For the better part of thirty years the Aeldari Exodites have been the space-elf equivalent of that mate everyone mentions but nobody has actually met. Loads of lore, a couple of tantalising art references, dinosaur-riding elves living out in the void – and not a single model to show for it. Well, put the kettle on, because the Exodites have finally leapt out of the jungle and onto the tabletop with the brand-new Kill Team: Exodite boxed set.

It is a proper event, this one. New models for a faction that has existed only in the imagination (and the odd rulebook sidebar) since the 1990s doesn't happen every day. So let's talk about who the Exodites actually are, what's in the box, and whether they're worth clearing a shelf for. You can find the whole range over on our Aeldari collection.

Who on earth are the Aeldari Exodites?

Right, quick history lesson – and it's a good one. Before the Fall of the Aeldari (the galaxy-shaking act of decadence that birthed the Chaos god Slaanesh and gutted their empire), a portion of the Aeldari saw the writing on the wall. They decided their kin had grown fat, hedonistic and thoroughly doomed, packed up, and left through the Webway long before the party ended in tears.

These were the Exodites. Where the Craftworlds fled after the catastrophe on vast wandering ships, the Exodites got out early and settled the Maiden Worlds – lush, untamed paradise planets on the fringes of the old empire. They turned their backs on technology-for-its-own-sake and built a life bound to the land, guarding their ancestors' spirits in living World Spirit stones rather than the Craftworlds' Infinity Circuits.

And, crucially, they ride dinosaurs. Enormous reptilian “dragons” that they've bonded with over millennia. It is exactly as brilliant as it sounds.

What's actually in Kill Team: Exodite?

This is a full self-contained boxed set in the mould of Kill Team: Terror on Devlan – a complete narrative experience you can play solo or co-op, no second player required. Here's the haul:

• 3 Aeldari Dragon Masters – your elite, dinosaur-mounted operatives and the stars of the show.
• 2 Drakolithes – rounding out your five-strong kill team.
• 10 Beast Snagga Boyz and 5 Squighog Boyz – the Ork antagonists, here as non-player operatives (NPOs) for you to battle against.
• The Kill Team: Exodite Dossier – stuffed with lore on Exodite culture, weapons and beasts, plus 20 new Joint Ops missions forming a branching campaign.
• 88 datacards, an Exodite transfer sheet, and a token sheet with markers and movement aids.

In short: two armies, a rulebook, a campaign and all the bits, in one box. If you've been eyeing up Kill Team as a way into the hobby, this is about as complete a starting point as they make.

Dragon Masters, Drakolithes and the great NPO invasion

The Exodites play the way you'd hope elite space elves on dinosaurs would play – few in number, fast, durable, and lethal in a fight. You won't be swamping the board; you'll be making every one of your handful of operatives count with superior speed and martial skill.

Their opponents are a warband of Beast Snagga Orks – the greenskin subculture obsessed with hunting the biggest, meanest beasts in the galaxy. They've crash-landed on an Exodite Maiden World, taken one look at the local megafauna, and decided this is the finest safari they've ever seen. Naturally, the Exodites disagree. If you fancy reading up on the other side of this scrap, our Orks army analysis is a cracking primer on why the greenskins are such a laugh to play.

Wait – can I use these in normal Warhammer 40,000?

Yes, and this is the bit that has the Aeldari faithful most excited. The Dragon Masters can be assembled as an alternative build – Dragon Knights – with rules for full Warhammer 40,000 coming soon. So this isn't just a Kill Team curiosity; it's the first real foothold for Exodites in the wider game. Whether a full codex follows is anyone's guess, but a faction that's waited three decades for models will happily take the win.

Should you pick it up?

A few quick reads depending on who you are:

You're an Aeldari player:

• This is non-negotiable. Thirty years of waiting, actual dinosaur riders, and a route into 40k proper. Buy it before your local group clears the shelf.

You're new to the hobby:

• A self-contained box with two forces, a campaign and everything you need to play is a genuinely great on-ramp. Pair it with a starter paint set and you're away – our build-and-paint guide will walk you through the first steps.

You just want the coolest models on the table:

• Space elves. On dinosaurs. We're not sure what else you want from us. Grab some Citadel paints and go to town on those scales.

As ever, Kill Team boxes like this tend to sell through quickly and become a headache to track down later, so if the Exodites have caught your eye, don't dither.

The Exodites have spent longer as a rumour than most 40k factions have existed as models. Now they're here, riding dragons out of the jungle with a warband of overexcited Orks in hot pursuit – and honestly, they were worth the wait.

Further reading: new to all this? Start with What Is Warhammer 40k? and then browse the grimdark with our Warhammer 40k Factions Hub.