Warhammer 40k Space Marine Chapters: Full Beginner's Guide

The largest and most famous Chapter in the Imperium — the template every other Space Marine Chapter is measured against. Based on the planet Macragge, their Primarch Roboute Guilliman authored the Codex Astartes and is one of the few Primarchs still alive today. They embody everything the Space Marines stand for.

The most well-rounded Chapter — solid shooting and melee, with no major weakness. Ideal for understanding how Space Marines play in general. The best pick for players who want a solid foundation and flexibility.

Royal blue armor with white and gold details. Thousands of tutorials available online. Citadel Contrast Ultramarines Blue over a white base gives a very solid painted result.

The most beautiful and most cursed Chapter. The death of Primarch Sanguinius left a genetic curse in the DNA of every Blood Angel — the Black Rage: fits of unrestrained battle fury. Blood Angels are at once the Imperium's most beautiful soldiers and its most dangerous and unpredictable.

The most aggressive of all Space Marine Chapters — specialists in assault and close-combat devastation. Death Company and Sanguinary Guard rank among the faction's strongest melee units. Weaker shooting, but devastating on contact.

Rich blood-red armor with gold details. A bold, striking color scheme. Blood Angels Red Contrast over a Wraithbone base gives a rich red in a single layer.

The First and proudest Chapter — and bearers of the greatest secret in the Imperium. Part of the Dark Angels betrayed Lion El'Johnson during the Horus Heresy. These so-called Fallen are scattered across the galaxy, and the Dark Angels have secretly hunted them for ten thousand years. Primarch Lion El'Johnson was recently awakened from stasis.

Two elite sub-formations — Deathwing (Terminators, close combat) and Ravenwing (fast bike units). Among Space Marines, the strongest combination of elite infantry and fast cavalry.

Dark green armor with black and beige details. Deathwing units are white/cream. An Agrax Earthshade wash over a cream drybrush works excellently.

Wolves from the arctic world of Fenris — Space Marines with a Viking-inspired culture, oral storytelling traditions, and tributes to fallen warriors. They're the only Chapter to reject the Codex Astartes, running instead on their own organizational structure. They're brothers to the other Chapters, but the others tend to see them as dangerous outlaws.

Aggressive close combat built around pack tactics — they fight like a wolf pack. Exceptional toughness, strong melee stats, interesting psykers (Rune Priests). Arjac Rockfist is an iconic example of their heroes.

Steel-grey armor with blue and brown details — one of the most texturally rich Space Marine models thanks to furs, bones, and Viking-style symbols. A Stormfang drybrush over a dark grey works great.

The most down-to-earth Space Marines, in the best possible sense. They hail from the planet Nocturne, where survival demands cooperation and compassion. Unlike most Chapters, they genuinely protect civilians and know their own parents' names. Primarch Vulkan was a master smith — his legacy lives on in every Salamander armorer.

Tough infantry armed with flamer and melta weapons — specialists at short to medium range. Less speed, more resilience. The Codex Space Marines plus a Salamanders detachment work well for both beginners and experienced players.

Dark green armor with the soldiers' own dark skin and bold orange flamer details. A beautiful contrast of warm and cool tones. Contrast Creed Camo as a green base over a light primer works excellently.

A Chapter obsessed with replacing weak flesh with strong metal. Their Primarch, Ferrus Manus, was beheaded by Fulgrim on Istvaan V. The Iron Hands never got over this loss — they became cold, unfeeling machines of war, systematically replacing their own bodies with cybernetic parts.

The most "tank-like" of all Space Marine Chapters — toughness, Feel No Pain modifiers, and a strong tie to vehicles. The Iron Hands Combat Patrol is an interesting pick for players who want a tank-heavy army.

Black and dark grey armor with metallic cybernetic details — a fairly minimalist scheme. A great opportunity for the NMM technique on the metal parts. Black Templar Contrast over a grey base works excellently.

The most secretive Space Marines — every Grey Knight is both a soldier and a psyker. Their very existence is a state secret, their memories are wiped after every operation, and their sole purpose is to hunt down daemons. The entire Chapter numbers only a few thousand warriors, but each one would be a Chaplain or a Librarian in any other Chapter.

An elite army with a small model count — every unit is extremely powerful, but costly in points. The Grey Knights Combat Patrol is a great starting point, though their power comes with more complex rules. Strong psychic abilities and anti-daemon special rules.

Silver armor with blue and gold details — one of the trickier Space Marine schemes to paint (a bright silver is a demanding color), but the result is (perhaps literally) dazzling. A Necron Compound drybrush over Leadbelcher and Nuln Oil is the fastest route.

Deathwatch isn't a Chapter — they're veterans sent by their home Chapters into the secret Ordo Xenos organization as specialists in hunting anything that isn't human. Each one wears his original Chapter's badge on his left shoulder pad, and the Inquisition's silver "I" on his right. It's a gathering of heroes drawn from a thousand different Chapters.

Highly variable elite soldiers with access to exotic weaponry. Strong against every type of xenos thanks to special rules. A smaller army, with enormous flexibility.

Armor is entirely black except for the left shoulder pad, which carries the colors of the wearer's original Chapter. A unique opportunity to paint shoulder pads in dozens of different color schemes within a single army. A dream for any painter who doesn't want a uniform-looking force.

Crusaders in black-and-white armor on an eternal crusade — the largest Chapter by numbers (6,000+ warriors instead of the standard 1,000). The only Chapter to reject psykers within their ranks, their fanatical devotion to the Emperor drives them into some of the most intense close-combat slaughters in the entire 40k universe.

The most fanatical close-combat Chapter — their Crusader squads are uncompromising in melee. The Emperor's Champion is an iconic example of their heroes.

Black armor with white and red crosses — a heraldic, medieval look. The Black Templar Contrast paint is named after them and delivers dark armor in a single layer over a light grey base.