Krieg is a devastated Imperial world, and its name is best known through the Death Korps of Krieg: soldiers raised from its ash wastes who fight as a cult of sacrifice, trying to atone for their ancestors’ rebellion.
What happened to Krieg
Krieg was once a prosperous hive world, until a rebellion against the Imperium tore it apart. The loyalists eventually won, but only by turning the planet’s surface into a radioactive wasteland.
That victory left the survivors with a debt they’ve never stopped paying. The world’s military culture was rebuilt around atonement, and every generation since has been raised to earn forgiveness through service.
The Death Korps of Krieg
The Death Korps is Krieg’s Astra Militarum regiment, and its reputation is built on siegecraft and sheer endurance. They hold ground in conditions that would break most regiments, and they don’t expect to survive it.
Their gear reflects that outlook: gas masks, long coats, and utilitarian lasguns. They’re often described as a pitiless cult of sacrifice, because dying for the Emperor is treated as the point, not a risk.
- Specialists include Watchmasters, vox-operators, medics, and troopers with long-las, flamer, grenade launcher, plasma gun, or meltagun.
- The 2025 plastic kit builds 10 troopers from 130 components, with a transfer sheet of 803 waterslide decals.
- On the tabletop they’re an Astra Militarum unit, so they slot into that army rather than standing alone.
Why Krieg matters in the lore
Krieg is the clearest example of Imperial guilt made into a war machine. The planet’s shame doesn’t stay buried; it’s exported as regiments, decade after decade.
That makes Krieg a useful lens on the wider Imperium too. It shows how a world can be broken by its own civil war and still be counted loyal, so long as it keeps sending soldiers.
How Krieg connects to the rest of 40k
Krieg sits inside the Astra Militarum, the Imperium’s vast conventional army. Their siege style puts them alongside other famous regiments, though their atonement theme is uniquely theirs.
The Death Korps also appear in Warhammer 40,000 fiction and in games like Kill Team, so you’ll run into them outside a full Astra Militarum list.
Key facts
- Krieg is a former hive world ruined by a rebellion against the Imperium.
- Its loyalists won by irradiating the planet, and the survivors turned that guilt into a culture of atonement.
- The Death Korps of Krieg is the planet’s Astra Militarum regiment, known for siege warfare and endurance.
- They’re often called a cult of sacrifice because death in service is expected, not avoided.
- The 2025 plastic kit builds 10 troopers from 130 components, with 803 waterslide transfers included.
FAQ
Is Krieg a planet or a regiment?
Both. Krieg is the world, and the Death Korps of Krieg is the Astra Militarum regiment raised from it.
Why do the Death Korps wear gas masks?
Krieg’s surface was left irradiated after its civil war, so masks and sealed gear are practical. They’ve also become part of the regiment’s iconography.
What army can I use Death Korps of Krieg models in?
They’re Astra Militarum units in Warhammer 40,000. The 2025 kit builds 10 troopers with plenty of weapon and cosmetic options.