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Spotlight: Wraithknight

To be Eldar is to carry the burden of a hundred thousand lives that will never be realized; to walk the path of extinction. One must lose everything to shoulder the responsibility of operating a Wraithknight.

Wraithknights are towering constructs made from the signature Eldar wraithbone. Though monstrous in size, Wraithknights are nimble and agile on the battlefield - each able to move as if it were a fraction of its size.


To pilot a Wraithknight is to sacrifice the strongest psychic connection an Eldar can know - the bond between twins. Twins, increasingly rare to the dying species, experience an even more amplified psychic connection than is usual for Eldar. When one twin dies, the other usually faces the choice of piloting a Wraithknight in a trance-like state or withering away from the loss. Due to their ever-dwindling population, some Craftworld councils have elected not to give surviving twins a choice in the matter...

Together, the twins command their race’s most prized technology, despite shouldering an incredible personal loss to do so.


Attributes

High mobility

Effective at range

High shields

Abilities

Jump

The Wraithknight jumps to a position. After landing, the Wraithknight will continue to slide forward for a distance, gaining increased weapon fire rate.

Distortion Rift

The Wraithknight creates a distortion rift at a target position. The rift expands in a radius over time, pulling enemy infantry into it. Vehicles hit are slowed.

Focused Beam

Fires a broad, long-range energy beam that deals damage to all enemies in a direction.

Playstyle

Though Wraithknights can come with a variety of weapons, this unit in particular wields two Heavy Wraithcannons. Better suited for ranged combat, Jump keeps the Wraithknight out of harm’s way. Focused Beam is a powerful nuke that obliterates anything in a line in front of the Wraithknight, but there is time to move out of the way if you notice the Wraithcannons taking position to fire. Distortion Rift is a great opener for other abilities, such as Focused Beam or Macha’s Psyker Blast. Although it isn’t powerful enough to stop vehicles in their tracks, the rift can slow them down and make retreat a costly option.

Like all Eldar units, the Wraithknight relies on Battle Focus (and the health shield it provides) to shrug off damage during a fight. If its focus is depleted, the Wraithknight won’t be able to withstand prolonged fire. Melee units can tie up these massive constructs, too, as they don’t have a way to quickly escape if their Jump is not available.

If you can keep your Wraithknight supported by your troops, it is incredible at locking down enemy units and setting up devastating combos.


Which abilities can you see working well with Distortion Rift? Let us know in the forums!

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