Chaos Newbie

[Deemer125]

Hey guys, but as the title says, I want to get better with chaos. I've looked at a couple of websites, looking at the dps, and the tactics, and even downloaded a few replays to watch how other people play. I have played with chaos a couple of times, and it's quite hard for me not to tech, and is quite a big difference from playing with Tau.
I've worked out 2 bo's: 1st one, is the vehicle rush, then defiler spam, and when I get my first defiler, I get the chaos lord, a few raptors or csm, maybe a Sorcerer although that eats into a lot of power, and will have to finish the game very quickly. The 2nd one, is zerker spam, with a rush tech to t2, build sac pit, then a couple zerkers and horrors.
I've read a guide that tells me not to rush tech, so is that a good idea or not?
and I've realised that Chaos don't have really good infantry av? except for horrors although their a bit fragile, or I am wrong?
This is all that I can think of now, but please, add tips and point me in the right direction to get better with chaos, thank you.

sorry about posting so new many threads...

[Pseudonymn]

Zerker spam was one of the more popular strategies going, as I recall. People seemed to prefer them over raptors. That or rush to Chaos Predators. My chaos game was pretty weak though so I can't comment too much here.

[Kalimac]

If I recall correctly, zerker spam was for the most part considered somewhat of a waste by chaos players. The unit is pretty limited in what it can do, and is quite easily countered by most races. That, combined with being a bit too pricey, led to most players preferring to tech to tier 3 and possessed instead, often after having built one zerker squad plus a sorcerer in tier 2 to keep the enemy busy.

Standard tier 1 warfare with chaos is to use your forced labor with two heretics (avoid them dying) and quickly build a barracks, build a raptor squad and harass as much as physically possible. Follow this up with either a second squad of raptors, a chaos lord or perhaps marines, depending on map and opponent.

A tier 2 push is possible, but not the easiest race to pull it off with, I'd say. And yeah, horrors is one of the more limited AV squads in the game, AV in general was always one of my bigger issues when playing chaos. This often led to the infamous tier 3 tech, where you have possessed and obliterators, and chaos generally shine.

I'm not at my own computer now, but here's two replays (SS 1.2) I found where I play Chaos on a pretty mediocre level, but maybe it can give you some ideas.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tn9pd1qcaaj4aen/TY5MIyK23n

Hope the link works, not sure. Anyways, the first game is a chaos mirror that is pretty cool and the second is chaos vs orks where I think I went cultists with grenade launchers.

[Rotlung]

I'd advise you to stay away from horrors unless your opponent is really going very vehicle-heavy. They are not particularly good and are actually quite vulnerable.

Going with an early defiler can be useful depending on the opponent, but you definitely shouldn't rely on the defiler for victory. Chaos really shines in how quickly they can get to T3, with even a strategy built around it (normally referred to as fast tech) since they can start going to T3 by getting the relatively cheap sacrificial circle. Then you get possessed space marines and obliterators as quickly as possible and it's over.

[Maktaka]

Horror's advantages are that they can go down anywhere without being telegraphed and they're dirt cheap. Their damage-for-cost is actually very competitive: a 50/10 Horror does just over 25 DPS to vehicle_medium, while a 100/10 SM tac with ML does just under 50 and a 50/10 Tankbusta is just under 25 DPS. They are not, however, viable in less than two squads. Competitive for cost is not the same as high damage, so just assume that if you're building any of them, you're building two. If you store a pair in your Sacrificial Pit and leave them there until vehicles show up, you'll keep them from getting in the way of the pathing of your main army and won't show your hand earlier than is necessary. If nothing else, they make good base-bashers if you can deepstrike them into the enemy's gen farm: they have above average damage for cost against building_low, like generators and listening posts.

[Deemer125]

Thanks for the info guys. Please add more?
And the replays were very interesting to watch thank you
btw, if you want to view the chaos guide, http://www .gamereplays. org/soulstorm/portals.php?show=page&name=Soviet's_Master_csm_guide&st=1

[ERISS]

Even my prefered side, I'm not a great Chaos player, as I play mainly for fun.

I prefer starting immediatly with Chaos Marines + Chaos Lord leading the squad, and tech them: It has great fire power and endurance, and even more blade power.
You are the king of the very start with them, you have to use them the more to counterpay their cost.
I too love CM for they can hide (without leading commander), later.

I too like the Heretics, hidden, seeing other hidden, with Grenade Launcher: they are great harassers and cappers for low cost.

Then I go for the 2 Chaos Predators for they look cool, I try to upgrade them but that's long and expensive.
If not in heavy combat, I try to repair them with a following Heretic. Usually they die, but they may have repaired for more than their cost... (but I don't think Forced Labour is good on Predators)
So, I try to build the 6 Power Generators the earlier, for all these techs and armors.