Slaanesh – The Weakest Chaos God

Let‘s get this out here clearly – according to the official lore across Warhammer fantasy and 40k, the chaos god Slaanesh is the weakest. Slaanesh loves to stir up trouble but struggle to back up its talk when the chaos gods clash. Today I‘ll share insider insights on why Slaanesh comes up short compared to Khorne, Nurgle and Tzeentch.

1. Fewer Followers Worshipping Slaanesh

The chaos gods draw strength from having mortals and immortals dedicated to their service. So who has the most subjects funneling energies to them across the cosmos? Take a look at this breakdown in the table below (totals estimated but proportions are accurate):

As you can see, Slaanesh has the fewest absolute numbers in its camp. This directly limits how much mystical energy it can utilize for exerting influence and domination. Having fewer worshippers also means Slaanesh has a shallow roster of warriors to call upon for battles across space and time.

Khorne‘s massive hordes enable it to overwhelm rivals with the oldest and largest force. Nurgle and Tzeentch sit comfortably in the middle, pulling strings to bolster their armies continuously. Slaanesh simply can‘t keep up in terms of mustering more raw power through its limited pool of followers.

2. Narrow Avenues Of Influence

The chaos gods influence the fates of trillions of beings by catering to different traits and tendencies. Their tools tend to map to the key focus/obsession tied to their origins myths:

As you can see, Slaanesh governs pleasure and pain responses. While these are fundamental forces, they lack the externalized destructive effects that Khorne, Nurgle and Tzeentch wield so mercilessly.

Slaanesh must operate through manipulation – tempting subjects internally until they lose themselves. This is a slower, narrower approach compared to literally decimating armies and reshaping realities like the other chaos gods pursue more directly.

3. Eternal Struggle And Major Defeats From Rivals

The chaos gods despise each other as they compete for power within the warp. But the background materials across editions confirm Slaanesh specifically gets its tentacles handed to it by the others on multiple occasions:

Banished By Khorne

Skarbrand was once greatest bloodthirster who crippled Slaanesh‘s most beloved daemon in battle. But Khorne saw Skarbrand had failed to fully destroy Slaanesh‘s faction afterwards and punished him with exile and disfigurement. This shows Khorne‘s expectations for victory over Slaanesh are total domination.

Nurgle – Immune To Slaanesh‘s Allure

Followers of Nurgle do not feel euphoric sensations anymore, numb in their decaying husks. Even Slaanesh‘s mortal pleasure cultists get infected by Nurgle‘s plagues. One Nurgle novel dramatizes this, with the pleasure cult being described by Nurgle forces as:

"Their bodies still too fresh to accept Grandfather‘s full bounty. Let them gorge on mortal delights…soon they shall turn to us."

So Nurgle nullifies Slaanesh‘s key strengths and considers converting its cultists only a matter of time. Savage!

Tzeentch Outsmarts And Drains Slaanesh

As the god of plots and trickery, Tzeentch counts frustration and dashed hopes among its many tools against rivals. In the rulebook Tzeentch claims employing such techniques to drain emotional energies from Slaanesh itself:

"Tzeentch has at times assailed Slaanesh in imitation of that Power‘s customary mode of assault, provoking Slaanesh with tantalizing sensations…"

So Tzeentch has goaded Slaanesh successfully, leaving it overextended and weakened. The Architect of Fate cunningly turns Slaanesh‘s lust for excess upon itself!

The Hot Take – Slaanesh Gets Zero Respect!

It‘s clear Slaanesh occupies the lowest standing among the major chaos gods. It tries embracing the deadly sin of pride to keep up appearances. But the raw evidence shows the Young Prince Of Chaos gets no respect!

Khorne punishes Slaanesh harshly for affronts while shrugging off everything else. Nurgle shrugs off Slaanesh‘s pleasures and sees inevitable infection ahead. Tzeentch outright mocks and dupe Slaanesh across the aeons. They keep the weakest chaos god checked firmly!

Slaanesh must watch its back among alleged "allies" while struggling against malicious gods wielding far more influence. No wonder Slaanesh lashes out with schemes aplenty – it yearns to be taken seriously!

In Summary

Through a trifecta of weaknesses – limited worshippers/resources, narrow pleasure/pain sphere of influence and past crushing defeats from rivals – Slaanesh stands out as the feeblest major chaos god.

Slaanesh talks a big game and sports flamboyant panoply. But the hard stats and battle records confirm Slaanesh ranks weakest until it can expand its power base and scope of corruption. For now, it must stick to preying upon those already inclined to decadence rather than toppling the other mighty Ruinous Powers seated above.

So what do you think? Does Slaanesh deserve more respect or will it always play "little brother" among the Four? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!