Hello all, Phat J here with a new weekly article, my Old World Almanac. Your source for MY opinion on what I feel is good and bad about my FAVORITE game, Warhammer The Old World.
This week I wanted to talk about my original OG faction, the army that got me into miniature wargaming back in the late 90s. The High Elves. It’s one of the factions that I collect and play to this day, son. TO THIS DAY. There are certain units, in my HUMBLE opinion, that are auto-includes in most of my army lists. This is either because I just flat out enjoy them or they have an undeniable competitive edge against my competition. While some of these choices are in line with competitive player choices, some are just my personal opinion on what is good and what I enjoy including in my army lists. Of course, I have to put these in list order, because everyone LOVES lists!
The High Elves are in a weird space currently. The army seems to be over costed, with most units priced for previous editions of the game when High Elves had army-wide special rules such as Fights First, which would help keep their fragile T3 bodies safe from incoming melee attacks. As it stands their core units just cost too many points and are a huge tax on games 2000 points or less. Their elite units ain’t necessarily cheap either, so after sinking 25% of your points into a VERY small number of core bodies you are looking at a small, elite force that really isn’t all that elite. That being said, there are a couple of stand out units that you’ll see in almost every High Elf list due to their efficiency. Today I want to write about five such units and what makes them MUST take units in your High Elf army.
5. Great Eagles
Ah, the humble Great Eagle. Majestic. Terrifying. Don’t discount this 60 point monstrous creature. Yes it is toughness 4. Yes it only has 3 wounds. Yes it only has 3 attacks. No it doesn’t have an armor save. CAN”T YOU SEE HOW GOOD IT IS? Let’s get real here, ok? Will you let me be real now? OK. This is a distraction unit and as far as distraction units go, it’s the cheapest one that the High Elves have. It’s fast, with a movement of 10 and Swiftstride, and it can FLY. You can use these guys as charge blockers or war machine seeking missiles. Their S4 and single stomp attack means that they have a good chance of mauling a war machine crew in a turn or two. I honestly add two of these guys to every list and throw them on the flanks.
4. Lothern Sea Guard
So you NEED to have core units. For me, the best bang for your buck when it comes to High Elf core units are the Lothern Sea Guard. For 12 points you get a thrusting spear and shield armed elf with an initiative of 6 when charged. They are also armed with warbows which means you have a dual threat unit that will cover those pesky core points. The Sea Guard also have one of the better unit special rules, Naval Discipline, which lets them redress the ranks and after making a Stand and Shoot reaction. Oh, and they don’t suffer from the usual minimum range restriction for the Stand and Shoot reaction.
3. Sisters of Avelorn
Absolutely hate the sculpt, but the rules for this unit are just too good to pass on aesthetic alone. Where to even start with these ladies. For 15 points you get a BS5 elf that is Immune to Psychology and carries a longbow that shoots magical arrows with Armor Bane (2) and AP -1. A unit of five Sisters is cheaper and more effective than the bolt thrower. If you want to bring a Handmaiden of the Everqueen as your general you can make one of the Sisters units a core choice.
2. Archmage
After Games Workshop toned down magic in The Old World, High Elf Archmage’s really showed their worth with their innate ability to re-roll a failed casting roll due to Lileath’s Blessing. They also have access to some of the most potent and useful spells in The Old World through their knowledge of High Magic. The signature spell, Drain Magic, is EXTREMELY useful in the post magic-nerf era, making already difficult spells extremely unreliable to cast with the -2 to the casting rolls.
1. Prince on Star Dragon
Ok, let’s face it. You need a hard hitting, hard to kill unit in your army and the High Elf Prince on Star Dragon fits the bill. Now, this guy ain’t cheap, clocking in at a whopping 420 points BEFORE any equipment upgrades or magical items. If you are playing Combined Arms + Grand Melee events you will be taking a single one of these in your list. What do you get? A 9W, T7, Terror causing monster with 6 WS7 S7 AP -2 attacks from the dragon AND dragon fire. The Elf Prince isn’t a slouch, with a WS of 7 and Fights First on whichever magical weapon you want to give them. It’s just a GOOD unit, but it’s going to take up over 25% of your resources in a 2000 point game. Common ways to kit up the Elf Prince are defensive items like the Talisman of Protection and Seed of Rebirth. Anything that will reduce efficiency of your opponent’s shooting attacks against your Prince should also be considered, as they are a Large Target and will be a magnet for enemy missile fire. Remember, it may be 25% of your points but that is also 25% of your points that your opponent will have a HELL of a time taking out. If you are going to take one of these guys your really need to invest in smaller core units that will then go out and capture objectives, as those are becoming a larger part of the game.
So there you have it, Phat J’s MUST HAVE units in my High Elf lists. What do you think? Am I right or right?
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