Raven’s Guide to Chaos for Newbies
Posted: Wed 06 May, 2015 12:03 am
I’ve been playing Retribution for a year or two now and have begun playing Elite recently. I’ve seen quite a few questions about Chaos in the strategy subforum lately, and given how Chaos is my main specialization, I thought I might put together a brief guide of varying strategies and tips when doing battle in the name of the Dark Gods, especially in the opening game. Hope it help!
My experience lies mostly in team games; your mileage may vary with 1v1 .
I. Opening Game
In Retribution/Elite, there’s the age-old debate between deploying numerous T1 units and rushing to T2. Since Chaos doesn’t have the sort of ‘swarming‘ nature of Tyranids or Orks, for example, I generally recommend getting to T2 as quickly as possible. Get a squad of CSMs out as well as at least one T1.5 unit, and invest in power at the beginning. Whether or not you ought to double CSMs is dependant on many factors, though it’s generally not a bad idea unless you want to really put down lots of power generators in the beginning.
Against Eldar - Given the ‘glass cannon’ nature of the Space Elves, melee capability and quickness are needed. Doubling melee Heretics can be fairly useful - their high model count and Doomblast can make short work of Guardians and Banshees. Their grenade launcher upgrade can be useful, though don’t make it a priority. Using cover with CSMS against Guardians is an absolute priority. Noise Marines make a good T1.5 option, given how their Cacophony can shut down any incoming Banshees. Raptors tear through Guardians, but will tend to lose to Banshees in single combat.
Against IG - Double either Heretics or CSMs; grenade launchers are useful given the large model count of Guardsmen. Noise Marines and Raptors will both wreak havoc upon the enemy. Perhaps - at least in my experience - the easiest opening opponent as Chaos.
Against Orks - Massed infantry charges are their specialty; their melee units can make short work of any unsupported units, so make sure they don’t catch a lone squad of yours unaware. Double either Heretics or CSMs (in hard-pressed cases, perhaps both) and deploy either Havocs or Noise Marines (I personally prefer the latter). Provided he has proper support, the Chaos Lord is particularly good at fighting Orks, especially with his “Kill the Weak!” ability. In my experience, Raptors are not useful against Orks.
Against Tyranids - Like Orks, they prefer massed charges, though they tend more towards using ranged units. Havocs and Noise Marines work fine against them; use what suits you.
Against Chaos - Fighting Chaos as Chaos has always been a challenge for me; doubling CSMs is generally a good option. Fight enemy Heretics with your own, and back them up with other units, that way you can win at least through attrition. Deploy Raptors if they are using Havocs. If they deploy Noise Marines, use both melee and ranged attacks against them at once - they cannot shut down your ranged weapons if they are busy with Cacophony.
Against Space Marines - With the exception of Scouts, your Heretics will quickly find themselves outgunned facing off against the armored Space Marines, so doubling CSMs is almost a necessity. Havocs and Noise Marines are useful against Tactical squads, while Raptors are good for forcing Devastators off the map (a no-brainer, I guess, but w/e). Tie up enemy Assault Marines with your Heretics and hero unit - much like with Banshees, Raptors are not quite strong enough against Assault Marines in single combat.
Against Grey Knights - Given my limited experience in Elite, I cannot say much about fighting Grey Knights, though given how Strike Squads favor melee, gunning them down with Havocs and CSMs before they get too close is generally good. Raptors work fairly well against Purgation squads, given support.
Heroes in the Opening Game
Chaos Lord - His immunity to suppression works particularly well against the factions most likely to use such units - mainly Space Marines and Chaos. Keep him supported with ranged firepower and he’ll hold his own against most other units in general with his AoE attack/heal.
Plague Champion - Armed with a surprisingly useful starting weapon: a bolter that deals damage over time to its enemies. Heretic worship under this hero is the most useful of the three in the opening - have your heretics worshipping while your Plague Champion and CSMs are in heavy cover and watch them win any skirmish of ranged attrition, which is especially useful against Space Marines and Chaos.
Chaos Sorcerer - Not my strong hero, so I don’t have much to say. Doombolt works well against blobbed infantry, and double heretic worship will give stealth all of your forces - perfect for ambushes.
II. Mid-Game - Units, Wargear, and Chaos Marks
Chaos proves especially versatile once you hit T2 of the tech tree. Quite a few of your units can be bestowed with Marks that dedicate them to a specific Chaos God and grant them enhanced capacity in a specific role of combat.
Chaos Space Marines
Mark of Khorne - The less-used of the two, but can be powerful for anti-infantry when used properly. Useful for guarding setup units and disrupting enemy melee rushes, which makes them especially good when facing Orks, and sometimes Tyranids. The Elite edit to this mark synergizes well with the additional health regeneration bonus from heretic worship under the Plague Champion. Their offensive capacity is good as well, though they can’t lead charges on their own. Accompany them with other units such as your Chaos Lord to chew through enemy infantry. Later on the game, Mark of Khorne marines are not very effective against vehicles and super-heavy infantry, so you may only want to give one CSM squads the Mark of Khorne (though in the late-game they can be relegated to stealth-capping enemy points).
Mark of Tzeentch - General anti-armor upgrade. Useful and versatile; if you have more than one CSM squad, feel free to grant them all the Mark of Tzeentch. They are effective against both armored infantry and vehicles, and can act as fire support to help take down T3 units. Occasionally, some players will deploy 3 CSM squads and upgrade them all with the Mark of Tzeentch. While their focused fire is quite powerful, having that many massed infantry is a huge target for AoE attacks, and losing a whole upgraded squad will be a big economic loss.
In addition, note that Elite has given the “Slaughter” ability to unmarked CSM squads with an Aspiring Champion, which bridges the gap between marked and unmarked squads, so don’t feel pressured to mark your marines if you don’t know which one to give them yet or if you need to save resources.
Havocs - Both Marks remove their suppression. Mark of Khorne bestows an autocannon for general anti-armor, while Mark of Tzeentch gives them a lascannon for enemy vehicles. Fairly self-explanatory in their usage.
Noise Marines - The long range of their Blastmaster upgrade is quite useful, and its knockback effect makes it good for helping to counter massed infantry charges, particularly from Orks and Tyranids.
Bloodletters and Bloodcrushers - Good anti-infantry (both light and heavy), but they require worship support from Heretics to have any staying power, especially in the case of Bloodletters.
Chaos Dreadnought - Requires lots of power, but is perhaps your best T2 unit. The default autocannon gives solid ranged damage. With the Mark of Khorne upgrade, it can go toe-to-toe with enemy walkers, and can force whole infantry armies into retreat by itself with the “Blood Rage” ability. Mark of Tzeentch turns into a longer-ranged missile platform, useful for fighting vehicles, though in this role it requires more attention and support, as enemy anti-vehicle forces can make short work of it if allowed.
Plague Marines - Slow but durable, these units are useful when pushing to capture enemy victory points; their large health pool allows them to sustain damage while capturing points and fighting enemy vehicles, and their death-explosion healing ability will help your Chaos Space Marines last longer in the fight.
Chosen Plague Marines - Like their ranged brethren, good for capturing points and supporting fellow infantry. “Nurgle’s Rot” can turn your enemies’ troops against him, further shifting the tide of battle.
Hero Wargear tips -
While the Chaos Lord’s Mantle of Hate is often overlooked in place of Armor of the Inferno, it can be useful when facing fewer, more individually powerful units, and goes well with the Lightning Claws and Icon of Khorne.
The Plague Champion’s Blight Grenades also affect your own troops; be careful when aiming them. The T2 armor for the PC is generally a better investment than the T1 armor, and synergizes well the knockback and damage from the T2 power fist. Your Plague Champion may move even slower, but woe to anything that gets too close to him!
III. Tier 3 and Endgame
Chaos Terminators - I recommend upgrading to the autocannon as quickly as you can; it shreds apart just about anything - though the lightning claws are useful when facing super-heavy melee infantry. Save their teleport ability for emergency escapes.
Chaos Predator - Mark of Tzeentch is good for anti-vehicle combat; in other cases I recommend taking the health boost of Mark of Nurgle over the damage boost of Mark of Khorne, as the Chaos Predator, being a T3 unit, is a huge economic investment to make. Generally, I’d just recommend saving for the Land Raider Phobos.
Great Unclean One - Powerful melee unit; keep it near worshipping heretics to add to its staying power.
Land Raider Phobos - With two twin-linked lascannons, the Land Raider Phobos is second-to-none at anti-vehicle combat. Make good use of its long firing range and keep it supported by other units.
My experience lies mostly in team games; your mileage may vary with 1v1 .
I. Opening Game
In Retribution/Elite, there’s the age-old debate between deploying numerous T1 units and rushing to T2. Since Chaos doesn’t have the sort of ‘swarming‘ nature of Tyranids or Orks, for example, I generally recommend getting to T2 as quickly as possible. Get a squad of CSMs out as well as at least one T1.5 unit, and invest in power at the beginning. Whether or not you ought to double CSMs is dependant on many factors, though it’s generally not a bad idea unless you want to really put down lots of power generators in the beginning.
Against Eldar - Given the ‘glass cannon’ nature of the Space Elves, melee capability and quickness are needed. Doubling melee Heretics can be fairly useful - their high model count and Doomblast can make short work of Guardians and Banshees. Their grenade launcher upgrade can be useful, though don’t make it a priority. Using cover with CSMS against Guardians is an absolute priority. Noise Marines make a good T1.5 option, given how their Cacophony can shut down any incoming Banshees. Raptors tear through Guardians, but will tend to lose to Banshees in single combat.
Against IG - Double either Heretics or CSMs; grenade launchers are useful given the large model count of Guardsmen. Noise Marines and Raptors will both wreak havoc upon the enemy. Perhaps - at least in my experience - the easiest opening opponent as Chaos.
Against Orks - Massed infantry charges are their specialty; their melee units can make short work of any unsupported units, so make sure they don’t catch a lone squad of yours unaware. Double either Heretics or CSMs (in hard-pressed cases, perhaps both) and deploy either Havocs or Noise Marines (I personally prefer the latter). Provided he has proper support, the Chaos Lord is particularly good at fighting Orks, especially with his “Kill the Weak!” ability. In my experience, Raptors are not useful against Orks.
Against Tyranids - Like Orks, they prefer massed charges, though they tend more towards using ranged units. Havocs and Noise Marines work fine against them; use what suits you.
Against Chaos - Fighting Chaos as Chaos has always been a challenge for me; doubling CSMs is generally a good option. Fight enemy Heretics with your own, and back them up with other units, that way you can win at least through attrition. Deploy Raptors if they are using Havocs. If they deploy Noise Marines, use both melee and ranged attacks against them at once - they cannot shut down your ranged weapons if they are busy with Cacophony.
Against Space Marines - With the exception of Scouts, your Heretics will quickly find themselves outgunned facing off against the armored Space Marines, so doubling CSMs is almost a necessity. Havocs and Noise Marines are useful against Tactical squads, while Raptors are good for forcing Devastators off the map (a no-brainer, I guess, but w/e). Tie up enemy Assault Marines with your Heretics and hero unit - much like with Banshees, Raptors are not quite strong enough against Assault Marines in single combat.
Against Grey Knights - Given my limited experience in Elite, I cannot say much about fighting Grey Knights, though given how Strike Squads favor melee, gunning them down with Havocs and CSMs before they get too close is generally good. Raptors work fairly well against Purgation squads, given support.
Heroes in the Opening Game
Chaos Lord - His immunity to suppression works particularly well against the factions most likely to use such units - mainly Space Marines and Chaos. Keep him supported with ranged firepower and he’ll hold his own against most other units in general with his AoE attack/heal.
Plague Champion - Armed with a surprisingly useful starting weapon: a bolter that deals damage over time to its enemies. Heretic worship under this hero is the most useful of the three in the opening - have your heretics worshipping while your Plague Champion and CSMs are in heavy cover and watch them win any skirmish of ranged attrition, which is especially useful against Space Marines and Chaos.
Chaos Sorcerer - Not my strong hero, so I don’t have much to say. Doombolt works well against blobbed infantry, and double heretic worship will give stealth all of your forces - perfect for ambushes.
II. Mid-Game - Units, Wargear, and Chaos Marks
Chaos proves especially versatile once you hit T2 of the tech tree. Quite a few of your units can be bestowed with Marks that dedicate them to a specific Chaos God and grant them enhanced capacity in a specific role of combat.
Chaos Space Marines
Mark of Khorne - The less-used of the two, but can be powerful for anti-infantry when used properly. Useful for guarding setup units and disrupting enemy melee rushes, which makes them especially good when facing Orks, and sometimes Tyranids. The Elite edit to this mark synergizes well with the additional health regeneration bonus from heretic worship under the Plague Champion. Their offensive capacity is good as well, though they can’t lead charges on their own. Accompany them with other units such as your Chaos Lord to chew through enemy infantry. Later on the game, Mark of Khorne marines are not very effective against vehicles and super-heavy infantry, so you may only want to give one CSM squads the Mark of Khorne (though in the late-game they can be relegated to stealth-capping enemy points).
Mark of Tzeentch - General anti-armor upgrade. Useful and versatile; if you have more than one CSM squad, feel free to grant them all the Mark of Tzeentch. They are effective against both armored infantry and vehicles, and can act as fire support to help take down T3 units. Occasionally, some players will deploy 3 CSM squads and upgrade them all with the Mark of Tzeentch. While their focused fire is quite powerful, having that many massed infantry is a huge target for AoE attacks, and losing a whole upgraded squad will be a big economic loss.
In addition, note that Elite has given the “Slaughter” ability to unmarked CSM squads with an Aspiring Champion, which bridges the gap between marked and unmarked squads, so don’t feel pressured to mark your marines if you don’t know which one to give them yet or if you need to save resources.
Havocs - Both Marks remove their suppression. Mark of Khorne bestows an autocannon for general anti-armor, while Mark of Tzeentch gives them a lascannon for enemy vehicles. Fairly self-explanatory in their usage.
Noise Marines - The long range of their Blastmaster upgrade is quite useful, and its knockback effect makes it good for helping to counter massed infantry charges, particularly from Orks and Tyranids.
Bloodletters and Bloodcrushers - Good anti-infantry (both light and heavy), but they require worship support from Heretics to have any staying power, especially in the case of Bloodletters.
Chaos Dreadnought - Requires lots of power, but is perhaps your best T2 unit. The default autocannon gives solid ranged damage. With the Mark of Khorne upgrade, it can go toe-to-toe with enemy walkers, and can force whole infantry armies into retreat by itself with the “Blood Rage” ability. Mark of Tzeentch turns into a longer-ranged missile platform, useful for fighting vehicles, though in this role it requires more attention and support, as enemy anti-vehicle forces can make short work of it if allowed.
Plague Marines - Slow but durable, these units are useful when pushing to capture enemy victory points; their large health pool allows them to sustain damage while capturing points and fighting enemy vehicles, and their death-explosion healing ability will help your Chaos Space Marines last longer in the fight.
Chosen Plague Marines - Like their ranged brethren, good for capturing points and supporting fellow infantry. “Nurgle’s Rot” can turn your enemies’ troops against him, further shifting the tide of battle.
Hero Wargear tips -
While the Chaos Lord’s Mantle of Hate is often overlooked in place of Armor of the Inferno, it can be useful when facing fewer, more individually powerful units, and goes well with the Lightning Claws and Icon of Khorne.
The Plague Champion’s Blight Grenades also affect your own troops; be careful when aiming them. The T2 armor for the PC is generally a better investment than the T1 armor, and synergizes well the knockback and damage from the T2 power fist. Your Plague Champion may move even slower, but woe to anything that gets too close to him!
III. Tier 3 and Endgame
Chaos Terminators - I recommend upgrading to the autocannon as quickly as you can; it shreds apart just about anything - though the lightning claws are useful when facing super-heavy melee infantry. Save their teleport ability for emergency escapes.
Chaos Predator - Mark of Tzeentch is good for anti-vehicle combat; in other cases I recommend taking the health boost of Mark of Nurgle over the damage boost of Mark of Khorne, as the Chaos Predator, being a T3 unit, is a huge economic investment to make. Generally, I’d just recommend saving for the Land Raider Phobos.
Great Unclean One - Powerful melee unit; keep it near worshipping heretics to add to its staying power.
Land Raider Phobos - With two twin-linked lascannons, the Land Raider Phobos is second-to-none at anti-vehicle combat. Make good use of its long firing range and keep it supported by other units.