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How do!

Thread topic is the title. And now for some waffle.

I love the various Power Armour designs and how, more or less since the beginning they’ve been compatible with one another. And I enjoy the background explaining each existing Mark, and the peaks and troughs of technological wizardry in each.

I even, perhaps particularly, enjoy MkX in that regard. Like most of Cawl’s work? It shows what a clever mind with the right physical resources and most importantly time to spend who knows how long coming up with a base set that can have different, designed alongside, attachment and that to turn it to specialised applications. And as he also had the time to perfect the manufacturing process? I like that every Chapter is able to maintain those suits.

But…where is, and what is MkIX Power Armour?

We know Mks I-VIII. And there are model representations of all of those. Albeit Thunder Armour is damned hard to find these days, having not really passed beyond the gates of Rogue Trader.

MkIX? Where am? What do? Why no use?

Is this covered anywhere in the GW Published Background?

Same thing as Windows 9. In all seriousness, though, nothing. It's never addressed in-universe or IRL.

Fell into that time jump which got retconned away...

The Adeptus Mechanicus Marketing Department stepped in and said "X Sounds better."

 Lathe Biosas wrote:


The Adeptus Mechanicus Marketing Department stepped in and said "X Sounds better."

I'd like to think that the "official" Marks I-VIII are actual roman numbers, but Cawl's is just the letter X, as the martians don't even recognize it as an "official" mark and thus refuse it inclusion in their holy numbering scheme.

Possibly the Aegis armour used by the Grey Knights?
Different enough to be its own mark, secret enough not to be on lists....

Tsagualsa wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:


The Adeptus Mechanicus Marketing Department stepped in and said "X Sounds better."

I'd like to think that the "official" Marks I-VIII are actual roman numbers, but Cawl's is just the letter X, as the martians don't even recognize it as an "official" mark and thus refuse it inclusion in their holy numbering scheme.

I mean, X *is* one of the actual Roman numerals...

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Tsagualsa wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:


The Adeptus Mechanicus Marketing Department stepped in and said "X Sounds better."

I'd like to think that the "official" Marks I-VIII are actual roman numbers, but Cawl's is just the letter X, as the martians don't even recognize it as an "official" mark and thus refuse it inclusion in their holy numbering scheme.

I mean, X *is* one of the actual Roman numerals...

I know, but, to (somewhat) quote Vulkan "It is also a letter" - i don't know why i find it hilarious, but not giving the Cawl-Armour the number treatment under plausible deniability is somewhat i can imagine some cranky conclave doing. Whilst giggling mechanically.

Cawl put MK IX armour on a couple of Test-Primaris Marines made out of Geneseed from the XIth SM Legion, codenamed "The Ixxi".
But then, [REDACTED]

 Gert wrote:
Same thing as Windows 9.

Damn, I came here just to make this joke. Have an Exalt!

I've often wondered this myself.

My best guess lore wise is that it was just a minor tweak to the Mark VII, kind of like how the Mark VIII essentially just added the gorget to the existing design.

It could also be something like the Mark V, how it was a catchall for the unofficial amalgamations of other armour types and/or personal customizations, though primarily featuring the Mark VII rather than the older designs.

I could imagine it being either a prototype to mark X that never made it out of Cawl's laboratory or an improved MKVIII that he scrapped because it wasn't as useful for the mass production that Guilliman wanted.

I suppose the likely reason (both in and out of universe) is not having a 'continuation mark' of power armour makes it clear that Primaris are a new fresh start and clearly different from the rest.

 Olthannon wrote:
I suppose the likely reason (both in and out of universe) is not having a 'continuation mark' of power armour makes it clear that Primaris are a new fresh start and clearly different from the rest.

That's certainly possible, it also made me consider something else.

It's possible that when GW was designing Primaris marines, they weren't sure how successful they'd be, so they left themselves the design space to make another mark of armour for the Firstborn if they wanted to.

It's just Cawls pride and ambitions, like his armour not just better but more then one generation better compared to MKIII.

Given how little actually changes between the suits in the latter end, from aquila to errant to tacticus, I don't see mk IX looking that different.

I have seen the argument made that grey knight armour is Mk IX but I've never seen it stated in anything GW prints. Given that the GK armour is basically just librarian armour for every member, I'm not sure it should count.


So I'd take mkVIII and add a few Mk X components to it and call it a day.

It's possible that the Mk IX was Cawl's test mark, and never released into production. That's something that happens during designs, they release a later version than the one they started with.

So we could see prototype primaris wearing MkIX to test systems before a fully integrated MkX is released.

GW mentioned when Primaris first started coming out that MKIX exists and they may or may not use it at some point.

I've also seen it mentioned that the Deathwatch Vets got the MKIX designs.

I think its pretty clear though that regardless, Primaris got the MKX because its simply a clean starting point.

The Deathwatch Veteran models have MkVIII.