How To Play Necrons In Warhammer 40K
Today, take a look at some basics of how to play Necrons in Warhammer 40,000 10th Edition.
The Necrons are a fascinating faction in Warhammer 40K. They’re an army with great sculpts and rules, and a really unique look. They’re an indomitable army that relies on using Reanimation and specialized units. Playing the Necrons should feel like reestablishing an ancient Dynasty on the table.
So below we will offer some tips on how to play Necrons and get started with them.
Who Are The Necrons?
The Necrons are a race of mechanical warriors, created from the Necrontyr. They have lain dormant in their stasis-tombs for sixty million years. They are ancient beyond reckoning, pre-dating even their ancient enemies, the Eldar.
At long last, however, they are beginning to awaken. They are rising from their Tomb Worlds across the Imperium to find a far different Galaxy teeming with life. The hyper-advanced race seeks to reestablish the supremacy of the Necron Dynasties over the Galaxy. Most importantly they strive to reclaim their place as its rulers once more.
Why Play Necrons
Do you like the undead? Zombies, skellingtons, and such? How about robots? Flaying the flesh from your enemies with white-hot energy? Getting shot to pieces and getting right back up unharmed?
Sound exciting? If so, then the Necrons is the army for you.
Strengths of the Army
- Army-wide high resilience, with models allowed to come back with Reanimation Protocols.
- Characters multiply the power of units in multiple ways.
- A wide variety of powerful close combat units.
Weakness of the Army
- Army is limited by less than optimal point costing on some units.
- No wide access to efficient, long-ranged firepower.
- Vulnerable to common types of firepower.
Necron Army Rule
Reanimation Protocols– Your units heal or bring back models in every Command Phase.
Necron Detachments
Awakened Dynasty
- Rules: Command Protocols gives an extra flat hit bonus to units with a Leader attached.
- Enhancements: Here we gets some classics like Veil of Darkness and Sempiternal Weave.
- Stratagems: Protocol of the Eternal Guardian is one of the only character recursion methods in the game.
Canoptek Court
- Rules: Power Matrix turns the battlefield into a web of buffs for Canoptek units.
- Enhancements: You can take the Autodivinator if you want to have plenty of CP to use this detachments stratagems.
- Stratagems: Cynosure of Eradication is an incredibly power unit buff, giving Devastating Wounds to any unit.
Hypercrypt Legion
- Rules: Hyperphasing gives you extreme tactical flexibility by pulling units off the board to reinforcements.
- Enhancements: Dimensional Overseer let’s you double down and do an extra unit with Hyperphasing.
- Stratagems: Almost all these stratagems require the use of a Monolith so, get one, I guess?
Annihilation Legion
- Rules: Annihilation Protocols gives a re-roll to charge to Flayed Ones and Destroyer Cult keyword units .
- Enhancements: Soulless Reaper lets a Destroyer Cult unit deny retreats, keeping the enemy close where they like.
- Stratagems: There are several fun movement based stratagems in this suite..
Obeisance Phalanx
- Rules: Worthy Foes gives bonus’ against a particular enemy unit, chosen each turn..
- Enhancements: Warrior Noble and Unflinching Will are both solid combat buffs for characters leading units like Lychguard.
- Stratagems: Nanoassembly Protocols is a solid defensive buff for vehicles.
Key Units To Know
Necrons have a sizable unit roster, and knowing what units to take can be very hard.
Leaders
The Silent King
The Silent King is a massive centerpiece model for the Necron army. Voice the Triarch lets you buff a nearby unit in a myriad of ways, perfect for any situation! The three-model unit is extremely difficult to take down with an impressive statline- and its Annihilation Beams can make quick work of anyone foolish enough to stray too close.
Overlord with Translocation Shroud
This Overlord gets to pull a unit around the battlefield with him thanks to his Translocation Shroud. Perfect for confounding the enemy with unexpected maneuver tactics.
Overlord
Your typical army leader. Overlords lead forth the deathless legions of the Necron Dynasties. They have relatively few weapon options. Their main purpose, however, is improving your troops with powerful abilities like My Will Be Done and Resurrection Orb.
Chronomancer
The Chronomancer has a unique and powerful set of wargear in the form of the Chronometron, which gives his units pop out attacks, able to move out of line of sight after shooting.
Hexmark Destroyer
This Lone Operative can Deepstrike in and make itself a real nuisance. Great at skirmishing and picking off lagging backfield units with Inescapable Death.
Skorpekh Lord
This big angry dude can lead Skorpekh Destroyers and make them even more brutal with his United in Destruction ability.
Battleline
Warriors
The backbone of a Necron army will be its Warrior Squads. A powerful and efficient Battleline selection, the Warriors unit packs decent armor and an option of ranged weapons, with the Gauss Reaper being a personal favorite.
Immortals
A tough and efficient Battleline unit, Immortals gets a little extra oomph from Implacable Eradication.
Other Units
Flayed Ones
A true melee blender with a truly impressive amount of attacks for their points cost.
Canoptek Spyders
The Canoptek Spyder has the ability to bring back slain Scarabs with its Canoptek Swarm ability.
Lokhust Heavy Destroyers
Providing ranged heavy firepower, the Lokhust is always keyed to its particular job with Optimised for Slaughter.
Skorpekh Destroyers
Cursed with a virus that makes them really keen to destroy things, Destroyers are a brutal tool in the Necron arsenal. Skorpekh Destroyers are the go-to close combat unit for Necrons and are more than capable against almost any target.
Night Scythe
The Night Scythe is a powerful flyer that gives Necrons dominion over the battlefield airspace. In addition, the Night Scythe transports large units of Warriors to tactically advantageous places around the battlefield.
Monolith
An impressive selection for the Necron army, the Monolith is an amazing model that boasts considerable firepower and an array of army-improving special rules and buffs, such as teleporting Troops around the battlefield with its Eternity Gate.
Canoptek Reanimator
This construct enhances nearby Reanimation Protocols with its Nanoscarab Reanimation Beam. Decent support piece.
C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon
A beasty monster. With their huge visual profile, they will definitely get the opponent’s attention. Matter absorption will charge the Void Dragon back up while draining the life from unfortunates nearby, while Necrodermis halves incoming damage, making this model a bear to take down!
Sample Starter Army
Army: Necrons
Leaders
- Overlord . 1 Model. They are equipped with: Warscythe, Resurrection Orb.
Battleline
- Warrior Squad. 20 Models. They are armed with Gauss Reaper.
- Immortals. 5 Models.
Other Units
- Skorpekh Destroyers. 3 Models. They are armed with a hyperphase reap-blade.
- Void Dragon. 1 Model. It is equipped with: Spear of the Void Dragon; Canoptek tail blades.
- Canoptek Wraiths. 6 Models. Every model is equipped with: vicious claws.
How To Play Necrons
The Necrons are an army that favors a methodical playstyle. They rely on resilience and precision application of firepower. The slow speed and programmed buffs of the army mean that winning with Necrons requires careful planning.
Careful counterattacks, utilizing brutal combat units like Skorpekh Destroyers or Canoptek Wraiths, should clear enemy threats away from your Warriors and allow you to maintain battlefield supremacy.
Some of their units can seem over-costed. But they are all precision tools with specific purposes and can succeed when put in the right situation.
