Kill Team Deathwatch: what it is and how many boxes you need
Game facts checked 29 October 2026. Prices and stock are read live.
Deathwatch is a team of veteran Space Marines for Kill Team, the skirmish game. You take five of eleven operatives (the individual fighters) for each game. You cannot take the same operative twice, and only one can wear Gravis armour, one of the team's three armour types. Our Kill Team: Deathwatch box is £34.76 and is sold out at the moment.
Players often say to buy more than one box or to magnetise the arms, fitting small magnets so they swap in and out. If you want a first Kill Team, the Starter Set holds two teams.
What Deathwatch is
Warhammer Community, Games Workshop's news site, calls the Deathwatch the quintessential kill team: specialised squads of veteran Space Marines deployed when a deadly alien threat appears. Its lore article of June 2023 adds that the Deathwatch is not a Chapter as such. It is an organisation that takes veterans from many Chapters to hunt aliens (xenos).
In Warhammer 40,000, the main game, the Deathwatch have one detachment, or set of army rules, in the 8 June 2026 Faction Packs. It is called Black Spear Task Force.
The operatives
The team was revealed in the Kill Team: Tomb World boxed set in August 2025. Warhammer Community says that box holds two sets of five Space Marines. Each of the five bodies (the main model each operative is built on) builds one of two or three operatives. There are three armour types: Tacticus, Phobos (the lighter armour) and Gravis.
| Armour | Operative options |
|---|---|
| Tacticus (first body) | Watch Sergeant or Blademaster Veteran |
| Tacticus (second body) | Demolisher Veteran or Aegis Veteran |
| Tacticus (third body) | Gunner Veteran or Marksman Veteran |
| Phobos | Headtaker Veteran or Disruptor Veteran |
| Gravis | Horde-slayer, Bombard or Breacher Veteran |
That is the Tomb World box. We have not confirmed what is in the standalone Deathwatch box, so check it before you assume it holds the same two sets of five.
How many boxes you need
Players say it takes three boxes to build every operative at once without magnets. Two boxes will do if you skip one of the three Gravis options, since you can only field one Gravis at a time. In one r/killteam thread from a new owner, one of the top replies is to magnetise the arms. The team's strength is in swapping options to suit the opponent.
There is also a separate Deathwatch Upgrades kit, which is in stock. Players mention it for the shoulder pads.
The other Kill Team boxes we list
The Kill Team Starter Set holds 14 push-fit miniatures in two teams, Angels of Death Space Marines and Plague Marines. It also has a 64-page rulebook, printed terrain and reference sheets, according to Warhammer Community in October 2024. The Nemesis Claw box is the Night Lords kill team and the Fellgor Ravagers box is a team of mutant Fellgor beasts.
If you want an army
Kill Team and Warhammer 40,000 are separate games. A Deathwatch kill team is a small squad of Space Marines to paint, not a full army. If your goal is a Space Marine army, start with our guide to Space Marines as a first army.
Common questions
Is Deathwatch a Space Marine chapter?
Not as such, because Warhammer Community describes the Deathwatch as an organisation that takes veterans from many Chapters for xenos (alien) hunting. The operatives are still veteran Space Marines.
How many Deathwatch kill team boxes do I need?
Players say three boxes build every operative without magnets, or two if you skip one of the three Gravis options. Magnets let one box cover more. Check your own box contents first.
Should I magnetise the Deathwatch kill team?
Several players say yes, because magnets let you swap operatives without buying spare models. Magnets add cost and take a little care.
Should my first Kill Team be Deathwatch or the Starter Set?
The Starter Set holds two teams, a rulebook and terrain, so it is the complete first purchase. Deathwatch is a single team with eleven operative options and suits you once you know you like the game. Prices today: Starter Set £57.28, Deathwatch £34.76.
Deathwatch kill team: Warhammer Community, 25 August 2025. Deathwatch lore: Warhammer Community, 1 June 2023. Deathwatch detachment: Warhammer Community, 8 June 2026. Kill Team Starter Set: Warhammer Community, 14 October 2024. Number of boxes and magnets: Reddit Kill Team threads, 2025 and 2026. Prices and stock: this shop, read live.