Warhammer 40,000 Character Encyclopedia

by D.K. Publishing

A comprehensive guide to over 120 characters from the expansive Warhammer 40,000 universe!

Whether you’re a newcomer to the grim darkness of the far future or a long-time adherent hungry for more lore, the Warhammer 40,000 Character Encyclopedia is for you. From the stalwart commanders of the Space Marines to the mysterious Phoenix Lords of the Aeldari, explore the greatest warriors and leaders of each warring faction in unparalleled detail.

Featuring more than 120 characters from the 41st Millennium, this character encyclopedia is a perfect introduction to the iconic heroes and villains of Warhammer 40,000. Each page showcases stunning photography of iconic Games Workshop miniatures, epic artwork, and vital stats and facts on each character.

Explore the depth of Warhammer 40,000’s characters in awe-inspiring
Extensively detailed and authoritative, this unrivaled encyclopedia digs deep into the characters of the 41st Millennium for a contemporary, consistent, and canonical take on the Warhammer 40,000 universe.Exceptional imagery and richly detailed descriptions shine a light on the imposing, iconic cast of Warhammer 40,000, compiled for the first time in a stunning volume that will delight fans new and old.
The Warhammer 40,000 Character Encyclopedia follows in the footsteps of the bestselling Warhammer 40,000 The Ultimate Guide; together, these unmatched encyclopedias bring fans closer to the singular universe of Warhammer 40,000 like never before.

© Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2025

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2025

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Tullus Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason it gets the 3rd star is for the value. I expect the only reason why 80-90% of buyers get this book, myself included, is for the included Titus miniature, which barely looks like Titus without the helmet, which all together is still around half the price of a character mini from GW, like a Chaplain, Chapter Master or Captain for example. Apart from the included mini, the only other nice thing about the book is that it features some great high quality art pieces.
Content wise, the book is ok. But calling it an Encyclopedia is very high praise, as it barely dedicates a page or two to giant lore characters, most of which are filled with miniature showcases, as if it is an ad magazine, rather than lore, which is barely enough and super basic for someone to get to know any character in the book. If you know your 40K, this book adds absolutely nothing, and lacks a ton of famous characters like Ciaphas Cain, no C'tan, no "missing" Primarchs, like Russ, Vulkan, Corax, nothing 30K, just to name a few, and NO EMPEROR. What more do you need to see that this is just an ad magazine to sell you miniatures, as the only featured characters are the ones with "currently active" miniatures available to buy.
Speaking of minis, it's funny how they decided to just get rid of this Titus, as as soon as they realized how successful Space Marine 2 is, way above their predictions, they changed all their plans, killed some important characters in a random codex passage so they can make Titus captain again and very centric to the Ultramarines. The poster boy of the poster boys if you will. So how do you get rid of all those old Titus miniatures, which are not even playable on the tabletop anymore? You bundle them in your new ad book for miniatures that you call an encyclopedia. Brilliant. And to add salt to the wound, half the damn tickness of the book is incorporated box for the mini to sit and look nice through the front cover, making it very annoying to browse the pages.

[Marek Pawlowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

While The Ultimate Guide was genuinely excellent, this one is definitely weaker. Honestly, it’s only worth buying for the Titus figure if you haven’t already got it separately. There’s far too little information about the characters for such a vast and detailed universe.

O ile The Ultimate Guide wypadł naprawdę świetnie, tutaj jest już zdecydowanie słabiej. W zasadzie warto ją kupić tylko dla figurki Titusa, jeśli ktoś nie zdobył jej wcześniej osobno. Zdecydowanie za mało informacji o postaciach, jak na tak rozbudowane uniwersum.

[Walt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its fine. The only entries are characters who are part of the current model range. The write ups are really short, you get about as much info as you would reading about the model while shopping the GW website. Entries include pictures of the models and highlights of the models to make you want to buy them more. Main characters also have a list of black library (GW) books you can buy to learn more about them. Feels more like an old school catalog than a 40k universe reference. Unless you really want the Titus model it comes with there isnt much reason to buy it.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm disappointed by the exclusion of Ciaphas Cain, given he's the hero of the Imperium! a current series of popular 40K novels.

"But Ted, this book is just a glorified catalog of Games Workshop's current miniature line!"

Well, I'm also disappointed by the exclusion of Ciaphas Cain from Games Workshop's current miniature line, so that tracks.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous pictures of well-painted miniatures, as one might expect, and the Titus mini is a nice bonus. 3.5/5 stars