Question about starting

[keJ]

I am really interested in building into AoS. The more I watch the more I am interested. The problem is I am not interested in any of the newer armies wether it be dislike for models, rules, or races. I am interested mainly in High Elves, and while I know there are still High Elves in the store but where are the Bolt Throwers? Seaguard? Reavers? 

 

I really don't want to start a faction that I have to browse ebay to get over half of the models I want.

 

I am digging the Phoenix Temple, so Phoenix Guard and the Birds are aet but that can't be the whole army because that would be boring. Where is the old fashioned shooting from WFB?

[heywoah_twitch]

So high aelves have not gotten a proper release in age of sigmar yet (though the lore is in place for their return, if Tyrion has anything to say about it). As such, they are currently a collection of different smaller factions that mostly live in melting-pot style themed firestorm cities and don't have unifying rules/artefacts/etc besides being grand alliance: Order. Many of their old model range is no longer available, though they often still have rules.

They exist currently, in large part, to let old WFB players use their models in modern aos games. While they can be very strong, this is only in quite specific combinations and lists (such as taking advantage of the incredible synergy between frost phoenixes and aelves wizards like archmage and loremaster, plus some other good stuff like a dragonlord and other choicest bits).

While jumping into age of sigmar fresh I would not necessarily advise cobbling together the dispersed parts of an old faction. It can be daunting enough to start a game like this, much less scouring ebay and warscrolls trying to figure out what's good. I would caution you to really look into and understand what you want to do with it. Again, not telling you not to do it, I myself have a mixed order army of cool stuff from ages past (as my second army), but be careful lest you end up with ancient models with real bad warscrolls and no updates or releases on the near horizon.

Edit: as to your specific questions on units, old-fashioned amazing elf shooting is basically a thing of the past. In aelves specifically, big blocks of 30 glade guard have some serviceable ranged, but unless I'm forgetting something, everything else is unsatisfactory. Apart from aelves, freeguild handgunners are strong, stormcast judicators and longstrikes are good, kharadron overlords are quite good, and kinerai heartrenders are fragile but versatile.

[keJ]

not a big fan of allied forces

kills the feel table top for me

 

so the only way to get those models will be to scour ebay?

[heywoah_twitch]

Yes, and I'd recommend going over to the Order subforum and having the dudes there nerd-out on a heavily high aelf themed list for you to avoid potential pitfalls moving forward (like for instance highborn archers are quite bad and it'd be a shame for you to make an army totally filled with them without knowing). You can get specific suggestions based on what play style you'd like and hammer out at least a good starting point.

[Cambot1231]

A couple of the ol’ reaper bolt throwers with hurricanum support or the lord ordinator seem like a viable thing .  Phoenix temple seem great too

[Orsino]

You can always convert models rather than scouring eBay. Stick some Shadow Warriors on horses and you've got Ellyrian Reavers. Kit bash Eternal Guard and Scourge Privateers and call them Sea Guard. If you're interested in playing older units you can look at it as an opportunity to get creative.