Most powerful 40k race? (lore-wise)

[AlanOC91]

Something I often like to do is try figure out who could potentially wipe out all other races in the 40k universe. There can be so many factors to take into consideration for each race that you can end up rooting for multiple races.
I am constantly reading the 40k wikis as I love the universe and the games (never played the TT).

I have always leaned towards either the Necrons or the Tyranids to be the most powerful. The Necrons seem to move slowly across the galaxy but also seem to destroy everything they encounter.
Same story with the Tyranids except they seem to devour galaxies at a much more rapid rate from what I have gathered.

My mate also once told me that if every single Ork clan managed to unite then they would easily be the most powerful due to the sheer number of them.

Also, am I right in thinking that the Imperium of Man is almost extinct and that they had to ally themselves with the Eldar? (and vice-versa)

So, in your opinion. Who is the most powerful 40k race?

Also, if any of you know any good books to read up on 40k lore I would appreciate it!

NOTICE: This is all opinion based. Please do not attack people based on their opinions. This is just for fun :)

[Laserfrog]

One of the biggest problems with this that has been explained in many codexes and lore sources is that the many different warring factions of 40k need a state of war to stay unified or to exist in the first place. In Dan Abnett's 'Legion', it is explained that if Chaos defeated humanity, it would turn on itself and burn itself out. The same fate can more or less be inferred for other species/factions. What does the hive mind consume when the only biomass left in the galaxy is itself? What do Orks do after wiping out all the other races leads to a time of peace? So the Necrons wiped out all sentient life in the universe, now what?

Besides, if someone wins, what the hell will I play? Necron Energy Management Simulator 2?

[Laserfrog]

Messaggio originale di Blood Raven:

Messaggio originale di OTG Dr Zeus:

I think a case could be made for Chaos... The Chaos Gods are only becoming more and more powerful, and the Chaos Marines can't really be killed. They just reform in the warp and them move out again. Since the Eye of Terror is growing larger and larger all the time, it goes to reason that EVENTUALLY, it will encompass the entire galaxy. The thing about Chaos as well, is that it's not really necessarily one species. Any creature who enters the warp and is corrupted by Chaos (and chosen by the Chaos Gods to represent them), could become Chaos as well. So Orks, Tyranid, Tau, Necrons, etc etc, could potentially all become Chaos creatures.

Tau can't be affected by Chaos

No, but the Kroot can. A few lore items in the universe point to the emergence of Chaos-afflicted and psychic Kroot appearing in the Tau Empire, due to them feeding off tainted humans and psykers, though we have yet to see what effect this has on the Empire at large.

[Stargate_Nerd]

Necrons, hands down. The Imperium usually just ending up blowing up whatever planet they fight on, Eldar fear them to a degree, Tyranids actively avoid them (no biomass to omnomnom) etc.
If we exclude OP robots; Tyranids or the Imperium during regular circumstances.

[Stargate_Nerd]

Messaggio originale di Laserfrog:

One of the biggest problems with this that has been explained in many codexes and lore sources is that the many different warring factions of 40k need a state of war to stay unified or to exist in the first place. In Dan Abnett's 'Legion', it is explained that if Chaos defeated humanity, it would turn on itself and burn itself out. The same fate can more or less be inferred for other species/factions. What does the hive mind consume when the only biomass left in the galaxy is itself? What do Orks do after wiping out all the other races leads to a time of peace? So the Necrons wiped out all sentient life in the universe, now what?

Besides, if someone wins, what the hell will I play? Necron Energy Management Simulator 2?

When the Hive Mind has consumed all life in the galaxy, it goes to another galaxy. Tyranids are intergalactic. (After that, they'll probably go into hybernation) Orks would and do start fighting each other. Necrons go to sleep for another couple of million years until new sentient life has evolved. And so on.

[Jagdpanther-88]

Grey Knights are the most powerful force in the imperium! Look up kaldor Draigo...That guy is a stone cold badass.

[Ciciro]

Messaggio originale di Laserfrog:

Messaggio originale di Blood Raven:

Tau can't be affected by Chaos

No, but the Kroot can. A few lore items in the universe point to the emergence of Chaos-afflicted and psychic Kroot appearing in the Tau Empire, due to them feeding off tainted humans and psykers, though we have yet to see what effect this has on the Empire at large.

Actually, the Kroot activly avoid corrupted flesh, as in the instance in Ciaphas Cain where a kroot tasted the flesh of a genestealer hybrid and spat it back it, saying it was "off".

[Shango]

Man I love the warhammer world.

[Shango]

It's between the Necrons or Tyranids whichever one gets their main force first will be dominant. The only other contender is Orks if they all join up but that will be under one boss and if he dies then they will destroy themselves.

[Goats from outer space]

i would say tyranids are the strongest as they have strong physical combat abilites with blinding speed and even stronger psychic powers than any other race plus they grow in numbers almost as fast as orks but are united, their only limitation is their lack of proper ranged weaponry and vulnerbility to aoe weapons such as basilisk tanks and so on, high tech and strong armor is uselse against them only sheer number of bullets you can send at them work.

1. chaos cant corrupt them so they dont know what they are planning and so on.
2. eldars are to few in numbers and their artilery is to weak to handle the tyranids.
3. orks will never unite under 1 warboss long anough to take over the galaxy so they no threat at all for them.
4.tau again to few and not able to field good anough artilery.
5.necrons may be the only contender to tyranids but they still fall short as tyrranids can take out their fortress with their sheer numbers.
6. humankind(empire/spacemarins and so on) can defeat the tyranids if they tailor their army for that specific purpose but it will be a uphill fight.

other races from the wk40k world i dont know as ive only played epic the board game and some oldschool wk40k games but there is darkeldar too right? anyway i dont know them and how they handle that kind of threat.

[Laserfrog]

Messaggio originale di Ciciro:

Messaggio originale di Laserfrog:

No, but the Kroot can. A few lore items in the universe point to the emergence of Chaos-afflicted and psychic Kroot appearing in the Tau Empire, due to them feeding off tainted humans and psykers, though we have yet to see what effect this has on the Empire at large.

Actually, the Kroot activly avoid corrupted flesh, as in the instance in Ciaphas Cain where a kroot tasted the flesh of a genestealer hybrid and spat it back it, saying it was "off".

The ones in the Tau Empire avoid it. Mercenary and Renegade Kroot aren't so picky. The Canker Eaters on Phaedra, for example, or the Farseer Kroot fought by the Silver Skulls chapter.

Also, there is a distinction between tyranid-corrupted flesh, which is actually inedible to Kroot, and Chaos/warp-afflicted flesh, which is biologically edible but causes spiritual corruption.

[Laserfrog]

Messaggio originale di Archivius:

i would say tyranids are the strongest as they have strong physical combat abilites with blinding speed and even stronger psychic powers than any other race plus they grow in numbers almost as fast as orks but are united, their only limitation is their lack of proper ranged weaponry and vulnerbility to aoe weapons such as basilisk tanks and so on, high tech and strong armor is uselse against them only sheer number of bullets you can send at them work.

1. chaos cant corrupt them so they dont know what they are planning and so on.
2. eldars are to few in numbers and their artilery is to weak to handle the tyranids.
3. orks will never unite under 1 warboss long anough to take over the galaxy so they no threat at all for them.
4.tau again to few and not able to field good anough artilery.
5.necrons may be the only contender to tyranids but they still fall short as tyrranids can take out their fortress with their sheer numbers.
6. humankind(empire/spacemarins and so on) can defeat the tyranids if they tailor their army for that specific purpose but it will be a uphill fight.

other races from the wk40k world i dont know as ive only played epic the board game and some oldschool wk40k games but there is darkeldar too right? anyway i dont know them and how they handle that kind of threat.

The Dark Eldar aren't trying to win. Commorragh exists only in the webway, and as such the annihilation of all life in the galaxy doesnt really affect them much. In fact, if Chaos loses, then Slaanesh loses its hold on the Eldar, so the Dark Eldar could actually emerge stronger because of this. While Dark Eldar do raid realspace for slaves and suffering, the economy of Commorragh is actually completely self sufficient: the Dark Eldar feed on suffering, which they can create freely ad infiniutum.

Oddly enough, it is described in the Dark Eldar Path series that the inverse of this could have greater repercussions on the galaxy at large: that if Commorragh falls, then the entirety of the webway could be destroyed.

[Laserfrog]

As to who would win in 40k, my vote is Enslavers.

[Slighted]

my money is on teh c'tan

[Slighted]

if you follow the lore, it is speculated the orcs were gentically created to fight the necrons and their masters the c'tan, the eldar tech finally drops low enough for the necrons to not detect warp activity its on, tyranids can eat a fat one since necrons have nothing to reclaim, and are stashed across the galaxy by their billions in storage worlds.

[Chunky Soup]

If you wanted to know who was the last race to survive well after the fall of all other races, it was the necrons they make suddle hints in the necron codex's if you read the fluff but the tyranids hive fleet size is so massive that just three of its tentacles is the size of the 40k universe so essentially... nids ate a permanent metalic herpies?!?