r/ImperialKnights • u/godofimagination • Mar 16 '26

Imperial Knights Beginner Guide.

148 Upvotes

Welcome to the faction of Knights. We’re happy to have you. We get a lot of repetitive posts on this sub asking the same questions over and over, so please take the time to read this intro post. Knights are different from most factions in the game. They also require special consideration from a hobby perspective. However, they're incredibly fun to build, paint, and play.

Welcome to the most elite faction in all of Warhammer.

==THE HOBBY==

=Magnets=

The first thing you should know about Knights is that you should magnetize them. Of all the factions in 40k, Knights benefit the most from magnets. A Questoris pattern kit can be built as ten different units depending on its weapon configuration.

The exhaustive list of what to magnetize is as follows:

-waist

-chest weapon

-carapace weapon

-shoulder sockets

-arm weapons

Not every model needs everything magnetized. For example, a Cerastus Knight Lancer only has one set of weapons, so you don’t need to magnetize those. However, it’s very tall, and you’ll have a hard time transporting it without magnetizing the waist. Personal preference also plays a part. Only the most detail oriented hobbyists bother with the chest weapons. Regardless, every Knight player should consider adding magnets to their models.

High-quality neodymium magnets are your best bet.

A lot of people use:

https://themagnetbaron.com

They sell “drill-free” kits for each Knight. Even if you think they’re a little pricey, they have good information on which size magnets to use and where to use them.

Another great site is:

https://apexmagnets.com

Here’s a video tutorial to get you started, but I recommend searching around YouTube and seeing what’s out there.

https://youtu.be/Y-0cpYhYPdU?si=oNKSoyOKB1CD80Fn

=Painting=

Knights have been called a “hobby army” by some. This is a fitting name. Large armor panels really lend themselves well to creativity.

Speaking of panels, make sure to glue those on after you finish painting. Not only will the finished result look better, but it will also be easier.

Finally, consider getting an airbrush. It’s not mandatory by any means, but it will speed things up dramatically.

Here are a few videos that cover the finer details of Knight painting:

https://youtu.be/Qb9GOwwqS9U?si=KuAar7z4bbop0UEs

The illustrious Duncan Rhodes himself is a fan of the faction and has some great tutorials:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPuXIzDeLjR2mqRteI5glfrpOL9gxjVgR

A note on lore

While this guide is primarily written from a hobbyist perspective, I feel the need to briefly touch on the lore. All Knights are allied with one of three factions: the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus, or Chaos.

This is an important distinction because these factions are represented in the Knight kits themselves. Different armor panels and insignia can suggest allegiance to one of the three factions over the others.

No player should ever give you trouble for gluing a cog on some units and an Aquila on others, but you may wish to decide which faction your Knights are allied with before getting started. Houses/subfactions are aligned with one faction in particular if you wish to paint your Knights like them.

=Transporting Your Models=

So you have your Knights. They’re beautifully painted. How are you going to get them to the game store without damaging them?

Excellent question.

They don’t really fit in standard foam miniature cases, but don’t worry—you have options.

The cheapest case is a steel toolbox. It’s very secure, and a magnetized Knight will stay exactly where you put it.

Every other option is some kind of tray-style miniature case.

Affordable option

https://jucoci.com

High-end option

https://army-case.com/

Amazon also has plenty of options. If it’s a box with adjustable metal trays, you can use it.

Remember when I recommended magnetizing your Knights? Weapons were only half of it. Transport was the other half.

Magnetizing the waist makes them more compact so they fit better in cases, and gluing magnets underneath the base will make sure they don’t jostle around inside.

The waist isn’t mandatory, but I strongly recommend at least magnetizing the base. The recommended cases above won’t work nearly as well without them.

=3rd Party=

If you stick around this subreddit, you’ll see a lot of components that don’t come in the official kits. This is a great way to add a personal touch or avoid buying Forge World resin.

Fun fact: the Dominus Knight is much taller in the lore than its size on the tabletop suggests. 3D-printed torso and leg extensions fix that problem.

Some well-known vendors include:

https://ironwolfminis.com

https://www.taromodelmaker.com

https://cults3d.com

==THE KNIGHTS==

It’s easy to get confused by the different Knight types if you’re new, but they’re actually pretty intuitive.

There are six different Knight chassis. Each chassis is subdivided into different units depending on which weapons they have. Most chassis kits are capable of making multiple different units of that chassis.

However, there are exceptions.

I tried to make this guide as edition-neutral as possible. The descriptions below are meant to inform your choices as a hobbyist and capture the feel and niche of each unit rather than their exact performance on the tabletop.

Make sure to check the datasheets for current rules.

=A Note on Versatility=

Aside from Daemons (who can be used in Age of Sigmar), Knights are one of the most versatile armies that Games Workshop sells.

Everyone knows they can be used to reinforce other armies, but it goes beyond that.

Most Imperial Knights can be fielded as Chaos Knights with no modifications. Most units can also be used in Horus Heresy (30k).

While the descriptions below are written with 40k Imperial Knights in mind, feel free to try your models in other factions or systems.

=Armiger=

The battle-line chassis.

These are the cheapest and weakest units in the Knight codex. However, they’re still very powerful.

Armigers have up to three weapons:

Right arm
Left arm
Carapace

A standard Armiger kit comes with two models and can build either Warglaives or Helverins.

A Moirax can only be built from a Forge World resin kit.

Warglaive

Right arm: Thermal Spear

Left arm: Reaper Chain Cleaver

Carapace: Questoris Heavy Stubber or Meltagun

Helverin

Right arm: Armiger Autocannon

Left arm: Armiger Autocannon

Carapace: Questoris Heavy Stubber or Meltagun

Moirax

Right arm options:

Volkite Veuglaire
Siege Claw + Rad Cleanser
Graviton Pulsar
Lightning Lock
Conversion Beam Cannon

Left arm options:

Volkite Veuglaire
Siege Claw + Rad Cleanser
Graviton Pulsar
Lightning Lock
Conversion Beam Cannon

Carapace: None

=Bellatus / Destrier=

The Bellatus chassis has one kind of Knight: the Destrier. In terms of stats and points, it sits between an Armiger and Questoris. It's faster than most knights as well.

Weapon slots include:

Right arm
Left arm
Chest

There are four arm weapons:

Chastiser Gatling Cannon
Frag Bombard
Bellatus Reaper Chainsword
Thundershock Spear

Any two weapons can be chosen as arm options. You can build the Destrier as all ranged, all melee, or somewhere in between. The only chest option is a Questoris heavy stubber.

=Questoris=

The standard Knight chassis.

There are ten variants in total. Depending on their role, they can fill a wide variety of battlefield roles.

Weapon slots include:

Right arm
Left arm
Chest
Carapace

Questoris Knights come in four different boxes.

The Canis Rex kit can build every plastic Questoris variant except the Defender.

The Defender kit can build every plastic Questoris variant except the Preceptor and Canis Rex.

The Magaera and Styrix are Forge World resin kits.

Gallant

Right arm: Reaper Chainsword

Left arm: Thunderstrike Gauntlet