The chainsword is Warhammer 40k’s signature melee weapon: a sword with a motorised, toothed blade that screams as it chews through armour. It’s carried by everyone from Imperial Guard officers to Space Marine Assault Squads, and it’s as much a piece of the setting’s identity as bolters or power armour. It’s also one of the fastest ways to make a miniature look like it means business.
What a chainsword actually is
Take a sword, replace the edge with a running loop of razor teeth, and drive it with a motor in the hilt. That’s the basic idea. Most patterns use monomolecular-edged or otherwise brutally sharp teeth, so the weapon doesn’t just cut, it grinds.
The sound is part of the package. A chainsword makes an angry buzzing idle that climbs into a high-pitched scream when the teeth bite into armour. If you’ve heard one in a game or a novel, you know the noise before you see the blade.
It’s a chain weapon first and a sword second. The same basic technology turns up on axes, halberds and other blades across the galaxy. Imperial versions are also famously unbalanced, which makes them awkward to swing but devastating when they connect.
- Motor in the hilt drives a loop of teeth along the blade edge
- Teeth are typically monomolecular-edged or otherwise extremely sharp
- Idles with a buzz, then shrieks under load
- Imperial patterns are deliberately unbalanced
Who carries one
Chainswords are cheap enough to hand out widely and nasty enough to matter, which makes them the default assault weapon for a huge chunk of the setting. Imperial Guard officers carry them as a badge of rank and a last resort. Space Marine Assault Squads and boarding parties use them to clear corridors. Chaos Space Marines, especially Raptors, favour them as a brutal assault weapon.
The Eldar use them too, though more sparingly. Craftworld chainswords are elegantly balanced, fitted with ‘wyrmfang’ teeth, and triggered by a psychoconductive tactile grip. Storm Guardians and Striking Scorpions carry them, and Eldar chainblade tech is thought to trace back to Isirmathil, the ancient weapon of Striking Scorpion Phoenix Lord Karandras.
Orks, predictably, go bigger. Their chainblades are usually just called a type of choppa: huge, smoke-belching, and vibrating hard enough to shake the wielder’s bones, which the Greenskins consider a feature. The teeth are blunter than human or Eldar versions, but they’re thicker and survive the abuse Orks put their gear through.
- Imperial Guard officers: sidearm and status symbol
- Space Marine Assault Squads and boarding parties: close-quarters work
- Chaos Space Marines, especially Raptors: brutal assault weapon
- Eldar Striking Scorpions and Storm Guardians: precision chainblades
- Orks: oversized, smoky, bone-shaking choppas
Imperial, Eldar and Ork versions compared
Every faction puts its own spin on the idea, and tooth design follows the same logic. Imperial chainswords are mass-produced, effective, and use adamantium-carbon teeth. Eldar versions are elegant, finely balanced, and use finer, sharper ‘wyrmfang’ teeth. Ork versions are huge and crude, with thicker but blunter teeth built to take punishment.
| Faction | Build | Notable traits |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial | Mass-produced, unbalanced | Adamantium-carbon teeth, common sidearm |
| Eldar | Elegant, well balanced | ‘Wyrmfang’ teeth, psychoconductive trigger |
| Ork | Huge, crude | Smoky, heavy vibration, thick blunt teeth |
Where the design came from
Imperial chainswords likely have roots in the Dark Age of Technology. They saw steady use in the armoured fists of techno-barbarians during the Age of Strife, and in the Emperor’s own armies during the Thunder Warriors’ conquest of Terra.
But chain weapons aren’t uniquely human. Several xenos races were swinging them long before humanity got its act together, and some Martian magi have spent entire careers chasing the true origin. One popular theory is that the galaxy’s first chainsword wielders were ancient Eldar, though nobody’s proven it and the magi still don’t agree.
Chainsword vs power sword
Tech-Priest foundry masters like to frame the chainsword as a natural step in the sword’s evolution: bronze to iron, iron to steel, steel to chain-teeth, and chain-teeth to an energy-wreathed blade like the Imperial power sword. That tidy progression is probably too neat.
Chainswords and power swords do different jobs. A chainsword is cheap, rugged and easy to replace, which is exactly why it’s everywhere. A power sword is rarer, cleaner, and generally reserved for officers and elite troops.
| Weapon | How it works | Common users |
|---|---|---|
| Chainsword | Motorised razor teeth | Guard officers, Assault Marines, Raptors, Orks, Eldar |
| Power sword | Blade wrapped in an energy field | Officers, elite troops, heroes |
Key facts
- A chainsword is a motorised sword with a loop of razor teeth running along the blade.
- Imperial patterns are deliberately unbalanced and use adamantium-carbon teeth.
- Common users include Guard officers, Space Marine Assault Squads, Chaos Raptors, Orks and Eldar Striking Scorpions.
- Ork chainblades are treated as a type of choppa: huge, smoky and thick-toothed.
- Eldar chainswords use ‘wyrmfang’ teeth and a psychoconductive tactile trigger.
- Imperial chainswords likely trace back to the Dark Age of Technology, but xenos races used chain weapons even earlier.
FAQ
Is a chainsword better than a power sword?
Not usually. Power swords cut through armour more cleanly and are seen as more prestigious. Chainswords win on ruggedness and availability, which is why they’re standard issue across so many armies.
Do Orks use chainswords?
Yes, though they call them choppas. Ork versions are oversized, smoky and vibrate violently, with thicker, blunter teeth that survive their rough handling.
Who invented the chainsword in Warhammer 40k?
Nobody knows for certain. Imperial versions probably date back to the Dark Age of Technology, but chain weapons existed among xenos races far earlier, and some Magos suspect the Eldar got there first.