Hey guys! I'm looking to get in to
WH40k, and I wanted to throw together a low-cost list that could get me playing as quickly as possible. I've watched a lot of battle reports, and I built this list based on
this guide for making 500 point army lists. The gist of it is basically a) use psychic powers, b) run a durable unit of troops to use with your commander, c) have a monsterous creature or something that is hard to kill, d) have a support unit with good range, and e) use a lot of templates. Everything he said made a lot of sense, so I decided to run with it. I'm currently trying to decide between Chaos Space Marines and Dark Eldar as the first army I'll build;
CSM seem forgiving, versatile, and are initially easier on the wallet than
DE(and they aren't space marines; I really don't want to play space marines), but I really like the
DE aesthetic and their hit-and-run playstyle really appeals to me, even if they are a "harder" army. I'll explain my reasoning for each unit after the list.
HQ -
Sorcerer - 60 pts
Troops -
10x Chaos Space Marines
- 2x Flamer
- TOTAL - 150 pts
10x Chaos Cultist
- Flamer
- Shotgun
- TOTAL - 57 pts
Elites -
3x Chaos Terminators
- Mark of Nurgle
- TOTAL - 107 pts
Heavy Support -
5x Havocs
- 2x Autocannon, 2x Missile Launcher
- TOTAL - 125 pts
Total Points Cost for the Whole Army - 499 points
And we're done!
I opted for the Chaos Sorcerer as my
HQ because he gives me psychic powers for a low points cost; he'll always be deployed with my unit of
CSMs, and I'll probably roll on the telepathy table to buff my
CSMs/debuff enemy units. The
CSMs are sort of the focal point for this army; they're going to be the ones I use (with my sorcerer) to go out and contest objectives midfield. Since I'm going to be putting them in the enemy's face, I gave them flamers to dish out as much damage to as many units as I can, and because flamers are cheap as hell. The Cultists are basically there to fill out my troops requirements. I mostly intend to use them as cannon fodder, or to tie up other units in close combat; I did give them a flamer and a shotgun, but that was mostly to spend my last few points.
The Chaos Terminators are here because they're gonna be hard as feth to kill for most 500pt armies, and, secondarily, to give me a Deep Striking option; I opted for the mark of nurgle specifically for that purpose. Their job is basically to deep strike as close to the enemy as they can and try to soak up as much damage as they can; everything that gets shot at my Terminators is something that isn't getting shot at my marines or havocs. I could also skip the Deep Strike and just plop them in the middle of the field during setup, and hope that my opponent tries to shoot them instead of my
CSMs, but that's something I'll have to figure out as I learn the game and my army.
Finally, the Havocs are basically there to sit on the objective on my side of the board and take potshots at anything they can; I opted for autocannons over heavy bolters for the range they bring. Missile Launchers give me yet another template to throw at my enemy's troop choices, and the krak missiles + autocannons should hopefully pop any vehicles that people may bring to the table.
In conclusion, I hope that this list hasn't bored you to death. I know 500pt lists are probably pretty boring compared to huge 2000pt tournament armies, but I hope you'll take the time to read and offer any advice or suggestions you may have. Thanks in advance!
- foureyes
