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{{EldarPortal}}
[[File:WLArt.png|thumb|right|250px|Wraithlord]]
'''Wraithlords''', known previously as '''Eldar Dreadnoughts''',{{Fn|3}} and are gigantic [[Wraith Construct]]s made of [[Wraithbone]] and inhabited by the souls of dead [[Eldar]] heroes through [[Soul Stone]]s.{{Fn|3}} Towering far above their still-living brethren, the Wraithlord is a force to be reckoned with. Only the most [[Exarch|capable warriors]] of the [[Craftworld]]s are encased inside them, although the exact reason why is unclear. They can be armed with a myriad of weapons, including [[close combat|melee]], short-ranged, and long-ranged, with the ability to smash most enemies in combat.

==Overview==
The creation of a Wraithlord involves empowering an Eldar [[Spirit Stone]] with the proper soul of an Eldar, plucked from the [[Infinity Circuit]]. The soul is then placed into the forehead of a Wraithlord chassis.{{Fn|2}} Should the Wraithlord fall in battle, the [[Spirit Stone]] will be recovered and either be placed onto another Wraith construct, or be returned to the [[Infinity Circuit]]. Despite the fact that the Wraithlord exists in the real world, the spirit which controls it is never able to be as alert as those still alive, inhabiting a dimension both in the 'real' world and the warp at the same time. This phenomenon is known as 'Wraithsight', and can affect the Wraithlord in battle by making them slower to act and occasionally stopping them from acting at all.{{Fn|1a}} As a result, a [[Spiritseer]] must remain in close proximity to Wraith constructs in order to guide their actions.{{Fn|1b}}

Standard Wraithlord equipment include two [[Power fist]]s, with [[flamer]]s or [[Shuriken Cannon]]s attached to the side. In addition, some Wraithlords are equipped with heavy armaments such as [[Scatter Laser]]s, missile launchers, [[Bright Lance]]s, and [[starcannon]]s. Weaponry is often chosen to complement the soul of the spirit controlling the Wraithlord, as their predisposition towards different types of combat follows them beyond death - those who favoured close combat will still attempt to tear their enemies limb from limb or cleave foes with a massive [[Ghostglaive]].{{Fn|7}}

==Variants==
*'''Breach-Stalker''' - A siege pattern equipped with a [[Demolisher_(Melee Weapon)|demolisher]] wrecking ball and an [[Eldar Missile Launcher]]. Its [[Mind Impulse Unit]] also comes with a built-in [[Targeter]].{{CME}}
*'''Night-Howler''' - A siege pattern equipped with a [[Demolisher_(Melee Weapon)|demolisher]] wrecking ball, an  [[Lascannon]], a [[Shuriken_Catapult|Shuriken Catapult]] and a [[power field]] generator.{{CME}}
*[[Phantom Seer]] - Contains the [[Spirit Stone]]s of powerful [[Warlock]]s.{{Fn|12}}

==Famous Wraithlords==
*[[Khiraen Goldhelm]]
*[[Toralven Gravesong]]
*[[Aethor]]
*[[Althenian|Althenian Armourlost]]{{Fn|8}}

==Images==
<center><gallery widths=250 heights=250>
Eldar Wraithlord White Dwarf 246 (UK) Pg 9.png|An Eldar Wraithlord
</gallery></center>

==Miniatures==
<center><gallery widths=150 heights=150>
EldarWraithlord.jpg|'''Wraithlord''' (4th edition){{Fn|6}}
Wd175pg16.jpg|'''Eldar Dreadnought''' (2nd Edition){{Fn|14}}
File:Warrobotwd101pg2.jpg|'''Spirit-Warrior''', labeled as '''Eldar War Robot'''  ([[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|Rogue Trader]]){{Fn|10a}}
EldarDread1st.jpg|'''Eldar Dreadnought'''  ([[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|Rogue Trader]]){{Fn|5}}
</gallery></center>

==Development History==
{{Trivia}}
===Rogue Trader===
[[File:EldarDreadnoughtColors.png|thumb|250px|right|'''Eldar Dreadnoughts''' painted in the colours of various [[Eldar Corsair]] warbands, including a pilot (second figure).{{Fn|9}}]]
*First appearing as the '''[[Dreadnought#Eldar_Dreadnoughts|Eldar Dreadnought]]''' in [[White Dwarf 100 (UK)]] in May of 1988, alongside [[Imperium|Imperial]] and [[Ork]] [[Dreadnought]]s, the '''Eldar Dreadnought''' was a tall and elegant machine crafted by its pilot in a giant automated factory within a [[Craftworlds|Craft-Worlds]]. It was controlled either through manual controls and screens inside its bulbous cockpit or through a "mind-impulse link" which would use the [[Eldar]]'s own brain to run mental targeting programs and puppet the Dreadnought as if it were their own body, and powered by a [[Crystal Battery]].{{Fn|9}} The Dreadnought was described with three assembly patterns:
**'''War-Demon''' Assault Dreadnought - Armed with hand-mounted [[Shuriken Catapult]]s{{Fn|9}}
**'''War-Cry''' Assault Dreadnought - Armed with one hand-mounted [[Shuriken Catapult]] and a [[Laser_weapon#Eldar|Laser Cannon]]{{Fn|9}}
**'''Banshee''' Support Dreadnought - Armed with two hand-mounted [[Flamer]]s and a shoulder-mounted [[Missile Launcher]].{{Fn|9}}

[[File:SpiritWarrior.png|thumb|150px|right|The Spirit-Warrior fights beside two [[Ghost-Warrior]]s{{Fn|10b}}]]
*One month later in June of 1988 [[White Dwarf 101 (UK)]] would introduce a new concept: the [[Infinity Circuit]], by which the memory and personality patterns of a dead [[Eldar]] could be transferred into a machine body via a ''Soul-Graft'', as well as a new unit: the '''Spirit Warrior''' similar in every way to the Dreadnought with the notable exception that this Infinity Circuit would replace the living pilot.{{Fn|10b}} This new '''Spirit-Warrior''' would retain the psychic mastery of the soul that embodied it running on circuits of Memory, Emotion, Logic, and Perception.{{Fn|10b}} The '''Spirit Warrior''' could be built with the same patterns of the Dreadnought, '''War-Demon''', '''War-Cry''', and '''Banshee''' with an additional pattern: 
**'''Vampire''' Spirit-Warrior - Armed with a [[Plasma cannon|Heavy Plasma Gun]] and hand-mounted [[Shuriken Catapult]].{{Fn|10b}}

===2nd Edition and Beyond===
*[[Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)]] in 1994 would formally combine the two concepts, describing an '''Eldar Dreadnought''' as having been innately imbued with the intellect of the long-dead eldar through a [[Spirit Stone]] – in effect establishing the '''Spirit-Warrior's''' [[Infinity Circuit]] as the common version of the Dreadnought.{{Fn|3}} On the same page, the codex introduced a smaller [[Wraith Construct]] troop known as a [[Wraithguard]].{{Fn|3}} [[Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition)]] in 1999 would introduce a new name for the model, differentiating it from [[Imperial]] and [[Ork]] [[Dreadnought]]s and giving it a name with linguistic similarity to Wraithguard: the '''Wraithlord'''.{{Fn|11}}

==See also==
*[[Harlequin Dreadnought]]

==Sources==
*1: [[Codex: Eldar (4th Edition)]]:
**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 47
**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 28
*{{Endn|2}}: [[Fulgrim (Novel)]], {{Cite This}}
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)]], pg. 21
*{{Endn|4}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook]], pg. 157
*{{Endn|5}}: [[White Dwarf 236 (UK)]], pg. 84
*{{Endn|6}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Rulebook]], pg. 275
*{{Endn|7}}: [[Codex: Eldar (6th Edition)]], pgs. 50 & 103
*{{Endn|8}}: [[Valedor (Novel)]], Chapter Two
*{{Endn|9}}: [[White Dwarf 100 (UK)]], pgs. 67-79
*10: [[White Dwarf 101 (UK)]]:
**{{Endn|10a}}: pg. 2 
**{{Endn|10b}}: pgs. 52-53
*{{Endn|11}}: [[Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition)]], pg. 15
*{{Endn|12}}: [[The Citadel Journal 36]], pgs. 57-58 - ''From the Forges of Khaine'' 
*{{Endn|13}}: [[Warhammer Siege]], pg. 120
*{{Endn|14}}: [[White Dwarf 146 (UK)]], pg. 2

{{EldarVehicles}}

[[Category:Vehicles (Eldar)]]
[[Category:Walkers]]

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