Armageddon Steel Legion returning.

[LSM]

One odd thing is that the redditor says (essentially) that the sketches were for an Armageddon Steel Legion Ork Hunters kit.

 

Which is entirely possible - that GW has redefined what an Armageddon Ork Hunter is.

 

But classically they were their entire own regiment, which was very different from the Armageddon Steel Legion. If one were to be kicking around an upgrade sprue for the Armageddon Ork Hunters, it would be with Catachans as a base kit - not Armageddon Steel Legion.

 

//

 

The total forces native to Armageddon (per Codex: Armageddon) were noted as:

• Armageddon Command Guard: 5 Companies

• Armageddon Ash Wash Militia: 5 Regiments

• Armageddon Hive Militia: 120 Regiments
• Armageddon Ork Hunters: 5 Regiments
• Armageddon Steel Legion: 25 Regiments

From the Armageddon Sub Sector you then had: 11 Regiments of Arphista Penal Legion, 3 Minerva Tank Legions, 17 Battalions of Jopall Indentured, 9 Batteries of Semtexian Bombardiers, 3 Regiments of Mongrol/Krourk Ogryn Auxiliaries, 10 Regiments of Pyran Dragoons, and 6 Regiments of the Noctan Strike Force.

 

And they were supplemented by: Cadian Shock Troops (15 Regiments), Elysian Drop Troops (14), Ocanon Phalanx Troops (11), Savlar Chem-Dogs/Riders (8), Mordian Iron Guard (6), Death Korps of Krieg (5), Zouvan Skirmishers (4), Catachan Jungle Fighters (3), Asgardians Rangers (2), 18 Companies of Storm Troopers, and the 13th Penal Legion.

 

Edited March 27 by LSM

[Jalleo]

14 minutes ago, Joe said:

To be fair, we also saw Cathay shortly after and... that's come out, and then some. Kislev's always been a when, not if. Or another example would be when we were being teased with Adepta Sororitas, World Eaters, etc. As those had concept art, followed by renders, then the full reveal.

 

Also just realised the logo has a fourth element - it's also a hive city!

Kislev is reportedly held back for external reasons as one rumour to that. We may see another tease of steel legion with some rendered items later on if this follows the same type of pattern as World Eaters before their release.

[Ayatollah_of_Rock_n_Rolla]

27 minutes ago, LSM said:

One odd thing is that the redditor says (essentially) that the sketches were for an Armageddon Steel Legion Ork Hunters kit.

 

Which is entirely possible - that GW has redefined what an Armageddon Ork Hunter is.

 

But classically they were their entire own regiment, which was very different from the Armageddon Steel Legion. If one were to be kicking around an upgrade sprue for the Armageddon Ork Hunters, it would be with Catachans as a base kit - not Armageddon Steel Legion.

 

//

 

The total forces native to Armageddon (per Codex: Armageddon) were noted as:

• Armageddon Command Guard: 5 Companies

• Armageddon Ash Wash Militia: 5 Regiments

• Armageddon Hive Militia: 120 Regiments
• Armageddon Ork Hunters: 5 Regiments
• Armageddon Steel Legion: 25 Regiments

From the Armageddon Sub Sector you then had: 11 Regiments of Arphista Penal Legion, 3 Minerva Tanks Legions, 17 Battalions of Jopall Indentured, 9 Batteries of Semtexian Bombardiers, 3 Regiments of Mongrol/Krourk Ogryn Auxiliaries, 10 Regiments of Pyran Dragoons, and 6 Regiments of the Noctan Strike Force.

 

And they were supplemented by: Cadian Shock Troops (15 Regiments), Elysian Drop Troops (14), Ocanon Phalanx Troops (11), Savlar Chem-Dogs/Riders (8), Mordian Iron Guard (6), Death Korps of Krieg (5), Zouvan Skirmishers (4), Catachan Jungle Fighters (3), Asgardians Rangers (2), 18 Companies of Storm Troopers, and the 13th Penal Legion.

 

 

Ork Hunters are still their own thing.

 

 

There are other weird things about the reddit post.

The assumption that print bros are gonna buy figs if nothing is previewed and that nonprint bros are gonna turn printbros if anything is shown before the release, as if after the release printing was not an option. I don't see the logic. This idea has been already brought up ealrier in reddit comments. 

A logo teaser 2+ years before the release. I don't think that there are any paralells for this. So far the teases were max 1 year before the release. Cathay and Kislev are different, because they were made for TWW.

I am also interested how, on the basis of community reponse, they were to deide that they are doing full release insteaod of kill team. What was to be gauged, how, I don't understand.

[ZeroWolf]

4 hours ago, Mogger351 said:

From random poster on reddit:

 

 

I can believe this as most of it aligns with my thinking (especially the marketing part, I've seen the general theory used elsewhere other than with GW, plus it's also the same thing with Yarrick just on a much shorter time scale)

 

Also adding a few concept images to a rushed presentation? That would be what GW could manage to rapidly put out in the time frame.

 

Now, as to if it's actually true? Best to see if any known whisperers with a proven track record back it up.

 

[Marshal Rohr]

Ork Hunters were retconned away from Catachans into Steel Legion covered in trophies as early as Helsreach. There’s descriptions of them escorting Kurov. 

Edited March 27 by Marshal Rohr

[ZeroWolf]

9 minutes ago, Marshal Rohr said:

Ork Hunters were retconned away from Catachans into Steel Legion covered in trophies as early as Helsreach. There’s descriptions of them escorting Kurov. 

See that's something I was actually unaware of, anytime someone mentioned ork hunters, I thought back to a chapter approved article from 2002 where they were the kit bashed creation of an ork sprue combined with the catachans 

[LSM]

7 minutes ago, ZeroWolf said:

See that's something I was actually unaware of, anytime someone mentioned ork hunters, I thought back to a chapter approved article from 2002 where they were the kit bashed creation of an ork sprue combined with the catachans 

 

Though as always, there might be a bit of "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" going on. So we have:

• 2003: Armageddon Ork Hunters are presented as being a conversion of Catachan Jungle Fighters (with Ork bits).
• 2010: Helsreach presenting them (in text) as Armageddon Steel Legion (but with trophies).
• 2017: Codex: Astra Militarum (8th) showing the below art (per BellOfLostSouls) which bear no resemblance to Armageddon Steel Legion. 

[Son of Rawl]

3 minutes ago, LSM said:

 

Though as always, there might be a bit of "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" going on. So we have:

• 2003: Armageddon Ork Hunters are presented as being a conversion of Catachan Jungle Fighters (with Ork bits).
• 2010: Helsreach presenting them (in text) as Armageddon Steel Legion (but with trophies).
• 2017: Codex: Astra Militarum (8th) showing the below art (per BellOfLostSouls) which bear no resemblance to Armageddon Steel Legion. 

I like to think they brought the Catachan in specifically for fighting in the jungles of Armageddon.

This combined with the Steel Legion, and other Guard forces present would combine into an irregular "Ork Hunter" regiment within the Guard. Thats my head cannon on the Hunters. It allows multi types of Guard Vets to be classed as it, and it looks cool for a Kill Team.

[Marshal Rohr]

1 hour ago, LSM said:

 

Though as always, there might be a bit of "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" going on. So we have:

• 2003: Armageddon Ork Hunters are presented as being a conversion of Catachan Jungle Fighters (with Ork bits).
• 2010: Helsreach presenting them (in text) as Armageddon Steel Legion (but with trophies).
• 2017: Codex: Astra Militarum (8th) showing the below art (per BellOfLostSouls) which bear no resemblance to Armageddon Steel Legion. 

It’s more likely, ADB one of thinking writers, envisioned that when they’re in the more breathable and hot jungle environments they shed the protective jackets and gas masks for something lighter. Which makes sense in the real world and how they’ve been presented historically. 

[LSM]

1 hour ago, Marshal Rohr said:

It’s more likely, ADB one of thinking writers, envisioned that when they’re in the more breathable and hot jungle environments they shed the protective jackets and gas masks for something lighter. Which makes sense in the real world and how they’ve been presented historically. 

 

I suppose... though at that point it feels like we start getting into having to define terms. (Steel Legion on the streets; Ork Hunters in the sheets.)

 

Like... if the Armageddon Ork Hunters don't wear Steel Legion gear or act as mechanised infantry are they still Steel Legion? Are all of Armageddon's forces "Steel Legion", or just its mechanised infantry? (Certainly force deployment lists separate the two.) Should we think of Ork Hunters as a subset of the Steel Legion, or their own thing? And should the models be Catachan-y or Steel Legion-y? (The real crux of the conversation, IMO.)

 

The ~2003 Armageddon Ork Hunters army list mainly used units from Codex: Catachans, replaced the 'Deathworld Veterans' rule with their own 'Jungle Fighters' rule, could take Shootas/Choppas, and had the 'Waaagh!' special rule when fighting Orks (from Codex: Orks; "...call it the Aaagh! Rule if it helps..." says Chapter Approved). 

 

3 hours ago, Son of Rawl said:

I like to think they brought the Catachan in specifically for fighting in the jungles of Armageddon.

This combined with the Steel Legion, and other Guard forces present would combine into an irregular "Ork Hunter" regiment within the Guard. Thats my head cannon on the Hunters. It allows multi types of Guard Vets to be classed as it, and it looks cool for a Kill Team.

 

The Chapter Approved lore was that General Kurov originally just fed all sorts of regiments into the equatorial jungles during the Third War for Armageddon in an effort to purge it of Ork infestation, met far worse resistance than expected, and accidentally created the Armageddon Ork Hunters out of the traumatised survivors (who were formed into new regiments). Now there's all these veterans getting sent raw recruits to purposefully train as Ork Hunters, who spend weeks at a time deep in the jungles with no re-supply (resulting in them using plundered Ork weaponry) and having largely "gone Orky".

 

Personally, I think there's a ton of fun potential with, like, guys and gals who worship a very Gork (or is that Mork?) version of "da Emprah" and who wear glyphs etc.

[grailkeeper]

47 minutes ago, LSM said:

 

 

 

The Chapter Approved lore was that General Kurov originally just fed all sorts of regiments into the equatorial jungles during the Third War for Armageddon in an effort to purge it of Ork infestation, met far worse resistance than expected, and accidentally created the Armageddon Ork Hunters out of the traumatised survivors (who were formed into new regiments).

Think there was a Dan Abnett Short story about that called "Good eye"

[Marshal Rohr]

1 hour ago, LSM said:

 

I suppose... though at that point it feels like we start getting into having to define terms. (Steel Legion on the streets; Ork Hunters in the sheets.)

 

Like... if the Armageddon Ork Hunters don't wear Steel Legion gear or act as mechanised infantry are they still Steel Legion? Are all of Armageddon's forces "Steel Legion", or just its mechanised infantry? (Certainly force deployment lists separate the two.) Should we think of Ork Hunters as a subset of the Steel Legion, or their own thing? And should the models be Catachan-y or Steel Legion-y? (The real crux of the conversation, IMO.)

 

The ~2003 Armageddon Ork Hunters army list mainly used units from Codex: Catachans, replaced the 'Deathworld Veterans' rule with their own 'Jungle Fighters' rule, could take Shootas/Choppas, and had the 'Waaagh!' special rule when fighting Orks (from Codex: Orks; "...call it the Aaagh! Rule if it helps..." says Chapter Approved). 

 

 

The Chapter Approved lore was that General Kurov originally just fed all sorts of regiments into the equatorial jungles during the Third War for Armageddon in an effort to purge it of Ork infestation, met far worse resistance than expected, and accidentally created the Armageddon Ork Hunters out of the traumatised survivors (who were formed into new regiments). Now there's all these veterans getting sent raw recruits to purposefully train as Ork Hunters, who spend weeks at a time deep in the jungles with no re-supply (resulting in them using plundered Ork weaponry) and having largely "gone Orky".

 

Personally, I think there's a ton of fun potential with, like, guys and gals who worship a very Gork (or is that Mork?) version of "da Emprah" and who wear glyphs etc.

Are you asking how cultural identity and nationality works? If you were born on Armageddon, joined the army, and spent years fighting the Orks - you’re an Armageddon Ork Hunter. Trying to divide the lore into a specific, bespoke datasheet to accompany the models is intellectual sandpaper. The rumors said the kit can be built as plain Jane Steel Legion or bedecked in Ork Trophies, and I imagine with the soon to come  Catachans during the Nemesis expansion for Kill Team, the vast majority of Steel Legion we see at first will be a very freaking cool melting pot of Cadian Scouts, Catachans, and Steel Legion Ork Hunters. 

[Magos Takatus]

12 hours ago, Marshal Rohr said:

Are you asking how cultural identity and nationality works? If you were born on Armageddon, joined the army, and spent years fighting the Orks - you’re an Armageddon Ork Hunter. Trying to divide the lore into a specific, bespoke datasheet to accompany the models is intellectual sandpaper. The rumors said the kit can be built as plain Jane Steel Legion or bedecked in Ork Trophies, and I imagine with the soon to come  Catachans during the Nemesis expansion for Kill Team, the vast majority of Steel Legion we see at first will be a very freaking cool melting pot of Cadian Scouts, Catachans, and Steel Legion Ork Hunters. 

I think in this case it's more of a military organisation thing rather than a cultural thing. In the list helpfully provided by LSM we have the Steel Legion themselves, the command structure and a load of drafted militia, plus many offworld regiments. I would argue that you can't really call Armageddon Ork Hunters a unit with a cultural identity, at least, not a traditional one.

 

I would expect they are a group of units that have accepted survivors from numerous regiments that have been dissolved due to casualties fighting in the jungles. I would argue that the Armageddon Ork Hunters are ad-hoc Ork hunting units fighting in the Armageddon theatre, not that they are Armageddon-born. As you say, lore-wise we would expect to see a mish-mash of cultures in those regiments, with those individuals specialising in jungle warfare rising to the top as advisors and officers. What we et as actual models? Who knows?

 

(Also, Semtexian Bombardiers is a hilarious regiment name, just like how the poison-wielding Warframe in the eponymous game is called Saryn... )

[LSM]

On 3/27/2026 at 5:18 PM, Marshal Rohr said:

Are you asking how cultural identity and nationality works? If you were born on Armageddon, joined the army, and spent years fighting the Orks - you’re an Armageddon Ork Hunter. Trying to divide the lore into a specific, bespoke datasheet to accompany the models is intellectual sandpaper. The rumors said the kit can be built as plain Jane Steel Legion or bedecked in Ork Trophies, and I imagine with the soon to come  Catachans during the Nemesis expansion for Kill Team, the vast majority of Steel Legion we see at first will be a very freaking cool melting pot of Cadian Scouts, Catachans, and Steel Legion Ork Hunters. 

 

Maybe I'm misreading this, but it comes off a little hotter than I thought the conversation was. If I've presented my thoughts antagonistically, I apologise - it wasn't my intent. 

 

//

 

No, I'm not asking how cultural/national identity works. 

 

My impression of the Armageddon Ork Hunters was that they were their own thing, separate from the Armageddon Steel Legion, who bore a greater resemblance to Catachan Jungle Fighters. They were not (in my recollection) any Steel Legion (et al) who had spent years fighting Orks on Armageddon; but more specifically the survivors of all sorts of regiments who fought Orks in the Equatorial Jungle, were mostly destroyed, and subsequently formed into a new force - a new culture - who began training fresh recruits directly into that new culture. (Rather than continuing to create Ork Hunters via the wasteful original process of chucking ill-suited regiments into the jungles to die).

 

In my opinion, if you're from Armageddon (or find yourself sucked into their Guard) and spent years training as Mechanised Infantry, and are equipped as such, then you're part of the Armageddon Steel Legion. If you're from Armageddon (or find yourself sucked into their Guard) and get sent to Hell Town to be trained in the steaming jungles hunting Orks, and are equipped as such, you're part of the Armageddon Ork Hunters.

 

For example: the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force are two branches of the UK Armed Forces. They're both British military, but we wouldn't confuse the two. I always viewed the Steel Legion and Ork Hunters as two branches of the Armageddon Imperial Guard (and not the only two - just the most famous); the phrase "Steel Legion Ork Hunters" hits me like someone saying "Royal Navy Royal Air Force". The Royal Navy has pilots, but their pilots are not part of the Royal Air Force.

 

//

 

And then to really focus on the topic of the thread: if we were to get an Upgrade Sprue for an "Armageddon Ork Hunters Kill Team" (which I'd absolutely love and really hope we do get), I'd be surprised and a little weirded out by it being an Upgrade Sprue for a basic Armageddon Steel Legion kit, rather than a basic Catachan Jungle Fighters kit.

 

The Armageddon Ork Hunters (to my understanding) are a regiment trained in jungle fighting (similar to Catachans in mien) who have "gone Orky" (which could be well represented by an upgrade sprue with teef necklaces, Ork-ish glyphs, looted Ork weaponry held in 'ummie arms, various taken trophies, and of course their Scalpers).

 

"Plain jane Steel Legion bedecked in Ork Trophies" would be a disappointment (for me). That's not what my conception of the Armageddon Ork Hunters is. (Primarily from their Chapter Approved appearance; but also seemingly reinforced by their 2017 Codex appearance.)

 

 

Catachans + Upgrade Sprue can get me the above image. Steel Legion + Upgrade Sprue cannot.

 

//

 

Poking around a bit, the 2017 Codex: Astra Militarum seems to contain the passage (and forgive me, I'm trying to read from a paused YouTube video :D): "Perhaps the most renowned of Armageddon's soldiery are the Steel Legion mechanised infantry regiments... Armageddon has produced hundreds of these swift-moving regiments... The extremely industrialised nature of Armageddon means that a far higher proportion of its regiments are mechanised infantry. It is for this reason that these mobile regiments were given their moniker 'Steel Legion'."

 

That codex has a two page spread for the Cadians and Catachans, single pages for Armageddon, Vostroya, Vahalla, and Talarn, and then third-pages for Armageddon Ork Hunters, Athonian Tunnel Rats, Miasman Redcowls, Mordian Iron Guard, Tanith First and Only, Savlar Chem-Dogs, Ventrillion Nobles, Indigan Praefects, Mordant Acid-Dogs, Faeburn Vanquishers, Truskan Snowhounds, and Vresh Grenadiers.

 

So there's some implicit separation there - the Armageddon Ork Hunters are separately listed from the Steel Legion, for example. A "higher proportion" of Armageddon's regiments are mechanised infantry, and are given the moniker Steel Legion; these are the planet's "most renowned" soldiery. But that is suggestive that not all of the planet's forces are Steel Legion - that Armageddon's forces are not a mono-culture.

 

//

 

Lastly, I feel like a bit of a bonehead, because for some reason it didn't occur to me until now... to look at the Codex: Armageddon's Steel Legions section. (Which probably should have been my first port of call.) That describes four "ways" to play an Armageddon Imperial Guard force:

• Tithed Regiments (that have been recalled): use units from Codex: Imperial Guard and Codex: Catachans.
• Steel Legion Mechanised Infantry: use the modifications to Codex: Imperial Guard found in Codex: Armageddon's Steel Legion Mechanised Infantry list (only Vehicles or infantry transported in a Chimera, plus Rough Riders; no Codex: Catachan units allowed).
• Armageddon Prime Jungle Veterans: use Codex: Catachans' Deathworld Veterans army list.
• Armageddon Planetary Defence Force: use Codex: Imperial Guard and Codex: Catachans; minus Ogryns, Ratlings, Rough Riders, Deathworld Sentinels, and Leman Russ Vanquishers/Exterminators; plus Hive Gang Militia (new unit entry in Codex: Armageddon).

 

The back of the book lists five different types of regiments (Command Guard, Ash Waste Militia, Hive Militia, Steel Legion, Ork Hunters) totalling 160 Regiments. 19% of them are Steel Legion (if we include the Command Guard), 78% are PDF, and 3% are Ork Hunters.

 

Edited March 29 by LSM

[grailkeeper]

21 hours ago, grailkeeper said:

Think there was a Dan Abnett Short story about that called "Good eye"

I tell a lie, It was called Ork Hunter and can be found here  

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20021005160336/http://www.armageddon3.com/English/Campaign/Troops/OrkHuntersStory.html

 

 

Didnt know that old website was still accessible. Has loads of cool old fluff and information which I guess is relevant again.

 

Check out these guys http://web.archive.org/web/20021005144457/http://www.armageddon3.com/English/Campaign/Troops/minervan.html

Edited March 28 by grailkeeper