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Hello guys!

I want a painting project and the primaris marines are a perfect mix of elite, nice looking models I can pour time into and have them look real nice without amazing painting skills needed.

So it's a two fold question really, I'd want a list that isn't going to win a event but won't exactly lose all my games.

1 ) Can anyone give me a rough idea of what's good / bad in the army?

2 ) What chapter tactics do you think Primaris marines make the most out of?

1) Hellblasters are excellent. The characters are mostly decent to very good. A Captain and Ancient are cornerstones to making the most of your other units. Intercessors are alright - but you'll want 3 squads anyway for Command Points. Aggressors are quite nice as well.

Reivers probably have the hardest time finding a place in the army - they're either an assault-orientated unit in a shooting army (without power weapons) or put out similar shots to Intercessors without the benefits of being Troops.

2) For Chapter Tactics, Ultramarines are great so your Hellblasters can fall back and still shoot and they have good relics and traits as well. Since your guns can mostly rapid fire at 15", Raven Guard can also be beneficial and their Strategem works great with Aggressors.

Thanks matey! I put a mock list together and I'm excited to start painting

Atm full Primaris Ultramarines what I play. As mentioned hell blasters are great (especially with Guilliman for their re-rolls) I always bring them. I run 2 repulsors as well, one in AT role and one in max Dakka role. I just started running some flamer aggressors and so fat they have been very fun.

Edit: I forgot the Redemptor, I love the fire support it gives.

Decided on Salamanders, made a list that's 2k on the head

Primaris do pretty well when the enemy comes to you but do terrible if the enemy likes to keep their distance. And again this is only with Guilliman.

As Salamanders you are just going to get curbstomped every game. Just being honest man - space marines have the worst codex in the game.

honestly with primaris I like Iron hands, they are so pricey for the points that an additional 16.6*% survivability per wound matters.

it essentially turns a 5 man squad with 10 wounds into 11.7 wounds.

 Xenomancers wrote:
Primaris do pretty well when the enemy comes to you but do terrible if the enemy likes to keep their distance. And again this is only with Guilliman.

As Salamanders you are just going to get curbstomped every game. Just being honest man - space marines have the worst codex in the game.

Thanks for your advice Xenomancers, but I'm having enough fun in the game and not finding the same results you are. Appreciate looking our for me though

I decided on a list and a few of us localy are starting a new narrative campaign exploring new areas of the fluff.

 AaronWilson wrote:

 Xenomancers wrote:
Primaris do pretty well when the enemy comes to you but do terrible if the enemy likes to keep their distance. And again this is only with Guilliman.

As Salamanders you are just going to get curbstomped every game. Just being honest man - space marines have the worst codex in the game.

Thanks for your advice Xenomancers, but I'm having enough fun in the game and not finding the same results you are. Appreciate looking our for me though

I decided on a list and a few of us localy are starting a new narrative campaign exploring new areas of the fluff.

"Worst" is a very strong word. They were the first codex, so they were sort of a baseline for the others. I wouldn't say they are the worst at all, Ultras and Ravens are crazy. I think the other guy just has a tournament mindset. If you're just playing with friends, Space Marines generic is totally viable.

Xenomancers probably plays a lot of events and is most likely a much better player then me.

I play locally at 3-4 clubs all within a hour drive and it's all pretty relaxed. No one is running chaos soup with primarchs, or reaper spam, etc etc.

I've found big success with my World Eaters in 8th just rhinos, zerkers and dakka support but I'm not playing against anything super serious

 AaronWilson wrote:
Xenomancers probably plays a lot of events and is most likely a much better player then me.

I play locally at 3-4 clubs all within a hour drive and it's all pretty relaxed. No one is running chaos soup with primarchs, or reaper spam, etc etc.

I've found big success with my World Eaters in 8th just rhinos, zerkers and dakka support but I'm not playing against anything super serious

I can safely say that Zerker party bus is fantastic in 8th, especially with support...Because i've been doing the same thing

Iron Hands are great. That FNP save is so good on Primaris, and they run Dreads well (strat for ignoring heavy weap penalty for moving)

I decided on Salamanders in the end, mainly because I think the paint scheme has always been boss.

It also ties in well as the Primaris army are for a narrative campaign and we have Dark Eldar in the campaign who the Salamanders really hate after Nocturn.

I'm liking inceptors for drop troops, with the new changes. I don't have any aggressors yet, but I really like them mathmacically.

The redemptor I don't like. Its problem is that it degrades versus a regular dreadnought which doesn't. Its also enormous.

I will second the Hellblasters & Redemptor, supported/buffed by captain and lieutenant and they are very effective.

Inceptors are kinda iffy for me and intercessors are durable enuff to camp on objectives. Don't have a repulsor yet but from what I've seen of others they're either bullet magnets or destroyers of everything.

Salamanders are my chosen chapter and I love the looks, the re-rolls, the fluff and how the feel on the table.

In my experience the hellblasters are the real MVPs. I have used them the most as Salamanders with a chapter ancient for maximum re-rolls. When they die and fire they can use the full CT re-roll because its a seperate shooting attack each time. Its a very strong synergy. Most competitive though I feel are the Raven Guard (if you do not include Guiliman) because the -1 is just so good. I am excited however to run my primaris as blood angels to really get a good benefit out of their superior melee profiles and the 5+++ banner.

I ended up with a rougher time than I expected vs. a list of Primaris and Terminators.

The 2W and AP-1 combination ended up being quite a challenge, and I just wasn't able to put units down as well as I would have liked. Fortunately, my enemy didn't really play all that well and didn't make the most if it.

I really wish we got a type of Primaris Terminator.

Isn't that what aggressors are? I mean, Gravis armor is basically TDA, right?

The 2k list I'm planning to use is

Batallion Detachment

HQ

Warlord -
Captian in Gravis Armor
Warlord Trait - Storm of Fire
Relic - The Burning Blade

Primaris Lieutenant
MC Stalker Rifle - 75


Troops

Intercessor Squad (5) - Power Sword on Serg - 94 - x 4

Elites

Redemptor Dread - 226 - x 2
2 x Heavy Onslaught Cannon
Icarus Pod
2 Stormbolter
Fist

Heavy Support

Vindicator - 131
Hunter-Killer Missile

Spearhead Detachment

HQ

Primaris Librarian - 101

Heavy Support

Vindicator - 131 -
Hunter-Killer Missile

Hellblast Squad (5) - 165 - x 2
Plasma Incinerator

Hi Aaron, I play Primaris too, and just posted over in Reddit on this, so I'll repost it here. Here's my 2p worth... I run Raven Guard (RG) btw, as their Chapter tactics really really suit Primaris as they a) leverage their toughness and b) give them some much needed maneuver options.

Intercessors: are straight up great in RG for two reasons. Their main job is bullying and board control, and SFTS allows you to drop a squad on an objective building turn 1. -1 to hit, 2+ save and 2W make them sickiningly tough for 91pts, and their -1AP means they normally have a viable target to chip away at. Can also deny deepstrike. Fairly tough in CC, I sometimes run a squad with a Chaplain dread as S5 bubble wrap. They get nuked by specialist CC'ers of course, but what doesn't in this edition?

Inceptors: are now the second best Primaris unit. 135pts for a squad is great value, and they apply pressure really well. People tend to drop shoot and charge with them, but I always try and leverage the RG -1, dropping them away in cover, with LOS blocked from threats, ideally. Great firepower, great movement, love them. Their plasma kin absolutely need a JumpCap though, so you'll have to kitbash a primaris model to avoid 'stumpy' syndrome!

Hellblasters: Top tier unit, always run them with a Cap & an ancient with the Emperor's Ascendent relic. Leiutenant also goes well, and apoth if you can afford it. They always get deployed last, so that they can start in 30" of a target if possible, or hide if not: your opponent will look to alpha them off the board, and they need to fire as they die to really get the most out of them. Dark Angel hellblasters are going to be summoning a lot of salt in the near future I reckon...

Reivers: try this out before you write them off, it transforms this unit: Take Grav & Grapple and knives for 110pts. Why? Because it allows them to DS in onto a building, or near a unit perched on top of a building at 9" distance, and them immediately ignore the height when making the charge. You should be looking for 6" distance maximum. This turns them from meh to nailed on charge-makers, really valuable for wiping out heavies in cover. Other than that, they're pretty average - if their knives had -1AP I'd buy lots of them.

Characters: Are good but highly inflexible. Hopefully this will change in the future. Primaris Libby is pretty good imo.

Aggressors: Great SFTS of course, as they get to fire twice on the first turn. But they're also decent in cc against heavy targets, and can run and gun pretty well, so they don't need to pretend to be an immovable gun platform imo, especially when they're only 119pts now. Always bring a squad in TAC lists for horde insurance.

Redemptors: absolutely hog CPs and support! They only work with Might of Heroes, Wisdom of Ancients, Captain rerolls, etc, etc. They're good allrounders I guess. They really need a 5++ & a machine spirit rule to make them competitive though: that BS3+ into 4+ when they move is sucky, compared to top tier dreads...

Top Tier Dreads: Speaking of which - you do still need decent firesupport from standard marine units to make Primaris work, and in this edition, that's dreadnoughts. The -1 to hit makes them a lot tougher. Leviathan, Contemptors, Mortis and Chaplain Dreads are all bloody great in a Primaris force.

Repulsor: Too expensive for my tastes, and gets no benefit from CTs. Some primaris playes swear by them - me, I'd rather have a double stormcannon-array Leviathan any day of the week!

I'm not a great player by any means btw, but they've been doing pretty well for me. Final advice: Paint up your chapter however you want, and change which Chapter Tactics you use as and when you see fit. You might find that you really want to run them as a Blood Angels Successor chapter, and if they're all painted up as Ultramarines, well, that's a problem

 AaronWilson wrote:
I decided on Salamanders in the end, mainly because I think the paint scheme has always been boss.

It also ties in well as the Primaris army are for a narrative campaign and we have Dark Eldar in the campaign who the Salamanders really hate after Nocturn.

painted my buddy a full primaris force in Blood Ravens colors with the transfers, waiting for Gabriel Angelos to finish it off