10,000 years ago, a betrayal almost wiped out the empire of Warhammer 40,000 – all because one of the Primarchs saw a different future than the Emperor: Horus. Almost half of his brothers followed him. But who among them is the strongest? MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus ranks the traitors by their combat prowess.
Originally, all Primarchs are basically sons of the Emperor himself, created from his genetic code and endowed with parts of his power. The Primarchs themselves are the fathers of their legions through their gen-seed. Originally, there were 20 of these super super-soldiers.
However, in the early 31st Millennium, almost half of the Primarchs turned against the empire. After whispers from one single man, who fell to Chaos as a child, the Warmaster Horus nearly destroyed the Empire.
By now, you know which loyal Primarch is the strongest of all, but who is the top boss on the other side? Unlike their loyal counterparts, the traitors possess the powers of Chaos, which significantly enhance their strength. For the ranking, I measure the combat prowess of the Primarchs based on:
- pure physical strength and psychic power
- combat skills and weapon handling
- strength and manifestation of their blessings of Chaos
- confirmed victories (or defeats) against other Primarchs or other notable opponents
The list is based on the most current data, so it applies to “as of now.” Deceased Primarchs are evaluated based on their strength shortly before their demise. Note that each of these Primarchs is still stronger than any Space Marine, even if they end up in last place.
Rank 9: Alpharius Omegon
Officially, Alpharius Omegon is the last of the 20 Primarchs who were created – according to some reports, he and his Alpha Legion were the first and thus the blueprint for all Space Marines.
At the same time, Alpharius Omegon is an absolute anomaly among the Primarchs because he is actually two people: Alpharius and Omegon, a twin pair that is simultaneously just one person. Or perhaps he doesn’t even exist (anymore). And yes, that’s meant to be confusing.
Whether the Alpha Legion actually consists of traitors is unclear, but for this list I will assume so. The greatest strength of the Legion and the Primarch is secrecy, infiltration, and covert operations.
Accordingly, Alpharius Omegon is not the best or most skilled fighter. In a direct duel, he would be outmatched by all other traitors (and most loyalists). His greatest strength is that you can never be quite sure if you actually killed him – because everyone in the Legion looks like him and claims to be the Primarch. Moreover, he uses hard-to-assess, unconventional equipment but usually stays out of direct fights.
In a larger war, considering the legions, Alpharius Omegon would likely be stronger because he is a strategic genius. In direct combat, however, this helps him little. Physically, as well as in terms of psychic power, most of his brothers are stronger. Should he be allied with Chaos, he hasn’t gained any significant advantage from it.
