Death Guard · 14 models
7× Angels of Death Kill Team operatives · 7× Plague Marine Kill Team operatives
How to Paint Death Guard
Rotten green armour, rust, corrosion and gore made easy with washes
Prices in £ for the UK
Before you commit
How hard to paint
9of 116 easiest
One of the easiest
Model size4 out of 5Detail density2 out of 5Technique demanded5 out of 5
Compare all 116 factions →
What it costs to start
£87.20
£0.17 per point
Combat Patrol: Death Guard, cheapest shop we track
Compare armies by value →
Painting ratings are our judgement, with the reasoning on the comparison page; prices are live and dated.
Start Death Guard — boxes & paint sets
The boxes we can price for this faction, cheapest first, and the paint sets that cover most of the recipe below.
20% off RRPDeath Guard · 13 models · 5 kits
£135.20 of contents → £87.20 (save £48.00)
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set
50 paints
£136.00
£160.15-15%
+38
· compare 4 shops· priced 1 OctCovers 8 of 14 colours in this scheme
Covers 8 of 14 colours in this scheme
AK Interactive Signature Set - Anime Figures - Special Flesh & Skins by Keigo Murakami (AK11765)
18 paints
£44.55
£49.50-10%
+6
at Loaded Dice· priced 13 SepCovers 5 of 14 colours in this scheme
AK Interactive Signature Set - Historical Figures XVI-XVIII by Pepe Gallardo (AK11762)
18 paints
£44.55
£49.50-10%
+6
· compare 2 shops· priced 13 SepCovers 5 of 14 colours in this scheme
Army Painter Historical: WWII British Paint Set
20 paints
£49.30
£59.10-17%
+8
· compare 5 shops· priced 1 OctCovers 5 of 14 colours in this scheme
Covers 4 of 14 colours in this scheme
Recommended recipe
How the scheme reads on a model
Armour — base to highlight
Base coat
Shade
Layer
Highlight
Edge highlight
- Base coatYellow GreenMonument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA065View paint
- ShadeAcid Green DipGreen Stuff World · Dipping InksView paint
- LayerOgryn CamoCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951329View paint
- HighlightTyrant SkullCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952045View paint
- Edge highlightOff-WhiteVallejo · Game Color 72.101≈ Closest paint we sellView paint
Additional details
Trim
Weapons
Leather
Skin
Lenses
Basing
Rust & corrosion
Verdigris
Gore & wounds
- TrimNecron CompoundCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952048View paint
- WeaponsJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy MetalArmy Painter · Warpaints FanaticView paint
- LeatherBeasty BrownVallejo · Game Color 72.043View paint
- SkinNecrotic FleshArmy Painter · WarpaintsView paint
- LensesElectric BlueScale75 · FX RangeView paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
- Rust & corrosionGolgfag BrownCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952060View paint
- VerdigrisTalisman TealArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3046PView paint
- Gore & woundsTuskgor FurCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951344View paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
★ Our pick for base coat
Very Close
Close
2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
★ Our pick for shade
Close
Similar
Similar
Agrax Earthshade
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Shade 99189953084
from£4.16· compare 5 shops· priced 25 Sep
Approximate
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
Ogryn Camo
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951329
★ Our pick for layer
Very Close
Close
Similar
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
★ Our pick for highlight
Very Close
Close
Necrotic Flesh
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
CloseDiscontinued
Similar
5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
Closest paint we sell — not an exact match for this colour
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Very Close
CloseDiscontinued
Similar
Details & accent colours
Everything else on the model - metals, skin, leather, lenses, basing and this faction's signature accents.
Metal — trim
Trim and bare plate. Basecoat steel, wash dark, then edge bright silver.
★ Our pick for metal — trim
Very Close
Very Close
Very Close
Close
Shining Silver
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Metal — weapons
Bolters, blades and casings. Dark gunmetal, washed black, edged with bright steel.
★ Our pick for metal — weapons
Very Close
Close
Close
Adepticon Magnesium
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S42
£4.29at Loaded Dice· priced 13 Sep
Similar
Leather & pouches
Straps, holsters and bare wood. Mid brown, shaded, then drybrushed a lighter tan.
★ Our pick for leather & pouches
Exact Match
Very Close
Flameon Dark Green Brown
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S25
£4.29at Loaded Dice· priced 13 Sep
CloseDiscontinued
Skin & flesh
Faces and hands. Basecoat, a flesh wash into the recesses, then build the highlights back up.
Necrotic Flesh
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
★ Our pick for skin & flesh
Very Close
Screaming Skull
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951331
from£2.33· compare 4 shops· priced 1 Oct
Very Close
Close
Close
Eyes & lenses
Lenses, eyes and energy. A bright spot colour that pops against the armour - dot it on and add a white glint.
★ Our pick for eyes & lenses
Similar
Approximate
Approximate
Altdorf Guard Blue
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951313
from£2.33· compare 5 shops· priced 1 Oct
Approximate
Basing — earth
Groundwork. Earth basecoat, drybrushed bone, finished with your choice of grass, sand or snow.
★ Our pick for basing — earth
Very Close
Very Close
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Rust & corrosion
Stipple orange-brown around rivets, vents and lower edges. Vary the tone so it reads as organic decay, not a flat colour.
★ Our pick for rust & corrosion
Exact Match
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Verdigris
A touch of pale turquoise on brass and copper trim sells centuries of rot. Use it sparingly.
★ Our pick for verdigris
Very Close
Very Close
Close
Close
Temple Guard Blue
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951318
from£2.33· compare 3 shops· priced 1 Oct
Gore & wounds
Glossy deep red in wounds, mouths and exposed guts - wet rot against the matt armour.
★ Our pick for gore & wounds
Very Close
Very Close
Close
Buy It as a Box
Paint sets that cover this recipe - a set is usually cheaper than buying pots one by one.
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set
50 paints
£136.00
£160.15-15%
+38
· compare 4 shops· priced 1 OctCovers 8 of 14 paints in this scheme (57%) — highlight, edge highlight, leather & pouches, skin & flesh and more.
Or cover 93% of the recipe with 3 boxes (£173.60 for 2 of the 3 — the rest are priced in dollars):
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set
50 paints
£136.00
£160.15-15%
+38
· compare 4 shops· priced 1 OctNo price tracked yet
Your paints
Tick off what's already on your shelf — whatever's left is your shopping list.
14 paints in this scheme
Price this recipe
14 paintsfree UK delivery over £20
- not stocked: John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Electric Blue, Tuskgor Fur
£4.99 UK delivery, 1-2 working days, free over £65
- not stocked: Acid Green Dip, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Electric Blue, Golgfag Brown
free UK delivery over £75, £3.99 below that
- not stocked: Yellow Green, Acid Green Dip, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Electric Blue, English Uniform
postage per seller
- not stocked: Yellow Green, Acid Green Dip, Tyrant Skull, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Golgfag Brown, Tuskgor Fur
- not stocked: Yellow Green, Acid Green Dip, Ogryn Camo, Tyrant Skull, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Electric Blue, Golgfag Brown, Tuskgor Fur
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Yellow Green, Acid Green Dip, Off-White, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Necrotic Flesh, Electric Blue, English Uniform, Talisman Teal
free UK delivery over £75, from £2.66 below that
- not stocked: Yellow Green, Acid Green Dip, Ogryn Camo, Tyrant Skull, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Necrotic Flesh, Electric Blue, Golgfag Brown, Talisman Teal, Tuskgor Fur
- not stocked: Yellow Green, Acid Green Dip, Ogryn Camo, Tyrant Skull, Off-White, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Necrotic Flesh, Electric Blue, English Uniform, Golgfag Brown, Talisman Teal
postage by parcel weight and destination, shown at checkout — no free-shipping threshold
- not stocked: Yellow Green, Ogryn Camo, Tyrant Skull, Off-White, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Necrotic Flesh, Electric Blue, English Uniform, Golgfag Brown, Talisman Teal, Tuskgor Fur
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Yellow Green
Monument
at Loaded Dice· priced 13 SepAcid Green Dip
Green Stuff World
at Wayland Games· priced 25 SepOgryn Camo
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's MiniaturesTyrant Skull
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctOff-White
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepNecron Compound
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
Army Painter
No price tracked yetBeasty Brown
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepNecrotic Flesh
Army Painter
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctElectric Blue
Scale75
at Model Workshop · eBay· priced 5 JulEnglish Uniform
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepGolgfag Brown
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctTalisman Teal
Army Painter
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctTuskgor Fur
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 Oct
Recommended Box Set
Kill Team: Starter Set Affiliate links — how we make money What's inside this box
The fastest way to start a Death Guard army — a boxed force to paint with this scheme.
7× Angels of Death Kill Team operatives · 7× Plague Marine Kill Team operatives
Best price
£61.62Merlin's Miniatures
in stock · priced 1 Oct · free UK delivery over £75, £3.99 below that
cheapest of 4 UK sellers · save £10.88 vs the most expensive · excl. delivery
Want the codex too? At Loaded Dice (UK):save £23.01 vs RRP(out of stock)
Every Death Guard kit and box, priced
Prices compared across the shops that stock them — boxes ranked by cost per model.
Death Guard are the most forgiving "advanced-looking" army in the game. The whole faction is built on decay - rust, slime, rot and grime - which means mess is the point. Every imperfection, pooled wash and uneven layer just reads as more corruption, so this is a fantastic army for painters who want a rich, weathered result without needing crisp, clean technique.
The signature look
Death Guard armour is a sickly, washed-out green - somewhere between pallid bone and rotten olive - covered in rust, verdigris, and oozing wounds. The texture-heavy plague armour kits are designed to take washes and drybrushing, so the techniques that look fiddly on smooth Marines are quick and effective here.
Painting the plague armour
The recipe above gives you the base ramp for the pallid green. The corruption comes after:
- Basecoat and shade the armour using the ramp - keep it muted and slightly desaturated.
- Rust and corrosion: stipple orange and brown around rivets, vents and lower edges. Typhus Corrosion or any dark textured wash through the recesses adds instant grime.
- Verdigris: a touch of pale turquoise/green on brass and copper trim sells the centuries of rot.
- Rust streaks: drag thinned orange-brown downward from rivets and chips with a fine brush.
Gore, slime and wounds
The exposed guts and tentacles are where contrast paints shine - a single coat of a flesh or purple contrast over a light base gives instant depth. Gloss varnish or a dedicated "blood"/slime technical paint on wounds and mouths adds a wet, fresh-rot sheen that contrasts beautifully with the matt armour.
Tips and common mistakes
- Let the washes pool. On most armies pooling is a mistake; on Death Guard it is grime. Lean into it.
- Mix your rust. Vary orange, brown and dark red so the corrosion looks organic rather than a single flat colour.
- Matt armour, gloss gore. The contrast between a flat, dusty body and a few wet, glossy wounds is what makes Death Guard look genuinely diseased.
- Don't overdo verdigris. A little on the metal trim is striking; too much turns the whole model green-blue and muddy.
Recipes are generated by perceptual colour matching against our cross-brand paint database. Use them as a strong starting point and test paints in person when precision matters.