The Kin are a clone race of resilient and pragmatic warriors, who together form the ancient Leagues of Votann. Given wisdom and purpose by their ancient Ancestor Cores, armed and armoured by the pounding pistons of the forge, they scour the galaxy for the resources to expand their works and overcome any foe. Hernkyn Pioneers roam the battlefield on magna-rail bikes, scouting a path for doughty Hearthkyn Warriors and augmented Cthonian Beserks to secure their objectives – guided by battle-tested Kâhls such as the legendary Ûthar The Destined.

The Genestealer Cults erupt from the shadows in a tide of xenos-worshipping acolytes, employing ambush and subterfuge to outmanoeuvre their enemies. Utterly immersed in Tyranid gene-taint, the cult's Neophyte Hybrids and more mutated Acolyte Hybrids rise up against their oppressors, armed with a variety of repurposed industrial equipment – from powerful mining lasers to heavy machinery like the Goliath Rockgrinder. Guided by the insidious psychic presence of a Magus, the misshapen Aberrants lope from the shadows to reinforce their kin, swinging crushing mauls to deadly effect.

For ten thousand years, the Chaos Space Marines have waged near-constant war on the galaxy that cast them out. Once the defenders of humanity, the Heretic Astartes have pledged themselves to the Dark Gods. Led by maniacal leaders such as the fanatical Dark Apostle, bitter warbands of Chaos Space Marines roam the battlefield, armed with an array of vicious weapons. Barricades and defenders alike are torn asunder by the devastating heavy armaments wielded by Havocs – and the frenzied swipes of a lumbering Helbrute.

Resplendent in gleaming gold, the Adeptus Custodes stride into war with the confidence earned through ten millennia of martial superiority. Bullets and shrapnel ricochet from gilded auramite breastplates – these warriors are armoured with the finest wargear, carrying the blessing of the God-Emperor Himself. When combined with the peerless anti-psychic protection provided by the Sisters of Silence, there are few in the galaxy who can withstand them.

The Tyranids are rapacious alien swarms that emerge from the cold darkness of the intergalactic void. Guided by the unknowable intellect of the Hive Mind, these nightmarish super-predators hunt, kill, and feed without end, stripping world after world of biomass and leaving nothing but airless rocks in their wake. When the Tyranids make planetfall, a seemingly endless tide of Termagants spit vile living ammunition at hapless defenders, while writhing Ripper Swarms surge over the wounded and dead alike. These creatures are guided by intelligent Tyranid Warriors – vicious bioforms bristling with organic weapons – and a monstrous Hive Tyrant, the towering psychic lynchpin of the swarm's advance.

The Aeldari once ruled the galaxy, before their civilisation collapsed beneath the weight of its own hedonism. Now the Asuryani sail the stars aboard massive vessels called craftworlds, their citizens keeping to highly disciplined Paths to avoid drowning in the same decadent madness as their ancestors. Each craftworld's Guardians take up arms to defend their dying race, wielding deadly shuriken catapults or power blades, or shredding foes atop their swift Windrider jetbikes.

The Thousand Sons advance into battle amidst gouts of kaleidoscopic warpflame and bolts of raw sorcery. The heart of these arcane armies is comprised of Rubricae – implacable warriors who level salvo after salvo against the foe, marching at the command of the mighty Sorcerers and diabolic Infernal Masters who rule their fractured Legion. Around them come shrieking herds of Tzaangor, mutant shock troops armed with cursed blades and dark sorcery.

The most mysterious of the Emperor’s servants, the Grey Knights are a unique Chapter of Space Marines. Each is an elite warrior-mystic, clad in sigil-scribed power armour and wielding archaic weapons through which they channel their otherworldly abilities.

The Adeptus Mechanicus are the undisputed masters of Mankind’s technological secrets, many examples of which date back thousands of years before the birth of the Imperium.

The T'au Empire are a fledgling race in the grand scheme of things, thrusting out into the stars to spread their philosophy of the Greater Good to all they can reach.

The Drukhari are a decadent race of alien tormentors and raiders. Once part of a galaxy-spanning empire, the Drukhari now indulge in every macabre passion their supreme intelligence can conceive.

The Necrons are amongst the most ancient and powerful races in the galaxy. Armoured bodies of living metal, they advance in inexorable lockstep upon their terrified foes.