VITAL SIGNS — Theory: BSData BSData v10.6.0, matched-play filtered. Performance: weighted aggregator-source comparison. Practice: recency-weighted top-player tier lists. Attention: combined Search and YouTube engagement.
DOSSIERS · FACTION

Chaos Knights

10TH EDITION · BSData v10.6.0 · CAPTURED 2026-05-18
NARROW BUT DEEP AUTOMATED
← All dossiers   ·   Strength Index
HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

WHAT DO THE Z-SCORES MEAN?

Every “Theory Z” number on this page is a comparison to all matched-play units across all factions in the current dataset. Zero is the population average. A unit at +1.0 is one standard deviation above average — roughly the top 16% of all units in the game on paper. +2.0 is the top 2–3%; exceptional. The scale works the same way going down: −1.0 is the bottom 16%, −2.0 the bottom 2–3%. These numbers measure what units should do against fixed reference targets — they do not predict tournament outcomes. A faction’s score is the average of its units’ z-scores; small-roster factions have less smoothing.

HOW TO READ THE RADAR CHARTS

Each radar chart has five axes radiating out from the centre. The faction’s average performance against each target type (left chart) or against each threat type (right chart) is plotted as a point on each axis, and the points are connected to form a polygon. The inner pentagon marks the population average (0σ); rings move outward by one standard deviation each. A point past the +1σ ring means the faction performs meaningfully above average against that target or threat. The polygon’s SHAPE shows specialisation — pointy means strong in one direction and weak in others; broad and even means the faction has comparable capability across the board. A polygon that’s far from the centre overall (whether pointy or even) means a strong faction in that dimension; a polygon clustered near the centre means roughly average.

WHAT DO THE PANELS MEASURE?

OFFENSIVE — OUTPUT PER TARGET
Light Infantry
Cheap, lightly-armoured swarms with lots of bodies.
EXAMPLESTermagants, Cultist Mob, Boyz.
BASELINET3 Sv5+ W1, 10-model squad
MEQ (Marine-equivalent)
Standard power-armoured infantry, the bread-and-butter of the game.
EXAMPLESTactical Marines, Intercessors, Warriors.
BASELINET4 Sv3+ W2, 5-model squad
Heavy Infantry (Heavy infantry / elite)
Tough, expensive, durable infantry with invulnerable saves.
EXAMPLESCustodian Guard, Terminators, Possessed.
BASELINET6 Sv2+ Inv4+ W3, 3-model squad
Light Vehicle (Light vehicle / transport)
Mobile transports and lighter walkers.
EXAMPLESRhinos, Wave Serpents, Sentinels.
BASELINET8 Sv3+ W10, single model
Heavy Vehicle (Heavy vehicle / monster)
Tanks, monsters, and knights.
EXAMPLESLand Raiders, Hierodules, Imperial Knights.
BASELINET11 Sv2+ Inv5+ W22, single model
DEFENSIVE — DURABILITY PER THREAT
Small Arms
Standard infantry shooting; bolters, lasguns, autoguns. Lots of average shots that chip through wounds.
EXAMPLESBolter, lasgun, autogun.
BASELINES4 AP0 D1, 2 attacks per attacker
MEQ-Killer
Anti-Marine workhorses; cuts through power armour but does not crack tanks.
EXAMPLESHeavy bolter, plasma weapons, heavy stubber.
BASELINES5 AP1 D2, 2 attacks
Armour Cracker
Anti-light-vehicle weapons; punches through 3+ saves and threatens transports.
EXAMPLESMeltagun at short range, krak missile, autocannon.
BASELINES10 AP3 D3, 1 attack
Anti-Tank
Dedicated tank-hunters.
EXAMPLESLascannon, las-talon, dedicated heavy weapons.
BASELINES14 AP3 D6, 1 attack
Knight-Killer
Top-tier anti-armour; weapons designed to one-shot heavy titans.
EXAMPLESMelta-tier weapons, lance-tier weapons.
BASELINES16 AP4 D6+2, 1 attack

VITAL SIGNS FOUR-SIGNAL FACTION VIEW

THEORY
—
matched-play view · 20 units
PERFORMANCE
48%
weighted across 3 src · 1604 games
view the Archive’s raw pull ›
PRACTICE
3 (≈ B)
recency-weighted mean · n=2 publications
ATTENTION
64
raw combined · src 2/2
COMPOSITE Z (DEFAULT WEIGHTS)
+0.6026
± 0.1214
Adjust the signal weights on the Strength Index.

PER-TARGET / PER-THREAT RADAR FACTION-MEAN Z-SCORES OF MATCHED-PLAY UNITS · -2σ TO +2σ SCALE

OFFENSIVE — OUTPUT PER TARGET
Light InfantryMEQHeavy InfantryLight VehicleHeavy Vehicle-2σ-1σ0σ+1σ+2σ
Offensive specialisation: heavy vehicle, light vehicle.
DEFENSIVE — DURABILITY PER THREAT
Small ArmsMEQ-KillerArmour CrackerAnti-TankKnight-Killer-2σ-1σ0σ+1σ+2σ
Defensive specialisation: armour cracker, meq-killer.

LIST BUILDER

No units selected · select units below to build a list view

Select units in the table below to overlay a list view polygon (cyan) on the radar charts above. Average z-scores recompute live as you toggle selections.

UNIT LAB SORTABLE BY UNIT, POINTS BAND, THEORY Z · 20 MATCHED-PLAY UNITS

UNIT ▾ BAND ▾ THEORY Z ▾
＋ Knight Rampager BAND 5 z +2.9665
LOADOUT · ➤ Reaper chainsword - strike · ➤ Reaper chainsword - sweep · ➤ Warpstrike claw - strike · ➤ Warpstrike claw - sweep
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +4.7467
PER TARGET
Light Infantry +1.7062
MEQ +3.4664
Heavy Infantry +4.0081
Light Vehicle +7.2957
Heavy Vehicle +6.847
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.7907
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.6577
MEQ-Killer +1.33
Armour Cracker +1.7852
Anti-Tank +0.6591
Knight-Killer +0.331
configuration_id: 61e0-e55b-1926-44df
＋ War Dog Karnivore BAND 4 z +1.7253
LOADOUT · Reaper chaintalon · Slaughterclaw
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +2.2401
PER TARGET
Light Infantry +1.2469
MEQ +1.2724
Heavy Infantry +1.876
Light Vehicle +2.9095
Heavy Vehicle +4.0056
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +1.0961
PER THREAT
Small Arms +1.1782
MEQ-Killer +0.5056
Armour Cracker +0.6666
Anti-Tank +1.4548
Knight-Killer +1.1818
configuration_id: e96b-ac98-7fd2-a155
＋ Chaos Cerastus Knight Castigator BAND 5 z +1.0974
LOADOUT · Castigator bolt cannon · ➤ Tempest warblade - strike · ➤ Tempest warblade - sweep
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +1.3164
PER TARGET
Light Infantry +0.6361
MEQ +1.3228
Heavy Infantry +1.1447
Light Vehicle +1.5759
Heavy Vehicle +1.6359
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.8298
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.6929
MEQ-Killer +1.3801
Armour Cracker +1.8533
Anti-Tank +0.713
Knight-Killer +0.3884
configuration_id: b6e5-911b-93f-476
＋ Chaos Cerastus Knight Atrapos BAND 5 z +1.0841
LOADOUT · ➤ Atrapos lascutter - low intensity · ➤ Atrapos lascutter - low intensity · ➤ Atrapos lascutter - high intensity · ➤ Atrapos lascutter - high intensity · ➤ Graviton singularity cannon - contained · ➤ Graviton singularity cannon - singularity
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +1.3316
PER TARGET
Light Infantry +0.3655
MEQ +0.8606
Heavy Infantry +1.4049
Light Vehicle +1.8452
Heavy Vehicle +2.3625
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.7816
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.6495
MEQ-Killer +1.3183
Armour Cracker +1.7693
Anti-Tank +0.6465
Knight-Killer +0.3178
configuration_id: 8b1d-9029-f9e1-42d9
＋ Chaos Cerastus Knight Lancer BAND 5 z +1.0832
LOADOUT · Cerastus shock lance · ➤ Cerastus shock lance - strike · ➤ Cerastus shock lance - sweep
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +1.2905
PER TARGET
Light Infantry +0.0731
MEQ +0.4688
Heavy Infantry +1.0772
Light Vehicle +2.6024
Heavy Vehicle +2.4501
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.8298
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.6929
MEQ-Killer +1.3801
Armour Cracker +1.8533
Anti-Tank +0.713
Knight-Killer +0.3884
configuration_id: 4175-82c6-8e96-bef8
＋ Chaos Questoris Knight Styrix BAND 5 z +0.881
LOADOUT · Graviton crusher · Volkite chierovile · Twin rad cleanser · ➤ Hekaton siege claw - strike · ➤ Hekaton siege claw - sweep
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +0.9957
PER TARGET
Light Infantry +0.0904
MEQ +0.3775
Heavy Infantry +0.9019
Light Vehicle +1.9543
Heavy Vehicle +1.8065
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.7409
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.613
MEQ-Killer +1.2662
Armour Cracker +1.6987
Anti-Tank +0.5905
Knight-Killer +0.2576
configuration_id: 106c-4bdf-79a4-1c70
＋ Chaos Questoris Knight Magaera BAND 5 z +0.826
LOADOUT · Lightning cannon · Phased plasma-fusil · Twin rad cleanser · ➤ Hekaton siege claw - strike · ➤ Hekaton siege claw - sweep
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +0.8957
PER TARGET
Light Infantry +0.0647
MEQ +0.4258
Heavy Infantry +0.7017
Light Vehicle +1.8171
Heavy Vehicle +1.5206
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.7409
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.613
MEQ-Killer +1.2662
Armour Cracker +1.6987
Anti-Tank +0.5905
Knight-Killer +0.2576
configuration_id: 2d0e-5b83-b678-56dc
＋ Knight Ruinator BAND 5 z +0.7604
LOADOUT · Darkflame lance · ➤ Fellbore - strike · ➤ Fellbore - sweep · Terrorpulse missiles
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +0.6925
PER TARGET
Light Infantry +0.0741
MEQ +0.5461
Heavy Infantry +0.727
Light Vehicle +1.0306
Heavy Vehicle +1.1464
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.8433
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.7049
MEQ-Killer +1.3973
Armour Cracker +1.8765
Anti-Tank +0.7312
Knight-Killer +0.4082
configuration_id: c0a2-eb65-6d34-5bc6
＋ War Dog Moirax BAND 4 z +0.7158
LOADOUT · Siege claw
chosen from 6 alternatives · highest mean Output Index across target panel
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +0.4047
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.552
MEQ -0.1963
Heavy Infantry +0.2521
Light Vehicle +1.1778
Heavy Vehicle +1.989
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +1.0961
PER THREAT
Small Arms +1.1782
MEQ-Killer +0.5056
Armour Cracker +0.6666
Anti-Tank +1.4548
Knight-Killer +1.1818
configuration_id: ae7c-3679-a88-6895
＋ Chaos Cerastus Knight Acheron BAND 5 z +0.6713
LOADOUT · Acheron flame cannon · ➤ Reaper chainfist - strike · ➤ Reaper chainfist - sweep · Twin heavy bolter
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +0.5416
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.1649
MEQ +0.4748
Heavy Infantry +0.3336
Light Vehicle +1.1089
Heavy Vehicle +0.9889
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.8298
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.6929
MEQ-Killer +1.3801
Armour Cracker +1.8533
Anti-Tank +0.713
Knight-Killer +0.3884
configuration_id: ec6e-d1d6-f7c6-d008
＋ Knight Abominant BAND 5 z +0.5684
LOADOUT · Balemace · Electroscourge · Volkite combustor
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z +0.3436
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.0071
MEQ +0.1991
Heavy Infantry +0.6214
Light Vehicle +0.6407
Heavy Vehicle +0.2596
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.8433
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.7049
MEQ-Killer +1.3973
Armour Cracker +1.8765
Anti-Tank +0.7312
Knight-Killer +0.4082
configuration_id: a78d-828b-302b-1bec
＋ War Dog Executioner BAND 4 z +0.4226
LOADOUT · War Dog autocannon
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -0.402
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.5714
MEQ -0.4622
Heavy Infantry -0.228
Light Vehicle -0.125
Heavy Vehicle -0.4236
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +1.4304
PER THREAT
Small Arms +1.5164
MEQ-Killer +0.7465
Armour Cracker +0.9934
Anti-Tank +1.9719
Knight-Killer +1.7352
configuration_id: 8df0-fc3c-8ced-ffce
＋ Chaos Acastus Knight Porphyrion BAND 5 z +0.2808
LOADOUT · Twin magna lascannon · Acastus autocannon · Lascannon · Helios defence missiles
chosen from 2 alternatives · highest mean Output Index across target panel
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -0.3145
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.8132
MEQ -0.6528
Heavy Infantry -0.4641
Light Vehicle +0.438
Heavy Vehicle +0.3301
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +1.0084
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.9987
MEQ-Killer +1.0968
Armour Cracker +0.981
Anti-Tank +0.023
Knight-Killer -0.4313
configuration_id: fe77-6f85-5ddb-65bf
＋ Knight Desecrator BAND 5 z +0.2531
LOADOUT · Desecrator laser destructor · Diabolus heavy stubber
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -0.2298
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.7536
MEQ -0.5948
Heavy Infantry -0.4804
Light Vehicle +0.5848
Heavy Vehicle +0.479
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.8433
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.7049
MEQ-Killer +1.3973
Armour Cracker +1.8765
Anti-Tank +0.7312
Knight-Killer +0.4082
configuration_id: 7a51-8f1f-7290-d9d2
＋ Knight Tyrant BAND 5 z +0.185
LOADOUT · Titanic feet · Twin daemonbreath meltagun · ➤ Ectoplasma decimator - supercharge
chosen from 5 alternatives · highest mean Output Index across target panel
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -0.2474
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.5957
MEQ -0.2068
Heavy Infantry -0.1898
Light Vehicle +0.1394
Heavy Vehicle -0.2556
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.7136
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.5884
MEQ-Killer +1.2313
Armour Cracker +1.6514
Anti-Tank +0.553
Knight-Killer +0.2181
configuration_id: 87ea-c7bd-6df0-f056
＋ Chaos Acastus Knight Asterius BAND 5 z -0.0193
LOADOUT · Asterius volkite culverin · Karacnos mortar battery · Twin conversion beam cannon
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -0.7153
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.7529
MEQ -0.811
Heavy Infantry -0.7114
Light Vehicle -0.4983
Heavy Vehicle -0.4499
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.8313
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.8272
MEQ-Killer +0.9135
Armour Cracker +0.7739
Anti-Tank -0.1408
Knight-Killer -0.5997
configuration_id: e289-ad32-c78a-e055
＋ War Dog Stalker BAND 4 z -0.0263
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -1.0717
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -1.0658
MEQ -1.0601
Heavy Infantry -0.9969
Light Vehicle -0.9153
Heavy Vehicle -0.8742
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +1.2513
PER THREAT
Small Arms +1.3352
MEQ-Killer +0.6175
Armour Cracker +0.8184
Anti-Tank +1.695
Knight-Killer +1.4387
configuration_id: bbc6-c0ed-24e8-86b7
＋ War Dog Brigand BAND 4 z -0.0263
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -1.0717
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -1.0658
MEQ -1.0601
Heavy Infantry -0.9969
Light Vehicle -0.9153
Heavy Vehicle -0.8742
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +1.2513
PER THREAT
Small Arms +1.3352
MEQ-Killer +0.6175
Armour Cracker +0.8184
Anti-Tank +1.695
Knight-Killer +1.4387
configuration_id: 753d-4e02-eda3-4809
＋ War Dog Huntsman BAND 4 z -0.0263
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -1.0717
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -1.0658
MEQ -1.0601
Heavy Infantry -0.9969
Light Vehicle -0.9153
Heavy Vehicle -0.8742
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +1.2513
PER THREAT
Small Arms +1.3352
MEQ-Killer +0.6175
Armour Cracker +0.8184
Anti-Tank +1.695
Knight-Killer +1.4387
configuration_id: 6e6d-7950-ce6d-4cd4
＋ Knight Despoiler BAND 5 z -0.2172
LOADOUT · Titanic feet
OUTPUT INDEX
output_z -0.9439
PER TARGET
Light Infantry -0.9423
MEQ -0.9107
Heavy Infantry -0.8688
Light Vehicle -0.8166
Heavy Vehicle -0.7991
DURABILITY INDEX
durability_z +0.671
PER THREAT
Small Arms +0.5502
MEQ-Killer +1.1767
Armour Cracker +1.5773
Anti-Tank +0.4946
Knight-Killer +0.155
configuration_id: 0119-8c04-435e-c782
3 of 20 matched-play units had choose-one weapon options; the pipeline picked the loadout maximising mean damage-per-point across the target panel per unit. 0 units used fallback summing. See methodology note for details.

CONCENTRATION HOW MUCH OF THE THEORY ROLLUP IS CARRIED BY ONE UNIT

Concentration: MEDIUM — Knight Rampager drives this faction’s matched-play Theory rollup with a marginal-impact share of 0.1214.
See the methodology library for what this measurement means and what it doesn’t.

EDITORIAL PERSPECTIVE EDITOR’S READ — INTERPRETIVE, NOT MEASURED

EDITOR

Editorial perspective coming. The Editor’s analysis of this faction’s current competitive position will appear here as the dossier program rolls out.

CROSS-LINKS RECAPS, METHODOLOGY, DIRECTORY

RECENT TOURNAMENT RECAPS

No recap titles in the current snapshot reference this faction by name. Faction-aware recap tagging is on the Phase 6+ roadmap.

METHODOLOGY

WAYFINDER

Data: BSData v10.6.0 captured 2026-05-18. Matched-play view filters Crucible and Legends suffixes; per-unit z-scores re-derived against the matched-play population. See methodology for caveats.