

Those would be my top 2 choices, but really you can’t go wrong with any army. There’s a lot more variance in the army than Space Marines, but all the infantry is similar, and Imperial Guard have a way to deal with anything. Space Marines are a a very solid army, good at everything, and a lot of the units are similar, in turn making it easy to learn the army.Īstra Militarum (Imperial Guard) also make a good starting army.

That being said, any of the Adeptus Astartes (Space Marines) is a good place to start. Like anything, it’s going to depend on you for what the best starter army would be. At least that way you still have one you enjoy regardless of whether it’s the best one or not. This is yet another reason to choose an army you like the looks of, and one that suits your style. What was once a very weak can become the strong, and the previously strongest shuffled to the bottom. Each army’s power level changes with the release of a new codex and rules editions. Very little is cut-and-dry, so do some research on the Warhammer 40K armies you’re interested. Horde factions can be played in a more elite manner, not just swarming the enemy. An army that focuses on shooting doesn’t mean it’s incapable of being built for close combat. The beauty of 40K is that you can play an army any way you like really. Nothing I’ve said here about each army is black and white. Below I will focus on their unique flavor. As a general rule they have a good mix of infantry and armored support vehicles (tanks, transports, etc). Space Marines are generalists by nature, good at everything but seldom great at anything. Note: All Adeptus Astartes (Space Marines), have many similarities featuring power armor (3+ save), and many of the same units and weapons. There are a lot of mechanics at play with all the armies, and describing each in detail would take a very long time.

It’s not conclusive and is just an overview. Here’s a quick and dirty breakdown of the various Warhammer 40K armies. It will really help you get an army started at a discount. The models give a pretty clear indication of what an army does on the field.Īlso, once you do decide on an army, check out our article on ways to save money with 40K. Some 40K armies, like Space Marines, have a good mix of everything as they are the generalists of the game. Glancing at Astra Militarum would quickly tell you that they use a lot of tanks and infantry. If you were to look at Tau then you would notice that almost every model is carrying a ranged weapon, so they like to shoot. That’s the thing with 40K, even without knowing a lot about the game mechanics, you can still get a good gauge on an army by looking at it like I was saying with Orks. Most Ork vehicles look fast and fragile, a means to reach the enemy. Orks are big and bulky, and most are carrying a close combat weapon of some sort. By looking at them, that’s a pretty easy visual cue. They’re primitive brutes who love to charge headlong at the enemy with choppas (axes), held high.

When I was getting into 40K, my play style preference meant starting with Orks. I always like close combat in any game I play, and will always lean towards more brutish and aggressive types. If you’ve never played a game then that might not be so cut and dry, but I find most of us have a general preference. Once you have found some Warhammer 40K armies you like the looks of, start refining the process by looking at those that seem to fit your play style. Definitely start by looking at armies you think are visually appealing. I’ve always been a sucker for the big dumb brutes of a game.Ĥ0K Is not a skirmish game, so you will be putting together a lot of models and doing a lot of painting.
