Did the Necrons get the short end of the stick in 8th edition? They’re good sure, but anyway you slice it, playing them is a rough path to victory.
Necrons have done almost a complete 180° from 7th edition into 8th. Everything dies a lot faster now and Necrons are very good at doing that, but you gotta have units to start with to reanimate them. Sure they got some dope units, but the rule of 3, and power creep may have done them in.
Can You Make Necrons Work in 8th Edition 40k?
Today we’re talking about some units that may help you when you play this faction.
Necron Warriors
Warriors were once a mainstay, but let’s look at how they’re doing now.
They went from being a monster from 7th edition into an autonomic bowling pin in 8th. A squad of 20 Warriors costs 240 points. That means they’re 12 points per model. To put things into perspective, a Tactical Marine is 13 points per model and we all know how horrible Tactical Squads are. For whatever reason, Necrons aren’t Fearless now.
They’re still LD10, which is nice but doesn’t mean anything if your opponent focus fires a squad of 20. If you watch any game that has Warriors in it, you’ll see the Necron player either spend 2 CP to auto pass morale or take the warlord trait that makes everything fearless around him. Bleeding out 2CP a turn to prevent 240 points from running away is nothing an army should have to deal with.
Oh and guess what, you can reanimate any models that flee. Whomp Whomp….
Immortals with Tesla seem to be the way to go. They are only 1 wound but have a better save at a 3+. The Teslas they carry also counts as 3 hits on a roll of 6+ as well, which is pretty nice on overwatch. Even two 6’s is still 6 hits!
5 Immortals cost 85 points, which is a little expensive, but a squad of 10 can still put out some nice firepower and is still cheaper than shelling out 240 points.
Tesseract Vault
Just a quick note on this unit. It’s very good because it ignores toughness and saves from most units. It’s a mortal wound machine. But they’re also expensive and hard for the average tabletop player to get their hands on. Most competitive lists are running at least two of these. But there’s an alternative to this thing. Let’s face it.
Playing a friendly pick-up game against 2-3 Lords of War isn’t fun or fluffy.
Plus they can just crumble against a savvy player with some hard hitters.
Necron Fast Attacks
Looking at the Fast Attack section for Necrons, they have some of the most usable units over any other faction. All of their Fast Attacks are honestly playable.
The wraith is a T5 3++ monster that ignores terrain and basically has autocannon arms. The Destroyers can lay down some disgusting anti-tank fire or shred infantry depending on what gun you take. The Scarabs are fast objective holders and fantastic tar-pitters. Tomb Blades can chase down anything and can be a focal point unit in your army if you take the Nephrekh Dynasty. The list goes on and on.
Try going as cheap as possible on your troop choices and spam some Fast Attack units. This is where the money is for Necrons barring the Tesseract Vaults.
Open Topped or Not?
The Ghost Ark is the main transport for Necrons. It can carry 10 warriors and can even repair them if one is close by. They were like battleships when you went against one in 7th edition. They are fast and have fly so they can back out of combat, have living metal and quantum shielding. it’s all nice except for one thing. …
How is this NOT open-topped?
Don’t get it twisted, the Ghost Ark still has its place in a Necron list. But it hurts the heart a little to be able to see Warrior models standing inside of the ship, able to look through the huge slots, and know that it’s not open-topped. One other thing that really sucks is that you can’t put a squad of Warriors inside with a Cryptek.
Next time you play a game as Necrons, take our advice and experiment with some other units. Go light on the troops and see what Dynasty fits your playstyle with some Fast Attacks. What do you think about Necrons in 8th edition? What’s their best unit in your opinion? Have you discovered a nice unit combo for Necrons?
Let us know in the comments on our Facebook Hobby Group.
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
