Home » Warhammer 40k » How To Play Eldar Warhammer 40k: Codex Rules, & Review

These are all the new Eldar Warhammer 40k Codex rules and models along with how to play the new faction in our review.

Let’s start off by looking at the new model offerings for the Eldar then dive into how to play all the new codex rules for Warhammer 40k.

New Plastic 40k Eldar Avatar Model

Glorgious (misspelled on purpose), this new model looks like GW replicated the 80s with today’s technology and it is stunning!

Next up spotted on Reddit and promptly removed, were these images from the LVO 2022 preview:

So it looks like the Avatar will not only have a helmeted head but also a bare one that has some serious Night Elves vibes. Also, note the axe version of the Wailing Doom as well as a sword.

Not only does the new kit come with three head options, it also has three weapons; in addition, the new Avatar is adorned with the runes from a number of different Craftworld Aspects, creating a truly customizable monster to add to your Craftworlds army

The flames seem to also be separate bits that can be placed on the base. As far as price goes, the Forge World version currently goes for $110, so this one may be priced similarly…

 

It looks to be at least 3 guardians wide, which appear to be in 32mm and not 27mm bases when you compare them to the Space Marine Bladeguard in the lower right frame. All that of course is just speculation on the sizes from the images we have currently.

Glorgious.

The newest addition to the Warhammer 40k: Kill Team line is a classic faction of miniatures, the Corsairs

This glorious new plastic kit contains a host of options – as with the other kill teams released so far, such as the Ork Kommandos and Veteran Guardsmen – allowing you to build a dizzying array of individual fighters. For example, the Starstorm Duellist is a prideful pirate packing a pair of powerful pistols – and unlike the clumsy landlubbers in other kill teams, they can even blast away at Engagement Range thanks to their Quick on the Trigger ability.

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They have a ton of options and will just make for a really cool squad! It would be nice if you get more than one of each weapon option because, for a 40k game, they may prove hard to equip.

 

 

The Corsairs will first be available in the forthcoming Kill Team: Nachmund boxed set, which continues the narrative of the current Warhammer 40,000 season. As we hinted on Monday, Corsairs will also have rules in the truly comprehensive Codex: Aeldari.

 

The wide variety of weapons is really cool and they all look pretty awesome and perfectly in-between Eldar and Drukhari, plus even have a Wraith Cannon!

Eldar Army Wide Rules

For the army-wide rules and keywords, the first page has Battle Focus, giving a situational shoot after advancing, only allowing Assault and Pistol weapons to be shot. Be sure to read the restriction for area terrain in the blacked-out box!

The second ability is Favoured of Khaine we know on the Avatar of Khaine, which gives a 4+ invuln, cap of 3 wounds loss per phase, and prevents using a relic or warlord trait.

The final big army-wide rule is Strands of Fate, working very similarly to Tzeentch fate dice in AoS. Essentially you roll dice at the start of each battle round, get to keep an amount of them based on the battle size, and then based on the dice result you get to manipulate a roll later.

When you chose to use fate die for the one determined by your strands of fate die at the start of the round, you get to replace the roll with an auto unmodified 6. If it uses more than one die, you get an auto 6 and you must then roll the remaining die.

All-in-all this is an extremely powerful ability!

Codex Supplement Craftworld Altansar

These rules were spotted on Reddit and have pretty much everything inside, minus some lore. The poster did say there are about 8 pages of lore, so if you love the Craftworld White Dwarf 473 might be worth the pickup!

While this doesn’t help their shooting, getting an extra AP in basically the first round of every combat is pretty nice. Then, your units will be harder to run off the battlefield, which just makes sense as they are grim survivors!

Master of Rune Warding can be really strong as your Warlord will get two Deny the Witch tests and gets to reroll all tests. So if you’re up against a psychic heavy army, this is a great way to go. However, A Beacon of Light in the Darkness is super strong. It will let a unit shoot and still perform actions, which is always the problem with actions.

Not only that, but then you can also Advance or Fall Back and still do actions. Just gives you a lot of flexibility for getting your objectives. Then Weaver of the Blade Storm gives one core unit the ability to skip rolling for wounds. If you have a ton of shots coming through, this could be really strong.

Eldar 9th Edition Craftworld 40k Codex Rules

Here are all the new Craftsworlds rules from the Eldar Codex for Ulthwe, Biel-Tan, Saim-Hann, Iyanden, Alatioc, and creating custom ones as well that look great!

Ulthwe Craftworld Rules:

 

Ulthwe craftworld has always been strong with their use of Psychic powers, and these new rules definitely reflect that. Plus eligible models will now get a 6+ invulnerable and a 5+ feel no pain save which is pretty stellar- but on low toughness, models may not be as effective.

Iyanden Craftworld Rules

 

We have already seen great new rules abilities for Wraith models, which probably explains why the Iyanden Craftworlds rule is a little underwhelming at first glance. However considering for the most part thier armies may be mostly high toughness with saves like the Ulthwe have already, the AP abilities for Iyanden above start to become more beneficial at the macro play level.

Saim-Hann Craftworld Rules

 

Some of the more tricksy of the Eldar, Saim-Hann craftsworld rules will specialize in charges from the looks of it. How that will shake out overall remains to be seen, as the Eldar really never have been good at that phase of the game with the majority of their models.

However now that they have access to Harlequins, and Ynnari in the same book, that may change and Saim-Hann may see more of the tabletop in 9th Edition.

Biel-Tan Craftworld Rules

 

So for sure, the re-roll to hit is nice for the Biel-Tan craftworld rule, but the Battle Focus is yet to be seen were afraid. We have seen when Battle Focus is severely hampered in terrain, so the jury is still out on this one. However, the re-roll hit rolls trait on any Biel-Tan core can perhaps splash around a bit more than the standard re-roll 1’s rule.

Alaitoc Craftworld Rules

 

Alaitoc has always had strong fieldcraft rules for their craftworld the problem is they didn’t always line up well with the edition of Warhammer 40k. This time around though it may be different, it seems like their rules will benefit the stealthier units for sure. However, perhaps taking the bigger ones instead and benefiting from these stealth-style rules would be the icing on the cake ability-wise.

Eldar Custom Craftworld Rules

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On this first page, two great options are Expert Crafters giving every unit one wound re-roll per shooting/fight phase, and Children of Prophecy which makes the already great psykers of the faction even more consistent.

The second page also has some good options, but the ones that jump out right away to us are Masters of Concealment granting light cover if further than 12″ away, and Masterful Shots which denies opponents from getting the benefits of light cover.

Of course, there are plenty of interesting options and combinations, so it’ll be up to you to decide which set is best for your playstyle or goal.

New Army Wide Ynnari Faction Rules

 

Ynnari acts much like any other craftworld option, however, they also have some unique rules to splash in Drukhari and Harlequin units getting the best of both worlds.

The first thing to note is all of your units from other factions gain the Craftworlds Keyword. Next, you need an Asuryani unit for every Harlequins or Drukhari you take in the same role. So another big thing to keep in mind.

It seems like GW is also stopping you from mixing troops into different transports. To take Scourges or Incubi, you have to pay more for them as the army-wide rules can be super useful on them. Now, they will all be fighting first and if they are even one model below starting strength, they get +1 to hit.

Their stratagem for only 1 CP is always good on Aeldari as wounding is usually where they have issues!

This is a pretty easy way to look at how to build detachments for the Ynnari, and just make sure you understand you’re getting rid of all of your other keywords.

Eldar & Harlequins Detachment Abilities

The detachment abilities are pretty standard, granting them their faction abilities and Objective Secured. There is also a limit placed on them stating you can only have one Autarch per detachment, which seems to be a power balance and a flavor win.

The Harlequin’s Traveling Players rule is also here, which essentially gives you a Harlequin Patrol at no penalty in an Eldar or Drukhari list. A nice touch to keep the soup flavor of Eldar alive and well in 9th edition.

Speaking of Harlequins, let’s check out their detachment rules.

Harlequin Detachment Rules

Harlequins behave much like a sub-faction of Eldar, meaning they get their own set of “craftworld”-like options for their detachments. The first option is simply Light, which grants access to auto-fail hits, a bonus to heroic interventions, and a decent relic that boosts auras.

The next option is Dark which gives the force the ability to fight after dying before being removed if they didn’t fight yet, bonus AP in melee, extra mortal wound damage in melee for a warlord, and a bonus deny for enemy psychic powers. Additionally, the relic can remove Objective secured from nearby enemies, making it a potentially competitive option for sneaking out some points in around.

Finally, there’s Twilight, which gets bonus attacks after interventions or charges, bonus range to pile-ins and consolidations, a CP engine on your warlord, and a buffed melee weapon that gains bonus attacks for the models based on the round of the game.

New Eldar Secondaries Rules

Of all the new secondary options for Eldar, The Hidden Path seems simple and powerful. If you want to play a more complex skirmish-style game, you might be able to put a Webway gate in a corner and defend it all game,.

Conversely, you can go all-in on an objective and try to max it out through the game for a total of 15 points up for grabs!

Harlequins also got some secondaries in the book! While all of these have some serious points up for grabs, the first two seem relatively difficult, leaving Weave Veil as the possibly most consistent option. The only problem is most people in the past haven’t taken many Shadowseers…

However, if you do this shouldn’t be too hard to do as it’s just a free 3 points when you cast this warp charge 4 psychic power.

New Eldar Wargear Rules

Other than the usual keeping of profiles official and such, this page is absolutely packed with weapons. Coincidentally there’s a surprising amount of bonus Mortal Wound rules on some of these.

 

The second half of the ranged weapons is more of the same, with of course some weapons being classified as Shuriken for the special rules associated with that.

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As a pretty balanced range and melee faction, there are also quite a few melee options! Jain Zar’s Blade of Destruction notably got a second profile, making her an even more flexible melee powerhouse!

The second half of the melee profiles also include the new Avatar of Khaine’s Wailing Doom, which also got a second profile along with his re-work turning him into an absolute monster in combat.

New Eldar Points

 

 

 

Looking at the points, they all hover around the similar points they were at, with a few going up or down a couple of points. However, a big change comes in with the Avatar Khaine and their re-work essentially turning it into a mini-Primarch in terms of fighting power.

A 70 points increase seems completely reasonable when you take a look at the sheer killing power the new model has!

 

The Wraithknight appears to have gotten a big point increase, but really, its default weapon loadout was changed to the glaive and shield meaning it only went up about 40 pts, which is still a chunk, but not the 85 pts it looks like at first glance.

Also worth noting is the Wraithcannons went down in points, balancing out the base point increase a little bit.

Harlequins also look very similar to how they were prior to the update, however, a few models went up and down, so be sure to double-check any of your go-to list compositions.

New Eldar Warlord Traits Rules

 

In the new Eldar codex, there are two sets of generic warlord traits. The first is a set of 6 for Craftworlds, with Fate’s Messenger allowing you to negate the damage of one failed save on the warlord per turn, making a tanky character even harder to kill, while Seer of the Shifting Vector turns your warlord into a CP battery, giving you a 1 in 6 chance to get CP whenever your opponent uses a stratagem.

The second set of traits is only 3, but they are specialized for Harlequins. The best option here at first glance is probably Favour of Cegorach allowing you to make a hit, wound, or save roll an “unmodified” 6 once per turn, which will open up for some slight shenanigans.

New Eldar Relics Rules

In the codex, there are also quite a few relics, broken down into smaller sections.

For the first page, these are all Asuryani exclusives, with Phoenix Gem potentially being the best option. A one-time use 2+ at the end of the phase is potentially really good if it means getting another turn out of them. Of course, the best phase to die in would be to fight phase, as getting destroyed earlier will mean your opponent will have more chances to “finish the job”.

 

The second half of the Asuryani exclusives bring in 5 more options, with Faolchu’s Wing looking very strong. Buffing movement, giving the fly keyword, and getting another source of mortal wounds are a full package of highly desirable things. Aegis of Eldanesh also looks good as it can seriously buff up the character’s durability.

 

Moving onto the Harlequin exclusives, the first page has 3 options. Crescendo is a notable weapon upgrade, partly due to the shoot/charge/fallback shenanigans that harlequins can do making strong pistols even more valuable.

 

The second page of Harlequin exclusives brings in another set of 3 options with The Laughing God’s Eye looking like a fantastic option. Giving troops within 6″ a 5+ FNP is insanely good!

Lastly, the final page of relics, has 8 options each being an upgrade for a specific Exarch model. It’s hard to tell which will be best, at least until players decide which exarchs are best.

However, in terms of raw power, Cronescream is an extra source of mortal wounds, which is always nice and Khaine’s Lance helps deny enemy units combat, which is fantastic if used on good targets at the correct time.

New Eldar Psychic Powers Rules

The first discipline is Phantasmancy for the Harlequins. Of these 6 options, Fog Of Dreams looks like a  strong protection option that’s easy to get off, while Veil of Tears is a potentially crippling debuff to long-range enemy threats.

 

The second discipline is Runes of Battle. These powers are essentially two for ones, giving you a choice of effects whenever you successfully manifest it. The best pair initially looks like Empower/Enervate as buffing/nerfing a unit’s ability to wound is huge!

Especially if it’s the difference between a 4 and 5 or 3 and 2 (or at least it feels like it).

 

Runes of Fate offers Guide, which will let you re-roll all missed hits and is always welcome in 9th Edition. Doom is good as well as you cast it on an enemy unit and bam, you’re re-rolling all wounds!

Next up, getting a 5+ FNP is obviously strong, especially with all the increased saves already for the army. Mind War is really cool, it can be insanely strong, or do nothing at all. But if you manage to roll much better and have better Leadership, you can one-shot a character.

For the Runes of Fortune, gaining CP on a 6 is nice, so if you have a bunch of psykers around, might not be a bad pick up on one as a CP generating machine. Ghostwalk is pretty strong because it can target characters and we’re not sure everything that will be core yet. And 2 extra inches on a charge is no joke. 

Crushing Orb should regularly get you 3 Mortals as long as you’re focusing on vehicles and big units. Impair Senses is just super annoying and can really help you either punch through an important unit or not get one shot by it.

The Revenant Discipline brings six new psychic powers for the Ynnari in the Eldar codex. Word of the Phoenix can be super strong if you have some really expensive units you want to be brought back, but unfortunately, you can’t use it on Wraiths. 

They have multiple buffs to wound the enemy, which again, for Aeldari is always something you want!

New Eldar Stratagems 40k Codex Rules

There are a ton of stratagems this time around as the codex is essentially 3 factions in one! That being said, for each of the 6 pages we’ll choose one of our favorites, but all of the options look decent enough to at least consider.

However, there are a ton of specialized Stratagems as well for each <keyword> that are definitely worth looking at too depending on how you are looking to build your new Aeldari force.

 

The first page of stratagems has Martial Citizenry. For 1CP a Guardian unit in your army can re-roll hits of 1, which if you run a max squad can be quite a few models, making this strat have a huge ceiling for value for only 1cp of investment.

The second page has The Avatar Resurgent, which unlike other defy death mechanics is guaranteed, but at the cost of 2CP. essentially, if you wait to attack with a weak avatar and it ends up getting destroyed in melee, you can use this strat to allow him to attack before being removed AND getting a +2 attack buff!

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It’s a little expensive and a little cheesy, but it might just catch some people off guard.

The third page features strategic ploys and a great option is Linked Fire for 2 CP. With the new Fire Prism weapon, getting a +2 attack buff is huge and potentially devastating to whatever is being shot at.

Additionally, denying the target from using any Invuln saves is huge!

 

The fourth page is mainly Wargear stratagems and has Wireweave Grenades. For only a single CP being able to deal Mortal Wounds, NERF movement, and ner charges are a powerful combo for such a small investment!

 

The Fifth page switches it up and focuses on Harlequins, with a great option looking like Virtuosos of the Webway. Being able to redeploy a unit and completely reposition them can be very strong midway in a game, so for only a single CP this is sure to see a decent amount of usage.

Finally, on the sixth page, Harlequins get the rest of their options including The Curtain Falls. Part of the Harlequin’s power comes from their slippery nature and great use of transports.

Naturally being able to double down on this by jumping out, hitting a unit, and jumping back into a transport can be quite strong! Especially because this stratagem is only a single CP!

New Eldar Datasheet 40k Codex Characters & Unit Rules

For 270 points, he sees upgrades across his entire statline, with everything getting better (except the WS and BS which were already at 2+)

His ranged attack gets a huge power boost and gains a very similar effect to Mortarion’s pistol getting a “shoot over” effect damaging models to passes over. Which thanks to the upgraded stats of the attack, make it much, much better overall.

As for melee, he gets a two-profile option for focused and multi-target attacks. The focused hit has a base of 7 attacks at 14S, -5 AP, and averages 5 damage, making it ridiculously strong. While the sweep has 14 attacks at 7S, -2 AP, 2 damage, making for an easy space marine squad wiper with each wound removing a full model.

His old 5+ invulnerable save has been upgraded to a 4+, but now ALSO reduces damage by half! His auras were also slightly changed, now “moral tests” just ignore modifiers instead of auto-passing, which is fine. While his re-roll charge aura was reduced to 6″ range. Both auras of course also only affect CORE units, as with every other updated factions’ auras. He also gained an explosion on 6s when destroyed which is fine, and on the theme for the violent departure of the Avatar.

Lastly, there is a new downside, which restricts him to not being able to take a Warlord Trait or Relic, which seems completely fair seeing as this guy just got upgraded all the way up to a mini-Mortarion for a fraction of the cost!

Eldar Prince Yriel 40k Rules

Prince Yriel got a few buffs and is looking like a pretty decent option going forward. GW clearly knew this as we got a few previews for him leading up to this release which we included below.

Now, thanks to his life as a corsair prince, Yriel’s strategic skills are sharpened to a razor edge, and he commands his army with the acumen of an Autarch. In fact, his Path of Command ability is more expansive than usual, affecting units with the Anhrathe keyword in addition to the usual Core.

Getting rerolls for things that are not core is pretty sweet and this lets you really benefit with both Iyanden and the Corsairs.

Hit and run raids are a corsair speciality, using raw speed to strike with overwhelming force, and Yriel’s ability is not limited to the Anhrathe, and everyone from aspect warriors to the Wraithguard can hitch a ride with the Prince of Corsairs. The Aeldari have an arsenal of powerful close-range weapons, and getting to deploy them within arm’s length of their targets makes for a potent advantage.

This will let you keep tons of units in reserves and plays into the idea of a fast strike force. Again, it will be for both Iyandem and Corsairs, which will allow you to make some pretty cool armies and battle plans.

If his skills stopped at being a brilliant tactician, Yriel would be dangerous enough, but command is far from his only talent. When a Tyranid hive fleet came to his former home, the Outcast Prince returned as a whirlwind of death, sweeping aside the largest of monsters with the Spear of Twilight. And to this day, he can still put a shift in with it.

This weapon looks quite strong, but there will be a big difference depending on his Strength and number of attacks (if you buff it up at all). Either way though, 2x Strength, -3AP, and 3 Damage is strong no matter what.

New Eldar Maugan Ra Rules

 

As the founder of the Dark Reaper Aspect Shrine, this ghoulish warrior embodies the inevitability of death – many of his victims bite the dust before they even catch sight of his macabre visage. That’s kind of a shame, because Maugan Ra is dressed to kill. Just look at his new miniature, with its ragged pitch-black robes and baroque, bony armor.

With six shots at Strength 7, plus a devastating crop of mortal wounds, Maugan Ra is the bane of elite squads – and can even pose a nasty threat to enemy Vehicles and Monsters. And despite the Maugetar’s outrageous size, this fearsome Phoenix Lord still benefits from the Battle Focus ability, allowing him to strike hard before fading away like a ghost.

They have really focused him on killing swaths of 2 wound infantry. Then, you’re bound to roll at least one six, and with Battle Focus, he can shoot and then make a D6″ move for free.

It’s pretty easy to get a single character back into hiding, so pretty sweet. In combat, he’ll also be able to dish out some damage with +2 Strength, -2 AP, and 2 Damage.

On top of that, his ghastly presence is so intimidating that each foe he scythes down counts as two kills for Morale purposes. The Maugetar’s decapitating shurikens and foe-reaping blade can force even the most courageous warriors to double-check their funeral arrangements.

This is really strong and just makes him that much better at killing infantry. Even if you manage to kill three Marines, for example, they will count as having three died. Meaning even with high leadership, there’s a good chance they could fail.

Maugan Ra is among the most favoured of Khaine’s warriors, embodying the war god’s nature as a Destroyer. Such paragons aren’t easy to kill – on top of the mighty 2+ Save offered by his ominous armour, he also has a 4+ invulnerable save, and cannot lose more than 3 wounds in each phase. 

With a 2+ save and a 4+ Invuln, he will be fairly tough. Then, he will be impossible to kill in one phase, meaning in shooting it would take at least two turns of targeting to kill him.

Warlock 40k Rule Datasheets

The new Eldar Warlocks rules datasheets are 2 wounds and are able to have a single power. Then it looks like for every Farseer in your army you can take one of these without taking up an army slot. Lastly, we see a 4+ Invuln save here as well.

Yncarne 40k Eldar Rule Datasheets

The Yncarne sees a new datasheet with much of the same power level previously seen on the model. This is a high power, high point model, and the new datasheet continues to support that with some great rules and stats that will lay down the hurt in melee.

Visarch 40k Rule Datasheets

First, it looks like you can return a model destroyed within 6 inches of this to life with one wound on a 4+. That could be super insane when you think about it says just Aeldari, not core models.

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Then, if it’s a character, they get an extra attack for the rest of the game and you also won’t be able to shoot Yvraine as long as a model is within 3 inches.

Harlequins Troupe Master

First off, the Troupe Master has quite a few weapon options. Choreographer of War now gives reroll 1 on wound aura. Also, side note, different Harlequin weapons now give special keywords to the model/unit, like “Shuriken”.

Death Jester Rules 

A slightly blurry image, but if you try you can definitely make out what you need to see.  It also appears that you can upgrade your Death Jester and/or a Troupe Master to have a “pivotal role” as well via these rules:

 

Talk about exploding 6’s that Harvester of Sorrow role has the potential to literally make it rain death on some unfortunate target with a little luck. Plus wounding on 2’s is always nice when you are low strength as well for the Troupe Master.

Solitaire Rules

 

In a world with very few 3+ invulnerable saves, this may be worth a note or three- see what we did there? Restricted to one, and banished from taking wargear or a trait, the Solitaire is going to have to rely on special rules, one of the pivotal roles below, and his blitz attack to get the job done in 9th edition from the looks of it.

Shadowseer Rules

If you want to take advantage of the psychic side of the Harlequins, the Shadowseer is the way to go! They also have some decent stats and weapons, so if you have to send them into combat they can hold their own.

However, when you add in the debuff to all enemies, and all the special rules the Harlequins get, you have quite the character.

 

They might change the first one for the Shadowseer, as it just says subtract one attack, not to a minimum of 1, so maybe this can make them immune to single attack units. Then the other two are pretty sweet debuffs against the enemy, we’ll have to see how many points you have to allocate to this model once it’s all said and done though.

40k Eldar Howling Banshees

Howling Banshees got some decent buffs here with enough damage and Ap to hopefully take out some models in cc, especially with the addition to the wound roll and Strength 4 on the charge.

So should be hitting and wounding on 3’s against most units. Then, with the advance and charge rule, you should be able to get them in combat quickly.

We’ve pretty much seen this in a few of the posts, still, getting a 5+ Invuln save on all the Aspect Warriors is pretty sweet.

These ritual war helms are equipped with psychosonic amplifiers, which augment the wearer’s battle cry into a harrowing aural assault. The shriek-that-kills disorientates and paralyses the enemy, even causing lasting damage to their nervous system.* Put simply, targets of a charge cannot fire Overwatch or Set to Defend – presumably too agonised trying to muffle the caterwauling.

This is a pretty classic ability, so it’s nice to see it make a comeback!

Whirling Death makes these dynamic warriors even more potent on the charge – with their Banshee blades bringing their attacks up to Strength 4, they’ll be wounding even Space Marines on a roll of 3+, and utterly shredding through ceramite. Not too shabby for a unit that already has three attacks per model.

With S4 and the +1 to wound, they should be wounding most units on a 3 or 2 a turn they charge. Meaning you might actually get way more wounds through than ever before. Plus, as long as they keep decent AP, they will really dish out the damage!

Then, on top of that, the enemy will be at -1 to hit them and striking last, so they should be much more survivable than ever before as well.

Eldar Guardians Rules

Added range and a guaranteed AP are pretty nice. It might not seem insane right up front, but a buff to weapons and save at once can be really strong.

As they can get -3 AP as well on a 6 to wound, their special rule near objectives is actually pretty sweet as they will be getting rerolls to hit.

While getting an extra attack and 1-AP with the Guardian Blade is nice, they just feel so lackluster with 2 measly S3 attacks. It’s nice to grab the flamer and fusion gun, but overall, we’re just not sure how many lists will see them in.

Who knows though? Maybe the re-rolls of hits, buffs, and points will make them worthwhile

An increase to their save is obviously pretty nice, and they will be able to make the D6″ move after they shoot. As we said before, they are giving it to almost every unit it seems and this might really slow things down as you will have to shoot, and then move again.

Likewise, the humble shuriken catapults taken to battle by Guardian Defenders are more deadly than before. On top of the Shuriken ability we showed off earlier, these elegant armaments now have longer range and more reliable Armour Penetration – someone’s clearly sharpened the shurikens.

Added range and a guaranteed AP are pretty nice. It might not seem insane right up front, but a buff to weapons and save at once can be really strong. As they can get -3 AP as well from the Shuriken rule.

But just what is that mysterious Shuriken rule tucked away in the corner? Well, it’s how your guns can get that all-important Armour Penetration – perfect for seeing whether Space Marines really do know no fear. 

You will still get more AP on 6’s, so at least they kept that rule in. You’ll still have the same overall AP on 6’s, but better in general with the minus 1.

Dire Avengers Rules

They are like super buffed Guardians now with 3 S4 and -2 AP shots they can actually get that to -4 AP and really bring the pain. Then, they can perform actions and shoot, have a decent save, and get an Invulnerable save as well.

Shooting into combat with all of your weapons can be super strong, but we’re not sure if it will be worth the 20 points. However, getting an additional -2 AP on all of your 5+ shots for 25 points could be really sweet!

Dire Avengers, whose usual job is to defend key points on the battlefield, will particularly appreciate their new level of durability. The scions of Asurmen can also hit back much harder than before, owing to the vicious new Avenger shuriken catapults.

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With Assualt 3 and a base -2 AP, they might actually be able to dish out the damage, especially when the Shuriken weapons give them an additional -2 AP, which would bring it to -4 and cut through almost any armor.

Asurmen Rules

His guns with 6 shots and D2 can really shred through infantry, but maybe most important his sword can take out characters. With S6, -3AP, and D3, but then, any rolls of a 6 to Wounds will inflict an additional D3 Mortals!

Shining Spears Eldar Aspect Warriors 40k Codex Rules

Their statline isn’t bad at all and with the 3+ save, let’s hope they can survive some shooting. The Star lance is just like the Laser Lance but way better! With +3 Strength on the Charge and 8 S from shooting. Then, the enemy gets -1 to hit them with shooting and they can just advance super far.

Overall these are some decent upgrades and having a worse invuln kind of stinks, but gaining the -1 to hit is really nice.

First, though, you’ll need to get within charging range – and the Shining Spears’ tuned-up jetbike steeds are perfect for the job. A zippy Move characteristic of 16” is a pretty good start, and these knightly Aspect Warriors can push it even further by adding a guaranteed 6” when they Advance.

This is seriously strong as you’ll be able to make your charges so much more reliable.

This just gives them an insane range! Up to 34″, so basically across the whole map.

With a 20″ move and ObSec, this relic bike could really turn the tides in your favor!

Once your jetbikers have reached their targets, they’ll melt through armour and flesh alike with devastating thrusts from their laser lances. These weapons are vastly more powerful on the turn they charge – spearing even a Space Marine with a single blow – and are backed up by a blistering hail of firepower from upgraded shuriken weaponry.

This Vortex Paint Mixer is a Clump Buster!

Looking at the Aspect Powers, the Shining Spears get the following:

The first two will really add a lot of combat power to the unit, whether that means you want to hit on 2’s or deal Mortals on 5+.

Eldar Aspect Warriors 40k Codex Rules: Dark Reapers

These ones come from Auspex Tactics again. If these are real, it can be a huge NERF to them as you won’t just be able to run a single big unit and buff them up with spells and auras, now you’ll have to spread it around.

Next, they don’t get Battle Focus and will no longer ignore all penalties, meaning you can’t really be moving them nearly as much as before.

Interesting take from GW on the Dark Reapers for their new Eldar Aspect Warriors 40k Codex rules!

Swooping Hawks Eldar Aspect Warriors 40k Codex Rules

The new Swooping Hawks Eldar 40k Codex rules get decent stats overall and with 4 shots, you should get plenty of 6’s to just wound automatically. Then, being able to just battle focus move, they can just teleport anywhere after shooting!

Pretty insane.

These new Exarch Powers are all pretty good and it really comes down to if you want more maneuverability, or to be that little bit more annoying to the enemy.

He’s got a pretty serious statline and some impressive weapons. If you want to run a lot of Swooping Hawks, then you better run Baharroth as well! Especially considering when he consolidates, he can just go anywhere!

Warp Spiders Rules

For those of you out there clamoring for some better hitting power for the Aspect Warriors, these new 40k rules rumors offer a glimmer of hope!

Gaining the -2 AP base is super nice as it means they might actually be able to do wounds against decent save units. If a unit of 5 deep strikes and shoots against a big unit, you will be getting an insane number of shots. Then, they can move 2D6 with battle Focus, so shoot and drift away.

Then, charging them will be super hard as they can just drift away!

Looks like Warp Spiders have some pretty cool and cagey new Exarch powers! Our favorite is the Web of Deceit for late-game grabs!

Wraithguard & Wraithblades

Wraithcannons are definitely better now with S10 and D3+3, they should be able to mow down units when they get close. Then, you can even shoot into melee with those cannons!

Now though, they do have some downsides, no fallback and shoot for free, no Wraith Fists, and from the looks of it, D-Scythes have to roll to hit. Plus the D-scythes cannot be shot in combat as you can never shoot a blast weapon in combat unless they change that somehow.

They will be getting 3 (maybe 2?) attacks each, plus an additional 2 if using swords. That number is hard to read, but man, if they get 5 attacks each, they will be pretty good combat machines.

Night Spinner Datasheet Rules

With a 3+ BS, means you should get off a lot of shots and with plenty of wounds, hopefully, you won’t get shot off the map in one turn.

Plus, if they both have the Crystal Targeting Matrix, they will always ignore the modifiers, meaning if Fire Prisms also get this, they will be hitting on 3’s pretty much all the time.

Eldar Fire Prism Rules

Fire prism has always been a staple of Eldar lists and this version seems to keep that trend going.

Its Strength makes a mockery of a Space Marine’s supposedly superhuman Toughness, that Armour Penetration will blast through their much-vaunted power armour, and Damage 2 kills regular Space Marines stone dead. With the Blast rule, it’s also great for chewing your way through any of those pesky horde armies too.

The profiles are pretty decent for killing both infantry and big baddies. Especially when you take into account they will be one-shotting those pesky Marines With 3’s to Wound, D2, blast, and -2 AP. Then, the Focused Lance will cut through a lot. However, they get really strong when you take into account the Stratagem below!

Wraithknight Rules

22 Wounds and a 3+ save are great places to start with a big model like this. The Heavy Wraithcannon looks to be Heavy D3 with d3+6 Damage and the ability to deal Mortals.

Their legendary robustness is reflected by a new ability that reduces incoming damage from enemy attacks.

Reducing damage is never a bad thing! With 22 wounds and a 3+ save, a 5+ Invuln, and this, let’s hope it will make it through some serious enemy firepower.

As if that weren’t enough, the Wraithknight’s agility means that they can dance between incoming attacks. In the past, you’d have to decide between the protection of a scattershield or adding another devastating weapon. Now, you can have the best of both worlds. Don’t worry if you’re a fan of the scattershield, though – if you include one of these defensive devices, you can boost your invulnerable save to 4+.

It’s nice you can still grab the 4+ Invuln, as there are plenty of high AP weapons out there.

Those new abilities will help you march across the battlefield with impunity, so you can chop things up with your titanic ghostglave. It now has a choice of profiles, meaning you can sweep aside weaker opponents or strike down bigger scarier targets.

Both profiles are really powerful, the first one with -4 AP and 6D should be able to cut down big vehicles and monsters. Then, the sweep attack will just smash through pretty much all infantry with 15 attacks and D3.

The suncannon was always pretty good at killing armoured infantry, but it’s now upgraded to the sweet spot of Damage 3. That means that even elite or durable infantry such as Custodian Guard and Plague Marines will quiver at the sight of it. At Strength 8, it can vaporise medium-sized vehicles in a single volley. 

With Blast and 2D6 shots at S8, -3 AP, and D3, this is a serious weapon! On average you should be getting 7 shots, so really good at killing tanks or infantry.

Now just in case you missed them, we included the Eldritch Omens new models rules below as those are also in the new codex.

Eldritch Omens Box 40k Rules Datasheets

Starting with the Eldar 40k rules datasheets from the Eldrich Omens box set, the Autarch basically is a brand new unit! From their previous 2 weapon loadout, they know have access to 8 different choices that each provide different benefits and functions to completely change the dynamic of the model in the list.

All of the Wargear options are similarly sweet with some great options changing the model to a completely new one. Not to mention they are perfectly on theme! As was expected, the aura was changed to only affect CORE units, but that’s the same for every new and updated faction for 9th edition.

All in all, this new Autarch looks fantastic.

Eldar Eldritch Omens 40k Rules Datasheets

Next up, the new ranger bikes look pretty nice as well. Decent stats and a huge 16″ move make this pretty attractive for any list needing a little more mobility. The weapons have great range, however, with minimal AP, this seems to be mostly intended for chip damage or targeting lower armor save models.

As for the abilities, Ride The Wind gives a free guaranteed 6″ advance, making it even better and running all over the board. The ability to gain cover with their Cloak is nice but is obviously board and terrain dependent.

In general, being more elusive is always a good thing. Swift Scouts is another great ability to let these models get a solid 9″ pre-game move to get a free headstart.

Plus dont forget they have Battle focus and Strands of Fate as well.

When compared to the jetbikes, the sheet is very similar with obviously fewer wounds and toughness (as they usually do with bikes). The 2+ BS is really nice and the ability to shoot characters will make them super strong and quite annoying.

Then the ability to actually do mortals on 6’s will help out and if you get lucky, you’ll grab a few. Next, the wargear gives them Dense Cover for a large part of the game, and once per game you can inflict mortals or make the charge much harder.

Then with the Ranger Cloak, they will be getting an additional 1 to their saving throw, so when combined with the Gloom Field, they will have much more survivability than the 5+ save suggests.

Just like the Autarch and Shroud Runners they also have Battle Focus. This allows them to move after shooting, which can be super annoying for the enemy, especially considering how many units we think will get it.

Here’s the most up-to-date review of the new Eldar rules. Click on the gallery above to see all the new 9th Edition rules from the Eldar codex!

About the Author: Rob Baer

Rob Baer

Job Title: Managing Editor

Founded Spikey Bits in 2009

Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X

About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.

Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls. 

Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.

Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.

With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.

While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.

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