New Necron models are on the way to 9th Edition Warhammer 40k, so here’s everything we know about them and Szarekh, the Silent King.
Surprisingly, the earlier rumors of the Silent King were true. On top of that, there are quite a few new unit’s hitting the scene with him. But before we jump into the latest, here’s what we saw from Warhammer Community earlier on to get caught up.
Everything We Know About 40k Necron Silent King
New 40k Necrons Incoming In GW Preview
Over time, even the most powerful rulers can become little more than legends, no longer worshipped, no longer feared. But while some may speak of them in hushed whispers to frighten the weak, there are still true believers who await their return.
Take a quiet moment of reflection to think about what you’ve seen, and then join us on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page to let us know what you think this foretells…
Who is Szarekh the Necrons Silent King?
A quick scan of the wiki gives us a pretty good idea of who he is and why he is a big deal.
Szarekh, also known as the Silent King, was the last in the line of Silent Kings to lead the ruling Triarch of the ancient Necrontyr Empire. It was during his reign that the Necrontyr encountered the C’tan and underwent the grand biotransference process that transformed the Necrontyr into the undying and soulless Necrons.
However, the biotransference process that allowed this to happen robbed the Necrontyr species of their souls and it was only afterwards that Szarekh realised the terrible fate he had unleashed upon his people. Embittered by his folly, he betrayed the C’tan after the Old Ones had been defeated in the War in Heaven, shattering them into C’tan Shards and imprisoning them in the arcane extradimensional devices known as Tesseract Labyrinths.
So he was the ruler, who essentially made the Necrons what we think of today. He also gave his people their revenge against the C’tan as well that they spoke of in the preview video. Now we know his return is actually powered by a C’tan
Hidden In Plain Sight: The Return of the Silent King
Szeras was mentioned as being the character that GW gives a new model/focuses on. Reaching back to November of 2019, Kirioth on YouTube mentioned Szeras as getting a new model.
Hollownerox on Reddit also said:
…one thing that has stood out is the ever-increasing mention of the Technomandrites. The conclave of Crypteks behind most of the Crons’ insane weaponry and constructs, who were struck down by the Silent King.
First mentioned as kind of a footnote in 5th edition, 8th has been making ever more mentions of them. Culminating in Forgebane where it is said that The Silent King has called for them to return, and create anew. Thus it makes sense for Psychic Awakening to focus on Szeras, the premier Cryptek special character, if its related to this development. Since he is the sort to play around with his own body, having a big centerpiece model more suited for warfare would be reasonable.
Someone in Gold is Back…
Spotted in PA: Faith and Fury may be yet more clues:
The interrogation of an Astropath looks to have led to the small poem in bold at the bottom. The King on his Throne, Gold, Old & Bold sound like he could be the Emperor.
But we know now that this is probably a teaser for the Silent King Szarekh coming to 40k. He is also old as dirt, and when Dante met the Silent King a long time ago, he saw the Silent King wearing a golden mask to pay ode to Sanguinius. The Silent King also said he knew Sanguinius, which is neat.
So overall it looks like the preview video all but confirms Szarekh’s full swing return. from the lore, imagery, and especially the symbol at the end…
Now, if you are familiar with the Necron symbols, you may recognize that this is in fact, Szarekh’s personal seal, and/ or the symbol for the Triarchs,
Big, You Say?
Two years ago we heard of “an undead model for 40k was coming, some sort of king the size of Nagash- bigger than Robby G for sure”.
Of course with the Bonereaper release, we thought perhaps there was a mistake, and those were the rumored models…
Well, the insider could have very well been talking about the Silent King himself. Now, we with the Silent King teaser video, we know the Bonereapers for AoS were only the begging.
Necron Silent King Szarekh Model Teased Again!
We don’t really get a good look at him, but we do know that he or the thing he is on is powered by a C’tan! Pretty cool stuff. Hopefully we get more on him before too long!
We get a few glimpses at the structure/machine and it is filled with iconography.
There also appears to be multiple models on the machine. It looks like there are three Necrons total, most likely two servants and the silent silent king.
Lastly, on top there is a C’tan. It looks like it is trapped and being used as some sort of power supply for the structure.
This Photato image is also becoming more likely! It looks like the same structure from that teaser is in the top right of this image! Thatwould seem to indicate that there are indeed more Necrons on the way soon.
Necron Models Getting Bigger Sculpts (Primaris Necrons?)
The second-half of the rumor we heard about the Silent King, was that there were going to be bigger undead models….maybe Primarisized Necrons on the way to 40k. After seeing the first video, it doesn’t seem like something that’s too far off…
In this frame from the video above, we can clearly see some hieroglyphics of a frail body begging to what looks to be the Silent King. From there, the people look to be turned into JACKED warriors.
And now we have glimpses of even more to come:
Over on warhammer40000.com we got some new art of a never-before-seen model!
We can assume this is some new elite or troop due to the opposite side being a standard marine (with sword and shield). However, we haven’t seen this yet. Maybe its part of the new line-up and we have more too see!
We also have a picture from the site confirming the tri-legged model from the teaser that was chasing the sister of battle! Although unlike the cinematic trailer, this one has 3 whole weapons instead of just the giant blade!
The claw and ranged weapon are both new additions. Perhaps it will have multiple weapon options and load-outs?
Wait Are You Saying The Necron Silent King Made The Tyranids too?
Alright, so. There have been some rumors making some serious waves across the web that the Silent King is the mastermind behind making the Tyranids. Well, if this is true, then GW left some critical plot holes in their story that will take years of filling and retconning to recover from.
With that said, the Silent King has definitely made something according to a recent White Dwarf article. You can check out that whole lore offshoot here.
So What Did the Necron Silent King Szarekh Make?
The key point of the story in the White Dwarf is that the Silent King DID make something. So what’s that “something” that fits the bill better than the Tyranids?
First, we have to know the backstory of the Silent King. He had some pretty big feels badsies when he turned 99% of his kingdom into mindless robots. Because of what he did, he went on a penance voyage sailing into the voids of space. He traveled the vastness of space where nobody would find him.
Remember back when the Necrons killed the C’tan Llandu’gor the Flayer? This brought about the disease that corrupts Necrons and drives them into insanity, wanting to kill anything that breathes. This description from the 40k fandom matches pretty well with the “horrors of infinite hunger” description from the White Dwarf above.
Flayed Ones are twisted and ghoulish Necron terrors afflicted by an ancient infection that breeds a hunger for organic flesh in them.
Flayed Ones kill in order to sate an unnatural hunger for flesh and blood; they kill so that they might feast.
One key attribute about the Flayed Ones is that they teleport in and out of existence. Nobody really knows where they go other than some sort of pocket dimension (similar to Dark Eldar Mandrakes). On top of that, we know that the Flayer disease can be spread to other Necrons.
So it’s even possible that this is where the Silent King disappeared to their pocket dimension and perhaps, just perhaps addressed the disease and made some kind of new Flayed One-type of warrior that we haven’t seen yet.
Why would they even answer the door if Szarekh came knocking you ask? It turns out the Silent King and the Flayed Ones are homies already!
Legendary even before the War in Heaven for their savagery and malice, the Maynarkh Dynasty were bloody, ruthless agents of the Silent King. So it is said that, on the order of the Silent King, their hands were the ones to utterly annihilate the C’tan called Llandu’gor the Flayer.
Then he showed his new (or old) creations the shining light of the world as he returned back to the galaxy proper. Knowing what we know about these new “lesser races” of humans etc- it’s possible that these kingdoms that are being destroyed are not ones of the biomass he craves, but kingdoms in the old sense… kingdoms of Necrons who refuse to bend knee to their king.
A battle may be brewing, and ultimately, we’re not sure what the Silent King created or if it will have anything to do with the Flayed Ones at the end of the day.
What do you think we’ll be seeing the Necrons get? Do they need an anvil unit that can take a beating as well as dish out the pain in melee? If the Necrons Silent King Szarekh did become a model on the tabletop, how much do you think he’d cost points-wise?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
