Apocalypse is available now for pre-orders but we have not yet seen all the previews for all the armies in Warhammer 40,000. Up now is the Imperial Knights.
via the Warhammer Community
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/06/29/apocalypse-faction-focus-knightsgw-homepage-post-4/
The Imperial Knights are among the mightiest defenders of the Imperium – towering mechanised suits clad in adamantium armour and armed with devastating weaponry. Yet in the Dark Millenium, it’s not just the forces loyal to the Imperium that can call upon households of these mighty war machines…
Whether your Knights serve the Imperium or Chaos, it’s time we took a look at how they shape up in Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse.
Play Style
First thing’s first, Knights of every allegiance are Super-heavy units. In Apocalypse, this has a significance beyond a simple classification, as super-heavy units benefit from the Engines of War special rule, which augments their potential damage output.
But there’s more! As a super-heavy unit, a Knight’s reactors can go critical and cause a massive explosion. This means that if your Knight falls in glorious combat, they may even take a bunch of enemies with them – in fact, the Noble Sacrifice Command Asset makes it happen automatically!
If you field a Knight army, you will invariably be heavily outnumbered by your opponent, but each of your towering war machines is well armoured, able to withstand plenty of punishment and capable of inflicting enormous amounts of damage in return. In fact, all Knights larger than the Armiger or War Dog classes have access to at least one weapon with the Destroyer ability – with one notable exception in the Knight Valiant, as we’ll see in a moment…
Top Units
Knight Errant
On the topic of Destroyer weapons, Knights Errant come with two as standard – a thermal cannon and choice of reaper chainsword or thunderstrike gauntlet. The natural home for this deadly Knight is in combat, where it can take advantage of its Super-heavy status to unleash both of its Destroyer weapons each time it is activated. Between its 4 Attacks and two shots from its thermal cannon, it can rack up a potential 12 blast markers from its two primary weapons alone! Hurl your Knights Errant at the enemy lines as soon as possible and they’ll do you proud.
Knight Valiant
If you think Destroyer weapons sound awesome (and they totally are!), check out the horrifically powerful profile of thundercoil harpoon carried by the Knight Valiant:
Of the two Dominus-class Knights, the Valiant has the shorter-ranged weaponry, so needs to be used aggressively for maximum effect. This means that you should be looking to get up-close and personal with your opponent’s forces (preferably alongside a Lance of Knights Errant!) to make the most of its grievously destructive arsenal. This offensive strategy has an added advantage in that you’re more likely to inflict additional damage to the enemy should they manage to bring it down.
Knight Despoiler
As the Chaos equivalent of the Questoris class, Knights Despoiler will likely form the mainstay of your renegade household. They have an enormous variety of primary and secondary weapons, and even have the freedom to double up on thermal cannons, rapid-fire battlecannons and avenger gatling cannons. With such flexibility of weaponry at your disposal, use your Knights Despoiler to join or offer fire support to your melee-focussed Knights as you see fit.
Top Command Assets
Rotate Ion Shields is a handy Command Asset that can help prevent one of your embattled loyalist Knights from suffering damage. The trick is to only use it to remove a large blast marker – you get to choose, so don’t waste it on a small blast marker as you can rely on your Knight’s armour to protect it from most minor damage.
Remember that thermal cannon and reaper chainsword/thunderstrike gauntlet combo we mentioned for the Knight Errant above? Well, not only can you equip your Knight Despoiler with a similar weapons loadout, but you can also play the Trail of Destruction Command Asset to give yourself even greater odds of inflicting the full 12 blast markers in a single activation!
Whether your allegiance is to the Emperor, the Omnissiah or the Dark Gods, an army of Knights in Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse is a force to be reckoned with. They also work well as hard-hitting Freeblade or Dreadblade allies in Imperium or Chaos armies, so why not head over to the webstore and order one today? If you’re starting your own knightly or renegade house, the Imperial Knights Super-heavy Detachment is up for pre-order now, which includes one Dominus-class and two Armiger-class Knights and saves you money!
Apocalypse is available to pre-order from June 29th (that’s today!)
