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Hello,

I'm starting to play 40k with some friends. I've tried a couple of their armies but haven't begun buying one of my own yet.

I really want an army that's fast moving and has good shooting, with lots of units. I don't really like the idea of a "death star" and I think Assault is really boring. I really kind of want an army that can move quickly around the map and shoot things to death. What would be a good option for that?

Thanks!
-B

Tau sound perfect for what you want. The Mont'ka book has some great ideas for all battle suit armies which move, shoot (very well) and then jump back into cover.

Eldar is the standard answer, but that's because it's the best Codex out there.

For the Imperium the main fast armies are White Scars (SM), Space Wolves, Blood Angels and Ravenwing (DA). Of those, it's generally accepted that Blood Angels are the weakest of the three and in tournaments are commonly taken as allies. They are also Melee focused which isn't what you're looking for. Space Wolves have it a bit better with Thunderwolf Cavalry, but they are combat focussed, so if that's not your style, stay well away, there isn't a lot to write about in the SW codex aside TWC.

Between DA and WS, Ravenwing have more firepower and more durablity. White Scars do however, have an extremely good build in Gladius (involving lots of free transports) and can pull bikes off reasonably well. They also have Hit and Run, which can allow them to get out of combat when they need to.

On the Xenos side of things, pretty much any army with the exception of Tau will suffice.

Orks can utilize fast vehicles and can have a Bike army which is extremely fast. They are however, melee orientated. While it is possible to make a shooty army with Orks, their strengths lie in combat. Additionally, they want large units, which can lend itself to deathstar builds.

Tyranids are Flying Monstrous Creatures which are exceptionally fast and have options to appear anywhere on the table courtesy of their Drop Pods. There is a misconception that they are close combat - they are not, they are close quarters. They want to shoot mainly and have the tools to do so. A major, major disadvantage is that one unit stands out above the rest and the Codex is known as Codex: Flyrants. Hopefully the rumoured book will resolve the internal balance, so if you go Tyranids, I would hold off on purchasing until the new dex.

Eldar and by extension Dark Eldar/Harlequins are the fastest armies in the game. DE suffer from being melee focused and are outclassed by Craftworlds, who have better shooting and better movement. Harlequins outclass DE in terms of combat. DE work best when combined with the two armies to make the 'Freakshow', which attacks the leadership of the enemy rather than their toughness. Jimsolo has more information if you're interested in building such an army.

Necrons appear to be slow and in a way, they are. However, they have the durability to march up the field with ease, so it's not like you find yourself stuck in a part of the battlefield trying to wade across. That's not to say they are slow - several units such as Canoptek Wraiths, although melee focused, are extremely fast. In addition, they have the fastest transport in the game, bar none.

Hope this helps you out a bit

Haha two pretty opposite answers!

Ravenwing looks really cool, are they any good?

BlackorGrey wrote:
Haha two pretty opposite answers!

Ravenwing looks really cool, are they any good?

They are pretty good but do bear in mind that the variant marine books have a nasty habit of being neglected.

If you like the idea of a bike heavy army you can do that very successfully with Codex Space Marines whilst keeping your options as open as possible in terms of other units and knowing that your army book will always be kept up to date (C:SM always gets updated first whenever there's a significant change to the game).

BlackorGrey wrote:
Haha two pretty opposite answers!

Ravenwing looks really cool, are they any good?

They are, there are some really nice formations for the Ravenwing as well(and some for the greater Dark Angels Chapter):
Ravenwing attack squadron is a speeder and unit of bikes, if the speeder hits a unit bikes get +1 BS against that unit
Ravenwing support squadron: a pile of special rules and aura of stealth

There is also the Ravenwing Command Squad and black knights: bikes with TL plasma weapons and if it's command squad you can have an apothocary for feel no pain, they are also skilled rider

Ravenwing lets you re-roll jink saves. That means with the command squad and the support squadron you can get to a 2+ re-rollable cover save.

Dark Angels also get access to a chapter specific pshycer discipline that can be very good.

Ravenwing have been doing well lately since their updated codex gave them rerollable jink saves.

Ravenwing Black nights with a dark shroud nearby have a 2+ rerollable jink save and shoot 18" twink linked plasma shots.

My buddy runs space marines and I run Dark Angels - he looked through both dexes and complained that his formations are harder to work into the list and cost more whereas the Dark Angels formations were cheap and easy to use.

I would suggest though to not base your choice on rules - but to read into the fluff online (warhammer wiki sites are great) of each space marine chapter and pick the one that appeals to you the most.

90% of the hobby is spent painting models, reading books/codexes and stories and you want to invest in an army that speaks to you not just plays well on the table.

BlackorGrey wrote:
Hello,

I'm starting to play 40k with some friends. I've tried a couple of their armies but haven't begun buying one of my own yet.

I really want an army that's fast moving and has good shooting, with lots of units. I don't really like the idea of a "death star" and I think Assault is really boring. I really kind of want an army that can move quickly around the map and shoot things to death. What would be a good option for that?

Thanks!
-B

Most codex armies have capabilities for "fast moving" and good shooting. So a final few choices might come down to what you really love the look & lore of. But also keep in mind you would be painting these kits too.

1. Research the different Fast Attack choices amongst the 40K universe.
2. Pick an army that you can paint "quickly" enough. I play Space Wolves exclusively and all those little charms, tooth necklaces, fur and gold trim take FOREVER to paint.
3. "Lots of Units" = Imperial Guard.
4. "Good Shooting" = Imperial Guard
5. "Fast Moving" = Eldar or Dark Eldar & every army fast attack choices.

BlackorGrey wrote:

I really want an army that's fast moving and has good shooting, with lots of units. I don't really like the idea of a "death star" and I think Assault is really boring. I really kind of want an army that can move quickly around the map and shoot things to death. What would be a good option for that?

Thanks!
-B

Eldar is the simple answer that satisfies all of your specs.

While not often thought of as being shooty, Ork biker and trukk lists can be most of the conditions listed. Warbikers are generally more interested in their shooting than charging in (but can do both) while tankbustas are really good at shooting vehicles. Lots of bikes and lots of trukks to zoom around the battle field but they aren't afraid to get stuck into close combat if needed.

Honestly most armies can fill those credentials with the proper lists and what really works best is finding the army with the fluff, look, and gameplay that you like. Eldar for example can be powerful and fit your gameplay desires but if you hate their look then your not going to enjoy having that army all that much. Often times its the gets you excited to dig into the fluff, painting, list building, etc that you want to get stuck in with playing the game.

Mutha fethin NIGHT LORDS!

BlackorGrey wrote:
Hello,

I'm starting to play 40k with some friends. I've tried a couple of their armies but haven't begun buying one of my own yet.

I really want an army that's fast moving and has good shooting, with lots of units. I don't really like the idea of a "death star" and I think Assault is really boring. I really kind of want an army that can move quickly around the map and shoot things to death. What would be a good option for that?

Thanks!
-B

Mobility is a weapon and Dark Eldar, Eldar and Tau Empire are the best at it. I'm bias'd and think Tau Empire will always be my favorite army anyways.

One unbiased thing I will say about Tau Empire: The sheer volume of units they have that can make use of reserves, coupled with the extremely fast units they have even when fully deployed is staggering compared to other Dex's. No one really talks about Mobility as THE weapon for Tau Empire Their guns are sexy and get all the pub. But if you are a crreative mind, you will find a bewildering amount of eployment and reserve options for Tau empire.