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Warriors of Chaos · 152–164 points · Heavy cavalry
Are Chosen Chaos Knights good?
Chosen Chaos Knights are good on the charge and poor at almost everything else. Four Khorne Chosen Knights won 73.3% of their charges in my simulations, but only 29.5% when the enemy charged them.
Quick answer: it depends whether Chosen Knights get the charge
- If they charge
- Khorne with lances: 73.3% across four charges
- If they receive
- Nurgle with full plate is the least bad, at 34%
- Best targets
- Rat Ogres (96%), Clanrats (94%) and Jade Warriors (89%) for Khorne lances
- Avoid
- Ironbreakers: 14% at best, even on the charge
Chosen Knights do one job, the charge, and the gap between their charging and receiving numbers shows how completely they depend on it.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 48,000 complete combats with Chosen Chaos Knights: three builds of four Knights, each fighting 2,000 times against eight opponents, charging and receiving. These were the results.
Two of my three Chosen Knight builds cost more than my usual 150-point budget (160 and 164 points), so they had a small head start. My Knights also used Counter Charge whenever it was legal against the charging cavalry, and never had to wheel or pass a charge roll.
Chosen Chaos Knights: the three builds
Four Chosen Chaos Knights, average win rates. n = 8,000 combats per direction ±1 point
| Build | Pts | Charging | Receiving | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Chosen Knights, lances | 152 | 52.3% | 22.3% | 37.3% |
| 4 Khorne Chosen Knights, lances | 160 | 73.3% | 29.5% | 51.4% |
| 4 Nurgle Chosen Knights, full plate | 164 | 42.8% | 34.0% | 38.4% |
How each build did against each opponent
The per-opponent numbers show the pattern clearly: very high against Clanrats and Rat Ogres on the charge, and very low when infantry hit them first.
Every matchup for 4 Chosen Knights, lances (152 pts). n = 2,000 combats per row ±2 points
| Opponent | Who charged | Won | Destroyed | Wounds dealt, round 1 | Wounds taken, round 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jade Warriors | Chosen | 53% | 46% | 5.22 | 0.62 |
| 8 Ironbreakers | Chosen | 5% | 5% | 2.33 | 0.67 |
| 20 Clanrats | Chosen | 73% | 62% | 5.33 | 0.46 |
| 3 Rat Ogres + Master Moulder | Chosen | 78% | 70% | 5.09 | 1.07 |
| 5 Knights of the Realm | Opponent | 48% | 43% | 2.40 | 0.72 |
| 17 Gors | Opponent | 20% | 17% | 2.91 | 0.82 |
| 20 Empire halberdiers | Opponent | 12% | 10% | 3.17 | 0.92 |
| 9 Swordmasters of Hoeth | Opponent | 9% | 8% | 1.40 | 1.63 |
Every matchup for 4 Khorne Chosen Knights, lances (160 pts). n = 2,000 combats per row ±2 points
| Opponent | Who charged | Won | Destroyed | Wounds dealt, round 1 | Wounds taken, round 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jade Warriors | Chosen | 89% | 81% | 7.47 | 0.32 |
| 8 Ironbreakers | Chosen | 14% | 14% | 3.38 | 0.50 |
| 20 Clanrats | Chosen | 94% | 79% | 7.56 | 0.35 |
| 3 Rat Ogres + Master Moulder | Chosen | 96% | 88% | 7.15 | 0.64 |
| 5 Knights of the Realm | Opponent | 71% | 64% | 3.32 | 0.48 |
| 17 Gors | Opponent | 22% | 19% | 2.95 | 0.85 |
| 20 Empire halberdiers | Opponent | 13% | 12% | 3.09 | 0.93 |
| 9 Swordmasters of Hoeth | Opponent | 12% | 10% | 1.41 | 1.61 |
Every matchup for 4 Nurgle Chosen Knights, full plate (164 pts). n = 2,000 combats per row ±2 points
| Opponent | Who charged | Won | Destroyed | Wounds dealt, round 1 | Wounds taken, round 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jade Warriors | Chosen | 45% | 39% | 3.65 | 0.46 |
| 8 Ironbreakers | Chosen | 10% | 10% | 1.03 | 0.46 |
| 20 Clanrats | Chosen | 57% | 48% | 3.83 | 0.23 |
| 3 Rat Ogres + Master Moulder | Chosen | 59% | 51% | 2.88 | 0.93 |
| 5 Knights of the Realm | Opponent | 53% | 49% | 1.82 | 0.57 |
| 17 Gors | Opponent | 35% | 29% | 3.29 | 0.39 |
| 20 Empire halberdiers | Opponent | 30% | 25% | 3.95 | 0.58 |
| 9 Swordmasters of Hoeth | Opponent | 18% | 15% | 1.91 | 1.25 |
Why four Knights lose to ordinary infantry
Four models cannot match the ranks, standards and Combat Result of a big infantry block. When 20 Empire halberdiers charged them, every Chosen Knight build lost most of its fights (12–30% won), even though the Knights dealt more wounds in the first round.
Swordmasters were worse still: they strike early and cut through armour, and no Knight build won more than 18% against them.
How I would use Chosen Knights on the table
I would deploy Khorne Chosen Knights to threaten flanks, small units and exposed targets, and never park them in front of a ranked infantry block. With four models, the first combat result matters as much as the damage they deal: standards, ranks and unit size decided plenty of fights they should have won on wounds alone.
Keep them away from an Ironbreaker-style frontal grind altogether. Even the best build won only 14% there, so I would send something with better armour penetration, such as great-weapon Chosen Warriors.
More elite Chaos results
- All 10 Chosen and Forsaken builds compared
- Are Chosen Chaos Warriors good?
- Are Chaos Forsaken good? Which god is best?
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Khorne Chosen Knights for charging Clanrats, Rat Ogres and Jade Warriors, and not for charging Ironbreakers or for sitting anywhere infantry can charge them first.
FAQs
Is the Mark of Khorne worth it on Chosen Knights?
For a charging unit, yes. Khorne lifted four Chosen Knights from 52.3% to 73.3% across four charges, for 8 more points.
Can Chosen Chaos Knights beat Ironbreakers?
Not reliably. The best build, Khorne lances, won just 14% of its charges into 8 Ironbreakers in my simulations.
Are Chosen Knights good at receiving a charge?
No. No build won more than 34% when the enemy charged it, and they did worst against Empire halberdiers and Swordmasters.