The Dreadclaw is a drop pod-like assault craft used by the Chaos Space Marines. It deploys troops from orbit, drills through ship hulls with its spiked maw, and unlike most drop pods it can lift off again after landing.
What the dreadclaw does
Dreadclaws launch from cruisers and battleships to put Traitor Marines on a planet fast, or to board enemy vessels in ship-to-ship combat. A spiked maw lets them drill through a hull, and a Deathwind weapon system fires on nearby enemies once they land to cover the deployment.
It’s an all-purpose pod: it can carry troops or a dreadnought, and it’s one of the few drop pods that can take off again after landing. Multiple craft sometimes deploy together in a formation called a Dreadclaw Talon.
- Roles: planetary assault, ship boarding, and troop or dreadnought delivery
- Armed with the Deathwind weapon system for covering fire on landing
- Spiked maw for drilling through ship hulls
- Can return to orbit after landing, unlike standard drop pods
Why it matters
The Dreadclaw is the Traitor Legions’ answer to the Imperial drop pod, and it does more. Its ability to take off again makes it a reusable assault boat rather than a one-way ride, which matters for boarding actions and raids where extraction is the hard part.
It also carries a reputation. Its machine spirit was considered dangerously unstable, and that history is part of why the Imperium abandoned it.
History and the machine spirit problem
Before the Horus Heresy, Dreadclaws were seen as the peak of assault boat technology. By the end of the Heresy, most Imperial forces had dropped them from service.
During the Heresy, the craft’s advanced machine spirit started showing dangerous behaviour, sometimes killing its own passengers. The Adeptus Mechanicus revised it, but a run of accidents (including the famous incident aboard the Legate Peracles) led to most Dreadclaws being jettisoned into space. Only the Traitor Legions are known to still use them.
Anvillus Pattern Dreadclaw
The Anvillus Pattern was built to put Space Marine boarding parties onto enemy ships. It has a low profile and a heavily armoured hull, plus a set of Melta cutters originally meant to slice through a ship’s outer hull.
Unlike some earlier boarding craft, it’s a fully independent dropship that can carry its cargo back to friendly ships. Sources differ on some details of its design and deployment, but the boarding role is consistent.
Key facts
- The Dreadclaw is a drop pod-like transport used by the Chaos Space Marines.
- It can carry troops or a dreadnought and can take off again after landing.
- It’s armed with the Deathwind weapon system and has a spiked maw for hull drilling.
- Its machine spirit was unstable, leading the Imperium to abandon it after the Horus Heresy.
- The Anvillus Pattern was designed for boarding enemy ships, with Melta cutters and a heavily armoured hull.
FAQ
What is the dreadclaw?
It’s a drop pod-like assault craft used by the Chaos Space Marines. It can deploy troops or a dreadnought from orbit, board enemy ships, and take off again after landing.
Why did the Imperium stop using the dreadclaw?
Its machine spirit became dangerously unstable during the Horus Heresy, sometimes killing passengers. After a series of accidents, most were jettisoned into space, and only the Traitor Legions kept using them.
What makes the dreadclaw different from a normal drop pod?
It can launch again after landing, it’s armed with the Deathwind system, and it has a spiked maw for drilling through ship hulls. That makes it useful for boarding actions, more than planetary drops.