If you have been wanting to start playing Chaos in 8th edition Warhammer 40k be sure to check out this buyer guide right now.
Chaos 2.0 has been here for a minute now and it only has one problem…Nearly everything in the codex is actually useful. So here’s a handy buyer’s breakdown for new and returning players that explains what every power unit does in the new codex.
If you missed Part One, Two, and Three, make sure you get caught up and take a look at them as well!
The New Player’s Buy List
Start with Shadowspear. Go halves with a friend and let them take the Imperial side. Or just buy it all yourself and trade the Imperials later. Your goal is to bulk up on Chaos marine bread and butter. Ideally, you want at least two boxes worth of Shadowspear to have as many Chaos marines and Venomcrawlers as you can for the backbone of your army.
You will probably also never need more than four Obliterators in your lifetime. You will run your marines as Red Corsairs. Once you understand how list building and detachments work, you can add in detachments of your favorite legion, or detachments that are tailored to fit better with other legions.
Depending on your budget, your favorite units, and your favorite legions, you’re going to want to pick between buying lord discordants or daemon princes. Ideally, you will eventually own both. If you choose the daemon prince, you are on your way to a more rounded army that has a larger variety of units and a deeper bench of options.
If you go lord discordant, you are choosing MONSTER MASH! Monster mash is lots of fun, but expensive, especially for new Chaos disciples on a budget.
If you chose the lord discordant your next milestone is owning two or three of them along with a batch of Maulerfiends. With a grip of Discordants, fiends, and Venomcralwers, you’ll have the backbone of a very fat monster mash list! Unfortunately, this is a fair bit of cash, as lord disco ain’t cheap!
If you went with the Demon Prince, it’s time to consider other classic Chaos heavy hitters like Khorne berzerkers, havocs, and terminators. Keep in mind, however, that havocs and terminators need bits to work, so add them in when you have the parts to make them work. Now is also the time to consider Abbadon, dark apostles, sorcerers, and other characters that add combo fuel to your army.
Purchases to Avoid
Start collecting Chaos Space Marines! / Chaos space marine battleforce
Why it’s bad: First of all, it has the icky old garbage Chaos marines in it, and you want the cool new hotness Chaos marines that look good. Second, a terminator lord is decent, but he isn’t the right man for the job to carry your fledgling army. Your ideal starter army should be commanded by Lord Discordants or Daemon Princes backed up by your Master of Possessions from your Shadowspear box.
Finally, the Helbrute is an underperformer. He’s a loner model that doesn’t synergize well with the rest of the army and doesn’t have a lot of tactical options. You’re better off sticking with your Venomcrawlers and just casting spells on them or babysitting them with a lord discordant. All in all, this box is just third rate bench warmers in Chaos 2.0. The models aren’t hot or fresh.
Chaos Land Raider
- Why it’s bad: Vehicles currently aren’t great this edition and a land raider is very expensive in terms of points and cash. Points and cash that are better spent on firepower units like havocs or terminators, or on giant robots like discordants and maulerfiends.
Chaos Heldrake
- Why it’s bad: The heldrake isn’t bad, it’s just BAD FOR BEGINNERS. In a monster mash lord discordant list, the flying turkey robot does have a niche to fill. But, when you’re a new player building a new army, the heldrake doesn’t do anything to help the rest of your army stay alive. It also doesn’t have a lot of killing power if he’s not managed properly. Make no mistake, even though this thing flies, it still wants to have a lord of discordant baby sitter. Don’t look at the heldrake until you start to get more crafty.
Chaos Defiler
- Why it’s bad: The defiler fits into lord discordant monster mash spam, but he’s in the same weight class as better options. When it comes to monster mash, 2-3 maulers and 2-3 lord discordants are a HARD RULE. If you go down that road, you’re not buying anything else until you fill up on them.
With all that being said, how does your Chaos list look? Do you play for competitiveness or fluffy fun? Which units do you wish were better out of the codex? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
