Start collecting Necrons in 40k 11e

Necrons overview

The Necrons are an ancient xenos civilisation that gave up their flesh for bodies of living metal, then slept for aeons beneath buried tomb worlds. Now their dynasties are waking and want their empire back. The range has a tomb-lord look, with skeletal metal frames, gold trim, and glowing green weapons, so a ranked-up Necron army looks striking on the table.

How Necrons play

Necrons are an army of patient resilience. Their signature rule, Reanimation Protocols, triggers at the end of your Command phase. Units with it recover a few lost wounds or bring back slain models. An opponent has to wipe a unit out completely rather than chip away at it.

The strengths are durable infantry that hold objectives and heavy ranged firepower from vehicles. The weaknesses are slow infantry and a dependence on staying put. A big burst of damage that removes a whole unit shuts off the healing. Most players find the army suits patient people who like holding ground and grinding opponents down more than racing across the board.

Necrons subfactions and detachments

Necron dynasties such as the Szarekhan and the Sautekh are mostly a choice of paint scheme and story. Rules-wise, your detachment (the set of special rules you pick for your army) shapes how you play. Detachments are updated over time, so check the current faction pack before buying toward one.

• Starshatter Arsenal: rewards vehicles and fast mounted units, and gives a bonus to hit enemies sitting on objectives. We think it is the easiest to build around from a starter box.
• Awakened Dynasty: favours character-led infantry, so it suits Warriors and Immortals with a Lord or Overlord.
• Cursed Legion: boosts the Destroyer cult models, such as Skorpekh and Ophydian Destroyers, for a more aggressive army.
• Canoptek Court: builds around Wraiths, Spyders, and Doomstalkers.
• Hypercrypt Legion: focuses on moving units around the battlefield.

What to buy first

We think the cheapest sensible way in is Combat Patrol: Necrons. It holds an Overlord with Tachyon Arrow, ten Necron Warriors, three Canoptek Scarab Swarms, three Skorpekh Destroyers, and a Canoptek Doomstalker. That gives you a leader, a battleline block, a screen, a melee threat, and a shooting platform. You can start playing smaller games straight away without choosing a single extra unit.

The larger option is Battleforce: Necron Host, with twenty Warriors, six Scarab Swarms, a Doomstalker, a Catacomb Command Barge, three Ophydian Destroyers, and five Flayed Ones. It makes sense if you already know you want a bigger, more mobile army. We think it is poor value as a first purchase if you just want to try the faction, because the Barge, Ophydians, and Flayed Ones are not what a first list needs. Both Combat Patrol listings from our data appear in the table, so compare like with like.

Product		Cheapest	RRP	Saving
	Combat Patrol: Necrons	$144.50Herrick Games and Hobbies	$177.00	$32.50
	Warhammer 40K Combat Patrol: Necrons	Out of stock	–	–
	Battleforce: Necron Host	$216.75Over the Brick	$265.00	$48.25

Prices checked November 9, 2026. Prices exclude shipping and sales tax.

Cost to start

We suggest the Combat Patrol plus a second box of Necron Warriors. That brings your Warriors up to a block of twenty, which is what most early lists are built around. The total below is for the cheapest tracked store against RRP.

Core units

Necron Warriors are your battleline, meaning units that hold objectives well. They are tough for their points and good at standing on objectives, and the Reanimation rule keeps them alive. They are not hard-hitting, so think of them as the anchor of the army.

The Overlord is a leader. It attaches to a unit and improves it, and it is usually the first character most Necron players buy. Joined to your Warriors, it gives them a sturdier core.

Canoptek Scarab Swarms are cheap, quick screening models. They block enemy movement and can run errands for secondary objectives. They are poor fighters, so use them for support.

Skorpekh Destroyers are your melee threat. They are sturdy and hit hard in close combat, which makes them a useful counter-attack when the enemy reaches your lines.

The Canoptek Doomstalker is a large walker that adds mobile fire support. It is good at supporting the front line and, with a high wound count, takes real effort to remove.

Expanding your Necrons army

We suggest growing in steps and grouping new units by what the army needs: durable anchors, mobile scoring, and long-range anti-tank fire. This is the starter force from the Combat Patrol:

From there:

• Toward 1,000 points: double your Warriors to twenty, and add Orikan the Diviner, who gives the unit he supports a sturdy save. Add a Doomsday Ark for anti-tank shooting, and a unit of Tomb Blades as a fast scorer. A Hexmark Destroyer is a handy extra skirmisher.
• Toward 2,000 points: add two more Doomsday Arks, a full unit of Canoptek Wraiths with a Technomancer, a Canoptek Spyder, a Chronomancer, and a second box of Skorpekh Destroyers and Scarabs.
• Later: Szarekh, the Silent King is a large centrepiece that boosts the whole army, though he is a significant spend.

This is a rough 1,000-point shopping list:

And this is a rough 2,000-point one:

These are starting points, so adjust them to your detachment. Check any list against the current points, as these change.

Painting Necrons

Necrons are among the quicker armies to get painted, and most players find a simple metallic scheme looks good on the table. Try your scheme on a single Warrior before you commit to the whole box, and only then move on to larger models like the Doomstalker.

• Prime: black or dark grey, which suits the metal look.
• Base coat and drybrush: a metallic silver or steel, then drybrush the raised edges to bring out the skeletal detail.
• Shade: a dark wash to settle into recesses.
• Glow: pick out eyes and weapons in a bright green, and leave the other details simple.

Paint in batches, one step across the whole unit, and you will have a battleline on the table far sooner.

Further watching

These videos cover beginner buying and army building for Necrons.

• Starting Necrons in 2025 | Buying Guide, Tactics & Sample Lists | Getting Started in 40k · TacticalTortoise 40k
• How to Start a Necrons Army in Warhammer 40K 11th Edition - Necron Beginner Guide! · Auspex Tactics

Unit data from Wahapedia.