A Chainsword is a motorised chainsaw shaped like a sword — the standard melee weapon for Space Marine Assault troops and one of the most iconic close-combat weapons in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Its roaring teeth chew through armour, bone, and flesh with equal brutality, making it a terrifying instrument of war that perfectly embodies the grimdark setting.
The Chainsword has been a defining element of Warhammer 40k since the game’s earliest days. Where the Bolter represents the ranged firepower of the Adeptus Astartes, the Chainsword represents their savage close-quarters doctrine — the willingness to charge into the enemy and tear them apart at arm’s length. Together, the “Bolter and Chainsword” are the quintessential Space Marine combination.
How Does a Chainsword Work?
A Chainsword functions on a principle that is brutally simple: a series of monomolecular-edged or diamond-hard teeth are set into a track running along the length of a sword-shaped blade. A powerful motor — usually powered by a compact energy cell housed in the weapon’s hilt — drives these teeth at tremendous speed, creating a cutting edge that can tear through materials far tougher than any conventional blade could penetrate.
When the weapon strikes a target, the whirring teeth bite into the surface and rapidly chew through it. Against unarmoured flesh, the effect is catastrophic — limbs are severed in sprays of gore, torsos are ripped open, and the distinctive screaming roar of the motor becomes the last sound many enemies hear. Against armoured opponents, the teeth grind against plating, seeking gaps and weak points, gradually chewing through even reinforced ceramite given enough time and pressure.
The weapon’s hilt contains a trigger or activation stud that engages the motor. Many patterns also include a hand guard and pommel counterweight to improve balance during combat. The overall shape resembles a conventional longsword, allowing Space Marines to employ recognisable sword-fighting techniques — cuts, thrusts, and parries — augmented by the devastating cutting power of the motorised teeth.
Maintenance of a Chainsword requires regular attention. The teeth must be sharpened or replaced, the motor serviced, the drive track lubricated, and the power cell charged. Space Marines perform these tasks as ritual maintenance, often accompanied by prayers to the weapon’s machine spirit. A poorly maintained Chainsword can jam, stall, or throw teeth — potentially injuring its wielder.
What Are the Different Types of Chainsword?
The Chainsword family encompasses several variants, each designed for specific roles and users:
Standard Chainsword: The most common pattern, wielded by Space Marine Assault Marines, Sergeants, and line infantry across the Imperium. Approximately one metre in length with a single-edged chain track. Balanced for one-handed use alongside a bolt pistol.
Eviscerator: A massive two-handed Chainsword wielded by particularly zealous warriors, especially within the Adepta Sororitas and the Ecclesiarchy’s Redemptionist cults. The Eviscerator is so large and heavy that even a Space Marine would find it cumbersome. Its enormous blade can carve through vehicle armour and monstrous creatures that would resist a standard Chainsword. On the tabletop, it typically grants significantly higher Strength and AP values.
Chainfist: A variant integrated into Terminator power fists. The chainfist replaces the fingers of the power fist with a single rotating chain blade designed specifically for cutting through armoured bulkheads, vehicle hulls, and fortification walls. It is the premier anti-armour melee weapon available to Terminator squads, capable of tearing open Land Raiders and bunkers alike.
Chainaxe: Favoured by the World Eaters Traitor Legion and Khorne Berzerkers, the Chainaxe replaces the sword shape with an axe head lined with churning teeth. The heavier head delivers more devastating strikes at the cost of finesse. Chainaxes have become closely associated with the worship of Khorne, the Blood God.
Chainglaive: A polearm variant used by certain specialised units, extending reach at the cost of close-quarters manoeuvrability. The Night Lords Traitor Legion has a particular fondness for chainglaives among their Raptor squads.
Chain Bayonet: A small chain weapon fitted beneath the barrel of a Boltgun or lasgun, allowing the wielder to engage in melee without dropping their ranged weapon. Less effective than a dedicated Chainsword but providing useful versatility.
Who Uses Chainswords in Warhammer 40k?
While most closely associated with Space Marines, Chainswords are used across the Imperium and beyond. Within the Adeptus Astartes, Assault Marines, Vanguard Veterans, and many Sergeants wield Chainswords as their primary melee weapon. The weapon is considered a rite of passage in many Chapters — a Scout Marine earning their Chainsword marks their transition to full battle-brother status.
The Adepta Sororitas — the Sisters of Battle — frequently employ Chainswords alongside their bolt pistols, mirroring the Space Marine assault loadout. Their Repentia squads wield massive Eviscerators as acts of penance, throwing themselves into melee with fanatical zeal.
Imperial Guard officers, Commissars, and elite units like Storm Troopers may carry Chainswords as sidearms or primary melee weapons. For a Guard officer, a Chainsword is both a practical weapon and a symbol of authority — leading charges from the front with roaring blade held high.
Chaos Space Marines make extensive use of Chainswords, particularly the World Eaters and their Khorne Berzerker units. Their weapons are often corrupted, dripping with blood that never dries or fitted with teeth made from the bones of daemons. The chainaxe variant is so closely associated with the World Eaters that it has become their unofficial symbol.
Ork Mekboyz have been known to create their own crude chain weapons — “Choppy Choppas” — by strapping motorised chains to existing blades. These are unreliable and as dangerous to the wielder as the target, which suits the Ork mentality perfectly.
How Does the Chainsword Perform on the Tabletop?
In Warhammer 40,000 10th Edition, the standard Chainsword has been given updated rules that keep it relevant while acknowledging its position as a basic melee weapon. For Space Marines, the Astartes Chainsword typically grants an extra attack compared to fighting with a standard combat weapon, representing the weapon’s aggressive whirring blade creating multiple strike opportunities.
The typical profile gives the wielder additional attacks at their base Strength with no AP modifier but one damage per wound. This makes the Chainsword excellent for fighting lightly armoured infantry but less effective against heavily armoured targets — exactly where you would expect a basic chain weapon to perform.
Upgrade variants tell a different story. The Chainfist on Terminators offers substantially improved Strength, AP, and Damage, making it a genuine threat to vehicles and monsters. The Eviscerator similarly provides a massive damage boost at the cost of fewer attacks due to its unwieldy nature.
For competitive play, the Chainsword’s value lies in its accessibility and volume of attacks. A squad of Assault Intercessors with Chainswords can put out an impressive number of attacks that, through sheer volume, can threaten even well-armoured targets. When combined with Chapter-specific buffs, stratagems, and character auras, Chainswords can punch well above their weight class.
What Is the Chainsword’s Role in Warhammer Lore?
In the lore, the Chainsword occupies a position somewhere between practical weapon and cultural icon. For Space Marines, their Chainsword is a personal weapon that accumulates its own history and honour. Named Chainswords carried by heroes become Chapter relics, their teeth stained with the blood of a thousand enemies, their hilts wrapped in honour scrolls recording their greatest kills.
The sound of a Chainsword — that distinctive rising whine followed by the guttural roar as the teeth engage — is one of the most evocative sounds in Warhammer fiction. Black Library authors consistently use this auditory detail to build tension before melee scenes. Aaron Dembski-Bowden and Dan Abnett in particular have written memorable Chainsword combat sequences that convey the weapon’s visceral brutality.
The Chainsword also carries symbolic weight. In many Chapters, the manner in which a Marine wields their Chainsword reflects their character and combat philosophy. A precise, economical swordsman might use minimal chain activation, relying on the blade’s edge and weight. A berserker might keep the teeth screaming at full speed, spraying blood and fragments in every direction. The weapon becomes an extension of the warrior’s identity.
In the Horus Heresy novels, Chainswords are omnipresent in the close-quarters battles that define the civil war. Loyalist and traitor Marines clash with identical weapons, the brutal intimacy of chain weapon combat making the betrayal feel personal and savage. The sound of Chainswords duelling — teeth screaming against teeth — has become one of the defining auditory images of the Heresy.
How Does a Chainsword Compare to a Power Sword?
The Power Sword is the Chainsword’s more refined cousin — an energy-sheathed blade that cuts through armour by disrupting molecular bonds rather than physically tearing through them. Where the Chainsword is brutal and mechanical, the Power Sword is elegant and technologically advanced.
On the tabletop, Power Swords trade the Chainsword’s extra attacks for improved AP, making them better against armoured targets but generating fewer overall hits. The choice between them often comes down to what you expect to fight: hordes of light infantry favour the Chainsword’s volume, while elite opponents favour the Power Sword’s penetration.
In the lore, Power Swords are rarer and more prestigious. A Sergeant might carry a Chainsword, but a Captain or Chapter Champion typically wields a Power Sword or better. However, many Marines prefer the Chainsword’s reliability — it has fewer components that can fail, requires no power field generator, and can still function even when damaged. A Power Sword with a broken generator is just an expensive club; a Chainsword with a stalled motor is still a very large, very heavy sword.
Some warriors carry both, switching between them depending on the tactical situation. The legendary Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, featured in the Space Marine video games, is commonly depicted with both weapon types available to him.
What Are Some Famous Chainswords in Warhammer?
Several notable Chainswords have earned renown across the lore. The Teeth of Terra — a Chapter relic of the Ultramarines — is a master-crafted Chainsword with teeth made from fragments of sacred Terra itself. On the tabletop, it grants its wielder additional attacks and improved damage, representing its legendary craftsmanship.
Khorne Berzerker Champions often carry daemon-infused chain weapons that howl with unnatural hunger, their teeth never dulling because they are sharpened by the warp itself. These corrupted weapons serve as a dark mirror to the honoured relics of loyalist Chapters.
In the Horus Heresy, many Primarchs and their senior officers wielded master-crafted chain weapons alongside more exotic arms. Angron, Primarch of the World Eaters, was known for his paired chainaxes before his ascension to Daemon Prince — weapons that carved through Space Marines with casual ease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Could a Chainsword cut through a tank?
A standard Chainsword cannot penetrate vehicle armour. However, the Chainfist variant — designed specifically for this purpose — can cut through armoured bulkheads, vehicle hulls, and even the ceramite plating of Land Raiders. The Eviscerator can also damage lighter vehicles.
Is a Chainsword better than a power sword?
It depends on the situation. Chainswords generate more attacks, making them better against numerous lightly armoured enemies. Power Swords have better armour penetration, making them superior against heavily armoured targets. In competitive play, the choice depends on your army’s role and expected matchups.
Do real chainswords exist?
While functional chainsaw-sword hybrids have been built as novelty items and props, no military has ever fielded a chainsword. The concept is impractical with current technology — a conventional sword or combat knife is lighter, more reliable, and less dangerous to the wielder. The Chainsword works in 40k because of the superhuman strength and power armour of its users.
Why do Space Marines use Chainswords instead of better weapons?
Chainswords are reliable, easy to maintain, and effective against the majority of opponents Space Marines face. More advanced weapons like Power Swords and Thunder Hammers exist but are rarer and reserved for officers and specialists. The Chainsword’s simplicity is its strength — it works in any environment, requires minimal specialist maintenance, and its monomolecular teeth can be replaced in the field.
Can a Chainsword parry another melee weapon?
Yes. In the lore, Chainswords are frequently used defensively, with the spinning teeth catching and grinding against incoming blades. Two Chainswords locked together in a parry create a shower of sparks and metal fragments as their teeth clash — a common and dramatic image in Black Library fiction.