GW reveals four 40k Combat Patrols: Red Corsairs, Kroot, Eldar, Night Lords

1. Red Corsairs

Games Workshop's Red Corsairs Combat Patrol is one of four faction-focused boxes revealed on Feb 23, 2026 and called out in Spikey Bits’ coverage. The Red Corsairs entry pivots on Chaos Space Marine flavor: it’s the sort of compact box that gives players a ready-made small force for narrative games or introducing a Chaos paint scheme without committing to a full battalion. For painters and converters, a Red Corsairs Combat Patrol is an invitation to lean into corrosion, weathering, and segmented armor markings; smaller box scale usually means fewer multipart bits and more opportunities for custom shoulder pads and kitbashes. Spikey Bits’ analysis flagged these reveals as part of GW’s broader push to offer faction-specific Patrols that lower the barrier for players to field iconic aesthetics quickly.

2. Kroot

The Kroot Combat Patrol was the most surprising of the four reveals, with Spikey Bits noting its likely role as a Tau-allied or mercenary option within Games Workshop’s lineup. Kroot kits historically reward sculpting, organic basing, and feather/skin color exploration, and a Combat Patrol-sized pack makes them far more approachable for hobbyists who want a themed skirmish force without sourcing larger, more expensive sets. For painters, Kroot open up techniques, layering washes for flesh, drybrushing beaks and feathers, and experimenting with earthy basing, that contrast neatly with the metallic and power-armor palettes of other Patrols. Spikey Bits’ report emphasized that a Kroot Patrol could shift tabletop matchups where allied screens or light infantry are useful in small-game formats.

3. Eldar (Aeldari Corsairs / Corsairs variants)

One of the reveals specifically leans into the Aeldari Corsairs tradition, with Games Workshop positioning an Eldar Combat Patrol to capture the loose, piratical flavor of Corsairs, a point Spikey Bits highlighted in its Feb 23 analysis. An Eldar/Corsairs Patrol is naturally attractive to painters who enjoy sleek, high-contrast schemes, bold trims, and elegant basing; the multipart shapes in Aeldari sculpts also lend themselves to ultra-clean assembly and sub-assembly painting workflows. On the tabletop, a Patrol-box Aeldari force provides a compact, fast-moving option that appeals to players building narrative raiding parties or hobbyists wanting a visually striking army without the investment of a full craftworld detachment. Spikey Bits framed this box as one of the ways GW is refreshing classic factions for smaller-format play.

4. Night Lords

Rounding out the quartet is a Night Lords Combat Patrol, a clear Chaos Space Marines offering that, like the Red Corsairs entry, taps into gothic, terror-driven aesthetics and was included in Games Workshop’s Feb 23 reveal covered by Spikey Bits. Night Lords are a painter’s dream if you enjoy gritty, atmosphere-heavy techniques: weathered power armor, blood-streaked banners, and deep blues and blacks contrasted with bone and brass. For hobby reporters and wargamers alike, the Night Lords Patrol suggests GW is catering to collectors who want ready-to-paint, characterful squads for small-scale narrative skirmishes and strike missions. Taken together, these four faction Patrols show a deliberate move toward bite-sized, faction-tailored kits that make both playing and painting distinct flavors of 40k faster and more accessible going forward.