The new knights are coming, checkout this showcase of new Knights from Awaken Realms.
Via Awaken Realms
Recently the Internet is rumbling with the rumours regarding the new Imperial Knights models. In addition to the already existing Errant, armed with the thermal cannon and a reaper chainsword, and Paladin, armed with the battle cannon and the reaper chainsword, the three new (well, not exactly new, as we’ll be proving further below) patterns are appearing:
Knight Warden – equipped with Avenger Gatling Cannon and Reaper Chainsword;
can swap the Reaper Chainsword for the Thunderstike Gauntlet
Knight Gallant – equipped with Reaper Chainsword and Thunderstike Gauntlet
Knight Crusader – equipped with Avenger Gatling Cannon and Thermal Cannon;
can swap the Thermal Cannon for the Battle Cannon
Also, the already existing knight patterns can now be equipped with new weapon options!
Knight Errant– can swap the Reaper Chainsword for the Thunderstike Gauntlet
Knight Paladin – can swap the Reaper Chainsword for the Thunderstike Gauntlet
An Errant Knight Titan
A short summary of the new weapons for the mighty warmachines of Imperium:
Avenger Gatling Cannon – with 36″ range, S3, Heavy 12 and rending it’s certain death to everything it’ll spew with the amount of bullets shot
Thunderstrike Gauntlet – similarly to the Chainsword, SD weapon, but when fighting in close combat yo’ll have the Initiative 1 as with every other Power Fist. But the most striking is the rule allowing you to lierally THROW the enemy tank or monstrous creature!
That’s not all! Now EVERY knight may be equipped with one of the top-mounted weapons (yes, that means the third primary weapon placement on a Knight!)
The top mounted weapons are:
Ironstorm Missle Pod – 72” range S5 AP4 and heavy blast? A lot of common troops models will be cowering in fear when pitched against a Knight equipped with this weapon
Stormspear Rocket Pod – 48” S8 AP3 – a Rocket against the tanks is always an option
Twin Icarus Autocannons – anti-air support is worthy of taking if you lack the options for models that may shoot down the nasty aircrafts in your primary army!
Also, EVERY model can now exchange the shoulder-mounted Heavy Stubber for the Melta Cannon – thus this kind of equipment may not be a best choice, as the melta is most effective on short distances – something that may be lost due to the height of the warmachine. It may be useful when the Knight will be fighting other big machines, on the other hand.
Within The codex there are now also several Special Character Knights that were introduced beforehand (The Obsidian Knight from “Warzone Damocles” and Gerontius, The Forgotten Knight)
Knight Errant
How to use the new knights and the new options? I may suggest on taking the close-combat oriented ones for the armies that are deadly at distance and are rather weak in close combat (think Imperial Guard/Astra Militarum) and the shooting ones for the close combat oriented armies (Blood Angels for example). The variety of choices now allows the Knight Titans to be equipped the way it suits you, your army and your gameplay style the most – use it wisely!
But, my own personal advice – just use the ones that will be looking most imposing in your taste and have the gaming issues as secondary – these are the warmachines of war incarnate for Emperor’s sake!
Take a look at our HD tutorial to learn how to paint the Imperial Knight!
Take a look at several of the Knights we’ve painted up for now!
Hawkshroud Household Errant Knight
Blood Angels Errant Knight
Knight Paladin
Knight Errant
Three Imperial Knights on a crusade
Space Wolves Imperial Knight Errant
Let me also be your guide in the journey to the past, where we can see the moment when the Imperial Knights were introduced at first and what they were in these times.
In 1988 there was a game published by Games Workshop called “Adeptus Titanicus”, a predecessor of the more recent, small-scale figure, but large scale battle wargame “Epic” system. In this proto-epic game the players were controlling both imperial and Chaos Titans. In 1994 the second edition, with the supplement “Codex Titanicus” was published – this was the first place that the smaller-scale, one-man operated Knight warmachines were introduced – with the names of patterns we are now seeing in 40k scale flesh. The design was very variable – take a look at the early model of Warden Knight I’m sharing with you below! It looks almost no way like the human-like construct we have nowadays.
Within the book was also a background material referring the Knights and their homeworlds of origin – the Knight Worlds.
During the colonization era, several human colonies happened to populate the maiden worlds inhabited by Eldar, who pastured the herds of big animals they bred for food and hunt for indigenous predators that were posing threat to them, using the big suits of combat walkers, which the colonists dubbed as “Knights”. Soon, they developed their own and the feuds for land, pastures and herds started to burst between the Eldar and newcoming humans.
Knights guarding their homeworld from the early Eldar Knights
During the Age of Strife, when the human colonies became separated and lost contact from each other, the Knight worlds survived and later on, discovered anew by the Rogue Trader fleet, rejoined the Imperium.
The recent canon is reflecting most of the old one – the Knight suits are not based upon the Eldar constructs now, but were rather part of initial colonization ship population and meant to be the protectors of the ship and newly founded colony – they soon became de facto rulers of the newly found worlds, becoming their leaders and ruling them in the feudal way.
In the recent background the newly-discovered Knight Houses split their influence for the Imperium and Mechanicus respectively, as both Humanity Imperium and the Mechanical Within-Empire are in constant symbiosis and court feuds alike.
Two Knights Errants
The new Imperial Knight box is taking reference from these old-times, classic models that first came in the early-nineties – all of you that like the old-style models will be happy to see those classic oldies that took new, refreshed shape. Take a look at some models from the past and compare them to the new face masks;
So, what will be your next Imperial Knight?
A pride of every Forge World
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
