Death Guard | Warhammer 40,000 Tactical Guide

Expensive but the premier beatstick of the HQs. Killy in melee, tough, can Cast and Deny 1, and grants reroll 1s to hit for CORE. Weapon wise the Sword is the best choice thanks to Nurgle’s Gift- the Axes’ Str 9 is wasted against everything barring T9+ models (so nothing you’re ever really going to face) and with AP 2 is just worse. The Spewer is a cheap upgrade but mutually exclusive with the Talon and Wings, though handy vs hordes given the Prince is of course a MONSTER and can use Big Guns. The Wings are a pricey upgrade for +2” Move though FLY is very useful. An all round great choice for both offense and support.

Technically two different Datasheets, one in Power Armour and one in Terminator Armour, both versions are tough with a decent spread of wargear options and the standard reroll 1’s to hit aura, but nowhere near as killy as other characters.

• Power Armour- Given no weapon hits above Dmg 1, unless you’re looking for a Character to support Marines in a Rhino, or are really shaving points and only the reroll 1s is useful to you, spend some points to make him a better version of the Lords. 

Terminator Armour- More limited wargear than the Power Armour version, but tougher with more wounds and better save, and at least his options can reach the lofty heights of Dmg 2 or D3. For about 10pts more you can make them one of the below Lords instead which have better synergies and rules.

A Terminator Lord that has a Plague Power Fist and packs a twin Plague Spewer (read Plague Heavy Flamer), he also grants CORE units within 6” an extra AP on 6s to wound with their Ranged Plague Weapons. GIven those are pretty much only special weapons outside of Bolters with the Virulent Rounds Stratagem, the aura is pretty poor, but at 120pts he’s decent in combat, adds some ranged support and the extra ranged AP can occasionally come up.

The Terminator Lord that decided he really likes big chainsaw-axe-scythe things, using either a Plaguereaper (a Plague Power Fist with Dmg 3) or a Manreaper which can Cleave with a -1 to Hit for Str +3 AP-3 Dmg 2, or Scythe for +1 Str -1 Dmg 1 but double attacks. The Manreaper version also comes with a once per game super Blight Grenade (3D3 shots at Str 4 -1 Dmg 2). Either one is a brutal beatstick, though you just need to decide between versatility or raw damage. Any Contagions on him are increased by +3” (up to 12”) making him a good choice for a Company trait to ensure maximum effect.

Comes stock in Terminator Armour making him a little tougher than the Plaguecaster albeit without the Fallout ability. Can be given some alternative wargear, though he’s not a combat character so keep him barebones. The survivability boost is nice in case you have concerns over things like Snipers, and Teleport Strike is handy to have in a pinch though realistically you’ll be on the board to cast those tasty powers of theirs.

Your basic Psyker with Force Stave and the Pestilent Fallout ability, inflicting a Mortal Wound on the closest enemy unit within 12” for each Psychic Test passed on a 7+. Good to support your lines, inflicting some chip damage as you buff up your units. These guys are fairly mandatory given the Lords of the Death Guard rule (unless you run a Lord and a Prince), and the powers are all very good so you’d only really be hampering yourself should you not run them.

All of the FOETID VIRION share the same profile, with a decent T5 4W and 3+. They aren’t frontline characters with those stats, lack significant melee punch, and their shooting is all short ranged. However the buffs they all bring are significant, and whilst you don’t want them in actual combat, they’ll need to be up there to offer their powerful abilities, so protect them accordingly.

The Bell Boy, giving CORE and other FOETID VIRION units within 6” +1” Mv (unless Falling Back), as well as imposing a -1 to Combat Attrition and a -1 to Cast to enemies in 6”. Decent enough and the cheapest of the five, though that is reflected by his more limited abilities.

The Spray Man, here to ruin a single units day by melting them, or forcing them to fight last. Only 3” on his fight last debuff so he needs to be very close to the combat, but absolutely worth it to give one of your combat units even more of an edge. His Sprayer is potent, able to kill a decent chunk of a unit whilst he stays safe behind his accompanying unit. A serious contender for an auto take unit, especially when combined with the Stench-vats Relic for even more debuffing shenanigans.

The Mad Scientist, he makes all BUBONIC ASTARTES within 6” have +1 AP and +1 Dmg on their Blight Grenades (makes a few Characters near him suddenly quite potent at close range), and can buff a CORE unit with 6s to Wound doing Mortal Wounds in addition in melee. Whilst limited to melee and one unit, this can make your already strong units even scarier in melee, and helps offset their usual downside of low to average damage.

 The Math Nerd, here to give a CORE unit +1 to Hit (both melee and ranged, don’t forget it!), as well as incredibly effective CP regeneration, granting you a CP for rolling a 7+ on 2D6 in each Command Phase. Yes even your opponents. Yes it’s stupid, but there we go. There are lots of great Stratagems, so being able to reliably fuel them is great, and the +1 to Hit is great to improve your units overall effectiveness.

The Unlicensed Medic, giving your BUBONIC ASTARTES INFANTRY within 3” a 6+++, and also heals D3 wounds to them at the end of your Movement Phase. Whilst unable to help your Prince (or Mortarion), and cannot revive like his Imperial counterpart, the 6+++ is strong given the base toughness of the Infantry, and healing up a Terminator back to full is always a nice feeling. One of the pricier ones, but there will be times where he pays for himself very quickly, and given the weakness of Death Guard to Mortal Wounds, even a slight layer of defence against them can help out over the course of a game.

Big beefy lads with the T5 you’d expect and a whopping 4++. Combined with Disgustingly Resilient and they are very difficult to get rid of with your usual suspects of weapons. Where they lack however is big hitting damage, with only D1 weapons for the most part at both ranged and melee, though their special weapons can alleviate that somewhat, albeit in limited numbers. However given Nurgle’s Gift and the good Strength and AP of their melee, they can get by just fine, often just drowning their foes in attacks. With regards to Swords vs Axes, it will depend on what else is available to buff the army. With Putrescent VItality on them, Swords will hit the sweet spot of Str 6 and able to make use of their better AP, whilst Axes will suffer a bit more due to their lesser AP but can operate a bit more independently due their natural Str 6 (and Vitality can help them if fighting T7 Vehicles). Likewise if you have Arch-Contaminator nearby the lower Strength of the Swords is less of an issue when you’re rerolling everything. Mostly it will come down to if you want them to run near your buffs or be a bit more self-sufficient. Either way take the Flail, that should go without saying.

For when you just want something to die in melee. With great WS and a huge number of attacks, they can deal with hordes and elites alike, and even Vehicles in a pinch. Their Gauntlets aren’t the strongest but with Plague Weapon can reliably tack on extra wounds, and as Pistols they’re always going to be useful even after you hit combat. Able to protect your CHARACTERS with their Bodyguard rule, they’re a fantastic bully unit and prime target for your various buffs. They are expensive however and a massive threat which will draw lots of fire, so ensure they are protected via buffs or terrain. Units of 6 are a trap however, as you want them spread out when necessary and the limits from coherency can occasionally hurt that, and to limit the effects of Blast, especially those with D3 category that are more inline with tank hunting and thus ideal killers of your Deathshroud.. That and Slaanesh.

With a number of different options Helbrutes can fill a few different roles, be it a combat threat, a shooting platform or a mix of the two. Decently tough albeit slow, and leaving them alive but wounded makes them more reliable thanks to Frenzy granting them reroll 1s to Wound, they aren’t a terrible choice and reasonably cheap. All their Melee weapons are free so it’s up to you whether you want balance with the Fists, raw power with the Hammer or more attacks with the Scourge, and remember Nurgle’s Gift makes them effectively even stronger than they appear on paper. No Invulnerable can hurt them somewhat, and if you’re going for a pure shooting platform the Blight-haulers may be the better choice.

For when you like the idea of foot slogging melee Plague Marines, and are happy to give up a Bolter and ObSec for being faster, stronger, having more Attacks at better AP and with an Invulnerable to boot. They’re priced fairly well in comparison, however lack real Transport options so they’ll have to footslog, making them susceptible to shooting. With no real way to boost or enhance their speed or charge capabilities, they don’t really do much that can’t be done by other units elsewhere for cheaper or better, but they do make a decent distraction/spearhead that you can advance up to threaten turn 2, drawing firepower from other units lest they crash into the enemy.

Cheap little blighters that are quite tough for their cost, though with only a 5+ and no Disgustingly Resilient (outside Grandfatherly Influence) they wont stand up to concentrated firepower. However with decent if random melee punch, they can be used as a fire and forget distraction, used to absorb firepower that might have gone elsewhere. If they die they cost little and protected some other units, if they don’t they can cause some headaches in combat.

Gun platforms that pack a Multi-melta, a Missile Launcher, some minor short range and melee attacks, and a handy -1 to be Hit in melee. With a 5++, being faster and having an extra wound over the Helbrute, they’re well worth the 20pts extra for the identical equipment and extra rules. The downsides is the lack of CORE and BUBONIC ASTARTES Keyword meaning certain abilities and rules won’t synergise with them, but their other strengths outweigh these for the most part.

With an identical statline to the Blight-haulers, the Bloat-drone is just as tough though with FLY much more flexible in where they can threaten, and are perfect for chewing through infantry over the Haulers anti-tank role. Either Mower for Heavy Infantry or Plaguespitters for lighter Infantry, though either one can do the other in a pinch. The Blight Launcher is probably best overlooked however, not really offering much that can’t be done elsewhere, and ideally the Drones should utilise their speed (for a Death Guard unit) to act as primary threat in the early stages rather than hanging back and shooting.

A tough and versatile tank, with a mighty T8 12W and 3+/5++, they can take a good amount of hits and still keep trucking. Hitting hard with a D6 shot Str 8 AP-2 Dmg 2 weapon that ignores line of sight, they can be given Plaguespitters to help clear hordes and offer a modicum of combat deterrent (though you’ll still want to avoid that where possible so as not to lose the use of the Mortar), or Entropy Cannons to give them significant anti tank punch. They aren’t the fastest things however, and their BS degrades as you’d expect so whilst they might stick around a while their effectiveness and board presence can drop quite sharpish. They are cheap for their stats however, and a solid pick to support any Death Guard army.

A highly expensive battle tank/transport hybrid that degrades very badly and dies quicker than it should. Land Raiders need to be transporting something with its average 10/5 Capacity (Infantry/Terminators and Possessed respectively) given you’re paying a large amount of points for the privilege, and indeed if you want your heavier infantry to be carted around this is the only option, but then you get an “all your eggs in one basket” issue. Add to that it’s armaments of Twin Heavy Bolter, 2 Twin Lascannons its a fairly generalist tank which doesn’t bring much to the table that can’t be gotten elsewhere, and it’s protection for you’re already very tough units may very well be overkill. For reference, 1 Land Raider is the same points as 7 Blightlords with a Flail, which will almost certainly be more survivable in the long run, as well as more impactful on the battlefield.

Tough enough at T7 and 11W, but the lack of Invulnerable and Disgustingly Resilient really hurts the Predators, especially when compared the Daemon Engines. This anti-tank version suffers like most anti-tank things in that its low shot and D6 Damage which is unreliable. It can be a semi decent source of anti tank in some lists, but there are just more efficient choices. Can run with no sponsons, 2 Heavy Bolters or 2 more Lascannons, though it’s pricey either way.

The anti-infantry version of the Predator…sort of. Packing a Dmg 3 Autocannon with 2D3 Shots, the Destructor is pretty good against most vehicles and heavy infantry. It won’t be clearing hordes any time soon, and the AP -1 is a downside, but the good amount of shots means it can chip away with that reliable flat 3 damage. Again though it pales in comparison to the Daemon Engines sadly for not much in the way of savings.

Straight from a Heavy Metal Album Cover, the Daemon Spider Tank is in an odd spot. On paper they have a solid profile with good shooting and combat punch, flexible wargear options plus decent survivability with 14W and a 3+/5++ and healing a wound a turn. However given it does a bit of everything, it tends to suffer when compared to its more specialist brethren. Not as shooty as the Plagueburst Crawler, not as cheap or maneuverable as the Bloat-drone, it’s also quite slow, degrades badly, and with it’s massive footprint it is difficult to move around and hide. It’s by no means a bad choice, but similar to the Land Raider, in trying to do a bit of everything it suffers by merely being ok at them all, whilst paying the points to do them all despite being unable to do them all at once. The lack of Disgustingly Resilient is also a massive blow, making them reliant on those all important 5++ saves vs many weapons lest they be brought down quickly.