I’ve been noticing how the Eldar haven’t been getting the same love and attention as the Aelves in Age of Sigmar, especially the Idoneth and Lumineth. Those factions have great lore and involvement in the universe as a whole. But when it comes to the Eldar, their stories often end in defeat, and they feel pretty neglected in 40k. For example, Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 has campaigns for every playable race except the Eldar, which seems unfair. With new games featuring xenos, the Eldar always seem to miss out, leading to a decline in their popularity. I’m wondering what’s going on here?
4 Answers
Honestly, I think the perception of the Eldar being unpopular is a bit exaggerated. They’ve just had a significant update and still have a strong presence in tournaments. Lore-wise, they get beaten a lot, but that’s true for many factions, like Chaos or Orks too!
Right? It’s just frustrating that they often play second fiddle to the Imperials in narratives!
I feel you! I was really hoping for an Eldar campaign in Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 too. Even Tyranids got their own storyline! It’s a real bummer not to see Eldar prominently featured, especially when they have such rich lore with characters like Yvraine in the mix.
Totally agree! The Ynnari plot could’ve been used really well because it’s happening during the game’s timeline. It’s just strange that the Eldar were left out.
From what I’ve heard, it was actually planned as DLC, but the game’s sales didn’t justify it. It’s frustrating that some factions like Orks also didn’t get campaigns.
Gav Thorpe mentioned that the Eldar books just don’t sell as well, so it’s disheartening. I hope the recent refresh will change that and get more people into them!
Maybe if they stopped portraying them as constant losers, people might actually want to read their stories.
Yeah, and the quality of those stories matters too! Some of Gav’s earlier works weren’t very well received, which doesn’t help.
Honestly, this is why I gravitated towards Age of Sigmar instead. Even with the spotlight on Space Marines, the Stormcasts have managed to let other factions shine too. I was really impressed when I learned that Aelves defeated Nagash in the lore!
I appreciate that AoS feels more dynamic! Factions can rise and fall without everything revolving around one group like the Imperium does.
And the character depth is just better! Stormcast heroes usually feel more relatable than your typical Space Marine, who tend to blend together.
Fair point! They have had some solid model updates and decent rules, so it’s not like they’re completely ignored.