Editing Warhammer 40,000/9th Edition Tactics/Death Guard (section)

==Unit Analysis==
All units without rules that are listed here can be assumed to use the equivalent Chaos Space Marines rules, with {{W40kKeyword|Death Guard}} replacing the {{W40kKeyword|<LEGION>}} keyword and {{W40kKeyword|NURGLE}} as its {{W40kKeyword|<}}{{W40kKeyword|MARK OF CHAOS}}{{W40kKeyword|>}}, as well as any special rules applicable to the Death Guard replacing the Legion Trait. In addition, you now have {{W40kKeyword|<Plague Company>}} to denote the various subfactions.

{{W40kKeyword|Bubonic Astartes}} is essentially a fancy way of denoting all the CSM units. Similarly, {{W40kKeyword|Plague Followers}} is a fancy Nurgle-coated keyword for cultists.

*'''Important Note on Psykers!:''' While you're generally better off taking Codex versions of the Daemon Prince and the various non-Plaguecaster Sorcerers, there is one very specific circumstance where you might want the index one instead--they use the Dark Hereticus Discipline, while even the otherwise copy-paste entries in the Codex use Contagion. While most of the Contagion powers are probably better for the Death Guard, certain Dark Hereticus powers (cough''Warptime''cough) can be VERY helpful. It's also worth noting that when the CSM codex was released, GW specifically said that Psykers from Index: Chaos can use the expanded Dark Hereticus list from Codex: CSM (Magnus was listed as an example) just in case you wanted to be [[That Guy|That Guy]] and cast ''Diabolic Strength'' on Mortarion.
*'''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/0a6bf313.pdf Legends] Models''' - Technically legal for play in matched, though they will no longer be receiving '''ANY''' changes. Ask your opponent or TO before you show up to a tournament with your Hereticus casting, Nurgling driving, Sorcerers.

===HQ===
See [https://i.imgur.com/rHQD4Yl.jpg this ruling] for an explanation, but you use Codex datasheets with Index points values when both datasheets exist but you're using wargear only available from the Index, and Index datasheets when the Codex datasheet doesn't exist, with Codex points values for wargear when available.  This is relevant to multiple HQ choices who lost options when the Codex came out.

*'''Death Guard Daemon Prince''': Buffs all {{W40kKeyword|<Plague Company> Core}} units the same way a Chaos Lord does. Also a seriously powerful melee character who, thanks to his Wound count, can still hide behind your dudes. Same as the CSM version, but with all the Death Guard goodies and wings cost +2 PL/35 points.  Because your version has the Nurgle's Gift contagion, the axe is an automatic skip compared to the sword.  Can bring a Plague Spewer if using a sword and talons instead of double talons, which makes up for not having a Warp Bolter and then some since it automatically hits, but the Spewer can't be taken if you took Wings, and you probably took Wings. That said, the fact that this gun is the ONLY non-relic plague weapon that the prince can carry is a big load of [[derp]]. Must also follow the Contagion discipline (which is great when you want to cast the -1 to hit spell on him). It isn't a {{W40kKeyword|Lord of the Death Guard}} as of the 22/02/2021 FAQ so yay!
**Because of the various perqs the legion has (Inexorable Advance, Contagions, the buff aura targeting a specific keyword that normally wouldn't be covered by CSM) compared to the base CSM, it's become a bit of a hassle to bring in a CSM or Daemons DP instead, which is inconvenient because your daemon princes no longer have access to the Dark Hereticus or Malefic discipline. You could bring in an allied detachment of generic Nurgle CSM, but they're going to be playing considerably differently compared to your sluggish tanks spreading all sorts of fuckery in the air.
*'''Death Guard Chaos Lord:''' Changes have made them like space marine captains, only one per detachment and does not compete with a Daemon Prince. It has the {{W40kKeyword|Lord of the Death Guard}}. Now comes in line and gets all that Death Guard goodness plus the captain re-roll aura.
<tabs>
<tab name="Chaos Lord">
Your "basic bitch" with a "re-roll 1s To Hit"-aura that especially your plasma guns like. Same stats as CSM version, but replaces frag grenades with blight grenades. Interestingly, he can take a Balesword, but none of the other Nurgle-only melee weapons. However, the best melee weapon for him would probably be the Lightning Claw with +1A and re-roll all wounds, due to the massive synergy with Nurgle's Gift.  Can and should take a free combi-bolter for his other weapon, since that puts him on the very short list of your infantry models that actually benefit from Inexorable Advance on their guns.

Legends (arguably) allows this guy to pick up a jump pack, but that's a can of worms for your opponent to settle because it hasn't been updated for the new codex (and may never be updated).
</tab>
<tab name="Terminator Armour">
Same as a standard Chaos Lord, but with -1M, +1W, and -1 Sv. He can do a pretty good thing that his little brother can't: deep strike. Blightlords are going to thank you, especially if you give him Arch-Contaminator as well. A Lightning Claw is pretty good on this guy too for the same reasons as the normal lord.
</tab>
<tab name="Palanquin of Nurgle (Legends)">
Lord on a chair with fewer weapon options but because it is {{W40Kkeyword|CAVALRY}}, it ''won't'' get Inexorable Advance. It also lacks a bunch of the new rules available to the chaos lord, mostly on virtue of it not being updated for the 9E codex - unless GW shows us mercy, this may be permanent.
</tab>
<tab name="Lord of Contagion"> 
Your generic Nurgle-blessed Chaos Lord in Cataphractii armour, with a Plaguereaper/Manreaper+Orb of Desiccation, Disgustingly Resilient, but no real ranged weapons. This guy's particular knack is that he boosts the ranges of his own contagions by 3", making him quite the obstacle in later turns.
*The choice between a Manreapers and a Plaguereapers: Always take a Plaguereaper unless you have an ''excellent'' reason not to - it's ''cheaper'' (because you don't have to buy the god-awful Orb of Desiccation you'll never end up throwing) and hits ''harder'' against anything with the W to absorb its D.  
</tab>
<tab name="Lord of Virulence">
The new Death Guard character that's been teased since the advent of ninth edition comes with a twin heavy plague flamer and a plague power fist on top of Cataphractii armour that makes him stupidly hard to kill and lets him deep strike. The reason you want this guy is because it has a lot of firepower for a single model and also carries a second aura: all {{W40kKeyword|<Plague Company> Core}} models within 6" of him that shoot plague weapons and roll a natural 6 to hit improve their AP by 1. This is on top of the regular re-roll 1s aura of the chaos lord, making him a decent candidate for accompanying blightlord terminators. Also, if you take him against a very bunched up enemy you should absolutely consider lobbing a blight bombardment on their stupid loyalist heads since he makes it cost only 2 CP if he's your Warlord.  A very poor candidate for Viscous Death, because he rolls 2d6 for his shots, but a very decent candidate for Virulent Fever since he can deep strike, shoot his gun, and then charge. A very solid warlord choice all in all, and a very shooty one.
</tab>
</tabs>
*'''Sorcerer:''' These guys have also been rejiggered, with the generic Sorcerer now being shunted to Legends. Fortunately these guys aren't subject to the restrictions given to Chaos Lords and Daemon Princes, but you're still likely to skip since they don't support your army in the same way as the other HQs. If you do need to take one over a lord, you'll be needing a {{W40kKeyword|Foetid Virion}} to help support the frontlines.
<tabs>
<tab name="Sorcerer (Legends)">
Your baseline caster that can cast two Contagion powers a turn and deny one. Can buy a jump pack for a 12" move and {{W40Kkeyword|FLY}}. Truth be told, the Plaguecaster's got more to offer, but this guy's cheaper and has a few more options.
</tab>
<tab name="Terminator Armour">
Vastly inferior to what Typhus can bring to the table. Typhus is tougher, stronger in melee, a better Psyker, and buffs your units more. Yeah. Take only if you already have Typhus or a Daemon Prince but really can't cut anything else.
</tab>
<tab name="Palanquin of Nurgle (Legends)">
Same story as the lord. Forget it.
</tab>
</tabs>

*'''Malignant Plaguecaster:''' Nurgle-themed Sorcerer with a bolt pistol, corrupted staff (force staff), blight grenades, and Disgustingly Resilient. Every time he rolls a 7+ on his psychic test, the closest enemy unit within 12" takes a mortal wound, which makes him fantastic in short-ranged firefights, same as the Plague Marines. Keep him in Grenade range and he can unleash a Blight Grenade, Smite, either a buff, debuff, or yet more Mortal Wounds, and then 2 Mortal Wounds from his ability for casting twice. That's quite a lot of dakka, most of which also works in melee. In 9th is a must because most HQs are capped at 1 and this is the cheapest non-capped, and he's surprisingly useful.
**Remember the '''Pestilential Fallout''' occurs ''after'' the power is resolved. Don't '''Smite''' the enemy within 12" and go denying yourself a "free" Mortal Wound.

====Special Characters====
*'''[[Typhus]]:''' Grossest living mortal being in the galaxy. Incredibly tanky with a 2+/4++, the Disgustingly Resilient rule, and six wounds. He gives all Poxwalkers within 6" of him Strength 4 alongside his typical Chaos Lord aura. His Destroyer Hive now attacks on the command phase, dealing d3 mortal wounds to an enemy within 6" on a 2+, and he knows Smite and two Contagion powers in addition to his S+3 AP-3 D3 '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Spacey MASTER CRAFTED MANRAPER]'''. He can also teleport. He is quite versatile, allowing you to put him on foot along with poxwalkers and plague marines for a huge blob of nasty space AIDS or send him deepstriking along with blight lords and every good thing you can think.
**Note that while he can join any Death Guard army regardless of plague company and let them take their particular contagion, he'll never be able to benefit from their contagions without spending a stratagem for Flash Infection unless the army's from the {{W40kKeyword|Harbingers}}. And really, Shamblerot's just the Destroyer Hive but with a variable range and ineffective on tanks. (Alternately, if you're already going out of the way to proc Destroyer Hive, you might as well proc Shamblerot for the trouble!)
**Though it may be slightly unfluffy, he pairs exceedingly well with Necrosius.
**Typhus' Manreaper gives him D3, something that should never be overlooked. He is not invincible, but with his T5, 2+/4++ -1D, it is not impossible for him to tank a fair number of hits from even a very strong opponent in retaliation. Don't forget the mortal wounds he puts out every turn from his WT and his Destroyer Hive.
***The changes to Typhus in the upcoming codex has increased his number of attacks from four to SIX. This drastically increases his melee potential. Combine this with the default Blessings of Nurgle contagion and Typhus can take on pretty much any other infantry character in the game, and that’s without including the two psyker powers he’ll still be able to cast.
**With all the recent changes to Poxwalkers limited to a max of 1:1 unit ratio with all of the other infantry CORE units, the good old zombie horde is gone and Typhus is more of a powerhouse than a buffing character. The only downside is that he competes with <s>Daemon princes and</s> (FAQ'd) the basic Chaos Lord's many variants for the lone HQ unit with Lords of the Death Guard, and this is a tough competition.
*'''[[Necrosius the Undying]] (FW legends)''' - Necrosius lost his Plague Zombies in favour of Poxwalkers which is not super surprising. T5 W5 A5 Ld8 and a 3+/4++ save and contains all the rules except for contagions (though he does have DttFE like the basic spikey boys). Is essentially a fatter Plaguecaster but with better weapons and respawns D3 Poxwalkers on each successful cast in addition. However unfluffy and abhorrent, combining this with Typhus's +1S to Poxwalkers buff would be an interesting combination. He can cast two powers a turn, can attempt to deny 1 psychic power in each enemy phase and knows two psychic powers from the Contagion discipline.
**A pretty good choice, if you are taking blobs of poxwalkers and your opponent will let you take him, as he is only 20pts more than a Plaguecaster.
**[[Derp|Despite basically being a Force Bubotic Axe,]] [[RAW]] [[Fail|his Tainted Force Blade is not a Plague Weapon and thus is not buffed by any ability that affects them]] but it can re-roll all wound rolls.

===Elites===
===={{W40Kkeyword|Infantry Character}}s====
*'''[[Biologus Putrifier]]''' - Same stats as the Foul Blightspawn. He's only got a plague knife for melee, and his shooting leaves much to be desired - sure, his Injector Pistol is S4 AP-1 D1 and deals 1d3 mortal wounds when it wounds {{WH40Kkeyword|Beasts/Cavalry/Infantry}}, but it has a pathetic 3" range. It's his grenades that make him worth it: his Hyper Blight Grenades are AP-1 and deal 2 damage, and any other friendly Death Guard units within 6" get their blight grenades upgraded in the same way. As an added bonus, when killed he explodes like a vehicle on a 4+, inflicting a mortal wound on any non-{{WH40Kkeyword|NURGLE}} units within 7" of him.  He also buffs your melee: 1/turn at the start of your charge or any fight phase, pick a friendly {{WH40Kkeyword|<plague company> core}} unit within 6" - until your next command phase, that unit's melee attacks with Plague Weapons deal 1 mortal wound on nat 6s to wound.
**This also goes very well with the Blightening strat that lets a unit throw 21.5 blight grenade attacks.
***Also, while the "ass load of grenades" stratagem is great, you don't necessarily have to do this all the time. Each unit can throw one grenade (3.5 grenade attacks) and the dozens of HQ characters and mini Elite slot characters that DG armies will no doubt end up running can each throw a blight grenade. So the bulk of your army may well be able to throw half a dozen grenades in a single shooting phase without even using a stratagem.
**Because his only aura is his Blight Grenade improver you can have him take actions like Raise the Banners or Spread the Sicknesss without much issue. 
*'''[[Foul Blightspawn]]''' - 75 points, M5″ A3 S4 WS/BS3+ T5 W4 Sv3+ Ld 8. His weapon, the Plaguesprayer, is a 12" Assault 1d6 S7 AP-3 D2 Plague Weapon that autohits like a flamer, which means that it's good enough to deal with MEQs to vehicles. The Unholy Death's Head grenade is cute and has blast. Maybe if he's close to an 11+ squad he can drop 12 shots on something, but his sprayer is way better in most cases, including against units of size 6=10. He's terrible in assault personally since he has no melee weapon, but you want him in the frontlines by the assaults due to his ability to make a unit within 3" fight last. For glass cannon melee units that rely on being the first to strike in the Fight phase to compensate for their poor durability (like Daemonettes, Howling Banshees, and Emperor's Children Chaos Space Marines), this can leave them defenseless at the worst possible time. This also doubles as a bit of cross-god synergy: send a Blightspawn in with some Slaaneshi daemons or Emperor's Children marines, and you'll ensure that they ''always'' Fight First, for real this time. You will often want to give this guy a Deadly Pathogen, usually Viscous Death (if you're concerned you won't face vehicles) or Corrosive Filth (if you're confident you will).
*'''[[Noxious Blightbringer]]''' - A debuff machine with a plasma pistol, Disgustingly Resilient, a cursed plague bell (D2 poisoned close combat weapon), and blight grenades. This guy got the short end of the stick when compared to his other Foetid Virion buddies. He has three abilities but you'll probably only take him for his aura of +1 to move and advance to make your infantry faster. His other auras are nice... if they weren't 6 inch range. A Psyker can just move out of the 6 inch range to avoid the -1 to casting aura and then cast from 7 inches away.  Maybe they'll see play in a Ferryman plague company, then use the strat to pick and choose which ability you need. He does have a nice relic that stops units from falling back and can be really good in the right match-up, but then he's competing with other characters and better relics. 
*'''[[Plague Surgeon]]''' - Dr. pimple popper. It's ironic that out of all the Traitor Legions, it was the Death Guard of all people that kept their [[Apothecary|Apothecaries]]. Like their Loyalist counterparts, they're mainly intended for support, but instead of reviving dead units, they give a 6+++ to {{W40Kkeyword|Bubonic Astartes Infantry}} units within 3" of them, giving back some of the old DR from 8ed, and can pick one such unit to heal for 1d3 wounds, which is great for healing a wounded Chaos Lord who has just finished fighting, or a terminator unit. He carries a Balesword (a Plague Weapon equivalent of a Power Sword), so he can actually hold his own in close combat with the right support.
** Keep in mind that his abilities are not tied to Plague Company only, so you can mix and match Plague Companies and let him heal everyone regardless of detachment. 
** Math wise Herr Doktor performs very poorly with basic bitch plague marines, because their wounds are "worth" 10.5 points each and he costs 75, i.e. he breaks even in points when he's prevented 7 and 1/7 wounds from being lost, either from healing (which is hard - the Marines can't be healed at 2 or 0 wounds, so you need to have specifically ended up with 1 injured member, and he can't dish out his total healing, only 1 wound of it) or from his FNP, which alone needs to have 42.86 points of damage come in to break even, on average (so if 43 come in, you should usually block enough to make a negligible points profit). Losing half a full squad of plague marines a turn for four-five turns without losing the whole unit shouldn't ever happen. That being said, it’s a lot easier to get value from healing terminators and characters, making him pretty good in Terminus Est where Outbreak Assault lets you deep strike with said terminators. 
***By the same logic, he needs to have 33.75 damage come at Blightlords or 27 at Deathshrouds to break even.  
***TL;DR: The best use for a plague surgeon is a survival boost for a unit or two of terminators inside a terminus est force.
*'''[[Tallymen|Tallyman]]''' - The mortal version of a Spoilpox Scrivener and Epidemius. A cheap (70) Dark Apostle-like unit that allows one friendly {{W40Kkeyword|<plague company> core}} within 6" of him to get +1 to hit rolls (both melee and ranged); since he only has a plasma pistol and grenades he should probably be kept out of melee himself. His other, odder gimmick is called Seven-fold Chant - every turn with a Tallyman in your Battle-Forged army, roll 2d6; on a 7+, you get a CP at the beginning of the command phase. Interestingly enough. this works for not only your own phase but your opponent's as well. The more players in a game the more opportunities to get back CP. His relic gives an aura of additional hits on 6+ for shooting to  {{W40Kkeyword|<plague company> core}}, further discouraging you from ever taking a Sigil of Decay on your plague marines (that's the upgrade where your bolters auto-wound on 6 to hit; if you combine both abilities, on a 6 to hit you get an autohit that needs to wound and a normal hit that autowounds, i.e. the Sigil won't buff the autohits the relic generates).
**Only the relic gives him an aura, so that’s the only thing you lose if you have him take actions like Raise the Banners or Spread the Sicknesss.

===={{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} Squads====

*'''[[Blightlord Terminator|Blightlord Terminators]]''': While the Deathshroud are best suited to acting as a bodyguard and heavy melee unit, the Blightlords act more like classic Chaos Terminators with a few Nurglite twists. Like the Deathshroud, they've got Cataphractii armour with all the benefits that brings them. While they don't get Manreapers, they can equip just about anything else a Plague Marine can use, as well as Reaper Autocannons, allowing them to fill any kind of niche. 9th edition brought some changes for these boys: Plague Spewers can now be taken 1 per 5 models in addition to 1 per 5 Blight Launchers or Reaper Autocannons. Combi-weapon spam is now no longer possible, as you can only have up to 1 per 5 of each combi-flamer/melta/plasmas. The positive is that all of the weapon choices are now quite cheap.
<tabs>
<tab name="Melee">
*'''Bubotic Axe:''' S+2 Ap-2 D1, Plague Weapon. Courtesy of Nurgle's gift, these will wound almost everything on a 2+ with rerolls of 1. Mathematically identical to the Balesword against MEQ's (gaining +1 to wound at a cost of -1ap) and GEQ's, the axes have an advantage against T7, anything with toughness 4+ and 4+ armour or worse, and anything with a decent invuln.
*'''Balesword:''' S+1 AP-3 D1, Plague Weapon. Identical to the axe against MEQ's and GEQ's, gains an advantage against low toughness, high armour targets (without decent invulns, so many t3 characters are out) like sisters or aspect warriors. 
*'''Flail of Corruption:''' Doubles your attack output (and your base A is 3, which is quite scary) with S+1 AP-2 D2, pretty much the best melee weapon you can grab, although it does replace your combi-bolter, unlike the other options, so only take if you know your Blightlords will be in melee. Alas it does not spill excess wounds anymore <strike> but we now have a stratagem to put this bad boy to good use </strike> . On average dice you're killing an extra 2.5 guardsmen, per flail (max 2), for 2cp. No.
</tab>
<tab name="Ranged Weapons">
*'''Blight Launcher:''' Effectively a short-range blaster with 24" Assault 2 S6 AP-2 D2 and Plague Weapon, meaning you can fire in any circumstance and it can blow out anything MEQ. Probably just a bit weaker than the reaper autocannon in general but why not take both?
*'''Reaper Autocannon:'''Our longest range infantry weapon. With 36" Heavy 4 S7 AP-2 D1 you will ruin many an infantryman's day and with some luck even shred light vehicles. All things considered, between this and the blight launcher, a foot slogging squad of deathshrouds is not such a bad idea.
*'''Plague Spewer:''' The Heavy Flamer of to the Plague Belcher's Flamer. The issue here is that it's not gaining anything from Inorexable Advance since it auto-hits and it won't fire if you advance. If you mean to deepstrike your blightlords then absolutely grab one of those, you will not regret it.
*'''Combi Plasma:''' Remains stronger on most accounts compared to the blight launcher if you overcharge it. However, the changes to Gets Hot alongside the lack of Plague Weapon does hurt the odds of ever taking this unless you absolutely need to blast marines. If you don't overcharge it then a plague launcher is straight up better most of the time. I would suggest to never fire both profiles at once, it almost never is worth it.
*'''Combi Melta:''' Deepstrike and then say goodbye to that wreckage. What wreckage? *FWAAAAMP* That wreckage. Same thing as the combiplasma regarding the double fire but even more so since you are using this mostly to shoot at big stuff. Alternate take - This wont be at under half range on the turn you Deepstrike, and if you do Deepstrike you'll want to make it into combat ASAP instead of standing around taking potshots with a melta. Reasonable if you've got 5pts spare, but don't expect the world... Or wreckage, unless the opponent runs a lot of 3W vehicles.
*'''Combi Flamer''' Strictly worse than the plague spewer but if you really need more flames then go for it.
*'''Combi Bolter''' last but not exactly least we have the "totally not a storm bolter but for chaos". Can always double-tap and will shred light infantry, but will struggle against anything remotely protected. 
</tab>
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*'''[[Deathshroud|Deathshroud Terminators]]''': A returning favourite from the Death Guard's 30k version, and still a potent bodyguard after 10,000 years. They can deep strike. Between their 2+/4++, their ability to mask W9 or less Death Guard Characters within 3" from snipers, Disgustingly Resilient, and having three wounds, they're practically a requirement for keeping your Warlord as indestructible as possible. In battle, they're no slouches themselves, thanks to their Manreapers and Plaguespurt Gauntlets (a Hand Flamer, but a plague weapon, and if you take their Chimes of Contagion, once they reach max contagion range, targets will be down a point of toughness). They cost 50 base. Their scythes have either a Power fist profile (S8 AP-3 D2 but -1 to hit) or a more ex-scything one with double attacks but weaker.
**A Deathshroud champion is an excellent carrier of the Virulent Fever pathogen - put it on one of his plaguespurt gauntlets, then keep him within an Arch-Contaminator aura so you can re-roll all wounds that aren't sixes, even successful ones. 
**Alternative Opinion: Put Virulent Fever on his scythe, and that's 10 attacks in melee (8.33 will hit) looking for mortals instead of the risky d6 (3.5) shots of the gauntlet.   The only downside is needing to get into melee first.
*'''Possessed''': Possessed had a rough time in 8th edition. They were widely seen as unplayable for a long time before the ability to stack multiple buffs led to the inception of the dreaded "possessed bomb," an un-targetable nightmare of a deathstar. Such days are long past, and Death Guard Possessed finally seem to have found something of a middle ground as a fast, CORE, dedicated melee unit. Thanks to their Daemon save, they are slightly tougher than a normal Plague Marine, while enjoying the same range of defensive benefits. No longer burdened by a mediocre D3 attacks, they benefit from a flat 4 attacks at strength 5, ap -2. As an added bonus, they now count as having a Plague Weapon, unlocking many new combos to be explored. Finally, their 7-inch move makes them the fastest infantry unit in a traditionally slow army.
**Possessed boosted by a Noxious Blightbringer's Sickening Vitality Aura (+1 to movement and advance) can have a surprisingly effective range on the first turn. Being able to move 10-15 inches and get on top of an objective can be worth it in the right circumstances.
**If Possessed have one major flaw, it is the change to make them have the same transport limitations as Terminators. This prevents them from riding in rhinos and, barring land raiders, means you will likely be footslogging them across the battlefield.
**Note: while they can still benefit from being near a Herald of Nurgle, doing so will turn off your Contagions of Nurgle ability.
*'''Gellerpox Infected:''' Kill Team Annual 2022 brought back these zombie mutants as a special unit available only to the Death Guard and other Nurgle-aligned marine detachments as not-quite Agents of Chaos. This unit in particular is split between the S4 T4 mutants with frags and AP-1 melee weapons and the three Nightmare Hulks, each toting S5 and 5 wounds and wielding even meaner melee weapons, with one of them also getting an S4 AP-1 gut-flamer as well. This alongside the old 5+ FNP save makes these guys a touch more effective than the poxwalkers, but those zombies are far more numerous. However, the Elites Slot has always been rather overcrowded for Chaos, and the Foetid Virions being Elites does not help in any detachments outside of the Arks of Omen.
**'''Mutoid Vermin:''' The hordes of chittering insects and cyber-Nurglings are their own separate unit, but they won't take up a slot if you also took the Gellerpox. Naturally, these swarms are utterly pathetic and only get a 6+ save and 6+ FNP to protect them, but you can resurrect d3 of the buggers each Command phase, making them more of a hassle to get rid of.

===={{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}}s====
*'''[[Helbrute]]''': You know it, you love it. These are your Dreadnought equivalents and you can kit them to just about anything, but between inexorable advance and their weapon options, you're probably going to go ranged. 7 Power Level because of course we needed another number 7. By default, it comes with a fist and a multi melta. The melta can be swapped for a variety of ranged weapons including twin heavy bolters for horde munching, reaper autocannons for threatening tougher stuff at a distance, plasma cannons that are always overcharged, and for long-range anti-tank, it's your best source of lascannons and missile launchers. Alternately the gun arm can become a second fist arm, adding 1 to the number of attacks it can make (note: due to all units being "equipped" with their unarmed attack per the core rules, this fist is unnecessary according to RAW) and comes with an underslung combi bolter that you can upgrade to a heavy flamer. Meanwhile the fist arm can be swapped for a missile launcher or a mix of melee weapons including a hammer which, compared to the fist loses its underslung gun and takes a -1 to hit penalty, but has 1 more AP and rolls D6 for damage, but since it has the same strength you shouldn't bother, the fists will be more consistent. Another melee option is the power scourge which makes three attacks on its own even if you make all your other attacks with a different weapon and hits like an overcharged plasma with 1 less AP. While Helbrutes can be nasty in melee, you're really going to want to kit them for range because lascannons and missile launchers are some of the longest range weapons this army has, and the Helbrute can have both for less than 150 points. In case Helbrutes weren't great enough to take just with their wargear, they also can fire on the move without penalty, have a stratagem that lets them add 1 to their hit and wound rolls if they only target a single enemy, <s>and every phase in which they take damage they roll a D6 and on a 6 they get a free round of shooting attacks if they're not in combat, or melee attacks if they are</s>. Never leave home without one, and consider taking more. As of CA2019, they cost 12 points less and have lost Hateful Assault in favour of more base attacks, and they have still not fixed the rule that makes the second fist unnecessary.
** Alternate opinion: Even though it seems to be great, you might want to not take them after all. Twin lascannon and missile launcher are good anti-tank weapons, but not for us, we are not gunline army. 3 shots hitting everything on 3s and wounding most enemy vehicles on 3+ isn't that great after all, and you can't really modify the outcome in any reliable way. You might get lucky and shoot down a Leman Russ in 1 turn, or you might not do anything at all for the entire game (or those 2 rounds that Helbrute lasts for). ~~Not having Disgustingly Resilient~~ and an invulnerable save makes you very fragile, and this is exactly what you shouldn't be as Death Guard.They have their own version of DR just by another name and it functions just like DR.
**Alternate Alternate opinion: With Helbrutes being included in the {{W40Kkeyword|CORE}} category they will benefit from our Lord's reroll 1 auras along with a variety of other buffs, including Sickly Corrosion effective turning their whole gun kit into a plague weapon. Their overall synergy both from range and melee has improved with a variety of options to really create a piece that can cover your weaknesses (which is usually firepower).
***Alternate opinion 3: Another consideration is that the helbrute profile doesn't degrade as he takes wounds. In fact after the 1st wound he gets better at his job. The tallyman relic affects him as he is in the {{W40Kkeyword|CORE}} category. 
*'''[[Decimator]]:<sup>Forge World</sup>''': The Decimator has essentially become an oddball Helbrute, It's weaker in melee against everything T5 and above (despite the extra attack) while better against everything T4 and lower, it's sort of better at range in that it has fantastic options. As a Daemon Engine, it can spend CP to re-roll its to hits and wounds. Meanwhile, the Soulburner petard is a downright fantastic anti-everything weapon, and even the Mortal Wounds it causes to the Decimator aren't a concern since it can just naturally heal those off. You can even take two since you can only hurt yourself once per gun. The Butcher Cannons meant more for offensive lists as debuffing an enemy unit before engaging in them Melee can be much more valuable than just shooting them again. With a 5++ it should live long enough to affect the later turns of a game. Recommended that you skip the C-beam cannon though as the arm slot is better spent on another weapon. In short, take Decimators if you need Mortal Wounds, and durability without Warpsmiths/Hellwrights following them around, get Helbrutes for everything else.
*'''[[Chaos Dreadnought#Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought|Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought]]<sup>Forge World [Martial Legacy]</sup>''': The Contemptor remains as good as it ever was. It has a huge amount of options, most of which are useless; for guns, the missile launcher is an auto-include, and then a pair of Twin Volkite Culverins beats everything else except the Conversion Beam Cannons at 48-72" (which will never come up, because you lack the tools to stay that far away from the enemy) against very heavy targets and Multimeltas against the same targets (including all the way up to 24" - they don't need melta range to beat the Volkites).  For melee, the basic DCW is a waste of your time - if it's not going to be a gun, it should be a chainfist, and you have no reason at all to take 2 melee weapons.  For the gun mounted in the chainfist, a combi-bolter is a waste of the CP this model cost you, so grab a heavy flamer, graviton blaster, or plasma blaster, depending on how much support you're giving the thing and how risky you want to get - the heavy flamer doesn't roll to hit, so the more hit support you have (Lord of Virulence, Tallyman, etc) the less you want it, while the plasma blaster is of dubious utility over the graviton blaster unless you can re-roll 1s to hit, since without overcharging the graviton blaster is much better. 
** So there's actually a lot of play right now with contemptors because they're {{W40Kkeyword|CORE}}. For example, if you take dual Volkite Culverins (and a missile launcher) on the contemptor for 16+(2 or 7) shots and put him by a Tallyman with the Tollkeeper relic, that Tallyman can make the contemptor hit on 2s while getting exploding 6s in a bubble. If you take 3 contemptors, assuming you use the krak profile in our example, that's 36 shots (32 Culverin, 4 Missile) at what amounts to BS2+, so 30 hits, and then 18 more hits (since the two buffs combined on the third contemptor mean that on average, every shot hits), for 48 landed hits - and with a re-roll 1s to hit aura applied, that goes up to 56 hits landed.  Unfortunately this costs 1 CP for each contemptor you take but hey, luckily for you, the Tallyman gives you cp every turn.
***If Mortarion shows up, full re-rolls to hit is best used on the contemptor ''not'' getting +1 from the Tallyman. The net effect of full re-rolls + exploding 6s is 40/36 accuracy.  The Tallyman's chosen target will have 42/36 accuracy, so the three Contemptors will have 35/36, 40/36, and 42/36 accuracy.  If you lose 2 Contemptors, the Tallyman and Mortarion won't usefully stack; fishing for 6s on a functionally BS2+ model by re-rolling 5 and below will get you total accuracy 42/36, the same as if you hadn't bothered.
***This also works with Multi-Meltas, of course.  They're just less efficient until you get to within 12" of the target.
***If you do this, make sure you take bubble wrap to protect your dakka dreads from getting easily charged.  A Blightspawn with the Revolting Stench-vats relic has an aura of removing ASF and inflicts ASL on one unit, so that plus Poxwalkers is very credible charge protection.  You'll also need Deathshrouds, most likely, to keep the Tallyman and Blightspawn (and probably Lord of Contagion or Daemon Prince) alive.
*'''Chaos Deredeo Dreadnought<sup>Forge World [Martial Legacy]</sup>''': Chaos finally got the Dorito Dreadnought! A lot of people have wanted this for a while and rightfully so, it kicks ass. Is a copy-paste of the marine version with the inclusion benefiting from Chaos marks and legion bonuses.
*'''Chaos Leviathan Dreadnought<sup>Forge World [Martial Legacy]</sup>''': Whatever was sacrificed in the name of Chaos to make these available... it was worth it. This super-dreadnought is a monster and priced very well for what it does. Since all FW Dreadnoughts received the 'Dreadnought' keyword this bad boy can be buffed by your legion traits - Emperor's Children always fights first comes to mind. As for valid weapon options, all are nasty and downright deadly in the right circumstances but are very expensive on an already expensive model. Often the Leviathan Dread is a brilliant distraction unit, but unless you have a foolproof way of getting it into combat quickly he's unlikely to really make his points back. Place him at the front of your army in the middle and use him to make your opponent sweat <s>whilst havocs and obliterators pop heavier targets</s>.
*'''[[Predator Tank|Chaos Deimos Predator]]:<sup>Legends Forge World</sup>''': This is the final anti-tank way for the Death Guard. For 140p and -1CP, the Deimos Predator allows you to destroy almost every 12W tank in one shooting phase, with the lascannon and Magna-Melta options. Some tales speak about that Deimos who shot down that emperor-golden-asslicker-Ares-birdo, but that's nothing I have seen yet...

===Troops===
*'''Cultists''' - The humble Cultists are a poor investment in a Death Guard list, and outshone by poxwalkers. What weapon they should take depends on your play style and what else is in your list, though the lack of both inexorable advance and objective secured hurts their viability. 
**These guys are far less useful, and cheap troops are no longer as important due to the decline of battalion spamming. The only use is really screening from deepstrike and charges against value targets, which is done much better by Poxwalkers. The only saving grace they may have is as a cheap, action performing unit for Deploying Scramblers.
*'''[[Plague Marines]]''' {{W40kKeyword|CORE BUBONIC ASTARTES}} - Very versatile, reasonably priced and extremely durable troops, available from 5 to 10 bodies per squad. T5 makes it so that everything short of Dreadnought/Knight melee weapons has to wound you on 3+ at best, and Disgustingly Resilient makes plasma weapons and other high-damage weapons less effective. They come with the standard marine bolter, but drop the stock bolt pistol and frag grenades for Plague Knives and Blight Grenades, the first of which makes them more dangerous in melee and the latter of which is a straight upgrade to the base frag grenade (+1S and Plague Weapon). 
**Unlike their [[Noise Marines|other]] [[Khorne Berzerkers|cult-specific]] [[Rubric Marines|cousins]], Plague Marines are best used more defensively and sparingly. Poxwalkers can move ahead to contest mid-field objectives and establish board control while the Plague Marines slowly waddle behind them. Even when not embarked on transports, Plague Marines are unlikely to be focused down so long as you give the opponent [[Poxwalkers|lots of other]] [[Mortarion|targets]] [[Myphitic Blight-Hauler|to]] [[Plagueburst Crawler|shoot]] [[Foetid Bloat-Drone|at]]. Plague Marines are very good at the counter-attack, especially when supported with a Foul Blightspawn.
**They were one of the first units to be affected by the "WYSIWYG from the Box" changes of 9th, retaining a lot of weapon options but no longer able to spam flails like in 8th.
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* The champion can replace his bolter with a bolt pistol, plasma pistol, or plasma gun, he can replace his plague knife with a daemonic plague blade (technically a free upgrade, but be aware you'll lose the +1 attack from the trench fighters stratagem if you do), and he can take a power fist.
* 1 guy can carry a blight launcher, 1 guy can carry a plague spewer, and if it's a 10 man unit, a third guy can take either, in exchange for the bolter.
* 1 in 5 can swap out a bolter for a meltagun, plasma gun, or plague belcher.
* Then there are 5 "1-in-5" melee options, technically allowing a full melee loadout (if you don't mind dice rolling in the fight phase to take all day). Each of these replace your bolter, and they all give +1A courtesy of the Vectors of Death rule. These are the additional plague knife, bubotic axe, mace of contagion AND bubotic axe, flail of corruption and great plague cleaver.
* 1 plague marine with a bolter can also carry an icon of despair (in your Morale phase, roll 1d6 for every enemy unit in engagement, dealing a mortal wound on a 4+), and another one can also carry a sigil of decay (unmodified bolter hits of 6 automatically wound).  Both options require you to keep your bolter, but 1 Marine can carry both; in the unlikely event you want both in the same unit (since one only buffs you at range and one only while engaged), you should always do this, to allow you to keep them in play as long as possible by choosing other squad members to die first.
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<tab name="Melee">
*'''Champions:''' Daemonic Plague Blades are exclusive to the champion, but they give you a flat +1S to your knife. Not too bad, and you can always buy a power fist if you want something to punch tanks with.  The champion is less efficient in melee with or without the fist than a Flail or Cleaver marine, so frankly you're best off with the DPB and using the Champion as a Plasma Gunner.
*'''Plague Knife:''' The default weapon, your CCW has AP-1 and Plague Weapon, making them decently effective against marines and smaller units. One in 5 can replace their bolter with a second knife for the same +1A all these other melee options give, which is a poor choice, but at least it's free.
*'''Bubotic Axe:''' A pretty hefty plague weapon with S+2 AP-2 D1. Hitting at strength 6 means it wounds everything t4 and below on a 2+ with re-rolls (when paired with Nurgle's Gift).  
*'''Mace of Contagion:''' S+2 AP-1 D3. Flat D3 is an impressive upgrade to your bubotic axe in exchange for a point of AP. Taken in a pair with the axe, which you can still use against 1W chaff, which also makes the mace ''incredibly'' expensive in practice.
*'''Flail of Corruption:''' Doubles your attack output (and your base A is 3 if you have it, don't forget) with S+1 (5) AP-2 D2 Plague Weapon. Mathematically the best melee weapon against almost every target for the price. Shame we can only take 1 per 5.
*'''Great Plague Cleaver:''' The power fist for the basic plague marine, with Sx2 (8) AP-3 Dd6 Plague Weapon but a -1 to hit. Thanks in part to the random damage, this only beats the Flail against the hardiest of targets - usually monsters and vehicles (generally, anything T5+ W6+).  Use a Flail and a GPC if you have a unit you plan on getting into melee so you can tangle with anything.
*'''Icon of Despair:''' Almost a melee weapon - has a 4+ chance per unit engaged with the bearer to inflict a mortal on that unit in the Morale phase.  Because the bearer gets to keep his bolter, if you assume he gets the chance to shoot (and he should, since you can fire both shots at max range even after moving), this does strictly better than a pair of plague knives (the worst option) per point against even only one other unit (which is usually what you'll be fighting), with the caveat that the icon's mortal necessarily happens ''after'' the unit in question has made its attacks.
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<tab name="Special Weapons">
*'''Blight Launcher:''' Effectively a short-range blaster with 24" Assault 2 S6 AP-2 D2 and Plague Weapon, meaning you can fire in any circumstance and it can blow out anything MEQ. 
*'''Plague Belcher:''' A flamer with Plague Weapon. If you want to demolish hordes or scare away charges, you'll do quite well with this. Otherwise, you also have its bigger brother, which is better than it is against almost everything.
*'''Plague Spewer:''' The Heavy Flamer of to the Plague Belcher's Flamer. Don't forget not to Advance if you have these in the unit.  Better than a Plague Belcher and worse than a Blight Launcher against just about everything.
*'''Plasma Gun:''' Overcharge remains stronger against most targets compared to the blight launcher. However, the changes to Gets Hot alongside the lack of Plague Weapon does hurt the odds of ever taking this.  Also: overcharge is essential to take down marines thanks to the D2, and no more double-tapping at 18". Less potent than in the previous edition but useful even in normal form for the added AP over a blight launcher. Possible to take 3 (and a pair of blight launchers) in a 10-man PM squad.
*'''Meltagun:''' The fact that you are one of the slowest troops out there means that melta isn't something to take lightly (although it has the same range as a belcher or spewer or the double tap range of a plasma gun, so in terms of competition by and large if you've gotten this far you probably have a plan for getting them to within 12"). However, this has become your sole anti-tank weapon.
*'''Sigil of Decay:''' Not a special weapon really but an upgrade to all bolters in the squad, which makes bolters auto-wound on natural 6s to hit. Nice combo with the Tollkeeper relic for exploding auto-wounds attacks; they are bolters, sure, but there are ways to improve AP. Ideal on larger squads, and a must when not taking special weapons (which you should, but in case you won't, this is 10 points, less than half a plague marine). [[Derp|Sadly mathematically less effective point-for-point vs all targets than just giving a guy a blight launcher.]]
**Of course, they ''do'' stack.  If something possesses you to field a full 10-man unit with 2 Blight Launchers and 8 Bolters, the Sigil of Decay will make the unit slightly more efficient at murdering everything in the game.  But this will be substantially less efficient even at 24" compared to a 5-man unit with 2 overcharged plasma guns, 1 blight launcher, and 2 bolters.
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</tabs>
*'''Poxwalkers''' - They're Plague Zombies with a trademarkable name. They are completely immune to morale tests thanks to being mindless, and have the old Disgustingly Resilient ability (now named Unending Horde) to ignore wounds on a 6+++. Good thing, as they have a 7+ save, meaning they only can get regular saves if in cover. Though their statline is unimpressive, they are cheap, and make great tarpits, thanks to their resiliency rules. In addition, every time they kill an enemy infantry model, they can add an additional Poxwalker to the unit. This might seem difficult to do, but they get WS4+ to help them create self-reinforcing tarpits. Basically, against light infantry, you use them to shred through stuff like Conscripts while being damn near invincible, and against anything tougher, you hold them in place until your next turn, then Fall Back and have your Plague Marines unleash Plasma against them. Even against T4, they do alright since they are S3 and have the Contagion rule, so they are wounding on 4s, and that's of course even better with Typhus's buff to their strength. Because their only regular "save" is Unending Horde, they're vulnerable to weapons with more than 1 damage, since a wound from a D2 weapon causes two Disgustingly Resilient rolls, either of which could kill the model. Be aware that, despite their appearance, they are not a screening unit. With only melee attacks and a 4" movement, they are a slow, lumbering mass of attrition. 
** For added fun, add a CSM detachment with Fabius Bile. Over the course of 2 turns, Bile will buff your beautiful zombies by either an additional S, T or A. With all of these buffs combined, you are looking at potentially having T6 poxwalkers. Neat! 
** Main reason to take these is for cheap screening and the new Secondary Objective Spread the Sickness, and just actions in general. This secondary is only kind of ok, but hey it's fun to spread that sickness with cheap objective secured troops.
** Bonus points to you if you make zombified versions of different factions' infantry models, so when you kill them in melee and add new models to your zombie hordes, you are adding those new zombie ones instead. Imagine killing ork boyz in melee and then adding zombie boyz to your squad, or zombie termagants. Just make sure you keep them on 25mm bases.

===Dedicated Transports===
*'''[[Rhino Transport#Chaos Rhino|Chaos Rhino]]'''- It's a Rhino. It does everything you'd expect it to do. As transports are generally quite useful for ninth generally, and specifically for the slow Plague Marines, these could be quite handy to get on an objective and score primaries in the next command phase. Once they've delivered their passengers who will be used to score primaries the following turn, use to block or repurpose into a suicide bomb thanks to Putrid Detonation.
**Since the Rhino now carries Contagions, it can give the purpose of a mobile debuffer. Especially once your plague marines have gotten off, you can make the rhino into a mobile roadblock to spread your auras on two fronts.
*'''[[Tunneling Transport Vehicles|Terrax Pattern Assault Drill]]:<sup>Forge World</sup>''' subterranean assault transport (set up anywhere 9" away from enemy models at the end of your movement phase) with a terrifying melee weapon (if it hits). Transports 12 Infantry but no Terminators. Expensive, though. '''Note:''' this thing explodes for a nasty D6 mortal wounds (2D3 for psykers) to everything in a whopping 2D6”, and you can force it with Putrid Detonation. Field these things as deepstriking nukes for a bargain 106 points apiece.  '''note''' - This costs 136pts and only explodes 6" for D3 wounds
**Throw ten plague marines and a putrefier into it and now you have a reliable way to do around 14 wounds to anything on the table. After nuking unit/tank/knight you still have 10 plague marines and an angry drill to do what ever you want with.

===Fast Attack===
*'''[[Chaos Spawn|The Thing That Shall Not Be Named]]''' We don't talk about these things, but when we do, we say that they aren't terrible, but they aren't as good as the other "Fast" Attack options that the death guard have available to them. Take another bloat drone instead. That said, if, for detachment requirements, you need a Fast Attack slot filled, a little <s>33</s> <s>25</s> 21 point Chaos Spawn '''nonononoNEEEAAAARGHOFHAFHURJG''' ...a little 21 point monster is a quick way to get it done. Remember though that their main use of keeping up with fast HQs is basically limited to only the winged Daemon Prince. Additionally, thanks to their melee attacks being AP-2 and D2, they actually hit pretty hard for their cost (in addition a one of 3 random but strong mutations each turn). Also of note is the fact that they impose a -1 Ld penalty on enemy units, which pairs fantastically with all the other Ld modifiers in the army.
**Not only has the update turned "it" into a cheap and consistently strong melee threat, but Grandfatherly Influence strategies not only turn "it" super tanky, now being a pack of 4 wound monsters that shrugs off small-arms fire and takes less damage from anti-MEU like other Death Guard. 
** Alternate Take: This is our cheapest unit in-codex, and there's something to be said about a 7" movement model for taking early, uncontested objectives. Just be sure to weigh the opportunity cost of another 4-5 Poxwalkers!
*'''[[Foetid Bloat-drone]]''' - Close-range and fast (always advance) anti-infantry vehicle with two plaguespitters and a plague probe. With T7, Disgustingly Resilient, and a 5++ daemon save, it's quite tanky. Slightly more likely to explode than other vehicles, too. Preferably use it in the shooting phase unless if you have its new Fleshmower weapon, which makes it absolutely terrifying in close quarters: S7 AP-2 D2 is powerful in itself, but as an added bonus it increases to a whopping 12 attacks! It can also swap out a plaguespitter for a Heavy Blight Launcher, which is basically three normal Blight Launchers with 12" more range; remember this is a vehicle with a 3+ to hit. 
**'''On Heavy Blight Launchers:''' 6 shots means on average you'll land 4 hits, which is ''more'' than the 3.5 hits each Plaguespitter expects to land.  You get 2 Plaguespitters, but they're half the D of the HBL, which means against a target that can suffer the extra damage, the HBL lands ''more'' A*D than the 2 Plaguespitters, and because it doesn't cost significantly more, this means it's a more efficient gun against most targets unless you're shooting the guns in melee or you're shooting W1 targets.
**'''On Fleshmowers:''' These are some of your most dangerous melee options right now. The sheer amount of 2 damage attacks is crazy, they're fast, and they have a couple of neat tricks to help out. Move them into position and you can heroically intervene 6" for 1 cp, making them a threat without needing to be right in your opponent's face. On top of this, you can use Flash Outbreak for 2 cp to give them your special contagion. They ''will'' draw fire, but even this can be helped by using the Daemonic Gluttony strat for 1 cp to heal 3 wounds from the models they will inevitably kill.
*'''Death Guard Greater Blight Drone: <sup>Forge World</sup>''' For a 125pts armed with alternative weapon. This beast comes stock with a bile maw (18" S7 Plaguespitter) and Plaguereaper Cannon (36" Heavy 4 S7 AP-2 D1 plague weapon). A compromise of the Bloat-drone's flamer and long-range option, with both being well suited at melting the normal T4 marines.
**The huge 14" move is precious for Death Guard, and for only 125 points to boot. It is by far the best contagion spreader possible. With the droning, you can halve the movement of a huge chunk of enemy troops. A bit less killy than the standard drone, though.
**With the update to the core CSM codex, this beast got a decent buff to survivability. Not only does it get a 5++ Invuln, but it now regenerates a wound each round. In exchange for the Disgustingly Resilient rule offered to the army, you instead get the old 5+ FNP, which works more in your favor considering how many lascannons will be aiming at it.
*'''[[Myphitic Blight-Hauler]]''' - A speedy (10" movement, lightning-quick by Nurgle's standards) tank that can be taken in squads of 3. 9 Wounds and gives them solid durability without subjecting them to a damage table, and with 3+/5++ paired with Disgustingly Resilient, they'll be sure to stick around. A squad of 3 may be expensive, but they carry a lot of anti-tank Dakka. Plus, they're not competing with the Plaguebursts since they're in the Fast Attack Slot, and if you're really wanting to lean into Daemon Engines, 3x3 Blight Haulers and 3 Bloat Drones is a legitimate (but uncompetitive) thing you can do with Arks of Omen
**Weapons-wise, they come with a missile launcher, a multi-melta, a bile spurt (12" Assault 1d3 S6 AP-1, plague weapon, blast, can be fired in melee despite being blast), and a gnashing maw (Melee SU (6) AP-2 D1 plague weapon). They are no longer mobile cover for other units in 9th, focusing down on being the most durable fun-sized tank with having -1 penalty to be hit with melee attacks and a specific stratagem subtract 1 shot from each gun shooting at them to fuck with enemy Melta.
**Since first being released, MBH have been buffed continually. 3 of them can now be described as a remarkably versatile killy unit. With 3 missile launchers/bile spurts, they are no slouches against infantry, with 3 missile launchers/multi-meltas they can kill tanks, and in combat, a squad of 3 will get 12 attacks on the charge, hitting on 3s, at S6, re-rolling 1s to wound and -2AP (and of course -1T on the target, due to being in contagion range). Very often the versatility of these can catch opponents off-guard. A squad of 3, despite their high price tag, should be seriously considered if you are in need of a hardy jack-of-all-trades Swiss army knife unit.
** Has been buffed and now these guys can chew vehicles like never before. You can legitimately charge a powerful enemy vehicle with plenty of blast weapons and watch the opponent cry as the next round your blight haulers will shoot their multimeltas in its face/hull while its gun isn't doing anything because its blast weapons can't be shot in melee; also they are not {{W40kKeyword|INFANTRY}} so a {{W40kKeyword|TITANTIC}} unit can't fall back and still shoot.
**Besides, they’re so damn adorable and cheap, if you don’t field them, Papa Nurgle will be personally offended. He made them so you’d have a puppy. A plague filled, disease-carrying, loyal, loving, manhunting, sick puppy. '''Pay your respects to his benevolence.
'''*Dreadclaw Drop Pod: <sup>Forge World</sup>'''  Heresy era drop pod variant that "somehow" only traitor marines kept. Unlike classic SM drop pods, this one doesn't just land, it does stuff afterwards. Turn 1-3 arrives on the table and disembarks. Transport for single Hellbrute/contemptor or 10 infantry (5 terms). A foot of movement and FLY. Zoom-zoom! It packs a surprisingly good melee weapon and it can also burn nearby suckers with its jet wash (bombing run variant). Note that unlike a SM drop pod, since this vehicle has FLY, it can ignore terrain when Setting up from deep strike, so even as a basic drop pod, it's much more flexible.

===Flyers===
Remember that while the Death Guard are stated to look down on the use of flyers, nowhere does it say that they don't actually use them (because what's the point in specialising in attrition warfare if you have no air superiority and just get bombed and/or strafed all the time?). So, when [[that guy]] tries to tell you why you can't field three Fire Raptors in a Death Guard army because its not fluffy, you can give him the proverbial finger.
<div style="margin-left:1em;">

*'''[[Hell Blade]]:<sup>Forge World</sup>''' Courtesy of the Dark Mechanicus's warped minds comes one of the better anti-flyer units in the game. Only 135 points (As of FW index 2020) with 2 twin autocannons or Lacannons, with a 3+/5++ and Hard to Hit. With an 20"-60" movement that doesn't degrade as you take damage.

*'''[[Hell Talon]]:<sup>Forge World</sup>''' Very expensive at 210 (FW index 2020) points, but considerably tougher than its baby brother the Hell Blade with 14 wounds and T7 as well as its 3+/5++. In addition to the mandatory autocannon and twin Lascannon, then the extra 70pts also pays for two bombs that can be dropped over a spot you move over to deal potentially D3 or D6 MW to each unit within 6" of selected location.

*'''Chaos [[Fire Raptor Assault Gunship]]:<sup>Forge World</sup>''' Not much different than the loyalist scum variant. With T7, 16 wounds and 3+ SV it's almost as tough as a Land Raider. The average bolt cannon now packs 10 shots at S6 AP-2 2D, enough to drop a whole Primaris squad if you're lucky. In addition, each quad bolter packs 12 heavy bolter shots. Hellstrike missiles are no longer one use only and you can, in fact, fire 2 missiles at S8 AP-3 3D a turn now. It may replace the Hellstrike missiles for the cheap Balefire missiles or it can take 2 double lascannons instead of the missiles for +1S and the chance to deal more than 3 points (D6) of damage per shot. It can also move and shoot heavy weapons without penalty. You can also swap the heavy bolters for reaper autocannons if you wish for more S but only a half of the shots. Got a small net price decrease (10 points before wargear) in the latest round of FAQs, so is even more of a very viable option if you want some airborne support!

*'''Chaos [[Storm Eagle Assault Gunship]]:<sup>Forge World</sup>''' Your flying Land Raider if you will. This flyer can transport 20 infantry models or half of that in terminators. Doesn't have as many guns as the Fire Raptor but can take hellstrike missiles or two twin lascannons for more shots and S instead, or alternatively the cheap Balefire missiles if you save on points.

*'''Chaos [[Xiphon Interceptor]]:<sup>Forge World</sup>'''  Faster than anything in your army has a right to be, the interceptor is zippy and hard-hitting. Slightly more durable this edition (corrugated cardboard), it's best suited to hard blitzes against enemy aircraft.  Unfortunately, your army favours infantry, making it somewhat hard to buff or support and turning it into a single-use missile.
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===Heavy Support===
*'''Chaos [[Predator]] Annihilator and Destructor:''' A Predator with contagion, so it greatly softens those GEQ and jump pack tarpits within point blank heavy bolter range.  The flavors are Annihilator with a twin lascannon and Destructor with a Predator autocannon.
*'''Chaos [[Land Raider]]:''' The mass transport and massive tank of the Firstborn. With the Vehicle changes, in addition to ignoring the heavy weapon penalty, it now also a horrible idea to try to tarpit them as they can still shoot. All Land Raiders can carry Blightlords and Deathshroud (two transport slots).
<tabs>
<tab name="Land Raider"> 
Carries ten models. An effective all-rounder with anti-vehicle capability, the 8th edition introducing unlimited splitfire benefitted this Land Raider the most. Capable of using its lascannons to pop a vehicle and then following up with the heavy bolters to wipe out a MEQ squad. While its transport capacity is still rather small compared to the other Land Raider variants, it still has just enough room to drop a 5-man squad of Blightlords. With T8, 16 wounds, and a 2+ armour save it'll be a tough nut to crack even with anti-armour weaponry.
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<tab name="Achilles (FW)">
The rage-inducing and expensive Achilles is back in a big way in 9th ed. A low cost of 320pts with volkite and 360pts with melta and T8 W16 Sv2+/5++ for good measure makes this model insanely tough. The Achilles is armed with a hull-mounted quad launcher with two ammo types; shatter shells (24", heavy 4, S8, AP-2, D3) and thunderfire shells (60", heavy 4d3, S4, AP0, D1, blast and does not require line of sight). Sponson options are two twin volkite culverins (45", heavy 8, S6, AP0, D2, wound rolls of unmodified 6 inflict an additional MW) or two twin multi-meltas. Both sponsons are frankly solid options and do quite well against their desired targets. You have the option for a storm bolter and a hunter-killer missile but NOT the single multi-melta like most other LR's get access to. The only area it lacks is its transport capacity of 6, with Jump Pack and Terminator models taking up two spaces. Centurion and Wulfen models are mentioned, but no unit with those keywords is small enough to fit in, and Primaris isn't allowed as per usual. Good for a Character and an MSU Infantry unit, but don't expect much more.
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<tab name="Proteus (FW)">
The Proteus has two sponson twin lascannons like the vanilla LR, but it can choose to take a multi-melta or twin heavy flamer instead of a twin heavy bolter option (there's also an option for a single heavy bolter, but why would you even use that). But its main draw is the Explorator Augury Web; taking it reduces the Proteus's transport capacity to 6, but it prevents anyone from deep striking within 12" of it. Conveniently enough, that happens to be melta range for the multi-melta, so suicide melta squads won't be able to get near it. For a more aggressively inclined Proteus, you can take the Heavy Armour instead to give it a 5++. 
* A Proteus with twin heavy bolters is 285pts, the exact same as the vanilla LR. However, the Proteus costs 1CP to take due to Martial Legacy, so get the most out of it and grab one of the two unique wargear items. 
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*'''[[Defiler]]''' - Almost the same as the Chaos Space Marine version, but it gains Contagion and has WS/BS 3+. While it lacks DR's -1D, it can still move up and spread contagions. Enjoy moving it up the field and wounding vehicles on 2+ with the scourge. Also, these got a buff to the cannons, doing flat 3D now. Might be worth considering as a target of Flash Outbreak since it's got such a large footprint. Overall, not a bad choice, but they're outshone by Plagueburst Crawlers for artillery and fleshmower Foetid Bloat Drones for melee.
**Comboing Nurgle daemons and poxmongers allows this guy to regenerate an average of 5 wounds a turn as long as you kill a model in melee. For only 170 points that’s very tough, especially considering it can kill a knight in a turn.
*'''[[Plagueburst Crawler]]''' - It is quite tough with T8 and 12W coupled with 3+/5++ and Disgustingly Resilient. It can move 9"  and as of 9th edition the heavy weapon movement penalty only affects infantry, '''AND''' the Crawler's base BS is now 3+!!!. The mortar is Heavy D6 S8 AP-2 D2 and can shoot at targets 48" away, even if it cannot see them, and it's also a Plague Weapon. It is additionally equipped with the same plaguespitters the Bloat Drone has (12" Assault d6 auto-hits, S6 AP-1 D1, Plague Weapon). They can be switched for entropy cannons (36" Heavy 1 S8 AP-4 Dd3+3), effectively making it a short lascannon with the Plague Weapon rule if you want AT instead of anti-horde. It also has a hull-mounted heavy slugger (36" Heavy 4 S5 AP-1 D1) that can be replaced with a rothail volley cannon (24" Rapid Fire 3 S6 AP-1 D1) if you want to exchange range and shots-at-range for a more reliable chance to wound and substantially more shots within 12". The rothail is a good choice if you expect the tank to be in melee because it gives the tank 6 shots rather than 4 (also, the heavy slugger suffers a penalty to hit, because Plagueburst Crawlers don't qualify for Inexorable Advance). Basically, if you're taking spitters, go rothail. If taking entropy cannons, go heavy slugger. 
*'''Chaos Rapier Carrier<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' Ignore the Quad Launcher and the Gravity Cannon - the Quad Heavy Bolter is among the most efficient dakka you can field ''period'' (but especially anti-GEQ/MEQ/TEQ), while the Laser Destroyer is your most efficient anti-heavy.  Field 3 of these with Laser Destroyers and watch your problems literally evaporate.  The only problem is keeping them alive, as they're cheap because they're fragile, so don't be afraid to hide them behind terrain - they don't have a lot of M, but they can still peel a corner to shoot.
*'''Chaos Vindicator Laser Destroyer (Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer)<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' Use the Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer datasheet on page 8 of Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes. It must replace all of its Faction keywords with the following: Chaos, Heretic Astartes, MARK OF CHAOS, LEGION.
*'''Chaos Whirlwind Scorpius<sup>Forge World</sup>:''' Chaos finally gets a Whirlwind! Scorpius Multi-Launcher is going to do work at 48" Heavy 3D3 S6 AP-2 D2, shoot targets you cannot see. Can also get a Havoc Launcher, but you aren't going to do that since you want it hiding all game and shooting. Can eat people in melee on a 5+ to regain a wound, may fire twice in the next shooting phase if it did not move!!! This is going to be a Chaos MVP for sure. Has the Containment Breach rule, which punishes regular units with 2d3 mortal wounds within 6" and Psykers within 6" with D6 mortal wounds instead.
**''Alternate Take:'' Why would you spend more than twice the points for less range, less shots, and less Strength? Rocket Barrage is nice, but it's not the Whirlwind it's trying to be, especially not at the point-value it's been offered at. You have better sources of indirect fire, that either earn their point-value or are just plain cheaper.
*'''Chaos [[Sicaran Battle Tank]] (FW):''' A series of Relic tanks, having an improved rhino chassis with W14 and Sv2+. The downside is they have a Martial Legacy, so they cost 1CP to even bring. In addition to its main gun and a single Heavy Bolter, you can grab 2 sponson-mounted Heavy Bolters or 2 Lascannons, a hunter-killer missile, and a pintle-mounted Storm Bolter, if you crave more dakka.
<tabs>
<tab name="Sicaran Battle Tank">
The Sicaran has transitioned smoothly into 8th and 9th ed. It's armed with a nasty accelerator autocannon (48, assault 8, S7, AP-2, D3) but unfortunately lost its ability to ignore hit modifiers. Make good use of the assault weapon on its main gun by zipping around and firing while advancing.
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<tab name="Sicaran Venator">
The Venator trades the regular Sicaran's quantity of consistent shots for vehicle annihilation; 48", heavy 3, S12, AP-3, Dd6, rising to D6 if the tank remained stationary. finish off whatever survives with the hunter-killer or the sponson lascannons. 
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<tab name="Sicaran Punisher"> 
The Punisher says "fuck GEQ's"; 36", heavy 18, S6, AP-1, D1. Enjoy making Orks and Tyranids and Tau and Guard and Eldar cry.
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*'''Plague Hulk of Nurgle<sup>Forge World + legends </sup>:''' Want a better and tougher Defiler who doesn't heal himself? You found him! T8, 14W, 5++ and 5+ Disgusting Resilience. With S8 and "Rusting Curse" which lowers Vehicles saves within 1" by -1, he's going to punch the crap out of enemy armour. It can also be summoned, but with 12 PR it's not going to happen reliably. Rot Cannon is largely unchanged but with new stats, 36" Heavy D6, S6 AP-3 D2, and all wound against Infantry are rerolled (cool). Its vomit has morphed into something else altogether, 7" range, Pistol D6, S5 AP-2 D1 where all shots auto-hit... very cool! The Iron Claw remains largely unchanged, Sx2 AP-3 D6 (not -1 to hit rolls) with the Warp Sword being potentially good now with User S, AP-3, and flat D3 damage which also allows you rerolls to hit (much better than the last edition for sure!)...I still see most people taking the claw though. All around, the Plague Hulk is a great 8E choice.

===Lords of War===
[[File:DaemonMort.png|200px|thumb|right|I have returned...]] 
*'''[[Mortarion]]''' - '''''Tremble, mortals, the Rotten Angel cometh!''''' After languishing in mediocrity all 8th, Mortarion is finally the beefcake he deserves to be and is probably going to be the centerpiece of many Death Guard or even regular CSM armies. Standing at W18 T8 3+/4++ (5+++ if he's your Warlord) and Disgustingly Resilient, Contagions that are 9" from the first turn onward, and ''four'' Warlord Traits (more info below) including the FNP one, he will prove quite hard to bring down. He has one of the best anti-horde weapons in the game, his huge scythe ''Silence''. It can dish out Ax3 (21 base!) SU (8) AP-2 D1 Plague Weapon attacks per fight phase, which will annihilate tarpits like there's no tomorrow. To deal with anything heavier, ''Silence'' has a second profile' Sx2 (16) AP-4 D1d3+3, Plague Weapon. He still carries his old ''Lantern'' pistol that can a decent amount of spread-out damage as it hits every unit in a straight line between him and the one he aims for (including the one he aims for but not himself) up to 12" - he only rolls to hit once, and if he does, each unit is hit exactly once, and it's S8 AP-3 D3. He still carries phosphex bombs that deal out 2D6 S5 AP-1 hits (they're not Plague Weapons, but because their range is less than his Contagion range, targets are always hit at -1T). Cherry on top, he's a psyker (yeah, the very thing he hated back in the day, but hush, no more tears, only Nurgle's happiness now). He knows 3 powers from the Contagion discipline, and he's able to cast two and deny three every turn. All this is in addition to the fact that he is the fastest piece in the army, moving 12" with {{w40kkeyword|FLY}}, meaning he can hit things like Stormravens and Thunderhawks in melee. Just go and think about that for a second. Anyway, all in all he’s a really, ''really'' strong big daddy. Use him whenever you can.
**'''Choosing your warlord trait for Host of Plagues:''' Of the 7 contagions you can pick, 3 rely on a specific company being around (and hence don't do anything for Mortarion personally, instead only making him a vector for the Contagion).  Here are the 7 for ease of reference, with the ones Mortarion can benefit from at the top:
***'''Shamblerot:''' Each enemy non-{{W40Kkeyword|vehicle}} unit within Contagion Range of this unit at the start of your opponent’s Movement phase suffers an average of 0.67 mortal wounds if a non-{{W40Kkeyword|character}} and 0.33 if a {{W40Kkeyword|character}}.
****Functionally speaking this is simply extra output for him in melee - it doesn't happen until after the enemy attacks and won't help morale checks fail, but you can almost always count on something you charge still being within contagion range at the start of its Movement phase.
***'''Gloaming Bloat:''' While an enemy unit is within Contagion Range of this unit, it cannot fire Overwatch or Set to Defend, and each time a model in it makes an attack, it can't re-roll hit rolls or wound rolls.
****Since you have no practical way to charge targets from ''more'' than 9" away anyway, this is just a straight defensive buff with the caveat that a target that can't or won't Overwatch/Set to Defend and has no re-rolls won't even notice you have this.
***'''Sanguous Flux:''' While an enemy unit is within Contagion Range of this unit, every model in the unit suffers -1 Ld and -1 to Combat Attrition tests.
****Provided you're fighting an enemy that can practically suffer Morale losses, this is Shamblerot but better, in terms of the amount of harm you'll inflict - the problem is how hard it is to fight something where Morale losses ''matter'', as opposed to fearless or nearly fearless squads or single-model units.
***'''The Droning:''' While an enemy unit is within Contagion Range of this unit, at the start of your opponent’s Movement phase, halve that enemy unit’s Move characteristic until the end of the phase.
****RAW does nothing, as units don't have Move characteristics (and as the Space Wolves and Deathwatch can tell you, it's ''very'' possible to have a unit of mixed Move), but ''presumably'' this means halve the Move characteristic of each model in the unit.  Mortarion has the movement (and contagion range) to deliver this where you need it about as credibly as possible, but to do so you need to fling him all the way forward, which may not be tactically viable.  Remember, he's ''expensive''.
***'''Ferric Blight:''' While an enemy unit is within Contagion Range of this unit, each time an attack is made by a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|INEXORABLE}} model against that enemy unit, improve the Armour Penetration characteristic of that attack by 1.
****Useless for Mortarion, but the best of the three murder-buffs.
***'''Eater Plague:''' While an enemy unit is within Contagion Range of this unit, each time an attack is made by a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|WRETCHED}} model against that enemy unit, an unmodified hit roll of 6 automatically wounds the target.
****Useless for Mortarion and has particularly poor synergy with the wide variety of to-wound buffs you have in your army.
***'''Nurgle’s Fruit:''' While an enemy unit is within Contagion Range of this unit, each time an attack is made by a friendly {{W40Kkeyword|MORTARION’S CHOSEN SONS}} model against that unit, the target does not receive the benefits of cover against that attack.
****Useless for Mortarion and ''almost always'' strictly worse than Ferric Blight.
**Like Magnus, Mortarion's command aura only grants re-roll 1s to hit. However, he can give a single {{W40kKeyword|Death Guard Core/Character}} unit (that includes himself) re-rolls on all hit rolls each Command phase. He gets to pick whatever contagion from any company at the start of the game and always uses both of his contagions at max range, although bear in mind he can only personally benefit from some of them - some contagions only benefit their specific company, and Mortarion isn't in one. There's no reason whatsoever to hold him back, since you can achieve a re-roll 1s aura with a regular chaos lord. Morty is at his best being in close combat with his enemies while his sons support him and do objectives. Do note, however, that while he's tanky he's '''far''' from invulnerable and always keep in mind that he is a massive fire magnet. Just like in 30k, you'll need supporting units and a plan to get the most out of ole Morty. That said, if he does somehow go down he explodes like a vehicle for a few parting mortal wounds.
**Having four warlord traits does have a minor drawback though, you can't double up on any of them for the rest of your army.
**It's worth noting that because Mortarion has both the {{W40Kkeyword|Nurgle}} and {{W40Kkeyword|Daemon}} keywords, he can be targeted by the Nurgle daemon powers with a similar story for {{W40Kkeyword|Heretic Astartes}}. So if you think that Miasma of Pestilence to protect Morty isn't enough, then ally in a Great Unclean One or Herald of Nurgle and give them Fleshy Abundance to keep Morty topped off on wounds and even more difficult to kill. Or give him Virulent Blessing and watch him shred through armour and infantry alike even faster.
**He also loves you (except you, Typhus, fuck you).
*** Don't forget the Nurglings! Mortarion ALSO has d6 additional attacks at S2 and no AP, but they'll also benefit from Virulent Blessing, and are Plague Weapons to boot, for potentially even MORE mortal wounds!
***Hilariously, for being a huge daemon primarch, Mortarion is exceptional at dealing with infantry. The reaping scythe is nearly always better against anything with more models than wounds or a decent invuln save. With contagions Mortarion will wound anything T8 or lower on a 3+ or better with the reaping scythe and if he has diabolic strength this extends to anything T10 or lower.  Bear in mind that the Reaping Scythe profile deals 21 A*D while the Eviscerating Blow profile deals 35 A*D - as soon as you're murdering anything W3 or higher, the Eviscerating Blow profile starts to become more and more compelling, with the usual caveats about potentially wasting damage depending on exact numbers (e.g. against a W4 target his EB only deals 32 A*D, while the RS stays at 21 - the numbers get particularly wonky whenever the target's Wounds aren't a multiple of 6).

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====Forge World====

All of the following units are well beyond the realm of being reasonably priced, most of them getting 200 point (or more, in the case of Scabby) increases on top of their already ridiculous points costs. As such, they should not be taken in competitive play, even some of the better units (Fellblade, Scabby) as Death Guard probably have a lite version of that unit for less than half of the cost (Morty or Mamon for Scabby, Land Raider or 3 Myphitic Blight Haulers for the Fellblade).

*'''Scabeiathrax the Bloated''' - My oh-my is this guy one tough son of a bitch. At T9 with 22 wounds (which can be healed with the Nurgle Discipline), a 4+ Invulnerable save for being a Daemon Lord, and the Disgustingly Resilient special rule, you will need a crap ton of heavy firepower to put him down. And if he dies, on a 4+ a unit within D6" suffers D6 mortal wounds. His close combat abilities are not to sneeze at either. He has Horrific Vomit, which is a 2d6 flamer at S6 AP-2 with Damage D3 that can be fired into close combat. Then, he has the Blade of Decay, a S+2 AP-4 sword that does a flat 6 damage. To round it all out, he gets D6 additional nurgling attacks at S2 AP0. He can cast 3 powers and deny three powers and knows Smite plus two Nurgle powers. Finally, he lets Nurgle Daemons use his leadership within 6" of him. Oh, did I forget to mention he forces a -1 to hit modifier on all friendly Nurgle Daemon units within 6"? Yeah, you want this guy. The only thing stopping you from taking him in every game is he's 777 points, and he's a LoW.
** Annoyingly, despite his sword having 'Decay' in the name, it is not a plague weapon, and neither is the vomit. So no Blades of Putrefaction mega-bonus for you :(
*'''Chaos Sokar Pattern Stormbird Gunship:''' Pretty much the largest flyer/transport/model Forge World offers next to titans. Damn expensive in points and tangible money alike, it can ferry the entire army onto the battlefield. Has like 8 lascannons, a host of various missiles and bombs, void shields, and a few heavy bolters here and there for flavor. The void shields can extend and overlap nearby troops 8" away that jumped out if it has hovered. Has 40 wounds, T9, a 5++ after the void shields. Its insane points cost (2321 for the default, which is more than a warhound Titan) completely prices it out as you won’t be able to fill its transport slots short of a 3000 point game.
*'''Chaos Thunderhawk Assault Gunship:''' Baby’s first Stormbird, costs 1400 points so is more widely useful than its big bro (which, admittedly, isn’t hard at all) but still dies alarmingly fast for such an expensive unit - it has 3+/5++/5+ VS (deg). Its best weapon for survival is its toughness and -12” to the range of weapons shooting at it. Also puts out a surprisingly small amount of hurt - the same number of Heavy Bolter shots as a fire raptor (which is nearly '''FOUR TIMES CHEAPER''') and either a turbo laser destructor (to evaporate vehicles) or the Thunderhawk cannon (generally inferior due to unreliable shot output). It does start off at BS2+ however, so consider keeping a barebones chaos lord in it throughout the game to get those lovely reroll wound (no idea how a plane would feel sufficiently inspired by a 10000-year-old man with horns riding inside it to magically be better at shooting but hey welcome to 8th). The bombs are a nice touch at least, and it’s still '''''very''''' fast.
*'''Hellforged Mastodon:''' Have you ever wanted to transport 40 Marines at once while trashing flyers and generally being nigh-indestructible? Then the Mastodon is the LoW for you! With 30 wounds and a 5+ void shield, the Mastodon is a fucking tough nut to crack, made even more so if it somehow gets into the 6" range for its siege melta array's rerolls to kick in. Good thing too, being 1060 fucking points for a single unit!
*'''Hellforged Spartan Assault Tank''' - THIS IS SPARTA(N)! The Death Guards true answer to its slow speed. The Spartan is a beast! With 8 lascannons (Which can be exchanged for 2 Laser destroyers) and a twin heavy bolter (Can be exchanged for a Twin heavy flamer), plus capacity for a Havoc launcher or the standard pintle weapons. This beast also rocks a transport capacity of a whopping 25! That's 5 Death Shrouds, 5 Blight lords, A Lord of Contagion, a Malignant plaguecaster, Biologius putrifier, Tallyman and Foul Blightspawn. All in one simple sweet package! The only downside is that it is expensive (Still better value than a Land Raider) and that it is a Lord of War choice. Still awesome!
*'''Hellforged Cerberus Heavy Destroyer''' - Jesus, this thing is expensive but nasty. So on top of the rules, we've seen for the other Hellforged tanks, this beast sports T9, 22 wounds, a 2+ save and can always shoot or charge even when falling back. It also hits at S8 from its infernal hunger and rolls D6 for its containment breach mortal wounds (2D3 against psykers). It can take two heavy bolters or lascannons for sponsons and havoc launcher or combi-weapon for the pintle blah blah blah - let's talk about that FUCKHUEG gun sticking out of the front of it. It slings 4 shots down a 6-foot range with AP-6 and dealing an eye-watering 5-10D per shot (aka, 4+D6). The fun part, however, is how it wounds - it doesn't have a strength characteristic but instead, you roll 3D6 and compare against your target's leadership; if you equal or exceed that value, the target is wounded. This means that on average, you will wound '''ANYTHING''' in the game, which then takes an average 7 damage at -6 to their armour. Oh hey, if you kill anything with this tank in the previous turn with any of your guns, you get to roll 4D6 and choose the highest 3. Obviously, wipe something weak and then focus fire on trouble spots. EDIT: don't forget, it's also BS 2+...so it really works well against flyers.
**For countering this beast, the Warlord trait in the basic rules which adds +1 leadership in a 6" bubble (Inspiring Leader) is pretty impressive against this thing, as do other abilities which increase the leadership stat. Invulnerable saves work just fine against it. And lastly, it really can only target one enemy per turn (with 4 shots) so it won't be effective against opponents without elite targets (against grots, it will kill 4 grots per turn). Defensively, this (thanks to chapter approved) very expensive tank has no invulnerable save, so will die quickly to traditional anti-tank weapons.
*'''Hellforged Typhon Heavy Siege Tank''' - Your tank for when you absolutely need 1 unit dead. It comes stock with the infamous Dreadhammer Siege Cannon that dishes out 2d6 S10 AP -5 shots that each do 3 wounds on a failed saves, starting at 2+ to hit. The randomness of the number of shots makes it ok at best for dealing with squads that are 10 man or more, but that shouldn't be your priority with this thing. You want to be shooting and those special prize units of 5 or fewer models or rival tanks. This brings us to our next point, wargear. It may also bring Heavy Bolter or Lascannon sponsons and you can give it a Havoc Launcher (if you have the points, just take the Lascannons). Its no slouch defensively either T9, 22 wounds, and a 2+ save will keep it on the board far longer than your enemy will be comfortable with. Oh and it regenerates wounds from Close Combat.
*'''Hellforged Fellblade''' - Incredibly expensive, even more so due to the Chapter Approved points hike it got (897 points for the default loadout), but still the Baneblade's exponentially meaner cousin and the king of the 1500-2000 point game. It comes with a twin heavy bolter, two quad lascannons (that's 8 lascannons, people!), a demolisher cannon, and the Fellblade Accelerator Cannon, which is all kinds of rape. The FAC fires shells in 2 flavour: AE (Anti-Everything), which fires 2 shots at Strength 14, AP -4 and a flat rate of 6 damage per wound - whatever you hit with this shell will die, or be damged so bad it will become irrelevant thanks to degrading stats. HE (High Explosive) is anti-GEQ/anti-MEQ with 2d6 shots strength 8 ap -3 D1, making it absolutely perfect for killing MEQs (S8 and Ap-3 also make it decent against TEQs as you're wounding on 2s and dropping them to their 5++, but the D1 will halve the number of kills you get out), and you can also reroll the number of shots fired against units with 5 or more models in. The HE shells also suffer less than the AE shells as the tank takes damage and loses accuracy thanks to its higher rate of fire (so target vehicles early in the game, while you still have accuracy with AE shooting) The 8 lascannons are arguably the most deadly part of the loadout as rate of fire is king in 8E and you're putting out 8 S9 AP-3 Dd6 shots, making this an excellent knight killer. For dealing with T9 or above superheavies, the lascannons can be replaced for laser destroyers, which are 36" Heavy 1 S12 Ap-4 Dd6. You also roll a d6 every time an unsaved wound is dealt against this weapon, and on a 3-5 the damage is changed to 2d6, and on a 6 the damage is changed to 3d6. A pair of these are also cheaper by 40 points than a pair of qaud lascannons, but their usefulness takes a much greater hit than the lascannons as the tanks takes damage. It also has a demolisher cannon (24" Heavy d3 S10 AP-3 Dd6 (which becomes Heavy d6 against units with 5 or more models), and a twin heavy bolter (which can be swapped for a twin heavy flamer) to round the arsenal out (not including your choice of combi-weapon or havoc launcher goodness). All-in-all, keep this beast at around 24-48" range to get the most use out of its weapons, but watch out for high ap weapons as it doesn't have an invuln. To make up for this, feel free to stay at 100" and snipe the units with high ap weapons with AE shells. It's an insanely good take for non-apocalypse games, and only gets better as the points limit drops towards 1000 as there becomes less and less that can hurt it and less and less targets (allowing you to focus fire). Just don't expect to be having the room for any other expensive units (or just any units at all if you're playing 1000 points).
*'''Hellforged Falchion''' - Insanely expensive (well over 1000 points), but excellent for deleting titanic targets (seriously, Stompas don’t even get armour saves against this thing, not to mention them being wounded on a 2+. Sit there and laugh as your enemy’s 40-wound beat stick is destroyed before turn 2). 2d6 strength 16 shots, -5 AP, 2d6 damage. It'll wound anything T8 or lower on 2's, and the few T9 targets out there on 3's. Keep a lord/DP around to re-roll 1's to make the target's death all but a foregone conclusion. 2 quad lascannons (or two laser destroyers if you really want to wreck superheavies) plus a hull twin heavy bolter add to its already impressive firepower.
*'''Kharybdis Assault Claw <sup>[Forge World]</sup>''': Another Heresy era drop pod variant that "somehow" only traitor marines kept. This is like a "super" Dreadclaw, featuring slight improvements over the base dreadclaw, in most areas, plus what is basically 5x cyclone missile launchers with an extra -1 AP to both profiles. Melee weapon remains the same, but it gains a bonus melta attack too. Transport capacity increases to 20 infantry (10 terms), but can still only transport a single helbrute/contemptor. +3" movement, but it degrades (T8 with 20 hp). Bombing run variant is improved. Note that unlike a SM drop pod, since this vehicle has FLY, it can ignore terrain when Setting up from deep strike, so even as a basic drop pod, it's much more flexible. Model does have TITANIC.

===Fortifications===
*'''[[Miasmic Malignifier]]''' - A massive, plague-choked factory, spewing smoke and disease for all to see. It's pretty beefy, with 12 wounds at T8 and a 3+ save, but that's all it has defensively if you don't count the self-destruct that hits anything within 6" that's non-Nurglite with d3 Mortal Wounds. Offensively, it's relying on a short-ranged stench, a 6" Heavy 2d6 S4 AP-1 D1 flamer-type gun - Not much in the grand scheme of things. The real reason you're bringing this thing is because of it's non-combative benefits: It spreads a contagion at max range, it has a 6" aura that gives your {{W40kKeyword|Death Guard Infantry}} soft cover (or just robs the enemy of -1 to hit if already in soft cover) and it comes with a Pox Furnace (a separate piece of terrain with Light Cover, Heavy Cover, Unstable Position, Difficult Ground) that has to be within 6" of it and within 12" of any enemies. This is great because that little Pox Furnace gives you that light cover which then triggers the -1 to hit on your unit if they are set up behind the furnace. 
** This thing is surprisingly tanky too because it is T8, comes with Disgustingly Resilient, and it can be given a smokescreen for its own -1 to hit. It also works at full efficiency even with one wound left and it does not hurt your units when it blows up. If the enemy chooses to shoot at this cheap fortification instead of your other tanks, then that's a good trade off right there.