Stormcast Eternals aren’t a Warhammer 40k faction, but fans keep calling them Sigmarines anyway. Here’s why the comparison sticks, what it gets right, and where the two armies really part ways.
What people mean by stormcasts 40k kin
There’s no Stormcast unit in Warhammer 40k. The phrase is fan shorthand for the obvious parallel between Age of Sigmar’s Stormcast Eternals and 40k’s Space Marines.
Both are elite, god-made soldiers serving a god-like ruler. Both are the poster faction for their game, pushed hard by Games Workshop. That’s why you’ll hear jokes like Sigmarines, Ground Marines, or Fantasy Marines.
- Sigmarines, the most common nickname
- Ground Marines and Fantasy Marines, used on forums like 1d6chan
- Adeptus Sigmartes, a mashup of Adeptus Astartes and Sigmar
- “Sigmarines, ROLL OUT!” is a running joke 1d6chan attributes to Celestant-Prime
How they differ from Space Marines
The similarities are mostly surface-level. Stormcasts aren’t distant warrior-monks cut off from normal life. They’re a religious order of holy knights who can serve as administrators, builders, artisans, or guards when they’re not fighting.
They also don’t die the same way. A slain Stormcast’s soul returns to Azyr and gets reforged into a new body. Each reforging chips away at their memories and humanity, so they slowly become more divine and less themselves.
The model parallels are real too. Some Stormcasts carry crossbows that look like bolters, their weapons are fantasy thunderhammers, and the winged ones resemble Blood Angels enough that fans noticed.
Origins: Sigmar’s answer to the Age of Chaos
During the Age of Chaos, Sigmar shut the Realm of Azyr away and sealed it off from the rest of the Mortal Realms. After losing Ghal-Maraz to Chaos trickery, he decided he needed a new kind of army.
He built the Stormcast Eternals with Grungni, using the remains of the Old World. Teclis and Malerion concealed the work with magic so Chaos wouldn’t see it coming. The result was an immortal host of reforged heroes, plucked from battlefields across the Realms and remade in sigmarite and living lightning.
The 27 Stormhosts and their rules
Stormcasts are split into Stormhosts, colour-coded subfactions with their own rules and identities. That mirrors the Chapter system Space Marines use. Each one has its own colour scheme, iconography, and backstory.
Some of the most prominent, like the Anvils of Heldenhammer or Hallowed Knights, get specific in-game rules in the Stormcast Eternals Battletome. Those rules grant an Allegiance Ability, Command Ability, Command Trait, and Artefact of Power.
- Anvils of Heldenhammer
- Astral Templars
- Azyrite Arbiters
- Blades of Dawn
- Celestial Knights
- Celestial Vindicators
- Celestial Warbringers
- Crimson Seraphs
- Fists of Sigmarite
- Ghyran Guard
- Hallowed Knights
- Hammers of Sigmar
- Knights Excelsior
- Knights of Azyr
- Knights of the Aurora
- Lightning Hawks
- Lions of Sigmar
- Maelstrom of Light
- Radiant Suns of Sigmar
- Sigmarite Brotherhood
- Sons of Mallus
- Sons of the Gladius
- Sons of the Storm
- Stormblood Guard
- Tempest Lords
- The Bloodied Dawn
- The Silent Host
Broken Realms losses and tabletop role
The Broken Realms storyline hit the Stormcasts hard. The entire Sigmarite Brotherhood stormhost was wiped out to the last, with Nagash’s champion Olynder claiming their souls. The Hallowed Knights and Celestial Vindicators were depleted, and chaos storms emerged that block Stormcast souls from returning to Azyr.
On the tabletop, Stormcasts are one of the best defensive lines in Age of Sigmar. They have strong shooting and magic, and their base units are strong enough that list-building stays flexible. For beginners, they’re one of the easiest factions to pick up, forgiving of mistakes and low maintenance.
Key facts
- Stormcast Eternals belong to Age of Sigmar, not Warhammer 40k.
- Fans call them Sigmarines because they mirror Space Marines in role and marketing.
- Sigmar forges them from dead heroes in the Realm of Azyr.
- Slain Stormcasts are reforged, but lose memories and humanity each time.
- There are 27 official Stormhosts, some with their own battletome rules.
- The Broken Realms storyline wiped out the Sigmarite Brotherhood and blocked souls from returning to Azyr.
FAQ
Are Stormcast Eternals in Warhammer 40k?
No. They only exist in Warhammer Age of Sigmar. The 40k comparison is a fan joke, not official crossover lore.
Why are Stormcasts called Sigmarines?
Because they’re Sigmar’s version of Space Marines: elite, armoured, god-made soldiers who headline their game the same way Marines do in 40k.
Can Stormcast Eternals really not die?
They can be killed, but their souls return to Azyr and get reforged. The catch is that every reforging erodes their memories and personality.