Step1
Call out the Guardsmen! Ah, the Imperial Guard and their flashlights. These stout-hearted soldiers may not be great at shooting, their weapons are weak and their bayonets can only do so much. But guess what: they’re CHEAP! They are one of the cheapest starting units in the game, as well as one of the most numerous. They also take very little time to reinforce, so get them out there!
Step2
Reinforce your Guardsmen with Kasrkin! These armored soldiers are much better than Guardsmen at …well, everything! They live longer, they hit harder and they can be upgraded with Frag Grenades. They are however, much more expensive, and their unit size is smaller.
Step3
Call in the Ogryn for the assault! Before you think about storming that enemy position, consider bringing in some Ogryn. Large, tough and armed with a giant shotgun, the Ogryn are great for smashing through the opposition! Just don’t rely on them too heavily. Like Kasrkin, they are expensive.
Step4
Bring in your Commander as soon as possible! Unlike nearly every other commander in the game, your guard Commander can be reinforced with other secondary commanders to not only bolster his abilities but to increase his unit fighting capacity! You can recruit Comissars to increase friendly morale, Psykers to add a few special abilities that make the enemy scream, and Priests that can make your squad stronger and--with their Frenzy ability--nearly invincible for a short time!
Step5
Be aware that you must build multiple Infantry Commands and Mechanized Commands to increase your squad and vehicle cap. However, Infantry Command bunkers can also be used to house your troops in a pinch! They can fit up to three squads inside, keeping them safe AND letting them shoot outside! If you have two or more squads inside, automated defenses will also begin to open fire!
Step6
Use your Listening Posts as bunkers! Unique to the Imperial Guard, the Listening Posts double as both bunkers and transporters! All your Listening Posts are linked by tunnels, meaning that troops housed in Post A can be transferred to Post B in three to four seconds. This is VITAL if you are fighting on a large map and need to get forces to a hotspot quickly!
Step7
Roll out the armor! One of the highlights of the Imperial Guard that no commander should do without is the tanks! Yes, they are expensive and take forever to build, but hey, that’s what you’ve got a lot of Mechanized Commands for! Have all of them cranking out tanks as fast as you can.
Step8
Use your Chimeras to ferry your troops to the hotspots. They will keep your Guardsmen alive a lot longer than if they are walking, plus they have a bit of attack power.
Step9
Use Basilisks to bring the enemy to its knees from a distance. The massive Basilisk batteries can also fire Earthshaker rounds to make your enemy cry! Just make sure you leave a unit of troops to guard them. Basilisks work best in groups.
Step10
Send your Leman Russ tanks to the forefront! These are the backbone of the armored forces. They have the best armor and weapons (next to the Baneblade) and are decently fast for such a powerful unit.
Step11
Call in the monster! As soon as you are able, build yourself a Baneblade! This nightmare of a tank is the largest unit you can produce. You only get one, but do you really need two? This behemoth rolls over anything in its path, wreaking havoc on a scale unparalleled by anything else in your arsenal. Plus, the stuff the crew says is just too cool to pass up!
