Summary
The Chaos faction is one ofWarhammer 40,000’smostunique mainstays, portraying a symbiotic relationship between human nature and its hellish reflection in the warp. The eldritch Chaos Gods formed in the Warp as a response to mortal’s emotions, rather than simply as a force of nature. Their worshippers and Daemons reflect this by being consumed by the aspects of themselves that most reflect their patrons. These aspects range from the rage and bloodlust of Khorne, to the pride and perverseness of Slaanesh, to simply a mix of hatred and selfishness in Chaos Undivided.
This unique take on the archetypal “Army Of Darkness” lets Games Workshop toy with many concepts and aesthetics, while keeping things unified under a single chaotic tone. While loyalSpace Marineshavemany brilliant models, their even darker reflections shouldn’t be left out when discussingWarhammer’s best sculpts.
10Exalted Sorcerers
The Flesh Change Manifest
One of the best sculpts offered by the esoteric, Egyptian-themed Thousand Sons, these were featured in the recentSpace Marine 2. The Exalted Sorcerers are a unit of three Thousand Sons fortunate enough to have been spared the curse that turned their less psychically talented brethren to dust in their armor.
Instead, what resulted was three very mutated and powerful warriors clearly wielding the chaotic energies of the warp to great effect. Warpflame jets from their bodies as they lay waste to Tzeentch’s foes with their minds alone.
9Infernal Enrapturess
Horrific Harpist
Slaanesh is arguably the most underrated Chaos god, partially due to the taboo subjects surrounding their worship. The god/goddess of pleasure and pain, The Dark Prince is one ofWarhammer’sdarkest characters. And no model demonstrates their horrors quite like the Infernal Enrapturess.
A herald of Slaanesh playing the harp using the flayed skin of some unfortunate man is a horrific sight. Presumably, they are singing some kind of Daemonic ballad to accompany the man’s screams. The model marries the pleasure part of Slaanesh, namely the peaceful image of the harp, to the twisted horrors of theWarhammeruniverse.
8Chaos Space Marines
Renegades And Heretics
The elite shock troops of the forces of the damned, the Chaos Space Marines, are the backbone of any Chaos incursion. While there are several variations on the kit, such as the Legionary Kill Team, Havocs, and Chosen, these are the original. Any Chaos Space Marine player will have at least a few units of these in their army.
As models, Chaos Space Marines are a faithful and detailed update to their classic counterparts. They change little about the aesthetic of Chaos marines of old, but enhance the demonic, ramshackle look to them. It’s important to remember thatin the lore, several of these warriors have been fighting since the days of the Horus Heresy itself, with minimal support.
7Ahriman
Reluctant Champion Of Tzeentch
Arguably the greatest mortal sorcerer, Ahriman is a complicated character in the lore, filled with remorse for turning the vast majority of his brothers into ghosts in their armor in a desperate attempt to stop the flesh change that was ravaging his legion. Now he seeks the arcane knowledge to reverse his mistake and bring the vile corpse Emperor and his rotten empire to heel.
As a model, Ahriman is an imposing sight across the table, floating on a disc of Tzeentch and drawing warpflame from the Immaterium as he surges forth. His helmet is twisted with three-eyed malice and his cloak flows out behind him. Ahriman exudes menace and confidence in equal measure.
6Typhus
Host Of The Destroyer Hive
Typhus is the first captain of the Death Guard and the architect of their downfall. Dedicated to the worship of Nurgle since before the heresy even began, Tyhpus is now the host of the destroyer hive. A swarm of plague flies living in his body, able to devastate his foes without him even moving a muscle.
As a model, Typhus is striking, posed midway through unleashing his swarm on presumably some hapless enemies. Rotted and cracked armor gives way to bony growths and pustules, picked at by a single nurgling clinging to his torso. He is truly a disgusting and fetid servant of Grandfather Nurgle.
5Abaddon The Despoiler
The Warmaster Of Chaos
The successor to Horus, Abaddon is the Warmaster of the traitor forces. Having been present from the Isstvan atrocity to the Siege Of Terra, Abaddon is a veteran of The Long War against the Imperium. He defeated such champions as Sigismund, and even a clone of his Primarch. Abbadon is one of thestrongest characters in the setting.
His model reflects his power. Reaching to the stars with the Talon Of Horus, he almost beckons the forces of the false Emperor to attack him. In his other hand, Drach’nyen, the sword of murder manifest, writhes with screaming faces. With multiple head options and an optional cape, players can even customize their own Despoiler.
4Master Of Possession
Sorcerous Lord of the Possessed
Traitor Astartes are sometimes so dedicated to the cause that they allow their bodies to become hosts for the denizens of the warp. And sometimes they were simply punished for some failure. Regardless of how it happens, the Masters Of Possession are the marines that oversee this Chaotic coupling.
No model captures the marriage of the Daemonic and Sci-fi themes ofWarhammer 40’000’sdesign quite like the Master Of Posession. Flames erupt from skulls adorning his backpack and one carried in his hand. A sinister, determined expression dances on his skull helmet, a bestial reflection of the helmets worn by the Chaplains of the Loyalist Astartes.
3Mortarion
Daemon Primarch Of Nurgle
Mortarion is the Primarch of the Death Guard and Daemon Primarch of Nurgle. Mortarion is a force to be reckoned with, having killed both Jaghatai Khan, Primarch of the White Scars, and Robute Guilliman of the Ultramarines in single combat, although they were both later resurrected.
Mortarion’s model is the image of the Reaper himself, soaring above the battlefield borne aloft by rotten moth wings. His decrepit visage is hidden by a hood and mask, but it is just visible enough to give a taste of the morbid thing encased in that armor.
2Be’lakor
The First Daemon Prince
Appearing in bothWarhammer 40,000andWarhammer: Age Of Sigmar,Be’lakor gets much more love in the latter, but he is still an excellent miniature usable inWarhammer 40,000. Once, he was the first mortal to be granted Daemonhood by the Chaos Gods, only to fall out of favor once they realized he was playing them all off for power. Be’lakor longs to return to his former position as chosen of the gods.
Standing atop Chaos-twisted stone, Be’lakor is as imposing as any Primarch. His wings are adorned with chains and skulls; his sword is aflame. He roars from under a crown of broken horns, with the option of a bisected Space Marine or Chaos Warrior at his base. Be’lakor is the ultimate model in the Chaos Daemons and Slaves To Darkness ranges.
1Angron
The Red Angel
Servant ofthe mighty Khorne, Angron is the most tragic of his brothers. Angron was denied his choice to die next to his fellow gladiators’ slave revolt, which failed to liberate his homeworld of Nuceria. Instead, the Emperor saved him and only him. Angron had been implanted with the Butchers Nails, a brain implant that causes pain whenever the unwilling user is not actively enraged. This made him and his legion an easy target for the blood god.
Angron is now a Daemon Primarch and he looks the part. Butcher’s Nails streak back from his head like metal dreadlocks. Wielding a vicious chain axe in one hand and a gigantic daemon sword in the other, Angron goes to war as daemonic berserker, the visage of his skull-obsessed patron.
