Servants of the Dark Gods · Let the Galaxy Burn
Death Guard
Nurgle's unkillable sons — rot, resilience and the slow, certain advance.
About Death Guard — Lore & How They Play
The Lore
The Death Guard were the Emperor's most resilient Legion until betrayal in the Warp broke them: becalmed and plague-ridden, Mortarion bought his sons' survival with their souls. They emerged as Grandfather Nurgle's favourites — bloated, rotting and all but impossible to kill.
They advance without haste and without mercy, gifting every world they touch with the Plague God's blessings. Despair is a sin, they'll tell you cheerfully. Everything dies. Everything rots. Grandfather loves you.
On the Tabletop
The grindiest army in the game: Toughness values other factions dream of, disgusting resilience everywhere, and an aura of contagion that debuffs everything near your line. The Death Guard don't rush — they arrive, and then removal becomes the opponent's problem.
Your weaknesses are speed and mortal wounds, so play the mission, not the massacre: claim the mid-board early, poison it, and let attrition do the arithmetic. Few armies are more forgiving to learn or more maddening to fight.
The Death Guard are Nurgle's chosen: bloated, rotting and almost impossible to shift. They're the toughest infantry in Warhammer 40,000 and play exactly how they look: slow, relentless and thoroughly miserable to face. If your idea of winning is simply refusing to die, you've found your army.
Start here
- Combat Patrol: Death Guard: a legal small-game force straight out of the box
- Codex: Death Guard (10th edition): the plague legion's rules and datasheets
- Death Guard: Plague Marines: the core of every plague company
- Death Guard: Poxwalkers: shambling, infected cannon fodder
- Death Guard: Plagueburst Crawler: a daemon-engine tank with a big mortar
- All Combat Patrols: every faction's starter army in one place
One of the kindest schemes for a first army: wobbly edges read as corrosion, not mistakes. Push the grime further with our weathering range.
Every kit here is genuine Games Workshop stock from an official stockist, supplied unassembled and unpainted, with fast UK delivery from our shop in Barry, South Wales. In-stock orders placed by 3pm on weekdays go out the same day.
Read more: Death Guard lore in Faction Files, Death Guard Army Analysis, the 40K factions hub.
Paint and browse: grab the Death Guard Paint Set – 10 Essential Colours or the five-tone Warhammer Tone Pro paints, then explore the rest of the Warhammer 40,000 Chaos range.
Prefer them ready-painted? JoyToy make fully painted, articulated 1/18 scale Death Guard (including Mortarion) figures. Find them in our Warhammer action figures range.
Are Death Guard Chaos Space Marines?
They're the XIV Legion, a Traitor Legion devoted to Nurgle, with their own codex separate from Codex: Chaos Space Marines.
Do Death Guard work with Nurgle daemons?
Nurgle's daemons fight alongside them, and the same Plaguebearer and Nurgling kits are in our Maggotkin of Nurgle range.
The Long War Calls
New to Chaos?
Start with a boxed set — miniatures, rules and dice in one go. Free UK delivery over £65, same-day dispatch by 3pm on weekdays.
Shop 40K Starter SetsFrequently Asked Questions
The Death Guard are a Traitor Legion dedicated to Nurgle, the Chaos God of plague and decay. Their bodies are bloated with disease but rendered nearly immortal, making them one of the most durable factions in the game.
Yes — Death Guard are forgiving to play due to their resilience and tough units. They have a strong Combat Patrol and clear, characterful painting schemes that are well documented in the hobby community.
Yes — Mortarion, Daemon Primarch of the Death Guard, is available in our range and is one of the most impressive and detailed centrepiece models in all of Warhammer 40,000.
Yes. Death Guard are a slow, durable army of plague-ridden Marines that grinds opponents down and holds objectives. Every faction has rules for Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition, and new codexes are rolling out through the edition, so check the latest codex for your army before you build a list.
Classic Death Guard use pale green armour with rust and brown decay effects. Key paints include Deathguard Green contrast paint, Agrax Earthshade, and Ryza Rust. We stock the full Citadel range.
Yes — we stock the full Death Guard range in our Barry, South Wales shop and online at loadeddice.uk with fast UK dispatch.