Warhammer Weapon Guide: How Warhammer 40k Arms Shape The Grimdark Battlefield

If you’ve ever stared at a Warhammer 40k army list and thought, “Okay, but what does any of these weapons actually do?” you’re exactly who this guide is for. The Warhammer weapon ecosystem is massive, jargon-heavy, and absolutely crucial to how your army performs on the tabletop.

In Warhammer 40k, your warlord, elite units, and even basic grunts are defined as much by their weapons as by their stats. Whether you’re a newer player trying to decode “bolt rifles” vs “plasma incinerators,” or a returning gamer coming back to a new edition, understanding Warhammer weapons is how you turn cool minis into an actual game-winning army.

This article breaks down how Warhammer weapons work in Warhammer 40k: what the stat line actually means, the major weapon categories (ranged, melee, heavy, special), iconic examples from different factions, and how to pick the right tools for your playstyle. We’ll also hit common mistakes players make when arming their units and how to avoid wasting points.

No rules spoilers for future editions here—just practical, system-agnostic knowledge that’ll help you read any weapon profile and know how to use it.

What Is A Warhammer Weapon In Warhammer 40k?

A Warhammer weapon, in Warhammer 40k terms, is any armament a unit uses to attack—guns, blades, psychic implements, explosives, even living bio-weapons. On the tabletop, every weapon is defined by a profile: a set of stats that tell you how it behaves in game.

While the exact wording and layout shifts a bit between editions, almost every Warhammer weapon shares these core concepts:

- Range: How far it can shoot, usually in inches.
- Type: Tells you how and when it’s fired (like Rapid Fire, Assault, Heavy, Pistol, etc.).
- Attacks/Shots: How many dice you roll when you fire or fight with it.
- Strength (S): How hard it hits; compared against the target’s Toughness.
- Armour Penetration (AP): How much it cuts through armour saves.
- Damage (D): How many wounds it does when it gets through.
- Abilities: Unique rules (rerolls, blast templates, mortal wounds, etc.).

For melee weapons, range is replaced by melee-only stats and special rules, but the core idea is the same: the weapon profile translates the lore (“this is a chainsword that chews through armour”) into dice and probabilities (“reroll hits, AP -1, D1,” etc.).

Understanding Warhammer weapons isn’t just about memorizing stats. It’s about knowing what each stat is *for* and how it fits your strategy, army, and mission.

Why Warhammer Weapons Matter So Much

In Warhammer 40k, list building and battlefield decisions often boil down to one basic question: can your weapons kill the right targets fast enough?

Your Warhammer weapon choices determine:

- What kinds of targets you’re good at killing (heavy infantry, hordes, tanks, monsters).
- At what range you’re dangerous (short-range brawler, mid-range gunline, long-range artillery).
- How mobile your army can be while still putting out damage.
- Whether your units are generalists (good enough against everything) or specialists (incredible vs specific targets, useless vs others).

Two players can run the same faction and same points value, but the one who chose weapons that match the mission, terrain, and meta threats will almost always have the edge. You don’t need to memorize every weapon in the game—but you do need to understand weapon *roles*.

How Warhammer Weapon Profiles Work In Practice

Let’s decode a typical ranged Warhammer weapon profile in Warhammer 40k and what each part actually means when you’re playing.

Range

Range is how far the weapon can shoot, measured in inches on the tabletop. Ranges often signal the role of a weapon:

- 12" or less: Close-range, aggressive playstyle. Think flamers, pistols, melta.
- 24": Standard infantry gun range (most bolters, basic guns).
- 36"+: Dedicated support and long-range firepower (las cannons, missile launchers, long rifles, many vehicle guns).

Short-range weapons often hit harder—but you’ll need to expose yourself and move up the board. Long-range weapons are safer, but frequently more expensive and less flexible.

Type

Weapon type dictates how a unit uses the weapon in relation to movement and shooting rules. The exact terms vary by edition, but common ones include:

- Assault: You can advance and still shoot, often at a penalty. Great for mobile units.
- Rapid Fire: Extra shots at short range. Classic bolter-style guns.
- Heavy: Strong but often penalized if you move and shoot. Ideal on static or vehicle platforms.
- Pistol: Can be shot in close combat instead of other guns. Helps melee-focused units get some extra shots.
- Grenade: Usually one per unit per phase, with niche but strong profiles.
- Blast/Indirect: Great at hitting big units or targets out of line of sight.

Understanding type tells you how “mobile-friendly” or static a Warhammer weapon is. A strong profile on a Heavy weapon might be worse for a fast-moving army than a slightly weaker Assault weapon you can fire while advancing.

Attacks / Shots

This is how many dice you roll when you fire. It might be:

- Fixed (e.g., 1, 2, 3 shots).
- Scaled to the model (e.g., number of attacks equal to models in the unit).
- Random (e.g., D3, D6 shots).

More shots generally mean more reliability and better horde-clearing. Fewer shots but higher strength and damage are better at cracking elite targets. A balanced list usually wants both kinds of Warhammer weapons.

Strength

Strength (S) is compared to the target’s Toughness (T) to see how easily you wound.

Roughly:

- S lower than T: You’ll wound on 5+ or 6+ (unreliable).
- S equal to T: You’ll wound on 4+ (coin flip).
- S higher than T: You’ll wound on 3+ or 2+ (reliably).

High-Strength weapons specialize in killing tanks, monsters, and heavy infantry. Low-Strength weapons with lots of shots are better for beating up basic troops.

Armour Penetration (AP)

AP modifies or ignores armour saves. The more negative the AP, the better:

- AP 0: Targets get full armour saves.
- AP -1 to -2: Good vs typical infantry saves.
- AP -3 and beyond: Starts seriously threatening elite armour and tanks.

Even a mediocre Strength weapon can be deadly if it has good AP, especially with volume of fire.

Damage

Damage (D) tells you how many wounds you strip off when a hit goes through. Broadly:

- D1: Great vs basic 1-wound troops.
- D2–3: Excellent vs elite infantry or light vehicles.
- D6 or high fixed damage: Tank busters and monster hunters.

Many editions also include rules like “mortal wounds,” which bypass normal saves entirely. These might come from special abilities on weapons or critical effects.

Abilities

Abilities are where many Warhammer weapons get their character. Examples include:

- Rerolls (hits, wounds, or damage).
- Extra hits on certain rolls.
- Bonus damage vs specific targets (vehicles, monsters, psykers).
- Auto-hits (flamers and similar).
- Explosive rules such as Blast (more hits against big units).

When evaluating a Warhammer weapon, don’t just look at S/AP/D in isolation. Abilities can massively boost a weapon’s real-world performance.

Main Categories Of Warhammer Weapons In Warhammer 40k

To make the Warhammer weapon system less overwhelming, it helps to group things by role instead of memorizing every specific gun or blade.

Ranged Weapons: Your Primary Damage Output

Most armies in Warhammer 40k lean heavily on ranged weapons. Major subtypes:

1. Basic Infantry Guns  
These are your bread-and-butter guns with mid-range and moderate power.

Examples:
- Bolters (Space Marines).
- Lasguns (Imperial Guard / Astra Militarum).
- Shootas (Orks).
- Shuriken weapons (Aeldari).

Use them to:
- Clear light infantry off objectives.
- Chip away at tougher units when nothing else is in range.
- Fire on the move while you position your heavy hitters.

2. Special Weapons  
These are upgrades within squads—more limited, but hit harder or have unique effects.

Examples:
- Plasma guns (high Strength, good AP, often risky).
- Flamer-type weapons (auto-hits at short range).
- Melta guns (anti-tank, short-ranged, brutal at close quarters).
- Fusion blasters, blasters, etc. (similar concepts for other factions).

Use them to:
- Give otherwise basic units real bite versus high-value targets.
- Threaten tanks or elite troops that try to close the distance.
- Punish enemies that think your infantry squads are harmless.

3. Heavy Weapons  
Typically carried by specialist teams or mounted on vehicles; focused, powerful, and often long-ranged.

Examples:
- Lascannons (anti-tank).
- Missile launchers / rocket launchers (flexible ammo types).
- Railguns (Tau).
- Dark lances, bright lances, heavy bolters, autocannons, etc.

Use them to:
- Snipe enemy vehicles, monsters, and characters.
- Dominate firing lanes and force your opponent to move cautious.
- Anchor your gunline or provide fire support to forward units.

4. Pistols  
Short-range sidearms that can be fired while locked in melee, in some editions.

Examples:
- Bolt pistols.
- Plasma pistols.
- Fusion pistols.

Use them to:
- Add a bit of extra output for melee-focused characters and units.
- Threaten high-value targets that get too close.
- Finish off damaged squads or vehicles before charging.

5. Artillery and Indirect Fire  
Big guns that can sometimes shoot without line of sight, depending on rules.

Examples:
- Basilisks and Manticores (Imperial Guard).
- Whirlwinds (Space Marines).
- Night spinners (Aeldari).

Use them to:
- Harass backfield objective holders.
- Punish enemies trying to hide behind terrain.
- Force your opponent to move or be slowly shredded.

Melee Weapons: How You Win Fights Up Close

If you like charging headfirst into the enemy, Warhammer melee weapons are your playground. They generally fall into three tiers:

1. Basic Melee Weapons  
Included on most units by default; simple but not spectacular.

Examples:
- Close combat weapon, bayonets, basic knives.
- Shock mauls and equivalents.

Use them to:
- Add a bit of close-combat threat to units that primarily shoot.
- Overwhelm weak enemy units if you get the charge.

2. Improved Melee Weapons  
Point-costed upgrades that significantly increase lethality.

Examples:
- Chainswords, power swords, power axes.
- Choppas (Orks), glaives, warp-forged blades.
- Boneswords, rending claws (Tyranids).

Use them to:
- Turn otherwise mediocre units into competent brawlers.
- Focus on either more attacks, more AP, or higher Strength depending on your role.

3. Relic / Signature Melee Weapons  
Unique weapons on characters and elite units; these often have stacked abilities and lore.

Examples:
- Relic blades, thunder hammers.
- Daemon weapons.
- Named characters’ signature swords, axes, or relics.

Use them to:
- Delete enemy characters or elite units in a single combat phase.
- Anchor a melee deathstar or counter-charge unit.
- Intimidate your opponent into avoiding direct engagement.

Iconic Warhammer Weapons By Faction

Warhammer 40k’s setting is packed with distinctive weapons that tell you what a faction is about just by looking at them.

Space Marines  
- Bolt weapons: Mid-range, solid AP and damage, good generalists.
- Plasma: High risk, high reward; great versus heavy infantry and light vehicles.
- Melta: Short-range tank killers.
- Power weapons: Swords, mauls, axes that cut through armour in melee.

Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard)  
- Lasguns: Weak individually, terrifying in massed volleys with buffs.
- Heavy bolters/autocannons: Infantry and light vehicle control.
- Lascannons and battle cannons: Tank hunters and all-round heavy support.
- Artillery (Basilisks, Manticores): Indirect fire dominance.

Orks  
- Shootas: Inaccurate but lots of shots; volume over precision.
- Big shootas, rokkit launchas: Dakka everywhere.
- Choppas and power klaws: Melee brutality, especially on big bosses.
- Killkannons, deffguns: Over-the-top firepower on ramshackle platforms.

Aeldari / Drukhari  
- Shuriken weapons: High rate of fire with lethal criticals.
- Lances (bright lances, dark lances): Anti-tank lightsabers in gun form.
- Splinter weapons: Poisoned shots, deadly regardless of target’s Toughness.
- Elegant melee blades that rely on speed, AP, and finesse.

Tau  
- Pulse rifles and pulse carbines: Strong basic guns with high Strength.
- Rail weapons and ion weapons: Brutal anti-tank and heavy infantry tools.
- Smart missile systems, seeker missiles: Flexible support fire.

Tyranids  
- Bio-cannons and devourers: Living guns that spew worms, beetles, or toxins.
- Rending claws, scything talons, boneswords: Melee bio-constructs engineered for specific targets.
- Acid, spore mines, and strangler weapons: Area denial and morale tools.

You don’t need to know every name, but you should recognize patterns: high-volume vs. high-damage, melee vs. ranged skew, short-range pressure vs. long-range attrition. That lets you evaluate any Warhammer weapon for what your army needs.

How To Choose The Right Warhammer Weapons For Your Army

When you’re building a Warhammer 40k list or equipping a squad, don’t just grab whatever looks coolest (even if that’s very tempting). Ask a few key questions:

What Is This Unit’s Job?

Every unit in your army should have a clear role. The Warhammer weapons you pick should match that role.

Common roles include:

- Anti-horde: Lots of shots, modest damage, moderate AP.
- Anti-elite infantry: Good AP, mid-level damage (e.g., D2), solid Strength.
- Anti-tank/monster: High Strength, high damage, strong AP, fewer shots.
- Objective holder: Cheap guns, maybe one decent special weapon; durability > firepower.
- Fast harasser: Assault/short-range guns or pistols, high mobility, disruptive.

If you’re arming a fast melee unit with long-range heavy guns, something’s off. Weapons should amplify what the unit already does well.

What Will You Actually Face?

The “meta” in your local scene matters. If your friends mostly run hordes and light vehicles, a ton of expensive anti-tank guns is wasted. If everyone brings Knights and heavy armour, massed D1 shots won’t cut it.

Try to balance your Warhammer weapons to handle:

- Light infantry.
- Elite infantry.
- Vehicles/monsters.

But you can lean into two of those and accept being weaker in the third, depending on your faction identity and playstyle.

How Much Range Do You Need?

Short-range weapons like flamers and melta are devastating—but only if you can survive getting close. Long-range guns give you board presence but often cost more points and might need line of sight.

Think about:

- Does your army have transport vehicles or deep strike to deliver short-range guns?
- Do you plan to castle up and shoot, or advance aggressively across the board?
- Is the terrain in your usual games dense (favouring close range) or open (favouring long range)?

Are You Over-Specializing?

It’s easy to go “all in” on one type of damage and then get hard-countered.

Examples:

- 100% anti-tank Warhammer weapons, then your opponent shows up with 120 infantry models.
- Tons of anti-horde, and you struggle to hurt a couple of big monsters.

A solid list usually mixes:

- Broad-spectrum weapons (like bolters, shuriken, pulse rifles).
- A few dedicated anti-tank and anti-elite tools.

Your army’s internal synergies and buffs (rerolls, +1 to hit, etc.) also influence what weapons scale the best.

Common Warhammer Weapon Mistakes To Avoid

New and intermediate players often fall into the same traps when kitting out their units. Avoiding these will save you points and games.

Overpaying For Upgrades On Fragile Units

Don’t dump a ton of points into super fancy weapons on units that will die easily. Giving an almost naked, fragile squad a super-expensive gun often leads to:

- It gets targeted and killed immediately.
- It never makes its points back in damage.

Instead, put your premium Warhammer weapons on more durable platforms (elite infantry, vehicles, characters with protection).

Mixing Too Many Different Weapons In One Squad

A single unit loaded with a lascannon, sniper rifle, flamer, and plasma gun might look “flexible,” but in practice:

- You’re wasting shots because optimal targets differ.
- You’ll overkill cheap targets and underperform vs tough ones.

Try to specialize each unit’s weapons for a primary job. If a squad is your anti-tank team, lean into that. If it’s anti-infantry, don’t waste points on one token melta gun.

Ignoring Weapon Type And Mobility

A heavy Warhammer weapon on a unit that *needs* to move every turn is a conflict. You’ll either lose damage by moving or waste points standing still.

Match your weapons to your battle plan:

- Assault/rapid-fire guns on mobile or advancing units.
- Heavy guns on static backfield units or stable vehicles.
- Pistols and short-range weapons on units that want to be in melee.

Not Respecting Short-Range Risk

Flamers and melta-style guns are enticing. But if your army can’t reliably survive to 12" or less, their theoretical damage doesn’t matter.

Ask:

- How am I delivering these weapons? Transports, deep strike, fast movement, or just walking?
- What tools does my opponent have to screen or kill me before I get close?

Forgetting Synergy With Army Rules

Many factions have abilities that supercharge certain types of Warhammer weapons:

- Rerolls on specific weapon keywords.
- Extra AP or damage at close range.
- Buffs to hit with heavy or assault weapons.
- Stratagems that key off weapon types (e.g., melta, flame, blast).

Before list building, skim your faction’s rules and ask: which weapons get the biggest multiplier from my army’s buffs? Those usually deserve priority.

Basic Strategy Tips For Getting The Most From Your Weapons

Once you’ve picked your weapons, playing them well is the next level.

Layer Threat Ranges

Instead of just one “kill zone,” create overlapping bubbles of danger:

- Long-range guns cover objectives and lanes from turn one.
- Mid-range weapons move up and take over the midfield.
- Short-range and melee threats punish anything that gets too close or tries to crack your front line.

This way your opponent never has a “safe” space to sit in.

Focus Fire On Priority Targets

Don’t spread your shots around. In Warhammer 40k, it’s usually better to completely remove one dangerous enemy unit than partially damage two.

- Use the right weapons for the right targets.
- Start with specialized guns (like anti-tank) on the biggest threat.
- Clean up with flexible weapons if something is left alive.

Use Terrain To Mitigate Weaknesses

If you’re running shorter-range Warhammer weapons, hug cover and line-of-sight blockers to avoid being shot off the board before you get in range. If you’re running long-range guns, park them in good firing lanes with cover and good sight to objectives.

Keep A Mental “Damage Budget”

Roughly estimate in your head:

- “This anti-tank squad can kill around X wounds of vehicles per turn.”
- “My anti-infantry section can clear Y basic troops per turn.”

Compare that to what your opponent is bringing. If you don’t have enough “budget” to deal with their threats within a few turns, you either misbuilt the list or need to play incredibly carefully to force favourable trades.

Frequently Asked Questions About Warhammer Weapons

Do I Need To Know Every Single Warhammer Weapon To Play?

No. Learn your own army’s weapons first, plus a few iconic ones from common opponents. Over time, you’ll recognize patterns and keywords that let you quickly gauge new profiles.

Are Melee Weapons Or Ranged Weapons Better In Warhammer 40k?

It depends heavily on edition, faction, and local meta. Most strong lists mix both: shooting to soften targets and control space, melee to finish units, tag tanks, and push enemies off objectives.

Are “Cool Looking” Weapons Usually Worse?

Not always. Warhammer 40k is a hobby game as much as a competitive one, and Games Workshop tends to give the iconic, cool weapons pretty solid rules. Just be aware that some purely cosmetic options might be suboptimal compared to others on the same datasheet.

Should I Always Take The Most Expensive Weapon Option?

No. Expensive usually means specialized high damage—but that only matters if you can reliably get them on the right targets. Sometimes a cheaper, more flexible Warhammer weapon is better value over a whole game.

How Do I Know If A Weapon Is “Good” For Its Points?

Compare:
- Its expected damage output vs common targets.
- Its range and restrictions.
- Its cost compared to similar options in your codex.

Also, watch real games: if you consistently feel like a certain weapon underperforms and rarely earns back its points, it might be overcosted for your list or role.

Is Investing In The Right Warhammer Weapon Loadouts Worth It?

Absolutely. In Warhammer 40k, your army’s weapons are where lore, playstyle, and raw power intersect. You can have gorgeous models and tight movement, but if your Warhammer weapons don’t match your strategy, targets, and missions, you’ll constantly feel like you’re fighting uphill.

If you’re just starting, focus on:

- Understanding your weapon profiles (S, AP, D, type, abilities).
- Giving each unit a clear battlefield role and picking weapons to match.
- Balancing your list with at least some tools for hordes, elites, and tanks.

If you’re more experienced, push deeper into:

- Synergizing weapons with your faction’s unique buffs and stratagems.
- Threat layering and board control based on weapon ranges.
- Tweaking loadouts to fit your local meta’s common armies.

Warhammer 40k is, at its core, a game about grimdark soldiers and monsters bringing the right tools to the wrong kind of war. Once you understand how Warhammer weapons actually function—from bolter to battleship gun—you’ll make smarter choices in list building, clearer decisions at the table, and get a lot more satisfaction out of every dice roll.