Is the High Elf Army Worth It in Old World?
High Elves Core Unit Analysis

High Elf Spearmen: Do They Still Have a Place in Warhammer?

High Elf spearmen can actually be useful with 1.5 — they’re definitely not the completely useless unit they were before June 2025. Let me hit you with the bad stuff first:

Equipment: they come with spear, shield, and light armor — which gives them a 5+ save. That, paired with T3, is garbage. They also have Shieldwall, which helps avoid panic, but let’s be honest: High Elves usually run few units, with high leadership and panic rerolls anyway.

Attacks in ranks: they no longer fight in three ranks like before. Now they fight in two ranks even when charged in the flank or rear. One attack each, WS4, S3. Basically like shooting water pistols.

In practice, almost anything that charges them will wreck them — even with those two ranks of attacks.

So what’s the point? Well, they score secondary objectives because they’re core, and they’re a relatively cheap block you can field with decent unit strength (which gives another +1 in combat, plus another +1 for being close order with 10+ strength). But that’s not all:
Even if spears seem weak, the new rules let you fight with one extra rank when receiving a charge. That’s quite a few attacks — a good roll could actually dent the enemy.

And if you’re still not sold on getting 3 ranks of pokes, you now have the option to switch to hand weapon and shield, giving you a 4+ save — which is solid. AND you can switch equipment between combat rounds if you want.

Sounds silly? It’s honestly awesome.

High Elf Archers: The Best Core Choice?

If you’re looking for a functional core unit in a High Elf army in Warhammer, archers are a much more interesting choice.

• Range: They shoot up to 30 inches, allowing them to attack without moving. With BS4, they’ll almost always hit on a 4+.
• Cost and size: A unit of 5 costs only 50 points, making them expendable. They work well in both small and larger units, thanks to Volley Fire, which gives them more positioning flexibility without losing shots.
• Bonus: They come with Armor Bane 1.

I wouldn’t give them a standard bearer or light armor (I’ll explain why later). I also wouldn’t pay for the veteran upgrade since High Elves already reroll panic checks thanks to their special rule.

If you’re using them for redirecting, consider taking a musician. If you think they might end up in close combat with an enemy character, getting a champion could be worth it to make them waste an extra turn.

This is the most flexible core unit, I have seen archers adapting to a lot of different the old world high elves playstyles.

With the 1.5 rules update, they can easily hold an objective from the back without much trouble — but for that, it needs to be a “big” block. So think about what role you want them to play before adding them to your list.

Sea Guard: A Viable Option in a High Elf Army?

Lothern Sea Guard might look like a versatile unit on paper, but in the previous edition, they were basically bad at everything. Despite how cool they are in the lore, their actual performance on the table was downright disappointing.

So why are they playable now?

For the same reasons as spearmen — with the added bonus that they can shoot at you while you’re trying to reach them. And after standing and shooting (which they can do even if you’re charging from up close), they can reform their ranks (basically pulling 5 models out of the front), making you fail your charge.

It’s a common trick, and one you need to understand and watch out for if you’re facing Sea Guard across the table.

Are Silver Helms One of the Best Cavalry Units in Warhammer?

Silver Helms are a highly iconic and well-loved unit, even among players who don’t use High Elves. They have limited customization options: just their unit size, command group, and shield. The shield is a must-have since it improves their save from 4+ to 3+ for just one point. Unlike archers, who go from nothing to a weak 6+ save that the dumbest enemy will destroy, Silver Helms actually benefit from the upgrade.

I think a unit of 5 makes sense, but running 7 or 8 in a single rank makes even more sense — that way it’s not so easy to drop them below unit strength 10 with a bit of shooting and stop them from scoring.

The command group mostly comes down to personal preference.

• Champion: I wouldn’t take one, as it can backfire if you’re hunting down a lone character with the whole unit.
• Standard Bearer: I’d skip it too—+1 combat resolution isn’t worth the risk of giving away extra points if things go south.
• Musician: I don’t think it’s really necessary, but this one is more debated among players.

Sisters of Avelorn

You can take a unit of Sisters of Avelorn as a Core choice if you include a character that unlocks them and is your General (Handmaiden of the Everqueen).
Under the old rules, people used to run them in blocks of 40 — a full-on Death Star (hopefully we’ll stop seeing that now, since the rest of the army’s core units have improved a lot).
They’re really strong, and if they count as Core on top of that… well, you get the idea.

Now that we know which units are solid, how do we fit them in to hit the 500-point core minimum?

The answer is here.

Plus, here’s a direct link to the Warhammer The Old World High Elves category, where you’ll find every post written about them so far, along with a handy FAQ section packed with interesting info

If you think there’s an error in the post, feel free to reach out at theoldwarrior@theoldwarrior.com, and I’ll review it. Hope you enjoy ToW!

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