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Hello! i recently decided to get back into Warhammer 40k after a few years. I had a chaos marines army but lost interest in the force altogether. I thought i'd make a fresh start and get into something different. I have hit a wall as i can't seem to make
a solid decision on what to go for.

Initially Necrons caught my eye, i read into the lore and liked the idea of walking across the battlefield as metal warriors of pure destruction. They just feel lacking in something though, it's like yeah i have powerful metal soldiers but i look at other armies and see things like Space Marine Dreadnoughts and Tau Battlesuits and just wish Necrons had a wider array of models.

Aesthetics are a big thing for me, as i'm really into painting and for me to spend hundreds of hours to then look at my army and go "ehh these aren't that great" would be bad. I looked into Tau but then discovered they're more long range in games, something i'm not massively fond of. Standing afar and shooting is less appealing than getting in your face with a blade and short range gun.

I've ruled out tyranids as again it's just not one i find appealing. I of course looked at Space Marines, but was plagued with the thought that every buggar will be playing them, doesn't make it feel as unique to be honest.
I'm not that knowledgeable about the game and what army does what, as painting was my main interest but of course recently, putting an army into play has become a certain thing. So really i'm looking for an army that has a reasonable selection of models and that does well at slicing and dicing people up close. It'd be Space Marines but i feel they're not really unique enough. I don't know, if anyone with experience has any thoughts i'll appreciate any response

Thanks for your time.

So it sounds like the things your are looking for is Aesthetics, the ability to give it a unique feel, and isn't confined to fighting in a single style.

Have you given any thoughts to Orks? While the new dex may see a resurgence in their popularity Ork armies have always been some of the most interesting to see on the tabletop as there is almost no limit to what you can do for kustamizationz ta make da boyz an' trukkz orky.

And, again the dex isn't out so we don't know for sure, while they have a stigma that they must be in assault they have always had plenty of options for army builds. Especially now that everything is scoring.

Orks could be possible. Necrons were my first choice, but i felt they lacked in variety. Not sure how they play but with some convincing i can see myself marching across the battlefields, laying waste to anyone and everything with Gauss rifles.


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Necrons do feel too limited though. I'll give Orks a look

You should consider eldar, they are very varied in their models and they can do some fancy movement tricks even on foot.

I would suggest either Eldar or Dark Eldar, both have great models that are very detailed and a joy to paint. Dark Eldar are especially good at closing the distance with their foes and tearing them apart with their various melee units.

Looked at some of the less common, yet recognisable, SM chapters? Lamenters, Soul Drinkers, Flesh Tearers, Sons of Medusa, Minotaurs, Red Scorpions, Celestial Lions, Excorcists and Carchorodons?

You could use a wide variety of codices, from BA to Clan Raukaan to ForgeWorld to Grey Knights.

Everything you've said points towards Dark Eldar.

- They aren't widely played
- They have the most aesthetically pleasing models in the range
- They are a challenge to paint
- They are not long range like Tau, they're more CC oriented (though not completely)

These are good examples of different speeehss mureeeeens from FW

I'd go Orks. They're about to get a bunch of cool new stuff, and, in my experience, the Ork player is almost always the one having the most fun.

I'd agree with the guy who said DE, however like half that army is Finecast, so I'd avoid it for now.

 slowthar wrote:
I'd go Orks. They're about to get a bunch of cool new stuff, and, in my experience, the Ork player is almost always the one having the most fun.

I'd agree with the guy who said DE, however like half that army is Finecast, so I'd avoid it for now.

Agreed, when I started it came down to Tyranids or Orks, I couldn't decide so I rolled a dice and the Tyranids won, I was still unsure for a bit, but then a friend bought me the Swarm box for the Tyranids.

I definitely think I will start an Ork army in the future though.

Do you know if the older models will still be usable and if so, will they sky rocket in price?

I haven't really kept up on the news and rumors about what's coming out for Orks and what isn't, but I would speculate that the only thing that could potentially skyrocket in price is the AoBR Orks not being a buck apiece anymore, which I think already has happened since AoBR went out of print. I got my 120 off eBay a long time ago so I'm good :-)

Of course, last I heard, the new 7th boxed set will include Orks, so chances are you'll be able to get cheap boyz again.

And, say what you will about GW, but I don't recall them ever making older models completely unusable in a major way. (Although there's an example here and there, particularly special characters). So anything you pick up now will probably have a use. It'll just be a question of if it's any good or not in the new codex, which isn't really predictable.

Seems to me you might enjoy Dark Eldar. Further, since DE and Eldar are Battle brothers, you can easily mix and match units and make a really unique force for yourself.

Some interesting suggestions. I was looking at random Space Marines Chapters and
came across the Salamanders, they seem pretty decent and from what i can see, doesn't seem like a
common choice. They specialise in flamers and custom power weapons, sounds good

Stokely93 wrote:
Some interesting suggestions. I was looking at random Space Marines Chapters and
came across the Salamanders, they seem pretty decent and from what i can see, doesn't seem like a
common choice. They specialise in flamers and custom power weapons, sounds good

lol are you trolling? Salamanders were THE most popular Chapter during 5th edition. They lost some love during 6th due to the lessened reliance on melta. But they are still popular. Not saying you shouldn't pick em up... just explaining that you are not goin to be the only Sallies player on the block.

What are your opinions on Eldar? are they a good starting force? do they have a mixture of playstyles?

Just keep looking at models and fluff until one really pulls you in? Everyone really has their own tastes.

You said you didn't like that everyone seemed to play SM, but I wouldn't let that stop you. There are many different flavors of SM, and some of them look really different.

Based on what you said, have you looked at Grey Knights (have their own codex, are quite different from most SM, and look quite distinctive) or Iron Warriors (Chaos Marine codex, painted a bit differently, and uses lots of vehicles)?

From what you said, I'm not sure Dark Eldar are what you want. Possibly Wraith-heavy CW Eldar, but they have very little variety if you want to play mostly wraiths.

Stokely93 wrote:
What are your opinions on Eldar? are they a good starting force? do they have a mixture of playstyles?

I think the best way to describe the Eldar is highly specialized and diverse army. Not only do they have powerful Psykers, heavily armed and fast skimmers along with various aspect warriors, they also have incredibly tough wraith unit such as the Wraith Knight. However, many units are both expensive and fragile and often excelling in a single role at the cost of versatility. You can easily make a army of mostly Aspect Warriors, units mounted on Jetbikes or mounted in fast transports, or focus on the slow and tough wraith units, the Eldar codex really allows for a large number of options. Just be ready to experiment with various unit combinations to find out what best works for you. Hope this is helpful in deciding what army to pick.

Stokely93 wrote:
What are your opinions on Eldar? are they a good starting force? do they have a mixture of playstyles?

I know SM are the starter army. Eldar are trickier, but don't let that stop you. Did you not like any of the chapters I suggested? I was quite similar to you (I'd played Sons of Medusa prior to my hiatus) and didn't want to play something mainstream or SM, so I went for Alpha Legion.

If you're looking for something to paint, I'd probably veto necrons. I just started my army not long ago, and I picked them for not being hard to paint. Took me about ten minutes to get half my forces done.

If you wan't Aesthetic but more close combat orientated I would recommend either Orks or Dark Eldar.

Ork's are not only super customizable AND getting a new codex, but are also fun to paint (there old codex gave vehicles bonus speed for having red on them!) But are also super close combat orientated.

Dark Eldar are less close combat orientated then Orks, but also appear more unique. Out of all my warhammer 40k buds only one of them has DE. Fielding them would really make you unique on the table. Also, they take much more time to paint to give them a finished, unique feel.

Either way, take a look at both the models, and codexes. If you like them then great! If not, Take a look somewhere else, every army appeals to someone!

I think Eldar are beginning to be the most appealing, specifically the Altansar. The sense of mystery about them and the Dark Reapers are definitely pulling me in. They look fun to paint and are aesthetically really nice looking in my opinion. They have a nice mixture and the Wraith Constructs just look amazing. To be honest the thought of having something a bit popular isn't bothering me as much, i imagine Eldar aren't rare. I've booked a tester session at my Games Workshop store to have a play with some Eldar so i can get a feel for what they're like to play. Thanks for all the replies and suggestions, really appreciate it
Cheers guys