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Hey guys, i'ts been roughly 5 years since I last played WH40K and have a few questions.

1. What are considered the good or strong armies atm?

2. Are there any major changes to the game (new armies, massive rule changes, changed army names)?

3. Is the hobby still as big as it used to be or has it become less popular?

4. Have they increased the price for miniatures and paint or is it still roughly the same?

Thanks

1. Eldar, Tau and Space Marines

2. Genestealers, Ad Mech, Skitarii, Tempestus Scions, Deathwatch Marines and soon to be Custodes and SoBs. Imperial Guard are now Astra Militarum.

3. Seems the same size. Though less sightings of public gaming.

4. Depends on what you mean. The prices are relatively the same but now boxes of 5 new infantry go for $45. Start Collecting sets save some money and some new stuff is just old stuff with a new sprue.

1. Necrons, Eldar, Tau and Space Marines. Certain builds from other factions can also be very powerful (Admech War Convocation, for example).

2. Biggest changes are in army composition. You can bring whatever you like from whatever codex you like now. You also get huge benefits for fielding certain combinations of models, called detachments and formations. Space Marines can bring FREE transport vehicles if they bring a full battle company, for example.
Other changes include a Physic Phase, new unit types in regular 40k (Gargantuan Creatures, Super Heavy Vehicles, Fliers). I don't know if you've played 6th ed, but if you haven't there's also Overwatch, which allows you to out of sequence shoot at a unit that charges you (only hitting on 6s though), transports have hull points, which are very similar to wounds, and no assaulting out of most transports.

They're are quite a few new armies;
Deathwatch
Geanstealer Cults
Imperial Knights (Mini titans)
Militarum Tempestus (IG Stormtroopers)
Skitarii (Admech foot soldiers)
Cult Mechanicus (Admech contraptions and tech priests)
Harlequins (like before but fleshed out a lot)
Inquisition are they're own thing now.

Renaming wise;
Imperial Guard = Astra Militarum
IG Stormtroopers = Militarum Tempests
Sisters of Battle = Adepta Sororitas

3. From what I can tell, the hobby's still strong, though a lot of alternative games have flourished and so people's attention have also been pulled there.

4.These days GW don't have price raises, but new models often cost more than older ones. You'll find that everything released up until 2014-ish has remained pretty consistent price-wise. Stuff made after that though tends to be more costly, especially characters. In spite of this, they've released quite a few reasonably priced deals, like the Start Collecting! boxes which have really good deals, and some of the most recent characters and kits have been reasonably price (see Deathwatch release).

Forgot about the Knights and Space Clowns.

1. As far as tournament grade lists go, prepare to be dumbfounded. The top marine lists either play like guardsmen hordes or invincible psychic deathstars, and several of the xeno races take multiple copies of amazing monstrous/gargantuan creatures like riptides, flying hive tyrants, wraithknights etc.
Many armies, at least half of them, have at least a list or two that can get you to the top tables with some help from the dice and matchup gods.

2. Nothing to add

3. It has become bigger. There's a format called ITC that takes in tourney scores from around the world and makes a circuit that tracks and awards performance after the las Vegas open each year. (For example I got recognized and given a sweet glass trophy for being the best BA player worldwide last year )
The participation in the circuit has gotten steadily and substantially larger each year, and it seems that certain online efforts like frontlinegaming, miniwargaming, and other similar sites and podcasts have been helping to grow the game's popularity. GW itself has even come out of its shell to face the outside world on social media. History may remember this last couple years as the start of a 40k resurgence that pushes it back to the uncontested top of table wargaming.

4. Nothing to add here either.