Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters: Complete Guide

A practical guide to leading the Grey Knights of the Baleful Edict against the Bloom. It covers the tactical layer (Willpower, Warp Surges, stagger and executions), squad building across the base, advanced and DLC classes, and the campaign loop of racing the Bloom across the sector.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Update XIII (the last major content update, released with the Execution Force DLC on 25 July 2023). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status note: Daemonhunters is finished and stable. Frontier and Complex Games announced the sequel, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Deathwatch, at Warhammer Skulls on 21 May 2026. It continues the story after the Bloom is purged. Daemonhunters itself hasn't had a content update since mid-2023, so everything below still applies.

Quick Start

• Grey Knights don't miss, but they can be swarmed. Shots and swings land where you aim them. What kills you is getting surrounded and running out of Willpower, so plan your turns around those two things.
• Willpower (WP) runs your squad. Psychic powers and most strong abilities cost WP. Killing enemies gives some back, but refunds are small, so spending big early and hoping to refill fast doesn't work.
• Watch the Warp Surge meter. It climbs as a mission goes on, and psychic activity is the part of it you control. When it's full, a Warp Surge event hits the mission: reinforcements, enemy buffs or hazards. Clearing out cheap Poxwalkers with psychic powers is how you walk into one.
• Stagger, then execute. Stun builds up on a target. Once an enemy is Staggered, a melee Execution finishes it off whatever its health. It's the most efficient way to remove big threats.
• Use Precision Targeting on dangerous parts. You can aim at specific limbs, weapons or components. Disabling a heavy weapon or a psyker's focus can matter more than raw damage.
• Keep four standard classes in the rotation early. Justicar, Interceptor, Purgator and Apothecary do different jobs. A squad that's missing the Apothecary or the Purgator gets noticeably worse.
• The Bloom is the real clock. Every planet you leave alone gets worse. Answer the missions that stop Bloom growth, even when a juicier side mission is on offer.
• Rotate your Knights. Wounded Knights spend time recovering. Keep a bench deep enough that one bad mission doesn't leave you with an under-levelled squad.
• Buy the DLC only if you want more of everything. Duty Eternal (Techmarine, Venerable Dreadnought, Technophage missions) and Execution Force (four Assassins, boarding actions, Tentarus Hives) are the two big expansions. The base campaign is complete without them.

How a Turn Works

Each Knight gets Action Points (AP) for movement and actions every turn, and you act with them in whatever order you like. Enemies act in their own phase. A few things set Daemonhunters apart from XCOM-style games:

System | What it does | Why it matters

Precision Targeting | Attacks go where you aim, with no percentage-to-hit gamble | You plan kill orders with confidence, so positioning becomes the skill

Stun / Stagger | Weapons and abilities carry Stun values that build up on a target | A Staggered enemy can be Executed, which deletes big units cheaply

Execution | Melee finisher on a Staggered target | The cleanest way to remove Plague Marines and elites before they act

Willpower | Resource spent on psychic powers and signature abilities | You need a WP plan for the whole mission, not just this turn

Warp Surge meter | Fills as the squad uses psychic powers; triggers a Surge event when full | Over-casting brings reinforcements and nasty modifiers

Destructible terrain | Pillars, walls and vehicles can be knocked into enemies | Free damage and stun that don't cost WP

Turn-planning checklist

• Scan for threats first. Which enemies can reach a Knight next turn, and which of them can stagger or grab?
• Kill order: anything that buffs or heals (Plague Surgeons, Nurgling Swarms that buff daemons), then elites you can stagger and execute, then chaff.
• Finish your stagger chains. Staggering an enemy and then leaving it alive wastes the stun.
• Save WP for the emergency. Aim to end most turns with enough Willpower for one "oh no" action.
• Check the Surge bar before casting. If one more power tips it over, try to do the job with bolters and melee instead.

Classes and Squad Building

Standard classes

Class | Role | Notes

Justicar | Frontline leader and melee anchor | Tough, handles space control and buffs. Good first pick for an execution specialist

Interceptor | Mobility and flanking | Teleport-based movement lets them reach objectives, stagger targets and escape. Great for grabbing items and finishing wounded enemies

Purgator | Heavy weapons | Psycannons, incinerators and psilencers. Your main answer to packed groups and high-armour targets

Apothecary | Healing and support | Keeps the squad alive across long missions. Leave one behind and you'll feel it every mission

Advanced classes

As the campaign goes on you unlock four advanced classes: Paladin, Chaplain, Librarian and Purifier. Each is a stronger, more specialised take on a role:

• Paladin: a melee bruiser with high staying power.

Note for every class: since Update VIII, the Warp Charged version of Emperor's Will can't be activated by a Knight with 0 Willpower, so keep a little WP in reserve.

• Chaplain: uses litanies that buff the squad. Build around a Chaplain when you want a force-multiplier in the middle of your formation.
• Librarian: your dedicated psyker. Their powers are huge, but they're the fastest way to fill the Warp Surge meter.
• Purifier: psychic and fire damage that excels at clearing daemonic and plague-ridden swarms.

DLC units

DLC (release) | Adds | Tips

Castellan Champion Upgrade Pack (launch, 5 May 2022) | Castellan Garran Crowe, who wields the Black Blade of Antwyr. Unlocked through a story event | A strong unique melee Knight. He joins through the campaign, so don't expect him from turn one

Duty Eternal (6 Dec 2022) | Techmarine class with Combat Servitors (Bombards for wide blasts, Breachers that break armour in melee), the Venerable Dreadnought as a fifth squad member on Technophage Outbreak missions, the Gladius Frigate for multi-front operations, Tech-Priest Dominus Lunete, Archeotech upgrades and Technophage Warp Surge events | The Techmarine's servitors add bodies and armour-breaking to a four-Knight squad. Use the Dreadnought as a walking wall

Execution Force (25 Jul 2023) | Four Assassins (Vindicare, Eversor, Culexus, Callidus), Death Guard Boarding Actions, Tentarus Hive missions, five new maps, new Knight wargear | Inquisitor Vakir contacts the Officio Assassinorum early in a campaign. Your first Assassin comes free, and later ones cost Requisition. Per the patch notes: the Vindicare critically wounds at range and applies Bleed, the Eversor pays for abilities with HP instead of Willpower or cooldowns, the Culexus is immune to psychic attacks, and the Callidus can approach enemy squads without triggering combat

Sample squad compositions

Composition | Why it works

Justicar, Interceptor, Purgator, Apothecary | The balanced early-game squad. Covers melee, mobility, area damage and healing

Paladin, Interceptor, Purifier, Apothecary | Heavy melee and fire. Stagger with the Paladin, finish with executions, and let the Purifier clear swarms

Chaplain, Paladin, Purgator, Apothecary | The "brick." Slow but very hard to kill, and ideal for defence objectives

Librarian, Interceptor, Purgator, Apothecary | Burst-heavy with lots of psychic damage. You have to manage Surge and WP carefully

Any four plus a Venerable Dreadnought (Duty Eternal) | The Dreadnought soaks attention on Technophage missions and frees your Knights to flank

Levelling priorities

• Take stun and stagger upgrades on at least two Knights so you can reliably set up executions.
• Give your Apothecary healing and survivability first, then utility.
• Your Interceptor wants movement and anything that makes teleport-strikes safer.
• Give your Purgator area and armour-penetration upgrades. They're your answer to Blightlord-class targets.

The Campaign Layer: Ship, Bloom and Missions

You command from the Baleful Edict, a Grey Knight strike cruiser. Between missions you:

• Manage the Barracks: recruit, equip and assign Knights.
• Heal the wounded: injured Knights recover over time in the ship's medical facility.
• Run research and ship projects: unlock and upgrade wargear and facilities.
• Read the Libris Malleus: the in-game codex of enemies and lore.
• Deploy from the Teleportarium: where missions launch.
• Spend Requisition: the main currency for gear and, with Execution Force, recruiting Assassins.

The Bloom

The Bloom is Mortarion's plague, spread by five Chaos champions called the Reapers. It grows on planets across the sector, and infected worlds get new hazards and mutated enemies. Death Guard units pick up pestilent boons that give them extra attacks and abilities. The campaign is a tug-of-war:

• Every mission choice is a trade. Rewards, research and story progress on one side, Bloom growth on the planets you ignore on the other.
• Stop the spread. Missions that contain or purge the Bloom are worth more than they look, because letting it spread makes every later mission harder.
• Update XII added Bloom Assault Missions. You escort Bloom Seeds (a research resource) and protect them.

Mission types to know

Type | Source | What to expect

Standard purge and objective missions | Base game | Kill or complete objectives, often with a Warp Surge clock

Bloom Assault | Update XII | Escort and protect Bloom Seed cargo

Technophage Outbreak | Duty Eternal | Work with the Adeptus Mechanicus; Dreadnought available

Death Guard Boarding Action | Execution Force | Board enemy ships and disable power generators

Tentarus Hive | Execution Force | Eradicate the Hive and its Germs in a Tentarus Bloom strain

Enemies to prioritise

• Plague Surgeon (Tainted Sons, added in Update XIII): doubles the effects of other enemies' mutations, raises their max HP and regenerates damaged body parts. Kill it first.
• Nurgling Swarm (also Tainted Sons): a support nuisance. Clear it before committing to the bigger daemons.
• Beast of Nurgle: a heavy melee unit. Stagger and execute it rather than trading blows.
• Plague Marines and Terminator-class Death Guard: durable. Prime execution targets.
• Poxwalkers and cultists: chaff. Handle them with bolters, cleave and terrain, not WP.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Casting every turn. Psychic powers are strong, but a full Warp Surge meter can turn a won mission into a wipe.
• Staggering and then walking away. Always plan the Execution in the same turn or the next.
• Chasing every side reward. Letting the Bloom grow on neglected planets snowballs, and later missions get mutated enemies and harsher hazards.
• One A-team, no bench. Recovery time will take out your best Knights at the worst moment. Level at least six to eight Knights.
• Ignoring the terrain. Pillars and vehicles are free damage and stun, especially against clumped enemies.
• Leaving the Apothecary on the ship. Almost every squad is better with healing.
• Spending all your WP on turn one. Kill refunds are small, so you can't reliably earn it back fast.

Advanced Tips

• Chain executions. An execution removes a threat without triggering the Surge. Staggering one enemy per Knight per turn and executing it is often the most efficient line.
• Use the Interceptor as a closer. Teleport in, finish a Staggered target, and use leftover AP to reposition out of melee range.
• Pre-position the Apothecary. Keep them within reach of your front line, not level with it.
• Set up an Assassin alpha strike (Execution Force). Open with the Vindicare's long-range critical shots on the most dangerous enemy, then clean up with Knights.
• Use the Dreadnought as bait (Duty Eternal). Enemy AI loves big targets. Put the Dreadnought where you want enemies to walk and flank them.
• Track Surge events. DLC missions (Technophage) have their own themed Surge events. Learn what each one does so you can decide when a Surge is acceptable.
• Look ahead on the campaign map. Before committing, check which planets are closest to getting worse and plan two missions ahead.

FAQ

Is Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters still being updated? No new content has arrived since Update XIII and the Execution Force DLC (July 2023). The developers have moved on to the sequel, Chaos Gate - Deathwatch, announced in May 2026.

Which DLC should I buy first? Execution Force if you want the most new tactical options (four Assassins and two new mission types). Duty Eternal if you want a fifth squad slot with the Dreadnought and the Techmarine's servitors. Both are optional.

How do I get Castellan Crowe? Own the Castellan Champion Upgrade Pack. Since Update VIII he appears 15 days after the first Grandmaster's Report that follows the Nexus mission, so expect him partway into the campaign, not immediately.

How do advanced classes unlock? You unlock the four advanced classes (Paladin, Chaplain, Librarian, Purifier) as the campaign progresses.

Why does my mission suddenly get harder partway through? The Warp Surge meter probably filled up. Heavy psychic use fills it, and a full meter triggers a Surge event.

Do I need to play Chaos Gate (1998) first? No. Daemonhunters is a standalone story with its own cast.

Is the sequel out? Chaos Gate - Deathwatch was announced on 21 May 2026 and is on Steam for wishlisting. Check its store page for a release date.

Sources

• Steam store: Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
• Steam: Duty Eternal DLC details
• Steam: Execution Force DLC details
• Steam: Castellan Champion Upgrade Pack
• Steam news: Execution Force DLC and Update XIII patch notes
• Steam news API feed for app 1611910 (patch notes, class announcements)
• Wikipedia: Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters
• Official site (Chaos Gate series)