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I'm relatively new to the tabletop game. I've been reading up on the lore for a few years now but just recently started purchasing my own models. I'm starting off with my personal favourites, Orks.

Here asking what do you guys think are the most important Ork units. I plan on making a simplistic infantry/elite heavy army, probably green tiding with Boyz for general combat and using units like Stormboyz and Tankbustaz for specific tasks. However, I am a true newb and I'm willing to hear anything anybody has to say with hopes I'll make a somewhat decent starting army.

Thanks in advance

Boyz, Boyz, and more Boyz. One thing to remember - BOYZ BEFORE TOYS. At lower point value games I've found Orks to be even more effective. 4 attacks on the charge for each Boy is just madness, with only 6 pts each.

You can also make some Tankbustas with the Rokkit Launchas you get in the Boyz kit. Pretty much every unit in the new dex is viable too, so just build slowly and get what suits you. As for essentials though, I'd definitely say lots of Trukks. There is a Trukk/Boyz kit from GW that is a great deal.

Dakka, Dakka, and more Dakka.

Also Dakka.

But a choppa too, and Dakka.

So...Shootas or Sluggas? I've heard tons of pros and cons for each but people tend to lean on Shootas. However, with the new point increase on Shootas, are they still preferred over Sluggas?

I'd grab a healthy mix of both, tbh.


If you love Trukks and speeding towards your opponents, I'd go for sluggas. If you want a green footslogging horde, i'd go for shootas.

I actually think the Storm Claw "it's not a starter set" is a really cool Ork starter set. It even comes with its own nifty formation rules.

As far as got-to-haves go, boys for sure. Almost certainly want a nob with a power claw. I do my boyz in 3 sets of 10 so I can take them in min or max unit sizes. Mega armour nobs are another unit I'd get early. After that it's personal preference, although I can't recall playing a game in recent memory without my grotz! I used to be a huge speed freak fan but I haven't found it compelling in the recent editions to convert my tiny old-school trucks to be up to modern sizes. Now I'm into big klanky machines (dreds, kans, and IA8 mekadreads) but that's just me.

I do love me some Trukks but I can see the use in Grots, especially if you use them with Shootas. I haven't looked through Mega Armoured Nobz that much but I think they were a winning unit for a game I watched so I'll check them again.

Really want Stormclaw btw. Space Wolves are my favourite Imperium faction.

the boyz before toyz motto is kinda dead these days. Its not a useless motto, but its not the ultimatum anymore.

I field 70 boyz in a 2000pt list, and i win most of my games because of distraction play rather than brute force. Rarely those boyz dont make combat in numbers less than 50 between the 3 units, because the enemy is busy with my deffkoptas or warbikers or MANz missiles or lobbas.

Orks are interesting with the new dex. I can literally make a list focused around any unit and make it work, and im no tactical genius btw i make a lot of dumb mistakes. Exception would be burnas...eff that unit.

Orks can be shooty or assaulty, but typically not both. If you want to go shooty you probably want a couple full Kannon batteries, a Tankbusta unit or two hiding in a battlewagon, shoota boyz, and a SAG or two. If you are going assaulty, odds are you will have MANz missiles, slugga boyz, warbikers, and/or stormboyz.
I run assaulty, the only real shootin my list does is the 6 lobbas in the backfield and the 17 bikes firing 3 TL snapshots, everything else just books it until they can charge after shootin' lol. My first turn is literally me moving 2000pts worth of stuff, firing 6 blast templates, and going "Your turn" lol.

Rant over, most important unit depends on the list style youre playing. For me, that would be warbikers since they are not only the unit harboring a warboss and painboy but theyre also the biggest and most obvious threat in my army, so they draw a TON of fire and usually can shrug it off with a 3+ jink and FNP. They have endured entire armies firing at them and only lost 3-4 bikes lol. Ive yet to lose them before the rest of my army was in place to do their job.

EDIT: Oh on the note of MANz, i use 2 what is called MANZ Missiles in my list and theyre awesome. 3 MANz in a trukk with minimal upgrades (1 killsaw, bp, and ram are all i take comes to 170pts) is so cheap for the power they deliver its sickening. The trick is to find a way to get them across the table, since the whole "Move the trukk before it blows!" only works if you go first, and usually the manz die immediately afterwords anyway. This is where my bikers come in, odds are my manz arent even moving turn 1 so theyre a low priority, by the time they become a severe threat ive already got his infantry gunned down by lobbas and his heavy stuff charged by bikers, so the manz can move pretty much scott-free across the board lol.
Big thing to remember is they are NOT terminators, and should NOT be used like they are. They are bullies, send them at things that odds are wont be able to kill them very easily and they will cause snowballing damage quick. Keep them cheap, and attention usually wont immediately focus on them.

Boyz, warboss, lootas, trukks, bikes.

Okay, I'm getting a rough idea up. Maybe use Sluggas and things like Stormboyz and Bikes for a choppy army and Shootas and things like Lootas and Flash Gitz for a dakka army.

Thanks for all the help! I'm going to start writing out a basic list.