Lore Question: Do all space fairing factions use Warp travel?

[Coldhands]

I know the Eldar have the Webway, but do they all still have enough access to use that for galactic travel? Can it handle something the size of a Craftworld?
Do Necrons use warp travel?
What do other factions use in place of a Navigator?
Did Age of Technology humans use Navigators, or did they have a technological replacement?

[Tias Terror]

The Tau, because they lack psykers as a race, are incapable of fully entering the warp. However, based on duplicating the warp drive from an unknown alien vessel they have found a way of 'diving' towards the warp, extending the field of their drive into a wing shape designed to hold their vessel in the warp, before being hurled into real space again like a ball held under water and then released. While this is much slower, by a factor of five when compared to Imperial jump speed, it is a lot safer because they do not enter the warp deep enough to become exposed to any of its dangers, and is also much more predictable as their speed works out to a consistent rate.

The Hive Fleets of the Tyranids do not travel through the warp but instead rely on small Narvhal bio-ships which are capable of harnessing a planetary system's gravity from immense distances away to create a corridor of compressed-space through which Tyranid vessels can travel towards the system at a swift rate. Whilst slower than proper warp travel, this method is "infinitely more reliable." (Codex Tyranids).

A warp rift, also known as a warp portal, is a point in real space that interfaces with the warp to form a stable exit and entry point so the use of warp drives is not required. The Enslavers are a race known to use warp rifts to travel between the warp and real space. But the exact nature of how such portals or rifts work is not understood by the Imperium. Sometimes warp rifts occur randomly, other times the Chaos Gods or mortals manufacture them. You may know the largest 2 warp rifts under the names Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom.

The Necrons use "Intertialess drives". With those, they are capable of incredible speeds, capable of crossing the galaxy in “the blink of an eye”. (Codex Necrons) When engaged, the harvest ships of the Necrons accelerate with a flare of relativistic energy. Besides interstellar travel, the inertialess drive can be used to make short-range jumps on the battlefield. As well as the drives, Necrons also Dolmen Gates and teleportation for shorter range purposes.

[Drake]

Chaos factions just use the warp, because chaos.

Necrons use the webway too (in a different way).

Orks use the warp, they don't have navigators, they sometimes use wiedboyz, sometimes not. Orks have their own psychic abilities manifesting whatever they believe in. So if they want to warp jump, they just do it.

Tau use FTL, like starwars.

[corisai]

Yes, there are Gateways big enough for Craftworlds. But they're rare so usually they use some kind of slow FTL travel in real space.

Necrons have Inertia-less Drives, so basically able to reach mindblowing FTL speed in real space.
Tyranids use Warp-travel.
Tau using shallow Warp-jumps like Chartists ships do (no need for navigator).
Daemons are, well, daemons.
And Chaos forces using mostly ex-Imperium ships (either with Navigator or daemon/psyker in his role), usually with Gellar-field too.

[Daliena]

Eldar use the Webway.

Necrons use their own methods - Dolmen Gates are mentioned as a series of teleporters, apparently? They also have something called Inertialess Drives which function as their FTL, though slower than Dolmen Gates.

Tau use the ZFR Horizon Drive which is described as "almost light speed", being still quite slow compared to what other races do, but usually not as risky as Warp travel.

(Dark) Age of Technology is when Navigators first came to be, but before that, colossal computers were used to calculate short-distance warp jumps.

Tyranids use Narvhals, which.. The method is a bit weird to my understanding, but apparently they use the target system's own gravity to pull themselves towards it at massive speed, but when they actually come too close to a gravity well they have to move along at sub-light speeds for the rest of the way.

[Zsrai]

No, most don't. Aeldari (both types) use the Webway, Tyranids just slow roll it through real space IIRC, and Necrons just have FTL "space magic" levels of technology; the latter are anathema to the Warp, so can't enter it. Tau technically do warp "skips", I think? But they don't have Navigators and don't fully enter the warp. Their lore has changed a few times in this regard.

Orks... who knows. I think they just do things, as they are wont to do. GSC are functionally just Humans in this specific case; they just have a full cult manned ship and fly it like a normal Imperial vessel, I would guess. Chaos does what Chaos does.

Finally, my boys in the Leagues of Votann use actual good technology (that is based on old Dark Age Tech) and don't use Navigators at all. They have AIs that calculate the jumps and warp paths to take. They are a little slower than Imperial methods but much safer and more accurate (the jump may not send you back in time 200 years, for example). That also answers your other question about DAoT Humanity; they used highly advanced AIs, and the Navigators were created after the Butlerian Jihad war with the Men of Iron was over and AIs were destroyed or lobotomized.

[=DeadShot=]

All factions outside the Nids use the warp.
The Eldar/Drukhari use warp and /or make tunnels in the warp(webway).
Humans(both DAOT and IOM) use the warp. Navigators were created by humans during the DAOT to make warp travel faster, safer and time efficent at a Galactic scale. Even without navigators warp travel was possible. But was short lived, random and much more unsafe by using computers /AI.
Orks use only warp travel/their version of webway. And their warp travel is random and deadlier than the human one. And mostly on the short scale(sector/subsector).
Necrons use the webway or very short (star system to star system very slow non warp base FTL).
Tau use to skim the warp, not plunging into the warp as human drives. Much slower than even the calculated drives that the IOM/DAOT uses.
Leagues of Votan use calculated warp drive and navigator warp drive.
Only Tyranids uses a very slow non warp based gravity base FTL drive.
star system to star system non warp base FTL can be implied to be used by IOM/DAOT humanity.

EDIT
Chaos uses a more dangerous version of the IOM warp drive. Possible much faster but much nastier on average.

[Schlumpsha]

Jokaero starships ride on unknown power currents which exist throughout the galaxy. They have no need to travel through the warp. Though they build forcefields for imperial voidships to better withstand their Warp travels.

[jonoliveira12]

Originally posted by Schlumpsha:

Jokaero starships ride on unknown power currents which exist throughout the galaxy. They have no need to travel through the warp. Though they build forcefields for imperial voidships to better withstand their Warp travels.

I love the Jokaero!

Super-tech apes that teleport in, for reasons beyond understanding rewire your technology to be monstruously effective, then leave with your supply of bananas, without any hellos or goodbyes.

[Coldhands]

Lots of varying and contradictory answers, but thanks for all the info, folks!

[gurugeorge]

What I'm not clear on is, what is the difference between the Warp and the Webway? I mean, functionally, they seem like the same thing, with one being "safer" for some reason? I dunno, seems like a redundancy.

[=DeadShot=]

Originally posted by gurugeorge:

What I'm not clear on is, what is the difference between the Warp and the Webway? I mean, functionally, they seem like the same thing, with one being "safer" for some reason? I dunno, seems like a redundancy.

Webway is Channel Tunnel and warp travel is submarine travel. Think the warp as the Ocean/Sea.

[Zsrai]

Originally posted by gurugeorge:

What I'm not clear on is, what is the difference between the Warp and the Webway? I mean, functionally, they seem like the same thing, with one being "safer" for some reason? I dunno, seems like a redundancy.

The Webway is a pocket dimension, between the Material (real space) and the Immaterial (the warp). Think of like... a Bag of Holding from D&D. Except much bigger, and if you pierce it worse ♥♥♥♥ happens (hello, Golden Throne).

[gurugeorge]

Thanks for the clarifications guys, they help. :)

[Toaster Maximus]

Purple Orks is the answer to ork space travel.

[Khloros]

Yes and no
TL;DR of how each faction travels

IoM, Chaos marines/navy, and ork factions: Warp travel, open a hole into the warp, go in, pop out on the other side, hope you survive hell.

Eldar and dark eldar: Webway, think of it like a super special highway that only they can use, and its like tunnels through the warp that are much more reliable and safer but only they know how to use them.

Nids: They slow boat it, they drift through the void slowly.

Tau: Skip across the warp. Tau dont actually travel through the warp, they sort of skip across it like a pebble on a lake, and use it to spring board around they are, by warp travel means, very slow

Necros: they have a weird type of webway gate that they use. kinda like hijacking the eldars way.