Summary
Warhammeris full of varied and interesting factions, but not all of them have made it into a video game. Some might have had a character or two, but the faction itself doesn’t appear. Some might have had a previous incarnation of their faction in a game, but not the forty-second millennium or Mortal Realms version.
TheUltramarines. Black Legion,Stormcast Eternals, and Ork/Orruk hordes all rightly get a lot of attention, but they’re not the only ones deserving of the spotlight. From the Mortal Realms to the grimdark future, dozens of cultures, chapters, and creatures have never had much exposure outside the tabletop.
11Dark Mechanicum (Warhammer 40,000)
Daemonic Artisans And Scientists
The technology-obsessed Mechanicus exploded onto the scene in 2015 with their fullWarhammer 40,000army. They have their own successfulstrategy game series too, with another upcoming installment. But what about their Chaos equivalents?
The Dark Mechanicum are the remnants of the tech priests that followed Horus during the Horus Heresy, focused on forbidden esoteric science. They were fascinated by Horus' offers of unlimited experimentation with AI, bioscience, alien technology, and more. Think of the Dark Mechanicum as every “science gone wrong” parable run amok: evil artificial intelligence, Daemon-possessed tech monstrosities, and splicing human and alien DNA.
10Kharadron Overlords (Warhammer Age Of Sigmar)
Skyfaring Merchants And Adventurers
Despite a small appearance of three Kharadron Overlords inWarhammer Age of Sigmar: Soul Arena, the faction as a whole has eluded any significant video game appearances.
These steampunk, skyfaring Duardin travel to war in vast fleets of airships loaded with cannons, while their troops wield steampunk rifles against monsters dozens of times their size. The Kharadron Overlords refuse to worship any god after being abandoned during the age of chaos. Instead, the Overlords live by a mercantile code, one that sees them aligned with the order factions but willing to raid and kill if necessary to achieve profit.
9Iron Warriors (Warhammer 40,000)
Iron Within, Iron Without
The Iron Warriors were the backbone of the traitor forces during the Horus Heresy and fought from the Dropsite massacre, until the siege of Terra. With Horus arguably losing the war by offendingtheir Primarch, Perturabo,it was enough for the legion to abandon the siege.
InWarhammer 40,000,the Iron Warriors are an army of renegades, not truly aligned to chaos (although they do love to force daemons into their machinery). They refuse to bow to any master, and have eschewed any higher purpose than that of conquest and revenge. They only value strength, seeing weakness as worthy of enslavement or death.
8Cities Of Sigmar (Warhammer Age Of Sigmar)
The Old World Reborn
Despite the world’s destruction during the end times, the reforged races of man, elf, and dwarf would coalesce once more in the mortal realms ofAge Of Sigmar. Now as part of Sigmar’s empire, they form the mortal forces that support the mighty Stormcast Eternals.
Being theAge Of Sigmarequivalent ofWarhammer: The Old World’s empire, the Cities Of Sigmar utilise a mix of faith, steel and gunpowder with which to battle the storm god’s foes. Sporting a more fantastical aesthetic and including monsters in their ranks, the free cities definitely deserve an appearance sometime in the near future.
7Leagues Of Votann (Warhammer 40,000)
AI Led Space Dwarves
The Leagues of Votan are the newest major faction added to theWarhammer 40,000universe. They are composed primarily of the Kin (genetically modified humans), and Ironkin (sentient robots with their own personalities). They occupy the galactic core in a series of mining guilds and corporate enterprises.
Members are genetically modified to fit any role, and led by the giant AI supercomputers known as Votann. Of course, this beingWarhammer,they’re obsessed with profit and will invade others if it seems financially ideal. They’ll even split planets apart to get to the resources inside.
6Red Corsairs (Warhammer 40,000)
Pirate Kings Of The Maelstrom
The Badab War is full of factions that deserve more spotlight. The war is ta ale of the Imperium’s bureaucracy creating another dire threat: Huron Blackheart and his piratical Red Corsairs.
The Red Corsairs are second only to Abbadon’s Black Legion in numbers, despite having existed for a fraction of the time. The Corsairs are raiders and reavers that have become a scourge on the Imperium, taking entire worlds as slaves and looting its cities bare. The warband even managed to deal a severe blow to the White Scars chapter following the opening of the great rift.
5Ossiarch Bonereapers (Warhammer Age Of Sigmar)
Scions Of Nagash
The Ossiarch Bonereapers form the elite of the death god Nagash’s undead hordes. They are forged from the sculpted bones of the dead, and given life by the corrupted souls of Nagash’s enemies. The Bonereapers offer an undead alternative to the more famous Stormcast Eternals, being one of thesetting’s strongest factions.
They follow a strict caste system, with many Ossiarchs in civilian roles alongside the military might of Nagash’s legions. Ossiarchs have predetermined roles for which they’re forged, from the royal Mortarchs to the lowly Mornial. Those that fail in their assigned roles risk becoming Parrha, exiles and failures with the status of beasts.
4Carcharodons Astra (Warhammer 40,000)
Hunters In The Dark
The Carcharodons, or Space Sharks, are one ofWarhammer 40,000’smost brutal space marine chapters. The chapter is aesthetically inspired by Polynesian cultures, bringing a unique visual flair to the world ofWarhammer.
As a faction, the Carcharodons are very different from regular Space Marines, fighting more as a guerrilla hit-and-run force. Savage in the extreme, the Carcharadons are one of the most brutal astartes chapters. They prefer to brutalize their foes with chainaxes and close assaults, recruiting by demanding slaves from Imperial worlds. They prowl the edges of the galaxy, hunting the horrors that lurk in the dark.
Time Draining Horrors
Art by Tiernan Trevallion
The Hrud were once intended asWarhammer 40,000’sanswer tothe verminous Skaven, but eventually morphed into something much more eldritch and terrifying. The Hrud of today are hulking, spindly creatures, consisting of a hunched torso and several gangly limbs.
They possess the innate ability to age their prey to death, and the military power to route the Star Phantoms space marine chapter from their homeworld during one of their migrations. Despite this, the Hrud have never actually been given an army since their introduction inWarhammer 40,000’s third edition.
2Night Lords (Warhammer 40,000)
Fear-Loving Psychopaths
The Night Lords are fear incarnate, a legion of psychopaths and murderers. Since their inception, they have relied on shock and awe, fighting guerrilla wars with the objective of forcing surrender through fear. In theory, this would limit actual casualties, but actually results in grisly and disturbing deaths for their victims. The warriors of the legion would even wear their foes’ skins on their armor.
Now, in the forty-second millennium, the Night Lords have shattered into disparate warbands of raiding sadists and psychopaths. Few among them retain any sort of honor or nobility, taking pleasure in the horrific murders they commit. Despite this, they actually have some of thefranchise’s best novels.
