Eldar – Warhammer 40k Guide

We are the Eldar, an ancient and enigmatic Xenos race that has persevered despite terrible odds. Once the rulers of a vast empire, we now exist in several factions upon maiden worlds, within craftworlds, or even in the depths of the webway, wielding elegant weaponry and mystic arts.

With our lithe forms and advanced technology, we are both graceful and deadly, striking with precision and flair. Our sleek craft and deadly equipment allow us to outmaneuver our more primitive foes, ensuring that we remain one step ahead in the eternal struggle for survival.

We fight not just for our existence, but for the preservation of our culture and the protection of our worlds, always wary of the Chaos gods that threaten to eternally punish us for our past sins, or the Imperium who would see us erased from existence.

Who Are the Eldar?

The Eldar are a highly advanced and ancient faction in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, known for their ethereal beauty, agility, and mastery of psychic powers. Once a dominant civilization, they fell into decadence and excess, leading to their near destruction during the Fall of the Aeldari and the birth of the chaos god Slaanesh.

Now, the Eldar are divided into various factions, including the Craftworlds, the Drukhari, and the Harlequins, each with its own unique culture and purpose. As psychically attuned beings, Eldar wields potent powers that allow them to manipulate the fabric of reality and command incredible technology.

Their society is steeped in tradition and ritual, valuing art, knowledge, and the pursuit of perfection. The Eldar fight to reclaim their former glory while protecting what remains of their dying race.

What Are the Eldar Army Strengths?

The Eldar army is characterized by its speed, maneuverability, and advanced technology, making it a formidable force on the battlefield.

Eldar units excel in hit-and-run tactics, utilizing their superior agility to outpace opponents and strike at weak points.

Their forces include powerful psykers, such as Farseers and Warlocks, who can bend fate to their will, providing strategic advantages in battle.

Eldar vehicles, like Wave Serpents and Falcons, are fast and resilient, delivering their troops swiftly into the fray. Their weaponry is often highly specialized, allowing them to target specific threats with deadly efficiency.

However, the Eldar can be fragile, relying on speed and precision rather than brute strength. Many units are relatively low in toughness and can be overwhelmed if caught in a prolonged engagement.

Their reliance on finesse means that miscalculations can lead to devastating losses.

Where Should Beginners Start?

If you’re starting your collection of Aeldari as a beginner, consider these key models:

Aeldari Guardians: These are the backbone of any Aeldari army. Purchase a box of Guardians to create a versatile squad, capable of holding objectives and providing fire support.

Farseer: A Farseer serves as a powerful leader, utilizing psychic powers to guide your forces and enhance their effectiveness in battle.

Howling Banshees: These elite aspect warriors excel in close combat and can quickly engage enemy units, providing lethal melee support.

Wave Serpent: This transport vehicle provides mobility and protection for your units, allowing you to strike swiftly while keeping your troops safe.

How To Paint Aeldari

Here are some creative paint ideas for new Eldar players:

Color Scheme Ideas

Classic Craftworld

Base Coat: Start with a base coat of a vibrant color representing your Craftworld (like blue for Ulthwe or yellow for Biel-Tan).

Highlight: Highlight with a lighter shade to add depth. Use a contrasting color for armor and details, such as white or silver, to create a striking appearance.

Wash: Finish with a wash to enhance shadows and details.

Saim-Hann

Base Coat; For a bold look, use a base coat of red or orange for armor.

Highlight: Highlight with brighter shades to create dynamic contrasts.

Details: Use green for details and accents, capturing the vibrant spirit of the Saim-Hann Craftworld.

Iyanden

Base Coat: Start with a base coat of pale yellow or bone for armor, emphasizing the ethereal nature of the Iyanden.

Highlight: Highlight with a lighter yellow or white.

Details: Use blue or turquoise for weapon details, giving a ghostly appearance that reflects their history.

Painting Techniques

Base Coating: Use bright, vivid colors that capture the essence of the Aeldari. A solid base coat provides a strong foundation for further detailing.

Drybrushing: This technique is excellent for highlighting the fine details of Aeldari armor and weapons. Use a lighter color to accentuate raised surfaces, creating a polished, elegant appearance.

Washes: Applying washes can add depth and shadow, emphasizing the intricate details of Aeldari models. Use dark washes like Nuln Oil to create contrast and highlight recesses.

Edge Highlighting: Define the sharp edges of armor and weapons with lighter colors to create striking contrasts, enhancing the elegance and intricacy of the models.

Contrast Paints: Utilize contrast paints for quick, impactful results, especially on larger areas like armor. This technique allows for depth without extensive layering, making it easier for beginners to achieve striking results that embody the grace of the Aeldari.

Aeldari Lore and History

The Aeldari, once known as the Eldar, are the remnants of the galaxy’s most advanced civilisation — an empire that spanned millions of worlds and whose mastery of psychic power and technology made them the undisputed rulers of the galaxy for millions of years. Their fall from grace is the defining tragedy of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, a cautionary tale of unchecked ambition and the terrible price of excess.

At its height, the Aeldari Empire had conquered death itself, their souls recycled through the Infinity Circuit to be reborn in new bodies. With no challenges remaining, the Aeldari turned inward, pursuing ever more extreme sensations and experiences. This descent into hedonism and depravity — fuelled by their extraordinarily potent psychic nature — eventually coalesced into a new Chaos God. The birth-scream of Slaanesh tore a hole in reality, creating the Eye of Terror and consuming the souls of billions of Aeldari in an instant.

The survivors scattered into several distinct groups. The Craftworld Aeldari — those who had foreseen the catastrophe and fled aboard massive world-ships called Craftworlds — maintain the old ways through rigid discipline and the Path System, which channels their emotions into focused pursuits to avoid the psychic excess that doomed their empire. Major Craftworlds include Ulthwé, masters of prophecy; Biel-Tan, militant reclamationists; Saim-Hann, wild riders of the stars; and Iyanden, a dying Craftworld sustained by its wraithbone constructs.

Central to Aeldari society is the figure of the Farseer — powerful psykers who walk the Path of the Seer and guide their Craftworld through the tangled skeins of fate. The legendary Eldrad Ulthran, Chief Farseer of Ulthwé, has manipulated events across the galaxy for millennia in pursuit of Aeldari survival. The Aeldari also maintain a complex relationship with their god of the dead, Ynnead, whose awakening through the efforts of Yvraine and the Ynnari faction offers a potential path to defeating Slaanesh — though at what cost remains to be seen.

Aeldari in the Current Meta

The Aeldari (Craftworld Eldar) are perennial top-tier contenders in competitive Warhammer 40,000, renowned for their combination of powerful psychic abilities, exceptional mobility, and devastating specialist units. The army’s Strands of Fate mechanic — which generates pre-rolled dice that can be substituted for crucial rolls — provides a level of reliability that few other armies can match [VERIFY].

Tournament-winning Aeldari lists leverage the efficiency of key units like Fire Dragons (anti-tank), Wraithguard (durable firepower), and Windriders (fast objective play), all supported by Farseers and Warlocks whose psychic powers enhance the army’s already formidable capabilities. The Avatar of Khaine provides a devastating melee centrepiece that demands immediate attention from opponents [VERIFY].

The Aeldari’s competitive strength lies in their ability to dictate the pace of the game through superior mobility and the Strands of Fate system. Their weakness is that individual units tend to be fragile and specialised — an Aeldari unit that is caught out of position or faces the wrong type of opponent will crumble quickly. Mastery of the army requires understanding each unit’s specific role and ensuring they’re always in the right place at the right time. Visit our faction tier list for rankings.

Collecting Aeldari

Collecting Aeldari (Craftworld Eldar) provides access to one of the game’s most diverse and visually stunning ranges. From the elegant Aspect Warriors to the towering Wraith constructs, every unit has a distinct silhouette and identity. The recent wave of updated sculpts has brought many classic units into the modern era while maintaining their iconic designs.

Start with the Eldar Combat Patrol for the best value entry point. Key early purchases include Dire Avengers (versatile core troops), a Wave Serpent (the army’s excellent transport), and a Farseer for psychic support. From there, expand into Aspect Warriors — Fire Dragons, Howling Banshees, or Striking Scorpions — based on your preferred playstyle.

One of the best aspects of collecting Aeldari is choosing your Craftworld. Each Craftworld has a distinct colour scheme — Ulthwé (black and bone), Saim-Hann (red and white), Biel-Tan (green and white), or Iyanden (yellow and blue) — that defines your army’s visual identity. Alternatively, create your own custom Craftworld with a unique scheme. Visit our Aeldari painting guide for techniques suited to each major Craftworld scheme.

Painting Aeldari

Difficulty: Intermediate

Aeldari models demand clean, smooth painting to match their elegant aesthetic. The sweeping curves and flowing lines of Eldar armour require neat basecoats and careful highlighting. However, the recent Contrast paint range has made Aeldari schemes much more accessible, particularly for the bold, saturated colours of Aspect Warriors.

Key paints (Ulthwé): Abaddon Black (armour), Ushabti Bone (helmets/weapons), Mephiston Red (gems), Nuln Oil (shade), Dawnstone (highlight), Wraithbone (bone areas), Agrax Earthshade (bone shade). For Saim-Hann: Mephiston Red, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Wild Rider Red, Ushabti Bone. Each Craftworld has a distinct palette that defines the army’s identity.

The most important technique for Aeldari is smooth highlighting. The curved armour panels benefit from gradual colour transitions rather than harsh edge lines. For black armour (Ulthwé), mix increasing amounts of grey into your highlights. For coloured armour, build up through 2-3 highlight stages. Spirit stones — present on almost every Aeldari model — are the perfect place to practise gemstone effects, and they add crucial colour pops that bring models to life. For a comprehensive step-by-step process, visit our Eldar painting guide.

Related Armies

If you enjoy Eldar, you might also like these armies:

Drukhari — The Craftworld Eldar and Drukhari are two sides of the same ancient Aeldari civilization.
T’au Empire — Both factions rely on advanced technology and precise, tactical warfare over brute force.
Lumineth Realm-Lords — The Lumineth Realm-Lords are the Age of Sigmar equivalent, sharing the Eldar’s elegance and magical mastery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the Aeldari (Eldar)?

The Aeldari, formerly known as Eldar, are an ancient alien race in decline whose hedonistic excesses birthed the Chaos God Slaanesh. The surviving Craftworld Aeldari live on vast world-ships, following strict Paths to avoid the temptations that doomed their civilisation.

Are Aeldari good for beginners?

Aeldari are moderately challenging for beginners. Their units are fast and deadly but fragile, requiring careful positioning and target priority. However, their diverse unit roster offers many playstyle options to explore.

What are the strengths of Aeldari?

Aeldari excel at mobility, psychic powers, and specialist units. Aspect Warriors are elite fighters specialising in specific combat roles, their psykers are powerful, and their vehicles are among the fastest in the game.

What are the weaknesses of Aeldari?

Aeldari units are generally fragile with low toughness. They rely on speed and positioning to survive rather than raw durability. Losing key synergy characters or getting caught out of position can collapse your entire battle plan.

What are Aspect Warriors?

Aspect Warriors are Aeldari who have dedicated themselves to a specific facet of the war god Khaine. Each Aspect temple specialises in a combat discipline — Dire Avengers in ranged defence, Howling Banshees in melee assault, Fire Dragons in anti-armour, and more.

Community Advice

Drawing from the collective wisdom of experienced players who have spent years mastering Eldar – Warhammer 40k Guide, here are some practical tips that will help you get the most from your army on the tabletop.

Start with a core: Veteran players consistently advise building your army around a reliable core of units that perform well in most situations before adding specialist choices. This gives you a stable foundation that can handle a variety of opponents, and you can then tailor your remaining points to address specific weaknesses or lean into particular strengths depending on the meta you expect to face.

Play games early and often: Theory-crafting army lists is enjoyable, but nothing replaces actual table time. Many units that look mediocre on paper perform excellently in practice, and vice versa. Start playing games with whatever models you have painted, even if your list is not optimised. The experience you gain from understanding movement, positioning, and timing is far more valuable than having a perfect list that you do not know how to pilot effectively.

Learn your matchups: Understanding how your army interacts with different opponents is crucial for competitive success. Keep notes after each game about what worked, what did not, and what you would change. Over time, you will develop an intuitive understanding of your army’s strengths and weaknesses against various factions, which will inform both your list building and your in-game decisions.

Magnetise key models: Many experienced hobbyists recommend magnetising weapon options on larger models and vehicles. This small investment of time allows you to swap loadouts between games, giving you flexibility to adapt to different opponents and meta shifts without purchasing and painting duplicate models.

Resources and Links

Staying connected with the community is essential for keeping up with the latest developments, finding opponents, and improving your play. Here are the best resources available for players interested in Eldar – Warhammer 40k Guide.

Faction-specific subreddits on Reddit are treasure troves of information, featuring army list discussions, painting guides, conversion inspiration, and tactical advice from players at every skill level. The community is generally welcoming and happy to help newcomers find their footing with the faction.

On Discord, dedicated faction servers provide real-time discussion, list reviews, and the opportunity to arrange games through Tabletop Simulator or other online platforms. These servers often have channels dedicated to competitive play, casual gaming, hobby progress, and lore discussion, making them a one-stop resource for all aspects of the hobby.

Content creators on YouTube and Twitch regularly produce faction-focused content including unit reviews, battle reports, painting tutorials, and tier list discussions. Following creators who specialise in your chosen faction gives you access to expert analysis of new rules, points changes, and emerging strategies as soon as they develop. Podcasts dedicated to specific factions or broader competitive play are also excellent resources for keeping your finger on the pulse of the community.