Editing Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/Dark Elves (section)

==Unit Analysis==

===Lords & Heroes===
====Named Characters====
* '''Malekith, the Witch King:'''No longer lives with his mom. It's good to be the King. Malekith costs 510 points vanilla (which is obviously meant to JUST keeping him out of games under 2000. What a tease! Thankfully The End Times changed that) but you get your money's worth for him. He's a Highborn with higher WS, S(5!)and T. He's also a level 4 Wizard (who has to use Dark Elves' special lore), magic armor that gives a 2+ Ward against mundane attacks and makes him immune to Multiple Wounds and being killed outright, a magic weapon that lets him break enemy magic items (allowing him to get rid of those pesky magic weapons that can harm him), a shield that gives him Magic Resistance (2) and causes spells aimed at him that are dispelled to rebound on the caster unit for D6 S6 hits, a crown that gives him an extra Power and Dispel die per Phase and his Inspiring Presence is 18" instead of 12" (24" on his Black Dragon). And he still has Hatred and comes with Immune to Psychology. Inhale. He costs a bucket-load but can easily turn entire games around. His mount options include Cold One (mediocre), a Cold One Chariot with a 3+ save (quite good for smaller points games) and a Black Dragon. The combination of killer stats, great special rules and magic items and being a powerful caster in his own right make him more than worth his rather expensive entry cost in a casual game. Do note that against magical weapons he has no Ward save. At all. You might avoid those in close combat thanks to Destroyer and ASF (although it is far from guaranteed, as you have a ''50% chance'' of destroying ''one randomly determined'' magic item, and opponents who also have ASF have at least one round of attacks with their magic weapon), but against undispelled magic he only has a 5+ ward against (MR 2). To make matter worse, against Dwarfs with too many magical cannons he can find himself getting pretty fucked up since he won't have any save of any kind. In short, he's much tougher than your average mage, but he still is no tank. He is very good in [[Storm of Magic]] though, thanks to how much people spam magic and how well he shuts all that down.

* '''Morathi, the Hag Sorceress:''' Morathi is a little schizo about her role. Her abilities and stat increases seem to indicate that she's intended for combat, which is the exact opposite place from where you want her.  She's more expensive than an upgraded Supreme Sorceress, but a much better than a generic Supreme Sorceress on Dark Pegasus (regardless of the fact that she's over 100 points more).  Her Enchanting Beauty rule is decent. In all fairness, Dark Magic is a good damage lore. Morathi has the mobility and ability to abuse it (usually getting +7 to cast any spell with it), and she's reasonably cheap for all her goodies at 375 points.  If you're taking a Supreme Sorceress on Pegasus, forget her and take Morathi.  

* '''Crone Hellebron:''' Hellebron is a fundamentally ideal combat Lord (or rather Lady). Okay, she costs ~155ish Skaven Slaves and comes with little protection (ie she has no saves unless mounted). But she has Initiative 9, 4 Attacks base, combined with Paired Weapons (+1 Attack) Witches Brew (gives her and her unit +2 Attacks) and Cry of War (+D3 Attacks) for anywhere from 8 to 10 Strength 10 Attacks combined with ASF which means she's almost guaranteed to re-roll Hits (and Wounds thanks to Murderous Prowess) which equates to her being essentially guaranteed to wipe out an entire rank. Any hit against her rolling a 1 causes an Strength 4 hit on her attacker. Oh and she and any unit she's with gets +4 to Dispel rolls for any spells cast at them. Yeah. She can also take a Cauldron of Blood. Put her in a unit of Witch Elves, Sisters of Slaughter or with a unit of Black Guard with a Cauldron of Blood within 6" (which gives the aforementioned ability to re-roll all failed To Wound rolls) and send them charging into the enemy. That equates to your Black Guard unit having 4 Attacks each, at Strength 4, ASF, Eternal Hatred and re-rolling failed To Wound rolls (But a lot of those 4 attacks are wasted, as supporting attackers only make 1 attack). Malekith just pooped a little. If you take her keep her in a unit: she is the prime example of a glass cannon. 

* '''Malus Darkblade:''' You've read his books, now put him on the tabletop. He costs nearly 300 points and is a Lord choice now, so gained the appropriate stat boosts. Has a couple nifty abilities. Using Tz'arkan makes him more powerful, but makes him attack his own unit on hit rolls of one( remember, with Eternal Hatred he can re-roll failed hit rolls so this mitigates the damage somewhat).  Spite is still the best Cold One mount in Warhammer Fantasy with no stupidity for him or his unit and gets Eternal Hatred. Should be seriously considered for any Cold One heavy army. 

* '''Shadowblade:''' Almost double what a properly kitted out Assassin would cost. Took a hit since he can no longer hide among the enemy. Even if you get him to reveal himself when he needs to, where he needs to, if he gets killed he could just as easily damage your own unit, which keeps him from being set up like a regular Assassin. Does come with all 3 poisons so has killing blow, +1 to wound and gives -1 to enemy leadership per wound caused but unless you're after a fluffy army, you're much better off with a generic Assassin (or two).

* '''Tullaris Dreadbringer:''' Now a Hero. Costs a little over double of a regular Master but he can easily make that back since he gives every model in any unit he joins Frenzy for FUN times (reminder, supporting attacks only get 1 attack even with your extra frenzy attack, so you can't abuse this with 50 Dreadspears or Black Guard or something) and also causes Fear. His sword also triggers killing blows on a 5 or 6. This guy in an Executioner unit makes Sword Masters wish they were this awesome, so take him if you're going heavy on Executioners. 

* '''Kouran Blackhand:''' Like Tullaris he is now a Hero. Just shy of 200 points for a Master statline, but with WS9! His Crimson Death no longer always strikes at S6 but gives +2 strength (so you're free to buff his strength beyond S6, not that you need to). His armour now only activates when he's hit, but does slap his attacker at S5 (though given how he only has 2 Wounds it isn't likely to cause that much damage, since if they hit they're likely to Wound his T3). Stick him in Black Guard they become UNBREAKABLE. However, he's overcosted so stick with regular Masters.  Black Guard are likely to stay with Ld9 and Stubborn, more so if they're  within the General's Ld10 or given the Standard of Discipline to make them Ld10. If there's also a BSB in range then the chances of them breaking are so low that it's not even worth worrying about.

* '''Lokhir Fellheart:''' An effective enough combat Hero, if a bit on the pricey side. He can no longer get an absurd number of attacks and the extra hundred points for no stat upgrades means he's limited. Also with his new rules he can attack any character in the same combat without moving to them. So can more easily hide from the nastier Lords while still attacking them. A Master is probably better though he can do incredibly with a big corsair unit and Shadow Magic buffs (but for his cost you could just get more Masters who will do the same job better, or get a Dreadlord who can do the same job but also better).  Like a Fleetmaster he can make a unit he joins Unbreakable but only if he's in a challenge or kills a character, which is what he's suited for with ASF, Hatred of High Elves and re-rolling failed wound on the offense, with a 2+ armour save, regeneration and terror on the defense.

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

'''NOTE:''' No Master or Highborn's Armor Save should EVER be worse than 3+. It costs less than 15 points to give them Heavy Armor and Sea Dragon Cloak which instantly gives them a leg up on 99 percent of most enemy Heroes and Lords. 

*'''Dreadlord:''' Your workaday combat Lord. He's cheap and effective and can be highly nasty when given the right equipment.  There are many equipment options that will be covered in the equipment section. Better than the High Elf equivalent in close combat, as they have better access to Armor Saves and re-roll Wounding rolls of 1 while sharing ASF.  Overall, he's cheap with some good stats (WS7 and I8 is nothing to sneer at) and he can be quite effective in the right circumstances. Just don't put him in fights he can't win. Bear in mind he can take all the repeater weapons, so if you plan on sticking him in some block of Bleakswords or Executioners, pick up a crossbow, because he can move and fire both shots and still be hitting on 2s, so you can earn your points back quite easily (you need to kill 1 average infantryman with it to earn back your points, which you can do easily). If you're running a cavalry Dreadlord, I'd go with a repeater handbow, as you can use it with a shield and still get that sweet 1+ save on a cold one with heavy armour and a sea dragon cloak, while getting free shots in. As for the brace, I wouldn't recommend dropping a point of save for whats likely 1 more casualty per turn. As for melee equipment, for infantry I'd go sword and board vs Elves, Empire, Skaven and great weapon against pretty much anything else. Chillblade is fantastic against Ogres by the way. For cavalry, lance, and throw him in a unit of Cold One Knights. In any case, remember a ward save because of killing blow and try for 1+ armour as much as possible. Honourable mention to Giant Blade from the rulebook, but only against other elves, as you can wound more or less anything that isn't a dragon on 2s (and you wound dragons pretty decently too), while still keeping ASF so their heroes don't get ASF rerolls against you. 

*'''Supreme Sorceress:''' Supreme Sorceresses (and Sorceresses for that matter) excel at one thing: blasting the almighty crap out of everything. You can fling absurd amounts of dice around if you're unafraid of Miscasts and have access to some impressively destructive Lores. The Dark Elves signature Lore consists of almost nothing but ways to blast the shit out of people. Aside from that, Sorceresses can now use all eight Battle Lores (Fuck Yeah!).  To keep in the spirit of the fluff, Death is good for some targeted Hero killing and Shadow can home unit Synergy if you're willing to throw a lot of dice at it. Bringing a Level 4 Supreme Sorceress will almost always pay off. Life is good for several things, such as those Toughness 7 Witch Elves, although that doesn't feel like Dark Elves (well this <s>codex</s> armybook is Matt Ward's work..., also you could just say they're an exiled Wood Elf or something).  In closing, a very versatile offensive caster and just as good a choice for General as the Dreadlord, though with different uses.  

*'''High Beastmaster:''' Comes in at over double a Dreadlord in points. With one less A and I, light armor, cloak and spear, but lets one Beast per turn within 3" gain +D3 attacks and must take a Manticore or a Scourgerunner Chariot for free. May take the usual 100 points of magic items but has no standard options. His point costs are intimidating, but functionally he's only 10 points more than a Dreadlord on a Manticore, and the free Manticore with +2D3 attacks (get Blind Rage) can definitely help him earn his points back, even against the enemies elites as 8 (or 9 if he gets Frenzy) S5 attacks + Thunderstomp + Killing Blow is nothing to sneer at, and that's all before the Beastmaster attacks!

*'''Black Ark Fleetmaster:''' He's a Lord worth ~75ish Skaven Slaves and has a sword for a leg. Needless to say a kick to the crotch from this guy is to be avoided at all costs. Seriously though, Master stats with +1 wound. Whenever he is in a Challenge (and alive) or kills an enemy Character at all he makes his unit Unbreakable for the turn. It's a cool rule, and he's got a nice flavor, but he's just not worth the points. Take a Dreadlord for less points and get more use out of him. More for fluff and fun games and seems really out of place as a Lord choice (especially when you consider that his rough High Elf equivalent, the Sea Helm, is a cheap Hero).
 
*'''Sorceress:''' Sorceresses are cheap and effective. Level 1s can bring a small effective spell to the table (notably Dark Magic's Signature Spell is one that shooting heavy armies HATE!) and bringing a level 2 could provide valuable support when things go tits up for your Supreme Sorceress, especially if you're willing to for alternate Lores (Fire works well for basic Sorceresses). Not as powerful as a Supreme but well worth taking.  Remember, they can now use all eight Battle Lores. 

*'''Master:''' Masters are among the best cost for ability Heroes in the game. For 70 points, plus an extra 10 for the Sea Dragon Cloak and Heavy Armor, you'll get a guy with M5, WS/BS6, S4, T3, W2, I7, A3, LD9 and a 3+ armor save, plus ASF and Murderous Prowess. A Master is a great choice to add some oomph to a unit and probably the better choice for a BSB since you can very easily have him have a 2+ Armor save, without a mount or magic equipment.

*'''Death Hag:''' Death Hags cost 15 points more than a Master for 2 hand weapons, Frenzy, Poisoned Attacks aaaand...the loss of any kind of saves beyond a 5++, which only comes from a Cauldron of Blood. Not batting 1000 here. Gifts of Khaine are more expensive for them but they can take a single Magic Weapon up to 50 points.
**'''Cauldron of Blood:''' 190 point Chariot, gives the unit you put it in a 6++(5++ for Witch Elves), lets all friendly units with Murderous Prowess within 6 inch re-roll all failed To Wound rolls, and has a Bound Spell that makes a unit Frenzied(+2 attacks instead of 1 if they were already Frenzied). The kit can also make a Bloodwrack Shrine and gives you Hellebron.  So you can make a Cauldron of Blood (a Chariot), a Bloodwrack Medusa (Monstrous Beast) as an independent unit and Hellebron (a Special Character)... all for just $80. I suppose it's rather pathetic we've gotten to a point where $80 AUD seems like a good deal for three models, but we are talking a good deal by GW's ridiculous standards. 

*'''Assassin:''' When kitted out right, Assassins can end the life of any Hero and some Lords. It has frankly ABSURD WS and I mean that. It can put the whammy on anyone dumb enough to get into close combat with it. And here's the kicker: because of the Hidden rule, people don't know if they're getting into combat with it. Very good in either your ranked units (to help them hold up when a powerful unit tries to use them) or in your flank units (to up your kill count when you charge).  An example of a good Assassin is additional hand weapon and Potion of Strength. Other combinations will be discussed later.  Assassins often end up on suicide detail after a round of combat or two, so don't throw too many points into them. Oh and don't forget to write down what unit it's in, or people will accuse you of cheating. When you can spare the points, always take one.

====Mounts====
* Dark Steed: The cheapest option. M9 and Fast Cavalry will put him out away from the rest of the army, except for Dark Riders and Doomfire Warlocks, but why would you want a character to join them? Because you're awesome and gave him a Ring of Hotek and a posse of 14 other Dark Riders or 5 Doomfire Warlocks. 

* Cold One: The traditional mount of a Highborn/Master and with good reason. M7 is quite reasonable, Stupidity is unlikely to cause problems at LD9 and S4 and +2 to Armor Saves are always nice. If you want a mounted Hero without shelling out for a big expensive mount, this is where to go.

* Dark Pegasus: Pegasi used to be in kind of a weird position, but since the FAQ hit they've gotten significantly better since they become one model and inherit the Pegasus' toughness. You NEED to make sure your rider has a good Armor Save and probably a Ward too, or it'll get to shot to death (so don't give it to Sorceresses).

* Manticore: Don't have the points for a Black Dragon but want something big and scary? Then come on down to <s>Clar Karond's</s> KAROND KAR'S Manticore Emporium. The in-between option and a damned good one at that. If you want people to cry cheese, try mounting your Master on one of these. Can now be given a 4+ scaly skin save and can be upgraded with a Blind fury rule: it gains +D3 attacks each combat phase but enemies get +1 To Hit (worth it).
  
* Black Dragon: The Dark Elves best mount, a middle tier Dragon (better than Sun Dragons and Manticores but not as good as Star Dragons and Greater Daemons) whose effectiveness is often linked to how good the rider is. A powerful mount, perhaps a tiny bit overpriced, but worthwhile. We will cover what items to take and not to take later, but a remember that your Dragon is huge and scary so it will be getting shot at by everyone who doesn't want to see it crashing into their lines. Keep it out of sight of cannons.

===Core Units===
* '''Dreadspears:''' Basic Spearmen...well Spearelves. Good M, WS, I and LD, average everything else. Spears, shields, light Armor. 9 points a pop. With ASF and Murderous Prowess, they can be a pretty nasty unit especially on the defense. Probably going to be one of your mainstay units if you focus on offense and best in units of 50-60. 

* '''Bleakswords:''' Same stats as Spearmen, but swords and shields instead of spears and shields. Better in smaller units, and not as generally useful as Dreadspears, but still a pretty solid unit. A 5+ Armor Save followed by a 6+ Ward Save can give them okay durability, but they're not going to stand against everything. Elites and generally everything S4 and up will crush them provided they're able to strike back. Very good tarpit with Flesh to Stone or Glittering Robe, as it mitigates their shitty toughness and armour respectively. Consider getting Darkshards with Shields (they have the exact same close combat prowess and 'survivability', but can contribute at range) if you can spend the extra 4pts per model.

* '''Darkshards:''' The other mainstay core unit, and again they kick ass. Between good range, Armor Piercing and Multiple Shots, these guys shred light to medium armored units like they're not even there. Have them concentrate fire with Bolt Throwers and Shades (if you have them) to damage your enemy's important units. You should always give them shields, as they will be absorbing a lot of S3 and S4 return fire. Flaming Sword of Rhuin is great on these guys, as it gives them +1 to wound. This means you can wound T3 infantry on 3s and Ogres, Saurus etc on 4s. Also, flaming attacks. This doubles the amount of wounds they inflict on flammable units (e.g. Treekin) and negates regeneration saves (e.g. Trolls), so if you see Chaos or Greenskins or Wood Elves, this is worth considering, as with the armour piercing and the wounding on 4s with FSoR you can shred through whole units of them.
 
* '''Black Ark Corsairs:''' Don't let the 9 point cost fool you: they need to take either an extra hand weapon or a handbow for an extra 2 points. But that's not so bad as they're back to being a reliable Core choice again. With 2 hand weapons and a 4+ Armor Save, they're rock solid and can be quite difficult to damage under a lot of circumstances (in fact they're slightly tougher than Bleakswords but with an extra Attack if you get them another hand weapon). They work in either smaller aggressive units of 15-20 or in hordes of 40+ depending on which weapon choices you want to get. 

* '''Witch Elves:''' Witch Elves are the first in the series of nasty flanking units, AND NOW THEY'RE CORE UNITS, KICKASS! The benefit is you can stock up on these lethal ladies and still have points free to allocate to Special choices. They have an absurdly high volume of attacks (30 Poisoned Attacks for 2 ranks of 10, remember supporting attackers only get 1 attack, think about this when using Corsairs, Black Guard, Sisters, etc), high Initiative, ASF and are cheap. As for upgrades, you can't go wrong with Witchbrew. Be careful with them though, they're about as hard to shoot to death as Goblins (more resistant to Panic though, thanks to Frenzy) but thanks to 8th ed they're no longer easily led out of position. Use them by all means, but be careful. Also, there's the fact that they are half-nude women sooo... yeah, I guess at $60 for a ten pack ($70 in Aus), sex must really sell. These are also counterparts to the Corsairs, the Corsairs not hitting quite as hard but being the most durable of all the Dark Elf Core infantry. 

* '''Dark Riders:''' Actually they are incredible now. 20 points each once you get shields and crossbows. And you don't lose Fast Cavalry when you buy shields. So move 9, 4+ armor, with spears and crossbows... and of course the Vanguard move. You can easily get away with taking nothing but these guys for your Core choice as they can outmaneuver damn near everything. Don't take a full army of them against Dwarves or Wood Elves though, you will get shot to pieces. Fantastic against Skaven due to low movement speed but watch out for Warp Lightening Cannons or Plagueclaw Catapults.

===Special Units===
* '''Shades:''' Lots of players have mixed opinions about Shades. While they might seem expensive they are really mobile with decent stats and Scout rules (they can even march and shoot). In low point games they will pretty much win your battles for you. Shades should be used as warmachine and lone wizard hunters. They can also be used to harass enemy flanks, but sending them into combat is a dicey proposition since the enemy can split their attacks, but it can help turn important combats around. 5 man units will generally fail, but 10 man units can do wonders against the right opponent. Surprisingly killy and versatile with great weapons.

* '''Harpies:''' Harpies got a serious kick in the cooch in this version. They can Panic friendly units when they flee now and their job as warmachine hunters/charge blockers is done better by Shades and Dark Riders.  Their only real use is if you need maneuverable chaff, otherwise skip them.

* '''Executioners:''' Chaos Warriors getting you down? Bretonnians resisting all your attempts to move them? Need someone with high Strength to knock out a Monster? Then take Executioners. High Strength and Killing Blow make these guys a powerful unit. Be careful where you put them though, at T3, with a 5+ Save, they can be very easy to shoot to death. With the update, ASF cancels out Great Weapons, allowing them to strike at S6 at I5. Oh and re-rolls of 1 To Wound is pretty brutal for a unit that'll be Wounding anything T4 or below on a 2+. So yeah, these guys are now some of your best shock troops.  

* '''Cold One Knights:''' A good enough flanking unit when the chips are down and can even charge smaller units head-on in a pinch. Cheap heavy cavalry is always welcome. They're 30 points a model, but the riders gained ASF and Murderous Prowess while the mounts gained an extra Attack so it sort of balances out.  It helps that their models are GORGEOUS (they ride fucking DINOSAURS) and they have an exceptionally brutal statline, with LD9 more than making up for Stupidity. Be careful though, heavy cavalry took the hard end of the Nerfstick in 8th edition, so don't send them straight into a ranked enemy unit. Also, Stupidity makes a unit Immune to Psychology, so don't forget it.  Take in small units for flanking and they'll reward you with your enemies' blood and your opponent's tears. Good with Enchanted Blades of Aiban as it means they hit even elite units on 3s and have -4 rend. This means use against Dwarves and Chaos and drink tears.

* '''Cold One Chariots:''' Quite good as far as Chariots go. It's highly resistant to damage and while once in a while Stupidity will prevent you from making that charge you need to, its low cost and high Ld keep that from happening too often or hurting too much when it does. Keep it someplace it can't be charged and use it to flank in a tight moment. Not precisely the Black Coach as far as Chariots go, but can be extremely useful. Also, [[Awesome|it's a chariot pulled by DINOSAURS]][silly warmbloods, still not as cool as the Lustrians].

* '''Black Guard:''' An anvil that survives not by resisting the enemy, but killing them first. They're easy to damage unfortunately, but they hit hard (15 always rerollable S4 attacks for 2 ranks of 5) and they. Do. Not. Break! They cost 15 points a model now, but gain ASF and can re-roll failed Wound rolls of 1 with Murderous Prowess, so they hit even harder than before.  They also have no upper limit to unit size to sweeten the pot. For a 15 point magic banner from the main rulebook they can be Ld10 Stubborn or take a Flaming banner on them and they WILL take off an Abomination or a Hydra on the charge. A great anvil unit, apart from T3 and 5+ Armor. Buff them if you can. If you can fit them in and already have Executioners, do it. Earth Blood and Flesh to Stone from Life, Wyssan's Wildform from Beasts, or Glittering Robe from Metal can help them survive.

* '''Reaper Bolt Thrower:''' Often ignored, but a solid choice in its own right. As with all Bolt Throwers, it's good at taking out heavy cavalry and low Wound Monsters. Unlike all other Bolt Throwers (except for High Elves, who have the same exact unit) it can also be pretty good at taking out infantry. Stick it next to your Repeater Crossbowmen and help them shred units one at a time. Almost mandatory to only-refuse-them-if-you-want-to-lose in any Dark Elf army. 

* '''War Hydra:''' Any bitch-fest about Dark Elves will bring up these guys. 160 points. Its Attacks are equal to 3 plus its remaining Wound total. So at full Wounds it's pumping out 8 Attacks and a Thunderstomp after that. 5 Wounds. S and T 5. Thunderstomp. Can buy a Breath Weapon with S4 and a Ranged Attack with 8" range, with number of shots and S being its remaining Wounds. Lost its Regeneration but now rolls a die at the end of your turn for each lost Wound and regains it on a 4+. This thing EATS. UNITS! Your ultimate flanking unit that can also double as a frontline unit and you can take 2 in a 1500 point game if you want to drink your opponent's tears. Any unit charged by this should roll for [[anal circumference]].  The Dark Elf solution to hordes. Use them against infantry to bring the pain, and take one whenever you can. 3 of these also running straight down the centre could be very useful in an all horse list... or most lists for that matter! I recommend a Life or Beasts caster with them, Flesh to Stone makes them T7, which is fantastic making sure great weapons don't kill them, and the Lore of Beast's signature spell gives them the S and T of a midtier dragon. Birona's Timewarp is also an excellent spell to use on a Hydra, giving it a 12" movement range and ASF, as well as an extra attack. If you need speed and have trouble with I4+ things (Bear in mind, the Hydra is I4, so while ASF will mean Elves don't get rerolls against it, they still hit first), this is a great spell. 

*'''Scourgerunner Chariot:''' Lighter Chariot ridden by 2 Beastmasters and pulled by horses. Comes with a Ravager Harpoon: a S7 Bolt Thrower that can be fired on the move, but no Multi-Shot and it doesn't ignore Armor (though at S7 it's not likely anyone'll get a Save from it unless you try to Penetrate Ranks with the thing). If it causes an unsaved Wound on a Monster it gets dragged D6" towards the Chariot. If it goes over 3" it takes a second Wound with no Saves. Note, many of the monsters you want to kill with it are more maneuverable as they can fly. It cannot Stand And Shoot with the harpoon, but adding a Beastmaster Character can make it BS7.  As is, it's overpriced for what it does and competes with other much better choices (for one of these you can get two Reapers which can do the same job but better).  Leave it out unless it's a fluffy army, and even then its use is only recommended to veteran Dark Elf players who'll use it to get some flank shots.

===Rare Units===
* '''Doomfire Warlocks:''' Warlocks cursed by Malekith. Fast Cav with 2 poisoned attacks each and a 4+ Ward, unless the attacker is a Slaaneshi unit (Daemons and marked warriors) in which case they only get their 6+ mounted save because Slaanesh wants them. The unit knows the Doombolt and Soulblight spells at a LVL of 2 and gains +1 to cast for each rank of 5 up to a max of +3. At only 25 points a model, any army can do with a unit of these (unless versing Chaos armies of Slaanesh) especially if you want a Dark Steed mounted Sorceress.  Units of 5 are ideal. 

* '''Sisters of Slaughter:''' They're pretty much Dark Eldar Wyches transplanted into Warhammer Fantasy, without the fancy weapons or combat drugs.  More easily shot to death than Witch Elves (as they lack Frenzy unless buffed by a Cauldron of Blood or joined by a Death Hag with Witchbrew, and Witch Elves get a better Ward Save from the Cauldron), though they get a 6+ Armor Save and 4+ Ward Save against close combat attacks.  Alright for tarpitting elite units in combat, but not as good on the offensive as Witch Elves. Their Trial of Blades rule has potential but lacks the punch against heavily armored units. They also have the ability to negate the rank bonus for combat results and parry saves, but they're still outshone by Witch Elves.  

* '''Kharibdyss:''' The Dark Elves get a deep-sea monster in their army.  It's got a high strength of 7 and if all its attacks hit against a single model it does an additional D6 S7 hits. At WS5 this may happen a lot.  Alongside I4 and Poisoned Attacks, this makes it a better monster killer than the Hydra.  Also has Abyssal Roar meaning that enemies in base contact re-roll successful Leadership tests, making it a great unit for flank charges as well. Making enemies re-roll successful break tests (drools)... unless they have Fear, Terror or Immune to Psychology.  A bargain at 160 points.  Note it only has a 4+ Scaly Skin and T5 with 5 wounds protecting it, so not as good on the defensive.  Worth taking, especially if your opponent has lots of monsters or is playing Ogre Kingdoms.  It would be great if it had the Aquatic or Strider (water) rule but logically that means it would out-swim its handlers and escape/turn and eat them the moment it entered water. Use Timewarp on it. It will give your rerolls against any monsters (or anything, but you should be fighting monsters with this guy), meaning you get an easier Feast of Bones, and you'll anything not an elf first.

* '''Bloodwrack Medusa:''' A monstrous creature were if you meet its gaze [[Grimdark|makes you bleed to death from every pore and orifice on your body]]. This is represented by a shooting attack with Killing Blow. Every enemy model in base contact takes a Killing Blow hit at the same time as Impact Hits. As awesome as that is, [[Derp|it somehow works on undead despite the facts that they either don't need or have any blood, while some also don't even have eyes or physical bodies (How does a skeleton or a ghost bleed to death?)]].  Its low, LOW leadership (2!) means if it loses Frenzy it's even more cowardly than a Goblin and with frenzy it's easy for the enemy to lead around unless it's near the general.  At 90 points with no save, it's not worth the hassle when competing with the amazing Doomfire Warlocks and the impressive Kharibdyss unless you're up against a very low I army (like Undead or Dwarfs).

* '''Bloodwrack Shrine:''' A really weird Chariot that does a lot of different things, some of which are of limited value. It can join units like a Cauldron of Blood but its point cost is very similar to a Kharibdyss or Hydra, so it is best to consider those monsters as its competition for a slot in your army. It is slightly slower than a Hydra or Kharibdyss but it has Swiftstride. In close combat it gets Impact Hits, but lacks Thunderstomp. It has a solid Toughness of 6 with 5 Wounds making it pretty hard to kill. It puts out 3 WS5 s4 attacks and 2 WS4 S4 attacks on the charge (owing to the spears of the 2 shrinekeepers), all with ASF and Murderous Prowess. It gives all friendly MODELS within 6" +1 Ld and all enemy MODELS within 6" -1 Ld. This is important to note since if an enemy unit extends out of that 6 inch bubble they will not care about the leadership penalty since some models in the unit will be unaffected. The shrine also has the same shooting attack as a lone BloodWrack Medusa which is less useful on the shrine given its higher point cost and greater combat ability/utility. It also has the "Avert Your Gaze" special rule like the solo Medusa models. This rule is way better on the Shrine than the lone Medusae because of the Shrine's much better Toughness/Wounds and large base size. This ability pairs very well with Miasma from the Lore of Shadow which is a good lore to consider for Dark Elves under any circumstances. A super secret troll technique involving the Shrine is to run one with a unit of 10-15 Sisters of Slaughter with a standard bearer with a War Banner and a champion. Run the unit with only 2 Sisters (champ and banner) and the shrine in the front rank. Your opponent is unlikely to be able to get much combat resolution. You will have 3 ranks, a banner, and a War Banner for 5 static combat resolution in addition to any wounds you do. You cancel your opponent's Rank Bonus and they also will take their break test, should they lose combat, on a -1 LD from the Shrine. Alternative troll build is to run 1+ armor Dreadlords or Masters in the 2 front spots and have a Lore of Life caster or 2 to heal the shrine up.