# Most/ least popular armies?



## Inquisitor_Leith (Aug 27, 2009)

What, in your opinion, are the most and least popular 40k armies and why?


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## Arcane (Feb 17, 2009)

Most popular: Ultramarines
Least popular: Dark Eldar. 

I don't think there is much room for argument upon that... though, Daemonhunters and Witchhunters are close for least popular. 

To support my guess of the Dark eldar though, many of the GW stores around me don't even stock much if any of their stuff.


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

*Most Popular*: Definitely Space Marines, though I wouldn't be specific and say Ultramarines as I've only ever seen 1 UM army and that was the AOBR box set painted up in those colours.

*Least Popular*: As Arcane says it's probably a toss up between Dark Eldar and a pure Inquisitorial force


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## Lepraconnaa (Jan 16, 2009)

Most: Space Marines- Cheap, Easy To Paint, Simple to play (with exceptions), and are the GW Poster boys.

Least: Dark Eldar- Mainly for being outdated and being expensive to build. Theyre also very fragile.


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

This is from my experience;

Most Popular: CSM, quite easy to play and are probably the army with most raw power out there. Sadly, the raw power comes from unfluffy and unfriendly playstyles. There are very few variations on CSM but I have no idea why. Close runners up are Space Wolves.

Least Popular: Guard, Daemons, Tau, Inquisition, Dark Eldar and Necrons.

Midnight


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## MyI)arkness (Jun 8, 2008)

believe it or not, the most popular here are CSM, and the least popular are SM (any of the variants)


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## Arcane (Feb 17, 2009)

MyI)arkness said:


> believe it or not, the most popular here are CSM, and the least popular are SM (any of the variants)


The Chaos Space Marines List forums has 18,368 Posts
The Space Marines List forums has 21,736 posts

Apearently, people here do infact play a lot of Space Marines or their variants, so it would seem that this is not the case.


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## the Brayn (Oct 30, 2009)

Arcane, I think he was referring to his FLGS, not the website.


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

Obviously different areas will have varying army popularity, but on the whole Space Marines account for roughly 50% of 40K sales.


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## Syko515 (Jan 22, 2008)

throwing my weight down i'm going to have to agree whole heartedly with space Mehreeeens being #1 for the most pop army. we're talking hit me baby one more time brittney spears...not drunk, skin-head achoholic brittney.

as for least popular? dark eldar for the win, but only due to GW's lack of doing anything with them as far as putting them on shelves. i know atleast 6 people who would love to buy and play DE but can't cause the shits out of date and just plain ugly.


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## MyI)arkness (Jun 8, 2008)

Arcane said:


> The Chaos Space Marines List forums has 18,368 Posts
> The Space Marines List forums has 21,736 posts
> 
> Apearently, people here do infact play a lot of Space Marines or their variants, so it would seem that this is not the case.


Sorry i mean in my country;D


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## Lucio (Aug 10, 2009)

At my home store marines are most popular but not by much, 4 marines to 3 tau and 3 nids. Least popular are dark eldar, no one plays.


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## Masked Jackal (Dec 16, 2009)

Around here there are a bunch of space marines players, but they aren't some huge majority. About the same amount of mahreens as their Chaos equivalents, Nids, Imperial Guard, or Orks.


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## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

With proper support i think the de would outstrip the tau for popularity however at the moment that is not the case. Necrons are an interesting one as they and the inq fly a little below the radar. Like the de they would both get a boost from the introduction of plastics.


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## Holmstrom (Dec 3, 2008)

The local GW is primarily annoying kids with dipped Marine armies, followed by Orks, Chaos and Eldar. The rest are a scattered minority, however I've spotted a Sisters player one visit. Still, it isn't a place I make an effort to game at since most of the players are said annoying kids.


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## The Sullen One (Nov 9, 2008)

Sadly Codex Space Marines are the most popular, though variants are becoming increasingly common. At my local GW Tau are quite popular with three players, and the Orks have two.

Beyond that Orks, Nids, Necrons, Eldar and Chaos Space Marines have about one player each, as do Guard and Sisters. 

As for least popular well I'd have to say Dark Eldar, but we do actually have someone playing them as well. Hell we even have Dark Eldar stock on the shelves.

Holmstrom, I feel much the same way you do, and before long I may stop going there for anything but buying models.


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## Citizensmith (Feb 27, 2010)

The place I go to, every game recently seems to have been Eldar vs someone. Maybe helps that one of the best painters and the store manager like Eldar.


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## Blue Liger (Apr 25, 2008)

In my FLGS WHFB is more prominent these days (plus it's older gamers meaning better games so I usually take in my WHFB army) Though at FLGS we an even spread of CSM and SM (mix Sm companies) and Nids with at least 3/4 players then it's Dark Eldar with 3 members and Orks with 3 then IG with at least 2 then Tau 2 and 1 Necron Player and 1 Eldar player I'm yet to see WH and DH... (mind you games in 40k are hard to come by and when i say games I mean decent ones where my opponent understands all the rules relatively well).


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## neilbatte (Jan 2, 2008)

I think that Spacemarines will always be the most popular due to GW marketing strategies every army box set includes them vs someone else and while all the other armies generally get a surge when the new codex comes out Marines are always looking over their shoulder fighting for publicity(like an even more plastic paris hilton) added to this if you include Chaos Marines there are 5 different types of marine vs 7 alien races with the guard and inquistion to fill the basic human category.
Dark eldar are the least supported army at the moment so are the least popular although when they eventually get a new codex this will probably change at least until the next non marine codex is released.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

Sales wise it is as follows
Space marines(vanilla)
Tyranids
Ork
Space wolves
Cadian guard
Chaos Marines
Dark angels
Eldar
Catachan guard
Tau
Black Templars
Necrons
Deamons
Dark eldar
Sisters of battle
Grey Knights

But bear in mind that the bottom 2 are mostly metal and alot of the range is direct only or currently discontinued


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## army310 (Feb 11, 2010)

The worst thing is if dark eldar are played right they are one of the best armies out thier even though they have not had a new codex for like for-every.


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## Siphon (Jan 17, 2009)

I see that statement thrown out a lot and tend to think of it as one of those romantic urban legends. "Yeah the DE are great, one of the best armies, you just have to know how to play them well". 

Bah, I've looked over the codex, aside from a few units and wargear, I'm not very impressed nor do I think if had the chance to play against them I would have that big of an issue dealing with them. I think if someone did really well with the DE, they would do just as well (or better) with any other army.

Just my opinion though.


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## DestroyerHive (Dec 22, 2009)

I totally agree Siphon, apparently every army's the best one. But yeah, obviously Space Marines are the most played due to their extremely cheap units with extremely good stats and rediculous armor saves. They make up 55% of sales, the other 45% either don't mind losing or have tons of cash.

DE are the least, dunno why too much as they seem like every other army. Inquisition comes next for some odd reason (after a battle against DH I don't know why they aren't too popular).


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## Siphon (Jan 17, 2009)

I think DE are the least popular because the models are seriously terrible looking. The Heamonculus models and Drazhar are the only ones that even look slightly appealing to me.


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