The Death Korps of Krieg are back to their indomitable best in the new Imperial Armour Compendium, which comes complete with a Regimental Doctrine and more for the famously stoic Guardsmen. Let’s take a closer look.
The first thing worth noting is that the Death Korps gain access to the full Astra Militarum arsenal from the codex. Now, the tanks, infantry, and auxiliaries available to other Regiments can also be used in this army – those Ogryns already come with gas masks ready to go!
The Space Marines are renowned for knowing no fear, but in this, they are not alone – the Death Korps of Krieg share a similar disdain for such a notion and actively seek out the deadliest, most inhospitable war zones to fight in. Their new Regimental Doctrine captures this principle perfectly, meaning that they will fight to the last man and often get a final hit in even then!
This doctrine practically encourages you to load up your tanks and transports with meltas and heavy flamers, then roll right into the middle of the enemy army, while your infantry engages in a ranged war of attrition, stoically weathering any fire that comes their way.
The Death Korps are a particularly renowned regiment of course, so they also gain access to a bunch of units that no other regiment has. There are five updated datasheets that are bespoke to the Krieg sub-faction, from the Death Korps Marshal to the iconic Combat Engineer Squads who exemplify their regiment’s mastery of siegecraft.
These units are famed for tunnelling underground to emerge behind enemy lines where they can put their shotguns and gas bombs to deadly use at close range. They’re excellent for ambushing light enemy units who thought they were safe, before putting the mole launcher to good use to harass more distant enemy threats with impunity.
The Death Korps can also field the legendary Krieg Death Riders who gallop to battle atop bio-engineered steeds and slay their enemies at point-blank range with explosive-tipped lances – as if being skewered on a lance wasn’t bad enough! After all, no self-respecting military commander would leave Krieg to fight the God-Emperor’s battles without some good ol’-fashioned cavalry!
For added punch, you can opt for a Death Rider Command Squadron, who all have an extra attack and take up none of your precious Detachment slots when taken alongside your HQ, a Squadron Commander. And to top it off, all those units – Death Riders, Command Squadron, and Commander – can all pop up on your opponent’s flank, rather than trotting across no man’s land, and charge straight into some hapless enemy squad camping on an objective!
Several other Death Korps of Krieg units that are no longer in production will be getting Warhammer Legends rules in November. This means that they can still be used in matched, narrative and open play games for those players who own the models and want to continue using them, though they won’t be considered a current part of the game for the purposes of official competitive events.
- Death Korps Marshall Karis Venner
- Death Korps Grenadier Squad
- Quartermaster Cadre Squad
- Death Rider Commissar
- Storm Chimera
Alongside these, there will also be Warhammer Legends rules on the way for dozens of other classic Warhammer 40,000 units that are not currently on sale. These will include rare vehicles types, unusual Dreadnought patterns, obscure xenos contraptions and other classic Forge World units, so players can continue to use their full collection in their games.
If you’re a fan of the fatalistic soldiery of Krieg (or enormous battle tanks, gribbly monsters, towering Titans, and more, for that matter), make sure to pre-order your copy of the Imperial Armour Compendium this weekend!
