Picking an Army: A Recap

When choosing a Warhammer 40k army, there are a number of factors to take into consideration. You need to consider things such as the difficulty, paint schemes, and the number of different models/units the army has. Below is a list of my favorite armies, from highest to lowest.

1. Tyranids
2. Necrons
3. Space Wolves
4. Dark Angels
5. Orks
6. Space Marines
7. Chaos Space Marines
8. Grey Knights
9. Chaos Daemons
10. Tau Empire
11. Dark Eldar
12. Imperial Guard
13. Eldar
14. Blood Angels
15. Sisters of Battle

Everyone has different preferences however. If you have access to the Codex (either old or current) for a particular race you are interested in, be sure to check them out to make sure there is a color scheme you like and are skilled enough to do. Old codexes are an invaluable resource for reference material. You can usually scoop them up cheap as soon as the new one comes out.

Next is my list of best races for new painters. This is based mostly on how easily the models can be painted to look good with relatively low skill (I am mostly thinking of basic infantry, as heroes other HQ choices are generally hard to paint regardless of the army). Again, these choices are just my opinion. If you disagree, leave a comment and say why you disagree. As long as you're respectful, I value your opinion!

1. Necrons
2. Space Marines
3. Dark Angels
4. Tau Empire
5. Chaos Space Marines
6. Blood Angels
7. Tyranids
8. Dark Eldar
9. Eldar
10. Grey Knights
11. Sisters of Battle
12. Imperial Guard
13. Space Wolves
14. Orks
15. Chaos Daemons

Still, only take this list as a recommendation. If you are someone new to the hobby and see your favorite army at the bottom of this list, I say you should still go for it. Always pick the army that you are most interested in, because if you don't, it's more likely that you will just give up on painting them altogether. When I started painting, I bought Dark Eldar. Even though they were pretty easy to paint, I gave up on them because I just wasn't interested. I then became super interested in Chaos Space Marines, which then became my new army.

Overview: Pick the army you can see yourself painting. Also, read up on the races. Getting to know the races a little better can allow you to make a more informed decision on a first army. You can always look at the Games Workshop website to see the units from every race. The link to their website is here : Games Workshop

# 15 : Tyranids

Tyranids

 The Tyranids, the Great Devourer, are the greatest threat to both the Imperium of Man and the rest of the galaxy. They have only the sole purpose of consuming all genetic and biological material in the universe for reproduction. Origination from some distant galaxy, the Tyranids are believed to have already destroyed thousands of galaxies and millions of intelligent species. Controlled by a collective "Hive Mind", individual tyranid organisms are generally mindless, instinctive creatures. They have to be controlled by Syanapse creatures, usually larger Tyranids such as Hive Tyrants, warriors, zoanthropes, etc. The Tyranid race is constantly morphing, evolving to better suit its needs. This makes them lethal to any fighting force. Additional information can be found here : Tyranid - Lexicanum. I advise anyone to read that article, as I can only explain them so well, and they are a race with extremely complex physiology.

Tyranids are definitely my favorite race. Not only do they have a near-infinite number of color schemes, they are easily converted. Even entirely new models can be created, because of the dynamic nature of the race. The more common hive fleets (Behemoth, Leviathan, Kraken) are pretty easy to paint, and there are numerous other hive fleets with color schemes ranging from easy to very difficult. They are a race with something for everyone.

Overview: Give Tyranids a look. Even if you don't chose them as an army, they are still awesome.

#14 : Tau Empire

Tau Empire

 When Imperial scouts discovered a new race in the outskirts of the Imperium that had just created fire and mastered simple tools, the world had been labeled for cleansing and colonization by the Imperium. But before this could occur, the planet became surrounded by a giant Warp-storm that lasted 6,000 year. By the time the Imperium revisited the planet, they faced technology unparalleled in all the galaxy.
The Tau evolved extremely quickly. With resources limited, those who employed tools and developed superior weaponry survived. The race split into four castes: Earth, Air, Fire and Water, each group was named for the element that best described their behavior. Civil war erupted, and a divided Tau struggled for survival. Then came the Ethereals, Tau who spoke of peace and understanding between the entire race. The Tau  united behind them, creating the beginning to a great civilization.

A relatively young race, the Tau emphasize the "Greater Good" above all else. Unable to access the Warp, Tau are unable to aggressively expand their empire due to their incapability to travel long distances quickly. The Imperium have an uneasy relationship with the Tau, but they are more occupied with wars against Chaos and the Orks to be bothered with the Tau. More information on the Tau can be found here :   Tau - Lexicanum

 The Tau are a good race for beginners and advanced hobbyists. Their basic color scheme of brown, white and black can be achieved with relative ease, while some of their more advanced color schemes seen in their codex take more skill. With Battlesuits, infantry, drones and tank-like ships, along with the very unique Kroot, a Tau army can be equipped with any number of different units.

#13 : Necrons

Necrons

 A legion of undead warriors made of living metal, the Necrons are indeed fearsome. They were once human, but in an epic battle against the immortal Old Ones millions of years ago, they sold their souls to the almighty C'tan, also known as the Star Gods. Becoming nearly indestructible upon receiving their immortal bodies, the Necrons, alongside the C'tan, destroyed the Old Ones in a purge that destroyed whole star systems. Upon accomplishing their goal, the Necrons turned on the C'tan. However, the C'tan could not be truly defeated, and were instead shattered into numerous shards and spread across the universe. The Necrons, with their forces severely depleted, could not stand up to the rising forces of the Eldar. The Necron king, Szarekh, decided to transform all Necron cities into giant tomb worlds, where the Necron race  would sleep for 60 million years, only to emerge and conquer the universe, restoring their dynasties to their former glory. Now, in the 41st Millennia, their numbers are rising from the tomb worlds. Although some worlds have been destroyed or populated by other species, the Necrons are slowly regrouping, and will not stop until their final goal is achieved.

-Side Note- The Old Ones are said to have created both the Orks and the Eldar in an effort to destroy the Necrons.

A Necron cannot ever be destroyed. Each of them possess an internal repair system, capable all but the most grievous of wounds. If their metal body sustains irreparable damage, it merely "phases out", and is teleported to the nearest tomb complex to await repair. Additional information on the Necrons can be found here: Necron - Lexicanum

In my opinion, the Necrons are among the best of starting races. Making a Necron model look good is as simple as a layer of Leadbelcher (also called boltgun metal), and maybe a wash of Nuln Oil (or Badab Black or even just a very thinned black paint). But for the more advanced painters, additional color schemes can be used/ created. The Codex: Necrons contains many other paint schemes ranging from simple to complex.

Overview: Great starting race. Cool to paint. Just generally awesome.

#12 : Dark Eldar

Dark Eldar

The Dark Eldar, the evil cousins the the Eldar, first appeared at the "Fall of the Eldar", when the god Slaanesh consumed the souls of trillions of Eldar. Before that time, the Dark Eldar resided in the giant city of Commorragh, tucked inside the Webway, a vast network or passageways through the Warp. Commorragh was protected from the havoc wrought by the birth of Slaanesh, but its residents soon found their souls being slowly claimed by the chaos god. They also found that if they absorbed the pain and torment from another's soul, they could escape the effects of time. As long as they fed on the souls of prisoners, they could live forever. From that point on, they were doomed to a life of piracy. The Dark Eldar perform sneak attacks, capturing as many hostages as they can, and disappear into the Webway, emerging at Commorragh to torture and sacrifice their victims. Additional information on the Dark Eldar can be found here:  Dark Eldar - Lexicanum

The Dark Eldar have a decent number of units, and also a decent number of color schemes. Their basic infantry can be painted rather easily, but their more advanced units (Grotesques, Wracks, other beasts) take some more time and effort. Their tactics are slightly more complex than most, and winning a battle with them might take some practice. I would recommend Dark Eldar to beginner/advanced to advanced gamers.

#11 : Eldar

Eldar

 Once the greatest race in the universe, the Eldar succumbed to their desires, resulting in the "Fall of the Eldar". The Chaos god Slaanesh was born through the Eldar vices, and it's birth consumed the souls of the majority of the Eldar race. The result torn a hole in space, resulting in a perpetual Warp-storm known as the Eye of Terror. With the majority of the Eldar wiped out, the survivors sought refuge on giant world-sized ships known as Craftworlds. They are now a broken people, without a purpose. With their numbers dwindling, the Eldar roam the universe in search of a way to restore their noble race to its former glory.

Eldar, similar to Space Marines, have innumerable color schemes. You may choose many of the ones shown in Codex: Eldar or even create your own. They are a great army for beginners through advanced, as their color schemes range from the most basic to the most detailed (The eldar farseer shown to the right illustrates a very detailed and colorful figure).

Overview: Eldar are a good army for any painter. You can choose the difficulty of the color scheme, which is great for people who like their models either very simple or extremely detailed and complex.

#10 : Orks

The Xenos Threat

On to some of the more interesting races of Warhammer 40k....

Orks

Spread across nearly every planet in the universe, the Ork race outnumbers any other race. However, due to their war-like nature, they are split into numerous warbands, and would surely conquer the universe should they ever choose to unite.

Although the initial history of Orks is unknown, it is believed that they were engineered by an ultra-intelligent race for the purpose of universal domination. They possess an innate knowledge of mechanics and engineering on an instinctive level. This allows groups of feral orks, who have spawned in a new area or planet, to form a tribe capable of constructing weapons and war-machines. Their anatomy and physiology is a combination of animal and fungus. As an Ork grows, it released spores into the ground, which grow into Orks or Gretchins after some years. A planet that is infested with Orks will be so forever, and spores can travel across galaxies on a traveler's shoe. 

Orks, unlike most other races, grow their entire lives. An ork tribe is lead by the largest of the group, who changes periodically. Being an extremely aggressive race, Orks fight among themselves until a worthy leader emerges to initiate a Waaaaagh!, a massive unification of ork tribes for a single purpose. The orks will continue their Waaaagh! until a significant number of the orks have died or there are no enemies left to fight. Additional info on the Orks can be found here: Ork - Lexicanum

Orks are a cool race. A general ork army has a lot of units, so be sure that you like painting before you chose them. They have only a few color schemes, but they look great when you do them correctly. You could also try creating your own color scheme, like the one shown above, but it is a little harder then with some other races, like Chaos Space Marines or Imperial Guard.

Overview: Orks are a good race for both intermediate and advanced painters. They are ok for newbies, but be patient as the first few might not look so great.