Hey guys. I'm relatively new to Warhammer Fantasy (been spending most of my time in 40K), but I did play a little back in '96 (I think that was 3rd ED?). ANyway since then I've been dying to start a WE force. But recently I've been debating starting a DE force instead. So which would you all recommend? DE or WE? Here's my line of thinking to give you all some personal insight

WE Strengths (IMO and from what I know)
- Movement (esp. in woods - no penalty)
- Shooting = no penalty to move and shoot is a blessing and a half
- St 4 arrows at close range = combined with the above means a lot of potential kills
- Shooting = 30" distance is good to keep enemy at bay.
- Wardancers = this unit alone got me interested in WE, and now w/ St4 on the charge (as well as their dances) makes them even more delicious
- Waywatchers = I always loved their scout ability and the ability to have KB at close range makes them even better
- Magic = Treesinging. Enough said
- Eternal Guard - Counting as 2 hand weapons for front rank AND having the back rank attack with spears? Thats an AWESOME ability
- I do like the new character options, kindreds and spites = creative ability

WE Weaknesses (IMO again)
- Expensive Units
- New Army means a lot of players (new and old) flocking to collect/play them
- Lots of Skirmishers, Not a Lot of Static Warriors - As much as I like the idea of a predominatly skirmish army, I like having the option to have units of Warriors
- Fluff = Don't get me wrong I LOVE the fluff, it's just that I don't really see the WE fighting battles outside of Loren or outside of Forests. I like a fluffy adaptive army, one which can fight anywhere, not just in the woods
- Low T, Low AS = They're risky to field cuz 1 mistake and they're dead with low saves and T
- Can't think of any others but if WE players know of any Weaknesses they found or Strengths I missed I'd apreciate them.


DE Strengths (IMO)
- +1 to cast (if I remember correctly...)
- Repeater X Bow = Firing 20 shots from a unit of 10 guys means lots of armor saves
- Rank and File = Has plenty of rank and file troopers, from normal Spearmen to Crosairs, to Executioners and Black Guard. A little bit of everything, from attacks (Corsairs) to KB (Executioners)
- Witch Elves = I found my Wardancers of the DE Army. Only they don't get St4 on a charge or cool dances. But they get Poisoned Attacks and a crapload of those attacks too.
- Cavalry = Dark Riders are solid fast cav and can have either the RXB or Spears, and Cold Ones are just all around mean Medium/Heavy Cav.
- RBT = Repeater Bolt Throwers means lots of raining death.
- Magic = From what I've read/heard Dark Magic is pretty good, albeit its range is limited.

DE Weaknesses
- Like all Elves low T, S
- Stupidity = It sucks that your glorious cold ones can blow a charge at the crucial moment
- RXB = With a shorter range than longbows (and in this comparison WE ones) means I'll be outshot
- Army Comp = Seems most people feel that to be successful you either need a Magic Heavy or Combat Heavy Army. Further, a lot of people seem to overrely on MSU (IMHO)
- Magic = Besides its range, again it seems people either go all or nothing with it (all being High Sorceress and 2 Sorceresses and a noble or a High Born, a Noble and 2 Sorceresses)
- I don't know of any others so if any DE players want to contribute any weaknesses or strengths it'd be greatly appreciated.

That's all for now guys so any/all help wanted

If you're new off 40K, Wood Elves will definitely be a more familiar playing style, as they operate primarily in skirmish. They seem to me a marginally more forgiving army than Dark Elves, who can be harsh on a beginner: then again, if you have a bent that way, DE or HE can be played in an extremely effective and deadly manner.

I recommend creating a couple of army lists on TGUO: see what you like, see what would suit the style of play you want to follow. If you're looking for an interlocking battle-line of combat troops and static firebases, DE are definitely more suitable than WE - if you're thinking more about a loose, combined offensive, then WE are probably more suitable than DE. Indulge in a decent amount of Theory-Hammer before you actually go and buy anything.