Faction Guide
Chaos Daemons
Pure warp energy given form. Not machines. Not soldiers. Things that should not exist, bleeding through the boundary between reality and the immaterium. Blood, fire, change, rot, excess — the four gods made manifest.
Playstyle
Melee Aggression
Painting
Medium
Rules
Medium
Starter Cost
~$160
*The Combat Patrol is all Khorne. Other god flavors are equally valid starting points — more on that below.
Who are the Chaos Daemons?
Everything that exists in the physical universe has a reflection in the warp — the psychic parallel dimension that underlies reality. Every emotion, every thought, every act of violence or love or despair sends ripples into the immaterium. Over millennia, those ripples coalesced. The strongest emotions, the most powerful and repeated impulses of billions upon billions of sentient beings, formed into conscious entities of incomprehensible scale.
There are four of them. The Chaos Gods. And from each, daemon servants are born continuously — fragments of divine will given physical form when the barrier between realities thins enough for them to push through. They are not alive in any conventional sense. They are ideas made flesh: rage, change, disease, desire. They cannot truly be killed, only banished back to the warp to reform.
Khorne — the Blood God. Red rage, skulls, eternal war. His daemons are the simplest and most direct: get close, tear apart, offer the skull. They hate sorcery and psychic powers almost as much as they hate the enemy. Bloodletters are his foot soldiers. Bloodcrushers ride massive iron Juggernauts — daemonic constructs of brass and brute force. Flesh Hounds are his hunters, tireless and impossible to outrun.
Tzeentch — the Changer of Ways. Blue and pink, flame and feather, plans within plans. His daemons shift and mutate. Horrors split when killed, spawning more. The Lord of Change is a vast avian sorcerer of terrible intelligence. The most psychically powerful daemon army in the game.
Nurgle — the Plague Father. Green rot and eternal decay, but paradoxically the most joyful of the gods. His Plaguebearers shamble forward unstoppably. Nurglings swarm and cling. The Great Unclean One is a titanic bloated monstrosity that is almost impossible to kill and inexplicably beloved by hobbyists.
Slaanesh — the Prince of Pleasure. Purple and pink, speed and sensation. Daemonettes are razor-quick melee fighters. Seekers ride Steeds of Slaanesh at terrifying speed. The Keeper of Secrets is an elegant monster of horrifying beauty and lethal precision.
How they play on the table
The Combat Patrol is all Khorne — and Khorne plays exactly how it looks.No shooting. No psychic powers (Khorne despises sorcery with a passion). Move forward. Charge. Kill. The strategy is aggression, tempo, and getting into combat before the opponent can focus-fire your daemons down.
Bloodletters are your core — twenty of them in the Combat Patrol, marching forward with Hellblades. Flesh Hounds move faster and are your threat range extenders — getting in the opponent's face early to disrupt their plans. Bloodcrushers are your heavy hitters: daemon-riders on iron Juggernauts who hit hard enough to crush vehicles. The Bloodmaster is your Herald character, buffing nearby units and fighting personally in melee.
Pure Khorne lists are refreshingly simple to learn: your job is to close distance fast and let the melee rules do the work. Beginner-friendly in terms of decision-making, though positioning matters enormously for making charges. Mixed-god lists — Khorne with Tzeentch or Nurgle support — add significant complexity and tactical depth for players who want it later.
Pick your god, pick your playstyle
Khorne
Red skin, brass armor, black basesAggressive forward melee. No shooting, no magic. Simple and brutal.
Tzeentch
Blue, pink, and purple flamesPsychic firepower, shifting units that multiply when killed. Most complex.
Nurgle
Rotting greens and brownsDurable, slow advance. Hard to kill, contagion debuffs on enemies.
Slaanesh
Purple, pink, and boneFastest daemons in the game. Devastating charges from range.
Chaos Daemons are for you if...
- ✓ You want aggressive, in-your-face melee gameplay
- ✓ You love visually wild and horrifying models
- ✓ You want a beginner-friendly paint scheme (Khorne)
- ✓ You enjoy grimdark horror aesthetics
- ✓ You want to eventually build a multi-god collection
Maybe look elsewhere if...
- ✗ You want a shooting-focused army (especially Khorne)
- ✗ You prefer the Imperium's aesthetic over chaos
- ✗ You want psychic powers with Khorne specifically
- ✗ You're uncomfortable with the grimdark horror aesthetic
How to paint Khorne Daemons
Red skin and brass armor — one of the most beginner-friendly schemes in the entire hobby. The contrast between deep red and warm brass is dramatic and forgiving of mistakes.
Prime with Chaos Black or Mephiston Red spray
Black primer gives you darker, moodier red skin. Mephiston Red spray jumps you straight to the skin base coat. Both work — black gives more depth, red is faster.
Base coat skin with Khorne Red
Cover all the skin areas. Don't worry about getting it on the armor areas — you'll paint those next. The skin is the dominant color and should read as a deep, dark red.
Shade skin with Agrax Earthshade
Apply over all the red skin. It flows into the muscle definition and deepens shadows dramatically. The warm brown of Agrax works beautifully with red — don't use Nuln Oil on red skin.
Layer skin with Wazdakka Red then Evil Sunz Scarlet
Wazdakka Red on raised muscle areas. Then Evil Sunz Scarlet on the highest points — horns, shoulder muscles, fists. Two quick layers build the red from dark to vibrant.
Paint armor and weapons: Balthasar Gold → Agrax → Hashut Copper
Balthasar Gold base on all brass/bronze armor. Agrax Earthshade wash over it (darkens and adds age). Then Hashut Copper on the raised edges to restore the warm metallic shine. This gives an ancient, battle-worn brass look.
Teeth, claws, eyes, and base
Teeth: Ushabti Bone. Claws: Abaddon Black → drybrush Eshin Grey. Eyes: Yriel Yellow dot. Base: Astrogranite Debris, drybrush Administratum Grey, optional blood effects (Blood for the Blood God technical paint) for Khorne's signature look.
The Contrast paint shortcut
Prime with Grey Seer or Wraithbone, then applyFlesh Tearers Red Contrast over all skin in one coat — it shades and highlights automatically. Then Snakebite Leather Contrast on the brass areas. Two Contrast paints, twenty Bloodletters done in an afternoon. The results won't be competition level but look genuinely good on a table.
What to buy first
Start with the Combat Patrol. Paint it before buying anything else.
Combat Patrol: Chaos Daemons
All Khorne, all the time. Includes 1x Bloodmaster (Herald of Khorne — your character leader), 3x Bloodcrushers (daemon-riders on iron Juggernauts), 10x Flesh Hounds (fast hunting daemons), and 20x Bloodletters (your core melee infantry). 34 models total — one of the most model-rich Combat Patrols available.
The 20 Bloodletters are the backbone. The Flesh Hounds rush forward to tie up fast enemy units. The Bloodcrushers are your heavy shock cavalry. The Bloodmaster leads from the front and buffs everything around him.
Search Amazon for Combat Patrol →Bloodletters (additional 10)
More Bloodletters extends your main battleline and gives you flexibility to run larger squads or split into two independent units. Khorne lists love redundancy — having more foot soldiers means the opponent can't just focus-fire your entire army away.
Search Amazon →If Khorne isn't calling to you...
Chaos Daemons can be devoted to any of the four Chaos Gods — each plays completely differently. You don't have to start with Khorne just because the Combat Patrol is Khorne-themed.
Tzeentch Start
Pink Horrors of Tzeentch box
The Tzeentch half of the Mortal Realms starter has Pink Horrors — they split into Blue Horrors when killed, making them self-replenishing. Great for psychic-heavy builds.
Search Amazon →Nurgle Start
Plaguebearers of Nurgle box
Slow but nearly unkillable. Plaguebearers carry disease-ridden blades and are the most durable daemon troops in the game. Excellent for players who prefer attrition.
Search Amazon →Slaanesh Start
Daemonettes of Slaanesh box
Lightning-fast melee. Daemonettes have rending claws and exceptional movement — they get into combat faster than any other daemon troop. High skill ceiling.
Search Amazon →Paints you need (Khorne)
The Contrast route (Flesh Tearers Red + Snakebite Leather) requires only Grey Seer spray and two Contrast pots. Much cheaper and still table-ready.
Honest cost breakdown
Combat Patrol: Chaos Daemons
34 Khorne models — exceptional model count for the price
Essential paints (6)
Reds, shade, brass, black
Basing supplies
Texture paint + tuft + grey drybrush
Clippers + hobby knife
One-time purchase
Superglue
Or plastic glue — both work
All-in starter total
~$232Prices approximate. Chaos Daemons are among the best value starter boxes — 34 models for the Combat Patrol price point is exceptional. The Contrast paint route cuts paint costs by roughly half.
Blood for the Blood God.
Thirty-four models. Red skin. Brass armor. Charge everything. The Khorne Combat Patrol teaches you the game the direct way — and when you're ready for more, three other gods are waiting.