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I've seen and heard a lot things about tiers. I'm new to the game and was wondering if someone could explain what they are to me. I play legion so any specifics to that would be helpful.

New to the game? not really the best idea in my mind. They are generally too restrictive for new players as they force the army into one playstyle and stop experimentation/adaption.

As for what they are. You pick a warlock and in the "forces of ...", expansion book (domination, gargantuans) or no quarter (bi-monthly magazine) there are theme lists, one or two of which will relate to that caster. It will list various warjacks, units and solos you are restricted to and nothing else can be used. In turn, if you choose certain things you get bonuses (free models, extra deployment, point deductions, etc.). There are four tiers (1,2,3,4 surprisingly) in each theme list and say you wanted the bonuses for tier 3, you have to meet the restriction of tiers 1 & 2 as well. So each tier builds on the others.

Now i'm not saying they are a bad thing. They are great and fluffy, but you say that to somebody coming from a games workshop background and some seem to flock to that idea, perhaps to stave off cries of cheese. No cheese in this game though, stuff can seem over-powered but can easily be taken apart with the right tools. And if you have gone for a theme list, it could be that you don't have those tools.

Awesome. That was very helpful. Thank you. I've only played a few games but I'm enjoying much more than 40k.

If you're a legion player there are a few tier lists I like to play. Abby is always a noob friendly tier list, but you'll find it restrictive once you're past the early stages of play. It gives you a lot of advantages and tends to be melee centric which can be a problem in today's ranged heavy meta. Since Colossals I've started to reconsider her and trying to find a list I like.

The obvious choice would be eVayl Tier 4. She's amazing, her tier is outstanding and is legit. She's competitive and has a strong game. I highly recommend it later when you're more experienced as it takes some skill to use well and the full understanding of the rules to abuse

Outside of those two, there are a few others I've considered but have not tried, Rhyas's rear guard (Tier List released in No Quarter Magazine), Bethayne's tier list, but as stated above, they can be very restrictive and sometimes better to avoid altogether.

I'd advise you learn the game without tiers for now, get your rules down and find a style of play you enjoy. Learn what all of the models in our faction do, their strengths and weaknesses and then explore tier lists. Without the knowledge of what you're actually giving up in direct comparison to the benefits of the tier, it will be difficult to determine if a tier list is actually beneficial. Have fun and let us know what you find!

I have the two player hordes box. I wanna try some new casters out though. What are y'alls favorites?

My favorite casters are pThags, p/eVayl, and Bethayne. All of those casters are a ton of fun to play. I'm a huge Vayl fan and am going to try to run both as my two list format pair

I do not recommend Saeryn as a caster to learn or start with. Definately play her later though because she's a baller.

I'm not a huge Lylyth fan. I like her but 5 fury bugs me. Its a personal flaw rather than a model failing.

I love Abby! I wouldn't take her out of Tier. I know she is very melee oriented, but her tier gives you everything you want with her...more forsaken, cheaper Heavies, melting pot even!

At any rate, Absylonia and pThags are definitely my favorite casters that I've used so far. I like Saeryn because it makes my Cryx-playing-legion-hating friends mad when I use her. I don't like Lylyth very much, though. Rhyas and Kallus are at the top of the list of which casters I want to try next (but will take some proxying since I don't have that many infantry units). Bethayne is also up there, since Hex Hunters and the Blackfrost Shard are the best infantry models in Legion. And I think they're really good

At any rate, Abby and eThags (maybe eVayl; I have never used her) are the only two that I would typically run in tier. Oftentimes, the bonuses just don't make up for the downsides.