[Autarch_Kalesh]

I have now tried to use jetbikes twice. Can someone with experience on how to properly use this troop type reply. Here is how I am using them. Turbo boost on first turn to get 3+ invulnerable save. Wait behind cover pop out and shoot. After the shooting phase I assult them with my bikers. After my bikers win the combat they get shot to hell. I am looking for pointers. I realize I need more practice with them. They are quite fragile when they become stuck. Advice would be most apperciated. I guess the number one question is should I never assult with the bikes?

[Farseer_Emlyn]

Jetbikes are convenient for pinning units down in cc, but not necessarily for winning.
1) you can't get many bikes into combat with a unit.
2) they only have 1 strength 3 attack when not charging.

They do, however, get the drift rule during the assault phase. I would use this to shoot, then drift back to cover. You'll have to move around the cover rather than over it because of the cover rules (if you move over, you can't get the cover bonus).

But Guardian jetbikes (which I'm assuming is what you're using) are pretty week to begin with. They only have a range of 12", BS of 3. That's pretty weak. They have a better save, higher toughness, but it doesn't really pay off in my mind.

How many bikes are you running? How many shuriken catapults? Do they have a Warlock with them? Those are all factors that will determine your bikes' usefulness. Pretty much any player is going to tell you to max out your number of catapults...which is a good idea. That means you're going to run multiples of 3 with 6 being the practical minimum unit size.

[Autarch_Kalesh]

In my mech list I run 6 bikes with a warlock. That is two with cannons. I also run a unit of shining spears in that list. I am a little unhappy with the preformance of jetbikes. Either I do not know how to use them or they suck as much as I think they do. I will say they are fun but for the point cost pretty worthless.

[Farseer_Emlyn]

Guardian Jetbikes - pretty much worthless. They are worth their points, anyhow. I messed around with fielding 2 12 bike squads (4 cannons) for a Samm Hain army. Yeah, that didn't work. The 12" range is killer. By the time you get that close you're dead. Pairing them with a Jetbike Farseer with Fortune could help quite a bit.

Shining Spears. I love Shining Spears. That's 1 Exarch with Starlance, Withdraw, and Skilled Rider and 4 Spears. It's expensive 237 points, I think. But its gorgeous. They need to charge (to get the extra attack). Their laser lance ranged attack is worthless (unless your charging terminators or necrons). Use the twin linked shuriken catapults instead. Then charge. Normally, you can break a unit or blow up a vehicle on the first cc round (especially terminators as they always strike last).

Don't charge units in cover (as they will strike first) and always hit and run if you can. You don't want to let these guys in combat too long. A lot of players are taking a jetbike autarch to accompany their spears, it's a good idea.

So here's the fat: Warlock Jetbikes (3-10 Warlocks with Witchblades, S. Pistols, on bikes) makes a pretty good, but expensive unit. They're especially good against vehicles or high toughness units. They also get a twin-linked 2 shot attack before they get into combat then 3 attacks that always wound on a 2+ in CC.

Shining Spears (5 Spears as above) always take withdraw, always take an exarch. The Star Lance is sweetness, but not a must item. Skilled Rider is pretty necessary if you want to use cover.

Skip the Guardian jetbikes, then. They just aren't worth the points unless you want fluff or to tie down multiple units.

[korik1]

Guardian Jetbikes aren't useless, you've just been using them wrong. They are not a CC unit. Nor are the a hammer. The trick is to use them in coordination with the rest of your army. Think of them as a scalpel. Having a farseer on jetbike with fortune will make them really hard to kill and even more so if they have a warlock with conceal, but I don't recommend this.

Basically use them like you would a Tau crisis suit or Stealth suit. Keep at arms length while shooting the enemy. Since they can essentially JSJ this is very possible. However, they need support. They can't really finish off an entire unit by themselves, so you need to keep something else with them. If you ran your jetbikes and your spears as a single pack that'd probably do the trick. What would be even better is if there was a doom seer nearby to, well, doom the enemy.

So try something like this:

6 jetbikes - 2 shurican cannons
6 jetbikes - 2 shurican cannons
5 shining spears - exarch, star lance, withdraw, (maybe) skilled riders
1 farseer - jetbike, doom, fortune, spirit stones
1 autarch - jetbike, laser lance, mandiblasters, (maybe) fusion gun

Stick the far seer with the jetbikes since it can't benefit from exarch powers, and the autarch with the spears. Fortune the spears or the farseer's squad depending on which squad you think will be in the most danger. Doom the target squad. Unload with all guns, charge with the spears, have the jetbikes back off. Even better would be to hide the jetbikes behind the combat so they can't be shot at. Withdraw the spears after the enemies assault phase, making sure the jetbikes are outside of consolodation range. Then repeat.

Hope that helps.

[Falstead]

One of the nastiest eldar armies I've fought was basically nothing BUT jetbikes.
At close range their dakka is intense, and when coupled with fortune/conceal they're a HUGE pain in the ass to kill, and they're adept at hiding.

[Autarch Uthlanar]

I can help you, I've used my bikes effectively so I may be able to help you.

First of all, bikes are for when you get a little more experienced, I tried them the first time I got them, and thtghthghthght....someone on TO told me that I should wait a little longer. Second, bike lists are harder to use, so careful when using them, I just started a bike list, and as korik1 said, you need support, here's my bike list, and I'll tell you the things you can use to support a squad of bikes.

HQ:
Autarch: laser lance, shuriken pistol, jetbike, mandiblasters

Elites: 6 harlequins, all with kisses (ride in a falcon)

Troops:
10 Dire Avengers, exarch with shurikenstorm and dual catapults
Ride in wave serpent, with scatter laser

12 jetbikes, 4 shuricannonas, warlock with enhance

Fast Attack:
4 shining spears, exarch with withdraw (accompany the autarch)
8 warp spiders, exarch with withdraw and spinneret rifle

Heavy Support:
2 fire Prisms, with holofields, and spirit stones
1 falcon, with scatterlaser, holofield and spirit stones

The jet bikes do the main thing like what Korik1 said, but jetbikes probably do best in 2 types of lists: Guerilla warfare speedy list , or a MECH list
Mines a mix of both. They do their part, can do well in HTH with the enhance, and can pop and kill.

They do their part if you have all the other parts. Their are great things of jetbike like things, I'll try to some up what everyones shown and you'll have some great choices

The Autarch Shining Spear combo (Don't know the true creator but it mainly came from all the eldar players thoughts.)
1 Autarch with laser lance, mandiblasters, shuriken pistol ( love that combo ;D)
4 shining spears (or however many you want)
By Emlyn
The warlock combo
3-10 warlocks:

The use'em to work together stuff by korik

Then there are 3 things you need to know that most players don't do and die horribly with their dungeons and dragons hats on reading about steven hawkings whoever those people are :P their jetbikes I mean....

1. Placement: You must know how you move, and be able to have nice start-out spots.

2. Deception: Eldar are known for deception! go to one spot, but hit them in unexpected spots where their line will crumnle!

3. Cooperation: they need to be able to support each other and have everything in a correlation.

Then you shoudl be set for using jetbikes!

[Yriel of Iyanden]

Hi Autarch_Kalesh,

I agree with what Autarch Uthlanar says (so +1 Karma for the extra help!).

Jetbikes are an interesting troop choice because there is an element of versatility to them. For Eldar this means that their role may change significantly due to their supporting cast.

Have a look at two battle reports using jetbike squads in very different armies.

In the Saim Hann battle report, jetbikes are used as a reliability unit, suported by a fortuneseer...making them very tough to kill, and an excellent focal point for a drop 'n pop mech-style army.

When used in Iyanden, the jetbikes are no longer the reliability unit (this is the power of wraithguard!), instead being a fast-reposnse skirmish unit.

I'm currently looking at using both units (6 man Iyanden jetbike with fortune bikeseer + fortune wraith-wall) together, and hopefully I'll have more to share.

- Yriel

[Autarch_Kalesh]

Perhaps I just need to play them more. From what I am understanding Dire Avengers may not be the troop choice to backup bike squads. Maybe Harlies only. Just waiting untill they come out. 6 more jetbikes to buy. So expensive.

[redbeard]

I use jetbikes the way that I use buggies and mekkoptas in my ork list. They're a dirt-cheap unit that can threaten an opponent enough to make them consider them, but that are cheap enough to use as a 'bait' unit when setting a trap, and that are mobile enough to hide until the end of the game and seize objectives if you need to.

Forget the warlock. Forget the numbers. 3 jetbikes, 1 cannon. That's all you need. With 3 S6 shots, you can threaten the side of almost any vehicle. If you kill a vehicle, you more than made your points back. So your opponent can't ignore you. But you can Jump-shoot-jump, so it's hard for them to get you too. You use them to harrass the enemy, make them abandon their battle-plan to take care of your jetbikes. And then follow that up with your other units.