Warhammer 40,000 impresses with just about every crazy weapon you can imagine in a dystopian sci-fi world. Nevertheless, you repeatedly see Space Marines, Aeldari, and even humans with archaic close combat weapons. However, these are not just for decoration; they are quite practical in nature.
Games Workshop has played around with weapon arsenals in Warhammer 40,000. Bolters fire explosive ammunition, plasma weapons shoot superheated matter, and melters melt… just about everything.
Even the foot soldiers of many factions have completely exaggerated weapons. The arsenal of the technologically advanced T’au relies on accurate long-range weapons, and the space mummies of the Necrons have weapons in their standard equipment that can simply dissolve matter.
Nevertheless, most armies still have close combat weapons. Space Marines often come with chainswords, power axes, or psychic weapons that can channel magic. The wild and inventive Orks craft blades out of anything that can be sharpened.
Aeldari, the noble and fallen space elves, have even perfected the art of sword fighting so elegantly that they can dance with their blade while casually filleting their opponent. But how can something like that stand against bolters, gauss rifles, and lasers?
Swords are simply the pragmatic solution for a fight
The simplest answer as to why a fighter opts for a blade instead of a gun is ammunition. A firearm cannot function without bullets, plasma, or other magazines and is nothing more than a pretty club without ammunition.
A sword, on the other hand, is always deadly as long as it is sharp. Especially in fights against absurd numbers of opponents, such as when the legions of the Tyranids invade a world, ammunition is scarce, and it is even rather pointless to waste it.
Warriors like the Space Marines are so heavily armored that very few weapons can penetrate their armor. So they economically engage in close combat and save bullets. Besides, many Xenos – like the Tyranids – do not fight at a distance at all, and at close range, a bolter rifle is more of a hindrance.
The various types of swords, axes, and so on have other advantages depending on the application area:
- Chainswords and -axes have a running, tearing blade that can shred even solid material as the owner strikes.
- Power weapons can cut through thick armor so that even heavy tanks are no longer an obstacle.
- Psychic weapons assist spellcasters like Librarians with their matrix. Psykers can empower these weapons with their own might, wielding the Warp as effectively as a blade.
Often, targets are simply protected by energy fields that cannot be penetrated by artillery and other projectiles. Small strike teams like that of the Space Marines can simply run through. In tight spaces, swords and knives are better than rifles.
Demons die easier when it gets personal
Another reason is explained by some veterans on Reddit. There, one user asks why there are still swords in such a highly developed world. In a comment, it says: demons die faster when defeated in close combat.
Demons are beings of the Warp, which is the realm of emotion. A fight up close is said to be more personal. Tradition also plays a significant role: the old legends speak of heroes defeating enemies with blades, not with pistols and rifles.
There are even stories of Space Marines who use bows and arrows because these are still more traditional weapons and thus have greater historical “weight” – which appears to be important in the battle against demons.
However, here too, the opponents play a very significant role:
- Khorne, the god of slaughter, despises ranged combat and his demons and followers therefore rely entirely on close combat. If a berserker charges at you, you are better off with a sword in close combat than with a bolter.
- The dark Drukhari thrive on suffering and this is better inflicted with blades. Accordingly, swords are popular among them, especially when they cause great pain.
Despite the widespread close combat weapons, the entire arsenal in Warhammer 40,000 is larger, and the focus of many factions is on technological advancement, precision, and advanced weapons. One of the greatest and most dubious achievements can obliterate entire worlds: Exterminatus is the worst weapon in Warhammer 40,000, and even the insane Imperium uses it only very rarely
