40k Factions You Should Know
The world of Warhammer 40k is full of rich lore and powerful factions, and all of them are uniquely different. That being said, their power certainly varies, with some factions being considered all-powerful while others are chronically on the weaker end. With that in mind, here are 20 factions ranked by their overall ability.
1. Necrons
The Necrons are essentially Ancient Egyptians meets skeletons meets robots. They’re an older race that has been slumbering for a long time and are a rather relentless force on the board. What makes them so powerful is their reanimating ability, as well as their output as an anti-horde choice, since they can go against numerous infantry units.
2. Orks
The idea of orks in space is pretty neat, and these creatures certainly live up to expectations. They’re rather chaotic and rely on randomness, making them a highly variant army. Their strength is in their hoarding, and on top of that, they move fast across the board and also use psychic powers.
3. Astra Militarium
Of course, you also have humans, and the wide variety they come in. For the Astra Militarium faction, the strong suit is the unending number of guardsmen you have at your disposal. In terms of points, they’re the most efficient troop choice, and as such, provide an array of cheap but plentiful firepower.
4. Craftworld Eldars
This faction also refers to Asuryani, which are Craftworld Eldars. They are one of the fastest factions in the game and take advantage of flight abilities to ignore terrain. Additionally, this mobility, paired with their psychic powers, make them an exceptionally powerful faction. They’re also relatively good in terms of lore and are survivors of a failing race.
5. Adeptus Mechanicus
This faction is essentially made up of technological priests from Mars. Their strongest feature is their shooting skills, as they take advantage of powerful weapons and aura buffs. They also have relatively strong vehicles, adding to their flexibility on the field.
6. Chaos Space Marines
Finally, we get to the iconic Space Marines, well, the chaos variants, to be specific. What makes these marines different from the original is that they follow dark gods and accept their blessings. As such, their psychic powers originate from Chaos Gods and the Warp, and they take advantage of chaotic blessings and powerful melee combat feats.
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7. Tyranids
Tyranids are essentially a Hive Mind and have one goal: to feed. With that in mind, they’re best played as an overwhelming mess. Their strength lies in their hoarding abilities, and since the faction also takes advantage of massive and powerful monsters.
8. Chaos Daemons
Similar to the Chaos Marines, the daemons also take advantage of pure chaotic energy and are your quintessential bad guys. They mainly leverage psychic powers originating from the Warp, and their Khorne and Slaanesh units are perfectly adept melee combat damage dealers. While they don’t have armor, daemons do have higher invulnerable saves to make up for this.
9. Adeptus Custodes
The custodes are essentially powerful bodyguards who serve the emperor himself. As such, they have powerful armor, weapons, and vehicles alike. Their basic stats are quite boosted, and their anti-infantry power makes up for their low model count.
10. Thousand Sons
The Thousand Sons also take inspiration from Ancient Egypt and are some of the most powerful sorcery and shooting amalgamations in the game. They have minimum armor but make up for this with psychic powers capable of dealing mortal wounds. Their leaders are also strong psykers and they are hence quite resilient.
11. Adepta Sororitas
Also known as the Sisters of Battle, this faction is essentially made up of armored nuns. They are similar to Space Marines in terms of their weapons and armor, but they also use their faith to achieve Miracles. The army specifically uses abilities like Shields of Faith and the aforementioned Miracle to get advantages on the board.
12. Blood Angels
These angels are another major faction that follow the Primarch Sanguinius, a noble and angelic figure. Their best features include their iconic red armor and their rather odd but useful vampiric cravings. Essentially, they are close combat specialists and are known to be fast and aggressive.
13. T’au Empire
Dedicated to the greater good, this alien race is all about blasting their opponents from a safe distance. They excel at shooting and use drones to tank danger and support their troops. Additionally, as they are more tolerant than other factions, they can employ mercenaries in the form of Kroot and Vespid.
14. Drukhari
Then there are the dark Eldar, which are kind of like evil space elves. They’re also quite mobile and fast like their good-aligned variants and have transports that enable them to harass enemies from a distance. However, they have no psykers, and are fairly fragile, making them glass cannons.
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15. Dark Angels
These angels were also one of the first founding space marine legions and were created by the Emperor. Their Primarch was Lion El’Jonson, and what sets them apart from the Blood Angels is their dark armor. However, certain units like the Deathwing and Ravenwing wear white and black armor respectively and are elite and mobile attack forces.
16. Harlequins
As their name would suggest, the Harlequins worship the Laughing God and delve into battle wearing masques and checkered suits. Their army has a higher invulnerability stat and is one of the fastest armies in the game. Additionally, they have fantastic vehicles but are unfortunately a bit expensive and fragile despite their invulnerable save.
17. Space Marines
Then there are the quintessential Space Marines, also known as the Adeptus Astartes. These are the poster children for Warhammer 40k and are the protectors of humanity. As such, they’re a bit of a jack of all trades that aren’t exceptionally good at one field. They are also heavily reliant on auras and tend to cluster together rather than spread across the board.
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18. Genestealer Cults
The Genestealer Cults are a Tyranid splinter fleet and are made up of infected humans. They are ambush masters, and you can use them to set up an army off board and have them appear as needed. They also take advantage of a lot of supporting buffs.
19. Space Wolves
Space Wolves are essentially a splinter faction of the Space Marines. They’re inspired by both Vikings and werewolves, making for a fun mix. They rely on their melee combat and have strong basic stats, but they don’t offer much else in terms of strength compared to others.
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20. Ultramarines
This is another iconic and central faction and they descend from Primarch Roboute Guilliman, who created the Codex Astartes. They also use blue armor and specialize in assault and stealth. While they are considered chronically weak, at the end of the day, it really depends on the player and how well they know their armies.
