Thousand Sons

How Thousand Sons play

Thousand Sons are the psychic army. Almost everything in the roster interacts with psychic powers in some way, and the army generates and spends a psychic resource that fuels its abilities. Where other armies shoot and fight, Thousand Sons additionally apply a layer of psychic damage and control that ignores much of the usual defensive maths.

Rubric Marines are the core: extremely durable against small arms, slow, and backed by sorcerers who supply the actual threat. The army plays as a slow advance behind a wall of ceramite while the psychic phase does the real work.

It is one of the more mechanically complex armies in the game, with more decisions per turn than most, and it rewards a player willing to learn the interactions properly.

Building a Thousand Sons army list

Sorcerers are not optional. The psychic engine is the army, and cutting characters for another Rubric squad usually makes the list worse.

Build in a way to handle armour. Psychic damage covers a lot of problems but dedicated anti-tank is still a deliberate inclusion.

Thousand Sons FAQ

Are Thousand Sons good against Space Marines?

Rubric Marines are very resilient against the small-arms fire that forms much of a Marine army's output, and psychic damage bypasses several standard defences. It is generally a favourable matchup.

What counters Thousand Sons?

Anti-psyker armies such as Grey Knights and forces including Sisters of Silence, and fast armies that avoid the slow advance and win on objectives.

Are Thousand Sons difficult to learn?

Yes, comparatively. The psychic economy adds a resource-management layer on top of standard play, and the army underperforms badly when that layer is played casually.