Eldar Wargear

Despite the differences between the dozens of Craftworlds of the Eldar, all share the same technology with regards to weapons, equipment and vehicles. In addition, Craftworld Eldar equipment (or very similar variants) is also used by the Harlequins and various groups of Eldar Exodites, outcasts, and pirates.

This list will describe the various weapon types, common equipment and vehicles used by the Craftworld Eldar.

Shuriken weapons
Shuriken weapons are the most common weapon type amongst the Craftworld Eldar. These weapons are dependent on a solid core of ammunition, which is normally cylindrical (although many variants do exist). When the weapon is fired, high-energy impulses shear off a monomolecular layer from the ammunition core, before hurling the disc from the barrel of the weapon. Up to a hundred shurikens can be fired in a two-second burst, with a standard ammunition core sufficient to provide at least ten such bursts before depletion. However, the method of firing does not lend itself to long-range accuracy, leaving the standard Eldar weapon to be outreached by opponents.

Shuriken weapons come in several forms; shuriken pistols, shuriken catapults (carbine), Avenger shuriken catapults (a longer ranged variant), shuriken cannon and shrieker cannon (a version used by Harlequin Death Jesters that incorporates toxins).

Laser weapons
Although similar in concept to Imperial 'las' technology, the laser-based weapons used by the Craftworld Eldar are significantly more advanced than those of the Imperium. This is due to both the use of more efficient generation and transmission systems and the artificial growth of special focusing crystals through which the laser energy is filtered and refined before discharge.

There are six main types of Eldar laser weaponry:
 * Bright lances
 * The bright lance constitutes the main anti-tank firepower of the Craftworld Eldar. It is a laser weapon, similar in concept to Imperial counterparts, but fires an extremely focused shot, negating the value of extra-heavy armor.


 * Scatter lasers
 * A much more efficient analog of the Imperial Guard's multilaser, scatter lasers use crystalline power cells to store a concentrated charge, before releasing the energy in a concentrated burst.


 * Pulse lasers
 * Like the bright lance, the pulse laser is similar in concept to Imperial lascannon. However, like all Eldar weapons, it is superior in efficiency. It differs from the bright lance in that it fires a burst of several shots, but is less effective against heavy armour.


 * Lasblasters
 * Carried by the Swooping Hawks Aspect Warriors, the lasblaster is analagous to Imperial lasguns but offering a slight increase in penetrating power and an improved rate of fire. Exarchs use a more effective triple-barrelled version called a hawk's talon, and also have access to the sunrifle, a weapon which fires a high number of laser shots per second.


 * Laser lances
 * These are wielded by the jetbike-riding Shining Spear Aspect Warriors. They provide a heavy close range punch as the Shining Spears charge into battle. The Exarch may carry a more powerful version of the laser lance called a starlance.


 * Prism cannon
 * A massive two-stage weapon mounted exclusively on the Fire Prism grav-tank. A mid-strength laser is aimed at a large, artificially-grown crystal prism. This prism causes a significant amplification of the destructive power the initial laser possesses, emitting the energy in a single blast of power, or they can be fired unfocused to provide a weaker shot with a larger blast radius. One prism cannon can be fired into the crystal of another to increase the power of the latter.

Plasma Weapons
Like their Imperial counterparts, the Eldar make use of Plasma weaponry in various forms. While Eldar plasma weaponry tends to be of slightly-less destructive power than Imperial weapons, they can boast a higher rate of fire and pose no danger to their operators, as Eldar weapons do not overheat.

The most common (and feared) Eldar plasma weapon is the Starcannon. A rapid-fire weapon able to pierce all but the heaviest of armor.
 * Starcannon

While the Eldar Missile Launcher is capable of launching the standard Krak missile like most missile launchers, the weapon can also launch Plasma missiles. A plasma missile, upon detonation, explodes in a large area, negating cover and piercing medium armor with ease.
 * Plasma Missile

Warp technology weapons
The distort cannon (or D-cannon), as well as the compact version known as wraithcannon, uses a miniaturised warp engine to create a point where the warp is temporarily overlaid onto an area of realspace. If the target is not 'swallowed' by the warp hole, the gravitational forces involved in opening and maintaining this overlay will literally rip the target apart. Although immensely powerful, the D-cannon is affected by a short range, and is inaccurate by Eldar standards.

Monofilament weapons
The deathspinners and spinnaret rifles used by Warp Spider Aspect Warriors and the shadow weavers used by Eldar fire support teams both use a liquid organo-polymer compound to create monomolecular wire nets. These nets are created as the liquid compound exits the weapons, before being directed at the target (inaccurately in the case of shadow weavers). The net is extremely hard to remove, as it is made up of molecule-thick strands which are capable of cutting through unprotected flesh. The compound is designed to contract when disturbed, resulting in the victim slicing themselves apart as they struggle to free themselves. Although effective, it can be defeated by stronger forms of rigid armour.

Grenades

 * Haywire Grenades
 * are used for neutralizing various vehicles. They send out an extremely high-powered, short range shockwave of magnetic energy which shorts out electrical equipment and energy systems of an enemy vehicle. These weapons are often carried by the Swooping Hawk and Warp Spider Aspect Warriors.


 * Plasma Grenades
 * are used to temporarially stun the victim, leaving them useless for a few seconds, giving the attacker time to leap onto their victim and rip them to shreds. These are commonly used by Striking Scorpion and Swooping Hawk Aspect Warriors.


 * Hallucinogen Grenades
 * are used by Harlequin Shadowseers to support them as they charge into melee combat. They release a large cloud of drugs which disrupt enemy infantry, and have the same effect as multiple Plasma Grenades.


 * Eldar Melta Bombs
 * are in pretty much every way the same as Imperial Melta Bombs, using a sub-molecular fuel to penetrate tank armor. Eldar Melta Bombs, however, are much more advanced and compact. They are carried by Fire Dragons, who use them to destroy fortifications and tanks that do not succumb to their Fusion Guns.

Vibro-cannon
A large weapon used on support platforms, Vibro-cannon are sonic-based weaponry that generate a rapidly distorting wave of sonic energy that ranges from ultrasonics to hypersonic frequencies. This wave is directed down a magnetised tunnel and, when it hits its target, literally shakes the target to pieces. It is able to cross the sonic beams of two or more Vibro-cannon to increase the already severe damage done to the target, making them capable of destroying even the most armoured foe if used properly.

Mandiblasters
Mandiblasters are used by the Striking Scorpions aspect, and are laser weapons, fired by a neural interface inside the Striking Scorpion's helmet. Activated by a psychic pick-up on the interior of the helmet, they fire a hail of micro-needles which act as a short-range conductor for a highly charged laser. A mandiblaster volley and the blistering storm of attacks from the Scorpions that follow it is enough to tear the heart out of an enemy force.

Fusion weapons
Fusion guns are used by the Fire Dragons Aspect, and are similar to the Meltaguns used by the Imperium. It is comparable in strength to its Imperial counterparts. There is also an improved fusion weapon, called a firepike, which boasts enhanced range in comparison. There is also a Fusion Pistol, used in small numbers by Harlequins for extra close-range fire; however, although they are similar in power to Fusion Guns, their range is amazingly short.

Projectile weapons
Reaper launchers are used by the Dark Reapers heavy support Aspect, and take the form of a fast-firing, armour piercing rocket launcher, with a lower recoil and higher rate of fire than a normal missile launcher. They enable small squads of Dark Reapers to command the battlefield, as they are capable of threatening almost any heavy infantry squad. Exarchs sometimes carry a specialized version called a tempest launcher, used to saturate an area with smaller, armour-piercing missiles fired in volleys like a long-range highly potent shotgun.

Eldar missile launchers are also sometimes carried by Dark Reaper Exarchs but more commonly fitted as heavy weapons to Eldar vehicles. Similar to the missile launchers of the Imperium, they can fire either krak missiles, but can also fire plasma missiles, much like an Imperial frag missile with better armour penetrating abilities..

Exarch/Aspect Weapons
Eldar Exarchs, particularly the Phoenix Lords, often carry unique weapons far more effective than normal Eldar Weaponry.

Direswords are used by Dire Avenger Exarchs, and any target struck by one suffers massive mental damage from its dangerous energies, often killing them outright.

The Executioner wielded on occasion by Howling Banshee Exarchs is similar to most Power Weapons, although it gives its wielder far more strength than they could otherwise call upon in battle.

Mirrorswords, another type of weapon used by Banshee Exarchs, are always used in pairs, and in the hands of a skilled wielder can be used even more effectively than other dual weapons, slicing through multiple foes in seconds.

Another Banshee weapon, the Triskele is not as powerful as an Executioner, nor can it strike the number of blows of a pair of Mirrorswords, but it is a powerful weapon at short ranges. It can be thrown a fair distrance, its powered blade slicing foes apart and then returning to its owner's hand in the graceful movements for which the Eldar are known.

Some Fire Dragon Exarchs, seeking more effective weapons against infantry targets, use a Dragon's Breath Flamer. It is functionally similar to Imperial Flamers, and is practically idenitcal in effect.

Striking Scorpions also possess many unique weapons, chief among them the Scorpion Chainsword. This weapon, though it does not possess the ability to cut through armor like Power Weapons, is far more powerful in terms of raw strength, cleaving lightly-armored targets apart in spectacular fashion. Exarchs of the Striking Scorpion Aspect also use different weapons on occasion: the Scorpion's Claw, Chainsabres or Biting Blades to easily destroy their foes. Chainsabres are used in pairs like Mirrorswords, and also feature incorporated Shuriken Pistols in the gauntlets. A Scorpion's Claw is a potent weapon, and can be used in the same way as an Imperial Power Fist, ripping through armor at the price of speed. It also features an incorporated Shuriken Catapult for ranged engagements. Biting Blades, perhaps the most terrifying of the weapons available to Striking Scorpions, are more powerful the more they strike their foes; they tear through flesh and muscle like paper, and bite harder with each strike.

Phoenix Lords
Each Phoenix Lord usually possesses at least one unique weapon.

Asurmen, the Dire Avenger Phoenix Lord, possesses a unique Twin Avenger Shuriken Catapult which leaves his hands free to wield The Sword of Asur, the very first Diresword.

Jain Zar, the Howling Banshee Phoenix Lord, is armed with an ornate Executioner known as the Blade of Destruction, and the Silent Death, a three-bladed weapon which functions in the same way as a Triskele.

Baharroth, the Phoenix Lord of the Swooping Hawks, possesses no unique weapons, only a Power Sword and a Hawk's Talon.

Karandras, second Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions, carries both a Scorpion's Claw and a Scorpion Chainsword, and is also armed with The Scorpion's Bite, a potent set of twin Mandiblasters that is far more powerful than the normal type, and is capable of firing more shots as well.

Fuegan, the Fire Dragon Phoenix Lord is armed with a Firepike and the Fire Axe, a power weapon whose flaming blade can slice through infantry and vehicle armor with equal ease.

Maugan Ra, Phoenix Lord of the Dark Reapers, carries but one weapon; The Maugetar. It is a massive weapon which reflects his specialization in ranged warfare. Comparing it to a Reaper Launcher would be an insult; it possesses far more stopping power than the basic Reaper Launcher, and fires much faster as well. Even the most hardened veterans dive deeper into cover when confronted with this weapon, and with good reason; the sheer volume of projectiles this weapon puts out can tear infantry or vehicle targets to shreds in a matter of seconds. The weapon also has a built-in Executioner, used much like a bayonet, although obviously more powerful.

Other Weapons
Long Rifles, the favored weapons of Eldar Rangers and Pathfinders, are similar to Imperial Sniper Rifles. They fire energy bolts capable of piercing most armor if aimed correctly. These weapons use a Gyrostatic Arm to keep the weapon stable, without using the clumsy bipods of Imperial snipers, all but eliminating recoil.

Those Wraithlords who favor close combat are often given Wraithblades, massive, living Power Weapons that amplify the Wraithlords already impressive abilities in close-quarters fighting.

The Harlequin's Kiss, as it is known by those who have seen them and lived to tell the tale (who are few indeed!), is a monofilament weapon used by Harlequins in melee combat. It is stuck into the victim, and then uncoiled, ripping the victim's innards apart in a specatacular and bloody fashion. It can also cause damage to armored vehicles with a well-placed hit, and is common amongst those Harlequins who prefer it over conventional Power Swords.

The Staff of Ulthamar is a famous psychically-impreganted staff wielded by Farseer Eldrad Ulthran of Ulthwé. It is similar to a Witchblade in combat, and allows Eldrad to call upon even more psychic energy than normal Farseers.

Witchblades are the standard weapon of Warlocks and Farseers, and when wielded by a Psyker they are devastating. They tear infantry apart with ease and can damage even the best-armored vehicle with a precise strike.

Some Warlocks and Farseers prefer to fight at a distance, and therefore use Singing Spears. Much like a Triskele, this Power Weapon can be thrown at targets and comes back to the Psyker's hand after each throw. However, it is also less potent than a Witchblade, since it cannot be used as a Psionic focus by Eldar Psykers.

Prince Yriel of Iyanden wields several unique weapons when he goes to battle. The first is The Eye of Wrath, an artificial eye which can project a massive burst of lightning on nearby foes (and allies). The second, and most powerful, is the Spear of Twilight, also known as the Cursed Blade of the House of Ulthanash, a powerful weapon which is similar in function to a Singing Spear. However, the Spear of Twilight is an ancient and powerful weapon, said to contain the energy of a dying sun, which Yriel used to defeat a Tyranid Synapse Beast and save his Craftworld from certain destruction. However, Yriel can no longer relinquish this weapon, and it constantly attempts to destroy his body and soul, always seeking to pierce his Forceshield and utterly destroy him.

Wraithbone
Wraithbone is the main construction material of the Eldar, and the staple of their psycho-technic engineering. It is brought forth from the warp and shaped by Bonesingers through psychic power. It is used to create the craftworlds of the Eldar, their tanks and other vehicles, constructs such as the Wraithguard and Wraithlords, weapons and armour. It is a psychic conductor and so not only provides the structure for the things built of it, but also power distribution and communications. Wraithbone is a highly resilient material, and capable of limited self-repair. It, and the other building materials of the Eldar, will grow and react more like tissue and plants than the building materials of other races.

Infinity Circuit
Every Craftworld contains an Infinity Circuit, which is essentially the wraithbone skeleton of the Craftworld itself. Within this matrix, the souls of all the Craftworld's dead reside in a form of group consciousness, providing both a well of psychic power for the ship and a massive ancestral mind to advise and guide the living. With the rise of Slaanesh, the Infinity Circuit is the closest thing that the Eldar have to an afterlife; if their souls are not caught and integrated into it, they will be lost into the Warp and devoured by the Great Enemy. For this reason the Eldar will defend their Craftworlds with a fury and tenacity almost unrivalled; they risk losing not only their home but the souls of their ancestors as well.

Soulstone
A soulstone is a psychically-charged, warp-attuned crystal designed and created by the Eldar to trap the wearer's soul in the event of physical death, which prevents the Eldar's soul from being sucked into the Warp and tortured by Slaanesh. Additionally, an active soulstone (one containing an Eldar's immortal essence) can be inserted into one of the Eldar's wraithbone creations and act as a power source and pseudo-consciousness. These stones are then collected and inserted into the Craftworld's Infinity Circuit, where they may rest along with the spirits of their ancestors. In times of need, the soulstones of the Craftworld's strongest warriors may be taken from the Infinity Circuit and placed inside wraithbone automatons such as the Wraithguard and Wraithlords, to once again fight for the Craftworld.

Webway
The Eldar avoid using warpspace in the same way the Imperium does, because they have a stronger depth of emotion which gives them a stronger psychic presence in the warp. This would inevitably attract a large daemonic presence during the voyage, making the trip extremely hazardous. They may use the warp if desperate, but they prefer to use a system of ancient 'tunnels' through the warp known as the Webway. It is best imagined as a vast and tangled network of doorways between fixed points in real space, by which the Eldar can travel farther and faster than most races. However, if there is not a Warpgate (the exits and entrances to the Webway) near their destination, or the one present is not big enough to permit the necessary forces, they are at a disadvantage. Much of the Webway has fallen into obscurity and disrepair, with tunnels and doorways sealed or broken. This often forces the Eldar to make connecting stops on their way to their destination. Finally, it is said that the fabled Black Library resides somewhere within the Webway, though only the Harlequins know where.

Vehicles
Most of the vehicles of the Eldar (except War Walkers, Wraithlords and the largest Titans) incorporate powerful "grav-thrusters", allowing them hover over the ground. This makes them significantly faster than their Imperial equivalents, and their speed is better protection than any amount of armour plating.

Jetbike
The jetbikes used by the Craftworld Eldar are highly advanced anti-gravity vehicles. They are able to use subtle manipulation of the anti-gravity field to combine high speeds with incredible agility and manoeuvrability. Eldar jetbikes are commonly armed with a pair of shuriken catapults, although they can be upgraded to carry a single shuriken cannon instead. Riders are normally armed with an additional shuriken pistol, although warriors of the Shining Spears Aspect use a laser lance designed to deliver a laser blast at extremely close range.

Vyper
Highly mobile weapons platforms based on an enlarged Jetbike design, consisting of a two man squad. The pilot and gunner are generally trained together from day one and very rarely will the crew change unless by both parties. As a side note, either because of the constant closeness or an apparent weak psychic link relatives have the pilot and gunner are almost always blood relatives. The two-man Vyper is capable of carrying a wide variety of Eldar heavy weapons. Although lightly armoured, the impressive speed and manoeuvrability of the Vyper is an almost superior defense to heavy conventional armour. Vypers are often fielded in squadrons of up to three vehicles.

War Walkers
These vehicles are similar in size to a Wraithlord but are manned by a standard Eldar Guardian. War Walkers have two heavy weapon mounts that can accommodate almost any Eldar heavy weapon. Their armour does not grant much protection, but their devastating weaponry usually allows them to eliminate any potential threats before they are destroyed. In the 3rd edition codex they were also protected by an energy shield similar to that of a Wave Serpent. War Walkers operate in squads of up to three and can be equipped to take on anything from massed light infantry to heavy vehicles.

Falcon
Named for the mythical figure who delivered one of the Swords of Vaul to the hero Eldanesh, the Falcon is a 'grav-tank' or 'skimmer' capable of operating at high altitude, and at speeds exceeding 800 km/h (in certain conditions). The Falcon is armed with a pulse laser and twin-linked shuriken catapults. An additional mount is provided on the Falcon’s turret, capable of accepting almost all heavy weaponry used by the Eldar.

In addition, the Falcon is capable of carrying six passengers in a rear-facing compartment.

Wave Serpent
An armoured personnel carrier based on the same design as the Falcon, the Wave Serpent is the standard transport vehicle of the Craftworld Eldar. Armed with twin-linked shuriken catapults and a set of twin-linked heavy weapons, the Wave Serpent is capable of carrying up to twelve Eldar passengers in the expanded passenger compartment. In addition, the prow of the Wave Serpent is protected by an advanced energy shield, reducing the effectiveness of enemy weapons and ordnance.

Warpcannon
A grav vehicle mounting a single heavy weapon in a fixed mounting position. Warp-based cannons were also used by the Orks.

Fire Prism
An anti-tank vehicle based on the Falcon design, the Fire Prism replaces the Falcon’s carrying capacity and turret weapons with a massive crystal array, known to Imperial forces as the Prism Cannon. It can fire a dispersed beam over an area instead of a single target but with drastically reduced strength. As well as this, two or more fire prisms can pool their firepower by contributing beams to drastically increase cannon firepower.

Wraithbone constructs
A Wraithlord is an Eldar walking vehicle that contains no living warrior; rather, it is merely a robotic shell, a repository of the animating spirit of a dead Eldar hero. A spirit is drawn from the Infinity Circuit and resides within the construct until such time as its power begins to fade and it can no longer function. The Eldar Wraithlords stand significantly taller than a man, carry an array of weaponry and are a terrifying sight on the battlefield. Wraithlords have incredible strength in any case, but also sometimes carry a wraithsword for close-combat. In the table-top game, they are represented as a living Monstrous Creature, unlike similar constructs (such as Dreadnoughts), which are vehicles, meaning that Wraithlords can also be "wounded" rather than "damaged".

Compact (roughly man-sized) versions known as Wraithguard also serve the armies of the Eldar, each powered by the spirit of a dead warrior. Wraithguard carry Wraithcannons. The Wraithguard were highly relied on in the Defense of Iyanden, as were the Wraithlords.

When first introduced into the Warhammer 40,000 setting, there were Eldar walkers with living occupants within known as Dreadnoughts - three types the "War Cry" "Banshee" and "War Demon" depending on weapons. There was also the "Spirit Warrior" which was animated by a spirit force and the human sized spirit animated "Ghost Warriors". In time this was condensed into the Wraithlord/Wraithguard which made a greater disinction between the human world and Eldar and fitted better with the background.

War Engines
See Eldar Titans for more detail.

Knights
Larger than walkers but smaller than Titans. The Knights are found on agri-worlds. Initially supported in the early 1990s in Epic Space Marine, these models are no longer replaced.


 * Fire Gale
 * Bright Stallion
 * Towering Destroyer

Engines of Vaul
These are the super-heavy grav tanks.


 * Scorpion - Armed with a pulsar, a more powerful version of the Eldar famed pulse laser, it is good for targeting war engines and tanks alike, and its blast radius can make it a very effective anti-infantry weapon too. The Scorpion is famously accurate with it's fire.


 * Cobra - Armed with a short ranged distortion cannon (or D-cannon), which ignores shields, it has the potential to destroy an enemy war engine with a single shot. It is also called a warp cannon or vortex cannon.


 * Storm Serpent - Armed with a turret mounted pulse laser and scatter laser, and several small weapon systems, the prime purpose of the storm serpent is to transport an eldar portal into position to transmit eldar warriors from the webway to the battlefield. Since no troops are actually transported the storm serpent's destruction does not kill any eldar troops other than its guardian crew. It only appears in the Epic Armageddon game.


 * Void Spinner - Armed only with a void spinner monofiliment array it is only used by the Biel-tan Craftworld Eldar. The reason is that the monofiliment barrages the void spinner produces not only slice enemies to pieces like other monofiliment weapons but they contain a techno virus that sterilizes the ground it lands on ready to be re-seeded by the eldar. This is particularly necessary when facing the Orks as their spore-based form of reproduction means that sterilization is the only response to future re-infestation. It only appears in the Epic Armageddon game.

Revenant Scout Titan
The Revenant is the smallest Eldar Titan, comparable to the Imperial Warhound Titan

Phantom Titan
Phantom Titans are similar to those of the Imperium but show typical Eldar attributes. They are slimmer in build and much faster. Their weaponry is less about raw firepower and more about well-aimed crucial hits. For defence they use a holo-field which makes them harder to "see" and thus more difficult to target; the advantage is that they can avoid damage completely. However, holo-fields do not actually deflect firepower like Imperial void shields and Ork power fields.

Warlock Titan
The Warlock Titan is a special Phantom Titan that uses psy-weapons.

Space Craft
Space battles are covered by Battlefleet Gothic (BG) and the earlier Space Fleet (SF).


 * Eldar Wraithship (SF)
 * Eldar Shadowhunter (SF)


 * Void Stalker Battleship (BG)
 * Aurora Light Cruiser (BG)
 * Solaris Light Cruiser (BG)
 * Dragonship cruiser (BG)

The Blackstone Fortresses are somewhere between space stations and starships. They are ancient weapons used to combat the C'tan, said to have been created by the Eldar God Vaul.
 * Blackstone Fortress (BG)