Warhammer 40K Factions: Complete Guide to All 29 Armies

Warhammer 40,000 has one of the biggest faction rosters in tabletop gaming: around 29 playable armies spread across humanity's crumbling Imperium, the traitor legions and daemons of Chaos, and a galaxy full of alien civilizations. Picking one is the biggest decision a new player makes, and the most fun.

This guide covers every army in the game: who they are in the lore, how they play on the table, what they're good and bad at, and who they suit. It's written for the 11th edition era (the core rules launched in June 2026), but it focuses on each army's identity rather than rules wording — specific rules change with every codex and balance update, while an army's character doesn't.

The Three Grand Alliances

Every army belongs to one of three grand alliances. They matter for the lore (who fights whom) and for the game, since armies inside the same alliance can often bring allies from each other.

Alliance	Theme	Armies
Imperium of Man	Humanity's vast, decaying empire: faith, duty, gothic war machines	Space Marines, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Black Templars, Deathwatch, Astra Militarum, Adepta Sororitas, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Custodes, Grey Knights, Imperial Knights, Adeptus Titanicus, Imperial Agents
Chaos	Traitors, daemons and the four dark gods of the Warp	Chaos Space Marines, Death Guard, Thousand Sons, World Eaters, Emperor's Children, Chaos Daemons, Chaos Knights
Xenos	Alien empires, ancient and new	Aeldari, Drukhari, Necrons, Orks, T'au Empire, Tyranids, Genestealer Cults, Leagues of Votann

For the big-picture lore behind these factions — the Imperium, the Warp and the major alien races — start with our Warhammer 40,000 lore hub.

Imperium of Man

Space Marines

The Adeptus Astartes: genetically engineered super-soldiers organized into a thousand Chapters, each with its own homeworld, culture and way of war. They are the face of Warhammer 40K and the army with the widest model range. Read the full lore in our Space Marines guide.

• Plays like: a flexible elite army that can be built for shooting, melee or a balance of both. In 11th edition Games Workshop has pushed Marines back toward their lore: fewer models, each tougher and more expensive.
• Strengths: the largest range of units and characters, strong all-round stats, and more painting schemes than any other army.
• Watch out for: a low model count, so every casualty hurts, and a range so large it can feel overwhelming.
• Best for: new players, hobbyists who want endless color schemes, and anyone who wants the "classic" 40K experience.

Most Chapters (Ultramarines, Imperial Fists, Salamanders, Iron Hands, Raven Guard, White Scars and their successors) play from the main Space Marines codex. Five Chapters are different enough to have their own army books, covered next. Need a name for your Captain? Try the Space Marine name generator.

Blood Angels

Sons of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius, cursed by the Red Thirst and the Black Rage — a gene-flaw that drives them to bloodlust and, in the worst cases, into the doomed Death Company. Read the full lore in our Blood Angels guide.

• Plays like: a fast melee army built around jump packs, assault troops and devastating charges.
• Strengths: some of the hardest-hitting melee units in the Imperium, iconic characters, and the gorgeous gold of the Sanguinary Guard.
• Watch out for: it wants to be in combat, so a slow or cautious game plays against it.
• Best for: players who want tragic heroes and aggressive, all-in charges.

Dark Angels

The First Legion, guardians of a ten-thousand-year-old secret: part of their Legion turned traitor, and they hunt those Fallen in secret. Their army is split into the Deathwing (Terminators) and the Ravenwing (bikes and speeders). Read the full lore in our Dark Angels guide.

• Plays like: elite Space Marines that can lean into near-indestructible Terminator blocks or a fast bike-and-speeder force.
• Strengths: excellent Terminators, a strong fast-attack wing, and one of the richest secret-history storylines in 40K.
• Watch out for: Deathwing and Ravenwing lists are expensive and specialized.
• Best for: fans of knightly orders, hidden agendas and big armored warriors.

Space Wolves

Fenris-born warriors of the Primarch Leman Russ, organized like a Viking warband: Great Companies led by Wolf Lords, with Thunderwolf cavalry and the half-feral Wulfen. Read the full lore in our Space Wolves guide.

• Plays like: an aggressive melee-leaning Marine army with strong characters and cavalry.
• Strengths: brutal close combat, unique units no other Chapter has, and a lot of personality.
• Watch out for: it rewards getting stuck in, and struggles if it's outshot at long range.
• Best for: players who love Norse saga flavor and loud, heroic melee.

Black Templars

Zealots of the Imperial Creed on a ten-thousand-year Eternal Crusade. They shun psykers entirely and fight with the fervor of holy knights, led by the Emperor's Champion. Read the full lore in our Black Templars guide.

• Plays like: a crusading melee army of Marines and Neophytes that wants to close the distance fast.
• Strengths: committed, hard-hitting assault units and a very distinct crusader aesthetic.
• Watch out for: no psykers and limited long-range options.
• Best for: fans of crusades, tabards and holy fervor.

Deathwatch

The Long Vigil: an elite xenos-hunting force whose Kill Teams are drawn from veterans of many different Chapters, all in black armor with a shoulder pad from their home Chapter. Read the full lore in our Deathwatch guide.

• Plays like: small, specialized squads armed with special ammunition to hunt specific threats.
• Strengths: mixed Kill Teams are flexible and great at deleting priority targets.
• Watch out for: very few models, and a lot of decision-making per unit.
• Best for: hobbyists who want to paint a mix of Chapter heraldry, and players who like precision.

Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard)

Ordinary humans in an extraordinary galaxy. Where Space Marines send ten warriors, the Guard sends ten thousand — and a battalion of tanks behind them. Famous regiments include the Cadians, the jungle-fighting Catachans and the grim Death Korps of Krieg. Read the full lore in our Astra Militarum guide.

• Plays like: a gunline of cheap infantry, officers issuing orders, and the best tank park in the game.
• Strengths: massed firepower, iconic tanks like the Leman Russ and Baneblade, and bodies to hold objectives.
• Watch out for: fragile individual models, and a lot of models to buy, build and paint.
• Best for: military-history fans and anyone who loves combined arms and tanks.

Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle)

The militant arm of the Ecclesiarchy — power-armored warrior nuns fueled by faith, flamers and fury, led by living Saints like Celestine and Morvenn Vahl. Read the full lore in our Adepta Sororitas guide.

• Plays like: mid-range, aggressive infantry with plenty of flamers and melta, backed by Penitent Engines and Repentia. Their signature faith mechanic lets you lock in key dice results at the right moment.
• Strengths: reliable damage when it matters, short-range firepower, and a striking gothic look.
• Watch out for: limited long-range anti-tank, and units that rely on supporting each other.
• Best for: fans of religious gothic aesthetics and armies that reward planning.

Adeptus Mechanicus

The Tech-Priests of Mars, who worship the Machine God and replace their flesh with augmetics. Their army mixes cyborg Skitarii, robed Tech-Priests and strange war engines. Read the full lore in our Adeptus Mechanicus guide.

• Plays like: a shooting army that switches between offensive and defensive doctrines as the battle unfolds.
• Strengths: heavy firepower, a unique look, and some of the most distinctive models in the game.
• Watch out for: fragile infantry that hate being charged, and rules that take practice.
• Best for: experienced players who enjoy optimization, and fans of tech-cult body horror.

Adeptus Custodes

The Emperor's personal guard: golden demigods, each crafted individually and worth a squad of lesser soldiers. They fight alongside the Sisters of Silence, null-maidens who blank psychic power. Read the full lore in our Adeptus Custodes guide.

• Plays like: the smallest, most elite army in the game — every model is a hero.
• Strengths: superb individual stats, incredible durability, and very few models to paint.
• Watch out for: losing even one model is a big deal, and hordes can swamp objectives.
• Best for: players who don't want to paint hordes, and anyone who loves gold.

Grey Knights

A secret Chapter of psychic Space Marines whose only purpose is to hunt daemons. Every battle-brother is a psyker, armed with blessed force weapons and sworn to secrecy. Read the full lore in our Grey Knights guide.

• Plays like: an elite strike force that teleports onto the battlefield, mixing psychic attacks with power-armored and Terminator melee.
• Strengths: excellent mobility, tough Terminators, and a unique silver-and-red look.
• Watch out for: very few models and a small unit range.
• Best for: daemon-hunter fantasy fans and players who like surgical strikes.

Imperial Knights

Noble houses of pilots bonded to towering war walkers through the Throne Mechanicum, carrying feudal codes of honor into battle. Read the full lore in our Imperial Knights guide.

• Plays like: a handful of giant walkers, sometimes supported by smaller Armiger Knights.
• Strengths: huge models, enormous firepower, and an army you can field with very few kits.
• Watch out for: a tiny model count, and every opponent's anti-tank weapons pointed at you.
• Best for: big-model lovers, heraldry painters, and players who want a simple army to collect.

Adeptus Titanicus

The Titan Legions of the Collegia Titanica: god-machines dozens of meters tall, crewed by Princeps hardwired into their war engines and worshipped by the Adeptus Mechanicus as avatars of the Machine God. Their 11th edition faction pack covers the Warhound and Reaver Titans. Read the full lore in our Adeptus Titanicus guide.

• Plays like: one or two colossal war machines that dominate the battlefield. You can field them as a standalone army, or add a single Titan to any Imperium army.
• Strengths: the biggest models and some of the heaviest firepower in the game.
• Watch out for: a tiny army that can't be everywhere at once, and a serious investment in time and money per model.
• Best for: collectors of truly huge models and players who want an Apocalypse-scale centerpiece. Chaos players can use the same rules for Titanicus Traitoris, the traitor Titan Legions.

Imperial Agents

The Imperium's specialists: Inquisitors and their retinues, Officio Assassinorum assassins, Adeptus Arbites enforcers, Rogue Trader crews and Imperial Navy breachers. Read the full lore in our Imperial Agents guide.

• Plays like: a toolbox of specialists, usually added to another Imperium army, but playable on its own.
• Strengths: unique characters and narrative flavor nothing else offers.
• Watch out for: as a standalone army it's a collection of oddballs rather than a coherent force.
• Best for: narrative players and fans of the Inquisition (and of Inquisitor-led RPG campaigns).

Chaos

Every Chaos army serves the Dark Gods in some way. If you're new to them, read our overview of the four Chaos Gods first — it explains why each traitor legion looks and fights the way it does.

Chaos Space Marines

Space Marines who turned on the Emperor during the Horus Heresy ten thousand years ago, now led by the Warmaster Abaddon and his Black Legion — joined by the Iron Warriors, Night Lords, Alpha Legion, Word Bearers and renegade Chapters like the Red Corsairs. Read the full lore in our Chaos Space Marines guide.

• Plays like: an aggressive all-rounder with strong melee, daemon engines, and dark bargains that trade risk for power.
• Strengths: flexibility, great characters, and the freedom to dedicate units to any of the four gods.
• Watch out for: the gambles can backfire, and the range mixes new and older kits.
• Best for: villain lovers, kitbashers and conversion fans. Name your warlord with the Chaos Space Marine name generator.

Death Guard

Nurgle's chosen legion, led by the Daemon Primarch Mortarion: bloated, plague-ridden traitors who simply refuse to die. More in our Nurgle guide. Read the full lore in our Death Guard guide.

• Plays like: a slow, relentless advance that spreads contagion and grinds the enemy down.
• Strengths: extremely durable, excellent at holding objectives, and forgiving of mistakes.
• Watch out for: low speed and limited long-range firepower — fast armies can run rings around you.
• Best for: body-horror fans and players who enjoy attrition warfare.

Thousand Sons

The sorcerer legion of Tzeentch, led by the cyclopean Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red. Most of its warriors were turned to dust by a spell meant to save them, and now fight as soul-bound Rubric Marines. More in our Tzeentch guide. Read the full lore in our Thousand Sons guide.

• Plays like: the most sorcery-focused army in the game, with Rubric Marines anchoring the line and psychic attacks doing the damage.
• Strengths: powerful psychic damage, resilient Rubrics, and a striking blue-and-gold Egyptian aesthetic.
• Watch out for: limited melee outside characters and daemons.
• Best for: wizard players from other games and fans of Egyptian sorcery.

World Eaters

Khorne's berserkers, led by the Daemon Primarch Angron. The Butcher's Nails implanted in their skulls let them feel pleasure only through rage and slaughter. More in our Khorne guide. Read the full lore in our World Eaters guide.

• Plays like: pure, relentless melee — run across the table and hit things very hard.
• Strengths: devastating charges and one of the simplest game plans in 40K.
• Watch out for: almost no shooting and no psykers; a careful opponent will try to shoot you before you arrive.
• Best for: players who want to charge every turn and never look back.

Emperor's Children

Fulgrim's legion of perfectionists, sworn to Slaanesh in pursuit of ever more extreme sensation — sonic weapons, flawless duelists and drug-fueled excess. More in our Slaanesh guide. Read the full lore in our Emperor's Children guide.

• Plays like: a fast, precise army of elite duelists and sonic Noise Marines.
• Strengths: speed, lethal close combat and a modern model range (the army got its own full release in 2025).
• Watch out for: an elite force that punishes poor positioning.
• Best for: fans of decadent villains and bright, unusual color schemes.

Chaos Daemons

The gods' own servants made flesh: Bloodletters and Bloodthirsters of Khorne, Plaguebearers and Great Unclean Ones of Nurgle, Horrors and Lords of Change of Tzeentch, Daemonettes and Keepers of Secrets of Slaanesh, plus the shadowy Daemon Prince Be'lakor. Read the full lore in our Chaos Daemons guide.

• Plays like: armies that appear from the Warp, either devoted to one god or mixing all four.
• Strengths: spectacular Greater Daemons, flexible deployment, and four armies' worth of aesthetics in one.
• Watch out for: daemons are fragile away from their support, and mixed lists take practice.
• Best for: monster lovers and painters who want wildly different units.

Chaos Knights

Knight houses that fell to Chaos, their pilots driven mad and their walkers twisted into towering engines of terror. Read the full lore in our Chaos Knights guide.

• Plays like: a few giant walkers backed by smaller War Dogs, spreading dread as they advance.
• Strengths: huge, durable models and a very small collection to finish.
• Watch out for: a tiny model count and difficulty holding many objectives at once.
• Best for: big-model fans who prefer the villains' side, and Chaos players who want allies.

Xenos

Aeldari

The ancient space elves, survivors of the Fall that birthed Slaanesh. The Aeldari army brings together the Craftworlds, the Harlequins of the Laughing God, the Ynnari, and Corsair raiders. Read the full lore in our Aeldari guide.

• Plays like: a scalpel — fast, specialized units that excel at one job and use the army's fate-reading to land critical rolls.
• Strengths: speed, powerful psychic support, and some of the best firepower per point.
• Watch out for: fragile units; positioning mistakes are punished hard.
• Best for: experienced players who love finesse and elegant designs.

Drukhari

The Aeldari who never fled: pirates and torturers of the Dark City of Commorragh, who must feed on the suffering of others to keep their souls from Slaanesh. Read the full lore in our Drukhari guide.

• Plays like: lightning raids — Kabalite gunners, Wych Cult gladiators and Haemonculus monsters riding fast, open-topped skimmers.
• Strengths: the fastest army in the game and lethal alpha strikes.
• Watch out for: paper-thin transports and models that die quickly if caught.
• Best for: aggressive, high-risk players and fans of dark, spiky elegance.

Necrons

An ancient race that traded their mortal bodies for living metal, now waking from a sixty-million-year sleep to reclaim their empire under the Silent King. Read the full lore in our Necrons guide.

• Plays like: a resilient mid-range army whose warriors keep getting back up after being destroyed.
• Strengths: durable, forgiving, and one of the easiest armies to paint well (metallics and a green glow).
• Watch out for: fairly slow, and focused fire can wipe a unit before it can recover.
• Best for: new players, and fans of robot-pharaoh, Terminator-style horror.

Orks

Fungus-born warriors who live for war — and whose collective belief makes their ramshackle technology actually work. Orks were the first army to get an 11th edition codex in September 2026. Read the full lore in our Orks guide.

• Plays like: a green tide — flood the board, charge everything, and unleash a WAAAGH! for one explosive turn.
• Strengths: devastating charges, buckets of dice, and the best army for kitbashing and conversions.
• Watch out for: famously bad aim, fragile Boyz and a lot of models to paint.
• Best for: players who love humor, chaos and building their own vehicles.

T'au Empire

A young, expanding empire united by the Greater Good, with the most advanced ranged weaponry in the galaxy. Its battle lines include Kroot mercenaries and Vespid auxiliaries alongside the T'au themselves. Read the full lore in our T'au Empire guide.

• Plays like: a shooting army — battlesuits, drones and spotters marking targets for devastating volleys.
• Strengths: the best ranged firepower in 40K, mobile battlesuits and a clean mecha look.
• Watch out for: very little melee outside the Kroot; if the enemy reaches your lines, you're in trouble.
• Best for: mecha fans and anyone who loves the shooting phase.

Tyranids

An extragalactic swarm of bio-engineered horrors that devour entire worlds, guided by the Hive Mind. Read the full lore in our Tyranids guide.

• Plays like: an adaptive swarm — anything from a horde of Termagants to a brood of giant monsters, held together by synapse creatures.
• Strengths: flexible list-building, terrifying monsters and strong melee.
• Watch out for: kill the synapse creatures and the swarm loses its edge.
• Best for: monster-movie fans and anyone who wants to field a Hierophant.

Genestealer Cults

Tyranid infiltrators hidden inside Imperial society. Generations of hybrids, disguised as miners and workers, wait for the day the Star Children come — and then rise up from below. Read the full lore in our Genestealer Cults guide.

• Plays like: an ambush army that pops out of hiding across the battlefield, uses industrial gear as weapons, and keeps feeding units back in.
• Strengths: great board control, surprise and one of the best stories in 40K.
• Watch out for: fragile models and a play style that takes practice to master.
• Best for: experienced players who love tricks, and fans of cult horror.

Leagues of Votann

Clone-born descendants of humanity's ancient explorers (the old "Squats"), guided by their AI Ancestor Cores and fiercely protective of their kin and their grudges. Read the full lore in our Leagues of Votann guide.

• Plays like: a durable, slow-ish mid-range army that marks enemies for retribution and grinds them down.
• Strengths: tough infantry, solid firepower and a fresh, modern range.
• Watch out for: a smaller range than older armies and limited speed.
• Best for: fans of space dwarves, mining crews and industrial sci-fi.

All 29 Armies at a Glance

Difficulty and model count are general guides: they shift a little with each codex, but the broad shape of each army stays the same.

Army	Alliance	Style	Model count	Difficulty
Space Marines	Imperium	Elite all-rounders	Low–medium	Easy
Blood Angels	Imperium	Fast melee	Low–medium	Medium
Dark Angels	Imperium	Terminators or bikes	Low–medium	Medium
Space Wolves	Imperium	Aggressive melee	Low–medium	Medium
Black Templars	Imperium	Crusading melee	Medium	Medium
Deathwatch	Imperium	Specialist kill teams	Low	Medium
Astra Militarum	Imperium	Gunline and tanks	Very high	Medium
Adepta Sororitas	Imperium	Short-range faith	Medium	Medium
Adeptus Mechanicus	Imperium	Doctrine shooting	Medium	Hard
Adeptus Custodes	Imperium	Ultra-elite	Very low	Easy
Grey Knights	Imperium	Teleporting psykers	Low	Medium
Imperial Knights	Imperium	Giant walkers	Very low	Easy to learn
Adeptus Titanicus	Imperium	Colossal war machines	Very low	Easy to learn
Imperial Agents	Imperium	Specialists and allies	Low	Hard
Chaos Space Marines	Chaos	Aggressive all-rounders	Medium	Medium
Death Guard	Chaos	Slow attrition	Low–medium	Easy
Thousand Sons	Chaos	Sorcery	Low–medium	Hard
World Eaters	Chaos	Pure melee	Medium	Easy
Emperor's Children	Chaos	Fast duelists	Low–medium	Medium
Chaos Daemons	Chaos	Warp ambush	Medium–high	Hard
Chaos Knights	Chaos	Giant walkers	Very low	Easy to learn
Aeldari	Xenos	Glass-cannon specialists	Low–medium	Hard
Drukhari	Xenos	Lightning raids	Medium	Hard
Necrons	Xenos	Resilient mid-range	Medium	Easy
Orks	Xenos	Melee horde	High	Medium
T'au Empire	Xenos	Ranged firepower	Low–medium	Medium
Tyranids	Xenos	Swarm or monsters	Medium–high	Medium
Genestealer Cults	Xenos	Ambush and recursion	High	Hard
Leagues of Votann	Xenos	Durable mid-range	Medium	Medium

How to Choose Your First Army

Forget the competitive meta — balance shifts every few months, and you'll spend far longer building and painting than playing any single season. Choose in this order:

1. Look first. You'll spend dozens of hours on these models. If you don't love how an army looks, you'll burn out before it's finished.
2. Lore second. The army whose story excites you is the one you'll keep playing. Our faction lore guides linked above are a good place to start.
3. Play style third. Do you want to charge headlong into combat (World Eaters, Orks, Blood Angels), control the board with firepower (T'au, Astra Militarum), or play a precise tactical game (Aeldari, Genestealer Cults)?
4. Budget and time fourth. Horde armies (Orks, Tyranids, Astra Militarum) need many more models than elite ones (Custodes, Knights, Grey Knights).

Warhammer 40K Factions FAQ

How many factions are there in Warhammer 40K?

There are around 29 playable armies, counting the five Space Marine Chapters that have their own army books (Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Black Templars and Deathwatch) separately, and the Titan Legions of the Adeptus Titanicus. Some sub-factions, such as the Harlequins, Ynnari and Corsairs, are part of a larger army (the Aeldari) rather than standalone armies.

What is the best Warhammer 40K faction for beginners?

Space Marines and Necrons are the classic recommendations: both are forgiving on the table, well supported by starter sets and online guides, and easy to paint to a good standard. Death Guard and World Eaters are also beginner-friendly thanks to simple, clear game plans.

What is the strongest faction right now?

It changes every few months with balance updates — and 11th edition codexes are still rolling out. Check recent tournament results for the current picture, but pick an army you love rather than one that's strong today.

Can I mix factions in one army?

Partly. Armies from the same alliance can often take some allies — for example, Imperium armies adding Imperial Agents or Knights, and Chaos armies adding daemons or Chaos Knights — but the exact rules change by edition. In general, single-faction armies keep their strongest bonuses.

Can I play these factions in a roleplaying game?

Yes. Cubicle 7 publishes two Warhammer 40K RPGs: Wrath & Glory, where players can be Space Marines, Aeldari, Orks and more, and Imperium Maledictum, a grittier game about servants of the Imperium. Our NPC generator and quest hook generator both have Warhammer options to help you prepare sessions.

Continue Exploring

• Space Marines (Adeptus Astartes) lore guide — the Primarchs, the Chapters and the Primaris
• Necrons lore guide — the C'tan, the War in Heaven and the waking dynasties
• Tyranids lore guide — the Hive Mind, the hive fleets and the Genestealer Cults
• Orks lore guide — Gork and Mork, the Klanz and the WAAAGH!
• Aeldari (Craftworld Eldar) lore guide — the Fall, the craftworlds and the Path
• Drukhari (Dark Eldar) lore guide — Commorragh, the Kabals and Asdrubael Vect
• The Chaos Gods of Warhammer — Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch and Slaanesh
• Warhammer 40,000 lore hub — the Imperium, the Warp and every 40K guide in one place
• The Horus Heresy — Horus Heresy in depth
• The Emperor of Mankind — Emperor of Mankind in depth

Naming a squad or a warband? Try the Space Marine name generator or the Chaos Space Marine name generator. Running a Warhammer campaign? Keep track of your factions, characters and timeline in one place with Anima — free, in your browser, no account needed.