Part of our Deathwatch hub: every Deathwatch guide, lore page and painting tutorial in one place.
The Deathwatch are the Imperium’s alien hunters: Space Marine veterans lent by their own Chapters to the Ordo Xenos, painted black with one silver arm, and sent wherever the xenos threat is worst. In the 2024 edition of Kill Team they are one of the most elite teams you can field. You only put five operatives on the table, but each one is a hand-picked specialist. This guide covers what’s in the current box, what each operative does, a sensible first-game team you can build from one box, and the mistakes that cost new Deathwatch players their games.
New to the game itself? Start with our Kill Team beginner’s guide, then come back here.
What Is the Deathwatch Kill Team?
The Deathwatch got a brand-new kill team in 2025. It first appeared in the Kill Team: Tomb World season box (August/September 2025), facing a Necron team called the Canoptek Circle. The standalone Kill Team: Deathwatch box followed in November 2025. Warhammer Community called them the most-played faction in Kill Team’s history in its January 2026 balance update, so you’ll meet plenty of them at clubs.
The team works like this. Before each game you pick five operatives from a pool of eleven. You can’t take the same operative twice, and you can include only one Gravis (the big, bulky armour) operative. So the Deathwatch are a “pick the right tools for the job” team. Against a swarm of Tyranids you might bring a flamer-armed Gravis veteran. Against heavily armoured Space Marines you might bring the frag cannon or extra melta.
The team’s two big faction rules, in plain words:
- Veteran Astartes: like other Space Marine teams, each operative can shoot twice or fight twice in one activation. Some heavy weapons cost extra to fire a second time. Deathwatch operatives can also counteract whatever their order, and they get a bonus when they do.
- Special Issue Ammunition: once per turning point, one of your shooting attacks can take an extra weapon rule from a short menu (for example, extra critical damage, armour piercing, or more reliable hits). Pick the rule that best suits the target in front of you.
Their ploys lean the same way. The best known is Mission Tactics, which makes your operatives better against enemies on a chosen order (Conceal or Engage). Others reduce big hits, let you re-roll defence, or ignore injury penalties. Exact wording and numbers change with the quarterly balance dataslates, so always check the current team rules (free on the Warhammer Community downloads page) before a game.
What’s in the Kill Team: Deathwatch Box?
The standalone box (released 22 November 2025) contains:
- 5 multipart plastic Deathwatch veterans (146 components)
- A sheet of 39 double-sided Deathwatch tokens
- 16 heads (helmeted and bare) and 29 shoulder pads covering lots of different Chapters, plus blank pads for your own Chapter
Datacards and the team rules are separate. The rules are free online. The datacards are an optional printed set.
The important detail is how the five bodies build. According to Warhammer Community’s preview, each box gives you:
| Body (armour) | How many per box | Builds as |
|---|---|---|
| Tacticus | 1 | Watch Sergeant or Blademaster |
| Tacticus | 1 | Demolisher or Aegis |
| Tacticus | 1 | Gunner or Marksman |
| Phobos | 1 | Headtaker or Disruptor |
| Gravis | 1 | Horde-Slayer, Bombard or Breacher |
So one box gives you exactly one legal five-man team. To own all eleven options you need two boxes, and even then you’ll only have two of the three Gravis builds. The Kill Team: Tomb World box contains two sets of five Deathwatch, so it’s the same as two team boxes plus the Necrons and a dossier, though it’s a bigger and pricier purchase (our Kill Team starter set guide compares the big boxes). Some hobbyists magnetise the weapon arms so one model can switch roles.
Older Deathwatch kill team boxes from previous editions are still floating around second-hand. The models are fine for 40k, but they don’t match the current Kill Team operatives. If you want to play Kill Team, buy the 2025 box.
Operatives and Their Roles
| Operative | Armour | Role in plain words |
|---|---|---|
| Watch Sergeant | Tacticus | Leader with plasma pistol and power weapon. Gets an extra piece of equipment and can use a free ploy each battle. |
| Blademaster | Tacticus | Duellist with a xenophase blade. Excellent at fighting and can sweep through several nearby enemies. |
| Aegis | Tacticus | Storm shield and power maul. Very hard to kill in melee, a great objective holder. |
| Demolisher | Tacticus | Two-handed thunder hammer. Hits extremely hard and shrugs off some big damage. |
| Gunner | Tacticus | Heavy plasma incinerator for punching through armour at range. |
| Marksman | Tacticus | Stalker bolt rifle. Holds long fire lanes and is good on Guard (overwatch-style) duty. |
| Headtaker | Phobos | Combat knives, grav-chute and grapnel. Mobile assassin who can charge while concealed. |
| Disruptor | Phobos | Marksman carbine and scrambler. Delays enemy activations and boosts your scanning ploy. |
| Horde-Slayer | Gravis | Infernus heavy bolter with flame and bolt modes. Built to clear swarms. |
| Bombard | Gravis | Frag cannon. Long-range damage against tough, armoured targets. |
| Breacher | Gravis | Hellstorm bolt rifle, grenade launcher and melta bomb. Fire support and armour breaking. |
Best First-Game Build From One Box
Because one box builds exactly five operatives, your first build decision is really “which option do I glue on each body?” Here is a well-rounded team that’s forgiving to learn with:
- Watch Sergeant: you want the leader’s free ploys and extra equipment, and he’s solid at range and in melee.
- Aegis: the easiest operative to learn. Park him on an objective and let the enemy bounce off the shield.
- Gunner: the heavy plasma gives you reliable damage against elite teams, which you’ll see a lot of.
- Headtaker: fast, sneaky and great for grabbing far objectives or finishing wounded enemies. If you prefer shooting, build the Disruptor instead.
- Horde-Slayer: the most flexible Gravis build, because it handles swarms and can still shoot single targets. Choose the Bombard if your group mostly plays elite teams.
Once you own a second box, you can tailor the team before each game:
| Facing | Swap in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hordes (Blooded, Orks, cultists) | Horde-Slayer, Blademaster | Area fire and sweeping melee kill several weak models per activation. |
| Elite armour (Marines, Custodes) | Bombard or Breacher, Demolisher | Big damage per hit matters more than volume. |
| Long sightlines | Marksman, Disruptor | Control open lanes from cover and deny enemy movement. |
| Dense, close terrain | Headtaker, Demolisher, Blademaster | Short ranges reward fast melee threats. |
How Deathwatch Plays
With only five bodies, the Deathwatch win by trading well. Every exchange should cost your opponent more than it costs you. In practice that means:
- Pick your fights. A single operative can shoot or fight twice, so one activation can often remove an enemy outright. Line up those activations rather than spreading damage around.
- Use counteract. Deathwatch can counteract regardless of order, which helps you keep pace when a horde team activates more often than you.
- Save Special Issue Ammunition for the shot that matters. It’s once per turning point, so spend it on the shot that kills the enemy’s best operative, not the first target you see.
- Play the mission. Elite teams lose games by chasing kills while the opponent scores objectives. Leave the Aegis on a marker and send the Headtaker after the far ones.
Tips for New Deathwatch Players
- Use the Watch Sergeant’s free ploy on a turn when you’re short of command points, not on turn one by habit.
- Mission Tactics is strongest when the enemy has committed: pick Engage when they’re charging forward, Conceal when they’re hiding on objectives.
- Keep the Gravis operative in your half early. It’s slower than the others, and losing it early removes your best area damage.
- Practise with a dice roller or the dice calculator to get a feel for how often heavy plasma kills common targets.
- Paint the team to a simple scheme first: black armour, silver arm, one coloured shoulder pad. Our how to paint Deathwatch guide walks through it.
Common Mistakes
- Running out into the open. Marines are tough, not invincible. A horde team can still bring down an exposed veteran with sheer volume.
- Splitting up. Five operatives spread across the whole board can’t support each other. Work in pairs.
- Building every option on one box. Remember each body builds only one operative unless you magnetise. Decide before you glue.
- Ignoring Gravis limits. Only one Gravis operative per team, even if you own all three.
- Relying on old rules. Deathwatch rules were tweaked in the January 2026 dataslate and again since. Download the current version.
Kill Team vs Regular 40k Deathwatch
The same models work in Warhammer 40,000, where the Deathwatch fight as part of a Space Marines army rather than as five individual specialists. Kill Team lets you make a decision for every single model, which suits the Deathwatch idea perfectly. If you later want to grow the team into a 40k force, see our Deathwatch army guide and the Deathwatch Combat Patrol guide.
Where to Buy the Box
The standalone Kill Team: Deathwatch box is the simplest way in. It builds one full five-operative team and includes the token sheet.
Price details
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many operatives are in a Deathwatch kill team?
Five. You choose them from eleven possible operatives before each game, with no duplicates and only one Gravis-armoured operative.
Can you build the whole Deathwatch team from one box?
You can build one complete five-operative team from one box, but not all eleven options. Each body builds one of two (or, for Gravis, three) operatives. Two boxes, or the Tomb World set, give you most of the choices.
What are the best Deathwatch operatives?
For beginners, the Watch Sergeant, Aegis and Gunner are the most dependable core. The Gravis and Phobos choices should change with your opponent: Horde-Slayer against swarms, Bombard or Breacher against armour, Headtaker for mobility.
What is Special Issue Ammunition?
It’s the Deathwatch faction rule that lets one shooting attack each turning point gain an extra weapon rule from a short list. It represents the specialist rounds the Deathwatch carry for different alien threats.
Are Deathwatch good for beginners?
Yes. Five models are quick to build and paint, and the operatives are tough enough to forgive some mistakes. The main thing to learn is that every operative matters, so careful positioning pays off.
How is the Deathwatch organised?
The Deathwatch is organised around Watch Fortresses, each overseeing a region of space under a Watch Commander, with Watch Masters and Watch Captains leading forces in the field. Its battle-brothers are veterans seconded from hundreds of Chapters and grouped into small kill teams built for each mission. The whole organisation serves as the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, the Inquisition’s alien-hunting branch.
Why are Deathwatch painted black with a silver arm?
Deathwatch armour is black to show that a Marine has set aside his own Chapter’s colours while he serves, and the left arm is silver as the mark of the Deathwatch and its bond with the Ordo Xenos. His original Chapter is still honoured on the right shoulder pad, which is why the Kill Team box includes shoulder pads for many different Chapters.
How long do Deathwatch Marines serve?
There is no fixed term. A Space Marine swears an oath to stand the Long Vigil, and his service can last years or decades before he is released back to his own Chapter. Those who return bring their hard-won xenos-hunting expertise with them, and their time in the Watch is treated as a great honour. Some never return, dying in service far from home.
Related Content
- Deathwatch – Warhammer 40k Guide — apply this guide to a specific army
- How to Play Warhammer 40k — Complete Beginner’s Guide — learn the core rules of Warhammer 40K
- Blooded Kill Team Guide — Traitor Guard Tactics — explore another helpful guide
- All Warhammer 40k Factions Ranked — Tier List — see which factions rank highest