Ultramarines

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ultramarines (极限战团) 20
Alias(es)	Blue tin cans; Little Blueberries; Smurfs 20 86
Species/Race	Astartes Chapter / Space Marines 76 97
Affiliation	Imperium of Man; Ultramar; Roboute Guilliman 20 86 134
Occupation/Role	Elite military Chapter; defenders of Ultramar and Macragge 86 96
Status	Active 160 293
First Appearance	Chapter 20, where Ultramar and the Ultramarines are identified as Iron Hammer’s home faction 20

Background / History

The Ultramarines are the Thirteenth Legion descended from Roboute Guilliman and the central military power of Ultramar. Their home realm is known as the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, with Macragge serving as its capital and home world. The Chapter is associated with reliability, reason, administrative competence, balanced tactics, and strict discipline 20 86 96.

During the Horus Heresy, the Word Bearers and World Eaters betrayed the Ultramarines at Calth while the Ultramarines were protecting civilians. More than one hundred thousand were killed in the initial attack, followed by further losses during the Shadow Crusade across Ultramar. The betrayal created a lasting hatred between the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers 92 174 175.

Under Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, the Ultramarines defended Macragge against Hive Fleet Behemoth. Calgar transformed the planet into a fortress of orbital defenses, trenches, shelters, mountain fortresses, and polar strongholds while waiting for Guilliman’s return 96.

The Chapter’s relationship with Lin En dramatically increased its battlefield effectiveness. His healing, attribute enhancement, and machine-support abilities allowed Ultramarines forces to survive injuries that would normally remove warriors from combat. During the defense of the Arctic Fortress, the First and Third Companies fought with almost no losses while using his aura to recover between attacks 107 112 114.

After Macragge survived, the Ultramarines shifted from defense to counteroffensive operations across Ultramar. They defeated Tyranid forces, fought Khorne’s daemons on Prandium, and later launched a devastating campaign against Biel-Tan after repeated attacks on Imperial patrols and civilians 122 131 160.

Appearance

The Ultramarines are generally depicted in blue Power Armor, often with gold-edged insignia and red markings associated with command or company roles. Their warships carry the Chapter’s winged emblem and are heavily equipped with macro-cannons, Void Shields, and Thunderhawk formations 76 86 97.

• Blue-armored Astartes of imposing size compared with mortal soldiers 76 96.
• Blue-and-gold honor guard armor and ceremonial banners 97 159.
• Red-trimmed armor used by combat commanders and some company officers 97.
• Terminator Veterans in the First Company’s distinctive Tactical Dreadnought Armour 97 107.
• Chapter memorials and statues throughout Hera Fortress honor fallen Ultramarines 97.

Organization

The Chapter follows a ten-company structure:

Company	Function
First Company	Elite veterans, primarily Terminators; assigned to the most difficult assaults and sieges 97
Second Company	Assault operations 97
Third Company	Anti-xenos warfare, including space-hulk infiltration, nest assaults, and asteroid sweeps 97 107
Fourth Company	Defensive operations 97
Fifth Company	Coordinated infantry formations 97
Sixth–Ninth Companies	New recruits 97
Tenth Company	Reserve forces 97

The First and Third Companies maintain an especially close relationship. The Third frequently borrows First Company Terminator squads for dangerous anti-xenos missions in enclosed or communications-denied environments 107.

Personality and Culture

The Ultramarines are presented as disciplined, orderly, courteous, and unusually reliable toward mortal forces. They generally do not treat civilians as expendable cannon fodder, and their officers combine military authority with formal etiquette and administrative organization 20 86 344.

Their culture emphasizes courage, honor, duty, and loyalty to Guilliman. During the defense of Macragge, Ultramarines repeatedly chose to hold impossible positions rather than abandon civilians or their home world 96 106 134.

Their restraint has limits. After Biel-Tan repeatedly attacked Imperial ships and settlements, the Chapter classified it as a Class-One Archenemy and authorized the destruction of Biel-Tan forces without negotiation or surrender. The resulting campaign targeted the Craftworld’s military infrastructure, engines, Webway nodes, life-support systems, food production, mining stations, and Spirit Stone facilities 160 165.

Even during this campaign, the Ultramarines formally distinguished between military targets and civilians. After Lin En disappeared, Calgar initially ordered total destruction but allowed a two-hour evacuation window after recalling Lin En’s belief that the Ultramarines should represent humanity’s last standard of civilized order 168 171.

Abilities & Skills

Astartes Combat Power

The Ultramarines are genetically enhanced warriors equipped with Power Armor, Bolters, Chainswords, and specialized weapons. Their First Company Terminators can break through heavily fortified positions and continue fighting after sustaining injuries that would normally be fatal 97 112 162.

• Terminators form shield walls and assault fortified corridors.
• Assault squads use Chainswords and close-combat weapons to break enemy formations.
• Tactical and heavy-weapons squads maintain disciplined fire support.
• Companies coordinate armor, aircraft, artillery, and infantry rather than relying solely on individual heroes 101 133.

Discipline and Coordination

The Chapter’s greatest conventional strength is its ability to coordinate large forces under extreme pressure. During the Behemoth invasion, Ultramarines fleets combined orbital platforms, battleships, Thunderhawks, Nova Cannons, macro-cannons, and targeted strikes against Tyranid Synapse Ships 101.

• Companies maintain assigned battlefield roles.
• Fleets use layered defensive formations and controlled retreats.
• Ground forces combine heavy fire, assault formations, and tactical advances.
• Commanders rapidly redirect forces when fortresses or civilians come under threat 106 122.

Industrial and Logistical Capacity

Ultramar possesses extensive military-industrial infrastructure. Macragge and its surrounding worlds produce Astartes equipment, vehicles, warship components, and other military supplies through large forge-world networks. The Chapter’s expansion is described as being limited largely by equipment production rather than a lack of potential personnel 95.

• Mass production of armor, weapons, tanks, and warship components.
• Refitted merchant ships and civilian vessels used in wartime fleets.
• Extensive orbital defenses around Macragge.
• Rapid mobilization across the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar 96 122.

Lin En’s Battlefield Support

When Lin En serves with the Chapter, his abilities become a major force multiplier rather than an inherent Ultramarines trait. His Healing Aura allows warriors to recover wounds and fatigue while remaining within range. Emperor’s Gaze can double loyal targets’ attributes and greatly increase morale 77 118.

• Terminators retreat briefly to recover, then immediately return to combat 112.
• Golden enhancements allow weapons to destroy daemons permanently rather than merely disperse them 133.
• Machine Spirit Resonance can awaken and empower up to two hundred vehicles 165.
• The support is range-dependent and becomes less useful across extremely large battlefields unless Lin En can extend its area 101.
• The Ultramarines’ dependence on Lin En creates a major vulnerability; when he is pulled into the Warp, the Golden Aura and machine support vanish immediately 171.

Equipment / Weapons / Assets

• Power Armor — Standard protection and life-support system for Astartes warriors 76 107.
• Terminator Armour — Used by First Company Veterans for assaults and sieges 97 107.
• Bolters and Storm Bolters — Standard ranged weapons used in massed, disciplined fire 108 171.
• Chainswords and Power Swords — Common close-combat weapons among assault troops and officers 107 175.
• Melta Bombs — Used to destroy engines, reactors, infrastructure, and fortified objectives 162 165.
• Thunderhawk Gunships — Used for atmospheric deployment, extraction, and battlefield support 96 101 107.
• Macragge’s Honour — A massive ancient battleship approximately twelve kilometers long, with extensive macro-cannon batteries and Void Shields. Its keel was laid by Guilliman ten thousand years earlier 86.
• Macragge’s Honour fleet — Includes battleships, Strike Cruisers, frigates, orbital platforms, merchant ships, converted cargo vessels, and other requisitioned craft 100 101.
• Marksman’s Glory Medals — Awards made from Guilliman’s shell casings and granted to defenders of the North Pole Fortress 122.
• Iron Halos and Axes of Ultramar — Honors awarded to distinguished officers and the Honor Guard after the Macragge campaign 122.

Relationships

• Roboute Guilliman — Primarch of the Ultramarines, Imperial Regent, and their spiritual and political father. His direct orders transferred Lin En to the Chapter and sent him to defend Macragge 83 134.
• Marneus Calgar — Chapter Master and Lord of Macragge. He commands the Chapter’s defenses, counteroffensives, and major campaigns 96 97 122.
• Lin En — Mortal Librarian, later Chaplain, Lieutenant, and Chapter Honor Advisor. His healing and enhancement abilities transform Ultramarines operations, while his moral teachings influence Calgar’s conduct toward civilians 99 122 159 171.
• Third Company — Lin En’s principal assignment within the Chapter. It treats him as a trusted commander and becomes strongly attached to him 97 99 293.
• First Company — Veteran force closely connected to the Third Company. Its warriors become particularly dependent on Lin En after surviving the Arctic Fortress battle without fatalities 107 114.
• Blood Angels and successor Chapters — Allied or rival Imperial forces with competing claims on Lin En. The Lamenters, Flesh Tearers, Blood Knights, and Blood Angels regard him as one of their own after his service on Baal 76 293.
• Aeldari Reaper Host — Temporary strategic partner against the Tyranids and Chaos. The alliance is based on necessity and remains secret from the wider Imperium 128 129.
• Biel-Tan Craftworld — Formerly a neutral or distant Aeldari faction that initiated attacks on Ultramar. It was subsequently designated a Class-One Archenemy and subjected to a full-scale Ultramarines campaign 160 172.
• Word Bearers — Historic enemies responsible for the betrayal at Calth and the Shadow Crusade. The Ultramarines retain an intense hatred of the Legion 92 174 175.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruitment of Lin En

After witnessing Lin En empower thousands of mortal soldiers against the Greenskins, an Ultramarines captain identifies him as a possible Living Saint or equivalent strategic asset. The Chapter attempts to transfer him before the Blood Angels, Inquisition, or other Imperial institutions can claim him 76 78.

Roboute Guilliman personally signs the transfer order, assigning Lin En to the Ultramarines and sending him to Macragge during the Behemoth invasion 83.

Defense of Macragge

The Ultramarines transform Macragge into a fortress and fight Hive Fleet Behemoth in orbit and on the surface. Lin En chooses the dangerous Third Company rather than a defensive or support-oriented assignment 96 97.

The First and Third Companies later rescue the besieged Arctic Fortress. Lin En’s healing aura allows the Ultramarines to repeatedly charge, recover, and return to battle, producing a near-casualty-free victory 107 112.

Counteroffensive Against Tyranids and Chaos

After Macragge is secured, Calgar turns the Chapter toward offensive operations across Ultramar. The Ultramarines destroy Tyranid forces at Velydia and later cooperate with the Aeldari Reaper Host against Kabanha’s daemon army 122 129 131.

Lin En’s mass healing and Emperor’s blessings allow the Ultramarines to advance through daemon armies with minimal attrition. Their weapons become coated in Holy Light, permanently erasing daemons from the battlefield 133.

Biel-Tan Campaign

Following Biel-Tan’s attacks on Ultramar, the Ultramarines launch a punitive campaign against the Craftworld. They destroy its fleets, engines, Webway nodes, Life Source, agricultural dome, mining stations, and Spirit Stone cultivation site 160 165.

The First, Second, and Third Companies then assault the Infinity Circuit. Aeldari forces attempt to eliminate Lin En through a suicidal Warp strike, but Lin En and Captain Fabian are pulled into the Warp together 168 171.

Reinforcement of Baal

The Ultramarines later send the First, Third, and Fifth Companies to reinforce Baal against Leviathan. Their arrival relieves pressure on the Blood Angels successor Chapters and enables aggressive fleet tactics, including shielded charges and ramming attacks against Tyranid ships 291 293.

The Ultramarines continue fighting alongside Lin En and the successor Chapters for fifteen days, using fleets, psychic support, and machine assistance to hold back the Hive Fleet 294.

Rescue of Imperial Civilians

During the assault on an Ork-held mining complex, the Ultramarines engage the main Ork army outside the complex. Their battle draws away the bulk of the enemy and creates the opening used by the Lamenters, Flesh Tearers, and Blood Knights to rescue millions of imprisoned civilians 325.

Notable Quotes

“Courage! And! Honour!” 131

“For Guilliman!!!” 118

“Aeldari soldiers on site! Leave none alive!” 171

“The Ultramarines were humanity’s standard answer.” 325

Trivia

• Ultramar contains the Five Hundred Worlds and is described as the Ultramarines’ home turf 20.
• The Ultramarines are nicknamed “blue tin cans,” “Little Blueberries,” and “Smurfs” because of their blue armor 20 86.
• Their famous military-industrial capacity supports the recurring joke that they can suffer enormous casualties and still appear to retain their full strength 86 95.
• Macragge’s Honour is approximately twelve kilometers long and has remained operational for ten thousand years 86.
• The Chapter’s formal battle cry is closely associated with courage, honor, and Guilliman’s leadership 131 159.
• The Ultramarines are described as exemplary rather than necessarily the strongest Astartes Chapter 344.