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Hello!

I'm relatively new to 40k and I'm looking into starting Blood Angels as my first army. I originally bought a Tyranid army from a friend but I realized that his 'Stealer Shock list was a really big learning curve and I just wasn't enjoying myself. I traded the Nids for some Blood Angels - I have two librarians, 10 assault marines 10 death company with a rhino, 5 honor guard and 5 sanguinary guard - what else do I need for a Blood Angels army? What should I look into buying? With Boxing Day being tomorrow (or today depending on when/where you're reading this), I was wondering what I should do with my Christmas money. I only have $75 to spend, I know it's not a lot, but it will be 25% off all day.. Let me know what I should buy to get my money's worth and give me the best Blood Angels experience!

Even if somebody could help me prioritize what units are essential to BA. Are the units that I already have useful? Are any of them useless? Any advice on lists or anything would also be cool!

Thanks!

Nothing that you have is 'useless', not by a long shot. However, much as most armies out there, everything will depend on how you want to play the game as to what you buy. For must haves, I would suggest grabbing some bits to make Sanguinary Priests, even Corbulo if you like the model, as his FNP with the changes to FNP has made him far more survivable. Either way you need priests.

Looking at the above some more scoring troops would be useful as well, which means more Assault Marines or picking up or making a Dante to count the Sanguinary Guard as troops. I would also get or make a Chaplain/Reclusiarch model, they're decent low price (for marines) HQs, and essential if you're going to run larger DC squads considering the bonuses they give.

Vehicles would be useful too of course, but that's hard on $75. Still, Land Speeders are often overlooked but very useful, especially if you can magnetize so you can switch between missiles/bolter & melta/flamer loadouts. Speeders also synergize well with the fast moving assault troops and will suck up even more fire now thanks to their 6E free cover save.

Lastly, best thing you can do with your money is make sure your assault units have special weapons, so get some melta guns or possibly flamers. Same for the Honor Guard, figure out their loadout you want and make sure to get them their weapons.

Hopefully that's some help to you. If you give me a point level you're shooting for I can even throw some ideas into a list considering the models you already have, or could get.

Finally, Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the sound advice, and merry Christmas to you as well! Ill most likely be playing 1000p to start learning the game, but our club usually plays around 1500.

Well, I'd pick up two or three boxes of DC. You can use them as Assault Marines and (if you get 3 boxes) convert some to special characters (Sang. Priests) if you want.

More assault marines if you want to play a mobile CC army, or tac marines if you want to play a more shootier army.

I would try and pick up a tac squad, assault marine squad and a tank, maybe a vindciator or pred which you can use as rhino razorback pred or baal pred if you get a assault cannon turret off ebay, also a sang priest with jump pack

IainL wrote:
Thanks for the sound advice, and merry Christmas to you as well! Ill most likely be playing 1000p to start learning the game, but our club usually plays around 1500.

Well here's one idea for 1000 points that uses a lot of the models that you have already.



The above requires you to get two speeders, a razorback turret, a priest, and eight more assault marines. The razorback turret is probably the hardest thing to get, but you might be able to make it from bits or ask friends you game with for components. The priest, especially with a jump pack, is more of a paint job, and since you already have an honor guard you likely have a novitiate in there that you can use for this list. The assault marines you can make with a box of assault marines, or DC for the added BA bits, but that still leaves you out three marines. You may or may not have the bodies to make three more marines, if you don't just take those 54 points back and invest them elsewhere. For example, you can make the razorback a rhino again and take more DC which you already own.

The idea behind this list is the melta assault squad accompanied by librarian and priest start on the table, along with the DC and speeders. The librarian gives cover saves to add durability to everyone, and the assault squad marches up the table to tackle vehicles while the DC focus more on annoying infantry. The speeders stay far away and shoot at what's best with the appropriate ammo. The other assault squad deep strikes to grab and hold objectives, as well as annoy enemy infantry, especially their objective holders.

It's not the best list in the world, but it should be decent at 1000 and should teach you core Blood Angels strategy, which is always moving. Nothing here will be useless as you add more points as well as it's all easily built upon. Especially as you already have a Sanguinary Guard unit, making you 200 points closer to a 1500 point game already. Regardless, I'd suggest trying this list out, see what you like and what you dislike, and then figure out how you'd like for your 1500 list to look.

I'd get 2 assault squads and 2 Stormravens.

 Lobukia wrote:
I'd get 2 assault squads and 2 Stormravens.

IainL wrote:I only have $75 to spend...

Thank you everyone for the awesome advice. For those who are wondering, I ended up purchasing a Stormraven Gunship. It was exactly 75 bucks and I think it'll be a really cool toy to work on in the new year. Not sure if its the best choice tactically, but my buddy said he has some bits to make assault marines so I won't have to worry about that.

I really like the model though, hopefully it'll be fun to work on.