What changed for Necrons in 11th edition
11th edition handed the Necrons a mixed re-pricing rather than a clean cut: a clutch of C'tan and heavy vehicles crept up, but a good number of vehicles and Canoptek units came down, and three brand-new characters joined the roster. If you played the metal dynasties in 10th, your collection still plays the same — just expect the maths to have shifted under a few of your key pieces. On balance more units got cheaper than got dearer.
Summary
- 31 units repriced, 3 new, 17 unchanged
- Biggest drop: Doom Scythe (-30)
- Biggest rise: Tesseract Vault (+40)
- Detachment Points: 2 / 3 / 4 at Incursion / Strike Force / Onslaught
Detachments
The headline mechanical change is Detachment Points. Detachments are no longer free: each one now has a points cost of its own that comes out of your army total, scaling with game size — 2 at Incursion, 3 at Strike Force, 4 at Onslaught. That's a real budgeting decision on top of your unit choices, and it's the single biggest thing to relearn coming from 10th. For the Necrons the sheet grew: three new detachments arrive — Hand of the Dynasty, Skyshroud Spearhead, and The Phaeron's Armoury — while every 10th-edition option carries straight over and none were removed. The only new army-building decision is the Detachment Points overhead.
New in 11th: Hand of the Dynasty, Skyshroud Spearhead, The Phaeron's Armoury. None removed.
| Detachment | DP | |
|---|---|---|
| Awakened Dynasty | 3 | |
| Annihilation Legion | 2 | |
| Canoptek Court | 3 | |
| Obeisance Phalanx | 2 | |
| Hypercrypt Legion | 2 | |
| Starshatter Arsenal | 3 | |
| Cryptek Conclave | 2 | |
| Cursed Legion | 2 | |
| Pantheon of Woe | 2 | |
| Hand of the Dynasty | 1 | New in 11th |
| Skyshroud Spearhead | 1 | New in 11th |
| The Phaeron's Armoury | 1 | New in 11th |
Points changes
The pattern is a genuine mix: 29 units were re-priced, 11 up and 17 down, with 3 new characters on top. The standout savings sit on the flyers and heavy Canoptek — the Doom Scythe dropped a full 30 points, while the Night Scythe and the Obelisk each came down 20. Going the other way, several C'tan and the Monolith crept up. Three new Crucible characters — the Dynastic Conqueror, the Hyperscientist and the Triarchal Overseer — arrive with no 10th-edition equivalent. A few units are priced per squad, so check the tier you actually field.
| Unit | Role | 10th | 11th | Δ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesseract Vault | Vehicles | 425 | 465 | +40 | |
| Doom Scythe | Vehicles | 230 | 200 | -30 | |
| C'tan Shard of the Deceiver | Characters | 310 | 330 | +20 | |
| C'tan Shard of the Nightbringer | Characters | 340 | 360 | +20 | |
| Monolith | Vehicles | 400 | 420 | +20 | |
| Night Scythe | Vehicles | 145 | 125 | -20 | |
| Obelisk | Vehicles | 300 | 280 | -20 | |
| The Silent King | Characters | 400 | 420 | +20 | |
| C'tan Shard of the Void Dragon | Characters | 330 | 345 | +15 | |
| Canoptek Macrocytes | Mounted & Beasts | 85 | 70 | -15 | |
| Canoptek Wraiths | Mounted & Beasts | 3: 110 6: 220 | 3: 95 4: 220 | -15 0 | |
| Ghost Ark | Transports | 115 | 100 | -15 | |
| Transcendent C'tan | Characters | 325 | 340 | +15 | |
| Annihilation Barge | Vehicles | 105 | 95 | -10 | |
| Canoptek Spyders | Vehicles | 1: 75 2: 150 | 1: 65 2: 110 | -10 -40 | |
| Doomsday Ark | Vehicles | 200 | 210 | +10 | |
| Illuminor Szeras | Characters | 165 | 175 | +10 | |
| Lokhust Lord | Characters | 80 | 70 | -10 | |
| Necron Warriors | Battleline | 10: 90 20: 200 | 10: 80 11: 190 | -10 -10 | |
| Orikan the Diviner | Characters | 80 | 90 | +10 | |
| Trazyn the Infinite | Characters | 75 | 65 | -10 | |
| Triarch Praetorians | Infantry | 5: 90 10: 180 | 5: 80 6: 160 | -10 -20 | |
| Chronomancer | Characters | 65 | 70 | +5 | |
| Flayed Ones | Infantry | 5: 60 10: 120 | 5: 55 6: 100 | -5 -20 | |
| Lokhust Heavy Destroyers | Mounted & Beasts | 1: 55 2: 110 3: 165 | 50 | -5 | |
| Lychguard | Infantry | 5: 85 10: 170 | 5: 80 6: 160 | -5 -10 | |
| Overlord | Characters | 85 | 90 | +5 | |
| Overlord with Translocation Shroud | Characters | 85 | 90 | +5 | |
| Tomb Blades | Mounted & Beasts | 3: 75 6: 150 | 3: 70 4: 140 | -5 -10 | |
| Immortals | Battleline | 5: 70 10: 150 | 5: 70 6: 140 | 0 -10 | |
| Lokhust Destroyers | Mounted & Beasts | 1: 40 2: 60 3: 90 6: 180 | 1: 40 2: 55 3: 80 4: 170 | 0 -5 -10 -10 | |
| Dynastic Conqueror | Characters | — | 85 | — | New in 11th |
| Hyperscientist | Characters | — | 85 | — | New in 11th |
| Triarchal Overseer | Characters | — | 120 | — | New in 11th |
| Canoptek Doomstalker | Vehicles | 140 | 140 | — | |
| Canoptek Reanimator | Vehicles | 75 | 75 | — | |
| Canoptek Scarab Swarms | Other | 3: 40 6: 80 | 3: 40 4: 80 | — | |
| Canoptek Tomb Crawlers | Mounted & Beasts | 50 | 50 | — | |
| Catacomb Command Barge | Characters | 120 | 120 | — | |
| Cryptothralls | Infantry | 60 | 60 | — | |
| Deathmarks | Infantry | 5: 60 10: 120 | 5: 60 6: 120 | — | |
| Geomancer | Characters | 75 | 75 | — | |
| Hexmark Destroyer | Characters | 75 | 75 | — | |
| Imotekh the Stormlord | Characters | 100 | 100 | — | |
| Nekrosor Ammentar | Characters | 185 | 185 | — | |
| Plasmancer | Characters | 55 | 55 | — | |
| Psychomancer | Characters | 55 | 55 | — | |
| Royal Warden | Characters | 50 | 50 | — | |
| Skorpekh Lord | Characters | 90 | 90 | — | |
| Technomancer | Characters | 80 | 80 | — | |
| Triarch Stalker | Vehicles | 110 | 110 | — |
Biggest increases
Are Tesseract Vault still worth it?
Up 40 points in 11th — now 465 versus 425 in 10th.
Are C'tan Shard of the Deceiver still worth it?
Up 20 points, to a price that already reflects a centrepiece god-shard. That's a real tax, but the Deceiver is bought for what it does to the table, not to round out a list — and if it earned its slot in your 10th-edition army, the extra 20 won't change that. If you were only squeezing it in to spend leftover points, this is the nudge to reconsider.
Are C'tan Shard of the Nightbringer still worth it?
Also up 20, and the most expensive of the C'tan Shards even before the bump. It remains one of the hardest-hitting single models the Necrons can field, so the question is really whether you want a big, points-hungry brawler anchoring your list. Committed players will pay it happily; if you were on the fence, the higher cost tips the decision toward a cheaper support piece.
Frequently asked questions
Did the Necrons get better in 11th edition?
On points, it's a net positive: 17 units came down against 11 that went up, so most Necron collections can field a little more for the same total than at the end of 10th. The savings land where they help — flyers and Canoptek — while the increases mostly hit centrepiece models you take by choice. Whether that becomes more wins depends on the wider meta, but the faction came out of the transition in a flexible spot.
What got cheaper for Necrons in 11th edition?
The biggest winners are the flyers and heavy Canoptek. The Doom Scythe leads the way at 30 points cheaper, the Night Scythe and the Obelisk each dropped 20, and both the Canoptek Wraiths and Canoptek Macrocytes came down 15 per unit. If you like fast attackers and swarming constructs, 11th makes them noticeably easier to fit.
How do Detachment Points work for Necrons in 11th edition?
Detachment Points are a new 11th-edition layer: your chosen detachment now costs points out of your army total, scaling with game size — 2 at Incursion, 3 at Strike Force, and 4 at Onslaught. Because no Necron detachments were added or cut, this overhead is the only new army-building maths you'll do — a flat cost you budget for before you start picking units.
Why did the C'tan Shards get more expensive in 11th edition?
Several of the god-shards moved up together: the Deceiver and the Nightbringer each rose 20, the Void Dragon 15, and the Transcendent C'tan 15, with the Tesseract Vault up 20 as well. These are the army's premium centrepiece profiles, so the increases concentrate the "tax" on models you take for impact rather than efficiency — while the everyday vehicles and constructs got cheaper.
Is now a good time to start a Necrons army?
It's a solid moment. Several core vehicles and Canoptek units are cheaper, the range is stable, and three new characters add options without forcing a rebuild. If you've been eyeing the dynasties, the 11th-edition points make a starter force easier to grow into — see the Starting a Necrons Army guide for a buying order.