Review: Kill Team: Dead Silence

The new Kill Team: Dead Silence box features two brand-new teams: the Space Wolves Wolf Scouts and the redesigned XV26 Stealth Battlesuits for the T’au. A piece of terrain is missing this time – shrinkflation or not? We’ll find out in this review, complete with high-res sprue images and a look at all possible build options.

Kill Team: Dead Silence will be available for pre-order starting Saturday, 8 November 2025. The pre-order period lasts two weeks, with the official release date set for 22 November 2025. Please note that there will be only one production run, so the box is available only until stocks last. The RRP is £67.50 / 90 € / $114.

Included in the Dead Silence box are:

• XV26 Stealth Battlesuit kill team (5 models, 2 drones, 1 marker)
• Wolf Scouts kill team (6 models)
• T’au Empire and Space Wolves transfer sheets
• datacards and tokens for both kill teams
• Kill Team: Dead Silence dossier expansion book
• a narrative campaign map pad and log pad

Kill Team: Dead Silence unboxing

Opening the box, you’ll notice that the scope of Kill Team: Dead Silence is a little smaller than that of the most recent Kill Team expansion sets. There’s no terrain piece, and both teams are on the smaller side in terms of model count and sprues. However, in addition to the usual accessories such as the dossier, cards, and tokens, you also get two tear-off pads, used to track your progress through the narrative campaign included in the Dead Silence dossier.

Space Wolves Wolf Scouts review

The seasoned Wolf Scouts have always been something of a curiosity within the Space Wolves Chapter, as they’ve been somewhat neglected when it comes to proper miniature support. Now this iconic unit type finally receives a full-scale plastic upgrade – though not as traditional Scouts, but instead clad in Phobos-pattern armour.

The kit comes with two medium-sized sprues, allowing you to build 5 Wolf Scouts on 32 mm bases and 1 Fenrisian Wolf on a 60mm oval base. You’ll also find a Space Wolves transfer sheet, a custom token sheet, and the datacards in the box.

Here are all the build options:

• Scout 1 can be built either as a Pack Leader or a Frosteye. The Pack Leader comes with a pair of arms wielding a power sword (parts 7 and 9), a holstered pistol (14) and scabbard (13), a chest strap (15), and a fur-trimmed backpack module (100 and 101). The Frosteye features a pair of arms with an Instigator bolt carbine, a pouch with a talisman and scabbard, a chest strap (16 – 20), and a backpack with an extra pouch (115 and 106). For both models, you can choose between two sculpted left shoulder pads (11 and 12) or a plain shoulder pad (10).
• Scout 2 can be built as a regular Hunter or as a Fangbearer. The Hunter is armed with a plasma pistol and combat blade (26 – 31). The Fangbearer wields an absolver bolt pistol and carries medical equipment on his left arm and backpack (parts 32 – 37, and 113). He also comes with a distinctive head featuring a headlamp (93).
• Scout 3 can be built as a regular Hunter or a Gunner. The Hunter is equipped with a plasma pistol and combat blade (42 – 46). The Gunner carries a plasma gun (47 – 50) and additional ammunition mounted on the backpack (114).
• Scout 4 can be built either as a regular Hunter or as the Rune Priest Skjald. The Hunter is armed with a plasma pistol and combat blade (59 – 62) and features a torso with a chest strap (57 and 58). The Skjald wields a runic stave, comes with additional gear, a torso with a necklace (63 – 71), a special head (97), and a unique shoulder pad (72). The Skjald uses the same fur-trimmed backpack as the Pack Leader (100 and 101), so you’ll need to decide which model gets it. Alternatively, you use the leftover backpack module (106) from the Frosteye build.
• Scout 5 can be built either as a regular Hunter or a Trapmaster. The Hunter is armed with a plasma pistol and combat axe (77 – 83). The Trapmaster carries a haywire mine (84 – 89) along with additional equipment on his backpack (112). The shoulder pads (80 and 82) are identical for both builds.
• The Fenrisian Wolf is a monopose model.
• In addition to the two special heads for the Fangbearer and Skjald, there are 8 extra bare heads included, which can be freely distributed among the models.

As you can see from the list of build options, you can’t assemble all the special operatives with the contents of the Dead Silencebox, so you’ll need to make a choice between a Pack Leader or Frosteye. In comparison, Kill Team: Tomb World’s Deathwatch team offered more flexibility, as its sprue was duplicated, providing twice the number of models. On the positive side, all the arm joints have flat, universal contact points, meaning you can experiment a little to achieve alternative poses. And all the Scouts can be built in their “base versions” if you’d prefer to field them as a more conventional unit for Warhammer 40,000.

The design of the Wolf Scouts will likely divide opinion. The sheer number of added details might be a bit much, especially on the special operatives. There’s certainly no shortage of character, but I feel that the wild, Viking-inspired style of the Space Wolves somewhat clashes with the “tacticool” aesthetic of the Phobos suits.

XV26 Stealth Battlesuit Kill Team review

The XV26 Stealth Battlesuit Team also comes on two medium-sized sprues. You get 5 Battlesuits with 32 mm bases, 2 drones and a homing beacon marker on 28 mm bases, plus a small Vior’la transfer sheet, shared token sheet with Wolf Scouts, and datacards.

Following the original XV15 Stealth Suits (then still in white metal) and the later XV25 plastic kit, the XV26s are the next evolution in stealth suit design. At first glance, the new versions don’t look dramatically different. The knee armour design has slightly changed, but otherwise, the main improvements are in the proportions and more dynamic posing. For Warhammer 40,000, each model can also be built in its standard version, with two weapon options available.

Here are all the build options:

• Battlesuit 1 can be built either as a regular Infiltrator or as a Shas’vre. The Shas’vre features an extra head (part 17), an additional sensor on the back module (16), and the choice between a pistol (18) or a bonding knife (19).
• Battlesuit 2 can be built either as a regular Infiltrator or a Neutraliser. The Neutraliser has a special head unit (34 – 36) and an additional left arm with a multispectrum sensor (32 and 33).
• Battlesuit 3 can be built either as a regular Infiltrator or a Liberator. The Liberator comes with an alternative left hand holding an EMP bomb (51) and extra grenades (50).
• Battlesuit 4 is a Designator, equipped with an additional markerlight system mounted on the back (parts 64 and 65).
• Battlesuit 5 can be built either as a regular Infiltrator or as a Lodestar. The Lodestar carries an electrochaff launcher on the back module (79 and 80) and has an alternative left hand with a folded homing beacon.
• A homing beacon marker for the Lodestar is also included (part 89).
• You’ll also get 1 MV75 Marker Drone and 1 MV15 Gun Drone. There are two rubble pieces (87 and 88) where you can attach the flight stands.
• The kit includes 5 burst cannons and 2 fusion blasters, which can be freely mounted on the hardpoints of the right arms.

When it comes to build variety, you’re fairly limited beyond the choice between weapon loadouts and whether to build a special operative or a regular XV26 Infiltrator. The poses can’t be changed, and the heads aren’t movable. The arms also lack ball or flat joints and only lock into one fixed position. You can remove the small pegs to allow for a bit of rotation, but even then, the shoulder pads restrict movement quite a lot. That said, the models are very stylish updates nonetheless.

A look into the Dead Silence dossier

The roughly 80-page Kill Team: Dead Silence book follows the familiar format of the previous dossier books. It opens with a few pages of lore expanding the ongoing narrative, then introduces the Wolf Scouts and Stealth Battlesuit teams. Next come the rules for both Kill Teams, along with an ever helpful designer’s commentary and a brand-new campaign pack.

The Ctesiphus Expedition is a map-based campaign system that lets players explore unknown locations across a hex map. When you explore a hex, you generate additional rules using a D36 (D3 plus D6) system. Five maps are printed in the book, and they’re also included as a 25-page tear-off pad (five sets of five maps). Unlike most traditional campaign systems, it’s designed so that players can take part even if their opponents aren’t participating in the campaign. The expedition can even be played entirely solo or cooperatively.

Where to get

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