It’s best to think of Chaos as crabs in a bucket. Sure some crabs may be bigger or stronger on paper but they’re still gonna get pulled down by the other crabs when they try to get out of the bucket. Each of the Chaos Gods is actively working against the other three so any gains they may make are quickly undone as the other gods work to undermine them.
I can’t take full credit. [Here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality#:~:text=Crab%20mentality%2C%20also%20known%20as,it%2C%20neither%20can%20you%22) is an article about the crab mentality theory.
Codex Chaos Daemons 8th ed say
>There exists a hierarchy of sorts within the ranks of the Ruinous Powers, though it ebbs and flows according to the vagaries of the Great Game. Currently, Khorne is held as the
mightiest of all, for the practice of murder and blood sacrifice stretches to the dark beginnings of the universe.
>Though Khorne sees the use of sorcery as the refuge of cowards, his closest rival, Tzeentch, thrives on the raw stuff of Chaos and uses it to influence a million times a million plots, his devious mind always a step ahead of his opponents. Where Tzeentch would see hopes thrive and fortunes change, Nurgle, the Father of Plagues, revels in despair and hopelessness.
In times of galactic pandemic, Nurgle’s power can eclipse even that of his brothers in darkness. Last in the pantheon is Slaanesh, who knows well how to play on the obsessions of his rivals. Khorne’s single-minded bloodlust, Nurgle’s quest to
infect every living thing, and Tzeentch’s compulsion to dabble in the fates of mortals – all are obsessions which the Lord of Excess can turn to his will with a whispered promise.
It’s a silly basis for declaring a most powerful, since Nurgle should always be the most powerful then. The person who said this lost his only son in WW1:
“Humanity has but three great enemies: fever, famine, and war; of these by far the greatest, by far the most terrible, is fever.”
In 2022, malaria alone killed as many people or more as who died by violence. An order of magnitude more starved to death.
It’s really the opposite of what the codes indicates. Rarely, in times of great conflict, deaths from war might exceed death from plague or starvation.
I expect this to be fairly universal throughout the galaxy. Biology is very efficient.
While this is a good analogy it doesn't take into the account the scale of conflict constantly happening across the galaxy where millions and billions of human lives alone are lost in the time of one standard tera day. In real war throughout human history infection kills more then bullets. In 40k slaughter kills more
But death from pestilence scales with population too, especially with the squalid conditions of most of the human population centers. Fiat of the setting aside, I would expect in a population the size of the 40K galaxy, diptheria alone would be killing many billions per day.
There isn’t really “the most powerful” because their power is influenced by the emotions they feed off of. The more blood for Khrone the more powerful he gets and so on.
The 8th ed Chaos Daemons write it as the other gods teamed up on him and he was forced to shard himself, instead of "it would be boring to win"
>There was a time when Tzeentch ruled supreme over the warp, his powers vastly superior to those of any of his brothers (or so maintain his followers). In their envy and arrogance, the other Dark Gods set aside their differences and joined forces to overthrow the Architect of Fate. Territories too vast and maddening to comprehend were devastated in the cataclysmic conflict that followed. During the final battle, with defeat seeming inevitable, Tzeentch cast a great conjuration upon himself, crystallising his thoughts and body even as he was lifted up from
his perch and hurled against the Endless Mountains. Upon impact, his mighty form was shattered into ten thousand pieces. Each of these shards contained a tiny fragment of the Arch-Sorcerer’s essence – a single spell or word of change – and flung as they were across every corner of space and time, Tzeentch’s power was irremediably weakened. The legends of many races suggest this momentous event marked the beginning of the use of sorcery
in realspace.
I’d agree with this, although there is very much a streak of whose the most and least consistent in power. Nurgle by nature is incredibly consistent in his power level and I’d say hovers in the middle of the pack. Khorne is generally second or first most of the time since this is WARhammer after all. Tzeentch and Slaanesh both fluctuate highly in their strength and would generally bounce around in power due to their natures.
"The nature of Malice's powers is parasitic, as the Renegade God grows in power only when the other Ruinous Powers do."
I'm one of the handful of Malice fanboys.The stronger Chaos becomes the more likely Malice will be there to give the Ruinous Powers blue balls.
We shall deny Nurgle their flesh to fester and rot.
We shall deny Khorne their blood and skulls.
We shall deny Tzeentch their destinies and fates.
We shall deny Slaanesh their pleasure and pain.
Death to the Dark Gods!
For the Renegade God!
Let the galaxy burn!
Which chaos god is the strongest? Why, the GREAT HORNED RAT of course!
1. Sharp-strong claws and teeth, to kill-kill tasty no-furs
2. Smart-clever followers who use-use their great smarts-intelligence to work His-His will
3. Best-greatest number, 13
Classically, Khorne is the strongest, Slaanesh is the weakest, and Tzeentch and Nurgle are so close that who's stronger is unimportant.
At the same time, though; the difference in power levels isn't all that important. They're all too powerful to be outright defeated by one another.
Nurgle and tzeentch are in balance and cant break it.
if tzeentch becomes stronger then nurgle and stays there he loses power because its a stabile situation. in contrast nurgle cant fight tzeetch taking power from him because he would be changing things.
there change and stagnation neither can be permanent. change needs to swing the pendulum another way at some point thus creating a point of rest.
Stagnation by definition isnt compleetly unchanging itself. nothing in the universe is ever truely at rest.
Depends on how you count power. Khorne packs the biggest punch, but Nurgle can take a punch the best.
Tzeentch, is actually capable of getting shit done. IIRC there was a time in fantasy where he almost won the great game, but he intentionally nerfed himself so the game would continue. I also believe he's the oldest.
So in terms of raw strength, your ranking is right. Bloodshed and disease are rampant in the 41st milenium. But if you want to say who could actually 'win', then Tzeentch, by a long margin. Only one who comes bottom (heh) of any list is Slaanesh. Doesn't mean they're weak. They're just the youngest, and by nature, the most self-destructive.
Right now, Khrone as the Galaxy is having fun with blood.
But apparently there was a few billions of years ago a period when Tzeech was stronger than all the other 3 Gods combined.
Their positions switch in time
None of them is the most powerful, it's an eternal war between them. Though Slaanesh has the potential to be the strongest since everything that feeds the others also feeds Slaanesh due to its excess aspect.
Slaanesh is speculated to be the "runner-up" for the position as she essentially is getting a cut of every other God's tributes. As the God of Excess, she is actively feeding on the other Chaos Gods as they represent excess in their domains. I think it's mentioned in the 8th Edition Codex, but the others are wary that she may one day usurp or devour them as not only does she have a history of doing it, but the concept she embodies is like a parasite on the others.
Tzeentch has historically been the most powerful as he was the oldest (in 40k at least) and more or less embodies the Warp itself with his domain over sorcery and witchcraft. He however basically "reset" himself because The Great Game was too boring to him.
Khorne should be the most powerful at the moment given the setting. Any slaughter, any blood spilled fuels him. From his berserkers to an Inquisitor executing confirmed heretics in the God Emperor's name. He's feasting on a bloody harvest with every second, but his predictability and inability to use "cheaper" tactics gives the others breathing room.
Nurgle at the moment is the "weakest", but that's not entirely accurate. Nurgle is perfectly comfortable with his position at the current moment as he's playing the waiting game. He generates a lot of "passive" revenue but his machinations are the most dangerous as when they have you or his target, its nigh-impossible to break free of. He's a creeping cancer upon realspace and by his nature and domain, he shall not go hungry anytime soon.
Nurgle was actually really strong before the great rift. Even Tzeentch got worried enough to attack him. The imperium was stagnant for awhile and Nurgle liked that but once Gulli came back, the rift opened, that really weakened his position compared to the other 3. I haven't read the book but wasn't that one of the explanation as to the plague wars?
Nurgle is definitely the weakest in terms of just himself. Like.. if someone went and fought him solo, he's the weakest, but that's by his own choice. He puts more of his power into his minions, who tend to be the strongest compared to the others minions. His armies are hardest to kill, and have the easiest time defeating others. i.e. a Nurgle army is often stronger than a similar size Khorne/Slaanesh/Tzeentch army, especially if the goal is to destroy a planet or system.
But, when we refer to a Chaos God, it's hard to draw the line between where they begin or end compared to their forces. All of his armies are part of 'Nurgle', but there is also the 'Nurgle' that hangs out in his garden. If Khorne himself went to Nurgle's garden and they just had a straight up 1v1 fight, Khorne would definitely win but he'd be so weakened that Slaanesh/Tzeentch could then pwn him, and the remaining fragments of Nurgle in his armies might be able to come together to rez Papa Nurgle afterwards. It would just spell Khorne's doom, so he'd never do it.
As for who is most likely to win the Great Game among the Chaos Gods, it would hands down be Tzeentch, as he's the only one who almost did it before. Even if you don't use the fantasy/AoS lore that he sabotaged himself to keep the game going, he's still naturally situated to potentially win the Great Game if he ever wanted to (but he doesn't, cause that would be boring) or if he regained the fragments of himself that makeup 'magic'. But, that's not really the most accurate measurement of 'most powerful' either. He generally has the least direct impact on the sentient races that fight Chaos, so from most of their perspectives he'd be the least dangerous.
One would think that Slaanesh would be the strongest one. It gains power from the vast spectrum of emotions and sensations, even the ones gathered by the other Chaos gods.
But its probably having too much fun in its palace.
There is a excerpt somewhere from one of the rulebooks I think that says this too. The constant desire of blood for Khorne, The satisfaction Tzeentch sees when a new scheme comes to frutrition and the joy of Nurgle when he discovers a new disease, all secretly Slaanesh leeches of the other 3. I'm sure someone can find it.
That's not true. Slaanesh gets almost ALL the eldar/dark eldar souls, which is a tiny portion of the Galaxy these days, but they also get a portion of all sentient life souls if they were devoted to Slaanesh. It's a smaller share than the other 3, but they still get some of them, and they also get a small part of the power the other 3 get each time.
I think nurgle is the weakest honestly, like it’s definitely close and waxing and waning, but slaanesh has only really been growing in power, the universe is constantly at war so khorne is vibing, and tzeentch is the smartest
100%, Nurgle will probably outlive all the gods because of just how tough he is, but what I mean is think about it. Every Life and Every Death fuels him. Think about how many humans die every second to his plagues, to the wars, to just the Imperium and think about how many are born.
I have a headcannon that Nurgle has enough power to win the big game but is keeping it hidden. He is stashing his power to confront the other 3 if need arises.
I have a another headcannon which I personally love. What it Nurgle is the one who creates Malice? The ultimate form of Nurgle’s rot. A rot to take on the chaos gods. I believe that would be a testament to just how strong Nurgle can be.
The thing about Nurgle is he puts more of his power into his minions. He'd be weakest in a 1v1, but he stays strong enough to be a deterrent to the others trying to fight him and empowers his children to do most of his bidding.
While he DOES get power from every life/death, that doesn't mean he gets ALL the power from them. If a warrior devoted to Khorne dies, Nurgle might get 5-10% of the power, but Khorne gets the rest.
So, while I agree he might outlive them all, there is also statements in the lore that Tzeentch is the oldest of them. While the concepts of life/death are older, there were other gods/primordial forces that had dominion over them before Nurgle (such as Isha). My own headcannon is Tzeentch is the newer form of some eldritch horror style Old One God that became Tzeentch when the universe got progressively more fucked. After all, things always 'change', even when they aren't alive or dead. The aspect of change could arguably predate life/death. For a thing to become alive or dead, it has to change to do so.
No way. Khorne is arguably the strongest in 40k. The whole galaxy is at war. Especially if we're talking a 1v1 fight between his main self and one of the others main selves. i.e. the portion of themself that hangs out in their place of power. i.e. the part of Nurgle that hangs in his garden, Slaanesh in her palace, etc.. but each of the Chaos Gods also includes all of their forces, especially the demons and exalted demons that each have a decent shard of their power. Nurgle spreads his power among his children moreso than the others, so his forces are stronger overall, but his main body is the weakest individually.
Seriously, GW really set it up so that you can never say any single one is clearly more powerful than the others. They each have their own pros/cons, and their ranking in the Great Game ebbs and flows constantly.
I think its also useful to remember that different types of power exist.
Tzeetch is probably the weakest Chaos God in a straight up fight but is one of the most powerful beings in the setting due to the amount of raw knowledge and magical secrets he has.
If you tried to fight him you'd have been beaten seven times before the fight even started.
Khorne is probably the strongest in Raw power because he's empowered by war and their is so much war in 40k but Tzeetch is the strongest if you take into account all the knowledge and resources he has. The main reason he does not run the setting is because he is the God of change and if he takes over it becomes static and he loses.
Nurgle is the God of Stasis. Him doing nothing means he is winning. So him not being active and sitting in the corner gives him power.
Slaneesh is probably the weakest because she is so young and she is technically an Eldar Goddess not a Regular Chaos God, at the height of her power she was unable to beat Khaine (Khorne beat him) and unable to capture Isha (Nurgle got her) plus she is pure in the moment power and if people gave up she'd die.
So in a ranking I'd rate it, Tzeetch, Khorne, Nurgle and Slaneesh but the note that Khorne is physically the strongest and Nurgle will likely outlast the other and win in the end.
Just personally I would say Nurgle (cause god of death everything that is born dies so that feels like a no brained) Khorne (cause blood lust/violence) Slaanesh (lust and pro creation dominates all living organisms for the most part) Tzeetch (I say last cause idk he just doesn’t seem strong like the others idk)
The Chaos Gods fight a war called the Great Game, over who has the most "warp stuff," and the ongoing winner of this fight is the strongest at the time. The nature of Chaos is to spark constant conflict to keep the Warp churning (and I think that's basically the origin of Chaos, but that's not the subject here), so when one God is winning, the others team up to push back harder than they could individually. It's the essential nature of Chaos that this eternal war keeps going without any real winner possible.
So, the answer is, unfortunately, more fluid and than saying any one of them is individually the strongest. The answer to that question changes over time, sliding over a sliding scale between the four. Think of it like the political compass, replacing the axes with the four gods, but the pip indicating who's the strongest is constantly flowing in a random pattern.
That said, at the current time, it's commonly accepted by fans that Khorne is the most powerful because he has the most potency in direct action. Tzeentch is the next most powerful, but his indirect power from his plots and plans more than make up the difference with Khorne. Nurgle is accepted to be a close third, and Slaanesh is the weakest due to being the youngest.
Tzeentch was the most powerful, once. But then he lost his place on top, which is why he created the Blue Scribes to find the spell he lost. Buuut, it could be a lie.
I've heard I somewhere that Khorne is the strongest because of all the war that is spread through reality. Tzeench is next because people are desperate for change and it leads to treachery. Nurgle is third because so many people have just given up and accepted their fate, hence they have stagnated like a miasma. Slaneesh is currently the weakest since there is soooooo much else going on that not many people have time indulge in pleasure and emotion (other than anger, sadness, denial, etc.)
However Slaneesh has the most potential for power. There can always be MORE pleasure and emotion. At some point desire for change, stagnation and denial, and even war peaks. Slaneesh has near infinite opportunities to grow.
One thing is to look at how different factions feed the gods.
For example I would argue Nurgle and Khorne get the most out of IoM with all the stagnation and warfare.
In the current setting I believe we can assume, based on how active they are and what they are doing, that Slaneesh and Khorne seem tied for the strongest, with Tzeentch as second and Nurgle in the background. HOWEVER it's important to note that Chaos and the Gods of Chaos ebb and flow in power. All HAVE been the strongest at some point, and performed feats of strength against each other and their enemies. The nature of the great game is such that the answer of "which Chaos God is strongest?" is always changing.
I get my current ranking (Khorne\~Slaanesh>Tzeentch>Nurgle) based off their recent lore. Slaanesh has released Fulgrim on Imperium Nihilus, as Khorne has allegedly released Angron. They are actively in real space. Slaanesh also thwarted the Ynnari using Shalaxi Hellbane. Tzeentch hasn't been too active recently, and Nurgle got clapped when the Emperor revived Guilliman, possessed him, and had his way with Nurgle's realm and Mortarion. Currently he's taking Ls and not doing much.
Now as for who the most powerful EVER was, I believe it is commonly understood that Tzeentch could have defeated all the other Chaos Gods at one point and opted not to, as he enjoyed the Great Game too much to end it. That would make him by far the most powerful of the Chaos Gods. Khorne tends to be thought of as the strongest due to the vast amount of war and murder going on in real space currently but his code of "honor" limits his engagement enough that his potential is, much like that of Angron, never realized. The raw power held back by a state of being.
So :
Currently
Slaanesh/Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle
Usually
Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch, Slaanesh
All Time
Tzeentch, Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle
My all time rating is probably the most controversial but is based on what we have seen of them. Tzeentch is top for the reasons above, and Khorne was likewise addressed above. Slaanesh is above Nurgle in my eyes because when it was first "born" it annihilated the entire Eldar Pantheon, save Cegorach and Isha. Nurgle is stagnantly strong but we have never seen this kind of raw power from him, such that he could obliterate a pantheon of gods solo. He is probably the most constant in his strength level, as sickness is eternal and his entire gig is essentially persisting, life, clinging on and stagnating through decay.
Nurgle would be the hardest to actually kill, as more of his power is distributed among his Children. If one of the others just went to his Garden and tried to pwn him, they'd easily win, but that wouldn't weaken him as much as it would the others if you did the same thing. The portions of his being in his children represent a larger portion of 'Nurgle' than the main body that hangs out in his garden.
So, sure, he's least likely to be able to go and kill other Gods, but partially because his 'plans' would be to slowly rot away at them over an unbelievably long time. Really, it all comes down to personal preference, which is exactly what GW intended. You can make an argument for any/all of them being 'stronger' than the others, it just depends on your criteria and context.
Most likely to win a 1v1 against another God? Khorne
Hardest to kill? Nurgle
Most likely to win the Great Game? Tzeentch
Most potential? Slaanesh
and winning the Great Game doesn't mean Tzeentch is necessarily the strongest, that just means most likely to ascend over the other Chaos Gods, not their power relative to rest of the universe. Plus, he'd never do it cause it'd be boring. He just wants things to keep changing, i.e. furthering 'Chaos' in the universe.
I agree all have aspects they shine at but I think some of those aspects are more clear representations of strength. Living is more endurance. The OP asked about which was the STRONGEST. You are totally right about Nurgle being the hardest to kill but I don't really think that means much if he also isn't getting much done right now and comparatively he is not.
All totally do excel in their areas and yes it's so that everyone can rep their favored god but in reality strength has a base meaning. They all have STRENGTHS. But your strength may not be...well...strength lmao. Strength the way I interpret the question is the measure of raw power. Their ability to do their thing the way they want and inflict their particular horrors on others. I think my list holds up to that.
Your point about Tzeentch is legit though, but I did note he chose not to and an inability for personal reasons isn't the same as lacking the capacity. He is STRONG enough to win the great game. Or, he was.
Additionally, he asked only about which of the Chaos Gods was most powerful, so while you are correct that power relative to the rest of the universe isn't a factor, the ability to ascend above and dominate all the others would de facto make you the strongest of the Gods, at least at that time.
I realize we mostly agree and are debating semantics but still worth noting.
> Their ability to do their thing the way they want and inflict their particular horrors on others. I think my list holds up to that.
Well, but then Nurgle IS very 'strong' and potentially even the strongest under those criteria. His minions/armies are often the most powerful because he puts more of his power into them, so they can go and effect the physical universe the easiest. Plagues rampaging through a planet first already give him an edge, and then his minions are hardest to actually kill, made even harder by how weak the forces are from the ailments.
Also, their power relative to non-Chaos forces should be a factor. Tzeentch just having special 'anti-chaos' powers, but getting pwned by any non-chaos forces would make him no better than good ol' retconnecd Malice.
That's why I said context is really the determining factor and they are, quite literally, equally as powerful as each other overall. It changes on a day to day basis as to which is ascendant in the Great Game. They are four sides of the same thing. You can't be more powerful than yourself. One of them could get removed/killed/trapped, but that'd be like losing a limb. Or, like in AoS where the Horned Rat became the new Chaos God with Slaanesh trapped, it would need to be replaced by some new force.
Nurgle
Tzeentch
Khorne
Slaanesh
Life grows
Life learns and changes
Life consumes life
Life tempts others
Its stages but also in strength. Khorne and slaanesh cant tempt tyranids just like they cant affect digestion if the stomach isnt connected via vagus nerve.
Its also why Malcador had never been tempted by chaos
Gw really, REALLY set it up so nobody can ever say one of them is clearly more powerful than the others. That said, it depends on the context. If you are talking a 1v1 fight with their main embodiment, the portion of themselves that sits in their place of power (such as Khorne on his throne) then Khorne is the strongest currently. If you are talking their minions and armies, it's Nurgle (he's weakest 1v1, because he puts more of his power into his 'children').
If we are talking most likely to somehow win the Great Game, it's Tzeentch hands down, as he almost did it before in some of the lore (fantasy/AoS) but he literally thought it'd be boring to win and sabotaged himself. All he cares about is things continuing to change, and in some ways he's the most 'Chaos' of the Chaos Gods. He doesn't really care who wins, as long as things continue to change. Slaanesh could be a close 2nd if given enough time. Slaanesh is the youngest, and by most accounts least powerful currently, but with the most potential. The more evolved and sophisticated life becomes in the galaxy, the more power Slaanesh will get.
That said, their power ebbs and flows constantly. At times, Slaanesh is ascendant and the most powerful, until something sets them back or the others direct their focus to weakening them for a bit. Literally, it's like 'oh, is today Saturday? Slaanesh is most powerful.. no wait, it's actually Sunday? Nevermind, Nurgle took the title today.'
It’s best to think of Chaos as crabs in a bucket. Sure some crabs may be bigger or stronger on paper but they’re still gonna get pulled down by the other crabs when they try to get out of the bucket. Each of the Chaos Gods is actively working against the other three so any gains they may make are quickly undone as the other gods work to undermine them.
Life always comes back to crab
“I just kept crabbing and it just kept working.”
My Momma always told me, life's like crabs in a bucket.
Good analogy. This really sums up the Great Game nicely.
I can’t take full credit. [Here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality#:~:text=Crab%20mentality%2C%20also%20known%20as,it%2C%20neither%20can%20you%22) is an article about the crab mentality theory.
Codex Chaos Daemons 8th ed say >There exists a hierarchy of sorts within the ranks of the Ruinous Powers, though it ebbs and flows according to the vagaries of the Great Game. Currently, Khorne is held as the mightiest of all, for the practice of murder and blood sacrifice stretches to the dark beginnings of the universe. >Though Khorne sees the use of sorcery as the refuge of cowards, his closest rival, Tzeentch, thrives on the raw stuff of Chaos and uses it to influence a million times a million plots, his devious mind always a step ahead of his opponents. Where Tzeentch would see hopes thrive and fortunes change, Nurgle, the Father of Plagues, revels in despair and hopelessness. In times of galactic pandemic, Nurgle’s power can eclipse even that of his brothers in darkness. Last in the pantheon is Slaanesh, who knows well how to play on the obsessions of his rivals. Khorne’s single-minded bloodlust, Nurgle’s quest to infect every living thing, and Tzeentch’s compulsion to dabble in the fates of mortals – all are obsessions which the Lord of Excess can turn to his will with a whispered promise.
It’s a silly basis for declaring a most powerful, since Nurgle should always be the most powerful then. The person who said this lost his only son in WW1: “Humanity has but three great enemies: fever, famine, and war; of these by far the greatest, by far the most terrible, is fever.” In 2022, malaria alone killed as many people or more as who died by violence. An order of magnitude more starved to death. It’s really the opposite of what the codes indicates. Rarely, in times of great conflict, deaths from war might exceed death from plague or starvation. I expect this to be fairly universal throughout the galaxy. Biology is very efficient.
True... but in the grim darkness of the far future... there is only war.
While this is a good analogy it doesn't take into the account the scale of conflict constantly happening across the galaxy where millions and billions of human lives alone are lost in the time of one standard tera day. In real war throughout human history infection kills more then bullets. In 40k slaughter kills more
But death from pestilence scales with population too, especially with the squalid conditions of most of the human population centers. Fiat of the setting aside, I would expect in a population the size of the 40K galaxy, diptheria alone would be killing many billions per day.
There isn’t really “the most powerful” because their power is influenced by the emotions they feed off of. The more blood for Khrone the more powerful he gets and so on.
tzeentch WAS the most powerful but he was like NA i dont want the game to end so he nerfed himself
The 8th ed Chaos Daemons write it as the other gods teamed up on him and he was forced to shard himself, instead of "it would be boring to win" >There was a time when Tzeentch ruled supreme over the warp, his powers vastly superior to those of any of his brothers (or so maintain his followers). In their envy and arrogance, the other Dark Gods set aside their differences and joined forces to overthrow the Architect of Fate. Territories too vast and maddening to comprehend were devastated in the cataclysmic conflict that followed. During the final battle, with defeat seeming inevitable, Tzeentch cast a great conjuration upon himself, crystallising his thoughts and body even as he was lifted up from his perch and hurled against the Endless Mountains. Upon impact, his mighty form was shattered into ten thousand pieces. Each of these shards contained a tiny fragment of the Arch-Sorcerer’s essence – a single spell or word of change – and flung as they were across every corner of space and time, Tzeentch’s power was irremediably weakened. The legends of many races suggest this momentous event marked the beginning of the use of sorcery in realspace.
I think the Tzeentch shooting himself in the foot story is from the Fantasy/AoS version with his staff
Their power waxes and wanes. Whoever is the strongest and weakest changes depending on what’s happening
I’d agree with this, although there is very much a streak of whose the most and least consistent in power. Nurgle by nature is incredibly consistent in his power level and I’d say hovers in the middle of the pack. Khorne is generally second or first most of the time since this is WARhammer after all. Tzeentch and Slaanesh both fluctuate highly in their strength and would generally bounce around in power due to their natures.
"The nature of Malice's powers is parasitic, as the Renegade God grows in power only when the other Ruinous Powers do." I'm one of the handful of Malice fanboys.The stronger Chaos becomes the more likely Malice will be there to give the Ruinous Powers blue balls. We shall deny Nurgle their flesh to fester and rot. We shall deny Khorne their blood and skulls. We shall deny Tzeentch their destinies and fates. We shall deny Slaanesh their pleasure and pain. Death to the Dark Gods! For the Renegade God! Let the galaxy burn!
Which chaos god is the strongest? Why, the GREAT HORNED RAT of course! 1. Sharp-strong claws and teeth, to kill-kill tasty no-furs 2. Smart-clever followers who use-use their great smarts-intelligence to work His-His will 3. Best-greatest number, 13
yes yes
Gork and Mork are the most powerful. Anyone who says otherwise is just a gretchin git.
Classically, Khorne is the strongest, Slaanesh is the weakest, and Tzeentch and Nurgle are so close that who's stronger is unimportant. At the same time, though; the difference in power levels isn't all that important. They're all too powerful to be outright defeated by one another.
Their powers are ranked in this way based on their power over the materium. In the warp, the answer is, “?????????!???”
Nurgle and tzeentch are in balance and cant break it. if tzeentch becomes stronger then nurgle and stays there he loses power because its a stabile situation. in contrast nurgle cant fight tzeetch taking power from him because he would be changing things. there change and stagnation neither can be permanent. change needs to swing the pendulum another way at some point thus creating a point of rest. Stagnation by definition isnt compleetly unchanging itself. nothing in the universe is ever truely at rest.
Except Tzeentch is obviously better. You can tell because of the way it is.
Or at least, powerful enough that even if Khorne destroyed Slaanesh he'd probably be too weak to protect himself from Tzeentch and Nurgle.
He beat the shit out of Slaanesh once. Neither Tzeenth or Nurgle was around during or after that.
Committing to destroying Slaanesh though? That would be a *huge* expenditure of power.
Depends on how you count power. Khorne packs the biggest punch, but Nurgle can take a punch the best. Tzeentch, is actually capable of getting shit done. IIRC there was a time in fantasy where he almost won the great game, but he intentionally nerfed himself so the game would continue. I also believe he's the oldest. So in terms of raw strength, your ranking is right. Bloodshed and disease are rampant in the 41st milenium. But if you want to say who could actually 'win', then Tzeentch, by a long margin. Only one who comes bottom (heh) of any list is Slaanesh. Doesn't mean they're weak. They're just the youngest, and by nature, the most self-destructive.
Right now, Khrone as the Galaxy is having fun with blood. But apparently there was a few billions of years ago a period when Tzeech was stronger than all the other 3 Gods combined. Their positions switch in time
None of them and all of them; the perfect paradox.
Okay, so put the Gods of Chaos in Order.
None of them is the most powerful, it's an eternal war between them. Though Slaanesh has the potential to be the strongest since everything that feeds the others also feeds Slaanesh due to its excess aspect.
one stiff flu season and Nurgle eats them all
Slaanesh is speculated to be the "runner-up" for the position as she essentially is getting a cut of every other God's tributes. As the God of Excess, she is actively feeding on the other Chaos Gods as they represent excess in their domains. I think it's mentioned in the 8th Edition Codex, but the others are wary that she may one day usurp or devour them as not only does she have a history of doing it, but the concept she embodies is like a parasite on the others. Tzeentch has historically been the most powerful as he was the oldest (in 40k at least) and more or less embodies the Warp itself with his domain over sorcery and witchcraft. He however basically "reset" himself because The Great Game was too boring to him. Khorne should be the most powerful at the moment given the setting. Any slaughter, any blood spilled fuels him. From his berserkers to an Inquisitor executing confirmed heretics in the God Emperor's name. He's feasting on a bloody harvest with every second, but his predictability and inability to use "cheaper" tactics gives the others breathing room. Nurgle at the moment is the "weakest", but that's not entirely accurate. Nurgle is perfectly comfortable with his position at the current moment as he's playing the waiting game. He generates a lot of "passive" revenue but his machinations are the most dangerous as when they have you or his target, its nigh-impossible to break free of. He's a creeping cancer upon realspace and by his nature and domain, he shall not go hungry anytime soon.
Nurgle was actually really strong before the great rift. Even Tzeentch got worried enough to attack him. The imperium was stagnant for awhile and Nurgle liked that but once Gulli came back, the rift opened, that really weakened his position compared to the other 3. I haven't read the book but wasn't that one of the explanation as to the plague wars?
My mistake, I was unaware of that. I'm reading through the first two novels but I haven't see any reason as to why.
Nurgle is definitely the weakest in terms of just himself. Like.. if someone went and fought him solo, he's the weakest, but that's by his own choice. He puts more of his power into his minions, who tend to be the strongest compared to the others minions. His armies are hardest to kill, and have the easiest time defeating others. i.e. a Nurgle army is often stronger than a similar size Khorne/Slaanesh/Tzeentch army, especially if the goal is to destroy a planet or system. But, when we refer to a Chaos God, it's hard to draw the line between where they begin or end compared to their forces. All of his armies are part of 'Nurgle', but there is also the 'Nurgle' that hangs out in his garden. If Khorne himself went to Nurgle's garden and they just had a straight up 1v1 fight, Khorne would definitely win but he'd be so weakened that Slaanesh/Tzeentch could then pwn him, and the remaining fragments of Nurgle in his armies might be able to come together to rez Papa Nurgle afterwards. It would just spell Khorne's doom, so he'd never do it. As for who is most likely to win the Great Game among the Chaos Gods, it would hands down be Tzeentch, as he's the only one who almost did it before. Even if you don't use the fantasy/AoS lore that he sabotaged himself to keep the game going, he's still naturally situated to potentially win the Great Game if he ever wanted to (but he doesn't, cause that would be boring) or if he regained the fragments of himself that makeup 'magic'. But, that's not really the most accurate measurement of 'most powerful' either. He generally has the least direct impact on the sentient races that fight Chaos, so from most of their perspectives he'd be the least dangerous.
Tzeentch has to sabotage himself I order for the great game to continue
One would think that Slaanesh would be the strongest one. It gains power from the vast spectrum of emotions and sensations, even the ones gathered by the other Chaos gods. But its probably having too much fun in its palace.
You got it wrong.
There is a excerpt somewhere from one of the rulebooks I think that says this too. The constant desire of blood for Khorne, The satisfaction Tzeentch sees when a new scheme comes to frutrition and the joy of Nurgle when he discovers a new disease, all secretly Slaanesh leeches of the other 3. I'm sure someone can find it.
It’s only feasting on the souls of Eldar / Dark Eldar though, while the others are all about humanity.
That's not true. Slaanesh gets almost ALL the eldar/dark eldar souls, which is a tiny portion of the Galaxy these days, but they also get a portion of all sentient life souls if they were devoted to Slaanesh. It's a smaller share than the other 3, but they still get some of them, and they also get a small part of the power the other 3 get each time.
Arioch
I think nurgle is the weakest honestly, like it’s definitely close and waxing and waning, but slaanesh has only really been growing in power, the universe is constantly at war so khorne is vibing, and tzeentch is the smartest
You might be forgetting though nurgle’s greatest feat, he is the chaos god of Life and Death. He is constantly being fuelled
I agree, and I think he will be the last chaos god alive no matter what, however I just think the other chaos gods are on another level these days
100%, Nurgle will probably outlive all the gods because of just how tough he is, but what I mean is think about it. Every Life and Every Death fuels him. Think about how many humans die every second to his plagues, to the wars, to just the Imperium and think about how many are born. I have a headcannon that Nurgle has enough power to win the big game but is keeping it hidden. He is stashing his power to confront the other 3 if need arises. I have a another headcannon which I personally love. What it Nurgle is the one who creates Malice? The ultimate form of Nurgle’s rot. A rot to take on the chaos gods. I believe that would be a testament to just how strong Nurgle can be.
The thing about Nurgle is he puts more of his power into his minions. He'd be weakest in a 1v1, but he stays strong enough to be a deterrent to the others trying to fight him and empowers his children to do most of his bidding. While he DOES get power from every life/death, that doesn't mean he gets ALL the power from them. If a warrior devoted to Khorne dies, Nurgle might get 5-10% of the power, but Khorne gets the rest. So, while I agree he might outlive them all, there is also statements in the lore that Tzeentch is the oldest of them. While the concepts of life/death are older, there were other gods/primordial forces that had dominion over them before Nurgle (such as Isha). My own headcannon is Tzeentch is the newer form of some eldritch horror style Old One God that became Tzeentch when the universe got progressively more fucked. After all, things always 'change', even when they aren't alive or dead. The aspect of change could arguably predate life/death. For a thing to become alive or dead, it has to change to do so.
30K=Tzeench>Khorne>Nurgle>Slaanesh 40K=Nurgle>Tzeench>Slaanesh>Khorne.
No way. Khorne is arguably the strongest in 40k. The whole galaxy is at war. Especially if we're talking a 1v1 fight between his main self and one of the others main selves. i.e. the portion of themself that hangs out in their place of power. i.e. the part of Nurgle that hangs in his garden, Slaanesh in her palace, etc.. but each of the Chaos Gods also includes all of their forces, especially the demons and exalted demons that each have a decent shard of their power. Nurgle spreads his power among his children moreso than the others, so his forces are stronger overall, but his main body is the weakest individually. Seriously, GW really set it up so that you can never say any single one is clearly more powerful than the others. They each have their own pros/cons, and their ranking in the Great Game ebbs and flows constantly.
I think its also useful to remember that different types of power exist. Tzeetch is probably the weakest Chaos God in a straight up fight but is one of the most powerful beings in the setting due to the amount of raw knowledge and magical secrets he has. If you tried to fight him you'd have been beaten seven times before the fight even started. Khorne is probably the strongest in Raw power because he's empowered by war and their is so much war in 40k but Tzeetch is the strongest if you take into account all the knowledge and resources he has. The main reason he does not run the setting is because he is the God of change and if he takes over it becomes static and he loses. Nurgle is the God of Stasis. Him doing nothing means he is winning. So him not being active and sitting in the corner gives him power. Slaneesh is probably the weakest because she is so young and she is technically an Eldar Goddess not a Regular Chaos God, at the height of her power she was unable to beat Khaine (Khorne beat him) and unable to capture Isha (Nurgle got her) plus she is pure in the moment power and if people gave up she'd die. So in a ranking I'd rate it, Tzeetch, Khorne, Nurgle and Slaneesh but the note that Khorne is physically the strongest and Nurgle will likely outlast the other and win in the end.
Just personally I would say Nurgle (cause god of death everything that is born dies so that feels like a no brained) Khorne (cause blood lust/violence) Slaanesh (lust and pro creation dominates all living organisms for the most part) Tzeetch (I say last cause idk he just doesn’t seem strong like the others idk)
Wasn't Tzeetch the closest to winning the great game?
Khorne
The Chaos Gods fight a war called the Great Game, over who has the most "warp stuff," and the ongoing winner of this fight is the strongest at the time. The nature of Chaos is to spark constant conflict to keep the Warp churning (and I think that's basically the origin of Chaos, but that's not the subject here), so when one God is winning, the others team up to push back harder than they could individually. It's the essential nature of Chaos that this eternal war keeps going without any real winner possible. So, the answer is, unfortunately, more fluid and than saying any one of them is individually the strongest. The answer to that question changes over time, sliding over a sliding scale between the four. Think of it like the political compass, replacing the axes with the four gods, but the pip indicating who's the strongest is constantly flowing in a random pattern. That said, at the current time, it's commonly accepted by fans that Khorne is the most powerful because he has the most potency in direct action. Tzeentch is the next most powerful, but his indirect power from his plots and plans more than make up the difference with Khorne. Nurgle is accepted to be a close third, and Slaanesh is the weakest due to being the youngest.
Tzeentch was the most powerful, once. But then he lost his place on top, which is why he created the Blue Scribes to find the spell he lost. Buuut, it could be a lie.
I've heard I somewhere that Khorne is the strongest because of all the war that is spread through reality. Tzeench is next because people are desperate for change and it leads to treachery. Nurgle is third because so many people have just given up and accepted their fate, hence they have stagnated like a miasma. Slaneesh is currently the weakest since there is soooooo much else going on that not many people have time indulge in pleasure and emotion (other than anger, sadness, denial, etc.) However Slaneesh has the most potential for power. There can always be MORE pleasure and emotion. At some point desire for change, stagnation and denial, and even war peaks. Slaneesh has near infinite opportunities to grow.
One thing is to look at how different factions feed the gods. For example I would argue Nurgle and Khorne get the most out of IoM with all the stagnation and warfare.
Didn’t Tzeetch get broken up into a thousand pieces. Cause of how powerful he was by the other 3 gods. Kinda like Tzeetch did to Magnus?
In the current setting I believe we can assume, based on how active they are and what they are doing, that Slaneesh and Khorne seem tied for the strongest, with Tzeentch as second and Nurgle in the background. HOWEVER it's important to note that Chaos and the Gods of Chaos ebb and flow in power. All HAVE been the strongest at some point, and performed feats of strength against each other and their enemies. The nature of the great game is such that the answer of "which Chaos God is strongest?" is always changing. I get my current ranking (Khorne\~Slaanesh>Tzeentch>Nurgle) based off their recent lore. Slaanesh has released Fulgrim on Imperium Nihilus, as Khorne has allegedly released Angron. They are actively in real space. Slaanesh also thwarted the Ynnari using Shalaxi Hellbane. Tzeentch hasn't been too active recently, and Nurgle got clapped when the Emperor revived Guilliman, possessed him, and had his way with Nurgle's realm and Mortarion. Currently he's taking Ls and not doing much. Now as for who the most powerful EVER was, I believe it is commonly understood that Tzeentch could have defeated all the other Chaos Gods at one point and opted not to, as he enjoyed the Great Game too much to end it. That would make him by far the most powerful of the Chaos Gods. Khorne tends to be thought of as the strongest due to the vast amount of war and murder going on in real space currently but his code of "honor" limits his engagement enough that his potential is, much like that of Angron, never realized. The raw power held back by a state of being. So : Currently Slaanesh/Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle Usually Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch, Slaanesh All Time Tzeentch, Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle My all time rating is probably the most controversial but is based on what we have seen of them. Tzeentch is top for the reasons above, and Khorne was likewise addressed above. Slaanesh is above Nurgle in my eyes because when it was first "born" it annihilated the entire Eldar Pantheon, save Cegorach and Isha. Nurgle is stagnantly strong but we have never seen this kind of raw power from him, such that he could obliterate a pantheon of gods solo. He is probably the most constant in his strength level, as sickness is eternal and his entire gig is essentially persisting, life, clinging on and stagnating through decay.
Nurgle would be the hardest to actually kill, as more of his power is distributed among his Children. If one of the others just went to his Garden and tried to pwn him, they'd easily win, but that wouldn't weaken him as much as it would the others if you did the same thing. The portions of his being in his children represent a larger portion of 'Nurgle' than the main body that hangs out in his garden. So, sure, he's least likely to be able to go and kill other Gods, but partially because his 'plans' would be to slowly rot away at them over an unbelievably long time. Really, it all comes down to personal preference, which is exactly what GW intended. You can make an argument for any/all of them being 'stronger' than the others, it just depends on your criteria and context. Most likely to win a 1v1 against another God? Khorne Hardest to kill? Nurgle Most likely to win the Great Game? Tzeentch Most potential? Slaanesh and winning the Great Game doesn't mean Tzeentch is necessarily the strongest, that just means most likely to ascend over the other Chaos Gods, not their power relative to rest of the universe. Plus, he'd never do it cause it'd be boring. He just wants things to keep changing, i.e. furthering 'Chaos' in the universe.
I agree all have aspects they shine at but I think some of those aspects are more clear representations of strength. Living is more endurance. The OP asked about which was the STRONGEST. You are totally right about Nurgle being the hardest to kill but I don't really think that means much if he also isn't getting much done right now and comparatively he is not. All totally do excel in their areas and yes it's so that everyone can rep their favored god but in reality strength has a base meaning. They all have STRENGTHS. But your strength may not be...well...strength lmao. Strength the way I interpret the question is the measure of raw power. Their ability to do their thing the way they want and inflict their particular horrors on others. I think my list holds up to that. Your point about Tzeentch is legit though, but I did note he chose not to and an inability for personal reasons isn't the same as lacking the capacity. He is STRONG enough to win the great game. Or, he was. Additionally, he asked only about which of the Chaos Gods was most powerful, so while you are correct that power relative to the rest of the universe isn't a factor, the ability to ascend above and dominate all the others would de facto make you the strongest of the Gods, at least at that time. I realize we mostly agree and are debating semantics but still worth noting.
> Their ability to do their thing the way they want and inflict their particular horrors on others. I think my list holds up to that. Well, but then Nurgle IS very 'strong' and potentially even the strongest under those criteria. His minions/armies are often the most powerful because he puts more of his power into them, so they can go and effect the physical universe the easiest. Plagues rampaging through a planet first already give him an edge, and then his minions are hardest to actually kill, made even harder by how weak the forces are from the ailments. Also, their power relative to non-Chaos forces should be a factor. Tzeentch just having special 'anti-chaos' powers, but getting pwned by any non-chaos forces would make him no better than good ol' retconnecd Malice. That's why I said context is really the determining factor and they are, quite literally, equally as powerful as each other overall. It changes on a day to day basis as to which is ascendant in the Great Game. They are four sides of the same thing. You can't be more powerful than yourself. One of them could get removed/killed/trapped, but that'd be like losing a limb. Or, like in AoS where the Horned Rat became the new Chaos God with Slaanesh trapped, it would need to be replaced by some new force.
The correct answer is Gork and Mork
Nurgle Tzeentch Khorne Slaanesh Life grows Life learns and changes Life consumes life Life tempts others Its stages but also in strength. Khorne and slaanesh cant tempt tyranids just like they cant affect digestion if the stomach isnt connected via vagus nerve. Its also why Malcador had never been tempted by chaos
Gw really, REALLY set it up so nobody can ever say one of them is clearly more powerful than the others. That said, it depends on the context. If you are talking a 1v1 fight with their main embodiment, the portion of themselves that sits in their place of power (such as Khorne on his throne) then Khorne is the strongest currently. If you are talking their minions and armies, it's Nurgle (he's weakest 1v1, because he puts more of his power into his 'children'). If we are talking most likely to somehow win the Great Game, it's Tzeentch hands down, as he almost did it before in some of the lore (fantasy/AoS) but he literally thought it'd be boring to win and sabotaged himself. All he cares about is things continuing to change, and in some ways he's the most 'Chaos' of the Chaos Gods. He doesn't really care who wins, as long as things continue to change. Slaanesh could be a close 2nd if given enough time. Slaanesh is the youngest, and by most accounts least powerful currently, but with the most potential. The more evolved and sophisticated life becomes in the galaxy, the more power Slaanesh will get. That said, their power ebbs and flows constantly. At times, Slaanesh is ascendant and the most powerful, until something sets them back or the others direct their focus to weakening them for a bit. Literally, it's like 'oh, is today Saturday? Slaanesh is most powerful.. no wait, it's actually Sunday? Nevermind, Nurgle took the title today.'