Don’t miss these new Warhammer 40k Chaos Knights rules that are right around the corner! Matched play is at the heart of the latest batch of rules.
Warhammer Community revealed another wave of rules for the Chaos Knights. If you missed the first preview, make sure you get caught up on the new rules there.
Chaos Knight Dreadblades
If you were wondering if Chaos Knights would have a Loyalist Freeblade equivalent, yes…yes they do. They’re called Dreadblades and they get even more rules beyond the Iconoclast/Infernal Household Knights. Dreadblades are the lone-warriors on a path of destruction by their own hands and for their own means. If you bring a Dreadblade, it doesn’t replace their Iconoclast/Infernal Household keyword. However, it does open them up to things called pacts and Damnations.
Two of these pacts are Path to Glory and Galvanized Hull. One helps you to become even more of a headhunter as the Knight pilot is bent on seeking power and recognition. While the other just helps you stay alive longer protecting you from -1 AP shots. (autocannons will take a bit hit here).
You can pick one pact or roll for two (just like the Loyalist Freeblades) as well.
You also will have to deal with Damnations. Damnations are drawbacks that could trigger as you play the game. For example, one of the Damnations shuts you off from benefiting from any Stratagems for a turn. That’s brutal and you better believe your opponent will capitalize on that.
Thankfully these Damnations only apply when you fail a Leadership check at the start of each of your turns, meaning most of the time, you should be fine! You can roll for one Damnation or, if you’re looking for a bit more control over which apply, pick two. After all, losing your Ballistic Skill and being incapable of falling back isn’t much a problem when you were intending to rip your foe apart in close combat anyway!
Knight Loadouts & Rules Previewed
GW gave their opinions on which Knight variants should be taken with certain Legions. You can take them in any Legion you want, but at the very least here, we can see how many points these things will be costing. The Knight Rampager is essentially the Loyalist’s Gallant sitting at 387 pts.
The Vallant equivalent Knight is sitting at 600 pts and still carries the classic flamer, harpoon loadout. The Tyrant is also coming with a nifty little Stratagem too…
This thing works similar to a Kustom Forcefield for Orks. It can extend its Invuln save to any units within 6″ of himself. It’s not too bad, but you’ll need the right units in place to really benefit from it all. We can see massive Cultist blobs being a real threat here.
If you want to run a detachment with the Desecrator and Wardogs, you’ll be shelling out 761 pts which we know none of you have any problem doing. That was literally the loyalist meta for months.
Laser Destructors have some real damage output potential. However, random D3 shots are always unsettling.
Like the Loyalist Preceptor, the Taskmaster will help your War Dogs hit better while they’re within 6″. If you’re going to be running the Desecrator, why not dump a few more points into the tiny Knights and benefit even more.
Chaos Knight Artifacts
Before we jump into the previewed artifacts, the Chaos Knights are coming with a Stratagem that lets them gain the Character keyword and can bring an extra Artifact each. This is pretty common among all newer faction support waves GW has been giving, and we say this with the loyalists.
Chaos is getting even more CP generating fuel on top of the silliness that is the Red Corsairs, Knights are getting a relic that let you gain a CP on a 5+ each turn.
Khornate target puts a literal target on nasty characters’ backs. Robbie G, Mortarion, Magnus, etc. can all be melted with this relic. It’s a one-time use and you’ll want to make sure that you fight first. However, anything this Knight touches is basically insta-dead.
With the second batch of previews under our belt, what do you think about the rules? Which loadout will you be going with? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
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Bio: Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4.
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