Codex: Aeldari review – “With Battle Focus and eight new detachments, the Aeldari are a force to be reckoned with once again”

Much like their galaxy-spanning empire of old, the Aeldari had a dominant grip on the meta of Warhammer 40,000 10^th edition when it launched back in 2023. Since then, nerfs to Fate Dice, points values creeping up, and even substantial rules rewrites for the entire game have seen the space elves fall from grace to an admittedly much more balanced position. However, I think the latest Aeldari Codex might upend the wargame all over again.

With an entirely new army rule, eight detachments, and balance updates for practically every unit in the army, the Aeldari have undergone the biggest revamp compared from Index to Codex so far in 10^th Ed. – and they're looking fierce as a result. Codex: Aeldari also packs in plenty of background information and character profiles for those interested in the current goings-on in the craftworlds and beyond. But, even with radical rules changes and up-to-date lore, the question of how valuable physical army books are in 2025 is as inescapable as the soul-devouring hunger of She Who Thirsts.

Refocused

The most notable change for Codex: Aeldari is that Fate Dice is out and Battle Focus is in. Aeldari players now gain Battle Focus tokens at the start of each round, which can then be spent to buff a unit with one of six Agile Manoeuvres. These manoeuvres range from adding extra movement to an infantry unit or vehicle so that it can storm across the battlefield, to immunity to the Fire Overwatch Stratagem and being able to move after getting shot at.

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It admittedly adds a lot more complexity to an already quite tricky army, particularly compared to the previous Fate Dice rule. Battle Focus tokens are yet another resource to manage and some of the Agile Manoeuvres have quite specific triggers, but it's a far superior rule that adds flexibility and realizes the Aeldari's grace in combat much better than Fate Dice.

Being tactical with a range of movement tricks is much more interesting than blowing your opponent to pieces with Fate Dice-empowered bright lances. The best part is Fate Dice's number substitution mechanic isn't even completely gone from the army. Now all Aspect Warrior infantry units can finally use those Aspect Shrine tokens that come in every kit to get an automatic six on a Hit or Wound roll once per battle.

In fact, the Aspect Warriors and their respective Phoenix Lords have all had quite substantial reworks resulting in notable improvements. Dire Avengers have gone from what felt like skilled infantry to Rambo gunners, Howling Banshees are now blenders thanks to gaining Anti-Infantry 3+ on all their melee weapons, and Swooping Hawks have gone from hyper-agile airborne infantry to Aeldari-sized attack aircraft capable of performing bombing runs. Attaching the respective Phoenix Lord to these Aspect units lets them fulfil their niches with even more lethality too.

The Aspect Warriors are also just a part of the army, and the rest of the Asuryani, Harlequins, and Ynnari get explored in the eight detachments available in Codex: Aeldari. Of the Detachments I tested, the all-rounder Warhost seems like it could be the most disruptive, doubling down on Battle Focus to grant frankly ludicrous mobility with extra movement distance for certain Agile Manoeuvres and extra Battle Focus tokens.

Similarly, Aspect Host goes all in on the Avatar of Khaine and the newly buffed Aspect Warriors, coming into its own with its Stratagems. These are all quite powerful, providing moments of extreme lethality when the stars align, particularly as you can improve two of them by also spending an Aspect Shrine token. My favourite was Preternatural Precision, which I used to give Ignores Cover and Lethal Hits to some Dire Avengers and Asurmen who were already benefitting from their Bladestorm Sustained Hits 1 ability, letting them shred a horde of Genestealer Cultists and their Primus.

Elves shelved

Even Spirit Conclave, Windrider Host, and Seer Council provide unique rules that fit well with the Craftworlds they evoke and seem like they'll be able to hold with an optimized list and capable player. However, the Aeldari Codex definitely feels like it's lacking in places when it comes to Detachments and datasheets.

I'm far from a disciple of Yvraine but even I can see why the Devoted of Ynnead Detachment is a step down from the previous Index rules that simply let you have up to half your army consist of Drukhari units. Now the Ynnari are granted a narrow selection of bespoke Drukhari datasheets (conveniently included in the Codex, however) to draw from.

Obviously, this was to end the age of dark and bright lance spam with Scourges and Ravagers, but it's arguably those weapons combined with Fate Dice and Battle Host re-rolls that made the Ynnari so threatening. Now that those are gone too, interesting buffs to Yvraine, the Visarch, and the Yncarne can't distract from the feeling that the Ynnari have been hit doubly hard.

My own gripe with the Aeldari Codex Detachments is the lack of an "Outcast Fleet" catering to Rangers and Corsairs, thematically fitting with Craftworld Alaitoc (the only major Craftworld to get snubbed) or even Prince Yriel's Eldritch Raiders. Of course, the biggest issue there is that Prince Yriel's datasheet has been removed, along with the likes of ranger hero Illic Nightspear and, most frustratingly, Striking Scorpion Phoenix Lord Karandras.

Seeing his Scorpions get updated for Kill Team, along with his Phoenix Lord brethren most recently, is a little painful, even if culling his sculpt from the 1990s is understandable. I can only hope that he makes a triumphant return in the not-too-distant future, but the fates of Yriel, Nightspear, and even the Autarch Skyrunner are uncertain.

Should you buy Codex: Aeldari?

Despite issues with the Ynnari Detachment and important datasheets not carrying over from the Index, the 10^th Ed. Aeldari Codex is a huge improvement on the previous rules, with Battle Focus revitalizing the army and adding significantly more tactical depth. The Detachments, for the most part, help with this a lot too, allowing you to build your army around specific aspects of the Asuryani forces or the Aeldari diaspora more broadly, all in all making the Aeldari one of the most interesting armies in Warhammer 40K.

However, despite my praises for these rules and the physical book itself, which is of the usual high quality we expect from Games Workshop with the most current lore, it's difficult to actually recommend buying it. $60 / £37 is an absurd amount to spend on a book that will be almost redundant upon release thanks to a day one errata document on the way, and an even more absurd amount to spend on just a code for digital rules. I can only hope the Farseers have glimpsed a better system ahead.

Buy it if...

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