New 40k player, I can't decide on a army!!!!!!

[soldierz]

Hey guys, new 40k player here and I was wondering what army should I play? Being in this forum, my top choices are:

Nids , the fact that apparently they've got a "balance" is pretty cool plus I like the models and the fact that they are a horde army.

Dark Eldar. I don't know a lot about these guys, I just like the fact that they look awesome (the ones that looked like sliced meat that is) and that they are easier on the wallet. I did however hear that they got nerfed quite nastily.

Tau, what can I say? I love mechs. I have no insight about these guys as well.

Chaos Space Marines, I was doing some online shopping and accidentally clicked on the CSM tab. I was about to go back when I locked eyes with Typhus. It was love on first sight. I did I not of unit research and I actually like the death guard for what they can bring to the table.

So as you can see I have a lot of choices, I would like to build them all, but only one can remain. I want to be able to win with the army and still make them look incredible.
I will turn it to you guys now.

[halestorm]

You have answered your own question dude,

Nids all the way.

[commandersasha]

I may be the perfect responder: I have been playing Tyranids for 3 years, and have now switched to DE!

Both armies are currently a bit under par, as they both work best when in assault, and suffer from poor saves against long-range shooting.

This means that if you in a reasonably competitive gaming environment, and want to see your army win, especially tournaments, you will have to limit yourself to certain optimised lists, and will need to get good, fast.

If however you are in a friendly environment, and/or you are a cheerful and graceful person in defeat (I wish I could say I was!), you can ignore that last paragraph!

If it's winning you want, a Tyranid army will need Tervigons, and lots of Gaunts. That's a lot of painting, all looking the same; boring if you hate painting, fabulous if you enjoy it!

DE armies look better with variety: less tedious, but more fiddly.

In game, Tyranids demand a good understanding of how to move swarms, hundreds of models moving as a blob, and rolling many dice. DE players move fewer models, but their placement is CRITICAL, for cover and charges.

Lastly I would say that Tyranids involve more physical work than DE (in tournaments a Nid vs Nid game ALWAYS runs out of time!), but are more reliable, whereas the DE are a gambler's army: risky manoeuvres, that often fail because of unlucky rolls, but when they work, Booyah! killing blow in one round!

That's my two cents, don't you get a lot of words for 2c these days!?

[jhussey]

I play both armies and I agree with commandersasha, both armies are under par at the moment. The DE tend to far slightly better for me. I think it's because of their cheap shooting, but they are as squishy as nids and lack the numbers. Both armies are a challenge, but not an annoying challenge. The DE are a bit on the haphazard side. You'd take a mixed list to get as much variety as you can. Both armies have good heavy shooting attacks, but with DE wounding on 4+, 2+ in some cases, I think the over all wound % is higher for them. Also DE vehicles, although fast, go BOOM easier than anything in the game. AV 10 all around and if it moves fast then it can be an instant explosion if hit. I use the vehicles mainly to get the troops into position. A Venom or Ravager is a nice shooter. It still goes BOOM easy and most opponents go for them first. The nids have some good strong units that help buff their list a little better than the DE I think. Tervigons, Trygons, Dakka Flyrants, Hive Gaurd and The Doom are some of the best for nids. DE have Incubi, but they are close combat and in 6th edition, it's a shooting mans game so getting them there can be a pain, especially if their Venom blows up in turn 1 from a Tau shot and kills everyone inside (Curse you Matt!). Urien Rakharth (sp) is a beast though and he allows Wracks to be troops choices which actually are pretty stout. Grotesques are evil too, if they can live long enough. Reavers work well for me. they have good shooting and can run people over causing pretty decent damage. Scourage as well work well for me as anti infantry since mine have 3 shard carbines and 2 splinter cannons, but then tend to get targetted first as well.

Anyway all in all both armies are in the same boat. Both have some strengths, but you will find yourself coming from behind from turn 1.

[heretechofheresy]

I'll recommend to ye

Thou shalt decide on tyranid for te ;D

For the nid are deadly

And with 'nids, victory shalt surely come to yee!

[Lanesend]

Also, the Nid dex will probably be updated by the end of the year, instantly rocketing us to a top-tier army!

(OK, maybe not instant top-tier, but the rumors say GW will be trying to make more units vialble for play)

[infornography]

If you want a challenging codex with lots of interesting truly alien monsters, Nids all the way.

If you want to play an extremely deadly gunline go Tau

If you want to play a mix of melee and range AND a mix of expensive durable elites and cheap hordes with one of the nastiest flyers in the game, go chaos space marines.

If you want a fast paced risky, but EXTREMELY painful army, go dark eldar.

Right now, looking at pure competitiveness, Tau is the way to go. They got the most recent codex of the bunch and it was a good one.

Tyranids are currently a mid tier army, but are likely to get a codex around either the end of the year or early next though so they will be changing, probably significantly just as you are getting your army together. If you like to keep things fresh and lively, this is a good thing. If you would rather have time to truly master the army before it changes though, probably not the best pick.

Both dark eldar and chaos are mid tier armies and aren't likely to get updated real soon.

[jhussey]

I'm holding off on doing anything more to my nid army for the reason Info mentioned. I don't want to start building one way and find out that there's been a lot of changes (thank you 4th to 5th edition transition) that makes my builds and lists not viable. Chaos received an update 2 codexes ago so they wont be getting an update anytime soon, but I enjoy playing my chaos army as they fair pretty well. My DE, again as Info mentioned, are fragile, but man when they get going, they get it good. always wounding on 4+, 2+ in some cases and having the speed to move around the table is just superb. Archon with an Incubi retinue in a venom makes for some nastyness in CC. If you make one tacticle mistake with the DE, you can pretty much kiss it all good bye. At least the unit you made the mistake with.

I just started a Necron army this past weekend as well. I've been looking through the codex, and I get really excited about this army. They are pretty simple. Not alot of modding on the basic units, but they can shoot and have some good CC units.

[Kwodd]

I think the hobby aspect should weigh heavily on your decision, when I started it was with orks and it was because of the post apocalyptic styling, I amassed around 20k points of them and after trying to paint a 30 squad of boys they were shelved, they are now waiting patiently in their box for my son to get a couple years older. Nids on the other hand are alot of fun to sculpt, kit bash and paint, IMO. It has givin me quite a bit more respect for the army and cemented them as my main army despite their inadequacy in certain situations.

[Hive Bahamut]

Tyranids are the army you should pick and here's why:
Raining down from the heavens and blotting the sky.
They consume everything endless, like a locust swarm set
Leaving shadows in puny mortals, so they never forget.

Fear takes a new meaning with their almost infinite number
Pouring over defences with an endless, insatiable hunger.
Each perfectly designed for its instinctive killing task.
No hiding this terror,they hide behind no mask.

The Shadow kills the Astronomicon, The Emperors' greatest light.
Shutting down reinforcements, taking the pre-emptive strike.
Genestealers infiltrate the enemies societies en masse.
Undermining political influence, easing the Mind's task.

There is no alterior motive, they just want to eat all
Biomass for the Rippers, Reclamation bellow their call.
Absorb everything down elemental, nothing goes to waste.
Just love eating humies though.. they've acquired the taste.

Well that really doesn't give any reasons, but it seems to work for me..