A Spiritseer is a specialized Eldar Warlock who speaks with the dead, summoning souls from the Infinity Circuit and guiding them into wraithbone bodies. Their work lets Craftworlds like Iyanden field Wraithguard and Wraithlords when living warriors run short, which makes them rare, controversial, and essential to a dying race.
What a Spiritseer does
Spiritseers are experts at calling specific spirits out of the Infinity Circuit, the Eldar’s collective afterlife, and steering them into wraith constructs, mainly Wraithguard and Wraithlords. Without a Spiritseer to guide them, those shells are just empty wraithbone.
Guiding a spirit takes more than raw power. The Spiritseer has to hold the connection steady, keep the soul from drifting, and stop themselves from being pulled too deep into the world of the dead. That last part is the real danger, and their training is built around resisting it. A Spiritseer who loses that discipline risks becoming a true necromancer, which is exactly what the training is meant to prevent.
Why Iyanden needs them most
Spiritseers exist on every Craftworld, but they’re most common on Iyanden. Iyanden’s population was nearly wiped out, so it has far more dead than living and far fewer warriors than it needs. Waking the dead isn’t a choice there, it’s survival, and Iyanden fields more wraith constructs than any other craftworld.
Iyanna Arienal, the Angel of Iyanden, is the best known and most powerful of them. She’s spent her life trying to keep her home and her people from fading out completely. Other named Spiritseers include Nestra Orphiel, Shear’ann, Tarvaril Ciaradh, and Qelanaris.
- Wraith units are a last resort, not a first choice.
- Iyanna Arienal is Iyanden’s most prominent Spiritseer.
- Iyanden leans on its dead more than any other Craftworld.
How they fit among the seers
Every Eldar Seer walks the Path of the Seer, mastering their psychic gifts without inviting daemons or tearing holes in the warp. Warlocks are the battlefield psykers of that path, and Spiritseers are Warlocks who’ve specialized in the dead. All Spiritseers are Warlocks, but not every Warlock has the training to guide souls into wraith constructs.
The wider seer family includes Farseers, Bonesingers, Warlocks, Wraithseers, and Soul Weavers. Spiritseers sit closest to the Wraithseer, which is a wraith construct that has taken up the same role.
| Seer type | Focus |
|---|---|
| Farseer | Divination, command, seeing the future |
| Warlock | Battlefield psychic support |
| Spiritseer | Guiding souls into wraith constructs |
| Bonesinger | Shaping wraithbone and psychic crafting |
| Wraithseer | A wraith construct acting as a seer |
The uneasy question of necromancy
Most Eldar see raising the dead as uncomfortably close to necromancy. Wraithguard and Wraithlords only march when Farseers judge the need truly dire, and the practice is tolerated rather than celebrated.
That tension is what makes Spiritseers interesting. They’re doing something their own culture finds distasteful, because without it the Eldar might not survive. The Craftworlds tolerate it because their numbers are so thin, and if the race is going to survive, the dead sometimes have to fight alongside the living.
Origins and on the tabletop
Eldar legend says the first Spiritseer was a Farseer of Iyanden who lost his lover, followed her into the Infinity Circuit to find her, and discovered he could bridge the gap between the living and the dead instead of dying.
Spiritseers debuted in Codex: Craftworld Eldar (3rd Edition) as an Iyanden-only unit. Codex: Eldar (4th Edition) opened them up to other craftworlds, and they’ve been a standard part of Eldar armies since.
Key facts
- Spiritseers are specialized Eldar Warlocks who guide souls into Wraithguard and Wraithlords.
- They’re most common on Craftworld Iyanden, which has far more dead than living.
- Iyanna Arienal, the Angel of Iyanden, is their most powerful and famous member.
- Their training exists to stop them sliding into true necromancy.
- Wraith constructs are a last resort, deployed only when a Farseer judges the need truly dire.
- They first appeared in Codex: Craftworld Eldar (3rd Edition) as an Iyanden-only unit.
FAQ
Are Spiritseers just Warlocks?
They’re a specialized branch of Warlock. All Spiritseers are Warlocks, but only some Warlocks receive the extra training needed to guide the dead.
Why do the Eldar dislike using wraith constructs?
They consider it uncomfortably close to necromancy. Craftworlds only deploy Wraithguard and Wraithlords when a Farseer decides the situation is desperate enough.
Which craftworld has the most Spiritseers?
Iyanden, by a wide margin. Its tiny living population means it depends on its dead far more than any other Craftworld.