same role but save points (a group of 5 Reavers without bows would cost 80 points and with bows would cost 95 points, a group of 5 Silver Helms with Shields would cost 115, and all 3 choices fulfill the same role to different capacities). With T4 and W3, they're kinda survivable, but don't expect them to survive through the end of the game. They are the ultimate sacrificial units in the chaff slot, and can usually slow down other units and kill at least their points worth, with their two S4 attacks coupled with ASF and Armor Piercing. A unit of Shadow Warriors can fulfill it's role to an extent as well, but Eagle are still preferred.

* '''Sisters of Avelorn:''' The amazons are closing in. This is the strongest shooting unit in game, the Phoenix Guard of PEWPEW. They have flaming arrows that hit at S4 and cause a -1 armor save when you fire on the Destruction-aligned armies, and all that with BS 5. Volley Fire is an option as well. For 14 Points this is a deal and they can shoot out of 3 rows and reduce everything in 24 inches to a burning pile of whatever. When coupled with a Handmaiden giving them fast shooting they are even better, because running without penalty to shoot is always a boon. If you've taken the Horn of Isha, you get one turn of every ranged attack having +1 To Hit to make those arrows even stronger. (Also, they're sexy.) Still they are only as tough as normal archers so don't except them to take much punishment. Protect them with Spearmen, Phoenix Guard, White Lions, or keep them out of harm's way and fire ahead of the Silver Helms.

* '''Flamespyre Phoenix:''' If you're taking the Flamespyre Phoenix, you should really scroll up and read the section for it as a mount for an Anointed of Asuryan. That's really how you want to play it, otherwise the Frostheart is what you are looking for.
** '''Alternate Opinion:''' Taking an Anointed on a Flamespyre Phoenix is actually a massive waste of the Anointed. You are paying an extra 210 points for a rider who is completely useless when the Phoenix is doing flyby burning, which is how you should usually be using it. An Anointed isn't gonna help the Phoenix fight anything except stuff the Phoenix is already qualified to fight, so you're basically paying those 210 points (plus any magic items you want to give him) to get +1 to his resurrection rolls. Never mind that A: when the Phoenix bites it so does the Anointed, B: you're wasting the Anointed ability to grand a 6++ and ItP to a unit and C: it means that the 225 points for the Phoenix come from Lord choices instead of Rare, which is bad because you need your Lord points. Just take the Flamespyre alone and concentrate on flyby and charging smaller units.

* '''Frostheart Phoenix:''' When you get old, you get cold more often it seems, this is especially true if you were a fricking blazing Phoenix, since you become a freezing Phoenix. It is tougher and stronger than its younger version but can't drop napalm and loses its "I'll be back" ability. So it costs a fraction more and if you want to have your monster stay alive instead of maybe coming back to life this is your choice. Has 5+ natural armor, which is decent. Causes Terror, which is great. Its chilling aura is insane. It bestows ASL, but more importantly it also gives -1S to all UNITS in base contact. For all intents and purposes (almost) it has T7 in combat and if it assists another elven unit that unit will experience the joy of Pseudo T4... an insanely good monster. Although it can pull chaff duty, that's really not where you want it unless you're just looking for more time to fill the enemy with arrows and bolts. Frosthearts should be with your main force, hitting whatever needs to be weakened the most after it's already in a fight with your anvil force.

==Building Your Army==
===Buying Your Army===
The key to getting a nice cheap army is the Island of Blood. For one hundred dollars, (OR 55€) you get a decent number of elves, and some Skaven as well that can either be painted and glued to the base underneath your elves's feet or simply re-auctioned to a Skaven player. Did I mention the rulebook, templates, and artillery dice? Buy two of these treasure troves, then sell the Skaven packaged with the rulebook. With that alone, you can probably recover the costs of the boxes. After that, you get 20 Lothern Sea Guard, 20 Swordmasters, 10 Reavers, 2 Mages, and 2 Princes on Griffons (but those can also be run as Princes or Nobles on Eagles or even as just a regular Great Eagle if that's how you're going to go about it). That's the perfect start to any high elf army. After that, start browsing ebay. Search Warhammer High Elves by ending soonest, crunch the numbers so you know Games Workshop's price per model, then factor in shipping. Figure out what you can proxy (High Elf Island of Blood Mage+Spearman/Lothern Seaguard Arm holding the spear with a computer printout of a flag glued to it=Noble bearing a Battle Standard for example). Remember if there's something decent you need with a shipping price you're not thrilled over ($3 for a Korhil mini, but with $4 shipping making it not too great a deal) to check in the seller's other auctions, so you can net a combined shipping discount (that $4 shipping feels much better when you're getting a dragon for $20 and some Eldar you can greenstuff to look medieval for $2 along with said Korhil). With patience, you can assemble a High Elf army at a fraction of the price buying new would have cost, and you can even get some of the nifty old metal minis to be proud of!

===Army Composition===

A High Elf army must either be defensive or offensive, having a mix between the two means that your opponent is only ever facing half of your army at any one time. The good news is, however, that once the focus of your army has been chosen there is still a lot to choose from and a lot to tinker with. Whichever approach you take you need to think about what you are going to do if the enemy has the same plan, or at least refuses to do what you want. While your awesome defensive army with lethal flank charges and such might be awesome when your opponent foolishly charges his whole army towards your block of spearmen, if you're playing against a dwarf gunline who's plan is to just never move then you're going to have problems. All lists need to have a plan for handling war machines (which are to be expected from every opponent) and some number of units to help you control the enemy movement. A few great eagles and a unit of reavers can find a place in almost any army for exactly this reason. Yes, your army needs to be focused but it also needs to be realistic. You need to be able to get some units out on the flanks to clog up charge lanes or divert shooting while your combat dudes jog across the board. If you don't do this then even the best defensive list will get outmaneuvered and the best offensive list will get pulled out of position by enemy chaff. You don't want to spend a lot of points on these units, but they need to be there unless you have an extremely good reason not to have them.

==Magic Items==
===Vaul's Forge===

'''Magic Weapons:'''

* ''The Blade of Leaping Gold:'' Mostly useless, 70 points is not worth it for +3 attacks when what are need are stronger ones. The any-roll-of-a-six-to-wound-ignores-armour-saves thing fails to offset its points cost.

* ''Star Lance:'' 30 points, better than a lance. Excellent for a kick-ass charge, good on a dragon or a griffon as all you will be doing is charging. Getting the Giant Blade from the rulebook will give you that strength in following rounds of combat however.

* ''The Reaver Bow:'' Great with Shadow Warriors or Sisters of Avelorn champions, 25 points for 3 shots at the wielders strength +1 which means they will be strength 5 from a Noble or Prince.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Caledor:'' 50 points for Dragon Armour that bestows a 2+ armour save. Good unless you are mounted or planning on getting a ward save better than 6+.

* ''Shadow Armour:'' Only works on foot, this gives a 5+ armour and gives you Scouts and Strider for 25 points. Strider is nice in itself, but unless you're going with Shadow Warriors he'll be on his own if you use Scouts.

* ''Shield of the Merwyrm:'' 15 points for a shield (+1 armour save as usual) which grants 4+ parry save, even with a magic weapon. A cheap 4+ very conditional Ward save in close combat, but with the usual restrictions: Not if your weapon requires two hands, not if you're mounted, not to the flank or rear, not against impact hits or (thunder)stomp and you will still be vulnerable to spells. Still a very good choice, especially for a hero (e.g. BSB) in a unit.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Golden Crown of Atrazar:'' A 2+ Ward against the first wound suffered. Nice way to spend ten points as it essentially buys you another wound if you lack a save.

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Moranion's Wayshard:'' 50 points for Ambushers that is also applied to a unit of up to 30 Spearmen or Archers that the model is in. A unit that can hold its own behind enemy lines? Yes please.

* ''Khaine's Ring of Fury:'' Soul Quench as a bound spell with 3 to cast for 25 points. The best thing about this is the Ward save you get at the end, but a cheap magic missile is good too.

* ''Gem of Sunfire:'' Used at the start of a turn, this one-use item gives the bearer +1 to all wound rolls for magic, shooting and close combat IF they are also flaming attacks. It can be worth the 20 points if you are under the Banner of Eternal Flame, or are using the Lore of Fire or Lore of Metal.

* ''Cloak of Beards:'' 10 points to cause Fear is brilliant. Against Dwarfs it causes Terror instead and blows up their magic items, but gives them Hatred against you. Of course with the new Army Book and Ancestral Grudge, there's a 1/3 chance his army will Hate your entire army and another 1/3 chance that his army will hate your characters, so most of the time it'll have no downside.

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Hoeth:'' 55 points to re-roll one dice for casting and dispel attempts that are not 6s. Gives you a surprisingly good magic edge, might seem pricey but why should your Prince get his toys and your Archmage be left with nothing?

'''Magic Banners:'''

* ''Banner of the World Dragon:'' 50 points for a 2+ Ward save against magic, magic weapons and magic attacks for the unit, which includes miscast effects. Ward then had the balls to make this banner give stubborn to dragons within 12 inches. See [[Talk:Warhammer/Tactics/8th_Edition/High_Elves#The_Banner_of_the_World_Dragon|discussion page]] page for opinions on this item being game-breakingly overpowered.

===Rulebook Items===

'''Magic Weapons:'''
* ''Giant Blade:'' 60 points is a lot, but +3 Strength is something great for a High Elf damage dealer. Note that despite it sounding like a slow weapon that would negate your ASF, it doesn't.

* ''Sword of Bloodshed:'' Just like Blade of Leaping Gold, it's just doubling up on a strength. 60 points is too much for that.

* ''Obsidian Blade:'' 50 points to ignore armor, great for tailoring your list but as a list you intend to stick to through thick and thin you don't want it.

* ''Ogre Blade:'' +2 Strength, 40 points. Take if it you already took the Giant Blade or if you need those 20 points for something else.

* ''Sword of Strife:'' +2 attacks, 40 points. Once again, you don't need more attacks you need stronger ones.

* ''Fencer's Blades:'' WS 10 for 35 points, but you can't use a shield with it. The Prince has a WS7, and thus this isn't that great when you could bump up his Strength or even his Attacks. Noble and Sea Helm have WS6, better but still not good. Handmaiden shouldn't be in close combat, but in theory if she gets there her WS5 can benefit from this (Reaver Bow should be on her instead of course). Some people have suggested sticking these on a Mage or Archmage since they can't use shields anyway and this can get them out of trouble, but that's debatable. It might be worth it on a Dragon Mage, since they usually end up in combat.

* ''Sword of Anti-Heroes:'' There should be a Mary Sue joke here, but let's go straight into the stats. +1 STR and +1 Attack for each character in base contact with the bearer and his unit. Could be good, could be great in a tailored list.

* ''Spellthieving Sword:'' For each wound a caster receives from this weapon, they lose a random spell. Generally speaking facing a wizard in close combat means a dead wizard. That being said, if you can manage to get into it with a named character (especially the likes of Morathi or Malekith) you could put some pain on them. Problem generally is that most casters who can't kill in one turn (such as Vampires, Chaos Warriors or Ogre Kingdom casters) you are going to want more strength or attacks or more survivability against. Even if this does work there's no guarantee you get a spell that matters.

* ''Sword of Swift Slaying:'' Grants Always Strikes First. Yeah. Because that's what High Elves are lacking alright.

* ''Sword of Battle:'' +1 Attack for 20 points, keep scrolling.

* ''Berserker Sword:'' Bearer has Frenzy and cannot lose it. Extra attack and Immune to Psychology. Neither of which are things High Elves need. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Might:'' +1 Strength close combat for 20 points and you can use a shield, it's nice. Personally, I'd just pay a few points for a Halberd instead. Unless you REALLY need the magical attacks.

* ''Gold Sigil Sword:'' Makes your attacks 10 Initiative in close combat. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Striking:'' +1 to hit. Fairly nice, but Strength is still better.

* ''Biting Blade:'' Armor piercing. 10 points. Inferior to Strength, not bad though.

* ''Relic Sword:'' Attacks with it always wound on a 5+ unless the result needed was lower. Not worth your time.

* ''Shrieking Blade:'' Bearer causes Fear. It's not bad, useless for anyone in a Phoenix Guard bunker, but it's nice as an anti-horde measure.

* ''Tormentor Sword:'' Grants Stupidity to a monster or character hit by it. Only really useful against armies loaded up on those options, so it's a tailoring list option that's questionable otherwise. 5 points to spend if you've got it though.

* ''Warrior Bane:'' Whatever gets hit by it loses an Attack to a minimum of one. 5 points, great for tailoring against other Elves.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Destiny:'' Heavy Armor with 4+ Ward Save. It's like it came straight from our list. It's okay, not mandatory, but not a bad selection.

* ''Trickster's Helm:'' +1 Armor, and any wound made against the bearer has to be rerolled. Stick it on someone designed to just not fucking die, make him stand in front of Alarielle so she can heal a wound every turn, and you've proxied Tyrion on foot.

* ''Armour of Silvered Steel:'' 2+ Armor Save, cannot be improved by any means. 40 points. If you already took Armor of Caledor, worth looking at, but why are you taking 2 damage-taking characters?

* ''Armour of Fortune:'' Heavy Armor with a 5+ Ward Save. 15 points cheaper than the Armour of Destiny.

* ''Helm of Discord:'' +1 Armor, and any enemy character in base contact must pass a Leadership roll or be stunned and is automatically hit. Turns your character into a challenge god. Nice if that's your plan (or if challenges are your fear).

* ''Glittering Scales:'' Light Armor, causes -1 to hit the wearer in close combat. Surprisingly good.

* ''Shield of Ptolos:'' +1 Save against being shot. Pair it with the Lion Cloak and you have nothing to fear from ranged combat. Not bad if you think you'll face it.

* ''Spellshield:'' Magic Resistance (1). Nifty. Not 20 points nifty, but not terrible.

* ''Gambler's Armor:'' Heavy Armor with 6+ Ward Save. 20 points. Stick with Dragon Armour. Costs the same on a Prince and half the price on a Noble and has an improved save against breath weapons and fire. The only time this is a better option than Dragon Armour is if you want to combine with a lion cloak.

* ''Dragonhelm:'' +1 Armor, +2 Ward against Flaming attacks. If you took the Lion Cloak but still want the fire resist, here you go.

* ''Enchanted Shield:'' It's a shield, it grants 2 armor instead of the 1 armor a normal shield gives. 5 points. It's a great option.

* ''Charmed Shield:'' One use, first hit you take can be discounted on a 2+. Not bad, not great.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Talisman of Preservation:'' 4+ Ward Save. Very nice option, but it limits your offensive choices due to it's 45 point cost.

* ''Obsidian Lodestone:'' Magic Resistance (3). For when the Banner of the World Dragon just isn't enough. (If you take Banner of Avelorn instead, this is far more worth considering.)

* ''Talisman of Endurance:'' 5+ Ward Save. Still okay.

* ''Obsidian Amulet:'' Magic Resistance (2). Eh, not bad. Not great either.

* ''Dawnstone:'' Reroll failed Armor Saves. That 1+ to hit on your Prince? Yep. Now they're going to have to get snakeeyes to hurt him. Oh fuck this is so worth the points it hurts.

* ''Opal Amulet:'' One time 4+ Ward Save. Not really worth it.

* ''Obsidian Trinket:'' Magic Resistance (1). Still not bad, still not good.

* ''Talisman of Protection:'' 6+ Ward Save. Not bad as a way of finishing off those last 15 points.

* ''Seed of Rebirth:'' Grants Regeneration 6+. Again, not a bad way of using up those last points on survivability. Otherwise, no go.

* ''Dragonbane Gem:'' 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks. Useful as a 5 point choice if you took Lion Cloak.

* ''Pidgeon Plucker Pendant:'' Misspelled name, odd item. 5+ Ward Save from Flying enemies. Tailor lists only really.

* ''Luckstone:'' Reroll a single failed Armor Save. 5 points, not a bad place to spend them either.

'''Magic Standards:'''

* ''Rampager's Standard:'' Reroll your charge distance dice if you want. Stick it on cavalry.

* ''Wailing Banner:'' Unit causes Terror. Emulate Phoenix Guard on your non-Phoenix Guard. Pretty good.

* ''Ranger's Standard:'' Grants Strider. Ignore dangerous terrain. March your horde wall of death across the map with impunity. A nice choice.

* ''Razor Standard:'' Grants Armor Piercing. Put it on Special choices. Swordmasters in close combat under this are beyond description.

* ''War Banner:'' +1 Combat Resolution. Normally you want to avoid getting stuck in a fight all game, but if that's the plan here's a way to bump up your victory chances.

* ''Banner of Swiftness:'' +1 Movement. There's better choices, really if you want movement you should be rolling for Walk Between Worlds from the lore of High Magic, getting a 1+ Ward Save while you're at it and putting a better flag over your unit.

* ''Lichborne Pennant:'' Magic Resistance (1). Not bad for a mage bunker.

* ''Standard of Discipline:'' +1 Leadership, but disregard the general's inspiring presence. Do you really need Leadership 10 on anything? If Alith Anar is your general and he bites it this can help, but really it's not worth it.

* ''Banner of Eternal Flame:'' Just like most armies, feel free to take this and stick it wherever you want (except Sisters of Avelorn, since they already have it's effects).

* ''Gleaming Pennant:'' One use, reroll failed Leadership test. Why are you failing Leadership? Maybe tailored against an undead army, otherwise no.

* ''Scarecrow Banner:'' Causes Fear on Flying enemies. 5 points, not bad. Tailored list only, but that moment that a giant dragon <s>runs shrieking from a scarecrow on top of a flag being woven around by a spearman you know you've experienced the joys of Warhammer Fantasy.</S> (Most Dragons cause Terror, all cause Fear at the very least, leaving your Fear-causing unit to instead take a Fear test.) Useful against anything smart enough to Fly but not insane enough to cause Fear (Mostly just eagles then?)

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Ashur:'' 70 points for +1 to cast and dispel rolls. If you were playing a VERY large game and your entire strategy was magic and stalling for magic to work, you might use this. As it is it's a mon'keigh's bad transcribing of the Book of Hoeth.

* ''Feedback Scroll:'' Instead of a dispel attempt, you can use this one-use item to roll a dice for each power dice used to cast it. Each one that's a 5+ causes a wound that can't be saved. Great for a tailored list, and worth considering otherwise to take out an opponent's only caster and let you work the winds unopposed.

* ''Scroll of Leeching:'' Instead of a dispel use this one-use to add dispel dice equal to the number used to cast the spell. Great against armies with LOTS of casters (like other High Elf armies). Not a standard gear choice however. Feedback scroll is more useful in many scenarios.

* ''Sivejir's Hex Scroll :'' One use, replaces dispel. Enemy wizard rolls a d6, must get their level or lower (so a level 1 mage needs a 1 to resist, a 3 mage needs a 1-3 to resist, Teclis only suffers a 6 roll) or they turn into a frog. They can't cast spells as a frog, all magic items stop working, all stats except wounds become 1. Each turn roll a d6, roll of a 4-6 and the mage becomes a biped again. VERY fun item, and a surprising thing for such a thing is that it's actually pretty good if you save it for when you can kill that mage in close combat.

* ''Power Scroll:'' According to FAQ it now halves the casting value of one spell, no boosting allowed. Could be fun when you two-dice dwellers or purple sun if the winds are low or your opponent didn't think those last two dices were dangerous.

* ''Wand of Jet:'' One use, increases a casting result by d6 after you're done rolling. This can help cause a IF and miscast too. It's an extra magic dice in the bank for when you need it, and not bad but there's better options for getting more magic juice.

* ''Forbidden Rod:'' One use, add d6 more dice to your magic at the beginning of your magic phase, but the user takes d3 wounds with no armour saves. But... Banner of the World Dragon protects. (Anyone with the Arcane Items page in front of them probably won't let that slide. I know I wouldn't.)

* ''Trickster's Shard:'' One use, start of magic phase. If an enemy mage tries to dispel a spell, you roll a d6 and on a 5 or 6 they take one wound. Not great really. It can be useful sort of if you're rolling a lot of augments at once (turn 1 Walk Between Worlds on everything makes this viable). At 25 points though, it's kind of a waste.

* ''Earthing Rod:'' One use, reroll the result on the miscast table once. Obviously you don't want this if you're running Banner of the World Dragon. Otherwise it's not bad if you're gonna be blasting away with your Archmage.

* ''Dispel Scroll:'' 25 points, auto dispel the enemy spell unless it's an Irresistible Force spell. All armies consider this to be a staple, but it's a bit less important for us since there's other options.

* ''Power Stone:'' One use. Used prior to casting a spell, adds two more bonus dice out of thin air to the attempt. Great for if you got a shit winds roll a turn you really need to crank out a spell.

* ''Sceptre of Stability:'' Misspelled name, one us item to increase a dispel result by d6 after you've rolled. Pretty neat for 15 points against another big magic army.

* ''Channeling Staff:'' Bearer adds +1 to every channeling attempt. Can net you more power dice, but not a big use item. Still, 15 points isn't much to spend for that kind of thing.

* ''Scroll of Shielding:'' One use, replaces dispel to grant a single target a 4+ Ward Save against wounds caused by the spell. Great for protecting something high priority like an Archmage or a Prince on a Dragon.

* ''Staff of Sorcery (FAQ'ed)'': Bearer adds +1 to every dispel attempt for 35pts. Only worth taking on a level 2 or level 4 mage, costs the same as a wizard level but "only" adds +1 to your dispel attempts. Still, dispelling with +5 can really shut down a magic phase. Likewise, if you're mainly after countermagic, level 2 mage plus Staff of Sorcery saves you 30pts from a level 3 mage (and leaves your Lords allowance for a Prince on Dragon).

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Wizarding Hat:'' Wearer becomes a level 2 Wizard who can use a random spell lore. They also have stupidity. This is great for armies with crap magic options, but for us you want to split the magic/killing roles between two characters and at the cost for the hat you could just take a level 2 mage. But if you really want a wizard on a Star Dragon for some strange ass reason...

* ''Fozzrik's Fold Fortress:'' 100 points, so your entire magic item allotment for a Lord. After deployment zones are agreed but before armies are deployed you can put a Watchtower (or similar building agreed upon by both players as appropriate, but must be the same basic size as the Watchtower) in your deployment zone. This MAKES a defensive list with Sisters of Avelorn holding it. For any other troop type it's not great. But in games with objectives, you might be able to argue your opponent into letting you count this as an objective from turn one. Take it if you base your strategy around it.

* ''Arabyan Carpet:'' Infantry or monstrous infantry (no you can't let your horse ride). Has the Fly rule, cannot join units. At 50 points you may as well just mount up on an Eagle or Gryphon.

* ''Crown of Command :'' 35 points to grant Stubborn and thus grant it to a unit the wearer joins. You should probably nut up and bring Korhil instead, but if you already are and want a second unit to be Stubborn it's not bad.

* ''Healing Potion:'' One use to drink at the start of your turn, recover d6 wounds. Since you have very few characters with enough wounds to make it useful, you should rely on the Lore of Life attribute to heal instead. Or bring Alarielle.

* ''Featherfoe Torc:'' Flying creatures and riders must reroll to hit you and your unit in close combat. Take it in a tailored list against the likes of Malekith or other High Elves.

* ''Ruby Ring of Ruin:'' Bound spell with Fireball. Take the High Elf magic item version of it if you're going to bother since it does pretty much the same thing and will give the users unit a ward save.

* ''Terrifying Mask of EEE!:'' Wearer causes Terror, but nobody can use their leadership but themself. Since most High Elves have almost max LD and some characters have the same, there's no downside. Great at discouraging people from fucking with a unit that can't deal in melee or you don't want to keep in melee (Sticking this on a Lothern Sea Helm among Core is pretty great, or ANYONE running with Lothern Seaguard since this can win an extra turn of shooting for them).

* ''Potion of Strength:'' One use, used at the start of any players turn. +3 Strength for the turn, great for a BRUTAL combat phase. Take on a Prince, Noble, or anyone with the Reaver Bow.

* ''Potion of Toughness:'' One use, start of any player's turn to grant +3 Toughness. This is more for an Archmage or Mage stuck in close combat, or a Prince who's going into a suicide charge.

* ''The Other Trickster's Shard:'' All Ward Save rolls have to be rerolled in base contact, both friend and foe. Since Ward Saves are common to us, it can be a detriment. Still good if you don't have one however.

* ''Ironcurse Icon:'' 5 points for 6+ Ward against war machines for the bearer and their unit. Not great, but it's only 5 points so there's no real threat to taking it and it CAN come in handy.

* ''Potion of Foolhardiness:'' One use, start of turn. Gets Immune to Psychology and Devastating Charge for a turn. 5 points for a very fucking hard charge, this has potential in a cavalry list.

* ''Potion of Speed:'' One use, start of turn. +3 Initiative. Cheap, but WHEN THE FUCK WILL YOU NEED A HIGHER INITIATIVE?

==Magic==
The new High Magic is probably one of the most aggressive lores in the entire game now, Soul Quench makes Fireball lovers cry.
Fiery Convocation is, in a game version promoting the use of hordes, extremely powerful; except against ogres and full knight Brets (giving Bretonnians at least one advantage in the modern game) and once it's been cast, your opponent will probably need to abort his next magic phase to dispel it if he cares about his burning minions. High Magic also has Apotheosis, which heals a wound and grants Fear to the target making your badasses into glorious bastards. Walk Between Worlds makes a unit Ethereal and get 10 more inches of movement to deliver a unit directly wherever it needs to be. Hand of Glory is a nice augment, Arcane Unforging is anti-character in the best way, and finally Drain Magic lets you undo whatever spells your opponent is using to manipulate the field of battle (goodbye undead augments).

For the rest of the lores, usual stuff applies. Lore of Life is a consistent favorite (nothing like watching those 5 Phoenix Guard he worked so hard to kill get back up) as is Lore of Shadow. High Elves aren't really set up for offensive Magic outside Dragon Mages so you should generally go with support spells to protect your expensive units, rather than offensive spells.

An important thing to remember is that you should not be building your list around using magic to support this or that unit, you should be putting magic into your list in order to augment the units that are already good. T7 Swordmasters might be awesome, but imagine how awesome that would be on a unit that doesn't need the support to be that good. Plus there are always factors that might get in the way of you casting a spell when you need to, so don't take a unit assuming you can make it better by augmenting it with magic; Take a unit that's already awesome without the magic.

===Magic Tactics===
In this section, I'll list the multiple ways to use specific Lores in conjunction with our units. Some Lores of Magic are flexible and unique, while some are more focused on specific strategies and units to make them work. Either way, you'll find use of them here. In the modern game buffs and hexes are generally the order of the day, offering a lot of value for the dice invested. Especially for high elves who have incredibly powerful units, buffs can send your dudes into the stratosphere. Direct damage spells are still worthwhile but the really powerful ones have either short range, are only effective against specific units or have high casting cost so you need to pick lores that your mages can realistically get good mileage out of depending where you put them and what you expect them to achieve and don't just think in terms of getting the mage a high body count. While getting fifteen kills with dwellers is really cool, something much more boring like +1T for a big block of spearmen can have a much more lasting impact in the game by blunting the enemy charge and allowing you to set up your flank charges and you opponent is much less likely to go all in dispelling a minor augment.

There are two styles of magic that exist for High Elves in my opinion: Balanced and Specific.

Balanced Lores provide buffs and hexes that cover a large area of High Elf weaknesses. These lores include High Magic, Lore of Metal, Shadow, and Light. Specific Lores depend on certain army builds to bring out their true potential. These Lores include Life, Death and Beasts. I'll explain more below.

'''High Magic - Balanced'''

This is a very balanced lore that's designed to assist the High Elves take on any foe. With TWO signature spells this is very versatile. The biggest spell: Fiery Convocation, burns down entire hordes if left unchecked and Arcane Unforging is a direct damage that wounds like a Metal Lore spell but also randomly destroys a magic item on 2+; use this on Banner of Barrows, Flag of Blood Keep, Ghal Maraz ect cetera. Walk Between World makes a unit move 10/20 inches as if Ethereal in the Remaining Move Phase, good for putting a Phoenix behind enemy lines. Oh, and did we mention the Lore Attribute of High Magic? +1 to your Ward save for the Mage and unit every time a spell is successfully cast. YOUR FREAKIN WARD SAVE! This means that a Level 4 Wizard running High Magic can grant most units at least a 5+ during each magic phase and you only need one spell to give Phoenix Guard the magical 3+. March them across the field and watch your opponent cry as everything and their dog tries to kill it with only 3-4 casualties a turn.

'''Lore of Shadow - Balanced'''

Our most powerful lore in my opinion. It's almost as if this Lore was designed with High Elves in mind because it complements our army perfectly:
1. Elite troops with high WS and I can be dealt with Miasma.
2. High armor troops can be destroyed by Mindrazor. No. Mindrazor does NOT make your strength equal to your leadership. You only use leadership when rolling to wound. It does NOT mention using leadership to modify enemy armor. So while it is very useful for felling tough foes, you use regular strength for getting through armor.
3. High strength can be robbed of their power with Enfeeble.
4. High toughness units can be dispatched easier with Withering on them.
5. Expensive, multi-wound models with low initiative can be destroyed with Pit of Shades.

I highly recommend this Lore as your go to lore for balanced play.

'''Lore of Light - Balanced'''

This is another very balanced Lore and very powerful against the Undead and also Daemons now that their stinking Standard of Sundering is finally out of the game. So yeah, TK, VC and DoC hate this lore. Army-wide Pha's Illumination and Speed of Light makes your entire army WS10 I10 and -1 to hit. This gives you fantastic combat potential and great protection vs. melee and shooting alike. Timewarp also allows your entire to surge forward and get into combat insanely early. Once they're in combat, the army-wide buffs allow you to win combat and take less casualties. All your units will hit things on 3s with re-rolls and you'll most likely be hit on 6s. Sadly, this doesn't help High Elves as much as other armies as you already tend to have Always Strikes First, decent WS and decent I. It still helps, just not as much compared to say Tomb Kings who have terrible WS and I.

If you decide to go Light, having a Lv.1 Wizard with Light is also suggested. This gives you the ability to inflict fantastic damage with Burning Gaze and Banishment for very low casting values. As for most balanced Lores, feel free to take whatever.

'''Lore of Metal - Balanced'''

This Lore gives you the power to break through armored units as they were butter. If you knew you were going against an army with multiple, heavily-armored targets such as <S>Brettonian</S> Bretonnian Knights, this Lore is fantastic. Another great thing about Lore of Metal is the army-wide 5+ Scaly Skin. This makes your Light Armor, Shield Spearmen pack on a 3+ armor save. Heavy armor units such as White Lions, Sword Masters and Phoenix Guard also share that lovely 3+. With this in mind, I want to talk about a very specific spell and army-build:

A large unit of Sword Masters with Enchanted Blades of Aiban absolutely annihilate things in combat. WS6 with +1 to hit means you'll most of the game on 2s. With ASF, re-rolls and Armor Piercing S5, you'll walk through troops and elites alike. Even Spearmen with Enchanted Blades plow through units like they were butter. Give it a try, I promise good results.

'''Lore of Death - Specific'''

For this Lore, you mainly want to focus on the destructive capabilities of character sniping. These spells allow you to pick out BSBs, Generals and other important targets that could ruin the opposing army. VC Generals, TK Hierophants, Bretonnian BSBs, the list goes on. It goes without saying that the army-wide -1S and T allow your troops to inflict more damage and take less in return. Lastly, we have Purple Sun. That thing just embarrasses Lizardmen, certain undead armies and Dwarfs. And Ogre Kingdoms. The signature spell is particularly useful for High Elves given their higher leadership values.

'''Lore of Life - Specific'''

I really like this Lore and I almost placed it in the balanced section, but I want to highlight some key builds that I like a lot. For one, Dwellers is a no brainer for most players: It picks off characters, completely wrecks enemies with Elf-stats and destroys entire units of Skaven. Throw dice at a large target with low S and watch it disappear from the game: Cheesy archer spam builds beware! This, is a very defensive Lore for the most part. You have Regen, protection from Miscast, and awesome +4 Toughness (if you have throne of vines) to any unit of choice. Let's not forget Regrowth! Which unit in particular?

A giant unit of Sword Masters with T7 and Regen can mow through most units in the game. They are already incredibly powerful in close combat because of WS6, S5 and 2A, but now give them the T7 and Regen and things just get ridiculous. Use a small Phoenix Guard bunker with a Life Mage and Book, and spam these spells on a giant horde of SM w/ Standard of Balance and Amulet of Light. People will most certainly hate you.

'''Lore of Beasts - Specific'''

If the base unit spell for +1S +1T, the +3T to all characters in 12" is also pretty awesome. Unlike the Lore of Life though, this Lore focuses a lot on damage from characters than defense. Don't get me wrong, Curse of Anraheir can still hex someone down to -1 to hit. Combine this with tough Elven warriors and things look a lot brighter. Take what you would normally take and spam Wyssan's Wildform on everything. Then walk up a bunch of Princes and Nobles with +S magic weapons and hit Savage Beast of Horrors. Can you imagine the amount of carnage you can inflict with multiple characters wielding +3S and +3 attacks? I'm not sure how effective it'll be, but it'll sure make my Prince a little scarier. Or take Korhil, put him on a Lion Chariot, cast the Beast on him, chuck him at whatever and RAPETRAIN IT! Believe me, I've done this before.

==Tactics==

'''Knowing your Enemy'''

The first piece of advice I have for newer players is knowing your enemy. There is nothing more important than this piece right here. You look across the table and you see a bunch of units you don't know, you already know this game is going to head into disaster. Very few players have the ability to asset threat, damage and power on the fly so its best you go into battles prepared. Key units like the Skaven Doomwheel, the Bloodthirster or the horde unit of Khorne Marauders with Great Weapons, all of these are important pieces on the battlefield. The best thing to do in these situations is to point across the table and ask. If the player you're playing with is a gentleman, and it's a friendly game, I hope he can tell you what each unit does. In a tournament setting, forget about it. Fantasy already takes a day and a half to set up, so it's best you do your research ahead of time.

Think of it like this: Every game you play is a test of skill and generalship. Any good general takes the time to learn about his enemy and so should you. That's why I buy every army book GW prints. Not only is it superb shitter material, but it's also valuable information on what kind of ridiculous combos, units or special characters that might show up on the battlefield.

'''Understanding Your Army'''

I almost think that knowing your enemy and understanding your army works hand in hand. If you think about it, you spend all this time making up your army list and for what? Each army list is designed to accomplish a certain thing on the battlefield. Playing for fun is one thing, but you're also playing so your troops are victorious. This is why army design is crucial and how you can make the best out of your army composition.

Keep in mind that this is not advice on how to min-max your army, it's about making your army work for you. As a general of any given army, you must find a medium where you're comfortable with the units you've taken, and you understand fully how they work. The best way to do this is by assigning battlefield roles. Take Sword Masters for example, what do they do best? They generate CR by ripping up lowly troops in combat but they die as fast as a swift breeze. What's the job of Spearmen? Or Skavenslaves? To hold the line and await reinforcements, using their superior numbers and ranks to tie the enemy down.

To be a successful general, you must know your units like the back of your hand. Understand each unit's functionality and purpose, but most importantly, understand why you put them in your army in the first place.

The greatest threat to most units in a High-elf army is long combats, if you cannot break a unit you will need to minimize the amount of damage they can do back to you in the following turns. Remember your troops hit rather hard but tend to die very easily.

'''Deployment'''

I've seen many games where games are lost on deployment alone. Picture for a second that your opponent puts down a unit of heavily armored Chaos Knights after you put your White Lions down far away from them. If those White Lions were your only defense against heavy armor, then I'd say you're in a world of shit once those Knights come crashing on your flank.

That's why you see players taking units whose sole purpose is to give them an edge in deployment. Some might be good enough to be used as re-directors or warmachine hunters too. These units are also known as chaff. Chaff is important because it allows you put these units down anywhere you want for the most part. They pretty much always go in the same place or have outrageous movement speed that they can relocate and not be troublesome for the movement of your army. Eagles can be used as chaff, Sabretusks and Fellbats for example, all can act as chaff for your army.

The key to deployment is matching your opponent's units pound for pound. You don't want to put down a unit that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against another unit he put down right off the top. Your unit must have support, or is capable of holding the line against whatever he puts down or your side is just going to fold. The best example is the Knights scenario I presented above. You want to be able to match your opponent in deployment, or be superior to him in deployment. I call these "drops". If your army has greater or equal to the number of drops he has (total # of units he can put down during deployment), you're in a good place. This minimizes on the chance your army will be out-deployed. The person with more chaff will have more chaff that he can put down, forcing you to put down your last unit of White Lions so he can purposely drop a power unit on your flank. Unless your army is designed to fight uphill battles, you should never let this happen.

If you know you're going to be out-deployed, you should analyze which units on his side you don't want in your flanks and deploy your answers last. This is where knowing your enemy comes into place.

'''Analyzing The Threats'''

To be successful on the battlefield and during deployment, you must first analyze threat. You must understand which units on the other side of the table can cause you most harm. This is huge. Keep in mind that army scale does not equate to the harm they can cause in combat. The best example of this is a giant unit of Skaveslaves vs. a small unit of Sword Masters. The craziest thing to assume is that the unit of Skavenslaves is going to do a lot of damage on the battlefield. Sure, there's a whole bunch of them, but their fighting prowess equates to dried fish where your Sword Masters preform like a hot knife through butter.

One of the things that 8th Ed. has going for it is big creatures. If it's a big monster on the other side of the table, this is probably worrisome. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons, it's probably going to do a lot of damage. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons and is in horde formation, it's probably something you should deploy smartly against because that thing is going to fuck your shit up if you play dumb. The most pronounced threats on the battlefield are normally the ones your opponent has heroes and lords going into it. It's either going to be a caster bunker, or a frontline unit that'll do solid bits of damage.

Remember what I said about battlefield roles? Your opponent does the same thing with his army. He knows what his frontline units are, which ones do the most damage and which ones are designed to hold the line. You know his primary sources of damage and these are the ones that should be generating the highest amount of threat in your mind. You might run into scenarios where certain units don't want to be in combat at all. These are often caster bunkers or vulnerable Magelords who would hate to have an Eagle pick out his eyes. Knowing the weak points of his army can prove to be a great advantage to you during deployment and when you're playing the game. Again, understanding how the opposing army works helps greatly here.

'''Understanding Favorable Scenarios'''

Hesitation can lose you a game, but so can your ability to underestimate your troops.

Here are some examples:
A scary dragon on the battlefield is not so scary when you shoot him with a billion arrows.
Knights actually do quite poorly against White Lions.
A small unit of Sword Masters into the side of Skavenslaves really fucks up their shit.
A Spearmen unit, given enough ranks can hold a charge from most, if not all, point equivalent units in the game.

A lot of this might seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many times players second guess themselves on the battlefield. Know your army, know what each unit is designed to do (which is surprisingly easy for High Elves because everyone's so specialized), and know which scenarios go in your favor on the battlefield when paired up against any given opponent.

At the end of the day, you should always apply a unit's actual battlefield role to do battle. You should always be thinking: The only reason I'm bringing X unit is to fight against Y units. In a game of rock-paper-scissors and random surprise Mindrazors; it still works in your favor when you know what counters what.

'''Predicting Combat'''

This is definitely more in the lines of advanced players, but after so many battles, players start seeing the same numbers. A unit of 7x2 Sword Masters hits a unit of Skavenslaves. Aside from a ton of rats dying horribly, how many Sword Masters did you lose and how much CR did you generate? What about Spears? Even if you didn't charge but was instead charged by a unit of Empire Halberdiers, how many Spearmen died and how much CR did you generate via kills, ranks and standard? What about that beefy lord-class character sitting in a relatively weaker unit? I bet he can do some serious work. I'm not saying go out there and mathhammer the life out of everything in the game, but you should have an idea how your units will perform on the battlefield.

The battlefield is a pretty unpredictable place, especially when shit like magic is involved. However, successful players have a good idea of what to expect when they throw their units into combat. For the most part, players only throw their units into combat they can win. This is why predicting combat outcomes are so important. A unit of Spearmen charging a horde unit of Marauders w/ Great Weapons in the front might not be the best choice alone, but what if you plan your magic phase to get Withering off on the unit? What if you decide to combo charge with your Spears and Sword Masters on the flank so you can use your magic elsewhere? The combat res generated from the combined charge "should" win you combat.

You see how predicting combat drastically changes the way you play the game? By assessing the battlefield and seeing the game on a larger level, you are able to make plays ahead of time. The key to being a successful general is being able to see multiple instances of this at once and analyzing which ones generate the highest amount of success with the lowest number of risk. Your ability to capitalize on this is what will take you from good, to great.

'''Lesser of Two Evils'''

Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in order for victory for be secured. Sometimes, you just have to choose. Imagine yourself in a scenario where no matter what you do, something bad is going to happen to your army. This might be a loss of a flank, a loss of a key unit or letting a horrible spell go through. If your opponent plays it right, there should be scenarios where all of these happen at the same time. Take note here for a second about what I just said. A well-played game of Warhammer is when you make your opponent sweat over the choices he has to make. No matter what choice he makes, something bad should happen to his army. That's when you know you've made a good play.

If you have to choose, always go with the play that'll guarantee you the greatest chance of victory in subsequent rounds. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have to first let that flank fall, or that unit be destroyed so you can strike back in a manner most decisive. This is why predicting combat and understanding favorable scenarios is important. In a situation like this, always put yourself in the opponent's shoes. Think from his perspective and predict what he would do after he successfully pulled off a big play. Predict what he does and counter it to the best of your advantage. Think to yourself: If he wins big on combat there and I flee, will he pursue or will he reform? If he pursues, do I have anything that can hit him in the flank or catch him in a bad spot? If he reforms, do I have anything that can strike decisively and win combat on that unit next turn?

Don't get yourself caught up in the moment. Understand that the 300 odd points of Spearmen you just fed your opponent can equate to you combo-charging his General's bunker and send it into the oblivion, then it's well worth it. If sacrifice has to be made, it has to make its points back and more. If not, then the sacrifice is not worth it.

'''Magic Superiority'''

The first thing to understand is that a small advantage is still an advantage. This is how you should analyze the winds of magic. A successful magic phase is all about analyzing which spells your opponent can afford to let go and which spells he can't. With an Lv.4 Wizard, you have access to a good amount of viable spells. The spells your opponent can let go are often the spells you want to take advantage of. That's when why you draw a big winds round, you cast moderately but still vital spells that plink at his dispel dice. These should be all moderately dangerous to the outcome of the fight in question (which will be his main focus).

Use smaller castings of hexes and augments, because a slight advantage (what he sees, and analyzes as less important), is still an advantage (huge for High Elves). A clever mage will be able to feint the significance of a fight and get off multiple spells a turn. If your opponent lets it all go because he's anticipating Mindrazor, that's his problem because now his unit is now -WS, -T and you ASF with a better combat result. Mindrazor isn't even needed at this point. If he throws dice trying to dispel your other hexes, that's less dice he has available when you actually do throw down the MR. This goes hand in hand with what I said about anticipating combat results. How badly your troops need your magic will save a lot of unneeded dice.

Redirecting focus: Say you have a unit engaged in combat and you anticipate a victory, or at least a draw result. You concentrate magic on another area of the battlefield that your opponent isn't focused on. This breaks his concentration and draws a big cloud of WTF? over his head. This happens when you see something crucial your opponent doesn't, as often times or not, players get tunnel-visioned in the combat they're in but don't grasp the wider vision of the battlefield. Hexing incoming Knights on your turn with -WS or -S will make much more of a difference than watching Sword Masters narrowly win combat vs. a flanking unit of Clanrats.

'''Baiting and Feinting'''

Fleeing from a battlefield is not always a sign of cowardice. It can also be used to bait an opponent out of position or force him into a position he doesn't want to be in. The best example of this could be a unit of Spears fleeing from a charge of Bretonnian Knights. God knows you don't to take that charge in the face so you opt to flee with your Spearmen. He now has two choices: Take a Ld. test to charge something else, or roll for the Spears. Say that you have a unit of White Lions or Sword Masters next to the Spears. Does he really want to re-direct into the Lions or SM? Or does he want to risk the charge and risk exposing his flank to the Lions?

You see what you just did here? A simple flee can put your opponent in a rock and a hard place (especially if the charge is long). Both scenarios equally suck for him so he might opt to charge at all. This is also good for you because it gives you the chance to charge his Knights next turn! And if he doesn't opt to charge, your Spears will still be there to assist in the main battle. Warhammer can be a game of cat and mouse, so it's best to know all the options available to you before you commit. If you plan on charging something, know all the possible reactions your opponent can take before investing. You don't want to be in the same shoes as the above player.

'''Eagles are an Elves' Best Friend'''

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Eagles are my MVP. First off, they are probably one of the most annoying pieces of chaff ever. They're great in the deployment phase when you can just put one down and stare into your opponent's soul. They're great ingame because they can fly boldly into your opponent's charge lanes and take one from the team; forcing them to charge them and re-position. Eagles buy you time, buy you movement and allow you to re-position your army while the Eagle re-positions your opponents. They allow you to chase down enemy chaff or flankers, help pressure warmachines and provide you with flank and rear charge CR should they survive mid-game. They act primarily as re-directors (a Frenzied unit's worst nightmare) and are the true workhorse of most High Elf armies.

'''Counter-charges and Flanking'''

Sometimes, the good ol' hammer and anvil is something even the experienced players forget. The concept of a counter-charge is simple: Unit #1 is a unit that can take hits - in the case of High Elves, a giant block of Spears with Steadfast CR up the ass. This is known as the anvil. Unit #2 is a unit that hits hard as fuck but dies to a soft breeze. Sword Masters are an popular choice for a hammer. Your opponent charges your Spearmen because it's the only viable target and you hold knowing that your Sword Masters (who are conveniently placed on your flank), will have a flank charge next round. Magic is invested in keeping the Spearmen alive and steadfast while the Sword Masters charge their flank next turn. Heads start rolling and combat heavily swings your way, winning you the day.

Flanking is also quite simple: Place something that has good threat range on the far sides of your army and use them as CR generators. I normally like using Dragon Princes for this type of role. Put 5 of these guys down on a wide-flank and they can be used to reliably add CR to any combat mid-field. Flanking can also be used to bypass some of your opponents' attention to hit warmachines and other units chilling in their backfield. Lastly, flanking is also good for having additional CR in combat. An Eagle charging from the far flank gives you 2 CR for just having the balls to be there. It's pretty much free CR.

'''Winning combat, now what?'''

So now that you've won combat, you have to think about what to do next. Unfortunately, most players think about this step immediately after the combat resolves. I want you to take a step back and think about what can happen even before you charge. If you charge now, and win a victory over your opponent, can you overrun into an important caster bunker in back? Does your opponent have anything that can crush your overrun if you choose to do so? Is your unit stretched too far and out of range of your BSB? Is he out of his BSB? If you push the advantage, will your advantage be negated if he engages the rest of your army while your best unit is out of position? Winning combat is important for sure, but what happens after is even more important. You must be in a favorable situation to benefit from it: The result of a successful charge should net you more success in the subsequent turns than harm.

Keep in mind that you don't have to keep going after you wiped out a unit. Check to see if the unit has been mauled enough that the only way he can rally is if he rolls double 1s. Sometimes the position you're in begs you to combat reform and stay still. If you commit anymore, you might go from crushing victory to outright defeat. Never lose sight of the bigger picture and don't over extend yourself. Unless you're Stubborn, or have a unit that's incapable of losing combined charges in the next round of combat, it's best to wait for the rest of your army. You want to be in magic support range, you want to be in BSB range and you want to be in support charge range of other units. Don't forget this.

Another thing to keep in mind is Line of Sight. If your unit can surge forward enough after winning combat that'll take him out of LoS (and thus enemy charges), this is a great advantage. It allows you to drive deep in the enemy lines and force him to turn around or suffer a rear charge from you in the subsequent turns. This also allows your main force to advance and catch him in a vice. Surely this is a good thing as even the most lackwit of generals know that enemy forces running in their backfield is bad.

'''Lost combat, now what?'''

So your beautiful charge turned into a crushing defeat, what now? Obviously, this means your unit will be running back to your lines like a whipped dog. Don't worry, you can now look into the future and analyze why you lost combat and how you can regain the momentum in the next phase of the game. Maybe something completely unpredictable happened in the magic phase that killed your opportunities in combat? This is the single biggest factor in how combats can sway. This is also something I want you to remember: Magic can greatly skew the outcome of any combat you're invested in. Think about this before you charge, and understand what magic lores he has that can shift momentum in his favor. In order for you to succeed in combat, you must dispel the magic he will use to turn combat in his favor. This is not negotiable.

After losing combat, you need to analyze several things:

Did he Overrun? If so, are you in a position where you can take advantage of his over-extension?
Did he Combat Reform? If so, are you able to counter-attack next turn?
What made you lose combat? Was it some beefy character or was it magic that turned the tides?
How do you not lose combat again? Neutralize the beefy character (or avoid him completely) and dispel the magic that sways combat his way.
Is your fleeing unit useless? Treat the game as if you're 1 down, but don't forget about the fleeing unit. Even if he's below 25%, you can still test for double 1s.

'''When ahead, stay ahead'''

The philosophy behind this concept is simple: Don't do anything stupid that'll throw away your lead. What happens most of the time when players start winning is they start playing careless. This is a sure way to lose your lead and put you behind in a game where you're almost guaranteed to win. A great example of this would be killing your opponent's Dragon Lord and 1-2 Hydras with your Warmachines first turn before they even get to do anything and still managing to lose the game. I don't know how this happens, but players get lost the ecstasy of great plays (or luck) and think now that the main threats are gone that the game is in their hands. This is the wrong way to approach a lead.

The more appropriate way to take advantage of a lead is to think: How do I get further ahead? You want to be in a position where your next step is to eliminate any and all possible ways the opponent can swing the game around. You put yourself in his position and you think to yourself: I just lost my Dragon Lord and my Hydras, so what can I do now to walk away from the table like a man? Once you think about the situation from your opponent's mindset, you counter it and deny him of it. With no victory options in sight, your opponent will have no choice but to fold.

'''Post-game Analysis'''

Now that the game is won (or lost), you can look back and see what you can do to improve. Human beings are meant to improve; we're a race of learners and adapters. No matter how badly you just massacred your opponent or how crushing your defeat, there's always something to take away from the game. The most important part here is that you must learn from your game to improve. If you won the game, think about the scenarios you could have done better. If you lost the game, think about why you lost and which units caused the most problems. Think about all the topics that were covered above. There must be something you could have done better in the never-ending list of becoming a better general.

It's important that you discuss the game with your opponent. Talk about how the battle could have gone differently if you did this, or that. How his game could have changed if he did this, or that. Not only does this give you a better perspective on the game (and your opponent's army), but also the player you're playing against. Share your thoughts with your opponent and let him share his with yours. Criticism and advice should be taken with an open mind. It helps broaden your perspective on other general's opinions and makes you a better-rounded player overall.

==See Also==
* [[High_Elves_(Warhammer)|High Elves]]

{{Warhammer_Tactics_Races}}
[[Category:Warhammer/Tactics]]

Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/High Elves

2020-10-06T01:15:16Z

2606:A000:1128:495A:E595:93AF:8EAF:C3E6: /* Why Play High Elves */

==Why Play High Elves==
Because you like Elves. And winning. High Elves win a lot. They have a BRUTAL magic phase (which if used properly completely offsets any perceived weakness of the High Elves), solid infantry choices, a variety of savage monstrous mounts and one of the best archer units in the game. Oh and did we mention that they have Always Strikes First, to a man, which combined with their high Initiative means you are essentially always getting rerolls <strike>and according to their FAQ, this is unaffected by Great Weapons.</strike> It is now only normal ASF, which means Great weapons strike at normal Initative, for once thank you Matt Ward. Let's also not forget the fighting in extra ranks. Between the extra ranks of attacks and the re-rolling misses, this army is designed to land lots of hits in close combat.

Don't think they're a cinch to play though, they're not THAT [[Warhammer/Tactics/Daemons of Chaos| overpowered]] (unless you use High magic or Life magic). Low Toughness, light armor and high cost units means that they have to be played well. But if you play them properly you will utterly destroy the competition. An army for people who like gorgeous models and want to play a tactically fulfilling army without being hideously underpowered. Or for a player that likes to spam magic and block everything with ward saves, have crazy magic items, or just be better at all four phases of the game than all other armies (who said these guys weren't overpowered again?). An army, in short, for the exact kind of people who like Warhammer Fantasy.

==Army Rules==

*'''Martial Prowess:''' One of the cornerstones of why High Elves hit like a ton of bricks. Fighting and shooting in extra ranks is huge. Other armies at one point or another have to decide between more attacks or a decent rank bonus. High Elves can have all models attacking and still have 2-4 ranks!

*'''Valour of Ages''': When fighting their dark cousins, High Elves counter their hatred with re-rolling failed panic, fear and terror tests. It's a nice rule, who hasn't lost that one critical morale test in a game before? I would however say that hatred is superior. Valour of ages unfortunately does not allow re-rolls of failed break tests, so you're anyway going to field a BSB, and he already has panic, fear and terror covered. Still, your vanguard and scouts or anything else not in the BSB-bubble can benefit.

*'''Lileath's Blessing:''' A bonus of +1 to casting results for using High Magic across the board. High Magic is a very versatile and powerful lore, really drawing from the eight rulebook lores. And the spells already have relatively low casting values, so Lileath's Blessing means that you can easily cast 2-3 spells each turn to get that nice Ward Save bonus for your mage and his unit.

==Unit Analysis==
===Lords & Heroes===
====Named Characters====
'''Note:''' Under the current edition, named characters tend to be overpriced; you can pretty easily emulate most named characters from scratch and save yourself some points. That said, a few named characters do have abilities and wargear or wargear combos unique to them, so if you need to have them, go ahead. Just make sure you're really getting your points worth.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Tyrion, the Defender of Ulthuan:''' Tyrion is an expensive close combat beast, and that's what you want him to be. Between ASF, WS9, I10, 4 attacks, S7 (4 base +3 from Sunfang, and a magical Flaming Attack at that) and a breath weapon, he can pretty much wreck an entire unit on his own and with his 1+ armor, 4+ ward, and Magic Resistance (2) he will just not die (and even if he does, the engagement necklace from the Everqueen means one wound that would kill him is negated on a 2+, essentially giving him +1 wound, or a one time immunity to killing blow. He loses his magic resistance after use, meaning that last wound is slightly more vulnerable). However, he's kinda stuck in the role of the hammer, and at that level of points you can take someone on a Dragon and he can't do TOO much that a tricked out Prince couldn't do just as well for less (that dragon can't join a unit though, which makes Tyrion worth considering far more than he was in 7th edition). He's fun, but competitive lists tend to prefer generic options or the Everqueen. Something of note is that he can join a unit of Silver Helms or Dragon Princes which really ruins someones day in larger games (remember that now with Silver Helms being core, your anvil can suddenly drop onto the heads of the enemy rather than just hold them in place in an all cavalry list). His super-horse also has +1 M,WS,S,I and A. Be aware, he has taken a VERY SLIGHT nerfing (ie; his immunity to fire is now on a 2+ ward save meaning if he rolls a one he gets roasted. As cavalry he's no longer immune to killing blow so KB units such as Grave Guard can suddenly wreck his day again. He's also 10 points dearer). Weiging in at 410 points, he'll eat up a big chunk of your Lords points, but with the changes due to the End Times, you can now field him and the Everqueen in a 2000 pt game (and hopefully they don't start banging mid-game). One final change to him in this edition: he no longer HAS to be General of the army he's in, but if he is his inspiring presence has a range of 18". If your strategy is wedge Tyrion in your enemy's ass while a mage hides in a bunker and faps to the scene, you might wanna keep him as a minion but if your whole strategy is to run your enemy down with a wall of equine death he should be the one in charge.

* '''Teclis, the Loremaster of Hoeth:''' All those lifeline steroid pills must be getting to him, he got nerfed again. Not nearly as badly as last time, but he's weaker. He is still a powerful mage because he can either know all spells in High Magic, or have one spell (of your choice) from each normal Lore. The Moon Staff is now a one use item that either lets you add an extra die to each cast attempt from him for a turn OR negate a miscast from him (after use Teclis reduces his Strength and Toughness to 1 for the rest of the game, which is pretty funny but bad news). The scroll he carries is still nice, letting him auto-dispel an enemy (non-IF) spell as well as having a D6 roll-off against the mage who cast the spell, with a win resulting in them losing that spell for the rest of the game. Despite his ''awesome'' sword, he is still a cripple of an elf with no save to speak of so at least cram him into something that won't see cc and can protect him at the same time (not easy). The War Crown of Saphery, which used to let him dispel a miscast each turn and thus overpower him more than almost anyone else in the game, now grants him an additional wizard level making him one of the four Level 5 wizard options in the game. All together Teclis has gone from being mandatory in a "best possible" High Elf list to being an expensive character who's return on his points is questionable. Still, he's not terrible and is great for picking spells now that the magic item that used to let you do that is gone from the game. If you are using Storm of Magic rules, Teclis is still the powerhouse he once was and is just as facerollingly unfair as before.

* '''Alarielle the Radiant:''' The Everqueen is back people, and she is a Lord level wizard who can choose how many of her four spells are rolled from High Magic, Life Magic, and Light Magic. Mostly a defensive character, she uses her female status to make her unit protective of her to the point that they are immune to Fear and Terror (which is fair play if you ask me) and all her units' attacks count as magical. Also she heals one friendly character within 12" for 1 wound each round during the movement phase, but needs to target anyone else if available before herself since she's nice and all. Her and her unit get a 5+ ward save against non magical attacks too, which is jolly decent of her. She has only one attack but against the Forces of Destruction it's Heroic Killing Blow on top of her elven ASF. It would be really laughable if... lets say she slays a Greater Demon with this, but highly unlikely. She has Lileath's Blessing like other High Elf casters so she'll add +1 to High Magic spells if you're looking to bump up that Ward Save with Shield of Saphery via High Magic spam. She also has a nifty little passive called Chaos Bane since her very existence makes Daemons take SAN checks (so the Everqueen is more or less the God Emperor of Fantasy in all the ways Sigmar isn't) which means that during the beginning of her Magic Phase, before you roll for winds, every unit with the Daemonic rule within 12" of her takes D6 hits at strength 4 calculated as per shooting. Seems nice, but it comes with the drawback that she casts at a -D3 to any spells since Daemons give her a sad. She's got a one use item called the Stave of Avelorn which lets her cast a spell a second time regardless of whether she bummed it up or not. Finally, taking her gives Nobles, Lothern Sea Helms, and Handmaidens of the Everqueen special options. The Noble or Lothern Sea Helm you would use as your Battle Standard Bearer (which you are always going to have) can take the Banner of Avelorn for 40 points, which gives you +4 on every cast of Life and Light magic that targets the unit the Banner is in (that last part if very important, remember it when deciding where the BSB will march) which is very nice if you're looking to get off two of the best defensive/counter lores without losing many power dice each casting. The Handmaiden can take the Horn of Isha, which is a one use item used at the start of the Movement Phase that gives all the models in the unit that used it a +1 To Hit bonus on shooting or melee (so one turn of those arrows from the amazons get a little bit pointier) for 50 points. With all the rules the Queen is toting, she is High Elves' new Teclis but on defense rather than offense. She's also right alongside Teclis in Storm of Magic overpowering. Keep in mind she's not a /win overpowered goddess. Lists that use the Everqueen should have one giant horde to stick her in with multiple wound characters in it. Even a unit of Spearmen with the Everqueen can be buffed to Phoenix Guard levels on the cheap. Everqueen lists are vulnerable to flank charges however, so keep that in mind if you decide your Special choice should be the Alarielle horde. A Sea Helm in the unit with her will solve that issue pretty quickly however.

* '''Alith Anar, the Shadow King:''' Alith used to be overshadowed by the other Lord level choices available, but this edition has him in his own role and if it's what you need he's perfect. He's got a glorious bow granted to him by a goddess (functions as a Bolt Thrower (so subtract the price of one from his cost to figure out what ELSE you're getting from him) that he can shoot even if he moves, and ignores Armor saves) and has a nice statline. Hatred isn't as useful in 8th, but against Dark Elves it's always nice to put just a little more pain on them; speaking of, if you know you will be fighting Dark Elves he's Khaine's gift (one without drawbacks!) to elfkind due to his ranged attack causing -1LD to Dark Elf units he hits until the end of the phase. Since Bow of the Seafarer was removed in 8th edition you can no longer kit out a Prince to be a better shooty lord, so Alith has taken on that role entirely by himself and as a result a more viable option in competitive lists. Alith causes a -1 To Hit for whatever tries to shoot a unit he's joined, and the unit also has Swiftstride so think about where you're putting him (advancing wave of White Lions that you just CANNOT shoot is nice, as is Shadow Warriors you can't catch). Keep in mind that if you deploy him outside of your deployment zone you may want someone else to be your general, otherwise his inspiring presence is wasted for half the game.

* '''Elatharion the Grim, Warden of Tor Yvresse:''' He's nice, but perhaps too expensive for his own good. Hatred VS Orcs and Goblins isn't very useful unless you will actually be playing against them, and his extra boost in personal combat against Grom the Paunch of the Misty Mountain even less so. He's also a Level 2 caster who can grab any lore from the Rulebook (Beasts and Death work well), but that's a job you generally want to split between combat Lords and Wizards (never mind that, for his cost, you can grab a Prince AND a level 2 Mage, with 35 points left for equipment before Eltharion becomes the cheaper pick). He can also ride his enhanced personal Griffin Stormwing and get a free lance. Stormwing has stats exceeding a Sun Dragon and has ASF plus the 5+ Ward Save Eltharion's helmet grants him (How the fuck does that work? Magic. Elf magic.) but has no Scaly Skin which is a big deal when a Sun Dragon is only 40 points more. He's really a good enough Lord who's mostly overshadowed by how much you're paying for him and how other choices crunch better. On the plus side, his badass sword (+2 strength, no armor saves allowed), badass helmet (+1 armor save and 5+ ward save), and finally the badass medallion (gives Magic Resistance (1)) make him an easier pill to swallow if you're going for a themed list. Consider him on foot instead of simply throwing him on the gryphon if you do want him.<br />'''Alternate View'''<br />Compared to other sources, based on the princes profile he should be worth around 391 points (compared to his 295). Still, your mileage may vary if he's point effective or whether a vanilla prince with a few upgrades would be better.<br />'''Even More Alternate-er View'''<br />To achieve an equivalent level of power on vanilla Lords and Heroes would actually come to almost 450 points (Excluding his griffon), so he's a cheap way to have a wizard and a combat beat stick, especially in a low point game. Plus everyone loves a good sword-swinging wizard (Let's call him pointy-eared Gandalf).

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Caradryan, Captain of the Phoenix Guard:''' Caradryan is a good fighting hero that got 5 points cheaper in 8th but lost 2 points of his magic resistance. Mark of Asuryan was changed from dealing D6 no armour save wounds to the single model that killed him to instead dealing D3 no armour save wounds to the unit or the same to a single enemy in a challenge (so his aftermath special ability has been halved in exchange for it being able to affect the unit when he cops it outside of a challenge). His magic weapon is FANTASTIC against trolls and other regenerating monsters due to having Flaming Attacks, it also hits on +1 strength and causes Multiple Wounds (D3) against anything. He himself is not too expensive, especially since he discourages tricked out Lords/Heroes from coming after him due to his dying ability. Not the greatest Hero in the world, but really fun and a god-tier bodyguard. Also, has the option to now ride a named Frostheart Pheonix, Ashtari. Costs 10 points more than a generic but with an additional attack and is thus a GREAT option. Combine that with his dying ability and you've essentially got a flying tank that weakens things around it carrying a nuke (one that doesn't hurt your own men), and it's on a dead man's trigger.

* '''Korhil, Captain of the White Lions:''' Korhil's main advantages are as follows: He's cheap (but 10 points costlier in 8th) and he's Stubborn and thus grants this to any unit he joins. Those two reasons are reason enough to take him, especially if you want to dump him in a large Spearmen unit. He lost Woodsman, gained Forest Strider which is the same thing by another name. It lets his unit waltz through deadly Forests like they're a peaceful park. He's reasonably killy on his own merits with S4, with +2 strength from his magic weapon, with Killing Blow, with ASF, with an extra hand weapon. Pelt got a slight nerf, grants +1 close combat and +2 shooting to his armor, and instead of being immune to poison in all forms they have to roll To Wound to hit him. Not someone who will turn the game around, but he certainly helps if your strategy is an elfhorde and you didn't bring along Alarielle. See his bio in the fluff section for themed lists, basically he can show up anywhere High Elves are as long as the Phoenix King approves of whatever your army is doing. NEVER FORGET his axe DOESN'T have ASL unlike white lions, so you still get your re-rolls. Korhil may also be mounted on a Lion Chariot, upping his Armour Save by +1 and making the chariot stubborn and a very deadly force on the charge. Plus, the chariot does not have to take a dangerous terrain test when moving through a forest, which is quite huge for a chariot.

====Generic Characters====
'''Note:''' While named characters are judged against their generic counterparts, generic characters are examined based on their role in your army.

'''- Lords -'''

* '''Prince:''' Princes personify everything about the High Elves: Fast as hell, kickass in close combat, can take a variety of special stuff, about as hard as wet tissue. Be sure to give this guy an armor or ward save, or else he will get his ass killed. Aside from that, he's a brutal close combat Lord (WS7, I8, ASF) and properly kitted out there's very little this guy can't kill. Dragon Armor lol's at flaming attacks and breath weapons but is now 20 points (minus the 6 you'd be spending on Heavy Armor, since you ARE taking one or the other); you do get a 6+ ward with it though. As an alternative to Dragon Armor you can take a Lion Cloak alongside the Heavy Armor for just 6 points, giving your Prince a +2 armor save against shooting. If you have the points and you aren't already taking a magic item with a ward save then Dragon Armour is the better option, though a Prince should have a better ward than 6+. Look for the variety of killy options down in the magic weapons.

* '''Archmage:''' A fantastic caster. Access to all 8 Lores, plus High Magic, means he can literally be designed to do whatever you want, though the preferred option in an unclear situation is Lore of Life. Also remember that as long as he's on the board (along with his little brother the Mage) you get +1 to their casts for High Magic through Lileath's Blessing for a total of +5 when channeling it through a Level 4 Archmage. Like with the Prince, he has access to some of the best magic equipment in the game. High Elves are good at magic, and this guy proves it.

* '''Loremaster of Hoeth:''' A new Lord choice and mostly the same as a Swordmaster. But is also a level 2 Mage with ALL 8 normal magic Signature Spells. This gives him great diversity, and he is also not bad in combat (but frail, as he only has a 5+ armour save). Think about it: the Signature Spells are nowhere near bad (ok, most of them are not) and you're getting all of them! Three magic missiles, a direct damage spell, two augments and two hexes. Having all of the lore attributes at your fingertips is useful, like casting Spirit Leech to get more power dice from killing someone. He gets to take as much magic gear as the Archmage and Prince does, meaning you pick how you want to use him and kit him out like one or the other. Also, Deflect Shots for a 6+ ward against non-magical non-template ranged attacks. He's a pretty solid choice, but he costs a metric ton to bring to the table and he's not as good on defense as a level 4 Archmage, so he'll probably only see field in big games. Also, put this guy near a wizards tower whenever you can. It's painfully hilarious. In Storm of Magic, this guy is double hilarity - he gets ALL the spells!<br />It is also worth noting that under the new rules from End Times, the Loremaster of Hoeth knows all the spells from all 8 lores. (Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I am 99% sure that as he is mentioned as THE example, this is the case).

* '''Anointed of Asuryan:''' Yes, you read that right. The head of the Phoenix Guard is somehow a hero while a generic version of him is a Lord, go figure. Anyway, the Anointed is a Lord choice Phoenix Guard member with magic resistance and option to ride a Phoenix (no one else can, other than Caradryan who is his named counterpart). Since he already has a 4+ Ward save a heavy armor and a halberd he needs nearly no equipment at all. If you want, you can turn him into the most tanky (still T3 though) High Elf with the Armour of Silvered Steel and the Dawnstone, giving him a re-rollable 2+ Armour Save, followed by a 4+ Ward Save with MR2, which is pretty insane and still leaves enough points for Potion of Strength, Khaine's Ring of Fury / Ruby Ring of Ruin or the Reaver Bow. When he rides a Flamespyre Phoenix it will return from the dead more often and will even ease the burden on the Phoenix in case of shooting (since he will absorb a few hits). Much, much, MUCH more importantly, he gives everyone in any unit he joins a 6+ Ward Save and Immune to Psychology, which makes him really good in big units of Spearmen, White Lions and the like. On foot, he's a better option than the Prince. In terms of mounts, you take the Anointed if you want one of the Phoenixes (I would say go with the Flamespyre) and the Prince if you want the Dragons.

'''- Heroes -'''

* '''Noble:''' A great fighter for his points, but if you have the points you really should be taking a Prince (who's only 70 points more). The main reason you take a Noble is because he can be a BSB or if you're low on points (either overall or in the Lord choices) in which case, he'll serve. He's best as a BSB and you DEFINITELY want a BSB. In 8th with Lothern Sea Helms also being an option as a Battle Standard Bearer there are now conceivable lists where you might not take a Noble. As a nice little bonus for those who are low on points, the armor types (Heavy, Dragon, and Lion Cloak) are cheaper on a Noble than a Prince.

* '''Mage:''' Unlike the Noble vs. Prince the difference in points between the Mage and Archmage is big that you might want a Mage instead, he can do everything the Archmage can but at level two. If you're in the mood it's always nice to have a backup Mage with a different lore to deal with situations your Archmage can't. Never a bad idea.

* '''Dragon Mage:''' That's right, we even have HEROES riding Dragons. The Dragon is fairly squishy (for a Dragon) and the model as a whole runs on the pricy side, but the Hero Level Dragon and the sheer power of the Mage on top make up for a lot of that. Flaming Sword of Rhuin is actually worthwhile in this edition and the Mage himself can put out an incredible amount of firepower. Note that you should never ever use the actual amount of dice you need; Figure out how much you need and then take one less, it'll give you more mileage. Can be a game breaker at lower points, but tends to get irrelevant once it becomes possible to grab a Prince on Star Dragon. Also, beware as they can only take the Lore of Fire. As Dragon Mages now have access to Dragon Armour, they have access to Magic Armour. Dragon Mage Dragon Armour + Enchanted shield makes for a 2+ Wizard, and if you've got a squishy wave of elven melee doom and a Dragon Mage advancing on a position, your opponent is just picking size or numbers for what dick will end up in his ass.

* '''Handmaiden of the Everqueen:''' The main Valkyrie in a horde of Amazons. You will only play this character with a group of maidens as she gives them (and only them) Quick to Fire. Put the Reaver Bow on her for 3 BS7 S5 quick-to-fire shots. She's kind of expensive for her stats, so she should only be brought if you've got a big unit of Sisters with her name on it. Can take a Horn of Isha if you take the Everqueen, which you should take anytime you aren't taking the Reaver Bow.

* '''Sea Helm:''' A new hero for the High elves who allows his unit to, after passing a leadership test, reform directly after they were charged, as long as they didn't Stand and Shoot or Flee that turn. This means no more easily flanking your units, and taking into account that every High Elf Unit can strike out of 3 rows to the front, this - for measly 100 Points - becomes really important. He can also be a Battle Standard Bearer if you're taking him anyway and don't want to bother with the Noble. Be careful using the Sea Helm as your BSB as he does not have the defensive options that the Noble has. A BSB Noble can get heavy armor and a shield, not to mention dragon armor and the lion cloak, a noble can get 4+/6++ easily without using any magic items. The Sea Helm however has light armor and a shield, that is all. If you're taking a BSB Sea Helm, give him a mundane standard and pump his defenses with his magic item allowance. But seeing as any special ranked unit (aka any unit you want to put him in barr a 50-block of spearmen) has a magic standard allowance of at least 50 points (banner of the world dragon costs 50 points), this isn't much of a problem.

====Mounts====

* ''Elven Steed:'' It's a horse, it goes fast and makes them the tiniest bit less killable. Available for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, and Mages. Since Ithilmar Barding stopped subtracting from movement, you should probably always upgrade to Ithilmar Barding. It adds armor save and DOES NOT make the M9 steed any slower. There's no reason not to pay a few measly points for that.

* ''Great Eagle:'' Useable by Princes, Archmages, and Nobles. Eagles are the halfway point between Horses and Monsters and they're quite cheap at 50 points. You can put a Noble with the Reaver Bow on one of these for a fast, shooty unit that is tougher (a Great Eagle is your only chance of getting a T4 character) and has an extra wound, or an Archmage to get on your opponent's flank and vortex him back to the stone age. For a better Eagle you have to spend 15 points more, which if you're taking one you probably should.

* ''Griffon:'' Useable by Princes and Nobles. Good news they're cheaper than Sun Dragons (150 points vs 235), but with upgrades to make the Griffon viable it comes to a grand total of 195 points. The only difference being the Sun Dragon has one more wound... and a flame attack... and a 3+ AS which makes Dragons durable where Griffons are saveless. Still, Dragons don't have ASF or Devastating Charge, plus Griffons have a +1 Strength on the turn they charge. It's iffy, but offensive lists requiring a nice hard flank to something that isn't a horde have a need for a well geared Prince on a Griffon. Not to mention that neat Island of Blood mini has just been gathering dust on your shelf...

* ''Tiranoc Chariot:'' Option for Princes, Archmages, Nobles, or Mages. Not a good option really, there's potential in that it crunches better than an Eagle for a Reaver Bow war machine hunter, but still iffy. With a unit of 3 though you can replace any Reavers, Shadow Warriors, and Eagle-riding Lords or Heroes. Still, there's complex strategies that can make great use of them, like 2v2 and scenario games.

* ''Sun Dragon:'' Option for Princes and Archmages. The mini-Dragon. Still a Dragon, still kick-ass. Good for if you're short on points, since the 70 point upgrade from Sun to a Moon Dragon matters.

* ''Moon Dragon:'' The medium Dragon, same power level as most Dragons in the game. A good all around choice.

* ''Star Dragon:'' The highest tier of Dragon and probably the most brutal Monstrous Mount in the game. With WS7, S7, T7 7 wounds, 6 attacks, a Strength 4 breath weapon and a 3+ armour save, this guy, with a properly tricked out rider, can probably rip the head off of anything stupid enough to get in its way without tipping the odds. It can tear apart almost anything. Giants, K'daii Destroyers, and other dragons will all be killed if faced by a Star Dragon. Beware the I2 though and be aware that everyone and their dog will be gunning for it. Don't let it get bogged down in a head on collision with a large unit; yes it probably can't do any real damage to the Star Dragon, but it'll be stuck there all game and probably get flanked. Have him charge down small units, flank big units in conjunction with a frontal assault, hunt down enemy monsters. Unless it gets hit by a cannonball, something is going to die when a Star Dragon gets involved. WORD OF WARNING: Some combat Lords from melee-heavy armies (Warriors of Chaos, Ogres, Daemons, Bretonnia etc) have weapons and gifts and things that are designed to bring down dragons, and a Bretonnian Lord with a Sword of Swiftstride and Heroic Killing Blow can cut the head off a Star Dragon before it can lift a claw.

* ''Skycutter of Lothern:'' Your mount option for the Sea Helm and the Sea Helm alone, but don't take it, because his main power is buffing your troops and he's good at it. Not a terrible choice though if you really want to buzz enemies without worrying too much about terrain checks or being shot at. Putting him on one gives it a 4+ Ward Save against shooting, and allows you to reroll dangerous terrain tests. Taking a second Sea Helm and putting him on one replaces two crew members, meaning you're only getting the shooting attack of one crewman, and the Sea Helm if you spend the 4 points to give him a bow, or outfit him with a Reaver Bow (the only way to really make this a remotely viable option). If you want a Skycutter, take it as a <s>Rare choice</s> (hilariously they're a special choice now, go elves!), not a mount.

* ''Flamespyre Phoenix:'' So finally the High Elves get their coverbeast to play. It's flaming hot, doesn't fear fire and comes with average stats for a Monster. It only has a 5+ ward save, but this is more than a Giant or a Dragon has against cannons. It gets stronger with better winds of magic (albeit on a chance of 1/9 it get's weaker) and can make flying attacks like the chaosmantas, even more so with all of its attacks being magical. Since it's a Phoenix it can be reborn by rolling a dice at the end of the turn it was killed, on a 6 it come back with D3+2 wounds, on 3 to 5 it blows up and you can try again at the end of the next turn (can be your opponents turn), with a roll of 1 or 2 the Pheonix is dead. When it's ridden by an Anointed, (the only mount he can ride, and the only one that can ride it) the roll has a +1 modifier which is beautiful. It lacks the power to really take out a big unit on its own but can take out war machines and kill off survivors. With an Anointed it gets powerful enough to flank units and at least have a chance, so this is how you want to take it.

* ''Frostheart Phoenix:'' Frostheart Phoenixes are great to have, but putting an Anointed on one doesn't really do anything for it besides get him into combat and waste his unit buffing so if you're taking one, take one as a Rare option.

===Core Units===

* '''Archers:''' A good unit overall. Longbows and high BS give them a good range and a solid ability to damage small lightly armored units (don't count on them to do too much to heavy armor). They work really well in 2 or so groups of 10, especially when combined with Repeater Bolt Throwers (you should generally concentrate fire). High WS, I, and LD along with Always Strikes First allows them to resist attempts by small units of light cavalry (it'll take more than a unit of Mounted Yeomen to deal with these) but you shouldn't be counting on them to do combat duties. Players are split on whether to take Light Armor: On a 10 man unit, taking Light Armor could deny you an 11th model, but if you want to keep your model count low, Light Armor does make them marginally more survivable. Don't bother with Command beyond Musician. Just a side note, Archers having Longbows is superior in range to Lothern Sea Guard having simple Bows, and this can make a world of difference when trying to outrange certain weapons such as Dark Elf Repeater Crossbows

* '''Spearmen:''' Spearmen got a definite boost in 8th, with the new rules for Always Strikes First and the rank rules (allowing them to strike in 4 Ranks, 3 on the charge). A common formation for them is 5 ranks of 6 for a total of 30 models, giving you a total of 24 attacks (25 with Champion) and 7 wounds required before they start losing attacks for a total of 295 points with Command. Although if you're feeling saucy, you could take a 565 points, 60 man Horde which gets a total of 50 attacks on the front. Ultimately, there's always room for these fantastic infantry units in your army. The anvil of most "hammer and anvil" strikes for High Elf armies. With 8th, First Among Equals was dropped so now only Spearmen can take a 25 point max magic standard.

* '''Lothern Sea Guard:''' Lothern Sea Guard used to get a bad reputation, which is no longer deserved. They cost the same as an Archer upgraded to have Light Armor so 11 points per mini, but get free Spears to go with it, and can take a shield for an extra point. The only reason that isn't the best thing ever is because they have regular Bows instead of Longbows, and thus have diminished range. As such they are often derided as overpriced, but they're a solid defensive unit that can pump out a shooting round on par with the archers and do as well as the Spearmen in melee. With 8th edition, they can no longer take a magic banner as that is now reserved for Spearmen alone. The addition of the Sea Helm to the game has taken away their main weakness however. Before, you had to play it smart to get as many shots as you could in, then reform to take a charge. With the Sea Helm, one easy Leadership check and you're ready to stab the heck out of the enemy (in 4 ranks!) the very moment they begin their charge so as a result a list where your entire Core is one GIANT horde of Lothern Sea Guard escorted by a Sea Helm is the basis for any defensive list. Just remember that the Sea Helm's reforming rule only works if you elect to hold, losing you a stand and shoot. In any case, the high price of each Lothern Sea Guardsman makes every single loss taken slightly more costly than if an equivalent Spearmen had bought the farm (3 point difference, so every third LSG you take is one less Spearman). Take and use with discretion.

* '''Silver Helms:''' LET THE JOYOUS NEWS BE SPREAD! THEY ARE BACK AS CORE! In the previous edition, they were not worth taking due to them soaking up Special options. Now however, you can have a highly mobile force. Here's what you need to know; their stats are the same as Spearmen, but the have a Movement score of 9 compared to the 5 of Spearmen. Silver Helms have Heavy Armor compared to the Spearmen's Light Armor. Finally, Spearmen are only 9 points and come with a Shield, whereas Silver Helms are a whopping 21 points and spend an extra two for that Shield, bringing them to 23 points total each. Is that worth it? When you want a chaff unit that can take a hit or two, sure. In a pure offensive, speed based list - HELL yes! A Noble (on horseback obviously) bearing the Banner of the World Dragon, with your Archmage (also on horseback, duh) spamming any spell he can think of into the enemy, both these fine elves in a very large unit of Silver Helms that is acting as a fast moving steamroller. Flank the enemy with some Reavers, or skip the foreplay and go right to the reaming with Dragon Princes on a charge. Throw Tyrion into the mix for an army worthy of the High Elf race. Do note however, that a list that isn't purely offensive probably shouldn't have Silver Helms in it. An Avelorn themed list where the Sisters of Avelorn mop up the enemy isn't half bad (could be much better) but for the most part keep them as your core in cavalry lists only. Oh, and Bretonnian players won't stop bitching about Silver Helms until they get an update, so we should be cool with the mon'keigh right around the time of the Horus Heresy (sorry, that was mean. Funny, but mean).

* '''Ellyrian Reavers:''' Also back as Core for 16 points a pop. The primary role for Ellyrian Reavers in a High Elf army is as chaff to end an opponent's march, then harass casters and warmachines. The fact they (in a unit of 5 with no upgrades) can do that more durably than a Great Eagle makes them really worth it when you aren't using a horde of Core, and you need your Rare slots for Sisters of Avelorn or Bolt Throwers. Not really worth it in most lists outside that role, their strength is the Wood Elf tactic of shooting and running. They can flank too, so if your list uses a massive horde of one Special option as a wall of doom with a Sea Helm shouting orders to them then some Reavers on the sides aren't half bad. Still, the vanilla Reaver only carries Light Armor and a Spear, with all stats but their Movement (9) equal to Spearmen. They're paying a full 7 points more for that horse, and they don't get a shield for it. If they drop the spears and take bows instead, you spend one extra point per mini (so they lose out on the charge). For a full 3 points, they can still shoot and take spears (so figure out what you want to use them for, then stick with it). Their champion, the Harbinger, has a higher BS so if you aren't taking bows there's literally no reason to spend the extra points on him. They do have a nice purpose, they're really fast moving, have those bows and/or spears, and a few units of 5 will make an artillery happy enemy have to pick between using those cannons to defend themselves, or hit your main force. Perhaps the best use of Reavers however is against enemies with NO ranged options. Nothing sadder than a game where your opponent realizes there's not a damn thing he can do to win because he can't reach your Reavers.

===Special Units===

* '''While your Core units are used to create the core (ha) of your army, this is where you get the guys who do most of the damage. Don't be afraid to shamelessly spend absurd amounts of points (in fact, the full limit you can usually) in your special choices. If you need something dead, and you're not in a big enough game to bring a Star Dragon, this is where you look.

* '''Swordmasters of Hoeth:''' In any (literally any) other army, they'd be a Blue Chip unit, something to never leave home without. After all, 2 WS6 S5 attacks in 3 ranks at 13 points a pop, a magic standard up to 50 points, and with ASF canceling out ASL from great weapons for normal I5 attacks? What's not to like? Well you see, in the High Elves book, there are three primary Special options and Swordmasters are slightly the lowest when you crunch survivability and damage. At T3 and only 5+ armour and one Wound, they are as hard to wound as tissue paper and everyone knows it. But, if we're being entirely fair to the unit and taking them on their own terms, they're not all bad and with some strategy (or magic (AND magic is best of course)) you can make them into trap versions of Brock Fucking Samson. If you're careful with them, small units of them can make devastating flanking units, with most players taking them as bare 15 man units or 21 man 7-across units. They can cause some ridiculous damage under a lot of circumstances, but just be careful with them, one good Magic Missile or enemy shooting phase can mean you spent all those points on nothing (but now in 8th, they can deflect arrows like Jedi via get a 6+ save to non-magical non-template shooting attacks). There is also one way to make them really REALLY good. Run a 30+ man horde. Stick a Lore of Life level 4 Archmage or Alarielle in. Enjoy your opponent's tears while your T7, regenerating, regrowthing unit pumps out 40 S5 attacks to the front. Keeping up a 3+ ward save on the Swordmasters through High magic spam isn't half bad either (a Battle Report where this is maintained the entire game and going up against a horde army is a form of pornography to a High Elf player). All it will have cost you is a few power dice to make that happen.

* '''Phoenix Guard:''' Phoenix Guard are not only the best unit in the High Elf army, they are probably in the top 3 best units of the game, period. 15 points for WS5, S3 (S4 because of halberds), I6, LD9, Fear causing, Heavy Armored, ASF, and an extra rank of attacks. Wait that doesn't sound good? Oh they also have a 4+ Ward Save, standard. Yeah, there you go. These guys can get hit in the face by a cannon ball and just shrug it off, and they've got enough killing power to actually give back. Be sure to give them a solid bit of static CR, because LD9 does not make them immune to failing their break test (BSB works well and will be difficult to kill inside that unit). Either put them in horde formation, or make them very deep to take away steadfast. There is no High Elf army that doesn't have room for these lads (other than the full cavalry list).

* '''White Lions of Chrace:''' White Lions are the middle child, the jack of all trades, the bard if you will of the three Special choice High Elf infantry. Better than Swordmasters due to durability and costing the same amount of points, and deal more damage than Phoenix Guard and two points cheaper. They are inferior to the respective masters in terms of raw damage, or survivability. Still, they do pump out S6 I5 attacks with the usual extra rank, they are more resistant to shooting than Swordmasters (with a +2 to their Armor against non-magical shooting), they treat forests as if they're an open meadow, and best of all they're Stubborn to the last man, which means even a rank of 5 can hold out against LOTS of static CR. They end up truly being the jack of all trades of the three, operating just as well as a defensive ranked unit as an offensive charging unit. Also with S6 from Great Weapons (swinging at I5 due to ASF negating ASL), 3 ranks of them is enough to make most monsters cry (send them up against that Giant your opponent is so proud of and watch him cry as they hack out his kneecaps while singing a jolly tune about how they're hacking away his kneecaps). Take them in big units with the Banner of Eternal Flame and you're ready for anything. They're very good as far as heavy infantry goes, and well worth your time. If your strategy revolves around Swordmasters or Phoenix Guard, White Lions are worth considering as a secondary choice to flank.

* '''Dragon Princes of Caledor:''' Dragon Princes hit harder than any unit has a right to with two attacks and while heavy cavalry has generally fallen out of favor these guys remain popular due to the ubiquity of flaming attacks and breath weapons (although they are no longer immune, they merely get a 2+ ward save against it). Therefore, if your Daemons of Chaos opponent likes Tzeentch and its flaming attacks (Warpflame, Anon, not Flaming anymore), take these guys and see him cry. If you're playing a defensive list, they're probably not worth your time, but offensive lists can generally find a place for them. On the charge there's not much that can hit harder, and while they're no Blood Knights they can certainly keep going in melee. Still, stick with prodding the enemy flank as your goal with them. Uniquely, the Drakemaster (unit champion) can take a magic armour in addition to the usual magic weapon. It may be worth it to turn him into a mini Noble by giving him, for example, the Star Lance and the Enchanted Shield; he has three attacks after all, like a naked Noble. In fact, he's a prince himself...

* '''Shadow Warriors:''' Previously, Shadow Warriors were the Elven equivalent of Beastmen. As of new Army book however they are better shots than archers while only being 3 points more, and get Scouting and Skirmish so they have become useful at War Machine hunting and taking out annoyances like Spirit Hosts. Put a Noble with Shadow Armour and The Reaver Bow in the unit to give them that little extra fire power cheaply (or just give the Reaver Bow to a Shadow-walker [the unit champion] to do it even more cheaply). Throw Alith Anar in with them and you've got Elven Vietcong. Generally speaking, Shadow Warriors still don't have much of a place in your army. Reavers are better at putting the hurt on enemies and getting away, and Special is not the category you really want to put ranged options into. Still, a HUGE horde of Spearmen taking up your Core and Phoenix's eating up your Rare slots leave Shadow Warriors as your Special of choice to still get a ranged attack.

* '''Tiranoc Chariot:''' These aren't bad on their own terms but when compared to the other major option for Chariots, which is better in nearly every applicable way other than not having a ranged attack, Tiranoc Chariots get a thumbs down. Still, Tiranoc Chariots aren't bad and if you're in the mood for a cheap chariot (70 points), this is for you. They are very adaptable with longbows, spears, and very good movement. It should be noted that High Elf Chariots are among the most reasonably priced (money wise) units that GW has, and if you get a Chariot but use it as a White Lion one you get extra horses to put Lords or Heroes on. Apparently nobody has noticed that you can take these in units of three. Well, you can take these in units of three, so they're not that bad compared to the other chariots in the army. Note that a character on a chariot still can't join a unit of Tiranoc chariots. Tomb Kings can only do it because they have a special rule for that.

* '''White Lion Chariot:''' This is what Tiranoc Chariots suffer when compared to. With 2 S4 crew that hit at S6, 4 S5 Lion attacks and an extra armor save, White Lion Chariots are pretty brutal when they hit right. As with all Chariots, if you're playing defensively they won't help much, but they really work fantastically on the charge. Each one costs 120 points, down 20 points from 7th edition.

*'''Lothern Skycutter:''' It's a flying Tiranoc chariot with an extra crewman but each one has a bow compared to the longbow of the Tiranoc. The Roc (not an Eagle, a Roc) hits harder and has an extra attack, and all this comes at only 25 more points than the Chariot. But that's not why you take a Lothern Skycutter. Three words: Flying Bolt Throwers! It's a 25 point upgrade to have one of the crew man it, and it's what you're looking for in this choice. Unlike the regular Bolt Thrower however, this one is a bit different. For one, there's only one type of fire, a single bolt which has half the range of an ordinary Bolt Thrower with 1 Strength less, same D3 wounds and ignoring armor saves, BUT can be fired whether it moves or not. It's beautiful, isn't it? While your Eagles and/or Shadow Warriors have things stuck on the enemy's side of the map, just park out of range of a charge and make them bleed. Unfortunately with moving and only a range of 24 (and therefore at long range when over 12 inches) odds are you're gonna need a 5+ to hit, so you might not get as much mileage out of that Bolt Thrower as you want. Consider carefully. Note that if you're gonna take a single Tiranoc Chariot, you might consider an Bolt Thrower-less Skycutter, if you can find 25 points. For those points you get 1 more crewman (and thus 1 more spear attack/bow shot) 1 higher armor, plus 2WS and 1S on your mount. Probably worth those points.

===Rare Units===

* '''Repeater Bolt Thrower:''' None of the Rare Choices are precisely blue chip units, but Repeater Bolt Throwers are an alternative answer for high toughness and 2+ armour saves if you haven't brought along White Lions. It does have good range, and it is your only war machine, and now that each one is 30 points cheaper it's a lot less painful setting up a defensive position on your side of the map. It does however depend upon lots of protection to be effective as it is a primary target for magic and shooting, and only has two wounds. T7(!) can offset a lot of that though, and combined with Archers they can cause a lot of damage, or with Lothern Seaguard to pump out some hits and be ready for when the enemy reaches you. They're more resistant to shooting than Eagles and can probably cause more damage long-term. Not a great unit, but if you're in the mood, they don't generally hurt. Concentrate fire to bring down big things like monsters and characters, volley fire to eliminate enemy chaff and infantry blocks.

* '''Great Eagle:''' Used to be the only chaff the High Elf army had, but now you've got Reavers and Silver Helms as options in this respect as well. At a mere 50 points (65 after upgrades), it's easy to field a couple eagles in any game higher than 1500. These guys are still the champions of war machine hunting, redirecting, and mage hunting, but they die easier than Silver Helms and it's hard to argue with the Reavers having a ranged attack on top of that role so the primary use of the Great Eagle is now to do the same role but save points (a group of 5 Reavers without bows would cost 80 points and with bows would cost 95 points, a group of 5 Silver Helms with Shields would cost 115, and all 3 choices fulfill the same role to different capacities). With T4 and W3, they're kinda survivable, but don't expect them to survive through the end of the game. They are the ultimate sacrificial units in the chaff slot, and can usually slow down other units and kill at least their points worth, with their two S4 attacks coupled with ASF and Armor Piercing. A unit of Shadow Warriors can fulfill it's role to an extent as well, but Eagle are still preferred.

* '''Sisters of Avelorn:''' The amazons are closing in. This is the strongest shooting unit in game, the Phoenix Guard of PEWPEW. They have flaming arrows that hit at S4 and cause a -1 armor save when you fire on the Destruction-aligned armies, and all that with BS 5. Volley Fire is an option as well. For 14 Points this is a deal and they can shoot out of 3 rows and reduce everything in 24 inches to a burning pile of whatever. When coupled with a Handmaiden giving them fast shooting they are even better, because running without penalty to shoot is always a boon. If you've taken the Horn of Isha, you get one turn of every ranged attack having +1 To Hit to make those arrows even stronger. (Also, they're sexy.) Still they are only as tough as normal archers so don't except them to take much punishment. Protect them with Spearmen, Phoenix Guard, White Lions, or keep them out of harm's way and fire ahead of the Silver Helms.

* '''Flamespyre Phoenix:''' If you're taking the Flamespyre Phoenix, you should really scroll up and read the section for it as a mount for an Anointed of Asuryan. That's really how you want to play it, otherwise the Frostheart is what you are looking for.
** '''Alternate Opinion:''' Taking an Anointed on a Flamespyre Phoenix is actually a massive waste of the Anointed. You are paying an extra 210 points for a rider who is completely useless when the Phoenix is doing flyby burning, which is how you should usually be using it. An Anointed isn't gonna help the Phoenix fight anything except stuff the Phoenix is already qualified to fight, so you're basically paying those 210 points (plus any magic items you want to give him) to get +1 to his resurrection rolls. Never mind that A: when the Phoenix bites it so does the Anointed, B: you're wasting the Anointed ability to grand a 6++ and ItP to a unit and C: it means that the 225 points for the Phoenix come from Lord choices instead of Rare, which is bad because you need your Lord points. Just take the Flamespyre alone and concentrate on flyby and charging smaller units.

* '''Frostheart Phoenix:''' When you get old, you get cold more often it seems, this is especially true if you were a fricking blazing Phoenix, since you become a freezing Phoenix. It is tougher and stronger than its younger version but can't drop napalm and loses its "I'll be back" ability. So it costs a fraction more and if you want to have your monster stay alive instead of maybe coming back to life this is your choice. Has 5+ natural armor, which is decent. Causes Terror, which is great. Its chilling aura is insane. It bestows ASL, but more importantly it also gives -1S to all UNITS in base contact. For all intents and purposes (almost) it has T7 in combat and if it assists another elven unit that unit will experience the joy of Pseudo T4... an insanely good monster. Although it can pull chaff duty, that's really not where you want it unless you're just looking for more time to fill the enemy with arrows and bolts. Frosthearts should be with your main force, hitting whatever needs to be weakened the most after it's already in a fight with your anvil force.

==Building Your Army==
===Buying Your Army===
The key to getting a nice cheap army is the Island of Blood. For one hundred dollars, (OR 55€) you get a decent number of elves, and some Skaven as well that can either be painted and glued to the base underneath your elves's feet or simply re-auctioned to a Skaven player. Did I mention the rulebook, templates, and artillery dice? Buy two of these treasure troves, then sell the Skaven packaged with the rulebook. With that alone, you can probably recover the costs of the boxes. After that, you get 20 Lothern Sea Guard, 20 Swordmasters, 10 Reavers, 2 Mages, and 2 Princes on Griffons (but those can also be run as Princes or Nobles on Eagles or even as just a regular Great Eagle if that's how you're going to go about it). That's the perfect start to any high elf army. After that, start browsing ebay. Search Warhammer High Elves by ending soonest, crunch the numbers so you know Games Workshop's price per model, then factor in shipping. Figure out what you can proxy (High Elf Island of Blood Mage+Spearman/Lothern Seaguard Arm holding the spear with a computer printout of a flag glued to it=Noble bearing a Battle Standard for example). Remember if there's something decent you need with a shipping price you're not thrilled over ($3 for a Korhil mini, but with $4 shipping making it not too great a deal) to check in the seller's other auctions, so you can net a combined shipping discount (that $4 shipping feels much better when you're getting a dragon for $20 and some Eldar you can greenstuff to look medieval for $2 along with said Korhil). With patience, you can assemble a High Elf army at a fraction of the price buying new would have cost, and you can even get some of the nifty old metal minis to be proud of!

===Army Composition===

A High Elf army must either be defensive or offensive, having a mix between the two means that your opponent is only ever facing half of your army at any one time. The good news is, however, that once the focus of your army has been chosen there is still a lot to choose from and a lot to tinker with. Whichever approach you take you need to think about what you are going to do if the enemy has the same plan, or at least refuses to do what you want. While your awesome defensive army with lethal flank charges and such might be awesome when your opponent foolishly charges his whole army towards your block of spearmen, if you're playing against a dwarf gunline who's plan is to just never move then you're going to have problems. All lists need to have a plan for handling war machines (which are to be expected from every opponent) and some number of units to help you control the enemy movement. A few great eagles and a unit of reavers can find a place in almost any army for exactly this reason. Yes, your army needs to be focused but it also needs to be realistic. You need to be able to get some units out on the flanks to clog up charge lanes or divert shooting while your combat dudes jog across the board. If you don't do this then even the best defensive list will get outmaneuvered and the best offensive list will get pulled out of position by enemy chaff. You don't want to spend a lot of points on these units, but they need to be there unless you have an extremely good reason not to have them.

==Magic Items==
===Vaul's Forge===

'''Magic Weapons:'''

* ''The Blade of Leaping Gold:'' Mostly useless, 70 points is not worth it for +3 attacks when what are need are stronger ones. The any-roll-of-a-six-to-wound-ignores-armour-saves thing fails to offset its points cost.

* ''Star Lance:'' 30 points, better than a lance. Excellent for a kick-ass charge, good on a dragon or a griffon as all you will be doing is charging. Getting the Giant Blade from the rulebook will give you that strength in following rounds of combat however.

* ''The Reaver Bow:'' Great with Shadow Warriors or Sisters of Avelorn champions, 25 points for 3 shots at the wielders strength +1 which means they will be strength 5 from a Noble or Prince.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Caledor:'' 50 points for Dragon Armour that bestows a 2+ armour save. Good unless you are mounted or planning on getting a ward save better than 6+.

* ''Shadow Armour:'' Only works on foot, this gives a 5+ armour and gives you Scouts and Strider for 25 points. Strider is nice in itself, but unless you're going with Shadow Warriors he'll be on his own if you use Scouts.

* ''Shield of the Merwyrm:'' 15 points for a shield (+1 armour save as usual) which grants 4+ parry save, even with a magic weapon. A cheap 4+ very conditional Ward save in close combat, but with the usual restrictions: Not if your weapon requires two hands, not if you're mounted, not to the flank or rear, not against impact hits or (thunder)stomp and you will still be vulnerable to spells. Still a very good choice, especially for a hero (e.g. BSB) in a unit.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Golden Crown of Atrazar:'' A 2+ Ward against the first wound suffered. Nice way to spend ten points as it essentially buys you another wound if you lack a save.

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Moranion's Wayshard:'' 50 points for Ambushers that is also applied to a unit of up to 30 Spearmen or Archers that the model is in. A unit that can hold its own behind enemy lines? Yes please.

* ''Khaine's Ring of Fury:'' Soul Quench as a bound spell with 3 to cast for 25 points. The best thing about this is the Ward save you get at the end, but a cheap magic missile is good too.

* ''Gem of Sunfire:'' Used at the start of a turn, this one-use item gives the bearer +1 to all wound rolls for magic, shooting and close combat IF they are also flaming attacks. It can be worth the 20 points if you are under the Banner of Eternal Flame, or are using the Lore of Fire or Lore of Metal.

* ''Cloak of Beards:'' 10 points to cause Fear is brilliant. Against Dwarfs it causes Terror instead and blows up their magic items, but gives them Hatred against you. Of course with the new Army Book and Ancestral Grudge, there's a 1/3 chance his army will Hate your entire army and another 1/3 chance that his army will hate your characters, so most of the time it'll have no downside.

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Hoeth:'' 55 points to re-roll one dice for casting and dispel attempts that are not 6s. Gives you a surprisingly good magic edge, might seem pricey but why should your Prince get his toys and your Archmage be left with nothing?

'''Magic Banners:'''

* ''Banner of the World Dragon:'' 50 points for a 2+ Ward save against magic, magic weapons and magic attacks for the unit, which includes miscast effects. Ward then had the balls to make this banner give stubborn to dragons within 12 inches. See [[Talk:Warhammer/Tactics/8th_Edition/High_Elves#The_Banner_of_the_World_Dragon|discussion page]] page for opinions on this item being game-breakingly overpowered.

===Rulebook Items===

'''Magic Weapons:'''
* ''Giant Blade:'' 60 points is a lot, but +3 Strength is something great for a High Elf damage dealer. Note that despite it sounding like a slow weapon that would negate your ASF, it doesn't.

* ''Sword of Bloodshed:'' Just like Blade of Leaping Gold, it's just doubling up on a strength. 60 points is too much for that.

* ''Obsidian Blade:'' 50 points to ignore armor, great for tailoring your list but as a list you intend to stick to through thick and thin you don't want it.

* ''Ogre Blade:'' +2 Strength, 40 points. Take if it you already took the Giant Blade or if you need those 20 points for something else.

* ''Sword of Strife:'' +2 attacks, 40 points. Once again, you don't need more attacks you need stronger ones.

* ''Fencer's Blades:'' WS 10 for 35 points, but you can't use a shield with it. The Prince has a WS7, and thus this isn't that great when you could bump up his Strength or even his Attacks. Noble and Sea Helm have WS6, better but still not good. Handmaiden shouldn't be in close combat, but in theory if she gets there her WS5 can benefit from this (Reaver Bow should be on her instead of course). Some people have suggested sticking these on a Mage or Archmage since they can't use shields anyway and this can get them out of trouble, but that's debatable. It might be worth it on a Dragon Mage, since they usually end up in combat.

* ''Sword of Anti-Heroes:'' There should be a Mary Sue joke here, but let's go straight into the stats. +1 STR and +1 Attack for each character in base contact with the bearer and his unit. Could be good, could be great in a tailored list.

* ''Spellthieving Sword:'' For each wound a caster receives from this weapon, they lose a random spell. Generally speaking facing a wizard in close combat means a dead wizard. That being said, if you can manage to get into it with a named character (especially the likes of Morathi or Malekith) you could put some pain on them. Problem generally is that most casters who can't kill in one turn (such as Vampires, Chaos Warriors or Ogre Kingdom casters) you are going to want more strength or attacks or more survivability against. Even if this does work there's no guarantee you get a spell that matters.

* ''Sword of Swift Slaying:'' Grants Always Strikes First. Yeah. Because that's what High Elves are lacking alright.

* ''Sword of Battle:'' +1 Attack for 20 points, keep scrolling.

* ''Berserker Sword:'' Bearer has Frenzy and cannot lose it. Extra attack and Immune to Psychology. Neither of which are things High Elves need. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Might:'' +1 Strength close combat for 20 points and you can use a shield, it's nice. Personally, I'd just pay a few points for a Halberd instead. Unless you REALLY need the magical attacks.

* ''Gold Sigil Sword:'' Makes your attacks 10 Initiative in close combat. Keep scrolling.

* ''Sword of Striking:'' +1 to hit. Fairly nice, but Strength is still better.

* ''Biting Blade:'' Armor piercing. 10 points. Inferior to Strength, not bad though.

* ''Relic Sword:'' Attacks with it always wound on a 5+ unless the result needed was lower. Not worth your time.

* ''Shrieking Blade:'' Bearer causes Fear. It's not bad, useless for anyone in a Phoenix Guard bunker, but it's nice as an anti-horde measure.

* ''Tormentor Sword:'' Grants Stupidity to a monster or character hit by it. Only really useful against armies loaded up on those options, so it's a tailoring list option that's questionable otherwise. 5 points to spend if you've got it though.

* ''Warrior Bane:'' Whatever gets hit by it loses an Attack to a minimum of one. 5 points, great for tailoring against other Elves.

'''Magic Armour:'''

* ''Armour of Destiny:'' Heavy Armor with 4+ Ward Save. It's like it came straight from our list. It's okay, not mandatory, but not a bad selection.

* ''Trickster's Helm:'' +1 Armor, and any wound made against the bearer has to be rerolled. Stick it on someone designed to just not fucking die, make him stand in front of Alarielle so she can heal a wound every turn, and you've proxied Tyrion on foot.

* ''Armour of Silvered Steel:'' 2+ Armor Save, cannot be improved by any means. 40 points. If you already took Armor of Caledor, worth looking at, but why are you taking 2 damage-taking characters?

* ''Armour of Fortune:'' Heavy Armor with a 5+ Ward Save. 15 points cheaper than the Armour of Destiny.

* ''Helm of Discord:'' +1 Armor, and any enemy character in base contact must pass a Leadership roll or be stunned and is automatically hit. Turns your character into a challenge god. Nice if that's your plan (or if challenges are your fear).

* ''Glittering Scales:'' Light Armor, causes -1 to hit the wearer in close combat. Surprisingly good.

* ''Shield of Ptolos:'' +1 Save against being shot. Pair it with the Lion Cloak and you have nothing to fear from ranged combat. Not bad if you think you'll face it.

* ''Spellshield:'' Magic Resistance (1). Nifty. Not 20 points nifty, but not terrible.

* ''Gambler's Armor:'' Heavy Armor with 6+ Ward Save. 20 points. Stick with Dragon Armour. Costs the same on a Prince and half the price on a Noble and has an improved save against breath weapons and fire. The only time this is a better option than Dragon Armour is if you want to combine with a lion cloak.

* ''Dragonhelm:'' +1 Armor, +2 Ward against Flaming attacks. If you took the Lion Cloak but still want the fire resist, here you go.

* ''Enchanted Shield:'' It's a shield, it grants 2 armor instead of the 1 armor a normal shield gives. 5 points. It's a great option.

* ''Charmed Shield:'' One use, first hit you take can be discounted on a 2+. Not bad, not great.

'''Talismans:'''

* ''Talisman of Preservation:'' 4+ Ward Save. Very nice option, but it limits your offensive choices due to it's 45 point cost.

* ''Obsidian Lodestone:'' Magic Resistance (3). For when the Banner of the World Dragon just isn't enough. (If you take Banner of Avelorn instead, this is far more worth considering.)

* ''Talisman of Endurance:'' 5+ Ward Save. Still okay.

* ''Obsidian Amulet:'' Magic Resistance (2). Eh, not bad. Not great either.

* ''Dawnstone:'' Reroll failed Armor Saves. That 1+ to hit on your Prince? Yep. Now they're going to have to get snakeeyes to hurt him. Oh fuck this is so worth the points it hurts.

* ''Opal Amulet:'' One time 4+ Ward Save. Not really worth it.

* ''Obsidian Trinket:'' Magic Resistance (1). Still not bad, still not good.

* ''Talisman of Protection:'' 6+ Ward Save. Not bad as a way of finishing off those last 15 points.

* ''Seed of Rebirth:'' Grants Regeneration 6+. Again, not a bad way of using up those last points on survivability. Otherwise, no go.

* ''Dragonbane Gem:'' 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks. Useful as a 5 point choice if you took Lion Cloak.

* ''Pidgeon Plucker Pendant:'' Misspelled name, odd item. 5+ Ward Save from Flying enemies. Tailor lists only really.

* ''Luckstone:'' Reroll a single failed Armor Save. 5 points, not a bad place to spend them either.

'''Magic Standards:'''

* ''Rampager's Standard:'' Reroll your charge distance dice if you want. Stick it on cavalry.

* ''Wailing Banner:'' Unit causes Terror. Emulate Phoenix Guard on your non-Phoenix Guard. Pretty good.

* ''Ranger's Standard:'' Grants Strider. Ignore dangerous terrain. March your horde wall of death across the map with impunity. A nice choice.

* ''Razor Standard:'' Grants Armor Piercing. Put it on Special choices. Swordmasters in close combat under this are beyond description.

* ''War Banner:'' +1 Combat Resolution. Normally you want to avoid getting stuck in a fight all game, but if that's the plan here's a way to bump up your victory chances.

* ''Banner of Swiftness:'' +1 Movement. There's better choices, really if you want movement you should be rolling for Walk Between Worlds from the lore of High Magic, getting a 1+ Ward Save while you're at it and putting a better flag over your unit.

* ''Lichborne Pennant:'' Magic Resistance (1). Not bad for a mage bunker.

* ''Standard of Discipline:'' +1 Leadership, but disregard the general's inspiring presence. Do you really need Leadership 10 on anything? If Alith Anar is your general and he bites it this can help, but really it's not worth it.

* ''Banner of Eternal Flame:'' Just like most armies, feel free to take this and stick it wherever you want (except Sisters of Avelorn, since they already have it's effects).

* ''Gleaming Pennant:'' One use, reroll failed Leadership test. Why are you failing Leadership? Maybe tailored against an undead army, otherwise no.

* ''Scarecrow Banner:'' Causes Fear on Flying enemies. 5 points, not bad. Tailored list only, but that moment that a giant dragon <s>runs shrieking from a scarecrow on top of a flag being woven around by a spearman you know you've experienced the joys of Warhammer Fantasy.</S> (Most Dragons cause Terror, all cause Fear at the very least, leaving your Fear-causing unit to instead take a Fear test.) Useful against anything smart enough to Fly but not insane enough to cause Fear (Mostly just eagles then?)

'''Arcane Items:'''

* ''Book of Ashur:'' 70 points for +1 to cast and dispel rolls. If you were playing a VERY large game and your entire strategy was magic and stalling for magic to work, you might use this. As it is it's a mon'keigh's bad transcribing of the Book of Hoeth.

* ''Feedback Scroll:'' Instead of a dispel attempt, you can use this one-use item to roll a dice for each power dice used to cast it. Each one that's a 5+ causes a wound that can't be saved. Great for a tailored list, and worth considering otherwise to take out an opponent's only caster and let you work the winds unopposed.

* ''Scroll of Leeching:'' Instead of a dispel use this one-use to add dispel dice equal to the number used to cast the spell. Great against armies with LOTS of casters (like other High Elf armies). Not a standard gear choice however. Feedback scroll is more useful in many scenarios.

* ''Sivejir's Hex Scroll :'' One use, replaces dispel. Enemy wizard rolls a d6, must get their level or lower (so a level 1 mage needs a 1 to resist, a 3 mage needs a 1-3 to resist, Teclis only suffers a 6 roll) or they turn into a frog. They can't cast spells as a frog, all magic items stop working, all stats except wounds become 1. Each turn roll a d6, roll of a 4-6 and the mage becomes a biped again. VERY fun item, and a surprising thing for such a thing is that it's actually pretty good if you save it for when you can kill that mage in close combat.

* ''Power Scroll:'' According to FAQ it now halves the casting value of one spell, no boosting allowed. Could be fun when you two-dice dwellers or purple sun if the winds are low or your opponent didn't think those last two dices were dangerous.

* ''Wand of Jet:'' One use, increases a casting result by d6 after you're done rolling. This can help cause a IF and miscast too. It's an extra magic dice in the bank for when you need it, and not bad but there's better options for getting more magic juice.

* ''Forbidden Rod:'' One use, add d6 more dice to your magic at the beginning of your magic phase, but the user takes d3 wounds with no armour saves. But... Banner of the World Dragon protects. (Anyone with the Arcane Items page in front of them probably won't let that slide. I know I wouldn't.)

* ''Trickster's Shard:'' One use, start of magic phase. If an enemy mage tries to dispel a spell, you roll a d6 and on a 5 or 6 they take one wound. Not great really. It can be useful sort of if you're rolling a lot of augments at once (turn 1 Walk Between Worlds on everything makes this viable). At 25 points though, it's kind of a waste.

* ''Earthing Rod:'' One use, reroll the result on the miscast table once. Obviously you don't want this if you're running Banner of the World Dragon. Otherwise it's not bad if you're gonna be blasting away with your Archmage.

* ''Dispel Scroll:'' 25 points, auto dispel the enemy spell unless it's an Irresistible Force spell. All armies consider this to be a staple, but it's a bit less important for us since there's other options.

* ''Power Stone:'' One use. Used prior to casting a spell, adds two more bonus dice out of thin air to the attempt. Great for if you got a shit winds roll a turn you really need to crank out a spell.

* ''Sceptre of Stability:'' Misspelled name, one us item to increase a dispel result by d6 after you've rolled. Pretty neat for 15 points against another big magic army.

* ''Channeling Staff:'' Bearer adds +1 to every channeling attempt. Can net you more power dice, but not a big use item. Still, 15 points isn't much to spend for that kind of thing.

* ''Scroll of Shielding:'' One use, replaces dispel to grant a single target a 4+ Ward Save against wounds caused by the spell. Great for protecting something high priority like an Archmage or a Prince on a Dragon.

* ''Staff of Sorcery (FAQ'ed)'': Bearer adds +1 to every dispel attempt for 35pts. Only worth taking on a level 2 or level 4 mage, costs the same as a wizard level but "only" adds +1 to your dispel attempts. Still, dispelling with +5 can really shut down a magic phase. Likewise, if you're mainly after countermagic, level 2 mage plus Staff of Sorcery saves you 30pts from a level 3 mage (and leaves your Lords allowance for a Prince on Dragon).

'''Enchanted Items:'''

* ''Wizarding Hat:'' Wearer becomes a level 2 Wizard who can use a random spell lore. They also have stupidity. This is great for armies with crap magic options, but for us you want to split the magic/killing roles between two characters and at the cost for the hat you could just take a level 2 mage. But if you really want a wizard on a Star Dragon for some strange ass reason...

* ''Fozzrik's Fold Fortress:'' 100 points, so your entire magic item allotment for a Lord. After deployment zones are agreed but before armies are deployed you can put a Watchtower (or similar building agreed upon by both players as appropriate, but must be the same basic size as the Watchtower) in your deployment zone. This MAKES a defensive list with Sisters of Avelorn holding it. For any other troop type it's not great. But in games with objectives, you might be able to argue your opponent into letting you count this as an objective from turn one. Take it if you base your strategy around it.

* ''Arabyan Carpet:'' Infantry or monstrous infantry (no you can't let your horse ride). Has the Fly rule, cannot join units. At 50 points you may as well just mount up on an Eagle or Gryphon.

* ''Crown of Command :'' 35 points to grant Stubborn and thus grant it to a unit the wearer joins. You should probably nut up and bring Korhil instead, but if you already are and want a second unit to be Stubborn it's not bad.

* ''Healing Potion:'' One use to drink at the start of your turn, recover d6 wounds. Since you have very few characters with enough wounds to make it useful, you should rely on the Lore of Life attribute to heal instead. Or bring Alarielle.

* ''Featherfoe Torc:'' Flying creatures and riders must reroll to hit you and your unit in close combat. Take it in a tailored list against the likes of Malekith or other High Elves.

* ''Ruby Ring of Ruin:'' Bound spell with Fireball. Take the High Elf magic item version of it if you're going to bother since it does pretty much the same thing and will give the users unit a ward save.

* ''Terrifying Mask of EEE!:'' Wearer causes Terror, but nobody can use their leadership but themself. Since most High Elves have almost max LD and some characters have the same, there's no downside. Great at discouraging people from fucking with a unit that can't deal in melee or you don't want to keep in melee (Sticking this on a Lothern Sea Helm among Core is pretty great, or ANYONE running with Lothern Seaguard since this can win an extra turn of shooting for them).

* ''Potion of Strength:'' One use, used at the start of any players turn. +3 Strength for the turn, great for a BRUTAL combat phase. Take on a Prince, Noble, or anyone with the Reaver Bow.

* ''Potion of Toughness:'' One use, start of any player's turn to grant +3 Toughness. This is more for an Archmage or Mage stuck in close combat, or a Prince who's going into a suicide charge.

* ''The Other Trickster's Shard:'' All Ward Save rolls have to be rerolled in base contact, both friend and foe. Since Ward Saves are common to us, it can be a detriment. Still good if you don't have one however.

* ''Ironcurse Icon:'' 5 points for 6+ Ward against war machines for the bearer and their unit. Not great, but it's only 5 points so there's no real threat to taking it and it CAN come in handy.

* ''Potion of Foolhardiness:'' One use, start of turn. Gets Immune to Psychology and Devastating Charge for a turn. 5 points for a very fucking hard charge, this has potential in a cavalry list.

* ''Potion of Speed:'' One use, start of turn. +3 Initiative. Cheap, but WHEN THE FUCK WILL YOU NEED A HIGHER INITIATIVE?

==Magic==
The new High Magic is probably one of the most aggressive lores in the entire game now, Soul Quench makes Fireball lovers cry.
Fiery Convocation is, in a game version promoting the use of hordes, extremely powerful; except against ogres and full knight Brets (giving Bretonnians at least one advantage in the modern game) and once it's been cast, your opponent will probably need to abort his next magic phase to dispel it if he cares about his burning minions. High Magic also has Apotheosis, which heals a wound and grants Fear to the target making your badasses into glorious bastards. Walk Between Worlds makes a unit Ethereal and get 10 more inches of movement to deliver a unit directly wherever it needs to be. Hand of Glory is a nice augment, Arcane Unforging is anti-character in the best way, and finally Drain Magic lets you undo whatever spells your opponent is using to manipulate the field of battle (goodbye undead augments).

For the rest of the lores, usual stuff applies. Lore of Life is a consistent favorite (nothing like watching those 5 Phoenix Guard he worked so hard to kill get back up) as is Lore of Shadow. High Elves aren't really set up for offensive Magic outside Dragon Mages so you should generally go with support spells to protect your expensive units, rather than offensive spells.

An important thing to remember is that you should not be building your list around using magic to support this or that unit, you should be putting magic into your list in order to augment the units that are already good. T7 Swordmasters might be awesome, but imagine how awesome that would be on a unit that doesn't need the support to be that good. Plus there are always factors that might get in the way of you casting a spell when you need to, so don't take a unit assuming you can make it better by augmenting it with magic; Take a unit that's already awesome without the magic.

===Magic Tactics===
In this section, I'll list the multiple ways to use specific Lores in conjunction with our units. Some Lores of Magic are flexible and unique, while some are more focused on specific strategies and units to make them work. Either way, you'll find use of them here. In the modern game buffs and hexes are generally the order of the day, offering a lot of value for the dice invested. Especially for high elves who have incredibly powerful units, buffs can send your dudes into the stratosphere. Direct damage spells are still worthwhile but the really powerful ones have either short range, are only effective against specific units or have high casting cost so you need to pick lores that your mages can realistically get good mileage out of depending where you put them and what you expect them to achieve and don't just think in terms of getting the mage a high body count. While getting fifteen kills with dwellers is really cool, something much more boring like +1T for a big block of spearmen can have a much more lasting impact in the game by blunting the enemy charge and allowing you to set up your flank charges and you opponent is much less likely to go all in dispelling a minor augment.

There are two styles of magic that exist for High Elves in my opinion: Balanced and Specific.

Balanced Lores provide buffs and hexes that cover a large area of High Elf weaknesses. These lores include High Magic, Lore of Metal, Shadow, and Light. Specific Lores depend on certain army builds to bring out their true potential. These Lores include Life, Death and Beasts. I'll explain more below.

'''High Magic - Balanced'''

This is a very balanced lore that's designed to assist the High Elves take on any foe. With TWO signature spells this is very versatile. The biggest spell: Fiery Convocation, burns down entire hordes if left unchecked and Arcane Unforging is a direct damage that wounds like a Metal Lore spell but also randomly destroys a magic item on 2+; use this on Banner of Barrows, Flag of Blood Keep, Ghal Maraz ect cetera. Walk Between World makes a unit move 10/20 inches as if Ethereal in the Remaining Move Phase, good for putting a Phoenix behind enemy lines. Oh, and did we mention the Lore Attribute of High Magic? +1 to your Ward save for the Mage and unit every time a spell is successfully cast. YOUR FREAKIN WARD SAVE! This means that a Level 4 Wizard running High Magic can grant most units at least a 5+ during each magic phase and you only need one spell to give Phoenix Guard the magical 3+. March them across the field and watch your opponent cry as everything and their dog tries to kill it with only 3-4 casualties a turn.

'''Lore of Shadow - Balanced'''

Our most powerful lore in my opinion. It's almost as if this Lore was designed with High Elves in mind because it complements our army perfectly:
1. Elite troops with high WS and I can be dealt with Miasma.
2. High armor troops can be destroyed by Mindrazor. No. Mindrazor does NOT make your strength equal to your leadership. You only use leadership when rolling to wound. It does NOT mention using leadership to modify enemy armor. So while it is very useful for felling tough foes, you use regular strength for getting through armor.
3. High strength can be robbed of their power with Enfeeble.
4. High toughness units can be dispatched easier with Withering on them.
5. Expensive, multi-wound models with low initiative can be destroyed with Pit of Shades.

I highly recommend this Lore as your go to lore for balanced play.

'''Lore of Light - Balanced'''

This is another very balanced Lore and very powerful against the Undead and also Daemons now that their stinking Standard of Sundering is finally out of the game. So yeah, TK, VC and DoC hate this lore. Army-wide Pha's Illumination and Speed of Light makes your entire army WS10 I10 and -1 to hit. This gives you fantastic combat potential and great protection vs. melee and shooting alike. Timewarp also allows your entire to surge forward and get into combat insanely early. Once they're in combat, the army-wide buffs allow you to win combat and take less casualties. All your units will hit things on 3s with re-rolls and you'll most likely be hit on 6s. Sadly, this doesn't help High Elves as much as other armies as you already tend to have Always Strikes First, decent WS and decent I. It still helps, just not as much compared to say Tomb Kings who have terrible WS and I.

If you decide to go Light, having a Lv.1 Wizard with Light is also suggested. This gives you the ability to inflict fantastic damage with Burning Gaze and Banishment for very low casting values. As for most balanced Lores, feel free to take whatever.

'''Lore of Metal - Balanced'''

This Lore gives you the power to break through armored units as they were butter. If you knew you were going against an army with multiple, heavily-armored targets such as <S>Brettonian</S> Bretonnian Knights, this Lore is fantastic. Another great thing about Lore of Metal is the army-wide 5+ Scaly Skin. This makes your Light Armor, Shield Spearmen pack on a 3+ armor save. Heavy armor units such as White Lions, Sword Masters and Phoenix Guard also share that lovely 3+. With this in mind, I want to talk about a very specific spell and army-build:

A large unit of Sword Masters with Enchanted Blades of Aiban absolutely annihilate things in combat. WS6 with +1 to hit means you'll most of the game on 2s. With ASF, re-rolls and Armor Piercing S5, you'll walk through troops and elites alike. Even Spearmen with Enchanted Blades plow through units like they were butter. Give it a try, I promise good results.

'''Lore of Death - Specific'''

For this Lore, you mainly want to focus on the destructive capabilities of character sniping. These spells allow you to pick out BSBs, Generals and other important targets that could ruin the opposing army. VC Generals, TK Hierophants, Bretonnian BSBs, the list goes on. It goes without saying that the army-wide -1S and T allow your troops to inflict more damage and take less in return. Lastly, we have Purple Sun. That thing just embarrasses Lizardmen, certain undead armies and Dwarfs. And Ogre Kingdoms. The signature spell is particularly useful for High Elves given their higher leadership values.

'''Lore of Life - Specific'''

I really like this Lore and I almost placed it in the balanced section, but I want to highlight some key builds that I like a lot. For one, Dwellers is a no brainer for most players: It picks off characters, completely wrecks enemies with Elf-stats and destroys entire units of Skaven. Throw dice at a large target with low S and watch it disappear from the game: Cheesy archer spam builds beware! This, is a very defensive Lore for the most part. You have Regen, protection from Miscast, and awesome +4 Toughness (if you have throne of vines) to any unit of choice. Let's not forget Regrowth! Which unit in particular?

A giant unit of Sword Masters with T7 and Regen can mow through most units in the game. They are already incredibly powerful in close combat because of WS6, S5 and 2A, but now give them the T7 and Regen and things just get ridiculous. Use a small Phoenix Guard bunker with a Life Mage and Book, and spam these spells on a giant horde of SM w/ Standard of Balance and Amulet of Light. People will most certainly hate you.

'''Lore of Beasts - Specific'''

If the base unit spell for +1S +1T, the +3T to all characters in 12" is also pretty awesome. Unlike the Lore of Life though, this Lore focuses a lot on damage from characters than defense. Don't get me wrong, Curse of Anraheir can still hex someone down to -1 to hit. Combine this with tough Elven warriors and things look a lot brighter. Take what you would normally take and spam Wyssan's Wildform on everything. Then walk up a bunch of Princes and Nobles with +S magic weapons and hit Savage Beast of Horrors. Can you imagine the amount of carnage you can inflict with multiple characters wielding +3S and +3 attacks? I'm not sure how effective it'll be, but it'll sure make my Prince a little scarier. Or take Korhil, put him on a Lion Chariot, cast the Beast on him, chuck him at whatever and RAPETRAIN IT! Believe me, I've done this before.

==Tactics==

'''Knowing your Enemy'''

The first piece of advice I have for newer players is knowing your enemy. There is nothing more important than this piece right here. You look across the table and you see a bunch of units you don't know, you already know this game is going to head into disaster. Very few players have the ability to asset threat, damage and power on the fly so its best you go into battles prepared. Key units like the Skaven Doomwheel, the Bloodthirster or the horde unit of Khorne Marauders with Great Weapons, all of these are important pieces on the battlefield. The best thing to do in these situations is to point across the table and ask. If the player you're playing with is a gentleman, and it's a friendly game, I hope he can tell you what each unit does. In a tournament setting, forget about it. Fantasy already takes a day and a half to set up, so it's best you do your research ahead of time.

Think of it like this: Every game you play is a test of skill and generalship. Any good general takes the time to learn about his enemy and so should you. That's why I buy every army book GW prints. Not only is it superb shitter material, but it's also valuable information on what kind of ridiculous combos, units or special characters that might show up on the battlefield.

'''Understanding Your Army'''

I almost think that knowing your enemy and understanding your army works hand in hand. If you think about it, you spend all this time making up your army list and for what? Each army list is designed to accomplish a certain thing on the battlefield. Playing for fun is one thing, but you're also playing so your troops are victorious. This is why army design is crucial and how you can make the best out of your army composition.

Keep in mind that this is not advice on how to min-max your army, it's about making your army work for you. As a general of any given army, you must find a medium where you're comfortable with the units you've taken, and you understand fully how they work. The best way to do this is by assigning battlefield roles. Take Sword Masters for example, what do they do best? They generate CR by ripping up lowly troops in combat but they die as fast as a swift breeze. What's the job of Spearmen? Or Skavenslaves? To hold the line and await reinforcements, using their superior numbers and ranks to tie the enemy down.

To be a successful general, you must know your units like the back of your hand. Understand each unit's functionality and purpose, but most importantly, understand why you put them in your army in the first place.

The greatest threat to most units in a High-elf army is long combats, if you cannot break a unit you will need to minimize the amount of damage they can do back to you in the following turns. Remember your troops hit rather hard but tend to die very easily.

'''Deployment'''

I've seen many games where games are lost on deployment alone. Picture for a second that your opponent puts down a unit of heavily armored Chaos Knights after you put your White Lions down far away from them. If those White Lions were your only defense against heavy armor, then I'd say you're in a world of shit once those Knights come crashing on your flank.

That's why you see players taking units whose sole purpose is to give them an edge in deployment. Some might be good enough to be used as re-directors or warmachine hunters too. These units are also known as chaff. Chaff is important because it allows you put these units down anywhere you want for the most part. They pretty much always go in the same place or have outrageous movement speed that they can relocate and not be troublesome for the movement of your army. Eagles can be used as chaff, Sabretusks and Fellbats for example, all can act as chaff for your army.

The key to deployment is matching your opponent's units pound for pound. You don't want to put down a unit that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against another unit he put down right off the top. Your unit must have support, or is capable of holding the line against whatever he puts down or your side is just going to fold. The best example is the Knights scenario I presented above. You want to be able to match your opponent in deployment, or be superior to him in deployment. I call these "drops". If your army has greater or equal to the number of drops he has (total # of units he can put down during deployment), you're in a good place. This minimizes on the chance your army will be out-deployed. The person with more chaff will have more chaff that he can put down, forcing you to put down your last unit of White Lions so he can purposely drop a power unit on your flank. Unless your army is designed to fight uphill battles, you should never let this happen.

If you know you're going to be out-deployed, you should analyze which units on his side you don't want in your flanks and deploy your answers last. This is where knowing your enemy comes into place.

'''Analyzing The Threats'''

To be successful on the battlefield and during deployment, you must first analyze threat. You must understand which units on the other side of the table can cause you most harm. This is huge. Keep in mind that army scale does not equate to the harm they can cause in combat. The best example of this is a giant unit of Skaveslaves vs. a small unit of Sword Masters. The craziest thing to assume is that the unit of Skavenslaves is going to do a lot of damage on the battlefield. Sure, there's a whole bunch of them, but their fighting prowess equates to dried fish where your Sword Masters preform like a hot knife through butter.

One of the things that 8th Ed. has going for it is big creatures. If it's a big monster on the other side of the table, this is probably worrisome. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons, it's probably going to do a lot of damage. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons and is in horde formation, it's probably something you should deploy smartly against because that thing is going to fuck your shit up if you play dumb. The most pronounced threats on the battlefield are normally the ones your opponent has heroes and lords going into it. It's either going to be a caster bunker, or a frontline unit that'll do solid bits of damage.

Remember what I said about battlefield roles? Your opponent does the same thing with his army. He knows what his frontline units are, which ones do the most damage and which ones are designed to hold the line. You know his primary sources of damage and these are the ones that should be generating the highest amount of threat in your mind. You might run into scenarios where certain units don't want to be in combat at all. These are often caster bunkers or vulnerable Magelords who would hate to have an Eagle pick out his eyes. Knowing the weak points of his army can prove to be a great advantage to you during deployment and when you're playing the game. Again, understanding how the opposing army works helps greatly here.

'''Understanding Favorable Scenarios'''

Hesitation can lose you a game, but so can your ability to underestimate your troops.

Here are some examples:
A scary dragon on the battlefield is not so scary when you shoot him with a billion arrows.
Knights actually do quite poorly against White Lions.
A small unit of Sword Masters into the side of Skavenslaves really fucks up their shit.
A Spearmen unit, given enough ranks can hold a charge from most, if not all, point equivalent units in the game.

A lot of this might seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many times players second guess themselves on the battlefield. Know your army, know what each unit is designed to do (which is surprisingly easy for High Elves because everyone's so specialized), and know which scenarios go in your favor on the battlefield when paired up against any given opponent.

At the end of the day, you should always apply a unit's actual battlefield role to do battle. You should always be thinking: The only reason I'm bringing X unit is to fight against Y units. In a game of rock-paper-scissors and random surprise Mindrazors; it still works in your favor when you know what counters what.

'''Predicting Combat'''

This is definitely more in the lines of advanced players, but after so many battles, players start seeing the same numbers. A unit of 7x2 Sword Masters hits a unit of Skavenslaves. Aside from a ton of rats dying horribly, how many Sword Masters did you lose and how much CR did you generate? What about Spears? Even if you didn't charge but was instead charged by a unit of Empire Halberdiers, how many Spearmen died and how much CR did you generate via kills, ranks and standard? What about that beefy lord-class character sitting in a relatively weaker unit? I bet he can do some serious work. I'm not saying go out there and mathhammer the life out of everything in the game, but you should have an idea how your units will perform on the battlefield.

The battlefield is a pretty unpredictable place, especially when shit like magic is involved. However, successful players have a good idea of what to expect when they throw their units into combat. For the most part, players only throw their units into combat they can win. This is why predicting combat outcomes are so important. A unit of Spearmen charging a horde unit of Marauders w/ Great Weapons in the front might not be the best choice alone, but what if you plan your magic phase to get Withering off on the unit? What if you decide to combo charge with your Spears and Sword Masters on the flank so you can use your magic elsewhere? The combat res generated from the combined charge "should" win you combat.

You see how predicting combat drastically changes the way you play the game? By assessing the battlefield and seeing the game on a larger level, you are able to make plays ahead of time. The key to being a successful general is being able to see multiple instances of this at once and analyzing which ones generate the highest amount of success with the lowest number of risk. Your ability to capitalize on this is what will take you from good, to great.

'''Lesser of Two Evils'''

Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in order for victory for be secured. Sometimes, you just have to choose. Imagine yourself in a scenario where no matter what you do, something bad is going to happen to your army. This might be a loss of a flank, a loss of a key unit or letting a horrible spell go through. If your opponent plays it right, there should be scenarios where all of these happen at the same time. Take note here for a second about what I just said. A well-played game of Warhammer is when you make your opponent sweat over the choices he has to make. No matter what choice he makes, something bad should happen to his army. That's when you know you've made a good play.

If you have to choose, always go with the play that'll guarantee you the greatest chance of victory in subsequent rounds. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have to first let that flank fall, or that unit be destroyed so you can strike back in a manner most decisive. This is why predicting combat and understanding favorable scenarios is important. In a situation like this, always put yourself in the opponent's shoes. Think from his perspective and predict what he would do after he successfully pulled off a big play. Predict what he does and counter it to the best of your advantage. Think to yourself: If he wins big on combat there and I flee, will he pursue or will he reform? If he pursues, do I have anything that can hit him in the flank or catch him in a bad spot? If he reforms, do I have anything that can strike decisively and win combat on that unit next turn?

Don't get yourself caught up in the moment. Understand that the 300 odd points of Spearmen you just fed your opponent can equate to you combo-charging his General's bunker and send it into the oblivion, then it's well worth it. If sacrifice has to be made, it has to make its points back and more. If not, then the sacrifice is not worth it.

'''Magic Superiority'''

The first thing to understand is that a small advantage is still an advantage. This is how you should analyze the winds of magic. A successful magic phase is all about analyzing which spells your opponent can afford to let go and which spells he can't. With an Lv.4 Wizard, you have access to a good amount of viable spells. The spells your opponent can let go are often the spells you want to take advantage of. That's when why you draw a big winds round, you cast moderately but still vital spells that plink at his dispel dice. These should be all moderately dangerous to the outcome of the fight in question (which will be his main focus).

Use smaller castings of hexes and augments, because a slight advantage (what he sees, and analyzes as less important), is still an advantage (huge for High Elves). A clever mage will be able to feint the significance of a fight and get off multiple spells a turn. If your opponent lets it all go because he's anticipating Mindrazor, that's his problem because now his unit is now -WS, -T and you ASF with a better combat result. Mindrazor isn't even needed at this point. If he throws dice trying to dispel your other hexes, that's less dice he has available when you actually do throw down the MR. This goes hand in hand with what I said about anticipating combat results. How badly your troops need your magic will save a lot of unneeded dice.

Redirecting focus: Say you have a unit engaged in combat and you anticipate a victory, or at least a draw result. You concentrate magic on another area of the battlefield that your opponent isn't focused on. This breaks his concentration and draws a big cloud of WTF? over his head. This happens when you see something crucial your opponent doesn't, as often times or not, players get tunnel-visioned in the combat they're in but don't grasp the wider vision of the battlefield. Hexing incoming Knights on your turn with -WS or -S will make much more of a difference than watching Sword Masters narrowly win combat vs. a flanking unit of Clanrats.

'''Baiting and Feinting'''

Fleeing from a battlefield is not always a sign of cowardice. It can also be used to bait an opponent out of position or force him into a position he doesn't want to be in. The best example of this could be a unit of Spears fleeing from a charge of Bretonnian Knights. God knows you don't to take that charge in the face so you opt to flee with your Spearmen. He now has two choices: Take a Ld. test to charge something else, or roll for the Spears. Say that you have a unit of White Lions or Sword Masters next to the Spears. Does he really want to re-direct into the Lions or SM? Or does he want to risk the charge and risk exposing his flank to the Lions?

You see what you just did here? A simple flee can put your opponent in a rock and a hard place (especially if the charge is long). Both scenarios equally suck for him so he might opt to charge at all. This is also good for you because it gives you the chance to charge his Knights next turn! And if he doesn't opt to charge, your Spears will still be there to assist in the main battle. Warhammer can be a game of cat and mouse, so it's best to know all the options available to you before you commit. If you plan on charging something, know all the possible reactions your opponent can take before investing. You don't want to be in the same shoes as the above player.

'''Eagles are an Elves' Best Friend'''

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Eagles are my MVP. First off, they are probably one of the most annoying pieces of chaff ever. They're great in the deployment phase when you can just put one down and stare into your opponent's soul. They're great ingame because they can fly boldly into your opponent's charge lanes and take one from the team; forcing them to charge them and re-position. Eagles buy you time, buy you movement and allow you to re-position your army while the Eagle re-positions your opponents. They allow you to chase down enemy chaff or flankers, help pressure warmachines and provide you with flank and rear charge CR should they survive mid-game. They act primarily as re-directors (a Frenzied unit's worst nightmare) and are the true workhorse of most High Elf armies.

'''Counter-charges and Flanking'''

Sometimes, the good ol' hammer and anvil is something even the experienced players forget. The concept of a counter-charge is simple: Unit #1 is a unit that can take hits - in the case of High Elves, a giant block of Spears with Steadfast CR up the ass. This is known as the anvil. Unit #2 is a unit that hits hard as fuck but dies to a soft breeze. Sword Masters are an popular choice for a hammer. Your opponent charges your Spearmen because it's the only viable target and you hold knowing that your Sword Masters (who are conveniently placed on your flank), will have a flank charge next round. Magic is invested in keeping the Spearmen alive and steadfast while the Sword Masters charge their flank next turn. Heads start rolling and combat heavily swings your way, winning you the day.

Flanking is also quite simple: Place something that has good threat range on the far sides of your army and use them as CR generators. I normally like using Dragon Princes for this type of role. Put 5 of these guys down on a wide-flank and they can be used to reliably add CR to any combat mid-field. Flanking can also be used to bypass some of your opponents' attention to hit warmachines and other units chilling in their backfield. Lastly, flanking is also good for having additional CR in combat. An Eagle charging from the far flank gives you 2 CR for just having the balls to be there. It's pretty much free CR.

'''Winning combat, now what?'''

So now that you've won combat, you have to think about what to do next. Unfortunately, most players think about this step immediately after the combat resolves. I want you to take a step back and think about what can happen even before you charge. If you charge now, and win a victory over your opponent, can you overrun into an important caster bunker in back? Does your opponent have anything that can crush your overrun if you choose to do so? Is your unit stretched too far and out of range of your BSB? Is he out of his BSB? If you push the advantage, will your advantage be negated if he engages the rest of your army while your best unit is out of position? Winning combat is important for sure, but what happens after is even more important. You must be in a favorable situation to benefit from it: The result of a successful charge should net you more success in the subsequent turns than harm.

Keep in mind that you don't have to keep going after you wiped out a unit. Check to see if the unit has been mauled enough that the only way he can rally is if he rolls double 1s. Sometimes the position you're in begs you to combat reform and stay still. If you commit anymore, you might go from crushing victory to outright defeat. Never lose sight of the bigger picture and don't over extend yourself. Unless you're Stubborn, or have a unit that's incapable of losing combined charges in the next round of combat, it's best to wait for the rest of your army. You want to be in magic support range, you want to be in BSB range and you want to be in support charge range of other units. Don't forget this.

Another thing to keep in mind is Line of Sight. If your unit can surge forward enough after winning combat that'll take him out of LoS (and thus enemy charges), this is a great advantage. It allows you to drive deep in the enemy lines and force him to turn around or suffer a rear charge from you in the subsequent turns. This also allows your main force to advance and catch him in a vice. Surely this is a good thing as even the most lackwit of generals know that enemy forces running in their backfield is bad.

'''Lost combat, now what?'''

So your beautiful charge turned into a crushing defeat, what now? Obviously, this means your unit will be running back to your lines like a whipped dog. Don't worry, you can now look into the future and analyze why you lost combat and how you can regain the momentum in the next phase of the game. Maybe something completely unpredictable happened in the magic phase that killed your opportunities in combat? This is the single biggest factor in how combats can sway. This is also something I want you to remember: Magic can greatly skew the outcome of any combat you're invested in. Think about this before you charge, and understand what magic lores he has that can shift momentum in his favor. In order for you to succeed in combat, you must dispel the magic he will use to turn combat in his favor. This is not negotiable.

After losing combat, you need to analyze several things:

Did he Overrun? If so, are you in a position where you can take advantage of his over-extension?
Did he Combat Reform? If so, are you able to counter-attack next turn?
What made you lose combat? Was it some beefy character or was it magic that turned the tides?
How do you not lose combat again? Neutralize the beefy character (or avoid him completely) and dispel the magic that sways combat his way.
Is your fleeing unit useless? Treat the game as if you're 1 down, but don't forget about the fleeing unit. Even if he's below 25%, you can still test for double 1s.

'''When ahead, stay ahead'''

The philosophy behind this concept is simple: Don't do anything stupid that'll throw away your lead. What happens most of the time when players start winning is they start playing careless. This is a sure way to lose your lead and put you behind in a game where you're almost guaranteed to win. A great example of this would be killing your opponent's Dragon Lord and 1-2 Hydras with your Warmachines first turn before they even get to do anything and still managing to lose the game. I don't know how this happens, but players get lost the ecstasy of great plays (or luck) and think now that the main threats are gone that the game is in their hands. This is the wrong way to approach a lead.

The more appropriate way to take advantage of a lead is to think: How do I get further ahead? You want to be in a position where your next step is to eliminate any and all possible ways the opponent can swing the game around. You put yourself in his position and you think to yourself: I just lost my Dragon Lord and my Hydras, so what can I do now to walk away from the table like a man? Once you think about the situation from your opponent's mindset, you counter it and deny him of it. With no victory options in sight, your opponent will have no choice but to fold.

'''Post-game Analysis'''

Now that the game is won (or lost), you can look back and see what you can do to improve. Human beings are meant to improve; we're a race of learners and adapters. No matter how badly you just massacred your opponent or how crushing your defeat, there's always something to take away from the game. The most important part here is that you must learn from your game to improve. If you won the game, think about the scenarios you could have done better. If you lost the game, think about why you lost and which units caused the most problems. Think about all the topics that were covered above. There must be something you could have done better in the never-ending list of becoming a better general.

It's important that you discuss the game with your opponent. Talk about how the battle could have gone differently if you did this, or that. How his game could have changed if he did this, or that. Not only does this give you a better perspective on the game (and your opponent's army), but also the player you're playing against. Share your thoughts with your opponent and let him share his with yours. Criticism and advice should be taken with an open mind. It helps broaden your perspective on other general's opinions and makes you a better-rounded player overall.

==See Also==
* [[High_Elves_(Warhammer)|High Elves]]

{{Warhammer_Tactics_Races}}
[[Category:Warhammer/Tactics]]