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Still tearing my hair out trying to build a half decent half competitive Chaos list. Struggling! Looking for help and suggestions! I have one with allied daemons, and one with pure CSM.

Here is the allied one:

2000 Pts - Codex: Chaos Space Marines Roster

Total Roster Cost: 2000

HQ: Daemon Prince (1#, 265 pts)
1 Daemon Prince + Power Armour + Wings + Daemon of Khorne + Gift of Mutation
1 Axe of Blind Furys

HQ: Kharn the Betrayer (1#, 160 pts)
1 Kharn the Betrayer

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (9#, 220 pts)
8 Khorne Berzerkers + Plasma Pistol x1 + Chainaxe x2
1 Berzerker Champion + Chainaxe + Plasma Pistol

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (9#, 220 pts)
8 Khorne Berzerkers + Plasma Pistol x1 + Chainaxe x2
1 Berzerker Champion + Chainaxe + Plasma Pistol

Fast Attack: Heldrake (1#, 170 pts)
1 Heldrake

Heavy Support: Maulerfiend (1#, 125 pts)
1 Maulerfiend

Heavy Support: Maulerfiend (1#, 125 pts)
1 Maulerfiend

Heavy Support: Chaos Land Raider (1#, 235 pts)
1 Chaos Land Raider0 + Dirge Caster

HQ: Bloodthirster (1#, 280 pts)
1 Bloodthirster (HQ) [cd] + DR: Lesser Rewards x1 + DR: Greater Rewards x1

Troops: Bloodletters of Khorne (10#, 100 pts)
10 Bloodletters of Khorne (Troops) [cd]

Troops: Bloodletters of Khorne (10#, 100 pts)
10 Bloodletters of Khorne (Troops) [cd]

And the pure CSM list:

2000 Pts - Codex: Chaos Space Marines Roster

Total Roster Cost: 2000

HQ: Daemon Prince (1#, 265 pts)
1 Daemon Prince + Power Armour + Wings + Daemon of Khorne + Gift of Mutation
1 Axe of Blind Fury

HQ: Kharn the Betrayer (1#, 160 pts)
1 Kharn the Betrayer

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (9#, 233 pts)
8 Khorne Berzerkers + Plasma Pistol x1 + Chainaxe x3
1 Berzerker Champion + Gift of Mutation + Chainaxe + Plasma Pistol

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (8#, 171 pts)
7 Khorne Berzerkers + Chainaxe x2
1 Berzerker Champion + Chainaxe

Troops: Chaos Cultists (20#, 110 pts)
19 Chaos Cultists + Autogun x8 + Flamer x1 + Heavy Stubber x1
1 Cultist Champion + Shotgun

Troops: Chaos Cultists (20#, 110 pts)
19 Chaos Cultists + Autogun x8 + Flamer x1 + Heavy Stubber x1
1 Cultist Champion + Shotgun

Elite: Chaos Terminators (6#, 466 pts)
4 Chaos Terminators + Mark of Khorne + Chainfist x1 + Power Fist x1 + Combi-Meltagun x1 + Reaper Autocannon x1
1 Terminator Champion + Gift of Mutation + Mark of Khorne
1 Chaos Land Raider + Dirge Caster

Heavy Support: Maulerfiend (1#, 125 pts)
1 Maulerfiend

Heavy Support: Maulerfiend (1#, 125 pts)
1 Maulerfiend

Heavy Support: Chaos Land Raider (1#, 235 pts)
1 Chaos Land Raider + Dirge Caster

All help and opinions welcome! In the second list, the land raider taken for the termies, is actually for the bezerkers with the termies going into deep strike reserve.

id say drop the plasma pistols from the beserkers and the lesser reward on the bloodthurster to free up 40pts and buy the other beserker squad a rhino and have it hid behind the landraider.

Now, I don't have much experience at those point levels, but here's a few ideas:

You could replace one or two maulerfiends with Havocs and your choice of ACs, MLs or LCs.
Just because your army is dedicated to Khorne, doesn't mean they have to be all choppy and no dakka.

Also, consider going all-out combi-melta or -plasma with the Terminators, since you are deep striking them anyway. Landraiders don't seem terrible cost-effective (though I couldn't say from experience), considering they low amount of firepower for their cost. So having a second one really seems rather wasteful, even though I do understand you need a way of delivering your CC troops.

You could replace one Landraider for 2 Predators or some Havocs. Even Obliterators might work.

Maybe thinking about what the usual problems are, when using your army, might give some insight.
What is each unit's specific role? Are they accomplishing, what they should? If not, why?
Is your army getting shot to bits while being unable to get into close combat quick enough? Take some long range weapons to deal with the greatest long range threats first. Add more bodies to soak up the fire. Give everyone a transport vehicle, your enemy won't be able to take out everything at once.

Just some ideas. Hope they help.

I'd keep the land raider. All of CSM codex is powerful in close-range fighting, and without drop-pods, land raiders are honestly the best way to go about it if you have the points. It also is a bullet magnet, which is great.

I'd take cultists naked. After all the points you spend on them, they'd be stronger instead with just more of them. More wounds, more attacks, and more resistance to taking leadership checks. Its what cultists are all about, putting bodies on the table.

If you're looking for anti-armor, nothing beats maulerfiends, meltas, and chainfists. Consider those three weapons and how they fit your list. Lascannons dont even compare but they are very long range so they are reliable in that their wielder will likely not be killed until late game if at all. They just take a few turns to take down armor. Consider this as well. Do you need to take down their vehicles right away? Or can you hide your units in CC from their AV14 dakka vehicles and take it down safely over 3 turns? Up to you. Keep in mind how uncommon armor can be, these days. Think about the people you play against in your area.

I don't know if I'd take the 2nd squad of zerkers in the rhino. I'd drop them for more bloodletters, cultists, anti-armor, or fire support. That things going to get popped because everything else is flying or a land raider or deepstriking, and they're going to have to spend a few turns running and getting shot at. Its basically the weak point in the list, something that costs a fair amount of points that is far easier to shoot at than everything else. Speaking of flyers, take 2 Heldrakes.

Whatever you end up doing, keep in mind that you need some sort of support base on which the rest of your army may stand. Whether it shoots or choppes, you need something that can quickly take down threats to your land raider and other goodies that move up the board until they get into CC.

Drop those fiends for obliterators. They can provide both close range firepower AND long range dakka. I would recommend them over the maulerfiends, but your maluerfiend WILL work in your army. If I were you I'd prefer obliterators; problem is that khorne doesnt work on them, Nurgle or tzeentch does

So are people swaying towards list one or list two? I think list two offers a bigger punch, but list one gives more variety. In list one I could drop the bezerkers and a squad of blood letters which will afford me some Khorne terminators and a squad of 20 cultists. Thoughts?

I like list one but you need a transport for the second berzerker squad.

If you want people to pick a list id suggest setting up a poll. I'd say go with list #1 but throw out the zerker squad not in the LR and add a second heldrake and 10 cultists

Ok, so I have come up with another list, that may or may not be viable. I am concerned about the weakness of the cultist squads. But I need them as I am using a dual FOC and thats how I have 4 heavy's and 3 HQ It does mean I get drop blood letters which I dont like, but they are the tax you have to pay for the bloodthirster.

Here it is:

2000 Pts - Codex: Chaos Space Marines Roster

Total Roster Cost: 2000

HQ: Daemon Prince (1#, 265 pts)
1 Daemon Prince + Power Armour + Wings + Daemon of Khorne + Gift of Mutation
1 Axe of Blind Fury

HQ: Kharn the Betrayer (1#, 160 pts)
1 Kharn the Betrayer

HQ: Dark Apostle (1#, 125 pts)
1 Dark Apostle + Mark of Khorne + Gift of Mutation

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (9#, 230 pts)
8 Khorne Berzerkers + Plasma Pistol x1 + Chainaxe x2
1 Berzerker Champion + Gift of Mutation + Chainaxe + Plasma Pistol

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (9#, 200 pts)
8 Khorne Berzerkers + Chainaxe x2
1 Berzerker Champion + Gift of Mutation + Chainaxe

Fast Attack: Heldrake (1#, 170 pts)
1 Heldrake

Heavy Support: Maulerfiend (1#, 125 pts)
1 Maulerfiend

Heavy Support: Maulerfiend (1#, 125 pts)
1 Maulerfiend

Heavy Support: Chaos Land Raider (1#, 240 pts)
1 Chaos Land Raider + Dirge Caster + Warpflame Gargoyles

Heavy Support: Chaos Land Raider (1#, 240 pts)
1 Chaos Land Raider + Dirge Caster + Warpflame Gargoyles

Troops: Chaos Cultists (10#, 55 pts)
9 Chaos Cultists + Flamer x1
1 Cultist Champion

Troops: Chaos Cultists (10#, 65 pts)
9 Chaos Cultists + Autogun x8 + Heavy Stubber x1
1 Cultist Champion + Shotgun

What do people think of this?

what is the dark apostle for? Id get rid of him and get more cultists

The dark apostle is there for three reasons, maybe four. He will join either of the bezerker squads. I will explain why either.

Either squad he joins will be able to re roll failed to hits in the first round of combat, increasing their effectiveness on the charge, which is their strong point. If he is in Kharn's unit, that means that if Kharn rolls that unlikely 1, I will get a re roll, stopping him from obliterating one of his own bezerkers!

If he Joins the other squad, then that means that between him and kharn both squads will be leadership 10. He also boosts all leadership within 6"

He allows either champion in the squad he joins to re roll on the boon table - never a bad thing.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, the model is cool as hell! SO why not include it? I understand the point of cultists, but I'm not their biggest fan. And the prospect of painting more than the original 20 from the dark vengeance box really doesn't appeal to me!