Well, that's an open question!
Alas, you picked one of the easiest fleets to learn the game with. And a fleet which can bring you many successes. The fleet is quite fast, has the on average longest range on all ships with batteries and lances and can deploy some good ordnance as well.
A quick run down of most the Chaos ships: From my subjective pov:
Planet Killer: a beast, if your opponents don't mind you could take this one, the purest battleship in the whole game.
Despoiler: some like it, a lot don't. I'm no fan of this ship, very expensive. Though against ordnance heavy fleets it may be quite good.
Desolator: A fast battleship. Nothing more, nothing less. It has no devastating firepower, but add its 60cm lances to a core of batteries and suddenly you have a lethal long range distance killer which can keep up with the rest of the fleet. My fave battleship.
Repulsive: slow but great batteries. Use with caution and don't let it fall behind.
Styx: compared to the Styx not that useful but still people use it (I do), in games below 1200points it is a serious choice as it brings 6 launch bays and otherwise you'll need two Devastations. This ship is useable if the player likes the concept. A real downside is that the warmaster often has to go aboard if no other ship is available.
Hades: An allround good heavy cruiser.
Archeron: an oddball, see it as a mini-Desolator in games where the Desolator cannot be fielded.
Devastation: One of the two backbone cruisers of the Chaos fleet. Long range lances, good launch bays with assault boats, dirty cheap compared to other carriers. Always a good choice.
Carnage: The second backbone cruiser. Great long range batteries. Great broadsides. Never go wrong with this one.
Murder: mediocre, above the 46cm range its lances can be better then the Carnage but normally much poorer then the Carnage.
Slaughter: delightful fast ship, great in pairs or as escort support, don't use it on its own or run to the enemy fleet. Use its speed with care. Heavy Hard Hitting Short Range Firepower.
Idolator: expensive but only CHaos escort with 2 turrets
Infidel: good in the fact it brings torpedoes into the Chaos fleet
Iconoclast: cheap, weak in defence, but 6 of them can focus more battery power then a Carnage.
{b]A good core - 1500pts[/b] Here a list which is versatile against many enemies:
Warmaster Desolator 2x Carnage 2x Devastation + Chaos Space Marines Add Infidels.
Alternatively you can drop the Desolator, add a Hades and another cruiser.
Another, quick hitter core: Desolator 3x Slaughter 2x Devastation
But here's my own fleet: Admiral 1x Desolator 1x Styx 2x Carnage 1x Slaughter 6x Infidel 3x Iconoclast
I come back with tactics.
_________________ Light at the Horizon.
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