Imperial Guard Regiments — All Famous Regiments Guide

The Astra Militarum — still called the Imperial Guard by those who value tradition over bureaucracy — is the largest fighting force in the Imperium of Man. Billions of soldiers drawn from millions of worlds, organised into regiments that reflect the wildly diverse cultures of humanity’s galactic empire.

No two regiments are alike. A Cadian Shock Trooper drilled in combined-arms warfare has nothing in common with a Catachan Jungle Fighter who wrestles predators with a knife, or a Death Korps of Krieg soldier who considers their own death a sacred duty. This is the Imperial Guard’s greatest strength — and its greatest logistical nightmare.

This guide covers every famous Imperial Guard regiment, their homeworlds, specialities, famous battles, and available models. Whether you’re choosing an army to collect or just want to understand the lore, this is the definitive reference.

Cadian Shock Troops

Homeworld

Cadia — or rather, what remains of it. Cadia was the Imperium’s fortress world at the mouth of the Eye of Terror, standing sentinel against Chaos incursions for ten thousand years. The planet was destroyed during the 13th Black Crusade when Abaddon the Despoiler crashed a Blackstone Fortress into it. But as the saying goes: Cadia stands — because the Cadian people endure, scattered across the galaxy, still fighting.

Speciality

Combined-arms warfare, disciplined firing lines, and professional soldiering. Cadians are the Imperial Guard’s gold standard — well-drilled, well-equipped, and tactically flexible. Every Cadian citizen receives military training from childhood, and the regiments they produce are considered the benchmark against which all other Guard forces are measured.

Appearance

Olive drab fatigues, flak armour, and the distinctive Cadian-pattern helmet. Many Cadians have violet or purple eyes — a mutation attributed to millennia of proximity to the Eye of Terror. Officers wear peaked caps and carry chainswords as symbols of rank.

Famous Battles

The Fall of Cadia (13th Black Crusade), the Siege of Kasr Kraf, every Black Crusade in the past ten millennia, and the defence of the Cadian Gate. Cadian regiments have fought in virtually every major conflict in Imperial history.

Models Available

The Cadian Shock Troops box is the core Astra Militarum infantry kit. Cadians also have dedicated character models, heavy weapons teams, command squads, and the full range of Guard vehicles (Leman Russ, Chimera, Basilisk, etc.).

Catachan Jungle Fighters

Homeworld

Catachan — a Death World where everything is trying to kill you. The planet’s flora and fauna are among the deadliest in the galaxy: acid-spitting plants, camouflaged predators the size of tanks, and insects whose sting can kill a Space Marine. Simply surviving childhood on Catachan makes you one of the toughest humans in the Imperium.

Speciality

Jungle warfare, guerrilla tactics, close-quarters combat, and demolitions. Catachans prefer knives and flamers over lasguns and are experts in ambush, infiltration, and survival. They have a well-earned reputation for being almost impossible to break in morale — partly because they’ve already survived worse than anything the enemy can throw at them.

Appearance

Muscle-bound soldiers in bandanas, sleeveless vests, and minimal armour. Catachans favour practical jungle kit over formal military dress, and most carry the iconic Catachan Fang — a massive combat knife that doubles as a machete. Their aesthetic is pure 1980s action movie, heavily inspired by Rambo and Predator.

Famous Battles

The Catachan campaigns against Ork Waaagh! forces, the Cleansing of Dolorosa, and numerous jungle campaigns across the Segmentum Solar. Colonel “Iron Hand” Straken is their most famous leader — a legendary officer who has lost and replaced more body parts than most tech-priests.

Models Available

Catachan Jungle Fighters have a dedicated infantry kit, plus named characters. The range is older but remains popular among hobbyists who enjoy the retro aesthetic.

Death Korps of Krieg

Homeworld

Krieg — a nuclear wasteland. Krieg was a prosperous Hive World before a civil war ended in nuclear exchange that rendered the surface uninhabitable. The survivors, wracked with guilt over their ancestors’ rebellion against the Emperor, adopted a culture of extreme self-sacrifice and penance. Every Kriegsman is raised from birth to believe their life is owed to the Emperor and that death in His service is the highest honour.

Speciality

Siege warfare, attrition, trench combat, and fighting in contaminated environments. Death Korps regiments excel in grinding, attritional conflicts that would break other regiments’ morale. They volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, undertake suicidal charges without hesitation, and consider retreat a moral failure rather than a tactical option.

Appearance

Gas masks, great coats, Adrian-style helmets, and a World War I aesthetic that makes them one of the most visually striking forces in 40k. Kriegsmen are never seen without their gas masks — a practical necessity on their nuclear homeworld that has become a cultural identity. They look like the ghosts of the Western Front, and they fight like them too.

Famous Battles

The Siege of Vraks (a 17-year trench war that consumed 14 million Kriegsmen), the Assault on Drask, and numerous attritional campaigns across the galaxy. The Death Korps are the Imperium’s go-to regiment when a siege needs to be won regardless of casualties.

Models Available

The Death Korps received a plastic infantry kit with the Kill Team: Octarius box set, making them widely available for the first time. Previously, they were a Forge World resin-only range. The new plastic kit includes the iconic trench coat and gas mask aesthetic.

Tallarn Desert Raiders

Homeworld

Tallarn — once a paradise, now a barren desert world. During the Horus Heresy, the Iron Warriors virus-bombed Tallarn, destroying its ecosystem and forcing the survivors underground. The Tallarn people adapted, becoming master desert warriors and some of the finest armoured cavalry commanders in the Imperium.

Speciality

Desert warfare, mobile armoured tactics, hit-and-run raids, and fighting in extreme heat. Tallarn regiments favour speed and manoeuvrability over static defence, using fast-moving Chimera and Hellhound formations to strike and withdraw before the enemy can respond. Their infantry are expert marksmen who can survive for weeks in the harshest desert conditions.

Appearance

Flowing desert robes over flak armour, headscarves, and goggles. Their aesthetic draws heavily from Middle Eastern and North African military traditions, and they ride into battle on horses (rough riders) as well as in armoured vehicles. Tallarn officers carry ornate curved swords as symbols of rank.

Famous Battles

The Battle of Tallarn (the largest tank battle in Imperial history, fought during the Horus Heresy), the Taros Campaign, and numerous desert engagements across the Segmentum Tempestus.

Models Available

Tallarn models are primarily available through older metal/resin ranges and the secondary market. No current plastic kit exists, making them a popular kitbashing and third-party conversion project.

Vostroyan Firstborn

Homeworld

Vostroya — a heavily industrialised Hive World with a culture steeped in guilt and tradition. During the Horus Heresy, Vostroya refused to send troops to aid the Emperor, choosing instead to keep its workers in the factories. When the Heresy ended, the Vostroyans were so ashamed that they swore an oath: every firstborn child of every family would serve in the Imperial Guard, forever.

Speciality

Urban warfare, cold-weather operations, and precision shooting. Vostroyan regiments are well-equipped with heirloom wargear passed down through generations — each lasgun is a family treasure, lovingly maintained and ornately decorated. This gives them unusually high-quality equipment by Guard standards.

Appearance

Fur hats, ornate uniforms with gold braid, and elaborate weaponry. Vostroyans have a distinctly Eastern European/Russian imperial aesthetic — they look like Tsarist-era soldiers transplanted into the 41st millennium. Their officers wear even more elaborate dress, with sashes, medals, and ceremonial swords.

Famous Battles

The Defence of Nimbosa, the Medusa V campaign, and numerous actions across the Segmentum Obscurus. Vostroyan regiments are often deployed to cold-weather warzones where their cultural resilience gives them an edge.

Models Available

Vostroyan models are out of production and available only through the secondary market. They remain highly prized by collectors for their unique aesthetic.

Mordian Iron Guard

Homeworld

Mordian — a tidally locked world where the inhabited side exists in permanent darkness. The Mordians have developed a rigid, disciplined culture born of necessity — on a world of eternal night, surrounded by the predators and madness that darkness breeds, only absolute order keeps society functioning.

Speciality

Disciplined volley fire, close-order drill, and unwavering morale. Mordian regiments fight in tightly packed ranks, delivering devastating volleys of lasgun fire with parade-ground precision. They refuse to break formation under any circumstances, standing shoulder-to-shoulder even as the enemy closes to melee range. This makes them terrifyingly effective against charging enemies — and terrifyingly vulnerable to artillery.

Appearance

Immaculate dress uniforms in dark blue with gold braid, polished boots, and peaked caps. Mordians go to war in their dress uniforms and maintain them to parade-ground standard even in the most brutal conditions. Their appearance is modelled on Napoleonic-era Prussian military dress, and they take their turnout more seriously than most Chapter Masters take their power armour.

Famous Battles

The Defence of Mordian against daemonic incursion, the Damocles Crusade, and numerous garrison actions across the Imperium. Mordian regiments are often assigned to defend critical installations where their unbreakable discipline is an asset.

Models Available

Mordian models are out of production. Some metal models occasionally appear on the secondary market, and they are a popular subject for kitbashing using Cadian kits with custom heads and accessories.

Valhallan Ice Warriors

Homeworld

Valhalla — a frozen Ice World where temperatures routinely drop below -70°C. The Valhallans are a hardy, stoic people who learned to fight in Ork invasions that regularly beset their world. They have a deep cultural affinity for armoured warfare and produce some of the finest tank crews in the Imperial Guard.

Speciality

Cold-weather warfare, armoured assaults, and fighting while massively outnumbered. Valhallan regiments are famous for their willingness to accept enormous casualties without breaking, continuing to fight long after other regiments would have routed. They favour overwhelming armoured support, using Leman Russ battle tanks as the backbone of their formations.

Appearance

Heavy fur coats, ushanka-style hats, and thick greatcoats over flak armour. Their aesthetic is Soviet WW2 — think the Battle of Stalingrad transplanted into space. Officers carry war picks and ice axes alongside standard-issue weapons.

Famous Battles

The Liberation of Valhalla from Ork invasion, the Siege of Coritanorum, and numerous campaigns on ice and tundra worlds. Commander Chenkov is their most infamous leader — a man whose tactical genius consists primarily of ordering charge after charge until the enemy runs out of ammunition.

Models Available

Valhallan models are out of production. They were part of the metal range and are now collector’s items. Converting Cadian or Death Korps models with green stuff fur coats is the most common way to build a Valhallan army today.

Armageddon Steel Legion

Homeworld

Armageddon — a polluted Hive World that has been the site of three of the largest wars in Imperial history. The Steel Legion was born from the apocalyptic fighting during the Second and Third Wars for Armageddon, where the planet’s PDF and Guard regiments fought massive Ork Waaaghs! led by Ghazghkull Thraka.

Speciality

Mechanised warfare, fighting in toxic/polluted environments, and rapid deployment from Chimera transports. Steel Legion regiments fight mounted, using Chimeras as mobile firing platforms and deploying infantry only when necessary. They are experts in fighting in industrial and hive city environments where the air itself is poisonous.

Appearance

Gas masks, long coats, and goggles — similar to Krieg but with a more industrial, less WWI aesthetic. Their equipment reflects Armageddon’s polluted atmosphere, and most Steel Legion troopers spend their entire deployment inside vehicles or wearing rebreathers.

Famous Battles

The Second War for Armageddon, the Third War for Armageddon (ongoing), and Commissioner Yarrick’s legendary defence of Hive Hades. The Steel Legion’s rivalry with Ghazghkull’s Orks is one of the defining ongoing conflicts in the 40k setting.

Models Available

Armageddon Steel Legion models are out of production in metal/resin. They are a popular conversion project using Cadian and Death Korps parts.

Elysian Drop Troops

Homeworld

Elysia — a civilised world with vast open skies that breeds a culture of aviation and aerial combat. Elysians are trained from youth in grav-chute deployment and air assault tactics, making them the Imperial Guard’s premier airborne force.

Speciality

Airborne assault, grav-chute insertion, rapid strikes behind enemy lines, and vertical envelopment. Elysian Drop Troops deploy from Valkyrie airborne transports, descending on enemy positions with devastating speed. They sacrifice heavy armour and firepower for mobility and surprise, relying on precision strikes rather than sustained firefights.

Appearance

Lighter armour than standard Guard, with grav-chutes on their backs, enclosed helmets with visors, and compact weaponry suited to airborne operations. Their look is futuristic paratrooper — practical, streamlined, and built for mobility.

Famous Battles

The Taros Campaign, the Anphelion Project, and numerous rapid-response deployments across the Imperium. Elysian regiments are often the first Imperial Guard forces to arrive in a warzone, securing landing zones for heavier forces to follow.

Models Available

Elysian models were a Forge World resin range that has been discontinued. They are among the most sought-after and expensive out-of-production Guard models, and many hobbyists use third-party alternatives or kitbash their own.

Praetorian Guard

Homeworld

Praetoria — a heavily populated Hive World with a rigid class system and a military culture inspired by the British Empire at its height. Praetorian society values discipline, stoicism, and the stiff upper lip above all else.

Speciality

Disciplined firing lines, defence of fixed positions, and fighting with unshakeable morale. Praetorians are similar to Mordians in their emphasis on close-order drill, but with a distinctly British colonial aesthetic. They favour volley fire tactics and bayonet charges in the finest traditions of the thin red line.

Appearance

Red coats, pith helmets, and white webbing — they look exactly like Victorian British colonial soldiers transported into the far future. Their officers carry swagger sticks and speak with received pronunciation even while being charged by Orks. They are magnificent, absurd, and quintessentially Warhammer.

Famous Battles

The Battle of Big Toof River (a famous last stand against Orks inspired by the Battle of Rorke’s Drift), and various colonial-style campaigns across the Imperium’s frontier worlds.

Models Available

Praetorians have never had a wide model range and are among the rarest Guard models. They were a limited production run and command high prices on the secondary market. Victoria Miniatures produces excellent third-party alternatives.

Tanith First and Only — “Gaunt’s Ghosts”

Homeworld

Tanith — a forest world of nalwood trees, destroyed by Chaos during its founding regiment’s departure. The Tanith First and Only are the regiment that never got a chance to say goodbye to their homeworld — Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt ordered the regiment to embark while Tanith burned behind them, earning both their undying loyalty and their unspoken resentment.

Speciality

Stealth, reconnaissance, scouting, and light infantry operations. The Tanith Ghosts are masters of camouflage and infiltration, able to move through dense terrain without making a sound. Their Tanith-bred instinct for woodcraft translates to an almost supernatural ability to navigate and fight in any terrain. They are the Imperial Guard’s finest light infantry — scout snipers and ambush specialists without peer.

Appearance

Camo-cloaks that shift and blend with their surroundings, light equipment, and straight silver (the signature Tanith war-knife). They are lean, quiet, and understated — the opposite of the parade-ground splendour of the Mordians or Praetorians. Their officers are equally unassuming, preferring to lead by example rather than display.

Famous Battles

The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (the setting of Dan Abnett’s legendary novel series), the battles of Vervunhive, Gereon, Hinzerhaus, and Salvation’s Reach. The Ghosts’ story is told across 16 novels and is widely considered the finest military fiction in the entire Black Library catalogue.

Models Available

Games Workshop released a small range of Gaunt’s Ghosts character models, including Gaunt himself, and several key characters. These are available as a boxed set. For rank-and-file Ghosts, hobbyists typically convert Cadian models with camo-cloaks sculpted from green stuff.

Choosing a Regiment for Your Army

On the tabletop, all Astra Militarum armies use the same rules regardless of which regiment they represent. The difference is purely aesthetic — which means your choice of regiment is a modelling and painting decision, not a competitive one. This is one of the great joys of collecting Imperial Guard: you can create any regiment you want, real or imagined, and it will work perfectly with the official rules.

If you want the easiest path, Cadians are the default — the plastic kit is excellent, affordable, and widely available. For a more distinctive look, Death Korps of Krieg offer a fantastic plastic kit with one of the most iconic aesthetics in 40k. For hobbyists who enjoy conversion work, regiments like Tallarn, Vostroyan, or Praetorian offer a rewarding challenge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular Imperial Guard regiment?

Cadians are the most popular by model sales and army representation, followed closely by Death Korps of Krieg, whose WW1 aesthetic has made them enormously popular in recent years.

Can I mix regiments in one army?

Yes — there’s no rule preventing you from fielding different regiments in the same army. Narratively, the Imperium frequently combines regiments from different worlds into composite battle groups. Many hobbyists enjoy the visual variety of mixing regiment aesthetics.

Which regiment has the best lore?

This is subjective, but the Tanith First and Only (Gaunt’s Ghosts) benefit from Dan Abnett’s superb novel series, which gives them more depth and character development than any other regiment. The Death Korps of Krieg have an extremely rich lore built through Forge World campaign books, and the Cadians have extensive lore coverage across codexes and novels.

Are there female Imperial Guard soldiers?

Yes — the Imperial Guard recruits from both sexes. The current Cadian plastic kit includes female head options, and regiments like the Tanith First and Only explicitly include female soldiers in both the novels and the model range.

What happened to the old metal regiment models?

Most classic metal regiment models (Mordians, Valhallans, Praetorians, Tallarn, etc.) have been discontinued. They occasionally appear on eBay and collector sites at premium prices. The modern Astra Militarum range focuses primarily on Cadians and Death Korps of Krieg in plastic.

How many Imperial Guard regiments are there?

There’s no fixed number. The Imperium raises regiments from more than a million worlds, and big recruiting worlds number theirs, so you get names like the Cadian 8th. New regiments are founded and old ones wiped out all the time, so the total is effectively countless. The regiments in this guide are just the most famous, and the ones with models or major novels.

What are Kasrkin?

Kasrkin are Cadia’s elite storm troopers. They’re the best-trained and best-equipped soldiers of the Cadian Shock Troops, and they’re sent where ordinary Guardsmen would be cut down. They wear heavier carapace armour, carry hot-shot lasguns and special weapons, and fight as veteran squads. Kasrkin have their own plastic kit, which works in Astra Militarum armies and as a Kill Team.

What is the strongest Astra Militarum regiment?

No canon ranking exists, but Cadians are usually treated as the benchmark. They’re the best-drilled, most professional Guard regiments, and their elite Kasrkin back that up. Other regiments are strongest in their own niche: Krieg in attritional sieges, Catachans in jungle and close fighting, Tanith in stealth. Tempestus Scions are better trained than any of them, but they belong to the Militarum Tempestus, not to a planetary regiment.

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