With all kinds of factions starting to show up at tournaments these days, here’s our list for some of the best objective holding units in Warhammer 40k.
With most competitive 40k running under the ITC format, a lot of lists are geared towards objective scoring. That means that there ought to be some solid units in every list that are great for holding down objectives.
Here are our picks for the best right now.
5. Mortar Teams
Imperial Guard have cheap heavy weapons teams that can be loaded down with mortars. These guys can sit on backfield objectives and have enough firepower to stay relevant all game. They’ll hardly be a speedbump for something like a Daemon Prince that comes along. However, they can sit out of LOS and score you points while the rest of your force moves forward.
4. Gretchin
Gretchin made the list because they are DIRT CHEAP and a Troops choice. That means that they have objective secured. Just don’t expect them to contest a point for long. Being T2 with no real save means that these guys can be scooped up in the blink of an eye. Their models are extremely small, however, which means that you can hide them from enemy fire and in most Ork lists, there’s something way scarier headed your way that you need to deal with first.
That leaves Gretchin free to sit on the objective and play cards or be a meatshield when the time is right!
3. Cultists
Cultists are another great option. They’re cheap, can bring a ton of S3 firepower to the table, and can come back with the infamous Tide of Traitors strat. Being that they’re a troops choice, they also have objective secured and are fearless within 12″ of big bad Abby.
Blob these guys up, bubble wrap Abaddon, and score those points!
2. Plaguebearers
There’s a reason why we’re seeing these guys being taken in two squads of thirty. They don’t die. They can be buffed to have negative effects to hit them and also get their 5+++ Disgustingly Resilient save.
To add more icing on the cake, they’re also troops which means they have objective secured. If anything gets into combat with them to try and scoop them off an objective, a 6+ to wound actually does four-flat damage assuming you’re running the right characters closeby as well.
Overall, we’d say these guys are probably the best troop in-game. But not the best objective holder.
1. Nurglings
Nurglings take the cake at not only objective holding but also objective grabbing. They are weak on the surface but with four wounds per base and a decent chance you’ll be getting a 5+++ Disgustingly Resilient save really makes these guys good.
What makes them even better is that they can infiltrate onto the field and start the game sitting on objectives outside of your deployment. Plus their models are small and don’t take up a massive footprint. That means you can have these guys already in place scoring you points and your opponent may not even be able to see them. That’s where these guys really shine over the Plaguebearers.
All of these options are good choices to go with for your games of 40k. However, Nurglings are probably the best at playing the objective game.
What do you think about Nurglings in 8th edition? What’s your favorite unit to hold objectives with? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
