Unit Tier List for Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000
Shown models only. No invented armour values, no fake Aspect shrines.
This preview unit tier list for Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 ranks models Creative Assembly has actually shown or named in public showcases — not a tabletop shopping list and not a patch datasheet. There are no official wounds, ballistic skill charts, or points. Bands below describe role and footage depth. If a kit is missing, it is missing. That is the entire methodology.
Start at the tier list hub and the faction tiers so you do not read a Baneblade cell as a faction grade. Then steal posture from Builds rather than copying this table into a fake 2,000-point roster.
Shown and central — battleline
Cadian infantry are the Guard battleline CA keeps putting in ruins and on riverbanks. Mixed models inside a blob — Commissar, vox, different guns — and per-model line of fire are why this card is not “one lasgun statistic”. Sentry mode exists so this battleline does not chase bait. Unlimited ammo in shown builds does not make Cadians S-tier snipers; cover does.
Ork mobs are the greenskin battleline. Gamescom used them as the pressure test for gunlines. They sit central because the engine is built to let hordes exist and die in clumps. A mob that arrives as one rectangle is a bombardment target. A mob that staggers through ruins is the reason Guard and Marines have to spend army tools.
Space Marine infantry is central-as-specialised rather than central-as-spam: a handful of quality models in a Strike Force, Ultramarines as the confirmed chapter, not a map full of intercessor clones we have not been given permission to name as loadout fact.
Shown and central — super-heavies
Baneblade is the Guard super-heavy preview sessions will not stop putting on the table. Role: overlapping fire on a long lane, not an isolated flank pet. We do not publish turret armour, main-gun strength, or a points cost.
Stompa is the Ork super-heavy counterpart. Role: break a lane or scare the Baneblade, not tourist the far edge alone. Same refusal to invent stats.
If Aeldari have a super-heavy in a thumbnail we cannot honestly identify, it does not get a row. Titans, Knights, and unshown Imperial engines are not on this page as if they were in the 2027 box.
Shown and specialised
Leman Russ and Rogal Dorn — tank-lane tools. Strafe and reverse while firing, with accuracy penalties in the builds shown. They are not silent.
Sentinels — angle pieces for the gunline, not a second Baneblade.
Ogryns — the moment a mob reaches the ruin. Punctuation, not battleline.
Commissars / Yarrick — discipline and story, inside bodyguards. Not immortal solo avatars.
Meganobz — Ork elite punch. If they are the list, you built expensive Marines with worse habits.
Deff Dreads — noisy walkers that pull tank facing. Not Aeldari.
Ghazghkull — confirmed Ork warlord of the Armageddon poster, still wants a bodyguard in this engine.
Marine warlords, Librarians, bodyguards — the Strike Force core Gamescom taught. A Librarian is not a WARHAMMER III legendary lord.
Custom warlords — every launch race gets one, plus two lore sub-factions. They are a slot, not a stat line.
Mid / unknown
Aeldari kits as a group. Least data. Speed, psychic precision, strike-then-vanish is the pitch. Named Aspects, craftworlds, and a Phoenix Lord are not rows on this table. See the Aeldari build. Individual silhouettes we cannot identify stay unknown rather than becoming “S-tier shining spears” fan fiction.
Anything Chaos, including Chaos Space Marines, is not launch. Traitor Guard is a Guard reskin, not a new unit table.
How systems change a “tier” without numbers
Cover and sightlines can drop a super-heavy a band if you park it in a street. Sentry can promote a Cadian blob from dead to alive. Mixed weapons can make one card do two jobs. Reserves can make a Strike Force feel twice as big. Bombardment can delete the “S-tier mob” you marched as a rectangle. That is why this page is a role list, not a damage spreadsheet. Practise those jobs in the army planner and read how to play.
Campaign does not give units extra wounds. Marines still upgrade in orbit on the galactic map; Orks still industrialise planets. A Stompa you cannot afford on the dirt layer is not S-tier. A Baneblade you cannot protect on the tactical layer is not S-tier either.
What will rewrite the rows
Closed beta sign-ups opened June 2026; testing is planned later in 2026. A showcase that plays Aeldari at Cadian clarity, or names the second Marine chapter and the second Ork clan, adds rows. Until the 2027 launch of Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 on Steam app 4199910, Epic, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series, this table stays a preview. Full controller support, Japanese VO, the 18+ rating, and Steam’s Windows 10 minimum / Windows 11 recommended line do not belong in a unit cell.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 questions.
Is this unit list a live Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 meta?
No. It ranks shown roles from preview footage. There are no official stats, points, or win rates.
Which super-heavies are on the table?
The Baneblade for Guard and the Stompa for Orks have been shown. We do not invent a third faction’s Titan analog.
Why are Cadians and Ork mobs both central?
They are the battleline CA keeps putting in preview battles. Central means footage depth and role, not an identical power level.
Where are Aeldari units?
In mid / unknown as a group. Specific Aspect kits are not listed as fact until Creative Assembly shows them clearly.
Will this page add Chaos units at launch?
No. Chaos Space Marines are planned later. Traitor Guard is a custom Guard reskin, not a new table.