Current meta analysis, balance history, and tactical reference for Kill Team 3rd Edition. Data sourced from CYRAC, Goonhammer, and community consensus.
View Sources & Methodology →Kill Team is Games Workshop's skirmish-scale tabletop wargame set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Instead of commanding massive armies, you control a small squad of 5–14 elite operatives in close-quarters tactical combat. Games are fast (45–90 minutes), played on a compact board, and require deep tactical decision-making with every activation.
The current edition — Kill Team 3rd Edition (KT3) — launched in October 2024 with the Hivestorm box. There are approximately 46 unique kill teams spanning four grand factions: Imperium, Chaos, Aeldari, and Xenos. All team rules are available as free digital downloads from Games Workshop.
KillGrid is a competitive tactical companion for Kill Team players. It provides structured team guides, operative breakdowns, ploy analysis, common mistakes, advanced techniques, and meta intelligence — all in one searchable, mobile-friendly interface. Think of it as your coaching playbook: the tactical analysis layer that sits on top of the official rules.
Well-designed, available in a single box, competitive at B tier. Ork Kommandos teach fundamentals of concealment, flanking, and objective play. The Grot operative adds surveillance utility.
Recently buffed to A tier — one of the strongest teams in the meta. Clear, straightforward shooting mechanics with excellent ploy support via Seize the Initiative. Great for learning the ranged game.
Straightforward horde team with consistent shooting. Forgiving to pilot because high model count means losing one operative is not catastrophic. Simple mechanics make them ideal for first games.
Consistently A tier for 5+ quarters. Strong shooting and zoning with flexible operative selection. Space Marines are intuitive and durable — a forgiving first team for new players.
High model count with simple mechanics. Flexible composition allows tailoring to opponents. Teaches the basics of list-building decisions without overwhelming complexity.
The number of actions an operative can perform during its activation. Most operatives have 2 APL. Actions include Move, Shoot, Fight, Dash, Pick Up, and more.
One round of play in Kill Team. A standard game lasts 4 Turning Points. Each Turning Point has a Strategy Phase (ploys, initiative) followed by a Firefight Phase (activations).
Team abilities activated during the Strategy Phase at the start of each Turning Point. They cost Command Points (CP) and typically buff your entire team or set up tactical advantages for the round.
Team abilities used during the Firefight Phase in response to specific situations — after being shot at, during a charge, etc. They cost CP and provide reactive tactical options.
An operative's order status that prevents enemies from targeting it with shooting unless they are within engagement range or the target is Visible. Key defensive mechanic for positioning.
An operative's order status that allows it to shoot but also makes it targetable by enemy shooting. An operative in Engage order gives up stealth for offensive output.
Resource used to activate ploys. Players gain CP at the start of each Turning Point. Managing CP expenditure across 4 rounds is a core strategic skill.
A single model/fighter on your kill team. Each has a unique datasheet with stats (Movement, APL, Wounds, Save), weapons, abilities, and actions.
A quarterly balance update published by Games Workshop that adjusts team rules, ploy costs, and operative stats. The primary tool GW uses to keep the meta healthy.
The close-combat zone around an operative (within Triangle/1 inch). Operatives in engagement range fight in melee rather than shooting. Defines the boundary between ranged and close combat.
Secondary objectives that players select at the start of the game. Completing Tac Ops scores additional Victory Points. Teams are often suited to specific Tac Op archetypes (Seek & Destroy, Infiltration, etc.).
The battlefield / board layout. Kill Team is played on a compact board with terrain like walls, barricades, and vantage points. Different killzones (Volkus, Gallowdark, etc.) dramatically change team viability.
Elevated terrain that gives shooting bonuses. Operatives on vantage points can draw line of sight over intervening terrain and ignore the Concealed order of targets below.
A roll of 6 on an attack die. Critical hits deal bonus damage (usually double) and can trigger special weapon or ability effects. Some teams are built around maximizing crit probability.
Some teams allow 2 operatives to activate together as a group (common in horde teams). This is a powerful action economy advantage, letting you activate more models before your opponent responds.