There are many different forms of worlds spread throughout the galaxy. Some areas of the Galaxy have many worlds of a similar state. An example of this are the worlds of the Halo Zone at the furthermost reaches of the Galaxy, which consists mostly of dead worlds orbiting very old stars. Worlds near the galactic core are also almost invariably dead or barren.
Imperial Planet Classifications
Imperial World Classes
Imperial worlds are categorized by the Imperium into several broad classes according to their function, type of civilization and technological level.[1a]
- Alpha or Agri-World (α-class)
- Gamma or Civilised World (γ-class)
- Delta or Dead World (δ-class)
- Delta Tau or Death World (δτ-class)
- Epsilon or Cemetery World (ε-class)[5]
- Eta or Hive World (η-class)
- Mu or Feudal World (μ-class)
- Rho or Research Station (ρ-class)
- Phi or Forge World (φ-class)
- Phi Lambda or Feral World (φλ-class)
Alternate classifications
As well as their "official" classification, Imperial worlds can also be also be divided into other categories or sub-catagories, including -
- Adeptus Astartes Homeworld[3]
- Cardinal World[1b]
- Fortress World
- Industrial World[3]
- Knight World[2]
- Mining World[1a]
- Paradise World[1a]
- Penal World
- Shrine World[4]
It should be noted that a planet may belong to more than one classification. For example, Fenris is both an Astartes Homeworld and a Death world.
Aestimare
Aestimare (sometimes spelled Aestemare) is an Imperial ranking made by the Adeptus Administratum to rank the importance of a world to the Imperium as a whole. Ranks are catagorized into alphabetical tiers with each tier having a scale of 1-1000. For example, Aestimare A1000 is more important than Aestimare B1.[Needs Citation]
Common Aestimare rankings and Tithe Grades for worlds depending on their classification:[1b][1c]
- Agri-World (α-class):
- Tithe Grade: Solutio Extremis - Exactis Tertius
- Aestimare: C500-B50
- Civilised World (γ-class):
- Tithe Grade: Solutio Extremis - Exactis Tertius
- Aestimare: A50-F1000
- Dead World (δ-class):
- Tithe Grade: Aptus Non
- Aestimare: G500-G1000
- Death World (δτ-class):
- Tithe Grade: Solutio Tertius - Solutio Prima
- Aestimare: D500-G50
- Hive World (η-class):
- Tithe Grade: Decuma Particular - Exactis Extremis
- Aestimare: B50-E400
- Feudal World (μ-class):
- Tithe Grade: Solutio Prima - Solutio Extremis
- Aestimare: C750-F1000
- Research Station (ρ-class):
- Tithe Grade: Aptus Non
- Aestimare: A760-D45
- Forge World (φ-class):
- Tithe Grade: Aptus Non. See files Ref: Trade Pacts. AdMech 1/0027-16/5244
- Aestimare: A1-C500
- Feral World (φλ-class):
- Tithe Grade: Solutio Tertius
- Aestimare: F400-G800
General Planet Classifications
Worlds are also often referred to by their dominant geographic or topographic features -
Again, worlds may belong to more than one classification — Catachan is both an Jungle world and a Death world, for example.
Xenos and Chaos World Classifications
Trivia
This world classification system refers to both planets and moons; additional celestial objects, such as asteroids or artificial satellites, are occasionally classified using this Class system.
The term "world" and "planet" are sometimes used interchangeably for habitable worlds. For example, if a world orbits another planet, such as a gas giant, rather than the local star, it is a moon, and some sources may refer to it as a "planet" rather than a moon.
Sources
- 1: Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition Rulebook
- 1a: [Needs Citation]
- 1b: pg. 114
- 1c: pg. 115
- 2: White Dwarf 178 (UK), [Needs Citation]
- 3: Codex Imperialis (Background Book), pgs. 8–9
- 4: Honour Guard (Novel), [Needs Citation]
- 5: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2: Mission 05, Dawn's Descent - Acheran bridge cutscene
