40k’s new Chaos Knight Ruinator brings a darkflame lance and more missiles to the table, but it has a dark side; here’s our review.
Updated on June 23rd, 2025, by Rob Baer with new information, how to magnetize the kit, and links to relevant content
So Chaos Knights finally get their turn in the spotlight from the loyalists—and what does Games Workshop bring to the table? The Chaos Knight 40k Ruinator, a “new” option with just enough tweaks to warrant a marketing push.
But let’s not kid ourselves: this looks less like a major update and more like a reheated leftovers situation.
The model? A slightly remixed kit with one more sprue. The codex? More rules on top of the last batch of rules, with a bit of a shakeup to how they play.
If you were hoping for a bold refresh of the Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Knights range, here is the latest.
GW Stealth Updates The Ruinator Kit
Looks like someone at WarCom knocked over the filing cabinet again—turns out there aren’t two different boxes for the new Knight Ruinator after all. It’s in the same kit as the Desecrator, Rampager, and Abominant.
One big stompy box, not two. The article’s been quietly patched up, but we’re guessing the writing team might’ve had a “wait, what did we say?” moment. Happens to the best of us when there is this much content to cover.
A New Knight? Technically, Yes
Let’s start with the good news. The Ruinator does look cool—big, brutal, and draped in the kind of excess only a Chaos Knight can pull off. It brings a darkflame lance, terrorpulse missile launchers, and a Fellbore melee weapon for that signature “overkill with style” approach.
But here’s the catch: it’s just another loadout on the same old frame. You’re not building a new Knight—you’re modifying one you’ve probably already assembled, painted, and magnetized. We don’t think a sprue swap justifies calling this a major release.
The new Ruinator model has a release date of June 21, 2025, and you can find all the pricing and ordering links here.
More Rules, Less Innovation
The new Codex: Chaos Knights comes packed with lore, detachment rules, and datasheets. And yes, it’s nice to have your army’s details in one place again—but how long will that last? Since 10th Edition dropped, Knights have had more rule churn than most armies.
Between balance dataslates, core rules updates, and detachment reshuffles, it’s been tough to keep up.
Now we’re adding more stratagems and profiles to an already bloated pile. At this point, it feels less like improving the game and more like giving Chaos Knights a fresh layer of varnish to hide the structural fatigue.
Chaos Knight Ruinator: Another Variant in the Pile
Let’s count them: Abominant, Desecrator, Rampager, War Dog Brigands, Executioners, Carnivores… and now Ruinator. The Chaos Knight line isn’t suffering from lack of options—it’s suffering from option fatigue. How many minor variations does one faction need?
Originally, they said they were pulling the old Games Workshop classic—split the kits and watch the SKUs multiply. Chaos Knights are getting the same treatment we saw with the Imperial Knight Defender: two separate boxes covering mostly the same options.
One box would build a Desecrator, Rampager, or the new Ruinator—thanks to the magical inclusion of a fresh sprue. The other box swaps that out and lets you build a Knight Abominant instead.
However, as we said above, that is no longer the case due to their article update.
Terrain Meta Still Says “No Thanks”
Chaos Knights have never had it easy in the current terrain-heavy meta. Massive models, awkward line-of-sight, and expensive points values already limit how they perform competitively. Add another variant that does more of the same, and it’s hard to see who benefits from this release beyond collectors or narrative players.
Even on the hobby side, the lack of actual visual innovation is a letdown. It’s not that the Ruinator looks bad—it’s just that it looks exactly like what came before it. New name, new gun, same silhouette.
Chaos Knight Runiator Unboxing & Reviews
Now, let’s talk kit: this towering warbeast comes armed to roast, stab, and explode everything in its path. The Dark Flame Lance is a short-range flamer that eats Marines for breakfast.
The Fellbore drill? Think four mega-hits at Strength 14 or ten sweep attacks for dealing with the riff-raff.
And then there’s the Terrorpulse Missiles, just in case subtlety ever seemed like an option.
Inside the box, you’re not just stuck with the Ruinator build. You get sprues for the Rampager, Desecrator, and even the tentacle-happy Aberrant.
New parts exclusive to the Ruinator sprue stand out—drill arms, flamer tanks, and enough spikes to make a porcupine nervous. You’ll find old chassis sprues too, plus the usual Chaos transfer sheet (hello 2019) and a dinner plate of a 170mm base.
Assembly’s a breeze—much easier than Dreadnought kits—and the instructions clearly walk you through each variant. But to make it future-proof, you may want to pick up this magnetization kit. In short: big model, lots of options, plenty of ways to ruin someone’s day.
Magnetizing the Ruinator Knight
Let’s be real: magnetizing the new Chaos Knight Ruinator isn’t hard, but it’s definitely a “measure twice, glue once” situation.
You start at the hips — not for lore reasons, just because it’s the part that sets the tone for the whole build. Slap a 12×2 mm magnet in the joint with a dab of super glue, and hit it with some Zip Kicker to speed things up.
It’ll set fast, so have your polarity sorted before you commit. Red side up, if you’re using magnet alignment tools like the Magicator — and yes, they’re actually worth it.
Now, if you want to skip the guesswork and save yourself a headache, grab the Chaos Knight Ruinator magnetization kit from The Magnet Baron. Pre-drilled adapters, proper polarity guides, and no more “oops, it’s leaning like it’s had too much amasec” moments.
It’s not just a nice-to-have — it streamlines the whole build.
On the shoulder joints, don’t glue the guide ring in too early. Let that whole assembly breathe until you’ve dry-fitted your couplers and weapons.
The new variant throws a few curveballs — like mislabeled sprue numbers and wonky weapon mounts — but with a little planning (and some Vallejo plastic putty), you’ll be swapping loadouts like a Warhammer pro.
Bottom line: magnetizing this beast future-proofs your build, saves shelf space, and lets you flex every weapon combo in your Chaos Knight kit — without glue regrets. Just don’t glue the wrong notch. Trust us.
If you’re looking for more reviews on YouTube, be sure to watch your favorite presenters talk about the new army set at the links below:
Where to Get Yours:
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Knight Ruinator: $200 CAD$240 £131.50 €160
Quick Order Links Get 15% Off or More:
Mid Atlantic US: Fabricators Forge | Bazooka Games | Frontline Gaming (West Coast US) | The Rogue Traders | Central US: Dicehead Games | Noble Knight Games | Warpfire Minis | West Coast US: Squadmarks |
Worldwide: Amazon | eBay| or | Games Workshop’s Store | UK: Element Games (UK) | Merlin’s Minis | Wayland Games | Canada: Fenris Workshop | Tista Minis | Abyss Game Store | Kingdom Titans |
Now that this is the default box for Chaos Knights, if you need a Knight Desecrator, Knight Rampager, Knight Abominant, this kit can make any of them!
Magnetization Kit
Don’t forget, if you want to magnetize the new Ruinator, the Magnet Baron has you covered with a magnet kit to make it easy.
New Ruinator Feels Like Chaos Knight Déjà Vu
If you’re deep into Chaos Knights, maybe you’ll appreciate the lore and extra options. But if you’ve been around since the original Knight Renegade box set, this release doesn’t exactly ignite the imagination.
It feels like another checkbox ticked off on the release calendar—something to push some dice and datacards out the door.
This isn’t the breath of fresh air Chaos Knights deserve. It’s a polite shrug in plastic form. And for a faction that prides itself on excess, madness, and warped grandeur, that’s the real disappointment we think.
See How to Magnetize Your Chaos Knights Here!
How do you see this model impacting the Chaos Knight army lists?
