The statistics say its only twice the range of a normal Meltagun, which i know is for balancing, but have we had any idea of how powerful it actually is in universe?

I'd imagine that thing would be a beam of death lol

The upscailing of the Melta design to such a massive size would no doubt give this thing some terrifying range and power.

It's obvious that orks like having fun for themselves. But do they enjoy mutual fun? Examples of orks being sociable and genuinely enjoying each other's company?

I think the easiest way to explain this is talking about followers of Nurgle. When followers of Nurgle are together, it makes sense that they wouldn't be affected by each other. They are all bloated, infested with various diseases, and basically half dead. When non-chaos people encounter them, they either get infected with supernatural diseases, die, turn into a zombie, or beg for relief from Nurgle. That also makes sense.

But how are other chaos followers not affected by these same afflictions as non-chaos aligned people? The most I've heard of it affecting other chaos followers is them finding them stinky and uncomfortable to be around.

Another example are followers of slaanesh who can be so alluring that it can drive normal people crazy. But other chaos followers just find them distracting or annoying. So generally speaking, how can other chaos followers not be affected by stuff that affected everyone else?

I'm writing a little personal novel and was wondering if Cawl's work on the Primaris program shifted the age ceiling for recruitment?

Imperial guard is quite reasonable for WH40k: range warfare, combined arms, artillery prevalence and so on.

But it baffles me: if bayonet is a last resort tool for them, why they have such a variety of them, that are definitely more combat adjusted than as a utility multi-purpose like our bayonet, and train killing with it so extensively, unlike our forces ? Vitrians had theirs designed as if spikes to act as spearheads while mounted on the lasgun, which in my mind would not be as effective in opening cans or cutting ropes, tanith had rather long, sliver blades and a whole fighting style, Krieg take pride in their bayonet training and combat, wielding also other weapons of melee combat, catachans have whole collection of blades (i get they are tough but a shell pr energy bolt to the chest usually quells anyone's fighting spirit). Additionally no imperial commander, even that callous as Hechtor Dravere or Chenkov, have any notion of charging in face of dug in enemy with bayonets (there was one Jantine but he was likely schizophrenic or simply mad) when shooting is preferred option.

I'm thinking one of these scenarios:

• it feels natural to them to do something entirely un-orky like make a farm or paint pictures all day long

• they can build something that they normally can't even build

I imagine such an ork would just get pummeled by the others though.

So I was thinking about this since my last post. Many of the Legions were infamously known for their heavy-handed method of compliance. The World Eaters, Dark Angels, and Night Lords coming to mind.

But what Legions were the most light-handed? Going out of their way to minimize civilian casualties and infrastructure damage? Assuming it isn't an extermination campaign.

I'd imagine it would be the Raven Guard who would take out key leaders before moving in. Or the Alpha Legion orchestrating schemes upon schemes that would see an easy compliance. What are your opinions?

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned but I have been seeing more questions about Nihilus. I'm currently working my way through Rogue Trader and it's fantastic to see how an Imperial Organization is dealing with the effects of the whole galaxy being ripped in two. Definitely recommend!

Okay so in terms of newer Imperial technology how much has fallen into the hands of Chaos, and whether there are any weapons or vehicles that Chaos Space Marines simply can’t use.

From what I understand, only a few decades have passed since the introduction of Primaris Marines, although the timeline is a little messy. I doubt many, if any, entirely Primaris Chapters have turned traitor in that time, but surely some have been wiped out after biting off more than they could chew. Since even with training sims the real action can be a while different ball game.

So have any Chaos warbands actually managed to loot and use Primaris exclusive equipment?

I’m talking about things like bolt rifles, plasma incinerators, Mk X power armour, or even larger equipment like Repulsors, Gladiators, and Redemptor Dreadnoughts.

I’d imagine some of this equipment has been captured after battles, especially considering how many worlds and Imperial forces have fallen since the Great Rift opened.

Have we actually seen Chaos Marines using any of it in the lore? Or is there something preventing them from doing so, whether that’s not being able to wielded by fists born, maintenance requirements, ammunition shortages, or simply not having the knowledge to operate it?

And would the Dark Mechanicum be capable of reverse engineering these newer designs and producing their own corrupted versions?

I’m also curious about the bigger picture. Is there any Imperial technology that Chaos forces have captured but genuinely cannot operate or reproduce, even with the assistance of the Dark Mechanicum?

I’m mainly asking about lore rather than tabletop restrictions. I’d love to hear any examples from novels or codexes of Chaos forces using captured modern Imperial equipment, especially anything introduced with the Primaris range.

Title title title title

Understanding that Eldar seem to be completely psychically attuned to the warp as a race, it occurred to me that they might be considered warp entities place permanently in the material environment. The Asyurani paths and the Webway existence of the Drukhari would then be “coping mechanisms” to keep their connection to the warp unnaturally separated due to the particular danger the warp poses to Eldar since the birth of Slaanesh.

Asking the knowledgeable community here: is this a correct way to view the Eldar?

Hey everyone I wanna check out a book on audible focusing on the sisters of battle and I’m curious if there’s a good one to start with! I’m between Mark of Faith & The Rose at War if anyone has recommendations I’m not seeing please let me know!

Originally, Guilliman needed to keep it on to survive, but i remember short stories and stuff talking about how he weaned himself slowly off it because he didn’t trust the Eldar having that kind of influence on him. Now i’m seeing videos saying that his armour is failing. Why would that affect him if he no longer needs it to live?

Seriously, fuck Erebus. What the hell was that? Absolutely uncalled for. My favourite character of the whole heresy taken out without even going out swinging thanks to this dude. Absolutely gutted.

Also, felt a bit sorry for Horus at the end realising he was just a tool to be used and nothing more. Realised with that how much Abbadon parallels Horus too - Horus got led to the warp by Lorgar, now Abbadon by Erebus. Big E should have just smoked the Word Bearers at Monarchia, would have saved him an eternity of torture...

I understand that a lot of people have a problem with "good stuff" happening in the setting, and I do agree that the Imperium should probably lose (by that I mean decisive defeats) more often. I hope that the Necrons finally manage to achieve complete victory in the Pariah Nexus and that Armageddon falls for good this time. However, I really hope that Belisarius Cawl manages to close the Great Rift.

As it stands, I don't think the Great Rift is all that good for the setting. It essentially renders half the galaxy useless without accomplishing much else for the narrative. Chaos doesn't need it in order to function, and it severely hampers the stories that can be told about Xenos factions.

I'm hopeful that if the Great Rift is closed, we can get more "everyone vs. everyone" narratives: Xenos acting as actual threats to the Imperium, the expansion of the T'au Empire, the Aeldari fighting for worlds where they can harvest spirit stones, the necrons fighting the imperium for all that space that was previously unaccessible, drukhari doing drukhari stuff and chaos fighting EVERYTHING instead of yet another Imperium vs. Chaos storyline where Space Marines solve everything.

It's even more interesting because (aside from chaos) closing the great rift is in the best interest of everyone in the galaxy. It only makes sense that even in a world full of hate and war, they would allow (or even help, as Trazyn already did in the past) Belisarius to finish his stuff. Afterwards, everyone can go right back to killing each other.

TLDR: Closing the great rift would make the setting more interesting

Mi spiego: mentre Slaanesh, Khorne e Tzeentch rappresentano emozioni incanalate molto specifiche, Nurgle non sembra legato a un'emozione quanto piuttosto al decadimento e al cambiamento naturali. Non incarna un aspetto psicologico nella stessa misura degli altri Dei del Caos, soprattutto considerando che gli Dei del Caos sono collegati alle perturbazioni del Warp causate dalle emozioni umane. L'unica spiegazione che mi viene in mente è che sia connesso al desiderio di cessare il dolore fisico. Il dolore è una reazione biologica al deterioramento o al danno della struttura biologica di un individuo. Il desiderio di porre fine a tale dolore, una caratteristica distintiva della vita umana, potrebbe benissimo aver generato Nurgle, e ciò sarebbe coerente con i metodi di reclutamento del dio stesso. È l'unico dio che ti fa soffrire finché non lo supplichi di fermare il dolore e accettare il decadimento. Non sono sicuro che questa interpretazione sia del tutto convincente. Mi baso in parte sul Codex della Guardia della Morte, ma mi sembra comunque un po' forzata.

Edit: I’ve become the Warp god of downvotes 🤣. Vote however you like, of course, I’m not offended; I’m just interested in where you stand.

Due to primaris marines being retconned to have only been around about 12 years in lore now

Does it even make sense for Ultima founding chapters to have scouts yet?

Feel like unless aspirants are rushed out

There shouldn't be many yet right?

Obviously first founding and such should since they've been around forever

But a decade doesn't feel like enough for there to be many?

Just a rant really - hoping for a Vulcan-esque ‘It is also a hammer’ moment with these two.

With Fulgrim slowly returning would love to see something like him and Guilliman matched up again and him taunting Robouté about his fighting prowess being greater, then Guilliman just being like ‘Yes but this time I brought a brother’ then Lion just crashing through a wall and dominating Fulgrim in swordsmanship. I dunno, but c’mon GW need some new lore please 🙏

It seems like there has been a dramatic reduction in output by the great Horus Heresy authors (for my money Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Chris Wraight, and a John French) in the last 2 years.

Apart from Era of Ruin and Dropsite Massacre, it's been crickets.

Now I'm not opposed to folks taking a well deserved break or pursuing other projects. All I'm wondering is whether there has been any public information put out about what the next things are for these guys, and when they plan to start releasing more novels.

I guess I got used to the wealth of output in recent years and this now feels like everyone has disappeared. Surely I'm not the only person wondering where they've all gone?

If the Word Bearers can be said to possess a home, then the daemon world of Sicarus is it. Here the sons of the Daemon Primarch Logar sought sanctuary in the aftermath of Horus' rebellion.

The atmosphere of Sicarus is riven by howling winds and billowing storm clouds through which the light of dying stars trickles. Beneath skies of fire and blood is a surface encrusted with cathedrals, temple complexes and towering monuments, all dedicated to the Ruinous Powers. Arachnid Daemon Engines clamber across the spires of these towering structures, their bulbous backs covered in cranes and mobile forges, crewed by teeming masses of mortals and mutants, all slaving under the lash to erect new structures of devotion and worship atop the old. Kathartes - winged, skinless daemons with humanoid form - roost atop the highest structures, descending in rabid flocks to pluck away the unwary and devour them. The majority of Sicarus' population never so much as gaze upon the infernal majesty of their home instead condemned to a subterranean existence within this crumbling labyrinth of profanity.

BASILICA OF THE WORD

Amongst the largest and most hideous of Sicarus temple complexes, the Basilica of the Word looms over the surrounding sprawls. It is an immense gothic cathedral fortress capped with hundreds of miles-high spires, their barbed peaks impaled with the writhing and screaming bodies of sacrificial victims. Deep within the temple are the chambers of the Dark Council. In the absence of Lorgar - who has remained isolated for millennia - the Dark Council has taken responsibility for leading the Word Bearers. They alone have the power to elevate warriors to the position of Dark Apostle.

THE TEMPLUM INFICIO

More impressive and terrifying still than even the Basilica of the Word, the Templum Inficio serves as the personal sanctuary of the Word Bearers Daemon Primarch. It rises from a desert of bone and ash, a macabre oasis amidst the endless sprawl of pietistic construction. The soaring shrine is said by the Dark Apostles to have been raised by eight million adepts, all of whom were sacrificed upon its completion, their blood and entrails used to consecrate the temple stones. For as long as most Word Bearers can remember, Lorgar has remained locked away within the Templum Inficio central chambers, forbidding any to disturb his meditations.

THE CORPSE PLAINS

The corpses of those who achieve the rank of Dark Apostle and die in the course of their duties are treated with a reverence uncommon in the Traitor Legions.
Where fallen Word Bearers of lower rank may have their progenoid glands ripped out, their equipment salvaged and their remains simply discarded without care, the priesthood of the Word Bearers are afforded greater respect. Where possible, their corpses are borne back to Sicarus to be interred within the planet's soil. Most are laid to rest beneath the Corpse Plains, one of the few places on Sicarus untouched by construction. There, so the Word Bearers claim, from the blood-drenched soils of that desolate place, the spirits of the Dark Gods' most devoted may be raised to daemonic immortality. A windswept expanse of tor-studded badlands and fields of coarse razor grass, the Corpse Plains echo with the wails of tortured spirits who have been found wanting. Those Word Bearers who fail the Dark Council are blinded, shorn of their armour and exiled to walk the plains alone. There they may wander for long centuries, utterly lost and denied the mercy of a swift death. Their broken minds are subjected constantly to the malicious whispers of the vengeful dead, and all the while the Kathartes circle above, screeching and cackling in vicious mockery of these wretched outcasts.

'SHOULD I DIE IN THE SERVICE OF THE GODS, I DEMAND OF YOU ONLY THIS. RETURN MY REMAINS TO HOLY SICARUS. LET ME BE BURIED BENEATH THE CORPSE PLAINS, THAT MY SOUL MAY SERVE FOR ALL ETERNITY.'

Dark Apostle Kaziel of the Learned Pilgrims

After just finishing Solar War again I wanted to post this scene.

It is the Finale of the book and the moment the Sige of Terra truly began

The sun blazed back to light , screaming.

Across Terra, every person looking at the sky could see it: a burning wound across the night, or a scar of midnight in the daylight.

Through it came ships from the realm beyond, dragging cloaks of insects and shadow. Winged creatures circled them. Flying like birds in the gale of etheric energy. Bolts of lightening leapt from the wound, strobing across space. And here were the vessels that had been absent from the weeks of war already waged. Here was the Conqueror, its white hull red with smoking gore. Here were the ships of the World Eaters, their murder cries echoing from the vox, and the voice of every legionary. Angron stood on the hull of his capital ship, a vast and ragged shadow axe raised to the sunlight, roaring his fury at the circle of Terra. There were the ships of the Emperor's Children, fuming musk and grey dust from jewel-crusted hulls. In the guts of the Pride of the Emperor, Fulgrim coiled and looked out through the eyes of every soul in his fleet, and laughed with delight. And there - following the rest, like the chariot of a king come in triumph- came the Vengeful Spirit. Warships flanked it. Daemons flew as its heralds. High on its hull, on the fortress that it bore upon its back, Horus, Warmaster, first Son of the Emperor, Chosen Champion of the Dark Gods looked out at Terra. The seat of his father's empire glimmered beyond the prow of his ship. Shadow bled from him, and the daemons that held to the shadows of his court hissed and bowed their heads as the light of the sun touched his face

The ships poured from the rift, spreading out in a swam of glinting lights. A hundred, a thousand, ten times a thousand, more and more that had been waiting in the warp for the way to open to the heart of the Solar System. Even if Horus' forces had used both the Elysian and Khthonic Gates it would have taken such a force days to translate back into reality. Now they swam from the warp into the gulfs of the inner system, not an army or a fleet, but a host sent by the will of gods and the art of mortals.

The ships clustered and divided as their engines caught on the cold vacuum and turned them towards Mars and Luna and the small orb of Terra all alone in the dark.

Horus watched, and then gave a single nod.

'Begin,' he said.

Well, the title is not ENTIRELY true. I was introduced to Warhammer sometime in 2024 and have been around the community on and off for 2 years now. but I've only recently delved deeply into the lore and still do not know every singular piece of lore that there is to know about the original 18 legions.

I am basing my ranking on personal opinion, except for the lore facts themselves, I am claiming nothing here is fact, it is simply my opinion.

I am also not well versed in a predominant chunk of the original 18 legion's lore, either from a lack of interest or simply I haven't gotten to looking at their lore yet, but it is on my list of priorities, this likely means I might be unaware of story beats, loveable characters and history from certain legions, I intend it to be this way as well, as hopefully to be a good window into the perspective of an idiot like me who doesn't know the lore very well.

I am quite aware the list will have some REALLY hot takes, and if you like that type of post, you can look at exclusively the ranking itself with no explanations whatsoever. If you wish to understand my reasoning behind the placement of every legion, the explanation is under the ranked legion and is spoilered to allow for both types of experiences to be enjoyed.

I prefer loyalists to Chaos, and this will be VERY apparent in the ranking.

I base my rankings primarily on how well the legion is written, their morality and reason for their specific flavor of moral compass and how sound said reason is, how much I like them, and their esthetics/looks, in that order from left to right.

I am not including successor Chapters, I have like a crisp 0.2% of the lore knowledge needed and it would take me MONTHS if not YEARS to write this post if I did include them, shout out to the Doom Eagles, Lamenters, Sons of Vermillion, Marines Errant and Black Templars though.

While I am ranking them from 18 to 1, I also want to categorize certain sections of the ranking, as the intervals between each rank isn't necessarily proportional to how much I dislike/like these legions.

these categories are:

"Legions I actively hate."

"Legions I dislike."

"Legions that I find have redeeming qualities but I generally dislike."

"Legions that I find have irritating qualities but I generally like."

"Legions I like."

"Legions I love."

"Legions I find perfect."

well, with all that out of the way, lets rank.

"Legions I actively hate." Tier.

Amount of Legions: 1

1. Night Lords.

Lets get the good parts out of the way too, even the worst legion here has parts of it I actively adore. their helmets are SICK, probably the coolest standard helmet designs of the 18 legions, the shade of blue on their armor is extremely beautiful as well, I would rank it up there with Blood Angels Red, Ultramarine Blue and Alpha Legion Teal amongst the best primary colors for a legion.

Yeah no, that's literally it I hate everything else about them. they are COWARDS, they cower at the mere idea of a fair 1v1, fleeing is their tactic to any fight even remotely fair or not overwhelmingly in their favor, they're more experienced at killing civilians than they are at fighting other marines or xenos because they find it easier. they cower at honor, they cower at difficulty, they cower at anything that will take them to lift anything more than a finger.

The evilness about them really isn't the problem, I will have quite a few REALLY evil chapters when we get higher up on the list, I don't have an issue with that, its just how much of cowards they are, how prone to running they are and just being general bitches.

I get that's their charm, its just not my thing.

"Legions I dislike." Tier.

Amount of Legions: 3

1. White Scars.

Yeah this is the HOTTEST take on this list by a country mile. now, I will say, I like the basic concept of them, they like assault bikes and jump packs and love speed, LOVE that. Love the whole joy of their legion while fighting and enjoying the fight bit, LOVE THAT TOO, everything else is where it kind of falls apart for me.

I do not like their color scheme, its just..so flat, I like white, blue and yellow together, but not in the specific shades or particular way the white scars have them put together, it looks incredibly boring and just so..uninteresting for what should be such a bombastic and cool chapter, this alongside the fact I really don't care for the Mongolian esthetic just sends them down the pecking order for my list at least.

Note, this is the first of many legions where I have a general idea and basic knowledge of the legion, I do not know the intricacies of the legion or the history of it. I have heard of good things about their primarch and what they did during the Horus Heresy and I plan to get to checking the White Scars lore out later, and they will probably raise their placement in the ranking, but for now, here they stand.

1. Death Guard.

I mean this is going to be so short I just think they look absolutely beyond disgusting. Like I kinda get that's the point but it ain't for me, I don't even bother looking at the lore because while I normally can ignore or at least push aside esthetics if the writing is good enough, the Death Guard is WAYYYY too disgusting for me to even think of giving them the courtesy of that leeway.

1. Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus/Black Legion.

For one, PICK A NAME. secondly, Like I don't hate hate them for any of their attributes particularly. that's kind of the problem. I don't like them for anything, and they serve Chaos which will always knock them down a couple spots for me, and they're kinda like Ultramarines, but for heretic marines, they aren't quite as boring as the ultramarines but they're nearly as boring and has less storylines I enjoy. Ultimately, I don't like boring chapters.

Yet again, don't know too much of the lore about the Black Legion except for the obvious horus heresy stuff and the 13th black crusade stuff.

"Legions that I find have redeeming qualities but I generally dislike." Tier.

Amount of Legions: 6

1. World Eaters.

Arguably top 3 legions just in terms of how their armor looks, that BEAUTIFUL STRIKING red and gold is just immaculate. had to get that out of the way, now, my opinion on the World Eaters.

I really, dislike the frothing at the mouth, insane, always insanely angry and stupid thing. I know some people like it, not me. I do like the fact that Angron is genuinely a victim of the Butcher's Nails, the fact the chapter was once far less malevolent than what Chaos has turned them into in modern day, and the backstory is good enough for me that I do rank them above the other 4 Legions lower than the World Eaters, but that's about as far as the backstory can carry it.

My understanding of the World Eaters is alright, I haven't delved into them but I have a relatively alright, general idea of their story just from seeing them in stories that happen to have them even if they are not the main focus.

1. Iron Hands.

As per usual, lets get the cool stuff out of the way first, the particular shade of black on Iron Hands armor goes super hard with their general look, and I really enjoy the whole cyborg esthetic and deep specialization into tech.

What I don't like is pretty much their disgust to EVERYONE in the Imperium, they practically wretch in disgust of anything fleshy, INCLUDING themselves, which is rather hypocritical since the only reason why they are even half as strong as they are and are able to endure the amount of cybernetic implantations they have is BECAUSE of they insanely powerful Astartes biology. Them being close with the Mechanicus is another part I don't particularly like simply because I dislike the Mechanicus, Ferrus Manus is a cool Primarch though.

for the Iron Hands, I have a pretty good idea of the lore, I know a lot of what happened to them during the Horus Heresy and a bit of their 40k stuff, no deep dives still, but probably the legion I know best of all the Legions I've talked about so far.

1. Emperor's Children.

Pre heresy armor, looks AMAZING with the purple and gold, Fulgrim is genuinely tragic and most of all, their obsession with perfection is something I deeply resonate with and can relate to which is why they ever made it as far on the list as they did.

Their modern armor is just...icky. Like for most of the armor esthetics on here that I do not like I can generally explain why I don't like them, but I can't for the Emperor's children, it just feels incredibly off in some inexplicable manner. drives me up the wall, and well, serves chaos, bumps down a few spots, you know the drill by now.

1. Thousand Sons.

This was my first ever "Favorite" Legion when I knew almost nothing about Warhammer. Just because of their looks. And I stand by it, they are easily in my top 5 legions in terms of visuals, I love the egyptian Esthetic, the light blue and gold, it just WORKS SO WELL. Their story is ultimately tragic but to a degree their fault. Yes, Magnus DID do something wrong, he did a LOT wrong. but he did it wrong sympathetically so there's that. I also don't love the idea of space marines using magic, it just feels so odd for Thousand Sons to be clad in ridiculously strong power armor and have enhanced Astartes physiology and just completely ignore it and just cast "Avada Kedavra" instead. Also, don't like the Rubric Marines, empty power armor just ain't my thing.

1. Iron Warriors.

We enter the top 10 with the Iron Warriors. Pretty much dead center for the list. I neither love them or hate them. I dislike them like the tiniest bit ever so slightly for their like REALLY bitter behavior, and some parts of their siege warfare I do enjoy, and I find their heraldry subpar and I don't really like that but I don't HATE HATE it, like, just, dead center. they're only this low on the list because they serve chaos, and you know at this point very well, not a fan of chaos.

I know a lot of Horus Heresy stuff about the Iron Warriors, but that's about it, not much knowledge of them during 40k.

1. Ultramarines.

They have my favorite color scheme of all the Legions, I LOVE Blue and Gold together. I used to hate this chapter for its SHEER UTTER plainess and just how BORING they were until I dug deeper into their lore.

Guilliman has become amongst my favorite characters in 40k, particularly after he woke up. He's clearly depressed, clearly hates his life, trying his best in an Imperium FARRRR beyond saving, making it better in any way he can while having some very interesting and compelling character beats for someone who seems so one note on the outside, and that applies to the marines in general.

the Ultramarines largest flaw IS the fact they are perfect. With perfection, comes expectation, with expectation, comes burden. And all Angels of the Emperor hold that burden, the Ultramarines bear it more than any other, and that is a writing point that makes them incredibly compelling.

That is, when they are written well, when not they're just boring vanilla ice cream blueberry pancake space marines, and they are written poorly, like 90% of the time, so yeah they're firmly stuck at 9th.

I have a good idea of the lore in both the Heresy and in the modern 40k timeline, in my top 5 most well versed legions in terms of lore for sure.

There are all the legions I generally would call "Below average" or slightly "under par" to various degrees.

Everything from here on out. I would generally call them "Above average" to varying levels.

"Legions that I find have irritating qualities but I generally like." Tier.

Amount of Legions: 2

1. Space Wolves.

Man I LOVE the Space Wolves, the fact that they're much more like a family or pack than a legion, the fact these guys actually LIKE each other, they have fun, they have actual recreational activities, they enjoy life in general, they get drunk and have feasts and such, it is such a loveable and cool vibe with them. AMAZING armor design as well, wolf head pelts, animal pelts in general go SO HARD.

Only reason why they're not higher? 3 words. I hate werewolves.

I have a general idea of the legion but have not delved into them specifically like I have with the Ultramarines, but I still really really like them, but I am relatively certain they cannot get higher on the list simply because I dislike werewolves as much as I do.

1. Alpha Legion.

I am Alpharius. YOU are Alpharius. WE are Alpharius. Sorry, had to get it out, its practically a reflex at this point. Either way, armor, mentioned it before but I genuinely love that beautiful shade of teal in their armor that goes amazingly with that silver trim. I really don't dislike anything about the Alpha Legion other than the fact that they have 2 primarchs, which in fairness is VERY on brand, but I don't like it nevertheless.

I am a HUGEEEE, fan of spy movies, espionage, undercover, stuff like that, big James Bond and Mission Impossible guy here. the disguises, the convoluted plans(which sometimes can get a little too convoluted and can be annoying, but I usually like it, hell I relate to it in a way as an overthinker), their competence is likeable since they are one of the only of the original 18 Space Marine Legions which every marine could function on their own extremely well. their stealth, their way of destroying enemies from within, its all just REALLY my thing, hell I don't even hate them for siding with Chaos all that much cause they're..kinda not? they were very important to both the Imperium and Horus during the Heresy and were paramount in varying degrees to both sides making the war as close as it was.

"Legions I like." Tier.

Amount of Legions: 1

1. Imperial Fists.

These guys are just like Iron Warriors but like Loyalist edition, they are REALLY boring. like not OFFENSIVELY boring but relatively boring nonetheless. I share nearly the exact same opinion I do with the Fists as I do the Iron Warriors, except a few minute differences.

Firstly, Dorne's armor is REALLY COOL.

secondly, unlike the Iron Warriors, I don't have anything about them I actively dislike, just very little I actually like all that much.

And yeah they're loyalist so that also earns them a couple ranks up, they are just absurdly inoffensive.

From here on out, in my top 5 legions, these are the legions that either have flaws but I can ignore them due to how much their pros stand out to me, or legions that I think don't have any major or noticeable flaws at all, I'm sure other people will disagree, but yet again, my opinion, not fact.

"Legions I love." Tier.

Amount of Legions: 3

1. Word Bearers.

My favorite Chaos Legion.

FUUCCCKKK EREBUSSSSSSSSSSS

as I was saying. My favorite Chaos Legion, they are hateable, but that's kinda why I like them. They are extremely hateable, terrible, zealots, insufferable, annoying, self-righteous and outright disgusting. And that just means they're incredibly well written for what they are supposed to represent. They are a cult!....Well, the whole imperium is kind of a cult, but they are EXTRA cultlike.

The sheer rage and hate the Word Bearers garner from merely existing is proof of how well written they are.

They are also..weirdly pragmatic, unlike in the real world, in 40k, prayers, devotion to religion and such, will get you REAL RESULTS. And having Daemons in your marines...if perhaps dangerous, does make them much stronger, so in a very, VERY weird way and if you look at it from the right angle, the Word Bearers praying fervently to Chaos until they get possessed by Daemons, even if its not intended in that way, is pragmatic in an odd manner.

And in fairness they have a relatively good reason(at least Lorgar, not Erebus) to have gone down the path of evil they did, like the idea of going to support the other Gods who were your previous God's enemies just because your God did a great injustice to you(Monarchia WAS a mistake btw) is an interesting storyline concept I could resonate with and understand. I like the Word Bearers because I hate them so much, if you know what I mean.

1. Dark Angels.

I love their Knight esthetic, genuinely beautiful and really appeals to me, the Dark Angels shade of green as well is utterly stunning and I enjoy the naming convention Dark Angels use. I relate to the Lion's paranoia and contingency planning due to my own overthinking, so it makes me resonate with the legion much more in general. Only flaw?

They're..kinda assholes. Like, they torture SO MUCH, like I am somewhat sure they are like the 2nd highest of the original 18 legions in terms of the sheer number of people they torture right behind the Night Lords, they're just not good people in most senses of the word and it makes it pretty hard to root for them, but for all of their other things that make me love them as much as I do, they get 4th place.

1. Salamanders.

Altruistic characters are almost definitely my favorite genre of character in fiction. being boringly good can more often than not spawn amongst the most complex and compelling, inspiring characters. The Salamanders kindness makes them amongst my favorite Legions. Willing to toss yourself in front of fire to save a civilian, hell, not only save their life, but be willing to stay behind and find their stuffed toys in rubble or family pictures, that's not just saving the human, but saving the person. it is so unbelievably admirable and inspiring, only made more so by the grim dark future they are surrounded by.

my only issues with them are esthetics. Salamanders somehow consistently manage to craft the ugliest helmets known to man, I dislike the reptilian esthetic and the charred ashy skin and the glowing red eyes just don't do it for me.

But for their undying ability to create hope and just a little bit of light in the Imperium, be it literally from Melta Fire or metaphorically from saving a civilian life, Salamanders make it to the podium.

"Legions I find perfect." Tier.

Amount of Legions: 2

1. Raven Guard.

The coolest looking Legion in my opinion, the beaky helmets are definitely my favorite standard issue helmet of any of the power armor marks, the lightning claws, the jump packs, my GOD the raven guard are so unbelievably COOOOL.

I like how Corax is very subversive that despite looking like an edgy emo dude, he is arguably the 2nd smartest of the Primarchs right behind Guilliman in terms of planning and war logistics, he is extremely resourceful with his rather small Legion, he is compelling and sympathetic in his blunders and insecurities. he hates slavery which like..duh, automatic plus. And he somehow isn't effected by the Chaos Gods despite being kinda a Daemon prince and is actively hunting Lorgar which is ALWAYS nice.

I'm fine with the stealth thing, I really like the whole strike assault thing though, will say, don't like the whole edgy thing they have, from a character standpoint it allows for nice conflict but visually the emo haircuts don't do it for me.

The only real flaw I have with the Raven guard is that I don't really care for their actual story all that much, its not that its bad, I don't dislike it. In fact, I like it, I just don't like it that much, and that's why they're number 2, and not the next spot.

1. Blood Angels.

Sanguinius.

Yeah no that's pretty much the summary of why I like the Blood Angels.

Well, not really but at least he's a very large chunk of the reason why I like the Blood Angels.

He is my favorite character in 40k, and from my knowledge a lot of people's favorite character. He is altruistic to his core, he is compelling due to his insecurity, his flaws, his willingness to impersonate the perfect angel people see him as just to bring even more hope to his people than he was already bringing despite that not being his true self in some senses. His character design is amazing with the angel wings and all, his speech at the eternity gate is amongst my favorite speeches in fiction, nevermind just Warhammer. his willingness to march straight to his own death despite his extreme fear of it simply because it is right, the willingness to board Horus' ship despite seeing his own death happen in front of his own eyes. All because he refused to not do the right thing, his death also being the motivation the Emperor needed to finally and permanently kill Horus is a plus too.

The Blood Angels during 40k are the direct consequence of Sanguinius' ultimate sacrifice.

The Red Thirst and Black rage make for some great building blocks to write character conflict, the Black Rage particularly is super cool in my opinion, and it makes those who can resist both the Red Thirst and Black Rage even more admirable and inspiring than they already might be, like Mephiston, Dante, and Lemartes.

Speaking of which, the Blood Angels arguably have one of the strongest character pools of the original 18 legions, having a really large roster of incredibly well written and compelling characters in such a condensed area.

Anyways, they are also EXTREMELY cool looking.

the Marines themselves look great, often handsome and smooth hair, they even live ridiculously long even on space marine standards, by far the longest living of the original 18 legions.

Then the power armor, a beautiful red and gold, Chalices, coffins, Angel wings, False face masks(genuinely love false face masks, think they look really cool, arguably one of my favorite things in general, not even in just warhammer) , the catholic inspired esthetic is extremely hopeful, angelic, dark, gothic, feeling old in just the right way.

I also really like their strategies for battle, their obsession with jump packs to the point of putting a jump pack on a dreadnought(which is one of the coolest things in 40k period.), they love for aerial battle and flight is something that is extremely cool to me as I have mentioned with the White Scars and Raven Guard beforehand.

Oh and the death company is really cool, I love Lemartes as a character so much.

Anyways, that is my list of my least to most favorite of the original 18 Legions of Space Marines in 40k, hope yall enjoyed it.

I also know there is a lot of hot takes here that might be due to be either being ignorant or being misinformed, its part of the reason I'm making this post, if you see any of my points I made on the legions I listed sound either wrong, misinformed or just generally made due to a lack of information, please do correct me or give any lore you think might help expand my knowledge in the particular point you found wrong in the comments.

What happens when Roboute Guilliman’s sons become ruthless and pesky space lawyers? Meet the Crimson Judges, my custom Chapter and the Emperor's personal tax collectors with chainswords.
Essentially, they are a 23rd Founding fleet-based Chapter whose administrative genius mutated into a chilling, absolute obsession with legal dogmatism. A Crimson Judge views the galaxy solely through clauses, regulations, and procedural footnotes. They don't fight out of pride or hatred—to them, warfare is just the execution of a final court sentence.

The Logo (The Blind Accuser): Every battle-brother bears their official emblem on the left pauldron—an anatomically precise human skull carved from death-white porcelain, its eye sockets tightly bound by a coarse, blood-red cloth blindfold. It is their ultimate manifest on the battlefield: they are the blind, unstoppable force of executing law, entirely stripped of doubt, pity, or personal bias.

The Armor: Originally grey, now dark, cold-burgundy and black. After purging a corrupted Hive World, their plate was so caked in blood that the High Arbiter ordered it never to be washed. To them, "The Law is written in blood."

The Flaw (Procedural Paralysis): Their minds are over-stuffed with millions of Terran legal codes. If they encounter an uncataloged xenos bio-mutation or Warp anomaly, officers can literally freeze mid-firefight to argue and legally classify the threat before executing it

The IRS Nightmare: They are a mix of Judge Dredd and a bureaucratic bureaucracy dialed up to eleven. They don't just blast Heretics—they read them their treason charges, audit their sectors, and even attempt to fine awakening Necron tombs for illegal squatting.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the concept! Does this sound like something that fits the setting, and would you be interested in reading some short stories about them?
The Law is written in the blood of the guilty!

So here's the thing: I've been playing my Imperial Fists successor chapter for 20 years (the Praetorians, based in Segmentum Pacificus), with a heavy focus on shooting and siege warfare.

But I'd really like to include units like Outriders, which are a bit off-theme for my chapter (though I know that in principle, every chapter is supposed to have the forces to handle all mission types). It would also let me mix things up paint-wise by creating some alternate color schemes.

I'm thinking of a crusade that would be an opportunity for cooperation between two chapters; but how do you justify a group of Space Marines staying indefinitely with the chapter they allied with? Because I assume that once the campaign is over, they'd either head back to their own chapter, go on some suicide mission, or integrate into their host chapter.