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I'm a bit confused on the whole Primaris/Ultramarines thing.

Like for example, is every Ultramarine that I buy now in 8th Edition a Primaris? Or are there some just pre-primaris transformation space marines in 8th edition that I can buy?

Should my entire army be just primaris, or should I have pre-primaris transformation troops in my army as well?

Everything else seems to be pretty straight forward. Ultramarines are really the only ones confusing me as I'm starting to collect them. I just don't want to buy a model and "Oh it's outdated cuz it's not primaris" or something, you know?

Your space marine codex contains units from the "classical" marine options, pre-Primaris units (many of which still have available model kits). Primaris is a new wave of different (larger) space marines.

If you're new to 40K you might as well just start with Primaris and stick with them. They're better in most ways, and over time will receive more and more new units. Classical marines are being phased out. They'll be in the game for a long time, but will receive no new model kits and GW has been slowly making them less useful on the tabletop.

Because Primaris are new, they currently don't have a huge model range, so they don't cover all the angles you might want to cover with a Space Marines army. Only you can decide if investing in older models is worthwhile.

You can still buy non-primaris marines. Personally I think they look silly next to the primaris, and it is possible that the models will be phased out at some point (but it will take years.) If I were starting a completely new army, I'd go full primaris at this point, but it is really a matter of personal preference.

 Ironbeer wrote:
I'm a bit confused on the whole Primaris/Ultramarines thing.

Q:

 Ironbeer wrote:
Like for example, is every Ultramarine that I buy now in 8th Edition a Primaris?

A: No, every marine you buy here in 8th is not a Primaris.
So how to tell the difference?
1) Look at the names on the boxes/website entries & on the unit entries in the codex. Those who're Primaris will say so. (Ex: Primaris Aggressors.)
With one exception (Marneus Calgar, Ultramarines Chapter Master - note though that the other two guys that come with him are not Primaris) if it doesn't have the word Primaris in front of it, it's not a Primaris. (Ex: Vanguard Veteran Squad, or any vehicle save the Repulsor)
2) So, you're looking at a bunch of models on the table top.... The Primaris marines are noticeably larger than non-Primaris.

 Ironbeer wrote:
Should my entire army be just primaris, or should I have pre-primaris transformation troops in my army as well?

Non-primaris marines have more options equipment/weapon wise & the only Primaris vehicles right now are the Repulsor & Redemptor Dreadnought. So that answer will depend upon what options you want in your army....

It's very unlikely that all non-primaris marines & vehicles will be phased out of the game anytime soon (as in years). So if you decide non-primaris unit ____ fits your need now, buy it. Or if you just like the model.... Games are played in the NOW. So worry about crossing the "My ____ has been removed from the game!" bridge only if or when that day actually arrives.
I would recommend investing in the Ultramarines Upgrade Pack now if interested as opposed to later as that's the kind of thing GW often discontinues. Sometimes you can buy this stuff, sometimes you can't....

 Ironbeer wrote:

Should my entire army be just primaris, or should I have pre-primaris transformation troops in my army as well?

It's worth noting that the only one (so far) who has actually been transformed from a classic marine into a Primaris is Calgar. For the rest, basically, the new recruits they have added to the chapter have been (mostly?) Primaris. I'm not sure if the fluff still has them recruiting classic marines or whether all new recruits are Primaris nowadays.

Marines who were active before the Primaris reinforcements were sent are still marines classic. Although in the current timeline that's a couple of hundred years in the past so there will have been a lot of attrition on those.

The Codex even has a picture showing the whole Ultras 2nd company, complete with Primaris units and classic units.

 Ironbeer wrote:
I'm a bit confused on the whole Primaris/Ultramarines thing.

Here to help!

 Ironbeer wrote:

Like for example, is every Ultramarine that I buy now in 8th Edition a Primaris? Or are there some just pre-primaris transformation space marines in 8th edition that I can buy?

Not t every ultramarine is a primaris. There's still plenty marines kicking about from before the time gully came along again and introduced them. And in any case, not every neophyte since then is turned into a primaris marine, plenty are raised and trained using 'older' methods.

Regarding the not-primaris marines, it's in the name. Primaris-nouns are, unsurprisingly, primaris marines. The others are 'oldstartes', or classic marines.

 Ironbeer wrote:

Should my entire army be just primaris, or should I have pre-primaris transformation troops in my army as well?

You said it. 'my entire army'. Your army. Your choice. You decide. Yours can be all primaris, all classic marines, or a mix. There is No right or wrong way to do this.

 Ironbeer wrote:

Everything else seems to be pretty straight forward. Ultramarines are really the only ones confusing me as I'm starting to collect them. I just don't want to buy a model and "Oh it's outdated cuz it's not primaris" or something, you know?

Nothing's bee venom outdated. Not-primaris marines are still a thing in the lore, and the game, and will be for a long time to come.

As a new player, Primaris units look better and are easier to build, and don't have the Sword of Damocles hanging over their existence.

Unless you're running Big Bobby G in a castling army, I recommend staying with Primaris and using Deathwatch rules and painting your dudes as Ultramarines if you so wish. If you are running Rowboat Girlyman then stay with Primaris and slap some vehicles in there too.

collect what you want. I am on team I really doubt GW will stop making rules for classic marines any time soon (at least a decade or 2 out from that over a few editions) GW invested in lots of new kits in the last 5ish years. Centurians, catafractii, tarteros, contemptor dreds, storm hawks, storm talons, Mark III and Mark IV marines are all new enough kits that I doubt GW will want to retire them.

that said Primaris will be getting mroe and more kits and some people do not like little marines with the new larger ones just for the themed aspect. s for ultramarines specifically I think that is the best case fo ran all primaris army, though dark angels and blood angels hae a lot too. Papa smurf does like handing them out like candy to any chapter that wants them.

Someone is eventually going to tell you that if l you haven't actually purchased anything yet then you might want to reconsider Space Marines.

1) It's true that Marines are not particularly competitive right now, and Primaris-only armies are worse off.

2) It's also true that Marines are the poster-boys for the franchise and they're not likely to stay uncompetitive.

Some people believe that GW has deliberately made Marines bad since they are the army that tends to attract new players, the logic being "new player buys marines -> new player realizes marines are bad -> new player buys a different army -> GW profits" when the far more likely scenario is "new player buys marines -> new player realizes 40k's balance is kind of janky -> new player cuts their losses and eBays everything".

Whatever else you can say about GW's ability to balance their game (and you can definitely say some things) they've at least admitted that they have a problem and are trying a different approach.

The Newman wrote:

Some people believe that GW has deliberately made Marines bad since they are the army that tends to attract new players, the logic being "new player buys marines -> new player realizes marines are bad -> new player buys a different army -> GW profits" when the far more likely scenario is "new player buys marines -> new player realizes 40k's balance is kind of janky -> new player cuts their losses and eBays everything".

Whatever else you can say about GW's ability to balance their game (and you can definitely say some things) they've at least admitted that they have a problem and are trying a different approach.

I think its less that they are intentionally making Marines bad and more so that they intentionally make Marines simplistic to use (beginner friendly). Unfortunately, when combined with how already bare bones the game is, makes for an army that is very dependent on points cost to be successful. GW hasn't really done a very good job of figuring out how valuable a marine should be and they kinda hamstring themselves with sticking close to historic points values for a base marine when this edition values cheap disposable bodies far more than before and ATSKNF is mere shadow of its former self.

What GW is doing which is more on the anti consumer side of things is using the Primaris line and fluff changes as a means to make all the older space marine models obsolete so it reduces the amount of models circulating in the used market instead of buying new stuff from GW.

I mean on the new models vs old models my second edition orks due to scale creep are now played as gretchin

On the old marines I do think they will eventually be split codex, they laid the groundwork for that with flesh tearers not wanting to adopt primaris marines. I think 9th edition will have codex adeptus astartes and codex adeptus primaris.