In the 'Golden Era' of 2000–2007, the Dark Elves represented the pinnacle of tactical movement, multiple small units (MSU) and harassment guerilla armies. While other editions turned them into static gunlines, 6th Edition Dark Elves are a masterclass in bait-and-switch warfare. This page consolidates every rule fragment for the Druchii released during the 6th edition lifecycle.
To play them in 2026 you need three things:
The rules: Core rules + faction-specific rules (physical if you are lucky, a good PDF version if you are not).
The Miniatures to represent the warriors (as close as possible).
An army list to organize your forces.
And dice and measuring tape, and a table, and a 1-3h. And an opponent!
Note: The "Rules Engine" and "Digital Repository" are fully operational. The "Miniatures Equivalency" section below is an Active Restoration. We are currently mapping the 2026 'The Old World' and 'Age of Sigmar' catalogs to the classic 6th Edition profiles. If you have verified proxies or high-fidelity conversions, please contribute your findings to the archive below.
The Mechanical Evolution of Dark Elves Rules in 6th Edition
The Dark Elves got their Armybook in mid 2001, but it was so bad they revised the whole rules for a competitive update. In this revision they used the feedback from the community (specially from Druchii.net).
The Ravening Hordes Era (2000–2002): Released at the launch of 6th Edition to provide immediate balance. This list was replaced a year later.
Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (6th Edition) (2001–2003): It contains the fluff, the magic and the main rules of the army, but the army itself was an underdog. During these years the Dark Elves suffered more and more as every new armybook was released. It also contains the Raiding Army alternative army list.
Warhammer Chronicles (2003): it described the City Garrison alternative list.
"Druchii revisited - An update for the Dark Elves" (2003): Published in WD#287-UK (and later in Chronicles as official errata), this is the final "Source of Truth" for the 6th Edition era. This "patch" remains the official standard for the Norn Consensus and is required for accurate 6th Edition play.
Cult of slaanesh (SoC, 2004): the most powerfull alternative list of the Dark Elves mixing Dark Elves with Chaos warriors and Slaanesh demons, published for the Storm of Chaos campaign, but widely accepted in tournaments after the campaign.
Warhammer Chronicles (2004): containst the rules for special characters Shadowblade and Rakarth.
Old website of Games-Workshop (UK): contains the rules of experimental special characters: Kouran, Hellebron and Tullaris.
1. Technical Documentation: Sourcing Dark Elves Rules
You will need the general rules and the faction-specific rules. While physical copies are the preferred historical standard, digital consolidation is the practical standard for local campaigns and competitive events
Unless you can grab a physical copy of the Core Rulebook (BRB), you will probably use either a PDF or the Digital Rulebook (6th.whfb.app)
Nothing beats the feeling of an old physical book, but being practical... the Rulebook must be consulted constantly, and a digital search is faster (and does not damage your physical relics!).
This website is just awesome, and for the Dark Elves it already includes:
The Basic Rulebook (BRB): All core movement and combat logic.
The Dark Army Book + Errata (2003): The primary updated faction roster.
Official Errata & FAQs: Pre-applied logic for rule clarifications.
Base Size Index: Essential for converting modern models back to the 6th Edition standard.
Alternative army lists: City Garrison, Cult of Slaanesh.
It does NOT contain:
Special units from scenarios and campaigns.
Annual and Chronicles experimental units and characters.
White-Dwarf experimental units and characters.
GW's website units and characters (like Kouran or Hellebron).
Experimental lists.
Ravening Hordes' lists.
Alternative army lists: The Raiding Army, Watchtower Patrol.
For the official rules, the website is the most usefull tool you will need, specially DURING the games.
Beware they may have some typos due to the OCR scans of the original documents. Still awesome.
2. The miniatures: how to build an army of Dark Elves
Almost the entire range of the Dark Elves is available through Age of Sigmar (AoS), divided between two factions:
Daughters of Khaine
Cities of Sigmar (partially)
[This section is being updated for complete equivalency]
3. The modern Army Builder: The New Recruit Engine
Karak Norn Wargaming uses, supports and recommends the use of NewRecruit for several reasons:
It's cloud-based, so you don't need to install it (just configure it),
it can run in the browser!You can sync army lists bewteen devices (requires a free account)
Mobile-friendly (but in tablet/PC the experience is better)
The most important thing: IT IS THE MOST COMPLETE ARMY LIST BUILDER FOR 6TH.
Contents of the Army Builder:
The data files contain all the official and experimental rules ever published in supplements, the old GW website or magazines (White-Dwarf, Troll, Citadel Journal...), as well as the FAQ, Direwolf interpretations and the Norn Consensus resolutions for edge cases.
Definitive Patches: Full integration of the WD#287-UK updates across all army lists.
Alternative army lists:
The Raiding Army (DE-AB)
Watchtower Patrol
City Garrison
Cult of Slaanesh (SoC)
Special Characters:
Malekith, the Witch King (DE-AB)
Morathi, the Hag Sorceress (DE-AB)
Malus Darkblade (DE-AB)
Rakarth (CR-04)
Shadowblade (CR-04)
Web-Exclusive Characters: (Restored from the original GW website):
Crone Hellebron (webGW-UK)
Kouran (webGW-UK)
Tullaris (webGW-UK)
Expanded Armory:
Magic Items from the Albion Campaign (WD#263-UK).
Magic Items from the Storm of Chaos Campaign (SoC).
Experimental rules: Optional rules for upgrading War Hydras (Annual 2002).
Set up the Army Builder
This is how you configure the tool to organize your Druchii host without flipping through five different PDFs.
- Copy this exact URL: lexicanum-imperialis/Warhammer-Fantasy-Battles-6th-Definitive-edition
- Open New Recruit.
- Go to your Click here to try it now! settings.
- Click in Add more games. At the bottom, search for Add from GitHub
- Add the version Latests Commit (Head) if you want the hotests updates.
- Add the version Latests Release if you want the last stable version.
- Now select the WHFB 6th Gamesystem and create your lists!
Bibliography
"Ravening Hordes", (2000)
"Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (6th Edition)" (by Gav Thorpe & Space McQuirk & Tuomas Pirinen, Jun. 2001)
"Druchii revisited - An update for the Dark Elves", in WD#287-UK (by Alessio Cavatore, November. 2003)
"Storm of Chaos" (by Gav Thorpe, 2004)
