Skeletal metal warriors with glowing green weapons are one of the most recognisable sights in Warhammer 40,000. This guide answers one question: who are the Necrons, and where did they come from?
The short answer
The Necrons are an ancient race that gave up their living bodies for immortal ones made of metal. They then slept in vast tombs for around sixty million years, and are now waking up to reclaim a galaxy they believe is still theirs.
The Necrontyr: a cursed beginning
Long before humanity existed, there was a species called the Necrontyr. They lived under harsh, radiation-scorched suns that kept their lives short and full of sickness. Their tombs famously outnumbered their homes. Despite advanced technology, they never conquered their own frailty.
The Necrontyr expanded across much of the galaxy, but their dynasties kept rebelling against one another. To unite them, the ruling council, the Triarch, turned their resentment outwards against the Old Ones, an ancient race whose mastery of the Warp gave them extraordinarily long lives. This began the War in Heaven.
The C'tan and the Biotransference
The Necrontyr were losing. In desperation they made contact with the C'tan, godlike beings who fed on the energy of stars. One of them, known as the Deceiver, offered the Silent King, Szarekh, immortality and the power to defeat the Old Ones.
Szarekh accepted. In the Biotransference, the whole Necrontyr race had its flesh replaced by bodies of living metal. The C'tan feasted on the life energy cast off in the process. The Necrons were immortal, but most had lost their minds and souls. Only the nobility and a few specialists kept their personalities; the rest became obedient automatons.
With the C'tan at their side, the Necrons crushed the Old Ones. Then Szarekh turned on the C'tan, shattering them into shards that the Necrons still use, chained, as weapons.
The Great Sleep
Exhausted by war, the Necrons could not hold the galaxy against the younger races. So Szarekh ordered his people into stasis-tombs to sleep for sixty million years. He then left the galaxy in self-imposed exile, carrying his guilt with him.
Not every tomb survived. Some failed over the aeons, and many Necrons who woke did so damaged, eccentric or quite mad. Even so, tomb worlds are now stirring across the galaxy, and the Silent King has returned.
How Necron society works
Necron society still follows the old Necrontyr hierarchy:
- Phaerons rule entire dynasties made up of many worlds.
- Overlords rule clusters of tomb worlds within a dynasty.
- Lords each oversee a single tomb world.
- The Royal Court of nobles and Crypteks (techno-sorcerers) serves Phaerons and Overlords. A bigger court signals greater power.
- Warriors and Immortals form the mindless rank and file, supported by Canoptek constructs that tended the tombs during the Sleep.
The nobles care deeply about honour, titles and ancient grudges, which is why Necron dynasties fight each other almost as often as they fight anyone else.
Four famous dynasties and how to paint them
Each dynasty has its own personality and colours. The scheme column is our own generic guide: base colour, then shade, then highlight.
| Dynasty | Character | Colour scheme (base / shade / highlight) |
|---|---|---|
| Sautekh | Aggressive conquerors led by Imotekh the Stormlord; the dynasty most Imperial citizens think of as 'the Necrons' | Silver metal / dark brown or black wash / bright silver edges, with green glow |
| Szarekhan | The Silent King's own dynasty, rich and technologically superior | Warm bronze metal / dark brown wash / pale bronze or gold edges |
| Nihilakh | Proud, traditionalist hoarders of treasure who long kept to their own borders | Gold or brass metal with light teal armour panels / dark wash / pale teal edges |
| Novokh | Brutal warriors whose crimson armour echoes ancient blood rituals | Deep crimson panels / dark red-brown wash / brighter red edges, over dark metal |
Most Necron schemes start from a metallic base, which makes them one of the quickest armies to paint well. For a full step-by-step method, see our easy Necron painting guide. If you want ancient, grimy metal, oil washes are ideal.
What do the Necrons want now?
It depends on the dynasty. Some want to rebuild the Infinite Empire and rule the galaxy again. Some want to recover their lost flesh. Some, like the hyper-violent Destroyer Cults, simply want all living things dead. The returned Silent King is trying to unite them against new threats, especially the Tyranids, but not every Phaeron accepts his authority.
Common beginner questions
Are the Necrons robots or undead?
Neither, exactly. They are living minds (or the remains of them) transferred into bodies of living metal called necrodermis. They look like metal skeletons, but they began as a flesh-and-blood species.
Why do Necrons get back up after being destroyed?
Their bodies are covered in self-repair systems, called reanimation protocols. If a Necron is too badly damaged, it 'phases out' and is teleported back to its tomb for repair, though each time it loses a little more of its memory.
Who is the Silent King?
Szarekh, the last ruler of the Triarch. He ordered the Biotransference, later regretted it, and has returned from exile to unite his people.
Quick summary
- The Necrons were once the short-lived Necrontyr, who traded their flesh for metal bodies.
- They defeated the Old Ones with the C'tan's help, then shattered the C'tan.
- After sixty million years asleep, their dynasties are waking up, often damaged and divided.
Independent resource published by Blubbercove Ltd. This page is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, authorised by or licensed by Games Workshop Limited.
Warhammer 40,000 and the names of all associated armies, characters, races, vehicles, units and places are trademarks of Games Workshop Limited, used here without permission and solely to identify the subject. This is an unofficial fan guide.