The Planet Killer is a colossal Chaos warship and the flagship of Abaddon the Despoiler. Its main weapon, the Armageddon Gun, can destroy an entire planet, making it one of the most feared vessels in Warhammer 40k.
What is the Planet Killer?
The Planet Killer is a massive Chaos starship that serves as Abaddon the Despoiler’s flagship. It’s armed with the Armageddon Gun, a weapon powerful enough to crack a planet open. Within the Eye of Terror it’s also known as Krukal’Righ.
It’s more than a battleship. It’s a symbol of Abaddon’s ambition and a tool of terror, capable of wiping out worlds and breaking the morale of entire sectors.
Origins and construction
Accounts of where the Planet Killer came from don’t quite agree. One story says Abaddon found a half-built hull in an ancient shipyard deep inside the Eye of Terror sometime after the 10th Black Crusade.
Another says that in 978.M40 Abaddon overthrew Lord Teknos of the renegade forge world Baji IV. Teknos’ tech-priests followed him into the Eye and built the ship using data from the halo world Lanamorgstein.
Either way, construction finished in 139.M41, just before the Gothic War. The sorcerer Zaraphiston bound daemons into the vessel, cutting down the crew needed to run it.
The Gothic War and beyond
The Planet Killer made its name in the Gothic War. Abaddon first showed off the Armageddon Gun on the Cardinal World of Savaven. The planet broke apart and its whole population died within an hour. The shock crippled Imperial morale across the sector.
At Saviour, the threat alone was enough: the planet’s commander agreed to build ships for the Chaos fleet to spare eleven billion lives. At Stranivar, the Planet Killer destroyed all three moons, and the falling debris wrecked huge parts of the hive world below.
Later, during the 13th Black Crusade, it destroyed Macharia and Urthwart. In the Nachmund Rift War it was used again, and its eventual fate remains unclear.
- Savaven: destroyed by the Armageddon Gun, population dead within an hour.
- Saviour: submitted without a shot, agreeing to build ships for Chaos.
- Stranivar: all three moons destroyed, debris devastated the surface.
- Macharia and Urthwart: destroyed during the 13th Black Crusade.
Design and reputation
The Planet Killer is built around its main weapon. The Armageddon Gun is a massive energy projector that can shatter a planet’s crust and break it apart. The ship itself is huge and heavily armoured, meant to survive the kind of battle where it’s the primary target.
Its reputation precedes it. The mere arrival of the Planet Killer has forced worlds to surrender. It’s a weapon of psychological warfare as much as physical destruction.
Command and notable actions
Abaddon usually commands the Planet Killer personally, but he’s handed it to trusted subordinates. During the assault on Arimaspia, he left it under Malefica Arkham, who destroyed two of the system’s five planets as a diversion while Abaddon struck at Schindlegeist with a captured Blackstone Fortress.
When Abaddon was driven back, Arkham was left stranded. There are also conflicting reports about the Planet Killer’s supposed destruction at various points, but it’s always returned to threaten the Imperium again.
Key facts
- The Planet Killer is Abaddon the Despoiler’s flagship and a major Chaos warship.
- Its main weapon, the Armageddon Gun, can destroy an entire planet.
- It was completed in 139.M41, just before the Gothic War.
- It destroyed Savaven, Stranivar’s moons, Macharia, and Urthwart, and forced Saviour to submit.
- Its origins are disputed: either found half-built in the Eye of Terror or constructed by tech-priests from Baji IV.
- It’s also known as Krukal’Righ within the Eye of Terror.
FAQ
What is the Planet Killer in Warhammer 40k?
It’s a massive Chaos warship and the flagship of Abaddon the Despoiler. Its main weapon, the Armageddon Gun, can destroy an entire planet.
What is the Armageddon Gun?
The Armageddon Gun is the Planet Killer’s main weapon. It fires a devastating energy blast that can crack a planet apart, as seen at Savaven.
Who built the Planet Killer?
Sources disagree. One account says Abaddon found a half-built hull in the Eye of Terror. Another says tech-priests from Baji IV built it after Abaddon conquered their forge world.
Was the Planet Killer ever destroyed?
There are conflicting reports of its destruction, but it’s reappeared in later conflicts like the 13th Black Crusade and the Nachmund Rift War. Its final fate isn’t clear.