The Different Types of Space Marines

The Different Types of Space Marines

The Adeptus Astartes, or as they are more commonly known, Space Marines, are Warhammer 40,000’s poster boys and, if there is such a thing, the good guys of Warhammer 40K. They are arguably Games Workshop’s most famous creation and are an extremely popular tabletop army, thanks to their extensive lore, excellent model range and choice of lots of subfactions, meaning there is something for everyone within the Space Marines.

Space Marines are essentially genetically enhanced super soldiers, created by the Emperor of Mankind to reclaim the galaxy from the ever spreading Xenos hordes. Immune to disease and able to survive punishing battles and wounds that would kill most mortal beings, their war to protect the Imperium wages on through the revving of chainswords and the clatter of bolter fire. Each Marine is clad in the toughest power armour with the most efficient and perfected weapons available.

The Space Marine Legions were created at the First Founding in the 30th millennium, ten millennia before the ‘current day’ setting of Warhammer 40,000. The Emperor of Mankind created 20 legions of superhuman marines to conquer the galaxy and reclaim all domains of mankind. Each of these legions was created from the gene seed of one of the 20 Primarchs, each one created from the Emperor's own genetic code and created to be the Generals of each legion. The Primarchs were bigger, stronger, faster, tactically gifted, just superior in every way to their Space Marine underlings. Each legion was enormous, containing thousands of Marines.

The proceeding events in Space Marine history are vast and well worth a read if you have time but we only have time for a quick summary before we dive into the Space Marine legions themselves. The various legions fought alongside each other happily for years until the ruinous powers of Chaos intervened and whispered in the ears of some Primarchs. Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the XVI Legion, the Luna Wolves, was named Warmaster by the Emperor himself. But the draw of the Chaos powers was too much and Horus, alongside some other Primarchs, turned on the Emperor's rule and began a civil war, known as the Horus Heresy.

The legions were split into two camps, those who remained loyal to the Emperor, the Loyalists, and those who turned to Chaos and followed Horus, the Traitors.

If you don’t want to know the result of the Horus Heresy, look away now!

The loyalist legions prevailed and Horus was killed by the Emperor aboard his attacking flagship, the Vengeful Spirit. The traitorous legions fled and were chased into the Eye of Terror by the loyalist legions. The traitors remained bound to the Chaos forces and became Chaos Space Marines, which is another article for another time! The mortally wounded Emperor was enshrined upon the Golden Throne on Terra and Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines, formed the remaining loyalist legions into smaller Space Marine Chapters.

To ensure no further uprisings, each chapter was limited to 1000 Marines. This was to make sure that no supersized force could rise against the Imperium from within like it did in the Horus Heresy. There are now thousands of loyalist Space Marine chapters crusading across the galaxy, some following the Codex Astartes a lot closer than others! All of their Primarchs, apart from Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines, are either dead or missing. We are going to take a look at some of the Chapters and find out what makes them unique.

 

Dark Angels

What better place to start than the Dark Angels, the 1st Legion from the First Founding, created from the gene seed of their Primarch, Lion El’Jonson. They are now led by their Chapter Master, Supreme Grand Master Azrael. 

The Dark Angels once called the planet Caliban home, but it was destroyed during the Horus Heresy. Some Dark Angels turned to the powers of Chaos and a huge battle for control of their homeworld followed. The loyalist Marines came away victorious but at a huge cost. Their home planet was shattered into pieces and their forces decimated. Any surviving traitors fled into the vastness of the galaxy and have been endlessly pursued by the remaining loyalist Marines. They crusade aboard their spacecraft named The Rock, which is built from a fragment of their destroyed planet.

They are fierce and brutal warriors who plan battles and tactics, hitting hard and fast with their Ravenwing units of Land Speeders, Bikers and Flyers to split the enemy and wipe out big chunks of units before they know what’s hit them! The Deathwing units follow in behind. These are terminator armour clad knights which excel in melee combat and lay waste to weakened armies before them.

 

White Scars

The White Scars were the 5th Legion of the First Founding led by the Primarch Jaghatai Khan and now led into battle by their Great Khan Jubal Khan. The White Scars are an army made up of primitive tribes and clans of the planet Chigoris and their lore, aesthetic and style is based on a modern day interpretation of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. Powered into the enemy lines during battle by their trusty steeds (assault bikes), the White Scars are ferocious and enjoy taking the fight to their enemies. They outmanoeuvre their opponents with speed and tactical agility to break them.

They employ a whole host of bikes, troop transports and land speeders to get into the enemy lines and tear them apart at lightning fast speed. Because of this, their forces contain a much higher than average number of bike squads compared to other chapters.

 

Space Wolves

The Space Wolves chapter are easily recognisable from their unique grey and yellow power armour through to their ancient Nordic runes and bearskin capes. Originally founded as the 6th Legion and led by their Primarch, Leman Russ, they are now headed by their Chapter Master, Great Wolf Logan Grimnar out of their homeworld of Fenris. The wolf like connections are many. They fight in packs with a savagery and tendency to melee combat like no others.

Their homeworld is a savage, desolate, unforgiving place which has moulded the Space Wolves into barbaric fighters, with a slight disregard for the authority of the Codex. In fact, it’s more than slight, the Space Wolves are a law unto themselves! Their warriors are headstrong and fierce and their battle sagas are told across the galaxy.

In battle they form packs and ride giant wolves. They do not tend to employ too much ranged firepower, instead favouring a blood curdling howl as they crash forwards into close combat.

 

Imperial Fists

The Imperial Fists, originally the 7th Legion, are easily recognisable by their bright yellow armour and their unrivalled skill at fortification and building. They do not have a homeworld of their own, instead roaming the galaxy aboard their giant fortress monastery Phalanx. They remain true to the standards set out by their Primarch, Rogal Dorn. The Imperial Fists have borne countless successor chapters, each one unwaveringly loyal to Rogal Dorn and their roots.

Imperial Fists excel at finding weak points in enemy buildings and targeting them to bring them down. They are second to none in their use of bolt weapons to pick off enemies hiding behind ruins. It was these skills that the Emperor saw as imperative and charged them with the defence of Terra and its solar system during the Horus Heresy, and they repaid his faith in them with many victories over Horus’ forces during the siege of Terra.

 

Blood Angels

The Blood Angels were the 9th Legion of Astartes and were led by their Primarch Sanguinius, before he was killed by his brother, Horus, during the Horus Heresy. Today they are led by their Chapter Master, Commander Dante, who is the oldest living Space Marine and has fought in countless battles. A truly devastating force of close combat destruction, the Blood Angels are seen as one of the most gifted chapters when it comes to war. They are extremely proud of their history and the standing they hold amongst other chapters.

However, despite their superior combat skills, Sanguinius’ genetic code hid a deadly flaw which passed on to every Blood Angel Space Marine. It can manifest itself in two ways, the Black Rage and the Red Thirst. The Black Rage takes over the Blood Angels minds and is a psychic imprint of the moment of Sanguinius’ death, which spirals them into an uncontrollable rage and craving for violence upon their enemies. Blood Angels who succumb to the rage are sent to join the infamous Death Company who are deployed into the most intense of fighting to act out their rage before leading them to their own deaths. The Red Thirst is a hidden obsession within the Blood Angels genetic code which, if followed to the fullest, makes their lusting for blood unending and overwhelming. The specific details are hidden by the Blood Angels as their most shameful secret, but it is said that they become like vampires with an unnatural desire for the taste of their enemies blood.

Despite their flaws, the Blood Angels are a lore-rich chapter with many unique units to their name and a revered history that some chapters could only dream of.

 

Iron Hands

The Iron Hands were the 10th Legion and have an affinity for the power and uncompromising reliance of machinery. Their Primarch was Ferrus Manus and they hail from their homeworld of Medusa. The Iron Hands harbour a belief that flesh is weak and easily corrupted and so look to emulate the Adeptus Mechanicus’ Cult of the Machine by slowly replacing their weak, human forms with bionic substitutes.

Some believe that the bionic enhancements are to create even stronger Marines to compensate for their relatively low numbers, others believe it is to engineer out their human emotions and destroy their guilt at the death of their Primarch. Their love of mechanised warfare is shown in battle, as they field huge amounts of tanks and dreadnoughts, heavy weapons and a lack of infantry in general. Their strength is evident through their overwhelming firepower as they constantly seek vengeance for their murdered gene father.

 

Ultramarines

The Ultramarines are probably the most easily recognisable of all the legions and need the least introduction. You will have likely seen their bright blue armour adorning the cover of White Dwarf or the box of latest Space Marines to come out of Games Workshop. Led by their Primarch Roboute Guilliman, they truly are the poster boys of Warhammer 40k.

They began as the 13th Legion and were one of the largest forces throughout the Horus Heresy. This translated into the creation of their many successor chapters. They strike out from their homeworld of Macragge, now led by their Chapter Master Marneus Calgar.

They are viewed as the most regal and righteous of all the chapters and excel in strategic warfare with a balanced style, able to employ all areas of attack in devastating combinations. As the name suggests, they view themselves as the ultras amongst other Space Marine chapters, being the embodiment of what it is to be a great Space Marine legion.

 

Salamanders

The Salamanders were the 18th Legion from the First Founding and are deadly fighters who excel in the use of fire and flame weapons. The Salamanders homeworld of Nocturne is a volatile and borderline uninhabitable place of constant volcanic activity. Despite this, it secretes some of the most valuable minerals known to man and the tough Salamanders are happy to farm them. Their Primarch Vulkan was a master weaponsmith and proved himself to also be a valiant leader.

The Salamanders are distinct for their bright green armour and jet black skin, which is caused by an extra implanted organ in the Space Marines bodies, Melanochrome, which causes the skin to change colour to protect against radiation in the atmosphere. Another fundamental trait of the Salamanders is their concern for human life. They are well known for disagreeing with and not going through with any orders which involve severe human collateral. Because of this they are often seen as the true defenders of the Imperium and the real good guys amongst the humans.

 

Black Templars

The largest chapter and the most deviated from the Code Astartes are the Black Templars. A successor chapter of the Imperial Fists, the crusading Sons of Dorn do not have a homeworld, instead residing upon a nomadic roaming fleet of ships on an eternal crusade to rid the universe of Xenos filth. Because they constantly roam the galaxy and never settle anywhere, no one really knows how many Black Templars exist, although it is estimated to be well over 10,000, just slightly more than the Codex imposed limit of 1,000.

The Black Templars view the Emperor as a literal god and will do anything to cleanse the Imperium for him. They are also notorious Witch haters and shun any form of psychic powers within their armies. They are known as the most (over) zealous of all armies, with a penchant for melee combat and getting into the face of their enemies.

Clad in black, white and red armour, they are somewhat representative of the crusading French knights of old. They are currently led by their High Marshall, Helbrecht, who resides aboard his Fortress Monastery Battleship, The Eternal Crusader. The Black Templars are renowned for producing the finest and most gifted melee combatants and high a very powerful Chaplaincy, recruiting many to lead their warriors with the cries of their litanies emboldening them to great deeds of honour.

 

Crimson Fists

The Crimson Fists are another successor chapter of the Imperial Fists and are the personification of immovable and inflexible. Their home planet, their forces and their spirit were almost destroyed at the hands of an Ork Waaagh! but they held firm and their courage prevailed as they defeated the Orks. Their legendary Chapter Master Pedro Kantor embodies that courage and leads his armies through everything their enemies can throw at them.

Despite their near destruction, they rebuilt and are one of the most codex compliant forces, known for never giving up ground and holding strong in the face of destruction. It is no surprise really, having come from the Imperial Fists and their strength of fortification.

 

Flesh Tearers

The Flesh Tearers are arguably the most famous of the Blood Angels successor chapters and, as their name suggests, have a rather disturbing and borderline savage reputation for spilling the blood of their enemies. They have come close to being excommunicated from the Imperium, but have always been exonerated, usually only just! They have been shunned by their parent chapter and many of the other successors. The Flesh Tearers are particularly susceptible to the Black Rage and the Red Thirst and this has only added to their reputation as being close to the lure and corruption of Chaos.

Their Chapter Master Gabriel Seth helps to mitigate their flaws and deploys their units as vanguard spearheads into the middle of battles, hoping that their bloodlust will be satisfied upon the enemy without them becoming uncontrollable and taking their rage out on the allies. It is said that the arrival of Primaris Space Marines have helped to reduce the numbers of Marines taken by the flaws as they are less susceptible to and more resilient against the failings of their Primarchs gene seed.