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Jumping back into 40k and looking for some army advise
What would you say is the most durable army in general. Will be some time before i get an army put together so things may change, but armies like necrons and nurgle/death guard are commenly, i think, considered durable.
Thinks like minus to hit modifiers may change so would likely not get into those armies.

And i don't like moving 200 models around the table, so durability in numbers isn't my thing even though it may be effective.

Bunus if the army is somewhat mobile and shooty.

Thanks for any input you may have

Necrons, not so much depending on what point level you're aiming to build to.

I seriously think it might be the Aeldari (Eldar). They have low toughness stats but it's almost impossible to actually hit the elfy [Expletive Deleted]s.

Custodes.
Base guys having a 2+3++ at T5 with three wounds.
Your opponent is doing well if he's taken 5 models out of your army.

zaible wrote:
And i don't like moving 200 models around the table, so durability in numbers isn't my thing even though it may be effective.

Then in the immortal words of South Park, you're gonna have a bad time.

Your choices are basically Knight Soup with Custodes, or Mechanised Eldar with Jetbikes.

A single knight castellan with 12-15 CP dedicated to it is the most durable thing in the regular game atm.


Custodes are extremely durable if you cant toss mortal wounds at them (...not many armies cant).

Death Guard is pretty durable if they are rolling average (you can literally make an army that ignores 62% of all wounds you inflict on them).

 BaconCatBug wrote:
......or Mechanised Eldar with Jetbikes.

Point of clarity here, he means Shining Spears specifically. Windriders are far, far from durable.
But I agree otherwise. An Alaitoc Eldar list with Wave Serpents, Hemlocks and Shining Spears is probably the most "durable" list in 40K that doesn't sacrifice hitting power per point (like Custodes do), nor does it "require" tons of CPs like a Castellan will.

-

I had totally forgotten non-Shining Spear jetbikes existed tbh.

On any given day, any given army is just one GW FAQ away from being made gak.

Just go for the army you like the look/feel of man. Also if you'd enjoy painting them.

Of course if you just want to play stricly competitevly and dont care about fluff / painting then just look at the top 10 lvo lists and pick one of those I guess.

Eldar are durable if you play wraith lists.

Dark elfs are durable if you play coven.

Space marines are tough ish. Maybe not right now, but over time they are a tough army.

 McMagnus Mindbullets wrote:
Custodes.
Base guys having a 2+3++ at T5 with three wounds.
Your opponent is doing well if he's taken 5 models out of your army.

Base is 2+/4++. You can give the troops Storm Shields as an upgrade, but everybody else that's not a HQ is rocking 2+/4++ (Wardes, Allarus, Jetbikes, e.t.c.).

But you are right, they are a super durable army and an Outrider of Custodes Jetbikes is very competitive. As a kind of 'opener' list for a new player, you can take a Custodes Outrider of Jetbikes, a Knight Castellan and an Astra Militarum CP Battalion in a 2,000 point list.

Audustum wrote:

 McMagnus Mindbullets wrote:
Custodes.
Base guys having a 2+3++ at T5 with three wounds.
Your opponent is doing well if he's taken 5 models out of your army.

Base is 2+/4++. You can give the troops Storm Shields as an upgrade, but everybody else that's not a HQ is rocking 2+/4++ (Wardes, Allarus, Jetbikes, e.t.c.).

But you are right, they are a super durable army and an Outrider of Custodes Jetbikes is very competitive. As a kind of 'opener' list for a new player, you can take a Custodes Outrider of Jetbikes, a Knight Castellan and an Astra Militarum CP Battalion in a 2,000 point list.

Sure if you want to start off by being "that guy.'

Drukari have to be in with a shout. Talos or grotesques with a homonculus are really difficult to remove. Stick in 3x razorwings, 3 minimum raks troops and a ravanger or two and you're golden.

Or if mobile, shooty and tough is what you want a Tau mech list is amazingly tough. 3x riptides, 3-9 broadsides and some sheild drones and you're away.

Prophets of Flesh are very, very durable. 4++ 6+++ across the board and +1T within 6 of a Haemonculus.

The great thing with Grotesques is that they are 4 wounds, and there is barely anything in the game that deals a flat 4 damage, meaning there is no real efficient way to kill them. Damage 3 stuff like Thunderhammers or Reapers need 2 wounds to go through to kill one, so even a Smash Captain will only kill 1 on average each time it fights.

Everyone underestimates Wracks as well as they don't expect your basic troops to be T5. And they can come back with Black Cornucopians so long as there's one left alive.

Just watch out for Death Hex.

Headlss wrote:

Audustum wrote:

 McMagnus Mindbullets wrote:
Custodes.
Base guys having a 2+3++ at T5 with three wounds.
Your opponent is doing well if he's taken 5 models out of your army.

Base is 2+/4++. You can give the troops Storm Shields as an upgrade, but everybody else that's not a HQ is rocking 2+/4++ (Wardes, Allarus, Jetbikes, e.t.c.).

But you are right, they are a super durable army and an Outrider of Custodes Jetbikes is very competitive. As a kind of 'opener' list for a new player, you can take a Custodes Outrider of Jetbikes, a Knight Castellan and an Astra Militarum CP Battalion in a 2,000 point list.

Sure if you want to start off by being "that guy.'

Alright, I'll bite. It's not being TFG to build a legal list within GW's own rules. Plus, the OP specifically asked for a competitive army.

It is being that fething guy to go on the internet find and build the best list out there.

Castellen, loyal 32, and captain do not bypass the language filter like this. Reds8n on a jet bike, is the best list.

He didn't ask for competitive. He asked for consistently durable. Consistently. Hopefully when the next round of tweeks and nerfs come around that specific list is nerfed. So in 6 months or a year it won't be as tough as it is now.


OP, if you show up as a new guy to play at a new table and make new friends with that list, you are going to get looks and sideways glances at the least.

 McMagnus Mindbullets wrote:
Custodes.
Base guys having a 2+3++ at T5 with three wounds.
Your opponent is doing well if he's taken 5 models out of your army.

And given your own low model count* I'd expect that to be a very bad day for you....


*: I presume. I can't imagine that type of base guy comes cheap.

Seems like a lot of armies can build durable lists so that means i have a lot of options.
Look is important but playstyle is more important for me, but since i have so many armies to choose from i will go and look at pretty pictures and possible order a codex

Side-question. Rulebook and codex are mandatory. But are the rest of the requirred rules in online F.A.Q.s or are there any other books that is needed to purchase?

Codex and mrp of Chapter Approved are required. Aside from the Detachments there's no really in the BRb that you need to play that isn't in the free PDF

Yeah rulebook has 85% of fluff pages. 5% rules 10%mission rules. Core rules are available for free. Its not essential but its a nice book if you like books and reading fluff and enjoy pretty pictures.

Codex is very useful as it contains all the data sheets, rules strategems psychic powers etc. However points will be superceded by CA 2018 which contains updated points and some rules. The rest are in free online FAQ's.

Depending on what army you pick some weapon options are not covered by your codex and might be contained in an index (im looking at you autarchs...). These options are all available in battlescribe when you list build anyway.

Ynnari have an objectively higher win rate than Castellan soup.

That said, people do not like fighting Knights. I took a pure knights list to a 1500 pt single detachment tournament, and over 3 games I lost a single model. 2 of my 3 wins I suffered zero casualties. 2 of 3 opponents got quite salty towards the end. They probably shouldn't have brought Primaris lists with zero anti tank to a tournament, but still, prepare for people to not have fun playing against you if you bring Knights.

custodes are tough, can do quite well and a 2k point army can fit in a lunchbox (mine literally is in a lunchbox with custom foam inserts) you would not be taking tournaments with pure custodes, but they can be a portion of the imperial soup in tournments and do well.

Like many other have said, custodes are probably the most durable-on-average army in the game. Death guard/ Nurgle demons are also a strong choice and have been for a long time. You mentioned Necrons and I can tell you that they *can* be under the right circumstances. When Quantum shielding works it is almost comical. Overlord on CCB gets QS and if you take skin of living gold warlord trait they everyone trying to shoot him gets -1 to hit. Living metal is gravy, and chapter approved from 2018 really closed the point gap between him and the standard overlord. Lychguard and warrior blobs supported by rez orb are still fantastic, and Lychguard have a rule that lets them intercept wounds for your HQ characters. Necrons are not considered a very competative army right now, but they are very fun and are durable in all senses of the word.

 Eihnlazer wrote:
A single knight castellan with 12-15 CP dedicated to it is the most durable thing in the regular game atm.


Custodes are extremely durable if you cant toss mortal wounds at them (...not many armies cant).

Death Guard is pretty durable if they are rolling average (you can literally make an army that ignores 62% of all wounds you inflict on them).

Harlequins Jetbike will eat that Knight for breakfast.

You should seriously consider Aledrai, who have stacking minus to hit and many of them can get a decent inv saves. Imo, they are the most tough army in current meta.

Neophyte2012 wrote:

 Eihnlazer wrote:
A single knight castellan with 12-15 CP dedicated to it is the most durable thing in the regular game atm.


Custodes are extremely durable if you cant toss mortal wounds at them (...not many armies cant).

Death Guard is pretty durable if they are rolling average (you can literally make an army that ignores 62% of all wounds you inflict on them).

Harlequins Jetbike will eat that Knight for breakfast.

You should seriously consider Aledrai, who have stacking minus to hit and many of them can get a decent inv saves. Imo, they are the most tough army in current meta.

Eldar have tricks. But they are a fragile army. And certainly not "the most durable army over time."

Tyranids with HF Leviathan, lots of hive tyrants and hive guard can absorb absurd amounts of damage.

AdMech, particualy Kataphrons (Troops ~50pts per model), Dragoons (Fast Attack ~70pts), Kastellans & Onagers (Heavy Support ~110[per model] & ~120 respectivly) run as Stygies for a -1 to hit outside of 12".

1. Your HQ's can repair every single model of the above units D3 wounds per turn (double that with a stratagem for 1CP).
2. the lowest toughness is 5 (on the troops, and 3 wounds each), 6 on the Dragoons, with 6 wounds, and T7 on the Kastellans & Onager...
3. The dragoons have -2 to hit (with Stygies) due to a natural -1. making most shooting lists fail to hit...
4. it is an elite, smallish model count list.
5. It has a really high amount of firepower available. (Even the Troops can have plasma cannons at 36", D6 shots each, on a unit of up to 12 models, at S8, -3AP and 2 damage), and the Kastellans have up to 18 S6 -2AP shots per MODEL.
6. the Dragoons can move 10" normally and for 1CP can advance 2D6 if needed. and most of the rest of the army can move and shoot heavy weapons without penalty.
7. Every single model in an Admech list has an invulnerable save of at least 6++
8. Canticles of the Omnissiah (an army wide rule) can give you free cover for the whole army even if you are in the open), yes that includes the tanks. which adds +1 to all armour saves

Deathguard imo.
You can create certain upper tier lists with them that have FNP, effectively immune to morale, good toughness, "relatively" cheap points and decent buffs.
Its a choice of either wiping them out completely or outnumbering them on objectives.