We’ve had enough time to get to grips with the armies of 10th Edition, so over the next few weeks we’re going to be publishing a competitive faction focus for each of them, showcasing what’s been working for them in early tournament play. Today, We takes a look at Chaos Space Marines, a faction currently sitting on top of the meta for 10th edition.

Chaos Space Marines were a faction that came out of the gates swinging in 10th edition, with powerful shooting and melee prowess across the board. The faction took a series of nerfs heading into its Codex release last year before being completely upended with a host of new Detachments and datasheet updates. Boosting a mix of strong offensive output and speed, the Chaos Space Marines provide players a variety of ways to play with a number of competitive options.

Changelog

• Update: 2025-01-06 folding in Codex update, recent dataslate updates, removed lists, added Detachment Focus links
• Update: 2023-12-05 with WCW List, new notes
• Update: 2023-10-25 for the Q3 Balance Dataslate
• Published: 2023-08-24

Why Should You Play This Faction?

Like space marines, but cooler, Chaos Space Marines trade off the vehicle options and ranged shooting of their loyalist cousins for a smaller number of highly versatile units with a focus on melee. The faction’s basic rule, Dark Pacts, gives you a way to supercharge the output of any unit in your army, albeit at a cost. It’s a rule which has benefits for both melee and ranged units, and allows the faction to get a lot more out of units like Vindicators and Predators. Add to that a number of high-value melee units and you have an army that can do a lot of things, with many different viable builds.

Five Things You Need to Know

• You’ve got options. Not everything in the Chaos Space Marines unit list is viable in a competitive setting, but there’s more than one build you can take to plausibly compete, and multiple Detachments you can build around, depending on your play style. Want to run Abaddon and Terminators? You can do that. Want to run a ton of Cultists? That’s an option too. Want to go heavy on vehicles? On melee infantry? There are ways to do it. It’s not completely wide open, but there’s more than one way to run Chaos Space Marines successfully.
• Get used to making Pacts… and knowing when not to. The faction ability for Chaos Space Marines – the ability to make Pacts to improve your damage output – is incredibly useful, and will be worth doing most of the time you’re shooting or fighting. That said, it’s not without risks, and you’ll need to get a feel for when you’re better off not taking the risk and losing a model before you even get to shoot or fight with it. Expect that in most games you’re going to fail a few tests, and will probably lose a model or two in the process.
• You’re a bit of a glass cannon. On that note, it should be clear that Chaos Space Marines have the ability to put out quite a bit of damage – more than the average faction – by combining effects and dropping pacts on some very efficient units. And while the non-Cultist units aren’t fragile, they’re not super durable either, so you’ll need to plan carefully for when and how you use those units and make sure you’re trading up wherever possible when you lose them. You’re also very vulnerable to indirect fire, so watch out for Whirlwinds, Exorcists, Guard artillery, and Plagueburst Crawlers. 
• Melee and shooting are both viable. While many armies struggle to use melee effectively in 10th Edition, CSM are one of the few armies that can do both very well. Units like Chosen, Possessed, and Abaddon can punch way up for their weight class, while units like Vindicators, Obliterators, and Predators can shoot very hard. You’re not limited in your playstyle with CSM. 
• CP Generation is Tough. While many of your Detachments have great Stratagems, the army has very few ways to gain additional CP. The most reliable is probably Abaddon, but that’s a heavy price to pay if you aren’t building around him. This means learning to be judicious with how you manage your CP.

Army Rules

Chaos Space Marines have two army rules: Dark Pacts and Cults of the Dark Gods. Both are pretty important.

Army Rule: Dark Pacts

If you’re running a Chaos Space Marines army, then each time a unit with this ability is picked to shoot or fight, it can make a Dark Pact. When you do this, take a Leadership test before you gain any effects. If you fail the test, that unit takes D3 mortal wounds. Then, pick one of the following abilities to apply to that unit’s weapons for the rest of the phase:

• [LETHAL HITS]
• [SUSTAINED HITS]

This is huge. It’s a great ability to have and makes units that were already great – like Vindicators, Predators, and Legionaries – and makes them even better. We’ve covered this already in Hammer of Math, but the Equilibrium point between the two abilities is a wound roll of 4+. If you’re rolling a 2+ or 3+ to wound, Sustained Hits is better, while Lethal Hits is generally better against targets where you’re rolling a 5+ to wound. The exception to this will be for attacks with Devastating Wounds, where you’ll generally want more hits.

The big thing to watch for with this rule is the ability to fail. Following the Codex, you now take wounds before you get the benefit, meaning it’s very possible to lose an entire model (or two!) before you start your attacks. That can be huge, particularly with a unit like Bikes or Obliterators where you can lose one third to one half of your output with a single death. As such, you’ll want to be careful about when and how you use Pacts, and take good care of your icons to get re-rolls on your failures. Pacts used to be something you did almost always; now they’re more of a most-of-the-time deal.

Army Rule: Cults of the Dark Gods

Another carry over from the index, your army can include up to 500 points of Berzerkers, Rubrics, Plague Marines, and Noise Marines in a Strike Force game. No, you can’t attach characters to them. And they don’t get Pacts, either. Well, aside from Noise Marines, who don’t have their own Codex yet. While losing pacts hurts, it’s not the end of the world and there are a number of Detachments which really want different cult units. Rubrics in particular are great in a Renegade Raiders Detachment, where their ability to re-roll wounds against a target on an objective they don’t control combos well with that Detachment’s additional AP against targets on an objective. Likewise, Plague Marines really enjoy the buffs you can get in a Creations of Bile Detachment, and Noise Marines get a lot out of re-rolling hit rolls in Veterans of the Long War. The only unit you won’t take is probably going to be Berzerkers.

Detachments

Codex: Chaos Space Marines gives players a whopping eight Detachments here to choose from, each of which is dedicated to modeling a different playstyle and army, while Grotmas introduced one more (Creations of Bile). We’re covering those in more detail in separate articles, which we’ll link to below in our quick overviews of each. 

You can click on the banners below to jump to the article on each Detachment, or just read the short version if you’re in a hurry.

Veterans of the Long War Detachment Focus

Veterans of the Long War - Click to expand

Deceptors Detachment Focus

Deceptors - Click to Expand

Renegade Raiders Detachment Focus

Renegade Raiders - Click to Expand

Dread Talons Detachment Focus

Dread Talons - Click to Expand

Fellhammer Siege-Host Detachment Focus

Fellhammer Siege-Host - Click to Expand

Pactbound Zealots Detachment Focus

Pactbound Zealots - Click to Expand

Detachment Focus: Chaos Cult

Chaos Cults - Click to Expand

Detachment Focus: Soulforged Warpack

Soulforged Warpack - Click to Expand

Detachment Focus: Creations of Bile

Creations of Bile - Click to Expand

What Are the Must-Have Units to Start This Faction?

There are a lot of datasheets in Codex: Chaos Space Marines, and you have options when you build an army – in fact, there are very few units in the book which absolutely never see use. That said, here are a few good places to start:

• Legionaries. Almost every CSM army has at least one unit of Legionaries – and taking two or three is pretty common. A unit of five Legionaries can take two heavy melee weapons and has the ability to re-roll 1s to wound or all wound rolls against targets on an objective. This makes them a great pairing for a Chaos Lord with a Daemon Hammer, as re-rolling wound rolls goes great with his DEVSTATING WOUNDS ability.
• Chaos Lords. While we’re on the topic, almost every CSM list includes at least one Chaos Lord. His devastating wounds hammer and the ability to get reduced cost Stratagems are a great combo.
• Chosen. Chosen are just a very solid unit, sporting 3W, accursed weapons (S5 AP-2), and the ability to charge after falling back or advancing. Give them combi-weapons to give them surprisingly deadly shooting as well. They’re a durable, versatile unit that go well with a number of characters, the most notable being Fabius Bile.
• Cultists. Depending on your game plan, you may also want some regular Cultists. These are among your cheapest unit options, and for around 50 points you can get 10 models which can easily hide to make up for being Toughness 3. Their role as solid backfield holders is made even more clear by their For the Dark Gods ability, which makes objectives they control “sticky,” i.e. you control them after they die until someone else does. This is especially important because too many armies in 10th have indirect fire that can kill your objective holders, but be mindful that this ability only happens in your Command phase, so be sure to have a backup plan if you go second and lose them before turn 1.
• Master of Executions. Another great partner to a Legionaries or Chosen unit, the Master of Executions gives you a solid anti-CHARACTER option and can give your unit re-rolls to hit and wound.
• Chaos Rhinos. The humble rhino is one of the game’s best units – it’s fast, durable, and can hold 12 bodies, provided they’re small enough. They’re great for early game speed, protecting your key units, and after they’ve disembarked their passengers, good for doing actions and holding objectives.
• Chaos Vindicators and Predator Destructors. The king shooting units for the faction right now, both of these tanks have something to recommend. With a profile that is very effective into both elite infantry and monsters/vehicles, Vindicators hit very hard while also being surprisingly durable with T11 and a 2+ save. Their weakness is their limited range, but at least they don’t mind being touched by the enemy–their special rule lets them continue firing their Blast weapon even at enemies in Engagement Range with it. Predator Destructors are better-suited to taking out heavy infantry, but come in way cheaper.
• Cypher shows up in a ton of lists these days and it’s not hard to see why. In addition to being a 90-point lone Operative who can do some surprising damage with his pistols, Cypher’s Agent of Discord Aura increases the cost of enemy Stratagems within 12″ by 1 CP, allowing you to put the screws on opponents in the middle of the table, turning off everything from Overwatch to combat interrupts.
• Although new to the army, the Nemesis Claw is quickly becoming a must-take unit. Although not quite as good as Legionaries in melee or holding objectives, their ability to turn off enemy Stratagems for units within engagement range is huge, and lets you most importantly turn off a unit’s ability to interrupt if you have multiple combats on the table. Use them as a paired charge threat for your go-turn.

OK that’s our list of units which end up in almost every list. After that you have a few different options you can look at, and which ones you’ll take depend heavily on how you’re building.

• Dark Commune. Originally a bit of a sleeper pick, the Dark Commune has emerged as one of the faction’s most powerful units, giving a unit of Cultists or Accursed Cultists it joins a 5+ invulnerable save and the ability to Advance and Charge once per game and get +1 to hit and wound for the rest of the turn when doing so. This makes them great for turning Accursed Cutlists into surprise melee threats, and coupled with their regeneration makes them an incredibly nasty unit.
• Accursed Cultists. Accursed Cultists were one of the faction’s key units, able to weather tons of damage and put out just as much of a beating with lots of speed. They’ve been nerfed a couple of times now, both with points costs and the change to surge moves, but they’re still pretty good thanks to having Scouts 6″. If you’re taking a unit of Accursed Cultists, you want to give them a Dark Commune. The extra durability you get from the Demagogue’s 5+ invulnerable save and the once per game Advance-and-Charge are invaluable additions to the unit.

• Abaddon the Despoiler. Abaddon’s cheaper than he used to be an absolute combat monster. That said, he’s nowhere near the must-take he used to be. His biggest upside comes from his ability to let your other CSM units within 6” re-roll hit rolls – an ability that’s almost necessary for units like Obliterators to be worth it. 
• Chaos Terminators. If you’re taking Abaddon, you may want him accompanied by a large (10 models) unit of Terminators. They give him a ton of ablative wounds to work with, and they’re just a solidly durable unit to work with besides. Terminators can do solid work shooting or fighting and are among the faction’s more durable threats.
• Warp Talons. Though not in every list, Warp Talons are a cheap, effective unit with the ability to deep strike (and do actions), and throw out enough attacks to threaten weaker units or trade up against tougher ones. Their ability to go back up into deep strike after killing something gives them a bit of flexbility as well.
• Obliterators. Obliterators can put out a scary amount of firepower on their own, and their ability to Deep Strike means they can drop in near a key target and remove it from the table, though their Melta guns being limited to 18″ range in the Codex cuts this down a bit. Obliterators have more play in Creations of Bile, where they benefit from being Infantry. They’re also solid in Renegade Raiders, where the AP boost and the addition of [ASSAULT] helps them a lot – being able to Advance and shoot really helps make up for their terrible movement characteristic.
• Forgefiends. Once the feared scourge of the army, Forgefiends still have some very good damage output but cost a little too much to be must takes. They are able to combine Dark Pacts with their own Daemonic Ordnance ability to really push out some truly nasty damage. While most Forgefiends run triple Plasma to bring 3 separate Blast guns and get an eye-watering number of shots into elite infantry, the Gatling loadout can also do some real work.
• Warpsmiths are must-takes in Soulforged Warpack armies, where the Detachment’s Enhancements are necessary. The good news is that they’re decent units on their own, able to heal and buff vehicles while staying safe with Lone Operative.
• Cult Troops like Rubrics and Plague Marines still have quite a bit of value in several Detachments, and they retain their Battleline status as well as being OC 2.

There are a ton of other units you can work with outside of this bunch, providing varying levels of value, often depending on your Detachment selection. Vehicle-heavy armies like the Soulforged Warpack will lean on Venomcrawlers and Maulerfiends, while Infantry-heavy armies like Creations of Bile will typically run Possessed or Raptors. 

In addition to some good unit options, you can also look at allies. Chaos Space Marine armies can benefit from the addition of a couple of war dogs – usually Brigands, but Karnivores and Huntsmen offer good cheap alternatives. And Daemons are also a good option, with Nurglings being the most common as they provide a cheap infiltrator unit which can screen, block movement, and provide a boost to your melee durability in a pinch.

How Does This Faction Secure Objectives?

Cultists give you a cheap option to secure objectives, while at midboard you’ll often use a mix of Legionaries, Chosen, and Cult troops as your faction dictates. Legionaries are great early in the game, when their Chaos Lord can pop his once-per-game buff and their ability to re-roll wound rolls against a target on an objective gives them a huge leg up clearing enemy units off objectives. They’re not so great later in the game, however – they lack the durability to really sit on those objectives and weather a counter-punch, and that’s where you want help from heavier infantry or even rhinos, predators, and vindicators. Chosen also work fine in this role.

How Does This Faction Handle Enemy Hordes?

In melee, mostly. As a faction Chaos Space Marines have no shortage of S5, 1-damage attacks with AP-1 or AP-2. You’ll often find that between that and your damage output on vehicles you have no trouble fighting through hordes of smaller enemies with most CSM armies, and if they can’t just throw a haymaker back at you, even better. For heavier infantry you want Plasma Forgefiends, Vindicators, and Predator Destructors. You have a ton of ability to clear out hordes in melee, but as a faction CSM tend to lack the kind of 3-damage swings you need to kill Terminators.

How Does This Faction Handle Enemy Tanks and Monsters?

CSM are very, very capable of shooting enemy Vehicles and Monsters to death. You have fewer options in melee, but can still rip open enemy armor with the right units. Vindicators are your best option for this, though Predator lascannons aren’t bad either. Obliterators and Forgefiends also give you some solid options, though for the former you usually want some kind of buff, either to WS or giving them re-rolls to hit with Abaddon. 

What Combos Should You Build Around?

There are a few notable combos to think about building around as you create your Chaos Space Marines army. You may not typically see all of these in a single army, but seeing two of them is pretty common.

• Legionaries and Chaos Lords. Legionaries get the ability to re-roll wound rolls against enemies on an objective, and Chaos Lords have Devastating Wounds on their hammers. It’s a match made in heaven. Fire up the once-per-game Chance for Glory ability to give them an extra attack, AP, and damage, and go to town.
• Fabius Bile and Chosen. The biggest problem Chosen have is durability – despite being 3 wounds, they lack an invulnerable save. Bile gives the unit a major boost there, bringing them up to T6 and giving them a once-per-turn ability to blank an incoming attack, plus an ablative wound (with a 5+ Feel No Pain!) with his Surgeon Acolyte. And giving them +1 Strength isn’t too bad, either.
• Accursed Cultists and the Dark Commune. We’ve already mentioned this one above but if you’re Accursed Cultists, you want a Dark Commune attached to them. The invulnerable save and once-per-game advance and charge abilities are huge.
• Abaddon and Obliterators. Abaddon can’t join them, but his re-roll hits aura is huge on Obliterators, who really need the insurance to get the most out of their shooting and maximize the impact of their Dark Pacts.

Building a List

There’s a ton of variety in how you can play Chaos Space Marines, and how you build them will vary significantly by Detachment. As such, we’ve moved the Sample lists for each Detachment to the relevant Detachment Focus articles, where it’s easier to keep them up to date with the latest trends. Generally speaking, most Chaos Space Marine lists start with a unit of Cultists as a backline objective holder unit, plus a Chaos Lord with a unit of Legionaries and a Rhino. From there you have a ton of options, though it’s worth thumbing through the “must-take” units above to figure out what fits your style.

Final Thoughts

Chaos Space Marines are a blast play, and give you several options when it comes to deciding your playstyle and approach. They’re a competitive force in the game and  regardless of the types of units you prefer, there’s likely a Detachment and army rule that fits what you want to do. 

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