Sometimes, it’s not a single model that becomes an icon – it’s an entire force redesigned from the ground up.
In 2010, the Dark Eldar – as once they were known – were reinvented, moving from their original Eldar-but-spiky conception to a deeper, richer, and much more horrifying incarnation. This design shift was summed up perfectly by the Kabalite Warrior.
Kabalite Warriors are the core of any Drukhari Raiding party, and every force is defined by how its main troops look on the tabletop.
Their armour shares a design language with the Aeldari Guardians, but it’s all harder, sharper, and designed to inflict maximum pain. Unlike their austere and up-tight cousins, these sadistic warriors fight as a loose collection of pillagers, with weapon options to reflect their selfish streak.
Haughty and ruthless killers, the Drukhari literally extend their lives by inflicting grievous torment on their prey, staving off the inevitable doom that awaits all Aeldari – consumption by Slaanesh, the god they created at the depraved nadir of Aeldari civilisation.*
Capturing this inhumane sentiment required a ground-up rework of the original range, which was first seen in 1998 when Dark Eldar Warriors faced off against the Black Templars in the launch box for the third edition of Warhammer 40,000. The Dark Eldar had existed in prior lore, dating back all the way to the Rogue Trader era, when there was even a miniature of a Dark Elf Space Trooper.
The whole range was rejuvenated by modern sculpting techniques, with refined vehicles and characters. There were also new Raiders and Ravagers with curving armour, arcing sails, and bladed rams that were supported by savage Reavers, Hellions, and Scourges.
Then came the Wyches and Haemonculi, the grotesque Wracks, and those fusions of flesh and machine known as Pain Engines, giving the warring factions of Commorragh their own strong visual identifiers.
This harsh aesthetic continues through the recent redesign of the Incubi, with plenty of sharp edges. Elements of the Drukhari’s style were even mixed with other disparate aesthetics to create the Corsair Voidscarred Kill team.
These Aeldari have left their homes and banded together under a pirate flag, yet they retain the trappings of their lineages, with weapons and ornamentation spanning the Harlequins, Asuryani, and Drukhari factions.
As this dwindling race fights on against a universe determined to consume them, who knows what future updates will come?
* It was a great party, though. Gotta give them that.