Aeronautica Imperialis - Faction Review - Aeldari - Asuryani
The Aeldari Asuryani (or as they were previously known, the Eldar) are one of the original races from Warhammer 40,000. In essence, they are space elves. This means, they should be fast manoeuvrable and skilled at range. They should also crumple if hit, then again, they should be hard to hit due to their heretical xenos technology. How does this compare to their actual stats in the game?
Within this article are some examples of aircraft with weapon loadouts. Each loadout provides the average amount of damage the aircraft can cause in a single round of firing.
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The Aeldari
The Aeldari are one of the ancient races of the galaxy. They were plying the void long before humanity evolved on Holy Terra and as such, there technology is highly advanced. The Aeldari's method of warfare in Warhammer 40,000 relies upon hitting the opponent hard-and-fast, and not being hit in return. Their aircraft in Aeronautica Imperialis follow this idea.
All their aircraft are fast, highly manoeuvrable and armed with powerful short to medium ranged weapons. They do have access to some powerful long range weapons, which they need to use to soften the opponents up before they close for the kill. Then ideally, they should be able to position themselves to get the perfect shot and make extensive use of the Tailing rules. They need to use the Tailing rules to ramp up the amount of damage they can cause in a turn. The Aeldari are, however, fragile and must avoid getting shot at. They do, of course, have Holo-fields but they should rely on manoeuvrability to protect themselves rather than defensive shields and structure points.
I think the Aeldari are going to be great against small elite enemy forces where their manoeuvrability will be a major asset. I also think the Aeldari are going to seriously struggle against numerous opponents with weapons that roll lots of dice to hit, (I am thinking of the Orks here). Years ago, when I played Battlefleet Gothic, the Eldar were a powerful fleet, highly manoeuvrable with strong weapons. They were however, susceptible to low powered, high-volume shots that basically ignored their Holo-Fields. In Aeronautica, it already appears that Ork Shootas, Imperial Multi lasers and Tau Burst Cannons are going to bring the Aeldari some pain. The main problem will be bringing these weapons to bear on the Aeldari. A skilled player will be able to outmanoeuvre their opponent, but the sheer volume of Ork planes could make this difficult.
The Aeldari also have one major problem with their faction. They do not have access to any Transport capability. Therefore, they cannot gain the extra victory points in Scenarios, such as Subterranean Assault. I had originally thought that the Vampire would become part of the Aeldari fleet but it appears not to be for the moment. With the release of the Aeronautica Imperialis Companion book, in January 2022, there are now new aircraft for the Aeldari. To read my review of these articles follow the link to the Aeldari - Asuryani - wave two.
Within
this article are some examples of aircraft with weapon loadouts. Each
loadout provides the average amount of damage the aircraft can cause in a
a single round of firing at each range.
this article are some examples of aircraft with weapon loadouts. Each
loadout provides the average amount of damage the aircraft can cause in a
a single round of firing at each range.
How many models are available in the range?
Currently, there are rules for two Aeldari aircraft and two ground defences.
The two aircraft are:
- Nightwings
- Phoenix Bombers
My review of the new Aeldari can be found in my here.
- Asuryani - Aeldari - wave two
and two ground defences:
- Pulsar Platform
- Night Spinner Platform
Nightwings
The Nightwing is a Asuryani's air superiority fighter. This fighter is meant to enter combat against an enemy that outnumbers it and still emerge victorious. First of all it is extremely fast and highly manoeuvrable, with a minimum speed of 2 and a max speed of 8 and access to all 8 ace manoeuvres. On top of this it as access to the Jink special ability, allowing it to move one hex in any direction during the targeting step of the firing phase. This aircraft can easily get into position to fire upon its chosen target. The Aeldari need to use their manoeuvrability to get into tailing positions as this will allow them to really apply extra damage in each round.
The Nightwing is armed with Shuriken Cannons [8/4/0 5+]. The aircraft can also be upgraded with additional weapons, for an additional 3pts. These can be either Twin Scatter Lasers [6/4/0 5+] for even more short to mid ranged dogfighting shots. Alternatively, if you prefer fewer more powerful shots for you could upgrade the Nightwing with Twin Starcannons [3/2/0 3+]. There are also the Twin Brightlances [1/2/2 2+(6+)], which provide long range firepower and add tactical flexibility to the fighter. The final upgrade option, and my least favourite, are the Twin Missile Launcher [2/2/2 3+(6+)] because they are ground attack only. I am going to leave other aircraft to deal with ground targets.
I intend to arm all my Nightwings as air superiority fighters using a combination of Scatterlasers, Starcannons and Brightlances as my upgrades. The Missile Launchers will be left back on the Craftworld.
The Nightwing Loadouts 1 and 2 are particularly powerful at short range. On average in a Firing Phase is it able to remove 1.56 Structure points from an opponent. It does however, lack long range firepower.
The Nightwing Loadouts 3 provides good firepower at all ranges, allowing the fighter to use its manoeuvrability to keep out of harms way but still engage the enemy.
My initial three Nightwings have all been given Loadout 3.
Having played a number of games, I have found the Nightwing to be a fantastic little fighter. Loadout 1 can be really good, especially as the high number of dice it receives for short range makes its firepower very reliable. Additionally, in all games I take the upgrade Star Engines, and in most games I also take Holo-fields.
Phoenix Bomber
The Phoenix Bomber is a Bomber according to its aircraft type but its stat line really places it into the category of a ground attack fighter. The Phoenix is the quintessential glass cannons that I expect the Aeldari to be. To be successful with this aircraft you are going to have to use its speed and manoeuvrability to stay out of trouble, otherwise those 2 structure points are going to disappear quickly. Like the Nightwing, the Phoenix has the Jink special ability. This combined with its access to 7 Ace Manoeuvres allows to position itself easily for the Firing phase.
The Phoenix is armed with a good range of powerful weapons. It has Shuriken Cannons [6/4/0 5+] as its basic weapon but it can also be upgraded with one additional weapon either Twin Pulse Lasers [2/3/2 3+], or Twin Starcannons [3/2/0 3+] or Twin Bright Lances [1/2/2 2+(6+)]. I think the Starcannons are the worst option here as they add little tactical flexibility. Personally, I will most likely arm my Phoenix Bombers with Bright Lances. The ability to fire at all ranges combined with a damage of 2+ and the chance for extra damage on a 6 is too good to ignore. It should be noted that the Phoenix Bright Lances have the Aerial Attack rule whereas the Nightwing's do not!
The Phoenix also has a Missile Array [3/2/0 4+] and unlimited ammo, which can be exchanged, at a cost of 2pts, for either Plasma or Krak Missiles. Both sets of missiles have the following stat line [2/2/2 3+(6+)] with an ammo count of 2. The key to this weapon stat line is the ability to fire at long range compared to the standard Missile Array, which cannot. Both types of Missiles have their advantages. The Krak Missiles provide the Phoenix with some additional powerful Ground Attack firepower, which could be essential in some missions. The Plasma missiles add even more firepower to its Ariel attacks. Both sets of missiles have the following stat line [2/2/2 3+(6+)] with an ammo count of 2.
Finally, the Phoenix is equipped with a Bomb Rack [4/0/0 2+(5+)]. Combined with this aircraft's speed, no ground target should be safe from the Aeldari.
Phoenix Bomber Loadout 1
Phoenix Bomber Loadout 2
Both of these weapon loadouts give the Phoenix Bombers considerable firepower at all ranges, with both option dealing nearly 2 points of structure damage, on average, at short range per round of firing.
I also like the option of using this plane at long range to snipe at opposing planes. One point of note, is that these impressive levels of firepower are based on the plane having its Nightfire Missiles. As these have Ammo 2 they will be quickly used up. For this reason I prefer Loadout 1.
The third option is to not upgrade the missile launchers, with eirther plasma or krak missiles. This reduces the overall cost of the aircraft, increases its versatility (it can be fired at both ground and ariel targets) but loses range and hitting power.
I intend to rely heavily on the Phoenix Bomber to make up the majority of aircraft in my Asuryani force. Equipped with Loadout 1, Star Engines and Holo-Fields this aircraft will cost 33pts. While this is expensive for a 2 Structure Point plane it can initially sit back at long range whilst it uses its Nightfire Missiles and Pulse lasers. Enemy firepower will be both reduced by range and its Holo-Fields helping to keep this plane 'alive'. Then as the opponents close it can uses its high Speed and Manoeuvrability to get behind the enemy and finish them off with its short ranged firepower.
Night Spinner Platform
This rapid firing ground defence of the Aeldari has an effective altitude of 3, which is better than its counterparts from the other factions in Aeronautica (it is as good as the Space Marine equivalent). It can fire at all ranges [5/5/2 5+] and can only be avoided by aircraft flying at Altitude 5. Orks, for example, cannot avoid this air defence, as their max altitude is 4. Overall, the Night Spinner is a good option for defending you ground assets, but only if the opponent's aircraft stray within Short range.
Pulsar Platform
This ground defence is armed with a rapid firing pulse laser. At Altitudes 1-3 and a Medium to Long range (at Altitude 1 and 2 and Medium range the Tau's Skyfire Platform is better) this is possibly the best ground defence in the game. Placed in a reasonably central position, within the Area of Engagement, this platform will cause your opponent plenty of issues.
Upgrades
It has been some time since I initially wrote this article and in that time I have played the Asuryani extensively.
My initial thought that points should be spent on aircraft rather than upgrades still stands but there are some upgrades that are well worth the investment.
The main two I regularly take are Holo-Fields and Star Engines. The other upgrades, with the exception of Mindsight, I generally avoid.
Holo-fields have helped me to keep my Asuryani aircraft in the sky when they should have been shot down. The holo-field works against the 6s of enemy shooting at either long or medium range. They are extremely useful against Lascannons of the Imperium, Railguns of the Tau and missiles of all races, all of which have small numbers of long ranged powerful shots. Against the Ork Shootas and Tau Burst Cannons they will be ineffective. For 2pts, this upgrade is a bargain and I take it on every aircraft in a force against every opponent except the Orks. The Holo-field is almost guaranteed to save at least one aircraft in every game.
Star-engines are an excellent upgrade, especially for the Nightwing. When I have the points I always equip my Nightwings with Star-engines, which allows me to move my fighters into the perfect firing position.
Mindsight is a highly mission specific upgrade as it only needs to be used when the Night-Fighting rules are being used. Even then, it should only be taken by aircraft with weapons that fire at Long and/or Medium range. I tend not to use this upgrade even in Night-fighting missions, as instead I just upgrade my aircraft with short ranged weapons!
Asuryani Ace is a good upgrade, that can be taken by one aircraft in a force. It allows a dice roll to be discarded and rerolled. This could be perfect for a bombing run.
Building your own Asuryani Air Force
When building my Asuryani Air Force, I started with a copy of the Wrath of Angels boxset. This box set gave me six Aeldari aircraft: three Nightwings and three Phoenix Bombers.
I intend to build all my Nightwings as air superiority fighters, armed with Bright Lances. My three Phoenix Bombers are all going to be equipped as a 'heavy fighter', with Pulse Lasers and Plasma Missiles.
Overall, this force is going to need to be used carefully in the movement phase and I expect to be outnumbered. If I am not careful, my opponent will cause me to commit in the movement phase before they have really shown their plan. Playing well in the movement phase will be key to success.
My next purchase was to pick up the Forge World Ground defences.
If you have any questions you would like to ask, please drop them in the comments below. Good Luck and 'always watch your six'.
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