Lore reason for dark elves using repeating crossbows?

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

So im just wondering why the dark elves use repeating crossbows exclusivly rather than bows, and why the high elves stick to bows instead, they seem more advanced of a society and would use more advanced tech. Also why do they have troops with swords also.

[Panfilo]

I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that they wanna be so grimdark. So High Elves might see combat in a much more honorable and stylistic manner (similar to how Brettonians view it). Spending centuries to get extra good at using a bow would seem as a really noble pursuit.

But Dark Elves are sadists. Why waste all this time getting good at shooting one arrow when you can get an arrow machine gun that can spew out dozens of them? Who cares if 3 was enough, the other 9 arrows in their eye sockets really let them know who is boss! The sword thing is probably to reflect that they are much more aggressive and sadistic; High Elves use primarily spears which are defensive, only having axes and swords for elite units. But Dark Elves are raiders, and swords work better in terms of mobility (in general, sword units tend to have better charge bonus, better DPS vs small targets, and a better balance of regular/Armor piercing compared to spears)

[burningmime]

Not sure what you mean about swords. High Elves have swordmasters, which are some of the best sword infantry around.

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by burningmime:

Not sure what you mean about swords. High Elves have swordmasters, which are some of the best sword infantry around.

Yes, but i ment basic infantry.

[Oh that's a baseball]

Originally posted by Great grey wolf Sif:

So im just wondering why the dark elves use repeating crossbows exclusivly rather than bows, and why the high elves stick to bows instead, they seem more advanced of a society and would use more advanced tech. Also why do they have troops with swords also.

Malekith was friend with dwarf and he stole dwarfed design when sundering happened

[Rabidnid]

When the Dwaves and High Elves were buddies Malekieth aquired the base technology from them. After the split they became standard with the dark elves while the high elves retaned the longbow - or were never made aware of the repeating crossbow design Malekieth aquire/created.

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by Rabidnid:

When the Dwaves and High Elves were buddies Malekieth aquired the base technology from them. After the split they became standard with the dark elves while the high elves retaned the longbow - or were never made aware of the repeating crossbow design Malekieth aquire/created.

ok that makes a lot of sense, and the dwarfs not following this example is likly out of anger/shame and not willing to inovate.

[Vacca]

Originally posted by Great grey wolf Sif:

Originally posted by Rabidnid:

When the Dwaves and High Elves were buddies Malekieth aquired the base technology from them. After the split they became standard with the dark elves while the high elves retaned the longbow - or were never made aware of the repeating crossbow design Malekieth aquire/created.

ok that makes a lot of sense, and the dwarfs not following this example is likly out of anger/shame and not willing to inovate.

It is althought kinda of weird how the invention of gunpowder, which I assume happened after the crossbow in the WH universe, was eventually accepted by the dwarves and not things like repeater xbows. I mean, by logic the repeater mechanism invention should've happened BEFORE the gunpowder one, so going by the theory that dwarfs take a long time to get used to technological advancements, they should have had repeater xbows way before gunpowder weapons.

[Rooty Tooty]

Originally posted by Vacca:

Originally posted by Great grey wolf Sif:

ok that makes a lot of sense, and the dwarfs not following this example is likly out of anger/shame and not willing to inovate.

It is althought kinda of weird how the invention of gunpowder, which I assume happened after the crossbow in the WH universe, was eventually accepted by the dwarves and not things like repeater xbows. I mean, by logic the repeater mechanism invention should've happened BEFORE the gunpowder one, so going by the theory that dwarfs take a long time to get used to technological advancements, they should have had repeater xbows way before gunpowder weapons.

They also have flying machines guy! The dark elves probably couldn't wrap their heads around gunpowder and the like. So they just upgraded the crossbows they allready stole. While the dwarfs quickly moved on to something with a little more punch like organ guns. Pew Pew

[Xenos]

About swords: they had those in older editions. Now the basic HE infantry is a citizen militia drilled to fight in the shield wall (like hoplites), so the sword became a specialized weapon. DE, instead, are more about personal glory even for the rank-and-file dudes.

[Muertington]

Its much easier to use a crossbow than a bow. Bowmen had to be trained for years to become more or less decent as troops, and when the crossbow arrived it allowed peasants with poor training to be lethal against lets say veteran knights or soldiers with years of training.
Also, crossbows allow you to carry more spikes and blades attached to them, which is a turn on for the dark elves, opposed to the poshy and boring elves with their bows and white horses etc.

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by Vacca:

Originally posted by Great grey wolf Sif:

ok that makes a lot of sense, and the dwarfs not following this example is likly out of anger/shame and not willing to inovate.

It is althought kinda of weird how the invention of gunpowder, which I assume happened after the crossbow in the WH universe, was eventually accepted by the dwarves and not things like repeater xbows. I mean, by logic the repeater mechanism invention should've happened BEFORE the gunpowder one, so going by the theory that dwarfs take a long time to get used to technological advancements, they should have had repeater xbows way before gunpowder weapons.

Originally posted by Small Moist:

Originally posted by Vacca:

It is althought kinda of weird how the invention of gunpowder, which I assume happened after the crossbow in the WH universe, was eventually accepted by the dwarves and not things like repeater xbows. I mean, by logic the repeater mechanism invention should've happened BEFORE the gunpowder one, so going by the theory that dwarfs take a long time to get used to technological advancements, they should have had repeater xbows way before gunpowder weapons.

They also have flying machines guy! The dark elves probably couldn't wrap their heads around gunpowder and the like. So they just upgraded the crossbows they allready stole. While the dwarfs quickly moved on to something with a little more punch like organ guns. Pew Pew :krstar:

Dwarves have had gunpowder and flying machines for much longer than other races i believe, they discourage inovation and liek to stick to tradition, its not untill an invention has been througly tested and proven (usually hundreds of years) untill their accepted by the general population of dwarfs.

[DankDansk]

Originally posted by Googley Eye'd Bastard:

So im just wondering why the dark elves use repeating crossbows exclusivly rather than bows, and why the high elves stick to bows instead, they seem more advanced of a society and would use more advanced tech. Also why do they have troops with swords also.

Multiple reasons: one is that the crossbow family is filled with contraptions that are far more flexible than regular bows. The standard repeating Druchii crossbow packs the punch of a regular Elven Shortbow while being able to release a hail of bolts in a fraction of the time, a feat only a very skilled elven archer could achieve with a bow. High Elves still use bows out of reverence for tradition, whereas the Druchii are utilitarian and prefer function over fashion. Then there are handbows, like those used by Druchii Corsairs. Unlike short bows, they can be fired effectively with one hand while the other wields a sword, dagger or other light bladed weapon. This is a huge advantage as this makes a fighter more dynamic in combat, allowing them to shoot fleeing enemies, discourage a charging foe or even just have another option in a sword fight.

There's also the fact that most elven soldiers aren't professional warriors but rather conscripted commoners who are taught the basics and are expected to put up a decent fight. This means that the mass of Druchii infantry and marksman are more of a base to build a strategy off of rather than an effective fighting force in their own right, so having ranged weapons that are easy to use can be a game changer. This allows Druchii crack infantry like Shades and Corsairs to work their magic while the rest provide support.

[Anvos]

Well the lower ranks of the Druchii military are pretty much conscripts and its pretty much a given that if you aren't born into a high enough station to enter specialized training and/or fund better gear, your first job is either bleaksword, dreadspear, or darkshard. Wealthy children are more likely to end up corsairs.

This all of course excludes jobs your essentially born into such as the Blackguard or a female born with exceptional magic potential.

Thus the repeater crossbow makes more sense, since you don't have to train a druchii for ages to match the lethality of professional Asur/Asrai who has been potentially training for centuries with a bow. This is then further backed up by how Druchii society has a far higher turn around than Asur/Asrai.

..............................

As for why they don't go gun powder. Well to begin with hand guns that exist aren't a great advantage over the repeater crossbow yet and artillery is highly immobile, which doesn't make it better than just sending a Sorceress of Ghrond or sending in massive war beasts that can defend themselves. Let alone the Black Arks can supply the same role as artillery, via magic bombardment, while being safely behind the line.

[kaher44 [UN]]

Funny how High Elf artillery resembles a giant crossbow while Dark Elves' a giant bow.

[DankDansk]

Originally posted by Anvos:

Well the lower ranks of the Druchii military are pretty much conscripts and its pretty much a given that if you aren't born into a high enough station to enter specialized training and/or fund better gear, your first job is either bleaksword, dreadspear, or darkshard. Wealthy children are more likely to end up corsairs.

This all of course excludes jobs your essentially born into such as the Blackguard or a female born with exceptional magic potential.

Thus the repeater crossbow makes more sense, since you don't have to train a druchii for ages to match the lethality of professional Asur/Asrai who has been potentially training for centuries with a bow. This is then further backed up by how Druchii society has a far higher turn around than Asur/Asrai.

..............................

As for why they don't go gun powder. Well to begin with hand guns that exist aren't a great advantage over the repeater crossbow yet and artillery is highly immobile, which doesn't make it better than just sending a Sorceress of Ghrond or sending in massive war beasts that can defend themselves. Let alone the Black Arks can supply the same role as artillery, via magic bombardment, while being safely behind the line.

There's also the fact that the elves don't know how to make gunpowder, only the Skaven, Dwarves and Humans do, and even then it's expensive and time consuming. For masters of the bow and crossbow, the benefits of gunpowder units are far less apparent when compared to just how much of a pain it is to field enough powder units to be effective. Then there's the lower rate of fore and how loud they are and you realize that Elven Bows and Druchii Crossbows are just more effective on the hands of the High and Dark Elves respectively. Humans use gunpowder units because their weapons are of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ quality, while many weapons of High and Dark elven make would be considered works of art by humans. All elves take great pride in the quality and beauty of their weapons, even if there is a bit of cultural dissonance between the High Elves and the Druchii.