The Necron Warriors are the rank-and-file infantry of the Necrons, the ancient robotic xenos that rise from tomb worlds to reclaim the galaxy. They’re the backbone of almost every Necron army, and they’re terrifying not because they’re clever, but because they never stop.
What the necron warriors actually are
Every Necron Warrior was once a living Necrontyr. During biotransference, the process that traded flesh for immortal metal bodies, the species ran short on resources. Nobles and their favoured servants got advanced bodies that kept their personalities intact. Ordinary soldiers got adequate ones. The civilian masses got the leftovers.
Those leftovers are the Necron Warriors. Their bodies are crude by Necron standards and their minds are almost hollow. They feel barely anything, think almost nothing, and exist mostly to obey. Some sources suggest this was deliberate, since a lord with no rivals and no complaints is a lord who stays in charge.
How they fight
A Warrior phalanx runs between 5 and 20 troops, usually armed with Gauss Flayers, though Gauss Reapers show up too. Gauss weapons strip targets apart atom by atom, so even massed infantry fire chews through armour that should hold.
On their own, Warriors have no initiative. Cut off from a commander’s will, they default to a guard routine, firing precise volleys at whatever approaches. Give them an order, though, and they’ll pursue it until they’re destroyed or it’s done. They march through minefields and gunfire without flinching, and they shrug off wounds that would kill anything living, including dismemberment and decapitation, pulling themselves back together in minutes.
The scream, and why it’s strange
Warriors aren’t completely fearless. Self-preservation survived biotransference, though it doesn’t always kick in, because their grip on reality is thin and danger doesn’t always register.
When a Warrior finally dies, it lets out a high-pitched scream. That’s the odd part. Every other form of Necron speech was stripped away on purpose. Nobody knows if it’s the death-cry of something briefly aware it’s about to be destroyed, or just a mechanical glitch in a broken shell.
- Standard Necron infantry, the core of a tomb world’s forces
- Armed with Gauss Flayers or Gauss Reapers
- Squads of 5 to 20, deployed in massed phalanxes
- Need constant orders, otherwise they fall back on guard routines
- Can regenerate from horrific damage in minutes
Where they fit in Necron lore
Warriors sit at the bottom of a rigid hierarchy. Above them are Immortals, Lychguard, and the nobles who kept their minds, all the way up to Phaerons like Thaszar the Invincible, who cheerfully described his subjects as needing only the ability to fight and die for his glory.
That quote sums up the tragedy. The Warriors were the ordinary people of an entire species, and they’ve been reduced to ammunition. When you see a silver tide advancing across a battlefield, you’re watching millions of erased lives still following orders.
Key facts
- Necron Warriors are the standard infantry of the Necrons and the heart of a tomb world’s army.
- They’re the degraded remnants of ordinary Necrontyr citizens, given the cheapest bodies during biotransference.
- They carry Gauss Flayers or Gauss Reapers and deploy in phalanxes of 5 to 20.
- They lack initiative but never quit, fighting through injuries that would kill living soldiers.
- They can recover from dismemberment and even decapitation within minutes.
- A dying Warrior emits a high-pitched scream, the one sound biotransference didn’t remove.
FAQ
What weapons do Necron Warriors use?
Most carry Gauss Flayers, though Gauss Reapers are also common. Both are gauss weapons that break targets down atom by atom, which makes even basic Warrior fire dangerous to heavy infantry.
Are Necron Warriors mindless?
Close to it. They retain little sentience and almost no emotion, and they need constant orders from a commander. Without direction they fall back on a simple guard routine.
Why do Necron Warriors scream when they die?
It’s an anomaly. All other Necron verbal communication was deliberately removed during biotransference, so the death-scream shouldn’t exist. Nobody in-universe knows what causes it.