Summary[]
Leading the Kabal and its armies to the front-line is the Archon, a ruthless and fearsome commander of the Dark Eldar. Being a true lord of Commorragh, the Archon has access to a wide selection of valuable wargear and devices of torture, making him a formidable foe to anyone who cross his path.
Tactics[]
The Archon being a vicious melee warrior makes him great for tanking as his resilience can match that to a squad of Hellions and at a cheaper cost. His resistance to enemy fire makes him capable of flanking an entire enemy squad on his own, giving Warriors and Mandrakes an opening to attack. Even the Archon's claw can do a considerable amount of damage to buildings and vehicles.
The Incubus Squad also makes for good bodyguards once built. The Archon alone becomes more of an easy target once enemies have further progressed in tech but accompanied by Incubi makes the Archon a hard target to kill. Not only do they add to the damage dealt and act as meat shields, the Incubus Squad also grants an ability recharge bonus to any attached commanders. They also will absorb the effects of the Rend Soul ability from an enemy Dark Eldar, allowing the Archon to still use his abilities once detached from the squad.
Animus Vitae is also an incredibly useful early game ability as it can ensnare fleeing troops, allowing for easy killing or stop powerful melee units in their tracks from decimating your infantry. It's also valuable when thrown at squads with a high unit count as each squad member caught will leech life back into the Archon. Another similar ability is the Crucible of Malediction as it traps enemies in a deadly cycle of attacking themselves or others around them. This ability can be especially useful against squads with augmented damage boosted by abilities like Battlecry. Even acts of faith like Emperor's Touch and Divine Retribution can be turned against the Sisters of Battle, allowing for its effects to expire before the Crucible ends. However it does not cancel out the potential for ability usage and thus abilities like Fanaticism can reduce the inflicted damage while under its effects.
Soul Portals can also be casted after Commander Level 5 has been researched, allowing for the Archon to establish quick routes for both infantry and vehicles to pass through. This makes raiding even more efficient as a Soul Portal can carry 10 individual squads into any planted location near the Archon. Compared to the Kabal Citadel's Soul Portal summoning, the Archon's portals are cheaper to cast and are best utilized if the goal is to save Soul Essence for more expensive research or abilities.