Faction Guide
Death Guard
Rotting. Bloated. Absolutely impossible to kill. The Death Guard are Chaos Space Marines remade by Nurgle, the god of plague — diseased beyond all recognition but stronger for every wound they refuse to die from. The most durable army in 40k, and one of the most fun to paint.
Playstyle
Slow Juggernaut
Painting
Easy + Fun ✓
Rules
Medium
Starter Cost
~$160–$230
The plague that made them
During the Horus Heresy, the Death Guard's fleet made a catastrophic error and became trapped in the Warp — adrift in the space between reality, becalmed without drives, with no way out. Days became months. Months became something worse. A plague began spreading through the fleet — one so virulent that nothing slowed it, nothing stopped it. Plague Marines in full power armor rotted alive inside their suits.
Their Primarch, Mortarion, had survived the most toxic world in the Imperium through sheer will. He had never begged. He had never broken. When his Legion was dying around him and he had no other options, he did something he had never done before: he called out into the Warp for salvation.
Nurgle answered. Nurgle — the Chaos God of plague, decay, and rot — who experiences disease not as cruelty but as love. In Nurgle's philosophy, all living things decay. Decay is natural. Decay leads to new growth. To be blessed with plague is to be loved, to be part of the cycle, to never truly die.
The Death Guard were saved. And they were remade. Every Marine was transformed — bloated, rotting, diseased beyond recognition — but unkillable for it. The same plague that had been killing them became the source of their power. They cannot die from disease because they are disease. They trudge forward through bolter fire, plasma, and chainblades with the serene patience of something that knows it cannot be killed.
Mortarion became a Daemon Primarch — one of the most powerful individual beings in the setting. His wings spread a plague-storm wherever he walks. And he is, in his own way, content. This is what Nurgle wanted for him. Father Nurgle loves all his children.
How they play on the table
Death Guard are the most durable army in 40k. Full stop. Plague Marines have Toughness 5 (many weapons need a 5+ to wound them), multiple wounds each, and Disgustingly Resilient — a 5+ Feel No Pain save that lets them ignore wounds entirely on a roll of 5 or 6. Killing a single Plague Marine requires dedication. Killing a squad of them requires an entire army's worth of firepower. Your opponent will be frustrated. This is the point.
The army also has Contagion — a spreading mechanic that reduces enemy Toughness the closer they get. This means that as the game goes on and distances close, your weapons become relatively more effective while your armor stays the same. Time is on your side.
The honest trade-off: Death Guard are slow. Plague Marines lumber forward at a pace that gives opponents time to react, reposition, and focus fire. You don't outmaneuver anyone. You don't need to. You're the immovable object and you know it.
The army is genuinely beginner-friendly — because you can make mistakes and frequently survive them. Moved something slightly wrong? It probably lives anyway. Got caught in a bad position? You're still there next turn. The durability buys you time to learn.
Death Guard are for you if...
- ✓ You want the most durable, unkillable army in the game
- ✓ Rot, plague, and decay is your aesthetic
- ✓ You want a forgiving army that survives your mistakes
- ✓ You love technical paints, rust effects, and slime
- ✓ You want a playstyle built on inevitability — slow, unstoppable advance
Maybe look elsewhere if...
- ✗ You want speed or mobility
- ✗ You want a strong, versatile shooting army
- ✗ You prefer clean, polished, non-gross aesthetics
- ✗ You want psychic powers (Death Guard have very few)
How to paint Death Guard
This is one of the most satisfying paint jobs in the entire game. The techniques are simple, the results are spectacular, and every "mistake" looks intentional.
Death Guard painting is a series of techniques that build on each other — base, wash, rust, slime. Each step transforms the model further. Games Workshop even makes specific technical paints for this faction (Typhus Corrosion and Nurgle's Rot) that do most of the heavy lifting.
Spray Death Guard Green
GW makes a specific Death Guard Green spray primer — a pale, desaturated green-grey that's the perfect base for the diseased armor. If unavailable, Death World Forest is a close alternative.
Agrax Earthshade wash over the whole model
Everything. The armor, the flesh, the weapons. One generous wash pools into every recess and turns the pale green immediately grimy and ancient. The model transforms completely in this step.
Drybrush Elysian Green on raised armor
Restores a lighter green on the raised armor panels. Brings the model back from the darkness of the wash and adds definition to the armor shapes.
Leadbelcher on all metal, then Typhus Corrosion stippled over it
Leadbelcher on trim, bolters, and fittings first. Then stipple Typhus Corrosion (a chunky black-brown technical paint) over the metal — it creates an instant texture of corroded, pitted rust that looks incredible.
Drybrush Ryza Rust over the corroded metal
A bright orange rust drybrush over the Typhus Corrosion. The orange catches on the raised texture and creates convincing iron oxide rust — the most satisfying technique in the Death Guard toolkit.
Pallid Wych Flesh on exposed bone, flesh, and maggots
Death Guard models have exposed flesh, tentacles, Nurgling infestations, and other organic protrusions. A pale flesh tone here — then a thin Carroburg Crimson wash in the recesses for raw, infected-looking skin.
Nurgle's Rot in wounds, vents, and open areas
The finishing touch. Nurgle's Rot is a technical paint that dries as a translucent green slime — pool it into bullet holes, wound openings, pipe vents, and mouth holes. It looks exactly like infectious ooze. One paint, used correctly, defines the entire faction.
Why this is so satisfying
Each step in the Death Guard recipe looks like a mistake until the next step fixes it. The Agrax wash looks too dark. The rust looks too orange. Then Nurgle's Rot goes on and suddenly the whole model reads as a coherent, disgusting, incredibly detailed plague warrior. New painters often produce their best work on Death Guard models because the techniques do the work for you — and every drip, smear, and blob looks like it belongs there.
What to buy first
One box. The technical paints are half the hobby experience here — get them at the same time.
Combat Patrol: Death Guard
Includes a Lord of Virulence (your plague commander), a Tallyman (support character who tallies the dead for Nurgle), a Chaos Rhino (armoured transport to push your Marines into the enemy), 3 Deathshroud Terminators (elite plague bodyguard in heavy armour), and 7 Plague Marines (the elite core troop). An armoured, elite force — no Poxwalkers in this box, just the hard stuff.
See price on Amazon →Plague Marines (7-model box)
Your core unit, and some of the most detailed miniatures Games Workshop produces. Every model is unique — no two poses are the same, and each one has its own weapon, mutation, and personality. These are the models you'll spend the most time on, and they're worth every minute.
Search Amazon →Paints you need
~$50 total — more paints than most factions, but Typhus Corrosion, Ryza Rust, and Nurgle's Rot are unique to this army and completely worth it.
Honest cost breakdown
Combat Patrol: Death Guard
Lord of Virulence, Tallyman, Rhino, Deathshroud, Plague Marines
Essential paints (8)
Includes 3 technical paints unique to Death Guard
Basing supplies
Brown mud texture + dead/scorched tufts
Clippers + hobby knife
One-time purchase
Superglue
Plague Marines have many small organic detail pieces
All-in starter total
~$247The Plague Marines box (~$65) is the natural second purchase — your elite core, and the models that showcase the rust and slime techniques best. Mortarion (the Daemon Primarch) is the ultimate centerpiece if you ever want one — but he's a large investment and a project for when you're confident with the techniques.
Father Nurgle loves you.
Grab the Combat Patrol and the paints together — you'll want Typhus Corrosion and Nurgle's Rot from day one. Start with a Plague Marine and work through the recipe step by step. Then give a Plague Marine everything you've got.