Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Old/Warscrolls Compendium/Exiles

Your Dark Elves in the Age of Sigmar rules, who you play because you're a resident of /d/

Rules are here [1]

NOTE: Now the "Exiles" faction has been divided into various sub-factions, and only the "Dark Elves" have the Exiles keyword. This means that, unless you play with the old warscrolls, it's no longer possible to make a Dark Elves army with sinergy for all its units. You'll have to center your army around one of the sub-factions, of use various or them operating autonomously from each other. Hopefully each sub-faction will be extended and given more support in the future. But, as said, unless you go for the older warscrolls, a truly sinergetic Dark Elves army no longer seems possible.

Dark Elves

Malekith, The Witch King

Still the King. He's fast, very resilent and powerful in combat. He's a two spells/unbind a turn Wizard, and with his unique spell he heals himself. Couple that with his "halve wounds suffered" ability, and he can wreak a lot of havoc while still being nigh-unkillable. His Command Ability is Absolute Power: If Malekith the Witch King uses this ability, Exiles units from your army do not need to take battleshock tests if they are within 20" of him in the battleshock phase. Even if you use the old warscrolls this is not a very strong ability, because Exiles have very high Bravery anyway, but it can be useful. All in all, he's one of the single most powerful models of the game, and a great addition to any army.

Malus Darkblade

His Command Ability is The Tyrant of Hag Graef: If Malus Darkblade uses this ability, then until your next hero phase you can re-roll battleshock tests for Exiles units from your army that are within 14" of him in the battleshock phase. That's a pretty weak ability, but he also can double his Warpsword attacks, at the cost of dealing D3 mortal wounds to a friendly unit within 2" when getting 1's to hit. That gives you 9 attacks total, and he's tough enough (4+ Save, 6 wounds) to go solo if needs be. All of that, with his 10" Move, gives you a very good Hero for lone hunts of war machines/wizards/shooty units/support units; alternatively, he can add a lot of punch to a unit of cavalry. He's merely a powerful Cavalry Hero, but that's good enough if you use him well.

Dreadlord

His Command Ability is Cruel Tyrant: If a Dreadlord uses this ability, select an Exiles unit within 14". Until your next hero phase you can re-roll all failed wound rolls for that unit in the combat phase. If you use the old Warscrolls, or just agree with your opponent to give all the "World-That-Was-Dark-Elves" the Exiles keyword, then he's very good and has some nice combos with some units. He's also pretty survivable if you give him a shield, and makes your other Exiles skip Battleshock if some unit failed the test close to him. If you're playing with the Exiles keyword, he's one of the better Generals around, otherwise he's only a decent combat Hero.

Dreadlord on Cold One

His Command Ability is Single-minded Hunting Beasts: If a Dreadlord on a Cold One uses this ability, select a unit of Cold One Knights or Cold One Chariots within 14". Until your next hero phase you can re-roll any of the dice when determining that unit’s charge distance and add 1 to wound rolls for that unit’s Ferocious Jaws. Pretty much all that has been said of the Dreadlord applies to him, but he's specialized in Cavalry armies, and even in these he's no powerhorse. Unless you use A LOT of Cold Ones/Drakespawn Knights, pass.

Lokhir Fellheart

His Command Ability is Take Them Alive!: If Lokhir Fellheart uses this ability, those under his command redouble their efforts to take prisoners until your next hero phase. Until then, roll a dice each time an enemy model flees whilst within 6" of Lokhir Fellheart, a Black Ark Fleetmaster or unit of Black Ark Corsairs from your army; on a 4 or more another model flees from that unit, captured by Lokhir’s Corsairs and destined for the slave pits. That can be useful in the right army (a Corsair one), but there's much better Command Abilities out there. He also heals one wound a turn, is well protected and can pile in over other units to kill Heros, but he's not powerful enough in melee to be truly threatening. Overall pretty unfocused and mediocre, sorry.

Hellebron

Her Command Ability is Orgy of Slaughter: If Hellebron uses this ability, pick an Exiles unit within 14”. That unit is gripped by a bloody frenzy and can be chosen to pile in and attack twice that turn instead of only once. That is undoubtly the single most powerful Command Ability Dark Elves have to offer; her loss is probably the most serious blow Dark Elves have suffered with the sub-factions sundering, and the absence of the Exiles keyword. If you use her, remember she's pretty vulnerable, so don't risk her in combat. Even if you don't give all your army the Exiles keyword she can be quite brutal, if only by making Malekith/Malus or even Shades attack twice a turn.

Beastmaster on Manticore

Weak for a Monster both in offence and defence, his mobility is his only good stat. He's nothing special, use him if you like him, but he'll never do anything particularly useful. That's it.

Dark elves harpies

Weak and with horribly low Bravery (3), but very very fast. Use them to hunt weak and isolated models, but remember that even the weakest shooting will make them flee in droves.

Master with Battle Standard

He lets you reroll 1's to Wound for Exiles within 8", or 16" if he plants the Standard. That's a pretty weak ability for a Standard-Bearer, but if you position him well so he can affects two or more units, then he can be useful. He can also kill your general and gain his Command Ability, but that will rarely be useful. Overall semi-decent.

Morathi

A 2 spells/unbound Wizard, with an improved Arcane Bolt as unique spell. She gets +1 to cast, and enemies get -1 to hit her in combat. The best thing about her is her huge 16" Move; also, with her 4+ Save and -1 to hit penalty, if she uses Mystic Shield on herself she can tarpit things without Rend all day long. Great as a suppport Wizard, she can be very good running here and there killing enemy things and helping friendly things win combats.

Reaper Bolt Thrower

Artillery with decent Range and lots of hits (12), but each one deals low Damage at low Rend (both 1). Very useful against hordes, not so much against Heros/Monsters/elite units. Wound rolls of 6+ inflicts double damage, so it comboes with Dreadlord. A useful unit, if you play to its strenghts.

Shadowblade

An improved Assassin that is truly a nightmare against Heros. He'll kill every one of them, except those at full wounds with very high Saves, and he even explodes if he dies! Hugely useful, he's very good at what he does, use him well.

Sorceress on Cold One

A Cavalry Sorceress, with perhaps the worst unique spell of the game (it's usually weaker than Arcane Bolt). But she can kill a nearby friendly model to get +2 to cast, and she gets better mobility and Save than normal Sorceress, so she can be very useful. Just ignore her spell.

Shades

Shooty ninjas with very bad Save, but it gets great if they're in cover. And to do just that, you can set them up anywhere on the battlefield at the start of the game! They only get 16" range, but each of them shoots two times. The great thing about them is that they also get two decent melee attacks each. Park them in cover, shoot enemy units to death, and them let them come at you: with 4 effective attacks in combat(you also shoot when you're in combat, remember), they can be really dangerous. Even if the only availble cover it's too far away from the enemy they're still good, because they create a "kill zone" where the opponent knows his units can't linger(they'll get shoot to death by a very difficult to remove unit), letting you dictate, or at least affect, your enemy's movement always a good thing. Great unit, be smart with scenery placement(if you're not doing it at random) when using them.

Darkling Covens

Dreadspears

Your usual murderous spearelves. Basic infantry stats, two-rank attacks because of 2" spear range, and re-roll saves of 1 and 2 in combat. They also get bonuses to hit with 20+ models, and if they didn't move last turn. Not bad, not great, but as defensive units (because they're better it they don't move) they can be good, specially in cover. Useful to do the 300 thing and guard some narrow pass between two impassable pieces of terrain.

Bleakswords

Like Dreadspears but with swords. Better base To Hit roll, but no extra bonuses. Each hit of 6+ gets you a new attack, and with 20+ models instead you get it on 5+, so they make 1/3 extra attacks, which generates new attacks. If you manage to give them +1 to hit with something they can be good, but they'll never be truly killy. Like it usually happened in real life with soldiers equipped with swords, they aren't particularly great at anything, but also not particularly bad at anything. In offence or defence they'll do the job, but don't expect marvels of them.

Darkshards

Dakka Dark Elves. They make 2 attacks each with their crossbows, and get +1 to hit when having 20+ models and not in combat. But their range of 16" is too low, even taking into account that they shoot twice. Also, the re-roll they get to their 5+ Save is only in combat, where you don't want them to be. Overall, inferior to the range units of other factions. You can only make them shine by using them to shoot already engaged enemy units, but a shooty unit should be able to do that and also, you know, attack things far away.

Executioners

At last a truly good unit. Elite stats (7 Bravery, 4+ Save), and they get each 2 3+/3+/-/1 attacks. But the brutal thing about them is that, with a 6+ to hit, they eviscerate the enemy and instead they deal TWO mortal wounds. Yes, they get the same ability as Stormcast's Retributors. That makes them truly terrifying against things with high Saves: a unit of them will make, on average, six mortal wounds in addition to the rest of their attacks. They're good against anything, but don't waste them on non-elite things, and try to protect them if you can.

Black Guard

A little underwhelming for elite bodyguards, but still good. Great stats, and two 2" range 3+/3+/-1/1 attacks, which is no joke, I tell you. They also re-roll 1's to hit. They're almost unbreakable and fight in two ranks, so they're powerful and versatile. Even the smallest bonus to their attacks will turn them into mincemeats, but as it is, Darking Covens have no way of doing this, let's wait and hope.

Sorceress

Much better than she seems. A basic 1 spell/unbind Wizard, with awful Save, but you can kill one Darkling Coven at 3" to give her +2 to cast for the turn. Her usefulness lays in her unique spell, which at 7+ to cast, deals a unit at 16" a mortal wound, and gives it -1 to hit rolls until your next Hero phase. This can be better(mortal wound aside) than using Mystic Shield on one of your units, because it will turn off abilities of the unit that make something on a hit roll of 6+. Also it's better if you are attacking a big unit with some of yours, because it will affect all of its attacks, even if it splits them between your units. To top it off, if you sacrifice one of your models, you cast it on 5+, and the sacrifice will be offset because of the mortal wound you deal to the unit, very nice. Just be wary that you'll have to take Battleshock for the unit with the sacrified model, because all losses count.

Sorceress on Black Dragon

A Dragon with worse melee stats than usual and, sadly, only 5+ Save. She has the same "sacrifice" ability of the basic Sorceress, and a unique spell that, on 6+, makes you roll 6 dice and deals a mortal wound to a unit within 18" each time you get lower than the best To Hit value of that unit. So, to elite unit with 3+ to hit you only deal an average 2 mortal wounds, like a more difficult to cast Arcane Bolt, but to basic unit with 4+ to hit you deal an average 3 mortal wounds, making it quite useful. All in all, not a great unit, but not terrible either.

Daughters of Khaine

Witch Aelves

Sisters of Slaughter

Death Hag

Cauldron of Blood

Bloodwrack Shrine

Bloodwrack Medusae

Doomfire Warlocks

Order Serpentis

Drakespawn Knights

Drakespawn Chariots

War Hydra

Dreadlord on Black Dragon

Do Not Disappoint Me: If a Dreadlord on Black Dragon uses this ability, pick an Exiles unit from your army within 12". You can re-roll hit rolls of 1 for that unit until your next hero phase. Furthermore, before that unit takes a battleshock test, roll four dice. If the total result is greater than the distance in inches between that unit and the Dreadlord, it does not need to take the battleshock test.

Scourge Privateers

Black Ark Fleetmaster

At Them, You Curs!: If a Black Ark Fleetmaster uses this ability, pick one Exiles unit within 14". Until your next hero phase you can re-roll failed hit rolls of 1 for that unit. If you picked a unit of Black Ark Corsairs, you can reroll failed hit rolls of 1 or 2 for that unit instead.

Black Ark Corsairs

Scourgerunner Chariots

Kharibdyss

Shadowblades

Assassin

You hide him in a unit, then at the start of ANY combat phase you set him up within 1" of the unit, and after that you can pile in and attack. With 6 3+/3+/-/1 attacks he can add some punch to a weak unit, but he's specially nasty against Heros, because his Damage goes up to D3 then. Still, that could be not enough to destroy the Hero, so pile in some more models from the hiding unit to finish him off. He's pretty good because of the flexibility and impredictability he brings to your army, and also can make your opponent become paranoid and second guess himself. Hide him in some of these fast and nimble cavalry/flying units, and you can get him anywhere and surprise kill any support model/unit your opponent has placed far away, thinking it safe. Very useful, and remember he can hide in ANY unit, regardless of the army he is in. Assassins in my Gnoblars? Is more likely than you'll think.

Dark Riders

Dakka cavalry. Very fast, and they make more enemy models flee. They get three shooting attacks each, but at 5+/4+/-/1 they won't do much damage. Their melee is weak, but they get re-rolls to 1's and 2's of their 5+ Save in combat, so against things with no Rend and/or weak Save they can be decent. The plan is to use their great mobility to position them where they'll annoy your opponent most, shoot something if you are close (they only get 16" range, lame), then charge it. Their fastness makes them somewhat useful, but they'll never be stars.