Unleash the might of the Aeldari (Eldar) with our guide to the new codex in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k: here’s how to play, index changes, PDF, rules, tips, strategies, and review!
The Aeldari are fast, deadly, and downright frustrating for opponents who can’t keep up. If you’re playing them right, your enemies should feel like they’re fighting ghosts, ones armed with shuriken cannons, psychic mastery, and enough speed to stay just out of reach. The Aeldari 10th Edition Codex fine-tunes this faction’s playstyle, making them even more lethal with Fate Dice, Battle Focus, and powerful stratagems.
This guide covers everything you need to dominate the battlefield with the new 40k Aeldari rules, from the biggest changes in the codex to the best units and tactics. Need to know how Harlequins, Craftworlds, and Ynnari fit into 10th Edition?
Looking for the Aeldari Codex PDF or the best ways to outmaneuver your opponents? It’s all here. Get ready to turn speed, psychic power, and precision firepower into your deadliest weapons.
Why Play Aeldari in the Aeldari Codex 10th Edition
Updated on April 9th, 2025, by Rob Baer. This post has been updated with the latest Warhammer 40k codex rules and profiles.
The Aeldari are back in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k, and they’re just as fast, psychic-heavy, and glass-cannon-y as ever. This army isn’t about brute force or durability; it’s about precision, speed, and hitting your opponent where it hurts before they can react.
These space elves have some of the most advanced technology in the game, wielding sleek vehicles, devastating psychic powers, and weapons that can slice through armor like butter. If you’re looking for a faction that rewards smart movement, well-timed attacks, and strategic unit placement, this is where you want to be.
Their Battle Focus ability lets many of their units move after shooting, making them incredibly difficult to pin down. One second, your opponent thinks they have a clear shot; the next, your units have zipped away, laughing in their face. Speed and elusiveness are the name of the game, and the Aeldari play it better than anyone.
Aeldari Strengths and Weaknesses in the 10th Edition Codex
This army doesn’t trade punches; they hit first and make sure the other guy doesn’t get back up. With a mix of deadly ranged firepower, lightning-fast movement, and unmatched psychic abilities, they control the battlefield through precision rather than brute force.
Of course, this means they’re not built to take hits. Aeldari units are fragile (like the Storm Guardians), and if you miscalculate, you’ll watch them evaporate before you get to do anything fun. This army requires careful planning; each unit has a role, and if you use them the wrong way, they won’t last long.
Strengths:
- Wild speed and board control
- Some of the best psychic powers in the game
- Lethal ranged weaponry with high AP
- Strong stratagems and unit synergies
Weaknesses:
- Fragile, toughness, and saves won’t save you from focused fire
- Requires careful movement; positioning mistakes get punished
- High-skill faction, not forgiving for new players
If you like hit-and-run tactics, psychic supremacy, and wiping out key enemy units before they know what happened, this is the faction for you.
The Aeldari Playstyle in 10th Edition
The Aeldari are back in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k, and they bring speed, precision, and some of the best tricks in the game. This isn’t an army that stands still, and trades blows; it’s all about hitting fast, hitting hard, and getting out before the enemy knows what happened. If you like controlling the battlefield with movement, overwhelming your opponent with psychic abilities, and dishing out devastating ranged firepower, this is your faction.
Aeldari Playstyle Overview and Core Rules
The Aeldari 10th Edition Codex brings several unique detachments, each offering a different playstyle. Whether you prefer hit-and-run tactics, psychic domination, or unleashing the raw power of Aspect Warriors, there’s a detachment that fits your approach. Understanding these can make or break your game, as Aeldari armies rely on synergy, precision, and speed rather than brute force.
Craftworld Detachment: Battle Focus Mastery
What It Does
Craftworld Aeldari are masters of precision firepower and mobility, striking hard and repositioning before the enemy can retaliate. This detachment enhances Battle Focus, making it a core mechanic for many units.
Key Rules & Abilities
- Rerolls on Battle Focus moves: This means more control over unit positioning, letting you shoot and slip back into cover.
- Improved Shuriken weapons: The infamous Bladestorm ability kicks in more often, making basic infantry guns hit way harder than they should.
How to Play It Smart
- Use Battle Focus to reposition after attacks: Stay out of enemy charge range while keeping pressure on their lines.
- Leverage Guiding Runes for consistent damage: Farseers and Warlocks can buff key units, making sure they land every shot.
Craftworld Aeldari Detachments in the Aeldari Codex
Windrider Host: Hit-and-Run Warfare
What It Does
If speed and maneuverability are your thing, this is the detachment to go for. It turns Jetbikes and Vypers into absolute nightmares for opponents who can’t keep up.
Key Rules & Abilities
- Boosted movement for Asuryani Mounted units: Faster bikes mean greater board control and the ability to outmaneuver enemy forces.
- Rerolls on wound rolls when moving at high speed: If you’re keeping up the momentum, your damage output increases significantly.
How to Play It Smart
- Strike fast, reposition, and avoid counterattacks – Never let your opponent pin you down. Hit a priority target and get out before retaliation.
- Combine with psychic buffs for lethal effectiveness – Farseers can enhance movement and improve survivability, making your Jetbikes even more slippery.
Aspect Host: The Warriors of Khaine
What It Does
Aspect Warriors are elite fighters trained in specific forms of combat, and this detachment makes them even deadlier. The Avatar of Khaine also becomes a terrifying force on the battlefield.
Key Rules & Abilities
- Pick special combat abilities per phase: Adapt to different threats, giving you flexibility in battle.
- Stronger melee and ranged profiles: Aspect Warriors already hit hard, but now they hit even harder.
How to Play It Smart
- Prioritize alpha strikes with Howling Banshees, Fire Dragons, and Dire Avengers: These units are designed to cripple enemy forces before they get a chance to react.
- Use transports for rapid positioning: Wave Serpents and Falcons ensure your Aspect Warriors are always in the right place at the right time.
Seer Council: Psychic Dominance
What It Does
Aeldari Psykers are some of the best in Warhammer 40k, and this detachment takes their abilities to another level with the Strands of Fate. If controlling the battlefield through psychic supremacy is your playstyle, look no further.
Key Rules & Abilities
- Access to enhanced Fate Dice mechanics: This lets you rig key rolls and ensure crucial abilities go off as planned.
- Psychic units gain durability buffs: Your Seers become much harder to remove, keeping the power flowing.
How to Play It Smart
- Control the battlefield with powerful buffs and debuffs: Use Fortune to increase durability, Doom to weaken enemies, and Guide to improve accuracy.
- Combine Seers and Wraith units for synergy: Wraithguard and Wraithlords become much harder to kill when supported by a Seer Council.
Devoted of Ynnead: Strength from Death
What It Does
The Ynnari thrive on destruction, gaining power as their own units fall. This detachment rewards aggressive play, allowing you to chain powerful effects as casualties mount.
Key Rules & Abilities
- Extra movement after unit losses: Losing models lets you reposition and adapt on the fly.
- Fight First mechanics when losing models: This ensures your units get a chance to swing back before being removed.
How to Play It Smart
- Sacrifice weaker units to gain momentum: Let cheap infantry take the hit while your more powerful units get buffs.
- Focus on counterattacks and surprise maneuvers: When a key unit is destroyed, make sure you’re in position to capitalize on the bonuses.
Ghosts of the Webway: Harlequin Tactics
What It Does
Harlequins are already one of the most mobile factions in Warhammer 40k, and this detachment pushes that even further. They weave through enemy lines, strike fast, and disappear before retaliation.
Key Rules & Abilities
- Units can move through enemies: Positioning is never an issue when your models ignore physical space itself.
- Buffs for Hit & Run strategies: Harlequins become even harder to pin down, making them one of the most frustrating armies to face.
How to Play It Smart
- Use Troupe units for overwhelming melee assaults: Get in, wreck priority targets, and then reposition before your opponent reacts.
- Deploy Shadowseers to enhance mobility: Harlequins need careful support, and Shadowseers make sure they stay protected while setting up devastating strikes.
Best Units in the Aeldari Codex 10th Edition: Datasheets
The Aeldari 10th Edition Codex is packed with fast, deadly, and specialized units that reward players who can position them well. Unlike armies that rely on brute strength, Aeldari units thrive on speed, precision, and overwhelming firepower. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best infantry, vehicles, and psykers in the Aeldari codex PDF and how to use them effectively.
Aeldari infantry aren’t meant to stand toe-to-toe in a slugfest. Instead, they specialize in striking first, hitting hard, and avoiding counterattacks. Each unit fills a specific role, and when used correctly, they can tear through enemy forces before they even get a chance to react.
Dire Avengers: High-Damage Ranged Units
These warriors are the gold standard of Craftworld infantry. Armed with Avenger Shuriken Catapults, they unload a storm of firepower at mid-range, benefiting from the Bladestorm ability, which adds extra armor penetration on high wound rolls.
How to Use Them:
- Keep them behind cover, then push forward to unleash a devastating round of shooting before repositioning.
- Pair them with Farseers for rerolls and psychic buffs.
- Avoid melee combat; they are not built for it.
Striking Scorpions: Deadly Melee Ambushers
Stealthy and lethal, Striking Scorpions excel at surprise attacks and tearing through light-to-medium infantry. Their Scorpion Chainswords hit hard, and Mandiblasters let them deal mortal wounds before combat even begins.
How to Use Them:
- Deploy them out of sight and wait for the right moment to strike.
- Target weaker backline units or enemy support characters.
- Don’t leave them stranded; after they attack, have a plan for extraction or follow-up support.
Howling Banshees: Speedy Charge-Focused Assassins
Howling Banshees are one of the fastest melee threats in the Eldar 10th Edition Codex. Their Banshee Masks prevent enemies from fighting first, ensuring they get the upper hand. Their power swords and sheer number of attacks make them a serious threat to infantry-based armies.
How to Use Them:
- Get them into combat as quickly as possible; they are fragile if caught in the open.
- Use Wave Serpents for rapid deployment.
- Prioritize elite enemy units; they tear through power-armored foes with ease.
Wave Serpents: Tough Transports with Shield-Based Defense
Few transports in Warhammer 40k are as durable as the Wave Serpent. Its Serpent Shield helps mitigate damage, while its speed and transport capacity make it essential for delivering Aspect Warriors into combat safely.
How to Use It:
- Load it up with Banshees, Scorpions, or Dire Avengers for quick deployment.
- Keep it moving; staying still makes it an easy target.
- Use its defensive capabilities to absorb enemy fire while other units reposition.
Fire Prisms: Long-Range Anti-Armor Firepower
When it comes to taking down enemy tanks, the Fire Prism is one of the best tools in the Aeldari 10th Edition Codex. Its Prism Cannon can fire in either dispersed or focused mode, allowing flexibility in targeting.
How to Use It:
- Keep it at a distance, it’s not meant for close combat.
- Pair it with another Fire Prism to use Linked Fire, letting it reroll hits and wounds.
- Target heavy vehicles and enemy armor before they become a problem.
Wraithknights: Titan-Level Destruction in a Sleek Frame
If a massive, heavily armed war machine is what you need, the Wraithknight delivers. With options for two Heavy Wraithcannons or a Ghost Glaive, it can handle anything from tanks to hordes of infantry.
How to Use It:
- Pick the right weapons: Wraithcannons for long-range devastation, or Ghost Glaive for close-range melee supremacy.
- Keep it supported: despite its durability, focused fire can bring it down.
- Use it as a distraction: its presence alone forces opponents to rethink their strategy.
Farseers & Warlocks: Psychic Backbone of Aeldari Armies
Farseers shape the battlefield through psychic foresight. They can guide Aeldari units to hit more accurately, weaken enemy defenses, and manipulate dice rolls to turn the tide of battle. Warlocks, while less powerful, provide crucial support with psychic buffs and debuffs.
How to Use Them:
- Keep Farseers near key shooting units to maximize their impact.
- Use Fortune for durability, Guide for accuracy, and Doom to weaken enemies.
- Position Warlocks near melee units for combat-focused buffs.
Final Thoughts on the Warhammer 40k Aeldari Codex
Players are eating well from the Aeldari index changes to the codex. Speed, psychic power, and precision shooting all get serious upgrades, and the detachment options give you plenty of ways to flex your playstyle.
Whether you lean into bikes, Aspect Warriors, or a full Seer Council parade, the Aeldari codex 10th edition rewards smart movement and sharp decision-making. If you enjoy playing a faction that feels like it is five steps ahead of everyone else, the Aeldari are ready to hand you the keys to the Webway.
Where to Get the Aeldari Codex PDF or Physical Book
If you’re looking for the Aeldari PDF codex, Wahapedia is the go-to spot for free reference material, but if you want the full book with lore, art, and all the extras, Games Workshop’s official version is the way to go.
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