Warhammer 40,000 101 – Introduction to Xenos Armies

The Xenos Armies in Warhammer 40k are comprised of many alien races, so we’ve broken them down to help you decide which to buy.

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The Xenos armies in the Warhammer 40,000 universe are all those that are alien to mankind and not been tainted by Chaos. Whether it is the mighty “Waaagh!” (both a battle cry and the name of war!) from the Orks, or the “Chit! Chit!” before a Genestealer rips through the wall, there is plenty of choice for building an army. Today we take a quick dive into the various alien race you can build an army with!

Craftworlds

Following the destruction of their homeworld the Aeldari now travel through space in gargantuan ships known as Craftworlds. This once powerful race let their arrogance and pride get the better of them as their hedonistic lifestyle led to the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh and almost destruction of their people for a second time. Narrowly surviving, their dominance over the universe fell and gave way to the rise of man and The Emperor. The main Aeldari survivors fight against darkness with honor and guile but must remain ever watchful of the inner turmoil that led to their near extinction. Naturally gifted with psychic abilities, every member of the race has the ability to become a psyker. These innate abilities and command to shape matter, and their greater intelligence is the basis for their superior weaponry.

Within all Craftworlds you may find members of The Ynarri, a new sect within Aeldari society who follow the prophet Yvraine and revere the Aeldari God Ynnead. They believe that Ynnead can be awakened (reborn) through a ritual called Seventh Path. This is seemingly more unlikely as a servant of Slaanesh has secreted away one of the required Croneswords of the Crone Goddess Morai-heg. The sect has gained follows from all factions of Aeldari society yet many see them as corrupt and agents of the very thing they seek to destroy.

Harlequin

Harlequins are distinct from any of the other Aeldari factions. They worship the Laughing God, the sole Aeldari deity to survive Slaanesh’s awakening. They are also the custodians of the Black Library and do not distinguish between and art and war. This may explain their flamboyant and colorful armor and theatrical fighting style (Can we get a hell-yeah for dance-fighting?).

Drukhari

The Drukhari are also known as the Dark Eldar. They are the forsaken ones, corrupt kindred. Whereas their Aeldari counterparts fight with honor, the Drukhari have none, preferring to pirate, raid and, pillage their way across the galaxy satisfying The Thirst by feeding off their victims’ psychic energy. They are also physically stronger than their brethren, but they do not use their latent psychic abilities and have a strong hatred towards Psykers. This is because they do not want to make Slaanesh aware of their whereabouts.

Necrons

The origins of the Necrons can be traced back over 60 million years. This ancient race of robotic warriors was created by a mysterious race known as the C’tan. Having shed mortal command, this race of invincible machines is a formidable enemy as not only do they outclass all, their bodies self-repair when they take damage. This makes it difficult to disable a Necron, with the only way to overpower one is to cause more damage than is possible for it to repair. When this happens, however, they teleport away to their stasis crypts to await repair when possible. Should the teleport fail, then a self-destruct failsafe kicks in to prevent the ancient knowledge from falling into their enemy’s hands. Little is known of the origin for these artificial lifeforms, other than their creators and their primary programming – to destroy The Old Ones. One thing is known: If they able to unite, the universe is doomed and the only way life can survive is to stop this from happening.

Orks

The Orks are a savage species spread out across the universe and predate humanity by over 50 million years. The greenskins are warmongers and bring the mighty “Waargh!”, similar to a holy war, and to their enemies whenever one of them rises up and attracts enough follows from the Clans. Second in number to perhaps only the Tyranids, it is only their infighting that keeps them from total domination. They are also viewed as scavengers by their enemies. The reality is not that far from the truth, with many Ork vehicles and weaponry built from the scraps of the battlefield, as each Ork has the innate ability to build what they need. This incoherence does little to break the other viewpoint strongly held that they are uneducated savages, but that in itself often leads their enemies to underestimate their combat tactics. Orks were created by the ancient civilization known as ‘The Old Ones’ to fight The Necrons and their masters the C’tan. As a result, they are genetically engineered, ANGRY, green suits of muscle capable of vast destruction.

T’au Empire

The T’au are relative newcomers to the Milky Way galaxy but they are technologically advanced. They originate from the Eastern Fringe but are on a mission to expand their empire with the news of the “Greater Good” to all intelligent species. This invigorates all aspects of T’au society as the edict that all intelligent life should strive to do all for the benefit for as many as possible – The Greater Good. The T’au claim that they are a peaceful species, asking whether the worlds they visit would like to join. Those who say no often face the prospect of being conquered, with the fear of painful annihilation to those who resist.

Tyrannids

The thundering roar of thousands of insectoid alien creatures crawling the walls of an Imperial outpost is the thing of nightmares… and for the lucky few, the last thing many remember. For the rest, an agonizing death awaits as their bio-matter is consumed for a singular purpose, the propagation of the species. The Tyranids move from world to world not so much conquering, but decimating, as they feed. The huge requirements of their hive fleets mean they always need new types of biological matter to better their species evolution. All Tyranid organisms are part of a communal hive mind attached to their hive fleet. Tyranids prefer their combat up close and personal, they sharp talons able to rip through flesh, but they also have an impressive array of living bioweapons at their disposal.

Tyranids also subvert planets before an invasion by infesting the giant abandoned ships of the Empire. These Space Hulks lay dormant awaiting discovery by their Imperial owners, upon which time the genestealers awaken and attack, spreading DNA-altering virus-like attack. The survivors return home and pass their newly altered DNA down the family leading to the birth of Tyranid/Genestealer hybrids. These progenies seek each other out to form the Genestealer Cults who operate in secrecy to undermine world governments and cause chaos prior to the arrival of the hive fleet.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/warhammer-40000-40k-introduction-explained-xenos-armies/