Cirque du Soleil in Space, or the last elite Dark Eldar unit

The last of the elite Dark Eldar force is a very polarizing unit. Many people love them and it seems as many people have found a dislike for them. I think there is enough information out there that a review is not truly needed, but I’m going to cover them like I have everything else so far. They are the Harlequins.



A Harlequin I don't support



A Harlequin I do support

What do you get with these fighting actors? WS 5, BS 4, strength and toughness 3, 2 attacks, initiative 6, 1 wound, leadership 9 and a 5++ save. They are armed with a close combat weapon and pistol. They can be run in squads of 5-10 and run as many as two 9’s in cost.

They have Fleet, Flip Belts, Holosuits, and the Dance of Death as special rules. They have none of the Dark Eldar standard rules.

Flip Belts give them the ability to ignore difficult terrain for movement.

Holosuits give them their save of 5+ invulnerable. By now anyone reading this knows how I have zero faith in 5++. It is better than nothing that is for sure.

Dance of Death gives the unit Furious Charge and Hit and Run. The Furious Charge really helps these since strength 3 charges don’t worry that many armies.  Hit and Run can be good if you can run these guys into/ out of, to go back into a protracted combat, or to just jump out of combat if you need to get away.  A nice ability I have never seen used to its full potential.

They can take two fusion pistols per squad. These are 6” strength 8, AP 1, and melta pistols. They are nice to have in the current world of 40K parking lot battle. They may also swap out a close combat weapon for, man I hate saying this, a Harlequin’s Kiss. This gives their close combat attacks rending. Anyone in the squad can take one for a few points.

They can take three unit upgrades; the Death Jester, Troupe Master and Shadow Seer. I’ll start with the cheapest.

The Death Jester has the same stat line, but carries a Shrieker Cannon. This is a 24”, strength 6, AP 5, assault 3, pinning gun. It is not awful, just pinning might be the only thing more useless than a 6+ save. The model looks descent I have to give them that. He will run you +10 points.

The Troupe Master is the usual +1 attack and +1 leadership upgrade. He may also swap out his close combat weapon for a power weapon or Harlequin Kiss for free. That is all he brings to the table. The leadership can help, since these guys aren’t fearless and they can be run pretty easily, if the dice rolls go bad. He will run you +20 extra points.

Last is the Shadow Seer. He comes with Hallucinogen Grenades and a persistent psychic power, the Veil of Tears. Hallucinogen Grenades give the squad plasma grenades. This is huge since charging into cover will waste the initiative 6 they come with. The Veil of Tears is a persistent psychic power the forces the enemy to roll a modified Night Fight to see if they can spot the Harlequins. He opponent rolls 2D6x2 and this how many inches away they must be to shoot these guys. It helps keep the squad from being peppered with shots as the move across the board. It is very helpful, but very expensive. Upgrading to this guy will run you an extra 30 points. This will make him cost almost as much as three standard Harlequins. OUCH! However, is he needed? Well that depends. If you want this unit to be able to assault through cover, then yes. Sure the Flipbelts help move in and out of cover unrestricted, but they don’t help with assaulting in cover. However, with the webway portal, this guy might not be as necessary as he once was. They can just walk out of it and be there (if your placement is properly done) and have no need for a Veil of Tears to keep from being shot.

Then there is the next thing. These guys aren’t Dark Eldar. They do not have Power Through Pain. They will not be generating any Pain Tokens and reaping those benefits. Besides they already come with Furious Charge, so a second token does nothing for them. I can imagine the forums are screaming that they get to use Pain Tokens if a Haemonculus has joined them. Well, I am from the camp that thinks if you have no Power Through Pain, then you get no Pain Token benefit. I know this falls into the stupid writing on G.W.’s part. A single sentence for or against this is all that is needed. It is arguable on both sides to whether they get the benefit or not. A F.A.Q. will maybe one day clear it up, but until then….keep arguing for and against.

I guess if I was forced to run them, who knows why, I would run a squad of 8, two fusion pistols and a few….ick… 4 Harlequin Kisses to give them (hopefully) some rending. I would have them jumping out of a webway portal to ensure they didn’t get a lot shot at them, since I would rather have the guys instead of the Seer and some guys.

This last part is a little editorial (or some say ranting)

I just feel that this unit does not mesh well with this army. They can’t take a transport, not even Venom which was once their ride. They have no Farseer elfin magic to give them re-rolls to armor or damage, which really helps them. Until 100% confirmed, for sure, they have no ability to generate or use Pain Tokens (pick your camp and I have until I’m told otherwise). They are also competing with elite units that can assault as well or better for equal or lesser points. . I just don’t see the fit with the Dark Eldar and them. I think they got wedged into the codex due to the writer loving them or to sell their models; models that maybe didn’t sell well enough the first time? I know people scream “fluff!” However, when does G.W. care for fluff and unit usage? If they did the Astartes would be unstoppable, the Tyranids even more so and on and on. Fluff is no reason to put the Harlequins in this book. However, they are here and like them or hate them people will use them with their Dark Eldar.