Faction Guide
Chaos Space Marines
Once the Emperor's finest — now his most dangerous enemies. The Traitor Legions turned against the Imperium ten thousand years ago and have spent every moment since trying to finish the job. Corrupted, warped, and utterly terrifying, they are everything a Space Marine could become if they fell.
Playstyle
Aggressive Melee
Painting
Forgiving ✓
Rules
Medium
Starter Cost
~$160–$230
The Horus Heresy — how they fell
Ten thousand years ago, the Emperor of Mankind was at the height of his power. His Great Crusade had reunited a fractured humanity across thousands of worlds. At the center of it all was Horus Lupercal — the Warmaster, the Emperor's favorite son, the greatest of the Primarchs who led the twenty Space Marine Legions. If the Emperor trusted anyone absolutely, it was Horus.
The Chaos Gods saw an opportunity. Through a cascade of manipulation, corruption, and whispered lies, they turned Horus against his father. And when Horus fell, half the Legions fell with him — either through loyalty to their Primarch, through their own grievances against the Emperor, or through direct corruption by the Warp.
What followed was the Horus Heresy — a galaxy-wide civil war that nearly destroyed humanity. Brother fought brother. Worlds burned. The Legions that had conquered the galaxy turned their weapons on the civilization they had built. It ended at the Siege of Terra: Horus and the Emperor met in single combat aboard a traitor warship. Horus died. The Emperor survived — barely, catastrophically, entombed on the Golden Throne for the next ten thousand years in a state between life and death.
The Traitor Legions fled into the Eye of Terror — the massive Warp rift where the Aeldari empire used to be. Time moves differently there. Some Chaos Marines who fought at Terra are still alive, still fighting, still burning with the hatred of ten millennia. They have not forgotten. They have not forgiven. And every generation, they pour back out of the Eye to try again.
Choose your Legion
The Traitor Legions each serve a different Chaos God — or no single god at all. This is the biggest identity choice you'll make, and it shapes your colors, your lore, and your playstyle.
Black Legion
Chaos Undivided · Black & GoldPainting: EasyHorus's own Legion — once the Luna Wolves, now the greatest Chaos warband in existence. Led by Abaddon the Despoiler, who has launched thirteen Black Crusades against the Imperium. Black armor with gold trim. The default Chaos scheme and the easiest to execute.
Word Bearers
Chaos Undivided · Dark Red & BlackPainting: EasyThe first Legion to fall — the Emperor publicly humiliated their Primarch, and they never forgave it. True believers in Chaos, they write scripture across their armor and summon daemons as a religious act. Dark crimson with black detailing.
Iron Warriors
Chaos Undivided · Silver & Hazard StripesPainting: EasySiege specialists who resented being used as cannon fodder during the Crusade. Cold, methodical, and machine-obsessed — closer to the Adeptus Mechanicus in temperament than most Chaos factions. Metallic silver with yellow and black hazard markings.
Night Lords
Chaos Undivided · Dark Blue & LightningPainting: MediumTerror specialists. They were monsters before Chaos touched them — recruited from the worst criminal underworld of their homeworld. They flay their enemies and hang the remains as warnings. Dark midnight blue with freehand lightning bolt designs — striking but requires a steady hand.
Alpha Legion
Unknown · Hydra Green & TealPainting: EasyThe most mysterious Legion. Nobody knows if they're truly Chaos, loyalist infiltrators pretending to be Chaos, or something else entirely. Every model is called Alpharius. The lore is deliberately unresolved and fascinating. Iridescent green-teal scheme with a shifting quality.
Prefer a Chaos God specifically?The dedicated cult legions — World Eaters (Khorne),Thousand Sons (Tzeentch),Death Guard (Nurgle), andEmperor's Children (Slaanesh) — are their own separate factions with focused rules. This page covers the generic Chaos Space Marines who can serve any or all gods.
How they play on the table
Chaos Space Marines are an aggressive melee armywith real shooting capability. Think of them as Space Marines who chose violence — similar stat lines, similar durability, but with a distinct push forward rather than a tactical hold-and-shoot approach.
The army's flexibility comes from Marks of Chaos — blessings from individual gods you can apply to units. Mark of Khorne makes a unit deadlier in melee. Mark of Nurgle makes them tougher. Mark of Tzeentch improves their saves. Mark of Slaanesh makes them faster. This lets you customize each unit for a specific role within the same army.
Elite units make the roster genuinely exciting:Possessed are Chaos Marines fully merged with daemons — terrifying in close combat and grotesquely beautiful models.Obliterators are flesh-metal fusions that can generate any weapon they need from their own bodies.Warp Talons are jump troops that emerge directly from the Warp mid-charge. Nothing in the game looks quite like them.
CSM are for you if...
- ✓ You want to be the villain — the original traitors
- ✓ You love the Horus Heresy lore and backstory
- ✓ You want to convert and customize your models
- ✓ You want an aggressive, forward army
- ✓ You want dark, gothic, corrupted aesthetics
Maybe look elsewhere if...
- ✗ You want a pure ranged gunline
- ✗ You want simple, clean aesthetics
- ✗ You specifically want one Chaos God — look at the cult legions
- ✗ You want a horde of cheap bodies
How to paint Chaos Space Marines
Black Legion scheme — the fastest, most iconic approach.
Here's the secret about painting Chaos: battle damage, scratches, grime, rust, and imperfect edges are not mistakes — they're the aesthetic. A Chaos Marine who looks too clean looks wrong. This makes Chaos one of the most forgiving factions to paint in the game. If something goes slightly wrong, it probably looks better for it.
Spray Abaddon Black
Full black primer. Black Legion armor is genuinely black — not dark grey. Get full coverage, especially in the recesses.
Drybrush Mechanicus Standard Grey on armor edges
A medium grey drybrush across all raised armor surfaces. Creates edge highlights and makes the black read as textured rather than flat. The worn-armor look happens in this step.
Retributor Armour on all gold trim
Shoulder rims, helmet horns, chains, trophy racks, eye lenses on some models. Black Legion gold is the soul of the scheme — take your time here and stay reasonably neat.
Reikland Fleshshade wash over the gold
Flows into the trim and enriches it. Darkens recesses, creates depth in the chains and horns. The gold goes from flat to genuinely ancient-looking.
Mephiston Red on eye lenses
The red eyes are what makes a Chaos Marine feel predatory. A dot of red in each lens socket, no shading needed. The contrast against black armor is immediately striking.
Leadbelcher on weapons, Nuln Oil wash over metal
Bolters, blades, bolt pistols — silver metal then black wash. The wash pools into every machined detail and makes the weapons look used and dangerous.
Sponge chipping for battle damage (optional)
Tear a small piece of foam, dab it in Ironbreaker, wipe most off on paper, then dab lightly on armor edges. Creates instant scratched metal battle damage that makes the model look like it's been fighting for ten thousand years. Because it has.
The conversion culture
Chaos players convert more than any other faction. Adding spikes from a bitz box, repositioning arms, swapping heads, adding chains or trophies — every Chaos Marine can feel unique. This is encouraged, expected, and celebrated in the community. You don't need to do it, but it's one of the most rewarding parts of the hobby if you choose to lean into it.
What to buy first
One box. Commit to a Legion before you buy anything else — it determines everything from colors to second purchases.
Combat Patrol: Chaos Space Marines
Includes a Master of Possession (a daemonology-focused warlord who summons and empowers daemons rather than leading from the front), 10 Chaos Space Marines, 5 Possessed (daemon-merged elite melee), and 10 Chaos Cultists. A daemon-heavy force with some of the most impressive plastic kits GW has produced.
See price on Amazon →Chaos Space Marines (10-model box)
The core troop. Highly customizable with multiple weapon options and enough parts in the kit to make every model look different. The new sculpts are dramatically better than older kits — dynamic, detailed, and full of character.
Search Amazon →Paints you need (Black Legion)
~$44 total. The sponge chipping technique uses a piece of blister pack foam — free from any GW purchase.
Honest cost breakdown
Combat Patrol: Chaos Space Marines
Master of Possession, CSM, Possessed, Cultists
Essential paints (7)
Spray + grey + gold + wash + metal + red
Basing supplies
Ash/rubble texture + scorched tufts
Clippers + hobby knife
One-time purchase
Superglue
Multi-part models with small trophy/spike bits
All-in starter total
~$241A Chaos Space Marines box (~$60) is the natural second purchase — more troops and more conversion options. Pick up a used bitz box online for additional spikes, skulls, and trophies.
The Long War never ended.
Choose your Legion. Embrace the damage. Every scratch on your models is ten thousand years of war — and you're just getting started.