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For more information, click here. Alex Evans Editor. Updated: Aug 18, Clip and trim their nails so they don't look like claws? Why stifle their culture? Countdown to Gen Con. Posted by garhkal. Posted by divachelle garhkal. Posted by helenbb. If you like an army that will stick around and stay effective into the late game, check them out.
Fear is a familiar weapon to the Imperium, used to deter enemies and keep seething populations in line. The Dread Host are among the most aggressive of their elite warrior brotherhood. If you seek to take the fight to the foe and unleash the destruction and terror upon them in the name of the Master of Mankind, the Dread Host is for you!
The Solar Watch favour aggressive tactics and advance quickly on the foe while still laying down brutal fusillades from their guardian spears. Look no further for a swift and dynamic edge to your Adeptus Custodes.
To the Shadowkeepers falls the duty of standing guard over them unto the end of time. The Shadowkeepers are captors and gaolers without peer, making them especially deadly adversaries for enemy Characters.
Give them nowhere to hide with the Shadowkeepers! In the days of the Great Crusade, the Emperor often entrusted crucial messages or artefacts to be borne by his Custodians. It is a duty they still fulfil now, speaking with the authority of the Master of Mankind himself. Serving as the Voice of the Emperor, the Emissaries Imperatus both complement and greatly augment other Imperium factions in battle.
As such, they make an excellent choice to field within a mixed army of the Imperium. Certain servants of the Emperor bear great responsibilities deemed directly relevant to the safety of Terra. Such esteemed figures are afforded the protection of the Aquilan Shield, at least until their usefulness is thought to be at its end.
As their name suggest, the Aquilan Shield are formed of the most stoic and determined warriors of the Adeptus Custodes. Situated on the cusp of the Eye of Terror, this forge world has long stood as a bulwark against the forces of Chaos.
Grim of demeanor and likeness, they reserve a special hatred for the twisted minions of the Dark Gods. Experts in defensive warfare, these stalwart soldiers are hard to shift from an entrenched position.
If you like to hold your ground, look no further than the Skitarii of Agripinaa and their exotic allies. This forge world is actually a network of space stations capable of warp travel — though few outsiders are made aware of this capability. Their warriors are hardwired to be intensely dogmatic, rational and logical almost to a fault. All Skitarii are stubborn, but the soldiers of Graia refuse to retreat even in face of overwhelming odds.
Situated on a hollow world with an artificial sun inside it, Lucius has become one of the most productive forge worlds in the Imperium. Lacking natural resources as it does, their armies can be found marching to war anywhere ore and raw materials can be found. The wargear produced on Lucius is of impeccable craftsmanship, using a unique alloys called Luciun.
This offers their warriors superior protection that allows them to shrug off small arms fire — ideal if you want to take on hordes of lesser enemies.
The Red Planet is the ancient seat of the Adeptus Mechanicus, stretching far back before the birth of the Imperium. The troops raised there are justifiably proud, and as well equipped as any Skitarii force in the galaxy. Clad in the heraldry of Mars itself, their faith in the Cult Mechanicus is beyond reproach. Their unquestioning loyalty allows them to draw power and strength from their worship of the Omnissiah, keeping them mighty throughout the entire game.
Having long since destroyed all life on their forge world in the pursuit of industrial efficiency, the entire surface of their planit is clad in hissing pistons, glowing forges, and industrial waste. Their white-robed warriors march to war to spread the purity of the machine to unbelievers. Relentless is the word often used to describe the Skitarii of Metalica.
If you like to advance implacably forward without reducing your rate of fire, Metalica lets you do just that. Having been invaded not once, but twice by Orks, the Tech-Priests of Ryza have been able to monitor and optimise their weapons and strategies using copious amounts of first-hand data.
More aggressive than other forge worlds, the warriors of Ryza utilise deadly martial training protocols to inflict maximum damage at close quarters. Not a fan of massive gunlines? Get stuck in with Ryza.
Mistrusted even by their peers, this forge world was once saved with the aid of the Aeldari. Secretive to an extreme, they are surrounded by dark whispers of research into forbidden xenos technology.
A mysterious force protects the warriors of Stygies VIII, making it harder for your opponent to land shots. If you like your cyborg soldiers sneaky, this is the faction for you. For thousands of years, the people of Cadia have known nought but war.
All Cadians — no matter their age, gender or station — must know how to fight, and be capable of facing with unwavering courage all the horrors that proliferate in the 41st Millennium.
Cadians are the quintessential Astra Militarum force. If you want an army that have been forged into expert sharp-shooters by decades of rigorous firing drills, choose them and cut down hordes of enemy fighters with accurate shooting.
Catachan is one of the most notorious death worlds in the Imperium, and its planet-wide jungles are lethal beyond reason. Thanks to this brutal environment, Catachans are physically and mentally resilient on a level that much of Humanity simply cannot match. In the deadly jungles of Catachan, only the strongest can hope to survive.
Choose the sons and daughters of this death world to command an army of ferocious warriors who are taller and more powerful than typical humans. The regiments of Valhalla have a reputation for stoicism and dedication to the Emperor. When attacking, they are renowned for combining massed artillery barrages with infantry assault waves. When defending they show dogged determination, even in the face of defeat.
Want an army possessed of a grim fatalism regarding the prospect of death? Then get some Valhallan Ice Warriors, they will march unflinchingly into even the most hellish of firestorms, claiming victory against all the odds. For ten thousand years the Vostroyans have given up the firstborn child of every family for service in the Imperial Guard. There are no exceptions to this.
Even the greatest noble families must comply. Each wields a lovingly hand-crafted weapon, engraved with intricate ornamental detail. These are no artisanal trinkets, however, as victims of their deadly accurate firepower will attest. While it is difficult for most Imperial commanders and Planetary Governors to obtain and maintain enough of the vehicles needed for such formations, Armageddon has produced hundreds of these swift-moving regiments. Crush your foes beneath the tracks of the Steel Legions of Armageddon.
They employ more tanks and vehicles than any other regiment and butcher their enemies with a completely dispassionate efficiency. The regiments drawn from Tallarn consist of mobile guerrilla fighters, evasive as they are opportunistic. They are masters of hit-and-run warfare, striking a killing blow at the heart of an enemy formation before returning to their own lines, prepared to pounce once more.
Surprise your enemies with the lightning ambushes of the regiments of Tallarn. If you want to strike with overwhelming force before swiftly fading into the wilderness as if your army was never there at all, then this is the army for you.
The Mordian Iron Guard are superbly drilled and accoutred soldiers from a world bathed in perpetual night and cursed by the attentions of Chaos. In battle, the Iron Guard present a solid wall of brightly uniformed, flawlessly formed troops. Are you a fan of proud, unyielding soldiers? Then the Mordians are for you. They fight and die facing the enemy, standing tall in perfectly ordered ranks and unleashing volley after volley of devastating las-fire. Militarum Tempestus Scions are cold, proficient killers whose deadly firepower reduces foes to smouldering heaps of corpses.
Trained in the Schola Progenium, these men commit to a rigorous program of physical and mental indoctrination that raises them to the peak of human conditioning. Command the very best of the best with the Scions of the Militarum Tempestus.
These merciless killers are trained to completely obliterate their foes in a pinpoint fusillade of hot-shot las rounds. The Daemons of Tzeentch surround themselves in layer upon layer of mind-traps and illusions, each mirage shifting into the next.
The result utterly confounds those nearby that would do the Daemons harm, and means their attacks are often ineffective. Daemons of Tzeentch forces are psychic powerhouses, using warpflame to smite their enemies on the tabletop with incredible effect. The Daemons of Nurgle are surrounded by an aura of pestilence and disease that infects all nearby, as their talons and blades drip with thrice-ripened plagues. The merest touch of these weapons, in the presence of such a creature, can cause a mortal to wither and die in seconds.
Nurgle armies are slow and indomitable. They crush the enemy with tides of Plaguebearers, while using vast Great Unclean Ones and Beasts of Nurgle to do devastating damage in close combat. The Daemons of Slaanesh dance across the battlefield with a grace and speed that belies belief. They can close the killing fields of a battlefield in a heartbeat, falling upon their surprised and panic-stricken prey with psychotic delight.
The Daemons of Khorne perceive everything through a red mist of undiluted rage, and they cannot wait to spill blood. They surge across the battlefield to get to grips with their foes as quickly as possible so that the slaughter can begin in earnest. Khorne armies are simple, brutal, and effective, using elite close-combat infantry and cavalry supported by rampaging Bloodthirsters to crush the opponent up close — ideal for countering shooting forces.
Of all the Iconoclast houses, there are none more bold nor tenacious than House Lucaris. House Lucaris armies are focused on close combat, striking with savage accuracy on the charge and making them a great force for fans of Knight Rampagers. The Fallen Nobles of House Herpetrax are indomitable, refusing to yield even as their Knight suits burn around them.
House Hereptrax Knights are durable even by the terrifying standards of their brethren. They fight on where lesser Knights would have fallen, forcing your enemies to dedicate extra resources to slaying your war machines. When the Cicatrix Maledictum tore across the stars, the Knights of House Khymere were amongst the nightmarish warriors who burst from the Great Rift to prey upon the worlds of the Imperium. House Khymere forces are most effective up-close and personal, unleashing devastating melee attacks that wound even the toughest foes with ease while shattering the morale of lesser enemies.
Centuries of service to these uncompromising masters has made them incredibly effective warriors. House Vextrix forces are punishingly accurate, making them great at both shooting and brutal melee.
No Imperial record exists of the nightmares that befell the world of Matarakh, but the Khomentis Knights now fight for the Dark Mechanicum. House Khomentis forces get stronger in melee as they take damage, meaning your Knights get more dangerous as the battle goes on — and considering how dangerous a Knight is to begin with, this is terrifying indeed!
Inexorable and unflinching, the Black Legion exemplify the threat posed by the Heretic Astartes, emerging from the Eye of Terror for the sole purpose of erasing the Imperium from the galaxy. Black Legion forces are masters of mobility, advancing on the enemy while keeping up withering hails of fire and using Terminators to devastating effect.
Clad in ornate armour of rich lapis lazuli and purest gold, the Thousand Sons are enthralled to Tzeentch, the Changer of the Ways. Few armies can match the psychic dominance of the Thousand Sons. As their Sorcerers unleash destructive powers, ranks of Rubric Marines march in lifeless lockstep, supported by hordes of deranged cultists and avian Tzaangors. If you want to unleash foul magicks and arcane rituals, join the sons of Magnus.
Once a proud and loyal Legion, treachery has transformed the Adeptus Astartes of the Death Guard into plague-ridden hulks. Now, they persecute wars across the galaxy for Nurgle and their Daemon Primarch, Mortarion. Death Guard armies are slow, inexorable, and unbelievably effective at mid-range.
Twisted by the brain implants known as the Butchers Nails, they live only to spill blood for Khorne. World Eaters armies are brutal close combat forces, leveraging Khorne Berzerkers to shatter foes in relentless melees. Few can remain standing when such an army gets into close range! The Night Lords revel in fear and mayhem.
They will take apart an opposing army piecemeal, dividing and isolating the weakest enemies so that their confused cries can be savoured. Night Lords forces shatter enemy morale through their terror tactics. This maximises the impact of your Chaos Space Marines — in moments, a single gruesome death can become a devastating rout. Cold-hearted warriors whose only faith is in their wargear, the Iron Warriors have perfected siege warfare, and are able to gouge out even the most stubbornly entrenched enemies.
Each lives by a brutal, uncompromising creed — Iron Within, Iron Without! The Word Bearers march to war for the glory of the Chaos pantheon, stirred into a rapturous state of fanaticism by blasphemous catechisms and the dark promises of the Ruinous Powers. On the tabletop, the zeal of the Word Bearers makes them resistant to devastating losses, allowing them to field vast units of elite infantry without any fear of them fleeing.
The warriors of the Alpha Legion are masters of duplicity, able to mislead and misdirect even the most vigilant of enemies before delivering the killing blow. Their loyalties are ever in question — their effectiveness is not. Alpha Legion forces are deadly on the tabletop, as they are harder to hit at a distance.
This allows their own fire support units to lay down withering fire with little fear of reprisal. The Brazen Beasts charge into the enemy with animal fury, tearing them limb from limb. They leave behind nothing but mangled corpses and blazing devastation. Their legend may not be as long as those of the Traitor Legions, but given time, it will be just as bloody! Brazen Beasts forces can pierce even the heaviest armour in close, combat, with even standard infantry capable of punching holes in terminators, tanks, and more besides.
The Red Corsairs are consummate raiders with vast resources at their disposal. When they emerge from the warp, they strike fast with overwhelming force to achieve their objectives before the enemy can respond.
With an array of strategic options to play with, Red Corsairs forces can capitalise on tactical tricks more than any other Chaos Space Marines — perfect for plotters, planners, and tacticians! For the Crimson Slaughter, the maddening cries of tormented spirits can only be satiated by the spilling of blood. Crimson Slaughter armies turn carnage into strategic opportunity. The Flawless Host have an unshakeable faith in their own abilities, their every strike perfectly timed and expertly placed.
The Purge seek to cleanse the galaxy of everything that lives, not moving on until each of their opponents is completely obliterated. They worship Nurgle, but their true master is a relentless and unflinching nihilism. On the tabletop, forces dedicated to The Purge are utterly ruthless when it comes to finishing off damaged units. By focusing their fire, they can easily down even the most dangerous of enemies. The constant whispering of Daemons ensures that The Scourged know what course of action an enemy will take almost before they themselves do.
Serving Tzeentch, the God of Change, they are uncannily effective combatants. Charge a force belonging to The Scourged at your peril — with brutal point-blank accuracy on their side, these Chaos Space Marines are excellent at defending against melee-focused forces. Fabius Bile is a figure of terror and legend throughout the 41st Millennium.
Having mastered — and twisted — the arts of genetic modification, he goes to war at the head of an army of horrifying creations that match the strength of the Chaos Space Marines with sinister modifications of his own. With Fabius Bile allowing you to customise your forces even further, this army is ideal for tinkerers, schemers, or just anyone who wants to rip enemies apart in close combat!
Famed above all other craftworlds for the sublime skill of their Rangers, choose Alaitoc if you favour using stealth and guile to prove the superiority of the Aeldari in battle. The Aeldari of Biel-Tan — the most militant of all craftworlds — are consumed with bitterness. Their numbers depleted and their craftworld shattered, they continue to pursue their campaign of xenocide against all the lesser races of the galaxy. Biel-Tan is renowned for the sheer number of Aspect Temples it hosts — and for the quality of its warriors in their chosen field of warfare.
If you seek to form an army around a solid core of Aspect Warriors, Biel-Tan is the clear choice. The once-great craftworld of Iyanden is now a place of ghosts as much as of the living. Despite this, the Asuryani of that faded realm do not meekly accept their fate — instead they call ever more of their fallen ancestors back into the fight for survival. Since repelling a devastating attack from Hive Fleet Kraken at terrible cost, the people of Iyanden have relied upon their Ghost Warriors with increasing frequency.
Iyanden is the go-to choice if you seek to wield the full might of the Ghost Warriors. The jetbike-riding kindreds of Saim-Hann are renowned for their preference for fast, mobile warfare, striking as a serpent before falling back beyond the reach of retaliation. Theirs is a craftworld of ancient tradition and a proud warrior culture. Famed for its Wild Rider clans, the warriors of Saim-Hann are masters of the skies. If you seek to use blistering speed and the dynamic movement to outmanoeuvre your opponent, then Saim-Hann is your Craftworld of choice.
Now, with their own forces splintered and Chaos rampant, they are tested like never before…. Devoted to the worship of the new-born Aeldari god of the dead, Ynnead, the Ynarri are zealous warriors from the Drukhari, Craftworlds and Harlequins who have forsaken their former oaths in exchange for salvation — and strange, death defying powers..
The Ynnari allow you to combine some of your favourite Aeldari models in a single faction, offering access to incredible heroes with all manner of strange powers.
Though by far the largest and most influential of the Drukhari kabals, the Black Heart has been taught by Vect to never be satisfied, and to rapaciously pursue ever more power.
Poisoned weapons, such as splinter rifles, are more effective in Poisoned Tongue armies. Unleash venomous volleys with your Kabalite Warriors and watch your enemies fall before you! The Kabalites of the Flayed Skull excel in aerial warfare, using their speed and manoeuvrability to harry the most elusive targets.
Load up your transports and get them into position easily with the Flayed Skull — flying models have increased movement and accurate firepower, making them exceptionally deadly. Every weapon produced in the workshops of the Kabal of the Obsidian Rose is a masterpiece, equal in accuracy and lethality to the finest armaments of the other Kabals. Many of the weapons of an Obsidian Rose army operate at longer ranges than others, making this a choice for anyone who wants to engage from a distance and cut down the foe before they reach your lines.
There is no place for frailties amongst the Cult of the Cursed Blade, for they teach that weakness exists only to be exploited by the strong. Stronger than other Wyches, and less likely to flee, Cursed Blade forces are ideal for any player who likes to make an impact and stick around for the late game.
Whether enthralling spectators in the arena or slaughtering their way through an enemy army, the Cult of Strife have developed a penchant for bombastically violent opening manoeuvres which are as beautifully orchestrated as they are viciously deadly. Slashing and stabbing rapidly as they rush into melee, Cult of Strife armies are perfect for players who like to adopt a hit and run approach, hunting enemy units and striking hard.
Wyches of the Cult of the Red Grief revel in high-speed murder, and there is fierce competition amongst their ranks as to who can butcher their victims the quickest. The Prophets of Flesh have modified their own bodies and those of their servants to an extraordinary extent — so much so that few weapons their enemies bring to bear against them can inflict damage greater than that they have already endured.
If you want an incredibly durable force, join the Prophets of Flesh — they are so inured to pain that they can survive even the most vicious attacks that would cripple lesser warriors. The Coven of the Dark Creed has perfected every method of inducing terror, to the extent that their mere presence fills the minds of their enemies with nightmarish dread. The mere presence of the Coven of the Dark Creed makes enemies more likely to flee in terror.
Use this coven if you want to reduce enemy numbers quickly with carefully targeted strikes. The practice of internecine assassinations that exists amongst the Coven of Twelve ensures that weapons and wits are kept razor-sharp at all times, and only those members who are master flesh-carvers survive long.
Coven of Twelve armies want to close with the enemy quickly and butcher them in close combat, their weapons piercing and carving through armour.
The Cult of the Four-armed Emperor are cunning, wily and endlessly patient. They are the masters of subterranean assault. Wherever one of their devoted walks in the open, a thousand more lurk beneath, ready to surge up for the kill. Do you dream of patiently planning a decisive ambush?
Then join the Cult of the Four-armed Emperor. The cultists of the Twisted Helix did not have the Genestealer Curse thrust upon them, but instead voluntarily took it into their society through extreme medical experimentation.
They harbour unnumbered bio-horrors amongst their ranks. Play the mad scientist with the Twisted Helix. They excel in the arts of insane alchemy and dark experimentation, creating monstrous hybrids of all sizes and shapes who have the energies of forbidden bio-chemical concoctions boiling through their veins to lend them uncanny strength and speed. The Pauper Princes believe that greatness can only be found in self-sacrifice and humility. Zealous to the point of mania, they bring the edifice of the Imperium low to ensure the new order can thrive — even if it costs every life save for the Patriarch itself.
Do you see your heroes as the stars of your army and everyone else as just cannon fodder? Well, the cultists of the Pauper Princes are so zealous they would gladly hurl themselves on an active frag grenade to protect their cult leaders. The Hivecult are militant, organised and hierarchical. They infiltrate not only the criminal underworlds and hive gangs of their host planets, but also the Astra Militarum regiments that recruit from them.
To the Hivecult, it is a divine duty to be armed and dangerous. The members of the Hivecult are used to fighting in tight-knit military units.
If you want a force well-drilled in the use of sidearms as well as repurposed industrial tools, then is your Cult. In battle, they fight with an uncanny discipline that sees them triumph against the odds. The Cult of the Bladed Cog is born as much of metal as it is of raw human stock, and is further augmented by the extra-galactic anatomies of the Tyranids.
This great blend of human, xenos beast and war machine is a deadly threat to its Adeptus Mechanicus hosts. If you see no difference between man, machine and alien then join the Bladed Cog.
Their belief that all three can be made into a single, all-conquering organism has given them a supernatural resilience that makes them strong and hardy combatants. The weather-beaten, rugged survivalists of the Rusted Claw are more at home on the open wastes than they are in the claustrophobic confines of an Imperial underhive. They are the pioneers, the nomads and the prospectors of their kind. Throw away your material possessions and join the cult of the Rusted Claw. While they are often clad in rags and tattered leather, the skin and chitin beneath is as hard as oak.
The Masque of the Midnight Sorrow numbers many bands of Players, scattered far across the realms of the Aeldari, all fighting a constant war against the Ruinous Powers. The worshippers of Chaos face few more determined or single-minded foes: these Harlequins will perform any deed to defy She Who Thirsts. Midnight Sorrow units can always be in the right place to launch a devastating counter-attack, making them perfect for players who want to control the flow of the battlefield.
Facing the Harlequins of the Laughing God in battle is a terrifying experience, but few masques are as sinister or unsettling as those of the Silent Shroud. The Silent Shroud affect the morale of nearby units, increasing their likelihood of fleeing under fire. If surgical strikes are your style, you might want to consider the Silent Shroud. Their victims barely have time to realise their danger before the Harlequins are dispensing death throughout their ranks. The Masque of the Veiled Path epitomises every mistrustful thought and resentful prejudice Humanity has ever held for the Aeldari.
Amongst the Asuryani, it is said that to trust the Veiled Path is to step willingly into the void. For all this, they are skilled warriors. The Frozen Stars strike wherever and however they believe will elicit the greatest and grisliest amusement. In some ways they carry themselves as a force for good, striving to inspire their fellow Aeldari and follow the steps of the Final Act.
Frozen Stars armies get more powerful when they play aggressively, and are a good pick if you like to engage quickly and devastate your enemies with a flurry of blows. In the Dreaming Shadow, the fervour and energy of the Harlequins becomes something grimmer and more funereal.
They are the guardians of myriad symbolic underworlds; their charge is to ensure that the dead stay dead, and the slumbering never wake.
Mortally wounded warriors of the Dreaming Shadow will attempt to land one final strike upon their foe — perfect if you want to ensure that even in death, your units are effective. Since first settling on the planet Raisa — located upon the very edge of the known galaxy — House Cadmus have taken great pride in their autonomous nature.
In recent times, when the shadow of Hive Fleet Leviathan fell over Gryphonne IV, the Knights of Raisa fought ferociously in its ultimately doomed defence. The destruction of the forge world freed House Cadmus from their obligations to the Tech-Priests, resulting in a change of allegiance that was widely embraced. The Knights of House Cadmus hone their skills in competitive hunts — they excel at destroying enemy infantry, cutting them down in droves with deadly sweeps of their chainblades and mailed fists.
No knightly house exemplifies proud martial tradition like House Terryn. Its Nobles have fought for Humanity since its founding in the 25th Millennium. The house derives its name from Maximilian Terryn, first ruler of the tropical world of Voltoris, a planet colonised at the start of the Age of Strife. Driving their towering steeds ever onward, the Nobles of House Terryn are amongst the most eager to get to grips with their foes.
If you want to thunder across the battlefield, this house is for you. Legend has it, before the STC Knight suits could be completed, settlers were forced to fight these beasts from horseback. Wielding gargantuan weapons with the skill and grace of an expert duellist, scions of House Griffith live for the glory of combat.
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