STARTING A RAVEN GUARD ARMY IN 11TH EDITION: WINGS IN THE DARK
The Raven Guard are the sons of Corax: black-armoured infiltrators who appear behind you, finish the job and vanish. This page covers the Phobos box to start with, the Eliminators and Shrike that follow, and the Invictor or Stormraven as the centrepiece.
Phobos armour first
Start with the current Combat Patrol and favour anything wearing Phobos armour, the lightweight reconnaissance plate that is the Raven Guard's modern uniform. Infiltrators and Incursors are the core: cloaked and suppressed, they look like they were sculpted with this chapter in mind. Paint the black first and resist the urge to overwork it; a restrained edge highlight in cold grey does more for black armour than any amount of fussing. White shoulder trim and the chapter's raven icon lift the whole squad at the very end. The scheme is one of the most forgiving in the game, and the army's stealthy identity means almost every box you buy has a clear job. It suits hobbyists who like their tactics sneaky and their painting sessions mercifully finite.
Eliminators, Reivers, Shrike
Deepen the doctrine. Eliminators bring camo-cloaked snipers to your ridgelines, Reivers add the terror-troops of chapter legend, and Vanguard Veterans supply the jump-pack tradition Corax's sons never abandoned. Then recruit the master of the shadow war himself: Kayvaan Shrike, Chapter Master, winged and clawed and permanently mid-ambush. A Phobos Librarian is the other characterful pick, whispering squads across the battlefield. Notice what you are not buying: no massed armour, no static gun batteries. The collection stays light on purpose, lean squads rather than parade-ground ranks, and your budget thanks the primarch for it.
Invictor or Stormraven
The Invictor Tactical Warsuit is the flavour choice: a war-engine that stalks forward alongside your infiltrators, open-cockpit pilot and all, a walker that suits a stealth chapter. For something bigger, a gunship such as the Stormraven gives the army its airborne insertion in one dramatic kit. Either becomes the black monolith at the heart of every army photo, and both paint faster than their size suggests.
Recommended: Invictor Tactical Warsuit
Scout before you strike
11th edition rewrote points and datasheets, and starter boxes turn over with the times. Read the box contents and the points as they stand today before you build a list. Corax never committed forces on old intelligence.
Nothing ruins an ambush like a parade
- Heavy tanks.
- A fourth flavour of Phobos squad before the first three are painted. Shadows should be black, and grey plastic is neither.
- Jump-pack units in bulk. One squad descending is drama; three unpainted is clutter.
- Any centrepiece bought before your infantry core is finished. The raven lands last.
The raven's count
Corax taught his sons that victory belongs to those who know exactly what they have and where it is. Write down each kit the day it lands, and whether it is boxed, built or finished. A Raven Guard force is compact enough that a fully painted army is a realistic goal, and the finished column overtaking the backlog is the quiet triumph this chapter was made for. The complete catalogue of everything the sons of Corax field is on the Raven Guard faction page under Data.