Great Eagle

Great Eagle is a Wood and High Elves flying monster unit. When the skies are dark and the need is great, these noble avians come to the aid of their Elven friends.

Description
There has always been a great bond of kinship between the Elves and the Great Eagles, stretching back to ancient times. That bond remains strong between the Wood Elves and the noble avians, and so many families of eagles choose to make their homes in the heights of the Grey Mountains, close by the borders of Athel Loren. On rare or desperate occasions, a Great Eagle may offer itself as a mount to a particularly trusted Glade Lord. This is a great honour in the eyes of the Wood Elves, for it is a true partnership of equals. Such a union forms the start of a great and enduring friendship that continues to bind both parties, even after death.

The Great Eagles of Ulthuan have always been firm allies to the High Elves as well. The histories tell that the two races have fought in one another's cause since the time of the Daemon invasion, but legend carries the friendship deeper into the past. Indeed, in some tales, it was Talyn, King of the Eagles, who bore Ereth Khial away to the Underworld at Asuryan's command. Like the High Elves, Great Eagles are haughty creatures who long remember insults, and do not suffer foolish company gladly. When High Elf armies assemble, the noble Eagles too join the battle. They swoop down upon the crew of enemy war machines, tearing them apart with powerful talons before using mighty wings to glide swiftly away.

Abilities

 * ↑ Very Fast: This unit can run circles around most other units, taunting and harrassing the enemy or evading its missile fire.

Strategy
For the High Elves, the Great Eagle is another one of those units that do well in the early game but fall behind as the campaign progresses. He is more fragile than either dragons or phoenixes while having neither their magical abilities nor flame breath. However, he gives the High Elves a good and cheap counter to enemy artillery and can support melee fights by performing hit-and-run tactics; charging in, fighting for a few seconds, then when the enemy turns his attention to him retreating and attacking again to make full use of his high charge bonus. Notably, the Eagle is also incredibly fast. Definitely up there as one of the fastest units in the game.

For the Wood Elves, the speed and hit-run tactics of the eagle fit right in. While infantry holds or some wild riders distract the enemy, the eagle can swoop in for the kill on an undefended unit. The eagle can be a valuable utility unit to have for its speed, flight, and fear. That being said, the eagle is not an amazing melee combatant and will struggle in a lengthy engagement.

Great Eagles pair well with Hawk Riders, adding extra weight to their sneaky charges while benefiting from the disruption of additional models.