Knight Valiant

A Knight Valiant unleashes its unrivaled fury upon a Chaos Rhino of Heretic Astartes.

The Knight Valiant is a super-heavy Imperial Knight that makes use of the Dominus-class chassis and possesses a dual plasma core to empower its myriad weapon systems. It is used primarily as a close-combat assault walker. Although slower than other Knights, this pattern benefits from substantially increased firepower and much thicker armour than its smaller counterparts.

Role

The Knight Valiant defeats its enemies through the simple principle of applying overwhelming firepower at close proximity. Marching relentlessly into the fight, gunfire scattering uselessly from its Ion Shield, the Valiant unleashes such devastating punishment against its targets in so short a space of time that they can neither fight back nor endure.

Even a single Knight Valiant can break the back of an onrushing enemy horde, or shatter the centre of the foe's battle line like a battering ram smashing through a castle gate. When an entire lance of these fearsome war engines strides into battle, they can snap apart an enemy army like matchwood.

Armament

A Knight Valiant of House Terryn leading its smaller Imperial Knight brethren before the gates of Hive Halathor amidst the fury of the War of Reaping.

The Knight Valiant's primary armaments are its Conflagration Cannon and Thundercoil Harpoon. The former is a magnificently unsubtle weapon, comprising three enormous, Knight-grade Flamers linked together and fed from armoured promethium reservoirs. When triggered, the Conflagration Cannon spews forth an inescapable firestorm that washes over everything in range and reduces all to blackened ash. So does the Knight Valiant burn the Emperor's enemies as the worthless Heretics they are.

The Thundercoil Harpoon is a rather more unusual weapon: a huge spear of adamantium fitted with pneumatic grapnels and attached by thick chains to an electrothaumic generator, allowing it to be fired then reeled back in time and again. Not only does its impaling mass gouge massive wounds in larger targets while crushing smaller victims outright, but once the harpoon has hit home, the Noble pilot can trigger their generator and send a massive electrical charge through the chain. Arcing electrogheists leap from the harpoon, cooking monstrous beasts from the inside out and overloading the circuitry and power supplies of enemy war engines.

Combined with the pummelling fire of its twin-linked Siegebreaker Cannons and the inescapable detonations of its Shieldbreaker Missiles, it is not hard to see how many enemy forces soon disintegrate when the Valiant turns its wrath upon them. Those few who hold their ground often earn a salute of respect from the Knight Valiant's pilot before its next bombardment annihilates them utterly.

Wargear

A Knight Valiant of House Raven armed with Conflagration Cannon and Thundercoil Harpoon leads the Imperial counterattack, ready to immolate any foe that stands their ground.

• Conflagration Cannon
• Thundercoil Harpoon
• Twin-linked Siegebreaker Cannons
• 2 Twin-linked Meltaguns
• 4 Shieldbreaker Missiles or 2 Shieldbreaker Missiles and 1 additional pair of Twin-linked Siegebreaker Cannons
• Ion Shield
• Titanic Feet

Notable Knights Valiant

• Adamant Wrath (House Terryn) - The Knight Valiant Adamant Wrath is piloted by Sir Mercatane of House Terryn. The stern Sir Mercutane is as unyielding as the gates of an armoured fortress. He is fortified in mind, body and soul by his unshakeable faith in the Emperor, and would gladly give his life in defence of the Imperium. Of course, Mercutane's enemies would not find that life easy to take, especially while he sits within the indomitable Knight Valiant known as Adamant Wrath. This Dominus-class war engine is infamously stubborn, its machine spirit refusing to yield no matter how much damage it suffers. At Gallows Ridge, Adamant Wrath absorbed the fire of an entire renegade artillery company, weathering their punishing salvoes long enough to annihilate them with its own fearsome array of close-range armaments. Such a pairing of resolute Noble and stalwart Knight has only served to magnify the strengths of both, and Adamant Wrath is currently known as House Terryn’s most unshakeable defender.

• Bane of Iron (House Griffith) - Lady Natanya pilots the immense Knight Valiant known as Bane of Iron, whose Machine Spirit is amongst the most aggressive of all House Griffith's hunting steeds. Natanya herself is strong-willed and courageous, the only Noble ever to fully break the unruly Bane of Iron to their command. Natanya has harnessed her war engine's natural ferocity and destructive power, and now specialises in providing devastating close-range fire support to her comrades in the field. Griffith's fine tradition of monster hunting has found a worthy proponent in Lady Natanya, who excels in obliterating the Daemon Engines of the Heretic Astartes. She was amongst the Knights seconded to Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade, and soon proved her valour by protecting her Ultramarines allies with her Knight's crackling Ion Shield while annihilating heretical war machines one after another with pinpoint fire. Natanya has shared an honour-bond with the sons of Ultramar ever since.

• Blade of Gaia (House Canorem) - Piloted by Lord Horrik Canorem, the Blade of Gaia was a Knight Valiant dispatched to the Hive World of Luteus Alpha to help defeat the forces of WAAAGH! Gutrekka. The Blade of Gaia was destroyed by the Orks during the fighting. With the Orks having slaughtered all those in their path, including a detachment of White Scars, no definitive information exists on the nature of the Knight Valiant's destruction, with conflicting sources stating that a group of Orks or even the Flash Git Gargaz Teefgrabba on his own were responsible for destroying the Knight Valiant.

• Divine Retribution (House Raven) - The Knight Valiant Divine Retribution is piloted by Sir Galen, a Noble of House Raven, which serves the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications

The technical specifications of the Knight Valiant have not been publicly released by the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Sources

• Codex: Imperial Knights (8th Edition), pp. 21, 29, 69, 78, 100
• Shootas, Blood & Teef (PC Game)

Gallery

The Knight Valiant Adamant Wrath piloted by Sir Mercatane of House Terryn.

The Knight Valiant Bane of Iron, piloted by Lady Natanya of House Griffith.

A Knight Valiant of House Raven, Divine Retribution is piloted by Sir Galen. It is equipped with Shieldbreaker Missiles and a twin-linked Siegebreaker Cannon. The Cog Mechanicum on the chassis indicates House Raven's proud allegiance to the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars.