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I got 100 dollars US to spend on Primaris, and I was wondering what some more experienced players would think about expanding on the army. I play pretty much all casual, but are there any units that are fun/slightly competitive that I could buy? The units I already Have are:

Rowboat Girlyman
1 Captain in Gravis
3 Units of Reivers (5 man)
1 Unit of Intecessors (5 man)
2 Redemptor Dreadnought (Easy Build Version)
1 Unit Aggressors (All have flame throwers)

All the units are standard equipped, no upgrades on anything. I feel like I’m missing anti-tank, but I don’t know what would be best to get next.

Another HQ such as a Librarian or Chaplain, or just an Lt
Two more squads of intercessors
Hellblasters

Repulsors (Executioner or regular)

I'd say a 10 man box of intercessors and a Librarian so you can take advantage of the Indomitus discipline which also falls within your budget

Unfortunately, $100 doesn't get you that far with Primaris (I should know I have a Primaris only army), but what you are lacking to make an actual battleforged army is some Troop choices. Perhaps another HQ choice to make a battalion.

As fraser1191 suggested, I too would recommend a box of Intercessors. Point for point, they really good as a the backbone of your army.

I think a HQ choice isn't a bad way to go with the remainder. As mentioned a Librarian is a bad way to go as it opens up the Psychic Phase to you and gives you Deny the Witch. However, even a Lieutenant or non-Gravis Captain might be more your fitting depending on your play style. So you might consider what you want out of your HQ choice. Although, I will admit, I too would lean toward the Librarian myself I was just starting out.

Thank you all for the responses I think I’ll a librarian and intecessors

Repulsor Executioner
10 Intercessors
A HQ model

See if you can get the marine half of the DI box?

 Nevelon wrote:
See if you can get the marine half of the DI box?

yeah honestly dark imperium is a MUST BUY for a space marine army core.

Definitely hellblasters and more intercessors - you can also get them cheap from people breaking the starter box. With the same logic, a Lieutenant and chapter ancient. I reckon you could get 22 models within your budget and something of a staple to any list you want to put together.

Also consider getting on pre-order the upcoming copies of Conquest from the UK. Forbidden planet have the Repulser copies still available.

I gotta agree, the DI marine half is pretty good starting point for a marine army, I added some dreads and a few other HQs on top of 2 of the DI marine halves(minus the gravis captain and the ancient though they are still good) and had a pretty solid army base, not going to win ITC tournaments with just that or anything but they do great for casual games.

BrianDavion wrote:

 Nevelon wrote:
See if you can get the marine half of the DI box?

yeah honestly dark imperium is a MUST BUY for a space marine army core.

Nah, Shadowspear is better if you can find it. Infiltrators are the only good troops choice as their deployment means they don't need to bring the dumpster fire transports Primaris are stuck with.

LoftyS wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

 Nevelon wrote:
See if you can get the marine half of the DI box?

yeah honestly dark imperium is a MUST BUY for a space marine army core.

Nah, Shadowspear is better if you can find it. Infiltrators are the only good troops choice as their deployment means they don't need to bring the dumpster fire transports Primaris are stuck with.

Infiltrators are silly expensive points-wise though.* I agree on Shadow Spear being the better bargain, but you're really getting your money's worth out of the Suppressors and Eliminators.

* - This is less relevant to the OP, you're missing two units of Troops to make a Battalion. I'd still recommend a couple of squads of Autobolter Intercessors over the Infiltrators, but if you can split it with someone to get just the Marine half of the box you're stretching that $100 a lot further on Dark Imperium or Shadow Spear and frankly the Hellblasters in DI are too many points for what they do.

No one mentioned incursors, they can deploy anywhere more than 9" away from the enemy deployment zone and enemy models, they ignore any negatives to hit, enemy units dont get cover, they get additional hits in melee on unmodified 6s for 19 ppm.

LoftyS wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

 Nevelon wrote:
See if you can get the marine half of the DI box?

yeah honestly dark imperium is a MUST BUY for a space marine army core.

Nah, Shadowspear is better if you can find it. Infiltrators are the only good troops choice as their deployment means they don't need to bring the dumpster fire transports Primaris are stuck with.

Intercessors are cheaper then infiltrators have, arguably, better guns, and have sufficant range on their guns that unless you play on an extra large table you hardly need a transport to get in range.

and if you DO need transports the Impulsor is FAR from bad.

BrianDavion wrote:

LoftyS wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

 Nevelon wrote:
See if you can get the marine half of the DI box?

yeah honestly dark imperium is a MUST BUY for a space marine army core.

Nah, Shadowspear is better if you can find it. Infiltrators are the only good troops choice as their deployment means they don't need to bring the dumpster fire transports Primaris are stuck with.

Intercessors are cheaper then infiltrators have, arguably, better guns

and if you DO need transports the Impulsor is FAR from bad.

How are the guns better? Rolls of 6 to hit wound anything in the game. No need to bring heavy support in an army where the troops can bodybag a knight.

As for the transports, what they do on the table is irrelevant, they are simply respect-deleting models to own, better use a my little pony box as a counts as.

your opinion are not facts, please stop trying to present them as such.

LoftyS wrote:
they are simply respect-deleting models to own

Ah, lovely to know whose points to dismiss then.

Shadowspear/Dark Imperium/Primaris Vanguard Start Collecting are definitely solid choices, can bag you a good core of units in one go. Plus, you can either sell off the other faction you don't want, or get a start into a new army!

Also as said, dedicated anti-tank is still worth a look in (even if Infiltrators can Wound well, they don't have much AP, if that's what you need). Repulsor Executioners are very good for this, and I've found las-fusil Eliminators to be effective when alongside a Captain.

In fact, if you were to but a multipart kit of Eliminators, and kitbash the spare guns with some Easy-to-Build Reivers, you could get three squads of Eliminators from just buying one box!

Infiltrators are very good infantry, but they should be taken for their defensive utility.

Intercessors are overall the better troops and you'll definitely need more.

I typically run 20 Intercessors, two full squads, and two 5 man units of Infiltrators.

LoftyS wrote:


How are the guns better? Rolls of 6 to hit wound anything in the game. No need to bring heavy support in an army where the troops can bodybag a knight.

As for the transports, what they do on the table is irrelevant, they are simply respect-deleting models to own, better use a my little pony box as a counts as.

This is pretty much the perfect example of the kind of post you shouldn't make when new players ask for advice. Seriously dude, what's the point of this when you're in a thread about a new player building an army more or less from the ground up?

To the OP, either the Dark Imperium or Shadowspear boxes would be good at this stage. Both offer pretty good value for money and both have a good selection of Troops and HQs, which will help bulking out your army. Shadowspear contains more expensive troops (in terms of points) but they offer a bit more utility and tricks to the army while Dark Imperium contains Intercessors which are excellent for adding some longer range shooting and a good amount of resilience to your army for relatively few points. Other than those, a Repulsor of some kind would probably be a good investement - Executioner for preference but the basic one's OK too. The good thing about Shadowspear and Dark Imperium is you can often find them for cheap on sites like eBay.

Slipspace wrote:

LoftyS wrote:


How are the guns better? Rolls of 6 to hit wound anything in the game. No need to bring heavy support in an army where the troops can bodybag a knight.

As for the transports, what they do on the table is irrelevant, they are simply respect-deleting models to own, better use a my little pony box as a counts as.

This is pretty much the perfect example of the kind of post you shouldn't make when new players ask for advice. Seriously dude, what's the point of this when you're in a thread about a new player building an army more or less from the ground up?

To the OP, either the Dark Imperium or Shadowspear boxes would be good at this stage. Both offer pretty good value for money and both have a good selection of Troops and HQs, which will help bulking out your army. Shadowspear contains more expensive troops (in terms of points) but they offer a bit more utility and tricks to the army while Dark Imperium contains Intercessors which are excellent for adding some longer range shooting and a good amount of resilience to your army for relatively few points. Other than those, a Repulsor of some kind would probably be a good investement - Executioner for preference but the basic one's OK too. The good thing about Shadowspear and Dark Imperium is you can often find them for cheap on sites like eBay.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/782756.page that thread umm... will explain where Lofty is coming from. He's clearly not exactly willing to be dispassionate on the subject of models he personally dislikes

I suggested Intercessors because they are much more flexible and easy to use for a new player over either Incursors or Infiltrators. I am going for a mostly Phobos armor Primaris only space marine army and I still prefer them for the backbone. There standard bolt rifle allows the unit to engage a wide variety of targets (all types of troops, small/light vehicles/monsters) and more range than other small arms which really helps a newer player as they learn the stats of their opponent's stuff and hone their target priority and positioning. Auto Bolt Rifles are also good, but not as flexible. If I only had 10 Intercessors, it could be a tough call, but I would split 5 with Bolt Rifles and 5 with Auto Bolt Rifles. Of course, the hipster part me likes to point out I liked Auto Bolt Rifles before they were cool.

Infiltrators are good Troop choices and very worth consideration. Doubly so if like me you want a mostly Phobos armor space marine army. At the same time, they are points intensive and you are going to only either make use of their Concealed Positions or their Omni-Scramblers. You can make use of both, I just find it uncommon. Placed forward with concealed positions can leave to be easy pickings for a new player as they aren't supported and enemy small arms what wouldn't have shot at all or at half shots in the case of Rapid Fire are going to tear them apart. At the same time, placed in the deployment zone can leave them outside of range themselves, but at least if they don't move they will have Rapid Fire still on. Finally, as for skipping the Wound step with the Marksman Bolt Carbine, it is a nicety if you only have a target with high Toughness. My experience has been even with targets with Toughness 5-7 that the Wound skipping ability only add 1 or 2 damage which helps but isn't going to bring down anything its not meant to on its own.

I can't speak of the Incursors yet as I have fielded them. Looking at what they bring I see why I have haven't rushed to finish painting the ten I have. The are noticeably less points that Infiltrators but also noticeably more points than Intercessors. Again, they have the same deal that Infiltrators have in you either make use of Concealed Postiions or Omni-Scramblers and they have the small arm weapon. They of course some area control with the mines, but that seems very difficult to get to work. I just don't know if I want to bother with Incursors over Intercessors that are just easier and more flexible to use.

I think Primaris space marine Troop choices are all pretty good options. I like that they are really more than a Troop tax (things players take to get the good units) and work well as fighting units in your army. I usually take 10-15 Intercessors and 5-10 Infiltrators in my armies. I would take more, but I have to make room for Reivers which I never get to work all that well but I like the models so I field when I can.

The reivers look great but their rules just aren’t good on the tabletop. which is a shame because the models and lore are nice.

TheAvengingKnee wrote:
The reivers look great but their rules just aren’t good on the tabletop. which is a shame because the models and lore are nice.

Before the 2019 Codex I found that the fundamental issue with Reivers was that while they could go wherever they wanted they could never kill anything once they got there, but if you were playing Deathwatch the SIA bolt carbines putting out two AP-2 shots at 18" could actually do some work. I'd suggest giving them a second look with the Doctrines now, especially in Blood Angels and to a lesser extent Space Wolves for the melee-focused Chapter Tactics. Three S4/AP- melee attacks aren't that scary, but three S4/AP-1 attacks with +1 to wound and an 8" charge out of Deep Strike could be.

 AnomanderRake wrote:

TheAvengingKnee wrote:
The reivers look great but their rules just aren’t good on the tabletop. which is a shame because the models and lore are nice.

Before the 2019 Codex I found that the fundamental issue with Reivers was that while they could go wherever they wanted they could never kill anything once they got there, but if you were playing Deathwatch the SIA bolt carbines putting out two AP-2 shots at 18" could actually do some work. I'd suggest giving them a second look with the Doctrines now, especially in Blood Angels and to a lesser extent Space Wolves for the melee-focused Chapter Tactics. Three S4/AP- melee attacks aren't that scary, but three S4/AP-1 attacks with +1 to wound and an 8" charge out of Deep Strike could be.

I run two six man (that's what I have built) squads of Reivers, one with knives and one with carbines. My chapter tactics are Bolter Fusillades and Whirlwind of Rage. I give them grapplers and chutes and deep strike them usually at the last possible moment. I usually stay in Tactical Doctrine but have done Assault Doctrine depending on what I felt I needed. I play a lot of melee focused armies though and have a lot Rapid Fire/Assault shooting (in a Primaris only, mostly infantry army? /s).

What I find is that my Reivers give me some breathing room as it slows my opponent and diverts attention from my main battle line. So they make excellent distraction carnifexes. My melee Reivers usually really hurt something their first attack (some 25+ attacks will do that) allowing me to easily clear most objectives If I get the charge. My carbine Reivers can put some hurt on characters if my opponent didn't screen well, though; more often than not they are just kinda an annoyance. My opponent's next turn usually wipes/cripples both of units though. That's not to say that is a bad thing, my Reivers do cause a lot of disruption and distraction. The people I have played so far really don't like that thorn in their side. So they seem to devote more effort dealing with my Reivers that I think is wise (maybe they are scarier that I think). At the same time, I probably should just go minimum squads and drop the grapplers since they are almost always a one and done unit.

I will agree that Reivers after the new Codex: Space Marines are much better. Before the codex, I found the same issue that they could get where I wanted them, but took too long to chew through their target. Now, they way I have them set up they are much more frightening (I really like Whirlwind of Rage), and probably why they get focused on by my opponent more. I think they are overlooked as the codex has better stuff in it, and Reivers still don't have any decent melee weapons.

LoftyS wrote:
How are the guns better? Rolls of 6 to hit wound anything in the game. No need to bring heavy support in an army where the troops can bodybag a knight.

So the whole hits of 6 auto wound pretty much equals 1 extra wound on avg from the unit. Looks good on paper though! Even with the one extra point of ap from tactical it's still roughly 1 wound(of 24) from a 5 man unit against knights, still basically pot shots.

Intercessors are better because they just have an extra point of ap. To be fair if you're shooting either units at a knight you're not doing more than 2 dmg and the intercessors will have a better chance with most likely 2 ap (tactical doctrine assumed because it's generally the go to for me).

LoftyS wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

LoftyS wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

 Nevelon wrote:
See if you can get the marine half of the DI box?

yeah honestly dark imperium is a MUST BUY for a space marine army core.

Nah, Shadowspear is better if you can find it. Infiltrators are the only good troops choice as their deployment means they don't need to bring the dumpster fire transports Primaris are stuck with.

Intercessors are cheaper then infiltrators have, arguably, better guns

and if you DO need transports the Impulsor is FAR from bad.

How are the guns better? Rolls of 6 to hit wound anything in the game. No need to bring heavy support in an army where the troops can bodybag a knight.

As for the transports, what they do on the table is irrelevant, they are simply respect-deleting models to own, better use a my little pony box as a counts as.

You've clearly never done the math on their guns have you?

Use your Reivers as Assault Bolt Rifle Intercessors.

What you'll find if you do the math on the full range of targets is that the Infiltrator rifle winds up performing somewhere between a Bolt Rifle and a Bolter until your target is T8+, and all three are terrible against T8+.

My experience says the Autobolter is worth the point most of the time, but we play objective missions all the time so my Intercessors almost never get to sit still. I'll take one squad without the Autobolter for backfield objective camping, but then I'm usually taking the Stalkers so I can snipe with them if the opportunity arises.

I tend to take Incursors over Infiltrators because they're cheaper, ignoring Cover tends to make up for the lack of AP, and they're slightly better in melee. The DS denial on Infiltrators is situationally brilliant, but they're paying a lot of extra points for an ability that might wind up having no use.