Hi Cap H. and welcome to E:A
SummaryYou will find that E:A plays very differently from the earlier versions of Epic that you were familiar with - though there is also a NetEA community in this site that still use a modified version of those rules.
So, while you can start at 4K, unless your opponent is familiar with the rules and can guide you, I would strongly recommend starting much smaller - say 2K, and going through the basic rules with just the ground troops (as Glyn also recommends). As such, you need to become familiar with the E:A basic moving, shooting assaulting rules before getting into War Engines (Titans) and Aircraft. In this you should also note that the Eldar have a number of "special rules" that break the standard rules, notably the "hit & Run" rule. If you are both new to E:A, and especially if you have some pre-conceptions (Epic 2nd edition), I would also suggest practicing with Marines, Imperial Guard or Orks whose "special rules" are less dramatic.
FormationsWhen using Eldar, the various formations and the different Eldar lists play in a wide variety of ways. In your case you are using a broadly ground based infantry army that would benefit from the use of Wraith gates (which are also mounted on Storm Serpents - use a proxy). Your main formations are infantry warhosts backed up with Heavy Weapons and either Wraith Guard or Wraith Lord. These upgrades strengthen the formations significantly and make them excellent in both shooting and assault, though they still need to make use of cover where possible (use lots of terrain in E:A games, especially where you have less vehicles . . . )
The mixed Ranger / War walker formation is classed as a 'warhost' but in practice it is much more a trip-wire force. In general it is too big to hide, but too weak to take on anything other than enemy scouts. Individually, Rangers are the best scout in the game, while the War Walker can give enemy AV a very nasty surprise indeed. However the ad-mix of the two units means the combined formation performs neither role well . . .
On the other hand, the bikes make excellent preparation and support formations, or alternatively using a 'commander' they can be combined into a major assault.
- In the support role, (I personally prefer to have only a single Vyper) Bikes can 'double' forward 70 cms and shoot the intended target from <15cm. Then you retain with a second activation and use a fresh Warhost to assault the target, which the bikes can also fire at as "support fire". The target receives a BM for being shot at, even if it suffers no loss (unlikely anyway when doubling) which is very beneficial in the assault resolution, and Jet-bikes have better FF (4+) than Vypers (5+).
- Guardian Warhosts contain Farseers which are "Commanders" in E:A. Where up to two other formations are within 5cm of units in the Guardian Warhost, the commander can order them to join in the assault, making the entire lot a single formation for the purposes of the assault - and that can be very devastating. What is more important, after winning the assault the formations then move on and can support further assaults initiated by either side.
Night Spinners are cheap but relatively powerfull artillery. They are very brittle (one hit will break the formation) but disrupt means that all hits cause BMs, not just those that the enemy fail to save. At the end of the game, their speed also enables them to contest objectives far more easily than infantry.
The Eldar tanks (Falcons and Fire Storms) are quite powerfull in shooting and supporting assaults, but they have weak armour which leaves them open to being shot. Best employed in a supporting role rather than directly in assaults.
Aspects are a whole thread in themselves. Wave Serpents are the best transport in E:A and provide a shield to the infantry as well as much needed mobility and additional numbers in assaults. Personally I would use them to transport the weaker Dire Avengers where the WS can be used to best advantage, and I would consider mixing up the other two Aspects 50:50 so that the stronger Striking Scorpions shield the weaker Fire Dragons while also balancing out the two formations.
Revenants are also a separate thread as well, brilliant for shooting and supporting assaults, they are best used on the edges of the battlefield to set up and support other formations either in assault or Defence. They are a relatively brittle BTS (Break The Spirit) formation, and ultimately are the epitome of the Eldar list design as a whole:- Very mobile units that have very good shooting and assault capabilities, but which have weaker armour and likely to be destroyed if caught 'flat-footed'.
I hope the above is not too complicated or off-putting, and really hope you find E:A as challenging and rewarding as many others do on this forum.
