Codex: Aeldari is up for pre-order this Saturday, and with the Asuryani, Ynnari, and Harlequins all squeezing into one massive book, it has a suitably chunky 14 pages of Crusade rules to go around. We’ve already filled your noggin with new webway rules, Aspect Warrior reveals, and all sorts more, so today we’re skipping the fancy preamble and getting right into the good stuff.
The Craftworld Aeldari walk the Asuryani Paths, rigid lifestyle codes that temper their powerful emotions and allow them to focus on excellence – martial, psychic, or otherwise. When embarking on a Crusade campaign, certain Aeldari units can choose to travel three of these Paths – the Warrior, the Seer, and the Outcast.
The Path of the Warrior focuses on combat skills and can turn everyday soldiers into mighty heroes. Units accrue Path points to earn access to further steps, with each unlocking a powerful skill to use in future battles.
Your Aeldari can walk a different Path at any time, retaining the skills they’ve earned, but beware – those who reach the final step become lost to their Path, and can no longer move away from it. The final rewards are powerful, and you’ll need to decide when it’s the right time to accept one Path for good.
While they often work alongside other Aeldari, the Ynnari hold the resurrection of their god as priority number one. Their dedication to Ynnead allows them to earn Soul points during battle by destroying key enemy units and manifesting psychic powers from the Revenant discipline.
These Soul points can be spent on a number of boons called Soul Bonds. Some empower individual units with additional psychic abilities or bonus experience points, while the most powerful can even call the supremely deadly Yncarne to fight by your side.
These Soul Bonds are earned in addition to any Paths walked by your units, so they’re a great way to inject some extra Ynnari flavour into your Crusade army.
While some factions see Crusade campaigns as their chance to conquer new star systems or spread horrific plagues, the Harlequins use the opportunity to take their Grand Performances to the stars. This still involves plenty of violence – it is the 41st Millennium after all – but now you can add a touch of panache to your all-out slaughter-fests.
Once you’ve picked which Grand Performances you’ll be taking on tour, it’s time to make some preparations. The Harlequins have a uniquely deadly approach to theatre, and it’s no surprise that their tale of the Trials of Khaine involves some rather murderous rehearsals.
Once a Rehearsal phase is complete, it’s up to you when the Grand Performance begins. Declare it before a battle and the big show kicks off a scramble for Accolade points, which increase the rewards you earn once the curtain falls.
At the end of the performance, beyond a standing ovation and the adoration of their fans, your Harlequins units earn a bumper bundle of experience points and some extra boons for your Crusade force – provided the show they put on was good, of course.
Even more lies in store across three Grand Performances and extra rules for the sinister Solitaires, but you’ll need to peruse the codex to see them all.
Codex: Aeldari arrives for pre-order this Saturday, alongside brand-new Guardians, Phoenix Lord Maugan Ra and his extra-creepy Dark Reapers, and more. Why not pick up some Warlocks and embark them on the Path of the Seer?