Initial impressions of new Eldar codex

The new Eldar codex has now been out a couple of weeks and I've had the opportunity to play a few games.  While in no way an exhaustive review, the following is a breakdown of my opinions on the units I've had a chance to playtest.

HQ:
1. Farseer
The farseer is really a bargain.  For 100 points you get a Ld10 ml3 psyker with access to some really good powers.  He still has access to runes of warding and runes of witnessing, but these powers are pale shadows of their former selves, and are one use only.  Personally, I do not think they are worth the points, so i've been running my farseer with a singing spear as the only upgrade.  (fyi, as of the moment, the spear is not listed as a 2-handed weapon, so you get the extra cc attack for the shurikan pistol).

While the farseer seems to be a really good HQ choice, he is by no means the auto-include that he was in previous versions of the codex.  As a result, expect to see a more varied selection of HQ models on the table.

2. Autarch
Even cheaper than the farseer, the autarch is another good all-purpose choice.  I run mine with warp jump generator, fusion gun and a power sword and stick him with a squad of deep-striking warp spiders.  With 3+ armor and a 4+ invulnerable save, he's a fairly resilient model that won't completely fold in close combat.

3. Illic Nightspear
I think this guy has a lot of potential.  For 140 points you get a bs9 sniper with shrouded and some pretty nifty infiltrating tricks.  He also allows you upgrade rangers into pathfinders.  His ranged weapon is a 48" ap2 sniper rifle with the distort rule.  I've used him in one game so far in which I attached him to a squad of dark reapers that I had deployed in some ruins.  This combined with his shrouded giving them 2+ cover saves.  this made for a very resilient firebase.

Troops:
1. Guardians
Blade Storm and Battle Focus has really upped the damage potential for guardians.  Throw in a warlock and a couple of heavy weapons, and anything getting within shooting range of a large guardian blob is going to have a really bad day.

2. Windrider Jetbikes
These are the old guardian jetbikes, except they now have blade storm and are alot cheaper than before.  Under the previous codex, about all they were good for was late game objective grabs.  Now expect them to get in your face and do significant damage.

3. Dire Avengers
All the damage potential of the guardians (except for heavy weapons), but with better survivability due to better armor.  Probably best run as a 10 man squad with a wave serpent.  Also, make sure you take the exarch and give him disarming strike.  With this ability, he can go toe to toe with most independent characters in a challenge.  Also, shimmershield now confers a 5+ invulnerable save to the squad outside of close combat as well as during close combat.

4. Rangers
For 60 points, they're probably a decent points filler, but do not expect anything spectacular from them.

Elites:
1. Striking Scorpions
These guys got a pretty good buff.  with battle focus and blade storm their shooting is better than you would expect.  Also, the scorpion claw is now a power fist that hits on initiative, meaning that he's going to swing before a significant percentage of his opponents.


Fast Attack.
1. Warp Spiders
These guys are fast, shooty, and cheaper than they used to be.  With battle focus and the monofiliment rule, the can move 6+2d6, run 6, thrust move another 2d6...and shoot their 2-shot, S6 weapons that are essentially rending.

2. Swooping Hawks
While I would still rank these behind warp spiders, swooping hawks are much more playable than they were.  The ability to deepstrike without scatter means you can bring them in exactly where you need them to be in order to inflict the maximum damage.  The grenade pack has a more limited range, but is now ap4 and ignores cover.  And while only S3, lasblasters put out 3 shots each.

3. Crimson Hunter
Best anti-armor/anti-flyer flyer in the game.  upgrade to the exarch and give him marksman's eye and he's suddenly shooting those two bright lances and the 2 pulse laser shots at bs 5 which precision shot on 5+..and he rerolls failed armor pen rolls with those 4 S8 ap2 shots.  Only has 10 armor, so don't expect him to take a ton of abuse, but he will be deadly while he's on the board.

Heavy
1. Wraithknight
S10 T8 W6 jump monstrous creature with access to a whole plethora of heavy weapons.  He's expensive (starting at 240 points), but worth it.  While people are focused on the shattershield/suncannon configuration, I think over time people will realize that the 2 heavy wraithcannon/2 scatter laser setup is better.  The eldar army really doesn't need to rely on the suncannon for heavy infantry..blade storm has that covered.  The S10 ap2 wraith cannons also have distort, which causes instant death on a to wound roll of 6.  So this beast can instant kill other multi-wound, high toughness monstrous creatures.

2.  Fire Prism
The choice firing the prism cannon as ap3 large blast, ap2 small blast or ap1 lance makes the fire prism probably the best all-comer heavy support choice in the codex.  All for only 115 points.

3. Nightspinner
I've only used this once, but the doomweaver being able to lob large blast (barrage) or torrent flame templates with the monofiliment rule is pretty handy.  Against vehicles or low initiative models, it counts as S8, otherwise it's S7.

4. Vibrocannon batteries.
These proved to be a fairly good, cheap fire platform for 90 points.  Starting at s7 ap4, a battery of 3 that manages to hit with all three weapons will be resolved at S9 ap2 for all three hits.  Unfortunately, no longer counts as a beam weapon.

5. Dark Reapers
These guys are expensive.  30 points each, plus another 8 for the nearly mandatory starstrike missiles (s8 ap3).  Anything with a 3+ not in cover will die to these guys.  In addition, the dark reaper targeters ignores jink saves, so killing bikes, jetbikes and skimmers are their specialty.  You can take an exarch and upgrade his weapons a couple different ways, including an eldar missile launcher with flakk missiles.  However, without access to interceptor, I wouldn't bother.  give him fast shot instead.

General Comments.
The new eldar special rules make the army a lot deadlier than first appearances would suggest.  Battle Focus allows almost every model to shoot and run in each shooting phase.  This makes the eldar a very fast army with alot of firepower, even on foot.  Blade Storm, Distort, Monofiliment all allow what might at first seem to be a relatively weak weapon to auto-wound (or instant kill) at ap 1, regardless of toughness.