Captain Obvious here with another installment of Dark Eldar knowledge.The next unit I will cover will be the Dark Eldar Retinue. The power of the DE Retinue is never to be underestimated. Some say it's over priced and not worth it, but I on the other hand have had great success with it.
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My current list does include a 10 man retinue and so far the few games I have ran with them they have proven to kill their points cost......and one game even had a player deathly afraid of them. So much that it detoured an entire drop podding squad of grey wolves from an objective.
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In order to even field a retinue you have to have an Archon or Drachon as your HQ choice. Granted its not a Nob Squad of bikers, doesn't have multiple wound allocation, but it will out initiative most every unit in the game and is filled with A LOT of power weapons.
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The power of your retinue comes from the Incubi in it. Incubi with the weapons they get are S4 with a 3+ save and 3 attacks on the charge at WS 5, not to mention they are all initiative 5. Ill give a quick run down of what my retinue is and how it had proven itself successful. My retinue consists of my Archon (Agonizer,Shadow Field, Pistol, and combat drugs), 4 incubi, Drazhar, and 3 warriors. I also attach a wych Drachite to it, because according to the wych weapon rules, as long as she is attached to that squad attacking units do not get +1 for having 2 close combat weapons. Granted Incubi can not fleet, it is still a very effective unit. This is a different retinue than I have seen most run but given the fact that the wych Drachite can break off from it and help assist other combats I find that it fits my play style very well. Most people do not expect a Wych to break off.....run then charge 12 inches because of combat drugs right into a combat they may have thought they were going to win. I gear her just like my Archon just with out the shadow field. Granted your Retinue is in a raider they are not as flimsy as your Warrior Squads or your Wyches. And if you built it with some warriors in it you have a chance to drop some wounds before you start eating into your beastly Incubi.
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The way I have found that makes this unit effective is to keep them back unit they are needed. I use them as a hard hitting clean up until and an objective clearing unit. I clear out unit on an objective then drop a raider squad on it to hold it. This squad can easily cleanout a squad of space marines in 1 turn most of the time before they even get to attack. If you play it safe on your Archon and just take Re-roll misses and +1 attack for combat drugs this squad has 22 power attacks onthe charge all at I5+ and WS5+. Enough to clean out any unit fast, especially if they do not have any inv. saves.
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With Drazhar in there you have the possibility of him causing 8 wounds on the charge powered because of his special rule, which turns all of his successful hits into 2 wounds. So if he hits all 4 attacks on the charge they turn into 8 wounds. Drazhar by himself can basically clean out a squad. For 90pts! I'll gladly take him every time.
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When people see what your retinue can do they have are basically left with 3 options. They can dump all they have into it, which your retinue can handle with ease (mine cleaned out a 7 man Marine biker command squad.....then got hit by 20 boys with a power claw buried in it during a team game and still came out the victors). Their other option is to get the hell away from it; you can use this to your advantage because now you can basically corral them where you want them. And their last option is to dump all their shooting into it (if they even can); this opens up yet another good thing for you. They are focusing so much on your HQ and not dealing with the numerous other major threats you have, IR Ravagers, Talos, Wyches and so on. Well that's all I have today.Other DE players post some comments on what you run for HQs I'm veryinterested in seeing what other players are running.
I mount my retinue squad in a raider and try to hide it behind cover until I know I can assault with it. The people that have seen my HQ walk through hugh units of guys try to kill it as soon as they see it.
ReplyDeleteI like your build for the unit though, and you are right about Drazhar, he is the combat power house
You have planned well for this dark eldar's army.The building of whole scenario is very interesting.
ReplyDeletefreisprecheinrichtung
I read it twice and I'm intrigued by the thought, and if it works I'd almost try the Incubi.
ReplyDeleteBut after thinking about it, I believe because the Dracite is an IC attatched to a squad, attacks would have to be declared against her specifically, and any directed against her benefit from Wych Weapons, while attacks against the Archon/Retinue(because they count as one unit) will not benefit from Wych Weapons.
I'd clarify prior to the game. On the plus side though, you didn't mention the fact that Wych Weapons also reduce the WS of opponents attacking unless they have an unmodified Str of 6. Combined with the WS 5 of the Incubi would mean most non-characters will hit on 5s.
My own preference is to load up on Haemonculi, usually 1 with each Raider Squad, maybe one with a small Grotesque squad, and almost always one on a Jetbike with a Shadowfield. A T5 Dark Eldar with a 2+ invuln save makes people cringe, even worse once he gets close enough to use the destructor.