Which is the most powerful chaos god?

[Angel of Death]

Being a new chaos player, but with an appetite for knowledge, I would like to ask.

Which chaos god do you think is the most powerful?

In terms of the following:

 

* Psyker ability, magic.

* Martial prowess.

* Amount of damage it can rack up on the enemy, be it shooting, magic, close combat, etc.

* Other factors, such as regaining wounds, movement speed, dexterity.

 

And I dont really want varying answers for this; I want this to be a debate about which is the one most powerful chaos god.

So. Leaving your personal loyalty aside, which god do you think is the strongest?

 

 

EDIT: topic is only about discussing which is strongest in the tabletop game, not fluff wise. :)

Edited June 8, 2021 by Angel of Death

[SanguinaryGuardsman]

They dont really exist is real space so there isnt really an answer to this. 

 

Should any one of the 4 gods manifest in real space it would be a galactic catastrophe that would threaten the survival of all the other races.  

 

Here is a pretty cool video on what might happen if Khorne invaded real space.  

 

[Excessus]

It depends...

 

 

Depending on what is going on in the galaxy their power waxes and wanes. As an example when there was a great plague over several systems, Nurgles power was boosted enough for him to overshadow all the others at the time. The gods themselves cannot exist outside the warp though, so their daemons who are a part of themselves act as their minions.

 

When it comes to their followers though, it depends on whats going on. Khorne and Slaanesh followers will most likely be the more martially inclined of the bunch, while Tzeentch followers would be more into scheming and magic stuff. Nurgle followers can tank like nobody else though.

[Dagoth Ur]

This probably won't answer your question definitively, but here is my suggestion: Slaanesh. I know, hear me out. Many mistake Slaanesh to be the deity of perversion - but they are the deity of Excess and that is a very different thing. Perversion is a manifestation of excess, but you know what else is? Meticulous mass genocide. Excessive slaughter. System spanning pandemics. The most obsessive of attentions paids to the most intricate of sorcerous mandalas.

 

Slaanesh is uniquely loathsome amongst the gods of Chaos, because when one is in ascendance then so must Slaanesh be as well. They feed off excess - all excess. Their very nature makes them not just a parasite to mortals, but to its "siblings" as well. When Khorne proclaims a new crusade of blood, then he isn't the only one that revels in the exhortations of monomaniacal slaughter. When Nurgle wracks thousands of billions with pestilence, then so too does Slaanesh partake in this excess of suffering and misery. When Tzeentch schemes and unravels his ploys that see whole systems collapse into anarchy, then this potent excess of revolutionary hope, meticulous scheming and careful planning certainly does not go unnoticed.

 

Slaanesh, to me, is the most potent of the gods not because they may be the strongest, most intelligent or possess the most numerous of legions - but because they feed from the same bowl as all the other gods. When one of the gods waxes in power, fuelled by the excesses of their followers, then Slaanesh cannot be far behind.

[Excessus]

Excess

no relation :P

[Special Officer Doofy]

I always saw them as:

 

Khorne: Strength

Slaanesh: Speed

Nurgle: Toughness

Tzeentch: Intelligence

 

Khorne and Slaanesh I saw as more offensive, with rules like fighting twice, fighting first, better charges and extra strength on models. Nurgle and Tzeentch I saw as more defensive, with rules like feel no pain, extra toughness, splitting daemons and better invulnerability saves.

 

But having the debate who is the strongest is like the who is the strongest primarch debate, which always ends up with "my dad can beat up your dad!".

 

Age wise it goes Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle then Slaanesh, so maybe you can go off that (I say that as a Nurgle fan). I think Excessus hit the nail on the head and that there is power shifts. They like to keep each other in check and not let one get too much stronger than the others.

Edited June 3, 2021 by Putrid Choir

[WarriorFish]

All we can say for sure is that Khorne is definitely the weakest in psychic might :lol: As noted there is a lot of wax and wane for the gods for many reasons not least their internal squabbles. The Daemons codex will give you more details to chew on, I think one of the key things it covers is that Slaanesh is usually towards the lower end of the power ratings because the other gods see to it. The reason being that Slaanesh encompasses parts of all of them, so could be the most powerful of all if not kept in check.

 

The rivalry between the gods is one of the interesting things about them, and also why things like Abaddon getting boons from them all is such a big deal. Even if it is also fuelled by their rivalry :P I suppose the other thing we can say for sure is that whichever god is currently most powerful won't be so for long, as the other three will make sure of that :lol:

[Tokugawa]

9>8>7>6.

[Angel of Death]

This probably won't answer your question definitively, but here is my suggestion: Slaanesh. I know, hear me out. Many mistake Slaanesh to be the deity of perversion - but they are the deity of Excess and that is a very different thing. Perversion is a manifestation of excess, but you know what else is? Meticulous mass genocide. Excessive slaughter. System spanning pandemics. The most obsessive of attentions paids to the most intricate of sorcerous mandalas.

 

Slaanesh is uniquely loathsome amongst the gods of Chaos, because when one is in ascendance then so must Slaanesh be as well. They feed off excess - all excess. Their very nature makes them not just a parasite to mortals, but to its "siblings" as well. When Khorne proclaims a new crusade of blood, then he isn't the only one that revels in the exhortations of monomaniacal slaughter. When Nurgle wracks thousands of billions with pestilence, then so too does Slaanesh partake in this excess of suffering and misery. When Tzeentch schemes and unravels his ploys that see whole systems collapse into anarchy, then this potent excess of revolutionary hope, meticulous scheming and careful planning certainly does not go unnoticed.

 

Slaanesh, to me, is the most potent of the gods not because they may be the strongest, most intelligent or possess the most numerous of legions - but because they feed from the same bowl as all the other gods. When one of the gods waxes in power, fuelled by the excesses of their followers, then Slaanesh cannot be far behind.

hello! I started this thread, but I forgot I had started it, hahah.

quite interesting theory there actually. I have heard something similar.

 

there is a theory about slaanesh actually being the most evil chaos god, because slaanesh is the lord of pleasure,

and if you think about it, anything can be pleasure. you can kill for fun, wage war for fun, cast magic for fun,

and anything that the other chaos gods do, slaanesh can do more, sort of. and because slaanesh is the lord of darkness,

slaanesh will eclipse them all. :)

 

also just a heads up; I was looking for which is the strongest gods in the game. with all of this concerned.

that means in the warhammer tabletop game, when you play and roll dice, which is the most powerful? etc.

[Special Officer Doofy]

Tabletop wise, Nurgle was really strong last edition, plague bearers can be easily buffed with characters, and large groups get -1 to being hit ontop of the spell that can stack another -1 to being hit. After the Slaanesh releases though, they were winning tournaments. So probably Slaanesh tabletop wise. But that could all change with the new codex.

[Xenith]

 

And I dont really want varying answers for this; I want this to be a debate about which is the one most powerful chaos god.

 

 

Unsure how you can have a debate without people having different opinions, and giving varying answers.

 

That said, the answer is Tzeentch. Tzeentch rose to pre-eminence among the gods at one time, and it took the threat of all 3 others coming together to destroy him where Tzeentch agreed to shatter his magic macguffin of something that weakened him to the level of the other gods. 

 

Slaanesh is seen as the weakest, being the youngest. Khorne is physically the strongest/potentially the most powerful once Tzeentch weakened themself, however Tzeentch planned it that way.

 

Every kill that a Khorne follower makes is also the change from life to death, and an offering to Tzeentch, so Khorne empowers Tzeentch whether it likes it or not. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Xenith

[Angel of Death]

Tabletop wise, Nurgle was really strong last edition, plague bearers can be easily buffed with characters, and large groups get -1 to being hit ontop of the spell that can stack another -1 to being hit. After the Slaanesh releases though, they were winning tournaments. So probably Slaanesh tabletop wise. But that could all change with the new codex.

quite interesting that Slaanesh would be the strongest tabletop wise. hah. I have lots to look forward to.

Im like the only person who plays slaanesh at my club xD when I enter the club, people go like eyy, slaanesh! xD

but I can imagine lots of things make her stronger than others. I met a guy who played noise marines once, and he just destroyed my entire force with shooting :D

 

 

 

And I dont really want varying answers for this; I want this to be a debate about which is the one most powerful chaos god.

 

 

Unsure how you can have a debate without people having different opinions, and giving varying answers.

 

That said, the answer is Tzeentch. Tzeentch rose to pre-eminence among the gods at one time, and it took the threat of all 3 others coming together to destroy him where Tzeentch agreed to shatter his magic macguffin of something that weakened him to the level of the other gods. 

 

Slaanesh is seen as the weakest, being the youngest. Khorne is physically the strongest/potentially the most powerful once Tzeentch weakened themself, however Tzeentch planned it that way.

 

Every kill that a Khorne follower makes is also the change from life to death, and an offering to Tzeentch, so Khorne empowers Tzeentch whether it likes it or not. 

 

we arent talking about strongest fluff-wise, we're talking about which is the strongest in the 40K tabletop game.

[Excessus]

For CSM you can't go wrong with slaanesh. The option to shoot twice and the FnP psychic power are very nice. Noise marines (especially EC ones) are quite dangerous but fragile.

 

The DG codex is very durable. If you want something to stay alive to score, the DG codex has you covered.

 

Zerkers are ALWAYS dangerous too. Get a few into melee and watch them turn their opponents into minced meat!

[Angel of Death]

For CSM you can't go wrong with slaanesh. The option to shoot twice and the FnP psychic power are very nice. Noise marines (especially EC ones) are quite dangerous but fragile.

 

The DG codex is very durable. If you want something to stay alive to score, the DG codex has you covered.

 

Zerkers are ALWAYS dangerous too. Get a few into melee and watch them turn their opponents into minced meat!

yeah, slaanesh is the way to go! personally, I dont play 'only' to win, :) :)

winning a few battles may be great, been there, done that, but what I think is mosr important is playing the army you enjoy the most.

I had a friend who used to butcher my army, before I played chaos, before I played dark eldar.

he played khorne berzerkers and those were just the coolest stuff ive seen.

 

i always wanted to play chaos, and now, Ive joined the dark side.

I think slaanesh is very very strong. they are good at different things, but as you say, strong psychic power and double shooting is very good.

[Xenith]

 

we arent talking about strongest fluff-wise, we're talking about which is the strongest in the 40K tabletop game.

 

 

 

Ok - this wasn't clear from the first post - and you can see others thought the same also.

 

I think the answer is much the same. It depends on who has had the most recent codex. Nurgle is probably strongest right now, followed by Slaanesh (as mobile shooting is king), then Khorne. Thousand Sons suffer perpetually. However TS are due a new codex in a few months, so they might be the best when that's released.

 

As with anything in the game, I'd avoid buying stuff based on what's strong right now, as it'll change in 6 months, before you've enen finished your army.

 

The question is which god is your favourite - build an army aligned that way. Pick buy and paint the models you like the look of the most, and will enjoy painting. Learn to use them to best effect in the game. 

[Angel of Death]

 

 

we arent talking about strongest fluff-wise, we're talking about which is the strongest in the 40K tabletop game.

 

 

 

Ok - this wasn't clear from the first post - and you can see others thought the same also.

 

I think the answer is much the same. It depends on who has had the most recent codex. Nurgle is probably strongest right now, followed by Slaanesh (as mobile shooting is king), then Khorne. Thousand Sons suffer perpetually. However TS are due a new codex in a few months, so they might be the best when that's released.

 

As with anything in the game, I'd avoid buying stuff based on what's strong right now, as it'll change in 6 months, before you've enen finished your army.

 

The question is which god is your favourite - build an army aligned that way. Pick buy and paint the models you like the look of the most, and will enjoy painting. Learn to use them to best effect in the game. 

 

very good point actually - "dont buy what is strong right now, it will change in six months". :)

 

I second this fully. warhammer is a very casual friendly game, and its almost hard to be overly competitive.

unless you are "that guy" you know. :P but Im still curious of knowing like..... how good are they? black & white.

from a competitive standpoint, it can be good to know not for what you will buy, but to predict your opponent,

just like its good to know every army. knowledge is power. but the most important thing is fun :)

winning a game wont gain you anything, and smugness tends to be icky. playing warhammer thought me humility,

which is not practised in all sports or games or philosophies.

 

Im gonna be playing slaanesh, concrete-decision. Also, happy to hear s/he is moar strong than I thought :D

[Excessus]

Yeah, don't decide what to play because of strength, it waxes and wanes as the chaos gods do, at the whims of our plastic overlords at GW. 

 

I've been playing Alpha Legion since the mid 90s, through thick and thin. Never wavering even with the 4th ed codex...

[WarriorFish]

Models are forever - rules are temporary ;) Lore is... somewhere in between I guess? :P

[Angel of Death]

Models are forever - rules are temporary Lore is... somewhere in between I guess?

I dont think slaanesh would be the most powerful, but I still play it.

But still, which do you think is the most strong? Since you have lots of experience on the forum :)

[WarriorFish]

Slaanesh has been a bit of ups and downs, but generally decent overall currently I think. I have only been playing Slaanesh for six or so years. There's a lot more to strength than army specifics too, as running a combat heavy Slaanesh/EC force has not been the best of times lately as shooting has been king - but you can play shooting focused too. I play a mainly assault army so my experience has mostly been positive, mostly having the issues against the better/shootier armies. You could make make many arguments about an assault list not being optimal or not playing particularly competitively here.

 

I'm not sure it's a question that can be answered much more than we have already. Besides, you've made your choice so what does it matter what the other god forces do? ;)

[Xenith]

Slaanesh is decent right now as the rules changes giving all their models Strike First, which is a really powerful rule, and they have the shoot twice stratagem that makes non-slaanesh specific units like Obliterators and Havocs pretty powerful.

 

As before, Nurgle had the most recent codex, so it's strongest right now. 

[Angel of Death]

@warriorfish

as long as its decent, im happy with it. i know chaos is a strong army overall, and actually, dont intend to make my army too hard to win against.

you know. not too strong, not too weak. so slaanesh is perfect. with the shooting, I will have some thousand sons thrown in. and..... tanks, my landraider.

i dont have that good check on the meta, but last time I played slaanesh at my club, they did well. :)

 

@xenith

oblitterators are one unit i always wanted to play. shoot twice sounds good, thats gonna work well with my thousands.

and isnt slaanesh like...... very strong psychic powers in general? or am i wrong?

[battle captain corpus]

My only advice would be collect what you like and you’ll never be disappointed. Every god has its followers both in game and in real life. The answer you seek won’t really exist. It’s all coloured by our own experiences & play styles.

 

BCC

[Iron Father Ferrum]

@warriorfish

as long as its decent, im happy with it. i know chaos is a strong army overall, and actually, dont intend to make my army too hard to win against.

you know. not too strong, not too weak. so slaanesh is perfect. with the shooting, I will have some thousand sons thrown in. and..... tanks, my landraider.

i dont have that good check on the meta, but last time I played slaanesh at my club, they did well.

 

@xenith

oblitterators are one unit i always wanted to play. shoot twice sounds good, thats gonna work well with my thousands.

and isnt slaanesh like...... very strong psychic powers in general? or am i wrong?

From your post, it sounds to me like you want your Thousand Sons to shoot twice?  Unfortunately, you cannot do that.  The shoot twice stratagem is hardwired for Mark of Slaanesh units, and Thousand Sons must be Mark of Tzeentch.

 

In regards to Slaanesh psychic powers, they only have one -- a 5+ FNP save.  It's pretty good, certainly, but the three Mark-specific psychic powers are all pretty good depending on target.  In truth, the best thing about them is that they're not linked to any unit type so you can give a tank (a Land Raider for example) that 5+ FNP for getting an assault unit into position.

[Angel of Death]

 

@warriorfish

as long as its decent, im happy with it. i know chaos is a strong army overall, and actually, dont intend to make my army too hard to win against.

you know. not too strong, not too weak. so slaanesh is perfect. with the shooting, I will have some thousand sons thrown in. and..... tanks, my landraider.

i dont have that good check on the meta, but last time I played slaanesh at my club, they did well.

 

@xenith

oblitterators are one unit i always wanted to play. shoot twice sounds good, thats gonna work well with my thousands.

and isnt slaanesh like...... very strong psychic powers in general? or am i wrong?

From your post, it sounds to me like you want your Thousand Sons to shoot twice?  Unfortunately, you cannot do that.  The shoot twice stratagem is hardwired for Mark of Slaanesh units, and Thousand Sons must be Mark of Tzeentch.

 

In regards to Slaanesh psychic powers, they only have one -- a 5+ FNP save.  It's pretty good, certainly, but the three Mark-specific psychic powers are all pretty good depending on target.  In truth, the best thing about them is that they're not linked to any unit type so you can give a tank (a Land Raider for example) that 5+ FNP for getting an assault unit into position.

 

that sounds really interesting :) I actually have a land raider, painted slaaneshi. Im gonna make good use of that :)