Summary:
Fast but fragile, the Dark Eldar rely on their hit and run tactics and their Soul abilities. Their high range damage and long range is matched only by their melee attacks. Their vehicles likewise are well suited to hit and run tactics with vehicles having the ability to jump or having high speed.
Differences from vanilla Soulstorm:
General
Some new researches have been added to improve the Dark Eldar troops range capabilities or their general survivability. Their Soul powers have undergone a slight overhaul as well.
Troops
- Dark Eldar Warriors have been swapped with Mandrakes and are now the main capping unit, similar to Guardians for Eldar. They have been made cheaper, more fragile and their members per squad increased from 6 to 8.
- Mandrakes are now single unit squads suited to shock tactics with their high health and damage and also now execute units with low health. They can also attach to squads to be a hidden threat in melee attacks. They now do more damage to Heavy Infantry as well.
- Scourges can now disrupt enemy troops with their Sonic Grenades which do no damage but do high morale damage and knock down enemy units.
- Wyches can how use Haywire Bombs for added anti-vehicle damage. Their Combat Drugs can now only target a single squad so their effectiveness has been reduced slightly.
- Warp Beasts damage has been reduced slightly and their damage to Commanders has been reduced further.
Vehicles
The Reaver Jetbike build time has been increased slightly.
Raiders damage against vehicles has been increased slightly.
Ravagers can now jump.
The Talos can also now jump over impassable terrain like most other Dark Eldar vehicles and its cost has been reduced.
Relic unit
The Dais of Destruction Dark Scythe ability has been made less effective but its weapons have been made more effective.
Buildings
Dark Eldar can now build Mine Fields.
The Slave Chamber can now ferry troops between them and can now act as a mini turret when upgraded with the Gruesome Display add-on, dealing relatively low damage but high disruption with their knockback. Its overall effectiveness can also be upgraded.
Most Dark Eldar buildings can now drain enemy troop morale when their Gruesome Display add-ons have been built.
Researches
Wraithbone research now affects most Dark Eldar infantry, not just Warriors
Leader ranged weapon researches (Splinter Cannon, Disintegrator) now increase the damage of the Haemonculus ranged weaponry.
Weapon Upgrades
Warriors can now upgrade their weapons to Dark Lances (effective against vehicle armour) or Splinter Cannons (effective against Heavy Infantry).
The Ravager starts off with the Disintegrator anti-infantry guns and can upgrade to the ant-vehicle Dark Lances instead of the other way around.
Abilities
Haemonculus Torture Amp now requires the Haemonculus Laboratory
Ravager Horrorfex Bomb duration has been increased slightly and now slows and slowly drains the health of enemy units.
Piercing Vision now costs 25 Souls
Screams of the Damned now costs 80 Souls
Rekindle Rage no longer works on the Dais of Destruction
Soulstorm now causes knockback every 3 seconds, effective at disrupting large groups of infantry.
Souls
Souls created from units killed last longer than those created from Slave Chamber Torture Pits.
Torture Pit Souls now take 35 seconds to produce. Grand Reaping research reduces their build time.
New Stuff
Troops
- Kabalite Trueborn Warriors are a new elite troop choice with anti infantry Splinter Cannons that can be upgraded to Shredders for increased effectiveness against infantry and morale, Dark Matter Blasters for close ranged damage against vehicles and buildings, or Dark Lances to deal long ranged damage against vehicles. Their weapons have long range and cannot fire on the move.
- Wracks are also an elite troop choice that can poison enemy units in melee and can be upgraded with ranged Liquifier Guns that deal random damage over time but are effective against most armour types. They are also armed with a variety of abilities that make them more effective the more damage they receive.
- The heavy melee Grotesques, like their name suggests, are twisted creatures of flesh, bone and metal. Slow but powerful in melee with their Flesh Gauntlets and with their Liquifier Guns are no slouch in range.
Vehicles
The Venom is a fast grav vehicle effective at chasing enemy troops with its highly accurate twin-linked Splinter Rifles and a gunner with a Splinter Cannon that can be upgraded to a Dark Lance or Thermal Lance to be effective against vehicles and buildings. It has a small transport capacity able to transport a squad of elite infantry, i.e. Wracks or Trueborn.
Relic Units
- The Shadow Super-heavy Tank is an alternative to the Dais of Destruction with high damage and the powerful Shadow Field to protect it from ranged damage.
- The Rampage Super-heavy Tank has less health than either the Dais of Destruction or the Shadow Super-heavy Tank but is faster and can use the Horrorfex Barrage ability to launch a cluster of grenades to deal high damage to an area, effective against groups of infantry.
- The Reaper is a heavy vehicle with high mobility that is effective at destroying vehicle armour with its Storm Vortex Projector and while it's not as effective against infantry it does high morale damage. It is also equipped with a Disintegrator for some anti-infantry fire support.
- The Tempest is a repurposed Eldar vehicle with its weapons replaced with more suitable Dark Eldar ones. It is equipped with Twin-linked Disintegrators and Dark Matter Blasters, and a hull mounted Splinter Cannon.
Researches
A new research Advanced Soul Seeker Ammunition has been added to improve the range of most Dark Eldar infantry ranged weapons.
A new research Greater Daemonic Corruption has been added to increase the movement speed and health of Mandrakes and Hellions.
A new research Grand Reaping increases the rate at which the Slave and Talos harvest Souls.
The Dais of Destrucion, Shadow and Rampage require Grand Reaping to be researched as a requirement to be built.
Weapons
Slave Cages with the Gruesome Display addon allows them to fire a ranged weapon that does low damage but do high knockback and have an area of effect, they can also be upgraded further with addons to increase their effectiveness.
The Reaver Jetbike can now upgrade its main weapon to a Blaster, effective against Heavy Infantry and Vehicles, or a Thermal Lance for increased damage against vehicles.
Warriors can upgrade to Shredders for increased effectiveness against infantry and morale or Dark Matter Blasters for better damage against vehicles and buildings.
Scourges can upgrade to Thermal Lances for good damage against vehicles and buildings or Haywire Blasters for better damage and stun against vehicles and buildings.
