Astartes

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Astartes (阿斯塔塔)
Alias(es)	Space Marines; Emperor's Angels of Death; Death Angels
Species/Race	Genetically enhanced human super-soldiers
Affiliation	Atlas Corporation; later the Main Universe Empire / Imperium of Man
Occupation/Role	Legionary warriors, expeditionary forces, planetary defenders, and specialized military personnel
Status	Active
First Appearance	The Astartes Project nears completion 182

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Astartes Project prototype	182	Atlas develops a clone-soldier prototype using Guilliman's Gene-Seed, enhanced through surgery and genetic modification.
Young Astartes cadets	259	Sixteen- and seventeen-year-old candidates implanted with Primarch Gene-Seeds exceed two meters in height and surpass genetically enhanced Investigators and Inquis Serum veterans physically; incomplete augmentation prevents safe use of active liquid-metal nan-suits.
Fully augmented adult Astartes	304	Completion of twenty specialized enhancement surgeries—including a secondary heart, third lung, reinforced skeleton, and enhanced senses—creates a “true” Astartes. Standard adults average 2.5 m unarmored and 2.6–2.7 m in Titan armor.
Mature Legion veterans	518	Years of unification wars turn initially inexperienced recruits into combat-seasoned Legion assets; practical experience and mentality are identified as decisive alongside physical ability.
Advanced armor integration	332 383	Titan Type V armor improves mobility, firepower, and the ability of adult Astartes to exert their full strength; Terminator patterns are reserved for fully augmented adults and specialized formations.

Background / History

Atlas initiated the Astartes Project using Gene-Seeds derived from Primarchs, beginning with Guilliman's Gene-Seed. By the project’s late development, its prototype had undergone extensive surgery and genetic modification; Alexia proposed further optimization using Nightwalker genetic data, subject to Sui Yang’s approval. 182

Suitable candidates were publicly recruited from Universe 03. Adolescents with compatible genetics received Gene-Seeds associated with different Primarchs, producing distinct cadet corps such as the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Thousand Wounds Sons. 189 259

Early cadets wore unfinished Titan armor while still completing their augmentations. Once candidates completed the full surgical process, they entered the Legions as adult Astartes. Their enhanced biology includes additional organs, reinforced skeletons, heightened sensory systems, and encoded genetic information. 259 304

As the Empire expanded, the Astartes grew from experimental cadet corps into a multi-Legion military force active across parallel universes. By the beginning of the Great Crusade into a new universe, the Empire maintained nineteen Astartes Legions and approximately twenty-two million Astartes without conducting large-scale recruitment. 983

Appearance

Astartes are towering armored warriors whose size, heraldry, and equipment vary by Legion, rank, Gene-Seed, and role. Adult Astartes normally stand around 2.5 meters without armor, while Titan-pattern power armor raises their height to approximately 2.6–2.7 meters. 304

• Young Astartes are already over two meters tall at sixteen or seventeen years old. 259
• Flame Salamanders are generally larger than other Legions; some exceed three meters even without armor. 291 304
• Titan armor is commonly marked with Legion colors and personalized with kill tallies, symbols, wings, hoods, trophies, or other honors. 259 292 473
• Terminator-armored veterans are substantially bulkier; Tyberos’s armor brings his height to 3.6 meters. 469
• Standard Legion armor has advanced from early, comparatively clumsy Titan Type I and II suits to more agile Type III and Type V models. 332

Personality

Astartes are conditioned around battle, duty, discipline, and loyalty to the Emperor and humanity. They are portrayed as emotionally stable and difficult to corrupt, though they remain human and compete for promotion, merit, command, and recognition. 338

Their temperaments differ sharply by Gene-Seed and Legion culture. Sons of Humanity officers can prioritize cooperation and long-term relationships, while Space Wolves are often aggressive and eager for melee combat. Dark Angels possess exceptional explosiveness but comparatively weaker patience under pressure. 315 316 635

Outside combat, Astartes are generally detached from romance and social distractions, focusing instead on training, brotherly sparring, warfare, and physical competition. 568

Abilities & Skills

Gene-Seed Augmentation

Astartes possess superhuman physical capabilities produced through Gene-Seed implantation and layered biological modification.

• Enhancement procedures can include a secondary heart, third lung, carbon-fiber skeletal reinforcement, enhanced sensory systems, and genetic encoding. 304
• Unarmored arm strength ranges from roughly three to twelve tons, depending on individual quality and Gene-Seed compatibility. 498
• Their reaction speed is described as operating at nanosecond level. 498
• Main Universe Astartes surpass the Space Marines of the alternate Imperium in height, physique, speed, and strength. 1021

Ranged Combat

Boltguns and plasma weaponry allow Astartes squads to dominate infantry formations and armored targets.

• Standard Astartes weapons include .75- and 1.0-caliber Boltguns, plasma cannons, heavy bolters, and melta weapons. 316 859
• Young Astartes advancing while firing at full automatic maintained an accuracy rate above 99% against Locust and Lambent targets. 316
• Bolt rounds can tear apart unshielded Brutes and are effective against heavily armored or biologically resilient enemies. 259 692
• Astartes formations combine overlapping fields of fire with target prioritization, using plasma and melta weapons against commanders or especially durable threats. 859

Close-Quarters Combat

Astartes remain dangerous after expending ammunition, relying on enhanced strength, speed, and melee weapons.

• Common melee weapons include chainswords, power swords, power axes, power spears, and Lightning Claws. 316 989
• Power weapons use individual-level plasma fields reverse-engineered with assistance from Elite and Harak technology. 316
• Space Wolves, Raven Guard, and other squads routinely transition from firearms to melee without losing combat effectiveness. 313 316
• A six-man Dark Angels squad eliminated nearby Skynet units in roughly half a minute while preserving most of its shielding. 332

Tactical Coordination

Astartes fight in specialized squads, companies, and Legions with distinct battlefield roles.

• Tactical squads coordinate riflemen, heavy weapons operators, and melee fighters during engagements. 313
• Legion formations can integrate Astartes with auxiliaries, Helljumpers, clone soldiers, Titans, Knight mechs, and orbital fire support. 692 906
• Astartes officers manage battlefield objectives beyond slaughter, including prisoner capture, intelligence collection, evacuation, and alliance-building. 315 316 1009
• Alpha Legion companies specialize in reconnaissance, concealment, infiltration, and deception using radar-absorbing cyan Titan armor and precision detection equipment. 454 984

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Titan Power Armor — Standard Astartes armor powered by infantry-grade cold-fusion reactors; later variants incorporate stronger shields, improved mobility, and shoulder-mounted plasma cannons. 292 332
• Heavy Titan Armor — Bulkier armor with two cold-fusion reactors, used by heavy-weapon operators without sacrificing speed or agility. 292
• Terminator Power Armor — Expensive, heavily armored equipment intended for adult Astartes; patterns include Iron Cavalry, Hades, Unyielding, and Aegis. 292 383 505
• Boltgun — Signature large-caliber firearm firing explosive bolt rounds; variants include twin-linked weapons and rotary boltguns. 303 469
• Plasma weapons — Plasma cannons and plasma-field melee weapons provide high-energy anti-armor and anti-biological firepower. 316 692
• Chainswords and power weapons — Standard close-combat armaments used after or alongside ranged engagements. 313 316
• Drop pods and Thunderhawk Gunships — Common Astartes deployment platforms for rapid insertion and planetary operations. 691 859

Legion Traits

Legion	Documented distinction
Ultramarines	Excel in coordinated squad and team combat; their Legion maintained four million Astartes in Universe 01. 445 635
Blood Angels	Selected through extremely strict genetic screening; their explosive power tests 18% above the Astartes average, with faster neural reaction speed. 635
Dark Angels	The Imperium’s foremost individual melee specialists; they claimed seventy-three of the top hundred places in a swordsmanship tournament. 635
Space Wolves	Favor direct, savage close combat and are noted for their aggressive temperament. 314 316
Raven Guard	Calm, objective-focused warriors effective in support, capture operations, and coordinated assaults. 315 316
Thousand Wounds Sons	Psyker-focused Legion that often supports other Legions rather than serving as the vanguard. 635
Imperial Fists	Associated with defensive fortification construction and disciplined strategic procedure. 560 637
Alpha Legion	Specialists in covert observation, infiltration, disguise, and resistance to Chaos corruption. 454 984
Flame Salamanders	Usually taller and stronger than Ultramarines and Imperial Fists due to Vulkan’s Gene-Seed. 291

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Formation and first deployments — The Astartes Project reaches completion, creating young Gene-Seed recipients who are fielded during Atlas operations against Covenant forces. 182 259
• High Charity campaign — Astartes clear hostile Brutes and Jackals from the port platform without friendly casualties; Dark Angels under Jialan Clovey participate in the subsequent street fighting. 260
• Sera underground campaign — Young Astartes squads purge Orks, Locust, and Lambent forces, pursue the Ork queen’s remnants, and capture valuable enemy officers. 313 315 316 337
• Skynet war — Dark Angels equipped with trial Titan Type V armor overturn a battle against Skynet’s mechanical army. 332
• New Argo Chaos incursion — Sons of Humanity battle fallen Emperor’s Children, suffering severe losses against more experienced Chaos Astartes. 494 495 500
• Zerg campaign — Multiple Astartes companies defend the Char drop zone and form a “Steel Great Wall” against the Zerg swarm. 691 692
• Mars purification — Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Grey Knights, and supporting Imperial forces assault Chaos-corrupted Mars and pursue the defeated traitor Legions. 906 915
• Great Crusade into the alternate Imperium — Main Universe Astartes reinforce Macragge, fight Necrons, Orks, and Tyranids, and establish contact with alternate-universe Space Marine Chapters. 1006 1009 1029 1031

Trivia

• Grey Knights are Astartes implanted with Sui Yang’s Gene-Seed rather than a Primarch’s; Grey Knight Drake was assessed at roughly six times the base statistics of an ordinary Astartes. 304
• The phrase “guns are merely toys Astartes use to kill time before getting into close combat” circulated internally after the first cadet corps appeared publicly. 316
• Astartes candidates are generally selected in adolescence, and Blood Angels recruitment requires a reported 99.997% genetic compatibility. 893 635