Warhammer 40K: Every Race Ranked From Weak To Powerful
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Warhammer 40K Every Race Ranked From Weakest To Most Powerful
In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. So, who will win? In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. This iconic line originated from , and after understanding the races and conflicts from that universe, it is easy to see why. Mechanical Terminators wander the cosmos in search of galactic domination while humans are worshipping a dead man from millennia ago. Few universes can convey a sense of grimdark fantasy like 40K can. At the same time, this setting grants the perfect excuse for epic characters and battles to take place. Whether you are fighting green humanoids or space Elves, here are all the races in 40K lore ranked from weakest to strongest. This list will be discussing strength from a lore perspective rather than from the game. Updated February 18, 2022, by Jerrad Wyche: Warhammer as a series is expansive and covers multiple mediums. It's also split into several subseries that all come with their share of lore, characters, and expectations. Warhammer 40k is beloved for its dedication to strategy and tactics, and within its lore is an expansive universe of races from all different walks of life. With new Warhammer 40k video games releasing every year there's never a bad time to jump into the series for the first time. Here are the races you'll encounter, and how they stack up against each other. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Asuryani
When a race of beings like the Asuryani is related to the Eldar, it's understood that their rich history and length of existence are likely due to some type of power they hold. This reign didn't last forever though as the race's pride and selfish practices sparked internal conflict. Their control was thanks in large part to their use of mystical technology in combination with their focus on deterring their darker impulses that they kept at bay for centuries. Dark Eldar
The Dark Eldar are analogist to space pirates in Warhammer 40K. These defects from their Eldar brethren have fully embraced the gods of Chaos to strengthen themselves. In practice, the Dark Eldar pillage planets with hit-and-run tactics. They show no mercy in combat, typically enslaving or sacrificing anyone they can find. Despite this, the Dark Eldar have a small foothold on the 40K universe, having nothing to set themselves apart from Chaos Space Marines or Chaos forces in general. They're also rather weak in tabletop as well. Tau
The Tau are infants in the grand scheme of the 40K universe. This rather new faction believes in "The Greater Good," which is their excuse for galactic domination. Tau rely on long-ranged weaponry and high-tech equipment to take down their foes. Except for their Kroot divisions and various reptilian species, nearly all Tau rely on hi-tech equipment to gain the edge in battle. Unfortunately, most factions in 40K have an affinity for melee combat, something the Tau are notoriously terrible at. Astra Militarum
The formal name for the Imperium of Man's army, the Astra Militarum comprises of the Imperial Guard and various sub-armies to protect the Imperium's interests and territories. There are trillions of these soldiers that dot the universe, using makeshift equipment to slay any Xeno that gets in their way. When their makeshift weapons fail, they call in an armada of vehicles to pin the enemy down. The sheer scale of the Astra Militarum makes them hard to beat, as their production of vehicles and recruitment of soldiers is nigh-unmatched in 40K. Space Marines
Copyright © Games Workshop These poster-children of the Warhammer 40K universe are superhumans that have been genetically enhanced, then equipped with some of the best equipment a soldier could use. Space Marines, also known as Adeptus Astartes, are the most notable defenders of Humanity. Their signature weapon is the Boltar, a fully-automatic rifle that launches burrowing slugs that detonate inside of targets, effectively acting as an automatic rocket launcher. If that fails, their fists and chainswords can slice through nearly anything. Each chapter of Space Marines has their own personalities and combat tactics, making it easy to see why many fans love this faction so much and why they're the poster child of the 40K universe. Inquisition
Take what made the Space Marines a formidable race and crank it up to 11. The Inquisition is a secret organization in the Imperium of Man dedicated to slaying all forms of . Not only are these soldiers highly trained like the Space Marines, but the revered Grey Knights are also powerful Psykers as well-40K's version of insane space wizards-to make them apt opponents against the forces of Chaos. They are one of the only factions with the permission to commence Exterminatus on a planet if needed, effectively destroying an entire planet, complete with all forms of life and the planet's ecosystem if it is deemed completely lost. If you see this secret organization, prepare to either die a horrible death or have your memories wiped. Necrons
that worship the C'tan gods responsible for their mechanical state and the function of most machines. Their technology is simply unrivaled by any other faction. The Necrons were dormant in their stasis-tombs for close to 60-million human years. Necrons can destroy enemies at a molecular level with their Gauss weapons, all the while taking untold amounts of punishment with their metallic skeletons that are powered by their souls. As with most factions in 40K, the Necrons want nothing more than all factions to be exterminated and control every inch of the galaxy for themselves. It is a slow process, however, as they must be reawakened from their ancient slumber to fight for their cause. Very few are awake to fight in the galactic war, but the few who do fight are terrifying. If the Necrons ever fully reawaken from their ancient slumber, nearly all races would go extinct. Forces of Chaos
Chaos Daemons are a critical part of the Warhammer 40K universe, comprising four distinct gods: Khorne, Slaanesh, Tzeentch, and Nurgle. Their corrupt powers are why space travel and Psykic powers are possible. Each god has unique Daemons that they can summon to spread their message to others. That is, kill everything in sight. This has extended to certain Space Marine regiments as well, being deemed heretics by the Imperium of Man and being called Chaos Space Marines. If they can't kill you in battle, they can warp your mind, manipulate time, or cause an unbearable plague to be bestowed upon you. Your only hope is if you can resist their Psykic urges. Eldar
In tabletop, the Eldar are arguably the strongest faction in the game thanks to their fantastic units. In lore, Eldar are equally formidable but are short on supply. The Eldar used to be the dominant faction of the universe until most were exterminated by the Necrons and Slaanesh-a Chaos god that the Eldar were responsible for creating. Warp gates let 40Ks version of space Elves teleport across great gapes in space in mere seconds, while their strong Psykic nature lets them dominate any fight. Unmatched speed and combat skills make this near-extinct faction a terror to face. Tyranids
What can be worse than space Terminators or Elves? Space dinosaurs are a start. Tyranids combine the sheer ferocity of large carnivorous creatures with the . They operate as a hivemind, so the defeat of a singular unit is almost always meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Tyranids kill anything they find and use their remains to create more Tyranids. A hive mind controls their entire army, giving them a focused battle strategy that no other faction can match. They are endless, constantly coming from the dark reaches of space with new hive fleets to exterminate all life. They can't be reasoned with. They can't be killed. They only want to consume all organics and turn them into Tyranids. Entire planets have been turned into miasma-filled wastelands thanks to this faction. Orks
Yet there is a faction that is arguably stronger than the Tyranids. Orks are a species of buff, green humanoids that also want to kill everything on sight. What makes Orks different is how determined they are to kill. If they aren't fighting others, they fight amongst themselves to grow stronger. Their collective Psykic nature allows Orks to make anything they believe become reality. They can take the remains of armor and turn it into a fully functioning rifle because they believe it will work. WAAAGH! campaigns allow entire Ork armies to exterminate entire galactic systems with overwhelming odds. You can't exterminate them, either, as their fungal nature allows them to reproduce simply by living or dying. They are the strongest Psykers in the universe, yet they are too stupid and war-driven to realize it. Despite this, no faction has found a way to stop them. C' Tan
It's hard to deny a race that is considered gods and when it comes to the C'tan, otherwise referred to as Star Gods, they're exactly that. They are hard to wrap your head around as they are known to spread themselves over the surface of a star and feed off of its energy. Many consider them to be the oldest of intelligent life and legends speak of them being born of gas and energy at the very beginning of the universe's creation.