Why Chaos Daemons are the Best Hobby Army
Why Chaos Daemons Are the Best Hobby Army
Now, before some of you read further, I'm not writing this article because this army is the most competitive or the strongest (although it could be). If you're looking for an army just to win games, then Chaos Daemons probably aren't it. I'm writing this because, in my opinion, they are simply the best hobby faction that Games Workshop has to offer. Why is that, you ask?
Whether you collect Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, Warcry or Warhammer Underworlds, Chaos Daemons offer something very few factions can match. They combine deep lore, incredible miniature variety, striking centrepiece models and the flexibility to use many of the same miniatures across multiple game systems. For me, that's what makes them Games Workshop's greatest hobby faction.
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The Legacy of Chaos in Warhammer
Let's go back to 1988. Before I even got into the hobby, Games Workshop released Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, a book that introduced Khorne and Slaanesh (and yes, it also included rules for Grey Knights in Rogue Trader, the first version of Warhammer 40,000). I started the hobby in 1990 and was around for the release of Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned, which covered Nurgle and Tzeentch.
These two books laid the foundation for the Chaos pantheon, both in the 41st Millennium and the Mortal Realms. I think this might end up being the topic of a future blog, to be honest.
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But it was in these pages that the Chaos Gods and their Daemons really came alive. The sheer amount of lore and detail in these books was and still is staggering. I mean, the story of the Emperor's birth would ultimately lay the foundations for some of the Horus Heresy books.
Those books weren't just rules; they were a deep dive into a universe of madness, power and corruption that felt as though it was both ancient and eternal.
The 2008 Release and the Realms of Chaos Map
Fast forward to 2008. The Daemons of Chaos were finally released as a fully independent army for both Warhammer Fantasy (7th Edition) and Warhammer 40,000 (4th Edition). This wasn't just a fluff faction anymore. They were fully playable, with rules, models and a battlefield identity of their own.
Each Chaos God had its own Greater Daemon, rank-and-file troops, hunting beasts and cavalry equivalents (Nurgle got cheeky with his swarms of Nurglings instead). For the first time, hobbyists could collect an army built entirely around the Chaos pantheon.
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| Bloodletters of Khorne |
Would you like to paint Khorne Daemons?
- How to Paint Blades of Khorne
- How I Paint Bloodletters
- How to Paint Flesh Hounds
- How to Paint Juggernauts of Khorne
This release also brought us new characters, most importantly the Heralds, Skarbrand, Karanak, Epidemius and the Masque. These became the mythological heroes and anti-heroes of the Chaos Pantheon, giving each Chaos God their own narrative weight.
Honestly, the vibe reminded me of the gods in Greek mythology or that brilliant scene from Terry Pratchett's Interesting Times, where gods play games using mortals as pieces. That's the Chaos Gods in a nutshell.
And they weren't just cool. They were strong. Tzeentch armies dominated for a while in and around the tournament scene.
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| Pink Horrors of Tzeentch |
Would you like to paint Tzeentchian Daemons?
One of the highlights of this release was the inclusion of a mind-blowing map of the Realms of Chaos. I still love this map. It's not just a collection of locations; it's a window into the madness of the Warp itself, a reflection of the twisted and ever-changing landscape of Chaos.
The map connects the various domains of each Chaos God, showing where their power is strongest. But what makes it even better is how it refers back to locations mentioned in the original Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness from 1988.
Take the Vale of Creatures, for example, a place referenced in the old lore that still sparks a feeling of excitement in me every time I see it. This deep connection to earlier material was a brilliant way to honour the legacy of the original Chaos books while expanding the visual identity of the army.
It's like being handed a long-lost piece of the original puzzle and seeing it reimagined for a new generation of Warhammer players.
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| Realm of Chaos Map |
The Ultimate in Hobby Variety
Jumping forward to the present day, except for a few special characters, the entire Daemon range is now available in glorious plastic. Nearly 50 different unit choices for a single faction, from Greater Daemons through to Nurgling swarms. The variety for hobbyists is unmatched.
Chaos Daemons really do offer variety that other factions simply can't match. Space Marines may have a ton of different units, but in the end, they're all Space Marines. Daemons, on the other hand, provide a huge array of options. And then there's the painting.
I can get quite bored painting the same colour repeatedly. Daemons of Chaos not only have a large variety of models, but each Chaos God has its own associated palette of colours. Reds for Khorne, blues for Tzeentch, greens for Nurgle and (currently) purples for Slaanesh, but I prefer pastel shades.
But because they're Daemons, you can really choose any colour scheme you like. The main point here is that each unit can be different while still fitting into the larger, chaotic whole. A Daemon army gives you the opportunity to have distinct colours and themes for each unit, yet maintain a cohesive look.
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| Daemons of Nurgle |
Would you like to paint Nurgle Daemons?
Flexibility in Gaming: 40K and AoS
It is when we get to gaming that we really see the major advantage of this faction. Daemons of Chaos are the only faction playable in both Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar.
Now, to be fair, the Daemons of Chaos aren't directly a faction in Age of Sigmar, but each Chaos Power has its own army: Blades of Khorne, Disciples of Tzeentch, Maggotkin of Nurgle and Hedonites of Slaanesh. All are capable of being fielded as pure Daemon armies.
But it doesn't stop there. Because these Daemons are part of Age of Sigmar, they can also be used in Warcry, Games Workshop's skirmish-level game set in the Mortal Realms. Warcry is brilliant for fast-paced, narrative-driven play, allowing you to take small warbands of Daemons and fight battles in the twisted corners of reality.
The same applies in the far future with Kill Team. Several Daemon units can be used or proxied into Chaos-aligned kill teams, giving you even more ways to explore the setting and get use out of your models.
For a gamer low on time, money or space (delete as appropriate), Daemons offer a route into multiple systems with a shared model pool.
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| Daemonettes of Slaanesh |
Would you like to paint Slaaneshi Daemons?
As a teenager, this army would've been my holy grail. One carry case and I could have played all the different games! It's the sort of practicality that makes you appreciate them all over again.
Moreover, there are so many ways to field and play Daemons. Do you use a mixed army of all the Chaos Gods? Are you more traditional, like me, and field armies devoted to a single Chaos Power?
I have a large Maggotkin force, plus a smaller Khornate force and a tiny Tzeentchian army. From these Daemon collections you can branch out into traitor marines or Chaos mortals. I even have a few Nurgle Daemon Engines from the Death Guard, as well as some Blightkings for Age of Sigmar.
Do you like centrepiece models? If so, you can field Greater Daemons. These absolute powerhouses make fantastic focal points for your army.
I've always been a fan of horde armies, so I love seeing swarms of lesser daemons on the board. Other hobbyists prefer elite armies built around Daemon cavalry. These elite forces are fast and hit extremely hard, but they lack the objective-grabbing resilience of hordes.
There are so many options available with this faction. Whether you're into hordes or elite strikes, mono-god armies or mixed pantheons, Chaos Daemons can deliver it all.
Warhammer Underworlds: A Small Step Into Chaos
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| Thricefold Discord |
If you're looking to dip your toes into the faction or expand your collection with minimal effort, Warhammer Underworlds offers a brilliant entry point. Several Chaos Daemon warbands have been released over the years, and they make perfect heralds or character models in larger armies.
For Slaanesh, the Thricefold Discord provides a trio of exquisitely sculpted daemons, each full of personality and ideal as leaders for your Hedonites or 40K Daemonette armies.
Nurgle gets some twisted garden-guardians in Grandfather's Gardeners, a festering bunch that can easily serve as Plaguebearer champions or even unique Heralds.
And for lovers of magic and madness, Ephilim's Pandemonium brings Tzeentchian chaos in miniature form. With an elegant sorcerer and a cadre of bizarre familiars, they slot beautifully into a Disciples of Tzeentch force or a Thousand Sons daemon detachment.
Not only are these warbands fun to paint, but they also provide unique character models, conversion opportunities and hobby inspiration with minimal investment. Small boxes, big impact.
If you'd like to learn more about these warbands, I've reviewed each of them separately:
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| Grandfather's Gardeners |
Greater Daemons: The Ultimate Hobby Experience
And let's not forget the Greater Daemons — they make for absolutely stunning centrepiece models. Whether it's the brutish might of a Bloodthirster, the grotesque bulk of a Great Unclean One, the elegant menace of a Keeper of Secrets or the arcane majesty of a Lord of Change, each one is a sculptural masterpiece.
They're not just powerful on the tabletop; they command attention in your display cabinet. For hobbyists, they're massive canvases where you can push your painting, experiment with wild effects or even go full diorama mode with scenic bases.
They define the visual identity of your army and give it that iconic Warhammer silhouette. Every Chaos army deserves at least one towering embodiment of madness, right?
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| Great Unclean One |
Personally, I really enjoyed painting my Great Unclean One but, I'll be honest, it was also a challenge. The level of texture and detail on that model is both a blessing and a curse.
Every pockmark, tentacle and rusted bell tells a story, but it can be overwhelming at first. I took my time, focusing on the skin tones first and then gradually building up the layers of rot, slime and decay.
It pushed me out of my comfort zone, but the result felt genuinely rewarding, like I'd summoned something straight out of Nurgle's garden. It's one of those models you can get lost in and, even after finishing it, I still find little details I missed.
That's the kind of hobby experience that sticks with you.
Are Chaos Daemons a Good Army for Beginners?
I actually think they can be, although perhaps not for the reasons you might expect.
While there are certainly simpler armies to learn competitively, Chaos Daemons offer new hobbyists an enormous amount of freedom. There is no single "correct" colour scheme, the range contains everything from infantry to monsters, and each Chaos God provides a completely different style of project.
If you enjoy painting, Daemons are particularly rewarding. A unit of Bloodletters looks completely different from a unit of Plaguebearers, while a Lord of Change is a very different project again. You're rarely painting the same thing over and over, which is one of the reasons I've always found the faction so engaging.
New hobbyists also have plenty of ways to start. You can focus on a single Chaos God, collect a small Warhammer Underworlds warband, build a Spearhead force for Age of Sigmar, or begin assembling a larger army for Warhammer 40,000.
Perhaps the biggest advantage is that many Daemon miniatures can be used across multiple Games Workshop systems. For someone with limited time, money or storage space, that makes them a surprisingly practical faction to collect.
They may not be the easiest army to master on the tabletop, but from a collecting, painting and modelling perspective, I think Chaos Daemons are one of the most rewarding factions in the entire hobby.
The Grimdark Influence of Chaos
Finally, did I mention that all great stories need a fantastic antagonist? Would Star Wars have been as good without Darth Vader?
Games Workshop's big bad is Chaos. It's the creeping terror behind all the stories. Chaos brings the grimdark to both the Imperium and the Mortal Realms. The wars of men, Aelves, Aeldari, Orks and Necrons are nothing compared to the threat of Chaos.
The main threat from Chaos is not corrupted mortals; it's the Daemons scratching at reality itself. This sense of cosmic, incomprehensible horror is a concept borrowed from the works of H.P. Lovecraft, where mankind is perpetually at the mercy of ancient, uncaring forces whose motives are impossible to understand.
Their very existence is antithetical to reality, clawing their way into the Mortal Realms and the material universe from the roiling, unknowable Warp. They're not just monsters; they're concepts — rage, lust, decay and madness given horrifying flesh.
It's pure Lovecraft.
The Great Old Ones weren't evil because they had motives; they were terrifying because they didn't. That's what Chaos Daemons are. They're not evil in the way we understand it. They're simply alien. Beyond comprehension. Unbound by reason.
A Lord of Change isn't a villain; it's a force of narrative entropy, twisting fate like a spider playing with its own web. A Keeper of Secrets doesn't want something; it simply is, an impulse in stiletto heels.
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| Seekers of Slaanesh |
Moreover, the chaotic nature of the Daemons and the ever-present struggle against impossible odds mirrors the Eternal Champion series by Michael Moorcock.
In those stories, the forces of Chaos and Law are locked in an endless battle, with figures such as Elric and his dark sword embodying both the tragic and destructive power of Chaos itself.
Much like Moorcock's work, Daemons are agents of a greater, uncontrollable entropy that shapes the fate of worlds. Their endless war against the forces of order provides the thematic backdrop to much of the grimdark setting that makes Warhammer so compelling.
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| Fiends of Slaanesh |
So, Are Chaos Daemons the Best Hobby Army?
Daemons have always been central to the games we love, and I can't see Games Workshop changing that any time soon. They are the great antagonist that our heroes fight against, whether in the dark future of the 41st Millennium or the Mortal Realms of Age of Sigmar.
For me, however, their appeal goes far beyond their role in the lore. Chaos Daemons offer an incredible combination of deep background, hobby variety, painting opportunities and gaming flexibility. Few other factions allow you to collect such a diverse range of miniatures while still feeling part of a single, cohesive army.
You can paint towering Greater Daemons, vast hordes of lesser daemons, elite cavalry, bizarre Underworlds warbands, or entire collections devoted to a single Chaos God. You can use many of the same models across multiple game systems, experiment with almost any colour scheme you can imagine, and lose yourself in nearly forty years of rich Warhammer lore.
So, for me, Chaos Daemons are the best hobby faction that Games Workshop has ever produced. Not because they are a winning machine, but because of all the hobby opportunities they offer.
Please feel free to leave a comment. Which Chaos God is your favourite, and why?
Further Chaos Daemons Resources
If you're interested in collecting or painting Chaos Daemons, you might find these guides useful:
Khorne
- How to Paint Blades of Khorne
- How I Paint Bloodletters
- How to Paint Flesh Hounds
- How to Paint Juggernauts of Khorne
Tzeentch
Nurgle
Slaanesh
Warhammer Underworlds Reviews
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Thanks for reading, and may the Dark Gods smile upon your dice rolls.
Bye for now!
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