There are many armies to choose from so take your time. 40k is an investment so make sure to pick an army that you are going to be happy with. I have personally had many armies but the ones that I did the best with were the ones that I thought looked the coolest. They might not have been technically the best but there is no point in playing if you do not like the way your army looks like. The best way to look at different armies is either on the web at Games-workshop or by flipping through the different Codexes. A codex is the rulebook for different forces. The codex will have everything that you need to know from troop composition to weapon strength to what is known as 'fluff' that is the background stories that bring the Warhammer universe to life!
| Imperial Forces | Chaos | Eldar | Necrons | Orcs | Tau Empire | Tyranids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humans | Humans | Aliens | Aliens | Aliens | Aliens | Bug Alien |
| Small-horde | Small-horde | Small Elite | Small-Infantry Heavy | Horde | Infantry Heavy | Swarm |
Click on the table headings to jump to the force that seems right for you!
The Imperium is the human empire that spans across countless worlds and star system. Imperial forces are separated into two main categories--The Astartes or Space Marines and The Imperial Guard. The Astartes are comprised of the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Grey Knights Imperial Knights, Space Wolves, and your generic Space Marines. The Adepta Sororitas formally known as the Sisters of Battle are not Astartes but are higher up on the Imperial lader then the Imperial Guard. The Space Marine armies tend to be smaller in terms of model count but they get lots of neat upgrades.
The Imperial Guard is the work horse of the Imperium. These are the every day type of people that are forced to fight. They are a hoard type army, meaning that they rely on shear numbers to defeat their foes. One troop choice is comprised of a platoon of Imperial Guardsmen; a five man command squad and between two and five 10 man infantry squads. Needless to say the Imperial Guard is the Hammer of the Emperor. Despite being a horde army the Imperial gets tanks! Lots of tanks. If your a fan of big tanks and lots of fire power the Imperial Guard might be right for you. There are some variations to the generic Imperial Guard such as Cadian Shock Troops, Catachan Jungle Fighters, Vostroyans, and some others.
Chaos is comprised of the traitors of the Imperium. Near the beginning of the Imperium There was rift between the Emperor and some of his most loyal Astartes. This is known as the Horus Heresy. Chaos is pure evil and is always seeking to destroy the Imperium. There are two different sections for Chaos--Chaos Space Marines and Chaos daemons. Chaos Space Marines are going to be similar to Space Marines. For instance there weapon selection is going to be very similar. Just like the Space Marines, Chaos also has different chapters besides the generic Chaos Space Marine army. Some of the different chapters are Nurgle, Khorne, Emperor's Children, Thousand Sons, Night Lords and some others.
Chaos Daemons are well demons. These are creatures of the Warp. So the Warp is the home of Chaos. These are creatures that spawned by the god's of Chaos. The live only to sow misery in the world.
The Eldar are an ancient race that once ruled the galaxy unhindered. Now they fight for survival. They are on the brink of annihilation. Everyone of the their warriors have proven themselves time and time again. They are the image of perfection. They use ancient technology. Technology that is inconceivable to man. They are few in number but have many excellent models to choose from.
The Dark Eldar are Eldar that have been twisted by the Warp. They now exist to visit destruction upon any that stand in there way. They are experts of raiding, caring off slaves or simply massacring those unfortunate to be near them. They are also an elite force that is few in number.
Necrons are an immortale race that have no soles. They are the scourge of the universe and there primary enemy are the Eldar. Necrons reside in metal vessels and there technology rivals that of the Eldar. The Eldar defeated the Necrons long ago but were not able to completely annihilate them and so the Necrons were locked away in deep vaults. They have now broken out and haunt the universe.
The Orcs live for battle. They take on the persona of the typical fantasy Orc. They are scavengers possessing little intellect they use crude and rudimentary weapons. They are extremely tough and rely on numbers to crush the enemy with a tidal wave of green skin. They care little about those around them but need numbers inorder to fight. A singular orc is not very brave but when he has a 20 other green skins around him makes for a terrifying experience.
The Tau are an ancient race that fight for the 'Greater Good'. They sacrifice themselves and those beside them in the name of honor. They also have technology that is superior to that of the Imperium. They fight within battle suits that allow them to soak up fire. They are a fire power heavy force that excellence against infantry and armor alike.
Tyranids are bioengineered bug like predators. They live to hunt other life forms. They are a fast moving hoard army that is capable of swarming over anyone. Their hive fleets drift through space depleting life from any planet that they encounter.
*Admittedly I know much more about the Imperial Guard and Chaos Space Marines then I do about all the other races.
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