Imperial Fists Combat Patrol — Box Review & Guide

Imperial Fists Combat Patrol box contents and review

The Imperial Fists are the Imperium’s master defenders: siege specialists who hold the line against impossible odds. Their current Combat Patrol is a tough, stubborn force that suits that reputation perfectly. For the full chapter breakdown, see our Imperial Fists army guide.

What’s in the Imperial Fists Combat Patrol?

The current box is Combat Patrol: Imperial Fists, released in 2025. Games Workshop calls the force inside it Rampart Force Torreus. It’s built around heavy infantry and Terminators, so it’s slow but very hard to shift. Here’s what you get:

  • 1x Captain: your leader. He can be armed with a master-crafted bolter, plasma pistol or neo-volkite pistol, paired with a power fist or power sword.
  • Company Heroes: a small group of veterans who have earned the right to fight alongside their Captain, including an Ancient with the Chapter’s banner and a Company Champion.
  • 5x Terminators: veterans in Tactical Dreadnought armour. Extremely tough and dangerous at close range.
  • 5x Intercessors: the standard Space Marine infantry squad, armed with bolt rifles. Reliable objective holders.
  • 5x Heavy Intercessors: Gravis-armoured marines with heavy bolt rifles. Tougher than regular Intercessors and great at holding ground.

That’s around 20 models, plus a teleport homer and an Imperial Fists transfer sheet with 507 transfers. Games Workshop sold several of the 2025 chapter Combat Patrols in limited runs, so stock may be patchy in some shops.

Before this box, there was no dedicated Imperial Fists Combat Patrol and Imperial Fists players used the standard Space Marine boxes instead.

Which Rules Does It Use?

Imperial Fists use the 11th Edition Space Marines codex. Space Marines are one of only three armies with an 11th Edition codex so far (with Orks and Adeptus Custodes), and Games Workshop has said no more codexes are coming until 2027. Our Codex: Space Marines 11th Edition guide explains what changed, including the new detachments. If you want to lean into the Imperial Fists’ defensive style in bigger games, the Ceramite Sentinels detachment, the Imperial Fists’ own, is a natural fit.

For Combat Patrol games, the box has its own datasheets and rules, released as a free download on Warhammer Community. In July 2026 Games Workshop moved Combat Patrol into the Warhammer 40,000 app. It has since added many older boxes (more than 20 forces at the time of writing), but this chapter box isn’t one of them yet, so check the app for the latest version. Our Combat Patrol rules guide explains how the format works.

What Each Unit Does

Captain

The Captain is your leader and a strong fighter. Attach him to the Heavy Intercessors to make an extremely durable objective-holding block, or to the Terminators for a hard-hitting push up the middle.

Company Heroes

The Company Heroes are a support unit. They work best alongside the Captain, and they make the units around them more effective. Keep them near the heart of your army, where their banner and their fighting skills will matter most.

Terminators

Terminators are your elite strike force. They’re among the toughest infantry in the game and hit very hard at close range. The box includes a teleport homer, a hint that they’re meant to arrive by teleport, so check the Combat Patrol rules for exactly how and when they can deploy. Our Terminators guide covers their wargear and tactics.

Intercessors

Five Intercessors are your flexible objective holders. Park them on a home or flank objective and let their bolt rifles do the work.

Heavy Intercessors

Heavy Intercessors are the definition of Imperial Fists stubbornness. They’re very tough and their heavy bolt rifles keep up steady fire. Put them on the most important objective and dare your opponent to move them. Our Heavy Intercessors guide goes into more detail.

How to Play the Imperial Fists Combat Patrol

Rampart Force Torreus plays a defensive, attritional game. You take key ground early, hold it with very tough infantry, and use the Terminators to punish anyone who comes close.

Deployment

Put the Heavy Intercessors where they can reach the central objective quickly, with the Captain attached if you want them extra sturdy. Deploy the Intercessors near your home objective. Keep the Company Heroes close to the Captain. Check the app for how the Terminators deploy in your mission.

Turn 1

Move the Heavy Intercessors towards the centre and the Intercessors onto their objective. In 11th Edition, Infantry in terrain get -1 to Hit against ranged attacks, so use cover wherever you can. Start shooting at anything in range.

Turn 2

Get the Terminators into the fight where they’ll do the most damage: on an enemy objective or next to a vulnerable shooting unit. Keep the Heavy Intercessors on the central objective and keep firing.

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Turns 3 to 5

Hold your ground. Your army is slow, so don’t chase the enemy across the board. Let them come to you, then counter-attack with the Terminators and Captain. Objectives are terrain pieces in 11th Edition, so check the mission in the app to see exactly what scores.

Key Tactical Tips

  • Your army is tough. Use that to hold objectives, not to chase kills.
  • Timing the Terminators’ arrival is the key decision of the game.
  • Keep the Company Heroes with the Captain.
  • Plan your moves a turn ahead. Everything in this box is slow.

Building and Value Notes

This box gives you a very solid Space Marine core: Terminators, two types of Intercessor, a Captain and the Company Heroes. All of them are useful in larger Imperial Fists armies, and the transfer sheet means you won’t need to freehand any Chapter symbols.

Strengths:

  • Extremely durable, which is forgiving for new players
  • Terminators give you a flexible, hard-hitting strike unit
  • A big transfer sheet for proper Imperial Fists markings
  • Every unit carries on into a full army

Weaknesses:

  • Slow, with no vehicles or fast units
  • Little dedicated anti-tank firepower
  • Faster armies can grab objectives you can’t reach

Painting the Imperial Fists Combat Patrol

Imperial Fists wear bright yellow armour with black and red details. Yellow has a reputation for being tricky, but a good undercoat makes it much easier.

Recommended Colour Scheme

  • Armour: Averland Sunset base over a white or light grey undercoat, shaded with Casandora Yellow, layered with Yriel Yellow and highlighted with Flash Gitz Yellow.
  • Trim and details: Abaddon Black for weapons and trim, Mephiston Red for the Chapter’s red details.
  • Metal: Leadbelcher washed with Nuln Oil.
  • Purity seals: Wraithbone washed with Seraphim Sepia.

Painting Tips

  • Never paint yellow straight over black. Use a white or light grey undercoat.
  • Several thin coats of yellow look far better than one thick one.
  • Use the transfers for the Chapter’s fist symbols. They save hours of freehand.

For a full step-by-step, see our how to paint Imperial Fists guide and our tutorial on painting yellow armour. For more faction-specific painting advice, see our complete painting guides section.

Expanding Beyond the Combat Patrol

We don’t have a dedicated Imperial Fists army list yet, but our Space Marines 1000 point army list guide works for Imperial Fists, since they use the main Space Marines codex. Here are the best next purchases.

Path to 1,000 Points

  • Getting Started with Space Marines: adds a Captain, a Librarian, Intercessors, Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs and a Land Speeder, plus paints. The jump troops and Land Speeder add speed. See our Space Marines Combat Patrol guide.
  • A Redemptor Dreadnought: a tough walker with plenty of firepower. See our Redemptor Dreadnought guide.
  • A Gladiator Lancer: the long-range anti-tank this box lacks. See our Gladiator Lancer guide.
  • Eradicators: short-range anti-tank infantry.

Path to 2,000 Points

  • Darnath Lysander: the Imperial Fists’ legendary Captain. See who is Lysander.
  • More Terminators for a tough elite core
  • Sternguard Veterans for elite shooting
  • A Repulsor Executioner for heavy vehicle support

For the Chapter’s history, read our Rogal Dorn lore.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an Imperial Fists Combat Patrol?

Yes. Combat Patrol: Imperial Fists (Rampart Force Torreus) was released in 2025. It contains a Captain, Company Heroes, 5 Terminators, 5 Intercessors and 5 Heavy Intercessors, plus a large Imperial Fists transfer sheet.

Is the Imperial Fists Combat Patrol good for beginners?

Yes. It’s a very forgiving box, because almost everything in it is tough. The plan (take ground and hold it) is easy to learn. The main challenge is the yellow paint scheme, which takes a little patience.

Do Imperial Fists have their own codex?

No. Imperial Fists use the 11th Edition Space Marines codex, which covers every Codex-following chapter.

What paints do I need for the Imperial Fists Combat Patrol?

The essentials: a white or grey primer, Averland Sunset, Casandora Yellow, Yriel Yellow, Flash Gitz Yellow, Abaddon Black, Mephiston Red, Leadbelcher and Nuln Oil.

Can I use the Imperial Fists Combat Patrol for Crimson Fists?

Yes. Crimson Fists are an Imperial Fists successor Chapter that uses the same Space Marines codex, and every model in the box is a standard Space Marine kit. Just paint them in the Crimson Fists’ deep blue with red hands instead of yellow. The included transfer sheet is Imperial Fists-specific, so you’ll need Crimson Fists transfers or freehand for the Chapter symbols.

Can I use the Imperial Fists Combat Patrol models in larger games?

Yes. The Captain, Company Heroes, Terminators, Intercessors and Heavy Intercessors all have full datasheets in the 11th Edition Space Marines codex, so they slot straight into an Incursion or Strike Force army. The Combat Patrol datasheets in the app are only for the Combat Patrol format. In bigger games you use the normal codex rules and points for each unit.

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