Craftworlds: The Good, Bad & Ugly | Warhammer 40,000 9th Ed Faction Focus
Spider September 17, 202018
57
18 Likes
Spider and Chef talk the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly for the Craftworld Aeldari!
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Everytime I watch one of these it makes me want to start a new army! I do think the wave serpent and Falcon are still great models. I won’t say that I still think of the current falcon as the new version but probably showing my age there!
I really hope they revamp some of the models as if quite like to start a CWE army. I’ve always liked the look of their tanks and their StarCraft copies the protoss were always my favourite. The infantry models look quite dated though (apart from wraith constructs).
Regarding the model range you’re absolutly right. Personally i’m thinking about a 2nd army for 2021 which is a) Thousand Sons b) Craftworlds (main Army = Drukhari). In general it would be great to pick CW by several reasons (having two armies which can play together as a third => Ynnari)… but… currently i just would’nt start that army due to all the old models. There are several from 90th in it… 90th! It’s over 20 years old. Jain Zar is “okay” but all other Phoenix Lords just look awful, same for most aspect warriors and when i look at… Read more »
The thing is they will probably be releasing rules throughout the whole edition like they did in 8th. If 9th only counts when all rules are out it will be a short edition.
I know it’s probably a little late in the series to be saying how much I enjoy it but seriously these videos are great especially during current times, where for me at least, in the uk gaining actual board time with lists in 9th is still really tough to get so I take this as learning/experience for when we are hopefully allowed to resume gaming! Also I can’t wait for the blood angels faction review as a BA player I can’t help but look forward to hearing Lawrence’s plans for his flesh tearers in 9th I have a sneaking suspicion… Read more »
Wraithlords and Shining Spears really didn’t make the good list?
Also, did not have time time to comment about the Dark Eldar, so I’ll post it here:
Why, just why, have they squatted half of characters and legendized Trueborn and Bloodbrides when each subfaction has access to only 1 HQ, 1 Troops choices and not even 1 choice in every category. It is so sad that in the end it is always Imperium which gets almost the new stuff.
The state of CWE is not as pitiful as DE but still is in pretty horrible and is going down not up. Autarchs are a sad watered down joke of what they could be if GW read their fluff. They’ve been hit the hardest by the “legendization” of all wargear choices. THE oldest model range with whopping 21 models in desperate need of a plastic kit. Some of my models are older than me. The sculpts of Swooping Hawks’ wings haven’t changed since Rogue Trader and that back in 1980’s… Warlocks are a the only 2W HQ in the game… Read more »
Solid review. I definitely concur with the “uninspiring” rating for the army as a whole. Time has worn away the luster they once had, so a refresh is most assuredly in order. Since PA and 9e came out I have trouble playing any of the core craftworlds, which to me is a bit ugly. While the custom craftworlds are good, there should be a tug-o-war between going custom or core craftworld routes. That the immediate go-to is custom speaks to the disconnect the core craftworlds now have with 9e, and that’s a shame. As the first PA book to come… Read more »
In terms of ugly (and outright bad), I think the posterchild is the humble Eldar guardian and his terrible shortranged guffpumper, the shuriken catapult. Guardians have never made any sense to me, either mechanically or narratively since 2nd ed. You have a dying race, where every person is a precious commodity. Guardians are a militia, and should be sent to war only in times of the most desperate, existential peril. So obviously you clad them in cosplay armour, and arm them with a weapon that needs to be in spitting distance to be effective. And why exactly are a militia… Read more »
Hi guys, interesting discussion. I wanted to give a little shoutout to the vehicle equipment. I experimented with Wave serpents with twin brightlances (and a catapult to save points), a crystal targeting matrix and vectored engines (ans spiritstones offc). You get 2 S8 -4 D6 shots a turn which you can still fire if you advance (due to CTM) at a 4+. With expert crafters you mitigate the loss of accuracy. By advancing you are a -1 to hit (due to vectored engines, and you save CP on lightning fast or canceling someones +1 to hit if necessary) which adds… Read more »
Legends, I’ve been hanging out for this vid for ages! Fantastic discussion and the new ghosts are absolutely stunning. Few thoughts: 1) I agree with the assessment of wraithblades. I’ve had fantastic success in early ninth running either a bomb of 8-10 or 2×5 in serpents to bully objectives. With protect and fortune on them, they become virtually indestructible. 2) In my opinion Wraithlords/ seers do have a place. Whilst tank chassis probably provide slightly more point for point, the physical profile of the lord is much easier to hide behind terrain when you’ve used the large ruin in your… Read more »
Good vid
@tabletop Tactics with the changes to scoring and a new emphasis on durability, how do you find Ulthwe and Alaitoc stacking up against the Crafters/Shots builds? Does ninth breathe new life into Ulthwe/Alaitoc or are you finding crafters is still better overall?
I’m sorry if what I say sounds critical, but once again I have the feeling that you too, like many in the community, are now victims of the “marines are broken” mantra. For much of your (as always excellent) analysis you have done nothing but reiterate that there are some builds that are kinfd of overpowered, such as Wave Serpents spam, Shining Spears spam, Flyers spam, all seasoned with psychic powers that alone can change the outcome of a match. They are a limited number of lists, granted … but the situation is exactly the same with the marines or… Read more »
Honestly, my wraith units love Wrath of the Dead and Hunters of Hidden Relics for objective duelling. I do wish my other Eldar themed force (aspects) were better, and hope this is addressed in next Codex.
I started playing Eldar in 3rd edition, just before the codex dropped in 1999. Some of the models still in production were showing their age even then, and GW should be ashamed that they’re still selling 1994 warp spiders. In terms of playability, I think you’re both absolutely spot on. Some really solid, powerful units that can carry the army while 75% of the codex is absolute guff. Usually, when people describe a unit as garbage I take it with a pinch of salt – a lot of the time those units aren’t terrible, just kind of average. A boxnaught… Read more »
Do you guys think that Aeldari in general tool a hit in 9th because you have to hold the primary at the beginning of the turn rather than at the end.
Good stuff here guys — I gotta say I agree with Chef on the whole. Spider, you’re not wrong about any of your points, you can run viable stuff, but boy the army is lacking in inspiration and needs some TLC from the designers. I think Spider’s views are interesting; you guys seem to categorize the Dark Eldar in a similar place in the meta as Eldar, whereas Spider seem to be more positive on Eldar than Dark Eldar. I think as a passionate Dark Eldar guy, you can see the potential and maybe you’ve got some of that viewpoint… Read more »
Thanks for the video guys! I actually think wraithlords should be out of the ‘bad’ category and in to the ‘ugly’ category – they are fairly good now and just need that little buff to make them great. Better saves, more attacks perhaps…a strategem for them similar to wisdom of the ancients? I wonder if making them characters would work as well? The other thing that has annoyed me for a long time is how unimpressive exarchs are…they are meant to be the pinnacle of Eldar marshal prowess, but most of them are only BS/WS 3+ and barely better than… Read more »
I still love my Eldar. I find 2 squads of Warp Spiders, with exarch for Iron Resolve, if played cagey really play the mission super hard. with their movement and terrain I really like them. *looks over at fire dragons, swooping hawks, striking scorpions, wraithguard(with the guns, bot the shields n blades, I swear these guys owned back in 2nd 3rd ed)*
I am also really looking forward to pulling my Falcons out of the void.
Curious as to what prevented Fire Prisms and Dark Reapers making the ‘good’ category?
little bit of feedback- The whiney voice and the tone of being talked down to that occurs on some army break downs and battle report intros at times (example about 12 mins in on this vid) is a little hard to sit through. If you have an interesting point on something please do make it, however sitting through a few minutes of condescension before circling back round to the point is tiring and not the best way to make an engaging video or discussion. By all means mention differing opinions on the matter (which is often done well), but framing… Read more »
I have found Warp Spiders and Striking Scorpions (Deep Striking) can really work as Objective/Secondary Takers with good speed while not being made of literal paper. Spiders can also kill some of the smaller obsec units you see out there (Scouts, Guardsman etc…)
Kind of curious that you didnt mention Vypers. To my addled brain they fall into a similar vein as the War Walkers going from 8th to 9th, and really lean into the speed and coordinated firepower playstyle that the faction is leaning into in these early days.
Spider, where would you rate the Warp Hunters, Shadow Specters and Hornets?
Not an expert on Craftworlds, but i just wanted to praise the amazing paint jobs on Jain Zar and the Wraithblades!
I really want to start a Craftworlds army, they seem very Interesting and I love most of the models, but the range being so old and having to pay through the nose for old models doesn’t sit right with me. It would be one thing If they had most In plastic like Tyranids, but meh. They are due for a real shake up like Necrons got now.