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Hi guys

I love these nurgley dudes and really want to use them in games but having close to 100 points just chilling back holding an objective with shrouded seems a waste and im sure there must be a more effective use for them. Its hard for me to bring them when my other troops choices are clearly much better in offense daemonettes or pink horrors or cheaper being nurglings with the same shrouded save.

Please help i love the models and want to be able to use them any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Regards Ub

If you just want to lurk at the back on an objective, you're right - nurglings are a better call.

That said, don't knock them as objective holders. 100 points isn't that expensive and you're opponent is going to have to apply some serious assault effort to dislodge them.

Plaguebearers will do you better than nurglings if expecting to see S6+ ignores cover weapons - Leman Russ Eradicators, Wave Serpents, Land Raider Redeemers, most Tau heavy support (once markerlights get in on the act), etc, etc.

Once instant death is a serious risk, nurglings look a lot more fragile.

The other reasons to use plaguebearers are to play up to their two unique wargear (or at least; unique to nurgle daemons): plagueswords and the plague banner.

Plagueswords' Touch Of Rust is useful because it's the only anti-heavy-armour capability you have in your troops slots.

Bloodletters can chop up a tank with rear armour 10 on the charge double-quick, and daemonettes can do similar things to anything up to armour 12. Both, however, come badly unstuck when facing AV13 or 14. A land raider, or worse a walker with an AV13 glacis plate, is a serious threat and you have limited ways to deal with it short of diverting a greater daemon to attack the thing.

The other element - the plague banner - is a one-use 'pop' of poisoned 2+. Yes, this double's the unit's hitting power (almost), but that's still not fantastic. Where it really shines, though, is if you have a unit champion. Don't forget that you can take an Aetherblade for a pittance of points, and that will also benefit from the ability. A master-crafted, poisoned 2+ AP2 sword is something even most people's HQ choices will be leery about closing with.

I still don't see them really as an assault unit (although they're not bad when they charge rather than the other way around), but I'd use a mix of nurglings and plaguebearers for securing objectives, giving you an occasional tougher knot of resistance.

Camping objectives is all they do. They're slow, don't have any actual combat punch, their durability is only to shooting so they die pretty fast in close combat with only a 5++ and Instability, and they are outclassed by pink horrors in terms of camping objectives. Pretty much the only notable thing that they do do is knock of a hull point or 2 from vehicles which can be a funny way to deal with IKs.

I only ever use them anymore by summoning them when i can place them in a in-cover objective or need to speed bump a vehicle of sorts.

Yeah i only really ever summon them now on objectives etc

I use them offensive distractions, which is generally frowned on by most people, as it isn't the most competitive. However, when 10 PB deep strike next to your markerlights, IG command squad, tanks, or whatever is hiding in the back, your opponent has to deal with it. Drop into cover, risk those few terrain tests, and now you have a +3 cover save. Also, nothing better than hitting that dev squad with a defensive grenade.


If you want a list to catch people off guard, include 4 units of deep striking PBs, it can be wicked fun!

I find that 20 plague bearers with a champion w/ etherblade and a psyker herald with fnp locus and a greater etherblade can be quite effective marching straight for the middle of the enemy line. Flanked by daemonettes or bloodletters on one side and with the other side loaded down with bloodcrushers and seekers and having a greater daemon or two it's great for table control. The herald and champ both armed with ap2 weapons means it also has a bit of a punch and there are other faster things for the enemy to worry about. Then, eventually, the big unit hits the enemy line and that's the end. Or the other fast units have knocked out the big threats and the big blob just exerts control over areas and objectives.

4 Squads of dsing pbearers sounds super fun haha