Part of our Imperial Agents hub: every Imperial Agents guide, lore page and painting tutorial in one place. Browse every Combat Patrol & Spearhead guide.
What’s in the Imperial Agents Combat Patrol?
The Imperial Agents Combat Patrol, released in 2024 alongside Codex: Imperial Agents, is called the Inquisitor’s Hand. It’s an eclectic strike force of hand-picked operatives: a fiery preacher and her retinue, a squad of Adeptus Arbites enforcers, and a deadly Eversor Assassin. Here’s what you get:
- 1x Ministorum Priest with vindictor: played as Preacher Teguen, the leader of the force.
- 6x Inquisitorial Agents: Teguen’s retinue, including a gun servitor with a heavy bolter, an agent with a plasma pistol and a tome-skull.
- 20x Adeptus Arbites: enough to build Vigilant or Exaction squads, with 2 Cyber-mastiffs and Nuncio-aquilas.
- 1x Eversor Assassin: a frenzied, drug-fuelled killer from the Officio Assassinorum.
That’s around 30 models, plus two Adeptus Arbites transfer sheets.
In the Combat Patrol force, the Arbites are fielded as a Vigilant Squad of nine enforcers with a Cyber-mastiff. That leaves you with spare Arbites to build a second squad when you move up to larger games.
Which Rules Does It Use?
Imperial Agents don’t have an 11th Edition codex. Their current book, Codex: Imperial Agents, came out in 2024 and includes the Inquisitor’s Hand. Warhammer 40,000’s 11th Edition launched in June 2026, and so far only Orks, Space Marines and Adeptus Custodes have new books. Games Workshop has said no more codexes are coming until 2027, so for now Imperial Agents use their existing codex with the 11th Edition core rules on top. Our codex release order tracker shows the current schedule, and our 11th Edition rules changes guide covers what’s different in the core game.
Combat Patrol now lives in the Warhammer 40,000 app, and the Inquisitor’s Hand is one of the forces it supports. The app gives you the force’s datasheets, army rule, enhancements, Stratagems and a bespoke mission, all free. At the time of writing, its detachment rule is Marked for Death: at the start of each Command phase, you pick one enemy unit, and your attacks against it gain Ignores Cover, Lethal Hits and Precision. If you’re new to the format, our Combat Patrol rules guide explains how it works.
What Each Unit Does
Preacher Teguen
Teguen leads the Inquisitorial Agents. Her vindictor is a short-ranged flame weapon that automatically hits and ignores cover, so it’s brilliant against enemy infantry hiding in ruins. She’s also handy in melee. Keep her with the Agents and push them towards the centre.
Inquisitorial Agents
The Agents are a flexible support squad. The gun servitor’s heavy bolter gives you some useful ranged firepower, and the plasma pistol helps against tougher targets. With Teguen attached, they’re a solid mid-board unit that can hold an objective.
Vigilant Squad
The Arbites are your main line infantry. Combat shotguns are deadly at close range, the grenade launcher adds some reach, and the webber can slow enemies down. The Cyber-mastiff is a nice bonus in combat. Use them to take and hold objectives. Read about the enforcers’ background in our Adeptus Arbites lore.
Eversor Assassin
The Eversor is your killer. Its weapons have Precision, so it can pick out enemy characters, and once per battle it can make its melee attacks far more deadly. Use it to assassinate the enemy Warlord or wipe out a weakened unit. Our Imperial Assassins guide covers the Eversor and its siblings, and our explainer on the Officio Assassinorum covers the lore.
How to Play the Imperial Agents Combat Patrol
The Inquisitor’s Hand plays as a short-ranged, objective-holding army with one very sharp knife. The Arbites and Agents take the board, while the Eversor hunts down key targets.
Deployment
Put the Vigilant Squad near your home or central objective. Deploy Teguen and the Agents in cover in the middle. Keep the Eversor hidden behind terrain where it can reach the enemy quickly.
Turn 1
Move the Arbites and Agents up to the objectives. Use Marked for Death on the unit you most want gone, then shoot it with everything in range. Keep the Eversor out of sight.
Turns 2–3
Get close. Teguen’s vindictor and the Arbites’ shotguns are at their best at short range. Send the Eversor in against an enemy character or a damaged unit, and use Marked for Death to make its attacks count.
Turns 4–5
Hold as many objectives as you can. The Arbites are your scoring unit, so don’t waste them chasing kills. Use the Eversor to clear an objective if you need the points.
Key Tips
- Choose your Marked for Death target carefully each turn. It turns ordinary attacks into dangerous ones.
- Most of your weapons are short-ranged, so use cover to get close safely.
- The Eversor is fragile if it gets shot. Hide it until it can strike.
- Our Inquisition lore guide explains who these operatives work for.
Value and Building Notes
This is a good-value box for an Imperial Agents collection. Twenty Arbites is more than the Combat Patrol needs, so you’re already part-way to a bigger army. The Eversor and Inquisitorial Agents are useful in full-sized Imperial Agents armies, and Imperial Agents can also be added to other Imperium armies, so these models can support your Space Marines, Astra Militarum or Adepta Sororitas too.
Strengths:
- Lots of models and two full Arbites squads
- Marked for Death makes the whole army hit harder
- The Eversor is a great character hunter
- Models work with other Imperium armies
Weaknesses:
- Mostly short-ranged weapons
- Not much anti-tank firepower
- Human models are fragile compared to Space Marines
Painting Tips for Imperial Agents
This box mixes very different models, so you can give each group its own look.
Quick Tabletop Standard
- Arbites: dark armour such as Abaddon Black or a deep blue, with Leadbelcher metals and a Nuln Oil wash.
- Teguen and the Agents: rich red and cream robes, with Balthasar Gold details.
- Eversor: black bodysuit with red or purple accents and bone skull details.
Display Quality
- Use the Arbites transfers to tie the squad together.
- Take time on faces, as these are human models. Our faces and skin tones tutorials help.
- Glowing lenses and plasma look great on the servitor and pistol. See our plasma glow tutorial.
For more ideas, browse our painting guides for specific paint recommendations.
Expansion Paths
Recommended Next Purchases
- An Inquisitor: a leader to give your agents more direction
- Another Imperial Assassin: a Vindicare or Callidus adds new tools. See our Vindicare and Callidus guides.
- Exaction Squad or Vigilant Squad: build your spare Arbites, or buy more
- Grey Knights or Deathwatch allies: elite Space Marines who work closely with the Inquisition. See our Grey Knights army page.
Check our factions ranked list to see where Imperial Agents stand right now.
Where to Buy the Box
On Amazon US, Combat Patrol boxes are sold by third-party sellers, so check the listing before you buy. It should show the current box: the box with a Ministorum Priest, Inquisitorial Agents, Adeptus Arbites and an Eversor Assassin.
Check price on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate, Warhammer Guild earns from qualifying purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Imperial Agents Combat Patrol good for beginners?
Yes, especially if you want a varied, characterful army. The game plan is straightforward, and Marked for Death is easy to use. Just remember these are fragile human models. Our How to Play Warhammer 40k guide covers the basics.
Who is Preacher Teguen?
She’s the named Ministorum Priest who leads the Inquisitor’s Hand. In bigger games you can use the model as a regular Ministorum Priest.
Can I use Combat Patrol units in regular games?
Yes. Every model in the box is a standard Imperial Agents unit, so they all work in normal Warhammer 40,000 games, either as an Imperial Agents army or alongside other Imperium forces.
Where do I find the Combat Patrol rules?
In the Warhammer 40,000 app. The Inquisitor’s Hand is one of the supported forces, and the rules and mission are free. The force also appears in Codex: Imperial Agents.
What paints do I need for Imperial Agents?
Essentials: Abaddon Black, Leadbelcher, Balthasar Gold, a red such as Mephiston Red, a cream such as Rakarth Flesh, a skin tone such as Bugman’s Glow, and Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade washes.
Related Content
- Imperial Fists Army Guide — apply this guide to a specific army
- How to Play Warhammer 40k — Complete Beginner’s Guide — learn the core rules of Warhammer 40K
- Imperial Fists Combat Patrol — Box Review & Guide — explore another helpful guide
- All Warhammer 40k Factions Ranked — Tier List — see which factions rank highest